Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, places, ideas or anything else from Lord of the Rings. I do however lay claim on Elrond's twin daughters as Tolkien never wrote about any twin elven girls anywhere in his books. Everything else though, as much as I wish it, is not mine and belongs to the Estate of J.R.R. Tolkien (a wonderful, wonderful man). Except for a 2-year-old toddler by the name of Estel (forever called tithen min by his siblings) who needs looking after.
And since this story will go right up to…whatever end it may, I'm taking some liberties with the events told during the War of the Ring. Mostly the liberty of adding in two characters who were never there in the books. But it's not like that hasn't been done before.
So, here's my take on things. Women (Elven and mortal) were not common in Tolkien's books. If Arwen hadn't gotten into the appendices then she would have had a total of ONE mention in the entire book. And besides Galadriel's short scenes at Lórien and Éowyn's slightly more important role in ROTK, females in general are not talked of much. So if Arwen barely got mention, and Elladan and Elrohir are in only a handful of scenes, who's to say that maybe Elrond didn't have more children? Females who weren't important in the plot. The only thing that goes against this thought that is confirmed as Tolkien canon, is that Arwen was the last born. Curse me if you wish, but I hate this idea. But it stands nonetheless: so, this story is AU from that standpoint ONLY. But then, I never much liked the idea Legolas was older than Arwen….
Hate me if you wish, but don't read the story and then flame me for my opinion. I do believe in freewill and free thought after all.
I tried my hardest to keep the known characters in canon, at least to a certain point. But really, we never see Elrond's "fatherly" side beyond his overprotective nature towards Arwen, or any indication of the relationship between Estel and his foster-brothers, so I wrote what I thought was believable.
Any spelling mistakes are my own. Any mistakes in the Elvish are also my own, and I would appreciate a correction.
Enjoy!
Arë a Andúnë
~~~~OOOOO~~~~
On the spring equinox in the year 651 of the Third Age, one of only two days of the year of equal moonlight and sunlight, were born in Imladris twin girls. Their birth would become something of a legend among the elves, though the girls would have little effect on the greater events of that Age. Indeed there would be few outside of their homeland that would know exactly who they were, or care; but their lives and their love would reach to those whose lives did influence the events of the last age of the Elves.
Their birth itself was the strangest any had ever witnessed, even those elves that still remembered the days before the fall of Gondolin. The first was born before dawn, when the stars still twinkled overhead and the full moon shone down upon the valley. For this reason she would grow to love the night, and the stars most of all, and often she would shun the daylight. Her sister followed her birth moments later, but long enough to allow the sky to lighten with the coming morning; and just as the sun first rose above the horizon, its rays barely seen between the mountain peaks, the youngest let her first cries carry across the valley to greet the morn. This one would always favor the day, and the brightness of clear blue sky and summer mornings, but neither would she shun the darkness, loving the stars as all elves do.
The sun rising over the trees, cast its rays down onto the peaceful valley, pouring in through the windows of the Lord and Lady's room, spreading across the bed to rest gently upon the faces of the two twin girls nestled in their mother's arms.
Elrond Peredhel, Half-Elven in the tongue of Westernesse, sat in a chair at his wife's side, exhaustion from a night of no sleep was barely discernable under the joyful smile that crossed his features. He laid a hand softly on his wife's silver hair, looking down at his newest and hopefully last, he thought, children.
They were a marvel indeed. Firstly that they had even been conceived, for Elrond had been so sure that their family was complete when their daughter Arwen had been born. But he had been wrong; not even he had foreseen this event. Then there had been their birth…Elrond looked out the window across his valley, seeing the equinox rays dancing on the trees and waterfalls. Never had an elven birth had so many portents, and even he couldn't explain what they all meant. The girls' births had been nothing like his twin sons, which didn't especially surprise him, but this night had been strange nonetheless.
For one thing, elven births were usually easy, and Celebrían had never had a problem before; but she had gone into labor early the previous evening, and it had been a good eleven hours since then. She was exhausted from the struggle, and had been unable to get any sleep, even fitful naps throughout the night. And to have twins born more than a few minutes apart…. True, Elrohir had been a problem during birth; almost as if he hadn't wanted to leave the safety of his mother's womb. And indeed, even grown though he was now, he was still very much his mother's son. But this one; he looked down at the youngest of the two girls. Ai, she had taken much coxing, and even now, cuddled at her mother's side, she seemed as if she wanted nothing more than to be back inside the safety of her mother. This one would always be his wife's, Elrond thought. No matter how much she loved him, she would always go to Celebrían for aid.
Her sister, however, reminded him of Arwen. She was already a fighter and a loud crier as well. No doubt she would always want to come first in everything, and have everything her own way. She would not be quiet, just like Arwen, and even Elladan.
But still, looking at the two, he could not believe they were his. Nothing in their appearance had they gotten from their father. They looked like young duplicates of their mother, but with the golden hair of Lórien that was their grandmother's defining attribute. They would forever struggle in life in trying to make others believe that they were the daughters of Lord Elrond of Imladris, except to those who would see them raised.
So different these two twins...so different and yet so alike.
Elrond smiled as he realized his wife had finally fallen asleep. He should go to his own rest, while the children still slept.
Gently removing the twin closest to the edge of the bed, he held her cradled in his arms as he walked to the balcony.
The sun was now up above the trees, shinning warmly down on the grounds as he held his youngest.
The babe stirred in her sleep, opening her tiny eyes, the blue-grey irises shinning in the sun; she turned her face towards the glowing warmth.
Elrond laughed, the sound ringing across the air, wrapping itself around the trees as it echoed across the still valley.
"My beautiful daughter, Arómenë I name you; sunrise and sunlight. Forever shall you look to the sun and the coming morn." The child smiled up at her father, before closing her eyes once again in sleep.
Elrond laughed again as he made his way back inside. He held her to him as he lay down next to his wife in bed, the twin girls safely between them.
He fell asleep with the image of his wife and children burned into his mind; the girls' blond hair sparkling gold in the morning light.
~~~~OOOOO~~~~
It was late morning when Celebrían finally awoke from her restorative sleep. She breathed deeply of the fresh spring air that wafted through the open door to the balcony. Focusing her eyes on the room, she noticed her husband, lying curled on his side in front of her, creating a protective enclosure for the two identical sleeping elflings.
Celebrían sighed in pure contentment. She had been nearly as surprised as her husband when she had discovered this latest pregnancy, but she certainly wasn't regretting it now. The twin girls were beautiful; the very image of her grandmother, and by extension herself. She couldn't wait to watch them grow, as she had watched Arwen.
Elrond sighed in his sleep and focused his eyes on his wife, smiling at her. Celebrían smiled back and pushed herself into a sitting position. She gently picked up the infant nearest to her and held her close to her breast. She suddenly realized she had no idea which was which.
Her husband immediately picked up on her confusion, and, picking the other child up in his arms, he held her up for his wife to see.
"This is Arómenë: our youngest."
Celebrían's eyes glowed like the sun as she beheld the child her husband had named.
Smiling in joy she looked down at the one in her arms. "And this shall be Andúnë. And she shall look to the stars and to the moon, always."
"Perfect, meleth nin," her husband whispered, and leaned over the two children to plant a kiss on her forehead.
The sun streamed through the windows as the distant sounds of the valley's inhabitants floated through the open door, and the parents held their new children close.