Chapter Two

Awareness and Cold Dreams

He shivered as he woke. Something wasn't right; he could feel it deep down in his heart. Moaning against the heat that radiated from his body, he shifted under his large blanket shivering still. It didn't make sense to him really. He couldn't understand how he was cold when he was sweating under the mound of blankets that were piled up on top of him. Rolling over, kicking off some of the covers, he turned his head as a howled noise caught his attention at the window.

It was dark, and the snow flew in all directions just outside his window. Actually there were designs that started to form on the glass. He watched in amazement as the frost spread designs on his window. Sighing, he turned his head away from them, and looked around his dimly lit room. There were a few candles lit within casting his room in an orange ambience, and the fire in his hearth roared heavily.

He was still cold however and this caused him to frown. Kicking more blankets off his body, he shivered again and pulled the last blanket back up under his chin. The bedroom was incredibly warm, there should be no way he was cold. But still, looking at his arm, there were ice bumps forming on his skin. Yet on his skin there was a sheen of sweat as well, and he growled softly in annoyance.

He shoved himself into a sitting position on his mattress and looked around him again. There were no signs of the wintery air leaking into his room, both his windows sealed tightly. Filmy curtains covered one of them while the other had its curtains thrown aside to allow some light into his room. He supposed from the day, but now it was dark out. His door opened, and revealed his father.

Frowning, he took in the weary expression and he opened his mouth to ask the question that now pushed its way to the front of his mind. "Where is Ella?"

Elrond furrowed his brows. "He is not in here with you?"

Elrohir shook his head worry clutching his heart suddenly. He shivered again and his father noticed this walking forward to check his forehead. Angrily, Elrohir backed away. Elrond paused and looked at his son hard. "Do you still feel ill?"

Shaking his head firmly, he wrapped his small arms around his shivering body.

Raising his brow in amusement, he smiled. "Let me check, you are shivering in a room filled with incredible warmth."

Sighing frustrated, Elrohir nodded allowing his fathers hand to cover his forehead. True to the young elf's words, there was no trace of the fever that had lingered on the boy earlier. Sitting beside his son, he rubbed his arms, glancing at the sweat and bumps on his skin.

"You do not have a fever, but still you shiver?"

"Where is Ella?" Elrohir whispered again, shrugging out of his fathers arms.

Elrond frown deepened. "I will go find him, lay back and rest." He instructed his son who glared at him in defiance. It wasn't the first time he had received such a look from either of his children, and it still brought on a bit of anger. Shaking his head firmly, he raised his eyebrow that silenced any protests that Elrohir might have said. His small face eased from its glare into one of compliance. Elrohir did continue to stare at him however in mock hurt.

Elrond slipped out of his sons room quickly, heading to the kitchens in hopes that the cook had seen his son earlier. Taking no time at all to descend the stairs towards the kitchen halls, Elrond made remarkably good time. Once at the kitchens he heard muffled voices within, and he opened the door.

All conversation came to a pause immediately at the site of the elf lord. The cook stood quickly, inclining her head in greeting. "Milord."

Elrond waved in dismissal and quickly questioned her. "Have you seen my son today?"

The cook tilted her head confused. Thinking rapidly, she shook her head. "Not since this morning, milord."

"So Elladan did not arrive to the kitchens for lunch or dinner?" Elrond asked pointedly.

"Nay, I thought he had dined with his brother in his chambers." She responded.

Nodding once, Elrond turned and left the kitchens and caught sight of Erestor in the hall. He called out to the dark haired elf, who turned in surprise. "Elrond?"

"Have you seen Elladan today?" Elrond asked quickly. He was barely able to remain still for the answer.

Erestor shook his head quickly. "Not since this morning, no."

Growling in frustration, Elrond hasted to the balrog slayers chambers, leaving Erestor standing there confused.

Glorfindel sighed shaking his head firmly at the other elf who stood in his sitting room. The elf scowled with his arms crossed over his chest, angrily. "I will not hear anymore, Maron." Glorfindel sat down with a thump. They had been arguing about the riots that had erupted in a small town outside the valley.

Maron shook his head, his braided hair flying in all directions. "They are killing the trees, poisoning the water, and killing animals that have done no harm. Fighting amongst themselves, not to mention in front of innocent children who should not witness such harsh tirades. This madness must stop."

"I agree with you, but now is not the time to go rushing into the town. If you haven't noticed, there is a storm outside." Glorfindel waved his hand nonchalantly to the window.

Maron scowled again, but nodded his head. He was about to sit down when a knock at the door caused them to glance at each other curiously. "Enter." Glorfindel sighed. He stood up however when Elrond's shadow appeared, looking stressed. "What is it?"

"Have you seen Elladan at all today?" The elf lord asked looking at the two elves in side.

Glorfindel nodded. "I saw him earlier, before lunch I suppose." The golden haired elf glanced over at his foster son who only shook his head.

"Do you remember where you saw him?" Elrond asked somewhat impatiently.

Nodding again. "I saw him in the field, right outside the courtyard. Why?"

"My son did not appear for lunch, nor for dinner, Elrohir has not seen him and I have not either." Elrond blurted out quickly, intending to turn and walk away.

Maron stepped forward. "You believe him to be still outside?"

Elrond nodded hesitantly.

Maron only shook his head. Glorfindel pursed his lips. "Well let us go locate this wayward elfling."

Maron sighed and shook his head again. "Out there?" He asked in wonder.

Glorfindel nodded. "Yes out there."

"You do realize that not moments before, you were informing me of a storm." Maron pointed out.

"Now going out in it bothers you?" Glorfindel snapped in retaliation.

Shaking his head firmly, he stated. "In a storm such as this, tracking is impossible. Fresh fallen snow will cover whatever tracks may have littered the ground."

Glorfindel walked up to Maron placing his hand on the elf's shoulder. "You are the best tracker we have, whether it be in snow or mud. Can you find the tracks?"

Maron hesitated, and slowly nodded. "I can if we can locate where he was."

Without another word, the three elves exited the balrog slayers chambers and made their way down the halls.

He felt cold and wet all over. Groaning, his head hurt too. Opening his eyes, which proved to be harder then he remembered, he noticed a layer of white all around him. He was currently on his stomach, face planted into the cold snow. Rolling over onto his back, he whimpered at the rush of pain that ran through his head. Closing his eyes against the pain, he lay there shivering uncontrollably. He was now glad that his father had ordered him to wear the extra cloak, although now it was doing everything but keep him warm.

Turning his head to the side, he saw red mixed in with the white snow. Licking his lips, Elladan lifted his hand and placed it on his head looking for the cut. He couldn't find it, and lowered his hand, shivering again. Closing his eyes, he felt himself drift off into an oblivious darkness where pain wouldn't be able to follow him.

Elrohir sat upright in his bed. Frowning, he looked around in the dim room, and crawled out of his bed quickly. He knew his brother was nowhere nearby, and so determined, Elrohir decided to perform his own search. The small elf shed himself of his bedclothes and quickly dressed into a pair of warm pants, a tunic, a large over coat and his warm cloak. Placing his boots on his feet, Elrohir slipped from the room quickly.

Rushing down the stairs, Elrohir made his way to the front doors and pushed them open. A blast of cold freezing air met him head on, causing him to stumble back surprised. Taking a deep breath, he stepped out into the swirling snow, and made his way down the steps into the courtyard. Glancing around him in fear, he had no idea which way to go. The flurry of snow whirling around him did not help matters either.

Swallowing his fear, he stepped forward, following the footsteps that were quickly disappearing in the falling snow. They were large, and there were six prints. Not sure of whose they were, Elrohir followed them slowly.

His heart fluttered in his chest, but he knew his brother was out here somewhere. Without a doubt, he nodded. The wind flipped his cloak upward, a sudden blast of freezing air running up into his tunic causing him to shiver. His breath came out of his mouth in a mist of air, and his eyelashes started to freeze. Only able to take a few steps more, Elrohir's teeth started chattering, and he knew it was definitely too cold to be out in the weather.

He felt like crying, but he knew that if he did his tears would freeze as well, and he only wanted to find Elladan. Shaking his head, he pulled his hood over his head, pulling his cloak around his small frame tightly, his legs already numb from the cold. Taking one wobbly step after another. He came to the edge of the courtyard, and looked behind him. Startled, his house was no longer in sight behind the flurry of snow. Swallowing the fear that rushed into his head. His only hope now was to find his brother and who ever else was out in the storm. Elrohir wasn't lost or anything, he knew that, but he was also disorientated with how cold he felt, and that his brother was nowhere near him.

Sighing, he trudged through the snow, and continued to follow the now almost disappeared footprints. He was going to be in a lot of trouble if his father ever found out he left the confines of his room, and going outside in the horrible snowstorm. Taking a deep breath for courage, he continued onward.

Maron knelt beside an over turned log, they had been walking for close to an hour, the new snow covered over turned snow from earlier in the day. His fingers traced the outline of small prints and nodded in Elrond's direction. "He was here, earlier, sat in this very spot."

"Can you track his steps from here?" Elrond called over the howl of the wind, a bunch of snow decided then to fly upward and fill the elf lords mouth, causing him to sputter.

Glorfindel smirked. Shaking his head at the sight, he looked down at his foster son who stood looking around carefully. "Do you see any more prints?" His voice was also loud above the storm.

Maron nodded hesitantly at first. His eyes turned to the pool on his left and his eyes widened as he caught sight of footprints near it. "Your son wouldn't go onto the ice would he?" He asked, eyes narrowed blocking the snow from hitting them.

Elrond shook his head quickly. "No, he knows better then that. I told him the dangers." Fear however clutched his heart, perhaps his son had not thought before hand.

The wind around them grew in intensity, causing the snow to flurry around harder. More snow fell from the sky, giving their visual distance limited space.

Maron nodded, and turned away from the pool, and allowed his eyes to follow the direction of the footprints. They were faint, and now were getting fainter as the snow fell harder. Growling in frustration, he walked over to the newly planted saplings only eight feet away. The child had been here too. Maron mused to himself. Standing upright, he was almost blown off his feet as a gust of wind stirred up suddenly. Planting his feet firmly, he felt himself shiver. Frowning, Maron drew his cloak around his shoulders and scowled at the weather. "We must hurry if we are to continue our search. The weather only grows worse, and I highly doubt will lesson to aid our task at hand." Maron called out to the other two elves that were searching the ground by the log.

They did not look up and Maron frowned. His words must have been lost on the wind. Stalking up to the two elves, he knelt down beside them placing his hand on their shoulders. "We must go." He shouted.

Elrond and Glorfindel both nodded, and stood up following Maron slowly as he searched the ground for signs of passage. The night was growing darker, and the snow was falling harder. It was definitely proving to be harder then they thought to outwit the weather, and things were only getting worse as the minutes rolled by.