All Who Wander Are Not Lost

Chapter 2

15 Years Later

"Elladan, keep your head down or cook will see you!" She hissed as she crouched behind a large barrel with her two young brother beside her.

"But the tart smells so good, Thennil," said brother whined while squirming where he crouched behind a barrel of his own.

"Yes, but if you want that tart we have to be quiet,Handë will hear you, be patient!" She threatened.

"But I want it now, can't you just distract her?"

She rolled her eyes, would her brother never learn the art of flinching? "You can never use the same idea more than once, she'll catch on to it. Trust me, four more minutes and Oron will come through that door and she will be so distracted that she won't even know that the tart's gone."

"I still don't know if this is the best idea, Thannil," Elorhir stated as he rocked back on his heels, peering through the cracks between the barrels.

"Do you have a better one?" She raised an eyebrow high, looking quite like her father for a moment.

"Not at them moment, but I could have!" He stated with a huff.

"Well-

"Look, here comes Oron!" Elladan whispered peaking over the barrel swiftly, ready to jump out and snatch the tart from the table nearest them.

Laying a hand on his shoulder she signaled him to wait, listening to Hande ask Oron how his day was and how long he thought the fair weather would last before it decided to rain. She smiled as she saw the two elves start chatting away as Hande continued to knead the bread dough with the heel of her hands. The smell of the dough was lovely, but the thought of the sweet tart that was only feet away from the trio was even better. As she twisted her feet to better support her weight she nodded to Elladan, smirking as he crept quietly out from behind his barrel and across the kitchen floor. She kept glancing back and forth between her brother and the elves speaking across the kitchen. He had crept forward on his hands and knees, worming his way between stools, bags of apples, and a box filled with flour ending up right beneath the table where the tart lay.

"Now, Elrohir," She whispered, giving him a light push.

The boy leaped up and charged through the kitchen with a scream,"Hande, save me, Save ME!"

The elleth, gave a start and twisted to look at the youth that came hurdling towards her.

"What is the matter, Elrohir? What has befallen you?" She asked holding him at arms length looking him up and down for injury.

"Thennil said that she was going to throw me in the fountain for ruining her favorite doll, but I didn't do it!" He pleaded.

She hoped that the cook would take the bait, she didn't play with her dolls as much as she used to, but there was a possibility that the elleth wouldn't know that. She held her breath as Hande looked into her brother's eyes, before pulling him close. She sighed with relief, it looked like it was working.

"You can stay here, she shouldn't come to bother you if she doesn't know where you are, right?"

Curses! That was not what she wanted at all, it looked like she would have to be more than just the planner this time. Creeping towards the door she hurried up the flight of stair, making no noise at all in her long dress and bare feet. Jumping up and down she got her blood pumping, shaking her head to mess her hair a little to look like she had bee running around looking for Elrohir. Then, taking a deep breath she shouted her brother's name.