Elrohir opened his eyes slowly. A headache had assembled right behind his forehead as it always did after he overused his ability. It felt like someone had hit him over the head with a sledgehammer. He raised his hand and placed it on his forehead in attempt to minimize the pain. Something moved beside him and he first really noticed that one side of him was warmer than the other.

When he looked beside him he saw Elladan sleeping peacefully by his side. Though, by the looks of it, he was close to awakening. Elrohir turned slowly over on his side so he could look at Elladan. He also saw Glorfindel sleeping on the other bed.

He would protect Elladan no matter what. The panic he had been overridden by wasn't going to happen again. He knew that it was impossible for him to lie to Elladan, but he could dampen the truth. If anything the nightmare Elladan had had only strengthened his will to protect him. Elladan hadn't had nightmares about their mother for nearly a month so it must have been triggered by the situation they were in. Elladan like always wasn't afraid for himself but for him. Both of them knew that if one of them lost the other they would fade. Raegon had found the perfect thing to threaten him with.

Elladan moved closer to Elrohir and mumbled something under his breath that he didn't quite catch. Then Elladan's eyes slowly began to focus again, he blinked as he looked into Elrohir's eyes.

"What happened?" Elrohir asked softly.

"You fainted." Elladan answered and ran his hand over Elrohir's forehead and through his hair. Elrohir grimaced slightly when Elladan passed the point where his headache resided. "Headache?" Elladan asked used to Elrohir symptoms after healing someone.

"Yeah…" Elrohir sighed, "How long since I fainted?"

"A day."

Elrohir's eyes widened and he sat up quickly on the bed. He then let out a small moan and clasped his hands in front of his face before allowing himself to fall back onto the bed as a wave of dizziness hit him full force.

"Not good." Elrohir mumbled while waiting for his headache to flare back down. When he opened his eyes again he saw that Elladan was watching him. A smile lit up on his face and he snuggled closer to Elladan. "I think I'd rather just stay here."

"You think?" Elladan grinned and moved closer to Elrohir as well.

"Mmhmm…"

"We make a pretty good team don't we?" Elladan asked, "Both of us walking straight into what we knew was a trap while constantly telling everyone that it wasn't certain that it was a trap."

Elrohir grinned, "I never understand our decisions, neither does Ada. But I think maybe we crossed some kind of line this time. He'll probably have half of Rivendell out looking for us."

"I don't doubt he does." Elladan said, "There are no ways out of this room so we're counting on him."

"Maybe I could sneak a key from the guard next time." Elrohir suggested.

"Where would we go? You haven't seen the place without a blindfold."

Elrohir thought for a moment. "You have a point there."

"Have you seen Kevin yet?" Elladan asked. "He should be here somewhere. If you do see him then please give him a punch in the face from me, okay?"

"Maybe it would be worth the risk." Elrohir said, but the comment immediately made them think of the risk, Glorfindel's life.

"We shouldn't have dragged him into this." Elrohir whispered, "If we had never asked him to come then he wouldn't be in danger now."

"It is too late to change it now." Elladan sighed.

"I should've come alone like Kevin persisted…" Elrohir muttered guiltily.

Elladan moved closer to him until his eyes were inches from Elrohir's and looking fiercely at him. "Don't do that Ro. It wasn't your fault and it still isn't your fault that we are here."

"If I didn't have the ability to heal, then none of this would have happened…" Elrohir murmured. His eyes welled up. He was still feeling weak from the lasting effects.

"Elrohir. This isn't your fault. You were born with the powers you have. You didn't have a choice whether or not to accept them, but now they have become a part of who you are. You're perfect for this ability because your heart holds the desire to help other people, no matter who they are and what it take from yourself." Elladan said while gently wiping away stray tears coming down Elrohir's cheeks. "I have seen you heal countless of people over the years and if many of them hadn't had you then they would have died. All the people you've saved because of your ability and all the people you're going to save here make up for its downsides."

"Elladan…" Elrohir whispered, "You have to start making a plan of getting out of here… If Ada doesn't come then you need to have a plan in a month. If I die then there is nothing left to stop him from killing you."

Coldness spread through Elladan's body. A month. Elrohir estimated his life to a month. If he healed three people every couple days in a month then he would have healed twenty-four before he died. The thought of loosing his brother inside such a short period of time, made Elladan's chest constrict and his breathing difficult. He couldn't lose Elrohir. That wasn't an option. If he lost Elrohir then he would lose everything keeping him alive. Of course the rest of his family meant a great deal to him, but he couldn't make it without Elrohir. Elrohir was a piece of his soul they were never apart. The way Raegon was separating them was unbearable.

"Ada will come and it he doesn't then we'll all escape together. You'll survive this Elrohir I swear to it." Elladan said fiercely. Elrohir looked into his eyes for some time before nodding.

"When dawn comes they'll haul me away again." Elrohir said airily, "Will you be alright till I come back?"

"I'm not the one you should be worried about." Elladan said.

Elrohir smiled at him, "Then why are you the one I'm worried about?"

"Because you're overprotective." Elladan said shortly.

Elrohir laughed quietly, "I thought that was you."

Elladan just raised an eyebrow at him before joining his soft laughter.

"I guess we are the same one that point." Elladan grinned before turning serious again. "Elrohir we live as long as you live. To give Ada time to find us we need to stretch that timeline. That means if anyone comes in that are too close to death or if it will take too much to heal them, then don't try. "

"But if I do that then…" Elrohir said before figuring out that that was exactly what Elladan meant.

"He'll give me the vile." Elladan finishes.

Elrohir's eyes widened and he automatically shook his head slightly, but then he stopped seeing Elladan's point. He had to last as long as possible that was the only way he could save Elladan's life. To last as long as possible he had to let Elladan take the punishments from time to time. But Elladan didn't know how much pain it caused…

Elladan must have seen something in his expression because the next thing he said was, "…He tried it on you didn't he?"

Elrohir hesitated a moment before nodding his head. Rage flickered through Elladan's eyes, but then they became questioning.

"How bad was it?" Elladan asked.

Elrohir closed his eyes shortly, "Couldn't move. Couldn't make a sound… It was bad."

Elladan knew that Elrohir wouldn't say something like that about just anything. He was good at tolerating pain and he usually tried to tone it down when he explained it, but this time Elladan got a vague horrible picture in his head that at one side didn't say much and at the other said a lot.

He was quick to recover and any fright and doubt that might have erupted from Elrohir's explanation turned to determines. "I'll still prefer it to you using all your power. I mean it Elrohir! If anyone is brought to you without any real chance then don't do anything! You're fine now, I will be as well, but the real danger here is death. If having to withstand pain will keep that at bay then I would rather deal with the pain and then be alive and well with you beside me when it's done."

Elrohir swallowed thickly, but nodded. Elladan had a point and even though it would pain him to cause his brother pain deliberately it was the only way to keep him alive as well.

"Another thing Elrohir." Elladan continued. "If you feel that you need it in any way then take my energy. You don't even have to ask for permission. I don't even have to be in the same room as you do I? You can do it any time as long as I'm relatively close."

This was something Elrohir, from the time he had found out that it was possible for him to do it, had been reluctant to do. No, not reluctant, unwilling. This ability, it was his burden to bear, not Elladan's. When he had been healing people and losing energy because of it Elladan would maybe be with him maybe be running around outside when they were smaller. He would cut that opportunity away from Elladan and make him weak if he used his energy. The same feeling he had every time he used his energy, Elladan would feel that same thing only a little lessened.

"You've always been reluctant to do it." Elladan said, "Even Ada was surprised when I told him that the first time you had done it was the episode some weeks ago. Why Elrohir?"

"It isn't your burden to bear." Elrohir answered.

"You are my brother!" Elladan exclaimed. "I could have helped you when you needed it!"

An unreadable expression came through Elrohir's face and he rolled out of the bed and stood up. He turned his back to Elladan.

"Didn't you want my help?" Elladan continued in a loud voice, "You wanted to have the glory all to yourself?" He was sitting up now.

Glorfindel was also sitting up slowly on the other bed. His question was left on his lips when Elrohir spun around and exclaimed, "Glory! You think I did all that for glory? Do you think I spent a great deal of my childhood inside the healing ward learning for glory? Because I couldn't come up with one moment when I wouldn't rather have been running outside with you! You want to know why I was so unwilling to take your energy after I found out that I could? You want to know why I didn't even mention it? Because tapping away your energy would trap you! It would take away your freedom! I would come to depend on you being there! And you would no longer have a choice because you couldn't say no to me! So I learned to do it by myself and I grew stronger so that I wouldn't have to depend on you. You felt what it feels like! You felt it when you helped me heal Glorfindel. Imagine that only ten times worse and that is what I feel like every time I use my powers! It feels like my hands are burning every time I do it and to transfer all my energy… You do not want this Elladan. If you think I did this for glory then you're sorely mistaken!"

The door opened with a bang and two men came into the room both of them grabbing Elrohir and dragging him with them.

"No!" Elrohir shouted and struggled against them, "It hasn't even been two days!"

"Change of plans." One of the men said, "My lord said that since you're so energetic then you might as well get started already. Who knows maybe you'll get a forth this time."

They dragged Elrohir the rest of the way out of the room and slammed the door right in Elladan's face while he was shouting for them to release Elrohir. When the lock in the door clicked Elladan kept banging on the door and shouting Elrohir's name.

Arms encircled him from behind and dragged him away from the door. He struggled a bit, but he knew that it was Glorfindel.

After Elladan calmed down he muttered disbelievingly, "I never knew…"