Sydney was sitting on the table in the Healing House while the healer prepared a mixture for her wound. Elladan and Elrohir stood in front of her asking questions about Charleston and the differences between the two 'worlds'. Just when she was relaxing the doors banged open to reveal Elrond staring at her.
"Hello again Elrond," Sydney said trying to remain civil.
"What are you doing back Alatariel?"
"I see you haven't lost any of your charm Elrond. I'm doing great, how about you?"
"I asked you a question Alatariel. Answer me!"
"My name is Sydney. I no longer answer to Alatariel and to answer your question I came back because Gandalf asked me to," she replied as Legolas slowly walked into the room.
Legolas stopped and looked at the two elves as they glared at each other with enough fire in their eyes to burn all of Mirkwood if they tried. Glancing at Elrohir and Elladan he saw them shake their heads at him implying to make no intervention. The thought of interrupting was the last thing on his mind seeing how tense the both of them were. He wanted to keep his head attached to his body so interrupting was definitely out of the question.
"You are not welcomed here Alatariel. You know this."
"No Elrond, you do not welcome me here. Everyone else seems to be thrilled that I'm back except the royal family minus Elladan and Elrohir. And for the last god damn time, my name is Sydney!" she screamed as she dug her nails into the unyielding table.
"You should have never come back, not after what you did. Or have you forgotten Sydney?" he sneered making her name sound like it was an un-forbidden evil.
By now the healer had fled the room and everyone else was about to follow. The other three Elves had never seen Elrond so enraged as he was now. They were temporarily thankful that he did not have any weapons near him but Sydney still had her bow and blades on the table next to her. When she picked her weapons up the three of them tensed as she got off the table and moved to stand in front of Elrond.
"No, I haven't forgotten Elrond because you won't let me. I told you I was sorry when it happened, and I am still sorry. I never intended for it to happen and see what I saw but it did happen whether you like it or not. I would beg for your forgiveness if I thought you would grant it to me but I know you will not. For fifteen hundred hears I wished for your forgiveness, and never received it. I was a fool to think I could return and everything would be forgiven. I was and still am a fool."
The anger was gone from her voice and eyes but was replaced with intense sorrow. She was looking at Elrond with unrestrained emotion that was sensed by everyone in the room. Neither said anything more until Sydney moved past Elrond and the others and rushed out of the room.
Elrond sighed and rubbed his forehead slightly with his fingertips. The other three younger Elves looked between each other before one dared to speak.
"Father…what just happened?" Elladan asked tentatively, not wanted to be on the receiving end of the fury he just witnessed.
"It is a very long story Elladan. A long and painful one which you do not need to know about," Elrond said softly before turning and leaving the room.
"Should someone go after Sydney?" Legolas asked the twins.
"I will find her. She never had the heart to yell at me," Elrohir said and quickly walked in the direction Sydney had gone.
"Elladan, what did Sydney do to make your father so mad at her?" Legolas asked moving towards the other Elf.
"Honestly told, Legolas. I do not know. Neither father nor Sydney will tell Elrohir or me so we are as much in the dark as you."
Elrohir followed the obvious trail that Sydney had left into the woods and tried to catch up to her. Abruptly the trail ended and Elrohir looked around the immediate vicinity and tried to re-find the trail.
"I knew either Elladan or you would follow me."
Elrohir jumped slightly at the voice above him and to his left. Looking, he saw Sydney crouching on a low branch of a big tree a few feet from him. The two eyed each other carefully before Sydney tilted her head and looked up the tree before looking back to Elrohir.
"Come on up."
Without making sure he would follow, she swiftly climbed higher in the tree and settled on a thick branch. A few moments later Elrohir sat on the branch beside her as Sydney gently fingered one of the million waxy leaves.
"Do you wish to speak about it?" he asked turning his head slightly to look over at her.
"No not really. I just want to ignore it right now," she said watching the leaf.
"Sydney, you can not ignore this problem between father and you. You must solve it for both yours sakes," Elrohir sighed as she lowered her hand back to her lap.
"You think I do not know this Elrohir? For fifteen hundred years I dreaded coming back but knew that I had too. I had hoped that the years had diluted your father's anger with me but I was wrong. They are still as strong as ever," she said and painfully swallowed the lump in her throat.
Closing her eyes she could see the images that had woven themselves into her mind. The pain, pleasure, horror and anger she had witnessed that day fifteen hundred years ago. She heard Elrond's fierce words to her as he spoke of the threats he would carry out against her. She remembered the blinding shock she had felt after seeing Elrond's memories.
"I can help you Sydney but only if you let me," Elrohir said softly interrupting her train of thought.
Turning her head a bit to look at Elrohir, she half heartedly sighed seeing the caring look in his eyes. Reaching out, she gently brushed her fingertips across his brow and moved a stray bit of hair behind his pointed ear.
"Elrohir I would accept your aid if it was for another problem, but I can not for this one. This is between your father and me and I will not allow you to be dragged into this mess that I have created. I could not do that to Elladan or you. Please understand," she whispered watching his eyes in the fading dusk.
He reached up and took a hold of her hand in his and gently kissed her knuckles.
"You've always tried to protect Elladan and me. Good to see it hasn't changed much," he smiled and heard her softly laugh.
"More like watching after. You two can get into so much trouble just by being somewhere," she said sarcastically, poking him in the side.
"I seem to remember you getting into just as much trouble as us," he said jokingly.
"Ah yes, but the difference is that I never got caught. Your brother and you could never keep a straight face when you did something. Your faces always gave you away," she smiled pointing at him.
The two laughed at the memories as night fell and the nocturnal animals emerged from their burrows. Sydney was reminded of the times when Elladan, Elrohir and she had played in the courtyards as little Elves. The days were filled with joy, laughter, sunshine, games and everything else they could fit into the day light hours. Evenings and night time were spent either at Sydney's home or inside the lord's house playing games and such.
"Hey Elrohir…do you ever think about your mother?" she asked curiously glancing over at him.
"All the time. I long for the day when I travel across the sea and see her again. I miss her greatly," he replied softly as he breathed in the cool night air.
"And yet you have not traveled across the sea to be with her. Why is that?"
"I have all my other family here. I can not leave them just to be with my mother. I would be leaving behind Elladan, father, Legolas, Estel and you."
"Who is Estel?" she asked turning her head slightly to look at him.
"You haven't heard of Estel?" he asked shocked, looking at her with wide eyes.
"I've been gone for fifteen hundred years Elrohir! If this Estel came around after I left then no; I have not heard of Estel," she sighed dramatically and laughed when he gently shoved her.
"Okay here's the short tale. Father adopted a young human; human grew up to be a Ranger from the North. Human was given the Elf name Estel but real name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. He is Isildur's heir and is now King Elessar of Gondor," he said in one big breath as Sydney watched amused.
"Isn't this Aragorn the same one that helped destroy Sauron's ring?" she asked thinking that Gandalf had spoken the name.
"Yes it is. How did you know about the destruction of the ring and not about Estel?"
"Gandalf told me before I came back," she replied as she looked through the leaves and at the night sky. "I'm heading back. I still haven't seen my family."
Swinging her leg over, she pushed herself off the bench and fell to the ground. Lightly landing, she stood up as Elrohir landed beside her. They walked back towards the main house and paused outside the gates.
"Say hello to your family for me," Elrohir said and hugged Sydney before walking through the gates and up the stairs to the main house.
Watching him till he was inside the house, she laughed softly to herself. She still looked after him and protected him like a big sister would; she knew she always would. Even though she was only a few years older than Elladan and Elrohir, she still watched over them. Shaking her head she turned and walked into the forest to find her family's talan.
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Again another huge thank you goes to Mija for reviewing Chapter 2. Readers and Reviewers just make me so giddy. *skipping around my laptop in glee*. So here's the Chapter 3 and I hope everyone is going to go to that little button at the bottom left and review. Please? Pretty please with a cherry on top? Peace.
