Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings or any of the characters I use in this story. This fanfiction was written for pure fun and no money was/is made with it.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama/Angst
Summary: A simple hunting trip turns into a disaster as Elladan and Elrohir are
attacked by orcs. With Elrohir being seriously hurt, their only chance lies now
in the hands of Aragorn and Legolas....but will they meet in time? Main
Characters: Elladan, Elrohir, Aragorn, and Legolas.
E-mail: kaeera@yahoo.de
Feedback: Always appreciated, and constructive criticism is very welcome.
Notes: This chapter is kind of a fill-in chapter. Not much happens in the story, just interaction and a look into the different relationships. And a few memories of the twin's childhood - I just felt in the mood to write some of those, that's how this chapter developed. *laughs* I hope they don't appear weird or unfitting.
Another thing: don't expect any more updates until late april. From 20th to 26th April, I will have my final examinations and I need to study a lot. Therefore I can't promise anything. It can be that I write something, but it can also be that I won't find the time for it. Please don't be mad; after those examinations, I will have finished school (well, nearly, only my oral exams in June are missing) and then I have lots of time to write^^
by Kaeera
Chapter Fifteen: Storytelling
Elrohir stared impatiently out the window, sighing deeply as he studied the
snow-covered branches of several trees. Nearly a week had passed since he'd
awoken, and very few of his memories had returned.
True, he could remember his brother, and even Aragorn, after some pretty embarrassing moments, but that was all. Imladris and his past continued to remain a mystery to him. And since he hadn't been allowed out of bed, he didn't even know what the rest of his home looked like.
This was why he was growing impatient. He wanted to walk around, wanted to study
his surroundings, for that might trigger his memory. But he had been restricted
to his chambers by Elrond and Elladan who found him still too weak to walk
around. Elrohir had protested, but he had only received a rather stern lecture
on health care and the dangers of head wounds.
It was true, he wasn't feeling exactly well; the headache was always there and
when he moved even a little, he got dizzy and nauseous. But still…he hated being
in his room all the time, even though he wasn't alone for Elladan rarely left
his side.
Even now, his thoughts were interrupted by a teasing voice from the doorway. "I
told you not to brood."
Elrohir turned around. "Well, it's not as if I have anything better to do." He
replied and smiled at his brother who had just entered the room, carrying a tray
of food with him.
Elladan chuckled. "Yeah, well, I guess that's true enough."
"I wish you would let me get up." Elrohir sighed for the umpteenth time this
morning. His twin just rolled his eyes and chuckled softly. "Maybe in two or
three days, but not today. And I will not change my mind either, even if you are
keen on annoying me for the rest of the day."
He put the tray on the table beside the bed and plopped down in a chair. Elrohir
looked at the food on the tray, he didn't feel hungry at all. The food looked
tasty, sure, but he couldn't help but feel a profound sense of sorrow for the
loss of his memory – and it affected his appetite.
"You need to eat in order to get better," Elladan advised, as if reading his
brother's mind.
"I know, I know," was the grumbled reply, as Elrohir took a bite of the fresh
bread. "I just feel so helpless…"
Elladan's smile disappeared. "Yes, I know." He said softly.
Over the last few
days, he and his twin often discussed Elrohir's memory loss. It was something he
could only try to understand; how alone Elrohir felt, how out of place and
helpless he must feel too. Some snatches of memories had returned, but those
were only fragments of the past, short flashbacksthat he could not place a
specific time to. He remembered orcs and had flashes of fighting and battles,
but he couldn't recall the exact events, he couldn't tell what exactly had
happened. It confused them both him and Elladan and left him feeling angry and
tired.
"Don't worry, they
will return, sooner or later. Only in very rare cases the memory loss is
permanent."
"Yes." Elrohir
stared miserably at the bread in his hands. "But I'd rather have them back now
than in a few months – or years with my luck."
"Don't give in to
despair brother!" Elladan shook his head. "My, my, maybe I should tell a few
things about our past, perhaps you will remember something."
His twin stared at
him sullenly. "It didn't work the last times, why should it work now?"
"Well, we should not
stop trying." Elladan beamed at his twin. "What story do you want to hear?"
Elrohir shrugged.
"You pick. It's not as if I can remember anything good or bad anyway."
"All right," the
tall elf smirked, "Then I will tell you the most embarrassing and humiliating
story about your first kiss…"
"Somehow, I don't
like the sound of that…"
"Hush…I'm starting
now, so keep quiet!"
"All right, all
right…"
"Well, where shall I begin?" Elladan leaned back comfortably in his chair, stretching his arms and legs.
"This particular
story takes place when we were a few decades old; young elves on the verge of
adulthood, trying to solve the mysteries of the, ahem, other gender. While I
concentrated solely on my training, refusing to look at any maiden, you, my dear
brother, were rather fond of beautiful she-elves. I clearly remember you
following them everywhere, giving them flowers and even writing little love
poems. I, for my part, thought this behaviour was very foolish, but I have to
admit, you were pretty famous among the ladies in those days."
"You were interested
in one elf maiden in particular. Her name was Alcarin, if I remember her name
correctly. She was beautiful and lively, and even I could understand why you
liked her, although I found you acted silly. Alcarin was very famous among the
young elves in Imladris and you had a lot of rivals for her attention."
"Being as inventive
as you are, you decided to give her a special present – a poem written by you,
expressing your deepest devotion to her. It was not the best poem, but it was
full of flowery comparisons. But you didn't want to give it to her directly, you
wanted to be romantic."
Elladan smirked, as
he pronounced the last word. He was clearly enjoying this. "So you decided to
climb up the wall to her room and place it on her bed while she was elsewhere."
Elrohir looked at
his twin curiously. "So far, it doesn't sound embarrassing."
"Oh, but the best part is yet to come!" Elladan snickered. "Well, anyway, you told me all about this the evening you wanted to do it, and you even convinced me to help you.
So we both went to
the gardens that evening, when we knew that Alcarin would be dining in the Great
Hall. I stood guard while you climbed up the wall. It wasn't an easy job, even
though you're a very good climber, and more than once I feared for your life
when you slipped. But that's not what makes the story interesting. You finally
made it up the wall and entered Alcarin's chambers."
Elladan's grin
broadened. "And that's where the fun started. Unfortunately, I was unable to
participate, since I was standing guard outside outside – I would have loved to
see your face! - but I made sure to find out every detail of the story – in
order to embarrass you when necessary. My dear brother, it seems that you
miscalculated the, er, windows. Instead of entering Alcarin's chambers, you
suddenly found yourself in Amandi's room, Alcarin's elder brother. And he,
unfortunately, wasn't dining in the Great Hall, but in his room preparing for
the hunting trip the next day."
Elrohir groaned. "I
can already imagine what happened next!"
"And for once it
wasn't my fault." Elladan leaned back. "You surprised the Valar out of him, so
much that he shot an arrow clean through your shoulder. Once he realized he'd
shot one of Elrond's sons, however, he grew so pale, you thought he was going to
pass out. Well, the rumours in Imladris grew, of course, especially since you
weren't able to hide the wound that easily."
"Not to mention what
father had to say about it all. He gave you such a stern lecture about entering
a lady's chambers at night, but when he left the room, he was trying so hard not
to laugh. Everyone laughed at your expense, and you hid in your room for weeks.
The only positive outcome was that you received a kiss of Lady Alcaril, but even
she laughed at you, that's why you couldn't enjoy it. Ahh, the memories."
Elrohir made a face.
"Thanks for sharing, but I could have lived without that particular memory."
"Well, you can't
expect to remember only good things, can you?"
The younger twin
leaned back and sighed deeply. "No, I guess not." Then he glared at his brother.
"But I'll find out a few embarrassing stories about you, and then the tables
will be turned!"
"There aren't any
embarrassing stories about me." Elladan feigned an innocent look, failing
miserably. "I was gloriously innocent in my youth."
Elrohir only
grinned. "I may be unable to remember, but I know that that is not the least bit
true, my dear brother. And I'm sure Estel or Legolas will tell me some
interesting stories about you!"
"Not if I bribe them
first."
They both laughed, and Elladan enjoyed the comfortable atmosphere in the room, so different from the tense days directly after Elrohir's accident.
Aragorn strolled through the gardens, watching the snow-covered scenery with a
smile on his face. His cold had gradually gotten better and he was feeling fine
now, although he still was a bit weak at times and had been told not to overdo
it too many times to count.
The memory of their horrible trip through the woods was slowly fading, and life
returning to normal –the only remaining problem was Elrohir's memory loss.
But the human refused to give up hope; he knew his brother, Elrohir would regain
his memory, sooner or later.
It was nice to see him laugh again, though – his health had improved greatly
over the last few days, and although he still wasn't allowed to leave his bed,
he looked much better than when he had still been unconscious.
Lost in his thoughts, he wandered through the snow, carefully avoiding making
any sounds. He found it difficult, however, for the snow was knee-deep and he
left deep tracks, no matter how hard he tried not to. Sighing, he looked down at
his feet, contemplating that he would have wet shoes again this evening, and
that annoyed him greatly. Those wretched elves and their ability to walk on top
of the snow…
Suddenly, someone grabbed his neck, causing Aragorn to jump in surprise.
Startled, he yelped and turned around, only to Legolas grinning at him. The
prince smirked with a satisfied expression on his face.
"Legolas…" Aragorn's voice was a mixture of annoyance and resignation.
"It is still as easy as ever to surprise you, my friend." The blonde elf
chuckled.
"Yeah, well, I could startle you too if I could walk on top of the snow as
well." Aragorn pointed to Legolas' feet poised lightly on top of the snow,
unlike his own feet which were sunk deeply into the white powder.
"Do I detect a slight hint of jealousy in your voice?"
Aragorn crossed his arms. "You can detect what you want; I'm just saying that
you have an unfair advantage."
"Unfair…" Legolas grinned even broader. "And enjoying it with all my heart."
Aragorn glared at him darkly. "Yes, unfortunately."
"So, what were you doing out here in the snow? You know you're still supposed to
be taking it easy…"
"I was thinking."
"About what?"
The human shrugged. "Nothing in particular. Just thinking."
Legolas stayed silent for a while and they both looked at the glittering,
beautiful landscape before them. "I'm just glad that Elrohir is recovering." He
finally said softly.
"Yes. And I'm sure he will soon regain his memory."
"I hope so. It must be terrible to live without memories – imagine not being
able to remember anything about yourself. It would be like being a baby
again…scary…"
Aragorn sighed. "I can't even begin to imagine how frightening it must be for
Elrohir."
"I can," the blonde elf rubbed his chin, "For I once lost my memories, too, if
only for a few hours."
"You did?" Aragorn turned around, staring at his friend in surprise. "Why have
you never told me?"
"Well, I was but an elfling when it happened, I had nearly forgotten it."
Legolas shrugged. "I fell out of a tree, hit my head, and when I woke up, I
couldn't remember my name. Fortunately, it was only a partial memory loss, and
my memories returned quickly after that. Still, I remember how scared I was when
I couldn't recognise the elves around me, not even my father. Everything was
strange. I didn't even know what my hair colour was, or what colour my eyes were
– it's like being a stranger in your own skin."
"That's pretty scary."
"It is. And I can tell you, I was more than happy to have my memories back!"
The ranger paused, lost in thought. "You probably should tell this to Elrohir –
it might help. He seems to be a bit depressed at his memory loss."
"Yes, that might be a good idea. I'll do that sometime, when Elladan is not in
the room."
Aragorn chuckled. "It's funny how he refuses to leave Elrohir's side. Well, it's
to be expected, of course, but I still find it amusing."
"They have always been close, even when they were elflings."
The human smiled softly, his face shining with love for his two elder brothers.
"Yes, I know. Ada told me a lot about when they were little. They got into every
kind of trouble you could imagine, but in the end they always stuck together. It
wasn't always like that, though; there was a time when they fought horribly."
"Really?" Legolas raised an eyebrow curiously. "I never knew that. What
happened?"
"Well, apparently they fought though the reason was pretty small and
unimportant. They insulted each other, and it ended with Elrohir punching
Elladan in the face. The tension between them got worse and worse, until Ada
decided to separate them for a month, to make them realize how important they
were and still are to each other. So Elrohir went to Lothlorien and Elladan
stayed here."
"And what happened then?"
"They were stubborn at first and neither wanted to admit that he missed the
other. But the more that days passed, the lonelier they got and finally, they
admitted that they belong together. Since then, there has never been a big fight
between them again, only small, insignificant quarrels."
Legolas shook his head. "That's so typical for I have rarely see them disagree."
"I know. Sometimes, though, they are both too stubborn for their own good."
"Like someone else I know." Legolas whistled innocently.
Aragorn glared at him. "I am not stubborn!"
"Oh yes, you are!"
"Well, maybe a bit, but you're as stubborn as me…"
"Me? I am a noble prince, I don't have that trait…"
"You certainly do!"
"I do not!"
"Shall I remind you of a few…incidents, to refresh your memory? Perhaps they
will change your opinion."
"There's no need for that, human."
"Oh, I think so, elf…"
The two continued their bickering and for a short while, everything seemed
normal again.
It was later that day that Aragorn and Legolas dropped by Elrohir's room to pay
him another visit.
The younger twin's mood brightened immediately when he saw them. "Thank the Valar!" he exclaimed happily. "I was on the verge of going mad from sheer boredom!"
Aragorn chuckled. "That's probably the first time you've thanked the Valar for a
visit from me. Usually you complain."
"You must be extremely bored." Legolas added his two cents. "Where's your
shadow?"
"Elladan?" Elrohir grinned nonchalantly. "I sent him away to look for the
horses. The poor elf needs a distraction, I feel bad that he's confined himself
to my room all the time."
"That' was a good idea – he wouldn't listen to either of us!" The ranger nodded
and smiled quietly. It was strange to see Elrohir cheerful and self-confident,
and yet he had no memory of how he used to be. Aragorn admired the way his older
brother had dealt with his injury; he doubted he would have been able to stay so
calm.
He knew, on the other hand, that Elrohir wasn't showing how hard it must really
be. The younger twin joked and laughed with them, but a haunted look shone in
his eyes from time to time, and the fact that he was still confined to bed told
much about his physical state – and made that haunted look even worse.
"Any progress?" Legolas wanted to know, snatching a chair and sitting down.
Aragorn followed his example, watching his brother intensely when he frowned. "Well, not really," Elrohir said, disappointment evident in his voice, "Only some brief flashes, but nothing significant. It's frustrating. 'Dan keeps telling me stories and they all sound familiar, but they haven't triggered anything yet."
"Well, what stories has he told you?"
Elrohir shrugged. "Stuff. Mostly embarrassing things I have done."
Aragorn and Legolas exchanged a glance. That was typical for the older twin.
"Maybe we should tell you a few stories," Legolas suggested. "it may help."
"Maybe." Elrohir sighed. "At this point, I am ready to try anything."
"Anything particular you want to hear?" The human inquired. "A story from your
childhood, of your pranks or of a fight?"
The younger twin hesitated, thinking for a moment. "Well…I really would like to
hear an embarrassing story about 'Dan," he slowly said, smiling wickedly, "That
way I can have my revenge on him later."
"I expected no less," muttered Aragorn and he looked at the Prince of Mirkwood
with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Any ideas, my dear prince?"
"As a matter of fact I have one, yes." Legolas folded his arms and grinned. "Do
you remember the incident at the lake with the ladies? Oh, you were not yet born
so you wouldn't remember anyway, but I did tell you about it."
The ranger frowned. "Do you mean the incident where he lost his clothes…?"
"Yes, exactly."
A broad grin appeared on Aragorn's face. "That's a wonderful story! Go on and
tell it, I bet 'Ro will be delighted!"
Elrohir looked at both of them. "That certainly sounds interesting."
"It is, my friend, it is." Legolas took a deep breath and began telling the
story.
"It happened many, many yén ago, when you both were still as fresh and green
behind your ears as this little human here. It was the second time I had visited
Imladris since you were born, and although we understood each other, we weren't
yet the friends we would later become. Anyway, it happened on a very hot and dry
summer day. All three of us were out hunting, without horses for mine had
injured its foot. We laughed and joked around at first, but the day became
hotter and hotter. I believe it was one of the hottest days I can ever remember,
and by that afternoon, it had become unbearable. We decided to take a rest and
searched for a good resting place."
"It didn't us take long to find a nice, shadowy place near some rocks, and we
sat down to eat and more importantly, to drink a bit. We hadn't hunted anything
so far, for most of the animals were hiding from the heat – they were a lot
smarter than we were. Well, just when we sat down, your brother saw something
shimmering through the trees. At first, we thought he was seeing things because
of the heat, but when we looked closer, we realized that he was right – we were
near a lake and the water was reflecting the sunshine. It seemed we had walked
in a circle and ended up on the outskirts of Imladris."
"Of course, we felt rather foolish that we had walked in circles and we agreed
to never tell anyone about our blunder. In the meantime, Elladan decided that
the water would be a pleasant change from the heat and he ran towards the lake,
shouting something like 'I'm coming'."
Legolas' grin broadened until Elrohir feared his head would fall off. "You
shouted something like 'Your clothes will get wet', which your twin interpreted
like 'Take off your clothes'. Well, he did so – he took off his trousers and his
shirt and jumped into the water with a delighted scream."
Elrohir frowned. "So far, I don't see anything funny in this story – besides the
walking in circles thing."
"Well, the funny part is yet to come." Legolas exchanged looks with Aragorn and
they both snickered. "It wouldn't have been bad if the shore of the lake had
been empty. But…this particular lake was close to the main house, and so a group
of young maidens had decided to go for a swim as well in order to escape the
heat. And since the lake wasn't big, they saw Elladan in his almost naked glory
as he jumped into the water. I probably don't have to tell what their reactions
were – they went from surprised screams to laughter and blushing from the
maidens – and Elladan. It was hilarious. We both lay on the floor laughing,
while your brother screamed at us to give him his clothes so that he could get
out of the water without embarrassing himself further."
"And, did you give them to him? Elrohir wanted to know, a smile playing around
his lips.
"Of course not! Why would we?" Legolas exclaimed in mock horror. "We hid them
behind a tree trunk and spent the next few hours watching Elladan try to hide in
the water. He was afraid to come out until the maidens went home!"
Elrohir paused, trying to imagine his brother in that particular situation. He
could almost see it; Elladan standing in shoulder-deep water, hair clinging to
his face and water running down his neck while he balled a fist and threatened
his brother and friend, all the while knowing he dare not leave the water. Oh,
how mad he must have been!
Elrohir started giggling, and soon he was wiping tears of joy and delight from his eyes. Legolas and Aragorn joined him, and for a little while, the three did nothing else then laugh as they imagined the unfortunate older twin.
Both Legolas and Aragorn were happy they had brought a smile to Elrohir's face –
it had been far too long since they had heard the younger twin laugh like this.
"Elladan?"
"Yes?"
"Did you really strip your clothes off in front of the half female population of
Imladris?"
"I never…who told you that?"
"Won't tell. Now, is it true?"
"I..I don't remember!"
"So it IS true, after all! Ha, I knew there weren't only embarrassing stories
about me – yours are far worse!"
"Legolas told you, didn't he? That wretched wood-elf…I will get him back, I just
need a good idea…"
"Relax, Elladan, as soon as I regain my memory I would have known anyway!"
"Still, he shouldn't…"
"I found it amusing."
"Well, that was to be expected, you laughed for weeks after that incident, 'Ro,
while I was unable to walk around for a long time without everyone pointing at
me and whispering things behind my back!"
"I bet you enjoyed the attention."
"I hated it!"
"Ahh, come on…not even a little bit?"
"NO!"
"You're getting upset again brother, that's not good for your health."
"I'm not…" Elladan paused and stared at his twin. "Are you making fun of me?"
"Well…" Elrohir tried to look innocent, but failed miserably. "Maybe?"
The older twin shook his head in surprise. "You know, you can't even remember
what happened three days ago, but you are still the same brother I remember.
It's quite comforting – maybe it's a sign that your memory is coming back."
Elrohir's face became serious. "That's true – I didn't even notice it. I mean,
acting like I did just seemed natural, as if I was born to it. Maybe I am
unconsciously beginning to remember. I feel so relaxed around you and Estel and
Legolas, it's as if I have known them for years. Which is actually true, even
though I can't remember them." He frowned.
"That's pretty strange, isn't it?"
"It's probably just a natural reaction." Elladan decided. "But I am glad that it
is so. I couldn't bear it if you acted any different. You are my 'Ro, even
without your memory, and that's all that counts. The rest will come sooner or
later." He smiled at his twin, his eyes shining with feelings he couldn't say.
Elrohir understood nonetheless. Elladan had been afraid for his life, and now
that he was back in the land of the living, his twin was ready to hug the world
in relief. Not that he would admit it, of course. But even though Elrohir had no
memory, he still understood his brother.
"Yes," he finally agreed, looking out of the window with a small smile. "Sooner
or later. We'll see."
To be continued...
pendragginink – I must say, your comment really made me think. And blush, of course, since I' feel kind of uncomfortable when praised. It takes me a bout a day to write a chapter, in case you're interested. Sometimes I separate it over several days – write only for half an hour or so – but there are times when I am so focused that I manage to write a chapter in a few hours. The most important thing is that I start thinking in English first – then everything comes from its own. Oh, by the way, I don't practise English by watching TV, not at all. Since I barely watch TV (maybe once a week, and then the news), I wouldn't be very good in English if I did that. No, I simply read. I read English books or comics, simply because I like reading books in their native language. And of course, I read tons of fan fiction. That's probably where I gathered my 'slang' sound *smiles* Actually, I started writing because I missed the things I like most in the stories; angst, drama and the relationship between the characters. *laughs* Ugh, but I'm talking too much. Thanks a bunch for the review, hope to see you again!
Angel72 – The parts about Elrohir's dreams, well, I thought they were pretty weird. I have a penchant for such dreams and people who are comatose/unconscious. If you look at my stories, there's always one character that goes through an emotional trauma and experiences weird hallucinations and stuff…I don't even want to write it, it just pops up. Weird, huh? I'm glad that you liked them, though, I never know what other people will think of my, uhm, strange imagination.
Iawen Londea – I don't know yet when his memory will return, but I hope it will be soon…alas, I have to wait for my muse to decide. This chapter was just meant as a fill-in…a rather senseless chapter, actually, but I was SO in the mood to write some embarrassing scenes about the twins in their youth…*shrugs*
Lady Claws – If you want to post your story, then do so. You can only become better if you practise! I mean, look at my first fanfic ever, it absolutely SUCKS! (You can still find it on my bio, it's about Digimon, and I keep it up so that I can compare how I have improve – and how much I still have to learn *sweatdrops*) But I continued, and I asked people to help me…you can only learn by writing. Just wanted to tell you that^^
NightShadow131 – I'm glad that my story changed your mind. That's quite flabbergasting, really! Hope you stick with me until the end *gg*
Celestra – I'm going to Australia for one year, in order to improve my English. I will work as an Assistant Teacher there *smiles* Man, but one year will certainly be a long time, in a country where nobody speaks German…:( Un-disneyish...that's the first time I hear this word. Funny. I guess it's a word creation, but when I think about it…yes, Disney films usually have happy endings. Well, with the exception of Mustapha in Lion King, he died…*sobs*
Lirenel – I doubt that I will ever finish the Animorphs serie. I don't have the money to order them all from the states, and they are too slow with translating in Germany. How is life with your German exchange student? We have an American exchange student here right now.
galadriel evenstar – That's the first time I heard that someone fell in love with this story! Oo Hope you won't be too disappointed when it finally ends, lol!
FirstMate – Told you that my update would follow soon! I know your problems…sometimes I'm just too busy to switch on the computer, and then I crave for good fanfics…and then, when I have nothing to do, nobody updates! *grumbles*
Lomiothiel – Well, there's not much progress in *this* chapter, but probably in the next…I hope. Mwahaha. The One and Only is clueless! *snickers*