Chapter Four
Evening had descended upon the valley of Imladris as another day came to a close. The roar of its many waterfalls seem to dim as darkness fell and allow the valley's inhabitants a peaceful moment to relax and enjoy the starlit night. On many nights such as this, the many elves, men and other inhabitants of the houses of Imladris would come together to celebrate, discuss the events of the day and fill the valley with the sound of songs and laughter. However, tonight the valley was silent. There were no songs, no discussions, and no laughter. For two nights ago, a terrible dread had fallen upon the inhabitants of the valley, filling them with fear and worry. It was believed that something terrible had happened to the twin sons of Imladris' Lord.
A dark figure stood alone on a large balcony which view provided a stunning panorama of the many moonlit waterfalls that fell throughout the valley of Imladris. However the figures' eyes were not taking in the spectacular view, instead his eyes were closed as he used an ancient power to search for some sign, some indications of where his missing sons might be. In his mind he searched the valley that lay below him, he felt as if he was flying with the wind, curving though forests, rippling the water that flowed along the waterways, and gently caressing the grasses that grew in the meadows. Sensing no presence of his sons he widened his search beyond the valley, the power needed to do so draining his strength. He almost slammed his hands down on the balconies' railing in frustration when he could not pick up any evidence of his sons.
"You should be resting, Elrond" a voice said abruptly beside him, startling him from his search. Hurriedly opening his eyes, Elrond turned to see Glorfindel, the golden reborn warrior and one of his closest friends, standing at his side.
"I cannot rest. Not while my sons are in danger" he replied as he began to pace. The golden warrior fell in to step beside him.
"We sent out search patrols as soon as you sensed that something was wrong. They will find them and bring them home. If they are hurt, you will need to be at your full strength to help them" Glorfindel stated, hoping to convince his lord and friend to seek the rest that he had missed for the last few days.
"I should be out looking for them" Elrond said. "I cannot just stay here and do nothing. They need me and I am not there for them."
Glorfindel reached out and took the other elf's arm, halting his steps. As he turned, he saw the fear that was contained in his friend's eyes. "You are there for them, even at a distance. You have raised them to understand danger and what they must do. They also will look out for each other as they have always done."
"But I should…"
"No" Glorfindel continued stalling Elrond's attempt to speak. "We do not know which way the twins were coming from. The messenger we sent to them only took it as far as the first Edain village he came to and the rangers took over from there. Elladan and Elrohir could have been in any of the Northern villages when they received word asking to return here. If you had gone out with one of the search team, what would happen if they were to arrive from another direction and you were not here to help them? You must stay here in order to help"
Elrond knew that his friend's words were true but it did not keep the helplessness he felt at bay. Ever since he had awoken two nights ago, with a sickening dread for his sons, he had felt helpless. His concern had grown throughout the last day until he could hardly stay still. No matter how hard he tried to seek the presence of his sons he had not been able to do so. At first he was able to feel concern and worry radiating from at least one of his sons but that had dissipated over the last day until he could feel nothing from either.
As he turned to his friend to speak of his despair, he felt a sudden surge of panic rush through him. It was, however, not his own panic that he had felt. It had come from someone who had just entered the valley. Moving to the balcony's railing, Elrond looked out trying to see or hear something that would indicate where the feeling had come from. Behind him he could hear Glorfindel call his name in concern. However he was too focus on his task to answer and as he allowed the power of the Maiar to flow through him once more, all of his surroundings seem as if to fall away.
Journeying along with the breeze he saw a lone rider making his way quickly along the steep edged path that lead into the valley. Following close behind was a second horse, it back riderless. As the wind swirled around the pair of horses, Elrond noticed that the lead horse had not one but two riders. The one at the front was unconscious and was being held steady by the rider at the back. The second rider looked up as they rounded the corner and took in the first view of Imladris, his face weary with grief and despair. It was then that Elrond realised that his sons had returned to the valley.
Pulling his mind back to the balcony where he stood next to a worried Glorfindel, Elrond suddenly spun about and took off at the run through the passageways determined to get to the courtyard before the riders arrived. He hardly noticed the startled cry from Glorfindel at his sudden movement or his name being repeatedly called by the golden warrior as he followed him down the halls. As he reached the final staircase he heard the sound of hooves on the tiles of the courtyard below.
"Adar! Adar!" he heard his eldest son cry out in distress. Elrond heart sped up at the sound as he practically leaped down the stairs determined to get to his sons. Finally the courtyard came into view and Elrond took in the scene that greeted him.
Elladan's chestnut stallion stood before him, his chest puffing in and out in, evidence of the speed at which he had been ridden. Standing just behind, covered in sweat was Elrohir's grey mare. She too was showing signs of distress and exhaustion. It was, however, the appearance of his son's that drew Elrond's attention. Sitting unsteadily upon Alagos was Elladan his breathing as rapid as that of the horses. With his head lowered, Elrond was unable to see his face, but he could hear Elladan whispering words to his brother, who he held tightly before him. Of Elrohir, Elrond was only able to see his pale face as the rest of him was wrapped in a grey blanket. His eyes were closed and flecks of blood could be seen upon his lips and around each eye. As the courtyard began to fill with worried elves, Elrond rushed forward to his sons.
"Adar! You have to help him. Please, help him" Elladan pleaded as Elrond took Elrohir from his eldest son's hands. Looking up at his eldest son, Elrond could see tears flowing down his face. Whatever had happened had caused his son great distress. Turning his attention back to the other twin he tried to discover what had happened. However as only his pale face was showing from the blanket that cover him it was difficult to find an immediate cause.
"Elladan, what happened? He asked, as he watched Erestor help the elder twin down from Alagos' back.
"I don't know" Elladan replied, his voice filled with panic, "It was only a dragon snake" he managed to say before tears overwhelmed him, and his voice caught in his throat. Elrond could see the exhaustion and panic that radiated from his eldest son, and knew that he would be unable to get much more from him until after he had been calmed down and tended to.
Thinking of what Elladan had managed to speak, he questioned how a dragon snake could have caused Elrohir to become so ill. Knowing that he would need to examine his youngest son further to gain an answer to this question, Elrond turned and began to head towards the houses of healing. However he had not even taken two steps before he heard Elladan cry out in alarm.
"No, Elrohir!" Elladan cried out to his brother, panic and fear filling his voice.
Turning back to discover the reason for his son's sudden panic, Elrond was unprepared when Elrohir's body suddenly began to convulse. Reacting quickly he dropped to his knees, not wanting to risk dropping his ailing son. He held Elrohir gently, unable to believe what was happening to him. Beside him he felt Elladan sink down next to him, his body shaking as uncontrollable tears streaked down his face.
"Please Ro, do not leave me" he heard his son whisper in despair as he clutched at his brother's trembling arm.
Suddenly the seizure stopped as abruptly as it had begun and Elrond felt Elrohir go limp in his arms. As he did so, he felt a terrible pain flood though him that made him grasp out loud. It was as if a piece of him had been ripped apart.
"No" He heard Elladan whisper before the eldest twin slumped unconscious next to him.
Turning to look down at his youngest son, Elrond saw what his heart already knew. His body lay still in his arms, his chest did not rise nor did his heart pump. Elrohir, his youngest son, had gone. He had passed into Mandos' care.
The world around him seemed to stop. The noise of the elves and horses that filled the courtyard ceased. Nothing else mattered to Elrond now that his son was dead. As he cradled his deceased son, he saw visions flash before his eyes, a young Edain child wondering lost and alone, a great battle that would end in failure and a journey never started. All would be lost. His world would end with the death of his child. His family was being ripped from him, he had lost his love Celebrian, mere centuries ago, now Elrohir was gone and Elladan would soon follow, for he knew that his eldest son would not survive the loss of his twin. His thoughts turned to his daughter Arwen, who was currently in Lothlórien with her grandparents, having sought the forest refuge after her mother's departure to the west. He hoped that his daughter would survive the further grief and pain that the death of her brothers would cause her. He did not believe he himself would be strong enough to overcome the grief that he currently felt. He had lost too many of those he cared about, his parents, his own twin brother, his foster father, his wife and now his child. He did not know how he could bear the loss of another. Tears ran down his face as his world was lost to him.
Suddenly the courtyard filled with a golden light and he felt Elrohir being pulled from his arms. He wanted to protest, to be able to hold his child as his world ended. However his body would not move from where he knelt on the cold stone tiles and he could not find his voice to speak. Instead he watched with vacant eyes as Glorfindel laid Elrohir gently on the tiles before him. The warrior shone with a golden light, making it seem as if the sun had risen in the evening sky.
"You cannot have him, Námo!" the golden warrior cried out loud as he placed his hands on Elrohir's chest. "He is needed here". Pressing down he pumped Elrohir's chest, before placing his lips upon Elrohir's and breathing out. He watched as Elrohir's chest rose in response. "'You cannot leave us, Elrohir" he begged as he continued to alternating between compressions and breathing.
Glorfindel's heart had been pounding ever since Elrond had startled him when he had suddenly fled from the balcony, where they had been keeping watch over the valley below. As he had chased after his friend through the halls of Imladris he knew in his heart that something was terribly wrong. It was only when he reached the courtyard that he realised what it was that Elrond had seen. The image of the twin sons of Elrond upon the chestnut horse would not soon leave his mind. Never before had he seen Elladan and Elrohir return to the valley in such distress.
When he had watched in horror as Elrohir's body trembled violently and then went limp in Elrond's arms, it seemed as if his heart would break. He could not image what Elrond and Elladan had felt in that moment, if his own pain was so great, but he knew when he saw the light in Elrond's eyes grow dim that he would lose them all. His task would fail.
"No, Námo." He said angrily "The task I was given cannot fail. They are too important, they are needed". So long ago it seemed to him since he had sworn to protect the descendants of his King Turgon. So much had happened since. It could not all end now. But it wasn't just the failure of his oath that caused him such anguish it was so much more than that.
He had been by Elrond's side for many centuries ever since he had returned to Middle Earth. He had watched as his friend had grown from a timid youth to a renowned warrior and healer. After the last alliance of elves and men, he had helped Elrond create Imladris, a safe haven for all the peoples of Middle Earth. He had been there when Elrond had met and courted Celebrian, daughter of Galadriel and Celeborn. The irreplaceable elf maiden had helped his friend and lord to heal from the dark memories of war and hardship and together they had created a family. Glorfindel had become like an uncle to at first Elladan and Elrohir, and then to Arwen. Just as he had with their father, he had watched them grow, answered their questions, taught them to fight and helped them to become the elves that they were today. They were his family and he could not lose them.
"Please, do not let me lose them, not again. I cannot lose my family again" be pleaded as tears ran down his face. "All will be lost without them".
The last of his hope had nearly died when he suddenly felt a warm sensation flood through his body. The golden light of Aman that always surrounded him shone brighter than ever before and without his doing he felt his hands move so that one laid upon Elrohir's brow and the other over his heart. He felt energy pour through his hands and into Elrohir. He closed his eyes, trying to combine his own strength with that of which he felt. He knew that this power was not of his own doing, he did not have a healing gift; the energy was not of this world.
Elrond had not moved since Elrohir had been pulled from his arms. He had watched with lifeless eyes as Glorfindel had tried to save his son. The healer in him begged him to move, to help but the rest of him refused to obey. He could not believe that it was Elrohir who was lying lifeless before him. He heard Glorfindel plead and beg to Námo to allow Elrohir to live. He hoped that the Valar would listen.
Suddenly the light surrounding Glorfindel brighten dramatically. The courtyard shone with sunlight, even though it was late evening and the sun was hidden. It grew so bright that all the elves within the area had to turn their heads away. All sound had cessed and nothing moved. Then Elrond heard it, a slight sound among the stillness, a whispered breath. Looking up he saw that the light had vanished and he could see Glorfindel crouched next to Elrohir, his head bowed and eyes closed. The ancient warrior looked weary, as if he had fought a great battle. But it was not his friend that drew Elrond's attention; instead it was the body of his son. Elrohir remained deathly still apart from one slight movement, the rise and fall of his chest. The pain in his heart diminished as he realised that Elrohir was breathing. Tears of grief became tears of joy as he realised that his son was alive. That he had come back to them.
The world suddenly started again. The group of previously still elves within the courtyard started to move. Some started to care for the two exhausted horses that had been forgotten during the shock of Elrohir's seizure and death. While others turned to help one of the search teams who had returned unnoticed only minutes after Elladan and Elrohir had arrived home. Elrond, however, could not move, could not stop looking at his son. He was scared that if he looked away, did anything else, he would lose him again.
Glorfindel, however, began to move. Slowly he extended his hand and placed two trembling fingers upon Elrohir's neck. Beneath his fingers he felt a weak but steady pulse. He sighed in relief, sending a prayer to all the Valar, thanking them for allowing Elrohir to return to them. Looking down at the young elf, his face pale and sweat soaked, he knew that he was not out of the woods yet. The Valar had given them another chance to save Elrohir, but it did not mean that he would survive without treatment. Gathering Elrohir in his arms, the golden warrior stood and turned towards Elrond who still knelt on the ground, his other son leaning unconscious at his side.
"Come, Elrond. Your skills are needed. Elrohir needs your help", the golden warrior called out.
Tearing his eyes away from his youngest son, Elrond closed his eyes and took a deep breath trying to calm his mind and body. He knew that Glorfindel was right, that Elrohir was not out of danger yet. Shaking his head slowly he prepared to stand. However as he did so he felt Elladan slip further down beside him. In his worry for his youngest son he had forgotten about his eldest. Elladan needed care and attention as much as Elrohir did. He knew that his skills would be needed to save Elrohir, but he did not want to leave Elladan either.
"I will look after him, my lord". Elrond looked up to see Erestor standing beside him, concern radiating from him. "I will see that he is well tended to. Go to Elrohir. He needs your help more".
He nodded in thanks to his friend, unable to speak. He was grateful that he had such friends and knew that Elladan would be well taken care of. He watched Erestor bend down and pick up his son, before taking one more deep breath and standing. He followed his two friends, each who carried one of his sons in the houses of Imladris, heading to the healing rooms, all the while trying to focus his thoughts. He knew that this was only the beginning, they had been given a second chance but he would need his healing skills if he was to save his son. He hoped that it would be enough.