Title: The Rivendell Chronicles: A Midwinter's Eve
Characters: Elladan, Elrohir, Legolas, Elrond, Celebrían, Glorfindel, Erestor, Galadriel, Celeborn, Thranduil, Laurelin, Haldir.
Summary: Imladris has been preparing for the large, annual Midwinter's Eve party. Even Elladan and Elrohir, the twin terrors, have found ways to make surprises for everyone, especially their father. When Legolas, a guest and friend of theirs arrives from Mirkwood, the twins decide to go exploring. A snowstorm hits early, catching the elves in the wilderness just outside of Rivendell. With the help of their new friend, can the identical twin terrors find a way to get home safe? Before Elrond starts the celebrations? And more importantly, what's Elrond's surprise? Can he bring things together in time for the holiday?
Rating/Genre: Drama/PG
p i This was written just before the holiday season. For all my friends at CoE, especially the ones in RoU and any rpgs that I am currently involved in, especially Jaid, Vana, Flash. /i
Elrohir woke up to the sound of singing. He smiled and rolled out of his bed, still dressed in his pajamas. He went downstairs and found Glorfindel, looking out the window at a snow-covered ground, just in time for the best holiday of the year. The young Elf could not wait to play in the snow with his brother and Glorfindel.
"Glorfy!" said Elrohir, running towards the blonde-haired Elf. Glorfindel smiled at the twin, and pretended to guess which one he was. This was a game that he had played with the twins for as long as they could talk, and the older Elf didn't want to break the tradition, especially when the holidays were near.
"Let's see..." he said, pretending to be confused. "Are you Elrohir?" The twin giggled and nodded his head. Glorfindel smiled. Alone he, except for Elrond and Celebrían, could always tell the identical twins apart, unlike Erestor. For one thing, Elrohir's left eyebrow was higher than his right one, and, besides, the younger one always got up earlier in the morning than his brother did. "Do you know what day it is tomorrow?" asked the Elf, changing the subject.
Elrohir thought for a moment. "It's Midwinter's Day tomorrow, isn't it, Glorfy?" he exclaimed. Even though the sun had not yet risen, the young peredhil was full of energy. "You should see what El and I made for Ada..." he whispered something into the Elf's ear, grinning at their surprise for Lord Elrond.
"Yes, it is, Ro," said Glorfindel. He enjoyed the holiday almost as much as the children did, and he liked it even more now that Elrond had two sons to share the happiness with. As a close friend of Elrond, Glorfindel often found himself watching the twins, a task that he had not cared much for when he first started, but now, since the identical twins had won over his heart, he found it hard to refuse watching them. After all, how much trouble could they be?
"I love Midwinter's Day! Legolas and Haldir are coming, right?" the young Elf looked quizzically at Glorfindel as he inquired about whether or not two of his friends were coming to the celebrations or not.
"Of course they are, Elrohir," said Glorfindel, beginning to tire of the twin's constant questioning. As much as he liked both of the twins, there came a time for everyone that he or she was bound to get slightly annoyed with the identical elflings, even for Elrond and Celebrían.
"Happy Midwinter's Day, Glorfy," said a sleepy voice. A face identical to Elrohir's looked up at the elf, tugging on his sleeve.
"I'm afraid you're a day too early, Elladan," said Glorfindel, smiling. "Midwinter's Day is tomorrow, not today." This statement brought a frown from the young elf, who could neither read nor write very well yet. "Tis a good thing that it's tomorrow and not today. We still have a lot to do, and your adar needs as much help as he can get!" Both twins smiled and giggled at Glorfindel's expression and the comment about Lord Elrond needing help. As the ruler of Imladris, Elrond was not very open to others helping him, perhaps with the mere exception of Celebrían and Glorfindel.
"Oops," said Elladan. "Ada needs our help to get ready, and Ro and I are going to help him!" His face held a comical, yet stubborn look, reminding Glorfindel much of that of Elrond or even of Gil-galad. Glorfindel let out a chuckle. "What's so funny?" demanded Elladan, who wanted desperately to know what the older elf was laughing about.
"Yeah, Glorfy! What's so funny?" echoed Elrohir, who, instead of thinking of something original to say, would often repeat his brother, or vice versa.
"Never mind, you two," replied Glorfindel. He took both of the twins' hands into his own and walked over to Elrond's room. "Let's go see if someone needs some help waking up first. After all, you can't prepare for a holiday before waking up to do so." Quietly, he opened the door to Elrond's room and let both of the twins into the room. Elladan and Elrohir exchanged wicked glances between each other and ran over to the bed, jumping up and down on it as soon as they got there.
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"Sorry about that, Elrond," said Glorfindel when Celebrían had taken the twin terrors out of the room, leaving Glorfindel to talk to Elrond alone. "I didn't think you'd mind that much."
Elrond gave his friend a menacing look, eyebrows angled downwards, a look that he was known throughout Middle-earth for, and perhaps his trademark expression. "You didn't think I would mind! Honestly, Glorfindel, sometimes I wonder what the twins have been doing to you during all the time that you spend with them!" came the half-awake reply.
"I guess nothing can prepare you for the twin terrors," said Glorfindel, trying not to laugh. He remembered something that he knew Elrond didn't want to remember, but decided to bring it up, anyways. "Gil-galad said that you and Elros were that way, too. I'm sure that you caused your fair share of trouble when you were little, not only to Eärendil, but also to Gil-galad."
Elrond did not answer this comment. He thought back to when he and Elros were growing up, causing mischief and wreaking havoc on innocent elves, including Gil-galad himself. "Perhaps you should be a little softer on the twins," said Glorfindel. "After all, they are still young, and they are excited for the holiday that is coming up soon."
Elrond snapped out of the almost-dream state that he was in. "Midwinter's Eve! I almost forgot!" he exclaimed, jumping out of bed and onto the floor with a soft thud. He slipped on his robes over his tunic, which he had been wearing before and ran out of the room, muttering to himself something along the lines of "There's so much to do, so much to do, and so little time, too much to do..."
"Wait!" said Glorfindel, hurrying after Elrond, but it was too late. The peredhil had disappeared into the early morning commotion of Rivendell before Glorfindel could talk to him.
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"Excuse me, but are you alright?" asked a voice from above. It was now an hour or so later, and Glorfindel had sat down and fallen asleep, despite all the noise and singing around him. "We just arrived from Mirkwood, and I must speak to Elrond." A light haired elf stood over Glorfindel.
"I haven't seen him lately," said Glorfindel. "But I would be glad to help you look for him, if that's what you would like. I was looking for him, too, but then I fell asleep. The twins certainly are a handful to watch sometimes, but they're fun." He smiled, but then realized that he did not know the elf, as he did not seem to be from Rivendell. "Pardon me, but who are you?"
"Thranduil, and this is my son, Legolas," said the elf. "And may I ask who you are?" The younger elf looked to be about the same age as Elladan and Elrohir, and he tugged on his father's sleeve. "Yes, you may go and play, but don't wander too far," said Thranduil to Legolas, anxious to give the elfling something to do.
"My name is Glorfindel, advisor to Master Elrond," said Glorfindel. "You must be here for the party tomorrow, right?" Thranduil nodded. "I'll go see if I can find Elrond or Celebrían. My guess is that they're in the kitchen, overseeing all the final preparations for the feast." Glorfindel led the elf to the kitchen, but neither Elrond, nor Celebrían was to be seen. However, Elladan and Elrohir were busily getting spoiled by the cooks, tasting all the delicious treats and candies for the holiday.
"Run along now, boys," said Erestor, laughing at the twins. He enjoyed cooking even more than most of the cooks did, and was constantly in the kitchen, usually either making something or cleaning something up. Erestor was also known for his strictness about being clean and immaculate, especially in and around the kitchen. He wiped Elrohir's cheek off before the twins left the kitchen.
"Erestor, have you seen Elrond?" asked Glorfindel after the twins had run off, probably to cause more mischief somewhere. "Thranduil came by and was looking for him. I wondered if you'd seen him anywhere."
"No, but Celebrían was in the Great Hall the last time I saw her. I guess she was handing out some musical instruments or something like that. I haven't seen Elrond lately, but I know that he should be around here somewhere," replied Erestor without looking up from his work of trying to separate the burnt candies from the others. The twins had immensely enjoyed themselves decorating the delicious sweets, but causing a huge mess as a result.
"Thanks," said Glorfindel, taking Thranduil's hand and dragging him out to the Great Hall. He spotted Celeborn and Galadriel, who had just recently arrived from Lothlórien with Haldir and his brothers, but he couldn't find Elrond. Anywhere.
"We'll find him somewhere," said Thranduil. "Don't worry." At that moment, both elves felt a hand on their back.
"Are you ready to help?" came the voice from behind.
"Elrond?" said Glorfindel. He turned around to find the dark-haired peredhil standing behind him with a crooked smile on his face. "There you are! I've been looking for you for the longest of times!"
Elrond chuckled under his breath. He felt it unusually satisfying to annoy Glorfindel and get things done at the same time. He had been busy wrapping presents for the holiday tomorrow. "Sorry, I was busy and I had so much to do, so much to do..." Elrond's deep, grave voice trailed off as he continued speaking, still in a half-dream mode, as when he first woke up that morning.
"Snap out of it, Elrond! You're driving everyone absolutely crazy with your muttering," said Glorfindel. He did not mean to offend Elrond, but the peredhil really needed to get things together before tomorrow if he had any hope whatsoever in making the holiday party a successful one, despite excessive help from everyone else.
"Sorry," said Elrond. He turned to face Thranduil. "Welcome to Imladris, Thranduil of Mirkwood. Did Legolas and Laurelin come with you, too?"
"Yes," replied Thranduil. "Laurelin is in the Great Hall and I don't know exactly where Legolas is, but I'm sure that he's fine, wherever he is. How have things in Rivendell been?" As soon as Thranduil said this, he began to regret it. Elrond disliked having Imladris being called Rivendell, and the peredhil's face turned red with annoyance.
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"So this is what you do here in Rivendell?" asked Legolas, who had found the twins, completely satisfied with each other's company and not seeming to want Legolas around.
"Yeah, but don't let Ada hear you calling it that," warned Elrohir, without looking up from the card that he and Elladan were making for their father. It had pictures of snow-covered elves on the front.
"You like to draw?" asked Legolas. "I like to draw, too, but Ada won't let me. He says that it's a waste of time better spent doing other things."
"You ask too may questions," came the reply. The voice belonged to Elladan, but Legolas could not tell the twins apart.
"Sorry, Elrohir," said Legolas. As soon as he said this, both twins burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" he demanded.
"I'm Elladan, and that's Elrohir," said Elrohir, winking at his brother.
"That's what I said!" came the reply from Legolas, who did not know that the twin terrors were playing a joke on him.
"No, that's not what you said, and besides, he's Elladan and I'm Elrohir," said Elrohir. The two identical faces both looked at Legolas.
"Can anyone tell you apart around here?"
"Ada, and Ammë can," said Elrohir.
"Don't forget Glorfy."
"But not Erestor. He can't tell us apart."
"Don't you ever get tired of getting called by the wrong name?"
Simultaneously, one twin replied with a "Yes!" while the other said "No."
"Do you wear the same clothes as each other?"
"Sometimes, but only when we want to confuse people," said Elladan.
"And when Ada makes us!" chimed in Elrohir.
"Want to go on an adventure?" asked Elladan. "We could go outside in the snow while the big elves are getting ready for Midwinter's Day."
"They won't even notice that we're gone!" said Elrohir.
Legolas thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. "But what about the cold?" he asked.
"Never mind the weather. Put this on," said Elrohir, handing him a green cloak, made in the same fashion as his own. His was blue and Elladan's was red. "It'll keep you warm, even in the cold."
The three explorers set out on an adventure. It was snowing gently outside, perfect weather for a snowball fight or building snow-elves, but the twins had other ideas. Legolas followed them to a secret fort not far from the house, within sight of the elves when the weather was clear.
"Come on, Legolas! You're going to miss all the fun!" called Elladan from inside the fort, which was built of wood scraps, probably with the help of Glorfindel or Erestor or one of the other older elves.
"How do I get in?" asked Legolas. There was no apparent doorway or entrance to the fort. "There's no door."
Elladan whispered something in Elrohir's ear. Elrohir nodded, and said, "Before we can let you in, you have to swear that you won't tell any other elf where the fort is, or we can't let you in. Only Glorfindel knows about our secret fort, cause he helped us make it."
"Okay, I promise," said Legolas. The twins grinned at each other and let their friend inside. The fort was fairly small, but it was comfortable. It was built out of wood, surrounded by trees on all sides, and no snow fell on it. "So, what do you do in the fort?" asked Legolas.
"Usually we plan surprises for the other elves," said Elladan, giving his brother a mischievous look.
"Especially Erestor," added Elrohir, returning the grin. It started to snow, but neither of the twins seemed to notice.
"It's snowing. Do you think that we should go back?" said Legolas.
"No, why should we?" said one of the twins.
"The grownups might worry about where we are, and I don't think it's the safest thing to be out here in the snow, of all places," replied Legolas. Unfortunately, neither twin wanted to take his advice.
"They won't worry. Only some adults worry, and no one really worries here," said the other twin. It started snowing harder, making poor Legolas miserable, wishing he had never come.
"We can't even see the Great Hall from here! Master Elrond will be worried, not to even mention Ada!" he cried. "And it's snowing harder! What if they don't find us here? Will they celebrate Midwinter's Day without us? What if they don't even realize that we're gone?" His large, blue eyes became misty.
"Don't worry, Legolas," said Elrohir. "Someone will find us, but let's try to stay warm until then, okay?" Even though he was only trying to help, his easygoing manner only seemed to annoy Legolas and show Elladan that he was worried. Elrohir was usually the more uptight of the twins, having taken after their father in this sense, while Elladan was usually easygoing and relaxed, much like their mother.
The three elflings huddled together, trying to become warmer. They sat like this for what seemed like forever to both of the twins, especially Elladan. At last, it did not seem like this would work for any longer.
"Maybe we should try to go back. I'm sure we can still get back in time for the Midwinter's Eve celebrations, including the singing," said Elladan. Even though the holiday was officially Midwinter's Day, the celebrations started the evening before, complete with a feast and singing. The main celebrations were always scheduled for the next day, where the gift giving and huge dinner feast would happen.
"What do you say, Legolas? Should we try to go back?" asked Elrohir. He would go along with whatever the others decided at this point, but valued the opinion of his friend.
"Sure," said Legolas. Elladan climbed out of the fort, followed by both Legolas, and lastly, Elrohir. It was still snowing hard, much harder than either of the twins were comfortable with. They weren't entirely sure how to get back, either, but neither said this to Legolas.
Two hours passed. They still had not completed the ten minute journey back. Both twins were starting to worry, but nothing could be done. If they stopped walking, they would become buried in the heavy snowfall and freeze. They had no choice but to keep walking.
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Meanwhile, Elrond had noticed that the twins were missing.
"Glorfindel!" he called, desperately trying to find the elf, as if he knew what had happened to the boys. "Have you seen the twins?"
Glorfindel was sitting in the Great Hall, talking to Thranduil and Laurelin at the time. "No, Elrond, I have not seen them," he answered. "The last time I saw them, they were in the kitchen, tasting treats and soaking up attention from Erestor, but that was several hours ago. They could be anywhere by now. Why?"
"I haven't seen them since this morning and I was starting to worry about them," said Elrond. "Erestor just told me that he last saw the twins in the kitchen several hours ago, too. Has anyone seen Legolas?"
"No," said Laurelin. "About three hours ago, he went to look for someone to play with, but I haven't seen him since. I wonder if he and the twins are somewhere."
"Probably," was all Elrond said. He ran out of the room, still looking frantically for the boys. He loved his sons dearly, and never wanted anything to happen to them. There had always been something special about twins to him. Perhaps this was because he was a twin, and he knew how it was, growing up with someone always there for you, whether you wanted them to be or not.
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"Are you okay, Elrohir?" asked Elladan. He leaned over his brother, waiting for an answer.
"I think so," was all Elrohir said. He had slipped on some ice and fallen, and both Elladan and Legolas were trying to figure out if he was okay or not.
"Can you stand up?" asked Legolas. He offered Elrohir a hand, and Elladan grabbed his brother's other hand. Together, they managed to pull him up onto his feet.
"Can you walk back? Or will we have to carry you?" There was a teasing, yet serious tone to Elladan's voice.
"I think I can walk, but my ankle hurts," said Elrohir slowly. He tried to take a step, but failed, holding his ankle.
"I don't think you should, Ro," said Elladan. "I'll go get help." The snow had managed to die down slightly, and they were able to see the Great Hall now.
"Don't leave," said Legolas. He squinted into the distance and saw a figure coming towards them. "I see someone coming our way. Maybe they'll help us."
"Boys! Is that you?" called a voice. The owner of the voice was still far away, but both of the twins could clearly tell whom it belonged to.
"Ada!" they cried.
"Looks like someone saw your bright red cloak, Elladan," said Legolas. "You look just like a cardinal with it on." Snow hit Legolas in the face, but he and Elrohir laughed, anyways.
Elrond approached the boys. Glorfindel and Erestor with him, following only a short distance behind. "Are you boys okay?" he asked. "We've been looking for you all over the place."
"We're still alive, Ada," this remark came from Elrohir.
"I can see that," chuckled Elrond. "But we should get you three home and dry. Come on."
"Ada, Ro's hurt," said Elladan.
"I can see that, too," said Elrond, his voice becoming grave once again. Even in his cloak, he kneeled down by Elrohir and looked at his younger son's ankle. "I'll carry you back, even though it's not that far." He picked Elrohir up in his arms and started back. Glorfindel picked up Elladan and Erestor, Legolas and they followed Elrond back to the Great Hall.
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It was the next morning when Elrohir was awakened with the sounds of voices, some loud, some soft, some high, some low, but all joyful, filling the air. Elladan grabbed his brother's hands in happiness. For once, he had arisen before his brother.
"Come join the breakfast, Ro!" exclaimed Elladan.
"But I can't," said Elrohir. He pointed down at his ankle. "It still hurts."
"I'll help you," said Erestor, who had followed Elladan into the bedroom. He smiled, a rare thing for him to do, but, after all, it was Midwinter's Day and holidays were magical. "After you went to sleep, your father spent about three hours in here, examining your ankle before deciding to wrap it up. Elladan was there for about two of the hours, but then he had to go to bed, so I took him to bed, while Glorfindel stayed to help."
"And Ammë was worried," added Elladan. He, Erestor and Elrohir made their way down to the Great Hall for breakfast.
Down in the Great Hall, Elrond was talking to Celebrían. He looked exhausted. Elsewhere, elves were singing and playing musical instruments, even more beautifully than they usually did. Glorfindel greeted both the twins and Erestor with a smile, then sat down to talk to Erestor. Legolas was nowhere to be seen, but the twins figured that they would find him later. He was probably with his parents.
Celeborn and Galadriel approached the twins, who were sitting, content with each other's company for once. It was unusual to see the identical brothers so well behaved and not causing mischief.
"Happy Midwinter's Day," said Galadriel, the more friendly of their grandparents. Elladan and Elrohir did not seem to think of them as grandparents. After all, they really weren't that much older than Elrond and Celebrían, especially by elf reckoning.
"Happy Midwinter's Day," replied the twins politely, even though they hated the formal conversation and did not particularly care much for their grandparents, anyways.
"Good morning, boys," said Elrond, coming towards them.
"Ada!" said Elrohir. "Happy Midwinter's Day!" Even more greetings and laughter echoed the Great Hall on the joyous morning.
Breakfast was delicious and the rest of the day seemed a blur for everyone, especially for Elrond himself. Several times throughout the day he had been caught falling asleep. He really looked like he would fall asleep when it was time for the great feast.
Everyone was sitting down in the Great Hall, laughing, talking and eating merrily. Cooks had made some of the most delicious food that the twins had ever tasted and before they could realize it, it was time for gifts.
"Ada's surprise!" whispered Elladan. "I'll go get it from our room." He ran upstairs to the room that he and Elrohir shared, grabbing a small blue bag from his brother's bed. He got back down right before Elrond started the gift time.
"Okay, now you can give your gifts! May the blessings of the Valar be with you!" Elrond concluded his annual Midwinter's Day speech and walked over to where his family was sitting.
"Ada, this is for you," said the twins at the same time, without even meaning to. "We made it."
Elrond lovingly took the small bag from their hands and opened it, finding a two pieces of metal, one blue and the other red, intertwined with each other in several curls and twists. He smiled down at the twins and memories overcame him. He remembered how he and Celebrían had assigned Elladan the color of red, making his cloak, hilt of his practice sword, and clothes red. For Elrohir, they had picked out the color of blue. At one end of the metal, a purple and silver star was attached to both the blue and red pieces of metal. Elrond's eyes grew misty and Celebrían had to hand him a handkerchief.
The twins smiled at each other, knowing that they had made their father, as well as their mother, very happy. Neither would forget this holiday season for a long time.
Both the twins got some nice presents, too. From Thranduil and his family came bows, just like they used in Mirkwood. From Celeborn and Galadriel came even more lembas, the favorite food of the twins, as well as new cloaks. From their parents came more things than either of them could want. Erestor made them sweets and Glorfindel, being himself, decided to make the twins moccasins. It was, indeed, a happy Midwinter's Eve.
i As both the twins, as well as Elrond, Legolas and even Erestor and Glorfindel, who spent most of the day talking to each other, found out, holidays are magical. You just have to have a little creativity for discovering the magic. Happy holidays, everyone! /i /p