Golden Prince and the Three Galadrhim

The sun had not even begun to rise above the towering Mallorn that cradled the talan of the three Lorien brothers Haldir, Orophin and Rumil. Long had they been Galadrhim in service to the Lord and Lady of the golden Wood and very seldom did their watches upon the borders of the Elven realm coincide. This day however, all three brothers found themselves with early morning patrol, and even though light had not even begun to filter through the gossamer canopy of gold that sheltered their home there was much activity within the shared abode.

'Rumil" bellowed Haldir, who was the eldest of the three and whom the Lord Celeborn had bestowed the position of March Warden.

"You are such a slugabed, 'tis remarkable that you do not have moss growing upon your arse cheeks, " The large Elf yanked the furs from the still lounging archer and tossed them into the corner to join what looked like a weeks worth of additional laundry.

Rumil grasped at the quickly retreating warmth, growling and rolling onto his belly when the cool air washed over his sleep warmed skin.

Haldir smirked and slapped his brothers raised behind, drawing yet another snarl and one irritated blue eye to peek from beneath a tangle of silver pale hair.

"Look Orophin" he chided, pointing to the smooth pinked swell of his siblings backside" " I think its a full moon!"

The middle brother snickered as he sat upon the edge of his own pallet tucking his long legs into his boots. Orophin, had he been alone with Haldir, may have made some lude comment about the size of the lunar impostor, but he had no desire to earn himself the wrath of Rumil, especially this early in the day. The youngster, though quite innocuous looking on the outside, harbored the most inventive sense of revenge, and to be quite honest he had not quite recovered from his brothers last retaliation. The pale Galadrhim fingered the rather ragged edge of his hair picking at what still remained of the gluelike resin that had mysteriously replaced his favorite shampoo.

"Rise and shine brother, " continued the March Warden as he smoothed a small wrinkle out of the coverlets that adorned his own pristine pallet. The Elder brother had always prided himself on his attention to detail, a quality that had won him the admiration of almost everyone he met. That was everyone except Rumil, who found him to be over bearing and quite dry. In turn Haldir saw Rumil as flighty and immature, leaving poor Orophin in the middle to try and keep the both of them from driving each other to distraction.

Nesting his abundance of carefully matching pillows at the top of his bed, Orophin finished dressing and went about picking up Rumil's discarded wardrobe form the talan floor. With a flick of his wrist he tossed some of the more useable items on the youngsters bed and kicked the rest out of Haldir's way. The young Elf still remained flat on his belly, a gray tunic and leggings draped unceremuslyusly over his much discussed rear.

With a grumbling snort Rumil turned over on the pallet and squirmed into his clothing not even bothering to stand until he had the garments securely fastened to his lithe form.

"There" , he announced blowing a strand of starlit hair from his mouth and smoothing down his eyebrows with a moistened fingertip, " Perfection"

Haldir finished tucking in a stray edge of bedding that refused to cooperate and threw his tousled brother an exasperated look. Truly he could not fathom that they were of the same bloodline.

"And what of your pallet brother?" Haldir indicated towards the rather disheveled tangle of sheeting that was the remains of Rumil's bed.

"'Twas not I who tossed the furs about the talan, " replied the young archer, casting his brother a challenging look as he hopped about wrestling with his boots.

Orophin could see Haldir's color begin to rise, and though the elder Elf was quite beautiful in his flush, quickly grabbed up the coverlet in question and smoothed it haphazardly over the twisted sheets. It really was too early for this.

Rumil blew his thoughtful brother a kiss and sauntered over towards the small dining table in the center of the talan, grinning at Haldir the entire way.

"Mmm I 'm as hungry as new born Orc, " he announced picking at the fruit that lay in a basket upon the table. Choosing a few select prizes, he swung his legs around and plopped down in a chair.

"And about as sensible..." muttered Haldir retrieving a supply of Lembas from a small chest and stacking it neatly upon the table.

Orophin tried to stifle a snort as he sipped upon the sweetened tea he preferred in the morning, practically choking on the beverage as he tried to recover his composure.

Haldir broke off a corner of the waybread and popped it neatly into his mouth. Chewing thoroughly, he snapped up another piece and tucked it into the pouch at his waist.

Outside the talan, the birds of Lorien were just beginning to wake and taking his cue from their musical reminder, Haldir strode to edge of the platform and peered out into the lightening sky.

"Its time to go," he announced simply, grabbing up his quiver and bow that lay near the descent. With a quick annoyed glance back at Rumil, who had now concocted himself a bowl of Lembas, fruit and milk and was leisurely sampling his feast, the March Warden leapt from the talan.

"Oroph" he" he shouted from the forest floor below, " see that he is NOT late."

Orophin gulped what he could of his tea and set the cup upon the table, grabbing the youngster by the shoulder he practically dragged a pouting Rumil from his unfinished breakfast.

"But Ori," he complained as he licked a bit of fruit from his slender fingers, " I am still hungry."

"Hungry is better than sorry, " reprimanded the elder Elf tossing his brother a quiver and bow.

"Well, thats your opinion" mocked Rumil as he strapped on his weapon.

" Yes, it is....," replied Orophin as he leapt off the talan, leaving a gawking Rumil to catch up.

Rolling his eyes, the young Galadrhim launched himself into the morning, knowing that today was going to be a lonnnnnnng day.

+++++++++

Legolas dismounted from his horse with an exhausted sigh. Indeed he had been to Lothlorien before, but somehow this trip seemed to be exceedingly tiresome. Everything as of late was tiresome ... and predictable. Normally his father, King Thranduil of Mirkwood, would have sent a messenger on this excursion to the Golden Wood, but Legolas had begged so annoyingly to go that his father had sent him just to get some peace and quiet.

The young Prince was so desperate for adventure that he practically invited trouble to cross his path, shooting at nesting spiders and taunting passing herds of pillaging Orcs with pitiful sheep sounds in the night. Soon this too became common, and even when he spotted a pair of lumbering trolls just begging for a sound thumping he found himself simply sighing and riding towards the treetops of Lorien awash in his own boredom.


Lord Celeborn read over the scroll which the comely Prince had so kindly placed in his hand, and smiled softly as the youngling awaited his answer. The words kind of rolled together and twice the Elven Lord had to steady his head with his hand as he tried to read the drunken Mirkwood scrawl. After the third attempt, Celeborn simply gave up with a shrug and tucked the parchment within his shimmering tunic deciding that the note was probably of little import to his royalness anyway.

Legolas looked to the swaying Lord upon the dais and began to seriously wonder if the old timer had any clue as to where he was. Perhaps the Lord had the right idea.....he did look awfully happy all the time.

"Well... my...... Prince..... Legolas" drawled the Elven Lord in a meter so slow that the Prince almost shouted out the next word before the Elf spoke.

" My.... answer... to ...the King iiiiiiiis um YES." Celeborn grinned and snickered to himself and for a moment it seemed to Legolas that the Lord of Light was indeed lit.

" So my answer is ....Yes....?" Legolas folded his arms across his chest and tried to look Princely.

" Yes...." replied Celeborn, quite pleased with himself.

" Yes to what?" Legolas eyed the tipsy Lord with a narrowed gaze.


" Yes to...the message", replied Celeborn hoping that the pretty Prince had at least some clue of what was in the scroll.

"So I should return to Mirkwood and tell the King . YES " stated Legolas almost chortling out loud.

'Yes...." repeated Celeborn fiddling with a dangling thread on his sleeve that had quite caught his attention.


" Lord Celeborn? " Legolas approached the fidgeting royal.

" Where might I find Haldir and his brothers," he inquired, watching with a smirk as the Silver Lord bit the thread off with his teeth.

" Third talan on the left, " came the muffled reply as the ancient Elf wrestled with another thread.

" You can't miss it."

++++++++

"Can't miss it ....Elrond's eyebrow! " muttered Legolas as he made his way through the maze of suspended talans for the third time.

" Why can one not just put a name upon the bark for Mandos sake!! All these blasted treehouses look the same." The Prince was beyond tired at this point and as far as he was concerned one talan was a good as the next so at the first opportunity he scrambled to the nearest platform and wandered inside.


" Hello...............anybody home? " Legolas looked around the one room dwelling quite sure that the answer to the question was a resounding NO!

Looking around, the Prince deduced that this home was indeed occupied, and spying the three abandoned meals on the table, began to think that just maybe he might INDEED have the right place.

Laying down his bow, he approached the leftovers for a closer look. The first was more than recognizable to him. Lembas....dry, hard, stick in the throat. Only eat it if your desperate- Lembas. Unwrapping and breaking off a corner of the bread, he popped it into his mouth and nearly choked on the pilfered morsel. Reaching for the nearest liquid, Legolas grabbed the cup, and not even hesitating, downed the contents, unfortunately making a bad situation worse. Cold sugary tea sloshed about in his mouth with the Lembas and it took about all of the Prince's will to swallow the disgusting slurry.

"Elbereth's bathwater.!!." he sputtered, trying desperately to keep what little he had in stomach........IN his stomach.

Across the table Legolas spotted a small bowl filled with tiny bits of fruits and cream, and despite the his previous revolting experience, dipped his finger into the soft compote. Tentatively he brought the sticky digit to his mouth and tasted the creamy droplets with the tip of his tongue. A satisfied smile curled his lips as he plunged the finger back into the bowl and hoisted yet another sample to his mouth. Taste after taste, fingerful after fingerful he continued, until soon he was licking the bottom of the bowl, his belly gurgling with gluttonous satisfaction.

The afternoon sun filtered through the leaves of the golden wood warming Legolas as he sat at the table, his eyes beginning to droop with fatigue. He had not quite realized until he sat down how how tired he had become and soon he found himself nodding in his seat. In the corner of the platform he spotted three pallets, and hoisting himself from the table with a groan, he staggered to he first bed and practically fell upon its spartan surface. Curling his body into a ball, the Prince tried to snuggle beneath the coverlet, but found that it would not budge as if it had been practically molded to the bed. For a few desperate minutes the Prince picked at the furs, managing only to free a small end of the annoying bedding.

Rolling over with an exasperated sigh ,Legolas tried to get comfortable, but soon gave in to his frustration and staggered over to the next bed. Prodding the coverlet with a finger, the Prince breathed a sigh of relief when the tasseled fabric parted easily and practically dove beneath the layer of bedding. An avalanche of pillows cascaded down upon his head ,and flailing beneath the downy collection, Legolas finally managed to surface for some much needed air. Tossing a few of the ornate head rests to the floor, he scrambled breathlessly to his feet, a tangle of soft sheeting slowing him slightly.

Utterly exhausted, the Prince of Mirkwood drug himself to the last bed and sat down upon the edge. He did not see any pillows and the coverlet seemed quite untucked, in fact the whole bed practically begged for him to curl up and nest within its confines and without another thought, he wrapped the furs about him and soon drifted off into slumber, oblivious to anything but soft rustle of the leaves above his head.

++++++++++

" Twenty-four!, " argued Rumil as he swung up onto the talan platform, kicking off his boots the second he reached the summit.

" cou count was not an Orc hair over twenty-one," shouted Orophin following close behind his brother.

"Ah there is where you are wrong Ori-Feind! " retaliated the younger Galadrhim," I distinctly counted two dozen carcasses "

"Yes, well that would be because I piled three of mine near yours and they got muddled" snarled Orophin, leaning his bow in the corner of the room.

"The only thing muddled, dear brother, is your sense of numbers" mocked Rumil "Perhaps you should have Haldir teach you to count again"

"Perhaps he should check your eyesight....." retaliated Orophin.

"Perhaps I should just toss you both off the platform " snarled Haldir as he pulled himself onto the flet.

"Honestly," he reprimanded brushing bits of leaves and twigs form his tunic, " Can you two not give it a moments rest!"

The two brothers looked at each other and smirked.

" No...," they replied in unison.

Now normally this would have resulted in a lot of cursing and few heads being knocked together, but something besides the hard headedness of his younger brother's had caught Haldir's attention.

Stepping lightly, weapon drawn, the March Warden approached the dining table and poked at the unwrapped Lembas with the tip of his scimitar.

"Someone has been into my Lembas....." he whispered as he prodded the remains with this sword.

"Wasn't me " muttered Rumil, " That stuff takes a millennia to digest"

Orophin picked up his cup and turned it over, a mere drop of tea splashing into the tabletop.

"Someone drank my tea, " he stated, looking in to the empty vessel. " All of it!"

Rumil picked up his bowl and turned it over in his hand, examining his shining reflection in the luster "Someone ate all my fruit and cream," he announced with a smile , " and they even washed the bowl too!"

"Wait a moment," bellowed Haldir as he sheathed his sword and strode over to his pallet.

"I would NEVER leave my bedding like this!" Dropping to his knees, the elder Galadrhim set to work securing all of the corners of the sheeting once more.

"And I KNOW I placed my pillows in a most pleasing arrangement", flounced Orophin tossing the multitudes of brocaded bolsters back onto this pallet.

" Mmmmmm", murmured Rumil as he bent low to his coverlet, his fingers tangling within the softest golden hair that frothed over his pillow.

" Now I KNOW I did not leave THIS behind this morning, " he purred as he admired the new addition to his bed.

" Yes, I would surely have noticed that, tis not everyday you have a Prince in your bed," added Orophin who had come to stand beside his fawning brother.


Haldir finished tucking and retucking his pallet and then joined his siblings as they admired their unannounced houseguest.

" Are you sure of that," retorted the elder Galadrhim kicking a few pairs of breeches from his path." In this mess he could have been here for a week before you found him."

Rumil was about to come back with some smart remark about Haldir being so organized that even his flatulence was scheduled when he was thankfully distracted by a soft gasp from his pillow.

Legolas rolled over and was met by three pairs of clear blue questioning eyes and he drew his mouth into a sheepish grin and pulled the covers modestly to his chest.

"Surprise!!!" he announced, his voice so sultry and low from sleep that Rumil almost shuddered right off the bed.

" Indeed, " snorted Haldir turning on his heel and heading off to surely put something in order.

" Welcome Prince Legolas, " offered Orophin, flopping down on his bed in a cocoon of color coordinated luxury.

Rumil simply smiled deviously and smacked the Prince square in the head with a pillow.
Ducking the attack, Legolas grabbed up his own feather filled weapon and rolled onto the floor with a thud and a grin. Perhaps this trip would not be as tiresome as he first thought.