Eli couldn't sleep. She tried all kinds of positions, rearranged her pillows, and even tried sleeping on the floor to see if it might help, but nothing happened. With a low growl of frustration, she clambered back into her bed, and lay against the soft fluffy sheets, staring up at the ceiling. I am now an official insomniac.
It was pretty much quiet where she was, nothing to be heard except the sound of a fountain trilling away someplace and the whispering of the west wind she had called. And I thought it'd help in sending me to sleep, like it did with those stricken with the Black Shadow, she mused. She rolled onto her stomach, and lay facing the window. A sickle moon greeted her, gleaming brightly high above, and all around it there twinkled a multitude of stars.
She grinned when she saw that one tiny star was shining close beside the moon. What was that old saying? "If at night a star is close to the moon, two lovers are about to meet." She looked up, glancing at the door that joined her room to Camille's. Maybe she and Legolas are having a late-night rendezvous somewhere out there.
Suddenly, an idea occurred to her. Late-night rendezvous…hehe, this'll be good! Rubbing her hands together evilly, she got up, put on the white robe that had been provided for her use, and slowly crept towards the door that opened to Camille's room. Opening it slowly, she peered inside. There was a lump lying on the bed. Tiptoeing towards it, Eli circled the large bed so that she could see if Camille was really there or not. For all I know she could have just propped up a bunch of pillows to make it look like she was lying in bed. She's done that about a billion times already before.
Unfortunately, all her evil plans faded to nothing when she found that Camille was actually lying in her bed, asleep, and pretty deep in her dreams, at that. Whatever they might have been, they were probably good, because she had a rather goofy-looking smile on her face, and every now and then she would mumble two words: "Legolas" and "chocolate".
Eli managed to stifle her giggles as she walked out of Camille's room. Legolas and chocolate…the two most important things to Camille. Camille had always been a chocolate addict, calling it her "vice", as she was prone to turn to it whenever she felt troubled or had a problem. And as for Legolas…well, the explanation for THAT she knew.
I always knew they would be together, Eli thought to herself as she wandered out of her best friend's room and into her own. She sighed, and proceeded to walk out of her room, intending to go for a walk in the gardens. Maybe that will clear out my head and help me get some sleep.
* * *
Elladan stood at the balcony of his chambers, overlooking the vast gardens of the White Tower. Though they were not nearly as beautiful as the gardens of Rivendell, there was still a wonderful, calming quality to them that could only be brought about by the sight of green growing things. From the west whispered a soothing breeze, bringing healing and rest to all it touched.
A streak of white caught his eye. Glancing down, he saw a slender figure traverse the courtyard, heading towards one of the many fountains that still sprayed their glittering droplets into the air. He smiled the moment he saw it. Eli…
Just then, a knock sounded on his door. He turned around to face it. ^Elrohir?^
The door creaked open then, and Elladan realized his guess was correct. Elrohir walked into his brother's room, a faint smile upon his face. ^You are still awake?^
Elladan gave a smooth shrug. ^I do not wish to sleep yet.^ He turned away from his twin, and gazed down at the gardens below.
Elrohir followed his gaze, and it landed on Eli, who was sitting beside the fountain, her head bent down to gaze at the rippling moonlight reflected in the pool. Elladan noticed his twin stiffen slightly, before he said, ^Elladan, there is something I must tell you…^
Realizing that this was something important, Elladan turned fully to his twin, his face open and concerned. ^What is it? And why does it distress you so?^
Elrohir did not meet his gaze, as if he were afraid that Elladan would perceive something before he had the chance to speak. The elder twin waited patiently, until at last, Elrohir said, ^It concerns Elisabeth.^
Elladan felt his heart give a painful twinge. It is as I expected. He gazed at Elrohir for a moment, and then turned his gaze to Eli. ^It is just as I suspected. You love her.^
^You knew of this?^ Elrohir asked, apparently startled by this admission. ^Did anyone tell you? Did Camille?^
Elladan laughed softly, shaking his head. ^Nay, no one told me. I have gleaned this knowledge from my observation of you.^ He smiled slightly at Elrohir. ^We have always been able to discern what the other is feeling. That is a gift granted to us as twins. We are similar in appearance, and, to a certain degree, similar in mind and heart as well.^
Elrohir nodded seriously. ^Aye, similar in heart. So similar, perhaps, that we both desire the love of the same woman.^
Elladan does not answer that. Aye, we love the same woman, he thought as he watched Eli dip her hand into the fountain and lazily swirl the water around with her hand. After a long moment in silence, he asked, ^Elrohir, what was it that…ensnared your heart? What was it that caused you to give her a small part of your soul and, perhaps, a large part of your heart?^
Elrohir sighed. ^I do not know how to put it. I love her for everything that she is and is not. She is not perfect, and that is why I adore her. I love her when she smiles, and I love her when she is angry. I love her for being what she is, nothing more, and nothing less.^
Elladan gazed with a bemused smile at his brother. So it is true. Long have I suspected that he harbored feelings for Eli, but was not willing to make it known to anyone, not even to me. He reached out, and placed a hand on Elrohir's shoulder. ^Elrohir, I shall say this to you now: you have greater right to her than I do.^
^What?^ Elrohir asked, surprised as he looked up at his older brother. ^What do you mean by that?^
^It means that I relinquish Eli's love to you,^ Elladan replied with a smile.
Elrohir stared at him, stunned. ^Elladan, why would you relinquish her to me? What reasons have you for such a decision?^
^As I said, you have greater right to her,^ Elladan answered. He glanced at Eli again. ^I loved her only for what I saw on the surface. You love her for what she is inside. I do not deserve her love.^
^But Elladan,^ Elrohir exclaimed, ^I conceived the plan because I knew that you loved her!^
Elladan shook his head. ^But I did nothing to earn her love. Nay, you are the one who struggled to gain her love for me; it is only right that you claim it for your own.^ He smiled. ^Do not worry about me, brother. You have done so many things for me; I believe that I must do this one thing for you.^ He pushed Elrohir gently into the room and towards the door. ^Go! Time is of the essence, brother! You must tell her how you feel tonight. For in a few days thence, we ride to battle…and, perhaps, to our death.^
Elrohir stood at the door, staring back at him in disbelief. Then, at last, a smile appeared on his face. ^Thank you, Elladan.^ With that he opened the door, and disappeared into the night.
* * *
El sighed as she lifted her hand out of the water, shaking it to get rid of the excess moisture. The water droplets sprayed all around, most of them falling back into the fountain, but a few splattered onto her face and throat. They landed on the diamond in the Pendant of Imladris; the stone sparkling brilliantly even in the moonlight. She picked it up, and looked at it carefully. Under her breath, she started to sing a song…
Ne aishitara daremo ga
Konna kodoku ni naru no?
Ne kurayami yori mo fukai kurushimi
Dakishimeteru no?
Nani mo kamo ga futari kagayaku tame
Kitto
Kimi o kimi o aishiteru
Kokoro de mitsumete iru
Kimi o kimi o shinjiteru
Samui yoru mo
Ne koi shite mo dare ni mo itsuka
Owari ga kuru no?
Ne aozora yori mo sunda
Tokimeki sutete shimau no?
Kisetsu kawaru no kaze
Michi o hashiru zutto
Kimi o kimi o aishiteru
Kokoro de mitsumete iru
Kimi o kimi o shinjiteru
Samui yoru mo
Tatoe ashita nakushite mo
Anata o ushinatte mo
Dekiru kagiri no egao de kayagakitai
Namida de ima yobi kakeru
Yakusoku nado iranai
Kimi ga kureta taisetsu na tsuyosa dakara
Hitomi de ima yobi kakeru
Yakusoku nado iranai
Hitomi de ima te o nobasu
Samui yoru mo
"Say, when they're in love,
Does everyone get this lonely?
Say, do they embrace the pain
That's even deeper than the darkness?
"It's all been so that we
Can shine,
I just know it!
"I... I love you.
I'm gazing at you with my heart.
I... I believe in you.
Even on the coldest night.
"Say, even if they're in love,
Could the end someday come for them, too?
Say, could a feeling that's even
Clearer than the blue sky end up being abandoned?
"The season-changing winds
Running along the streets
Forever
"I... I love you.
I'm gazing at you with my heart.
I... I believe in you.
Even on the coldest night.
"Even if I lost tomorrow,
And even if I lost you, too,
I want to shine,
Smiling as best as I can.
I call out to you now with my tears.
I don't need promises or such things,
Because of the precious
Strength that you've given me
"I call out to you now with my eyes.
I don't need promises or such things.
I reach out to you now with my eyes,
Even on the coldest night"
"Your voice never ceases to amaze me, Eli."
El jerked suddenly, almost toppling over into the fountain and giving herself an untimely bath. What the… She looked up to the source of the voice, and her eyes widened when she saw one of the sons of Elrond standing there before her. She swallowed. Which one is it? She peered closely for a minute, then asked, her voice hesitant, "Elladan?"
The twin smiled, and shook his head. "Nay, Elisabeth, 'tis I, Elrohir."
"Oh." Eli looked at him for a moment, then asked, "What are you doing up this late at night?"
"I should ask you the same thing," Elrohir answered as he moved to sit down beside her. "And maybe I should add that it is not proper for you to be walking about in such inadequate garments."
Eli rolled her eyes, but scooted over a little to give the Elf some room to sit in. "Don't worry, it's not a cold night. And as for why I'm out here this late… I couldn't sleep." She smiled slightly. "It's weird, actually. Normally I can sleep under any kind of circumstance, but not tonight."
"Would it have something to do with that nightmare you recently had, perhaps," Elrohir asked, his voice concerned.
"I don't know," Eli answered softly. "Maybe." Mustering up as much courage as she could, she looked up at Elrohir, and asked, "What were you doing in my nightmare? I remember Elladan getting mad at you for doing it."
Elrohir smiled slightly. "The Shadow Host left you with a terrible nightmare that assailed you in your sleep. I could not bear to see you thus pained, and so I forsook all the advice that my father gave to me, and I put to use the skill of dream walking as he taught it to me. Though under normal circumstances, not even my father would dare to walk into a nightmare as I have done."
"Then why did you do it?" Eli asked, though in the back of her mind she felt she knew what the answer was.
^You already know the answer to that,^ Elrohir replied softly. He reached out, and gently laid his fingers against the Pendant of Imladris. ^When I wrought this in the smithies of Imladris, it was to serve as a memento of our family, of Father, Arwen, Elladan, and myself, to remind you that we would always be waiting for you to return to us again. But, in the deepest depths of my heart, I created it to serve as a reminder that I would love you forever. Even if you had wed Elladan, I would have continued to love you, even from the shadows. And I would have done so for the span of your mortal life; nay, even when you no longer lived, I would have loved you still.^
Eli gulped, her fingers trembling as she touched the Pendant. ^You…you made this yourself?^ He made it himself?! Why would he go through so much trouble…just to make this for me?
Elrohir nodded. ^Aye, out of my love for you.^ At that moment, he frowned. ^I shall confess something to you, and though you may spurn me because of it, I must take that risk.^ He inhaled deeply, then said, ^During the times when you were speaking with Elladan and gaining his friendship, you were not speaking to him at all. You were speaking to me.^
Eli felt her jaw drop wide open in surprise. What?! ^Elrohir, what do you mean by that? That you were pretending to be Elladan?^
^Aye, that is exactly what I meant.^
Eli felt her blood run cold through her veins all of a sudden. Does he mean to tell me that all that time I thought I was spending with Elladan, it was HIM I was talking to?! ^But…but…WHY?!^
Elrohir sighed, and there was infinite weariness in that sigh. ^When we found you by the Bruinen, I knew immediately that Elladan had become enamored of you. During that time, I admitted to myself that you were beautiful, but I also knew that it was not right to simply pay court to a person one does not know well. But Elladan believed that he had at last found the one his heart long searched for, and I, ever eager to make my brother happy, found ways and means of winning you for him. And the strategy I employed the most was to take the guise of my brother when speaking with you, and make you believe that you were speaking to him, and not I.
^However, in the course of that plan, I grew to learn more about you, and I realized that you were indeed more than you appeared to be. And in the end, I became enamored of you, for more reasons that just your beauty. I was enamored your intelligence, your wit…and most especially, the kind and loving soul that you constantly hid beneath a cold and uncaring exterior. It is for these reasons, and so many more that I cannot relate now, that I fell in love with you.^
Eli bent her head, and felt hot tears come to her eyes. Everything about Elladan…it was just a lie? And all along…all along…it should have been Elrohir? Only now did she understand what her dream meant. The Mind might lead to security and stability, but it can be fooled. Only the Heart may truly discern the path one should take to happiness at the end of the road.
She felt Elrohir gently cup her chin in his hand, and tilt her head upwards. She flicked her gaze up to his face, and was immediately held in the spell of his gray eyes. He leaned to her, and softly kissed away each tear that fell from her eyes.
^Hush, my love,^ he whispered to her, ^let me bear the pains of your heart, for I do not wish to see you so sad.^ He drew away, looking into her eyes searchingly. ^I love you, fair Elisarien.^
Eli smiled. She had decided. And Heart had won over Mind. Sliding her arms around his neck, she whispered back, ^And I love you, Elrohir. I must have been blind not to see it, but now… I can see it more clearly than I ever have before.^
The smile that curled on Elrohir's face was perhaps the most beautiful one she had ever seen in her life. He leaned closer to her, and sealed their confession with a tender, soul-searing kiss.
Eli felt her heart soar with delight and pure, unadulterated happiness. This kiss no longer felt wrong; in fact, it felt so RIGHT. This is where I belong. In Elrohir's arms, I know that nothing can ever go wrong, ever again.
Her eyes fluttered open slowly when Elrohir drew away from her, ending the kiss. He gazed down at her, his eyes intense with emotion, and whispered, ^And so at last my Treasure is returned to me, and never shall I let it go. My very heart is in your keeping now, Elisarien. My entire being I offer to you, to bind to you in love eternal.^
^And I give my all to you, Elrohir. Everything that I am and am not, are yours, for as long as my mortal life shall allow,^ Eli whispered, and buried her face in his chest as he drew her into a tight, loving embrace.
Above them, the crescent moon glowed in pale light, and Earendil star hovered beside it. And all the heavens were witness as the Prophecy drew close to its fulfillment.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay, this was not as sappy as Legolas and Camille's chapter looks back and surveys everything, but then again, I think that I did a pretty good job at it ^_^. The thing about the star and the moon…that's a real saying where I'm from, and in some strange way, infallibly true… And the song I used above is entitled "Yakusoku wa Iranai (No Need for Promises)" the opening song from the anime "Vision of Escaflowne". Hope that the fans of the twins like what I did here! Now then, NEXT CHAPTER: the final battle is drawing near, and everyone is rather worried. Camille and Eli aren't sure if they're going to make it out alive; then again, neither are Legolas, Elrohir, Aragorn, Elladan, Gimli, Merry, Pippin and Gandalf sure that they're going to come out of it alive either. With Aragorn and Gandalf's permission and guidance, the Summoners use the Palantir of Orthanc to take a brief visit to their world to say goodbye… How do their farewells go? Read on to find out!