Hello to the world of fanfiction. I am posting an LOTR story! Hooray for me! It's been a very long time, I know. At some point I should probably go and update my bio page, but hey. Maybe I like being 23 forever….probably doesn't work like that. Oh well.
Anyhoo, this story is mainly about Elrond and his life. This story is much more episodic than stuff I've posted before, but hopefully y'all will enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Enjoy the fic! Good to be back!
Forever.
It had meant something very different once upon a time. When he was young, standing beside his brother. When he was older, speaking his vows to his bride. When his children were born and he held them for the very first time…
At those times, forever had been a happy thought. Forever was bright and cheerful and overflowing with the brilliant tapestry of colors that formed his family and the beauty of his home.
One by one, it seemed like a giant, sadistic hand had taken hold of those colored threads and pulled; slowly unraveling his life. Leaving nothing but the very gray and snarled threads, so that his once beautiful tapestry had changed drastically. The threads that had been removed left gaping holes, like open wounds that would never close.
First to go had been his brother. His twin. The other half of himself.
Elros.
-0-0-0-
Sunlight danced across the ocean waves, throwing reflected brightness through the air. Though his eyes were strong, the elf child found he could not look out across the sea without squinting against the glare. The crash of the surf pounded against his ears, but he loved it. The sound of the waves…the crying of the gulls as they fought for food…
He would have been considered small for a human child of his age. Delicate features and fine bones made him seem more like a child of 5 than his actual 10 years. Dark hair spilled down past his slender shoulders, held back from his face with simple braids. His eyes were large in his face, dark gray framed by long lashes.
He sat on the shore, watching the tide push waves ever closer to his toes. The delicately pointed chin rested on knees drawn up to his chest; arms clasped loosely around them. Shoes and tunic rested in the sand behind him, though he still wore simple trousers. He wiggled his toes gently, enjoying the sensation of the sand against his skin.
A warm breeze blew gently, stirring the air just enough to keep the sunlight from becoming overbearing. The elf child sighed, but the sound was lost beneath the crash of the waves.
The eyes were thoughtful, his mind clearly not on his surroundings, but turned inward toward his own musings. The expression was an unusual one for a child his age, but he was not an ordinary child. He was not even an ordinary elf child.
His name was Elrond. And he was thinking about forever.
Forever had different meaning for him than humans he knew. For them, forever meant until death. But he would not die. Forever meant forever. His life would not end. Unpleasant things might happen now; had happened, in fact. The loss of his parents' presence was a pain that would never fade completely until he sailed into the West and was reunited with them. Pain was finite. It would end. Forever was his brother and his parents. Their presence and their love.
A smile touched the elfling's lips. Forever would be wonderful. He was sure of it. A sigh of deep contentment escaped him as he lay back on the sun-warmed sand. Elrond folded his arms behind his head and closed his eyes against the brightness of the sun. The warmth was beginning to make him sleepy.
The smile became a grin. "I know you are there," he said softly. "And if you wish to sneak up on me, it is best not to lumber like an Oliphant."
Elrond opened his eyes to smile up into a face that resembled his own very closely. Elros smiled back and flopped down beside his twin. The other elfling's shoes and tunic quickly joined Elrond's, though they were thrown haphazardly and not folded. While their faces were almost exactly alike, Elros had a thicker, broader build. He was the taller of the two by an inch and there was a substantial air about him. Where Elrond was inclined to think, Elros was inclined to leap. Divested of excess clothing, the elf child stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned back on his elbows. He glanced at his brother out of the corner of his eye. "What were you contemplating so deeply?"
Elrond closed his eyes again. "Forever."
Elros raised an eyebrow slightly.
"I was thinking what it will be like," his brother clarified. "When we sail. We'll live with naneth and adar again, and nothing will be able to separate us. There won't be anything to hurt us in Valinor." Elrond opened his eyes and grinned at his twin. "And you will be there!"
Elros smiled back, but he did not say anything.
0-0-0-0
They stood before the Valar, side by side. Time had evened the differences between their heights, and though Elros was still the broader of chest and shoulder, it was not by a great deal. For the past fifty years they had been able to trick the unsuspecting into thinking that one was the other.
They were fully grown, strong, graceful, and elves. They were about to tell the Valar how they chose to live upon Arda and Elrond knew his answer. He remembered the sunlit afternoon by the shore when he thought of what forever meant. His perception of forever had changed as he grew, but the initial memory was still strong. Forever was his brother and his parents together.
The Vala beckoned him to step forward. "Elrond, do you understand the choice before you?"
Elrond's boots made no sound as he moved forward. He bowed deeply, and straightened, his eyes clear and steady. "I do, hir nin. And I have chosen to live as the Eldar." Was that a sigh behind him? He almost turned, but the Vala was nodding in acceptance of his choice. Was it his imagination, or did a look of grief pass over the Vala's face as his eyes moved back towards Elros? Elrond blinked, confused, and the look was gone. He must have imagined it.
The being beckoned again, and Elrond saw Elros step forward out of the corner of his eye. "Elros," the Vala asked again, "do you understand the choice before you?" Elrond's eyebrows drew together in confusion. Why was there the underlying layer of grief to the question…?
"I do, hir nin." Elros stopped. In surprise, Elrond actually turned his head to look at his brother. Elros' jaw was clenched, his eyes locked on the Vala. He looked as though he were steeling himself for the hardest decision of his life.
In the instant before the words actually left Elros' lips, Elrond knew what his answer would be.
And in his mind, forever shattered into jagged shards.
Hir nin- my lord
First chapter is up! Hoorah for posting again. :) I know that this one isn't very long, but the next chapter should be up in less than a week. Reviews equal love!
