Chapter 10

Elrond wanted to bang his head on the wall in frustration. He was the greatest healer in the halls, when he was being modest, and they had shut him out of the healing room as his own wife was giving birth! How ridiculous could you get?

He had been pacing for almost an hour at the beginning, and now he was sitting against the wall, as he had been for who-knows-how many hours. His first children—twins!—and he wasn't even allowed to be in the room.

The walls were soundproof, which he had specifically asked for in the design. Why did he do that? He asked himself now, because he wanted desperately any small sound, just a little noise to tell him how it was going.

The door slid open, and one of the healers came out.

"My lord Elrond," she said. Her eyes were brimming with tears. Elrond felt his heartbeat suddenly go up to the pace of a hummingbird's wings.

"What is it? What is wrong?" he asked, his voice panicked. The elleth simply shook her head and opened the door further.

When he came in, Celebrian had tears running down her face.

"Celebrian! What is wrong, melleth?" Elrond said, rushing to her side. His heart was dreading the answer.

"The oldest…my Elladan…they say he will not make it," Celebrian choked out. She buried her head in the rich fabric of his robes. Perhaps, with her ear against his chest, she could hear the moment his heart stopped at those words, before once more resuming its frantic pace.

"My lord, the children are here…Elladan is the one with Ansferel, and Elrohir is with Gillian."

Elrond looked to the two nurses who stood, each holding a little bundle of cloth. They came to him. Inside the bundles were two perfect little identical faces, and Elrond fell in love with his sons at that moment. He watched as Elrohir's huge grayish eyes opened, and he fell into them. There was such deep wisdom in them that even he felt dwarfed by it.

He turned to Elladan forcefully, watching as his tiny chest heaved with every breath. He was sweating wildly, and Elrond held out his hands for the child. Ansferel handed him his eldest wordlessly, moisture glistening in her eyes.

They were right. Elladan would not survive the night. Elrond could tell by looking at him. His body had not formed properly, something was missing; part of a lung perhaps, judging by his harsh breaths. Elrond held his child close, trying to calm himself.

Elrohir's tiny hand reached from under the blankets and towards his brother and father. When Gillian tried to bundle him up again, he shrieked, reaching all the more desperately and squirming. Elrond finally gave in.

"It's alright…let them see each other."

Both twins were placed on their sides in one of the cribs in the room, facing each other. Elrond let his hand touch either one's cheek lightly before he drew away, though he still peered over the edge of the crib. Elladan's eyes were still shut, and Elrohir blinked owlishly and reached out to his brother, touching him lightly.

The entire room burst with bright white light.

Elrond and the others in the room were flung against the walls, and Celebrian into the headboard of the bed. Elrond's head slammed into the wall, and the sudden, blinding pain almost made him black out. Within a few seconds, the light was gone. Elrond jumped up, and, despite the sudden dizziness that assaulted him when he stood. He stumbled to the crib and peered inside.

Elrohir and Elladan's hands were together, and their breathing was completely in sync, though Elladan's was still labored. Elrohir reached out with his other hand, closing his huge eyes. Elrond watched in fascination as his hand glowed, and Elladan's breathing became easy and deep. Elrohir's eyes fluttered closed, and Elladan's eyes opened. His little chubby hand reached and smoothed Elrohir's little tufts of hair, and he smiled a wide, toothless grin. Elrohir's eyes opened again, and he giggled, though it was rather weak. His eyelids were drooping.

Elrond stared in awe. What had just…happened?

"Elrond, what has happened?" Celebrian said frantically from the bed. She had tried to stand, and the healers were trying to hold her down.

"Elrohir…Elrohir has healed him…Elrohir has healed Elladan!" Elrond exclaimed, picking up the tiny baby that was the younger twin and spinning him around above his head. Elrohir squealed in delight. "Good job, my son!" He pulled the baby close to his face and kissed his nose. Elrohir grinned, putting his hands on his father's face.

Elladan cried out from the crib, and Elrond picked him up in his other arm. The twins peered at each other again. And he let them. Celebrian was crying with joy. She held her hands out shakily, and Elrond placed Elladan in them. She settled him in one arm, and Elrond handed her Elrohir as well. She gazed at both of them in pure adoration, tears still flowing from her eyes. Elrohir yawned and turned so his face was buried in her chest, before falling into a deep sleep.

"They are perfect, Elrond. They are absolutely perfect."

What Elrohir and Elladan had done just after being born became clearer, later in their lives. When they willed it, the simple touch of their palms could unite their minds completely, and the power released through such a bond was incredible, and thus the light and force that came from it. And, of course, Elrohir's healing power. There was no way he could've done such a healing act, which was even beyond Elrond, with such little energy loss, especially so young. Thinking on it later, Elrond remembered that he had touched each of the twins. Perhaps Elrohir had accepted some of his energy then.

Since they became warriors, Elladan and Elrohir could use the mind-meld if they were in dire need during battle to simply knock out all of their opponents. But Elrond and Glorfindel were so used to it by now that they simply dropped to the ground, Glorfindel grabbing Erestor's tunic and pulling him down with them.

The roaring winds above their heads blocked out all else. The mind-meld had grown stronger every time the twins had used it, and of course this time was no exception.

By the time the wind and light died down, it had been almost a full minute, and Elrond lifted his head carefully. The entire clearing was completely barren. Every stick and stone that had once been there had been blown away into the other parts of the forest, and the ground had become smooth and it had no blemishes.

"Thank you, Elrohir," Elladan whispered, and Elrohir's hand fell back down again. Elladan kissed his brother's forehead. "Thank you. I will not disturb your rest again, I promise."

"I have missed you…" Elrohir murmured, and he fell back into oblivion.

"And I, you, my brother," Elladan whispered, and Elrond, Glorfindel, and Erestor came to him.

"May I ask what the purpose of that was?" Elrond asked.

"Now I can tell you exactly where he is hurting, even when he's unconscious," Elladan said. "And...I just think we both needed this. We've been separated for so long, Ada." Elladan looked at the ground, the sadness obvious in his eyes.

Elrond's face was dark as he nodded. He glanced back at Elrohir, whose wounds were still fully visible. He sighed.

"I guess we have to get started, then."

O:o:O

It was three days later that Elrohir was bandaged from head to toe and lying in the healing ward, dead to the world. The citizens of Rivendell had been delighted when they heard Elladan was coming home early, and that Elrond, Erestor, and Glorfindel were with him, coming to the conclusion almost immediately that Elrohir had been found. Many of them had gathered in the courtyard to the Last Homely House. But when the tiny figures appeared in the distance, they became worried. There were only four horses, instead of five. Where was the other one? They asked each other. There were several cries of dismay and upset when they finally arrived, and everyone saw Elladan's grieved face and Elrohir's limp body in his arms. Elrond, Erestor, Glorfindel, and Elladan dashed off to the halls of healing without a word to their citizens.

That was yesterday. Today, everything had calmed somewhat, and Elrond found himself faced with a rather daunting task: paperwork. Whenever there was a new patient in the healing ward, the healer assigned to them had to fill out a detailed form about the injuries that the person had and their recovery. Elrond sat at Elrohir's bedside, holding the stack of papers and a quill. Glorfindel and Erestor had gone to look after the realm, and now it was only him and Elladan left in the room.

"Elladan, I'm going to read this out loud to you. Let me know if I missed anything," Elrond said. Elladan nodded, stroking Elrohir's hair away from his forehead. Elrohir really looked awful, his face pale and gaunt.

"Description of condition: several small cuts and bruises on the face. A large cut above left eye. A cut along right jawbone. Bruising around the neck. Crushed throat. Three broken ribs and one cracked on the right, two broken on the left. Deep stab wounds to right shoulder, lower left abdomen, and right thigh. Infection in wound in lower left abdomen. Severe bruising to torso and legs, cuts on either arm, cuts of various severity all over torso and upper legs. Whiplashes covering the entirety of back."

Elrond stopped, and Elladan appeared to think for a moment.

"You forgot about the malnutrition and dehydration," Elladan said. Elrond nodded, writing that down. He looked back up at Elladan, who had gone back to simply gazing at his brother, stroking his hair. There was a moment of silence between them.

"Why did this have to happen, Ada?" Elladan whispered. "What has he ever done to deserve such a thing?"

"I do not know, ion-nin. Nothing, I suppose. Your nana did not do anything to deserve what happened to her, either. This kind of thing just happens, even to the innocent."

"Do not compare them!" Elladan said sharply, turning to his father with blazing eyes. "Don't you ever compare them! Comparing him to nana was the worst mistake of my life!"

Elrond sat in stunned silence for a moment, having no idea what Elladan was talking about. Elladan sighed, and, feeling slightly guilty that he hadn't tole him before, began to tell his father the story of the day Elrohir was captured.

Elladan's eyes snapped open, and he gasped. The nightmare, as always. The bright bandages stood out starkly against his brother's skin as he lay in the sunlight, and Elladan stared at him.

Every time he saw a bandage, Elladan's mind snapped back to the thought of his mother, lying pale and covered in white, the light gone from her eyes. Even now, he was silently wishing that Elrohir would heal quickly, if only to take away the reminder of his naneth, and to be saved from the nightmares.

Elrohir's eyes snapped open, and he looked intently at Elladan from his spot in the grass. Elladan got up, and passed Elrohir without a word between them and continued back into the forest, towards their camp. They had fallen asleep in the warmth of the sun on the riverbank.

"Elladan!" Elrohir called after him, getting up quickly, wincing as the movement pulled at the still-healing wound on his leg, and jogged, off balanced, after his brother. "Elladan!"

"Leave me alone, El," Elladan said. Elrohir shook his head, knowing that even if Elladan had his back to him, he would sense his movement.

"I can't, Elladan. You know I can't."

There was a pause.

"Stop comparing me to nana, Elladan. Please."

Elladan whirled around, his thoughts spinning in a dangerous direction. The horror from the nightmare, no, the memory, was still haunting him. How dare Elrohir say that? Stop thinking about his naneth? STOP THINKING ABOUT HER?

"How dare you?" Elladan spat, and he came up to Elrohir, so close that he could see the little flecks of silver in his eyes. Just like nana's. "You can't tell me to stop thinking about her!"

"You're only hurting yourself, Elladan."

"And you don't hurt!" Elladan yelled. "You barely cared when she left us! I was the one who made us go and slaughter all those worthless orcs, and you just tagged along, feeding off of me! To me, it looks like you didn't even love her!"

Elrohir looked shocked, stumbling back a step at the harsh words. He clutched at his heart through his tunic, as if the words were physically hurting him.

"Elladan, you know I-"

Elrohir was cut off by a searing pain in his cheek, and his face snapped backward with the force of the blow. He felt his throbbing face with one hand, staring at Elladan with wide eyes.

Sure, they had fought before, but Elladan had never hit him so.

There was a moment of near silence, filled only by the harsh, ragged breaths of Elladan. Elrohir's voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke.

"If I go and kill some orcs now, will you forgive me?"

"Of course. Should our kill count become the same, you will be once more a brother to me," Elladan sneered, and Elrohir nodded slowly, before turning and limping towards the camp. A few minutes later, when Elladan arrived at the camp, he was already gone. Elladan sat down and began work on tending to the fire.

It took almost an hour for what he did to finally dawn on Elladan, and when it did, he panicked. How could he have said that? How? How could Elrohir ever forgive him? He had said that he didn't love their nana, and he had sent him into danger! He had put his brother in danger...

He jumped up, running into the trees in the direction he guessed Elrohir would've gone.

A half an hour later was the worst moment of his life.

A/N: I know that no normal babies would be so alert/chilled out/not screaming their faces off when they have just been born, but elven babies are different, at least for the sake of this story.

I think I am going to make the second part of this story, as I mentioned in the last authors note, as part of the same story rather than making a separate one, to make the transition easier. Also I have a pretty satisfying ending thought up, so...

Please review!