Chapter 1

Nightmares and new names

5 years later

          Maglor buried deeper into the pillow.  He could hear both his brother's snoring and the soft crying from another room.  A tugging came on his blankets.  He pulled them back, never opening his eyes.

          Tula, Minë."

          The older was subject to intense nightmares.  Maglor believed it was because the little one saw visions already.  It was not uncommon among the Elves to see ahead, but it was uncommon for one so young.  Maedhros brushed it off; countering it was just nightmares, plain and simple.

          " Maglor?"

          " Hmm?"

          Maglor opened his eyes.  Minë looked up at him.

          " What's a sil-mil-ral?" the boy sounded it out carefully.

Maglor looked down.

          " A Silmaril," he corrected, " Is one of the three beautiful stones my father created.  Now, the thing you just said, I have no clue what it is."

Minë smiled.

          " Are they pretty?"

Maglor closed his eyes, the curse beginning to rise up.

          " Aye, they are.   More beautiful than anything else."

Minë was silent and Maglor was glad.  The boy listened far too much and knew more than any his age.

~*~

          Maglor grumbled under his breath, feeling another tug on his sleeve.

          " Maglor, I'm hungry.  I think Maedhros is too, cuz he's growling."

Maglor chuckled, opening his eyes to look at Atta.

          " Maedhros is snoring, you know that."

Maglor sat up, stretching his long limbs.

          " I know, but it got you up."

          " C'mere you," Maglor growled, scooping up the boy.

Minë followed, laughing and clapping his hands with glee.

          Maedhros stumbled into the kitchen groggily, rubbing his eyes.  Minë was immediately silent and became almost like a shadow, slithering around the walls to his seat.  Atta did not care, laughing gaily and smiling cheerily up at Maedhros.

          " See, he is hungry, Maglor."

          Maedhros shook his head, moving to his brother's side once the boy's were preoccupied with their breakfast.

          " Why do we keep them?"

Maglor's eyes hardened, sensing where this was going.

          " They would have died."

          " We would not be hunted so."

          Maglor glanced back at the boys.  Only Minë seemed curious to know of their conversation.  Maglor lowered his voice.  The eldest had better hearing than most full-grown Elves.

          " Gil-galad would hunt us even if we had let them die.  He will never forgive us even now.  We broke our promise," Maglor put a hand on his brother's shoulder, "We have offended the son of your best friend.  Fingon would not be pleased."

          Maedhros moved away.

          " Fingon is not here, nor does he know how this curse affects us.  Leastways, I made no vow to him, you and all the others did," Maedhros' eyes turned pleading, " Let us leave tonight.  The two will be fine."

Maglor shook his head.

          " No."

Maedhros' face fell.  He and Maglor always did everything together.  Maglor had taken the oath in Aman so long ago only because Maedhros had done so.

          " Maglor, come now," Maedhros began.

          " No, I will not follow you again.  I am through with this Silmaril business.  We murdered innocent Elves again, Maedhros.  No more," Maglor put a finger in his brother's chest, " And do not even think of betraying me. You are as guilty as I."

Maedhros' eyes narrowed.

          " Blackmail does not become you, brother."

Maglor shrugged.

          " Tis all the desperate like I have."

~*~

          Minë grew bored of the archery lesson.  He caught sight of Maglor and turned off.  Minë climbed onto Maglor's lap, listening intently as the Elf sang softly.  The six year old tilted his head, letting the two braids fall by his chin.

          " What are you singing?"

Maglor looked up, never expecting the half-Elvin to fully understand Elvish.  Then again, Minë picked up on just about everything.

          " Tis a song I wrote."

          " A very sad song."

          Maglor looked down at the boy, seeing the hint of Idril's blood.  He remembered the young girl clutching to her mother's hand fearfully as they began the trek from Aman.  The mother had not survived after they left Fingolfin's people stranded.  He sighed.

          " Tis called the Noldolantë."

          " The fall of the Noldor," Minë's brow furrowed, " What's a Noldor?"

          " Who's a Noldor?" Maglor corrected

Maglor put a finger in the middle of Minë's chest.

          " You are a Noldo.  A Noldo is a type of Elf, and you are half-Elvin."

          Minë looked at his brother learning still how to shoot.  Maglor's eyes cleared to see only a stern lord overlooking a lush river valley fortress when he gazed at Minë.

          " Do you wish to learn the song?"

Minë nodded excitedly.

          " May we write it down?"

          " Why?"

Minë shrugged.

          " So I may always have it."

Maglor ruffled the boy's growing hair.

          " Come little lore master.  We will begin writing lessons if you wish to write it down.  I will try to make sure you learn something new each day."

Maglor noted the shine in the boy's eyes at the word learn.

*He will always be wise beyond his years.

~*~

          Ereinion sighed, staring out at the ocean.  Galadriel wished she could hug him.  The crown weighed heavily now, his very breaths bent upon finding the last two sons of Fëanor.  His shoulders were no longer as tall as they had been.

          " Sir, we have searched every place in Arda.  The Sons are always one step ahead of us.  I fear, and this is my opinion as head of your guard, that those boys abide in Aman.  It has been five-"

          " Thank you for that opinion," Ereinion turned his head, eyes cold and unfeeling, " That is all."

The captain bowed and left.  Galadriel motioned for the counselors to leave.  Celeborn hesitated, but she made a shooing motion at him also.  He closed the door behind him.

          Ereinion did not notice Galadriel's presence as he turned from the window.  The regal robes crinkled as he walked to his desk, sweeping to the back of it.  He removed a necklace from his neck, the star necklace he had found at Sirion's ruins.  A small portrait of Eärendil and Elwing sat on his desk.  He picked it up, gazing at it, before placing it and the necklace in a drawer.

          " I am sorry I failed you."

He closed the drawer.

*There will be no more searches.

          " Do you think putting the problem away will make it disappear?  It will always be there lurking in the back of your mind.  What if?"

          He looked up at Galadriel.

          " I failed them.  I was not there to protect them.  I lost their sons.  What kind of a king am I?"

Galadriel hugged him softly.

          " You are Ereinion Gil-galad, scion of Elvin kings and the star of radiance.  Your time will come when you can defeat all evil."

          " Will I?"

Galadriel shook her head.

          " It is muddled.  Shadow blocks it."

Ereinion sighed.  Galadriel kissed his forehead, lifting the crown so it did not hang correctly, but off to the side.  She finally lifted it off his head.

          " You are still so young.  Do not burden yourself needlessly with this."

She placed it aside, ruffling his undone locks before leaving.  Ereinion sat in his huge study.  He rested his head on his arms and closed his eyes, willing logical thoughts away.

~*~

1year later

          " Those are the Sons of Fëanor.  No other Elves have hair that color."

The two Elves exchanged wide-eyed glances, turning eyes to the cheerful and very much alive seven year olds.

          " The twin sons of Eärendil."

~*~

          Ereinion shook his head.

*How dare they try to ruin my peace now.

          " But, your-"

Ereinion jumped up, a fist upsetting the papers on his desk.

          " Please do not torture me.  They are dead."

          " Sir, we saw them and Fëanor's sons with our own eyes."

Ereinion paused before shaking his head.

          " No."

          " Would they have given up so easily were the tables turned?"

Ereinion clenched and unclenched his fists, counting slowly to ten.

~*~

          Maedhros sprinted in, throwing things in a pack.

          " Grab everything you can."

Maglor stood irritably from his lessons with Minë.  Atta ran in.

          " Listen to the thunder and it isn't even cloudy."

Maglor understood, running to help pack.  He buttoned up the boy's tunics, handing them blankets.

          " Come," Maglor's voice ended with a screech.

          Maedhros' sword was at his neck.

          " Out, Maglor.  They are not coming."

          " But," Maglor threw up his hands, " Fine, fine, but if Ereinion catches us and blames me, I will murder you."

The twins watched with confusion from the doorway.  Maglor looked back and could not bear Minë's crestfallen and betrayed expression.

          " Maedhros."

          " No, we are going.  Now run."

          The forest suddenly seemed so large, looming and menacing with their caretakers gone.  Minë looked around fearfully, moving back into the haven.

          " What do we do?"

Atta pulled his brother after him.

          " Come on.  Let's follow them."

The two began to run.  They were all too quickly lost.

          " Minë, now I'm scared."

Minë took his brother's hand.

          " I hear something over there.  Come on."

~*~

          Ereinion exited the house, the crown flashing in the patchy sunlight.

          " They just fled.  Maglor's Quenya grammar lesson was interrupted."

Ereinion had picked up the copy of the Noldolantë by mistake.

          " What is that?" Círdan asked from his horse beside Celeborn's.

Ereinion scanned it, impressed by the almost perfect handwriting.  It was not Maglor's nor Maedhros' so he could only deduct some other Elf was also behind it.

          " The Noldolantë.  Maglor finally had it written down.  He titled it himself."

          Ereinion carefully put it in his saddlebag, staring suddenly at the ground and then motioning for Celeborn.  Celeborn dismounted, bending beside the tiny footprints.

          " The Sons left the twins in their flight."

          " When I-" Ereinion's hand automatically went to his sword.

Celeborn straightened with a headshake and smile.

          " Peace, Gil-galad.  These tracks are minutes old.  The twins will be in our possession by nightfall."

~*~

          Atta glanced at his sleeping older brother.  They had found this warm cave behind the large waterfall, but Atta could not sleep.  He was scared and he knew Minë was no matter how much his brother tried to be strong.  The water called to him, soothing his nerves.  He stepped from the cave, splashing joyfully in a shallow part of it.

          Atta looked up suddenly, sensing he was not alone.  His eyes became as large as saucers, seeing the armed mass of men.  Atta fell backwards in the water, trying to get as far from them as he could.  One dismounted.

          " Come here, boy.  I will not hurt you."

          Atta licked his lips nervously, eyes darting around as the Elf came closer, extending his hand.  He had to protect Minë from these people. Atta kicked the Elf as hard as he could in the shins when he came too close.

~*~

          The Elves burst into laughter, watching their high king limp back to them, massaging his knees.

          " You certainly have a way with children," Círdan laughed.

Ereinion looked up helplessly.

          " I am not wed.  Why do not you or Celeborn try?"

          " I am not wed either," Círdan replied.

Celeborn sighed as he dismounted.

          " I am going since you all cannot brave a seven year old boy."

          " I braved him and look at what I got," Ereinion winced, massaging the two bruises.

~*~

          " Hello, I am Celeborn."

Atta titled his head at the friendly silver haired Elf bending in the water.  This, Celeborn, had a bow strapped to his back.  Atta's eyes crinkled.  No Elf could be too bad if they had a bow.

          " You, you," Atta paused, searching his memory, " Do you know where Maedhros is?  I miss him and its dinnertime.  He taught me how to use one of those."

Celeborn unstrapped it from his back, extending it to the boy.

          " Do you wish to hold it?"

Atta came closer, fingertips gliding over the silver embossing.  He looked up with a smiled.

          " It's very nice."

          Ereinion sighed irritably from the shore.  He wanted to see two twins, not just one.  Celeborn glanced back.

          " If you come back with me, I shall make sure you have a bow of your own."

Atta's eyes lit up even more.

          " Ok, let me find my brother," Atta paused, " He can come and have one too, right?"

Celeborn nodded.  He glanced back at Ereinion, standing.  He held up two fingers with a smile.  Ereinion sighed with relief.  Nothing had ever made him happier than to know there were two very much alive twins. Atta returned with a shy looking boy.

          " This is my older brother."

The newer one, or the one they thought was new, for the boys were nearly impossible to tell apart, looked up suspiciously.

          " Who are you?"

          " Celeborn."

          " You aren't a tree."

          Chuckles came.  Even Celeborn smiled.

          " You are well learned."

          " Maglor taught me. I can sing all of the Noldolantë and write it too."

Ereinion's eyes popped open.  The boy had wrote the song down?

          " And he's only seven," Círdan said softly.

Atta's eyes turned upwards as a bright light cleared the trees.

          " Look, look," he jumped up as if to catch the beams, " Look at the star."

          Celeborn closed his eyes. It was the Gil-Estel they rejoiced about, their father's star.  Galadriel had told Celeborn so.  Ereinion ventured closer as Celeborn led the boys from the water.  He knelt down.

          " What are your names?"

          " Mine's Minë," the elder ventured, " That's Atta."

          " One and two," Círdan chuckled.

          " I sense a renaming, if that is ok with you two," Ereinion said.

          " Was your name ever changed?" Minë asked.

Ereinion nodded.

          " You know who you must be?" Minë tilted his head, venturing closer to tug on the high king's robes, " You must be Ereinion Gil-galad.  Maglor was very sorry and angry that he broke a promise to a Gil-galad.  I heard him say so to Maedhros."

          Ereinion picked up the boy, noting the halo of starlight round the boy's head.  Minë looked up hesitantly.

          " May I call you Elrond, Minë?"

Minë nodded with a small smile.

          " What about me?" Atta asked worriedly, tugging on Ereinion's robes.

Ereinion paused and then caught sight of the mist behind the boy.

          " What of Elros?"

Atta grinned.

          " I like it," he frowned, " But, do you have food?  I am very hungry.  It's past my dinnertime."

Ereinion laughed.

          " Come, Elros, you may eat all you want tonight."

AN: So, how is it so far?  Anyone like it?  R&R!!