Broken Legs and Dragon Hunting

Broken Legs and Dragon Hunting

Posted: October 2004
Title: Broken Legs and Dragon Hunting
Author: Iamme
Type: FCGen
Rating: G
Characters: Elladan, Erestor, Celeborn
DISCLAIMER: I don't own them, they all belongs to Tolkien. ETC, ETC, ETC..
Authors Note: This story was originally Broken Legs and Revenge. The story was at a stand still so Alex and I took it and turned it into a short story.
Summary: Erestor seeks revenge on Celeborn.

*****

Elladan sat looking out the window at his brother playing tag with the other elflings. No wonder his father had not punished him for climbing onto that roof. The broken leg was punishment enough. He could not walk, could not ride his horse, nor play tag. What was worse was he had all his make-up assignments to do from when he had not been able to attend his studies.

Erestor watched the young elf staring out the window. He could sympathize with Elladan as he could remember sitting watching a few of his friends playing while he was confined with a broken leg of his own. "You are dismissed for the day, Elladan. I will expect you to be more attentive tomorrow."

"Thank you, Master Erestor." Elladan grabbed his crutches and hobbled for the door. Slowly, he made his way down the hall mumbling. "Cannot play tag, cannot climb trees, cannot chase stupid girls." Lost in his own little world, he somehow managed to miss the body in front of him. Luckily, the body saw him and caught him before they collided.

"Sorry," Elladan muttered, still looking at the floor.

"It is all right, pen-neth." A hand reached out and brushed a stray hair from his face. Elladan blinked for a moment, suddenly realizing who he was speaking to.

"Grandfather, I did not know you were here!' His cheeks were red from embarrassment. Still he was happy to see his Ata'da, a.k.a the Lord of Lorien.

"What is wrong?" asked Celeborn, knowing quite well already as Elrond had told him all about his grandson's injury.

"I broke my leg." Elladan frowned as he replied miserably.

"Yes, I see that." Celeborn smiled then knowing the elfling needed something to help with the boredom. "Shall we find something to do?"

"There is not much you can do with a broken leg." Replied Elladan with a scowl.

"There is plenty you can do with a broken leg. Come with me and I will show you." Celeborn gently lifted his grandson in to his arms, and carried him off down the hall.
"So tell me, pen-neth, how did you break your leg?"

"Well, I was the look out for Cirdan, so I had to climb to a high place."

"Ahhhhh, that is a big responsibility."

"Yes, and as I was climbing out onto the roof of the stables when BOOM! I slipped."

"I see..."

"I really do not remember too much after that. When I woke up, I was looking at Erestor. He looked like he had just seen a Balrog or something."

"I know just how Erestor felt." Celeborn said dryly. "So you will not be feeling the need to go climbing onto anymore roofs, correct?"

"Yes, Grandfather. It is waaay too boring when you break your leg."

Celeborn sighed, shaking his head. "At least you were not hurt worse than you were." Elladan nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Celeborn stopped and pushed open the door to the playroom. A tray of cookies and milk sat on a table by the window. Gently, he sat Elladan down on one of the child-sized chairs. Celeborn moved to the other side of the table and managed to balance himself on one of the others.

Just then, the door opened and Erestor peeked in. "Lord Celeborn! I am sorry I missed your arrival."

"It is quite all right, Erestor. Come in and join us."

"I am sorry, I must go make arrangements for the rest of your stay. I was trying to find out.." Erestor sounded flustered.

"No, I insist. I was just getting ready to tell Elladan a story." Celeborn fixed his eye mischievously on Erestor.

Erestor paled just a little, having a fairly good idea as to which story he was going to tell. Celeborn smiled a bit evilly. "Pull up a chair." He motioned to the little wooden chair.

Knowing there was no way to escape, Erestor tried to somehow squeeze himself in to the small chair.

Elladan handed both of the grown elves a cookie and quickly began to munch on his own, waiting impatiently for his grandfather to begin.

"Are you sure you want to tell him this story?" Erestor pleaded.

"Yes, very sure. You see, Elladan, Erestor and I are almost the same age. I am just a bit older than him."

Elladan nodded, looking back and forth between the two, and noticing something. "Erestor does not look well. He kinda looks like he did the day I fell off the roof!"

Clearing his throat while glaring at Celeborn, the elf grumbled, "I am fine."

To belie this, he thought to himself , ‘I would be better if he was not trying to extract revenge for something that happened several thousand years ago.'

"As I was saying." Celeborn continued with glee. "Erestor and I grew up together, and because I was a little older, I was sometimes left in charge when we went out to play."

"Because you had to learn how to be a good leader, right?" Elladan asked excitedly.

"Exactly."

Erestor sat quietly, trying not to roll his eyes as he remembered just how much of a tyrant Celeborn had been.

"One day we were all out chasing dragons," he said, but was interrupted by the little half-elf.

"Imaginary dragons though, right?"

"Of course. Anyway, we were trying to escape their evil clutches. So we all ran to hide. Erestor climbed up one of the tallest trees."

"I did not know Master Erestor knew how to climb trees." Elladan looked to his tutor with shock written on his face trying to picture Erestor in a tree.

Celeborn glanced at Erestor, who was now a lovely shade of crimson. He shifted uncomfortably in the way too small chair wishing he did not have to sit through this.
The lord gestured with his hands. "Suddenly Erestor let out a cry. 'DOWN YOU FOUL BEAST!!' And he jumped from the tree."

Elladan's eyes got wide. "Were you scared, Erestor?"

"Not until I woke up three days later."

"Because your parents were angry, right?"

"No, because your grandfather swore revenge on me for getting him into trouble."

"You see, I got in trouble for not watching Erestor close enough. I could not go play till he did and I had to help him catch up on all the work he missed in class. And I got a very stern lecture about the responsibilities of being a leader."

"Hey! I got that same lecture! Did you memorize it, Erestor?" Elladan looked accusingly at Erestor, who turned a brighter shade of red if that was actually possible.

Suddenly the door opened and Elrohir ran in saving the counselor from further embarrassment. "Elladan, see what I brought you!"

Erestor shook his head and stood stretching before he headed out into the hallway to wait for Celeborn.

Elladan took the treasure his brother offered him studying it intently for a moment before crying out excitedly, "Look Ata'da!! Ro brought me a warg's tooth!!" Holding the object up for his grandfather to see.

"That is a good gift, Elrohir. I don't think anyone could have done better. But I must know. Did you kill the foul beast yourself?" Asked the former warrior with a serious tone.

Elrohir lifted a brow studying his grandfather for a moment, reminding him of the boys' father at that age.

"Of course not, Ata'da, I am not old enough to slay wargs," replied the boy in a chastising tone. "But someday I will be, and when I do, I will send you the tooth of the very first one."

Celeborn smiled at the elfling. "You will both be very brave. Alas, I must go now for Erestor awaits to speak with me." The eldar hugged each of his grandsons before walking out the door closing it behind him.

Elladan continued to study the warg's tooth his brother had brought him with great enthusiasm as Elrohir began to search for a book. "It's to bad you could not play with us today Elladan. We missed you."

"It was not all bad. Erestor let me go early and Ata'da told me a story about him and Master Erestor," replied Elrohir as he hobbled towards a shelf.

"It could not have been very exciting if it was about Master Erestor. He is just a boring tutor," stated Elrohir, matter-of-factly."

Elladan crossed his arms scowling. "It was not boring. He broke his leg just like I did. Well almost like me, anyways."

Elrohir's eyes widened in shock. "Master Erestor broke his leg? Did he get beat up or something by the other elflings?"

Elladan dropped the tooth in his collection box before replying. "No, Ro, he was pretending to chase dragons. Can you believe it?" Giggled Elladan using a crutch to mimic what Erestor must have looked like.

Elrohir began to flip through the pages of a book. He said in a rather surprised tone, "I can not even imagine Master Erestor hunting dragons! Even pretend ones!"

Elladan grinned at his brother as he limped back to the bed. "Anyway, Ata'da got in trouble for it."

"Why? Did Ata'da push him out of the tree?" The young elf inquired inquisitively.
Elladan gasped an expression of shock appearing on his young features. "Of course not! This is Ata'da we are talking about. He would not push anyone out of a tree, except maybe an orc."

"Naneth would have pushed him."

"Yes, but we are talking about Ata'da and he is too nice to do anything mean to anyone. He just was not paying attention." Elladan added as an afterthought "And Naneth had to keep up with her brothers. She is not just your normal icky girl, you know."

Elrohir giggled. "I can not even imagine Master Erestor climbing a tree. He is just so…so... Master Erestor."

Erestor glared at Celeborn as they stood listening to the elflings muffled conversation through the heavy oak door. "Do you see what you have started?" Stated the advisor grumpily as his shook his finger at the Teleri before him.

Celeborn feigned an innocent look before turning to walk down the marbled hallway. "I have no idea as to what you are referring to, councilor."

"I have stories I can tell them about you as well," growled Erestor as he followed a few steps behind his rival.

"Yes, but it would not be nearly as surprising to them." Laughed Celeborn "They are use to seeing me climb trees."

"You are the lord of the Galadhrim. Of course they are use to seeing you climb trees," replied a frustrated Erestor in a sarcastic tone.
"You really need to relax Erestor. It was after all just a story. It is not as if everyone does not already know about it anyway," the eldar replied calmly.

"I am their tutor. I have to maintain a certain level of respect to keep things under control," the advisor irritably replied.

"I doubt that either of them will respect you any less, my friend."

The Noldor sighed heavily, trying to keep the sarcastic reply from rolling off his tongue. "I know you do not believe this but at times, it is difficult to convince these stubborn Peredhil of the proprieties of their status."

Celeborn just shook his head, standing before the door to Elrond's office. "I am sure you will find a way to deal with it, Erestor. After all, is it not your job to advise stubborn Peredhil and many other elves as well? Good day, Erestor," he said, sending the Noldor a satisfied smile before walking through the door to the guest quarters. Erestor stood staring at the door, red faced for a long moment before turning for his own office. Erestor sighed and shook his head. Celeborn had his revenge. Despite how small it might seem to most, it had hit home.

The years passed as they often do and the elflings grew to elves as elflings will. They kept their promise to Lord Celeborn. They sent him their first warg's tooth, packed in a neatly wrapped box when they delivered Arwen to Lothlorien on one of their many adventures.

Master Erestor remained in Imladris, advising all the residents of the city. He never forgot his former students and often prayed to Elbereth for their safety.

Lord Celeborn was no longer able to visit Imladris, but he stayed in touch with his childhood friend. When the time came, they sailed to Valinor together.

In Valinor, they still climb trees together much to the amusement of the Lords Elladan, Elrohir, and the Lady Galadriel as well.

*****

THE END

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