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: Yes, I'm late, I know. But school has started again and life is having me in its horrible claws - I barely have the time to finish my homework, yet alone continue writing any fanfictions. But despise all that, I still managed to get out this part, and because I thought the plot was a bit boring, I added a tad drama. *gg* Because a story without drama and angst wouldn't be a story of Kaeera^^ Unfortunately there's a really evil cliffhanger at the end...but the place seemed perfect to stop, so I just couldn't help myself. But don't worry, you won't have to suffer too long from this cliffie, I will really hurry with part seven and hopefully my beta will do so, too :P
by Kaeera
Part Six: Catch the lighting
It was raining outside, and Elladan stared miserably at the falling water. In such weather, they couldn't go outside and play, and he was bored out of his mind. And unfortunately, his Ada couldn't play with him either because he had important stuff to do. As far as Elladan was concerned, the important stuff always involved boring old parchments and stiff old elves with faces as stern as the face of his history teacher.
How could anyone call that important?
The elfling sighed and leaned his head against the window frame. He, unlike
Elrohir, had always despised staying indoors. It was alright when he wanted to
play, but it was *not* all right when he was forced to stay inside by some
stupid water dropping from the clouds.
Of course, he could read…or write the essay for his lessons, but he'd rather be
bored than do something like that.
"Boooring." he grumbled. His friends were staying at their own homes, they were
not allowed to go outside in such weather either. He could visit them, of
course, but that would only prove that he was lonely, and he refused to do that.
No, he didn't miss his brother. Not at all. If Elrohir had been here, he
probably would have read a book, and Elladan would have still been bored.
And still…it was strange to sit alone in his room. In his whole, short life, his
brother had always shared a place with him, be it in a bed, in a room or at a
table. It was nice to finally be on his own though, but in the end this small
measure of comfort did nothing to ease his boredom.
He scowled at the dark sky, heavy with rain clouds. He wanted to do something,
but he knew he wouldn't be allowed outside in this weather.
Although…Elladan started grinning and looked around. His lessons were already
over and there was no place he had to be for the next two hours. His father was
in his study, and Glorfindel was training with the guards.
So, nobody would notice if he went outside. He would get wet, of course, but he
didn't care about that. The fact of playing in a thunderstorm was somewhat
appealing, and it carried a sense of adventure which Elladan welcomed.
The decision was made very easily. In an instant, the elfling was up and
retrieving his things. He didn't even think once of the scolding he would
receive later, nor of the fact that he would be completely soaked. Like most
children, Elladan only saw what was in front of him, t the consequences of
little importance.
Loud thunder boomed through the halls, and his eyes widened slightly. There had
been a time when both the twins had been afraid of lightning and thunder. They
often crawled into bed with their parents during thunderstorms.
Elladan still felt the old chill of fear, but refused to let it take hold of
him. He would be a great warrior when he was older, he couldn't be scared by
thunder! How ridiculous!
Would the lightning be any different when he was out there? Maybe…maybe he could
touch it if he climbed the highest branches of a tree! The idea alone made him
tremble with excitement, and he couldn't get his boots on fast enough.
"This is soo great!" Elladan giggled and dashed out of his room, careful to
avoid meeting any other elves on his way outside.
When he opened the front door, the wind nearly pushed him back in. Small
raindrops, sharp like needles, pricked at his face and rolled down inside his
tunic.
He blinked and wiped the wetness away. For a short moment he hesitated, unsure
whether he should really venture out in such weather, but then stubborn
determination set in and he stepped out, closing the door behind him.
Rain immediately poured down on him, and he was soaked in a matter of seconds.
Elladan blinked up at the sky and flinched slightly, as loud thunder rumbled
through the air, sounding as if the Valar themselves were fighting a battle over
him in the clouds.
"Whoaa!" The elfling exclaimed and wandered through the garden. He didn't care
about the fact that he was wet, or about the storm above his head – all he saw
at the moment was the familiar garden cast in a totally new light.
Although it was still late afternoon, everything seemed dark. The thick clouds
and the heavy rainfall made it impossible to see more than a few meters ahead.
Elladan gaped at the trees, they resembled huge shadows with arms, and he couldn't suppress the slight shudder of fear that ran through him. They were never allowed outside in such tumultuous weather, and usually, they didn't want to. Nobody could play while it was raining so hard, and getting soaked wasn't on the top of list as well.
Then lighting flashed over him. For a short moment, everything was as white as
the brightest sunshine, and then the light was gone as quickly as it had come,
leaving him standing alone in the darkness.
Elladan stood still, stunned, while the water ran down his face. He had never
experienced such a violent storm before, he was usually inside or fast asleep
whenever a thunderstorm raged over Imladris. It was a breathtaking view, and he
felt very small compared to the immense power of nature.
Thunder rolled over the sky, and lighting struck again, while Elladan laughed
gleefully. He ran through the garden and stretched out his hands to the sky as
if trying to touch the clouds.
Excitement drove the fear away, and in the heat of the moment, he decided to
climb a tree, wanting to reach out even further for the lighting.
"Wait, I will get you!" Elladan yelled and raced towards the nearest tree.
At first, his hands slipped on the wood, but Elves were excellent climbers, and
Elladan had always been fond of trees, so it only took him a few minutes to seat
himself on the highest branch.
The rain ceased a bit and the elfling was able to look over a seemingly deserted
Imladris. He was the only one outside at the moment, everyone else was inside,
doing whatever they did until the rain stopped.
Feeling strangely pleased with himself, Elladan started to grin madly. He was
the only one out here, it was like being king or something like that. He could
imagine that it was his garden, and his trees, and that those buildings over
there belonged to him…any moment servants would come and greet him respectfully,
and…
Lost in his dreams, he leaned his head against the tree. Slowly, his fingers
started to feel cold, even though it was the middle of summer. The water was icy
and the chilly wind didn't make things any better.
Suddenly, lightning struck again, brighter than all those before, and Elladan
froze, as for a split second, everything was white around him. Immediately he
leaned forward, trying to catch the light in his hands – although he knew that
he would never get it, but, it was just too much fun – unfortunately, it
disappeared too soon and the now familiar darkness surrounded him yet again.
Slightly disappointed, the elfling leaned back. "Awww, why can't lightning last
longer? I would like to watch it, but before I can do that, they've already…"
Loud thunder grumbled again, sounding as if directly above him large wolves were
growling. Elladan jumped both in fear and surprise. Too late he realised that it
wasn't very smart to jump high up in a tree where the branches were slippery and
everything was wet, but it was already too late.
His right foot slipped on the wood and before the older twin knew what was
happening, he was swaying wildly, trying to regain his balance. A terrified
scream escaped his lips, but it only echoed unheard through the loud noises of
the thunderstorm.
Elladan desperately tried to grab hold of a branch, a twig, anything, but he had
difficulty seeing anything in the dim light and through the rain. Then, thunder
rumbled again and it was enough to give him the final blow.
Eyes widening in horror, the elfling fell slowly backwards, the ground rushing
towards him at an incredible speed.
"ADA!" Elladan screamed, tears in his eyes, but there was nobody there to save
him, and he landed on the ground with a sickening thud.
Above him, the rain continued to fall and thunder growled, oblivious of the
small little elfling lying on the muddy ground.
Elrond rubbed his eyes wearily as he left his study. The meeting had been long
and nerve-wracking, and all he wanted to do now was lay down somewhere and rest
a bit.
He glanced out the window and realised the storm hadn't stopped yet. Rain was
still pouring from the sky, pelting against the windows by the sheer force of
the wind, making it impossible to venture outside without getting soaked
immediately.
The rain would be good for the gardens, Elrond decided and he walked away from
the window. Evening was drawing close and he felt hungry, the result of endless
hours sitting in his study conversing with elves who never seemed to have heard
of the word 'progress' before.
His spirits were a bit dimmed as he thought of dinner. Usually, he looked
forward to it, for it was one of the few times in the day he shared with his
wife and sons without interruptions.
Alas, his wife was not here this evening, just as she hadn't been yesterday and
the day before. And instead of his two sons, only Elladan would sit beside him,
looking darkly at the food on his plate.
As much trouble as the twins were when they were together, Elrond realised, to
his surprise, that he missed their voices, bubbling with excitement as they told
him about their latest discovery.
Lately, Elladan seemed to be rather…subdued, and the elf strongly suspected that
it had something to do with the fact that his twin wasn't here. Although Elladan
did his best to hide that fact, Elrond knew that he missed his brother greatly.
He frowned for a moment as he wondered what Celebrian and Elrohir were doing
right now. Were they having dinner, thinking of him and Elladan? Was Elrohir
being as difficult as Elladan? So many questions, and no answers.
Elrond entered the dining hall, realising that he was a bit later than usual.
Quickly he strolled to his seat, his long robes moving around him. The frown on
his face deepened as he noticed the empty chairs at the table. Instead of two,
three seats were empty, and Elrond couldn't imagine what would keep Elladan from
dinner.
He sat down in his chair and sent a questioning glance towards Glorfindel. "Have
you seen Elladan?"
The blonde elf shook his head, a look of confusion crossing his face. "No, I
thought perhaps you had grounded him – that would not have been a surprise."
Elrond grinned ruefully. It was true, he sometimes didn't permit his son to
attend dinner when he had done something extremely foolish, but as far as he
could remember, nothing like that had happened in the last few days.
"No, I didn't punish him. In fact I haven't seen him since before the meeting
started this afternoon."
"Oh." Glorfindel tilted his head. "Well, maybe he's brooding because nobody he
has no one to play with."
Elrond shook his head. "I wonder where he gets it from…" Seeing the wicked look
on his friend's face, the Lord of Imladris warned: "Don't start!"
Glorfindel feigned innocence. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Sure." Elrond sipped his wine, knowing his friend all too well.
"So did you make any progress in convincing Elladan that he doesn't hate his
brother?" The blonde warrior prodded, curious. He felt like an uncle to the
twins, and seeing them fighting so often had hurt, especially since he knew
about the story of Elrond and his twin.
Elrond sighed wearily. "To be quite honest, I have no idea. I think he doesn't
really hate his brother – he is just too stubborn to admit it. I can see that he
misses him, he keeps looking at Elrohir's place when we are eating, although he
does not realize he does it, and his mood has been rather gloomy these last few
days. But every time I ask him about it, he avoids the topic and refuses to talk
with me." He closed his eyes in frustration. "Honestly, I really don't know why
they are making such a fuss about it!"
"I don't know, either." Glorfindel smiled. "But then again, they are your
children, after all, and the stubbornness of Peredhils is well known among all
elves."
"Haha. Very funny." Elrond remarked, and looked at Elladan's empty chair. "I
shall look for him later. He knows that he is expected for diner."
Glorfindel flashed him a grin. "Aye, he can be a bit difficult."
"Says who?" Elrond muttered under his breath.
His friend quirked an eyebrow. "And you ask me where your son gets his attitude
from?"
"Oh, stop it!" The Lord of Imladris growled and attacked his vegetables as if
they were orcs trying to kill him.
It was not much later when Elrond strolled through the corridors again, this time aiming for his son's quarters. Elrohir and Elladan usually slept in the same room, sharing a sleeping and a play chamber. Before their big fight, the twins had always reacted badly when they were at night.
"Elladan?" he knocked on the door, willing to give his son that much privacy.
However, when he received no answer, the tall elf carefully opened the door and
peered inside.
The room, however, was empty, and no elfling could be seen. The clean bed sheets
indicated that it hadn't been used recently. Elrond stepped inside and looked
around, but saw no trace of Elladan.
A worried frown crossed his features, as he quickly closed the door and walked
swiftly through the corridors, calling out for Elladan. He asked several
servants, but nobody had seen the young elf, and as the time passed, Elrond
couldn't help but feel more and more concerned.
Outside, it was still raining, although the storm had eased up. It was no longer
thundering, and the previous loud drumming of the heavy raindrops had reverted
to a soft noise, barely audible.
Elrond frowned and looked out the window, searching through the thick darkness.
Elladan wouldn't have gone outside in this weather…would he?
The twins had never been fond of rain, but Elladan had been bored and he always
had the most absurd ideas when that was the case…
Giving in to his worry at last, Elrond went back to his room to fetch some
clothes. He wasn't looking forward to getting wet, but he really was concerned
now. As difficult as Elladan could be, it wasn't like him to disappear like
this, unless he was really angry. But nothing serious had happened in the last
few days, so that couldn't be the reason for his disappearance.
The other possibility which came to his mind– namely that something had happened
to his son – did nothing ease his worries at all.
On his way outside, he met Glorfindel who was walking through the hall with a
rather content look on his face.
"Are you going outside?" The blonde elf quirked an eyebrow.
"Elladan isn't in his room." Elrond explained simply. "And nobody has seen him."
Glorfindel, all too familiar with the youngster's sense of adventure, frowned.
"You think that something has happened to him?"
"I hope not, my friend, but with him, we can never be safe."
"I'll go with you."
The first thing he noticed was the water. It seemed to be everywhere, soaking his clothes, running down his nose, puddling inside his shoes. The water was cold and clammy and he felt the numbing sensation of the icy liquid in his limbs.
The cold was the second thing he noticed, though, as an Elf, the cold should not
have affected him. The uncomfortable feeling was beginning to irritate him.
Elladan blinked his eyes slowly and was surprised to find he couldn't see
anything. It was dark, and the rain blurred his vision. What had happened? Why
was his bed wet? Why was it raining in his room? Where…
He turned around to ask Elrohir what had happened, only to bite back a cry of
surprise. His brother wasn't here and the pain that shot up his leg was intense.
It all rushed back to him, the tree, his slip, and his long, frightening fall to
the ground. There had been a sickening noise, and then…nothing more. And now he
was lying in the mud and soaked to the bone. He shivered slightly as the cold
wind blew past him.
Elladan started sobbing, first quietly, but as he realised he was all alone, his
sobbing became louder and more desperate. His right leg seemed to be on fire,
and he hurt from the numerous cuts and scratches all over his body. Alas, how he
wished that his mother were with him right now, taking him in her arms and
stroking his hair, like she usually did when one of them was hurt.
The tears continued to flow, mixing with the raindrops and spilling from his
pale face. This was all Elrohir's fault! If he hadn't been so stupid, then they
wouldn't have fought, and they wouldn't have been separated and all this would
have never happened…It was because of 'Ro that he was lying out here in the
rain, all alone, and hurting…
"'Ro…" He chocked out and buried his head in his arms. If he was honest with
himself, he really didn't think it was his brother's fault at all. The only
thing he wanted, really wanted right now was company, was someone beside him,
and the fact that he was so very alone made his heart ache.
Elladan had always hated being alone, but on the other hand he couldn't stand
being dependant on other people either. So he shoved his brother away, although
he knew that he felt – would always feel – lonely when his younger twin wasn't
there.
He shivered slightly, as his soaked clothes clung to his small body, and he
tried once again to get up. Elladan knew that he couldn't stay here any longer,
he had to look for his Ada, but as he tried to get to his knees, a sharp pain
shot through his leg and he curled up again, sobbing quietly.
But still there was no one to hear his cries, no one, only the endless falling
rain…
To be continued...
Iawen Londea - Don't worry, I know how it is when one forgets to review...it happens to me all time. As long as you still let me know here and then that you read the story, I'm glad^^
Lady of Legolas - No, Elrohir doesn't get into trouble...but Elladan does. Alas, one can never be sure what my evil muse will think up for Elrohir :P
Erothwen - Here's Elladan for you, and much angst as well! Don't worry, the next chapter will be about him as well, that way you don't have to suffer too long from the cliffhanger (I am not that mean. Honestly.)
xsilicax - There you have your dramatic event! I hope you like it...somehow, I can't seem to be able to write a story about the twins without getting one hurt! Hmm...maybe it's kind of an illness. And yes, it is quite funny how Elrohir is drawn to persons who are totally like his brother^^
EMerald QUeen - You're right, I would get sick of it, too, and I guess that is a reason why Elrohir is being so stubborn. Deep in his heart, he knows that he misses Elladan, but he doesn't want the adults to be right...I know that feeling, I have experienced it often myself.
ChasingLiberty - I think I went on your site and read some of your stories, but I didn't have the time to finish them. The heck, my life is really horrible when I don't even have the time to *read* fanfiction! *sobs* I miss it! Where's my daily dose of drama? *wails* But I'm glad that you liked this story...and please, don't say that you're not as good as me, I mean, I'm just German and non-native after all, there are still a lot of flaws in my writing I wish I could improve!
Silverfox - Triplet? Now that sounds cool. My father is a twin, but he doesn't mind when he's away from his brother, and as far as I know, it wasn't any different when they were younger. They went to different schools etc.
Elanor Bolger - Wow...twins seem to be very common. I can only write my sibling experience with my older sister in this story, but I guess it is the same. Does your brother know everything about you? That would really interest me...