Camille bit her lip as she looked on at Eli, who was writhing and twisting in the bed. She's having a very, very bad dream. She cursed. Damn, I KNEW that those ghosts weren't going to leave without messing her mind somehow!
The door of the cabin opened with a creak then. "How does she fare, Camille?"
Camille looked over her shoulder, and saw a dark-haired, gray-eyed Elf approach her. Elrohir. She knew it for a certainty, since she had seen Elladan go to bed after supper. Elves might not have needed sleep as frequently as mortals did, but they certainly had to sleep SOME time! She sighed as she turned from the Elf, to look again at Eli. "I don't think she's doing too well. She's getting caught up in a nightmare of some sort that the ghosts left in her head when they passed by."
Elrohir grimaced, and shook his head. "Why must it be so?!" he wondered as he rubbed his forehead with his long fingers.
"I don't know," Camille said wearily, "I don't really know." They sat together in silence for a long while, watching as Eli twisted again in her sleep, and a low moan escaping her lips. After a moment, Camille spoke, "Hey Elrohir, do you love Eli?"
The Elf seemed to have been caught off-guard by that question, because his reply was rather hesitant. "How did you find that out?"
Camille shrugged. "I just kind of guessed it from the way you were acting before we left Rivendell and from the way you were acting these past few days since we met again." She looked up at him, eyeing him carefully. "So, do you?"
Elrohir was silent for a while, then he heaved a deep sigh, and answered, "Yes, yes I do, with all my heart and immortal life."
"Oh." Legolas would have said the same thing about me. At that thought, Camille giggled. When she noticed the strange look that Elrohir was giving her, she smiled, and said, "Sorry, I just had a thought."
"Would you care to share it with me?" Elrohir asked. "If it is something worth laughing about then perhaps it would help lift this gloomy spirit of mine."
"I was just thinking about what you said. I kind of thought that Legolas would have said the same thing about me before, if someone asked him the same question I asked you."
Finally Elrohir's frown lifted, and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Aye, indeed, Legolas would have given the same response if someone had asked him that question. There is no doubting that he loves you. He would give up his immortal life for your sake. Aye, his is a pure and true love. He shall not falter in his love for you." He frowned then. "However, in quest of the love I wish to have, I must overcome a greater obstacle than any Legolas has had to face: my brother."
And so we come at last to the topic I've always wanted to talk about, but never dared to bring up, Camille thought wryly. "Want to elaborate on that?"
Elrohir sighed. "I assume that you have seen the kiss in the birch grove?"
"Like everyone else in Rivendell," Camille threw back with a grin. "That wasn't exactly a very private spot now, was it?"
"Nay, it was not," Elrohir replied with a grin and a shake of the head. "It is in full view of the balconies and the dining hall; it is the last place one could call 'private'."
Camille nodded. "Okay, I get the picture. You were saying?"
Elrohir nodded. "I was the one who first found Eli down by the banks of the Bruinen."
Wait a minute, I smell something here. "Just a second. Eli told me that it was ELLADAN who found her first."
A sad smile crossed Elrohir's face. "Aye. That is what I told her."
"Wait a minute, I'm confused!" Camille exclaimed, frustrated. "You're telling me that YOU found her by the Bruinen, but you told her that it was ELLADAN who did it. What's going on?"
"I…told that to Eli, so that my brother would have an advantage in courting her," the Elf replied slowly, as though he was about to say something that was rather troubling and weighed heavily on him. "When I saw the expression in Elladan's face the moment he beheld her, I knew that he was intending to pay court to her. And so I told Eli that it was Elladan who had found her by the river, and not I."
Camille raised an eyebrow. "Okay, I smell something suspicious here. There's something more to this. You'd better tell me now." Or else you are SO going to get it from me.
Elrohir stood up then, and turned away from her to look out of the little window that had been cut into the side of the ship. They were currently sailing over the River, the sound of the water lapping against the timbers of the vessel and the splashing of oars into the current were the only sounds that came to them. At long last, he answered, "When I learned that Elladan had fallen for her, I did everything I could to get them together. But, as you may well know, Eli does not take too easily to strangers. In light of this, I took it upon myself to make friends with her, but I often wore the guise of my brother."
Camille was frozen with shock. Her voice when she spoke was dangerously calm. "What?"
Elrohir winced. "I took the guise of my brother when speaking to her and befriending her. I made her believe that it was Elladan she was speaking to, and not myself."
"Why the HELL did you DO that?!" Camille hissed. She couldn't raise her voice because Eli was sleeping – well, most everyone on the ship was sleeping, save for the two of them and the oarsmen down below. She stomped over to the Elf, and glared at him. "Do you have any idea how much this is hurting Eli? Do you? Do you have any idea how many times she's been forced to choose between the two of you?! God, if you were only THERE during the trials of the Four Spirits! She was forced to choose between you and Elladan before Byakko finally gave her leave to use his power. Then Lady Galadriel – yes, your own grandmother – urged her to choose as quickly as she could. And it's hurting her because she can't make up her mind!"
Elrohir's face fell, and a look that Camille could only describe as extreme guilt appeared in his eyes as he gazed at Eli. "Indeed? Then my plot has done nothing but hurt her. Ah, if only I could turn back the hours to the day I conceived the plan! If I could, I would erase all thought of it from my mind, and never look back!"
"But there's nothing you can do about it, is there?" Camille asked, her voice edged with the fire of rage. You bet it's too late, you idiot! You should've thought first before you did that!! She turned away from him, irritated beyond relief. "And to think that she actually loved you."
The silence that followed that statement was stunning, filled in only by the lashing of the current and the splashing of the oars. At length, Elrohir spoke. "She loved me?"
"Yeah, like hell she did. The only problem is, you had to confuse her all the more because of that switching thing," Camille muttered. She looked up at him. "You were a good friend to her, you know that? And it made me feel so happy that Eli managed to find another person she could trust aside from me. It's very hard to get her to trust people, and even harder to make her fall in love with someone. So when I saw her and Elladan kissing down in the grove, I felt it was good…and about time.
"But you know what? Even after that kiss, even after Elladan had promised her his undying love and devotion, she still felt it was wrong. And I guess it's because she kind of felt that it was YOU she was speaking to, even when you were pretending to be Elladan. And it was for that reason that she couldn't choose, not even when Elladan kissed her. She told me that it was sort of 'wrong', like she was doing it with the wrong person. And in a way, she did. She was supposed to be kissing you, not your brother. But because you had to be such a martyr and let your twin have his way, Eli is now apparently caught between a rock and a hard place."
She stopped her ranting, and looked back to the person she was speaking to. The Elf had listened to all of her words in silence. He sat there, watching her fume and rail at him, and all the while, deep remorse floated in his steel-gray eyes.
He spoke then, his voice soft. "You are right. Aye, this is my fault. But what can I do to resolve it? Or is it too late to resolve?"
Camille breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. What CAN he do? She thought for a moment, and then smiled, and answered, "First of all, you'd better be honest with your brother about your feelings for Eli. I have the feeling it's going to hurt him to have a rival – especially if the rival is YOU – but it's better than him not knowing, right? And you HAVE to tell Eli the truth. That's the most important thing. You'd better admit to her everything that you did. The longer she doesn't know, the longer she's going to hurt inside."
Elrohir nodded his head slowly, but didn't say anything further about the topic.
Just then, a knock sounded on the door, and it creaked open, Legolas poking his head into the room. His gaze immediately landed on Camille, and he smiled. "Ah, there you are! I was wondering why when I checked your room your bed had not even been touched." He approached her, and took her hand gently in his. "Come now, sweet one, I shall see you to your rest."
Elrohir chuckled as they left. "I hope you do not plan on doing anything that is not allowed beyond the bounds of marriage, Legolas."
Camille spun around, and glared at the dark-haired Elf even as a blush appeared on her face. "Stuff a sock in it, Elrohir."
The last thing she heard was Elrohir's soft laughter as the door closed behind her.
* * *
Elrohir's laughter died in his throat when the door shut with a soft click. Almost instantly, his mind began to mull over the things that Camille had told him.
And to think that she actually loved you.
………You were a good friend to her, you know that? ………She was supposed to be kissing you, not your brother. But because you had to be such a martyr and let your twin have his way, Eli is now apparently caught between a rock and a hard place.
………You'd better be honest with your brother about your feelings for Eli. I have the feeling it's going to hurt him to have a rival – especially if the rival is YOU – but it's better than him not knowing, right? ………The longer she doesn't know, the longer she's going to hurt inside.
And to think that she actually loved you…
A cry startled him out of his reverie, and he immediately glanced at Eli. She was still trapped in the nightmare, seemingly unable to shake it off. She was muttering incoherent words under her breath, while she writhed and twisted as if trying to escape from something.
Finally realizing that this was no ordinary dream, Elrohir crossed the distance between him and the bed in a few quick strides, kneeling down beside the bed so that he would be able to get a closer look at Eli's face. It was twisted as if in agony, and she frequently caught her lower lip between her teeth, biting down hard enough to leave small cuts where her teeth had dug into the soft flesh.
This is no ordinary dream… Elrohir furrowed his brow as he considered his options. Elrond had taught his twin sons everything they could ever wish to know about. Though both twins had the same level when it came to sword fighting and archery, and they were both equals when it came to their knowledge of lore, it was a given that Elladan was a born leader, while Elrohir was a promising healer. Taking this into consideration, Elrond taught them accordingly. Elladan was raised to become the next Lord of Imladris, once Elrond decided to make the journey to the Undying Lands, while to Elrohir he passed on his knowledge in healing. Along with this Elrond taught Elrohir how to venture into other people's dreams and bring them back to the land of the living.
However, Elrohir's education concerning this particular skill was not yet complete, and he certainly did not have the same talent for it as his father did. And even then, Elrond never dared to venture into a nightmare.
Elrohir clenched his jaw in determination. This is a risk I must take. For her sake… He glanced at Eli's face one more time, and it steeled his resolve. It must be done. He clasped her hand in his, and slid into a light sleep, venturing into the land of dreams…
* ~ *
Cold. Dreadful, unearthly cold. In spite of the fact that Elves do not usually feel the difference between heat and cold, this was a chill that came from the inside out. Elrohir shivered, and rubbed his arms in an attempt to induce some warmth into them. This is odd. Why does her dream realm feel so bitterly cold?
He looked around at his surroundings, drawing his cloak more tightly around him. It seemed that he was standing in what was once a meadow, but all was drab and gray and barren now. A thin layer of frost coated the ground he was standing on, and it crackled and snapped whenever he took a step. He looked up at the sky, and noticed that it was a gloomy, depressing gray. He half-expected to see snow or sleet come raining down at any moment.
Now that I am here, I must find the one who resides in this place. He frowned when he thought that it could only be one person – Eli. Why is her dream so sad, he wondered as he walked, looking around for any sign of the person he had come for.
It did not take him long. Far into the distance, he saw a small beacon of light shining from atop a hill. Sensing that he had found what he was looking for, he quickened his pace until he reached the foot of the hill. There he paused, and looked up. He saw a slender figure clad in a simple white shift sitting at the base of a withered old tree, little balls of light flickering around it.
Casting all hesitations aside, he climbed upwards, and at last came to the crest of the hill. There he found Eli, sitting down at the foot of the tree, her eyes entranced by the little balls of light that floated around her. He knelt down beside her, and smiled. "At last, I have found you, Elisabeth."
Eli looked up at him then, and her eyes seemed distant and dull. "Oh, it's you." She turned away from him, and started to play with one of the lights in front of her, cupping her hand around it and bringing it closer to her face.
"What is that?" Elrohir inquired, seeking to find out what exactly would hold her in such thrall that she would refuse to return to the real world.
"My memories." There was a childish lilt in her voice that Elrohir found rather disturbing. She turned to him then, and passed the light towards him. "Want to look?"
Unsure as to what he should do, Elrohir decided to accept it. He cupped it in his hands, and brought it closer to his line of sight. He peered into it, trying to see past the glare of the light around it. At last, his eyes focused, and he could see what was within. He saw himself and Eli, in Rivendell, many, many months ago, sitting on the banks of the Bruinen. The two of them were laughing and chatting the day away, completely oblivious then as to what would befall them in the future. However, he had been pretending to be Elladan that day.
Elrohir swallowed. A bittersweet feeling surged through his heart, for as he recalled, that was the day he had fallen in love with her. I may have not admitted it to myself, he thought, but now I know. "Why are you showing me this?"
Eli shrugged. "Because that memory is my favorite."
"Why is it your favorite," Elrohir pressed, now more determined than ever to find out what was so special about the memory he held in his hands.
Eli shrugged. "Just because." She smiled slightly as she took it back from him, and peered into it again. "Maybe because I fell in love that day."
Elrohir's felt his heart drop. With Elladan? "With whom?"
"I'm not really sure. My head tells me that I was talking to Elladan that day, but my heart is telling me that I was talking to Elrohir." She turned to him, her eyes wide and curious. "Who should I believe?"
"Your head, naturally. Remember that logic ALWAYS has the advantage. Less regrets that way, you know."
Elrohir whirled around, startled. Another Eli had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, but this one was sterner-looking and seemed prone to frowning.
"Yeah, but the heart can discern the light where reason and logic fail," answered a third Eli, but this one seemed a little less severe than her counterpart. And around her throat there was prominently displayed the Pendant of Imladris.
Elrohir smiled slightly when he caught sight of the pendant. It had been HIS idea, actually, and it was his hands that wrought it out of the finest silver and the most beautiful diamond he had been able to find in his father's treasuries. But, unwilling then to let his father and brother know the TRUE reason for such a gift, he suggested that it be given as a gift to Eli from the whole family. But it was a gift wrought with the love I felt for her, deep in my heart, and it was with love that I wished it to be presented to her.
He glanced at the Eli he had been speaking to previously, and who was now watching the argument of the two other Elis in front of her. "Who shall you choose, Eli?"
"I don't know," she answered softly, and it appeared like she was ready to cry. "I've always had a hard time deciding…"
"You must choose swiftly, Eli," Elrohir whispered. "We cannot spend much longer here in this realm. I came here to bring you back."
"Choose swiftly…that's the same thing Galadriel told me before we left Lothlorien," Eli said, and it seemed for a while that a certain light burned again in her eyes. "What did she tell me…? 'Though the mists of indecisiveness now cloud your mind, there will come a time when love will open up the way to you'…"
The diamond in the Pendant of Imladris flared brightly, and the two other Elis disappeared in the flash of light. The original now looked at him, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Elrohir! What are you-"
"Shhh," Elrohir said, laying a finger against her lips. "Now is not the time to explain. When we are back in the real world, I promise to explain everything to you." He stood up, and pulled Eli to her feet. "Now come, we must leave this place, before-"
A shriek instantly tore through the air, and when Elrohir turned to look, he saw a large horde of Orcs coming down upon him and Eli. Orcs in the dream realms?! Knowing that if they were caught up in the fight they would not be able to make it out, he clutched Eli's hand tightly, and the two of them attempted to flee was quickly as they could. But, as in all nightmares, nothing ever goes right, and as the two of them traversed the open field, a great chasm suddenly opened up before them, Elrohir barely able to stop in the nick of time. But Eli crashed into his back, and he was thrown off-balance and into the chasm.
"NOOO!!!!!" Elrohir felt Eli's hand tighten around his wrist, and she prevented him from falling into the dark valley beneath his feet. He looked up at her, and it seemed that there were tears in her eyes, glinting off the light that emanated from the Pendant of Imladris.
Eli shook her head, and a few tears loosed themselves from her lashes and fell down, splashing against his face. "I'm not going to let you go Elrohir!" she cried. "I…I love you!"
And then the world went up in a blaze of white brilliance…
* ~ *
"ELROHIR!!!! Snap out of it!!!! WAKE UP!!!!"
Elrohir jerked sharply, and opened his eyes to see a variety of worried and anxious faces peering down at him. "What has happened?"
"I found you sleeping in Eli's room, stupe!" Camille exclaimed as she smacked him lightly on the cheek to wake him up a little more. "I came to check up on you and tell you to get up cause we're getting close to Gondor already, and when I came here I found you sprawled on the bed, shaking like you were having a seizure or something. I dragged Elladan and Aragorn down here, and Elladan said something about you going into Eli's dream or something."
^You know you are not skilled in that technique yet, Elrohir,^ Elladan muttered as if admonishing him. ^And you dared to enter her dreams while she was having a nightmare… Did you not know how dangerous that is?! What if you had been trapped?! You could have DIED, Elrohir!^
Elrohir shook his head, rubbing it slowly as he sat up. ^Forgive me, brother. I know that I am not skilled yet in this particular method of healing, but…I had to take the risk. I…I could not bear to see her suffering so in her slumber.^
A groan sounded at that moment, and Elrohir glanced to his side. He watched with a growing smile of relief and joy as Eli sat up, blinking her eyes rapidly in the light that streamed in from the porthole. "Wha-? Hey, what're all you guys doing here? What's the emergency?" She turned to Elrohir, and nearly yelped at finding how close he was to her. "And what the heck are you doing in my bed?!" She glanced around. "Wait a sec, where AM I to begin with?!"
* * *
Eli stared at the faces around her: one Elf-twin sitting beside her in the bed, the other half of the pair sitting on the edge of the bed beside his brother, her best friend sitting at the foot of the bed, and her foster-brother standing in the corner. They were all silent, stunned beyond belief. "Hey, could somebody PLEASE explain WHAT is going on?"
Camille snickered then, like she was prone to do when Eli was so confused about something. "LOOONG story Eli. Do you remember your dream last night? That might help."
Dream? What dream? Memories came flooding into her head at that moment, and she gasped. Holy…yeah, the dream… She couldn't recall the beginning of it, but she DID remember seeing a bunch of Orcs chasing her and…Elrohir? Elrohir…what was that business with HIM in my dream? Something about going back…then he nearly fell into a big chasm like the one Gandalf fell into in Moria…and then me saying…I love you… She shook her head hard to clear it of all the other thoughts linked to it, and decided that it would be better to think about it later. "So why are you all here?"
Camille snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah, that's right! Eli, get into your armor stuff; we're getting closer to Gondor, and Elladan figures he can see a HUGE battle going on right about now."
Eli nodded. "Yeah, sure, sure. You go on ahead of me, I'll be up on deck when I'm through." She climbed out of bed, and grinned at her companions. "What are you all doing here?! Can't I have some privacy?! Shoo! Out, out with you!"
Camille laughed, and shook her head as she stood up. "Fine, fine Little Miss Prude!" With that she and the three males exited the room, leaving Eli alone to change.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: "Weird" would probably be the best way to describe this chapter, what with all the dream-things and the separation of Mind and Heart and all that… Though it could easily be one of those romantic chapters too, if you think about it ^_^. To those of you who are rather confused with this part of the story, I hope you will forgive me. Everything has been rather hectic lately. ANYWAY, next chapter: we show you the Battle of the Pelennor Fields, and how those mumakil were brought down. The Summoners come to their full power! See you in the next chap!!