Disclaimer: As in other chapters, Tolkien owns everything you don't recognise from the books.
A/N: Just to remind you, the love between the twins is completely, 100% brotherly!! There is nothing absolutely nothing slashy about their relationship! Please review, as I take a lot of my valuable time writing these nice long chapters for you people!
* * *
As she rode out of Lòrien on her horse Nimsul white wind, a beautiful white mare that had been a 16th birthday present from Celeborn, after saying her goodbyes to Arwen and Galadriel, Galwyn found herself riding behind Elrohir and Haldir, who was to be one of the elves representing Lòrien at the council. The group was riding at a gallop, and Galwyn found herself almost out of breath at with the constant battering of wind on her face and through her hair, although she found the feeling exhilarating. But the two elves seemed not to be effected by it: they seemed to be deep in conversation about something, although she could not hear what. She was glad that she too could ride, as the elves did, with no saddle or bridle, and as they slowed to a trot to cross a small stream, she whispered some elven words of praise and encouragement in Nimsul's ear, causing the horse to whinny in thanks. Several hours passed, and she spent them lost in thought. But after a while, she rode level with the two elves and they both turned to look at her, causing her to feel quite embarrassed, her cheeks flushing pink. Haldir laughed heartily.
"Galwyn, my friend, why do you blush?" He asked teasingly.
"Wouldn't you if people stared at you like that?" The elves exchanged glances, and then turned to look at her again, eyes wide as they stared her out even more than before.
"Stop it!" She implored as she felt her face flush an even deeper pink. Elrohir laughed lightly and Galwyn found herself watching him as he did so. She noticed how his eyes shone as he laughed, and she remembered how only the previous night they had shone with guilt as he had begged for her forgiveness at his harsh words. She told herself that she shouldn't feel awkward towards him, and that they had started afresh, but she couldn't look at him without feeling a raw mixture of emotions. When his gaze met hers, she willed herself to look away, but his eyes held hers, and she couldn't let go. She lost herself in the silvery orbs, and she felt understanding pass between them. They both smiled, and she knew that the awkwardness would go, and that they would be friends. She lost herself in her thoughts again, and the three rode along in companionable silence at the front of the train. Her thought train was broken with Haldir repeatedly calling her name, and she blinked, looking around for him in confusion, finally seeing him some distance behind her.
"What?" She asked irritably.
"In case you hadn't noticed, which obviously you hadn't, I was just going to tell you that we are stopping." She looked around and saw that the group had, indeed, stopped and that she was some distance ahead. She pulled Nimsul into a trot and turned to rejoin the rest of the group. Elrohir was stroking his horse's mane and feeding him a carrot. She watched him for a moment, before looking round to see Celeborn, spotting him some distance away, apparently lost in thought or meditation. She sat still for a moment, before turning round to dismount, jumping in surprise as she saw the dark-haired elf positioned at her side.
"That is a beautiful horse, Lady Galwyn." She smiled in pleasure at his words.
"Thank you. Nimsul was a present from Celeborn four years ago on my sixteenth birthday." She paused before continuing. "Lord Elrohir, please, call me Galwyn, I am not deserving of any title." Elrohir looked confused, then smiled.
"Only if you call me just Elrohir." She smiled back.
"Of course, Elrohir." She said putting a stress on his name.
"Glad we have that sorted out, Galwyn." He said with the same inflection. They smiled broadly at each other, and Galwyn looked with pleasure at the warmth in his eyes, all her previous awkwardness gone, and his cruel words from the previous night all but forgotten. She swung her legs round and went to dismount, but at that moment, a flock of birds burst noisily from the trees, causing Nimsul to rear up in fright at the sudden noise, throwing the girl off her back. Galwyn cried out in pain as she landed, winded and gasping for breath, and heard a sharp crack as her head knocked back against a stone; her right arm throbbing painfully from where she had jarred it against the ground trying to break her fall. Elrohir was by her side in an instant, propping her up into a sitting position, quickly followed by Haldir who had seen the horse buck in fear at the sudden movement and sound. He looked at her in horror, as she lay motionless on the ground. Her face was pale, and her mouth was pulled into a tight line as she fought the pain. Her vision was fuzzy as her head tried to clear, and she could briefly see one dark and one blond head in front of her before it all went black. Elrohir and Haldir cursed in unison as her eyes rolled back and she fainted. Trying not to touch her arm, Elrohir lent over and picked up the limp body.
"Haldir, quickly go and fetch Celeborn."
"Where is…"
"He's over there by the trees." The blond elf ran off to fetch the elf-Lord while Elrohir made his way over with Galwyn in his arms. He looked down at the pale face, and wondered at how vulnerable she looked. He watched as her eyelids flickered, and slowly opened. She blinked a few times, her eyes finally focussing on his. She was about to speak when the pain hit her and she winced, cursing under her breath.
"What happened?" She managed to get out.
"Your horse got a fright and threw you. Where do you hurt?"
"It feels like everywhere, but I think it's mainly my arm and my head. You can put me down, you know. I think I can walk. I must be terribly heavy."
"Not at all." Elrohir said truthfully. "And I think it's best if you don't walk just yet, you may have a concussion." At that moment, Celeborn came rushing over with Haldir, and the dark-haired elf gently placed the girl's body on the ground, kneeling to the left side of her to support her head on his knees. Celeborn smiled at her gently.
"What have you been doing to yourself, my dear?"
"I think I am probably the worst person to ask for I have no idea what happened." Celeborn laughed lightly, and gently picked up her right arm, being careful not to hurt it, but even the touch of his fingers on the swollen red skin caused her to wince.
"This will hurt, Galwyn, but I need to find out if it is broken or not." He touched her arm again and began his examination of it, prodding it and flexing it, all as gently as possible, but the pain was still excruciating, and Galwyn's eyes were tightly shut, tears flowing down her cheeks. She felt a hand take her left one, and saw Elrohir smiling encouragingly down at her. She forced herself to smile back, but one of Celeborn's movements touched a particularly sore spot, and she cried out at the pain, her eyes squeezed shut again.
"Ai! That hurts!" She moaned, and felt Elrohir begin to soothingly stroke her knuckles with his thumb, squeezing her hand gently in reassurance.
"I'm almost done, just hold on a moment longer…there. I'm finished." Celeborn sat back on his heels and looked at her gravely. "Well, the bones themselves are not broken, but they have moved out of place. I will set the bone now, but it will be many days before it heals completely, even with elvish medicine. I will fetch some herbs and leaves that I need to make a sleeping draught to save you the pain, and it will only take a few minutes. Haldir, come with me, and Elrohir, you stay here with her. Don't let her fall asleep, I need her to be awake when I administer the draught." The silver and blond haired elves went off into the trees to look for the ingredients and without moving, Elrohir called some of the escort over, and gave them orders to tie up the horses and boil some water. They were going to be here for some time he guessed. He looked down at Galwyn's pale face and squeezed her hand gently.
"How are you?"
"Let's just say that I have been better." She said with a grimace. Her eyes met his and she forced a smile. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For being so nice."
"It's my pleasure."
"You don't have to, you know. I said I had forgiven you for yesterday." Elrohir frowned and looked rather hurt.
"I'm not doing this because I feel guilty." She groaned slightly as she moved her arm slightly, and then looked back at him.
"I'm sorry, I know. I'm not really thinking straight." He smiled and nodded.
"I don't blame you for being suspicious, but I am telling the truth."
"I know." They were silent for a moment, and Galwyn closed her eyes from the throbbing in her arm, trying to ignore it. She was just drifting off into sleep when she felt a tickling on her face and heard a voice softly calling her name. She opened her eyes slowly and realised the tickling was Elrohir's silky hair on her face as he leaned over her, trying to wake her. She blinked and looked up at him. He leant back again.
"I'm not supposed to let you fall asleep, so don't do that again." He said in a mock stern voice, and she giggled softly.
"Yes, sir."
"Galwyn, this is serious!"
"Sorry." She kept a straight face for a moment and then burst out laughing at his serious expression. After a moment she realised that laughing did in face cause her rather a lot of pain in her head, and she stopped abruptly. "Ai! My head!" Elrohir, who had been looking rather annoyed that she was laughing at him, suddenly remembered she had bumped her head. He laughed as well, and saw her look annoyed.
"That's not fair!"
"You were laughing at me!"
"Only because you looked so funny, sort of grave and serious. But I hurt myself!"
"Well, there you go. That is your punishment for laughing at me."
"If I hadn't hurt my arm, I would punch you right now! Lucky for you I cannot hit very well with my left arm."
"Believe me, I am thanking the Valar for that piece of luck, right now." She glared at him and he laughed again. After a moment she laughed too, only stopping when it hurt her head again, causing Elrohir to laugh even harder.
"That's not funny!"
"Indeed it isn't, Elrohir. It is very serious indeed." Celeborn's voice was stern, but his eyes held a teasing sparkle. "Right, I must do this now. Galwyn, I want you to drink this, all of it." She obliged, and after a moment, her eyelids drooped and she fell unconscious. Elrohir gently placed her head on the ground, stood up, and walked over to where Haldir was watching. The blond elf said nothing as his friend approached, but the brunette could see his eyes were filled with worry. He put a hand on his arm.
"Come, let us see to our horses." They walked off to where Celebmir and Haldir's horse, Mor'runya black flame, a splendid black stallion that had been gifted to him by the Lady of Lòrien for his services as both a guardian and a border guard.
"So what do you think of our Galwyn?" Haldir asked innocently.
"Well, she is very nice."
"Of course, I know that. But what do you think of her?"
"Haldir! What are you suggesting I say?"
"Just be honest."
"I think…I'm not going to tell you."
"Got something to hide then?"
"No! I…I don't know! We have only just met!"
"I knew I loved Ralia the moment I saw her."
"That's different. Galwyn and I didn't exactly get off to a good start."
"Why not?"
Rather reluctantly, Elrohir explained about their argument the previous evening. He was rather surprised, and angry, when Haldir punched him in the arm.
"Ai! What did you do that for?"
"Because that was a horrible thing to say. And I would have hit you if I had been her."
"That's true. I think I would have done as well. I don't know what I was thinking." He laughed wryly, but Haldir just looked at him gravely.
"Is it Elladan? How are you coping without him?" He saw Elrohir's eyes darken, and the dark-haired elf sighed deeply.
"Yes. It is hard, you know, when a part of you is missing. It's like trying to function without an arm or something; only, it hurts more. I feel as though my heart wants to burst out of my chest and run back to him."
"It must be awful. I feel so sorry for you." Elrohir's eyes suddenly flashed silver again.
"Do not pity me, Haldir! I would go through this pain a million times before I would give Elladan up! The bond we share is so precious to me that I am willing to endure this pain." Haldir looked at him and nodded, but did not speak. It was Elrohir who broke the silence. "If you must know, when I talk to her, I can almost forget my pain." Haldir smiled, and giggled like a girl at his triumph, so that he didn't hear the single word that the son of Elrond said as he walked away: "Almost."
* * *
A/N: Well here is another chapter, not that you people deserve it, it's not like you have reviewed or anything. I am going to move it to the R section if nobody protests; otherwise I will keep it PG13 for a bit longer.
