Author's Note
If Elladan and Elrohir were wholly of the race of Man, they would be six years old in this story.

Chapter 1. An Unpleasant Encounter

"Elladan?" The young elleth's voice echoed through the wood-paneled Imladris corridor. While she walked through the hallway, Lenniel stopped at every open doorway, leaned into the adjoining room, and called again, "Elladan, are you in here?" Each call produced the same result, nothing. Passing a tall linen cabinet standing between two doorways, Lenniel saw another elfling enter the hallway at the far end. Dark-haired and gray-eyed, he was one of Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrían's twin sons, but she wasn't sure which. She hoped he was the one she was looking for and ran up to greet him. "Hello, Elladan."

The elfling grimaced. "I'm Elrohir," he said, sounding as if he was tired of constantly correcting others' assumptions.

Lenniel studied him closely, looking for proof that he was lying. She didn't want to talk with Elrohir; she was looking for his brother. Elladan owed her something today. Plus, Elladan was more fun to play with than Elrohir, much more adventurous. Maybe Elladan is playing with me now, pretending to be Elrohir! she thought. Lenniel was familiar with this game; the twins often pretended to be each other whenever they met her. Hoping this was the case now, Lenniel knew what she had to do. I'll have to trick him into proving he's Elladan. Squaring her shoulders as she had seen the warriors on the training field do, Lenniel accepted his challenge and made her opening move. "Do you remember what today is?"

"No."

Lenniel was disappointed; the elfling seemed as if he was telling the truth. His wonder at why she thought today would be different from any other day showed on his face and in his voice. Hoping for some sign of remembrance that would betray the elfling as Elladan, Lenniel reminded him. "Today's my Begetting Day." The elfling's expression changed little. If anything, Elladan seemed less pleased than before. She waited for the traditional saying then growled a warning when it didn't come. "Aren't you going to bless me?"

"May the Valar bless you on this special day."

Lenniel scowled at Elladan's truculent tone but decided not to say anything. She was too proud of her new Begetting Day gift to be angry with him right now. "Do you like my new dress?" she asked before twirling to give the elfling a full view. The skirt swirled out around her; Lenniel was delighted at the effect.

"It's okay."

Lenniel scowled again, even more intensely this time. Elladan had better like my new dress! Thunderclouds crossed her face heralding a storm if the elfling did not say anything more.

"It's not as pretty as Nana's are."

The storm named Lenniel broke. Fiercely proud of the dress her grandmother had given her for her Begetting Day, Lenniel had disobeyed her mother's earlier instructions to wear the dress only for special occasions. My Begetting Day is a special day, she had reasoned while she secretly changed into the new dress. And I want Elladan to see how pretty I look when he gives me his gift! But now Elladan refused to admit that Lenniel wore the prettiest dress in all of Imladris. "It is too!" she answered hotly.

"It is not," the elfling stated flatly.

Like many summer storms, storm Lenniel swiftly changed direction in a matter of seconds from wrathful anger to superior disdain. "What do you know about pretty dresses anyway?" Then storm Lenniel unleashed the most devastating onslaught known to young ones of every race. "You're just an elfling."

The elfling facing her flinched at the accusation but gathered his wits quickly. "So are you," came the instinctive defense. "You're only one year older than me," he taunted.

"Two years older, now," she declared haughtily. Lenniel was proud of her advanced age, proud to be even older now if only until the twins' own Begetting Day. "Besides," she added. "I'm an elleth. Ellyth know about pretty dresses." Lenniel smiled smugly, knowing her logic could not be denied. The elfling did not try. Instead, he glowered at her and then stomped past her, clearly pretending she no longer existed. Elladan's leaving? He can't! "Wait! You can't go until you give me my gift!" she cried out, worry replacing scornful anger in her voice.

"What gift?" Confusion rang in the elfling's voice as he stopped in surprise.

Maybe he really isn't Elladan? Lenniel thought. Still she plunged forward, hoping she was wrong. "My Begetting Day gift." Grey eyes looked at her blankly. "The one I told you I wanted."

"You never told me about a gift."

The idea that she had told him about any gift seemed to irritate the elfling. He sighed and looked cross. "You must have told Elladan. I'm Elrohir," he reminded her.

Lenniel had had enough of the twin's game. It was no longer fun. I don't want to play any more! I want my gift now! "I don't believe you! I know you're Elladan!" she yelled. "You're just pretending to be Elrohir because you don't want to give me my gift!" The elfling glared at her and stormed past her. But the elfling's storm was insignificant compared to a renewed Storm Lenniel. She grabbed his arm, yanking him to a halt. "I told you that I wanted you to give me a kiss on my Begetting Day yesterday, and now you're pretending to be Elrohir so you don't have to!"

"I am Elrohir!" he yelled. Then the horror of Lenniel's Begetting Day gift shone in his eyes. "I'm not going to give you a kiss!" he screamed as he struggled to free himself. "Let me go!"

Lenniel was furious. She had broken her promise to her mother and secretly worn her special dress. She had waited all day for Elladan and searched throughout Imladris when he didn't come to kiss her. And now that she had finally found him, he was pretending to be his brother to avoid her. "No! You've got to give me my kiss first!" I'll make him kiss me! Lenniel grabbed the other's arm and pulled him towards her. The elfling raised his hands and braced against her shoulders. He twisted left and right, trying to free his arms. But Lenniel was surprisingly strong. She held tight and pulled him close. Lenniel leaned in with her lips puckered. The elfling's gray eyes grew wide. He let go of her shoulders, crossed his hands, and reached for his upper arms to pull her hands off. Lenniel closed her eyes. She was so close to the struggling elfling's face she could feel his breathing. Suddenly, Lenniel felt a small leg wrap around her knee. The elfling yanked his leg back towards him; Lenniel's knee gave way as he pulled. She fell but kept her grip on the arms in front of her. The two elflings hit the floor in a tangle of bruised arms, legs, and feelings.

Silence descended in the Imladris corridor as the elflings recovered from their surprise. Lenniel reviewed her injuries in her mind. Her knee hurt. She had landed hard on it. Her elbow ached as well. But the most painful injury was the one to her pride. Furious, Lenniel scrambled to her feet and towered menacingly over the other, hands on hips. "You made me fall down! I'm going to tell Nana on you. And she'll tell your mother, and then you'll be in trouble, Elladan!"

"I'm not Elladan!" the elfling yelled back, rubbing his wrist and trying not to cry. "Go ahead and tell your mother! If you tell her then I'll tell mine that you wouldn't let go of me and tried to make me kiss you. Then you'll be the one in trouble!" he threatened.

Lenniel panicked. Her parents had warned her many times to leave the twins alone when they didn't want to play. They had spent many long evenings talking about proper behavior towards the Lord and Lady's sons. Nana won't like it that I grabbed his arm. And then she'll find out I wore my special dress! Lenniel knew the other was right. She was going to be in trouble if he told his mother. If I don't tell on him, he won't tell on me. There was safety in silence, Lenniel decided. Maybe I won't really tell Nana. But she saw no reason to let Elladan know that. I'll let him think I’m going to tell so he'll worry. "Just you wait, Elladan. You'll see!"

With a haughty sniff that she had learned from her father, Lenniel turned away from the elfling and marched down the corridor as proudly as her aching knee would allow her. As she left the hallway, Lenniel heard a voice yell after her one last time.

"I'm Elrohir!"

Translations:
elleth / ellyth: elf-maid (singular / plural)
nana: mommy

Chapter 2. The Evils of Ellyth, the Miracles of Mothers

"I'm Elrohir!" the elfling on the floor repeated a second time. This time, his voice rang more with hurt than with anger. Elrohir's wrist had twisted underneath him when he fell after tussling with Lenniel, and it pained him. I'm not going to cry! he vowed silently as tears stung his eyes. I'm a big elfling! And big elflings don't cry. He rubbed his wrist, hoping to dull the pain, and wished his mother were here to give him a Hurt-Go-Away kiss. In Elrohir's opinion, his mother's kisses were as good a medicine as his father's herbs for making small hurts hurt less. Unfortunately, Celebrían was somewhere else in the household, and Elrohir had to conquer the pain without her. So he concentrated on being angry with Lenniel instead.

Stupid elleth! It was an ugly dress. Your grandmother made an ugly Begetting Day dress. Nobody would ever want to kiss you wearing that dress. Nobody would ever want to kiss you ever! Elrohir knew he was mean to think such things, but he was trying not to think about his hurt wrist. And you're stupid for not knowing I'm Elrohir. "Everyone knows I'm Elrohir!" he declared, ignoring the fact that most elves couldn’t distinguish him from his twin. Silence descended in the hallway while Elrohir sulked and absentmindedly rubbed his wrist.

"Elrohir?"

Elrohir froze at the soft sound. In his anger, the elfling had spoken his last sentence out loud without realizing it. Now, the hallway had spoken back. For the first time since his fight with Lenniel, Elrohir looked up at his surroundings. During his struggle with her, Elrohir had turned around so that he now sat facing the hallway entrance he had originally come through. He didn't see anyone in the hallway or through the open side doorways who could have called out his name. "Hello?" he asked tentatively.

"Hello," the hallway replied.

The response came from behind Elrohir and sounded remarkably like his own voice. I didn't know this hall echoed! The idea delighted Elrohir. He turned on the floor back to the direction he had originally been heading. "Helloooo," he sang out.

"Helloooo," the hallway sang back.

Elrohir grinned, his aching wrist temporarily forgotten. He was about to test the echo again when he noticed that the door to the tall linen cabinet down the hall was opening by itself. Even though he didn't know too much about furniture, Elrohir was confident cabinets should not be able to come alive and move by themselves. Scrambling to his feet, Elrohir cautiously walked to the suddenly living furniture. By the time he had reached it, the door had opened wide enough that he could reach inside and grab something. Or something inside could reach out and grab him. "Hello?" he said timidly and then courageously looked inside the cabinet.

Two grey eyes inside the cabinet met two grey eyes outside the cabinet. Elrohir gasped when he saw his brother sitting on the bottom shelf of the linen cabinet. "Elladan!"

"Is Lenniel gone?" Elladan whispered.

"Yes," Elrohir whispered back. "Why are you sitting in there?" He looked closer into the cabinet. Elladan sat cross-legged on a mostly neat pile of clean linens. His brother had to dip his head slightly underneath the shelf above in order to fit but otherwise looked quite comfortable. Elladan scooted closer to one side of the cabinet and gestured for Elrohir to join him.

"Get in and close the door in case she comes back," he directed anxiously. After Elrohir had climbed in and settled on another linen pile, Elladan pulled the door closed leaving only a small crack to see through. The two sat in silence listening for footsteps. Hearing none, Elladan turned a worried face to his brother. "I'm hiding from Lenniel," he explained softly.

Lenniel! Elrohir's wrist started to hurt again at the reminder of his adversary. "Why are you hiding from Lenniel?"

"Because she wants me to kiss her," Elladan said disgustedly.

Elrohir was confused by his brother's tone. Lenniel told him that Elladan had promised to kiss her for her Begetting Day. Why would Elladan be hiding from her now? Why not kiss her and get it over with? Elrohir found himself growing angry. "If you don't want to kiss her, why did you say that you would?" he accused.

"I didn't!" Elladan protested quietly. "Lenniel used to be fun to play with. I liked her because she wasn't like the other ellyth. We would play warriors together and have adventures. Then her Nana said she had to be more like a grown-up elleth, and she stopped being fun to play with," Elladan said sadly. "Yesterday, Lenniel told me that I had to give her a kiss for her Begetting Day because she was going to be a grown-up elleth now and that's what grown-up ellyth got for their Begetting Day. Then she left." Elladan's expression turned to horror. "I never said that I would do it! She just told me I had to. So I've been hiding all day," he finished shamefully. 

Elrohir gaped at his brother's revelation. To have to hide out all day because an elleth wanted Elladan to kiss her! And to be hiding all alone! His anger melted away. Poor Elladan, he thought sympathetically. That's horrible. Elrohir reached out and patted his twin's arm in consolation. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Elladan down looked at the linens he sat on. "I was afraid you would laugh at me," he admitted. "Who wants to be kissed by an elleth?" Elladan raised his head and faced his brother. "Are you very mad at me? I'm sorry I didn't come out when Lenniel thought that you were me. I … I was afraid she would make me kiss her if I came out."

"I would have protected you!" Elrohir declared stoutly, no longer angry at his twin's refusal to speak out. "I fought her when she tried to kiss me. I would fight her for you too!"

"Nana says we're not supposed to fight with ellyth," Elladan reminded him.

"Lenniel started it! She grabbed me and wouldn't let me go," the elfling defended himself. However, the more he thought about what had happened, the less certain he was that his mother would approve of his actions regardless of why he did them. Nana doesn't like it when we fight with ellyth. "Do you think I'll get in trouble for trying to get away?" he asked worriedly. "It wasn't like a real fight, was it?" Elrohir cast a worried glance at his brother. He didn't want to get in trouble with their mother. "Do you think Nana will be mad?"

"No!" Elladan shook his head emphatically. "Nana will understand. Nana knows that you have to fight ellyth if you're trying to get away from them. She knows ellyth try to make you do stupid things. Nana knows about stupid ellyth."

"Ellyth are stupid," Elrohir agreed. "They're always thinking about dumb things like dresses and kisses." He thought for a moment about the evils of ellyth. "Ellyth are as bad as orcs," he pronounced, giving them the worst accusation he could imagine.

Elladan giggled and said, "Ellyth are orc-y."

"That's not a word."

"How do you know it's not a word?" Elladan countered. "Glorfindel says words that we don't know yet. Maybe we just haven't learned it yet."

Elrohir didn't respond. He wasn't sure he agreed with Elladan but didn't see any point in arguing if "orc-y" was a word or not. He had learned that arguing with his brother was usually pointless. Elladan generally won their arguments by sheer persistence if nothing else. Besides, he liked the sound of the new word. It perfectly described how he felt about ellyth especially Lenniel. Thinking of his recent encounter, Elrohir decided he would stay in the linen cabinet with Elladan in case the orc-y Lenniel came back. So he shifted his position to become more comfortable but succeeded in aggravating his sore wrist instead. He grimaced as his wrist protested the movement.

"Does it hurt much?" Elladan asked, pointing to Elrohir's wrist.

For a moment, Elrohir pretended that it didn't. But since Elladan had been honest with him, he would be honest with Elladan. His face crumpled, and he nodded sadly. "I wish Nana could give it a Hurt-Go-Away kiss. But if I ask her for one, she'll ask how I hurt it. Then she'll know I was fighting."

Elladan shook his head again. "You won't get into trouble for fighting. Nana will understand," he repeated. "She'll give your wrist a Hurt-Go-Away kiss, and it will feel much better. That's what mothers do," he declared. "They give Hurt-Go-Away kisses."

Elrohir sat for a moment thinking about the miracles of mothers when a strange thought crossed his mind. "Elladan," he whispered, mindful that they were in hiding, "why are kisses from Nana so much better than kisses from an elleth?"

"Because Nana isn't an elleth. She's a mother."

That didn't make sense to Elrohir, and he said so. "But mothers are grown-up ellyth," he explained in case Elladan didn't know yet. "Ellyth grow up to be mothers. Just like we grow up to be fathers."

Elladan's hair swung as he vigorously shook his head in denial. "Mothers aren't orc-y like ellyth! So they can't come from ellyth. Mothers don't think about dumb things like pretty dresses like ellyth do. Pretty dresses are for orc-y ellyth," he said disgustedly.

"But Nana has pretty dresses! Ada says so," Elrohir protested. "And I think they're pretty too." He added meekly. He didn’t want his brother to think that he didn't like their mother's dresses even if Elladan thought that pretty dresses were for orc-y ellyth.

"Me too!" Elladan exclaimed loudly. "But those are mother dresses. They're different from the dresses ellyth wear. Mother dresses are pretty but not orc-y," he explained, whispering again.

"There are different dresses for ellyth and mothers?" Most dresses looked the same to Elrohir regardless of who wore them -- an elleth or Nana. The elfling had never noticed much of a difference.

"Yes." Elladan sounded confident. "And mother kisses are different from elleth kisses as well because mothers aren't ellyth," he continued.

Elrohir thought about this new information and tried to fit it into his view of how the world worked. Elladan sounds so certain, Elrohir thought. Maybe he's right. Different dresses. Different kisses. Ellyth and mothers are different because their kisses and dresses are different. Elrohir thought and thought and thought, trying to make Elladan's information fit into what the elfling already knew about children and parents and growing up. Only it didn't seem to fit as smoothly as it ought to, he felt. Something was wrong. Questions kept arising. But how … Elrohir was confused. He looked at his brother hoping for more explanation.

"Elladan, if mothers aren't grown-up ellyth --"

"They aren't."

"Then where do mothers come from?"

Translations:
elleth / ellyth: elf-maid (singular / plural)
nana: mommy
ada: daddy

Chapter 3. Where Mothers Come From

Where do mothers come from? Elladan repeated silently to himself. Then he scowled at his brother. "I do not know where mothers come from. We have not studied that in lessons yet," he answered sulkily.

"But they must come from somewhere," Elrohir insisted.

"You are better in lessons than me. You decide," Elladan said crossly. He hoped his brother would stop talking about mothers. The elfling didn’t really care to know where they came from. He was not going to be a father for a very long time, he had decided. He would find out where mothers came from when he was ready to have elflings of his own. Silence descended in the linen cabinet as the twins sat thinking in the dark. Elladan tried hard not to think about mothers, elflings of his own, or ellyth who wanted Begetting Day kisses.

"Maybe mothers come from ellyth who are not as orc-y as Lenniel," Elrohir whispered.

Elladan looked at him dubiously. "How can ellyth not be orc-y?"

"Maybe they take lessons to be not orc-y?"

"Then Lenniel is bad in her learning," Elladan said impishly. The twins giggled. Elladan caught his breath as an idea occurred to him. "Elrohir, maybe when ellyth are older, they have to train to become mothers."

Elrohir's eyes grew wide. "Like those who want to be warriors!" he exclaimed.

Elladan nodded. Elrohir and he had often watched the young adults who wished to become warriors. When they were allowed, the elflings would sit on the sides of the archery or combat practice fields. Far enough away for safety, but close enough for a good view, the brothers studied every move the young warriors-to-be made, trying to learn as much as possible. Elladan wanted to be a warrior when he was old enough. He knew Elrohir wanted to be one too.

"But only those ellyth who are not as orc-y as Lenniel are allowed to become mothers," Elladan clarified. "Just like only some elves are allowed to warrior train." Satisfied with the explanation, he looked to see if Elrohir agreed, but his brother seemed deep in thought. Elladan became annoyed. When Elrohir looked like that, it meant that he still had questions to ask.

"Warriors train on the practice fields," his brother said slowly. "I have never seen ellyth train to be mothers. Where do they train?"

"I do not know, and I do not care! Who wants to watch ellyth train? It would be boring to watch anyway. That is a stupid question!" Elladan answered angrily. He crossed his arms and looked hard at Elrohir, willing him to stop questioning. Elrohir dropped his eyes and studied his feet in the dim light, rubbing his wrist absent-mindedly. I hurt his feelings Elladan thought, watching his brother. It's not my fault! Elladan thought as he tried not to feel guilty. It was a stupid question! You are always asking stupid questions just like orc-y ellyth!

However he couldn't stay angry with his brother for long, not when Elrohir seemed so sad. He uncrossed his arms, reached over, and patted Elrohir's shoulder in apology. He was relieved to see him smile back. "Does your wrist still hurt?" Elladan asked.

"Not much any more. I almost forgot about it."

"That's good." Elladan paused. "I do not know where the ellyth train," he said again, more calmly. "Maybe they train some place in Imladris we have not visited."

"Or maybe they go some place that's not in Imladris. Like the healers who have come from Lorien to train with Ada."

A memory struck Elladan, and his eyes widened. "I know!" he exclaimed. "Remember what Ada told us? That he had to ask Daerada and Daernana if he could marry Nana? Nana must have been training to be a mother then --"

"-- where Daerada and Daernana live. In Belfalas!" Elrohir grinned and then looked puzzled. "Daerada is a great warrior. Do you think he knows about mother things?"

Elladan thought for a moment then shook his head. "Daerada is very good at archery and swords. But I do not think he knows about Hurt-Go-Away kisses or pretty mother dresses."

"Daernana knows about them. I am certain. When she was here and you cut your finger, she gave it a Hurt-Go-Away kiss. Remember?"

"She did! You're right! And my finger stopped hurting!" Elladan was convinced they had the answer to where mothers came from. "I guess it's Daernana who trains the ellyth to become mothers, not Daerada. When an ellon is ready to become a father, he goes to ask Daernana for an elleth who has finished her mother training. Ada probably asked Daerada as well because Ada did not want him to feel left out." Elladan knew his father was very kind and would not want his grandfather to feel unimportant.

Elrohir smiled. "When I grow up, I'm going to ask Daernana for the best mother she has."

"I am going to ask her and Daerada for a mother just like Nana. Then I'll have the best mother!" Elladan countered.

"You will not! I'm going to have the best one!" Elrohir said loudly.

"No! I will!" Elladan yelled.

Elrohir opened his mouth to answer back but closed it before saying anything. The linen cabinet door had begun to swing open slowly. Lenniel! Elladan thought fearfully. We were too loud! She found us! Elladan looked at his brother in horror.

"I thought I heard voices in here," said a voice from beyond the opening.

"Glorfindel!"

"You scared us!" Elladan sighed and smiled in relief. He loved Glorfindel almost as much as he loved his parents. The elfling was very glad the person beyond the door was the elf-lord instead of Lenniel.

Bent from the waist, Glorfindel peered through the cabinet opening and looked at the brothers in turn. "I am sorry. I did not intend to scare you. Why are you sitting in the cabinet on such a beautiful day? You should be outside playing."

"We are hiding," Elrohir said.

"From Lenniel. She wants me to kiss her for her Begetting Day. I do not want to though."

"She thought I was Elladan and tried to make me kiss her instead. But I'm not Elladan. I'm Elrohir!" the elfling declared indignantly.

Glorfindel chuckled. "Yes, you are Elrohir." Glorfindel turned to Elladan with a serious expression. "It is terrible when an elleth wants to kiss you, but you do not want to kiss back, isn't it?" Elladan nodded. He wasn't surprised that Glorfindel understood. Glorfindel always understood such things. The elf-lord stood up and gestured for the twins to come out of the cabinet. "I do not think you will need to worry about Lenniel for the rest of the day." He smiled. "I suspect she will be busy for some time to come. You can play outside safely now if you wish."

Elladan frowned. He recognized that smile. It was the smile grown up elves used when they knew something they did not wish to explain to elflings. Elladan did not like that smile too much; it made him feel like a very small elfling. Even still, he trusted Glorfindel. If the elf-lord said they did not have to hide from Lenniel, then it was safe to leave the cabinet. Elladan climbed out first. After Elrohir left, Elladan reached in to straighten the linen piles. Nana would not be happy if he left the linens messy. Turning around, he saw Elrohir tug on Glorfindel's sleeve.

"Guess what we learned today!"

"What?"

"We learned where mothers come from."

"You learned where mothers come from?" the elf-lord said in a strangled voice.

"Yes, we learned it by ourselves while we were hiding in the cabinet." Elladan didn't understand why Glorfindel looked so strange. He's not happy that we know. I don't think he even wants us to talk about it. Why not? He should be proud of us for knowing. … Maybe … maybe he doesn't know himself? The idea seemed impossible; Glorfindel was one of the smartest elves Elladan knew. He was almost as smart as Ada. But then, Ada was a father, and Glorfindel wasn't. And Glorfindel didn't have a father in Imladris to tell him about going to Daernana to ask for a mother like Elladan had. Perhaps Glorfindel really didn't know where mothers came from. Elladan looked at Elrohir and knew he was thinking the same thing. They silently agreed on what to do. The two reached out and patted the elf-lord's arms.

"Do not worry, Glorfindel, -- "

" -- we will not tell anyone." The twins smiled reassuringly at their friend.

"When you are ready to become a father, -- "

" -- we will ask Daernana to give you her best!" Elladan grabbed his brother's hand. "Come on, let's play outside!" Hand in hand, the two ran to the doorway at the end of the hall. At the arch, Elladan turned back to wave good-bye to the elf-lord. Poor Glorfindel! He looks so confused.

Translations:
elleth / ellyth: elf-maid (singular / plural)
ada: daddy
daerada: grand-daddy
daernana: grand-mommy
nana: mommy
ellon: elf lad

Chapter 4.  Epilogue

"I'm Elrohir!" 

Lenniel heard the elfling's yell as she left him sitting on the hallway floor, but she ignored him and marched away.  Lenniel was furious.  Her knee hurt.  Her elbow ached.  Her special Begetting Day dress that her grandmother had given her was dirty.  It was all stupid Elladan's fault.  If he had simply kissed her like he promised instead of pretending to be Elrohir, nothing would be wrong.  With each step, Lenniel grew angrier.  Her march turned into a stomp.  She stomped through the halls of Imladris oblivious to the reactions of the elves she encountered.  Disapproving adults stepped aside and watched her pass.  Frightened elflings fled into nearby doorways as Lenniel stormed by.  As she thought about her encounter with Elladan, Lenniel's anger drove her to use words she had heard older elves use.  She didn't know what the words meant.  But she knew that those words were the ones to say when a grown elf like her was feeling very, very mad.

"Careful now, little one.  Your mother would not like to hear you say words like those."

For the first time, Lenniel noticed the person she had passed.  Lord Glorfindel was smiling down at her, his eyes twinkling.  Lenniel didn't know the elf-lord too well.  She knew that Elladan liked him very much though.  Right now, that fact made him her enemy.  Even still, Glorfindel was an elf-lord.  If Lenniel was rude to him, he might tell her parents.  Swallowing her pride temporarily, Lenniel curtsied and apologized politely for her bad words.  Glorfindel nodded his acceptance and walked on.

Stupid Glorfindel!  Stupid Elladan!  She thought as she started stomping down the hall again.  Lenniel had only made two loud stomps and uttered three bad words when she stopped in mid-stomp at another louder and more ominous sound.

"Lenniel!"

Slowly Lenniel lowered her foot.  Turning, she looked through an open doorway to the room beyond.  Sitting in the room was the Lady Celebrían and five others.  Lady Celebrían and four of the ladies seemed mildly amused by the sight of an elfling in a dirty dress raging through the hallway.  The fifth lady was not.  In fact, the fifth lady -- the one who had yelled -- seemed very, very upset.

Nana!

End