Elrond and Elros get a small tale before going to bed
A/N: OK, I wrote this work a few moths ago. It was supposed to be an answer to a prompt on tumblr given to me by lovely elivri (she wanted something about Elros)
Since I was - and still am - more in IY than Tolkien fandom right then and because I'm fascinated by folklore of various people I decided to try a small AU thing here. Have a Japanese-mythology/IY-influenced little piece about my favourite half elf and his brother.
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The storyteller entered the room of the children, deep in thought. Her hair was white like snow, which was rather rare in this country of dark-haired people. The woman was obviously a foreginer in Lord Maedhros' land and she didn't even try to blend in, wearing silver and blue - colors of the Northern Lands = instead of the blues and reds of the kitsune Lord's domain. She was moving soundlessly like mist, but that didn't matter - she was expected and noticed immediately.
Two cries of joy greeted her as she approached the big bed where two boys were sitting.
"Oh, do not cry so loud, boys," she scolded them half-heartedly, giving then a surprisingly warm smile.
"Sorry, nyarnamaitar Calanis," they spoke in one, much quieter, voice. "Sorry, yuki onna."
"Did you come to tell us a tale?" asked Elros hopefully, his ears perked, adding to the hopeful, excited expression on his face. Elrond moved closer to him to make more space for her to sit as she neared the edge of the bed.
"Aye, I did," she replied. The boys were twins, but she could always tell one from another. They were living in Lord Maedhros' estate, but only a few were paying them any attention, the storyteller among those few. They were, after all, descendants of the great Mist Hound King Nolofinwe, who had been once ruling the Northern Lands - she had been his servant long ago, before he had died, struck down by the Dark One. Their noble lineage was resembled in their features - both boys had dog ears on top of their heads. Yet those ears were not only proving their connection to the Mist Hound of Hithlum, they were the sign of their mixed blood, their human ancestors. Kids like them were rare, many didn't know how to approach them, many were seeing them as abominations, fruits of unions between two races who shouldn't never blend together. Yuki onna was one of those rare people, who didn't care about mixed blood of those twins - for her they were heirs of her beloved Lord and for this reason - and for their sweet nature - she gave them her affection and stories. Lord Maedhros seemed to be quite fond of the twins, but he rarely had time to spend with them, since he had to rule over his own land, deal with humans and lesser youkai sent by the Dark One.
The storyteller sat down and smiled as the children pulled their covers higher, trying to shield themselves from the cold aura around her. Their bodies were weaker and it was easier for them to fall ill.
"I have a tale for you, Elrond and Elros," she said and the boys immediately rested their heads on their pillow, eagerly listening. "It is a tale about Luthien, who was a spirit of an ancient oak and a human man named Beren. They fell in love and went to face the Dark One, Morgoth, in his dwelling far to the Far North, to return the three priceless sacred Jewels blessed by Aire Tari of the Unnumbered Lights.
"Why did they do this?" asked Elros, his eyes full of curiousity.
"It is said that the sacred Jewels hold great power and beauty beyond words. There's even a rumor that not only Aire Tari, but also the rest of the Valar blessed them, so they can grant any wish of the one holding them. If your heart is pure. Beren wanted to prove himself and show how much he loved Luthien - bringing at least one of the Jewels was the task given to him by Elu Thingol, the spirit of Doriath Forest and Luthien's father."
"The one who married the celestial maiden Melian?" asked Elrond. The storyteller nodded.
"Yes, the same one," she said. "He gave Beren such a hard task because he didn't believe they loved each other so much."
"How was that possible? She was a yokai, like you, right?" Elrond asked, frowning. "Yokai don't marry mortals."
"Oh, no. They do, but very rarely," the storyteller shook her head. "Luthien and Beren were the firsr couple who actually did it and from their union the first hanyou came to life. They are your ancestors, just like the great Mist Hound of the North. But let me weave the story from the beginning, so you'll understand better..." She was glad that the boys were asking questions, it meant they were really focused on the story. She didn't mind them interrupting the flow of the tale - any other daring to interrupt her had to face consequences, but those two were allowed to ask about everything.
When the tale was woven and the storyteller left the room two boys weren't sleeping. Her soft voice didn't lull them to sleep, the tale made them much too excited to go to sleep - not yet.
"Think about it, El," Elros said. "One of the sacred jewels can make your wish come true! What would you ask for?" he tilted his head like a little, curious puppy. His brother shrugged under the covers, it was still cold in the room even after yuki onna's leave.
"I would ask for us both to become full youkai, so they wouldn't ignore us," he replied. "Like Kitsune Lord Maedhros, our mother Swan Maiden or the great Mist Hound himself. And what would you ask for, Ros?" he asked as he turned around in the darkness of the rom, his bright eyes glowing in the shadows.
The younger boy frowned and was quiet for a moment, thinking about his desires. Elrond's wish was pretty cool, being a youkai was surely fun, but he found in his heart he wantedt something different than being a youkai. Wisdom and strength were appealing to Elrond, but Elros was always more in tune with his human side, strong emotions and wll to forge a path for himself in life.
"I'd rather become a mortal, like Luthien," he said slowly. "You know, youkai would never forget we were hanyous once, no matter how strong we would be. And humans... They would accept us - no one would even know we were half-breeds. We could become their leaders because we would be stronger than averge humans are."
"But mortals leave," Elrond shook his head, his ears lowering, a small whine leaving his throat. "And I don't want you to leave me behind as you cross the border of this world. I don't want to be alone..."
Elros hugged his brother to soothe his distress.
"Don't be sad, El," he nuzzled his neck, inhaling his scent and feeling Elrond doing the same. "We're twins, we always are together. And we will make our wishes true by working hard and never giving up. The jewel's in the sky,"
"Mhm," Elrond nodded, holding him close. "We'll be always together and work hard."
o0o
Elros was standing on the shore of an island, looking at the sunrise. Somewhere, behind the sea, a hanyou, descendant of the Mist Hound, last of the great House, was living among other youkai, sharing his wisdom and protecting weak with his power. 'He has his wish partially granted - he became powerful and wise like our great ancestor. He became so strong that no one dares to look down at him or ignore him because of his mixed blood,' Elros thought and looked up to the sky where the Star of Earendil, the sacred jewel, was glittering. 'We didn't need the jewel, just our determination was enough, right, El? You can't wait for a magical object to get what you want, you must work to get it. This way it gains value.'
A mortal woman, a former miko who had purified Elros just a few years ago, stood beside the new king of men. She was holding their firstborn son in her arms. Only she knew who he had been once, in the land of Kitsune Lord Maedhros, now desolated and submerged by the sea after the War of Wrath. He had no dog ears on top of his head, his eyes didn't glow, his senses were dulled and his nails were no longer deadly claws people feared.
"Your highness? About what are you thinking?" she asked and he turned to face her. She offered him a soft smile, the one which she had only for him.
"Only about old wishes," he replied with a quiet voice, unwilling to wake up his son and disturb the peaceful night.
"Did they came true?" she asked, tilting her head. Elros just smiled at her.