Dedication: For Genesis Grey, because you're beautiful and I can't do anything simply when it comes to you. Happy Christmas, from your Secret Santa. Hopefully the cheese doesn't melt all over you.
Author's Notes: Undying thanks to Casualis for her wonderful beta-skills. You're a lifesaver!
Set in III 294. Making... Arwen 53, the twins 164, and Erestor and Glorfindel old. Celebrian & Elrond have been married for 185 years.
The horse breeds, and the horses used in this fic were created by myself. Any error in their names, conjugation, and use is entirely my fault. The same goes for any of the elvish used. I'm just learning, and the language gives the story a more Tolkien-world feel (I think...) so I use it. If there are any errors, please, please, please, let me know. I adore and beg for criticism. Also, a reference for your information would be exceptional, but not necessary.
Disclaimer: Everything except the words and depiction of events belongs to Tolkien's estate. (Though, if they really want to claim those as their own as well, they can. I won't mind.) I just like to abuse his world to delight others...

Sense of Snow: Squandered Opportunity

The library of Imladris was well known as a vast storehouse of knowledge. Four stories high, it possessed two floors and a great amount of well-tooled ladders and shelves carefully ordered: the older the book, the higher it was placed. The more delicate and important of works were encased in special boxes and tubes to protect them from materials found naturally in the air, paper, and finger-oils. Scrolls filled diamond shaped cubbies made of the hardest woods, which stretched to the ceiling between sections of texts. Each floor possessed four small schoolrooms that could be used to conduct lessons or as a quiet place for apprentices to copy old editions to new parchments. The cloud-gray stone floors were coated in a thin layer of wax that prevented excessive dust from rising into the dark shelves. It took a score of apprentices a day to clean the entire suite.

Young elves often referred to it as a storehouse of dust and trick corridors. As Elladan wove his way between stacks of books left for later filing and the ever-changing barriers of temporary shelves, he was inclined to agree with them. He had been given a clear way to the stairs into the lower level, and mistakenly believed that the Valar were smiling on him that day. No sooner had he thanked them, than he had come to a dead end in the form of a wall. Several long heartbeats later, he was lost among the middle of the towering shelves. His only guide was the light that streamed steadily in from the western windows. The schoolrooms lined the eastern wall, so as long as he kept his back to the light, he would find them soon enough.

His reasoning proved true as the doorway to one of the central rooms appeared beyond a temporary shelf. Gently pressing it out of his way, Elladan crossed the last barrier into the relatively undisturbed hall that connected all of the schoolrooms. Once absolutely certain no one had witnessed his escapade, he grinned a quiet congratulation to himself.

Remembering why he had gone to the trouble in the first place, Elladan considered the choices offered him. The outer rooms would be engaged in lessons at this point of the day. Trusting the instincts that had never failed him in this matter, he tucked a braid of ebony hair behind one ear and ignored the door before him. Opening the second of the inner doors, Elladan was pleased to note that his instincts remained undistorted. That pleasure slid from his lips as a sough:

"Elrohir..."

The room was bare, save for the table nearest the windows, which was heaped with over two dozen volumes. In their midst, Elrohir had his arms wrapped securely around one half-read text, and his head drooped upon it as it would a cushion. One fine hand curled about the corner of the pillow-book, as if to protect it from imaginary enemies. His long, dark hair pooled around him, twisted and coiled in his sleep. The normally raven locks had turned a lustrous chestnut as the whimsical sunlight highlighted the natural red and gold threads that hid among the ebony of his mane. Ivory flesh glittered in the same light, softening the strict angles of nose and chin. The dark green robes Elrohir was so fond of wearing draped, forgotten, around his feet, leaving him in only a black under tunic and leggings which stretched in the sun with his breathing.

Elladan's lips relaxed, melting into a tender smile at his twin. He had vanquished the defenses of the library with anger at his abandonmnet and demands on his mind. Faced with the softly sleeping form of his dearest sibling, the fury of his heart drifted away like debris in the light.

Tiptoeing through the still room, Elladan disturbed as little air as possible in his pilgrimage to his brother's side. Leaning closer and drawing his hand toward his twin's cheek, he paused his fingers just before they reached the bright skin. The shadow of his hand hid one of the sleeping elf's vacant eyes from the band of sunlight that illuminated the other. Usually, Elrohir's eyes were the same colour as Elladan's - an ash gray inherited from their father, but in the brilliance of the light, his ashes had revealed spun silver. Elladan felt as if his heart would beat from his chest as he smiled on his brother. Elladan loved nothing more than gazing at him... his beautiful twin.

He took great delight in noticing the many differences that no one else seemed to note. The sharper edge to Elrohir's angles, for example, or the slightly deeper note to his voice, the meager curl to his hair, the gentle curve of his finger while he slept. No one in Arda could match his brother's splendor and grace.

Letting his fingers fall, Elladan drew the sleeper's tresses away from his eyes, tucking it behind an elegantly pointed ear.

"Elrohir..." he murmured with a soft melody.

The vacancy drew away from the silver eyes, leaving bleary awareness in its wake. Elrohir blinked twice before focusing on the face hovering near. A warm smile eased through his features as he recognized who had roused him.

" 'lladan," he slurred happily.

He sat up from his slump, flexing his shoulder blades and rolling his neck as he moved. Drawing his fingertips across his forehead and ear-tails, he tucked errant strands behind his finely shaped ears before smiling adoringly up at his twin. "Welcome to the library," he bantered. "Can I help you find something?"

At the teasing, Elladan remembered what had spurred him through the maze-like library in the first place. Arching one brow, he folded his robed arms together and asked hollowly, "Do we know what time it is, gwanuning nín?"

Under the scrutiny, Elrohir blinked innocently and searched the sky for his answer. "Just past midday?"

"Yes," Elladan admonished. "And where were we supposed to be at midmorning?"

Realization dawned on Elrohir's face in the same moment a cloud obscured it from the sun. "Father's council," he whispered reverently, then stared anxiously at his twin. "Oh, Elladan. I'm sorry."

"You always do this," the elder twin sighed deeply, sliding into the chair beside his brother. He tossed his long legs out before him, draping his hands between them. Elrohir was single-minded in his pursuit of the assignments their father gave them. He couldn't fault his twin for that. His habit had only a disadvantageous side effect of forcing Elladan to produce the results alone as Elrohir fell asleep at his studies.

"That terrible?" The remorse was plain in his quiet inquiry.

Elladan only nodded, burying his head into his hands with another deep sigh. "Adar commended your research again."

He looked up as he felt Elrohir's fingers tracing their way up his wrist, separating his hand from his cheek and threading between Elladan's own fingers. A small emptiness left him as their fingers settled together - trivial thing he only noticed as it left, or when it had been with him too long. With a rakish grin and that simple contact, his twin apologized. Sighing once more, the elder twin pressed his brother's hand to his cheek and chuckled quietly.

"When was the last time you slept?"

The playful look deepened as Elrohir avoided his eyes. "Er... a week," he tried, glancing back at Elladan for confirmation. At his brother's incredulous look, he added, "or more?"

Elladan shook his head. With his free hand he stroked his twin's cheek, locking gazes. "You must take better care of yourself. Wearing thin like this will damage your reflexes."

Elrohir smiled, half-bitter with his twin's constant mothering. "My brother, ever the warrior."

"As I recall, you are the knight and I the scholar," Elladan flouted playfully. "I am only looking out for what I know you to hold in priority."

"I know," Elrohir closed his eyes, leaning into his brother's hand. "And I thank you for it."

"Honestly," Elladan pressed. "For me?"

Elrohir's gaze snapped back to his own. He must have seen the glitter of worry that Elladan was trying to hide for he smiled broadly. Moving Elladan's hair aside with his cheek, Elrohir kissed him. Then, placing his hand against the back of Elladan's neck, he brought their foreheads together gently. "I promise," Elrohir whispered.

They rested that way, their eyes closed, trusting the other's presence through the simple sense of touch. Elladan breathed in his twin's distinctive scent, so different from his own. Elrohir smelled of wind and the training fields while he suspected himself to exude the scents of the council chambers and horses. They were quite evenly matched in skills. As was the way of things, Elladan smirked, each admired in the other what he did not posses. He was better fitted for diplomacy and speed, his charm and reflexes bested his twin's. While Elrohir excelled in the martial arts and realms of intense study as his patience and focus were far better than his twin's. Together, their mother often said, they were unbeatable.

"What are you contemplating," the younger elf asked, breaking his reverie smoothly.

Disentangling himself, Elladan leaned back in his chair. "Whether to ask you, or to simply drag you with me across Rân's rump," he lied evenly, sliding his thoughts behind an entirely different subject.

Elrohir twisted his eyebrows in opposite directions as their mother did when surprised, asking, "Where?"

"To the outer tower." It wasn't a complete lie. Elladan had been asked to see to the upkeep of Imladris' tower set deepest into the Hithaeglir. He had even thought of asking Elrohir along. "Adar pointed out that the first day of Rhîw is only twelve days away. You realize what it means."

"Snow," Elrohir responded dreamily.

Elladan nodded. "Which leads to Naneth and Adar being intensely affectionate for the next few weeks. Adar will also be very agreeable. I thought it would be the best time for us to steal some time together. We've been so busy with the Greenwood treaties these past months, I've only seen you in passing."

Elrohir frowned and parted his lips to speak, but whether he meant to agree or apologize, Elladan would never know.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Celebrian's lyrical voice interrupted. With a talent for which she was renowned, their mother swept into the room from seemingly nowhere, wearing a simple riding gown of sky blue that was bound tightly to her middle and arms by ribbons of cobalt blue. It blended with the silver hair that cascaded unevenly across her shoulders as if recently unbound. Even in the shadows, she seemed to glow as though she had brought part of the Golden Wood back in her curls.

"Naneth," Elrohir cheered, the fraught expression vanishing from his face as if it had never been. He pounced to his feet and vaulted the table to embrace his mother. Lifting her from her feet, he spun her once before returning her to the ground. Elladan, amused at his brother's abrupt change in attitude, glided to his mother's side at a less exuberant pace. Placing a kiss on her brow, he wrapped her in a tight hug. "Welcome home, Naneth."

"We weren't expecting you until tomorrow."

The silver Lady smiled up at her quieter son, her ocean-blue eyes favouring his uncharacteristic patience. Turning, Celebrian took each of her sons by the arm and led them through the doorway. "Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn were otherwise involved with Greenwood matters," she told them airily. She guided them along the main corridor around the library shelves, where it was still comfortable to walk three abreast.

"In other words," Elladan interpreted, catching his mother's tone, "Arwen was causing the Galadhrim a headache." His lips curved into a sly smirk, earlier worries of his brother's health forgotten. He patted her hand on his arm in sympathy.

Celebrian and Elrohir laughed, the two very different sounds mingling with one rhythm. Elrohir took very closely after his mother, in both her child-like playfulness and ease of joy. When one or the other frowned, it was a dark day indeed.

"You stole my sentiment, flawlessly." She smiled winningly. "Which is also why I believe you should take Arwen to the outer tower with you."

Elrohir's eyes, now the same shade as Elladan's, widened in dismay. "The Galadhrim could not contain her, yet you expect us to?" He exchanged a panicked look with his twin that did not seem wholly based on Arwen's roguishness.

"You are her brothers," Celebrian agreed as she mounted the steps toward the main floor of the library. "She listens to you."

"You are her mother," Elrohir called after her as Elladan followed without pause. "She should listen to you." His stare roved to Elladan's face for support.

Elladan pursed his lips and shook his head. The whole of Imladris knew well that Celebrian was impossible to deter once she had made a decision. The twins had learned it first when she had given them separate rooms upon reaching their twentieth begetting day. And again, when she had apprenticed them to different masters. Beg and reason as they might, the Lady of Imladris knew compromise no better than her Lord.

Elladan beamed as he watched his twin sigh in defeat, then take the steps two at a time. Their fingers met as Elrohir offered an apologetic smile and a shrug. Hand in hand, they followed their mother along the straightaway out the library arches.

------/ - \------

Glossary:
Gwanuning nín - Twin mine.
Adar - Father
Naneth - Mother
Hithaeglir - Misty Mountains
Galadhrim - Sylvan Elves of Lòrien.