Chapter 4 Confusion

Hours later Elrond was still trying to process the question his son had brought to his attention.

"Oh my love if only you were here to help me answer these questions, for I know not the answers." He was distraught and talking to himself trying to work out the only answer he could think of.

After his sons had departed he had sat down and worked the answers over and over in his head. It was just not heard of though. Even if his wives family were the most powerful lineage of elves around, it had to still be impossible. It was inconceivable to think that anyone could appear after years and years of every one thinking they were dead…it just couldn't be possible, just the thought brought so much joy and pain back.

Meanwhile, Elladan and Elrohir were working in the healing quarters the two girls had been placed in. They were ever watchful for anything to happen be it a flinch or a cough that is out of place.

"Elladan, are you just as concerned as I am with how Adar responded to our questioning? It would not have been so alarming if he hadn't looked like he was going to faint. If it weren't such a tense moment I would have made a joke about his mortal side showing."

"it's a very good thing you held off on making that comment. I am sure Adar would have been struck dumb and would have agreed. You would have regretted that later. He would make you do something absolutely disgusting like muck the stalls out again. We all know how you complained for months the last time that happened."

Elladan commented back as he was again checking the girls over for any signs. He had been doing that after he finished so many chores. Making Elrohir more nervous for the fact that he wanted to do the same, but not make it noticeable to the others around them that the royal family may have some worry over these two strange girls. Royal talk around any home can be horrendous.

Talk to the wrong elven maiden too long in a hallway and they have you married and tied down with two elven children before you can blink.

Watching his brother sigh and turn away from the beds again Elrohir was at a disadvantage with not knowing what they could do. He was very close to going to find his sister and pester her into coming and sitting with the girls.

Contemplating that for a moment longer he threw it out of his thoughts with a quick shake of his head. He would not disturb his sister unless he found it necessary. She was still grieving on top of the fact she was in love with their adopted brother; which their father frowned upon heavily!

Gathering the new garments he and Elladan changed the girls sheets and freshened their faces with clothes damp with water and herbs. Trying to make them as comfortable as they could be while they healed.

In another part of the Imladris castle Arwen and Aragorn were having another argument over their relationship and if they should continue it.

"You know I would die for you, but I do not think I could bare to see myself die in your arms as you would appear as a young and beautiful woman and myself being an old and decrepit man. There are many things that I consider justified sacrifices and for you to do that would be unjustified. I love you Arwen with everything in my body, but I can not watch you waste away again. It was too close the last time. We were a family and it was amazing. Maybe that is all that we were to live with. Maybe that was our chance to see how it would be. We have tried my love and I do not see it ending any differently than you hurting from a broken heart when everything comes to pass."

Aragorn was holding her face in-between his two hands. Gazing into her eyes and trying to express himself to his fullest extent. He did not feel the passion that he needed to convince her to leave the land she had grown up on, as he knew that his words did not sound as though he fully meant them.

He was strong enough to try and push her into leaving with the others as they planned their own voyage across, but Arwen was getting more against it every time they spoke of it.

"My love" Arwen in turn put her cooler hands on his face mirroring his own hold on her. "You speak as if you have no faith left in our strength. We are stronger together than we could ever be apart. If you speak of this as if it were another in your heart, maybe you could push me away. But as I know it is the fear of death and sorrow that fuels this entire conversation I must say this one last time. I am here to stay, I will not leave these woods for anything. As I know that you fight for our safety as the times continue to become darker I will fight for our love to continue to grow. We have been through some things some people never have to face and because of that we are stronger here" As she spoke she twined their fingers together and set them upon his heart and then moved them to her own.

"Adar may push us and others may say they know what we are to do, but we do not have to listen to those who have not lived our lives. We are the ones that lived through a families worst dream and we have survived. Even if a piece of our heart was forever taken, we can try to fill it with love and hope that someday we will be whole again. I do not know why you must give into what Adar says and what others expect of us, but I will stand by my love, even if you turn your back and walk away I will always have a piece of my Hope and Faith with me and that love will keep everything and everyone together no matter the challenges facing them.

Taking his hands back from Arwen, Aragorn began to pace her bedroom. Walking from door to porch and back not even contemplating the things he passed. "I do love you Arwen, you know this. I have just felt this rift between me and everyone else. Its as if everyone must watch what they say, or they just turn their head and ignore me. I can't live like this Arwen, I can not be like a ghost haunting these walls. I am too much a warrior to be ignored. I may not claim my heritage but I do know that the blood of kings is flowing through my veins and it makes itself known to me now more than ever. I feel as if I am being slowly pushed out of the only place I have considered my home and I feel it is because of the choices I made with you and our lives that is doing it." Stopping he breathed deeply and sighed loudly dropping his shoulders as he released the air.

"I feel this is a matter we shall have to talk about at another time. I can not be confined now, I must walk and contemplate the things we have said. I do not want either of us to say something we will regret. Let us leave it as we know each others feelings and we know what the other wishes. Now it is for us to decide for ourselves what we want." Turning to leave he pauses long enough to hear her whisper.

"I know what your thoughts are and I know you miss them as much as I do, but Aragorn we are meant to be. If you can not feel it now when I need you the most then you must not take the time to contemplate for you have already decided my fate. I will be lying in my bed tonight hoping that you will come to me, but if you don't. Do not expect me to stay for long, I will fade out of your memories as I will fade from my own body." In tears Arwen hurried to her bedroom area and closed the door.

Aragorn was wondering the halls many hours after his argument with Arwen. He knew the cause of all of the stress they were in and he knew that he would find his way back to her room before it became dark to apologize yet again. It was the time, every time it came closer and closer to the anniversary everyone wound up tighter and tighter. They always had such a short fuse until finally they snap and everything would then go back to normal until the next year.

Pausing outside the rooms of his adopted twin brothers he sighed before entering. He knew he had to talk to someone and who better than the two that would understand his love even better than she understood herself.

Elladan and Elrohir had just returned to their own quarters after hours of helping with the two girls. As they were changing their shirts there was a quiet knock on the door.

"Come in, we welcome you brother" Elrohir muttered as he put his undershirt over his head.

"What in all of Mordor have you two been doing? You two look horrible, and who in the world did you injury? That sure seems to be a lot of blood on both of your shirts." Aragorn paused long enough to make the comment before moving farther into the sitting area of their private quarters.

"We have rescued fair maidens" Elrohir said suggestively.

"What did you try to do with them, you know the saying with the sword is a figure of speech and not some literal thing you are to do with women, right? I would hope you have not harmed anyone unnecessarily! Father would be so upset." Aragorn replied to that.

"Actually we were taking care of the fair maidens as you put them, in the infirmary. They were found with stab wounds in the stomach along with a broken left arm. It is very strange that they both received the very same injury. Something to look into further I guess. Anyways, we are on our way to visit with father before heading back to check on the girls again. You can join us if you want, I'm sure it will help you keep your mind off of your argument you obviously just had with out lovely sister." Elladan stated as he started to walk through the door back to the hallway.

"Thank you I shall take you up on that." As they walked away they chitchatted and gossiped like young maidens with nothing better to do.

Faith woke to a bright light again, but it was no where near as blinding as before. She lifted her left hand to shield her eyes. Jumping to a sitting position though when she realized there was no pain. Staring at her arm in amazement it took her a second to realize that she was also sitting without any discomfort. Rubbing her right hand on her arm and then on her stomach she sat in amazement just feeling the skin and bone sitting as they should be. She was so caught up on how everything seemed to be working right and how crazy her dream had been when she heard a small gasp next to her.

Turning her head she saw Charity in the bed next to hers. Charity was doing the same thing she had been doing. Rubbing her stomach and her left arm.

They had both been strange like that. They had always seemed to understand each other to another level than what other people seemed to understand.

Smiling at Charity and moving to dangle her feet off of the side of the bed, Faith looked around for the first time to realize they could not be on Earth anymore. There was just no way that any place on Earth could be this beautiful. They were in a room that had two walls and a beautiful deck that looked like it was made from polished rock. The walls of the room played into the scene of paradise that was coming through throwing more of the earthy soothing tones.

"Faith, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore!" Charity exclaimed obviously observing the same thing Faith had been doing. "Have we died and gone to heaven? Cause I have to say, I figured heaven would be filled with men that looked like models, but they would be everywhere, no space left empty…"

Chuckling Faith silently agreed, heaven always seemed a little more Las Vegas than national forest when people described it.

"Hmm, maybe we got on the wrong train when we got to the big Gates, you know. We did do that pretty often when we went to the big cities. Wouldn't be anything new."

As they exclaimed over the room and their surroundings beyond that the girls both tried out their legs. Making it around the room touch the walls and the engravings etched into them. Feeling the tables set around the room with strange bottles lined up. Running their hands on a weird canvas that gave them privacy to others that were walking around on the other side.

They each inventoried and cataloged as much as they could take in. After making the round trip of walking the room the last time they collapsed side by side on the bed Faith had woken up on. They began to talk about what had happened to see what the other remembered and to see if anything would explain where they were.

What felt like hours later, but was really probably half an hour, they were finally disturbed by a young maiden with strangely pointed ears and a very beautiful voice.

"Aw! Oh my goodness you two could send me to an early grave. I did not know anyone was occupying this room let alone two of you. May I ask what you two are doing here? This is the healing quarters and you two obviously look as healthy as a horse in its prime. Are you lost? Part of the new… hmm I actually do not remember hearing of a caravan of any race arriving…I feel I must report you to my boss and figure out what I must do with you. Humph if only it could have been someone else's duties." With a flounce to her blonder than blonde hair the young maiden walked back out at a fast clip.

"Well that was, weird to put it nicely…Do you think we should be concerned?" Charity glanced at Faith who was still frowning at the spot the lady had disappeared. "I feel as it is no concern until someone else comes back. Maybe then we can try and get answers. I feel then we will be more than concerned. Did you see her pointed ears. This place reminds me of somewhere and it seems it is just out of reach of my memories."

"I feel the same, it is as if we are home, but not fully welcomed yet. Its very strange."

Elrond was in an informal meeting with his sons when the head elf of the healing quarters knocked and entered without being welcomed. "Sir we have news of the two from yesterday. They are awake, coherent and scared the young elf we are training she could swear her ears rounded a little. If you could come and handle this issue I have many more pressing ones I must concern myself with. By your leave sir." Bowing out the man disappeared just as fast as he had appeared.

Elrond hurried out his study with his twin sons and adopted son trailing behind him. Aragorn was following with his brothers at both of his sides asking questions to be filled in on who they were in such a hurry to look in on.

As they turned the corner they ran across Arwen who was on her way to talk to her father. She joined the group and hurried along with the rest of them also questioning the twins on what was going on.

As they got closer Elrond slowed down and straightened his already straight robes. Making his children chuckle at his unconscious issue of always presenting himself to the best of his ability.

Pulling aside the canvas sharply they all walked in with so much force they did not stop till they were half way into the room though their faces had dropped when the canvas had originally been lifted.

Sitting there on those beds were almost identical faces, the only difference was one had a slightly stronger jaw, the eye colors were off and the hair were night and day in color wise. But what got them all was the gasp from Arwen and Aragorn of "Iellig". And the gasp from the two girls of "Naneth, Adar?" in response...

Disclaimer: So sorry it's been years but I am back at this with a vengeance! I hope you all enjoyed! Please let me know your thoughts!

I do not own anything that you recognize that is all the brilliant workings of Tolkien. Everything you don't recognize I am almost positive would be my own creativeness.