#42: Anatomy
"Why do you have only one hand?"
The question caught him off guard. Laying aside his quill, Maedhros brushed a loose strand of auburn hair behind his ear and turned. Elrond was standing next to the desk, gazing up at him with a half-shy, half-curious expression.
"Why do you ask, Elrond?" He was perplexed by the abrupt question. During the year the twins had been with him and Maglor, they had never gone out of their way to interact with him, but instead always clung to his brother. Deep down, he knew it had something to do with the circumstances of their... adoption, but he didn't know how to bridge the lack of trust between them and had long since given up.
"Um... well," Elrond answered hesitantly, avoiding eye contact, "me and Elros wanted to know, so we asked Maglor, but he wouldn't tell us, so then Elros made me ask you."
Maedhros raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Uh-huh." Elrond nodded, suddenly looking even more nervous.
Maedhros stared out the window and struggled for a moment to think of what to say to the young elfling. "Well... one had to be cut off."
Elrond's grey eyes grew wide. "Did it hurt?"
Maedhros gave a slightly bitter snort, but it wasn't directed at the boy. "Yes. But then it healed, and now it doesn't hurt anymore." It was a half-truth, for even after all those years he sometimes experienced painful twinges where the missing hand had been. Absently he ran a finger over the scarred stump, the skin pulled tight over the bone.
Elrond's gaze was drawn, and he stared at it for a moment before asking, "Will a new hand ever grow?"
The older elf gave a half-smile, looked up, and tousled Elrond's hair. "Well... maybe," he said lightly. Then, hearing something out in the corridor, he raised his voice. "Elros, I know you're listening. Don't be afraid to come in."
Shyly Elros slipped in through the half-open door and came and stood next to his twin, clasping his hands in front of him.
Elrond looked at him curiously and then faced Maedhros. "How did you know he was there?" he asked rather boldly, his attention diverted from his initial question. Maedhros surmised that their little chat had made him more comfortable, and the thought warmed him like nothing else had for years.
"Just a guess," he said, and winked. Elros grinned, twisting his still-clasped hands around, and Elrond gave his brother a mock-accusing look.
Anxious not to lose this opportunity of cementing their trust in him, Maedhros pushed his chair back and got to his feet. "Do you want to go find out what's for supper? Maybe we can even... sneak something from the kitchen."
"Alright," they chimed in unison, and Elros giggled. "Race you there!" he squealed to his twin, and took off with Elrond at his heels.
Maedhros followed more slowly, a smile hovering around his lips. Maybe this was finally the start of a friendship.
*gasp* Yes, it's me already! I know, you were probably expecting another two-month gap between drabbles, but here I am! I hope you guys liked this one!
Review, please? :)
