Title: Elusive Dreams (6/?)

Author: Pickle Pixie

E-Mail: picklepixie83@hotmail.com

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Elrohir can't sleep …

Disclaimer: All the characters you recognise belong to JRR Tolkein, God and author extraordinaire. I am making no money from this and mean no infringement upon his works.

~*~

Elvulia: Why wouldn't I respond to your review? You take the time to do it so I'm just reviewing right back! I'm lucky, kind of, that I don't get that many reviews. That way I can answer people. Well, I've posted again. And I haven't killed the twins. Well, not yet at least!

Padawan_jinx: Hey, glad you're enjoying! Middle Earth history is so obscure, I find it difficult to follow. So how can I expect other people to know where I'm coming from?!

Rainy Dayz: Ok, ok! I updated! Get away, or I'll set the Elrond-my-ster on you! Now stop doing your little hand wiggling dance, quit running round, and read the post! So when are you gonna review, huh, huh?

Amelia Rose: Nope, you're not an elf! But that doesn't mean anything. There's not just Lorerauko out there. There's orcs and wargs and Balrogs and Uruk Hai…oh, and Easterlings and Corsairs…not going to bed yet are you?

Iawen Londea: Poor everyone indeed! Bless them. And sorry, no Glorfindel yet. Next post, promise. And there'll most likely be some ass whupping too.

Unadrieniel: I know, poor Rondy. Well, I'm gonna hurt him some more! Mwuhahaha!

~*~

"I do not understand. What do you mean, you do not know? You must know! There must be a way to stop them!" Elladan was on his feet again, his intense gaze locked upon his father's weary one.

"Elladan…" Elrohir's voice was scratchy.

"I say we go out there and finish this. We must find them and make them pay for what they did to 'Nadeloth and Vinya'. We have to stop them before-"

"Elladan…"

"I agree with Elladan, father. We kill them the same way we kill anything. Bow, arrow, dead demon." Aragorn was also on his feet now, unconsciously wringing his hand around the hilt of his sword. He had kept it with him since he and Legolas had returned.

"Stop, please! All of you! No one is running out there to get killed. We must wait for word from grandmother!" Elrohir hopped down from the window ledge and faced his brothers. "You must not go out there. If 'Nadeloth and Vinya' were so easily overcome-"

"But we are prepared Elrohir!" Elladan turned to his twin, holding out his hands in a pleading gesture.

"Prepared? How can you be prepared? You wish to run out into the wilderness and fight age old demons, demons so old that Ada has only heard tell of them and that you did not even know existed until a few minutes ago!"

"But Elrohir, we must stop them before-"

"Before what, Aragorn? Before they kill someone else? Before they kill me? Trust me, I know of their evil. I have lived it, if you have already forgotten. It is me this evil is threatening. I know its malice. I am begging you, do not go!"

Elrohir's voice was becoming increasingly strained. As he and his siblings quarrelled, his breath had become shorter, and the pallor of his skin paler. This had not gone unnoticed by either Elrond or Legolas.

"Elrohir, please calm down. You must not upset yourself. You are still weak. I do not know what will happen if you overtax yourself." Elrond stepped out from behind his desk and started towards his middle son.

"Nay Ada, they must understand!" Elrohir's hands were shaking now. "Make them understand. You know of their wickedness. Make them stay…"

"`Ro, we cannot sit by and do nothing! We care too much for you to let them torment you!" Aragorn looked imploringly at his older brother, not noticing Elrohir's state through his own distress.

"Aragorn, do not pursue this. Elrohir is in no fit state to argue. You must respect his wishes." Legolas stepped between Aragorn and his brothers, placing his hands on his chest and gently pushing the ranger away from the twins and towards the study door.

Legolas, in his attempt to lead Aragorn away, had his back to the Noldor Elves and did not see what happened next. He was only aware of a problem from watching the anguished expression on his human friends face.

"`Ro!"

Legolas turned to see Elrohir crumpled on the floor. Elrond was gathering the dark haired Elf into his lap and calling him back. Elladan had dropped to his knees next to his twin, his expression shocked. His hands were clutching at Elrohir's leg, trying to gain any contact possible. He winced almost imperceptibly when Elrond began slapping Elrohir's face.

"Elrohir! Elrohir Elrondion, heed me. Come back to the light. Do not fall into the abyss. Come back now, your father is calling."

Elrohir's eyes slowly fluttered open. He brought a quivering hand up to cover his face, breathing deeply.

"Fear not my son, you are safe now. What did you see?"

"It was dark… I felt them again, closing in on me. Then I turned and could see the forest. But it reeked of fear, just like before. But I heard you Ada. I heard your voice so I did not run. Then I was here again…Please Ada, please help me."

Elrohir closed his eyes as a single tear traced down his cheek. Slowly, the shaking stopped and Elrond eased him to a sitting position, and then to his feet. He led Elrohir to an armchair, and the younger twin was too weary to resist the help. Elladan immediately deposited himself on the wide arm of the chair and draped his arm around his brother. Elrohir leaned into the contact.

Legolas was shaken from his stupor by a struggling Aragorn. While watching Elrohir's ordeal he had clenched his fist tighter around the fabric of the human's tunic. He was only brought back to awareness by the ranger straining against his grip to make his way to his brothers.

"Oh, sorry mellon nin." Legolas released Aragorn, blushing slightly. "My Lord, may I ask what just happened?"

"I was worried about this. It appears that whenever Elrohir lets his guard down, such as when he sleeps or, as we have just seen, when he is distressed, the Lorerauko take their opportunity. We must not let Elrohir be upset."

"I am so sorry `Ro. I did not know. If anything had happened to you because of my stubbornness, I could never have forgiven myself." Elladan whispered.

"Peace brother, you are not to blame. I should not have lost my temper."

"Indeed Elrohir, the fact that you of all people lost your temper is evidence of how fraught your nerves have become. It is clear that you need sleep. I believe I know a way to grant you rest without leaving you vulnerable to the Lorerauko."

"How is that possible?" Aragorn spoke now, his tone confused.

"The same way I grant each of you younglings rest when peaceful sleep eludes you. By sedating Elrohir his body will be able to regenerate, but his mind will be protected by unconsciousness. He will not walk the paths of Elven dreams, and so the Lorerauko will not be able to find him. Elrohir will not be vulnerable, because he will not be aware."

"So I will be able to sleep? Oh Ada, that would be wonderful…" Elrohir sighed and leaned further towards Elladan.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Elladan looked at his father sceptically.

"Yes, but only for short periods. It will be dangerous to keep Elrohir at a level of sedation as deep as required for more than a few hours. Neither can we do it for a long period. It is my hope that it will sustain Elrohir enough for him to keep his guard up until Glorfindel returns with word from your grandmother."

"But we cannot just wait. What if grandmother does not know what to do?"

"No, we cannot wait. I will continue to study the archives. Now though, I have an Elfling to put to bed. Come Elrohir, let us tuck you in." The ancient Elf smiled fondly and held out his hand to his son.

Elrohir was too exhausted to be embarrassed, and took his Ada's hand without complaint.

~*~

"Easy Malmereth. By Eru, what is wrong with you? We are supposed to be sneaking out. You understand that by 'sneaking' no one is supposed to know what we are doing, particularly brooding Elf Lords or overprotective brothers!"

Aragorn once again attempted to mount a highly agitated Malmereth. The mare refused to hold still for her master, skittering away and snorting her annoyance at being woken in the middle of the night.

"Aragorn, hush! Quickly now, or we'll never get away." Legolas, already atop Culhiliel, had his hood drawn about his face, casting his features into shadow.

"I know Legolas! You do have a remarkable talent for stating the obvious. Would you like to do something constructive such as aiding me with this dim-witted creature!"

Malmereth snorted again, this time rearing slightly on her hind legs. Aragorn held fast to her reins, refusing to let her shake him loose. Legolas watched the exchange with a wry grin on his face. Malmereth and Aragorn were deeply devoted to one another, but these disagreements were frequent. Chuckling softly, the prince slid from Culhiliel's back and took Malmereth's reins from the red faced ranger.

"My friend, the two of you are like an old married couple! I have never seen such bickering!"

"Cease your teasing and fix this infernal beast so that we may be on our way!"

"Now Aragorn, that is no way to speak to a lady! Why, you are like an errant husband returning home in the early hours. You have awoken the lady and now she is displeased. There is only one way to placate her."

"And what might that be?"

"Apologise."

Aragorn looked at Legolas with a mixture of disbelief and irritation on his young face. "You wish me to apologise to a horse."

Legolas gaped at Aragorn in mock incredulity. "A horse. She is more than a mere beast of burden! She is a steadfast companion, your noble steed! She is a brave and faithful friend! Of course you must apologise!"

"We are wasting time."

"Then apologise."

Legolas handed back the reins to Aragorn and stepped behind him. He barely stifled his laughter as he watched a shame faced Aragorn face an indignant Malmereth.

"Malmereth, I…" Aragorn stopped when she shook her mane and turned her gaze from him. Hesitantly he continued, "I am sorry for waking you so late…" There was no response from Malmereth. "…and for demanding things of you. Please would you bear me this night?"

Malmereth regarded him blankly. Finally she huffed and turned to her side, indicating Aragorn to mount. The young human let out a sigh of relief as he placed his foot in the stirrup. Pulling himself up, he settled in the saddle and reached forward to scratch between Malmereth's ears.

"You see? Manners count for everything!" The Elf laughed.

"You, Master Greenleaf, are too sure of yourself. It will get you in trouble one day."

Legolas smiled at the pair before returning to Culhiliel and swinging himself onto her back. Adjusting to a comfortable position on her bare back, he readied himself to ride out. The pair had spent the afternoon deep in debate. Elrond had told them there were three Lorerauko. Two had fed upon Nuquernadeloth and Vinyasoron. The other was clearly stalking Elrohir. But they could not fathom why. Would it not be easier for this demon to pursue one of the patrols as his counterparts had? And why choose Elrohir, one of the most protected Elves in Imladris? And more importantly, how long could Elrohir fight off the shadow haunting him? How long before the other Lorerauko needed to feed again?

Legolas was shaken from his memories by a harsh voice cutting across the night air.

"What is it that you younglings think you will achieve by this, other than getting yourselves killed?"

Erestor. They should have known. When Glorfindel was away the councillor seemed to take the safety of each of Elrond's children personally.

"Mordor take it all! Malmereth, this is your fault. No oats for a week. Nay, a month!"

"Do not blame the horse Aragorn. Now answer my question, I am in no mood for games. What are you doing?"

"Ah, but my Lord! That was not your question. You asked us what we hope to achieve. The answer is quite simple. We seek an end to this before Elrohir is lost to darkness. We seek to destroy the Lorerauko before they worry Elladan into an early grave and cause Lord Elrond to pace a foot deep trench into the passages outside Elrohir's room." Legolas raised an eyebrow at the ancient councillor, waiting to be rebuked for his youthful petulance.

But Erestor merely shook his head wearily. Aragorn noticed his mentors uncertainty and plunged onward.

"You are worried about my father and brothers as much as I. You know this cannot continue. It has been over two weeks, and Glorfindel has sent no word. We can wait no longer. We are merely going to scout the land, try to find clues as to the demons whereabouts. We promise not to attack them alone."

"You cannot ask me to lie to Elrond."

"Lie? My Lord, 'lie' is such a coarse word. There is no deception required here! We are leaving, there is nothing you can do to prevent it. It will not be long until Lord Elrond notices our absence. All you have to do is…look the other way. You know Erestor, you are looking exhausted. Why don't you take yourself off to bed?" Legolas resisted the urge to pat Erestor on the head. Royalty though he was, Erestor was still his elder and that position demanded respect.

"Yes Erestor, my father will need your wisdom. You must be well rested if you wish to aid him fully." Aragorn allowed a lopsided grin to grace his features.

The councillor shook his head and breathed deeply. "Younglings today. Your silver tongues will be the end of you! Now I am going to bed, and if either of you return with as much as a hangnail, on you own heads be it when Elrond catches up with you."

With that, Erestor turned on his heels. A swish of his robes later, he was pacing away towards the flickering light of the entrance hall. The ranger and the prince turned and smirked at each other before spurring their horses away into the night.