Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any of Tolkien's other books. The characters all belong to him.
A/N: There is a flashback from the beginning of the second age in this chapter.
"Elvish"
'Common Tongue or Adunaic'
italics = thoughts or flashbacks
bold italics = thoughts in flashbacks.
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They were in a field of white light. Then the light seemed to dim or maybe it was their eyes that grew used to all of the light that surrounded them. Then hues of vibrant blues and greens appeared before their eyes. They found themselves standing within a great forest of tall trees.
"These trees are very old." Legolas whispered softly echoing his words from long ago. "And yet they are as young as if they had only been planted yesterday."
Elrond nodded, "Yet it is not possible. Nothing can be so old and young at the same time." He looked at the strange land around them, if felt so odd yet it was if he was waking from a dream. He glanced over at his son to see how he was handling their strange surroundings.
Estel looked around his surrounds adapting to everything around him. It was good to see trees and blue sky over head after the barren wastes of the dead lands. Long had he yearned for such a gift, yet everything that should have been familiar to him was off. It was as if the sky was brighter then it had been before and the trees more alive.
"Why do you believe it to be impossible, Peredhil?" A voice came asked gently behind them.
The trio jumped at the sound of the human voice behind them. Quickly they turned hands on their weapons, only to find there was no threat at all. A small child of all ten or eleven stood before them. Her hair was long. It seemed to touch the ground where she stood. Strange, although, the length of the child's hair was known to them, not one of the three could tell what color it was.
"Excuse me?" Elrond asked. He was caught off guard by the child's question.
"Why do you believe it is impossible for the trees to be young and old at the same time?" The child clarified. "You are old and young at the same time."
She paused for a moment, "All three of you have seen many years, will you not come and rest in the forest? We long to hear your tales of Arda."
"Nay, we cannot stay." Estel replied to the small child in a kind voice. "We search for our way home, to the Valinor."
The child cocked her head. "You are the Peredhilion. (The son of the half-elf)" It was not a question but a statement.
"Aye, he is my son." Elrond replied, instinctively he reached out and took a hold of his son.
"What is it to you, child of the unknown?" Legolas asked briskly, his finger drew once more towards his bow and arrows.
The child held up a hand, "Peace edhil and Peredhil the time has long past for that to have occur. A different path has been chosen by your child, you no longer have to fear that unknown."
"As for leaving here, I first must ask you one question." The child continued in a soft voice.
"What happens if we answer it correctly?" Estel asked softly looking down at the small child.
"It is not for you to answer child of elves nor you child of stars. This question is only for the one of mixed blood. Peredhil do you know the question's answer." The child's eyes glanced at Legolas and Estel as she mentioned them, but other wise ignored them. Her complete attention was focused on Elrond. The one in question remained silent, racking his mind for this question that he had been "asked countless times".
"How do you expect my father to answer the question if you have not even asked it yet?" Estel asked confused and slightly weary of this being in front of him.
The child smiled, "I ask the question that he has been asked by others and by himself for thousands upon thousands of years. Now he only has to answer it."
Legolas glared at the child as he asked, "What happens if he answers it correctly then?"
"You go home to the Valinor."
"So what happens if he does not answer the question correctly? What will happen to us then." Estel glanced at his father out of the corner of his eyes, only to see the elf statue still looking at the young girl.
A sad smile appeared on the girl's face, "Then you are stuck here and can go no farther. This place would be the destination but not the end of the journey,"
"But how do you expect Elrond to answer the question if he does not know what it is that you speak of?" Legolas said angrily.
"Oh he knows. I can tell for he is remembering." The girl said softly, Elrond finally begin to stir from his reverie.
"I have chosen with my heart brother, just as you have. Maybe one day you will understand why I chose this path."
He looked at the child before him and said, "Allow me to explain to them before you ask me to answer this question." Elrond prayed that this would stall the child until he could figure out what she meant.
The child nodded her head. "As you wish Peredhil, I will come back when you are ready to answer." Then the child stepped back and seemed to fade away before their very eyes.
"Ada?" Estel asked trying to get his father's attention. "Ada, what is that child speaking of?"
…"There will come a time when you have to go into the unknown to follow your heart; and then…"
The old words Elros had spoken long ago came back to haunt him, "I am not sure of the question myself, Estel. Yet I feel as if I should know it…. Do I understand?"
"What are you speaking of Lord Elrond?" Legolas asked quickly looking around his surroundings. Estel glanced around as well, but unlike Legolas he did not feel the same fear. His only fear lay with his father and his health.
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A small girl was picking flowers in a field as a young man twirled a small baby around. Another boy, the same age as the girl, looked at the birds that were perched on trees. Two dark haired adults watched them from a far.
"Muindor, I am glad that you came to my home. It feels like a lifetime since the last time I saw you." The elder looking of the two said. His face barely showed any lines on his face. His face only showed a trace of stubble, but he seemed more wearied then the younger.
It was obvious that we are brothers, Elrond thought, but no one would suspect that we were identical twins. No lines tainted his face telling the stories of his long years in Middle Earth.
"It would not be so if you had chosen to be one of the eldar." Elrond said crossly. The elder smile faded from his face.
"Why do you speak like this Elrond? Why can you not accept my choice?" Elros asked gently, he still held on to his good humor. He looked into Elrond's eyes with a serious expression... "Why can you not just take this moment and enjoy it when it could be my last?"
"Because of that reason Elros! You could die at any moment! If not in the next moment or the next fifty years, then death will steal you away from me!" Elrond shouted, startling the young man in the field.
"Come on Manwendil, I think it is time to go look at the sea birds. Would you not like to see the gulls?" He grabbed the young boy watching the birds and called to the young girl. "Tindomiel come with me."
The young girl just continued to pick flowers, so the young man just smiled and took the other children away. She would be alright. She lived in her own little world. Tindomiel would not even notice the screaming of the separated twins, while her own twin was already complaining and the baby was starting to get fussy.
"And what would you have me do Elrond? Would you have been happier if I had chosen to be one of the Eldar?" He turned his sight toward his fleeing children.
"Aye I would, then we would be together forever. How could you not see the perfection in that picture?" Elrond asked his brother.
"I can not see it because it would not be perfect for me! I would be absolutely miserable muindor." Elros ran his hands though his shoulder blade length hair.
He closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them and turning towards his brother. "Living forever has no appeal for me Elrond. I would rather die and give my children, their children, and their children's children inherited this earth and live their lives. Watching everything that I love wither and die has no appeal to me."
"But nothing would wither and die Elros, nothing." Elrond said, his eyes were bright with hope. "The Eldar will keep Arda the same for all time. All that you love would never die."
"Nothing lasts forever Elrond. The earth, Arda herself is mortal. She will not last forever no matter what the elves do. You cannot hold be the tides of change forever, for even the rock gives way to the water." Elros said with a sigh, shaking his head he turned himself so he completely faced his brother.
"Elrond, do you not realize what will happen one day? One day you will wake up and you will realize that you find no more joy in living in our home land. Your lands will no longer hold comfort, for you will think that you have lost everything. You will not know if your own children will follow in your foot steps." Elros' eyes were brimming with tears as he looked into his brother's eyes. Elrond just stared in disbelief at his brother's words.
Elros saw the doubt in Elrond's eyes and smiled sadly. "I am sorry Elrond, I did not mean to discredit your choice. I just wanted you to see how I would have felt in your shoes. I am not brave in the way you are brave muindor. I cannot bear the thought of watching everything I love die before my eyes. To me living forever would be the curse of a gift, not death. Death would be most welcome in my house."
The statement left Elrond with his mouth gaping. He looked up wards towards the sky to avoid his brother's eyes. Then Elrond shook his head, his eyes wide and full of tears turned his face back to Elros. "I...I did not realize you felt so strongly about it."
"You never asked Elrond. You assumed since we were identical twins that we would have the same opinions about everything. Unfortunately it is not true. We are two different people, in some ways complete opposites. To me the idea of living forever would be scarier then death ever could be." Elros turned his body to completely face his brother. "Do you understand Elrond?"
Elrond looked at his brother, his heart felt like it was being pulled in two directions. "I... I am not sure Elros if I do or do not. Are you not afraid to die? Does death not scare you at all?"
Elros laughed but there was bitterness to it. "Of course Elrond I am afraid of dying. I think everyone is afraid to face the unknown because it is an uncharted part of the journey of life. But am I afraid of death? No, it is a fact of life Elrond. Nothing can last forever, in time everything comes to an end. Death is not just dying but an ending to start a new beginning."
Elrond just stared at his twin, then he started blinking rapidly. "I lost you, did I not?" Elros teased his little brother gently with a true smile.
"Aye, you did indeed, right about the same time you started talking about death and dying as two separate things." Elrond paused for a moment before taking his brother's hands into his own. "Is it because Tesia died that you have become so philosophical?
Elros looked down at their joined hands and then back into Elrond's eyes. "Yes and no. I have been thinking about it for a long time brother. Tesia's death only brought the subject back into my conscious thoughts."
Then he got up and pulled his brother up beside him. Elros pointed towards a fallen tree. "See that tree over there Elrond, the one which has fallen over."
"Of course I see it Elros, it is as plain as day to anyone. Even you." Elrond said with a slight smirk at his dig.
Elros rolled his eye, leave it to Elrond to make such a comment. "Ha ha, very funny Elrond, but that is not my point. What do you see? Seriously tell me what you see this time muindor. "
Elrond shook his head, only Elros could become abstract without a moment's notice. "I see that the tree is dead, rotting away."
They reached the tree and Elros sat down on the tree's trunk. "Aye the tree is dead Elrond. Yet there is more about this tree that you have told me."
Elrond looked at the tree for a long moment. What was it that Elros was trying to point out? Then he looked at the trunk where it was split open…"There are young trees growing out of this log."
Sure enough there was little green sprouts growing out of the dead tree's wood. Elros nodded slowly, a wide grin appeared on his face as he gazed on upon Elrond's startled one.
"Aye, from the old comes the new. The rotting tree provides rich soil for the saplings One day they will stand on there own, until then the old tree gives what he can to help them."
A tiny giggle came from behind the twins. Elrond and Elros turned only to find a small child throwing herself at them.
'Hello Tindomiel.' Elrond said in Adunaic. The little girl wrinkled her forehead and shook her head. Tindomiel turned towards her father and made signs with her hands, then turned back to Elrond.
Elros laughed, and then translated for Elrond. "She does like to hear words in Adunaic. Just speak in Sindarin Elrond or Quenya for she needs to work on being able to understand that language."
Elrond's eyes went wide for a moment before he looked down at the small girl. She gave him a brilliant smile, although she didn't speak. Elrond nodded, speaking in "Alright Tindomerel how are you doing today?"
She smiled turned into a full fledged grin, remind Elrond of Elros. She made a gesture in the air with her hands to symbol that she was alright. Then looking down at the flowers in her hands she offered them to Elrond.
Elrond looked surprised at her lack of speech and her offering. He took the flowers with a smile though and hugged the child. When he pulled away, she giggled and turned to Elros. She signed to him again and then took off running in the other direction that her brothers had gone.
"Does she not speak Elros?" Elrond looked down at the small bouquet and then at his brother.
"If she does, no one hears her." Elros replied to his brother's question. He watched his daughter run towards the trees and saw Lord Celeborn on the other side of the meadow. He smiled and shook his head as the little girl jumped into his arms. "Tindomiel can speak, she just chooses not to."
"Why does she choose not to? Is it because of the loss of her mother?" Elrond asked as his eyes narrowed to watch the child interact with Celeborn. He could not help turn his lips into a small smile as she made him laugh with something she 'said'.
Elros shrugged his shoulders. "Why does anyone choose what they do Elrond. Maybe in her heart Tindomiel does not have the desire to speak. Maybe she finds it unnecessary to use words but her drawings and signs." Elros inclined his head towards the flowers. "Tinu loves you and she just met you. To her actions speak louder then words."
"You avoided my question you old romantic." Elrond accused him in a soft voice as his brother turned towards him. Elros smiled and Elrond could not help but smile too.
"Ah, but brother you still have not answered mine yet." Elros reminded. "Fair is fair."
"I do not know if I understand Elros. How can I understand why you choose this..." Elrond swept his hand out toward the land all around them. "To live for such a short time seems to me to a waste. Yet what you have said has made sense as well. But I am not sure if I truly have an answer for your question."
Elros smiled. "Then I can not answer yours brother because I am not sure that I have an answer for your question either." He moved closer to his brother. "One day though Elrond you will find the answer for these questions, you just have to have hope."
Do you understand…?
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TBC…..
trustingfriendship: Thank you for reviewing. I think its sad that Isildur goes off alone into the barren lands, but like you, I am glad as well. Elrond needed to forgive Isildur though, so he could not only raise Estel but forgive himself as well.
Lirenel: Your wish was my command. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as you enjoyed the previous one.
siegle: blushes thank you, I hope you enjoyed this one as well. I also hope it lived up to your high compliments.
grumpy: I am glad you liked the conversation between Isildur and Elrond. I really enjoyed writing that part. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.
Tei Hune: Um… thanks? Please don't cut off my head. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! But please don't hurt me!
Elven Kitten: I am glad you enjoyed the last chapter, I hope you liked this one as well.
radbooks: Thank you for reading Ada's Memories and Blood Bonds. I am glad you like both of them so much. I always felt bad for both Elrond and Estel that they were separated from the family they loved. Don't worry I had to include a good place to where men go. The part that we saw before would be equivalent to our present day hell. I hope you enjoyed the chapter!! Thank you for reviewing!!
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