A/N Strangulation...mentioned, not overly graphic. Least I don't think it's graphic. Given what has been written on this site, I think what I have is incredibly mild. Anyway...true T rating in this chapter at the fifth section. You have been warned.
Estel slumbered quite deeply in his bed. He knew he should have heeded Elladan's not so obvious advice about going to sleep early. He did go to sleep earlier than normal, but not early enough, as he would learn that soon.
"Estel." There was a rough shaking, "Wake up now."
'No…' The adolescent moaned. He did not want to get up.
"You wanted to do this. Come now."
"Fine…" Estel sighed and stretched out. He yawned and sat up. And really woke up when he saw what the time was.
It must have been three in the morning.
"Really?" He deadpanned, turning his gaze towards the shadowed figure of the older twin.
"I said early. It is your fault for not listening." Elladan replied lightly. "Bundle up, and bring blankets too, please." He requested as he turned to leave the room.
"Why did you not do it before?" Estel asked grumpily.
"Because I think my back will be thrown out in the process of carrying Elrohir on my shoulders, so carrying semi-heavy objects in my arms may not be good for me."
Estel could not believe he just heard that come out of Elladan's mouth. He supposed he ought to be glad that Elladan had come out of his low state of mind. But…that was incredible.
He could not comment anymore as Elladan had vanished into thin air (not really though). Estel sighed and forced himself to get up on his feet and wake up a bit. He stripped the heavy coverlet off his own bed. He was going to bundle up for sure. It would be cold out there, especially when it happened to be so bloody early/late in the night. And it was autumn, for stars' sake.
Estel looked out the window.
…frost.
At least it was not snow.
Estel sighed again. He asked for this, and he was going to uphold his promise. Now, if he got a cold in the end…well, that would be his fault too.
Estel was a blanket monster.
He had gotten so many, mostly for his own use, that he had to bend over to carry it all.
'A hunchback, not very appealing…but it is an effort well applied. I do not think many people here would appreciate a mortal ice statue in their yard.'
On the bright side, he sweated enough to retain the warmth. This should keep him alive when they were outside.
Speaking of they…where were the twins?
He will find them…eventually. But he wanted to go to their spot before he collapsed under the weight of the fabric.
To Estel's relief, and possibly Elladan's, there was no one to witness their sneaking except the birds and rabbits. The man approached the leaf pile that had been made, and dumped the blankets nearby, letting out a big breath he had held. He promptly flopped onto the cushioned mound to catch his breath; the cold air helping him along.
Elladan and Elrohir had not showed up yet, and Estel mildly wondered why. He was not going to think about it, for he had to set out some sort of patch for the younger twin to lay on, and for Elladan and himself to sit. If they were going to be out here until the sunrise, Estel doubted they want to be having soggy clothes for hours on end.
He accomplished his goal and wrapped up in his coverlet, teeth now chattering slightly. Right on time too, he heard feet crunching on the leaves. And given the odd shadow he saw approaching, had to be the twins.
"You are late." The man said helpfully.
"It is a bit difficult to do this alone, opening doors and balancing elf-weight on your back." Elladan said in turn, now fully in view. With Elrohir on his shoulders.
"I would have helped, or tried to find you, if I were not going to suffocate beneath sixty pounds of coverings, and in case the wind decided to blow them all away while I was gone."
Elladan blinked, "Sixty pounds?" He looked at the pile. "I did not mean that many!"
"Well good, because I need them." Estel said confidently, and he curled up in the blanket he had to make his point.
The elder twin sighed. "Well Elrohir…we just happened to be blessed with this silly human." He addressed Estel again next. "If you wish to help, then help me get down without Elrohir sliding off and falling."
Estel quickly got up, blanket cast aside. As Elladan carefully got on his knees next to the spread prepared for the younger twin, Estel helped balance the prone elf as Elladan moved. When that was accomplished, Elladan allowed Elrohir to slide off his shoulders and onto the sheet.
"I am sorry for the indignity of all this, brother." Elladan said softly, positioning his twin to lay on his stomach in a comfortable way. "But we know better to not stay cooped up inside all the time, and only moving from the bed to the bathing chamber and back."
Estel listened to the words as he went back to his spot and all the blankets, wrapping himself up again in the coverlet. It was cold, and he felt it immediately when he went to help Elladan. The last thing he wished was for all the blankets to become stiff and frozen.
Despite it being cold, it was a lovely night. The night was clear, the leaves were changing color, the stream flowed nearby, and an owl hooted in the distance. Some buildings were lit up: only a few, so they were safe.
But the healers would find out in the morning when they came to do their rounds.
"Will we go back in before the healers arrive?" Estel asked.
"Perhaps…but in case they come unexpected, I left a note on where we are, and a request on being discreet if they do visit."
Estel blinked. Everything has been prepared already.
A couple of hours must have passed. Estel had fallen asleep again at some point. As he woke up, slowly, he looked around. Nothing had really changed, perhaps that the sky may be changing as dawn was slowly approaching. It would be some time before all the stars faded though.
The adolescent looked to the twins. Elladan sat next to Elrohir with his legs crossed across each other. Elrohir had not been repositioned since the last time Estel looked. Looking at Elladan, Estel saw that he seemed sad. Estel kicked himself internally. So much for being helpful by falling asleep. But since he was a bit more rested, he could be more helpful than if he had not slept.
But how to be helpful?
Estel bit his lip and his brows furrowed. Other than bantering, which seemed out of place, the only thing that remained was…talking about it. It would be now or never. Besides, it could help, even if it would be frightening.
Estel propped himself on his arm. "Elladan?"
The twin turned his head. "Hm?"
Estel's tongue was stuck in his mouth for a moment. "What…what happened, exactly, that became an underlying factor to the mess Elrohir is in?"
Elladan really wished Estel did not just ask that. His heart beat a little faster, in a painful way. Do not think, do not think. And do not show the discomfort.
"Elladan," Estel spoke again, concern in his tone. "I do not know any other way to approach this. Seeing as you are hesitating…that gives me the knowledge that there is more than you are letting on, and what I have been told."
…So perceptive. Bless the man for it, but blast it that it has been used for this particular subject. Elladan had swallowed those memories down before without ever needing to truly go into details. No one needed to know the events surrounding…
"Please, brother." Estel said again. "I want to understand, so I can help. I cannot do that if I do not know anything."
"You ask a difficult thing of me." Elladan said lowly.
"I can imagine so! But no one else need hear what you would tell me. But Elladan, you and Elrohir were orc slaughterers before my birth. Truly those sights are much more gruesome, more foul an experience than…"
Elladan held a hand up.
Estel shut up.
Elladan let the silence reign for a moment, before in a soft voice spoke. "Yes, being orc slaughterers brings sights no one should see. Nor is it a fitting title for people who supposedly are of a higher, blessed race." He paused, "…but being forced into situations where there is no control, no help, and it affects someone dear to you, twists the heart far more than any gore a battle can bring."
Estel watched and listened.
"Worse still, for it being at the hands of men."
"Master, the elves: they have picked up on our trail. They ought to be here at nightfall!"
Elladan had pressed himself against the post. It dug into his back, but anything to be able to have slack from the cord around his neck. He must be able to breathe.
"And we still have not gotten a peep from the elf-lord's sons. I don't know which one of them is the chosen heir!"
"Why did they want to know?"
"Enough overhearing, over the weeks we had been travelling with these men, I had concluded we were supposed to be held ransom, for one reason or another…or our disappearance would draw Imladris' warriors out to find us, which did…though I think the men were expecting more, had planned for more."
"Why you, though?"
"With help of the elves, the remnant of Cardolan had the victory over Angmar after being devastated by the plague, though it took another five hundred years before they were finally vanquished."
"There were still some remnant of that army, or their forces at least, to have banded together."
"Perhaps…but this force was too small to reach their goals."
"This is a bad idea."
"Why ransom? Why not deliver them to the masters in Angmar, as was ordered?"
"We were doing that, you idiot, but we will not be able to out run their kin now."
"Then what do we do?"
Elladan looked to where his brother was also secured to a post. Unlike Elladan, Elrohir did not have the slack; not enough so that he could sit relatively still without panicking.
The men had done nothing to them, only keeping them subdued and moving. It was futile to try and escape. The ropes were thick and they knew their knots well. They had all they needed.
Still, even without the physical pain that the twins very well knew could have been applied, made it no less terrifying. Having a cord around your neck gave enough reason to be afraid.
The chieftain was approaching him, and Elladan flicked his eyes towards the man.
"Your people are quite swift when it comes to these matters, I will admire you for that." The man leant forward. "But you know what would really help us, you perhaps? Is if you tell us who is the eldest. I would like to get away from here as quickly as possible, however, there is only one horse."
Elladan felt the cord be tightened, and he could not help but gasp.
"One of you will say: "I am the one," eventually."
"And…what benefit would we have, not knowing if you will or will not slaughter the other?" Elladan ground out in a rasp, having not spoken a word since their capture.
"How do you know if I would let the other one live?"
"On who's honor?"
Silence.
And that basically told Elladan: No one's.
The older twin held his breath. Do not let it out, under no circumstance. Elrohir…he could not see Elrohir, but he knew there much more terror than he was experiencing.
Elladan did not know how long he was being strangled. Miraculously he still kept his tongue in check, aside from gasping and gagging. Fuzzily thinking, he wondered what the man was expecting to get from them through this, if it was not working so far.
There was an outcry, and then a shout. And everything went to chaos. Elladan did not hear the order that was given, before he felt a sharp pain to the side of his head.
When he came to, it was hard to focus on anything going around. He had been set free, given his position being sprawled on the ground. Something, or someone, was tapping his face.
"…dan. Elladan, wake up!"
And he did.
He saw a face, a blurred face. Then he heard voices, distant.
Then he panicked and reached for his throat.
"Be still, my lord! That thing does not constrict you anymore."
"Elrohir…" Elladan croaked, scurrying to try and sit up. When he heard nothing in response it only fueled the fire of his fright. "Where is Elrohir?"
Despite the other elf's attempt to keep him calm, he just could not. There had been a fight, and he saw an elf with dark hair in feather regalia, standing before the chieftain, obviously interrogating him.
Elladan paid them no mind. Combining his struggle to move and being restrained, he saw the pool of blood at the stake Elrohir was bound to. So much blood…and to the side he saw many elves surrounding a single person.
Elladan had no doubt to who it was.
"No…" And he collapsed.
Estel was white by the time Elladan had finished relating the tale. He felt sick as well. His gaze drifted towards Elrohir: still peaceful.
'Thank Eru for that…' Estel thought. At this moment, he felt glad that Elrohir did not have to be reminded of the past. It was the cause of all this trauma after all. Estel looked at Elladan intently.
Elladan had cease to speak for a minute, absently playing with the ends of Elrohir's hair. "…We were back home; that was the next thing I knew. Aside from a massive headache and fatigue, I was left unscathed." He sighed. "Our brother…was not as lucky. Whatever we were hit with, the enemy could get a harder swing at Elrohir than they did me. He was further away from me, when our kin came, so the men had a bit more time to…calculate."
Intentionally vague, but Estel knew it was better for it to be vague or imprecise. He did not want to know the extent of the gore. He had the idea already.
"What about…how long before Elrohir came to?"
Elladan became mute at the question, instead he looked towards a flowerbed.
Estel did not bother to press anymore, he felt he had inquired enough.
But it did not mean Elladan would stop, now that he had said quite a bit.
The twin arose and went to the flowerbed. He plucked a wilting flower, a silver one. Even though Celebrían is long gone, her special seeds continued to grow. Generation after generation…they still remembered their former caretaker, and grew just for her.
Elladan returned to his brothers, placing the flower beneath Elrohir's hand, and folded the fingers around the stem for him.
"You want to ask more." Elladan said at last.
Estel looked back, frowning. He shifted, a little bit antsy. "What…what will happen when he finally comes back?"
Elladan sighed. "I have a vague idea, given the last time…"
"Prepare me. Better that I know now than to see it unfold unprepared."
Elladan regarded the human carefully. "Be ready for anything, Estel…For the worst and the better. Guard yourself for random moods and angry outbursts that very well be destructive. But…do not change too much. Changes will need to be made for Elrohir's sake, depending on how things are when he is returned to us. However, he must be reminded that we think no less of him for this."
Estel nodded minutely at this. For a moment, his heart clenched at the thought of Elrohir not being the same composed and rather smart elf that he was. From the small things Estel has read on head injuries, so much could be altered or destroyed by just one good shake to that fragile organ that governed everything else in an organism.
Estel scooted closer to the twins, a thoughtful and compassionate look on his face. He placed a hand on Elrohir's shoulder, before looking back to the sky to watch the stars beginning to disappear.
