Summer Storms
Elrohir groaned and tried to sit up feeling hot and sore. He opened his eyes and looked for the cause and noticed his brother sleeping next to him, his body heat mixing with his own causing him to feel overly heated. Elrohir pushed his brother off him and pushed the blankets down sitting up carefully as a wave of dizziness took over. Taking a deep breath he pulled his legs out from under the heavy blankets and he touched the large red welt on his leg. He frowned seeing no gauze or wadding to protect it. He winced when his fingers touched the open cut and he withdrew his fingers.
Elladan sat up quickly. "Ow!" He hissed.
Elrohir looked at him worried. "Are you hurt too?" His gray eyes scanning his older brother looking for signs of injury.
"No, but you are. That hurt, so don't touch!" Elladan hissed slapping his brother's hand away from his leg.
"Hey!" Elrohir protested as his hand was pelted away from his leg. "What do you mean that hurt? If you are uninjured."
"I do not know, just don't touch." Elladan pushed his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "Father said he would explain it." Elladan shrugged.
"You have me so confused." Elrohir mimicked his brother's movements and hugged his own legs.
"Ro?"
"What?"
"Did you hurt when I was gone?"
"Gone where?"
"When I was missing?"
"I don't know. I knew you were not here though." Elrohir lowered his eyes looking at the rumpled blankets. He curled his toes in the soft fabric and sighed.
"How did you know?"
Elrohir shrugged. "I don't know, I just knew. I was scared. I felt you calling me." Elrohir shivered.
"I felt cold when you stopped breathing."
"I stopped breathing? Was I dead?" Elrohir gasped lifting his eyes to meet those of his brother's.
Elladan shrugged. "I don't think so, but my heart started pounding hard, and my chest hurt."
Elrohir licked his lips. "Is it because we are the same?"
"We are not the same."
"You know what I mean."
"No I don't."
"Yes you do."
"Ro?"
"What?"
"Shush! Listen."
Elrohir lifted his head from his knees cocking his head to the side listening for what his brother heard. "What?" He whispered softly.
Elladan grinned. "Do you hear that?"
"Well, I wouldn't be asking if I did, clover leaf!" Elrohir hissed.
Elladan giggled. "Clover leaf?"
Elrohir shrugged. "Well every time you go outside you always seem to lay in a pile of clover leaf's. It is your new name."
"I don't need a new name, oak breath."
Elrohir's mouth dropped open in surprise. "Oak breath?"
"Well, you always climb trees." Elladan smiled broadly.
"Fish breath."
"Mud puddle."
"Water fae."
Elrond wandered down the halls and heard laughter coming from the closed doors of one of the healing rooms. He smiled as he heard his sons laughing. Relief filled his heart as the bright laughter filled the dimly lit halls of Rivendell. He paused outside the door and heard the reason why they were laughing. Opening the door, he caught them wrestling on the bed, a tangle of arms and legs, the blankets cast onto the floor, and the pillows hanging precariously on the edge.
"What is this?"
Both boys glanced at each other, and quickly scrambled upright. "Nothing father." They said in unison.
Elrond raised his eyebrow in question as both twins looked at each other with frowns on their faces.
"Stop that!" They said at the same time again, causing them to turn frightened eyes to their father, who stood in the doorway confused.
Elrond held up his hand ceasing any further arguments. "Alright," He said closing the door behind him, and walking over to the bed sitting on the edge. "What is it?"
"Ella keeps saying things when I do." Elrohir pouted.
"Mint breath." Elladan whispered.
"Pastry fingers." Elrohir shot back.
"Enough!" Elrond lifted two fingers to the bridge of his nose. "When did this start?"
"Just now, when you opened the door." Elrohir wrinkled his nose.
"Why the name calling?"
Both boys shrugged. "It was fun." They said together. The twins glared at each other.
Elrond shook his head. 'So it starts.' He thought to himself. "Alright. No more name-calling. As for the speaking in unison, it sometimes happens with twins."
"How do you know?" Elladan asked wrinkling his forehead.
"I once had a brother." Elrond closed his eyes briefly, images of Elros flooding his mind.
"Where is he now?" Elrohir flipped over lying on his stomach.
"We have an uncle?" Elladan grinned.
"Had. He died many years ago." Elrond smiled sadly. "He was my twin."
Elladan and Elrohir turned shocked expressions to each other, then back to their father. "You had a twin?" They said together.
Elrond nodded. "I did." He tucked a piece of hair behind Elrohir's ear. "His name was Elros."
The twins sat speechless for a while before the youngest spoke up. "Why are we twins?"
Elrond almost choked. "Why? I do not know. But Ilúvatar must have a plan for both of you. Perhaps something you both need to do together, and cannot do on your own."
"Did you and your twin feel like we do?" Elladan asked curiously.
"How do you mean?"
"I mean when he got hurt, did you feel it?" Elladan asked again.
Elrond smiled. "Sometimes I did, but I do not think we shared so close a bond as you two do." Elrond reached over and tucked the stray piece of hair back behind Elrohir's ear. "You two may be twins but you have your differences." He chuckled.
"Like what?" They asked together again causing both of them to cast annoyed looks at each other.
"Well, Elladan, you are slightly taller. Not by much, and your hair is not as wild as your brother's."
Elrohir's hands flew to his hair. "My hair is not wild." He protested.
"You hair is like mine Elrohir. The strands do not like staying where we put them." Elrond laughed at his son's worried look.
"Father?" Elladan asked.
"Yes?"
"Do you miss your twin?"
Elrond looked out the window of his son's room before answering his question. The pain still lingered in his heart, at the loss of his twin, but he had learned to deal with his loss, and he also knew he was not as close to Elros as his two sons were to each other. He looked back and nodded sadly. "In all honesty, I do. Enough for today, how is your leg Elrohir?" Elrond asked reaching out for his son's foot, and changing the subject.
"It does not hurt as much as it did." He said as his father probed the welt gently.
Elrond nodded satisfied with the healing of the wound, and he reached for his eldest son's hand. "How is your hand?"
Elladan looked down and as though for the first time noticed a smaller welt on it. "It does not hurt, I forgot it was there." He held out his hand for his father to inspect. Once satisfied he stood up. "Well are you two ready to leave these rooms?"
Both boys eagerly nodded, jumping off the bed anxiously.
"Well then, go get dressed and go play, I will call you both when breakfast is ready." Elrond turned and walked out the door leaving his two sons' to race down the halls to their own rooms.
Elrohir limped about his room throwing things around trying to locate his small-dulled sword. He turned quickly when his brother walked in looking amused at the mess that usually never colored his brother's floor. Elladan had always been the messy one.
"Have you seen dîndae?"
Elladan shook his head at the name his brother had named his sword. His own sword was called celebhîth. "Where did you put it last?"
"I thought I had it in my chest, but it is not there now." Elrohir sat down on his chair frustrated.
"I will help you find it, faster if we both search." Elladan put his down by the door and walked further into the room to assist his brother.
About an hour later the twins were outside both looking defeated. They had not been able to locate Elrohir's sword, but to make matters worse, Elladan's had decided to disappear from beside the door. Elrohir sat up in his favorite tree, hanging off the branches with grace and ease, while Elladan lay on the ground on his usual patch of reserved ground.
"Hey clover leaf. Come up here and take a look at what I see." Elrohir called down from his perch.
"Hey oak breath, I do not climb as gracefully as you do." Elladan hissed back.
"What better time to start?" Elrohir laughed. "You have to see this."
Groaning, Elladan stood up and jumped up to the branch above him. He pulled himself up onto the branch holding it firmly as it bent slightly under the small weight. He quickly joined his brother near the top and peered out to where his brother was pointing. "Look."
Elladan gasped at the dark clouds that loomed in the sky, and nearly jumped out of his skin when a loud snap of thunder rippled through the bright sky. In the distance a storm approached. The twins had experienced storms and loved the rain, but never in their short lives had they heard thunder of such magnitude, and it caused them to quickly retreat out of the tree and race home in frightened wonder.
Another bang echoed through the quickly darkening sky as the storm roared over Rivendell with great speed. Elrohir let out a small cry as another louder boom rumbled. Elladan grabbed his brother's hand as they raced up the stairs just as a bolt of lightning filled the now black sky with white sizzling light.
Elladan closed the great hall doors with a loud thud and both twins slipped to the floor shivering from fear at the storm. They stood quickly and darted away from the door as the thunder shook the ground on which they sat. Running down the halls then up the stairs they passed many elves sealing up the shutters on the open windows and running around closing up the house from debris.
Elrond stood quickly as his candle flickered on his desk and a wind quickly rose causing his papers to float to the floor. He glanced out the window behind him and noticed the storm approaching. 'Odd time for a summer storm.' He whispered to himself. He reached down to pick up his scattered papers when he heard the loud thunder roar through the sky. He quickly righted himself and spun around startled. "What in Arda?" Elrond watched with growing horror at the black clouds that quickly covered the blue sky. He stood there watching when another gust of wind nearly threw him off his feet. Startled he ran forward and gripped the shutters of his study and slammed them shut locking them with an iron clasp.
He spun away from the windows in search of his family.
Figwit wandered the gardens quietly talking with Haldir when the storm made itself known. The thunder caused both elves to jump a foot off the ground, and laughing nervously at their lack of bravery, quickly made their way back towards the House of Elrond. They met up with Glorfindel who was locking up the stables where many horses nickered in fear.
"What is this?" Figwit cried out in the howling wind. Racing forward to assist Glorfindel.
Haldir drew his cowl over his head as the thunder seemed to split the sky and hail started to fall. "This is not natural." Haldir called out to them. Lowering his head trying to protect his face from the large fist sized ice that slammed into the earth with such force it left dents. "We do not have time to make it back, we must wait for the hail to cease."
Haldir, Figwit, and Glorfindel piled into the stables closing the wooden doors behind them. The ice fell onto the wooden roof causing it to creak in protest, but finally giving way and cracking from the force. Large pieces broke through the wood and started breaking away the protective shelter the horses and elf lords had found.
Galadriel stood up glancing out the window frowning at the sounds that entered her mind. He turned her head to her husband who sat by the roaring fire, looking at her curiously. "Love?" He asked.
"Something evil approaches." She whispered faintly.
dîndae silent shadow celebhîth silver mist
