Nin Chronicles: My Word

Under Water

Legolas knocked on the door to his father's office. Thranduil should have been done by now, and he had promised to come see the swimming pool. Landion and the twins clustered behind him.

"Come in," Thranduil called.

Legolas poked his head into the room. "Are you done, ada? You promised to come swimming, and we will not have much time to swim if we do not leave now."

Thranduil surveyed his desk. "I am sorry, Legolas, but I have unexpected work to do, and I cannot come today. You will have to go without me."

Legolas's face fell. "Will you—will you come tomorrow?"

"I will try," Thranduil said, without looking up.

Legolas closed the door slowly and leaned against it. After a night of dreaming of a day with ada, it was hard to accept he would have to wait longer.

Landion touched his shoulder. "Come on, Legolas. We can go just the four of us. It will be fun."

"Yes," said Legolas. He straightened up and followed after the twins, still feeling the painful pangs of rejection.

The swimming pool was where they had left it. The dam had created a deep spot in the wide bed of the creek, full of shimmering water. The sun shone down directly on it, light glancing off the ripples. The trees along the bank covered some spots with dappled shade.

Legolas tugged off his clothes and splashed into the water. He lay on his back and floated, the hot sun on his bare skin as the water washed him downward and bumped him against the dam. He let out a yell, and gulped for a quick breath as Landion dove down onto him, thrusting him underwater. Holding onto the air in his lungs, he sank to the bottom and opened his eyes, looking at the rocks and pebbles as his hair floated up above him in stringy lines of yellow. The pool was too deep for him to stand up in the middle and still reach above the surface, so he swam to the top, and let out his breath as his head burst out into the light.

He looked for Landion. Elladan and Elrohir had hurled themselves into the pool beside him, creating giant waves of water with their hands as they splashed each other, moving further out into the deep. Landion was sitting on the dam, dangling his legs in the water, his hair clinging to his back and shoulders. Fish were nibbling at his toes.

Legolas grabbed a branch sticking out into the water from one of the tree trunks making the dam, and hoisted himself up onto the flat trunk, dripping water over the wood. He sat down beside Landion.

His uncle looked at his with innocent eyes. Legolas leaned back on his hands and looked at the fluffy clouds in the sky. After a moment he hurled himself sideways into Landion, and wrestled him off the log, into the pool, drawing in a deep breath before he hit the water with his squirming playmate beneath him, and sank.

Elladan was submerged up to his chest, and wondering how much further he could step before the water went over his head before a hand jerked his ankle from below, and he toppled into the water, a great wave going up and crashing down over him. He clawed for the surface and came up spluttering.

"Sorry," said Legolas apologetically. "I did not realize you were not ready."

Elladan glared at him. The water slowed his movement as he made a grab for Legolas, wiping the water from his eyes but Legolas slipped away like an eel. Elladan managed to grasp his ankle and reel Legolas in, shoving him below the surface. He felt Legolas slip his ankle from his grasp and disappear under the water.

Elladan drew in a deep breath and dove under the water, almost hitting heads with his twin. His fingers curled around a handful of pebbles. He thrust himself to the surface and came up, looking for Legolas.

"Attack!" he yelled, and hurling the small rocks and sand at Legolas, a few feet away.

Legolas dove with amazing speed, and the rocks skimmed the water above him, coming down in a hail. Elladan realized Legolas had a lot of practice at this. He was not so adapt; Elrond did not like rough play in the water because of the 'risks' and he scolded for rock throwing.

"Ow!" Elrohir yelped as a handful of pebbles splattered against his backside. He swished around and saw Landion grinning at him.

"You are not good at this, are you?" Landion said.

Elrohir brought out the handful of sand from behind his back, and peppered Landion with it. "Good enough!"

Landion shrieked, flinging up his hands to shield his eyes. He dove for cover to clean the sand out of his hair, and to collect his own munitions. He came up with a handful of mud, and looked around for Elrohir, but the elfling was gone. Wet slime on his back made him twist in a frantic effort to wipe away the mud, and he heard Elrohir giggle.

"Legolas, help!" Landion shrieked as the twins swarmed him, swimming in circles around him.

Legolas looked up from the shallow end of the pool, where he sat making a small arena of rocks around two fish. At the sight of Landion's predicament, he reached for a handful of rocks, grinning as the twins dove before he had even collected enough to throw.

Landion's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to yell as a shadow fell over Legolas, but he had no time to scream a warning before the shadow descended on his nephew, and flung Legolas out into the pool.

Legolas was plunged underwater before he could see who had thrown him but he would have known the hands anywhere. He came up and spun around to meet Thranduil's smile.

"Ada!" Legolas cried. "I thought you said you could not come?"

"I changed my mind," Thranduil said, dipping his hair into the water. "And I am glad I did. The pool is excellent, Legolas. I can tell how hard you and your companions worked on it."

Legolas smiled. "Thank you, ada. We did work hard; the tree trunks were heavy."

Thranduil opened his mouth to answer but Landion's arms wound around his neck and yanked him backwards into the water.

Legolas noticed Elladan and Elrohir had stopped splashing to watch Thranduil. He wondered why they looked so funny.

By the time it was too cool to swim anymore, every elf and elfling had soaked in enough water, and their skin was wrinkled at their fingertips and around their toes. After wading out of the pool, and watching the water clear as they dried off and dressed, they made for home.

Thranduil watched Legolas run barefoot ahead, his feet slapping against the hard dirt of the path with Landion behind them, the wind drying their hair. He held out his hands to Elladan and Elrohir, squeezing the small hands as they slid into his.

"Did you enjoy yourselves?" he asked.

Both elflings nodded enthusiastically, their hair dripping small drops of water onto the dirt behind them. "Yes. It has been one of the best days we have had in a long time. Do you go swimming often?"

"Whenever Legolas asks," Thranduil said with a smile. "There is a river in Rivendell. I am sure you must enjoy water filled days with your family."

"Our watery days are not as much fun," Elladan replied, rubbing the spot on his arm where a bigger rock had smacked it. "Elrond does not like us throwing rocks."

"Ah, well, everyone has different preferences," Thranduil said. "I was worried about Legolas hurting himself in the beginning but it wore off after I told him to throw only small ones. He decided he did not mind the sting of the pebbles, and he soon learned to duck them." He smiled at the memory.

"What is for dinner?" Elrohir asked suddenly as the sun began to set.

"Deer roast," Thranduil said.

The twins are loosening up in their new climate, finally. Happiness may yet be their's! Thanks for reading; I appreciate it so much and, as always, I love hearing from you.