Woohoo! The next chapter! Many thanks to Kia and Levade for betaing and that. I split this chapter into two sections to make it a bit easier on the eye when reading (I always lose concentration on very long chapters) but it is one chapter and so the next section does not have an introduction bit. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

~*~

Elrond carefully placed the figures back into the box and covered the small legions with a layer of soft cloth to keep them cushioned and safe. Not that they really needed that kind of care. They had survived many years of play, mistreatment and rough love. He had rescued them from roofs, fished them out of ponds, and touched up the paintwork so many times that he could no longer remember the original colour. He had not wanted to spoil his sons with too many treats and toys for such young children to appreciate, but those that they had had been used almost constantly for years. Mind you, they had often used things that were not strictly toys for their own purposes on numerous occasions.

The large barrels used to store potatoes and apples throughout the winters were a case in point. As very tiny elflings they had loved playing inside them, pretending to be dwarves in Moria, but by their ninth summer they had found more inventive uses for them - especially the thick round wooden lids studded with blackened nails. Some were classics such as the rather dangerous swing that he and Glorfindel had once made the boys by threading a thick rope through the centre hole in one of the lids, and stringing it from a old oak tree that hung over a steep drop to a pond. Others however were new to them, and one in particular had - rather uncharacteristically - been introduced by their grandfather.

~*~

Celeborn walked slowly down grey-lit passageway, the stone paving smooth and cold under his bare feet, and passed softly through the high arched doorway that led into the twins' bedroom. The dawn was just breaking over the hills and the still air had the cool freshness that promised of another hot and dry day.

The boys both lay peacefully in their slumbers, one sprawled on his stomach with his arms encircling his head, and the other curled up, resting his right cheek on his clenched fist. Their dark hair fell forward over their flushed faces and their lashes flickered slightly as they wandered in their dream worlds.

Moving silently, Celeborn crossed to a large rocking chair that had once been Celebrian's traditional seat as she fed and tended to her babies, and sat down on the edge of the seat, using his feet to steady the rockers lest the noise wake the children. All was soft and silent in the House of Elrond as yet, the valley of Imladris enveloped in watchful peace, and it would remain that way for some hours yet. Smiling a little, Celeborn settled back in the chair. When they woke he had a suggestion to make to them, but for the present he was content to watch for a while and remember.

~*~

"He would not come." Celeborn said loudly, striding into the bedchamber that he shared with his wife and drumming his fingers in irritation on the wooden chest on which the basin was set. "He said that he would rather practice archery."

"Elladan?" Galadriel raised her face from the basin and held out a hand. Her husband automatically reached to the pile of soft clean towels and unfolded it, being careful to keep the embroidered daisy chains away from the side on which his wife would dry her face. Celebrian would have worked on those stitches herself, working smoothly and carefully, trying to find the most appealing combination of colours. He had a similar towel at home, one that was good for no further use, but he could not bear to throw it out. She had worked so hard on it that summer, pricking her fingers and mistakenly sewing the fabric to her dress, and the memory of her determination and effort was kept safe inside every wobbling and misshapen petal. Apparently unaware of her husband's thoughts, Galadriel took the towel and patted her wet face. "My thanks. Did he say why?"

Celeborn shook his head with no small amount of irritation. "He gave no apology or reason. He merely repeated his assertion."

"That did not please you." Galadriel stated calmly as she put the damp towel down and surveyed her face in the mirror. "You wished the boy to join you."

"No, it is not that." Celeborn said firmly, fetching a pair of socks from a drawer of their dresser. "I shall have Elrohir. I care not whether the child accompanies me or not."

"Oh," Galadriel's eyebrows arched elegantly upwards. "You are speaking rather loudly for one that does not care."

Celeborn frowned deeply and sat down heavily on the bed, lowering his voice nevertheless. "I worry that he may become upset. He will not admit that he wishes to come."

Galadriel nodded slowly as she plaited some fine braids to keep her hair from her face. "He should rest from his archery today. His hands are sore and it will be a long day for him tomorrow. Ask him again."

Celeborn scowled at this order and dragged his boots toward his feet with an inelegant speed. "He did not wish to come. I shall not grovel at his feet."

"But you wish him to come." Galadriel said gently, searching through a small wooden box for the brooch that she wished to wear. "Do you not?"

Her voice was softly questioning, but her demeanour did not fool Celeborn for a moment. She knew what bothered him, just as she had always done. She would not interfere in his affairs unasked, but slowly, subtly she would make comments and advice that would bring him round to her thinking.

"He brings back memories of one that I love." Celeborn frowned slightly and undid the top three holes of his boots to adjust the lacing. "One that I miss."

Galadriel looked at him for a moment then slowly crossed the room to sit at his side. She rested the fingers of one hand onto the back of one of her husband's and applied slight pressure in a gesture of comfort. "The trees are quiet without her. The woods have not been the same since she left."

"No." Celeborn said shortly, shaking his head with a grim look. He rarely spoke of the depth of his sorrow at not seeing his daughter each day, and when he did, it was seldom aloud. After a moment's silence he resumed in an impassioned voice. "He is so stubborn and determined. He does not know of his place and he cares not for it. The child must always have his own way!"

"He is nine. You are not." Galadriel said sternly, the severity of her words lessened by a beautiful smile. "And of those that I love, it is not Celebrian I see in him."

~*~

Elladan swung grumpily back and forth on the swing, sometimes trailing his moccasins in the dust, and sometimes using his legs to bounce himself off the trunk of the tree with a satisfying and disgruntled thud.

He had said that he did not want to go with his grandfather, but he did now. He had wanted to then really, but Celeborn had asked Elrohir, and he was too proud to go if he was only going because someone felt sorry for him. He wanted to be Elladan, not "Elladan too". He had never had to be second best before now. Elrohir probably did not even want him to go anyway.

Thud. Elladan kicked back off the tree with all his force, trying to make himself fly up the old gnarled branches and the thick green shadow of the leaves.

They would be getting ready to go without him. Elrohir would be running to fetch his oldest shorts and tunic and the brightly painted wooden ball that they used for throwing and catching games. Ammë had gone to fill the old picnic satchel with sandwiches and apples, and ginger biscuits because they were Elrohir's favourite. There would be some bandages and soothing lotion too, knowing Ammë, and a set of spare clothes. He did not know what his grandfather would be doing, but he was sure that it would be something fun and exciting. He had told Elrohir that he would teach him something new that their mother had once enjoyed. Although he had tried to pretend that no proper boy would want to do anything a girl liked doing, Elrohir had known that he had been lying.

Thud. Elladan kicked back again, watching the colours of the leaves blur together beneath him. If he looked up he could quickly catch glimpses of blue sky or bright sunlight filtering down through the canopy highlighting the corners and edges of leaves a lighter green.

He had thought that his grandfather had liked him a bit better now, especially since they had been practising fencing together, but if he wished to go off with Elrohir again and have adventures then perhaps he had been wrong. Maybe with grandparents if somebody did not like you at first then they would never like you. His Ada had always said that he felt sorry for those that could not forgive, but Celeborn and Galadriel were an awful lot older and wiser than Ada. No wonder Glorfindel had always said that you should think hard before getting cross with anyone. He did not think that he wanted to stay angry with Celeborn and Cirdan forever.

Thud. Swinging by yourself when your brother and grandfather were going off on a picnic together was not actually very fun, even if you got to keep the swing all to yourself. There was nobody to be impressed by how high you could swing, and nobody to scramble on together with and pretend to be sailing a ship in the sky. Elrohir and his grandfather were probably almost ready to leave by now. He had heard his grandfather speak to his Ada about scrambling up the mountain path to the gully with the rapids. He had not been up there yet this summer, but it was the perfect place for a picnic and ramble. He and his brother had always played 'Hide and Seek' together behind the boulders and they had found a large flat rock a little way away from the river that you could slide down. The water was all frothy and bubbly and it would be nice and cold even on such a hot day as this.

The track up to the gully wound its way round some steep hillsides and past crab apple and rowan trees. The rowanberries would be ripe by now, bright clusters of reds and oranges amongst the leaves, and they made a sharp fruity smell when crushed between their fingers. Last summer, he and Elrohir had each gathered a handful of berries and had spent the remainder of the journey ambushing Glorfindel and bombarding him from their positions deep in the heather and bracken.

"Elladan!" A voice said loudly, and the child attempted to spin round, trying to see who had sneaked up on him. "Be careful!"

A wise warning, for it was really rather difficult to balance on a swing when twisting round, and even more difficult to see the tree approaching when you were looking the other way.

"Ouch!" The swing hit the tree with a muffled thud, throwing Elladan off into the long grass and deep green dock leaves.

"Elladan!" Rather alarmed at his grandson's hasty and not particularly graceful dismount, Celeborn began dashing across the grass to the child's side, only slowing slightly when Elladan sat slowly up, rubbing his head with a rather dazed expression. "Are you all right?"

The elfling pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked at his grandfather who had knelt down beside him with an expression of confusion.

"I fell off." The child sounded honestly surprised, as if this was not something that he had ever considered before. "I already had a big bruise."

"Aye." Frowning slightly, Celeborn gently lifted the child's hand away from his temple and brushed the dark hair away from the discoloured patch. "And now you have a little cut too."

"Is it bleeding?" Elladan asked with more interest than worry, and lifted a finger to rub at the wound.

"It has already stopped." Celeborn said solemnly and caught the small hand in his to avoid the child rubbing off the forming scab. "It will soon be better."

"Oh." Elladan leant back against the older elf's knees and picked some bits of bark and leaf off his tunic. "Why did I have to hit my head where it already hurt, Celeborn?"

"I do not know, little one." Celeborn helped the boy into his arms and got to his feet, lifting Elladan up to lightly press his lips against the wounded forehead. "Does it hurt badly?"

Elladan shook his head quickly, burying his head into the long silvery hair so that nobody would suspect that he had tears in his eyes. Despite that his grandfather patted his back gently, and it felt so comforting that he did not wriggle away, and by the time that they reached the steps up to the north hallway he felt ready to be set back down on the ground again.

"Elrohir will be sad without you, Elladan." Celeborn grasped his grandson's hand in his own and walked slowly down the hall, giving the child time to jump on only every third stone and hop on the ones engraved with leaves or stars.

Elladan did not respond, frowning as he considered first jumping to the star stone and then the leaf stone, or simply swinging on his grandfather's arm to his desired target. Celeborn's arm felt good and strong, and it was not as if it would drop off.

"I would be sad without you," throwing his dignity to the wind, Celeborn crouched down opposite the boy. "Will you please come, Elladan?"

Elladan scowled for a moment as if making an important decision, then smiled suddenly. "All right then. If you really want me to."

"I would like that." Celeborn grinned down at his grandchild and began striding along the wide passageway that led to the courtyard. "Let us find your brother!"

Elrohir was standing alone in the courtyard, looking rather dejected as he kept guard over the satchel, a rolled up rug, and a pile of smooth round wooden lids. There were three lids, and when he saw them coming Elrohir's face lit up and he jumped up and down waving, letting both of their special swimming towels fall to the ground. "Elladan! Elladan!"

"'Ro!" Elladan let go of his grandfather's hand and sprinted along the hallway and leapt down some steps with arms outstretched, eager to reach his brother's side and tell him the exciting news. "I am coming 'Ro!"

Cheering loudly, Elrohir grabbed both his brother's hands and bounced on his toes as he explained all about their plans in a very loud and high- pitched voice, clearly audible across the courtyard. Giving an apologetic look to the guards on duty, Celeborn walked over to join them and handed a towel and barrel lid to each child before picking up the remaining items himself.

"Now, are we ready?" Celeborn grabbed each child by the hand to prevent them skipping around him at dizzying speed, and looked up to the balcony to share a secret smile with his daughter. "We should be going if we wish to swim before we eat."

"Yes!" Elrohir danced on the spot, seeming not to notice that his brother had come to an abrupt halt. "Come on, Celeborn! Let's go!"

Celeborn started across the courtyard, but was held back by his elder grandson dragging his feet and looking miserably at the ground.

"Elladan," the Lord of Lorien bent down to look at the child, admirably controlling his frustration, "Are you not going to come?"

"Yes. . ." Elladan hesitated, rubbing his left moccasin against his other ankle

"Yes?" Celeborn frowned as he tried to understand what had caused the child's sudden change of heart.

"But. . ." Elladan sucked in his top lip and tugged on Celeborn's arm, swinging himself in semicircles. He wanted to go so badly, but if he was not invited then there was bound not to be enough for him to eat, and then everybody would wish that he had not come after all. "But I shall not be hungry."

Raising his silver brows questioningly at the child's unhappy murmur, the Lord of Lorien looked hard at his grandson. Celebrian had always been such an easy child compared to this one, and he was not used to these complex guessing games. Fortunately, before he could become too frustrated, he noticed the uneasy looks that Elladan was giving the satchel that he had slung over his shoulder.

"There is enough packed for you, Elladan. Do not worry." Celeborn looked down at the elder twin's face and smiled kindly. "I did not intend to leave you behind."

~*~

"And now? Can we go now?"

"I am ready!"

The twins stood waist deep in the fast flowing river, the frothing water surging around their shorts, and the barrel covers bobbing eagerly in the wake. The river was wide and deep at this point in its path, rushing down across the rapids and smooth water-carved stones as it swept through the heather and gorse covered highlands.

"Already? You are quick!" Celeborn finished unlacing his boots and leapt from the high side of the bank, gathered two small tunics and damp pairs of moccasins into his arms to place them in a safe nook under an overhanging boulder, and crossed the shingle to step into the icy water. He had brought up a third, larger barrel cover for himself, and while it would not allow him to float and ride as the twins would do, if should make it easier to keep a watchful eye on the children. "Now, this shall help you."

He took two short lengths of thin rope and knotted each through the hole in the barrel covers before forming a thin loop on the other end for the boys to wear about their wrists. He did not wish either to lose their lid and then launch into a tearful squabble over the ownership of the remaining one.

"Elladan." He handed one loop to the elder twin, and held the other open for Elrohir to thread his hand through. "You do not wish to let them float away."

Once the lids were loosely fastened to their wrists, the twins found it hard to contain their excitement. They let their lids go to bob a little way downstream before pulling them back to repeat the exercise, and jumped and splashed in the water. Although the river came down from the glaciers of the Misty Mountains and was icy even in summer, the sunshine was warm and there was little wind, so the coolness of the water was welcome in the heat.

"Can we go now?" Elladan asked impatiently, throwing himself bodily onto his lid so that he lay supported on the buoyant wood, his face inches from the clear water.

"Please?" Elrohir grabbed hold of his grandfather's bare shoulder, supporting himself as he struggled to find his balance on the lid. The wood bobbed away from under him when he tried to sit normally, and it took quite a while to find a position that was both comfortable and steady. "I think I am ready, Celeborn."

At his younger grandson's serious assertion, Celeborn removed his arm from around the younger child's back and grabbed hold of his own barrel lid as he used his leg to prevent the elfling from floating off. The water was rushing past them, eager to race down the long winding path to the sea, and pulling on their floats. Both boys seemed to be safely perched on their lids, and were only managing to contain their impatience and excitement with great difficulty. Grinning at his grandsons' bright smiles and wide eyes, Celeborn leapt onto the float and with a loud battle cry released the children.

"For Imladris!"

"Imladris!"

The twins' roars echoed over the valley at the same moment, and the three went rushing down the rapids, surging along with the foaming water.

~*~

After many rides and finally tired out, the twins and their grandfather traipsed up the narrow path at a slow pace, abandoning the barrel lids at the shingle beach and continuing up the slope to sit in the shelter of a small cairn on a minor highpoint in the flat of the valley. The boys were cold and hungry and after spending a few minutes watching them bicker over towels as they attempted to pull their tunics over damp and shivering bodies, Celeborn sat down on a large flat stone, bundled a child onto each knee and wrapped a large woollen rug around the three of them.

A little abashed by this treatment at an age of very nearly ten but really rather grateful of the warmth nevertheless, the twins rather half-heartedly showed their displeasure by pulling at the blanket in an attempt to ensure that they got their fair share. Chuckling inwardly at the way their mock scowls kept breaking into contented smiles, Celeborn wrapped an arm around each child's back and drew them close to his body. They cuddled up to him, pressing their bodies against his own and drawing the tickling woven wool up to their chins and noses. He could feel their hearts beating steadily in perfect rhythm, and the intensity of their shivers becoming less frequent as they became warmer and their cold clammy shorts began to dry.

It was beautiful up here, sitting up on the bare and windswept peak, and looking out over the bleak expanse of the highlands. The rough ground swept up to the proud brown and grey hills into the distance. Granite boulders and rocky outcrops mingled with the pinks and purples of heather and the bright yellow of the gorse. Here and there berry bushes would grow on the banks, promising a few sour wild red currants, or bilberries that would stain their faces and hands with purple juice.

"Celeborn," A tentative voice disturbed the ancient elf from his reverie and shaking his head slightly he turned his attention down to his younger grandson and listened, "is it time to eat yet?"

The child's grey eyes were intent, and when Celeborn turned to his satchel he found that Elladan had already reached for it and was leaning out from his arms to fumble at the buckles with cold fingers.

"You are hungry?" The Lord of Lorien spoke with a hint of laughter as he swung the bulging satchel into his own lap and deftly undid the straps and fastenings. It seemed as if his grandsons had inherited his daughter's talent for seeking out food from wherever it was hidden. "Already?"

"Already?" Elladan exclaimed scornfully. "I bet it is nearly dinnertime, let alone midday!"

"No. . ." Elrohir said slowly, frowning as he surveyed the position of the sun in the sky. "It is but an hour or two past noon. But I am very hungry, Celeborn!"

Grinning at the firmness of the child's assertion, Celeborn nodded proudly at the child's correct identification of the time, unwrapped three overfilled ham and cheese rolls and handed them around to his grandsons' eager fingers. "As am I, Elrohir. As am I."

Elrohir gratefully took his sandwich, and leant back against his grandfather's shoulder to eat it. "Thank you."

"Thank. . ." Elladan took a huge bite of his roll and chewed and swallowed with a speed that suggested that he had been starving for months rather than merely since breakfast time. "Thank you, Celeborn."

The trio sat in companionable silence as they ate, the twins leaning heavily against their grandfather as they watched the breeze rustle through the rushes and create ripples on the slower flowing water of the pools. Finally as their hunger waned and they settled into nibbling shapes out of biscuits, their conversation once again bubbled up excitedly.

"Can we go on the rapids again?" Elladan swivelled around on his grandfather's bare knee to look pleadingly at him. "I think that if I balanced just right I could stand. . ."

"No." Celeborn said firmly, pressing a finger to the child's mouth to silence the inevitable protest. There were many rocks and boulders amidst the rapids and whilst the elflings were quite safe crouched or sprawled on the wooden floats, he had no wish to have to explain to his daughter how one or the other child had managed to break their legs or arms. "But if you sit, then we shall."

Elladan nodded happily at this. He had not really expected his grandfather to agree with his plan, and since his other idea - holding hands as they descended the rapids - had not been banned, he still had a fun afternoon ahead of him.

"We shall show you the sliding rock!" Elrohir promised cheerfully, scrambling up onto his feet to balance on his grandfather's leg and pointed across the river to a large boulder behind some gorse bushes whilst gripping the large shoulder with his other hand. "You can slip right down really fast!"

"And we shall play 'Hide and Seek'," Elladan grinned mischievously. Celeborn would not know of the hollowed out cave underneath one of the boulders. He and his brother would both be able to lie in the low cleft, sniggering as they watched their grandfather search high and low for them. "It is fun here."

"Very well," Celeborn lifted first one elfling then the other down onto the ground and rubbed the towel quickly over their wet hair. He handed a tunic to each boy, reflecting that a vigorous running and chasing game to warm up their small bodies seemed to be in order. "Shall I count to twenty?"

~*~

Eventually as the afternoon wore on and the shadows lengthened, the twins of Imladris and their grandfather returned to the valley - Elrohir hand in hand with the older elf and Elladan gleefully riding high on the muscular shoulders, reaching to grasp all the brightest bunches of berries and the highest leaves.

"I can. . . I have a crab apple!" Elladan leant unwisely far from his grandfather's shoulders to grab at a branch and pull it toward him to access the small red and yellow fruit. "Yummy!"

"Elladan," Elrohir hopped up and down on the path, trying to grab hold of one of his brother's dangling feet, "Can you pass me one?"

"Stop tickling then!" Elladan ordered, lifting up his left leg to avoid his brother's fingers. "Here."

Elladan leant down to hand his brother his crab apple before stretching back up to fetch two more - one for himself and one for his grandfather. "They are tasty!"

"Not too many, boys." Celeborn dutifully ate his fruit, wondering how children that could detect a small amount of turnip in with their carrots and swede seemed not to notice that these were still rather under-ripe as yet. "They have not yet had time to become sweet."

"I like them anyway." Elladan informed him, throwing the stalk into a hazel bush beside the path. "They make our tongues curl up."

"And," Elrohir finished swallowing his apple, "if you chew it up and suck the juice through your teeth it is delicious!"

"Aye," Celeborn said doubtfully, then darted an arm down to pin the child against his leg and tickle his stomach mercilessly. "But if you eat too many, your tummy will go all wurgly."

"No. . . no. . . stop!" Elrohir squealed, dropping down onto to his knees where he knew that his grandfather would not be able to reach him without risking dropping Elladan. "Not that wurgly!"

Chuckling, Celeborn held out a hand to help Elrohir back to his feet. "If you eat too many then your tummy will not want to do archery tomorrow."

"No." Elrohir bounced back up to his feet with a smile, but Celeborn felt Elladan stiffen slightly. Not aware of this, Elrohir continued happily. "I want to come first! I have been practising really hard. My training master told me that I deserved to win."

Frowning deeply, Elladan glowered down at his brother and gripped his grandfather's hair rather more tightly than was necessary. Training masters should not take sides. That was unfair. Nobody had told him that he deserved to win, and he had tried hard too.

"I shall get to be the first." Elrohir beamed, skipping nimbly over a rock. Squinting against the sun he looked up at his brother and smiled broadly. "You always get to come first, Elladan, but tomorrow I shall have a turn."

Elladan's frown lessened slightly, and he kicked his foot against his grandfather's chest with enough force to make the Lorien elf catch hold of it to prevent further assaults. He had never thought about it that way, but perhaps Elrohir felt unhappy and frustrated like this every time they had contests. But he could not do, because he always smiled and was excited about them.

"Everyone shall be nice to you, and Ammë shall make your favourite things for the picnic." Elrohir nodded seriously at his brother and smiled slightly as he contemplated the upcoming contest. "But when you win, Ada always gives you a special hug and looks proud, and Glorfindel will throw you up in the air and cheer. I think I would like that."

Interested by the conversation but feeling that he should not interfere, Celeborn kept a carefully bland expression and walked as smoothly as he could manage to avoid disturbing the pair.

"But. . . but Ada always says how proud he is of you." Elladan said slowly, trying to think of what happened to Elrohir when they finished the contests. To his shame he could think of little but his own jealousy when Glorfindel would set him down to play rough and tumble with Elrohir. "You have fun too!"

He was sure that Elrohir had fun. Why else would he have spent the night before the last contest listening to him chatter about it? If he did not like not winning then why did he not just refuse to take part?

"Yes. . ." Elrohir bit his lip slightly and looked up thoughtfully at his brother. "But it will be nice to be special just once. I would like the other elves to tell Ammë and Ada how well I have done, instead of talking about you all the time."

"They talk about me?" Elladan asked, perking up a little.

"All the time." Elrohir said a little grumpily. "About how good you are at everything, and how proud Ada must be, and how you will be a great captain when you are older. They never say anything about me."

"Oh." Elladan said worriedly, frowning as he thought. No wonder Elrohir never said well done to him when he won. He did not think that he would enjoy contests at all if he lost all the time. Smiling a little, he leant down to pat his brother's shoulder. "They will tomorrow though, 'Ro."

~*~