Chapter 41

                  Glorfindel found Elrond sitting under a tree, staring at the rushing river Loudwater.  It looked as if the lord had run the whole way there by his still heaving chest.  Elrond was busily tearing pieces of grass from the ground and proceeding to rip the blades apart violently.  Glorfindel swallowed nervously, running a hand over his neck.  He had an intimation that Elrond wished he could be ripping apart something other than blades of grass.  He began to take a hesitant step forward.

                  " If you too are here because I have done something, then let me be or I will find something sharp and be done with you."  Elrond did not bother to look up.

Glorfindel winced at Elrond's dull tone. 

                  " Celebrían sent me to find you."  Glorfindel sat beside Elrond, knowing that the threat not authentic.  " What happened, Elrond?"

Elrond shrugged, ripping up another handful of grass and beginning to tear apart each blade.  Glorfindel stilled his hand.

                  " Erestor will murder you if he has to replant this section again."

Elrond sighed, but continued to play with the grass in his hand.

                  " Women are women."  He finally scoffed.  " If she was not pregnant, she would run away to Lórien.  She always finds peace there.  She finds peace where ever I am not."  Elrond laughed a bit more.  " After the child is born, I suspect she shall return to her blessed Lórien."

                  Glorfindel caught the hurt, pain, betrayal and other emotions mixed in Elrond's voice.  Glorfindel sighed.

                  " I am no marriage counselor.  I have never had the privilege to find that one."  He put a hand on Elrond's shoulder.  " I envy what you have.  And as a friend, I am fear I am watching it and you all fall apart.  What is going on, Elrond?"

Elrond threw the remaining grass in his hand at the ground by his feet before his fist pounded the soft ground.

                  " I do not know."

~*~

                  Celebrían's fingers strummed a sad and melancholy tune.  She felt two heads fall on her shoulders at the same time two bodies squeezed onto the cushion behind her.

                  " You two could stand to lose some weight."  She teased.

To her, her sons were the epitome of Elvish perfection.  To other Elves, the twins were envied for they bore more qualities of the Firstborn than some of the Eldar did.   

                  " You know you love our chubbiness, Nana."  Elrohir laughed back.

Celebrían laughed also before she returned to her sad song.

                  " Did you work out everything with your father?"

                  Two nods came.

                  " We do not leave for Mirkwood for a while.  Instead, Ada has agreed to fulfill his end of the bargain with Thranduil."

Celebrían sighed.

                  " I guess it is my turn then to go and speak with your father.  I believe he is upset with me."

Elladan shook his head, his eyes following her as she stood.

                  " Ada left us in a cheery mood."

Celebrían smiled at him, placing a kiss on his forehead.

                  " You need not worry.  This was caused by my later actions."

Elladan and Elrohir watched her glide away.  They looked at each other.  Elladan shook his head before sending his brother an affirming nod.

                  " Girl."

Elrohir shook his head.

                  " Boy."

~*~

                  Elrond sat in his study, bent over the letter he was writing to Thranduil.

                  " I thought we had an agreement that you would not work past dinner time."

Elrond looked up, his face remaining a distant and impassive mask.  Celebrían merely shot him a teasing smile.  Her smile faded when his expression did not change.  Elrond looked back at his papers.

                  " I dare not come to bed without my lady's consent."

                  Celebrían winced.

*He is most definitely hurt.

                  " I am sorry, Elrond."

Elrond glanced back at his letter.

                  " Accepted, but I still have work I must finish."

Celebrían pressed her lips together.

                  " The lady of Imladris forbids it."  She strode to him, sitting directly on his letter.  " And you shall not deny the lady of Imladris, for my lord's wrath is worse than Ilúvatar's."

She sent him a small smile.  Elrond could not help his lips from curling up also.  She had that effect on him, making him smile when he would rather frown.  He leaned back in his chair.

                  " If the lady so wishes-"

                  " I desire it."  Celebrían's low voice made him stand quickly.

                  " Tis late, my dear.  I believe I shall escort the two of you-"

                  " Or three."  Celebrían interjected with a laugh.

Elrond sent her a pained glance.

                  " I hope it is only the two of you.  I do not know if my old heart could take another two terrors."

                  Celebrían laughed before leaning against him alluringly.  She leaned up, her lips brushing by his ear as his arms encircled her waist.  Neither noted their two wide-eyed sons frozen in the doorway.

                  " I know how well of health you are in."

Elrond outmaneuvered her wandering hand.

                  " My lady, are you insinuating something?"  He asked with mock horror.

Celebrían's eyes barely flickered to her sons before nodding with a dissatisfied expression.

                  " Aye, Elladan and Elrohir are in the doorway behind you."

                  The twins watched their father turn wearily.

                  " Yes?"

                  " We simply came to wish the two of you a good night."  Elladan began to pull his brother off, sensing Elrohir was about to say something that would have their father after their hides.

                  " And it seems it shall be a good night."  Elrohir grinned cheekily.

Elrond just shook his head with a smile.

                  " Get you two to bed."

                  " You too, Ada."  Elrohir called as he quickly retreated.  " And try not to have too hard of a night."

Elrond whipped around, but the two Elves had disappeared.  Elrond shook his head.

                  " I need to sit those two down for "the talk"."  Elrond sighed.

Celebrían laughed.

                  " Let them be Glorfindel's problem, Herven.  Boys will be boys."

~*~

                  Elrond entered the twins' chambers early that morning.  The two slept soundly with only ten minutes before breakfast.  Elrond sat on a chair in between the two beds.  Elladan was the first to awake and then froze in mid-stretch.

                  " It was not me that said it, Ada."

Elrond laughed, waking Elrohir.  Elrohir looked at his father guiltily.

                  " Daer aur, Ada."
Elrond just nodded, raising an eyebrow as his youngest kept the sheet securely around his waist as he inched towards the baths.

                  " I was re-reading the proposal Thranduil sent me last night."  Elrond rose, approaching Elrohir.  " I know that Glorfindel, as your trainer, gave the two of you the she-Elf talk."

Elrohir just laughed.

                  " He knows far too much for an unwed Elf."

Elladan glanced at his father's stern face and then at his brother.  Elrohir's laugh fell short.  Elrond raised an eyebrow.

                  " I feel a need to reinstate that lesson with you, Elrohir.  One of the Mirkwood dignitaries will be female.  I expect the both of you to be on your best behavior when they arrive in two months."

Elrohir nodded.

                  " May we finish this later, Ada?  We will be late to breakfast."

Elrond shook his head.

*I most likely did not get one word through that thick skull of his.

He glanced at his cautious eldest.

*Elladan will keep him in line.  He always does.

~*~

                  Elladan was pulling on his final boot as Elrohir finished buttoning his tunic.

                  " You could have helped me while Ada was on my case."  Elrohir grumbled.

Elladan glanced up from his tugging.

                  " You set yourself up for it.  Sleeping in naught but your own skin, and being so feisty with Ada last night; I do not think I could have done anything to help."

Elrohir sent his brother a grin.

                  " I guess I did shock Ada a bit."

Elladan just shook his head, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder as they began at a brisk walk for the breakfast hall.

                  " I believe shock is too much of an understatement."