Beta: Radbooks

A/N: There is a slight deviation from canon in this story. Rather than having Arathorn slain when he was 'riding against the orcs with the sons of Elrond', I have assumed that Aragorn and Gilraen were with him and they were heading to Imladris to live for a time. In the Silmarillion it says 'In that house the house of Elrond were harboured the Heirs of Isildur, in childhood and old age, because of the kinship of their blood with Elrond himself…'. The quote continues, but this made me think that Aragorn would have been taken to Imladris for his own protection at some point, so why not when he was two? The twins are still there, acting as escort, but they were not out specifically to hunt orcs. I know that is not Tolkien's version, but I need things to happen a bit differently for this story to work. Therefore, this story can be considered slightly AU. I am also using a history created for Elladan and Elrohir by Cassia and Sio. I do have their permission to use Dehlfalhen and Glamferaen, which were their creations.

Since it's been a couple of months since I posted a 'twins' chapter, I thought a quick recap might be in order. When last we saw the twins, they, Celebrían and Glorfindel had just arrived in Lothlórien. Once there, they met with Galadriel and Celeborn and informed them of what had happened, and that Elrohir's vision had saved Celebrían and her patrol. Galadriel, sensing there was more to the matter had Celeborn escort Celebrían on a walk while she spoke to the twins and Glorfindel. She was shown that the twins were from the future and some of what had happened to them after Celebrían sailed in their original history. Not trusting that their trip into the past was a good thing, Galadriel counseled her grandsons not to tell anyone else about where (or when) they were from and to try not to do anything else to change history. And that about brings us to where this chapter picks up…

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Chapter Seven

Galadriel and Glorfindel excused themselves, leaving the twins alone to talk. They now had a great many things to think about. While Elladan had often wondered about the motives of the Being that had sent them back here, they had not really considered the idea that they may have been sent back to disrupt history and change things for the worse.

Elrohir looked over at his brother and spoke into the silence. "So what do we do now?"

Shaking his head to indicate his own uncertainty, Elladan shrugged. "We must continue to live our lives as if we knew nothing about the future and naneth's capture had never happened."

"Yes, but do we try to re-live things as they happened before, or stand aside and let history occur without our interference?" Elrohir asked. "We can not become Dehlfalhen and Glamferaen again. Neither of us could truly come back from that a second time. Besides, now we have no reason to become them. I do not think it possible to attempt to re-create the lives we led the first time through."

"True," Elladan said, leaning forward in his chair and resting his elbows on his knees. Looking into his brother's eyes, he put forth a question. "Which path would have the least repercussions for our world? Should we still ride with the patrols and the Dúnedain? Those actions would not be seen as unusual for us. There are still many orcs roaming our lands, and you and I have ever sought to protect our lands and people."

Elrohir nodded in agreement. "We could do that, but do you think we would be able to refrain from saving the lives of those we know are destined to die? As grandmother pointed out, any other changes we make may have unforeseen consequences. But would either of us be able to stand by and allow Arathorn to take that arrow again? He is but one example, and there are many I would save if I could."

Elladan's face darkened. "No, I could not stand by and allow Arathorn to die again any more than you could. But should we not save him? I do not think I would be able to face Aragorn again, knowing we took the opportunity to save our mother, but did not do the same for his father."

A look of pain flashed across Elrohir's face. "I know the pain he felt over the loss of his father, and not having the chance to know him, but do we dare try to change that? Aragorn's life is pivotal in recent events of our world in a way that our own lives are not. Do we dare try to change a thing about his life? He must live, and while I do not like to suggest it, I believe that he must live exactly as he did for the sake of our world. I do know what pains and struggles he faced in his life. I would spare him that, if I could, but if we take that from him, he might not become the man, the king, that he was meant to be."

Though the very thought caused them both a great deal of pain, Elladan had to admit that Elrohir had a point. Aragorn's life was far too important to the defeat of Sauron for them to take any chances with altering even a single detail. Thinking back to the years they had ridden with the Dúnedain, though, another question occurred to him. "El, how many times over the years did we save the life of one of the heirs of Isildur in battle? If we are not there to do so again, might the line end far too early and Aragorn never be born?"

Taking in a sudden breath, Elrohir nearly panicked at the thought. "We can certainly not take that chance, but then, what are we to do? The line must continue, unbroken until Aragorn's birth."

"Perhaps we can ride with fewer patrols," Elladan mused. "We could ride out when we know someone's life is in danger, but that they survived the battle. That way we could be there to ensure that they do not die in a battle that did not originally claim their life."

"And refuse to ride out when we know that a battle claimed a life the first time?" Elrohir's tone was doubtful. He did not like the thought of letting those he cared for simply ride off to their deaths, but he knew that if he were present, he would change history by trying to save them.

Lowering his head to stare at the ground, Elladan shook his head again. He did not like the thought of sending their friends off to die, either. It struck him as slightly cowardly, but he did not see another choice. It was not the best solution, but it was at least a reasonable compromise. They could not risk changing more than they already had.

Nodding his head and straightening up, Elladan looked back at his brother then. "So, we are agreed? While we will still ride out to protect our home, we will do so less frequently and avoid certain patrols?"

Elrohir took a deep breath and slowly let it out before nodding his agreement. It was not what either of them would have wanted, but it was something they could live with. "Agreed."

Standing up, Elladan smiled down at his brother, trying to lighten the mood. "Look at it this way. At least now we will be able to spend more time at home with Naneth, Adar and Arwen. Our family is whole again, El. We should take the time to enjoy it."

An answering smile crossed Elrohir's face as he thought about Elladan's words. "You are right, muindor. Now, what say you? Should we go find our family and grace them with our ever charming presence?"

"Aye, we should," Elladan said. He gestured for Elrohir to rise and precede him out the door.

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Galadriel and Glorfindel had found Celeborn and Celebrían returning from their stroll, and stopped to speak with them.

Celebrían looked back and forth from her mother to the captain of her husband's forces. "Where are my sons? If you will remember, I did say that I wanted them returned in one piece, did I not?" She looked beyond her mother, then gave her an amused, but questioning look.

Galadriel smiled at her daughter reassuringly. "We left them alone to discuss a few things, that is all. They will be down shortly."

"And what did they have to discuss?" Celebrían asked, crossing her arms and giving Galadriel an expectant look.

A sigh escaped Galadriel as she looked seriously at her daughter. "They have to decide what to do about what they have seen in their visions."

"Their visions?" Celebrían asked, dropping her arms and her teasing demeanor. "What do you mean? They told me that Elrohir had only had the one vision and had used it to save me."

"No, I am afraid it is much more than that," Galadriel answered. "They both have the gift of foresight, which is not exactly unexpected, given their bloodlines." She shook her head sadly, remembering the look of despair she had seen on their faces as they recounted some of the events they had lived through. "Some of their visions were quite…disturbing, and while I have given them my opinion, it is now up to them to decide if and how they will act upon them."

Looking sharply at Glorfindel, Celebrían's eyes narrowed. Knowing she would get no real answers from her mother, she decided to try Glorfindel. "What are these dark things that my sons have seen?"

Glorfindel frowned and shook his head slowly before replying. "It is not my place to tell you, as I was told in confidence. If they choose to share these visions, it must be their decision alone."

A frown crossed Celebrían's face. If her sons were truly so troubled, should they not feel they could come to her? From the time they were born, if they were hurt or troubled, it was she to whom they ran for comfort. What had changed now, so that they felt they could not share this with her?

Before she could open her mouth to demand more answers that she likely would not be given, Celebrían saw her sons emerge from behind the trunk of a nearby tree. Quickly crossing over to them and laying a hand on each of their arms, she gazed long into first the eyes of one son, then the other. What she saw there startled her. There was a depth of knowledge and of pain there that had not been there the last time she had looked. What had happened to them to put such a look in their eyes? Surely the visions alone could not have been so powerful and so painful as to change them so deeply?

Knowing his mother was seeing far more than he was comfortable with, Elladan shook his head slightly and smiled at Celebrían to ease her worries, placing his hand on hers. "Fear not, Naneth. All will be well." He looked up as Galadriel and the others approached.

"You have come to a decision?" Galadriel asked, seeing the resolve in their eyes.

"We have," Elladan said. "The darkness is spreading over our lands, and the armies of Mordor grow daily. Simply riding with the Imladris patrols and protecting our home is not enough. The Dúnedain cover a greater range and protect all of the free peoples of Middle-earth. As Naneth's near capture showed, we cannot simply sit by and allow others to fight without joining them. We intend to go to Arahad and offer our services in some of his patrols. While we do intend to keep our places among the Imladris patrols, we will also ride out with the Dúnedain."

Galadriel nodded, knowing that they had ridden with the Dúnedain in their original history, but worrying that they would use that opportunity to save the lives of those that they had seen perish. Elrohir caught her gaze and with a glance, invited her into his mind. He showed her the compromise that he and Elladan had decided upon, and she nodded once more to him, agreeing with their plans. She could tell that it did not sit entirely well with either of them, but it was likely the best path they could follow. Changes would undoubtedly still occur, but perhaps would be minimized this way. She would simply have to trust that they would act in the best interests of Middle-earth.

Feeling his mother's grip tighten on his arm, Elladan looked back to Celebrían. There was a worried look in her eyes that Elladan felt he had to soothe. She apparently did not like the idea of them riding with the Dúnedain.

A smile graced his face as he stared at his mother. "Do not worry, we will still spend time at home with you and Adar," he reassured her.

"It will take more than a few visions to chase us away from home," Elrohir added in a teasing tone. "You will not get rid of us so easily."

At his comment, Glorfindel and Galadriel exchanged a covert glance, knowing exactly what it had taken to make the twins leave Imladris behind so frequently and hunt orcs so relentlessly. Celebrían missed the look, and smiled at her sons, reassured by their comments, though she still worried about them riding to battle more often.

"Come," Elrohir said, wishing to break the tension that had settled over the group. "Nothing will be done about this while we are here, so there is no point worrying now. We have been traveling for some time and have not had a meal in many hours. Would it be possible to find something to eat?"

Galadriel smiled at her grandson, knowing what he was doing. "I do believe that could be arranged." With that, she turned to find Celeborn standing beside her.

He offered her his arm and as she took it, pulled her gently to his side. Leaning in toward her, he whispered in her ear. "Do not forget that you promised to tell me what is bothering our grandsons."

"I will tell you as much as I may," she replied to his mind without speaking aloud.

Celeborn nodded his head, knowing he would get only as much as she felt she could share, then led the others toward the kitchens to find something for their company to eat.

On the way to the kitchens, Elladan came up with an idea. "Daernaneth, could you arrange for a picnic basket to be made up? It has been long since the two of us have had a simple picnic with our naneth."

Celebrían looked at her son. "That does sound like a good idea. I agree that it has been long." She wanted to spend some time alone with her sons and see if she could find out what they had seen, what made them seem so different now.

With a glance at the twins, Galadriel knew that they wanted to take this chance to spend time with the mother that they had lost centuries ago. Not knowing what the future might hold for them all now, she did not begrudge them this time, and nodded. "That sounds like a pleasant way to spend the day. I will have the cooks arrange a basket."

Nodding his head, Elrohir thanked her. Galadriel read in his eyes how much this chance with his mother meant to him.

A quick word with the cooks resulted in a picnic basket overflowing with food. With a nod of thanks, Elladan picked up the basket and Elrohir offered Celebrían his arm. As the three walked away, Celeborn gestured for Galadriel to lead the way back to their private chambers. Glorfindel watched the Lord and Lady of the Woods leave and wished Galadriel wisdom in choosing what to tell her husband, and luck that he would not push to know more than she was willing to share. Finding himself alone for the first time in many days, Glorfindel decided to wander and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the realm.

Leading the way, Elladan chose a place they had often visited when they were younger, a peaceful place that young elflings could play under the watchful eyes of their parents. A small brook meandered through a clearing surrounded by mallorn trees. A smile crossed Celebrían 's face as she recognized the place Elladan had chosen.

"I trust this has your approval?" Elladan asked with a smile on his face.

"Of course it does," she responded. "It has been quite some time since we have been back here. I remember the first time I brought you both here. You were so much smaller then." A glint of humor shone in her eyes as she looked at her sons, both whom now stood several inches taller than she. "At that time, I could carry you both in my arms, and now…"

Elrohir chuckled at the thought of her attempting to lift either of them now. Taking the blanket from the top of the basket, he spread it out and offered his arm to his mother. Taking his hand, she sank gracefully to sit on the blanket as her sons seated themselves near her and began removing the items for their meal. As they ate, Celebrían kept the topic of conversation light, wanting to have a pleasant meal in each other's company before she broached the topic she truly wanted to discuss. They reminisced about other visits to the Golden Wood, childhood memories, and people they had not had occasion to visit for some time.

Celebrían looked at her sons fondly. Elrohir was reclining on the blanket, working his way through a small bunch of grapes, and laughing easily at a comment Elladan had just made. Elladan was sitting a short distance away, leaning his back against the trunk of a tree, relaxing and doing his best to make his brother laugh. This was how she preferred to see her sons, laughing and simply enjoying themselves. Though they were usually lighthearted, as they had grown and taken on greater roles in the running and protection of Imladris, they had grown much more serious. Her sons were now formidable warriors as well as proper elven lords in their own right. She knew that they could not have remained elflings forever, but she had wished they could hold on to more of their innocence than they had been allowed to. But as the times darkened, no one who rode out on patrol could remain ignorant of the evils that existed in their world. It was why she was never too upset when they played pranks on others. Those moments of mischief showed that they had not truly lost the ability to take joy in simple things, and they were never mean-spirited in their actions.

Seeing them now so relaxed and joyful made her hesitate to broach the subject she knew she must. Having seen that look of despair in their eyes earlier, she must determine the reasons for it and see if she could help them in any way. As their mother, it was her place to help them. But she did not wish to shatter the peace they now obviously felt.

Elladan chose that moment to start lobbing cherries at his brother, and Elrohir retaliated by tossing grapes back. Celebrían decided that this was as good a time as any to intervene, or they would all end up covered in fruit. "Enough, you two. Anyone would think you were only twenty years old, the way you behave." Though there was laughter in her voice, the twins well knew to listen to her and immediately ceased throwing fruit at each other.

"Sorry, Naneth," Elrohir said, sitting up and brushing the loose cherries off of his clothing. "I was not the one who started this, though."

"I care not who started it, you both participated, and you will both clean up this mess." Honestly, there were times that they took this whole lighthearted elfling thing too far. She shook her head at the thought that she had just been praising the fact that they sometimes did not act their age.

"Yes, Nana," they chorused as they began picking up the now bruised fruit and piling them on the edge of the blanket. When they were finished, they both looked at her, awaiting her response.

"Good. Now, please have a seat." With a gesture, she indicated the blanket in front of her.

Sensing her serious mood, the twins glanced at each other and quickly seated themselves on the blanket near her.

"What is it, Naneth? What is bothering you?" Elrohir asked, ever sensitive to the moods of those around him.

Celebrían took a deep breath and simply asked what was foremost on her mind. "What have you seen in your visions? I saw the pain in your eyes, and I want to help you, if I can."

Their reactions shocked her, being completely different than she would have expected. Pain and anguish immediately clouded their eyes, followed by a wariness she would never have thought to see. They were wary of her, their own mother. Then, almost as one, the rush of emotions stopped, and the eyes she stared into were blank, almost cold. That scared her more than anything else she had ever seen. What could have happened to put that look into their eyes? What had they seen?

Elladan could not hold her gaze, and abruptly stood, striding several paces away to stand with his back to them, his body tense. Elrohir, though he did not move away, turned his head to stare into the waters of the babbling brook. The tension hung thick in the clearing for an interminable moment.

Celebrían reached forward and gently laid a hand on Elrohir's shoulder, not knowing if her touch would be welcome. Feeling the unaccustomed hesitancy in his mother's touch, Elrohir cursed himself for his reaction. They finally had their mother back, and he certainly did not want to do anything to chase her away now. Taking a deep breath to control the emotions her questions roused, he glanced back at her and held her gaze, making sure that she could see his apology and his love for her in his eyes. "Forgive me, Nana. We did not mean to upset you so. Your questions simply took us off guard. The things we have seen…" he shook his head, not certain how to explain it, or how much they could tell her about the future.

"Many of the things we have seen are dark, and so evil that it brings us pain to even think about it," Elladan spoke, saving Elrohir the trouble. He did not turn around, however, as it was easier to say what he must if he were not looking at his mother. "Your capture was not all that we saw. We saw beyond that, far beyond that moment. Our visions showed us what the future would have held if you had been captured by those foul creatures. What they would have done to you…" He closed his eyes and bowed his head, shuddering at the memory, unable to continue.

Celebrían caught her breath and stared into Elrohir's eyes again, seeing such pain, despair and rage that she could not bear to hold his gaze. This time, it was she who dropped her eyes. Elladan found his voice again and continued, his voice low and harsh. "The future we saw after that was dark, days and centuries of pain and death and battle, blurring together. No hope, no light, no peace. It was unimaginable, Naneth, and not something that we find it easy to talk about. If you truly wish to help us, please do not ask us about those visions again."

Her heart broke at the pain she saw and felt in her sons. Did this vision show what would have happened to her family after her death? Surely her death would not have done this to her sons? They would have been able to continue without her, wouldn't they?

Elrohir, sensing her confusion and growing despair, reached out and drew her gaze up to meet his eyes. "Not all that we have seen is so dark. Yes, the darkness will spread over our lands, the numbers of the enemy increasing by the day, but there is still hope. We have also seen love, and light and laughter. It only seems that the darkness is winning. Do not lose all hope, Naneth. There is still light ahead. And besides," his voice lightened a bit, "you were not captured, so all that we foresaw is changed. None of that will happen now." His gaze was on his mother, but his words were aimed at Elladan.

Elladan's shoulders relaxed a bit as he realized that Elrohir was right. It was far too easy for them both to be caught up in their memories, reliving those dark days after Celebrían's capture. He had to remember that they had averted that fate. Their mother was here with them, safe and whole in the peace of Lothlórien. Turning back, he met his mother's worried eyes. "Forgive me. Those visions haunt me. They haunt us both. I did not mean to burden you with them."

"I am your mother, Elladan. If it is within my power, I will ever try to relieve your burdens and ease your pain." She held her hand out to him, and he stepped forward, taking her hand in his and sinking to once again sit on the blanket before her. Reaching forward, she placed her hand behind his head to pull him closer so that he could rest his head on her shoulder. Doing the same for Elrohir, she held them both close, wanting to take their pain from them, and knowing that she could not. She could only hope that they would take comfort in her presence, knowing that the dark future they had seen would not now come to pass. Elrohir shuddered in her arms and clutched her so tightly that she felt as if he would never let go. She held him all the tighter, reassuring him with her presence, and wondering how a vision could have affected them both so strongly.

It was many long minutes before either of the peredhel could pull themselves away from their mother's comforting embrace. Far too many years had passed since they had been able to do this and they did not want to let go. Finally, Elladan forced himself to move out of Celebrían's arms. Laying a hand on Elrohir's back, he leant his support to his younger brother, letting him know that he felt the same jumble of emotions. A brief nod was Elrohir's response, then he too pulled away from Celebrían.

Celebrían looked back and forth between her sons, seeing the same inscrutable expression mirrored on their faces. Whatever her sons had seen, it broke her heart to see them like this. Though her curiosity was close to overwhelming her common sense, her maternal instincts kept her from asking them anything more about their visions. "I can see how badly your visions have affected you. If you ever wish to talk about them, I would be willing to listen. However, I will do as you requested and never bring them up again. It will be your choice if you choose to discuss them. I will not push for answers."

A flash of relief crossed the faces of both of her sons, and Elladan nodded. "Thank you, Nana."

To her disappointment, neither of the twins seemed to be in the mood to continue the picnic, and they quickly packed up the basket and headed back to join the others. Celebrían hated the fact that her questions had chased away the playful, relaxed elflings and left in their place these serious, quiet, and withdrawn elves. If it would spare her sons pain, she would never mention those visions again.

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Haldir watched with no little amusement as the usually serene Celebrían paced before him. "I do not see how that could be considered a problem," he commented. "I myself am rather glad of the fact." Celebrían had been worrying about the behavior of her sons practically since the day they arrived, and now, three weeks later, had confided her worries to Haldir, one of her oldest friends.

Allowing herself a small smile, she stopped pacing and turned to look at him. "Yes, I can see that you would be quite relieved to have been spared any pranks thus far, but you know this is far from their normal behavior."

Haldir did have to admit that she was right. Elladan and Elrohir had seemed to be on their best behavior the whole time they had been here. "They are more serious than usual," he admitted with a nod. "But that is not necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps they are merely growing up?"

Celebrían had to laugh at that. "Haldir, they are nearly two thousand, three hundred and eighty years old! They could hardly be considered elflings! They have been full grown for many centuries now."

"You couldn't tell it by the way they act," Haldir pointed out helpfully.

"And that is precisely my point," Celebrían said, turning around and taking a seat on a nearby rock to keep herself from pacing again. "I have seen them in many guises in their lives; warrior, diplomat, elven lord, and yes, sometimes they are as playful elflings. Now they seem to have taken on the roles of elven lords. It may be appropriate to their status, but that is not normally how they act here." She sighed and looked away. "I asked Naneth about their visions. I did not see how visions could have affected them as deeply as I witnessed the day of our arrival."

Haldir nodded silently. She had told him of the events that had taken place during their picnic. The change in her sons when she asked about their visions had shaken her badly. He had not known what to say to comfort her when she had confided that her sons had seemed as strangers for that brief moment. "What did the Lady say?"

Celebrían took a deep breath before speaking again. "As you know, I also have the gift of foreknowledge, though it is not as strong in me as it is in my mother and my husband. I only have a vague sense of things, I have feelings about how this or that will turn out, either for good or ill. Both Naneth and Elrond have full visions, they actually see events play out, though they are often fragmented, showing bits and pieces of what may happen. Naneth told me that my sons have visions of a different kind. For them, it is as if they have lived what they saw. They actually feel as if they experienced the horrors in their minds. I cannot imagine how they are dealing with their visions, and I have sworn not to ask them in order to spare them pain." Celebrían shook her head in frustration. "I am supposed to help my children, protect them from pain, but I cannot even discuss it with them. And they are not acting at all normal. Even when they laugh, I can see the shadow in their eyes. They have changed, and I do not know how to help them."

Haldir shook his head in resignation. He did not know what advice to give his lifelong friend. While he much preferred the more serious nature of the twins that he had seen on this visit, he shared Celebrían's concern. He, too, had seen the shadow Celebrían had mentioned. Every now and then, when they thought no one was watching, one or the other of the twins would glance toward Celebrían with a fearful, expectant look in their eyes, as if they expected her to suddenly vanish in front of their eyes. Haldir had been caught quite by surprise the first time he had seen the pain that resided in the eyes of them both. It had certainly not been there when they had last met, a century ago. If a vision could change them so greatly, he found himself quite thankful that he did not have visions. "I do not know if your sons will accept my help, but I will try to do whatever I may to help them return to their normal exuberant selves. No matter the cost to my own well being when they decide to start tormenting me again." His last line had the desired effect of bringing a smile to Celebrían's lips and she relaxed her tense pose.

"Thank you, Haldir. You are a true friend."

"I try," he said, returning her smile and gesturing for her to lead the way back toward the main hall.

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Haldir thought back to his conversation with Celebrían as he sat watching the twins on the sparring field several weeks later. To Celebrían's relief, both of her sons had been able to relax in the tranquility of Lothlórien. They no longer watched her so fearfully when they thought no one saw, and they had begun to laugh and tease each other more frequently. However, they were still more serious and behaving themselves remarkably well. If one were to look deep enough, they could still see the shadow lurking beneath the surface. It was not gone, merely buried, and it seemed to him that the shadow was buried with the ease of long practice. But if the visions had only recently started, they should not be so comfortable with hiding that darkness. Celebrían's fears were confirmed in Haldir's mind the more he observed of them. Both Elladan and Elrohir had changed, and Haldir had begun to suspect that it was from more than a series of visions.

Nowhere were his suspicions more strongly roused than here, as he watched them fighting. Elladan was sparring with Glorfindel, while Elrohir was sparring with Celeborn. Their styles had not changed overly much, but they showed a level of skill that Haldir did not realize they possessed. While he had not spent as much time training them as Glorfindel or the other Imladris tutors had, he had helped further their training during their visits to Lothlórien, and he had never seen them like this. When they were much younger, Glorfindel had had difficulty curbing their playful natures, and he had finally made it a rule that when they were on the sparring field, they had to be serious, focused fighters, or they would not be allowed on the field. They had gotten used to that rule, and abided by it well, but Haldir had never seen them this focused. Though they were sparring with family and those close enough to be considered family, they seemed to be fighting as fiercely as if their lives depended on it.

Celeborn and Glorfindel were still the better fighters, having many more centuries of practice, but the twins had long shown a great aptitude with swords. From what he saw now, Haldir was convinced that anyone with less skill and experience in combat than their current opponents would have fallen to the twins long ago. Haldir, though he was much older, was better with a bow than a sword, like many of the Galadrim, and he was sure he would not have been able to stand long against either one of them.

While he was watching, Haldir saw Glorfindel press a new attack, and he began to drive Elladan back slowly, step by step. Suddenly, Elladan used a move Haldir had never seen. Haldir saw the surprise in Glorfindel's eyes as he quickly tried to block the move, but he was not quick enough, and his sword went flying. Elladan's sword was still in motion, swinging toward Glorfindel's neck. To Haldir's surprise, Glorfindel flinched and took a step backward, away from Elladan. Stopping in mid-swing, Elladan brought his sword to a halt an inch away from Glorfindel. "Do you yield?" Elladan asked.

Glorfindel sought Elladan's eyes and exhaled in relief as he nodded. "Yes, I yield. You have proven yourself a worthy opponent today."

Stepping back, Elladan lowered his sword and nodded to Glorfindel. "Thank you." He looked quizzically at the older elf. "Why did you flinch? Did you not trust me to be able to halt my sword?"

Meeting his eyes, Glorfindel spoke his next words softly. "It was not a question of your abilities, but of your motives. It would not be the first time I had found your sword at my neck, if you will recall. The last time, you showed no inclination to stop."

Dropping his eyes from Glorfindel's intent gaze, Elladan sheathed his sword. "Forgive me for making you doubt me. I will be sure that you never have cause to do so again." He turned and walked off the field before Glorfindel could answer.

Haldir had been close enough to hear every word, and walked to stand near Glorfindel as he picked up his sword and placed it carefully back in its scabbard. "What did you mean by that?"

Glorfindel shook his head sadly. "When we attacked the orcs who would have captured the Lady Celebrían, Elladan was caught in a battle rage and nearly did not recognize friend from foe. Were it not for his brother…" Leaving the sentence hanging, he shook his head and walked off the field.

Left alone, Haldir glanced over to where Elrohir and Celeborn had been practicing. To his surprise, they were still sparring as if nothing had happened. The two of them were so intent on their own match that they had not even noticed when Elladan bested Glorfindel, a feat that Haldir would have thought impossible. Celeborn and Elrohir were a blur of motion, a mix of silver and raven colored hair and flashing weapons, moving faster than the eye could easily follow. Haldir watched for many more minutes, transfixed by the deadly grace they both exhibited. For some reason, he was not surprised to see his lord's sword go flying as Celeborn fell to the ground, ending with Elrohir's sword pointing at his heart. He was not near enough to them to hear what words were exchanged, but Elrohir smiled as he put his sword away and reached down a hand to pull his grandfather to his feet. Exchanging nods, they walked off the field in opposite directions. Elrohir approached Haldir.

"That was quite a feat, besting the Lord of the Golden Wood," Haldir said easily as Elrohir stopped in front of him. "Congratulations."

A satisfied smile crossed Elrohir's face before he ducked his head, seeming the young warrior that Haldir had helped train so long ago. "Hannon le. I managed to take him by surprise, or the match would have ended quite differently." He looked around and noticed that they were the only two remaining. "Where are Glorfindel and Elladan? I did not even see how their match ended."

His expression darkened as Haldir told him what he had witnessed; the match and the words afterward. A sigh escaped him, and all merriment left him. He gazed off in the direction in which his brother had disappeared. "If you will excuse me, I must go find my brother." At Haldir's nod of acknowledgment, Elrohir walked away, leaving Haldir the sole occupant of the training field.

Haldir was left wondering what had just happened, how both twins had been able to take their opponents so off guard, and what secret Glorfindel shared with the twins. There was something strange afoot, and he did not like being left in the dark about it.