A/N: Again I'm sorry! I know I keep saying this but I'm sorry it took ages to update! Kat can back up my excuse this time! She lost EVERYTHING and I mean everything when her computer crashed so I have been helping her get it all back off various sites. Plus she was also writing this chapter that died along with the rest of her stuff, I'm writing it now she can get back on track. May all her un-recovered fics and pics rest in peace!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Áruinne hastily swallowed the last mouthful of juice and pushed back her chair, nearly knocking over her little brother in the process.
"Careful Áruinne!" Exclaimed Legolas
"Sorry Ate're." She replied patting Celen as she passed the little elf. As soon as her slippered feet had left the smooth stone of the Great Hall, she broke into a run lifting the hem of her skirt and taking the stairs two at a time. She arrived breathless and grinning at the door of her room.
"Vedui Celorfiwyn…" She whispered as she opened the door, but there was no one in the chamber. Her face fell, the smile falling from her lips.
~*~*~*~*~
"Why is she in such a hurry these days?" Asked Legolas shaking his head. Kĩyara didn't answer, it's not really lying she thought to herself I'm just not denying it.
"Has she said anything to you?" Again the brunette elf didn't answer. "Kĩyara?"
"Hmm?"
"Has she said anything to you?"
"Me? No." Now that's lying Kĩyara Aithianne. I thought we'd agreed to stop doing that?
Legolas gave her a quizzical look and she smiled. He shook his head again.
"Women are mystery to me."
"Me too, don't worry." Kĩyara answered kissing her husband on the cheek. Just then Celen popped his head between their chairs, breaking off their conversation.
"Ate're? When are we going to make my bow?"
Legolas feigned deep thought, picking up his son and sitting him on his lap. Immediately Celen snuggled into his chest putting his trademark thumb in his mouth.
"Well let me see, I can't today because I promised Nildur I would look over some of the stores with him." Celen pulled a face from behind his hand and looked pleading at his father. "But if you're good and take your thumb out of your mouth for one minute than I'll see about tomorrow." Celen pulled his thumb away and sat on his hands, grinning sweetly up.
"Do you promise?"
"I promise."
With a whoop of joy the elfling leapt from the chair and sped out of the hall, leaving Kĩyara and Legolas to smile at each other.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Celorfiwyn raced down the stairs dodging various younger siblings on his way. He pulled on his cloak as he was running, the clasp unwilling to fasten under his jerking fingers. Just as he was about to reach the forest floor a voice rang out from one of the balconies above.
"Celorfiwyn where are you off to in such a hurry?"
Grimacing the elf stopped and turned to look up into the face of his father. He smiled politely and prepared the lie.
"I'm going to practise."
"Not today I'm afraid, we need you to stay and look after your siblings. Me and your mother are going out for the day."
Celorfiwyn's heart fell. They were trying to stop him going out.
"I can't! Not today, I promised I'd go!"
Elrol shook his head and disappeared from the balcony, he reappeared a minute later at the foot of the stairs and came close to talk to his son.
"How long have we looked after you Celorfiwyn? How much have we sacrificed? More than sixty years, all we're asking is one day."
Celorfiwyn sighed, he couldn't say no. What his father said was true and denying it and turning away would kill him with guilt. Reluctantly he agreed with a nod of his head, turning resignedly back towards home.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Áruinne looked compulsively out of the window every few minutes from her vantage point on the bed. However much she wished it there was no blonde elf running through the woods to her window. Perhaps he had forgotten, or perhaps he didn't care. It was an age since breakfast and when they had been supposed to meet. The sun was climbing higher and higher, nearly reaching the peak of its arc like a determined hiker. Still no appearance of him when it finally conquered the mountain in its path pushed her heart deeper into the depths of night. Maybe she was just a conquest, an object to be used and thrown asunder. Used goods. She winced, the words she thought cutting her deep. She forced them back, clinging to rational explanations like a life raft on storm tossed seas. He would be here he would come. She hoped and prayed it with every fibre of her heart, but still her blue eyes gazed longingly out of the open window. The empty scene below mocking her resolve.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"No! I'm not reading you a story!"
Rilandë pulled at the sleeve of her brother's tunic again, turning her brown eyes upon him in deep pools of pleading. He shook his head again so she held up the book again.
"Please!"
"No."
"Please! Read!"
"No, Rilandë! No means no. Go find Unurith, she'll read to you."
"She changes the words, I want youuuu to read."
Celorfiwyn ignored the elfling beside him and closed his eyes. The noise of his two brothers play fighting drifted down from their shared bedroom, he didn't want to think about the carnage they would be causing. Unurith's incessant talk could be heard from where she was playing on the landing and, thankfully, Elvynd was peacefully asleep in his cot. Rilandë's voice pierced his calm once more.
"CELORFIWYN!" She bellowed at the top her lungs. Her lightly freckled cheeks glowing red with impatience. "You're boring!" She said stamping her foot and running out of the room. Celorfiwyn heard the crash as she trampled Unurith's make believe land, sending wooden dolls skittering away, then Unurith's outraged squeal and the sound of chasing feet.
"YOU RUINED IT RILANDË!"
Celorfiwyn let the screams continue for a while before dragging himself from the chair and going to sort them out. He found Rilandë pinned to the floor under Unurith who was screaming wildly about her ruined play set. The darker haired sister writhed underneath, getting one hand free and clawing at the other's face. Celorfiwyn shook his head and grabbed each one by a plaited pigtail, wrenching them apart.
"Stop it!" His voice echoed throughout the house, even the noise from upstairs subsided. Two boys appeared on the curve of the stairs, bandanas around their heads, wooden swords clutched tightly. They had identical grins at the sight of their apprehended sisters, one giggled.
"Anthas!" The tone of Celorfiwyn's voice silenced the smaller elf, both their smiles disintegrating. Just as all were quiet plaintive cries could be heard. Celorfiwyn breathed deeply, calming himself. He knew full well Áruinne would be waiting for him, her beautiful blue eyes searching the view before her window, desperately seeking him. Unless she had given up, probably angry and uncertain. As Celorfiwyn was about to snap and run out leaving his siblings on their own he was saved.
"What's going on here?" Celorfiwyn turned and to his relief saw Elwing and Nilmadë coming into view. They were obviously back on speaking terms he thought; since they had got back together they had had the most spectacular fights. However they had always conceded and made up.
"Thank Elbereth." Celorfiwyn said turning his eyes skywards. He released the two girls who stood looking daggers at each other. He ran over to his friends sighing deeply.
"You have to help me. I need a favour."
Elwing nodded seeing the look of distress on his friends face. Nilmadë too gave her consent.
"What is it?"
"Can you look after these lot? It'd just be for an hour or so. Please?" Celorfiwyn was practically begging. Elwing looked uncertain, he knew what Celorfiwyn's siblings were like. Even now he could see past their angelic faces. However he had the choice taken from him.
"Of course!" Nilmadë said grinning. Her love of challenges came through, not knowing just what she was getting the two of them into. Celorfiwyn smiled broadly at them both grabbing his cloak and running.
"Where're you going?" Elwing called after him.
"The Palace! Oh and the baby's upstairs!" He yelled back, sprinting through the forest.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Áruinne!" Celorfiwyn called, hauling himself over the balcony from his impromptu ladder in the form of a statue. He pulled himself upright and was immediately beset by the Princess. She threw her arms around him kissing his cheek and then his lips, hurriedly and hungrily.
"I thought you weren't coming!"
"I'm sorry. My parents suspect something and made me look after the kids-"
Áruinne let go of him her face worried.
"They don't know it's you, it's alright."
Áruinne sighed and then laughed. Kissing him again, taking his hand and leading him into her room.
The soft muslin curtain swished closed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Smiling to himself Celorfiwyn meandered his way back through the forest lost in a daydream. It wasn't until he came to the lane of silvery staircases did he come back to his senses. Immediately he knew something was wrong, he didn't know what it was but something inside him told his legs to run. He ran.
As he pounded up the stairs he heard the noise. He ripped the curtain aside to find Nilmadë fast asleep, Elvynd in her arms, both of them in Elwing's. Celorfiwyn breathed a sigh of relief and Elwing looked up to greet him.
"Have fun?" He asked a grin playing about his mouth. Celorfiwyn bit his lip grinning too.
"That good?"
"Shut up Elwing. Where are the rest of the little monsters?"
"Upstairs. We haven't heard anything for ages. Nilmadë's quite taken wi- where're you going?"
"No noise is bad. Very bad." Said Celorfiwyn frantically rushing up to his brothers' bedroom. He stood in the doorway, not believing his eyes as Elwing and the recently awoken Nilamdë joined him.
"My parents are going to kill me." Was all he could say. The four children were sat cross-legged on the floor of the boy's room. Eight brown eyes looked guiltily at him. Four light brown haired elflings sat in a sea of bright paint. Their faces were covered, as were their hands and clothes. Spatters of blue, red and yellow spread out across the room in a multicoloured sea.
"Quiet is bad you say?" Said Elwing.
"Major bath time I think. All right all of you stand up and strip down, we're going swimming."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Celorfiwyn thought he would be angry but nothing could spoil this day. Instead he saw the funny side, his youthful nature coming through. Luckily so did Elwing and Nilmadë who were happy to help him clean up. The first stage was operation bath time, trooping through the undergrowth to the bathing pool. The water was deep and crystal clear; it had practically no current and wasn't freezing but pleasantly cool. An overhanging rock served as a diving board and the waterfall at one end was perfect for a shower.
"Come on then I want a line, you first Anthas. The ringleader can walk the plank first."
Elwing laughed, Celorfiwyn had a gift with children. With a squeal Anthas ran and dive-bombed into the water, an expanding cloud of colour emanating from where he had dipped below the surface. One after the other the children jumped in with shrieks of delight. Celorfiwyn stood with his hands on his hips above the swimming children satisfied. Just then Elwing laughed and ran up behind him shoving the elf off balance, however his prank backfired as they both went tumbling down, fully clothed, hitting the water with a splash and causing a tidal wave. Surfacing Celorfiwyn made a face of indignation.
"Oh you'll pay Elwing."
Someone splashed some water, hitting Celorfiwyn on the back of the head.
"And whoever that was!" What ensued was a water fight full of shrieks and whoops as the water sloshed around, used as ammo. As Celorfiwyn surfaced again, he saw Isorfir, Héthien, Fiarén and Áruinne at the edge of the pool with Nilmadë. Smiling he waded over, the water swirling around his chest.
"We followed the noise." Laughed Héthien. Celorfiwyn was lost for words. Today had started off so badly put now it topped anything he had felt before. He had a girl he loved, friends and the best brothers and sisters in the world. All were here, and a feeling of such joy coursed through him that he could find no words to describe it. Áruinne gave one look at his face and she laughed pulling off her dress and diving into the water in only her shift.
~*~*~*~*~*~
As dusk fell the younger elves eyelids began to droop. A crackling fire illuminated the scene, all the elves of all ages, sat around the flickering flames. Their beautiful faces in shadow and light, laughing and smiling. Celorfiwyn had Rilandë on his lap, the cheeky elfling's face buried against him. Áruinne sat next to him her hand entwined with his. Across the rising flames sapphire blue eyes watched them angrily, Fiarén could not bring himself to speak to Celorfiwyn. Even after all this time had elapsed he could not forgive the one he had regarded as a brother for taking away his sister. He had joined in the laughter and the fun, splashing about in the water with others, but he had not once intentionally gone near his old friend. The icy wall unbroken between what he saw as him and them.
Celorfiwyn tried to catch Fiarén's eye, and for a vague hopeful moment he thought he would smile. But he did not, looking away instead.
Later as Celorfiwyn had handed Áruinne back to her brother, neither looking at each other, he felt a tug at his sleeve. Rilandë looked up at him, her body shrouded in a fluffy towel pulled up over her head. Her smiling face peered up at him, her eyes sleepy. She said just one thing that Celorfiwyn knew would stay with him forever.
"I love you."
Gently the older elf bent down and kissed her forehead.
"I love you too."
A/N: How cute is that?! I love Celorfiwyn! I know it got a bit messy towards the end but I thought it was fun! Next chapter is Legolas getting angry…very angry…
