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| "The (Tw)Elf Days of Yule" by Master Erestor o. t. c. R. |
| * * * "No! No! Further right! Right I said, not left! Yes, a little more! Yes! No! Further down! Further down – yes! That is the perfect place!" Rúmil sighed. For an hour already Haldir had been directing him and Orophin around. The youngest of the three brothers had declared early on in the preparations that he knew best how to decorate a Yule tree, so he was supervising his brothers, barking commands, and by now, their patience was wearing thin. "One more 'further down', and by Elbereth, I shall drown him in the punch!" Orophin hissed between clenched teeth, and Rúmil snickered. "This I would love to see – as a matter of fact, I would even pay you for doing it!" Orophin rolled his eyes, and fixed the red bauble to the branch of the spruce. The huge, century-old tree was growing in the center of the market square in Rivendell, and every year, another realm had the honour of decorating it. Last year, it had been the Mirkwood Elves, under the direction of Prince Legolas, and the result had been a nightmare in pink, silver and candles which prompted Gimli, who had been guest of honour, to offer Legolas a free hanging by the means of a tinsel garland. This led to a short, heated argument which ended in two pink ribbons for Gimli's beard. Elves, Gimli decided, were just no fun to insult. Haldir, as usual, had promised Lady Galadriel to do Lothlórien all honour, so he had designated the task of decorating the tree to his brothers, mainly because no other warrior in Lothlórien was willing to suffer through two days of nagging Haldir. So it happened that Rúmil and Orophin sat in the tree, placing stars and baubles here and there, while Haldir, snugly wrapped in a warm blanket, sat in a chair and gave directions, occasionally sipping on a glass of warm, spiced Miruvor. "Do not fall asleep up there," Haldir said, "there is still a lot of work to do; there will be time for idle chatter later on." Orophin turned around, swaying a little and clinging to the tree, which trembled dangerously under his weight. "Haldir, dear sweet brother of mine," he began, narrowing his eyes, "mortals tend to put an Elf on the top of their Yule tree – do not force me to start this tradition here in Rivendell as well!" Haldir, who knew better than challenge Orophin when he was in a cranky mood, quickly put his glass aside. "I was merely trying to encourage you, dear brother," he said, giving the two grumpy Elves in the tree his sweetest smile. Orophin grumbled something and returned to his task, and Rúmil grinned. "And I would pay even more to see this, Orophin!" " I heard that!" Haldir called, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at his brothers. "Congratulations on your good hearing!" Rúmil quipped, quickly gathering some of the snow which covered the spruce's branches and making a snowball. "Here is your prize!" With that, he threw the snowball with the same accuracy as he fired arrows, and Haldir, who had just opened his mouth to give a snarky reply, got hit right in the face, and was left retching and coughing snow. "Ai! Ai! Bull's Eye!" Rúmil cheered, throwing his arms up in victory, which was, of course, a very dumb idea, for he dropped like a stone and landed on a snowdrift, disappearing into it and emerging only later, sniffling and spitting snow to the right and the left. Haldir danced around him in glee, singing "Rúmil, the snow Elf", a traditional Lothlórien Yuletide song. "Ha! Serves you right! No bad deed shall go unpunished!" he howled, and Orophin, who had watched the scene, shook his head. Sometimes, it would have been nice to be an only child. (c) Master Erestor o.t.c.R. 2003 |
| Lord of the Rings fan fiction - gen, humour, rating G, no warnings. Disclaimer: (c) for Lord of the Rings is with Tolkien's estate. No copyright infringment is intended. (c) for this story is with the author. "'t was the first night of Yule and all through the wood cursing was heard from where the Yule tree stood." |
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