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.
~~~~OOOOO~~~~
"Ada?" came the small voice at his knee.
Elrond Peredhel glanced downwards to find his youngest daughter gently tugging on his robes, her eyes wide and a questioning look on her face.
"Yes, tithen min, what is it?" This had been her favorite way of getting his attention since she was old enough to crawl. Her sister, however, usually screamed his name, whether he was in hearing distance or not.
"Ada, El'dan said you were a great healer." She paused, and he wondered whether it had been intended as a question. "What's a healer?"
He couldn't help himself, he laughed, the sound ringing across his study, filling all the small hallows and nooks of the vast library.
"You did not think to ask him, iell nin? Well then, I suppose I shall have to explain."
He looked down at his daughter, and in one quick movement swung her up into his arms and walked over to one of the benches along the wall. Settling against the pillows even as the young elfling settled in his lap, he thought about how best to explain the concept to one who was barely five summers old; young even in the reckoning of men.
"Do you remember the incident last year when Andúnë broke her arm?" The girl nodded. "And do you remember what happened?"
She nodded again before speaking in her soft, flowing voice. "She said you made the pain go away. But she had to be careful for days after that, and she couldn't go swimming or run through the garden."
He smiled down at her. The things that were important to children…
"A healer is someone who makes a wound or injury better. It is their skill that cures the sick and stops the pain. Do you understand?"
The elfling seemed to consider this before answering. "I think so. Only a healer could have made the pain in Dúnë's arm go away?"
Elrond chuckled. How the young liked to simplify things. "Yes, just like that."
"Can I be a healer?" Her eyes gleamed with eagerness, and an innocence he had long forgotten existed in the world. Sometimes his daughters could be such good reminders that the world wasn't only filled with sadness and pain.
"If you wish to be. But it will take many years of study and learning, and it is not an easy thing to master." Nor live with, he added to himself.
"I do wish Ada! Can we start now? I want to learn everything!" The child clapped her hands together, practically bouncing upon his lap.
"Why not? It is never too young to learn some useful skills in life."
Gently taking Arómenë into his arms as he rose he carried her over to one of the many book shelves that lined the wall. This particular one seemed dustier than the others, but he had not forgotten in all the long years, where the books he sought for were. Setting the child down on a nearby table he scanned the second shelf, almost immediately coming upon a leather bound book, quite large and heavy. He turned and set it down in his daughter's lap. She simply stared at it. He couldn't help himself this time either, he laughed again. She seemed a bit put out by this and glanced up at him sharply. He stilled his laughter immediately and then opened the book for her. Thumbing through the pages he came across the one he sought. Smiling he pointed at the drawing.
"This is called Athelas. Can you say that?"
She looked a bit heartbroken that her father had just implied she could not say a word. "Athelas," she said, pronouncing it perfectly. He smiled his praise at her.
"Very good. That is its name in Sindarin. It is also called Kingsfoil, asea aranion, Westmansweed and Galenas, among others. It will ease pain caused by an injury and also speed healing. There are tales of the healing powers of Athelas; mostly out of the Kingdom of Gondor in the south…you know where Gondor is?"
"Yes Ada, it's beside Rohan." She seemed to know that was not the exact answer he had sought. Elrond smiled wryly.
"It is a very powerful herb and should not be used lightly. And there are also very few alive who can harness its full ability. My line is, perhaps, one of the last left. This means, Arómenë, that when you are older and have learned a great deal more about healing and herbs, you too will be able to control this plant's greatest power."
She stared at him wide eyed. Her hands clutched at the book in her lap tightly as she turned her startled eyes upon the page.
"I think perhaps that is enough of a lesson for today. We will continue this tomorrow."
She nodded, still staring at the book, before she slipped out from under it and wriggled to the floor. "Thank you Ada," she beamed up at him and then fled from the room, no doubt to find her twin and tell her all she had learned. He wondered if Andúnë would be here asking him to teach her the art of healing next.
Smiling he closed the book and placed it back upon the shelf, returning to his work that he had been in the middle of before his youngest's interruption.
~~~~OOOOO~~~~
"Ada!?" The cry sounded down the hallway and through the open door of the Lord of Imladris' study. The Lord's head shot up from his reading in alarm.
A small figure, only a few feet high, came barreling through the door and came to an abrupt stop at her father's feet.
Elrond sighed in relief. He desperately wished his daughter would not act as if everything was a life or death situation. Every time she screamed his name he was sure something terrible had happened.
"Ada, can you teach me healing like you did Rómë?"
He was torn between scolding her and laughing. He decided neither was probably the best; instead, he looked down at his young child with a raised eyebrow and a questioning face.
"And why would you wish to learn healing, tithen min?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.
"I want to learn. It's not fair if you only teach Rómë. I want to be a great healer, just like you!" She was practically dancing at his feet.
Elrond Peredhil sighed. So much for his quiet afternoon of work.
He stood and swept across the room to the same bookshelf he had showed his youngest only that morning. Taking the same book in hand he turned and nearly collided with his daughter. She grinned up at him. He couldn't help but smile back down at her. Walking back to his chair he made himself comfortable before pulling her up into his lap. Setting the book in her lap, he opened it the same page he had shown her sister earlier. If he taught her something else her twin would be back promptly to scold him and ask to be taught the same thing. And he did have work to do.
"This is Athelas," he pointed to the drawing of the herb. Refraining himself from asking her if she could pronounce it like he had Arómenë. "It is also called Galenas, Kingsfoil, Westmansweed, asea aranion, and others besides. It is used in healing serious injuries and will ease pain, but only when used by those trained in its art and who have the ability to harness its full power. You are one, as is your sister, and all those of my line."
She gazed up at him in awe, not knowing what to say to that. Finally she simply nodded. "Thank you Ada!" She grinned up at him and, wriggling from his lap made an exit very similar to her entrance.
Elrond couldn't help but smile. He placed the book on his study table, within reach, and returned to his work.