"He's a strange child, Celebrian. He doesn't play and laugh like another child should. Not that I have ever tried to raise a human child before…but even our sons were merry in their childhood, not yet taking on the solemnity belonging to an immortal elf of the house of Elrond Half-Elven. I do believe they have not yet quite taken it on, for they romp with young Estel as if they were only twice his age, instead of many times. Ah, but this Estel I was speaking of; he will romp with the twins one minute, and then climb one of his special trees, chosen just for the occasion, and stare off into space the next. Who knows what goes through his thoughts then? Poor child. His father dead, his mother reclusive, and him left at my house, to not know his race or name until he comes of age. His mother should have stayed; but it was her wish to leave him here. Our twins also desired this thing, for they felt it was something they could do for their friend Arathorn, who fell by their side in the prime of his years chasing orcs. How strange that very distantly, this child is related to me through my brother, Elros. What might have happened, my Celebrian, if he had not chosen a mortal life? Our futures might have been so very different……"
Elladan sighed deeply, then turned to his brother, who was in the process of doing the exact same thing as his twin. "I thought he was done with this," he said. "Is it too much to hope he will have accepted her leavetaking after 400 years?"
"They were very close, even closer then perhaps we remember. Losing both a wife and a brother, even so far apart, has wounded him deeply." Elrohir smiled quirkly at Elladan. They both knew to lose a brother would be the worst hardship anyone could endure. "He may not ever recover from mother's choice to sail. Let us hope no one else hurts him and leaves."
"Besides, he cannot be hurt much by talking to thin air. He's never gone as far as believing she was still here. I think he just forgets, sometimes." Elrohir added as an afterthought.
Elladan grinned back at his twin. "I have an idea that may waken my Lord Elrond's memory of the present. Come on…"
A few minutes later, Elrond heard Elladan calling the tree-climber. "Estel! Where are you, little brother!" Estel quickly started to climb down from his tree, fell the last four feet, picked himself up, and ran off. He knew that when the twins called him, there was some sort of mischievous fun to be had. Elrond watched him go, wondering that of all the people of Middle-Earth, he was given Estel to guard. He was about to address Celebrian again when…Thump! he was sneak-attacked from behind by a small boy of about four years.
"Ada! Ada! look what Elladan found!"
Elrond persisted in due examination of the wriggly, squirmy thing, which was about all he got out of the following lecture on the bug's habitat, food, and other information Estel had absorbed from the twins.
"…and Elrohir says it lives in the ground and eats dirt, and it makes little tunnels all through the dirt, and it helps the gardens, but Elladan says that really it's a baby dragon, and that all dragons start out as worms and if they eat lots of dirt they get really big and sprout wings, and they learn to breathe fire only by accidentally swallowing some, and I was wondering if that would work for people too…Ada? are you listening?"
Elrond smiled and nodded. "Should we put it in this window garden and let it help the garden grow? or do you think it might eat too much dirt and grow up into a dragon?"
"Oh Ada," remarked Estel as he duly deposited the worm into the garden. "I'll tell you a secret I know."
He walked over to Elrond and, wrapping his small arms around his Ada's neck, whispered in his ear. "Elladan tells stories sometimes. You shouldn't believe what he says. It's never true!"
Elrond nodded at the sagacious advice. "You are right, Estel. We shouldn't believe anything Elladan says. And if I was you, I wouldn't trust Elrohir much either." He smiled graciously at his two sons over Estel's shoulder. "I believe it is almost time for supper, my children. Perhaps we should go wash up, Estel?"
Hand in hand, Elrond and Estel walked to the washroom, talking animatedly about worms and their habits, which did not include growing up to be dragons, along the way. Elladan and Elrohir stared after them.
"You know," commented Elrohir. "Perhaps we did no bad thing, bringing the young heir of Arathorn here. I do believe those two need each other."
"Personally, I think they'll be good for each other." Smiling at the other, the twins walked off to prepare for dinner that night.