Disclaimer: I don't own any of JRR Tolkin's characters or his wonderful world.
Chapter Seven WARNING: Don't Leave Unsupervised
"Ducks!" Amdir cried racing down the grassy embankment, waving his small arms above his head wildly.
The unfortunate water birds took flight as the child galloped through them giggling with glee.
Elemmire sat subdued in Elrohir's arms sucking nosily on all his knuckles.
Upon the realisation that they weren't pretending to be elves – that they in fact were elves, Amdir had brushed the information away. Elemmire true to his timid nature had jumped up from the bed and hid in the cupboard. He had stayed there until Elrohir coaxed him out with melon and cream. Perhaps that was why he was still sucking on his knuckles. Elrohir had never seen cream spread so far.
Elrond had given both Elladan and Elrohir a brow beating for giving Elemmire cream for breakfast. This amused both the young twins greatly. They had watched with identical cream covered grins.
That was when Elladan had cleverly suggested taking the elflings down to the lake.
Elrohir had never seen a pair of children excited by the idea of a simple excursion, well when they realised they didn't have chores to do.
Elrohir's musings were cut off by a delighted cry from Amdir as he rushed towards the water. He flew down the bank, not once did he hesitate or check his speed, and plunged into the water with a tremendous splash.
Elemmire clapped his hands and laughed. "Me too! Me too!" he cried wriggling successfully from Elrohir's grip. Before the new inexperienced Ada could blink Elemmire was tearing down the embankment to join his brother in the water.
"Nooo!" Elrohir wailed in dismay as both of his elflings' head plopped up from the water splashing each other madly with squeals and squeaks.
Elladan smirked. "Two very wet elflings. What would ada say?"
Elrohir pursed his lips tightly and glared in Elladan's direction. Catching onto his brother's shoulder, Elrohir pulled off his boots whilst still standing and rolled up the legs of his pants. "I'll tell ada I gave them swimming lessons."
Elladan snorted and glanced over to the playing children. Elemmire playfully pushed his brother into the water. Amdir loosing his footing brought his twin down in a great cascade of water.
Elrohir without looking towards his brother strode down to the water's edge and waded to his adopted sons, who stopped and regarded him with round innocent eyes.
Then suddenly with quick elvish reflexes Elrohir did not expect of him, Amdir drenched him with a well aimed splash!
"Well," Elrohir said slowly his hands on his hips and head tilted to one side doing his best impersonation of Erestor. Amdir raised his eyebrows and mimicked him tauntingly.
Elemmire grinned winningly a mischievous glint in his eye. Before he could follow his brother's example however, Elrohir swept them both up and back down into the water. The young twins didn't even have time to squeal.
"Hey that wasn't fair," Amdir protested.
Elrohir laughed and lounged in the water. Elemmire took the opportunity to splash him back.
"Now we are wet!" Elemmire cried.
"You were already wet," Elrohir spluttered.
Elemmire blinked his rather large eyes at him. "But now we are really, really wet, ad-da."
Elrohir could only laugh at Elemmire's childish logic. He looked up to where Elladan was standing on the bank watching with an unreadable expression.
"What an earth do you think you are doing, Elrohir?"
Elrohir shrugged and flicked his hair out of his eyes. "Bonding."
"Bonding? You're all wet."
"Hmm," Elrohir nodded his head seriously. "I did notice that."
"Ada will have a fit!"
"Oh, come on and join us. You as the newly appointed adar-gwador have the responsibility to bond too."
Elladan snorted.
Elrohir however was not perturbed by Elladan's attitude, turned to Elemmire. "Ada has a special mission for you."
Elemmire's eyes lit up.
"You need to get adar-gwador to join us…"
"Ohh how?"
"Look at him with those lovely moist eyes of yours and look really offended that he has snubbed us."
"Look really cute," Amdir added thoughtfully, "just like when you're about to get into trouble."
Elemmire nodded furiously to show he understood and quickly clambered up the bank to Elladan. Elrohir watched in interest as Elemmire caught Elladan's hand and tugged loosely. He giggle to himself as Elladan shook his head with a clear 'no' and Elemmire pouted making the elder shift uneasily. Elladan shook his head again. Elemmire determinedly tilted his head and gazed unblinkingly up at Elladan and tugged once more.
Poor Elladan had no chance against Elemmire expert begging, very soon he was enticed into the water.
"I hate you," Elladan muttered to the grinning Elrohir.
The young twins took the opportunity of distraction to tackle Elladan and bring him crashing down into the water.
Elrohir rested on the grassy embankment; his eyes were usually half lidded as his mind wandered lazily. It was glorious in the midday sun. Elladan had left back for Imladris with the excuse that he needed to change into spare clothes. And Elemmire and Amdir were playing a tag game by some nearby trees. Their giggles and playful shouts were clearly heard over the bird song.
But Elrohir realised something as the minutes drained away. No longer could he hear the happy playing of his young sons.
Eyes snapped open with this dreadful realisation.
"Elemmire! Amdir!"
There was no response, just the soft murmuring of the wind in the branches.
"Amdir! Elemmire!" Elrohir rolled onto his feet, his hands slipped to his waist where his white boned knives should have been. His hand met thin air.
Baffled by this mystery Elrohir called out once more for his sons. Again there was no forthcoming answer. Angry that he had not supervised his new children carefully and angry the elflings had sneaked away, Elrohir roughly called their names again. He would rather meet an orc patrol rather than going home without Elemmire and Amdir. His ada would have a fit!
A high pitched cry of surprise and pain filled the air. Elrohir tilted his head and swore colourfully in elvish. The sound was certainly very child like in pitch.
Running as fast as possible through the forest Elrohir sped towards the sound of distress. Very soon he found his twins, Amdir sitting on a log looking pale and terrified. Elemmire, however, clutched a bloody white boned knife in one curled up fist and his ear with another.
Striding forward Elrohir let his worry and fear get the better of him. He wrenched the knife out of Elemmire's hand and threw it to one side; he could come back and collect it later.
"What have you done?" Elrohir hissed picking Elemmire up from under his armpits. He reached forward and grabbed Amdir's sweaty hands. "Wandering off like that was very, very naughty."
Elemmire didn't seem to be listening he continued to howl as if he was in tremendous pain. Indeed when he pulled his hand away from his ear Elrohir saw it was bloody. Blood clung to his left side of his temple soiling his hair and skin.
Elrohir glanced from one child to another as he felt his heart sink to the forest floor. His ada was going to strangle him when he got home.
Swearing softly Elrohir bent over and swung Amdir over his shoulder and started to run for Imladris. He had just be proven to be a very poor Ada to the young foundlings.
Elrond chuckled despite himself as Elladan told him vividly how little Elemmire had coerced him into the water. Erestor who stood silent at the end of the room, unseen and unheard by the twin, could not stop the smile reaching his lips.
"And then both the twins attacked me," Elladan cried, "I had no escape ada. That is why I came home wet."
"They are only little children, Elladan," Elrond replied.
"By the way you describe it you make them sound more like little orcs," Erestor rejoined.
Elladan spun and glared at his father's chief advisor and friend. "You just wait until they decide to pick on you."
Erestor sighed contentedly. "I am an older elf and I am blessed with being much cleverer than my younger counterparts."
Elladan threw him death stares as he exited and then turned his attention back to his father.
"Do you really believe Elrohir can raise these elflings effectively?"
"Do you?" Elrond replied infuriating Elladan by returning the same question.
"They will never have a nana," Elladan pointed out proud he had found a flaw.
Elrond seemed unimpressed as he slowly poured himself a glass of wine. He took a sip and glanced in Elladan's direction slyly.
"He killed that poor spider," Elladan cried in defence.
"I seem to recall it was you who stomped on it," Elrond cut in.
"But these are living breathing elflings! Surely someone else should have…"
Elrond held his hand up for silence and successful quenched Elladan argument. "Indeed. And I have no reason to doubt that Elrohir won't love and cherish them."
"Surely someone with experience…"
Elrond laughed sadly and shook his head. "I was not given a handbook on raising children when you and your brother were born."
"Ada…" Elladan sighed in irradiation.
However what Elladan was about to say remained a mystery. They were interrupted by Glorifindel knocked on the door and opened it without an invitation.
"Excuse me Lord Elrond," Glorifindel gasped. "Elorhir has returned with an injured elfling."
Elladan stole a glance at his father as Elrond stood and with swift strides nearly made it to the end of the room. Sighing Elladan decided to tag along for moral support.
They reached the healing quarters in record time. Elrond barged through the rooms with Elladan in his wake. He barely acknowledged any of the other elves who politely acknowledge his presence with nods and murmurs of 'milord.'
They finally came to a room where Amdir was sitting alone on a chair, swinging his legs back and forth idly. Elrohir was doubled over a struggling Elemmire.
"What happened?" Elrond demanded.
Elrohir whirled around and upon seeing his father grimaced in relief. He shook his head mutely and glanced back at his hand which was pinched over the wound on Elemmire's delicate baby elf ears. Elrond gaze followed that of the second born twin and narrowed.
A few seconds passed before he clicked into healer mode and shooed Elrohir to the side. Whispering softly in elvish he almost instantaneously calmed the wailing Elemmire and proceeded to clean the deep cut in the youngster's ear.
Elrohir watched sheepishly blinking away his own tears of frustration. Elladan stood by him his hand squeezing his shoulder. 'I did not watch them closely enough.'
Elladan sighed and tightened the squeeze on Elrohir's shoulder. 'Well at least you have learned something… baby elves need supervision.'
'I'm a bad ada.'
'Don't say that.' Elladan squirmed as he sent that thought relaxedly and felt immediately guilty for his chat with his father about Elrohir's parenting skills.
'You're thinking it. I know you are.'
'Doesn't mean I'm right,' Elladan thought ruefully he glanced at Amdir who was still sitting quietly contentedly sucking his thumb. 'I think someone is hungry.'
Elrohir snort aloud earning himself a quizzical look from Elrond. "You can take him down to the kitchens then and feed him." Before Elladan could protest Elrohir successfully bundled Amdir into his arms and shooed him from the room.
Elrond had sat Elemmire up; his green blue eyes glistening with tears and his thumb, like his twin, firmly lodged in his mouth.
"I think and explanation is due," Elrond said slowly as he stretched looking pointedly at Elrohir.
"I'm sorry ada I had dozed and by the time…" Elrohir gulped and glanced at Elemmire sucking merrily now on his knuckles. "By the time I found them he was crying and… and…"
"I tried to cut my ear off," Elemmire supplied quietly blinking his large eyes.
Elrond and Elrohir both gave him sharp looks which only made Elemmire cry. "I tried to cut my ear off!"
Hey need some help. Anyone know what the elvish word for grandfather is? I can't go around having the elflings call Elrond 'Elrond' and ada-ada doesn't have the same appeal as adar-gwador. It would really be a great help if anyone could please tell me!