It had, appropriately, come to shock the residents of Imladris when in TA 2507 the Lady Celebrían—wife of the Lord Elrond—announced that she was with child, for the fourth time. This announcement was met with much cheer and partying for there had been no other elfling born since the Prince Legolas of the Green Wood almost 1,500 years ago.
And so with the announcement to their kin, missives about the announcement were also sent to all the major elven settlements and kingdoms.
Arwen in particular was very excited over this development, because even though she was a full grown elf of close to 2,300 years old she would no longer be the eldest child and instead the elder and role model. She desperately hoped for another female—a sister to even the odds so to speak.
Elladan and Elrohir constantly teased their sister betting on a male child being born instead of a female (a bet that the Lord Glorfindel also participated in despite that fact that Erestor had glared at him whenever he spotted in times their work permitted them to cross paths). She had pouted at them and then betted that it would be female. They just smirked at her and walked away.
Elrond just looked on fondly at his family, happy that his children were very accepting and excited for the birth of their sibling. With them already full grown adult elves he thought they might see it as weird. But for Elrond, the birth of his child at this time was very worrying. Though it was not painfully obvious he could feel the beginning of a stirring of darkness and he worried.
And so, the months went on with Elrond doting on his beautiful wife, Celebrían herself positively glowing with her pregnancy and their children always helping their mother whenever she needed it. Imladris itself was even in a more cheerful and happier mood, its residents awaiting the birth of their youngest lord.
"Naneth? Have you thought of any names for the baby?" Arwen asked as she lounged on her parent's bed as her mother rested, delicate pale hands working on sewing. Arwen knew it must have been outfits for her younger sibling, younger sibling! What a joy to be able to say such a thing!
"I have indeed, dear heart. Your father and I have thought long and hard about it. But I shall not tell you." She said with a laugh as she spotted her daughters pout. "Come now, it is a surprise just like the gender of the babe something even I have to wait for." Arwen sighed but then relented, it was true she supposed.
"Are the clothes for the babe Naneth?" Arwen questioned, though she knew the obvious answer to her query. Her Naneth just looked at her in amusement, her lips pinched in a smile as she drew some of her long silver hair behind her to present the article of clothing to her daughter.
Arwen took them and realized it was a small gown meant for a very young babe, cloths for her young sibling indeed. It was a very cute piece made out of cotton for comfort and little butterflies and flowers stitched into it in various shades of thread.
"It's beautiful Naneth. I'm sure my younger sibling with love it."
Celebrían's lips just tugged up into an even higher smile, before laughing. "Arwen the babe won't even notice what the gown will look like, never mind love it!"
Arwen's cheeks turned red before she whined a little "Nana!"
"Are you betting again Glorfindel?" Erestor sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he looked up at the taller male-elf. Glorfindel just had the gall to laugh nervously.
"N-No, what makes you think that, love?"
Erestor raised one eyebrow before rolling his eyes. His arms were full of scrolls and books that needed to be transferred back into the library and Glorfindel immediately took some from his beloved's arms to lessen the burden.
"Hey, you cannot say that you are not interested to learn what the gender of the child is Erestor. I know that you are as interested as any."
"Be that as I may I would rather not bet on a babe that is yet to be born, Fin." Starting his long walk to the library, his lover made to follow, a large grin on his face as he kept up his pace with the shorter elf.
"Honestly Erestor, it is all in good fun! Do understand that."
"Whatever you say, love."
It was in the summer of TA 2508 that the youngest child of Elrond Peredhel and the Lady Celebrían was born. A male child with his mother's hair, a silver that put even the most beautiful of stars to shame with his father's grey eyes, though at the moment the young elfling's eyes were the foggy blue of newborns. The child was named Elfael—Just Star—and his arrival brought much good cheer and happiness to his people.
But he meant much more to his family. Elladan and Elrohir had teased their sister over the fact that their baby brother was not born a sister and she childishly stuck her tongue out at them. Their mother was glad at least one of her children had inherited her silver hair and doted upon the newborn was the care and love only a mother could. Elrond was alike to his wife in that when he held his son in his arms for the first time he had lavished the young elfling with attention and love.
Celebrían's mother, Galadriel had visited for the impending birth. When the child was finally passed to her for holding she remembered when she had looked into his future. She stilled, the other occupants watching her in worry.
"Naneth?" Celebrían questioned worriedly. She watched as a tear rolled down her cheek.
"What have you seen?" Elrond questioned, standing up quickly. For he knew she must have spied on the future of his child if she would cry so at holding him. This worried Elrond for what could be so bad in his child's future to have her cry so?
"A life filled with many hardships of sadness and happiness." She finally whispered, for that was all she knew. She had seen many events that she did not understand, many that maybe she never will.
Elladan looked at his twin in worry, for they would rather not have their youngest brother ever be sad. Arwen was of a similar thought and twisted her thumbs in slight worry.
"Do not worry." Galadriel said at last as she ran a finger down Elfael's cheek. The baby in turn snuffled as his hand latched onto his grandmothers own fingers. "It will all turn out all right."
Blood, so much blood, a castle in the background, Men laying around Elfael who was crying staring up at the ashy sky his eyes devoid of all feeling.
"Why…"
Galadriel tried to forget what she had seen.
"Ro'! Da!" Elfael called out as his hands made their way to his brother's hair, tugging at the braids. "Ro' Ro'! Da Da!" He giggled as his brothers hissed at the slight pain that this treatment gave them.
"Now Fae, that is not very nice." Elladan chided the more parental of the two, told his brother. "It hurts you know. You wouldn't like it very much is one of us did that to you right?" Elfael pouted as he just continued to pull.
Elrohir snickered at his brother as Elladan pouted.
"He is the absolute cutest, Fin!" Erestor gushed about the young lord Elfael. Glorfindel just rolled his eyes at his beloved. "Oh how I wish we could have an elfling ourselves, alas we are both male."
That was one thing Glorfindel would bemoan the chance for an heir. But he could not deny his love with the dark haired elf of his who was scratching away as some parchment. Leaning over he raised an eyebrow at the drawing the other was creating.
"You are… drawing Elfael?"
Erestor blushed hotly before glaring at the other. "Lord Elrond tasked this of me! It is to go into the child's portrait book. He has had one made for every one of his children, myself drawing their portraits." Glorfindel just gave him a look at Erestor made to get up to push him out of the room.
Elrond sat in his seat at his desk, hand on quill, and his other arm around his 8 month old child as he babbled in his young child speech, hands on wooden toys. Every so often he would peer down at the child and reply with a "is that so?" to his child questions.
Elfael would just enthusiastically reply back in his baby babble. Elrond smiled lightly, content as he ran a hand through his child's short chin length silver hair. He was delighted when he found out his youngest would have his mother's beautiful silver hair.
And the child was so pretty, like the stars he was named after… he had heard some of the elves call him Vanyaelen. An elf so much like the stars he is a like to the Vala of stars her-self, Vanya. He supposed it was a very apt name to call his young son.
Noticing he had stopped writing and that his son had commandeered his hand and fingers from him he chuckled lightly.
Arwen sat down on the floors of her bed chambers as she played a hand game with her young brother, laughing whenever Elfael would miss her hands completely then stare at his hands in the anger only young babies and children could achieve.
"Now now, little brother. There is nothing to get so angry about. Let us try again yes? And if you cannot then let us journey to the gardens and I shall show you some flowers I'm sure you will love."
Putting her hands up again Elfael tried, and successfully, slapped her hands with his own. Laughing gently, the two kept up their game, smiling the while time.
"Are you sure you should be bringing Elfael, dearest?" Elrond questioned as Celebrían made her way through their chambers packing as she did so. Turning on heels she raised an eyebrow at her husband.
"I'm taking this trip because of Elfael, husband. Naneth wants to see him and look more closely at his future. Also, I want my son to see my father and Lothlórien." She glared at him, as if daring him to forbid this of her.
Elrond gave a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose knowing already that he lost the fight. "Please at least take five guards just in case. I don't want to lose you or Elfael." Celebrían's glare lessened as he moved over to her husband putting both of her pale hands over his darker ones.
"Oh, my love, do not worry. Everything will turn out well. Nothing shall befall us. You worry needlessly." Leaning in, she captured his lips with her own. When she backed away she pulled him into a hug. "Everything will be alright."
And so, on TA 2509 Celebrían Wife of Lord Elrond of Imladris and her young son Elfael left Rivendell to visit her parents in Lothlórien.
How could this have happened? Celebrían wants to wail and beat her fists on the ground but unfortunately she had no chance to. They were ambushed as they were going through a mountain pass by orcs, and her poor Elfael.
She wanted to cry, her son… her son was gone. The orcs had gotten a hold of him and when he started crying there was a sudden flash of light and he was gone out of the hands of the orcs and hers as well even if she didn't survive this.
Her husband would hate her, her children would hate her, her baby was dead. She wanted to die, atone for this sin. She should have listened to her husband.
Her guards were also dead, herself being the only one still alive—and not for long she theorized.
She looked up at the orc who was striding closer to her, her dress ripped cuts and blood on her body dripping and falling around her body in steady rivers.
And then, even though she was not as skilled in foresight as her mother, she had a vision.
A red haired woman, a black haired man… magic, Elfael looking like one of the Men, Death and destruction, and then… Elfael older now looking like himself smiling with long silver hair plaited with braids with a flower crown upon his head, a bright smile on his face and he smiled up at a man whose visage was blurred.
"Elfael…" She cried before she passed out, the last thing she saw was the image of two identical elves storming into the orc camp.
When she came to she was back in Imladris, her husband was at her bedside tear tracks on his cheeks her hand in his.
"Elrond…" She whispered, and he looked up quickly.
"Celebrían..." He whispered hoarsely. She started to tear up, ripping her hand from his as she held her hands to her face.
"I couldn't protect him, he's gone, I couldn't…! I'm a horrible mother, the… the orcs and I… I..!" She screamed in agitation her minds flashing back painfully to when she was tortured and her son taken away by son foreign magic.
"Hes gone, hes gone, hes gone." She was having a panic attack she knew but her harsh breathing was all she could focus on, not even hearing her husband trying to calm her down.
And so, it came to be that the Lady Celebrían who was able to heal in body but not in mind traveled to Valinor to heal, but she knew she would never be able to for her son Elfael was still gone from her and this plagued her thoughts day after day.
AN: Please review! I'm still torn up over whether it should be an Aragorn or Boromir ship with Elfael (harry). Please let me know what you guys think.
This is also crossposted on my AO3 account (brizo)
