Saruman's Revenge
by SkyFire
For disclaimer, see part 1.
Many thanks to all who reviewed!!
--
Mongrel Elf: Mwahahaha! That's something along the lines of my Evil Plot. Hopefully, the Vilya
Episode will make its appearance next chapter!
--
Sprite: You're right, the whole occurrence is probably going to give the twins *centuries* of
blackmail material! :) Now, I just have to figure out more ways to *get* the twins into trouble.
My Elrohir and Elladan Muses are wise to it now, you see... *sigh* Paranoid Muses!
--
Avelera: Yeah, the Vilya and Gandalf appearances should be pretty interesting, Muses willing.
Vilya should be coming up soon, next chapter, hopefully.
--
Nemis: Enjoying myself? Mwahahahahahahaha! *SkyFire's Muses cringe away into a corner, whimpering*
It's kinda hard not to. They're just so much *fun* to write! :)
--
Dr. Kat: Amuck is goooooood! ;)
--
Altariel Artanis: *pictures the looks on the faces of the Valar* LOL! If they're watching
Rivendell right now, I'll bet they're profoundly grateful that Glorfindel was fully grown when he
went into Mandos' halls! That and sincerely hopeful that he won't be back until *after* he's
cured!
--
A/N: A bit of angst coming up! *ducks*
*****
Saruman's Revenge
by SkyFire
Part 11
Hours passed as the twins, as well as all the servants they could recruit, searched the whole of
Rivendell for the children. Fruitlessly.
They were just about to give up and let the grown Lords find their own way back come sunset a few
hours from then when they heard it.
It started low, then rose into an unearthly shriek, coupled with a sobbing wail. Elven heads
turned, focusing on the sound, even as the Elves themselves ran quickly in the direction of the
noise.
Elladan and Elrohir arrived shortly after a small group of Elves. They looked to the others for
the cause of the shrieking they had heard, but then, after its brief pause, the noise started
again.
Above them.
Looking up, the twins spotted the two missing children perched up at the very *top* of the tree
the Elves stood beside, hanging on to the trunk for dear life, standing on branches no bigger
around than an Elf's smallest finger.
The wailing intensified as the wind that blew through the valley that day picked up slightly,
sending the treetop with its extra weight swaying violently from side to side.
Elrond, up in the tree with Glorfindel, clinging tightly to the trunk with white-knuckled fingers,
looked down. Through the blurring of his tears, he managed to spot Elladan and Elrohir there
below them, along with many other Elves he didn't recognise. "Help!" he yelled. "'Adan! 'Rohir!
Help!"
"They're stuck," one of the Elves observed. "They went too high."
The Elves watched, eyes wide, trying to think of a way to get the small ones down. All the Elves
there were too big to climb up onto those delicate branches. They watched, barely daring to
breathe, as the wind tossed the treetop about once again.
Then Elrond yelled again, for a different reason this time.
"Watch out!" he yelled. "Glorfindel's throwing up!"
The Elves hurried back from the tree even as the golden-haired Elf-child convulsed, then threw up.
The mess splattered the ground right where the first group of Elves had been standing. They
heard sobs starting again from above.
"We can't just leave them up there!"
"Of course not! But how do we get them down?"
Elladan was staring up at the two, then down at the gound, then back again. He looked to his
twin. "We can't get anywhere near them. They're going to have to come down."
Elrohir snorted. "What a wonderful grasp of the obvious. Now, how do you think that is going to
happen?"
"They're going to jump."
Elrohir stared at him incredulously. "Are you out of your mind?" he hissed at last.
"No. We'll spread out a blanket and hold it tight, all of us, and they'll jump down and land on
it."
"There has to be a better way!" He thought for a while. "We need a ladder!" he said, loud
enough for the others to hear him.
The word passed along quickly, was discussed quickly among the Elves present. It was widely
agreed that a ladder was the best idea. Then one of the gardeners burst their bubble by telling
them that none of the ladders were anywhere *near* tall enough.
That left them with Elladan's blanket idea.
"Back off!" Elrond yelled. "Glorfindel's being sick again!"
A blanket was quickly brought, and as soon as the latest mess had hit ground, the Elves each
grabbed hold of the blanket and spread it, holding it taut between them.
"Jump!" Elladan yelled up at the two treed Elflings.
"Are you *crazy*?!" came Elrond's incredulous reply. "We're *not* jumping from here!" He looked
to Glorfindel, saw his friend standing there, stiff as a board, hardly daring to breathe, eyes
clenched tightly shut, tears streaming down his face. His face was very pale and his knuckles
were white. "It'll be all right," he murmured to his friend. "They'll get us down."
"But what if they can't?" Glorfindel said from between clenched teeth. "We'll be stuck up here
forever!"
Elrond was about to reply when another gust of wind whipped them around again.
The tree was not used to bearing such a weight on its highest branches, especially in the wind.
There was a sound that caused every heart there to skip a beat and breath to catch in throats.
A cracking sound.
Eyes wide, truly terrified now, Elrond looked down the trunk. He saw the spreading crack in the
wood. "Glorfindel," he said urgently. "We have to get down *now*!"
"I can't move," came the whispered reply. "I can't move."
"Jump!" the Elves down below yelled up. "Jump!"
Elrond had just opened his mouth to speak when another gust of wind shook the tree.
A loud *crack!* was heard and the top of the tree from just below the two broke off, sending the
small ones plummeting, screaming, toward the ground. Hearts in their throats, the Elves quickly
positioned themselves to catch the falling treetop with the blanket. The two small ones and the
piece of tree fell onto the taut cloth. The Elves managed to hold against the sudden weight of
impact, then lowered the two gently to the ground.
Instantly, Elladan and Elrohir were there, tossing aside the treetop and checking over the two
who were lying on the blanket on the ground, cuddled up together, crying their eyes out.
"It's all right," Elladan said as he gently rubbed Elrond's small back. "You're safe now."
Elrohir was doing the same for Glorfindel.
The twins shared a look. They doubted the two would feel up to doing anything more that day.
That feeling was proven when first Glorfindel, then Elrond got off the blanket, walked a few
steps and was sick. Once they were done, they just sat there, tears running down their small,
pale faces, shaking.
The twins went over to the two, picked them up gently. They smiled sadly when their charges
clung tightly to them, still crying.
"Let's get them home, cleaned up, and to bed," Elladan suggested. Elrohir nodded silently, and
the two left the other Elves behind. Their previous anger at the two had vanished under the
weight of their concern.
The other gathered Elves were just leaving the clearing when it struck them. The small, dark-
haired child had called the golden-haired one *Glorfindel*.
***
Elladan and Elrohir gently pulled the blankets up over the bodies of the still-crying Elflings.
The two had not stopped crying for any meaningful length of time since their fall from the tree.
They had been sobbing and subdued all through their baths and dressing in nightclothes, not even
complaining once even though it was still hours until sunset. The twins had found that, no
matter how troublesome the younglings usually were, it was impossible not to feel sorry for them
upon seeing them cry so. At least they weren't wailing anymore.
The twins sat one on either side of the bed, each trying to comfort one of the small ones.
Elrohir wiped the streaming tears from Glorfindel's face with a soft cloth. "Is there anything
you want, that could make you feel better?" he asked quietly.
"Mother?" Glorfindel managed to ask around sobs, his small, tear-choked voice pathetically
hopeful.
Elrohir felt near-physical pain in his heart, knowing that he had no choice but to disappoint.
"She is not here, little one," he said softly. "Is there anything else that you would want?"
"Fluffy?" asked the golden-haired one, looking up at Elrohir through tear-swollen eyes.
Elrohir smiled sadly, brushed some of the fine hair from the young one's face. "I'll see what I
can do."
On the other side of the bed, Elladan was having a similar conversation with Elrond.
"I want my brother!" Elrond said, his whole body shuddering behind the weight of his hiccoughing
sobs.
"He is not here right now," Elladan said. "Is there anything else?"
"Wake me up when it gets dark out?" came the trembling answer.
"Why?"
"So I can see my father, up in the sky." Elrond sniffled, wiped at his nose with the back of his
small hand. "He's a star, you know." Sniffle. "His light always makes me feel better."
"All right," Elladan said. He knew that come darkness, the two would be grown again. It was sad
that the small Elrond wouldn't be able to get his wish. "Is there anything else you would want,
right now?"
Elrond thought only briefly before shaking his head.
Elladan looked to his brother, saw the nearly-unconsolable Glorfindel. He looked again to Elrond.
"Will you do something for us, then?" he asked softly.
Curious, Elrond asked, "What?"
The twin spoke as if confiding a great secret. "Glorfindel is very sad. He is alone, he has no
brothers or sisters here, nor are his parents in the stars. Could you take care of him, try to
cheer him up a little?"
Elrond looked to his sobbing friend, the tears in his own eyes drying up slightly. He looked
back to Elladan and nodded. "All right," he said. "I'll try."
"Thank you," came the reply. He could see that, like when he was fully grown, the concern for
another were pushing away Elrond's own sadness. "I'm sure you'll do a good job."
Elrond nodded again, scooted over in the bed to take Glofindel into his arms, hugging the other
boy tightly. "It's all right, Glorfindel," he said softly into the other's ear. "I'm here."
Elrohir looked to his twin, who rose as he did, then back to the small ones, who lay there,
cuddling on the bed. "Will you two be all right for a time, while Elladan and I go look for
Fluffy?"
The two nodded. "We'll be all right," Elrond said. "I promise."
"And you two won't try to sneak away? You'll stay right here in bed and try to get some sleep?"
"We won't go away," came the reply, from Glorfindel this time. "Please find Fluffy."
The twins nodded. They waited until the small ones were settled comfortably in bed, then slipped
out of the room, closing the door softly behind them.
Then Elladan turned to Elrohir. "Brother, Glorfindel had Fluffy a *long* time ago! Where do you
think we're going to *find* it?"
Elrohir smiled at his brother. "We both read the description Glorfindel wrote. We'll manage,"
he said. He started walking, heading for their rooms. "Come on, brother! I'll cut the fabric,
you sew. You always manage to make neater stitches than I do."
"Sew?" Elladan said softly, brow creasing in confusion as he paused, staring at his brother's
retreating back. Then the realization of Elrohir's intention passed through him. "Hey! I want
to cut! *You* sew!"
Elrohir looked back over his shoulder with a sly grin. "Last one to our rooms has to sew!" he
called softly, then took off down the hall as if Fluffy the Balrog himself was chasing him.
With a startled oath, Elladan took off down the hallways after his twin.
TBC...
;o) Leave a review and let me know what you thought, hmm? Even if it's just an anonymous smiley!
by SkyFire
For disclaimer, see part 1.
Many thanks to all who reviewed!!
--
Mongrel Elf: Mwahahaha! That's something along the lines of my Evil Plot. Hopefully, the Vilya
Episode will make its appearance next chapter!
--
Sprite: You're right, the whole occurrence is probably going to give the twins *centuries* of
blackmail material! :) Now, I just have to figure out more ways to *get* the twins into trouble.
My Elrohir and Elladan Muses are wise to it now, you see... *sigh* Paranoid Muses!
--
Avelera: Yeah, the Vilya and Gandalf appearances should be pretty interesting, Muses willing.
Vilya should be coming up soon, next chapter, hopefully.
--
Nemis: Enjoying myself? Mwahahahahahahaha! *SkyFire's Muses cringe away into a corner, whimpering*
It's kinda hard not to. They're just so much *fun* to write! :)
--
Dr. Kat: Amuck is goooooood! ;)
--
Altariel Artanis: *pictures the looks on the faces of the Valar* LOL! If they're watching
Rivendell right now, I'll bet they're profoundly grateful that Glorfindel was fully grown when he
went into Mandos' halls! That and sincerely hopeful that he won't be back until *after* he's
cured!
--
A/N: A bit of angst coming up! *ducks*
*****
Saruman's Revenge
by SkyFire
Part 11
Hours passed as the twins, as well as all the servants they could recruit, searched the whole of
Rivendell for the children. Fruitlessly.
They were just about to give up and let the grown Lords find their own way back come sunset a few
hours from then when they heard it.
It started low, then rose into an unearthly shriek, coupled with a sobbing wail. Elven heads
turned, focusing on the sound, even as the Elves themselves ran quickly in the direction of the
noise.
Elladan and Elrohir arrived shortly after a small group of Elves. They looked to the others for
the cause of the shrieking they had heard, but then, after its brief pause, the noise started
again.
Above them.
Looking up, the twins spotted the two missing children perched up at the very *top* of the tree
the Elves stood beside, hanging on to the trunk for dear life, standing on branches no bigger
around than an Elf's smallest finger.
The wailing intensified as the wind that blew through the valley that day picked up slightly,
sending the treetop with its extra weight swaying violently from side to side.
Elrond, up in the tree with Glorfindel, clinging tightly to the trunk with white-knuckled fingers,
looked down. Through the blurring of his tears, he managed to spot Elladan and Elrohir there
below them, along with many other Elves he didn't recognise. "Help!" he yelled. "'Adan! 'Rohir!
Help!"
"They're stuck," one of the Elves observed. "They went too high."
The Elves watched, eyes wide, trying to think of a way to get the small ones down. All the Elves
there were too big to climb up onto those delicate branches. They watched, barely daring to
breathe, as the wind tossed the treetop about once again.
Then Elrond yelled again, for a different reason this time.
"Watch out!" he yelled. "Glorfindel's throwing up!"
The Elves hurried back from the tree even as the golden-haired Elf-child convulsed, then threw up.
The mess splattered the ground right where the first group of Elves had been standing. They
heard sobs starting again from above.
"We can't just leave them up there!"
"Of course not! But how do we get them down?"
Elladan was staring up at the two, then down at the gound, then back again. He looked to his
twin. "We can't get anywhere near them. They're going to have to come down."
Elrohir snorted. "What a wonderful grasp of the obvious. Now, how do you think that is going to
happen?"
"They're going to jump."
Elrohir stared at him incredulously. "Are you out of your mind?" he hissed at last.
"No. We'll spread out a blanket and hold it tight, all of us, and they'll jump down and land on
it."
"There has to be a better way!" He thought for a while. "We need a ladder!" he said, loud
enough for the others to hear him.
The word passed along quickly, was discussed quickly among the Elves present. It was widely
agreed that a ladder was the best idea. Then one of the gardeners burst their bubble by telling
them that none of the ladders were anywhere *near* tall enough.
That left them with Elladan's blanket idea.
"Back off!" Elrond yelled. "Glorfindel's being sick again!"
A blanket was quickly brought, and as soon as the latest mess had hit ground, the Elves each
grabbed hold of the blanket and spread it, holding it taut between them.
"Jump!" Elladan yelled up at the two treed Elflings.
"Are you *crazy*?!" came Elrond's incredulous reply. "We're *not* jumping from here!" He looked
to Glorfindel, saw his friend standing there, stiff as a board, hardly daring to breathe, eyes
clenched tightly shut, tears streaming down his face. His face was very pale and his knuckles
were white. "It'll be all right," he murmured to his friend. "They'll get us down."
"But what if they can't?" Glorfindel said from between clenched teeth. "We'll be stuck up here
forever!"
Elrond was about to reply when another gust of wind whipped them around again.
The tree was not used to bearing such a weight on its highest branches, especially in the wind.
There was a sound that caused every heart there to skip a beat and breath to catch in throats.
A cracking sound.
Eyes wide, truly terrified now, Elrond looked down the trunk. He saw the spreading crack in the
wood. "Glorfindel," he said urgently. "We have to get down *now*!"
"I can't move," came the whispered reply. "I can't move."
"Jump!" the Elves down below yelled up. "Jump!"
Elrond had just opened his mouth to speak when another gust of wind shook the tree.
A loud *crack!* was heard and the top of the tree from just below the two broke off, sending the
small ones plummeting, screaming, toward the ground. Hearts in their throats, the Elves quickly
positioned themselves to catch the falling treetop with the blanket. The two small ones and the
piece of tree fell onto the taut cloth. The Elves managed to hold against the sudden weight of
impact, then lowered the two gently to the ground.
Instantly, Elladan and Elrohir were there, tossing aside the treetop and checking over the two
who were lying on the blanket on the ground, cuddled up together, crying their eyes out.
"It's all right," Elladan said as he gently rubbed Elrond's small back. "You're safe now."
Elrohir was doing the same for Glorfindel.
The twins shared a look. They doubted the two would feel up to doing anything more that day.
That feeling was proven when first Glorfindel, then Elrond got off the blanket, walked a few
steps and was sick. Once they were done, they just sat there, tears running down their small,
pale faces, shaking.
The twins went over to the two, picked them up gently. They smiled sadly when their charges
clung tightly to them, still crying.
"Let's get them home, cleaned up, and to bed," Elladan suggested. Elrohir nodded silently, and
the two left the other Elves behind. Their previous anger at the two had vanished under the
weight of their concern.
The other gathered Elves were just leaving the clearing when it struck them. The small, dark-
haired child had called the golden-haired one *Glorfindel*.
***
Elladan and Elrohir gently pulled the blankets up over the bodies of the still-crying Elflings.
The two had not stopped crying for any meaningful length of time since their fall from the tree.
They had been sobbing and subdued all through their baths and dressing in nightclothes, not even
complaining once even though it was still hours until sunset. The twins had found that, no
matter how troublesome the younglings usually were, it was impossible not to feel sorry for them
upon seeing them cry so. At least they weren't wailing anymore.
The twins sat one on either side of the bed, each trying to comfort one of the small ones.
Elrohir wiped the streaming tears from Glorfindel's face with a soft cloth. "Is there anything
you want, that could make you feel better?" he asked quietly.
"Mother?" Glorfindel managed to ask around sobs, his small, tear-choked voice pathetically
hopeful.
Elrohir felt near-physical pain in his heart, knowing that he had no choice but to disappoint.
"She is not here, little one," he said softly. "Is there anything else that you would want?"
"Fluffy?" asked the golden-haired one, looking up at Elrohir through tear-swollen eyes.
Elrohir smiled sadly, brushed some of the fine hair from the young one's face. "I'll see what I
can do."
On the other side of the bed, Elladan was having a similar conversation with Elrond.
"I want my brother!" Elrond said, his whole body shuddering behind the weight of his hiccoughing
sobs.
"He is not here right now," Elladan said. "Is there anything else?"
"Wake me up when it gets dark out?" came the trembling answer.
"Why?"
"So I can see my father, up in the sky." Elrond sniffled, wiped at his nose with the back of his
small hand. "He's a star, you know." Sniffle. "His light always makes me feel better."
"All right," Elladan said. He knew that come darkness, the two would be grown again. It was sad
that the small Elrond wouldn't be able to get his wish. "Is there anything else you would want,
right now?"
Elrond thought only briefly before shaking his head.
Elladan looked to his brother, saw the nearly-unconsolable Glorfindel. He looked again to Elrond.
"Will you do something for us, then?" he asked softly.
Curious, Elrond asked, "What?"
The twin spoke as if confiding a great secret. "Glorfindel is very sad. He is alone, he has no
brothers or sisters here, nor are his parents in the stars. Could you take care of him, try to
cheer him up a little?"
Elrond looked to his sobbing friend, the tears in his own eyes drying up slightly. He looked
back to Elladan and nodded. "All right," he said. "I'll try."
"Thank you," came the reply. He could see that, like when he was fully grown, the concern for
another were pushing away Elrond's own sadness. "I'm sure you'll do a good job."
Elrond nodded again, scooted over in the bed to take Glofindel into his arms, hugging the other
boy tightly. "It's all right, Glorfindel," he said softly into the other's ear. "I'm here."
Elrohir looked to his twin, who rose as he did, then back to the small ones, who lay there,
cuddling on the bed. "Will you two be all right for a time, while Elladan and I go look for
Fluffy?"
The two nodded. "We'll be all right," Elrond said. "I promise."
"And you two won't try to sneak away? You'll stay right here in bed and try to get some sleep?"
"We won't go away," came the reply, from Glorfindel this time. "Please find Fluffy."
The twins nodded. They waited until the small ones were settled comfortably in bed, then slipped
out of the room, closing the door softly behind them.
Then Elladan turned to Elrohir. "Brother, Glorfindel had Fluffy a *long* time ago! Where do you
think we're going to *find* it?"
Elrohir smiled at his brother. "We both read the description Glorfindel wrote. We'll manage,"
he said. He started walking, heading for their rooms. "Come on, brother! I'll cut the fabric,
you sew. You always manage to make neater stitches than I do."
"Sew?" Elladan said softly, brow creasing in confusion as he paused, staring at his brother's
retreating back. Then the realization of Elrohir's intention passed through him. "Hey! I want
to cut! *You* sew!"
Elrohir looked back over his shoulder with a sly grin. "Last one to our rooms has to sew!" he
called softly, then took off down the hall as if Fluffy the Balrog himself was chasing him.
With a startled oath, Elladan took off down the hallways after his twin.
TBC...
;o) Leave a review and let me know what you thought, hmm? Even if it's just an anonymous smiley!