Chapter 145: Memories
The five elves entered Mallriel's home. On a chair with a book on his lap and unfocused eyes slept Haldir's father, Arhael.
"Arhael, get up! We have visitors!" Mallriel slapped Arhael on his shoulder.
"What did you bring home this time?" Arhael blinked and looked up at his wife, then saw behind her stood their three sons and a little elfling in their eldest child's hands.
"Oh, hello boys. Who's that you carry, Haldir?"
"Prince Legolas, adar." Haldir said, letting his father hold Legolas.
Arhael smiled.
"It has been a while since I last held an elfling, since Rumil was this age..." Arhael carefully passed Legolas back to Haldir.
"So what brings you all here?" Arhael asked.
"Bake a cake." Legolas smiled.
"With my wife?" Arhael smiled.
"No, with Haldir's Nana." Legolas said. Orophin smiled.
"It's the same thing, Legolas. My father's wife is also my mother, who is also Haldir's mother." Orophin smiled.
"And mine too!" Rumil said quickly.
"Come on you four, if we are going to bake a cake then get to the kitchen."
"Coming Naneth." Orophin said as he and his brothers followed their mother.
"It has been so long since I have been here." Haldir muttered, running his fingers on the edge of a wooden countertop.
"The edge is no longer sharp, it is so dull now." Haldir muttered.
"You banged into it so many times Haldir, that the sharp corner is now round." Mallriel smirked.
----Flashback
"I'm going to kill you Orophin!" Haldir was very mad, and you could tell as Orophin ran away with Haldir's clothes. Poor little Haldir, only eight in mortal years, was clutching a towel around his waist with one hand and trying to grab his younger brother with the other.
Orophin ducked under the wooden countertop his father had just finished installing. It still was not sanded and the corners were sharp.
Haldir was taller than Orophin and was not paying attention to what was in front of him, which was how he crashed into the corner, his forehead bashing into the sharp corner. Haldir fell down, releasing his towel in shock.
"Hal... Are... Are you alright?" Orophin slowly walked over to his brother, who pulled his towel up and put a hand on his brow.
"I cant feel my... Forehead..." Haldir moved his hand and looked at it.
"Euuu..." Haldir made a face as he saw his blood-covered hand.
"Hal you're bleeding! A lot!" Orophin stuck a finger on his brother's wound.
"Ow! Don't touch!" Haldir swatted his brother's hand away.
"I'm going to go get nana!" Orophin ran away. Haldir's head was throbbing but he did not know why. When his mother entered the room she screamed, and what she screamed sounded as if she was screaming 'Haldir'.
Mallriel fell to the ground and pulled her boy close to her and examined the large gash on his brow.
"My poor little boy! Come, I will clean you up."
----End of Flashback
"You still have a mark from that, Haldir." Mallriel saw that her son was lost in his memories.
"What? Oh!" Haldir patted his brow. Legolas made a face.
"What are you all talking about?" Legolas asked.
"Memories, little one, lots of memories of my foolish brother when he was your age." Orophin smiled.
"Oh." Legolas said quietly.
"Oh, but poor baby Rumil is not in these memories, but, I can remember a few that do include him." Haldir smiled, pointing at a small spoon on one of the kitchen shelves.
"Don't say that! It was not any more fun than you hitting your brow on the corner of a counter top." Rumil said.
"I did not feel much when I hit my head." Haldir smiled.
----Oh no another flashback
"Ada! Nana!" Orophin screamed in horror.
"What is it?" Haldir asked. Haldir was older than the two, but still he was a far way away from becoming of age.
"Rumil... Spoon... stuck... Swallowed... Throat!" Orophin babbled.
"Tell me that in elvish, stupid. You make no sense!" Haldir said.
"Rumil swallowed a spoon and it's stuck in his throat!" Orophin said quickly. Haldir's eyes widened and he followed Orophin to where Rumil was on the floor, trying to breathe. He was white, he was crying silently, he could not breathe at all.
"Go get our parents." Haldir said, falling to the floor beside his brother.
"Rumil... Can you here me?"
Rumil nodded as he continued to try to breathe and sob.
"Orophin is gone to find our parents. He will be back soon. I promise you Rumil, nothing bad will happen, this will be over so soon, I promise you little brother, you wont die." Haldir said softly, carefully pulling him closer.
Rumil felt his brother's fingers caringly touching his neck.
"I can feel the spoon." Haldir whispered.
Arhael came running in and grabbed Rumil from Haldir and quickly lay Rumil onto the kitchen table, where the pudding Rumil had been eating with the stuck spoon lay abandoned.
Haldir watched as his father tried every way he could to get the spoon dislodged from his son's throat.
"Will he live?" Orophin bit down onto his lip, watching his father as Arhael tried to pull the spoon out of Rumil's throat.
Arhael sighed in relief when the spoon was out of Rumil's throat and colour returned to Rumil's face.
Rumil burst into sobs. Arhael pulled Rumil into a tight embrace and kissed his small son.
"Are you alright Rumil?" Haldir asked, touching his brother's damp cheek. Rumil grabbed onto his brother's hand and squeezed it. Rumil was in shock and appreciated having his elder brother's hand to squeeze.
----End of the big bad flashback
"Thanks Haldir." Rumil whispered.
"For what?" Haldir asked, looking down at his smaller brother.
"I... I am glad that you where so nice to me when I was chocking on that spoon such a long time ago. It made me feel better, when you told me those things when Orophin was getting nana and ada... And when you let me squeeze your hand..." Rumil said softly.
"It's nothing Rumil, you are my baby brother and I will always love you. I was worried for you." Haldir said quietly, pulling Rumil into a quick embrace. Haldir released his brother when he saw the giggles erupting from Orophin's mouth.
"Oh shut up you!" Haldir snapped.
To be continued...