A big fat white candle burned at her bedside when Racell re-awoke. It was raining again.
Taking a deep breath she thought of all the things the elf had told her.
That she and Dinna would live here and call the elf and his loved ones family. Even though they did not have pointed ears.
Clasping her hands she looked out the window where she could see a branch of a tree waving in the wind and rain, the moving leaves reflecting back the candlelight.
There was a fire in the fireplace, which made the room pleasantly warm.
She looked down at Dinna and then lay a hand on her forehead. It did feel cooler.
Weakly, she sat up and swung her legs off the bed. She was tired of being in bed. She put a hand to her bandaged leg. It was sore and kind of hot, but it certainly felt better than yesterday.
Her feet hit the cool floor and leaning against the small table, Racell tried to stand. Her legs were wobbly but gritting her teeth, she made her way along the wall until she reached it to the window seat.
With a heavy sigh, she fell against the soft cushions and pressed her face against the glass of the window. It was cool and Racell closed her eyes for a minute.
She opened them quickly when she heard the door open.
In crept the elf's small sons. Quietly one came over to her and climbed into the window seat. The other tiptoed over to Dinna. Laying a small hand on her forehead, he shook his head slowly and then came and joined Racell.
"Hello. You are Racell?" asked Elladan. He pointed to himself. "Elladan."
"Hello Elladan." She replied.
"I am Elrohir and I like polliwogs," He said from Dinna's bed side.
"I do too Elladan."
"I like ponies too." Elladan added.
Racell smiled at the elflings and then touched herself. "I am Racell.'
"Hello Racell," both boys chorused. Elrohir added. "Your sister is getting better Racell."
"Our Ada is the best healer in all of Middle Earth."
Racell smiled at the boys, biting her lip. If she could only understand them!
Yawning suddenly Racell covered her mouth. The elflings did not hesitate but took her by the hands and walked her slowly back to the bed.
"Elrohir, maybe Racell is hungry?"
"I am hungry for dinner. We will eat our trout!"
"Yes! Trout we caught ourselves!"
They helped Racell sit down on the bed and then Elladan pulled down the covers and Racell lay down and Elrohir covered her up again.
"We are sorry we did not get any trout for you. Maybe Ada will let us catch more?"
"I could get you some polliwogs if you want."
Racell smiled at the two boys touched by their kindness.
The elf lord came in then and gently scolding them, the elflings hopped off the bed as Elrond brought in a dinner tray.
Elladan said to Racell while pulling on his father's dark green robe.
"Ada. This is Ada Racell."
"Ada?" She echoed back. She thought his name was sir Elrond.
Elrohir nodded and came up to the tray the elf lord had set at her bedside. He picked up a mug and smelling it, he made a face.
Racell laughed. "Medicine." She said realizing what the face was for.
Elladan looked in the mug as their father watched slightly amused.
"Medi-seen."
"Medi-seen!" shouted Elrohir as he handed her the cup.
Racell grinned as she drank down the sharp flavored cordial.
"Do you need help eating?" Elrond asked.
"No, I think I am all right." Racell looked at the food and saw it was broth again and bread and---pudding!
Eyes, shining, she picked up the pudding. "It is not even my birthday," she said in wonder.
"Birthday?" Elrond thought a moment and then said, "Ahh, what we celebrate is called begetting day."
"On my birthday my mother would make me a special dinner and a pudding!"
"Ada, I want pudding."
"Me too." Both elflings looked up at their father expectantly.
"You will, after dinner."
Racell put the pudding aside and picked up the bowl of broth and began to sip at it.
Elrond went to Dinna, gently waking her up. He gave her the cordial first. Elladan then brought the bowl of broth very carefully to his father while Elrohir took the empty mug and brought over the bread.
Dinna smiled at Elrohir as she took a piece of bread and sipped at the bowl of broth Elrond held for her.
As he lowered the bowl Dinna said to the elflings, putting a hand to her chest. "Dinna, I am Dinna."
The boys excitedly said their names back to her and then pointed to Elrond and said, "Ada." Dinna, happy about learning the twins name, repeated their names and... "Ada."
Racell spoke up around the roll in her mouth. "Sir Elrond said they are to be our new family."
Dinna's eyes glanced over the edge of the bowl at Elrond who was holding the broth to her mouth.
When he removed it Dinna swallowed quickly. "A new family? Are we to stay on this farm? I can help with the chicks and ducks. Do we get to keep this room?"
"If you like, you may have this room."
The elf lord returned the broth to Dinna's lips and she hungrily gulped the soup down.
When he set the bowl down, he replaced it with a cup of milk and she drank that eagerly too.
Racell was glad to see her sister's appetite had returned. Finishing the last of her milk, she picked up the bowl of pudding and slowly put her spoon into the creamy dessert and tasted it.
It was delightful, light and fruity. Racell ate every bite.
Dinna opened her mouth like a hungry baby bird when Elrond put in the spoon for the first bite.
Her pudding disappeared quickly too.
"Racell," she said excitedly around the gentle pats of a napkin from Elrond, "It must be BOTH of our birthdays!" She looked at Elrond, who sat there smiling. Suddenly, she threw her arms around the elf lord.
"This is the best time I have ever been sick sir Elrond."
Chuckling, the elf lord laid her back and the twins helped clean up the girl's dinner dishes. Seeing they would not need any help from him, as they were already half asleep, the elf lord and his sons quietly left.
Dinna, curling into her sister's side said sleepily as the door shut, "Is sir Elrond really our new Daddy?"
Racell slid down deeper into the quilt. "I-I think so."
"Okay. He is very nice elf. Do you suppose he made the pudding? Maybe he might give us more if we help with the chores." Dinna yawned and then sighed heavily.
The older girl closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks.
It was sometime before she fell asleep.
The next few days passed easily for the two girls. As they got better, they saw more of the twins and were taken out once onto a terrace to enjoy the breeze blowing away the storm clouds.
One afternoon, while Elrond and Celebrian went to check the state of the fields and the Ford again, the two girls found themselves drawing at a table with the twins one afternoon in their room.
Racell, her leg propped up on a small stool, looked at the sheets of parchment before her in amazement. She had never seen so much paper before. And the paper was covered with drawings by all of them. And nobody seemed to mind the use of so much. Not even when Elrohir and Dinna's hands clashed inadvertently over a bowl of ink and it tipped over. Elladan had run for adult help and the she-elf that came in was smiling as she carefully blotted up the spill, efficiently cleaning the table. She then brought more parchment and a fresh bowl of ink.
Racell bit her lip as the she-elf turned to her and asked in careful Westron, "Do you or your sister need anything mistress?"
Racell shook her head and smiled at the elf who nodded and left.
Elladan held up a picture he had been working on with great concentration. "Look! It is a picture of Ada on a horse!"
Elrohir bit his lip and worked harder on his drawing. Racell and Dinna had been working on pictures of their favorite animals. Racell a horse and Dinna a chicken. The older girl couldn't tell what the little elf said, but she smiled at the drawing of a stick figure on a horse.
"Good Elladan."
"Good." He echoed back.
He came over to her side of the table and smiled at her drawing, putting an ink stained finger on the drawing, giving the horse a spot.
"Horse." Racell said slowly.
"Good," he said again.
Elrohir sat back from his drawing and then looking at everyone, he held it up and waited for their response. There was large animal and a smaller one fighting.
Elladan frowned at it and then asked "What is it Elrohir?"
"Ada killing an orc."
"Of course." Elladan nodded sagely.
Racell and Dinna looked at the drawing and then Dinna said "Good Elrohir." She held up her duck and everyone exclaimed over it.
Racell enjoyed drawing with the twins, but she really wanted to explore. Now that she was feeling better, she wanted to go play in the gardens that she could see from the windows.
Carefully pulling her leg off the stool, she stood up carefully. Though Lord Elrond had told her not to do much walking, Racell was restless and while watching the younger ones discussing their drawings, she decided to walk to the window. Getting up, she limped carefully to the large window behind the table and leaned against its cool surface. She looked down at the nice green gown she wore and sighed. It was soft and pretty and the nicest thing she had ever worn. Living on a farm out in the Wild didn't offer too many occasions to dress up. She had had three outfits, much mended. She looked over at the new doll sitting next to Dinna that she had named Almana and would not be parted with. Dinna had had a wooden doll her mother had dressed in left over material. Dinna still had the doll and Almana and Cas had become very good friends.
Racell looked at the doll Celebrian had made for her as well. Cas had been Racell's doll but she had given it to Dinna for her last birthday because Dinna had lost her doll Tilla.
Daddy had told her later that he thought some animal had probably run off with it because she had left it out in the barn.
Idly listening to the children behind her, Racell looked sightlessly out into the garden below.
This world of the elves was so completely different from her previous world. She did not have to work, she did not have to tend animals or watch Dinna all the time. She and Dinna had their own room and these nice gowns. They could bathe every day. And their meals were amazingly varied and delicious.
The medicine of course was not too tasty.
Tears came to her eyes. Oh if Mum and Daddy could only be here and have a nice room too! And Uncle Nagron!
Racell suddenly wanted to be alone and glancing at the other three saw that they were quite occupied and so she slipped out of the room, limping.