Chapter Three Joining Skills; Additions

Elrohir jumped to the branch above the one he was sitting on, listening to every word the lessons master called out to him. Galathil and Elrohir were the only ones left on the training grounds, and the lessons master was impressed with the skills his newest student possessed.

"Alright, you may come down now. You have done well for your first day." Galathil called.

Elrohir grinned brightly, and quickly shifted his feet sliding down the trunk of the tree. He used his hands to brace his descent and to slow himself down, by catching a hold of branches as he passed them. He twisted in mid air close to the ground and jumped the rest of the way. He landed softly on his feet and stood straight facing his new teacher.

Galathil smiled and clasped Elrohir's shoulder and they both walked towards the home of Lord Elrond. "Come it is time for us to ask your father if it is alright for you to join my lessons."

Elrohir felt his heart flutter with anticipation and nervousness. He took a deep breath and followed Galathil in through the great oak doors of his father's house.

Both boys stood outside their father's study quietly waiting for the trainings master to emerge with news regarding the youngest son of Elrond to join his lessons. Elladan had been surprised to leave the training fields without his brother where he had been left, but he had thought he had gone reading. Now he was even more surprised to find out that he had been training right alone with the rest of the students, and had stayed behind to do some catch up work.

"What do you suppose father will say?" Elladan whispered into his twin's ear.

Elrohir shrugged. "I do not know, but I think perhaps he will say I am too young or not ready." Elrohir looked down at his feet that he was shuffling on the newly polished surface of tile. "I do so want to train with the rest of you. It looks like so much fun. I want to always be by your side." He added quietly.

Elladan smiled and nodded. "I would like you to join us also, imagine how fun it would be to confuse the others?"

Elrohir looked up at Elladan and frowned. "How so?"

"We are twins are we not? Identical ones at that?" Elladan winked.

Elrohir's mouth dropped open. "We could not possibly." He gasped. "The trainings master wishes for us to dress differently for that purpose alone."

"We fool mother and father all the time, Ro. This would be different; we would only be fooling the other students. They are so bland and proper at times, it almost makes me want to throw mud at them to lighten the mood." Elladan shrugged. "Well all except Lólinder, he is nice. Besides not many know that we are twins."

Elrohir frown deepened. "I do not know about this, Ella. I do not want to get into trouble."

Elladan groaned. "You are always the spoil sport." Before he was able to utter another word, the doors of their father's study creaked open. Both boys stood straight and bowed as they saw their father. This caused Elrond's forehead to crease suspiciously. "What are you two up to?"

"Nothing father." They chorused together.

Elrond narrowed his eyes watching his two son's, but they appeared to be anxious and nothing more to him. He opened his study door more to allow them to pass through. "Both of you sit." He motioned to the rather large stools that stood by his desk. The boys pursed their lips thinking about how they were to climb them.

Elladan whispered to his brother and he nodded lifting his foot into his brother's waiting clasped hands and got boosted up. Then once settled on the chair, Elladan wrapped his leg around the stool legs and lowered his hand to his twin and hoisted him up.
Elrond chuckled. "Very inventive and crafty."

Galathil nodded and smiled. He watched as the twins seated themselves onto their chairs and watched their father pace back and forth behind his desk. Their gray eyes were wide with anticipation.

"How are your trainings going, Elladan?" Elrond asked his eldest son.

Elladan glanced at his teacher worriedly, but proudly held up his head with sureness and said. "It is well, father. It is lonely at times, but I have made a friend."

"You wish for your brother to join you?" Elrond raised his eyebrow in question.

Elladan nodded excitedly. "Oh yes father."

"Elrohir? Do you wish to join in these lessons?"

Elrohir nodded slowly, not looking into his father's eyes. "I was quiet father, I did not get in the way." He lifted his head worried that his father thought he had asked to join.

Elrond smiled. "Nay, tis alright." He held up his hand. "I know all about you sitting on the benches silently. I also know about how skilled you are." Elrond glanced over to the lessons master and nodded his head in Galathil's direction.

The teacher walked forward. "They are both skilled in many ways my lord. It would be a great addition to my group to have both your sons join me."

The twins turned their heads to the teacher and smiled their thanks. Galathil returned the smile and winked.

Elrond sighed. "These are not lessons for mischief, nor are they to be taken lightly. They will aid you in later life, following these skills, come many responsibilities. Consequences arise at disobedience, punishments follow a simple slip."

Both boys glanced at each other eyes glimmering in the dim candlelight. "We understand father." They said in unison.

Elrond nodded. "Then I do not see why you both cannot be enlisted into lessons. Elladan, you will continue as you have for the past week. Elrohir will start tomorrow. You will stay afterwards, as Galathil has requested to catch up on missed work.

Understood?" Both boys nodded eagerly and hopped down from their stools. Elrohir ran forward and hugged his father's knees.

"Oh, thank you father!" He cried.

Elrond laughed. "You are welcome. Galathil has requested you two to wear different clothing. I trust you both to follow this simple request?"

They nodded quickly, a little too quickly for Elrond's liking. "Good, now, Elladan you have to be fitted for a bow and quiver.

Elrohir, you have much to catch up on, so off with you both." Galathil grinned as he watched the twin sons of Elrond race from the room.

"They will be great warriors, my lord." He said softly.

"Warriors, yes, but I hope that they will follow a peaceful life without battle." Elrond sighed exiting the room leaving the lessons master behind.

Galathil walked out of the study and walked down the halls of Imladris heading to his own houses outside the barracks. He had lots to prepare for the following day. He glanced up to the darkening sky and smiled as he spotted a star shimmer through. Another popped up beside it and he stopped. He watched as the two stars shimmered together. "Twin stars of Imladris." He whispered to himself. Shaking his head he continued to his small cabin and entered thinking about his new student.

Then he stopped. "Twin stars of Imladris!" He exclaimed quickly exiting his house searching for the stars once again. He found them in the same place as before and his eyes scanned them intensely. Two stars glittering together in the dark sky, shining down on the lands and lingering light drifting onto the house of Elrond. "What fate do you have for these two?" He quietly asked the Valar, expecting no answer in return. What ever was in store for the twins; it would prove to be well decided upon. Silently thinking to himself he reentered his house and closed the door, leaving the chirping of crickets and the hooting of owls behind.

Elrohir walked up to the field searching for signs of Elladan but could not find him. It was early morning and he had searched high and low for his brother. Nervous, Elrohir walked to the field alone, frightened on how the other elfings would take to him being a new comer. As he walked up he smiled as a boy waved to him, but Elrohir's smiled faded as he thought of his brother. They probably thought he was Elladan.

"Come be in my team." The blond haired boy announced.

Elrohir looked pleadingly at Galathil who smiled recognizing the slight discomfort.

"Lólinder." Galathil warned. "I would all of you like to welcome Elrohir to our lessons. He has decided to join us." Galathil waved him over into the group while the other boys looked at him curiously.
Shuffling his feet in the dirt, he waited quietly with the other elflings. Some whispered to each other, others only stared. He could make out certain words and conversations that were whispered. "What game is he playing?" "Have you not heard, the lord has two children?" "I heard he had twins." "Elves don't have twins."

Elrohir glanced around him; still there was no sign of his brother. Galathil sat down and motioned for the other boys to gather around. "Today's lesson will be one of dodging. You will learn today how to dodge an opponent's attack, and how to counter it. I am still waiting for my assistant to join us, so that I may show you how it is done. Then you will break up into groups of two."
A small cry drifted into the field causing the others to glance in the direction. Elrohir smiled seeing sight of his brother, who raced towards them. "I am sorry for my tardiness." Elladan gasped handing a piece of paper to Galathil. "My father asked me to give this to you."

Galathil stood up and nodded. He opened the parchment and read. "Thank you, Elladan."

Elrohir leaned over and whispered into his brother's ear. "I looked everywhere for you."

"Father called me into his study, I got sort of tied up there." Elladan whispered back. "Sorry." Elrohir shrugged. Elladan looked around him and saw the others looking at him and his brother curiously. "What?" He asked.

The boys looked away. This caused Elladan to glance at his brother in question. Elrohir shrugged again. "I will tell you later."As the boys trained and worked on their dodging, Galathil stood beside his assistant watching as they tripped each other, or pushed slightly to cause unbalance. He shook his head slightly.

"They have lots to learn." His assistant muttered.

"They will learn skills, some may not. My eyes are on the son's of Elrond." He whispered quietly.

"They show craftiness." His assistant nodded looking in the twin's direction watching as they spun and twisted, and jumped.

The lessons master nodded and watched his students until it was mid day, before calling it quits. "Time for you all to go to your other lessons." He announced.

As the elfling's left, only one stayed behind. He watched as the older brother leaned over and whispered something in his twin's ear. Then turn and race from the field. The youngest stood and watched before slowly walking up to the lessons master, waiting obediently until he was told to do other wise. A smile grew on the older elf's face as he watched this silently. Galathil stood quietly, waiting to see how long it would take for this elfling to loose patience and start fidgeting. To his surprise it didn't come.

The twin's were definitely interesting and seemed to amaze him as no other student had done in his long life. Only one had ever compared to the two, and that student now held a position at lord Elrond's side as one of his advisor's, and a guard. Tomorrow he would see how far he could push the young students. It was going to be a very interesting day.