Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings or any of the characters I used in this story. It was written for pure fun and no money is/was made with it.
Genre: General/Drama
Rating: PG
E-mail: kaeera@yahoo.de
Summary: When the twins fight too much, Elrond and Celebrian decide to separate them for a few months…How will Elladan and Elrohir find life without each other?
Notes: *sneaks out of the shadows* Ehm. Sorry for the delay. I know that there's no excuse when you're waiting for a new chapter - I have often experienced that myself - but the last weeks have been so busy...first I was in Paros, then Berlin. When I finally returned home after some weeks, we had the last exams in this term and I had to study for those. I was that busy that I couldn't even *read* my favourite stories *looks guiltily at Nili* and that really means something!
Warning: chapter is not beta-read! I'm sorry for the mistakes...my beta seems to be away...
by Kaeera
Part Three: Entering Lothlorien
"Are we there yet?" Elrohir's ears perked up, as they neared some flets up in the trees. They had been riding for the last days, and the elfling had found the experience quite boring.
The warriors normally spent little time with Elrohir, and hardly spoke to him (mainly because they didn't know how to care for children and were afraid of doing something wrong, but of course nobody had told Elrohir that), leaving his mother as the only person to talk to. As dearly as Elrohir loved Celebrian, she was his mother after all, and there were things she just didn't understand.
Like bugs, for example. Elrohir, as well as Elladan, adored bugs and found them fascinating. He loved it when they crawled up his arms, their little legs moving so fast that it was nearly a blur.
Celebrian, however, disliked bugs. She didn't scream when she saw them, she just didn't share the fascination her younger son held for the tiny insects, and therefore Elrohir had been on his own.
Travelling wasn't as exciting as he had always thought. No wargs had attacked them and the guards hadn't been forced to draw their swords. Not even the smallest adventure had occurred, a rather unusual experience for the trouble-used twin.
Therefore it was no surprise that the small elfling bounced excitedly up and down on the horse, squirming under his mother's grip, eager to explore what would be his home for the next weeks. He had been here earlier in his life, but he had been smaller then and couldn't recall all the details.
He could hear his mother chuckle behind him. "Yes, we are there, love." She whispered into his ear. "That's my home."
"Oh." Elrohir's eyes widened as he watched the tall trees and the houses which were made out of wood and carved with beautiful pictures. It was totally different than Imladris, and yet it was the same, for it was made by elven hands.
His eyes widened at the prospect of being able to play in those gigantic trees. He could explore and find many new bugs, and they surely had a library in which he could look at books and find out the names of the bugs and the plants. Elrohir loved learning new things.
"Are there many children, Amme? Can I play with them?" The ten-year old hopped around excitedly, searching for any trace of children his age, but finding none.
"I'm sure that you find some friends." Celebrian reassured him smiling and stopped the horse, first setting the excited elfling on the ground and then dismounting herself.
Her mother and father were already walking towards the small group, ready to greet their daughter and youngest grandchild. Soon every worry was forgotten as Elrohir was swept into the halls, new impressions flooding his mind with every step he made.
He didn't even think about his brother once that day.
* * *
Golden sunrays tickled his nose, as the elfling slowly awoke out of the depth of sleep.
The room he stayed in had a high ceiling, with large windows that reached to the floor. Just outside his window he could see the tall trees which could be found everywhere in Lothlorien. The bed was soft and decorated with nice, carved wood.
Elrohir blinked and sat up, automatically reaching out to shake his brother awake – only to realize that Elladan wasn't there. For the first moment, panic overcame him, but then he remembered where he was and why he was here.
A scowl appeared on his features. No, he didn't miss Elladan. That stupid…elf! It was his own fault, after all!
He turned his head so that he could look at the leaves of the tree. The early sun was shining through the trees, drawing a nice pattern on the floor.
Too awake to stay in bed any longer, the elfling jumped out and hurried to the window, carefully sticking his head out.
Celebrian had warned him not to go near the window, for there wasn't a balcony and careless children could easily fall down to the ground. But Elrohir was ten years old now, and didn't think of himself as a child anymore, so he eagerly leaned out and observed his surroundings.
It had to be very early, for not many elves were awake yet, but the few which walked through the trees seemed to be enjoying the warm sun. Elrohir smiled, and went back into his room, dressing quickly. He wanted to go out and play in the trees, hopefully Amme would allow that! She could be so over-protective at times, it was unbearable!
Humming softly, the elfling skipped down a staircase which circled around a tree, trying to remember the way to Galadriel's and Celeborn's Halls. He had quite a bit of respect for both his grandmother and grandfather. They seemed so wise and old, although both looked beautiful. They certainly weren't elves one could play pranks on, and once more he was glad that Elladan wasn't here – his twin surely couldn't have resisted and would have done something incredibly stupid like sneaking into Galadriel's chambers to explore.
While walking down, he couldn't pry his eyes away from the greenery around him. Wait until he told Elladan about this…but no, Elladan wasn't here. He looked rather sour for a moment, imagining the things he and his twin could do if they were here together, but he quickly chased the thoughts away.
Elrohir trotted down the last stairs, spotting his mother at the bottom, who stood there waiting for him. He quickly waved at her and jumped faster, but managed to stumble over his own feet and tumbled down the last four steps.
Too surprised to realize what had happened, the elfling sat up, shock slowly setting in. Celebrian was by his side instantly, as Elrohir started sniffling.
"Are you alright?" She asked worried, examining her son for injuries.
Elrohir tried to suppress the sobs which wanted to break free, feeling embarrassed that he couldn't stay strong like a real warrior would do.
"Nothing happened." He finally declared, wiping some tears away, hoping that his mother hadn't seen them.
Celebrian only discovered a small bruise on her son's arm, and sighed relieved, lifting the child up. "You have to be careful in those woods," she scolded gently, noticing how heavy her youngest had become. Alas, they were growing up so fast!
"We don't have buildings here like in Imladris, here everything is in the trees and an elfling who doesn't pay attention can easily hurt himself."
"I know, Amme." He struggled in her grip, wanting to get down on the ground again. "I was just thinking and didn't look where I was going. It won't happen again."
"I hope so," Celebrian pulled a stern face and then smiled. "Come on, breakfast is ready, and even warriors need food to keep up their strength."
Elrohir followed her eagerly, hoping that the meal would soon be over, for he couldn't wait to investigate the trees and all the other plants.
* * *
"Have fun playing, but don't forget to be here for dinner!" Celebrian called after the young elf, but Elrohir had already disappeared out of sight.
She sighed and sat down again, sipping her water. So far it didn't seem as if Elrohir was missing his brother, but he had only been here for one day and everything was still new and exciting. Celebrian was pretty sure that she would hear some whining by the end of the week.
Elrohir ran impatiently out of the building, not understanding how adults could eat for such a long time. He was always finished after five minutes, if he could eat at the speed he wanted to (which he, unfortunately, mostly wasn't allowed to).
Now, what should he do first? Amme had said that he could run around freely as long as he stayed in the inner part of the forest, and Elrohir was willing to explore even the tiniest bit of Lothlorien, using this unfamiliar freedom shamelessly.
He went to the first tree in view, walking up one of the wooden stairways which could be found everywhere in Lothlorien. Halfway in the middle, he stopped, fascinated by a small, green butterfly that was sitting on a branch not far away from Elrohir's current standing point.
The elfling dearly loved butterflies. He could spend hours watching the little creatures, flapping their wings, so small and fragile, and yet he never managed to catch one.
He sat down and tried to reach out for it, but his arm was too short. Slightly disappointed, he leaned back, remembering the promise he had made to his mother before breakfast. Elladan would have climbed on the branch, but he, Elrohir, wouldn't be that reckless.
"Look, there! I told you!" whispered some voices behind him, and Elrohir frowned as the butterfly flapped its wings in surprise and decided to fly further along the branch, even more out of his reach.
"Who is he?" The high-pitched voices weren't that far away, and he turned his head to find their owners. But he didn't see anyone on the stairway.
"Now he heard us! That's your fault!" hissed another voice, which Elrohir couldn't quite identify.
"Who are you?" he finally asked, becoming annoyed at the fact that he still couldn't find anyone. There was a rustling sound above him, and on a branch not that far away from the branch his butterfly had sat on, three heads appeared. They seemed to belong to elven children like him, a girl and two boys.
"Hello," one of the boys said rather hesitantly, eyeing him closely.
"I'm Tonar, and that is my sister Miriel." He pointed to the brown-haired girl beside him who seemed to be younger than the rest.
Elrohir stood up and brushed the dirt from his knees.
"I'm Elrohir," he offered hesitantly, eyeing the children closely.
The third boy, who hadn't mentioned his name yet, climbed down on the stairway, a look of curiosity on his face. He was a little bit smaller than Elrohir, but seemed to be around the same age.
"I have never seen you before." He stated and crossed his arms somewhat defiantly.
Tonar and his sister climbed down as well and the younger twin noticed that Tonar had raven black hair. "Don't be that rude, Donael," the told the other elfling, stretching out a hand to Elrohir. "You forget your manners."
Elrohir took the hand and slowly shook it, smiling shyly. "I'm here over the summer with my mother. Normally I live at Imladris." He explained.
Miriel stared wide-eyed at him. "In Imladris? With Lord Elrond? How is it there? I've heard that you have great waterfalls!" She seemed eager to hear what the youngest Peredhil had to tell, but her brother only scowled at her.
"It's annoying when you have to take care of younger siblings." He announced, rolling his eyes. "Do you have brothers or sisters, Elrohir?"
Elrohir's face darkened at this. "Yes, I have a brother. We are twins."
"Oh." Donaels eyes widened at the prospect of twins, for they were rare among elves. "Does he look like you?"
"Yes."
"That must be strange." Tonar mused. "Having someone else who looks like you…say, is he also here?"
"No." Elrohir muttered softly, somewhat annoyed by the fact that his mind was once again brought on his brother, right then when he had nearly forgotten his misery. Those children seemed to be nice and he really would like to befriend them. "He had to stay in Imladris. We were separated because we were fighting."
"Oh." Tonar's eyes became as wide as saucers. "That's wonderful! I mean, you are able to do things without your brother! I would really like that!"
He sent a pointed glance to Miriel, who seemed to be unfazed by this. "My parents always tell me that I have to play with Miriel, but she can be sooooo boring at times!"
Donael grinned slightly. "Well, if you don't have a brother to play, you can come with us. We can show you our hiding places. What do you think?"
Elrohir's face lit up at that suggestion. "I would love to!" he exclaimed, and the four elflings went down the stairs.
* * *
"See, and there the maidens go swimming on hot summer days." Donael pointed to a small spring beneath them. They had been climbing trees for the last few hours, Miriel always following the boys everywhere. Although Tonar complained all the time, Elrohir couldn't understand it. He didn't think of Miriel as a nuisance, she was quiet, kept herself to herself most of the time, and could climb nearly as well as her brother. The exact opposite of Elladan.
Donael was ten years old, like Elrohir, and Tonar was eleven, his sister five years younger than him.
The three had showed him most of the interesting places they knew in Lothlorien, and were now discussing what they should do next.
"We can play tag." Tonar suggested, glancing at the other boys.
"I don't know, we play that all the time." Donael didn't seem to like this idea. "I would like to climb up the trees a bit."
Elrohir had realised very quickly that nearly all leisure activities in Lothlorien involved climbing. Not that he had anything against it – the elfling simply loved trees and could spend hours sitting in one. They had quite many trees in Imladris as well, but here there were trees of many kinds, and Elrohir could never stop looking at them.
Tonar's face lit up. "We can climb up the big tree, take some food with us and eat it when we are on the top. What do you think?" He turned to Elrohir.
"I would like that!" The twin smiled. Although Elladan liked climbing as well, he didn't like sitting in the trees. There always had something to be done – collecting things, throwing stones at innocent bystanders or thinking of a new prank he could pull off.
However, his new friends seemed to be calmer than Elladan ever was, and Elrohir enjoyed this.
'See, I don't need Elladan.', he thought rather triumphantly. 'I can have fun without him. And I certainly won't miss him like Amme thinks. Not me! Never!'
To be continued...
Yeah, I know...lame chapter...