Discovering Hidden Secrets
After the elves finished their meal too they made themselves comfortable in Elrond's study. Elrond looked at his wife's mother but said nothing. He knew it would be fruitless if he tried to push the Lady into speaking. His sons followed his example. Finally, Galadriel turned around to face the Rivendell elves.
"What did you see in the dwarf, my lady?" Elrond asked, still curious about the encounter of the she-elf and their guest. "Elladan said he has an aura of a kind differently of any dwarf he – and probably I – ever met."
"I could feel it as well. Never before did I encounter a dwarf like him," Galadriel replied, her smile vanished from her face and turned into a thoughtful expression. "But then, he's no full dwarf." The male elves looked at her in surprise. Livon looked like a dwarf though he was tall for one. It was hard to believe but they knew Galadriel wouldn't lie. She never did.
"What other blood flows in his blood?" Elrohir asked after he found his voice again. His twin still seemed to be speechless.
"I sense the light of the Eldar in him," she answered and Elrond drew in a sharp breath. A union of man and elf was rare but heard of. His own grandfather had been a man. But to think an elf and a dwarf would form such a bond was unthinkable. Dwarves loathed elves and most elves were not fond of dwarves either.
"Do you know who his elven parent is?" Elladan inquired. He looked as startled as his brother and father.
"No. But I know it is the father," Galadriel replied with a small sigh. She didn't like to be in the dark. "And that Livon did not know either." She could tell as much even with the memory loss. Her eyes turned to the Lord of Rivendell. "If I recall correctly you know how to figure out someone's blood line?"
"Yes. I have to know those relatives, though. Without this knowledge it is as good as useless," Elrond replied with a nod. "I wanted to use it anyway. I promised Livon to try anything possible, even though I warned him it might be to no avail."
"As you know more elves than dwarves it will probably more successful than before," Galadriel said. "You should do it tomorrow. I want to know who his father is."
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The next morning was as nice as the day before but for some reason Livon's sleep had been restless. Bleary-eyed and with his hair rumpled he climbed out of the bed and washed his face with cold, fresh water.
With no apparent reason he had dreamed of the day he fell into the river Lhûn. When he thought back at the few glimpses he remembered he still felt terrified. It had been so awful to be in the torrent water without being able to do anything. Without Elladan he would be dead for sure.
He couldn't explain the dream, though. Had it something to do with the appearance of Lady Galadriel? True, she was a bit odd and somewhat of a mystery but she'd done nothing except look at him as if she could see right through his soul. Maybe she could. But it hadn't been unpleasant. Just strange.
Still pondering about his nightmare he dressed in comfortable clothes his hosts equipped him with. They were nothing alike those he wore when Elladan pulled him out of the river and when he looked in the mirror he could be mistaken as a small man. He wasn't sure what to think of that as he was sure he was a dwarf and should look like one. But he had neither the thick, full beard nor the bulky build dwarves were known of. All he had was a stubbly beard and a slender build.
A knock at the door pulled him out of his musings and he turned to the door. When the door swung open it revealed to be Lindir, a counselor of Lord Elrond or something like that.
"Good morning, Livon. Lord Elrond wishes to see you," the elf said and bowed his head slightly in greeting. Like most elves he was always polite to those he conversed with. And it seemed the elves living in Rivendell knew already of his knew name. Instead of an answer though he just nodded and followed the elf lord out of his room.
"Why does Lord Elrond want to see me?" he asked after they'd walked for several minutes.
"You may ask himself for the reason as he hasn't told me," Lindir replied and opened the door to the room Livon recognized as the room he had been examined by the Lord of Rivendell the first day. He walked past Lindir, who closed the door without entering himself, and looked at Elrond who sat on a table, reading a book. When Livon entered he looked up and smiled at the suddenly nervous looking dwarf.
"You wanted to see me?" he asked the elf lord and stopped a few feet away from Elrond.
"Yes," Elrond replied and put away the book. "Do you remember when I said I may know a way to determine from which lineage you are?" Livon nodded and licked his lips nervously. He had already wondered when the elf lord would try it.
"I intend to do it today. I can't promise you anything, though," Elrond explained. "It is a difficult technique and isn't always successful."
Livon pondered about Lord Elrond's words but knew there was only one answer, one path to follow lest he regret it later. "I want to try it."
"Good. Please sit down," Elrond said and waved at a chair next to him. Livon silently followed his order and waited for the elf to continue. He had no clue how this would work and was both curious and nervous at the same time. Elrond positioned his chair opposite from him and raised his hand.
"I will lay my hand atop of your head," Elrond warned the dwarf and Livon nodded, appreciating the gesture. "And the words you will hear will be in Sindarin, not Westron." He nodded again and Elrond touched his head with his hand and began to sing in a language he didn't understand. His voice was low and pleasant, though, and the words sounded nonthreatening. It took him a few moments to realize that the elf's hand was emitting a light glow. He wondered if all elves could do that or just an elected few.
He didn't know how long Elrond sung. It could be mere minutes or hours. Time didn't matter and when the elf finally stopped it was like he emerged from a dream-like trance. His mind needed a few minutes to register the sudden silence and he blinked a few times to clear his vision.
"And?" he asked anxiously when the elf lord said nothing.
"This was just the first step. I need to meditate before I can tell you more," Elrond replied with an apologetically smile. "You may go. Your presence isn't necessary for this." Livon nodded and turned to leave. He had seen elves meditating before and knew it probably would take hours. It would be better if he busied himself with something. Maybe going to the shooting range again. He would start with a healthy breakfast though as he hasn't eaten yet.
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Unbeknownst to young Livon Elladan too felt restless for the very same reason. He had no idea why he felt so strong, though. Yes, he cared for the young dwarf. And yes, he was curious. It didn't explain his uneasiness. He sighed and left his breakfast alone. He hadn't eaten much and wasn't hungry anyway. He craved for a release of this tension. Maybe Elrohir would be up for a spar?
With the decision made he went to look for his brother. He doubted Elrohir still slept. Like Elladan, he was an early riser. The first room he looked was his twin's room but it was empty. The eating hall was out of question as he had been there before he left. The way to the library was waste of time, too and Elladan really began to wonder where his brother had vanished to when he nearly run into him after turned around a corner.
"There you are!" he exclaimed a bit startled. He hadn't heard the other elf due to the silent movements elves usually made and his own thoughtfulness.
"Were you looking for me?" his twin asked with an amused smile plastered on his face.
"Yes. I wanted to ask if you're up for a spar," Elladan replied, scowling at his younger brother. He didn't like being surprised. To his surprise he saw how Elrohir's smile fell and a small frown appeared on his face.
"You're telling me my bath was a waste of time in the end?" Elrohir asked with a theatrical sigh. Only now Elladan realized where the other had come from: clad in a bathrobe with a towel over his shoulder it was quite obvious.
"Sorry," Elladan said without sounding like he was really sorry. He knew his brother was only joking. "So, do you want to spar?"
"Sure. I'll be out in a minute," Elrohir said, finally dropping his pity-yearning tone. Elladan nodded his thanks and walked towards the training grounds, leaving his brother to dress properly.
It was only ten minutes later when Elrohir arrived, wearing comfortable cloths suitable for a spar. Elladan picked up two of the training sword and threw one to his brother who caught it without a problem. The swords weren't sharp but hurt nonetheless if handled carelessly.
Both sons of Elrond switched into a battle stance and waited for the other to move. When Elrohir didn't do anything except circling his twin Elladan finally decided to made the first move. He wanted to release some steam, after all,
What followed was a fast exchanges of slashes and blows with each elf hit in a way that would left bruises later on. No broken bones, though. They moved faster than any man or dwarf could do and their strokes spoke of strength. That they were able to avoid serious injuries spoke of their self-control.
Elladan didn't knew how long he and his brother already sparred but noticed when Livon arrived and started to hover on the edge of the training grounds, watching the two elves fight. He must be finished with their father and Elladan wondered what the result will be. Reading his brother's expression, he realized he'd noticed the dwarf's appearance too. They exchanged some meaningful glances and decided to continue. Livon would probably be fascinated by their fight and guilty if they stopped because of him. And they wanted to avoid any question the dwarf might have concerning their father's technique.
They sparred for another half an hour before they stopped, declaring the fight a tie as neither brother could gain the upper hand. By now it was well into the forenoon and he wondered if his father had already found a relative of the dwarf.
"That was amazing!" Livon exclaimed after they turned to face him. He grinned widely and almost bounced up and down from excitement.
"Thank you," Elrohir said and took a sip of the cold water that was always present at the training grounds. He then passed the water skin to his brother who also drunk some for refreshment. "Want to try for yourself?" Livon nodded excitedly and Elladan passed his training sword to the dwarf. He was more relaxed than this morning and his brother seemed eager to teach their young guest. He was content to watch.
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While the twins entertained their young guest Elrond still sat in the examination room, emerging from the deep meditation he had been in. He had found sooner a result than he'd estimated and what he found wasn't what he'd expected. He wondered if the Lady had expected this. Maybe she hadn't wanted to say anything without proof. With a sigh Elrond stood up and stretched his tight muscles. He knew that his next conversation would be difficult at best.