Chapter Six
Anger Exposed
Elrohir awoke when he felt an arm hit him in his face. He sat upright and looked accusingly at the attacking limb that flailed about aimlessly. He glanced at his brother's face and realized that his brother was not awake, nor aware of his assault on his younger twin. Concerned, Elrohir carefully reached over, avoiding the wildly waving arms, and shook his shoulder.
"Ella, wake up!" The younger twin whispered.
The only response he received was a loud moan, and another attack from his arm. Elrohir ducked to avoid the ambush, and quickly jumped off the bed, in search of his father. Cautiously he opened the door and was greeted by his mother, and a very beautiful woman who had claimed to be his mother's mother.
"Good morning, young one. Did you sleep well?" His mother asked smiling brightly.
Elrohir nodded, but pointed to the bedroom where his brother still flailed about. "Ella hurts."
Galadriel raised an eyebrow, and ambled into the room. Closing the door gently behind her, she left the youngest twin and her daughter alone in the hall.
Elrohir watched his grandmother close the door and he frowned turning to his mother. Slowly he sauntered over to his mother, and climbed onto her lap and accepted a hug from her. He snuggled into her embrace and he felt a kiss planted on the top of his head. He wrinkled his nose and looked up at her. He smiled however when she laughed musically at his distaste at her kiss.
"It is alright, Elrohir, we are alone, and no one else saw my kiss only for you." She winked.
He nodded his approval and once again snuggled into her hug. "Mama?" He whispered against her arm. "Is Ella, going to be alright?"
Celebrián pulled away and turned her son towards her to stare at him in surprised shock. "Oh, my darling, he will be fine. He has two wonderful healers helping him. He also has a brother who loves him."
Elrohir wrinkled his nose again and shook his head. "Who?" He asked playfully.
Celebrián reached out her hand and tweaked his nose. "I am not certain, perhaps we should scan the grounds and see if we can find this mysterious elfling who claims to be Elladan Peredhil's brother." She responded playing along with her son's little game.
The younger twin jumped out of her lap and danced around in a circle gleefully. "It is I, it is I, mama. You have found me." He smiled broadly, holding his arms above his head.
She let out a surprised gasp, and regarded her son. "Sweet Eru, you are correct. How could I have missed such a tiny detail that you and Elladan are so alike?" He winked at him again as his smiled lit up the room rivalling that of the sun.
Elrohir stopped momentarily hearing commotion down the halls, and loud shouts that were not made by any elf he had ever encountered. Confused he ran towards the noise ignoring his mother's concerned plea's to stop. He skidded to a halt at the railing and peered over the ivy shaped wood columns. He gasped allowed at the sight that greeted him. There was Figwit and Glorfindel struggling with tied up-what? He frowned at the new comers. The quickly stepped back a step at the fowl stench that drifted up from below. He raised his hand and used his thumb and forefinger to plug his delicate nose.
Slowly, with his nose pinched from any smells, he tiptoed down the stairs to catch a closer glance at the males who were being pushed into his father's study. He looked up and saw his mother standing there, hissing something at him, but he was far too curious to heed her words. Silently he wandered over to his father's study door and peered through the opening. His father stood there, a dark angry look on his face, staring at the men who were now kneeling before him. Glorfindel held a sword at ones throat and Figwit stood guard beside Elrond. Elrohir slipped into the room without being noticed and eased himself behind a chair. There he watched his father become an elf he never thought he would see. One furious and lit with rage.
Elrond stood there for a moment collecting himself before dealing with his son's abductors. So many emotions ran through his whole body that if he were provoked he was not sure what would progress. The terror that he felt when his son had been missing was so great, that it took all of his breathing and concentration to stop himself from assaulting the men. The rage that issued through his veins when he had first glanced at his child almost drove him mad.
Taking a deep breath, Elrond finally spoke. "Who are you?" He asked calmly.
The men nervously glanced at one another, then one with the sword at his throat and closest to Glorfindel spoke. "I am Dinarion. This is my comrade Arafin. What is it that we have done?"
"Do you have any idea of who I am?" Elrond asked patiently, really not paying attention to the names he was given. He was too busy looking for signs of hidden truths.
Both men shook their heads. "I presume you are the master of these lands. The King perhaps?" Dinarion carefully replied.
Elrond laughed menacingly. "Oh, truly, master of these lands. Do you know where you are?"
Again both men shook their heads.
"This is Rivendell the sanctuary of all who wish to hide from Sauron's evil. I am Lord Elrond, and you have been brought before me for abducting my son." He growled. He was loosing his temper and he took a deep breath to contain his anger.
Dinarion's eyes opened so wide, Elrond was sure they would have dropped onto the floor if they were to get any wider.
"What say you?" Elrond hissed. Never before had he needed to use his elvish traits to gain information from anyone. Most knew him and feared his wrath, though he was uncertain what wrath it was, and he chuckled inwardly at this.
"I-I, m-my lo-rd. I have no idea what this is about." Dinarion whimpered pathetically.
The elf lord raised his eyebrow, and then turned his back walking out onto his balcony. He allowed his eyes to scan the grassy knoll below him before turning and entering the room. "Get them out of my sight, lock them below until they are ready to talk." Elrond growled.
Both Figwit and Glorfindel nodded and hauled the men to their feet, but not before the man Arafin gasped and pointed behind a chair. "Look, it is the same child!" He cried.
Elrond snapped his head into the direction the man had responded to, and caught sight of his son kneeling there. In a flash, before anyone could react, Arafin had grabbed Figwit's dagger strapped onto his belt, wrestled out of Glorfindel's grasp, knocked over the chair and had pulled the young elfling up to his feet by his hair.
With a surprised cry, Elrohir raised his hands to ease the grip on his hair, and struggled to free himself. He halted his attempts however when he felt cold metal lay across his neck. He drew in a startled gasp but stilled his body. He allowed his gray eyes to wander to his father's blue ones, and biting his lip, he remained motionless. His father's eyes told him not to fear, and to remain calm.
"Let me leave this place safely and no harm will come to this child." The man roared.
"Release him now, and you will be allowed safe passage from this land." Elrond hissed. 'Safe passage from Rivendell but not from the Bruinen.' He silently told himself.
The man let out a loud bark of laughter. "You expect me to believe that?"
"An elf does not lie." Figwit murmured quietly.
"HA!"
Dinarion whispered harshly. "What in all of Middle-Earth are you doing?"
"Saving the both of us from immediate death you fool." Arafin snarled.
"Perhaps you are in danger of that." The other replied. "What were you thinking?"
The two men argued back and forth, and did not notice the elven guards arrange themselves on the banisters above Lord Elrond's study. Bows drawn with arrows notched they awaited a signal from one of the elven warriors below. Figwit shook his head slightly, a small motion that Glorfindel even missed. The blonde elf lord raised his brow at Figwit, but only received a raise of his eyes to the landing.
Glorfindel warily glanced at the men arguing and then cautiously raised his own eyes and caught site of the heavily armed elves above. He drew his lips into a tight line and allowed his lips to turn upward in a sly smile. The golden haired elf lord turned his head slightly catching movement at the door, behind the men and saw Lord Elrond's wife standing there glaring at the men's backs. If she looked any harder, she would have bored a hole through them. With one curt nod to the elves inside the room she turned and left.
Elladan cried out and sat up in bed, glancing around him frightened. With a small moan of pain he flopped back down onto the soft bed and knew he was safe. But why did he feel so uneasy? He wondered. He dug his small hand under the numerous wads of gauze that surrounded his chest, and he scratched. He was healing quickly, as all elves do, but elven children healed more quickly then their elders. Frustrated he scratched the itch that was out of his fingers reach. Grumbling to himself he sat up slowly to scan the room for something to aid his attempts. Seeing nothing, he climbed out of bed and headed towards the door. Opening it slowly he glanced out to see if his mother or someone was around to help him. Frowning he wandered down the hall towards his father's study.
Elrohir locked his eyes with his father's, and watched the activity around the room cautiously. Unknown to the men they were surrounded, but would not attack without a signal from his father. He also knew his father would not allow any harm to befall him, so he found it easy to remain calm.
He felt his heart lunge into his throat when he saw what the others did not at the door. There stood his twin, white, and afraid as he took in the room's occupants.
"Ehrir!" His brother wailed, causing the men to turn surprised to the door.
Seeing an opportunity, the Lord of Rivendell cried out a command and the man holding Elrohir captive fell to the floor in a crumpled heap, an arrow protruding from his neck. As the man fell, he pulled the small elfling to the floor and landed on top of him causing him to cry out as the heavy weight almost crushed him.
Figwit raced forward and quickly pulled the man off the small-frightened elf, and retrieved his dagger. He turned and aimed it at the other man still standing, and holding his hands up in surrender.
Elrond darted forward and pulled his youngest son into a tight embrace and then held him back searching for injuries. Seeing only a small scratch where the dagger had been held against his neck, his son had escaped unscathed. Elladan quietly entered the room, tears of fear and pain running down his small face. He reached his father and brother and quickly wrapped protective arms around his mirror image. Elrond stood and glanced down at his two children sitting there holding each other fearfully. Both of them now safe, he turned and stood before the man, hiding his view from the twins, and hissed. "Get him out of here." He glared at Figwit once and then uttered quietly. "I wish to speak with you once this man is contained." Turning he knelt once more beside his son's and wrapped them in a great bear hug, lowering his face onto their shoulders, and whispered a silent prayer to the Valar for protecting his children.
