The Birth of Dawn and Twilight
Written By: Shelly LeBlanc
~Author's Note: So the children have been born . . . what now? Hm? Due to the problems with Fanfiction.net I missed one review from the previous chapter (chapter five). So thank you i-like-chickens, for yet another of your reviews *tear*. The third chapter is probably done for the second story, and now that I am out of a job, I will have more time to write...(I like to see the positive side of things, so thanks boss, for firing me!)
And yes, since we have come to the birth, I did make Legolas and Arwen twins. If you have a problem with that, you do not have to read the story. It is an Alternative Universe, after all, and I am the author and I am claiming no owner ship with Tolkien's own characters and original plot (see below), so I can do what ever I want . . . er, sorry for sounding haughty there, I guess I am still steamed about the job thing . . . *hangs head* oh well. Enjoy. ~
**Disclaimer – I do not own any of the characters in this story except for Isawien, the Queen of Mirkwood, and some other random people. All characters are copyrighted by J.R.R. Tolkien, and who ever else owns the Lord of the Rings trilogy.**
Chapter Seven – Celebrian's Choice
When the fair Lady of Rivendell awoke from her sleep, the sun was starting to set. The sun placed hues of oranges and reds across her room from her window, making the already enchanting room much more beautiful.
For a brief moment, she had no idea why she was in bed this early in the night. It was only when she turned her head and saw two bassinets and her beloved husband did she remember her reasons for being so tired so soon. She recalled the pain of her childbearing, and the tiredness that filled her body. But it was the sound of the infant cries and holding little bundles in her arms that she recalled most clearly.
Celebrian shifted a little, hoping to get a better look at her husband and children in silence, but it alerted Elrond of her being awake and turned her way with a smile.
"Hello, dear wife. How was your sleep?" he asked, moving away from twin bassinets towards her bed, sitting on its side.
"Rested. How are our little ones?" Celebrian shifted herself again and sat up, trying to take a better look at them. She saw her dark-haired daughter well, due to the fact her bassinet was closer, but she could barely see the infant in the other one. Elrond sensed her dismay and leaned forward, taking the unseen twin in hand and lifted it out. He then placed the child Celebrian's waiting arms. The mother of the child gave a sigh of joy and leaned back into the pillows, staring down at her youngest child.
It was a son, with skin as fair as his sisters and eyes only a shade lighter in blue. But what pleased Celebrian the most about the child's appearance was his hair. It was soft and curly, and the color of platinum blond. The same color as her hair and her mother's hair. Celebrian smiled down at the healthy baby boy in her, then at her husband.
"We finally have a blond child. We have brought our people a fair haired child and a girl. I do not think, though, that they will be disappointed at the fact that we could not put both together."
Elrond kissed both his wife's and son's forehead before moving towards the closest bassinet and picked up his only daughter and did the same to her. He did not return to the bed, but kept her in his arms. He looked at his wife and smiled again.
"Personally, I like the arrangement we have. I do not think that her hair color would make her any more fairer, and I do not think it would be wise to have two blonde Elven Ladies running about, I might lose one of them!"
Celebrian laughed lightly, shifting the baby in her arms. The family sat in peaceful bliss for a moment, contemplating on their present and future. Celebrian thought of the two children she left in Rivendell and now the two children they held in their hands. It was only then that she realize something was amiss.
"Elrond! These babes have not yet been named!"
Obviously the thought was new with Lord himself, for he looked just as stunned.
"Oi Elbereth! How could I have let it slip my mind? The joy of their healthy births must have fogged my senses. Indeed, we need to name them so we can tell everyone on their name day," Elrond said looking down at the little girl in his arms. "We shall named the eldest first, for it is her right."
"Of course," Celebrian said with a smirk and looked down at her daughter. "What name should be fitting for her?"
Before the two Elves could even ponder the thought, a voice from the door interrupted. "Perhaps you should look to the time of her birth as a origin of her name."
Celebrian's blonde hair turned towards the door and gave a cry of delight. "Mithrandir!" And, indeed, there stood an old gray man, smiling at them with a twinkle in his old eyes. Gandalf smiled at her and moved towards the bed.
"How do you fare, Lady of Rivendell?" Mithrandir asked, and stopped to stand before them.
"Quite well. And the children are healthy and fair, much more than I had ever hoped for. You have come just in time for the naming of the babes, though I believe you already know that by the way you greeted us."
Mithrandir laughed and nodded. "This I see, I have yet seen such fairer Elflings, and I dare say I've seen a lot." With that he turned to Elrond to know he had not forgotten him or his place. "Lord Elrond, it is good to see you at such a happy event."
Elrond nodded his greeting. "I would not have missed this in all the world, you know that, Grey Fool." By the twinkle in Elrond's own eyes, the wizard knew it was only a joke. "But what did you mean when you said to look at her time of birth? I was left unawares there was something significant about her time of birth."
"Indeed, it is understandable, with you worrying over the birth of the child than the events that occurred . . . but it was not only the girl that this happened, but that will come later. The first born babe was born just as the first star of Twilight showed its light."
Elrond froze at the words, for he had heard those words before but could not remember where he had heard them, but Celebrian did not notice this, for she was too pleased.
"The first star of Twilight? That is a gift, and a sign. This child will be a bright star for our people, a giver of hope. I think it is fitting to name her Evenstar. Yes, Arwen Evenstar . . . what a perfect name! Thank you, Mithrandir!"
Gandalf smiled at the Lady, and turned his eyes to Elrond who was trying to hide his worry. He cleared his throat, looking unsure of what he was about to say. "Indeed, Arwen Evenstar is a perfect name. She shall be the Evenstar of her people . . . but pray tell, Grey Wonderer, how did you know of her time of birth?"
The old wizard gave a small smile, but neither the Lord nor Lady of Rivendell understood it. Gandalf sat down in the chair next to the bed, and sighed. "I just came from a council downstairs. But let me go back further to why I am here. I had been in Gondor for a few weeks when Celeborn arrived and bore news of another child to be born in Lorien. So I rode off immediately so I could be present, but I was a few hours late. You, my Lady, were already asleep when I came to the room to greet you, and I was not allowed entrance. Instead, your mother brought me to the library and informed me about what had occurred before I came. It was then she told me the times of their births . . . and the significance."
It was only then that Celebrian felt like something was wrong. She turned to her husband, then back to Gandalf the Grey.
"What do you mean by the significance?" she asked, holding the child she had in her arms tighter. The infant stirred but did not awaken. "Is there something wrong?"
Gandalf's eyes showed a sadness, but there was another look to his eyes; hope. "Do not fear, Fair Lady, for your babe's are fine."
Elrond shifted his arms, letting his daughter lie in one arm while he moved is other around Celebrian's shoulders, leaning her towards him in reassurance. He checked her comfort before turning back to Mithrandir.
"What is the significance of my youngest son's birth?"
Gandalf hesitated slightly before answering, "Little Arwen's birth was under the first star of the night, but your son's birth was under the first light of dawn. He entered the world when the Sun showed itself as new."
Celebrian blinked at him, trying to comprehend what he was telling them, but nothing came to her as odd, except for the fact that their birthing time was unusual. She turned to her husband again, but this time to seek an answer from him.
"What does he mean when he tells us this? I have to admit, the time of their births are slightly odd, what does that have to do with anything? Is there something I am missing?" she asked softly, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.
Elrond had a moment pause before he spoke. "Star of Twilight, and the light of Dawn . . . These are words I have not heard since right after the war with Sauron, and then I had only thought it a myth: a story to tell young folk as they drifted off to slumber. It is a rhyme, my dear wife, of the coming of two Elves that would come to Middle Earth and help destroy it's evil. One of the verses on the poem is said, 'Light of Dawn and Star of Twilight,' which I had assumed to be the name of the Elves." Elrond then recited the poem for his wife in a clear voice, which masked the chill he felt inside.
Celebrian listened to her husband's words, and tried to understand them. 'A Ring will come and tear them apart?' 'A king shall return to the throne of Gondor?'
"Elrond . . . what nonsense does this poem speak? What ring? The Ring of Sauron? I thought it to be lost! Do you mean the horror we lived through in our younger days will return? What king shall fall and abandon Gondor? When will this happen?"
Elrond squeezed his wife's shoulder to calm her down. But before he could put his comfort into words, the door opened again, and thus entered Galadriel and Haldir. They both had solemn looks on their face and Celebrian's worry increased.
"What does my husband and the Grey Wizard say, my Lady. What does it have to with my children?"
Galadriel drew nearer to her child and sat on the bed beside her. She also put a comforting arm around Celebrian and with the other she cupped the Lady of Rivendell's face.
"My daughter, it is your children that in the prophesy. Though they were born out of the order I had been waiting for, it is indeed true. I had looked into my Mirror a few weeks before I received your message, telling us about your pregnancy, and saw image of two Elves standing side by side. One with the fairness of your daughter, and the other the fairness of your son. And the rhyme you have just heard came back to me, confirming that it is true. The prophecy is no myth."
"I first suspected that your children were the ones in the prophecy when I looked into the Mirror again and saw that you were yet again carrying twins. But it was only confirmed when the first infant was born, for she came into the world when the first star shown in the sky. And then I knew that your son would have been born at Dawn."
The mother of the twins stared at her mother in disbelief. "Then . . . the prophecy is true . . . or will be true, when they get older?" She was answered with a nod, and she looked down, at her sleeping son. "Then . . . evil will finally rest. Peace will finally prevail! Sauron's evil will be destroyed! Why do you have sadness in your faces? This is good news indeed."
Galadriel smiled at her daughter strong heart. It was just like Celebrian to look at the good in everything. She lowered her hand from her daughter's face and placed it on her grandson's forehead. "That is true. Good will come from it, if the prophecy is full filled . . . but it is the action in which we will have to take to make sure it happens."
It was Elrond's turn to looks started.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked, looking at his mother-in-law. But it was Gandalf that answered the question.
"There are no doubt others who know of this prophecy. Some will think as you had, Elrond, that it is nothing but a fairy tale, meant only to brighten young children. But others will look at it as it really is, the foretelling of the end of the shadows that now plague Middle Earth. And some will do what ever is in their power to make sure that does not happen."
Celebrian caught on to the words meaning and shuddered. "Are you telling me . . . we have to keep the birth of the twins secret? How are we to hide them? I will not have them locked away and not grow up normally! I will not have it! You might as well hide me as well, for I will not watch you do such a thing!" The Lady of Imladris stood up with her son still in her arms and moved to the window. "I cannot have my children locked away, even if it is in their own safety!"
Tears spilled from her sapphire eyes and ran down her cheeks. A few drops landing on the child's forehead and he started to weep too. Celebrian was sure that he did not want to be locked up either.
Haldir quickly went to his sister's side, and tried to dry her tears as she tried to dry her son's. "No, no, dear sister. They shall not be locked up, or hidden like you are thinking. They will grow up like normal Elflings, we promise you and your husband this!"
"Then how are they going to be safe?" Elrond asked, not looking at anything but the daughter he held in his hands.
"We will hide them, indeed. For it is the only way to make sure no one knows of them. But it won't be their bodies we will hide, but their titles. When you return to Rivendell, you shall only have one child with you," Mithrandir spoke and deafening silence filled the room. The old wizard turned his face to Celebrian who had a look of horror on her face.
"One child?" She asked, meekly, "What will become of the other child?"
Galadriel stood up, drawing everybody's attention to her. She gave a smile to her daughter, hoping it will ease her a little. "He or she will stay here with me. We could say that it was abandoned or that its mother and father were killed by Orks. I will raise him or her. No one will know of its true heritage until it is too late for anyone to stop it from happening."
Elrond stood then, barely mindful of the child in his arms, and shout, "No! I will not have one of my children believed to be orphaned or abandoned! We will not make this choice!"
"But the choice is already made . . . we cannot stop this prophecy from happening now that it has already been placed. It is the only insurance that these children will live to full-fill their destiny." Galadriel argued with her son-in-law, the sorrow in her eyes telling him that she didn't want this either.
Celebrian was crying again, as was the child in her arms. She realized that her sadness was a discomfort to the little boy, but she could not help it. She would have to choose between their daughter and son, which one Elrond and her loved enough to keep.
'No', she thought, 'It is not choosing who we love the most. It is choosing who will benefit more if he or she were to be left here, believed to be abandoned.' The thought made her cry even harder, and she moved to the bed and kneeled in front of her husband, who also had tears in his eyes.
So there she was, the fair Lady of Rivendell, with her son in her arms and her daughter in her husband's arms, crying due to the pain in her heart. She stared at her children, noticing their similarities and differences as she tried to calm her son down. After a few minutes she finally was able to calm herself and the little boy down. And when the baby's last wail ended, she set her eyes solely on him, watching him open his blue eyes.
"Oh, my son . . . how can I choose between the two of you? I have only held you for less than an hour, yet I do not know if I can let you go . . . But Rivendell needs a daughter so bad, as do I . . . but I would not have turned down a son if there were only one of you and I did not have to choose . . ." Celebrian muttered to the child, knowing he did not hear but hoped that he understood. "Oh, you do have lovely eyes . . . just like my eyes . . ."
Suddenly, as she had said it, another pair of eyes came to her mind. It was the eyes of a kind Elven-King, who had seen such sorrow in his life. He would understand the pain she and Elrond were going through. A thought instantly entered her mind, which did not take away the pain of the decision she was about to make, but it lightened the load. With the some of the burden that left her heart, her strength increased and she steeled her spine. She took a deep breath and turned her eyes to her husband, who could sense a change in his wife. He looked at her inquisitively, wondering what was going on in her mind.
Celebrian did not smile, but removed one of her arms from around the infant in her arms and placed a hand over one of his, which practically clutched the other infant.
"Elrond, they are right. We must think of the children's future, no matter how painful it is for us and for them when the time comes to reveal this secret. The best way to hide them is in public view, but they must not be known as brother and sister. They will not be known by who they truly are."
The Lord of Rivendell listened to his wife's words and bowed his head. He then said in a quiet voice in which only she could hear, "But which one do we abandon? How are we going to choose?"
A small smiled was placed on Celebrian's lips, sad smile, but it gave her strength nonetheless. "We are not abandoning one of them, but giving them an opportunity to live a life as normal as it can be. And the children have chosen already." Elrond raised his head in question. Celebrian held up their son, giving the child a brighter smile. "He has my eyes, indeed, but also the eyes of Thranduil. And he has the hair of the Wood-Elves, he would fit in perfectly." She stood then and Elrond rose with her. "The King and Queen of Mirkwood need a child in their life, and their kingdom needs an heir. Let us give them one. Our son will not feel abandoned, but loved and he will be able to do something he would not have done if he would say with us. He shall be a Prince, he will rule when Thranduil leaves for the Grey Heavens."
Elrond looked down at the son that was in his wife's arms, and let one of his hands free to touch one of the blond curls that laid upon the child's head. "And perhaps give them enough hope to give him someone to play with."
They then looked into each other's eyes, and a decision was made, a decision that would change the course of history forever.
--------------------------------------
Review thanks! (back to at least five a week, mez content)
i-like-chickens (chapter five): Thanks for not spoiling it! *grins* but then again, with a nice reader like you, I would not mind. Keep reading!
i-like-chickens: Awesome? No, you're awesome. *hugs one of her favorite reviews*
Alasse-Calmacil: Well, there it was, I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reviewing!
bb: Thank you!
oh no: Oh yes, I am going to make LEGOLAS arwen's TWIN, I am! Oh, my goodness!
crystal-rose15: you put tears in my eyes, you really did. *grabs a hanky and blows her nose* Oh thank you wonderful reviews, this is probably the best review I have ever recived... *tears up more*
Written By: Shelly LeBlanc
~Author's Note: So the children have been born . . . what now? Hm? Due to the problems with Fanfiction.net I missed one review from the previous chapter (chapter five). So thank you i-like-chickens, for yet another of your reviews *tear*. The third chapter is probably done for the second story, and now that I am out of a job, I will have more time to write...(I like to see the positive side of things, so thanks boss, for firing me!)
And yes, since we have come to the birth, I did make Legolas and Arwen twins. If you have a problem with that, you do not have to read the story. It is an Alternative Universe, after all, and I am the author and I am claiming no owner ship with Tolkien's own characters and original plot (see below), so I can do what ever I want . . . er, sorry for sounding haughty there, I guess I am still steamed about the job thing . . . *hangs head* oh well. Enjoy. ~
**Disclaimer – I do not own any of the characters in this story except for Isawien, the Queen of Mirkwood, and some other random people. All characters are copyrighted by J.R.R. Tolkien, and who ever else owns the Lord of the Rings trilogy.**
Chapter Seven – Celebrian's Choice
When the fair Lady of Rivendell awoke from her sleep, the sun was starting to set. The sun placed hues of oranges and reds across her room from her window, making the already enchanting room much more beautiful.
For a brief moment, she had no idea why she was in bed this early in the night. It was only when she turned her head and saw two bassinets and her beloved husband did she remember her reasons for being so tired so soon. She recalled the pain of her childbearing, and the tiredness that filled her body. But it was the sound of the infant cries and holding little bundles in her arms that she recalled most clearly.
Celebrian shifted a little, hoping to get a better look at her husband and children in silence, but it alerted Elrond of her being awake and turned her way with a smile.
"Hello, dear wife. How was your sleep?" he asked, moving away from twin bassinets towards her bed, sitting on its side.
"Rested. How are our little ones?" Celebrian shifted herself again and sat up, trying to take a better look at them. She saw her dark-haired daughter well, due to the fact her bassinet was closer, but she could barely see the infant in the other one. Elrond sensed her dismay and leaned forward, taking the unseen twin in hand and lifted it out. He then placed the child Celebrian's waiting arms. The mother of the child gave a sigh of joy and leaned back into the pillows, staring down at her youngest child.
It was a son, with skin as fair as his sisters and eyes only a shade lighter in blue. But what pleased Celebrian the most about the child's appearance was his hair. It was soft and curly, and the color of platinum blond. The same color as her hair and her mother's hair. Celebrian smiled down at the healthy baby boy in her, then at her husband.
"We finally have a blond child. We have brought our people a fair haired child and a girl. I do not think, though, that they will be disappointed at the fact that we could not put both together."
Elrond kissed both his wife's and son's forehead before moving towards the closest bassinet and picked up his only daughter and did the same to her. He did not return to the bed, but kept her in his arms. He looked at his wife and smiled again.
"Personally, I like the arrangement we have. I do not think that her hair color would make her any more fairer, and I do not think it would be wise to have two blonde Elven Ladies running about, I might lose one of them!"
Celebrian laughed lightly, shifting the baby in her arms. The family sat in peaceful bliss for a moment, contemplating on their present and future. Celebrian thought of the two children she left in Rivendell and now the two children they held in their hands. It was only then that she realize something was amiss.
"Elrond! These babes have not yet been named!"
Obviously the thought was new with Lord himself, for he looked just as stunned.
"Oi Elbereth! How could I have let it slip my mind? The joy of their healthy births must have fogged my senses. Indeed, we need to name them so we can tell everyone on their name day," Elrond said looking down at the little girl in his arms. "We shall named the eldest first, for it is her right."
"Of course," Celebrian said with a smirk and looked down at her daughter. "What name should be fitting for her?"
Before the two Elves could even ponder the thought, a voice from the door interrupted. "Perhaps you should look to the time of her birth as a origin of her name."
Celebrian's blonde hair turned towards the door and gave a cry of delight. "Mithrandir!" And, indeed, there stood an old gray man, smiling at them with a twinkle in his old eyes. Gandalf smiled at her and moved towards the bed.
"How do you fare, Lady of Rivendell?" Mithrandir asked, and stopped to stand before them.
"Quite well. And the children are healthy and fair, much more than I had ever hoped for. You have come just in time for the naming of the babes, though I believe you already know that by the way you greeted us."
Mithrandir laughed and nodded. "This I see, I have yet seen such fairer Elflings, and I dare say I've seen a lot." With that he turned to Elrond to know he had not forgotten him or his place. "Lord Elrond, it is good to see you at such a happy event."
Elrond nodded his greeting. "I would not have missed this in all the world, you know that, Grey Fool." By the twinkle in Elrond's own eyes, the wizard knew it was only a joke. "But what did you mean when you said to look at her time of birth? I was left unawares there was something significant about her time of birth."
"Indeed, it is understandable, with you worrying over the birth of the child than the events that occurred . . . but it was not only the girl that this happened, but that will come later. The first born babe was born just as the first star of Twilight showed its light."
Elrond froze at the words, for he had heard those words before but could not remember where he had heard them, but Celebrian did not notice this, for she was too pleased.
"The first star of Twilight? That is a gift, and a sign. This child will be a bright star for our people, a giver of hope. I think it is fitting to name her Evenstar. Yes, Arwen Evenstar . . . what a perfect name! Thank you, Mithrandir!"
Gandalf smiled at the Lady, and turned his eyes to Elrond who was trying to hide his worry. He cleared his throat, looking unsure of what he was about to say. "Indeed, Arwen Evenstar is a perfect name. She shall be the Evenstar of her people . . . but pray tell, Grey Wonderer, how did you know of her time of birth?"
The old wizard gave a small smile, but neither the Lord nor Lady of Rivendell understood it. Gandalf sat down in the chair next to the bed, and sighed. "I just came from a council downstairs. But let me go back further to why I am here. I had been in Gondor for a few weeks when Celeborn arrived and bore news of another child to be born in Lorien. So I rode off immediately so I could be present, but I was a few hours late. You, my Lady, were already asleep when I came to the room to greet you, and I was not allowed entrance. Instead, your mother brought me to the library and informed me about what had occurred before I came. It was then she told me the times of their births . . . and the significance."
It was only then that Celebrian felt like something was wrong. She turned to her husband, then back to Gandalf the Grey.
"What do you mean by the significance?" she asked, holding the child she had in her arms tighter. The infant stirred but did not awaken. "Is there something wrong?"
Gandalf's eyes showed a sadness, but there was another look to his eyes; hope. "Do not fear, Fair Lady, for your babe's are fine."
Elrond shifted his arms, letting his daughter lie in one arm while he moved is other around Celebrian's shoulders, leaning her towards him in reassurance. He checked her comfort before turning back to Mithrandir.
"What is the significance of my youngest son's birth?"
Gandalf hesitated slightly before answering, "Little Arwen's birth was under the first star of the night, but your son's birth was under the first light of dawn. He entered the world when the Sun showed itself as new."
Celebrian blinked at him, trying to comprehend what he was telling them, but nothing came to her as odd, except for the fact that their birthing time was unusual. She turned to her husband again, but this time to seek an answer from him.
"What does he mean when he tells us this? I have to admit, the time of their births are slightly odd, what does that have to do with anything? Is there something I am missing?" she asked softly, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer.
Elrond had a moment pause before he spoke. "Star of Twilight, and the light of Dawn . . . These are words I have not heard since right after the war with Sauron, and then I had only thought it a myth: a story to tell young folk as they drifted off to slumber. It is a rhyme, my dear wife, of the coming of two Elves that would come to Middle Earth and help destroy it's evil. One of the verses on the poem is said, 'Light of Dawn and Star of Twilight,' which I had assumed to be the name of the Elves." Elrond then recited the poem for his wife in a clear voice, which masked the chill he felt inside.
Celebrian listened to her husband's words, and tried to understand them. 'A Ring will come and tear them apart?' 'A king shall return to the throne of Gondor?'
"Elrond . . . what nonsense does this poem speak? What ring? The Ring of Sauron? I thought it to be lost! Do you mean the horror we lived through in our younger days will return? What king shall fall and abandon Gondor? When will this happen?"
Elrond squeezed his wife's shoulder to calm her down. But before he could put his comfort into words, the door opened again, and thus entered Galadriel and Haldir. They both had solemn looks on their face and Celebrian's worry increased.
"What does my husband and the Grey Wizard say, my Lady. What does it have to with my children?"
Galadriel drew nearer to her child and sat on the bed beside her. She also put a comforting arm around Celebrian and with the other she cupped the Lady of Rivendell's face.
"My daughter, it is your children that in the prophesy. Though they were born out of the order I had been waiting for, it is indeed true. I had looked into my Mirror a few weeks before I received your message, telling us about your pregnancy, and saw image of two Elves standing side by side. One with the fairness of your daughter, and the other the fairness of your son. And the rhyme you have just heard came back to me, confirming that it is true. The prophecy is no myth."
"I first suspected that your children were the ones in the prophecy when I looked into the Mirror again and saw that you were yet again carrying twins. But it was only confirmed when the first infant was born, for she came into the world when the first star shown in the sky. And then I knew that your son would have been born at Dawn."
The mother of the twins stared at her mother in disbelief. "Then . . . the prophecy is true . . . or will be true, when they get older?" She was answered with a nod, and she looked down, at her sleeping son. "Then . . . evil will finally rest. Peace will finally prevail! Sauron's evil will be destroyed! Why do you have sadness in your faces? This is good news indeed."
Galadriel smiled at her daughter strong heart. It was just like Celebrian to look at the good in everything. She lowered her hand from her daughter's face and placed it on her grandson's forehead. "That is true. Good will come from it, if the prophecy is full filled . . . but it is the action in which we will have to take to make sure it happens."
It was Elrond's turn to looks started.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked, looking at his mother-in-law. But it was Gandalf that answered the question.
"There are no doubt others who know of this prophecy. Some will think as you had, Elrond, that it is nothing but a fairy tale, meant only to brighten young children. But others will look at it as it really is, the foretelling of the end of the shadows that now plague Middle Earth. And some will do what ever is in their power to make sure that does not happen."
Celebrian caught on to the words meaning and shuddered. "Are you telling me . . . we have to keep the birth of the twins secret? How are we to hide them? I will not have them locked away and not grow up normally! I will not have it! You might as well hide me as well, for I will not watch you do such a thing!" The Lady of Imladris stood up with her son still in her arms and moved to the window. "I cannot have my children locked away, even if it is in their own safety!"
Tears spilled from her sapphire eyes and ran down her cheeks. A few drops landing on the child's forehead and he started to weep too. Celebrian was sure that he did not want to be locked up either.
Haldir quickly went to his sister's side, and tried to dry her tears as she tried to dry her son's. "No, no, dear sister. They shall not be locked up, or hidden like you are thinking. They will grow up like normal Elflings, we promise you and your husband this!"
"Then how are they going to be safe?" Elrond asked, not looking at anything but the daughter he held in his hands.
"We will hide them, indeed. For it is the only way to make sure no one knows of them. But it won't be their bodies we will hide, but their titles. When you return to Rivendell, you shall only have one child with you," Mithrandir spoke and deafening silence filled the room. The old wizard turned his face to Celebrian who had a look of horror on her face.
"One child?" She asked, meekly, "What will become of the other child?"
Galadriel stood up, drawing everybody's attention to her. She gave a smile to her daughter, hoping it will ease her a little. "He or she will stay here with me. We could say that it was abandoned or that its mother and father were killed by Orks. I will raise him or her. No one will know of its true heritage until it is too late for anyone to stop it from happening."
Elrond stood then, barely mindful of the child in his arms, and shout, "No! I will not have one of my children believed to be orphaned or abandoned! We will not make this choice!"
"But the choice is already made . . . we cannot stop this prophecy from happening now that it has already been placed. It is the only insurance that these children will live to full-fill their destiny." Galadriel argued with her son-in-law, the sorrow in her eyes telling him that she didn't want this either.
Celebrian was crying again, as was the child in her arms. She realized that her sadness was a discomfort to the little boy, but she could not help it. She would have to choose between their daughter and son, which one Elrond and her loved enough to keep.
'No', she thought, 'It is not choosing who we love the most. It is choosing who will benefit more if he or she were to be left here, believed to be abandoned.' The thought made her cry even harder, and she moved to the bed and kneeled in front of her husband, who also had tears in his eyes.
So there she was, the fair Lady of Rivendell, with her son in her arms and her daughter in her husband's arms, crying due to the pain in her heart. She stared at her children, noticing their similarities and differences as she tried to calm her son down. After a few minutes she finally was able to calm herself and the little boy down. And when the baby's last wail ended, she set her eyes solely on him, watching him open his blue eyes.
"Oh, my son . . . how can I choose between the two of you? I have only held you for less than an hour, yet I do not know if I can let you go . . . But Rivendell needs a daughter so bad, as do I . . . but I would not have turned down a son if there were only one of you and I did not have to choose . . ." Celebrian muttered to the child, knowing he did not hear but hoped that he understood. "Oh, you do have lovely eyes . . . just like my eyes . . ."
Suddenly, as she had said it, another pair of eyes came to her mind. It was the eyes of a kind Elven-King, who had seen such sorrow in his life. He would understand the pain she and Elrond were going through. A thought instantly entered her mind, which did not take away the pain of the decision she was about to make, but it lightened the load. With the some of the burden that left her heart, her strength increased and she steeled her spine. She took a deep breath and turned her eyes to her husband, who could sense a change in his wife. He looked at her inquisitively, wondering what was going on in her mind.
Celebrian did not smile, but removed one of her arms from around the infant in her arms and placed a hand over one of his, which practically clutched the other infant.
"Elrond, they are right. We must think of the children's future, no matter how painful it is for us and for them when the time comes to reveal this secret. The best way to hide them is in public view, but they must not be known as brother and sister. They will not be known by who they truly are."
The Lord of Rivendell listened to his wife's words and bowed his head. He then said in a quiet voice in which only she could hear, "But which one do we abandon? How are we going to choose?"
A small smiled was placed on Celebrian's lips, sad smile, but it gave her strength nonetheless. "We are not abandoning one of them, but giving them an opportunity to live a life as normal as it can be. And the children have chosen already." Elrond raised his head in question. Celebrian held up their son, giving the child a brighter smile. "He has my eyes, indeed, but also the eyes of Thranduil. And he has the hair of the Wood-Elves, he would fit in perfectly." She stood then and Elrond rose with her. "The King and Queen of Mirkwood need a child in their life, and their kingdom needs an heir. Let us give them one. Our son will not feel abandoned, but loved and he will be able to do something he would not have done if he would say with us. He shall be a Prince, he will rule when Thranduil leaves for the Grey Heavens."
Elrond looked down at the son that was in his wife's arms, and let one of his hands free to touch one of the blond curls that laid upon the child's head. "And perhaps give them enough hope to give him someone to play with."
They then looked into each other's eyes, and a decision was made, a decision that would change the course of history forever.
--------------------------------------
Review thanks! (back to at least five a week, mez content)
i-like-chickens (chapter five): Thanks for not spoiling it! *grins* but then again, with a nice reader like you, I would not mind. Keep reading!
i-like-chickens: Awesome? No, you're awesome. *hugs one of her favorite reviews*
Alasse-Calmacil: Well, there it was, I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reviewing!
bb: Thank you!
oh no: Oh yes, I am going to make LEGOLAS arwen's TWIN, I am! Oh, my goodness!
crystal-rose15: you put tears in my eyes, you really did. *grabs a hanky and blows her nose* Oh thank you wonderful reviews, this is probably the best review I have ever recived... *tears up more*