DISCLAIMER: They are not mine, you know it.
Author Notes: Thanks a lot to my Beta reader Katana, not only for beta reading, but for encouraging reviews. You are wonderful mellon nin!
I'm sorry for the delay, but I'm having a really complicated time with real life. In fact I need to be going in about two seconds, so I'm posting this quickly. So sorry for not answer personally to the wonderful reviews, but if I do this time I won't be able to post. But know that I appreciate each and every review, so keep doing it!!
If the gods want next chapter and personal answers will be next week.
Chapter IX
Everything was dark. It was the hour when dawn was near, leaving the stars already gone, but the sun had yet to enter the sky. The weather was cold and chilly; the fire in the fireplace dead, already extinguished.
Legolas awoke with a start opening his blue eyes suddenly. He looked at his surroundings and gasped in surprise when he saw the identical forms of the twins lying on the bed. Elladan's head was pillow on the blond prince's shoulders while Elrohir's was pillow on his twin's abdomen, his hand on the upper part of Legolas' torso.
And to the prince's surprise he was warm. Not only in body, but in soul because he had felt the essence of the princes of Imladris be alike to his own and to find such identification was a welcome realizing since he had lost hope of found someone who's aura sang in armory with his own.
"Good Morning," a melodious and merry voice said and the blond prince tuned to see Elladan's eyes focused.
"Good Morning," Legolas returned in a whisper realizing that the younger twin was still asleep.
"How are you feeling?"
"I am well," Elladan looked at him suspiciously "I am!" Legolas said wanting the twin to believe him. The truth was that he was still a little weak and dizzy and moving still was hard, not to mention that his abdomen was hurting.
"Let me see your wound."
"But Elrohir..."
"Yes? What about him?" Elladan stopped getting up puzzled
"He is asleep, we might wake him and it is quite early." To his surprise Elladan started to giggle.
"'Ro, awaken?" and he giggled again. "I do not think so, 'Las."
Legolas' eyes went wide when he heard his new nickname and smiled happy, his merriment reaching his eyes. Elladan's voice made him focus on reality again. "He can sleep through an attack of wargs."
"Really? I never thought of him being the kind of person who sleeps much."
"He is not, it is just a mania that he has."
"How so?"
"Well you see..." and Elladan stood up making his brother's head hit the cushions were his body had been. Legolas saw amused how Elrohir murmured something like, "just few moments more," and made himself comfortable again, this time without his brother. "The problem is only at dawns, when he feels that the Sun have not rise yet," Legolas laughed.
"I would never have thought it."
"I can tell you some funny stories about him."
"And I bet he can too about you."
"Anyway," Elladan said chuckling. This prince indeed knew how to tease. "Now that you are sure that 'Ro will not be disturbed in his sleeping, let me see your wound."
"It is fine."
"I know."
"Then why you want to see it?"
"Curiosity."
"Elladan that is the most absurd pretext I have ever heard. Are you sure you are trained as a healer?"
"For you I am 'Dan, and I can use the look of Doom characteristic of my father if you want."
"Look of doom?
"You need to see it to know what I am talking about," Elladan said and playfully leaned on Legolas', careful with his injury, "You need to be in front of it so you can feel your blood freeze in your veins and your heart ache with fear." Legolas laughed again.
"That sounds as the look my father uses on me, but I never named it, for it is too horrific to be named." This time Elladan laughed.
"Well then, little prince, let me do this without scaring your young soul."
"Little!" and Legolas smacked a pillow playfully in Elladan's face.
"So, I assume you feel stronger."
"That is what I have been trying to tell you," but Elladan knew better and didn't smacked back.
"Then let me see your wound."
"Whatever for?"
"Not again..." and before Legolas could even smirk in triumph, the older twin was sittting on his legs, with one hand holding the slender upper abdomen and the other opening the younger elf's night shirt. When Legolas reacted he tried to pull free, but was unable to. While all this time Elrohir didn't even stir.
Suddenly the door was open and Haldir saw the struggling. To the march warden, it seemed as if the prince of one realm was raping the younger prince of the other realm. The blonde warden also noted that said realms were mortal enemies. Even so, while everything was happening the other prince of the first realm was sleeping, not even trying to ignore the movement of the bed or the two struggling elves next to him. But Haldir knew better, for he knew those princes.
Elladan and Legolas froze when they noticed their friend and smiled at him so sweetly and innocent that Haldir shuddered. The Lorién elf blinked twice before retracting his steps and closing the door behind him.
The two princes chuckled and looked at each other. In an instant Elladan started trying to look at the wound while Legolas resisted. After a few moments later a sleepy voice made them stop.
"It is healing well," Elrohir said, examining Legolas' naked torso.
"What?" to the surprise of the blond prince, the younger twin had managed to undress his abdomen while he was struggling with his brother.
"Good morning 'Ro," Elladan said sitting next to his brother. Elrohir put away a stray lock of dark silk hair off his brother's face.
"How did you do it?" Legolas asked still amazed.
"When people are distracted, I use it in my favor," Elrohir said smiling and caressing Legolas' cheeks. "We are happy that you are feeling better 'Las."
"What is it? Do you not like it?" Elladan asked worried that they had insulted their new friend, since it was not the first time Legolas' reacted to the nickname.
"No, no, I love it," Legolas said quickly. "And I treasure it," he whispered then. The twins smiled and hugged him.
"Your wound is healing well," Elladan said when the moment passed.
"But it is not healed completely."
"and your stamina have not returned to you yet."
"How do you know?" Legolas asked.
"We know," both brothers answered.
"So you need to be careful."
"Better if you not walk or move much."
"At least a couple of days."
"Tomorrow is the second attempt of the meeting," Legolas remind them. "I need to be there."
"No problem, we will be there too,"
"Our fathers will notice, we need to talk to them first," the blond prince said.
"Agree, it is better if we told them than if they found out," Elrohir nodded.
"But first, I think we are forgetting something," Elladan said while he got up the bed
"And that will be?" Elrohir asked looking at Legolas. The younger prince shuddered.
"A march guardian in the verge of a heart attack."
*****
Rumil and Orophin crashed itno their brother as Haldir froze at the door. They looked as his older brother went out of Legolas' room few seconds after he had peeked inside and closed the door behind him, falling back a few steps, taking his brothers with him. The younger brothers looked at each other puzzled and waited until Haldir told them something about why he had stopped at the door, not entering and not allowing them to enter. When several minutes passed without Haldir saying anything, they frowned.
"Haldir? Is everything alright?" Rumil asked concerned. But Haldir didn't even moved.
"Brother what is it?" Orophin said as he grabbed his older brother's arm.
Haldir turned around slowly and Rumil and Orophin bit their lips to stop the laugher as they saw the wide eyes of Haldir. Last time they had laughed at one of Haldir's expressions they had found their bedroom's doors at their talan glue with honey.
Then suddenly, Haldir started laughing.
"Crazy children" he said and fainted.
The two brothers couldn't help it anymore and laughed until tears ran out of their green silver eyes. If something bad had happened Haldir wouldn't have reacted like that, so sure that everything was in order. They lifted their brother and started heading to their talan. In the middle of the way Rumil froze.
"What is it? Have you seen one of the princes?" Orophin asked looking around.
"No," Rumil looked at him frowning. "Really Phin, Hal paranoia is contagious."
"Well then, why did you stop so suddenly?"
"I was thinking, did Hal say 'children'?"
"Yes he did, why?"
"It was Legolas' room, was it not?"
"Yes."
"Our dear brother just call the princes of Imladris and the prince of Mirkwood children."
"And us."
"Well, yes, but then..."
"Mil, if I am getting paranoid you are getting crazy."
"No, no. Think for a moment. It was Mirkwood's PRINCE room and he said children."
"Then those insane twins..."
"...and that crazy prince are..." Rumil nodded and both of them laughed before they too fall shocked to the ground.
*****
Erestor and Glorfindel were enjoying the day, walking through Lothlorién and listening to the songs of the trees that mingled with the voices of the elves. At one point, they stopped under a mallorn and sat down. The dark hair elf rested his head on Glorfindel's shoulder while he hugged him pulling him close. They had found deep friendship in each other although they were very different.
Erestor had never had friends and never wanted to. People had always surrounded Glorfindel, but always he had felt distant to all of them. Their friendship had been forming through the years, slowly but certain. One day they woke up and found that companionship had turned into friendship, then simple friendship into a deep friendship and finally into something more.
And Elrond had made sure that, as they were his best friends and that the two of them had only them, they felt as part of the Lord's family. Not to say Erestor and Glorfindel had been charmed with the twins and were two of the few peoples that understand them some, if not mcuh better than the others. They had also found friendship in the three young march wardens that Galadriel and Celeborn favored, as well as in said Lord and Lady. And so they were happy.
"What do you think will happen tomorrow?" Glorfindel asked.
"I do not know. It saddens my heart to see Elrond and Thranduil in such terms."
"Mine cries as well, but there is nothing we can do about it."
"The worst is that the twins and Thranduil's son are paying the consequences."
"I thought that Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn's rage was the worst," Glorfindel teased and Erestor hit him playfully. "But seriously, talking with Elrond is of not use and with Thranduil..."
"Indeed, the Elvenking will not even listen to us."
"If we can not help the fathers, lets help the sons then."
"Legolas' included?" Erestor asked rising an elegant eyebrow.
"That child needs it."
"I thought you did not like him." At this Glorfindel rose his eyebrows questioningly. "Well, your exact words were 'Spoiled foolish brat.'"
"Fine, I did not like him," Erestor smiled triumphantly and Glorfindel rolled his eyes grinning, then he continued, "but that was before I saw the loneliness in his eyes."
"Then we should find them and soon, for I fear the animosity is taking hold of their hearts as well," Glorfindel nodded. "The three of them," Erestor said as he got up and helped Glorfindel to do so too.
They walked in companionable silence searching the princes until they came to a part of the forest that was the middle way from the main talan (Galadriel and Celebron's) and the talan of the Lorién elves closer to them. There they find three blond elves lying on the ground. Rising their eyebrows both Imladris elves went to look closer.
"A prank of the twins?" Glorfindel asked, as he looked amused at Haldir, Rumil and Orophin.
"Maybe one of the young prince," Erestor said with a huge grin on his face. Glorfindel turned to looked at his lover.
"You enjoy this."
"I will never let them live this down."
"A pay back for the time they told how the twins covered you in flour?"
"No, you took revenge for me for that one, remember?"
"Then?"
"For the time they told how we were covered in mud."
"Oh! Sure, they owe us that one."
"So we wake them with...? By the Valar!" Erestor said when he saw a sighted in front of him that made him fall quiet. Glorfindel frowned and turned around to see what the dark hair elf had seen.
"What in Elbereth's name?"
There, leaving the main talan was Legolas with a twin at each side. He was leaning on them for support, but the three seemed happy and enjoying each other company. Happy, until they spotted the two Noldor counselors looking at them.
"Now what?" asked Elrohir.
"It depends on how they will react," said Legolas a bit apprehensible, for he was the stranger.
"Do not worry," Elladan reassure him. "You are not alone," Elrohir nodded, but both twins didn't feel so sure, for their tutors had an unreadable face and that never was good.
To be continue…
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May the Fantasy guide your voice, Artemisa