Chapter 8
Something had changed.
There was something about the air that was warmer, something about the light that shone brighter than it had before.
He knew the one who changed it.
He had been ready to leave, but something had changed. Something was tugging at his heart, begging him to stay.
Something was coming.
Something he had waited for, what his heart had longed for all these years.
He opened his eyes, not remembering when he had closed them.
He opened his eyes and he saw what he had hoped for, so strongly that it was impossible for him to move. He opened his eyes and saw his dreams come true.
He looked around and he saw all those people surrounding him, looking at them with wet eyes, as if someone had just died, and he did not understand why they weren't singing and dancing.
"Ro" he spoke, to get their attention to the window, to let them see what he saw, while he tried to remember how to walk.
The elves still stared at him, but that was not his problem, as soon as he remembered how to walk he would be out of here.
"I'm going to meet Ro." He told them.
Elrond was devastated by the sound of joy in his eldest son's words.
He felt betrayed, for all the things he had wished for, the things he had begged for from the depths of his heart were washed away like they had meant nothing at all.
All the persons he had cared about had left him so readily.
He knew there was more to it, and with his reason he could understand, yet there were times when his heart shouted louder, when he felt…
His parents had cared more about a stupid rock than they had cared about him.
Elros could have chosen to remain elf, but he had abandoned him, left him without reason.
Celebrian could have stayed. He had healed her, she would have lived. But still she had chosen to leave. He had seen the relief in her eyes when her ship had sailed, and he had hated her for that.
She could have at least tried to stay with him, she could have fought her evil dreams, he could have helped her, he had known how, but she had chosen the easy way.
Ro had died for another man's son, not thinking once about his own father, and Elladan… Elladan, his strong son, raised to be a fighter, had just given up and given in.
Who was next?
Arwen?
Who more did he have to lose?
"My lord Elrond?" a voice interrupted his trail of thought. "My lord Elrond, I am sorry to disturb you, sir. But Estel… and… and…"The elf did not seem to find his words. "Your son, my lord. Badly wounded."
He stood in the middle of the Hall not knowing where to go next. The elf that had met them had told him he would get his father, that he would just have to wait a few seconds, that all would be alright soon; he just had to wait a little bit. And then he had just disappeared, too fast for Elrohir to follow.
He had never felt this lost in Imladris' main Hall before, nor as unwelcome. The few elves that were there were staring at him, at his face, at the small child in his arms, but mostly at the wound in his chest and its mirror on his back. None of the elves spoke a single word.
He wished he had not given his shirt to the wounded child, though he knew he had had no other choice. He wished he could hide his wounds from all that stared at him. Before he had arrived here he had not realised how bad the wounds must look, how much he had changed and he could not bear the thought that soon Elladan would stare at him the same way.
"Little one, I am going to put you down for a minute." He whispered softly to the boy in his arms, as he felt he could not speak when everyone was staring at him like this.
While the boy stood on his own two feet for a minute Elrohir pulled a dirty cloak out of his backpack and wrapped it around his body as well as he could.
Though the dirt of the cloak burned in his wounds he felt better now he had something to shield him from the glares.
As an afterthought he pulled the hood over his face as well, before picking the boy back up. The elves around him still stared, but Elrohir didn't mind it all that much now that his wounds were hidden. It was as if his cloak would protect him from facing how much he had changed.
"My Lord…? My Lord Elrohir?"
It took a while before he realized the elf was speaking to him.
"Lord Elrond is ready to see you now. This way."
Elladan heard his footsteps coming closer and he closed his eyes to hear them better. He smiled to hear that Elrohir still walked the same way, even after all these years away from here, he still had the bounce in his steps that no-one else had.
He was coming closer, ever closer, he would be here soon…
The footsteps stopped, and Elladan opened his eyes once more, holding his breath.
The door opened…
TBC.. (soon)
Liek