Mosquito's and Ivy and Bedbugs, Oh My!

Disclaimer; I no more own Tolkien than I own the Dead Sea. Although I could make a pretty wad o' cash if I did...

Elladan and Elrohir walked up to Erestor with identical innocent expressions on their faces. The Chief Advisor put down his quill, giving the twins one of his signature 'death glares'. The twins smiles didn't falter...which frightened Erestor considerably though he didn't show it.

"What?" Erestor asked flatly, not in the mood for their games. He had a pile of paperwork at least as tall as he was sitting on his desk. Curse Glorfindel and his various border reports! It always ended up like this...lazy Glorfindel leaving Erestor to do the work. How he despised that elf sometimes.

"We're bored." Chorused the twins. That, by the way, was never a good thing.

Erestor sighed and picked up his quill again, "Really?" The twins nodded and Elladan asked, "Have you seen Estel?" Erestor shook his head, "No but if I do I'll be sure to warn him." Elrohir whined, "There's nothing fun to do around here Erestor!"

"Well then, why don't you put your brains to the test and contrive another one of your tricks to repay Glorfindel for the mountain of paperwork he gave me."

The twins grinned at each other and snickered. Erestor looked up hurriedly, "You do know that I was not serious..." It was to late, the sons of Elrond had walked out of the door and onto their next task...mischief. Erestor groaned, if Glorfindel found out, he would be dead. A slight smile graced Erestor's lips. But perhaps the mighty warrior of Gondolin deserved it...

***
Two days later there was a knock at Erestor's door. The advisor eyed the door suspiciously...no one ever knocked and then waited for a reply...

"Come in." Erestor called out, praying it wasn't who he thought it would be. The door opened. It was. Side by side Elladan and Elrohir walked up to Erestor's desk. They had serious, almost business like expressions on their faces. Only those who were close to the twins knew that those were the faces they put on when dealing with their pranks. They valued their ability to prank people highly, and therefore protected their ability by being serious about it and not throwing all caution into the wind.

"All right Erestor...we've set up a plan, but to make it work...we'll need payment." Elladan said seriously. Erestor looked at them both sharply, "I don't think so. I was not serious when I asked you to-"

"But we already wasted a few days thinking about it! You could at least honor our tireless effort and thinking by agreeing!" Elrohir said. Elladan added, "Admit it Erestor...you've been wanting to do something like this for a long time."

The advisor was silent and Elladan grinned, "Good then." Erestor looked up, "What would your payment require?" Elladan grinned, "Only your help dear advisor. Your job is to lure Glorfindel into the trap."

Erestor closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He considered the pro's and con's. "Is anyone else involved?" He asked abruptly. Elladan grinned, "Only Estel, and he doesn't even know it." Erestor looked at them sharply. Elrohir added, "He will not be harmed or anything. He'll just be up in a tree in the woods like always..."

Erestor sighed, "Done."

***
Erestor flew into Glorfindel's study without even knocking. Glorfindel took one look at the advisor's panicked face and asked, "What is it?" Erestor ran his fingers through his raven hair, "Estel," He said in distress, "He's stuck in one of the oak trees in the swamp." Glorfindel blanched, "And you want *me* to get him down? I just washed this morning!"

Erestor temporarily returned to his sarcastic self and snorted, "We know...we can smell the soap you use all the way in the west wing." Glorfindel sighed and stood up, long used to the Chief Advisor's jibes. "I"m coming." He said wearily. He walked out the door and behind him Erestor was grinning like a cat high on cream.

***
"Where exactly *is* this oak tree Erestor?" Glorfindel asked. Erestor hid his smile behind a concerned expression and said fretfully, "It was somewhere over here..."

Glorfindel sighed and tried to avoid the swampy patches that dotted the area while swatted swarms of mosquito's that buzzed around his head. They were in the boggiest place in Imladris, and going in deeper. Glorfindel was getting a bit sweaty from the exertation...they had been walking for a long while.

Glorfindel frowned and slapped at a mosquito on his arm. Funny...normally the bugs bothered him, but this was just ridiculous. Right before the elven lord's eyes, another swarm of mosquito's joined the first. Glorfindel waved his arms around his head, trying to get them away, but they just flew right back, hovering over their prey. Glorfindel moved faster, looking at the ground so as not to accidentally step in the puddles and mud.

The swarm buzzed louder, and now mosquito's in two's and three's desended upon the elven lord and tried to suck his blood. "Grrr...Erestor you'd better find that tree soon because I'm being eaten alive." Receiving no answer Glorfindel frowned and looked up, "Erestor?"

He couldn't believe it. The Chief Advisor had disappeared. "Erestor?" Glorfindel called uncertainly. Nothing answered him but the hoot of an owl. An owl...Valar, it was nightfall, and the mosquito's were becoming more and more abundant.

Glorfindel blinked and cursed as one flew into his eye. Growling, the elf lord stumbled toward the exit of the forest, rubbing his eye desperately. Erestor would have to help Estel himself. He couldn't do everything for-

It all clicked. Estel wasn't in trouble...at all. Erestor *never* let Glorfindel help him when it concerned Estel...and today he had asked for help. It had all been a prank...no doubt involving the twins too...

"Oh, you're a very good actor Erestor!" Glorfindel muttered evilly under his breath and darted toward Imladris and in his wrath, he never felt the dozens of mosquito's latching onto him.

***
Erestor watched in satisfaction as a grumpy Glorfindel walked into the dinning room, scratching his arm absentmindedly. Even from where he was sitting with Estel, Erestor could see the many red bumps from where the mosquito's had bitten him.

The twins had put a few herbs from their fathers store into a soap mix, poured it into a mold and let it harden. Then they scrubbed it against the flagstones a few times to make it look worn. They had quickly replaced it with Glorfindel's old soap. Of course, the result had made Glorfindel into some easily irritated monster, and given Lord Elrond a few panic attacks when the normally cheerful Glorfindel stomped through Imladris, muttering and barking orders. Come to that, it had frightened even the twins, which was no easy to do.

"It's a very sweet scent," Elladan had assured Erestor, "No mosquito could resist." Erestor knew that Glorfindel would be to busy thinking about something else to notice his soap's slightly different scent.

He watched all through dinner as Glorfindel repeatedly scratched his neck, his head, and his arms. It looked as if he was doing a dance in his seat. Estel, along with many others, watched the renowned warrior with big eyes. He leaned over and said to Erestor, "Does he have ants in his pants 'Restor?"

Erestor snorted into his wine goblet and quickly put it down, "No Estel, he just had a little quarrel with mosquito's...and my name is *Erestor*. You're old enough to say it properly. Who told you about ants in people's pants anyway?"

Estel ignored that last comment and kept watching Glorfindel with wide eyes. He leaned over again and said, "I think the moose-kito's won 'Restor. Glorfindel didn't run fast enough." Erestor smiled, "I think you're right Estel."