The reason this chapter is here even though it seems disjointed; I want to set a stage for the next few chapters as she really starts to warm up. Since this is a story about growing up, and illustrating the lives of Elrond, Mir, and the twins, since the backstory is unknown for the most part before Aragorn and the war of the One Ring. I also included a moment of DPT (Deep Pressure Therapy) to pull her out of the anxiety/panic attack/lessen the attack or decrease intensity/duration. These are used by Service dogs. (NO, not therapy dogs, not emotional assistance dogs.) Service dogs which are task trained to assist their one and only handler, and trained for years that do not pull on leads unless trained to or bark around the store at everything. (All four on the floor: All four paws on the floor) Not that small yappy dog in a general vest in a stroller. That is my PSA. Also, from what I've learned during medical classes, medically accurate shows, and medical professionals children tend to do better with illnesses and injuries, it is sort of like their body can compensate well, and then hit a steady decline fast. I could be wrong... Also, I hate this chapter it just does not feel right.
Leina rested her chin in the palm of her hand, the slumbering face of Mir invoking painful memories. The departure of Celebrían was sorrowful, and traumatizing. All loved the silver lady, none as much as her husband, sons and daughter. The year of her recovery after the vicious attack in the mountains was agonizing as Imladris rallied for their much loved lady's recovery. When Elrond was unable to repair her wounds of the body, but not her fractured spirit, she had no choice but to sail, er she fade away and the soul be stuck in limbo. All in the valley mourned her departure, and a deep air of sorrow hung around the main house where each of the immediate family and friends shut themselves away to wallow in solitude.
Even though their children were adults in their own right, they still needed their mother and relied on her in different ways. The departure was sorrowful, and private in the last moments between the five when she was sent off. There were only a few young children in the halls of the last homely house, a house that did not feel so homely for most of the residents in that time.
Messages still needed a reply, day to day matters, healing the wounded, strategizing, patrols, and much of the daily life did not stop, no matter how much grief was expressed. The twins became shut into themselves, choosing rage over other emotions, and left on long excursions, and the pleading to stay fell on deaf ears, from both Arwen and Elrond. Glorfindel was able to follow discreetly, and intervene on select occasions, where their survival out of battle was questionable.
Arwen chose to go live in Lothlorien for the foreseeable future, the echoes of memory in the halls of her mother were just too painful to bear.
Elrond, the one who shouldered the weight of his house, and duty kept onward, burying himself in work, and distraction, to avoid spiraling. He felt as if his soul was cleaved in half, never to heal. The loss of both his mother and father, the little he knew of them, followed by Maglor, and Maedhros, the fierce, troubled foster fathers they were. Elros was next, his path separating to the choice of mortality. His wife, at least, would be able to greet him on the shores. He knew he could not join her at that time, his duty to Middle Earth and the Valar were too great, the ring on his finger proof enough.
Healing was long, rough, and fractured at times. It seemed like hundreds of years passed before the loss waned a bit, enough for the twins to spend some time uninjured with their father, and correspondence with Arwen.
Leina took a look at the slumbering Mir, curled up under the covers, the small pup at her pillow. Perhaps this sweet child would do some good for the residents of Imladris. Children had a way of warming even the most icy of hearts and forming unity within a population. There is no one person raising a child in Rivendell, it seems. The whole community pitches in.
Leina blew out the candle in the room, and eased over to the headboard, softly leaning back and closing her eyes, careful to not nudge the two sleeping.
During the night, when the only sounds were occasional whispers of fabric ghosting across the floor, and crickets chirping, when the moon was at the highest, and brightest peak in the twinkling sky, Mir bolted up, gasping, and drenched in sweat. Her head spun and her chest heaved. She threw the covers over her head and tucked all her limbs inside to make sure the monster in her dreams would not bite her limbs off, except for the foot in bandages, maybe they can nibble on that one.
A cold nose pressed into her shoulder and Mir flinched, jerking her head to see the wolf pup nosing the way under her cover seal of protection. Licks on her face, and a pressure on her legs as the wolf pressed into her body made the anxiety curling in her chest slowly unwind, and the pounding in her chest to cease. She stroked the soft fur, her movements slowing as she dozed off, the warmth and companionship of the pup reminding her of snuggling in her mama and papa's bed, between them. She felt safe, and reminded of a home she sorely missed.
A tickle on her foot brought Mir out of sleepless dreams, and an amused voice whispered near her head encased in covers, "My, my is there a turtle in this bed?"
She stuck her head out and squinted her eyes at the bright sun through the windows. She shoved her hair out of her bleary eyes and blinked at an amused Elladan who sat on the bed's edge. "I had a bad dream and got scared the monster would eat me, so I hid under the covers. That way the monster can't eat me," she said seriously. The rumpled pup wormed his way out from the jumbled blankets shaking himself before bounding on the bed over to Elladan and bumping his hands for attention, rubbing against him.
As he stroked the eager pup, Mir attempted to extract herself from the blankets, eventually trying to kick them away, flinging one off with a bad leg, and immediately regretted it, gasping for air as the pain hit her instinctively grasping the sheets in a white knuckled grip.
Elladan stroked her leg, a warmth from his hands radiating until she was able to relax her grip. Once she could let go, he picked her up and tucked her against him. "My father will give you medicine to dull the pain, once you've eaten. If you take it now, you will feel very sick, and it will go back up."
She nodded as her stomach grumbled and she sighed. "I'm hungry… can we go now?" Her head met his shoulder, and she was very quiet as they left to go dine, the pup trotting behind, stopping to sniff corners and plants along the way.