For Disclaimers See Chapter One. It gets mundane putting it on everything posted.
Quick Author's Note: Thank you for all of your reviews! They helped get this chapter out faster. Just so you know this chapter isn't as entertaining as the first – still has its part though. The next chapter will be much better – Guaranteed!
They Eat the Father
Chapter Two
One Plus One Equals Two
Elrond watched his beautiful wife struggling to give birth to their child. He whispered words of strength, comfort, and encouragement. He looked to the midwife who smiled at Elrond.
"She's almost finished. One last push and it should be over," the kindly elf said.
Elrond nodded and held Celebrian – readying her for the final push. As Celebrian used the last of her strength a cry filled the room – a new child's cry. The midwives cleaned the child and handed the squirming new born to Celebrian.
She smiled at the bundle she held as she whispered to Elrond, "We have twin sons." Elrond couldn't believe it. Twins? He leaned closer to his wife, wanting to look at his new sons.
As Celebrian saw Elrond move closer, she whispered to the twins, "Well, what are you waiting for?" As she lifted the twins closer for Elrond to see, he held his finger for the young ones to touch and play with. But the sensation he felt was anything but pleasant. His finger felt as if tiny needles were pricking his skin. Elrond parted the tiny blanket, and saw two pairs of eyes gleaming at him. Scissor – like claws encircled his wrist, pulling him closer. Closer to the hungry, awaiting pincers.
Elrond gave Celebrian a look that seemed to say 'how could you?' as the twin demons pulled their father closer. With a cry of frustration and desperation, Elrond thrust his hand, an attempt to free himself. He soon found that the twin terrors had a death lock on his wrist and would not wield.
"NO! They eat the father!"
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"The bastard hit me!" Glorfindel wailed as he held his nose.
Elrond, eyes opening, took in his surroundings. With no praying mantises in sight, he breathed a sigh of relief. The next sight he was greeted with made him wish he were still unconscious.
Across the room Elrond saw Celebrian, surrounded by many midwives, still in the throes of labor. Next to her was Erestor who seemed to be in great pain as Celebrian had a vice – like grip on his hand. Erestor seemed to be giving a silent cry of pain as the vice tightened.
"Don't sit here gawking, go to your wife, Elrond."
Elrond turned his head to see a somewhat perturbed Glorfindel sitting next to him. His advisor sat there next to Elrond holding his nose, which seemed to be quite red and tender.
"Elrond, go to Celebrian …. Relieve Erestor, I think she may have broken his hand," Glorfindel, somewhat nasally, told his lord.
Still somewhat in a daze, Elrond stiffly walked over to where his wife refused to loosen her grip on the advisor.
"M'Lady …. Would you please let go so that your husband may take my place" Erestor attempted to plead with Celebrian. Her response was that of bones cracking in his hand. Erestor grimaced. He was left with one alternative. I'm sorry Lady. Pulling back his lips and leaning forward, he bit Celebrian's hand; giving him the moment he needed to get free.
With Erestor freed, Celebrian had nothing to hold. Her hand gripped the bedpost – and with all her strength she squeezed. A minute later, everyone in the room heard the bed start to creak and groan with misuse.
Erestor, who had come to stand next to Glorfindel, looked to his hand and then to the bedpost. That could have been my hand! Erestor held his hand protectively and edged closer to the door –ready to escape if he was asked to "help" again.
Elrond stood by his wife's side – still in his daze and silently praying to the Valar. Please let it be a single elfling… Please. The midwife's shout brought him out of his daze.
"One
more push Lady and your first will be born."
Celebrian closed her eyes and
with all her might she pushed. Seconds later a cry filled the air. She sighed –
it was over.
"M'Lady push! There is another child!" Celebrian did as she was told and pushed. Silently cursing Elrond for what he had done to her. A second cry soon joined the first.
Elrond, slowly, crept to where the midwives were cleaning the children. He was now the father of two elflings! Not praying mantises! He smiled a smile of relief.
The two advisors, from their corner, stood in amazement. Twins! Elrond was the father of twins! Erestor couldn't help but snicker at Elrond. Their lord did not even want one and now here he was with two of them.
Glorfindel's eyes sparkled like a child's at Christmas. Twins! "I get dibs on that one!"
Erestor blinked at Glorfindel and hissed, "There is no such thing as dibs." As he was about to go on a full-blown speech on how the children didn't belong to him, Elrond interrupted.
"Very well, Glorfindel"
"What?!" Erestor turned to look at Elrond with an astonished look. "Surely you are not going to give the child to Glorfindel?"
"No, but Glorfindel will get to name this one." Elrond smiled – even his advisors were getting excited.
"Well if Glorfindel gets to name this one, I get to name the other."
"No, Celebrian and I are naming this one Elladan." As Elrond finished, Celebrian gave a snide smirk.
Erestor growled. His hand had been crushed by the mother and he didn't even get to name a child. "I break my hand over these children and I don't get to have anything to do with them?" Of all the ingrate half – elven bastards …
Celebrian spoke up for the first time since the birth, "Oh, nonsense Erestor. You'll have plenty to do. You'll be a fine tutor."
Erestor stood there dumbstruck. A tutor? Apparently Glorfindel had the same assessment as he did.
"Erestor a tutor, my Lady?"
Elrond turned to Glorfindel, "Yes, both you and Erestor will teach the twins. You can teach them about the more physical aspects of life such as swords and whatnot while Erestor will teach them history and writing."
Glorfindel blanched as soon as Elrond mentioned history and writing, "So Erestor is teaching them useless things."
Erestor looked appalled, "Those are not useless subjects!"
As the two continued their bickering, Elrond turned to Celebrian and smiled. Celebrian smiled back and whispered sweetly to her husband, "If you do that to me again, I'll rip your braids out."
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Later that night, as Celebrian laid asleep, Elrond Half – Elven dreamed. Not a dream of his sons, Elladan and newly named Elrohir, but of his dear sweet wife.
As Elrond turned over to look at her, he was greeted with eight eyes staring straight at him. A giant black widow entangled him in its gangly legs. As the spider pulled him close, long legs playing with his braids, Elrond heard it whisper, "Goodnight my Beloved."
"Ah! They eat their mates!"
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So ends the second chapter of They Eat the Father. Sorry it wasn't as entertaining as the first. The next chapter is much better and is in the works. As before thank you again for such positive reviews/comments. Please review if you liked, have suggestions, or just want to say something – go right ahead.*hint* Reviews help to motivate us to work faster *hint*
And now for the snippet of Chapter Three of They Eat the Father
They Eat the FatherChapter Three
Which One's Which?!
Elrond stared at his giggling infants. "Okay, which one's which?" The advisors watched their lord butcher the twin elflings' names.
"I believe that one is Elladan and this to be Elrohir," Erestor said, pointing.
"It's the other way around, Erestor," Glorfindel chimed in.
Elrond stared straight ahead at the giggling twins – a look of disbelief written on his face. He didn't know which one was which.