As usual, I would like to thank the readers who have taken a few minutes of their time to let me know they have enjoyed the 2nd chapter: Lady Minuialwen, Glory Bee, breneke87, Eva Sirico, faye50free and Paperlanterns86.
I have to admit that writing this chapter was a little difficult, explaining the delay in publishing it. I wanted to properly cover the childhood of the elflings, but at the same time, I did not want to cover it in 15 chapters. I hope you, dear readers, will forgive the multiple jumps in time that are necessary to bring you to the heart of this story: their lives as adults...
Chapter 2 ended with:
"Thomas, stop! This is a legend! The Titanic had not been christened. Please, do not repeat such a thing to your siblings!"
"What are we supposed to tell them?"
"That this is just a superstition. And... pray the Valar that Norin is wrong and that Adam will be safe."
Chapter 3 - Secrets revealed
Valimar, Year 25 of the Fourth Age, quinquennial Valimar Championship
Valerie was sitting in the stands, surrounded by most ladies of her acquaintance. In the front row, Lady Galadriel and Lady Celebrian were debating about the performance of a warrior from Alqualondë, who had just defeated one of Elrond's guards. The two ellyn bowed to each other and to the Valar who were attending the competition, before going back to the area where other warriors were getting ready for their fight.
"He will do well," Tialyn told Valerie, speaking of Adam who was next in line to fight with Lord Pannor, captain of the guard of the Vala Tulkas.
"This ellon fights with a Vala warrior during practice. I love my son, and do not get me wrong, I would love for him to win, but I have to be realistic. He does not stand a chance," Valerie replied.
"He almost beat Lord Pannor five years ago," Nimmel said, sitting on Valerie's right.
"Yes!" laughed Valerie. "And the Valar know how much Adam has trained in the past years to ensure that he would win should he be fighting with Lord Pannor again!"
At this point in the competition, only 10 warriors had not been eliminated, including Haldir who had won his three combats.
"Imagine if Haldir and Adam are the only ones left," giggled Celebrian. "Who would you support, Valarie?"
"I pray the Valar this will not happen! This is not a choice I could make! But I am sure Haldir would let Adam win."
"I do not think I would dare showing a preference," Nimmel added, not able to choose between her son and her grandson.
The battle between Adam and Lord Pannor started, and lasted for almost half an hour. Both warriors were exhausted and injured. Although mortal wounds were forbidden, every competition saw its lot of scratches and minor injuries that the healers were tending to as soon as the fights were over.
Valerie could almost feel Adam's pain. She exchanged a glance with Haldir, who was standing with the other undefeated warriors. He sent her a wave of comfort, letting her know that Adam had seen worse, and that he still had a chance to win this duel. Which Adam did a few minutes later, after having viciously kicked Lord Pannor in the stomach, a blow that made him fall heavily in his back. Adam quickly applied his sword against the captain's neck, demanding his surrender. When the ellon nodded, the crowd started to cheer in the stands.
Valerie was screaming at the top of her lungs and jumping up and down while her son was bowing to Lord Tulkas, apologizing to the Vala for having injured his captain. Lord Tulkas was watching him gravely, and Valerie stopped cheering, worried that Adam would have to incur the wrath of the Vala for the defeat of his champion.
Lord Tulkas stood slowly, and Adam held his gaze.
"Lower your eyes!" Valerie mumbled. "The arrogance of this child is limitless!"
"Worry not," Lady Galadriel said. "The Valar will never punish a warrior for having fairly won against one of their favorites."
"Lord Adam Connely Haldirion is declared winner of this fight. I am impressed, young one. Keep fighting like this, and I will offer you a place in my guard!"
"I am honored, my Lord," Adam replied, bowing again. "I will keep training hard in order to merit that position."
"Did I just hear Lord Tulkas telling Adam he would be part of his guard one day?" asked Nimmel, not quite able to believe her ears.
"Yes," confirmed Tialyn. "That is one of the greatest honors that could be bestowed upon your family!"
"Our family, Tialyn," Valerie reminded her friend. "In less than 16 years, Oropher will be an adult and you will bind with him for the second time. You will become my daughter in-law!"
"16 years," Queen Tialyn sighed. "Feels like forever."
"That is better than 21 years," Nimmel complained. Her mate Finalfin was only 29 years old.
"My husband told me that Oropher should soon start recovering memories of his prior life," Celebrian added. "It is not unusual for reborn elves to have recollection of their former lives when they reach 40."
"Oropher is only 34! How can you say that he will soon remember me?" Tialyn whined.
"Look!" Valerie said, pointing at another stand. "Are these Bilbo and Frodo, sitting beside Mithrandir?"
"Stop pointing them!" chided Tialyn. "This is so indecorous!"
"Yes, it is they," confirmed Galadriel, who had a better eyesight than Valerie. "They look much younger, do they not?"
"For sure!" Valerie laughed. Old Bilbo looked very young now. So was his nephew Frodo. The hobbits and the wizard were smoking, annoying the elves sitting around them. Both ring bearers looked peaceful, cheerful even, as they watched the competition. The last quarter of a century had helped them forget the horror of Sauron's ring. A servant brought mugs of cold beer and sandwiches to the hobbits.
"Some things never change," Valerie commented, remembering how the people of the Shire loved the simple pleasures of life, such as alcohol, food and smoking.
"Hush!" Nimmel intervened. "Haldir is the next one to fight."
For the first time since their arrival in Valinor, Haldir finished in first place, after a lengthy and exhausting fight with the winner of the prior tournament. Adam had been eliminated in the semi-finals. Haldir, standing beside Lord Elrond who had suddenly appeared beside his champion, bowed to Lord Tulkas and received the mithril cup from his hands with humility and reverence. The people of New Imladris were cheering wildly in the stands, proud that their Marchwarden had been recognized as the greatest warrior of the tournament.
Servants cleaned the area, preparing the grounds for the elflings' challenges. At every tournament, a small contest for young ellyn between the ages of 25 and 45 was organized, allowing them to show their progress at combat and archery. This year, there were 20 male elflings of various ages registered. Valerie's heart started beating wildly. Male elflings only? Not that year. Narwen had expressed the desire to participate, and Haldir had agreed to submit her name to the organizers. After much hesitation on their part, they eventually sent their agreement to Haldir, subtly asking him to make sure his daughter was skilled enough not to make a fool of herself and of them by the same token.
The elflings were now gathered on the training grounds, and the spectators started noticing the young elleth standing with her brothers, elven knives tied in her back and bow in hand.
"Is this the daughter of the Marchwarden of New Imladris?" "It is the mind reader!" "What is she doing with the young ellyn participating in the tournament?" The whispers around her told Valerie that people had recognized Narwen to her male attire and determined frown, and were wondering if she had any intention of competing.
"I am very proud to see once again the elite of our future warriors," Lord Tulkas said with his booming voice. "And we have a surprise this year, for the first time since Lady Galadriel did the same ages ago. A young elleth will be competing. I am sure she will be treated like the young lady that she is," he less than subtly warned the elflings surrounding her.
"I need no special treatment, my Lord Tulkas," Narwen replied. Valerie hid her face behind her hands.
"The apple did not fall very far from the tree," chuckled Tialyn beside her.
"Then, young Narwen Haldiriel, I expect to see you fight like an ellon," the Vala replied with good humor.
Many guards supervised the fights between the elflings, but the superiority of the Marchwarden's sons was obvious. They were reborn warriors, and obviously, their bodies remembered the techniques, if their minds had not remembered their prior lives. Even the little red-haired elleth was very good with her elven blades, even if she was not as good as her brothers.
There was no official champion at the elflings' tournament, but the people of New Imladris knew Gil-galad had won. People in the stands cheered, and somewhere in another stand, King Fingon and Queen Faervel waved to Valerie. She returned the greeting, and Lady Celebrian asked a servant to invite them to the celebrations that she would organize in the evening to celebrate the victory of New Imladris.
The elflings archery competition started shortly after, and to everyone's surprise, was won by no other than Narwen. Her brothers wholeheartedly congratulated her, recognizing her superiority with a bow in front of the crowd. In the stands, Valerie was crying all the tears her body contained.
"Stop weeping," Nimmel chided with a smile. "Why are you surprised? Adam worked very hard with her in the past few years."
"I know! But... I am so happy that she got the opportunity to show everyone that she is not just an untalented tomboy. She wants to fight and practice archery because she is very good at it! She belongs on the training grounds as much as any other male elfling..."
"Let us hope her head will not inflate to a size that will not allow her to walk through the doors!" Lady Celebrian said with a charming smile. "My father told me once that my naneth became insufferable after she had won the tournament when she was an elfling!"
Everyone looked at Lady Galadriel, who admitted smugly that she had been conceit as a child. Around them, the elves started to leave the stands to get back to their homes or to the various inns of Valimar. Later that evening, in the common room of the inn where Lord Elrond and his entourage were staying, alcohol was flowing freely as the New Imladris elves were loudly celebrating the first victory of their realm at the 1,824th quinquennial Valimar Championship. People were toasting to Haldir's health and happiness, and were doing the same for Gil-galad. Many warriors were congratulating Narwen and lightly punching her shoulders as if she was one of them. At first, Narwen liked the attention, but Valerie soon realized that her daughter was not smiling anymore and was painfully frowning.
"Did you get hurt during the tournament?" she whispered to her daughter. "Let's go to our rooms so I can take care of you..."
"No, I am not injured. But my head aches... There are too many people, their thoughts are hurting me," Narwen whined, putting her hand against her own forehead as if she could make the pain disappear with a single touch. At the other end of the room, a few ellyn started singing uproariously a song that was not quite for elflings' ears.
"It hurts!" Narwen complained, hiding her face behind both her hands. Valerie quickly helped her out of her chair, and with Nimmel's help, they led Narwen to the small room she shared with her grandmother. Nimmel helped Narwen change into her nightgown, and after she was in bed, Valerie put of cold cloth on her forehead to attenuate her daughter's headache. Lord Elrond joined them a few minutes later with Haldir.
"Migraine?" the worried father asked.
"Can you please close the curtains? The sunlight hurts my eyes."
Haldir looked at Lord Elrond, his eyebrows raised. It was sunset and there was very little light in the room. They would all have to work in the dark if he closed the curtains. The healer nodded, and Haldir closed the curtains, effectively cutting any light source in the room. Narwen immediately sighed in relief. She accepted the sleeping draught Lord Elrond offered her, and she fell asleep in the following minutes.
"The migraines are more frequent than before," commented Nimmel.
"She is in public more frequently than before," Valerie remarked. "Does that mean that she should avoid social gatherings where too many people get excited and project their voices and thoughts without caution?"
"She should not have to!" Haldir said with worry. "Lady Galadriel never experienced such headaches because of her mind-reading capabilities."
"Galadriel needs to enter our minds in order to read our thoughts. She chooses the elf, chooses the moment, chooses the thoughts," Elrond replied. "Narwen does that regularly, we have all felt her in our heads at some point in time in the past. But in addition to reading minds, she seems to be constantly bombarded by people's thoughts without any effort, and without the ability to block them. Social gatherings are like torture for her. Until we find a solution, I can only recommend that you limit her exposure to important assemblies."
OoOoO
They had been expecting that Oropher would start having memories of his previous life, but destiny chose differently.
Valerie was awaken by a piercing scream that rang through the house. Beside her, Haldir jumped out of bed, ready to protect his family.
"Who is it?" he asked Valerie, grabbing the sword he was keeping under the bed.
"Finalfin!" she replied, already running in the hallway to reach her youngest son's bedroom, Haldir right behind her. The doors of the other bedrooms were opening, Finalfin's siblings wondering what was causing the commotion.
Valerie opened the door quickly, looking for the source of danger, only to find Finalfin sitting in his bed, his face expressing great fear.
"What happened, little love?" Valerie asked, sitting on the bed beside him and taking him in her arms. At 29, Finalfin had the body of 13 year-old mortal. He was about to start the long growth spurt that would give him his final physical appearance at 45. Valerie was still taller than her younger sons, but not for much longer, if the stories about her sons' former stature were true.
Haldir had put his sword beside the bed and was towering over them, wondering if he should go back to bed or not. "Go back to your rooms," he asked his other children who had gathered in Finalfin's bedroom. He nodded to his mother, letting her know that Valerie had the situation under control.
"I killed an orc! I killed many orcs, Ada!" Finalfin screamed. "There was black blood everywhere, even on my tunic, and on my sword! So much black blood on the battlefield, the earth could not absorb it!"
Everyone froze in the room, the adults in surprise, the other elflings in interest.
"I was wearing a Marchwarden tunic, Ada!" Finalfin continued, his voice still showing his fear. He had grabbed his mother's neck while he retold the scene he had imagined, and Valerie was struggling to release herself from his strong grip. It gave her memories of the last time he had panicked and grabbed her, in the sea during their journey to Valinor. "You were on the battlefield too, Ada, and I was so worried about you! I knew you had been a warden for just a few decades, and this was one of the worse battles we had seen at the Lothlorien borders!"
"Get the elflings out of here!" Haldir commanded to his mother, understanding that his younger son had relived a memory of their past. He knew exactly which battle Finalfin had recalled. It had been a terrible battle indeed, with many lives lost for Lothlorien. But the orcs had been slain without mercy by the Marchwarden Finalfin and his wardens, including his oldest son Haldir.
Nimmel was frozen on the spot, wondering if Finalfin had also recalled a memory of her.
"I killed an orc that was attacking you in your back," continued Finalfin with a strangled voice. He was now calmer, being with his entire family and realizing it had only been a dream. "I cut his head off, and his body fell to the ground, the blood flowing out of his neck like a small river. You thanked me, you called me Ada!" Finalfin suddenly recalled, frowning. "I was your father!"
"Thomas? Get Lord Elrond!" Valerie ordered.
"It is the middle of the night!" the ellon protested.
"He said to get him immediately when that happened. Go get him. NOW!" she screamed to put him in action. Thomas left the room in a hurry, passing by his own bedroom to quickly change in a tunic and leggings.
"Adam, get your siblings back to their rooms," Haldir requested. "And your grandmother too," he asked, seeing his mother was still as a statue in the doorway.
"Finalfin is a reborn elf?" Narwen asked, reading the thoughts of her parents, Adam and Nimmel.
"Get Narwen out of here!" insisted Haldir.
"Most of my brothers are reborn elves!" Narwen screamed, before Adam grabbed her from behind, putting his large hand on her small mouth, and dragged her out of the room.
"Narwen, shut it!" he ordered with an angry voice. "Our parents will talk about it when they are ready to do so!"
Nimmel finally overcame her surprise, and pushed Oropher, Gil-galad, Elros and Norin in the hallway, leaving Haldir and Valerie alone with Finalfin.
"What does that mean, being a reborn elf?"
Valerie looked at Haldir, unsure if they should speak to Finalfin before Lord Elrond arrived. Without exchanging words, they decided to wait for the New Imladris Lord to arrive. They had started to think about what to say to Oropher when he started recalling his prior life, but the fact that Finalfin was the first one to retrieve his memories was a complete shock.
"Try to go back to sleep," Valerie said, pushing Finalfin back into his bed, still holding him against her chest. Finalfin, exhausted, went back to sleep quickly. When Elrond arrived with Lady Galadriel half an hour later, Valerie and Haldir were pacing in his bedroom. Only Finalfin was sleeping in the house. The adults were too worried to go back to sleep, and the elflings wanted to speak to their parents about Narwen's claims earlier in the night.
"Valarie! Haldir! Thomas told us that Finalfin had a dream?" asked Elrond.
"It was not a dream, it was a memory," Haldir stated. "A memory of my very first big battle," he added, looking at Lady Galadriel.
"I remember that one," the lady replied. "Finalfin had been so worried for his wardens, and for you in particular. He told me after that he had spent the entire battle watching your back. He did not want to lose his elder son."
"No wonder this is the first memory he got back," replied Elrond.
"Does he realize he relived a memory?" Galadriel asked.
"He remembered that Haldir was his son, and he thought it strange," Valerie replied.
"Can it still be presented as a dream?"
"I am afraid not. My youngest daughter added her usual grain of salt..." Haldir sighed. "I think she blew it for the others too..."
"I guess we have no choice but to organize a family council," decided Valerie. "Should we tell them everything?"
"I think you should," Elrond replied.
"Even tell Elros that he is your twin brother?" she challenged.
Lord Elrond's confident face fell. "I... I know not. Do you think we should tell him?" he asked his mother-in-law.
"I think we should give them all the family information. Tell Oropher about Lady Lithil, and tell Gil-galad about King Fingon and Queen Faervel. Of course, Elros should know he is Elrond's reborn twin brother."
"And about the mates?" Haldir inquired.
"I do not think it is wise to introduce their mates immediately. It would be best if they could develop their feelings for their mates naturally, as they did the first time around, without feeling forced to feel an attraction because they were told to." Lady Galadriel spoke words of wisdom, and all agreed to follow her lead. "I will tell Nimmel and Tialyn that we made the announcement to the elflings, but that we did not tell them about them."
"Should we speak to them now, in the middle of the night?"
"No one but Finalfin is sleeping now. Might as well do it immediately!" Valerie said, ready to start this most difficult conversation they all had been dreading to happen in the past 34 years.
OoOoO
"Do you have any questions?" Galadriel asked to the silent elflings. Haldir's family was seated around the dining room table, with Lady Galadriel and Lord Elrond at the head of the table.
"I do not have to go live with my... first parents?" asked Gil-galad.
"No, you do not," Valerie repeated for the third time. "We are one united family. You will remain with us until your majority. The Valar has made that decision long ago."
"And when we are adults? We will no longer be welcome here? I will have to live with Lady Lithil?" Oropher asked with barely concealed abhorrence.
"You will always have a room here. You can spend as much time with us as you wish. Oropher, you are king of the woodland people, you will be expected to spend time with them, but I would be happy to have you here as frequently as you want. Gil-galad, you were a king also, but your father is ruling your people like he did before you. You can come here as much as you want to."
"And you, Elros, do you have any questions?" Lord Elrond asked gently.
"No, I do not." Obviously, Elros was in shock and was not ready to talk about what he had just heard.
"Only Norin and Narwen are Ada's real children," Gil-galad said with a shocked voice.
"You ALL are my children," Haldir thundered, clearly stating that he would not tolerate people to say otherwise. "Even you, Finalfin! I will take care of all of you until you are of age, rest assured of that."
"If Finalfin is Ada's father," deducted Oropher, "does that mean that Grandma Nimmel is his mate?"
Finalfin looked sharply at Nimmel who was sitting beside Valerie, avoiding eye contact with him. He suddenly understood why he was the only one who could not call her grandmother.
"And who is Queen Tialyn to the woodland people if they are my people?" Oropher continued.
Valerie looked at Lady Galadriel, silently asking for guidance, and finding none in her eyes, she turned to Lord Elrond, who was as speechless as his mother-in-law. As a last resort, she turned to Haldir, who nodded but obviously expected her to do the talking.
"You are right, Oropher. Some of you had... mates in your prior lives... Mates that are waiting for you to be adults before approaching you to discuss your... future."
"Is Queen Tialyn my mate?" Oropher was straight to the point, as usual.
"Yes, Oropher, she is. But... take your time. There is no pressure. If you do not feel attraction yet..."
"Oh, she is attractive enough!" snorted Oropher with a predatory smile. Valerie was amazed that he already felt attraction for her friend when he had 16 years to go before his majority.
Finalfin's eyes still had not left Nimmel. "Ella?" he called, using her pet name. "Could we talk? Alone?"
Nimmel silently asked permission to her son and daughter-in-law. When they both nodded, she stood and walked to the garden where Finalfin followed her.
"Do I have a mate?" Elros asked.
"You had a mate, Elros. She was your queen. But... she was a mortal. She will not be reborn," Elrond informed him.
"Was she nice?"
"Yes, she was. A very bright woman, very beautiful. You deemed her worthy of the forsaking of your immortality."
"And did I have a mate?" Gil-galad asked your curiosity.
"No, sweetheart, you did not," Valerie told him. "You were like your brother Adam, very popular with the ladies, but unable to choose one for eternity..." The white-haired ellon laughed in delight, happy that he had something in common with the brother he greatly admired and loved.
In the garden, Nimmel was sitting on a bench, waiting for Finalfin to talk. After all, he was the one who had requested to speak to her in private.
"Ella, we have been married in my prior life?"
"Yes. You had been Marchwarden for centuries when I became of age. We got married quickly after my majority."
"And we had Ada? I mean... Haldir?"
"Haldir, and Rumil, and then, we had Orophin. Our three sons."
"Were we happy?"
"Yes... we were. When you were killed... I was devastated. I decided to sail."
"Will you... Will you wait for me?" Finalfin asked nervously. He knew he was still an elfling and many years would pass before he became an adult. He did not want her to choose another ellon in the meantime.
Nimmel laughed awkwardly. "Finalfin, I have been waiting for you for a very long time. I can wait 21 additional years. I would wait for you longer than that..."
"I am glad," the elfling replied. "I will try to grow into an ellon worthy of you, Ella."
"I am sure you will. But for now, I want you to promise you will not think about this overmuch," Nimmel replied. She decided that this conversation had lasted long enough. Although she was happy that Finalfin was starting to recover some of his memories, discussing their future love life with a 29 years old elfling was strange and uncomfortable to say the least. She did not want Finalfin to feel pressured into anything. She would bind with him again only when she was sure that he wanted it as much as the first time around.
"I want you to keep doing your activities, to train, play with your brothers and sisters. In 20 years, we will talk. Not before. Come, let's go back to our family," Nimmel said, standing up and grabbing his hand like she had done in the past years. She was determined not to change anything in their routine.
Finalfin followed her, relieved that things were not going to change too quickly for him. He still had a naneth, an ada and his siblings. He would think of the past later on.
OoOoO
Valerie sighed once all her children were back in bed, and Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel back to their homes. Drained, she started to find a comfortable position beside Haldir when she saw her bedroom door slowly opening. She did not know who it was, but obviously one of her children still needed to talk about this.
"Come in," she called. The door opened more, and she saw the shape of the elfling. "Elros? Is that you?" she asked, uncertain in the dark.
"Yes, Nana. Can I come in? I know Ada and you usually do not like it when we come see you in the middle of the night..."
"Come in, little love, tonight is a special night," she said, lifting the bed sheet as an invitation for him to lie down beside her. Elros did not need to be told twice. He swiftly removed his night robe and slippers, and snuggled against her. Valerie put her arm around him, expecting him to fall asleep quickly. But Elros was watching her, obviously expecting her to say something.
"Is there anything you want to tell me?" she whispered, indicating that she would not fall asleep if he desired to talk.
"Lord Elrond..." he said, then stopped.
"What about him?"
"He is the Lord of New Imladris. He is too old to be my brother."
"Elros, Lord Elrond is your twin brother. You two have a bond, like Norin and Narwen. You might not feel it yet, but it will eventually resurface. When it does, I want you to keep your options open. Do not reject such a wonderful link."
"I can already feel some of his emotions."
"Really? What are they?"
"He likes me... No... He loves me. Very much. Until tonight, I did not understand why he loved me more than my siblings."
"That is a good thing, is it not? He loves you..."
"I do not want to live with him, ever. Maybe he loves me, but it is you and Ada that I love. I want to stay with you forever."
"You can stay with us forever if you want. No one is pressuring you to move with Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrian. Okay?"
"Yes." The elfling started to relax, and Valerie knew he would fall asleep soon. She had one last question though.
"Elros? Are you upset about your mortal mate that will not be reborn?"
"I have no memories of her. How could I miss her when I have you?" he asked before closing his eyes.
Valerie wondered if the Valinor elves had ever heard of the Oedipus complex...
Behind her, she felt Haldir chuckling. "Seems that I am not the only one who thinks you are one of a kind!"
OoOoO
New Imladris, Year 38 of the Fourth Age
"Queen Tialyn?"
Tialyn raised her eyes from the book she was reading in Valerie's garden. She knew perfectly well who that voice belonged to. He had been beating around the bush since her arrival for her annual visit to her friend Valarie.
"Yes, Oropher?" she asked, trying to avoid his avid gaze. Her mate was not an adult yet, but physically, he had reached his maturity. He was as tall as before, and she recognized most of his features, from his eyebrows and the pointy tips of his ears to his strong hands and his toes. His skin was flawless on his chest, which was less muscled than in his prior life. Only many more years of training would give him back his warrior body.
"Can I sit with you?"
Still avoiding his gaze, she moved her shawl on her lap, leaving the place beside for him to sit. Something was different with Oropher since her last visit. She had yet to speak to his naneth about it.
"Are you avoiding me?" the elfling asked.
"No!" she replied, laughing nervously.
"Then look at me, Tia," he said, using her short name, with a surprisingly husky voice.
She was queen of the Valinor woodland realm, for the Valar's sake! How could she feel destabilized by a mere elfling? Schooling her features into an indifferent mask, she finally met his gaze. She was shocked to see his expression. It was... hungry. She gulped audibly, her mask of indifference quickly changing to obvious discomfort.
She watched in bewilderment Oropher take her hand and start kissing each of her fingers, before moving on to her wrist. His eyes never left hers, ensnaring her very fëa with his blue eyes.
"I remember you, Tia. I remember everything," he said, insisting on the word everything. The queen blushed furiously. Oropher moved like a predator above her, capturing her underneath his body. He started kissing her neck, chuckling softly when she moaned. "I think about you at night," he whispered in her ear, his warm breath making her shiver. "I cannot help but..."
"Oropher!" she cried, pushing him off her body, only partially successful, and only because he had allowed her to move him slightly. "You are only 47 years old! You should not..."
"I should not what?" he cut tartly. "Think about the mate that I love? Think of making love to her?"
"I am not your mate yet, not in this time. We will have to bind again, and until then..."
"Until then what? Live chastely?" he challenged. "I want you, Tia. I want you like before. In my bed. Every night."
"Not before you turn 50!" she cried, standing from the bench they were on. She ran in the house, probably to go to her guest room. Oropher let her go, not surprised by her rejection of his advances. He was, after all, still considered an elfling. But he wanted her, and there was no way that he would accept to wait another 3 years before he could make love to his Tialyn. His faithful wife who had waited for him for millennia, ruling the woodland realm of Valinor until his rebirth and majority.
Valerie was in her room, getting ready for a bath after a three hours horse ride with Narwen. Keeping her youngest daughter entertained was becoming difficult with each passing day. Valerie was riding with Narwen almost everyday for a few hours. Narwen also trained with her elven blades and practiced her archery with one of her brothers many times a week. Thomas was giving her singing lessons, and drawing lessons... But to no avail. Narwen still was the tormented soul she had been since they had sailed in Valinor. The entire family was worrying for her, especially Norin, who could feel her sister's torment more than the rest of the family. Norin had told Valerie that she was now certain that Narwen's affliction was related to the absence of her fëa-mate, who still lived in Middle Earth. Elladan and Elrohir had not sailed yet, and Valerie's twins were 40 years old. Valerie prayed the Valar every day that the Imladris twins would sail before Narwen turned 50. Would she make it until then, safe and sound? Physically safe, certainly, but mentally sound?
Her dark musing was interrupted by the sudden entrance of Tialyn, who completely forgot to knock before entering Valerie's apartment. Valerie slowly lowered herself into her bath's warm water. One glance at her friend was enough to understand what had happened.
"So, I assume you have been cornered by Oropher?" she asked, chuckling.
"Do not laugh! This is no amusing matter! I think... I will have to leave."
"Leave? Why would you do such a thing?"
Valerie laughed when Tialyn looked at her like she had grown a second head.
"Valarie! Oropher is still an elfling!"
"Really?"
"Yes! He is only 47!"
"I cannot deny that he is 47, Tialyn. But an elfling? Look at me!" Valerie asked when Tialyn had avoided her gaze. "Tialyn, look at me and tell me that you truly believe that my son is still an elfling."
Tialyn simply whimpered, covering her face with her hands.
"Oropher is no longer an elfling, Tia. He might be 3 years away from his majority, but he is already an ellon. With the needs of an ellon. And he remembers you. Everything about you, Tia. Everything. He tells Haldir all about it," Valerie said, wriggling her eyebrows.
Mortified, Tialyn laughed feebly.
"Haldir and I have spoken about it. Oropher is ready. If you are ready too... then do it. We will not interfere. No one has to know."
"Narwen will know."
"No one has to know outside of this family," Valerie corrected. "You would be surprised how my children are tightly knit. No one will ever know it, Tia. No one."
"I will think about it."
"Good," Valerie said, sitting back comfortably in her bath.
"I have hardly seen you," Tialyn complained. "You spend so much time with Narwen."
"I know," Valerie sighed.
"She is not getting any better, is she?"
"No. Norin says Narwen's fëa longs for Elladan."
"Norin knows?" Tialyn asked, stunned. She thought Valerie, Haldir and their older sons were hiding this from the younger children. Especially to the twins, who did not need to know that Elrond's sons had claimed to be their mates since their infancy.
"Norin saw them long ago in a vision, Tia. She saw Elladan and Narwen, and she saw herself with Elrohir. I could not lie."
"And how come Narwen does not know?"
"Because we are watching our thoughts at all times in her presence. It is getting difficult. We are so worried."
Tialyn and Valerie stopped talking when they heard a noise in Valerie's bedroom.
"Haldir?" Valerie called.
Tialyn stood and walked to the other room, and caught a red-haired elleth leaving the apartment in a hurry. She quickly walked back to the bathing room.
"Valarie? I think... I cannot be sure, but I think it was Narwen."
It took a few seconds before Valerie's brain processed the information. "Shit! Bloody orc shit!" she screamed, jumping out of the bath, and grabbing a towel, she wrapped it around her body before she started running after her daughter.
She reached Narwen's bedroom shortly after, seeing some of her stunned children on the way.
"Something wrong, Mother?" asked Adam who had followed her to Narwen's bedroom. He supported his mother when her weakened legs stopped working. Narwen was not there. She could be anywhere in New Imladris. Or on her way for anywhere.
"Naneth?" asked Gil-galad who had been with Adam when he had seen his mother running in the hallway, completely wet with only a towel to hide her nudity.
Tialyn entered the room, and seeing the scene before her, took the situation in hand.
"Gil-galad? Find your ada. Tell him... Tell him that Narwen knows."
"What does she know?" the curious brother asked.
"Just tell him that. And tell him... that she ran away."
OoOoO
Tialyn was in bed that night, fully awake. Haldir, Valerie and Adam were not back from their expedition to find Narwen. Elrond had sent many warriors to help, and had joined the search party too. After all, it was his heir's future mate that was missing.
The sound of her door opening caught her attention. She had left her door unlocked, curious to see if Oropher would be making a move. If he did, Tialyn would interpret it as an additional sign that he was mature enough to continue their relationship where it had been left after his death on the battlefield. The light from the hallway confirmed the fact that someone was indeed entering her bedroom. But was it Oropher or another of Valerie's children looking for comfort as their sister was missing? Perhaps Norin?
The weight of the body sliding in her bed immediately told her this was no young elleth. She should have known Valerie's daughter would find comfort in Nimmel's arms instead of hers.
"Before leaving, Naneth told me she had spoken to you, Tia. We have my parents' blessing. Is that enough for you, my love?" Oropher whispered.
"Yes, Oropher. I missed you so much..."
He crushed her body under his weight and she did not complain, just happy to feel him against her once more. She also felt his erection against her thigh. "It has been so long, Oropher. Would you laugh at me if I told you I feel like a virgin on her wedding night?"
"You forget that my new body is untried, Tia. I have memories of making love... but I certainly do not remember what pleasure feels like... Let's discover it all over again," he whispered huskily in her ear before thoroughly licking its tip. Her reaction was the same as he remembered. Her body started undulating underneath his, looking for desperately needed friction.
He moved his mouth to hers, tenderly kissing the lips that tasted like the cherries she had eaten before going to bed. He noticed that tears were streaming down on each side of her head, and he wiped them with his fingers delicately.
"Do not cry, Tia," he pleaded. Her tears turned into violent sobs.
"I cannot stop! I am so relieved! So happy!"
He gently grabbed a heavy lock of her long hair, and started to wind it around his neck. The silky texture of her golden locks had not changed, although her hair was longer than before. He inhaled her hair deeply, reacquainting himself with every part of her body.
"Your smell is unchanged," he murmured. "Your skin is still soft. I wonder if..." he slowly pulled the red ribbon closing the corsage of her nightgown, and her breathing picked up. He could see her breast moving up and down with her pants, and she whined when he moved the white lace to uncover her left breast. He lowered his head and slowly took her nipple in his mouth, sucking it gently. "Yes... you even taste the same..." he said before going back to her nipple while she moved her core against the thigh he had positioned between her legs.
He moved to her other breast while his right hand went between her legs, lifting her nightgown up to her waist. He slowly caressed her slit, testing if she was wet already. He gathered a bit of moisture, and moved to her clitoris, massaging it gently while his mouth moved back to her ear.
"Oropher... please..." she pleaded.
His thumb started moving faster over her bud while his middle finger came in and out of her repetitively. It was not long before Tialyn tensed and arched her back, screaming his name in his ear. He removed his finger from her warm body after her recovery period and licked it with a wicked smile. "Yes... same taste!"
Tialyn blushed furiously, hiding her face in the crook of his neck. She could still feel his erection against her thigh, and decided that Oropher would also benefit from a powerful orgasm. She moved to her side, indicating to Oropher that she wanted him on his back. She straddled him, sitting on his hips. She explored his young body with her fingers and mouth for long moments, and she could tell he was getting impatient to proceed with more serious activities. But she did not feel comfortable making love with him, not today, not while he was still not considered an adult. They could do plenty of other things though, and she proceeded to lowering herself on his body, straddling his leg while she took his penis in her mouth.
Oropher moaned when he felt her mouth enclose his length and felt her tongue swirl around it. He recalled how good she was at that particular activity, he had been dreaming about it regularly in the past months. He usually awoke with stained bedsheets after dreaming of his wife. His body betrayed him, and too soon he was ejaculating in her mouth, hardly having time to warn her. Not that it would have changed anything for Tialyn, who always swallowed every single drop of his seed.
"You taste the same too," she told him with a wicked grin, ready to tease him even more when she realized Oropher was already half asleep.
"Shameful..." he mumbled when she lied beside him and pulled his head against her shoulder so she could caress his golden hair to help him fall asleep.
"You are still young, my love..." she comforted him. Oropher was far from being able to make love all night like they used to do. But she could wait. A few more years and he would be of age and able to properly pay his respect to her. What they would share in the meantime was unhoped-for, and she thanked the Valar that Oropher had been provided with extremely open-minded naneth and ada who understood the dilemmas their unusual family would be facing.
Before falling asleep, Tialyn hoped they had found Narwen and were bringing her home.
OoOoO
The New Imladris guards were standing further away, giving privacy to the Marchwarden, his wife and Lord Elrond as they talked to the young elleth who was crying on the shore. Narwen had stolen her brother's Nutshell II and had managed to sail for two long hours before her parents and the Lord of New Imladris had caught up with her in The Lady of the Sea II. The guards had arrived an hour later on horseback, to find the two boats anchored on the shore and the four elves sitting in the sand.
"Why? Why did you hide this from me? Why is Norin aware and I was kept in the dark?"
"Your sister has seen Elladan and Elrohir in her visions. She asked about them," Haldir answered.
"And? Why did you not tell me then?"
"We... We did not think you would be pleased with the news. After all, you are very independent, and we feared you would refuse to even consider Elladan as a suitor should we have told you about this bond that you have." Valerie struggled to explain the decision they had taken decades ago.
"And what is worse, Naneth? Knowing that I have no choice in a mate, or learning that said destined mate could appease my fëa and has so little consideration for me that he let me suffer for 40 years?"
"My son is like your father, little Narwen," Lord Elrond replied to defend Elladan. "He places duty above all else. He still had many responsibilities in Imladris, and in Gondor, where the new king needed his help. He also remained to eliminate the rest of the dark creatures that still roamed in Middle Earth."
That did not seem to move the young elleth who was sniffling in her mother's neck.
"Narwen... I am sure my son misses you dearly, and that his fëa is as tormented as yours is. He must be eager to sail. In fact... he promised to sail before your coming of age. He wants to attend, and get to know you. If you accept, he would then start his official courtship."
"He will be there when I turn 50?"
"Yes," Valerie confirmed. "I know 10 years is a long time, and maybe..." She stopped when she saw Haldir's frantic denial movements. Her husband was right. She better not promise that Elladan and Elrohir would sail earlier. Who knew what was happening in Middle Earth? Better not give false hope to their daughter.
"Anyhow," she continued, "10 years is not such a long time. You have lived for decades already, what is another one over an eternity?"
"You promise your son will be there by my 50th birthday?" Narwen asked Elrond.
"Yes," the Lord replied adamantly.
OoOoO
Gondor, Year 46 of the Fourth Age
Elladan was standing at the wall on the highest level of Minas Tirith, distractedly watching the sunrise. It had been many years that he did not find comfort in the most beautiful scenes of nature. Sunsets, the songs of the Imladris waterfalls, the light of the moon in the middle of the night, the beauty of his naneth's garden that had been restored by Lady Allison, nothing could help him overcome the longing. Not even the daughter his sister Arwen had given birth to during the night. The only thought he had had when the screaming girl had been in his arms were memories of a delicate red-haired elleth 48 years before.
"Narwen," he mumbled, the name making him feel slightly better for a few seconds. "Narwen."
Behind Elladan, his twin brother sighed. Elrohir missed his fëa-mate Norin deeply, but was not feeling the call of her fëa as strongly as Elladan seemed to feel for his own mate. Even their grandfather Celeborn did not miss Galadriel as much. How would Elladan survive another two years before sailing?
Elrohir decided to leave his brother alone, knowing he was never welcome when his brother was in such a somber mood. He went back to the king's house, and walked to the queen's apartment, where his elven ears could already pick the sounds of his niece crying. Gloriel had strong lungs!
He stopped at the sight of King Elessar sitting on Arwen's bed, holding his newborn daughter. Their son Eldarion, who had turned 3 the month before, was sitting on Prince Legolas' lap in a nearby chair while Celeborn was standing at the window, obviously watching his grandson Elladan brooding on the wall below. They all turned at his entrance, the worry on his face transferring on theirs.
"How is he?" Arwen asked.
"There is no longer anything that catches his interest. I had thought..." he stopped, just pointing at the infant in Elessar's arms. "But not even that. He needs her. I am considering sailing before their coming of age," he said, speaking of the twin daughters of Haldir and Valerie.
"But the Haradrim are attacking the south of my kingdom again," Elessar stated, informing his brother-in-law that the Men of the South were starting to rebel once more, as they did every decade since the beginning of his reign.
"My grandsons and their troops have helped you during their previous invasions, King Elessar," Celeborn said coldly. "One would assume that your army would have learned to fight these savages by now. I refuse to see Elrond's heir fade because you needed his help one again!"
"Grandfather!" Arwen chided, stunned. Never had her grandfather spoken to her husband in such a harsh tone.
"The time of the elves in Middle Earth has passed, Arwen!" Celeborn replied. In Eryn Lasgalen, in Imladris and even in Ithilien, elves are growing weary. They want to sail. We cannot delay our departure any longer!"
Elessar turned to his friend Legolas, asking for confirmation.
"My father desires to sail at the same time than the Imladris elves. He is impatient to leave. Most of my people would have sailed by now, if not for their promise to remain with me until I sail."
"But...," Arwen started, pouting. "You said you would remain in Middle Earth with us until..."
"Yes, I did," Legolas interrupted. "I am planning to stay until the end of Aragorn's reign. But I cannot ask my people to stay with me. Most of them will fade shortly. So I am planning of releasing them from their vow when Elladan and Elrohir will sail."
"Elrohir," the king of Gondor pleaded, "I need your help for this invasion. My people are used to see the elves fighting at their side. I need one last campaign with your people, with a minimum involvement from them. My people need to realize that they can win this war without the elves, like they did at the black gates of Mordor half a century ago."
Legolas also sent a pleading look to Elrohir and Celeborn. Living closer to Minas Tirith than the Imladris elves, he knew for a fact that the Gondor army counted on the elves for the most difficult battles. The elven battle skills and strength were unparalleled in Middle Earth. Having them at their side at each battle boosted their confidence enormously, and the elves had to let them adapt to their absence from battle on a longer period of time.
Elrohir and Celeborn exchanged a long, wordless look, trying to make a decision that would be good for all. Could they really leave Gondor to its fate for the sake of one slowly fading elf?
"Please Elrohir!" pleaded Arwen, grabbing her daughter and holding her against her chest. "Grandfather? For Eldarion? For Gloriel? Please?"
Celeborn sighed heavily. For a moment, he had thought he would soon sail and be reunited with Galadriel. But Arwen was right. They could not leave without notice. They needed to organize their departure, making sure that they did not leave a weak kingdom behind. When they sailed, Gondor would be a strong and peaceful country.
Elrohir put his hand on his forehead. How would he break the news to his twin brother? Elladan would be devastated. But with luck, they would not miss Norin and Narwen's 50th birthday celebrations.
Little did he know that it would be long passed that date when they finally arrived to the Undying Lands...
A/N: I am very excited that the twins are close to their 50th birthday. That means that in the next chapters, we will enjoy their eventful lives...
