Legolas ran down the hall and plopped down onto the grass in the garden, the closet place he hung out in often. He steadied his breathing and caught sight of a squirrel. He approached it slowly like his ada taught him to, then whistled a little tune to it. The furry rodent turned and cocked its head curiously. Legolas whistled the tune again and held out his hand. The squirrel climbed on and nosed his palm. Legolas giggled, but the squirrel perked his head up then with a nervous flick of the tail sprang off Leolas' hand up into the tree. "No! Don't go," Legolas shouted after it but the squirrel raced away. He looked around irritatedly for the person who scared off his squirrel. He soon found the answer. A loud group of arguing elves marched down the steps and across the grass---headed straight for him! They soon got close enough for him to hear what they were saying. the group consisted of his ada, Lord Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir, a golden-haired elf he didn't recognize, and the sticky honey-covered Erestor. 

"Don't lie to me Elladan!" Lord Elrond was saying.

Elladan refused to look at his father and instead looked at the trees, where he met an unusual sight. Two bright blue eyes of a woodland prince. He smiled to himself then whined very loudly, "But ada!! I told you the truth! We were looking around the palace with Legolas and when he showed us our rooms we went in and that's where you found us!" 

Legolas smirked. This Elladan was good, he had made sure Legolas heard their alabi so that he knew what to say when the adults questioned him. 

The group almost passed the little grove of trees he was playing in when Elrohir called out, "Look! There's Legolas! Ask him ada, we were with him on the tour!" 

"legolas?" The voice of King Thranduill came from the other side of a tree. Legolas skipped out of the grove. 

"Yes ada?" he said looking pleasantly surprised. "Is it time for dinn--Oh! Hi Elladan! Hi Elrohir! Did you like the rooms I showed you? Did you see how when you press the button on the wall that the--" 

"Legolas" His ada interrupted him. "Did you take the twins on a tour like I told you to?" 

He nodded vigorously.  "Yes, ada, I did." 

"And it took all day?" Lord Elrond inquired raising an eyebrow. 

"Yea, it took me a little while to find them, I found them in the gardens, then we went everywhere, we went to see Lilithen in the library and we talked to her for a while, we went down to the training field and I showed them how to shoot ada! I even hit the target this time ada! But i don't think Algerion was too happy though, he had to fetch the arrows we missed, and we only got four in the target altogether, and we went to see the fountain, and we went into the ballroom, and we went to the dining room, and we met the kitchen staff and they all freaked out and started yelling at Elladan and Elrohir but I don't know why, and we went to the stables and we saw Bronwe and she liked them, she let them ride her a little, but Miana almost kicked Elrohir in the face, and we saw all the gardens and we walked through all the halls and--" 

"Thank you Legolas, that is enough." Thranduill interjected, looking slightly out of breath himself. "Just tell me what happened when you  finished  the tour. And only what happened when you finished the tour."

"Umm okay. Well I showed them their rooms and told them about how when  you push the button on the wall the lights turn different colors and how--(Legolas stopped when he saw his ada's eye start to twitch)Ahh, then they went inside and I came out here to play."he finished in a rush. 

Elrond shook himself a little and took a deep breath. "Legolas how long ago was this?" 

"Ummm just a few minutes ago." He replied innocently. "I was singing to a squirrel, and ada it jumped on my hand this time like they do for you! But then you guys scared it away." 

"That doesn't change anything!" Erestor spoke up. "Look at me! Look at me! Do you see what they did?! I know it was them, no one else would've done it! I thought that these-these- troublemakers would have enough sense to stop their pranks in the Greenwood where we are visiting, but no!"

"Erestor, please." The golden-haired elf said calmly. "Just take a breath and calm down."

"No Glorfindel! I will not! These tricksters must be punished for their actions!" 

Thranduill interjected,"But they could not have done it could they? That looked like a very elaborate trap above your door Erestor, not something you can make up in minutes." 

"How do we know that they didn't have hours? how do we know that they are telling the truth..." Erestor trailed off at the look he was receiving from Thranduill.

"Because." the king said icily,"my son said that there was only minutes between the tour and now. And my son does not lie."

"Of course, King Thranduill," Glorfindel said then he walked up to Elladan and Elrohir and pierced them with his blue gaze, "But, if anything of this sort happened again we know who to call. I do not want to hear of anything like this again do you hear? You will behave yourselves like the good little prince here, you are his elders ,if only by a few years, but it is still disgraceful that he should have  to set the example for you."

 Glorfindel stood up and walked off. After a moment's hesitation erestor followed him, grumbling under his breath. Elladan and Elrohir followed nervously and Legolas left with a wave of his father's hand. This left the King and Lord standing in the small grove. 

Elrond sighed dramatically. "I'm failing mellon-nin. I'm loosing them! I am a terrible father."

"Don't say that my friend, you are a fine father."

"No I'm not Thranduill, you heard Legolas, the kitchen staff screamed when they saw them, tales of their unruliness are infamous." They stood in silence for a while. until Elrond suddenly blurted out,"How do you do it?"

'Do what?"

"Get Legolas to obey you, to respect you."

"Well, maybe it is because my Avannell ..left..when Legolas was very young. I was always his only parent, always his chief authority figure. I never deferred to another on the matter of my child."

"Yes, I suppose so. I often sent them to Celebrian when they were unruly, and also i was usually stuck in meeting while they bonded with their mother."

"You also cannot overlook the pure nature of the child. Legolas was always quiet and hardly ever misbehaved. That is just the way he is." 

Elrond nodded slowly, then smirked. "You don't suppose you'd want to trade?" 

the two friends and fathers laughed together then walked to the palace.