Rating: PG-13. Kids stay away. ::evil laughter::

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. No, wait, the plot is mine. All of my fanfics belong to me as far as the plot goes. Don't steal. Unless you can transform them to make them look purely yours. ;)

Author's Note: Thank you to Cosmic Castaway, who reviewed The Strength of One Green Leaf! I'm so glad you reviewed that story for me even after it was completed! It really means much.

THANK YOU SO MUCH reviewers. Those of you who drop me a line, thank you for your troubles; those of you who continuously keep me company in my writing adventures, you kind people have no idea how much it means to me. Thank you so much!

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Of Elflings and Adolescents

Part 3

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The banner flapped vigorously in the wind, its vivid green bursting with vitality among barren trees. Gray clouds in the sky were beginning to clear, narrow streams of sunlight beaming down upon them. Elrond stepped forth with a broad smile as the leader of the entourage lightly dismounted his horse.

"Welcome to Imladris – at last."

Bright blue eyes smiled back at him. "Well met, my friend."

Elrond placed an affectionate hand on the Mirkwood king's arm, his own dark eyes glowing with warmth. He looked over the king's shoulder and scanned the small band of elves. He turned back to Thranduil and raised an eyebrow. "You are here to stay, are you not?"

Before an answer could be formed, he cut it off. "Because you are staying a while, whether you want to or not."

It was then Thranduil's turn to raise his eyebrows. "I always knew you to be the domineering kind." He smirked roguishly.

Laughing, the lord of Rivendell began to guide the entourage toward his house. The Rivendell elves bowed and parted to make way for their guests; joyful smiles and eager whispers could be seen and heard among the crowds. The benevolent ruler of the hidden valley had never looked so happy in a long time.

As he walked forward, Thranduil looked around, awe evident in his eyes as he took in the beauty of the valley with appreciation. There was a golden beauty here that differed from the magnificence of the green woods. He smiled. This place was sure to have made his little babe very happy.

"Legolas is faring well."

The sudden voice of the elf beside him broke him out of his thoughts. Thranduil smiled appreciatively at Elrond, who smiled back with understanding in his eyes. Though Thranduil showed his trust by courteously withholding his curiosity, he knew that the king was anxious to hear about the well being of his child.

"My sons have completely reverted to elflings, thanks to him," mused the dark-haired elven lord. "And Legolas is much brighter than he was before he arrived here."

Thranduil let out a small sigh of relief.

"I owe much thanks to your kind sons," he said softly.

Elrond shook his head. His eyes took on a distant look as they combed the contours of the valley. "I must thank you, my friend. My sons have also grown up in shadow. The loss of their mother came later than your child's loss, but a part of their childhood was taken away all the same." He turned to smile at Thranduil, who regarded him in silence. "It is a blessing to hear the laughter of three little elflings in the valley."

Thranduil cast his glance down, pale eyes glimmering thoughtfully. "When I take him back," he stated, "Your sons must come to stay in my realm as well."

Elrond smirked. "I always knew you to be the domineering kind."

The two elvenlords burst into good-humored laughter, as they moved idly among the golden carpet of leaves.

It was not long after they had begun walking toward the great halls that the woodland king's sharp ears picked up light tapping of feet on the ground. And he recognized the nimble steps immediately.

"Adaaaaaaaaaa!"

From between the foliage of bushes leading to the forest paths burst forth a golden-haired elfling. He bounded across the gardens, arms outstretched and eyes sparkling with exuberance, and darted straight toward his father. Elrond gasped softly. The elfling was sopping wet, and caked in mud.

Thranduil's eyes momentarily widened at the state of his child, but he smiled and knelt onto the ground, opening his arms. The elfling flung himself straight into the outstretched arms, nearly knocking over the mighty king in the process. "Ada, Ada!" he cried, squeezing his father's neck with his own small arms. "I missed you!"

Thranduil laughed softly as he buried his face in his child's hair. "I missed you too, little Greenleaf." He stood up, holding the elfling close to himself as water began to spread against his chest. Legolas was attached to him like a magnet, head buried in his father's muddied robes as he breathed in his scent. Thranduil turned to smile at Elrond, who was watching with an affectionate twinkle in his eyes. "My thanks, Elrond."

The dark-haired lord shook his head. "Your son is a delight to have in my house, Thranduil. I was sorely tempted to keep him to myself if I didn't have you to worry about."

Thranduil smirked. "Wise choice. It would be a pity to dispose the valley of its ruler." Elrond laughed. Chuckles could be heard here and there among the other elves as well.

The two elven lords turned toward the direction from which the elfling had come, when they heard light footsteps coming from the same path. Multiple footsteps. Thranduil realized right away that these must be the kind sons of Elrond. Elrond raised an eyebrow suspiciously, a father's instinctive dread taking over.

"You little rascal!"

Two dark-haired youths, still in the blossoming of growth, bounded out from the bushes and dived straight toward Legolas, their eyes riveted on the elfling alone. They were dripping wet as well, and caked in mud from head to foot. Pieces of leaves, roots, and other various assortments of foliage were attached to their mud-covered bodies, waving gently in the wind as they ran. Revenge was written plain on their identical - and scowling - faces.

Thranduil, holding the elfling in his arms, gracefully stepped out of the way as the twins nearly collided into him. The brothers skidded to a halt, and nearly yelped when they saw the composed figure of the stately blond elf. They looked around, wide-eyed, at the circle of elves in the area. And their father pressing his temples, eyes closed.

With a look of panic, they hurriedly bowed their head. Pieces of dirt and leaves fell off from their hair.

"Eh, uh, welcome to Imladris, King Thranduil," said one of the twins hastily.

"Yes, yes, honored to have you in our lake. Er, house," added the other.

Elrond rubbed his temple harder. He raised his eyes to meet the twinkling gaze of the woodland king. "My..." he gestured wearily toward the youths- "...sons."

He could hear suppressed giggles culminating among the entourage of guests, as well as among the elves of his own household.

The Mirkwood king's shoulders were shaking with silent laughter as he turned back toward the fidgeting youths. "My thanks, noble lords," he said in a composed tone, though his shoulders continued to betray his stifled laugh. "'Tis an honor to be here."

The twins shot each other dark glances and looked up hesitantly at their father, who simply shook his head and turned away to guide the guests inside the house. Breathing out a sigh of relief, they glared at the elfling, who was still latched onto his father's chest, watching them curiously over the broad shoulder. As the king turned away to follow Elrond inside, the elfling stuck out his tongue. Elladan shook a silent fist toward him, and quickly dropped his hand when the Mirkwood elves began to smile.

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The lords of the two elven realms were chatting pleasantly when their sons presented themselves at the banquet. Elrond raised his eyebrow at the now-clean forms of his children, who grinned sheepishly. They were respectively dressed in burgundy and indigo robes, their pale skin and dark hair glowing with youth and grace. Legolas, also washed clean and put in a decent green tunic, immediately hopped onto the chair next to his father and began to chat enthusiastically about the beauty of Imladris and the many adventures he had shared with the twins. Thranduil listened attentively, nodding and answering with interest; he had not touched his food at all. His eyes were riveted on his happily chatting elfling alone, thirstily drinking in the sight of his glowing child.

As the chatter went on, the twins restlessly shifted in their seats, hoping that Legolas would not mention anything that would put them in an unfavorable light in the eye of the king. Thranduil did not seem like an elf to be reckoned with. They had already decided that when their father muttered the previous day how he wished he could keep the dear elfling to himself; Glorfindel had advised him against it, because "I have seen that elf shoot his arrows and I do not want to be at the receiving end of them." Elrond had smiled and agreed that those words were very true.

"...and so we had to stay there for two nights!"

The elfling took a great breath, smiling with satisfaction. Thranduil smiled, and patted his elfling's cheek, gently urging him to eat.

The twins sighed a great breath of relief when Legolas became quiet. They finally picked up their silverware and began to eat. Elrond had also ceased to watch them with a scrutinizing eye. It seemed that their trials were over.

Legolas, watching the twins gulp down the food, suddenly perked up. Eyes sparkling, he tugged at his father's sleeve. When Thranduil turned toward him attentively, the elfling chirped with wide, curious eyes: "Ada, how are elflings made in a very intimate way?"

The twins choked.

Elrond raised an eyebrow at his sons, who were coughing madly and reaching for water. Thranduil's gaze also darted toward them, and then toward his child. And back at them. He blinked. "What makes you ask that, little Greenleaf?"

Legolas looked toward the twins, frowning inquisitively at their sudden attack of indigestion. "They couldn't explain it to me."

Thranduil turned his head to watch the twins, whose gazes were averted as they continued to cough and gag. His pale blue eyes bore into their flustered expressions, and then moved onto Elrond's sigh, and then rested on the expectant gaze of his curious elfling. He looked up toward the ceiling, pondering. And he stared for a while, as his child waited patiently, before finally opening his mouth to speak.

"When the love of two bound elves becomes very strong," he spoke slowly, thoughtfully, "it becomes a prayer in itself, and passes on to create a third being. That being is the fruit of love, made possible by the blessing of the Valar." He smiled and patted the elfling's cheek. "That's why elflings are so special."

Legolas nodded solemnly, and went back to eating.

Elladan and Elrohir stared at each other.

"Why couldn't Ada tell us like that?" one of them whispered.

From the opposite side of the table, head bowed in apparent concentration over food, Elrond smirked.

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The End

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Someone Reading: Ooh, thank you very much! I learned another Sindarin phrase! Yay! I will make sure to look into that site when I get the time...usually I spend all my free time (and not-so-free-time) working on my fanfics! And your reviews are so poetic and beautiful, they never fail to amaze me. Thank you so much!

Deana: Heh. Nope, he just went and asked someone else...thank you for your review!

Cosmic Castaway: Thank you! I'm glad I made you happy! Hehehe.

Unsung Heroine: That's so nice of you, to review both of my chapters. And wait, I have a final exam in Drama class coming up, and I had to write about Renaissance theatre for my midterm! Hahaha. Thank you for reviewing!

Kitty: Ooh, really? I am glad you enjoyed my last story! That story's my babe. Hehehe. I'm glad I made you laugh! Thank you for your review!

xAKGIRLx: Haha, you needn't be sorry – thank you for coming back!

frodo16424: Ooh, I really didn't know that I was capable of writing funny pieces! Thank you for reviewing!

Templa Otmena: I'm glad you are able to grasp my twins' characters so well in this short little story. And it is so gratifying to hear that my little story made people smile or laugh! I never thought I was capable of that. Hehehe. Thank you!

LOTRFaith: Yes, I am really working on a vignette involving Glorfindel, just because you wanted one. See how much power reviewers can have on poor desperate amateur writers? ;) Thank you for your review again!

Ithildiel: Hehehe, what do you think Galadriel told them? Whatever she said made them suddenly get a very clear understanding...and probably not approvable by Thranduil, concerning his babe...hehehe. Thank you for your words; to hear that you were going to review the last chapter makes me happy just the same!

Beling: Ooh! Reviews for each chapter! And such deliciously long ones too! You're too kind. ;) I truly feel like a theatre artist when a reader understands and grasps my vision without me having to explain everything...it makes me so gratified and I can feel the wonderful harmonizing collaboration with writer and reader! And I am so very happy that I managed to make someone happy for the day. What a treat. Thank you!

Brazgirl: I hope his appearance here made you happier than without...;) yes, I know that Thranduil is your hero. But he's mine too. Too bad I don't own him...sigh. Thank you for reviewing!

mistopurr: Yes, it is a very troublesome question for children. Hehe. Thank you for reviewing, and thank you also for telling me that you liked my last story! It makes me extra happy. ;)

Sy-wen: Thank you! I hope you get to read more fanfics when summer hits! 'Cuz I plan to do some more writing, and I would love to have you! ;)

CaptainInuyasha777: Ooh, a review for each chapter! How kind of you. Thank you much!

willardanimalsrock: I'm glad to hear that! Thank you!

Coolio02: Ooh! Thank you! I hope the ending was to your liking!