Double, Double

Sequel to Elemmire and Amdir

Previously

Amdir pushed his chair back scrapping the legs across the floor.

'Ouff!'

Amdir wrapped his arms around the young human embracing him tightly.

They were free. It would be alright after all…

Chapter Nine. The Master of the House (Part 2)

Elemmire listlessly shook his head from one side to another; his eyes were firmly shut in trepidation of what he may find upon awakening. Someone was mopping his brow speaking to him in elvish in a gentle low voice.

Elemmire didn't know where he was only that he did not wish to wake up. But the voice was so gentle and the water on his hot flesh so cool that he slowly returned to consciousness.

"Wake up, Ellie," the voice said.

"Nooo," Elemmire whinged in return half conscious.

Someone chortled nearby in the room.

"Your braids are falling out. I can brush your hair and redo them if you wake up," the voice insisted. "I know how much you like Ada showering attention on you. I guess I'm second choice."

Disgruntled and overly tired Elemmire opened his eyes and found himself staring into the face of Amdir.

"Good afternoon, gwador."

Elemmire mumbled incomprehensively and brushed his hand across his face. Amdir frowned and placed his hand on Elemmire's brow. "You're still hot."

"Give him water, he's dehydrated. Elvish or no, living things need to keep hydrated."

Amdir followed the voice's prompts and a moment later a rim of a cup was pressed to Elemmire's lips. Elemmire choked and struggled to sit up.

"Sorry," Amdir muttered helping Elemmire to sit. He fluffed the pillows for his brother and set him down with a hug.

"You had me very worried."

Elemmire blinked silently as the cup was pressed to his lips again. He took the cup from his brother and drank on his own accord.

"You're a horrible healer, Am," Elemmire finally said placing the cup away. Amdir snatched it playfully and refilled it. "Iuradar would be disappointed…no no I don't want any more."

"Get it down him, my boy," the second voice advised. "Do him good. Can't have him fainting again."

Elemmire had no choice. He was too woozy, exhausted and unhappy to fight his brother. Soon the second cup full was in his body and he was staring at the figure of an adult human.

Elemmire blanched in panic catching his breath in his throat as he recalled the events of the morning.

"Relax, little elf, I mean you no harm," the human soothed. Elemmire raised his eyebrows in surprise but the human did not move. Indeed the man was sitting comfortably in a high back chair one leg crossed over the other and munching on a fruit platter unconcernedly.

"He's setting us free," Amdir quickly told his brother excitedly. "Once the arrangements have been made of course."

"Why?" Elemmire asked. He had never heard of a human silly enough to buy slaves just to set them free again.

"It's a hobby of Nusayer's, strange I know," Amdir whispered in his incredulous brother's ears.

Elemmire nodded half heartedly still staring at the human in complete disbelief.

"Iuaradar's map will help us find our way to Lothlorien. Nusayer helped me figure out where we are." Amdir indicated to the map he had managed to hide and keep from the slavers.

Elemmire grinned coyly at Nusayer, whom obligingly picked up a spare platter and starting taking things from the tray. Nusayer surveyed his handy work and then strode with a human's gait over to the young elf. "I'm sure there's something on here that you would enjoy."

"Thankyou," Elemmire murmured blinking still in slow confusion at Nusayer. But his blue-green eyes spied something else on the table that he would very much like indeed. "Pass the cream please, Amdir."

Amdir laughed and brought the bowl of cream over. Elemmire dunked a cheery and bit into it.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to spy the cream," Amdir commented dipping his finger into the bowl and swiping it down Elemmire nose.

"Hey, no fair," Elemmire protested trying to lick the cream off with his tongue, which was a completely useless task.

Nusayer chuckled as he left the twins to their own devices for the afternoon. There seemed to be only a few differences between human children and elvish children.

Tomorrow they'll worry about the preparations for the twins' departure.

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The twins woke early the next morning and were surprised to find Nusayer and Glin up and about already packing supplies.

Elemmire however was interested in the tiny squawks of nonsense coming from behind the desk. He went to investigate and found two small human children. His jaw dropped. In Imladris he had not often seen infant children of either species.

"Ah I've seen you've found my twins," Nusayer said from his position, "Minowah and Parlan."

"A boy and a girl?" Elemmire was stumped. Twins were supposed to be the same like him and his brother; like Ada and Gwador-Adar.

"Yes fraternal twins."

"What does that mean?" Amdir asked also going over to have a look at the phenomena. Elemmire picked up Parlan, the little boy and held him at arms length and then glanced down at the little girl, Minowah who clutched onto Amdir's leg and was drooling.

"I don't really know," Nusayer answered lightly smiling as he replied . "That's really woman's knowledge on how that works."

Nusayer was greeted identical confused glances. "Forget I said that," he replied.

Elemmire shrugged put wiggling Parlan down next to his sister and helped Glin pack.

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Elrohir stood still on the top of the steps. It was early dawn so not very many elves were about.

He had been told since he was an elfling to stay away from this place unless invited by his grandmother, Galadriel. Yet here he was in the greying light on the threshold of the forbidden.

He took one step forward hesitatingly and felt a stirring of guilt in the pit of his stomach. Not only was he intruding he was supposed to be in the healers' talen recovering.

Another step forward.

Elrohir spied what he was after; the mirror of Galadriel. His eyes misted over thinking of his poor sons. Could he sneak a peek to find them? He shook his head as his heart thumped painfully in his chest before he turned around and fled.

No he couldn't see… What if it was too terrible for words? Who knew what the damned mirror would show him?