The forest around Rivendell was aglow with the bright colors of autumn. The trees were lit up with bright shades of red and orange and the air was crisp and warm. The buildings of the city itself seemed also to glimmer in unusual magnificence. The fall air drifted in through the glassless windows and fallen leaves were soon scattered across the floor. In a clearing in the woods outside of the city, two small figures stood, holding archery bows in their hands.
"Ha! You couldn't hit the target to save your own life!" sneered a young male elf, laughing at his companion.
"And you could do better, Legolas?" the other replied, glaring at him.
"Of course I could, Estel," Legolas bragged, "I am after all, an elf, not to mention, the prince of Mirkwood."
"You're also an ass," replied Estel quietly, but loud enough for Legolas to hear.
"You're just jealous," Legolas said smugly and picked up the bow. He looked at the target for a second and then released his arrow. It flew swiftly and hit the target dead in the center. Legolas turned at Estel and gave him an "I told you so" look.
"Lucky shot," Estel muttered, willing to say anything to avoid admitting that Legolas was better than him.
Legolas just fitted another arrow into the bow and shot at the target again. Once again, it hit the target in the center, right next to the first.
"What do you have to say to that?" asked Legolas beaming.
"I bet I am a far better swordsman than you are," Estel boasted.
"Very swift of you, changing the subject, but I am interested in seeing if you are as good as you claim." Legolas smirked, fascinated by a challenge, "Prove it, then."
"Very well," replied Estel confidently. "Let us go and get some swords."
"Do not be certain that you will beat me, Estel. You are merely nine. I am many times your age." Legolas stated as coldly, no longer smirking as his eyes glared at the human's back.
"You're about the same age for an elf, Legolas." Estel's reply was calm and confident and he ignored the glares he was receiving.
"Estel, Legolas, what are you doing?" a loud and powerful voice asked as they stepped out of the woods.
"We're getting swords, Lord Elrond," replied Legolas, as innocently as he could.
"And what exactly do you need swords for?" Elrond asked again, folding his arms across his chest and glaring at them.
"To show this stuck-up brat that I am better with a sword than he is," Estel replied.
"And I suppose you two wish to fight against each other?" Elrond said, raising one eyebrow while frowning down at them.
The two smiled and nodded their heads simultaneously. Elrond just glared at them even harder so they stopped grinning and shrunk in fear.
"Estel," Elrond started, "Legolas is our guest. That means you don't try and kill him. And that means you don't say he's stuck up."
"But he is!" Estel whined. "He's also filthy! And he smells bad!"
"Well, you're too clean!" Legolas insulted back. "You smell like a girl and fight like one as well!"
Elrond shook his head as he looked at the two children fighting. "Will you stop that?" he asked. "Will you please forget this foolish nonsense and go get changed into something more suitable for dinner? We shall be having a feast tonight, in honor of Legolas's visit."
The two grumbled a response and made their way up the hill, out of the woods to Imaldris, the beautiful city of Rivendell.
Up in his room, Estel looked at himself in the mirror. "I do NOT smell like a girl," he muttered silently to himself. He gazed in the mirror once more and shriveled his nose in disgust. He was unnaturally clean. Estel frowned and scooped a pile of dirt off the floor and started sprinkling it in his hair.
He picked up another handful and started spreading it all over his face. He also took a pinch and threw it on his clothes. When he looked at his reflection again, he smiled. "There, now that stupid elf can't say that I'm too clean."
Meanwhile, in another room, Legolas was taking a bath. He scrubbed and scrubbed his face and washed his hair over and over again. "Now that stupid human can't say that I'm filthy!" he said happily.
When he was done, he looked in the mirror and was surprised at how much better his hair looked actually clean. But then he realized in admitting that, he would be admitting that Estel was right, so he quickly said, "I look like a stupid girl, just like he does now." But he didn't try to change his appearance before he turned and headed out of the room.
When Estel and Legolas ran into each other at the feast, Estel quickly noticed that Legolas looked cleaner than he had before. Estel chuckled loudly and walked up to him and said, "Did you finally figure out how to bathe, elf?"
Legolas scowled at him and asked, "Did you pour dirt into your hair, human?" which caused Estel to blush, for it was true. Legolas snickered when Estel turned red. The elf walked away, tossing his head in an effort to show off, with a smug look on his face, proud of his victory.
Legolas and Estel didn't sit near each other during the feast, so no words were exchanged between them. They only gave each other threatening glares across the room.
Many of the other elves at the feast noticed and began whispering among themselves about it. This angered Elrond, so he drew the two boys aside and took them out of the room.
"Estel! Legolas! What were you two doing?" Elrond questioned furiously.
"Nothing," Estel answered.
"Uh...eating?" said Legolas.
"That's not funny. I saw those glares you were giving each other across the room. Everyone saw. Now would you please tell me what's going on here???" Elrond practically shouted, his patience at an end.
Both were silent at first, and then Estel spoke slowly. "I hate him."
Elrond sighed and closed his eyes. "Hate is a strong word, Estel," he said slowly.
"Well I hate you too," Legolas said to Estel, glaring back at him.
"Do not say that you hate each other right now," Elrond sighed, "For I believe that, over time you will get along, if you would just give each other a chance."
Elrond almost doubted his own words once they escaped his lips. Legolas was extremely stuck-up, though he would never tell the child that. And though he loved the child as his own son, Estel was extremely stubborn and selfish at times.
But they were both so young. They had so much time to change and he didn't doubt that they would. Legolas had smelled bad earlier that day, until Estel had insulted him because of it. And Estel had been unnaturally clean, but he too had changed.
With those thoughts, he became assured again that changes would happen. Slowly he spoke, "For now you are enemies...but who knows what it may become...only time can tell."
Estel rolled his eyes. "I, for one, cannot see us as anything but enemies."
"I disagree," argued Legolas, "I don't see us as anything more that worst enemies."
"Fine. Just fine," spat Elrond, "Be whatever you want. Just please at least display some common courtesy to each other! That means not glaring at each other from across the room. Can you manage that?"
"Yes," the two quietly muttered in unison.
"Good," said Elrond, "Now let us return to the feast."
But in the end, Legolas and Estel were not able to manage it, and they continued to glare at each other all through the meal. Elrond was so fed up with it all, that he decided to send Legolas home to Mirkwood the next day, a few days earlier than planned.
Several of the Imaldris elves were going to take him back to Mirkwood, to assure his safety. For the quickest route between Rivendell and Mirkwood was straight through the Misty Mountains.
As Legolas mounted his horse and prepared to ride away, several of Rivendell's inhabitants gathered outside to wish him farewell.
"Goodbye, Prince Greenleaf," Elrond said, bowing his head slightly out of politeness and respect.
"Farewell, Prince Legolas," Estel said, making his words sound as forced at they actually were.
"Goodbye Elrond, Lord of Imaldris, and goodbye Estel, you filthy human," Legolas answered and then nudged his horse in the sides and started galloping off before another word could be spoken.
Elrond just sighed and shook his head while Estel made death threats quietly under his breath. The other elves that were going with Legolas waved their lord farewell and hastily started their horses running in order to catch up with the young, blonde elf.
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