CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Eldarion ran, not caring who he passed or how rude he appeared. He went to his room where he snatched up his journal and steel knives before sprinted to the stables. Once there he hastily attached bridle-and-bit to Súldál before swinging on to the stallion's back. The horse seemed to sense his master's urgency to flee and after walking smartly out of the stables, took off at a gallop in the direction of Lake Evendim.
"Eldarion!" yelled Arahael as the bay horse shot past him. Eldarion did not notice, his thoughts to full of the rejection from Dior and the pain he had felt from Elboron.
Upon arriving on the shores of Lake Evendim, Eldarion dismounted, allowing Súldál to wander. The stallion drank of the water before settling down. Eldarion deposited his journal on the shore before stripping off his tunic, boots and vambraces. He sprinted into the water and plunged beneath the surface. He stayed under as long as he could, swimming further out into the Lake before bursting above the surface with a loud cry of anguish, startling a flock of starlings out of the nearby trees.
"Elboron where are you?" he whispered. He fell back in the water so that he was floating. He closed his eyes allowing his fëa to drift as it again hunted for its companion. spirit
Rohan
Elfwine was in despair. He had persuaded Elboron to ride out with him and the elder of the pair had been thrown from his horse when it had been spooked and stumbled. Gílroch had somehow managed to escape unharmed, save for being a little shaken, but Elboron had collided with a boulder before his steed has accidentally hit him in the side as it pranced around in obvious agitation. Elfwine had calmed the animal quickly before investigating the true extent of Elboron's injuries.
The sixteen-year-old was spread-eagled on the ground where he had landed and was unfortunately still conscious.
"Elboron?" said Elfwine, kneeling beside his cousin. "Elboron, tell me where you are hurt."
"Back," gasped Elboron. "I arched my spine when I landed."
"Can you feel past your waist?" asked Elfwine.
"Left leg is dead. Right twinges."
"What about your neck?"
"Twinges but not that bad. Did I get stood on?"
"Kicked," replied Elfwine. "Come, I must get you back to Edoras where the healers can look at you."
Slowly, Elfwine rolled Elboron over and into an seating position but they could go no further. As Elboron straightened his back, he cried out.
"Elfwine, stop," he gasped. He pulled his right leg up to his chest for balance and hugged it to him. "Check my skin. Is it cut?"
Elfwine did as he was told, raising Elboron's tunic. The skin beneath was not broken but a vivid bruise was developing across where the horse had kicked him and there was an angry red line tracing up the path of Elboron's spine, interspaced with four violent bruises.
"What do you see?" asked Elboron.
"I…Your skin…" began Elfwine, beginning to panic. Éowyn was going to kill him for getting her only child injured and Eldarion would be right there beside her.
"Elfwine, give me your hand," whispered Elboron. Elfwine offered his hand and Elboron pulled him in front of him. He forced their eyes to meet and Elboron frowned.
"Close your eyes!" he commanded. Elfwine did as he was bid, not having a clue as to what Elboron was playing at. He started when Elboron placed a hand on his cheek. "Breathe. In through you nose, out through your mouth."
"Elboron what…."
"Do it! Now, tell me; what is the state of my back? Keep your eyes closed."
"The skin is not broken but the hoof has left a vivid bruise. A red line trails all the way up your spine and that is also bruised," whispered Elfwine, continuing to keep his eyes closed.
"I must have damaged the discs," muttered Elboron. A noise reached his ears and he jerked his head. "Do you hear that?" Elfwine clambered to his feet and caught sight of a host.
"It's half of the East-march Éored," he announced. He turned to Elboron with a look of relief. "They are retuning to Edoras, they can help. ELFHELM!"
Elfhelm looked up when he heard his name being called and he caught sight of Elfwine standing among a cluster of rocks, waving to attract his attention. Normally he would simply have waved in return but the presence of Gílroch, who was still a little jittery, minus his rider, made the marshal turn his own steed and ride up to Elfwine.
"What's wrong, sire?" he asked.
"Elboron's hurt," answered Elfwine. "Can you help me get him back to Edoras?"
Elfhelm leapt from his own steed and was at Elboron's side within seconds. Elboron was still sitting, slumped on the ground and he glanced up when a shadow fell across him.
"What happened?" asked Elfhelm.
"Gílroch was startled by something. I fell off, hit a boulder and then he kicked me. I can't feel my left leg and my right is growing dead. I can't straighten my back. I haven't tried standing," reported Elboron.
"It is probably best that you don't until a healer has looked at you. Éothain, come and help me." Together the two riders lifted Elboron on to Elfhelm's horse, Elfhelm pulling up behind him. Elfwine re-mounted Antval and took hold of Gílroch's reins, in order to lead the animal back with them.
Lake Evendim
Síldál nickered gently when Arahael approached. The ranger walked up to the animal and petted his neck.
"Where's your master, Síldál?" He noted the dropped weapons, journal and clothes beside the water's edge. Síldál tossed his head, with a snort, in the general direction of the Lake. Arahael cast his gaze out over the water and caught sight of Eldarion, who was floating about forty yards from the shore.
"Thank you," said Arahael, stripping of his own tunic and boots and waded into the water before swimming the short distance between the shore and the teenager.
"Eldarion?" he asked, as he began to tread the water. Eldarion opened his eyes and tucked so that he was on the same angle as Arahael.
"How did you find me?" he asked immediately.
"You rode Síldál at a gallop and the ground in soft with the spring rain. You left a trail," replied Arahael. "Why are you all the way out here? And what happened on the training field?"
"I came for some peace. And I will not tell what happened on the field. I do not trust you," replied Eldarion, before turning and swimming back to the shore. Arahael followed a little hurt.
"Is it what Dior said? Is that what has upset you so much?" he asked. Eldarion remained obstinately quiet as he shook the water from his hair, in a way very akin to a dog, before turning his attention to his journal.
"Eldarion, I don't care that your love for Elboron is strong enough to have formed this bond you spoke of," said Arahael in an effort to get Eldarion to speak to him. "In fact, I am a little jealous."
"Why?" asked Eldarion, not looking at Arahael. "Do you not like fitting in, feeling as though you belong? Move to Gondor, your ways will seem quaint and you will be the centre of everyone's attention immediately!"
"I don't have any desire to 'fit in' as you put it. People have to accept me not who they want me to be. It is their loss or gain to decide," replied Arahael. "When I said I was jealous, I meant that I would dearly like to have similar sort of connection with my brother. Too often is he away and I am left to await his safe return."
"Why not go with him?" asked Eldarion, closing the journal on his lap and looking up.
"I am leader to the people who live here. Your father is their Chieftain and you the heir but Aragorn cannot be here all the time, and you are but a child."
"And I am a spoilt brat from Gondor with an unnatural love for my friend and a ridiculous devotion to the Elves?" asked Eldarion, unable to keep the venom from his voice, as he gazed out over the Lake, not wanting to see the agreement in Arahael's eyes.
"You are not a spoilt brat. You are a loving, caring youngster who is devoted to his family, particularly his sisters, and who is making a valiant effort to adapt to a relatively new culture, dismissing rank and race, getting involved with Hobbit and Dúnedain alike. In answer to your other question, many saw the love between Aragorn and Shadow unnatural but they accepted them with little difficulty. Deep love for Elves and all. Their capability of wearing their heart on their sleeves without fear made them wonderful leaders, who many gladly followed." Eldarion smiled sadly.
"Ada and Kalya were definitely affectionate with each other and have the love of the Gondorians. But they never had this bond!"
"Now that, I have to admit, I am intrigued with. Perhaps you could explain it to me?" said Arahael as he crossed his legs.
"You will not reject me the same way Dior did?" asked Eldarion, rolling his head so that he could look at Arahael.
"I will not. As I said, I do not care that your love runs that deep."
"It is a spirit-brother bond. Like I told the others, it is like the bond between soul-mates, but is formed through mutual love and trust, rather than decreed before an individual is born. However, both are formed with blessing ofIlúvatar," said Eldarion.
"And it is though this spirit bond that you could feel the Ithilien Prince?" Eldarion nodded.
"I can feel any of his strong emotions and he mine. As far as I am aware, I have felt his anger, and obviously his pain. He has felt my pain but I don't know which others he has felt."
"But if it has only caused you grief, why did you allow it to continue? You said that it made itself known when you were nine."
"But it formed when we met, when I was but a few days old. I do not know how to survive without Elboron."
"May be I do have a connection like that," smiled Arahael, seeming relieved.
"With your brother?" Arahael nodded. "How close in age are you?"
"Thirty minutes."
"Another set twins!" laughed Eldarion. "What is it like having a younger brother?"
"I'm the younger," replied Arahael. Eldarion stared at him.
"Then how are you leader?"
"Tarcil has a restless spirit. He prefers the wilds rather than the city," replied Arahael. "He took command of the Stronghold when Father died and I took command in the city. It works well, Túnír has a permanent home and is unafraid to put down roots and build friendships, but I miss my brother so much at times that I am tempted to leave this place."
"Believe me when I say you will only harm Túnír by doing that. What you and Tarcil have is a twin bond," replied Eldarion. "Not quite the same, and to be honest, I think I would prefer if Elboron was my twin."
"I'm afraid you've confused me again," said Arahael. Eldarion chuckled.
"A twin bond does not allow the passage of emotions to the same extent as a soul-mate or spirit-brother bond. You know something is wrong but you don't know exactly what."
"Neither do you," pointed out Arahael.
"Oh I do," said Eldarion. "I know Elboron has hurt his back and his side. I do not know how but I know that it was brutal enough that he lost control. Before you ask, no I am not explaining that to you."
Arahael pouted but then his expression changed to one of deadly seriousness. "Do not take Dior's words to heart."
"He is arrogant and pig-headed. He wouldn't understand something like this even if it were explained to him in simple, one syllable words and short sentences," snapped Eldarion, his infamous temper leaking out as Arahael touched on a very delicate subject. "He is far to full of his own importance to even bother looking beneath the skin!"
"You seem to have…..Eldarion!" Eldarion had suddenly tucked forward, panting hard before rearing backwards, screaming Elboron's name.