Chapter 7
Reading to You
Eleniel woke slowly, taking in her surroundings, trying to figure out where she was. After seeing the sunlit room, smelling the comforting aroma of roses, and feeling the soft sheets beneath her, she realized that she was in the healing houses.
She sat up and tried to remember what had happened the night before. Oh yes, she thought, blushing at recalling the feeling the feeling of Elladan's-Lord Elladan she corrected herself-arms wound her, carrying her to safety.
She tried to move her ankle, even though she knew that it was sprained. Why she would never know. She supposed it was just out of pure curiosity, as she had never been injured before. She found it difficult to move it as it was wrapped very tightly in a bandage.
"I wouldn't do that too much."
She looked up to see Elladan coming into the room a breakfast tray in one arm and some more bandages in the other. He sat down in a nearby chair.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, unraveling some of the bandages
"Well enough thank you."
Elladan suddenly averted his eyes and began playing wit the fringes of the blanket on her bed. "I have to er- rebandage your ankle, to check to see if the swellings gone down." He glanced up at her and then away again and stopped playing with the end of the blanket.
"Oh." Eleniel turned red, realizing that he would have to more the blanket, exposing her leg when she was wearing a nightgown, something considered to be unproper as she was a young maiden and he was a young elven lord. "Well, alright then." She reached across and moved the blanket for him and nudged her foot towards him.
He smiled briefly in thanks and took her foot and placed it in his lap, slowly beginning to unravel the bandages, all the while being very gentle. More gentle than she thought he could ever be.
"I-I-I wanted to thank you," She began nervously, fidgeting with the blanket, as he had done not a minute before. "For taking me back here last night."
"Oh, it was no trouble." He said idly, as if it wasn't all that big of a deal. He let his hands roam over her foot, looking for anything that would show that it was healing wrong/
"Well, I thank you all the same." She watched as he probed her ankle, and felt a sharp pain, and let out a gasp.
Elladan glanced up at her briefly. "It is still sprained obviously. But the swelling has gone down and that's good." He began to re-wrap her ankle in some of the bandages he had brought with him. "You should stay in bed for a few days though, and then when you begin to walk it will need to be with assistance."
Her face fell. She would be stuck in this room forever. "Oh, well if that's what's best for me."
"I think it is." He put her foot back underneath the blanket. He stood up and went to the door as if to walk out of the room. He paused and turned around.
"Perhaps," he said hesitantly. "I could come by later...with some books you can read...so that you won't be bored."
She smiled, making a red tinge appear in his cheeks. "That would be lovely."
Elrond was not totally surprised when he heard that Elladan had taken Eleniel on a hike and Eleniel had sprained her ankle on the way back. But what did surprise him was that his son, Elladan mind you, was in the library, pulling out every interesting book he could find. (With Elrohir's help, because if not for him, Elladan wouldn't know where any of the books were)
"Elladan, what are you doing?" Elrond asked curiously, peering between the shelves.
"Collecting books." He replied simply, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Ah, of course." Elrond cleared his throat. "What for?"
"For Lady Eleniel." Elrohir said, coming out from behind a shelf, carrying a stack of books. He dropped them on a nearby table heavily. He raised his eyebrows at his father. "So she won't be bored."
"Ah, of course." Elrond repeated, mostly to himself.
"I went to make sure that she's comfortable." Elladan said defensively.
"Never mind that you are tearing apart my library." Elrond said, surveying the scene around him.
Elladan turned red. "I hadn't really noticed..."
"Apparently."
"No need to worry brother." Elrohir said, bounding over to Elladan eagerly. "I'm sure that Lady Eleniel would blush red upon learning that you were tearing apart a library for her."
Elladan himself turned even redder, imagining all of the different ways he could make a red tinge appear on her smooth cheeks.
"Well," he said, clearing his throat, "I guess I'd better go take these books to Eleniel now." Elrond smiled at the informality of the statement. "I said I'd be back after lunch."
"Then go forth to your fair lady." Elrohir said happily, pushing him out the door.
"She's not my-"
But Elrohir had successfully pushed him out the door. (Though the fact that he was carrying ten books probably helped.)
Eleniel was just finishing her bowl of soup when a knock sounded at the door.
"Come in." she called cheerfully. She hoped it was Elladan. Not because he was bringing her something to do but because he was coming back period.
The door opened and she as met with the sight of a person (who she suspected but was not 100 sure was Elladan) who was carrying about ten books into her room.
"Elladan, is that you?" She asked, half laughing. "Under all of those books somewhere?"
"Yes, I believe so." He said as he staggered under the weight of the books over to Eleniel's bedside table. The table sagged slightly under the weight.
"What-?"
"I brought you some books." he said, dragging a nearby chair over.
"I can see that."
"I didn't know what you would like." Elladan said, sounding surprisingly shy. "So I got a little bit of everything."
"Well they all look wonderful." she replied, picking one up. "Perhaps we could look at them...together?"
"Oh. Well-I don't like to read aloud all that much." Elladan said embaressedly. "Does that sound to odd?"
"No. Not at all. I know plenty of people who don't like to read aloud but prefer to read silently to themselves, so they can concentrate better. As I'm sure you like to, correct?
Elladan nodded, even though it wasn't the total truth. He didn't really spend all that much time in the library.
"Would you mind if perhaps I read aloud?" Eleniel suggested hopefully.
"That would be most enjoyable." Elladan said hesitently.
"Alright then." Eleniel picked up another book and smiled shyly at him. "This one is about a hobbit named Gladdy."
Elladan nearly laughed out loud. "We know this one!"
Eleniel smiled. "Yes, I think we do." Her face fell slightly. "I suppose you don't want to read it aloud then," she continued, moving to put the book back.
He touched her hand. "On the contrary." he said, "I am sure that hearing you read it aloud to me will make it all the better."
Eleniel blushed. "Alright then." She opened the book. "It all started one sunny afternoon..."
Unbeknownst to our friends, the male's family was watching them from a crack in the door.
It was actually quite comical, because of the way that they were positioned. You see, Arwen, being the smallest, was sitting on the floor her head up against the crack, peaking in. Elrohir crouched beside her, in the same position. And, as childish as it was, Celebrian and Elrond himself were standing behind them, in a similar position. Except they where pushing each other out of the way so the other could look now and then.
"Is he blushing?"
"Is she reading aloud?
"Don't they look cute Elrond? I told you they liked each other-"
"I didn't know Elladan could blush!"
"She does a good impression of a hobbits voice-"
"I don't think cute is the right word-"
"He's gonna mess it up eventually I know it!"
"Elrohir!"
"Well he is! It's in his nature to make things harder than they are!"
Those who walked by, thought that it was the strangest sight in the world. But when Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel walked by, they merely smiled.
I know. Even though my mother's laptop was broken for basically forever, but you all should know that I am alive and will be back more often now that summer's here. Except for all the stuff that I'm going to be doing over the summer but I promise I have it written, it just has to be typed. So anyway, I am MAJORLY sorry about the REALLY long wait. Leave a review...even though I don't deserve it...please...
