DISCLAIMER: I've written this purely for my own and my readers' entertainment. I make no money whatsoever and I don't own anything (apart from the plot and my student debts, and you're more than welcome to take the latter if you so wish).
A/N: Here is yet another story set in the 'Dawnstar' Universe. Well, gaia caecilia and I did promise that all unmarried blokes would get a girl! As ever, it's probably better to have read or at least know the plot to 'Dawnstar & Friend' and 'She, sorry they, will be back' (the first two in this now rather major series), but that's only because there will be the inevitable reference to those and other stories within the series. Then again, if you don't want to read 'D&F' or any of the others, you'll just have to go with the flow.
A/N 2: If you're reading my story 'Forbidden Fruit', but don't know the rest of the 'D&F' series, it's probably best if you don't read this yet, as this story does contain some inevitable and major plot spoilers. You have been warned.
A/N 3: As ever, I'm gratefully indebted to gaia caecilia for her help and her proof-reading as well as her patience in proof-reading my essays at Uni, so this is as much for her as it is for anyone else – love you, my dear friend!
Oh, and MERRY CHRISTMAS, everyone! Hope you enjoy...
MERRY CHRISTMAS, OR IN WHICH ELLADAN (FINALLY) GETS HIS GIRL
CHAPTER 1 – THE ELIGIBLE BACHELOR
Elladan watched as the small party of blonde Elves emerged from the wooded area near his brother's house. Ginny and Myrwen were carrying their respective offspring, leaving their husbands to carry all the 'baby junk' – why did elflings need such a lot of stuff? Elladan tutted and flicked his eyes to the ceiling when he saw Thranduil and Adindel pause and say something; the ladies turned and looked at each other before setting their babies down by Murrlin and Claudia and then strolling up to their husbands.
Elladan let out a long sigh and crossed his arms – it was bad enough having all his friends and relatives hinting (sometimes subtly, sometimes not so subtly) about the fact that he should really be thinking about binding with someone without them so publicly indulging in what the two couples currently were. Elladan didn't think an Elf could go for so long without air.
Elladan languidly rolled his eyes as they finally broke apart. The two ladies then bent to pick up the elflings only to pause when their husbands again seemed to voice their opinion on something. Ginny and Myrwen looked at each other before passing the elflings over. Looking relieved, the ellyn took hold of them, only to look aghast when the ladies suddenly sprinted off towards the house, without picking up any bags, huge laughing grins all over their faces.
"They really have no shame, have they?" Elladan's nephew Ainicánë voiced the older Peredhil's thoughts exactly.
Elladan turned and smiled gratefully when he saw what Aini was holding: a bottle of wine and two glasses. It had become a habit of theirs to indulge in a little drink together here and there when the hints and public demonstrations really became too much, especially since Aini's brother Mánasairon had left the bachelor's fold in order to court Glorfindel's sister-in-law (A/N: For the full version of this story, see gaia caecilia's story 'Song in the Woods').
As Aini poured the wine and they each took a mouthful, they heard the gleeful sounds that always seemed to accompany females when greeting each other emanate up from near the front door. The two Elves looked at each other and sighed.
"Well, I suppose we'd better go down," said Aini dispiritedly, quickly draining his glass.
By the time they'd reached the entrance hall, Thranduil and Adindel had caught up, looking rather miffed at having to hold both elflings and bags. Upon seeing their husbands, Ginny and Myrwen went to relieve them of their more precious cargo; Ginny giggled at the look on her husband's face.
"Adindel, Myrwen and I agreed that you and Thranduil could carry the babies, but we didn't say anything about us taking the bags in return." Adindel narrowed his eyes and caught Ginny's waist before she could follow the others into the sitting-room.
"I trust you realise, my wife, that you owe me big time for that and I fully intend to extract my reward in the usual way," he whispered seductively against the point of Ginny's ear – the one with the piercing, which rendered it extra sensitive.
"Oh, I expected nothing less, my husband, but I'm afraid you will have to wait, for I believe our daughter needs my attention right now."
Little Raina (pronounced 'Rine-ah') had begun to wriggle uncomfortably. Whispering comforting words to her daughter, Ginny skilfully transferred the babe to one arm and bent to pick up one of the bags with the other.
"Come on then, Missy, let's get you sorted," she said as she walked off to find a more private area, leaving Adindel to join the others in the sitting-room.
XXX
When Ginny entered the sitting-room, she found the elder Peredhil Twins engaged in a deep discussion upon the respective merits of binding with someone or remaining single. Elladan then cut-off Elrohir's comeback by picking up a heavy, leather-bound book from the table beside him; saying as he did so,
"Give me a reason, Elrohir, why I shouldn't chuck this book right at you."
"Apart from the fact it's Miriel's most ancient and precious one? Well..."
"There are various Eldar – and not all of them in this room – who will skin you alive if you do so," Ginny answered as she quickly placed Raina on to Elrohir's lap. The elfling looked up and gleefully grabbed a handful of the elder Elf's ebony locks, pulling hard as she did so. Elladan led the bevy of chuckles as Elrohir grunted in pain.
"Ouch! Why does she do that?" he gasped, even as Miriel gently disentangled the babe's fingers and put his hair out of harm's way.
"Probably because she's constantly surrounded by blondes and finds dark hair fascinating – she pulls Ada's all the time."
Another general chuckle followed Ginny's statement – even Elrohir grinned as he looked down into large, deep-blue eyes.
"You know," he said, eyeing his brother mischievously. "If you didn't mind waiting, you could always marry Raina and make the bonds between the Royal Elves even stron..." Elrohir was cut-off by a sudden choking-type of sound coming from Adindel.
The blonde Prince eyed the Twins suspiciously, particularly Elladan, despite the fact that Ginny was right beside him.
"Don't you think it's a bit early to be discussing my daughter's binding?" he said rather possessively, leaning over to extract said daughter from Elrohir's arms. Everyone would have had to have lived like a hermit for the past couple of years in order to not understand the full gist of the Prince's words.
Adindel absolutely adored his daughter and would do anything for her, although it could be doubted if that stretched to completely tolerating the binding of Raina to Elrond's eldest, even if they did fall head-over-heels in love – he was a Sindarin Prince, after all.
Even though he was already skating on very thin ice, Elrohir still couldn't resist teasing Elladan (and Adindel too, come to that) a little more; arms now free of elfling, he put them up in a conciliatory way and said,
"I'm only saying that love works in mysterious ways – take Adindel, for example, he was hooked on Ginny from almost the moment they met, but it still took him several thousand years to pop the question. Although, I think Ada and Nana are hoping it won't take you that long. And then there's Glorfindel, who fell in love and got bound just like that." Elrohir clicked his fingers.
"Yes, but he was single for far longer than I have been; besides, the Valar had a hand in that..."
"Exactly, they were bored. I'd be careful, if I were you, Elladan, for I believe they're becoming bored again – you don't want to be their next target, do you?"
Despite going slightly pale, Elladan still managed to chuck a cushion at his brother.
XXX
As it was, however, Elladan didn't become the Valar's 'next target', for in a relatively short space of time afterwards, Mánasairon asked Lirinandië to bind with him and owing to the fact that they'd missed the opportunity to celebrate the betrothal/ binding of various other couples, the Valar went all-out on the celebrations this time around.
Yet again when the hints, etc got too much the two remaining bachelors, Elladan and Aini, snuck off to share a bottle of wine.
However, only a couple of years later, Aini too left both the bachelor's fold and his uncle alone to face various assorted friends and relatives. (A/N: For the full version of this story, see gaia caecilia's story 'Fire Lily').
"I believe congratulations are in order, Elladan," Ginny commented later. At his slightly confused expression, she continued, "For you now occupy a rather unique position, do you not? Now that Aini is bound, you are the most eligible bachelor in all Valinor..."
TBC.