Disclaimer: I don't own any of JRR Tolkin's characters or his wonderful world.

Chapter Six We are elves?

Elrohir cradling the shocked Elemmire sat back into a large chair before his long elegant fingers searched the scalp for any sign of a wound. Elemmire wince and his eyes welled up with fresh teras as Elrohir's fingers found a large lump.

"My head hurts," the child murmured as he gazed dazedly about.

"Hmm… you hit your head quite hard."

Elrohir looked up to see Amdir staring harshly at him, his little fists curled into balls at his side an angry pout on his face. "I'm suppose to look after him," Amdir whispered, "That's my job."

Elemmire snuffled loudly as Elrohir stood gracefully.

"That is now my job to."

Amdir's eyes narrowed dangerously. "No! Put him down! Put him down! PUT HIM DOWN!" Amdir's whispered command crescendo with alarming speed to a holler.

Panicked over the surprising reactions of the elflings to which he thought was wonderfully glorious news, Elrohir found himself complying with Amdir's command.

Amdir however kept shrieking at him at the top of his lungs. "Get out! OUT! LEAVE US ALONE! AND NEVER, EVER COME BACK!"

Mortified Elrohir spun in a full circle searching desperately for something to calm the elflings. Amdir's screaming suddenly made Elemmire's soft sobs into a loud hysterical wail.

"I… I… don't….wan..na… be… a – a –a slave!"

'Elrohir, is everything okay?'

'Does it sound like I'm okay, Elladan?'

'Ada is coming and Erestor and Glorifindel and Legolas and Thandruil and half of Imladris…'

'Thank the valar!' Elrohir blocked his keen ears from the ever hysterical noises emitted from the twins. He never knew something that tiny could make such a racket.

As this happened Elrond entered the door banging on the hinges. Elrohir turned, his fingers still protruding out of his ears and mouthed desperately. 'Help me!'

Elrond nodded curtly and rushed over by Amdir and hushed him with gentle words in elvish. Erestor swept past and picked up Elemmire who seemed to calm with his touch. As soon as Amdir stopped screaming Elemmire quietened to almost inaudible sniffles.

"What did you do to them to warrant such behaviour?" Elladan asked somewhat amused. Elrohir glared at him and attempted to take Elemmire from Erestor, but the child flinched and buried himself deeper into the advisor's embrace.

Despite the momentarily expression of pain and rejection on his face, Elrohir turned to his brother and smile wanly and glanced at the crowd of elves gathered at the door way.

Elrond stood picking up Amdir who was forcibly wiping away tears. Elrohir had not even noticed the child had been crying while screaming at him. He had let a screaming child command him; his cheeks reddened in shame. He had been easily manipulated.

Elrond waved the other elves away and very soon only Erestor, Glorfindel and Legolas remained.

"I don't know went wrong!" Elrohir cried in frustration. "I was trying to explain to them about the adoption and…" Elrohir glanced at Elemmire in Erestor's arms he seemed almost immobile now. He longed to take his new son in his arms but he dared not; not while Amdir was staring at him like that was avidly.

"Elemmire completely misunderstood and everything escalated from there," Elrohir continued. Steeling himself against Amdir's death stares he took Elemmire from Erestor. He rubbed the distressed elfling's back as he felt fresh tears run down his neck and chest. He looked over ruefully at Erestor who also sported a wet tunic.

"He said that we belong to him," Amdir snapped. "That wasn't a nice thing to say."

Elrond's lips tightened and glanced at Elrohir to elaborate.

"I was trying to tell that what an ada was and Elemmire thought…"

"I don't wanna be a slave," Elemmire sniffed cutting Elrohir's explanation off.

"That's not what I said, penneth."

"Yes it is!" Amdir argued. Elemmire brought his head up for the first time looking very miserable indeed.

"No, no, no," Elrohir said softly wiping Elemmire's tear stained cheeks. Again surprised something so little could shed that much water. "My heart firstly belongs to you. I am firstly yours."

Elemmire wrinkled his little nose. "I don't want you as a slave."

Behind him he heard Erestor's laughed joined by that of Elladan.

"I think you're doing fine," Legolas said quietly, "It obviously is an alien concept to them judging by their difficulty to grasp what you are saying."

Elrohir sighed and glanced once more at Elrond who was still holding a squirming Amdir with practiced ease.

"Elemmire do you love and care about your brother?"

The little one nodded eagerly.

"Amdir do you love and care about your brother?"

The question was answered by an identical nod.

"Then think of me…" Elrohir gestured around the room. "Us as more beings that will love and care for you no matter what."

"Beautiful," Legolas murmured with a grin.

Elrond was nodding in approval.

"So we're not slaves?" Elemmire asked quietly.

"No." Elrohir brushed the elfling's cheeks again. "You will never know slavery again."

"And you won't hurt us?" Amdir piped up hopefully.

"Upon my word, never," Elrohir promised solemnly.

Elemmire let out a shuddering sigh and leant further into Elrohir's embrace, his breathing slowing to a more relaxed state.

"And now I think it is time for little ones to sleep," Elrond commented.

Elemmire blinked slowly as Elrohir picked up and brush and sat down on the bed setting the child before him. Elrond did the same for Amdir who looked a little less happy of his treatment than his brother.

Elladan, Legolas and Erestor left with quiet goodnights and soon Elrond and Elrohir were left alone with the twins.

Elemmire was sleepily enjoying Elrohir untying and brushing his hair but the time his new ada had finished he was asleep. Amdir too was blinking tiredly.

"Someone methinks had a hair cut," Elrond commented lightly.

"Gwanunig presto," Elrohir sighed, "He doesn't like his braids."

Elrond clicked his tongue bemused. "Funny little being."

Very carefully Elrohir stood and tucked Elemmire into bed. His keen ears heard a soft moan of contentment from Amdir as he too was tucked in.

Smiling almost sadly to himself, Elrohir softly kissed each elfling's foreheads lightly and softly exited the room. He leaned against the wall and let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding, forgetting Elrond was still near by.

"You did well ion-nin."

Elrohir forced a smile. "Is this how you felt, ada?"

"Exhausted, relieved but incredibly happy?"

"Aye, I suppose you could phrase it like that, ada."

"Then I felt this many times, ion-nin."

Elladan and Elrohir made their way slowly towards the youngsters' bedroom. It was early in the morning and they doubted they would be awake. They were to be proven wrong by the sound of identical giggles…

Elrohir opened the door and was greeted with a shout of "Elrohir!" as Amdir came streaking across the room, a fur blanket around his shoulders, and grabbed him around his legs. "Elladan!" Elemmire shrieked following suit. He had a lamp shade on his head. Then the twins exchanged places…Elrohir was now staring into Elemmire's large eyes and Elladan was shrinking away from an enthused Amdir.

"Good morning ion-nins, you are both up early," Elrohir said.

"Up with the sun!" Elemmire cried happily. He seemed like a completely different elfling that he had been the previous night, for which Elrohir was grateful.

Elrohir grinning energetically at Elladan (who sighed and rolled his eye animatedly) took a seat on a comfy chair and invited his adoptive sons to join him. Amdir took a running leap and landed nimbly on his lap, Elemmire on the other hand was content to scramble ungracefully.

When both children were secure on his lap and had stopped wiggling Elrohir spoke, "We need to talk more little ones about something we have said to confuse you."

"You're not very good at explaining things Elro… erm…" Elemmire announced now unsure what Elrohir's name was now.

"Ada, now ion-nin," Elrohir supplied.

"Udder," both twins chorused.

"No AD – A."

"Ad – da."

Elladan laughed lightly and shrugged in his brother's direction. "It's better."

Elrohir turned his attention back to the task at hand. Explaining to his children that they were in fact elves…

"Tell me little ones what you understand elves to be," Elrohir asked softly.

"They're really ugly," Amdir supplied. "Really ickey."

"And mean."

"They have sharp teeth."

"And sticky breath – and they're ickey."

"And mean…"

"And they eat live flesh."

'Uh-oh,' Elrohir thought, 'Sounds like orcs to me.'

"Amdir is Elemmire ugly and ickey."

"No."

"Elemmire is Amdir mean…"

"Only when someone is mean to me."

"And do I have sharp teeth and yucky breath."

"No."

"Do you like to eat live flesh?"

The young twins shivered; where was the conversation leading to?

"I like berries best of all."

"I like melon – with cream…"

"Yeah but you always got into trouble for getting into master's cream."

Elrohir sighed and waited for the children to finish their conversation. "Well I think we should have a look at this book I wanted to show you." He gestured to Elladan and looked around for the book that Elrohir had meant to show the children last night.

Elladan flicked through the pages and found what Elrohir wanted to show them. "This is a picture of a great king from a very long time ago."

"Before we were born?"

"Yes a long time before then."

The book was opened and shown to the children who gave a cry of delight. "Oh I like him…"

"He looks nice."

"What's his name?" Elemmire was gazing up at Elrohir trustingly his small finger on the king's face.

"Gil-galad, the last king of the Noldor. He was slain in the last alliance of elves and men."

"But…" Amdir was squinting at the page. "But… he is not…"

"A man," Elemmire finished.

"No. Gil-galad was not a man."

"Then what was he?" the twins chorused.

"An elf."

The two children glanced at each other worriedly. "But he does not…"

"Look ugly, ickey, have sharp teeth and does not look like he would prefer to eat live flesh?"

The twins nodded.

"Elladan the mirror."

Elladan picked up the mirror looking sceptically at his brother. This was going too well.

"Here first is a picture of some little elves." The twins looked down at the page befuddled for a moment.

"And here are your faces," Elrohir said holding up the mirror. He watched as the elflings looked into the mirror blinking with wide eyed amazement.

"We are elves," Amdir gasped suddenly. Elemmire's hand wound its way around his pointed ear.

"We are elves," Elemmire repeated.