Chapter One Testing Skills

Elladan shot up in his bed, covered in a thin layer of sweat. He glanced around him slightly lost, and then realizing where he was, he skittered to the edge of his bed and climbed down. He shook his head slightly distracted from his dream. He shivered at the strangeness of it. He paused in the center of his room thinking back to his dream, but thinking more on it, it was more like a nightmare. He had been standing on a large grassy hill, covered with white flowers that danced lightly in the breeze. He had felt himself in awe at the beauty of the place but a loud noise had caused him to turn around. He was alone, his brother was nowhere in sight, his home was not within his line of sight, and he remembered running in the direction of the setting sun to find his way home. He had tried to run quickly, but it felt as though his feet were engulfed in stone, making his movements seem slow. He also remembered a shower of arrows singing past his head as he ran, which had caused him to wake up.

He quickly shook off the feeling of dread, and the eerie feeling that entered his soul, it was the same every night lately, waking up drenched in sweat, some being sleepless nights because he was afraid to fall asleep. Shivering again he went out his door across the halls to his brother's room. Glancing inside, and catching no sign of his twin, he wandered down the hall to the great library of his father. He passed his parents room, and continued on down the twisting halls to the large polished doors to the Halls of Learning. He poked his head through the door and spotted his younger brother. His twin brother lay on a large couch, a huge book clutched in his arms, asleep. He must have wandered here after everyone had retired for the night.

Lately, Elladan had found his brother engulfed in large books, reading endlessly. He couldn't understand why his brother had all of a sudden resorted to reading, instead of wanting to watch the warriors train. Weeks ago, they had always been together, wandering the gardens of Rivendell, climbing trees, playing pranks, and secretly, and silently watching the warriors in the training fields. But not any longer. Elrohir sough solitude, and peace, even from his own brother, and that disturbed Elladan.

Slowly he walked forward, and lightly shook his brother's shoulder. Elrohir jumped startled out of his sleep, and glanced up at his brother curiously.

"Mmm, hello Ella." Elrohir smiled tiredly.

"Hi, sorry for waking you. I need company."

"Is it still night?"

Elladan nodded sadly.

Elrohir smiled slightly, "Come sit, while I finish this passage then we will head off to bed. Would you like to sleep in my bed tonight? It looks as though you have not slept in a week." Elrohir scrunched up his forehead noticing the dark circles around his brother's eyes. Elladan nodded and curled up next to his brother, laying his head close to his brother's leg, and quietly listened to his voice as he read the passage out loud.

Elladan started to relax as his brother kept reading, about the beauty of the Valar, and found himself growing sleepy. He felt safe next to his brother, and felt deep in his heart that he could over come any thing. He sighed and felt himself drift off into sleep.

Elrohir put the large book down and got up from the couch. "Come let us be off to bed." He started walking to the door, opening it and walking out a shiver running through him as he closed the door. He paused and frowned, this was not right. His brother was not beside him. He lifted his hand to reopen the door again, but the sight that greeted him was one he was never to forget. His brother sat on the couch curled up in a tight ball weeping softly.

"Ella!" Elrohir cried. He knelt beside his brother whose eyes appeared to be distant, and lost. He shook his brother calling out his name over and over again, but getting no response he felt tears well up in his eyes. "Ella, talk to me, what is wrong?" Still receiving no signs from his brother, Elrohir started to panic more, and quickly got to his feet and raced to the open door to the Halls of Learning. Elrohir ran down the halls and shoved his parent's door open, and quickly raced to the bedside. "Father! Father! Something is wrong with Ella!"

Instantly, Elrond was awake and robing himself, following his youngest son out the door and down the halls, however he was surprised to turn right instead of left, to where the twins' rooms were. He followed his son quickly and entered the Halls of Learning, surprised to see his son lying on the couch lethargically. Growing concerned, he walked over to his eldest son and felt his forehead, and checked his pulse.

"What happened?" Elrond asked his youngest son, who stood close glancing at his brother.

Elrohir shrugged. "I do not know, I was asleep, and he came and woke me up. I told him I wanted to read the last passage of the book I was reading and he looks like he fell asleep. But I cannot wake him."

Elrond looked back to Elladan who still had not moved nor had responded to them. Elrond knelt in front of his small son and glanced into the eyes that were a deep gray and distant. Elrond smiled knowingly. He got up from his kneeling position and wandered over to his desk that lay by the windows and pulled out a small book, it was time for his eldest to read it to under stand what was happening to him. Elrohir watched fearfully, not understanding and quickly jumping onto the couch and laying next to his twin. He looked into the familiar gray eyes so much like his own, and his heart ached at the distance of them. His brother appeared to be lost somewhere in a dream state. But with his eyes open. Elrohir sat up and asked his father.

"Why are his eyes open if he appears to be sleeping?"

Elrond muttered something, flipping through the book. "As elves reach adolescence they start sleeping with their eyes open, my son. It is called the path of dreams. It seems that Elladan is starting earlier then he should be."

Frowning, Elrohir turned back to his brother. Leaning over he whispered into his small pointed ear. "Ella, wake up. You are scaring me."

Then without warning, Elladan shot up knocking his head with his twin's in a loud thud, causing both boys to cry out in pain. Elladan gasped and clutched his head. "Oww." He moaned.

Elrohir gripped his head at the dull thud that remained. Then as if remembering the state his brother had been in, his eyes widened and he flung his arms around his twin with a gasp of relief. "Ella!" He sobbed.

"Mmm, what happened?" Elladan choked out his words through the strangle hold his brother had on him. "Get off me you big oaf."

"You are alright, I was so worried." Elrohir cried out tears falling down his pale cheeks. "You looked so lost." He said as their father came over and placed a hand on his eldest son's forehead.

"Where were you, Elladan?" Elrond softly said.

Elladan glanced around him confused. "I do not know, I think I was sleeping." Elladan turned his eyes to meet his fathers blue ones.

Elrond placed both hands on either side of his son's head, and closed his eyes. Elladan gasped as he felt his father's presence enter his mind. He felt gentle probing and he closed his eyes reaching out for his twin's hand.

Elrohir watched in fascination, as his father and brother seemed deep in a mind speak that he and Elladan shared too many times. Finally, the two elves opened their eyes, and Elrond smiled knowingly. "You are quickly growing into adolescence. You will soon wander down the path of dreams, and gain many skills that will prove useful to you in life."

Elrohir frowned. "What about me?" He asked curiously.

Elrond smiled and shook his head. "Your time will come, Elrohir. Fear not."

The youngest son of lord Elrond pouted. Elladan always got to do things first, born first, thought of things first, swam better then him, now growing up without him. He felt left out and wanted to do something at the same time as his twin instead of being left behind all the time.

Elladan leaned against his brother and rested his head against his shoulder. "I am tired, Ada." He whispered quietly.

Elrond smiled, and nodded. "Then I think both of you should be off to bed. You need plenty of rest, Elladan. You will go through many changes these next few months and you will need to keep up your strength."

Elladan shivered, causing Elrohir to look at him curiously. He placed his arm around his older brother protectively. He whispered into his brother's ear. "You can still come and sleep with me."

Elladan nodded but looked at his father a question sitting on his tongue. "Ada?"

Elrond sat down next to his twins. "Yes?"

"Are all dreams on the path frightening?"

Elrond frowned. "Not all, no. Some can be if you do not understand them. Why?"

Elladan shrugged, not wanting to sound too much like a baby in front of his brother, so he kept quiet.

Elrond frowned at his eldest son's hesitation. "Have you been having dreams which appear frightening?"

Elladan lifted his head and looked at Elrohir. He slowly nodded. Elrond sighed. His son was too young to wander down the path of dreams, yet the Valar had decided that it was his time. How strange the dreams must be to him.

"What do you dream of?" Elrond asked his son who had lowered his head seemingly ashamed.

"I stand on a grassy hill with lots of white flowers." Elladan began slowly. "Then I start running away, but I cannot run fast, it is almost as if I am running through mud, deep mud." He lifted large gray eyes to his fathers blue ones. "Then I hear loud noises behind me chasing me and then arrows flying past my head." He gripped his arms shivering. "I always wake up there."

Elrond frowned, this didn't seem like a usual dreams path. The start seemed much like one, but violence never ensured from the path of dreams. "Do you know what is chasing you?"

Elladan shook his head. "No." He mouthed. Elrohir wrapped his arms around his brother more tightly.

"How long have you been having these dreams?"

"They started a few days ago." Elladan laid his head back onto his twins shoulder. "I am so tired." He closed his eyes, and sighed.

Elrond frowned, but gently picked up his son, and carried him towards the twin's chambers. Elrohir followed closely, not wanting to stray far from his distraught brother. Elrond was about to open his eldest son's door when he felt a tug on his robe. He glanced down at his youngest.

"Let Ella sleep in my room?" He asked softly.

Elrond smiled knowingly. Knowing that if he didn't allow it, either Elladan, or Elrohir would wander to the other's room to curl up with his twin. He sighed, and nodded allowing Elrohir to push open his door allowing his father entrance. Elrond carried his son to the large bed and lowered him onto the plush mattrice. Elrohir quickly crawled in and curled up next to his brother. Elladan turned over and wrapped his small arms around his brother's neck and buried his head into his shoulder. Elrond smiled again shaking his head at his son's. He lowered his hand and placed it onto his eldests head, muttering a few words softly to himself, his son closed his eyes, and fell into a childhood dream state, one that would prevent him from entering the path of dreams.

Elrohir watched and smiled, then closed his eyes and followed his brother into dreams. Seeing both boys safely tucked away and asleep, he exited the room, closing the door softly behind him. He wandered down the halls to his study where he went in search of answers to his questions. One regarding his son's early entrance to adolescence. The other to find out about strange paths, unknown to most elves.