I just have to give a big and loving shout out to my best friend in the
whole world without whom this chapter would not exist. So if you want to
thank me for writing it go ahead but honestly she's the one who deserves
it. You're a goddess. but then again you know that, don't you?
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Estelless
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Chapter 3 - Frighteningly Obvious
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Elrond's grief held him tightly as he walked through his beautiful woods. The sun had long since set and the stars shone like diamonds above him. Elrond took a weary breath, even they could give him no joy tonight. A thin mist hugged the ground as clouds rolling in covering up the once soothing starlight. The forest grew dark. A strong sudden wind blew through the trees swirling the mist at his feet into multiple whirlwinds obscuring his vision. The Lord of Rivendell staggered back, assaulted by the abrupt harsh weather and smashed headlong into someone behind him. The both went down with considerable force. Elrond picked himself up first and then pulled the other elf up onto his feet. They came face and face and Elrond started violently for the face he met staring back at his was his own.
Elrond took a step back as the other elf grinned. "No. This can not be."
The mirror image reached forward and gripped Elrond's shoulders. "It has been a very long time, brother." Elrond felt a tear of joy slide down his cheer. The elf reached forward and brushed the stray tear away. He pulled Elrond into an intense embrace. "I have missed you."
Finally the other broke the moment and backed away slightly. The moon was glowing in the sky and the elf's hair shown like gold. Youth was printed on his features and his eyes were still bright with life. Elrond realized with a jolt that his brother that stood before him was still immortal.
The rational part of his mind started to argue that this could not be. It wasn't possible but this was not a fiction that Elrond would give up willingly. They stood in silence for awhile just gazing up at the clouds and following the moon beams as they broke their way through the sky. Elrond noticed something far off in the distance, something moving fast only barely visible in the dim light. He narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better view but the object was gone as fast as it had appeared. He turned to his brother to see if he had witnessed the same thing but the question died on his tongue.
The other elf wasn't facing him, his head twisted at an odd angle. Elrond grabbed his arm and spun him around. Fear cutting through him like a knife. Elrond's eyes widened at the sight before him. His twin's neck was broken. Snapped clean at the base of his head and his whole stance was angled. His eyes were brighter than ever and they pulsed with an unnatural light.
Elrond could barely look at him. Somehow he found strength to speak. "Elros? What's happened to you?" Elrond reached up a shaking hand to touch his twin's face but froze at his words.
"You did, dear brother. You knew this would happen to me but you refused to help me." The elf continued to smile but now the smile seemed fake, plastered on like a bad painting. His eyes grew colder and younger and his hair shifted into long braids. His voice before had been pleasant and kind, it was now angry and hateful. "You let me die." It was Elrohir's voice.
Elrond recoiled in shock and horror. He reached behind him to find the cool, comforting bark of the grand trees but was met only with open air. He turned and saw the forest was gone. The setting swam lazily into focus. He was in an old room, the edges lined with books and lit by candle light. It had a familiar scent to it. Elrond walked across the faded carpet towards a dark corner far away from the window's chill. He had been here before and something was drawing him closer to the darkness. His foot hit something hard and he found him at a large bed. The figure in the bed moved sluggishly, rolling over to face him. Elrond knew who he was even before he saw his face.
Elros lay, mortal and dying. The room, Elrond now remembered but his thoughts were for Elros alone. The fury came swimming back to him now and the grief. There was so much, so much that he needed to say but when Elrond found his voice he could only seem to murmur his twin's name.
"Elros."
His brother fixed his silver eyes on him. "I am sorry. But you know this is the only way."
Elrond tilted his head. Elros didn't have silver eyes. Trying to shake off the feelings of dread that had crept back into his heart, he forced himself to focus on what his twin was saying. "The only way to do what?"
Elros smiled. It was the same cold eerie smile that he had worn before in the forest those few-hours? days? ago. Elrond couldn't seem to hold on to any notion of time. None of this made any sense, but for some reason the only thing bothering him was Elros' smiling. The smile was grating on his nerves now.
"Why do you look so pleased?" The anger surged up in him now, fury now guiding his words. "You are dying, Elros! Yet this makes you happy? I think that-"
Elros cut him off, still carrying his cruel smile. "I'm not happy about dying... dear brother."
Cold fear fly through Elrond and he froze in place. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blur of motion, moving too fast to place but much closer now then it had been in the woods. Death was closing in.
In a shaking voice Elrond asked the question he had been holding on to for thousands of years. "Then why did you choose to die?"
Elros's smile finally faded from his face. His expression now was open fear and terrible sadness. His whole body grew smaller, thinner somehow. His face began to blur in and out of focus, snapping in clean for short seconds, sometimes it was Elros' face and sometimes Estel lay there. In a cold, despairing voice that belonged only to Estel, he answered. "I didn't. You choose for me."
With a shock Elrond woke to find himself back in his woods. The mist had vanished as if it never was and the stars shone freely in the night sky. The trees stood tall and proud above him but the dying echo of his dream still reverberated throughout his very soul. With great effort born of intense grief, Elrond regained his feet and began to head back to Rivendell.
There was movement up ahead on the path back. Irrational fear holding him back, Elrond slipped into the deep forest and out of sight of the traveler. The figure seemed unspeakably weary as he limped his way forward towards the glowing Elven refuge. Elrond's hand gripped the tree bark so hard that he drew blood. It was Estel.
-------------------------------------------------------Okay so as a side note, I really can't seem to get the spacing to work at the top OR the bottom (hence the lines) and it's frustrating the HELL out of me. Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas for how to help me out? Thanks a lot for your kind and generous reviews and be patient with me, I have a third story in the works and as you can tell, I'm a slow updater.
____________________________________________________________________________ _____
Estelless
____________________________________________________________________________ __________
Chapter 3 - Frighteningly Obvious
____________________________________________________________________________ __________
Elrond's grief held him tightly as he walked through his beautiful woods. The sun had long since set and the stars shone like diamonds above him. Elrond took a weary breath, even they could give him no joy tonight. A thin mist hugged the ground as clouds rolling in covering up the once soothing starlight. The forest grew dark. A strong sudden wind blew through the trees swirling the mist at his feet into multiple whirlwinds obscuring his vision. The Lord of Rivendell staggered back, assaulted by the abrupt harsh weather and smashed headlong into someone behind him. The both went down with considerable force. Elrond picked himself up first and then pulled the other elf up onto his feet. They came face and face and Elrond started violently for the face he met staring back at his was his own.
Elrond took a step back as the other elf grinned. "No. This can not be."
The mirror image reached forward and gripped Elrond's shoulders. "It has been a very long time, brother." Elrond felt a tear of joy slide down his cheer. The elf reached forward and brushed the stray tear away. He pulled Elrond into an intense embrace. "I have missed you."
Finally the other broke the moment and backed away slightly. The moon was glowing in the sky and the elf's hair shown like gold. Youth was printed on his features and his eyes were still bright with life. Elrond realized with a jolt that his brother that stood before him was still immortal.
The rational part of his mind started to argue that this could not be. It wasn't possible but this was not a fiction that Elrond would give up willingly. They stood in silence for awhile just gazing up at the clouds and following the moon beams as they broke their way through the sky. Elrond noticed something far off in the distance, something moving fast only barely visible in the dim light. He narrowed his eyes, trying to get a better view but the object was gone as fast as it had appeared. He turned to his brother to see if he had witnessed the same thing but the question died on his tongue.
The other elf wasn't facing him, his head twisted at an odd angle. Elrond grabbed his arm and spun him around. Fear cutting through him like a knife. Elrond's eyes widened at the sight before him. His twin's neck was broken. Snapped clean at the base of his head and his whole stance was angled. His eyes were brighter than ever and they pulsed with an unnatural light.
Elrond could barely look at him. Somehow he found strength to speak. "Elros? What's happened to you?" Elrond reached up a shaking hand to touch his twin's face but froze at his words.
"You did, dear brother. You knew this would happen to me but you refused to help me." The elf continued to smile but now the smile seemed fake, plastered on like a bad painting. His eyes grew colder and younger and his hair shifted into long braids. His voice before had been pleasant and kind, it was now angry and hateful. "You let me die." It was Elrohir's voice.
Elrond recoiled in shock and horror. He reached behind him to find the cool, comforting bark of the grand trees but was met only with open air. He turned and saw the forest was gone. The setting swam lazily into focus. He was in an old room, the edges lined with books and lit by candle light. It had a familiar scent to it. Elrond walked across the faded carpet towards a dark corner far away from the window's chill. He had been here before and something was drawing him closer to the darkness. His foot hit something hard and he found him at a large bed. The figure in the bed moved sluggishly, rolling over to face him. Elrond knew who he was even before he saw his face.
Elros lay, mortal and dying. The room, Elrond now remembered but his thoughts were for Elros alone. The fury came swimming back to him now and the grief. There was so much, so much that he needed to say but when Elrond found his voice he could only seem to murmur his twin's name.
"Elros."
His brother fixed his silver eyes on him. "I am sorry. But you know this is the only way."
Elrond tilted his head. Elros didn't have silver eyes. Trying to shake off the feelings of dread that had crept back into his heart, he forced himself to focus on what his twin was saying. "The only way to do what?"
Elros smiled. It was the same cold eerie smile that he had worn before in the forest those few-hours? days? ago. Elrond couldn't seem to hold on to any notion of time. None of this made any sense, but for some reason the only thing bothering him was Elros' smiling. The smile was grating on his nerves now.
"Why do you look so pleased?" The anger surged up in him now, fury now guiding his words. "You are dying, Elros! Yet this makes you happy? I think that-"
Elros cut him off, still carrying his cruel smile. "I'm not happy about dying... dear brother."
Cold fear fly through Elrond and he froze in place. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a blur of motion, moving too fast to place but much closer now then it had been in the woods. Death was closing in.
In a shaking voice Elrond asked the question he had been holding on to for thousands of years. "Then why did you choose to die?"
Elros's smile finally faded from his face. His expression now was open fear and terrible sadness. His whole body grew smaller, thinner somehow. His face began to blur in and out of focus, snapping in clean for short seconds, sometimes it was Elros' face and sometimes Estel lay there. In a cold, despairing voice that belonged only to Estel, he answered. "I didn't. You choose for me."
With a shock Elrond woke to find himself back in his woods. The mist had vanished as if it never was and the stars shone freely in the night sky. The trees stood tall and proud above him but the dying echo of his dream still reverberated throughout his very soul. With great effort born of intense grief, Elrond regained his feet and began to head back to Rivendell.
There was movement up ahead on the path back. Irrational fear holding him back, Elrond slipped into the deep forest and out of sight of the traveler. The figure seemed unspeakably weary as he limped his way forward towards the glowing Elven refuge. Elrond's hand gripped the tree bark so hard that he drew blood. It was Estel.
-------------------------------------------------------Okay so as a side note, I really can't seem to get the spacing to work at the top OR the bottom (hence the lines) and it's frustrating the HELL out of me. Does anyone have any thoughts or ideas for how to help me out? Thanks a lot for your kind and generous reviews and be patient with me, I have a third story in the works and as you can tell, I'm a slow updater.