Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I’ll put them back safely when I’m done!

Author’s Note: Sorry I took so long to update, real life got in the way. The next chapter will tell us what Arwen’s little plan is. Enjoy, and please review!

Chapter Fifteen: An Even Score

     Eldarion was first aware that his head rather hurt. He lay still, wondering what in Middle Earth had happened in the tunnels, and gradually became aware that he was not alone in the room. He opened his eyes.

     It seemed that all of the Fellowship of the Green Dragon was in the room, which Eldarion recognized as one in the Houses of Healing. From where he was lying, he could see Elfwine playing chess with Elanorallie; one of his wrists was bound in a tight bandage. Rowan was sitting on a bed net to his, talking with Theodwyn, who looked extremely disgruntled to have her arm in a sling. They were all that Eldarion could see. With a little sigh-it was so comfortable just laying there-the young prince sat up.

      When they saw him move, all activity in the room ceased for a moment, and then everyone was crowding around him. Besides the friends whom he had already seen, there were Legolas, Gimli, and, surprisingly, Faramir Took. The little hobbit was the first one to reach his bed, and leaned against it with a huge smile on his face.

    “Hullo, Eldarion!” Faramir cried. “Are you feeling all right? I’m so glad that you woke up before I had to leave; Lord El said that I could stay in here for an hour, and the hour is almost up! Are you feeling all right?” he asked again.

     Eldarion hesitated, thinking about it. His head ached slightly, and he felt rather bruised, much like he had when he’d fallen out of Legolas’ flet in Ithilien. Still, he didn’t feel horribly injured, and a quick look at his arms and legs showed that he didn’t have any broken bones.

     “I think that I’m all right, Faramir,” he replied. “What happened?”

     Legolas sat down on the edge of Eldarion’s bed. “You took a wrong turning out of the proper storage tunnels. The ground gave way beneath you, and the Lady Eowyn had to be lowered down to pull you out of a deep pit. You hit your head, and Elfwine sprained his wrist. Theodwyn dislocated her shoulder, but the King believes that you all will live,” he said.

    Eldarion nodded seriously at the Elf, and looked around at his friends. “I guess that we shouldn’t have gone down there. I’m sorry.”

     “I’m glad that you did,” said Gimli. “We are having those passages fixed now, which will provide work for the dwarves for many a day.”   

     “That’s all right, Eldarion, it was an adventure,” Elfwine agreed cheerfully. “Poor Theo was the worst hurt.”

      Theodwyn indicated her right arm with a disgruntled look on her face, but smiled sweetly when Eldarion asked if it hurt. “Not right now. King Elessar gave me medicine for it. You have to treat me very nicely, though.”

      Eldarion made a face at her, knowing that when she smiled like that, his desserts were in mortal danger. He changed the subject with no subtlety whatsoever. “Who won the contest? The Elves?”

       “Yes, Lord El won,” Faramir said cheerfully. Then, as if remembering that he shouldn’t be supporting the opposing team, added in a woe-filled voice, “I mean, Lord El did.”

     “They came and helped you, though,” Elanorallie said quickly. “Ada said that we are even now, and that is always a good thing to be, when it comes to contest such as this.”

      Eldarion nodded glumly, and they lapsed into silence. The children all came from very competitive parentage, and none of them liked to lose, even if it was to a family friend and his people. At last, Legolas stood up and touched Faramir’s arm.

     “Come, Faramir,” he said. “The hour is up, and I can hear Pippin approaching in the hallway.”

      Faramir jumped up, rather enthusiastically, and hugged them all. “Good bye!” he said. “It was fun playing with you all! I hope that you feel better soon. You, too, Eldarion! Bye!”

     “Bye, Faramir,” the children chorused, waving and smiling at their friend. “See you soon!”

     Faramir waved cheerily and left the room with his father. They could hear him chattering away to Pippin about how well they all were, before Legolas shut the door.

     “I want Faramir to come back for good,” Rowan said sadly. “Can we hurry up and win this game, so that he can come back? Please?”

     “We will, Rowan,” Legolas replied. “Queen Arwen has declared a meeting with both teams in the throne room tomorrow, to tell us what we will be doing. From the look on her face when she told me, it will be a very interesting challenge, to say the least.”

     The children shared a worried glance, and Eldarion bit his lip. When his nana came up with something that Legolas thought was interesting, there was always cause to worry.

*****

     “I’m not even going to ask.”

     Merry closed his eyes in chagrin and turned around slowly. The ladies in the room had fallen silent, and the looks on their faces were ones of amusement, sheepishness, and, in Estella’s case, glee.

    “Pip, I can explain,” Merry began, than stopped. “No, I can’t, actually,” he said after a moment. “I have absolutely no idea why they’re forcing me to do this, it defies all rhyme and reason. I do believe that they are all quite mad.”

    Pippin didn’t say anything for want of laughing. He had come searching for Diamond, and found her in Queen Arwen’s private sitting room with Estella, Arwen, Eowyn…and Merry, whose back was turned, and who was wearing a pink satin dress.

    “I’m going to assume that this is for the Queen’s challenge,” he said. “Right. I’m going to leave now, and we shall pretend that this moment never happened. Diamond, I am going to be in our room.”

    So saying, Pippin turned and left the room, closing the door behind him. Arwen let her breath out in a rush and smiled at the others.

    “He took that rather well, actually,” she said.

    Out in the hallway, Pippin found Aragorn standing not five feet from the door. “Is he in that dress?” the High King asked.

     “Yes, he is,” Pippin replied, grinning broadly. “I wonder what they used to blackmail him into doing it.”

     “I can’t imagine,” Aragorn said. “Come, shall we leave them to their dastardly plotting?”

     “Of course,” agreed Pippin.

     They set of down the hallway, and as soon as they were far enough away, collapsed into laughter. If nothing else, this contest certainly was never dull.

TBC