-Disclaimer- Please see chapter 1.
Speeding
Orophin was holding on for his dear, supposedly immortal life.
"Having fun yet?" Elrohir joked as he steered the car, one-handed, around a hairpin bend. Orophin shook his head, bit his lip. Elrohir sighed. "Well, it should only be another hour or so."
Orophin groaned. "Where are we going?" he asked.
Elrohir nodded and opened the drawer above Orophin's knees. "Look in the glove box," he said, "There's got to be a map in there somewhere." Then he swore under his breath and pounced on the horn as the car behind him tried to pass. Orophin pressed himself into the seat as Elrohir's foot nearly squashed the accelerator.
"It is not a race," Orophin said tersely.
"Right."
(l)
Ahhh…he felt good. Relieved. Happy to be alive.
"Orophin, get out of my car. We're here."
Alive…the keys were blessedly, mercifully, safe in Elrohir's back pocket and the car was parked. Not moving. Ah…he savored the feeling.
"Orophin!" Elladan's voice, this time. The car door opened; hands grasped his arm, pulled him out. He fought the impulse to kiss the earth, but as his feet touched the ground he realized that it was hard- not dirt. He opened his eyes. What was it called? Concrete. Yes.
He was swept into an embrace, then let go. "Mae govannen, mellon nîn," he said quickly, surveying his friend.º Elladan was wearing dark trousers and a collared shirt, the cuffs rolled up to his elbows. His hair was tied back with a rubbery band.
"I hope my brother's driving did not frighten you overmuch," he laughed, "but I had work to do here. Will you forgive me?"
Orophin nodded dumbly and waved the concern aside. "It was…fine."
Elrohir snorted. Elladan rolled his eyes.
"You should have seen him, muindor nîn. By looking at his face, you'd have thought I was driving like a maniac."º
"You do."
"What? I do not."
"You do."
"Do not."
"You do. Orophin, would you like to come inside?" asked Elladan smoothly, taking him by the shoulders and guiding him away from the car, which was parked at the side of what seemed to be a residential street.
"Ermm…yes?"
Houses and trees lined the road, children had scattered playthings on lawns. The twins lived in a two-storey house with a small garden in front. The modesty of the place surprised him; his friends had had many hundreds of years to acquire their fortunes, and on previous visits their residences had shown as much. But he felt the difference as he walked in the door- Elrohir had called it home, and it felt like one.
"How long have you been here?" he asked, trying to sound polite.
"Mmm…a few years, four or five. We opened the shop downtown three years ago."
"What do you sell?" inquired Orophin.
"We figured we knew enough about camping to make a job out of it again. We sell wilderness stuff. Tents, bug spray, hiking boots, things like that."
"Bug spray?" he asked curiously.
"Never mind," said Elladan.
"Want some dinner?" asked Elrohir from somewhere further inside the house.
"Dinner? Oh…if it's not too much to ask."
"Not at all."
Elladan led him into another room, one with couches and chairs. They sat in silence for a while, listening to the hiss of food on the stove and the clink of pots.
"How's the forest?" asked Elladan, at ease on his half of the couch.
"Doing well since your last visit…ten years ago?"
"Thereabouts."
"Lord Glorfindel paid a visit three years or so after yours and Lord Celeborn often comes. It's the same as usual, really." He hesitated. "Rúmil and his wife are planning to sail next summer or autumn."
"Are they?"
"Yes- better for raising children, they say. I can't fault them there. Constant hiding from Men is no way to raise a little one."
"True. Haldir? You? How are you all?"
"Fine, I think."
"Really?" Elladan was giving him one of those I-can-see-right-through-you looks, reminding Orophin of his friend's high lineage. "Are you thinking of making the trip anytime soon?"
Ah, the root of it. Yes, his brothers had wheedled him into visiting the twins, but they knew as well as he that Orophin would not be coming back to the forest.
"Yes, though I wasn't going to say anything," he said finally. "Thought I'd give this a try and then sail. In a year, maybe more."
"Oh." If Elladan had wanted to hide his disappointment, he hadn't fully succeeded; Orophin imagined that most of Elladan's friends from Imladris had gone, and he knew his family (with the notable exception of Lord Celeborn) had sailed long ago. It was why he and Elrohir were always together; there was simply no one else left. Orophin knew the feeling too, for the wood was increasingly empty.
"But you'll stay with us until then, won't you?" asked Elladan. "We could put you to work at the shop."
"And I would gladly lend a hand." He smiled, so did Elladan. Later, as all three sat down together for the meal, they laughed.
(Tbc)
Thanks for reading!
ºMae govannen, mellon nîn- Well met, my friend
ºMuindor nîn- my brother