CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
"My Lords and Ladies. I present Prince….."
Eldarion and Díorn ignored the announcement, their attention captured by two blurs, one tawny, the other copper, which were rapidly moving towards them. Hurrying down the steps, the four met in a many armed embrace before separating into pairs. Eldarion wrapped his arms around Elboron, whilst Díorn and Rosruin met in a similar fashion beside them. Eldarion buried his nose in the crook of Elboron's neck, feeling the gesture returned. As he gripped the collar of Elboron's tunic, Eldarion felt the elder's shoulders begin to shake gently.
"Hey," whispered Eldarion, tightening his embrace as Elboron cried silently into his shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"Shock I think," murmured Elboron, his voice muffled by the material of Eldarion's tunic. "I gave up hope that you'd be here."
"I didn't think I make it either," replied Eldarion. "Can we move? We are beginning to create a scene."
Elboron released his friend and grinned cheekily at him as he wiped the moisture from his face with the back of his hand. "I thought you always wanted to cause a scene?"
Eldarion cuffed Elboron on the shoulder, returning the grin and then slung an arm around Elboron's shoulders. Together they began to walk further down the stairs, Rosruin and Díorn following them. "There is creating a sensation and there is causing a scandal."
"I'm sure your father wouldn't mind," replied Elboron. Eldarion laughed while Díorn snorted and it was like music to Elboron's ears. How had he survived the past year with no more than Eldarion's letters?
"Happy Birth Day, gwador nîn," smiled Eldarion. my brother
"Enjoying yourself?" asked Faramir when Elboron had found a minute to catch his breath. Now that Eldarion had appeared, Elboron seemed a lot more willing to join in with the celebrations. Both Princes had just spent the last forty-five minutes dancing with varying ladies, and a few men, young and old. Rosruin and Díorn had disappeared, which was a remarkable feat for both of them, Díorn's white hair and Rosruin's copper, setting them apart from their darker coloured Gondorian brethren.
"A lot more now that Eldarion is here," replied Elboron, sounding slightly breathless, as he took a drink of water.
"Glad to know that I am still needed," said Eldarion ruffling Elboron's hair. The tawny-Prince was actually the taller of the pair at the moment by a couple of inches, but since he was sitting, Eldarion had ample height to reach the top of his head. Elboron brought Eldarion's hand down and with a sharp tug pulled Eldarion on to his knee. Eldarion had little choice but to go through with the motion and did so with a small yelp of surprise.
"What makes you say something like that?" asked Elboron, looking Eldarion straight in the eye.
"I'm still a child," shrugged Eldarion. "I guess I thought you would want to associate with the men rather than the boys."
"'Darion," murmured Elboron. Glancing up at Faramir, he forced Eldarion to stand before standing himself. "Excuse us, Father." Faramir smiled and inclined his head. Elboron grabbed Eldarion by the wrist and pulling the raven-Prince after him, the pair exited out into the courtyard.
"Eldarion, what in Arda made you think that I would want to associate with the men as you put it more than you?" asked Elboron, forcing his friend to sit on a bench and knelt down in front of him. Middle-Earth
"In your letters you always seemed so excited that you were nearly of age, that you couldn't wait to do the things that a 'real man' could do. There are over two years until I come of age and I thought that you would find me to immature," said Eldarion, hanging his head and refusing to meet Elboron's eye.
"Of course I was excited about coming of age, who wouldn't be, but I would gladly go back to being the child I was yesterday if it came down to a choice between you and that. You are my brother Eldarion and there is nothing in this world that could make me forget that."
As though to prove his argument, Elboron took hold of Eldarion's right arm and pulled up the sleeve to the elbow. An old and faint scar ran for about three inches just below the crook of his arm. Elboron rolled up his own sleeve to show a similar scar. He flattened out Eldarion's right hand as well, tracing the scar with a gentle finger.
"We swore a blood oath remember? That night before you left with your family to go to Annúminas. We swore that we would never desert each other, regardless of what might happen. Yes we did it to help control our spirit-bond but since then it has meant more than that. Whether it be war, distance, taking a fancy to the same maiden…" Eldarion smiled slightly as Elboron said the last part of that statement.
"Whatever the difficulty was, we swore not let it come between us and separate us. We are not lovers and I highly doubt we will become so, but I do believe that we are soul mates. Our families may say that we are simply spirit-brothers but I think it runs deeper than that. We are the strength to the other's weakness. You are the reason to my rash behaviour and I am the calming waters to your raging fire."
Eldarion traced a finger over the identical scars that marred Elboron's skin, smiling gently as Elboron's hand reflexively clenched. "I remember. Do you really mean what you say?"
"Every word. I meant it then and I mean it now," said Elboron. Taking hold of Eldarion's right arm, he aligned the scars in the same way Eldarion had done the original cuts many years previous. "Friend to friend and brother to brother. I will not desert you, be it war, distance of time and space or competition that separate us. My strength is your strength. My joy and sorrows are yours to share. United we shall stand, from this moment forward until the fading of the world."
Eldarion did not hesitate in his reply, gripping Elboron's arm tightly. "Friend to friend and brother to brother. I will not desert you, be it war, distance of time and space or competition that separate us. My strength is your strength. My joy and sorrows are yours to share. United we shall stand, from this moment forward until the fading of the world." Still keeping their scars aligned, Eldarion pulled Elboron into a tight embrace which Elboron whole-heartedly returned.
"I missed you," whispered Elboron. "You have no idea how much."
Díorn and Rosruin smiled at the pair from their location by the trees. The gentle night air meant that the murmured conversation between the two friends had carried over to them.
"Do you think they are soul mates?" asked Díorn, turning to face his brother.
"They are definitely close," replied Rosruin. "And the Valar are renown for working in ways we would find odd. How was he in Umbar?"
"Stressed most of the time. The Haradrim really didn't seem interested in a trade deal. He was helped by a two-year-old though," replied Díorn, a small smile forming on his face as he remembered Eldarion playing with Pilinél's toddler son, every bit the natural.
"Why am I not surprised that he made friends with a child?" chuckled Rosruin. "And I would be very suspicious if the Haradrim and accepted the deal that was presented to them straight away. But, Eldarion must have some talent at negotiations if he managed to deal with them and at only eighteen. How did he treat you?"
"I think I was an object of curiosity," replied Díorn. "He is still a child at heart and was continually asking questions about me."
"And how did he react to your condition?" asked Rosruin.
Díorn was an albino, meaning that his body being unable to produce the pigment that would allow for his hair, skin and eyes to be of more natural colour. His white hair, milky skin and red hued eyes had made him the topic of several jokes amongst members of the social circle in which they moved. This, coupled with his inability to keep up with children of his own age group, had made him feel like an outsider among his people and he was very reserved.
Upon witnessing a particularly vicious, verbal, attack on his little brother, Rosruin, who was fifteen years older, and later their father (the same Lord Gílorn as Elboron had been esquire to) had made it very clear that anyone maliciously teasing Díorn because of his condition, would not be tolerated. Such an action had been endorsed by Amrothos, Prince Imrahil's youngest son, who had taken a shine to the youngster.
Díorn had passed through the military training with some difficulty but he had been as stubborn as a mule and had the perseverance of a homing salmon, meaning that he refused to give up, even when all efforts seemed futile. This included making friends. His reserved nature made it difficult for him to approach people first off, and it gave him a somewhat cold exterior which meant others were not willing to approach him.
"What condition?" asked Díorn. "I'm an albino not incapacitated!"
"And you know what that did to you as a child," rebuffed Rosruin. "How did he react?"
"I don't think he noticed it," said Díorn with a shrug. "After he had rid himself of his questions over why I had white hair, red eyes and why I seemed to turn lobster pink at the merest hint of sun, he was a lot more concerned as to what I was interested in, what my dreams were, what it was like to be the youngest child, things of that nature. In short we became friends. A lot faster than I ever did with the people at home!"
"Well, just to give you prior warning, if he does one thing to harm you, he will answer to me," growled Rosruin. Díorn chuckled.
"I will make sure he realises that. But how was Elboron while we were away? Prince Elfwine said something about depression," he said.
"He had been excited that Eldarion was going to be home in time for his celebration, but then when nothing was heard or seen since your original missive, he began to retreat," replied Rosruin. "Faramir was delighted when Prince Elfwine reported that you had arrived. He has been driven to distraction trying to keep Elboron busy and Elboron himself is certainly a lot more carefree than he has been for a long while." The elder Dol Amroth aide chuckled as he turned his attention back to the pair just in time to watch Eldarion throw himself at Elboron and the pair toppled to the ground.
"You're brooding," he said when Díorn had slumped at his side.
"Nay, I am just thinking," replied Díorn. "There is definitely more to their relationship than being brothers."
"Now this is something I am not used to. My little brother being a philosopher!" teased Rosruin.
"Ros I'm serious!" exclaimed Díorn. "When we were in Umbar, Eldarion would have strange mood swings and would sometimes faze out of a situation completely. Whenever he spoke about them he said that something was happening here. With Elboron. How could he know that unless there was something else connecting them?"
"Elboron was the same," said Rosruin after a minutes thought. "Do you think we should ask them?"
"I don't know. Eldarion is a good friend. I don't want to lose him through accusing him of something like this," said Díorn, wrapping his arms around his knees wincing slightly as he watched Eldarion land heavily on his back with Elboron on his chest.
"Would it bother you if they were lovers?" asked Rosruin gently.
Eldarion, it appeared, had accepted Díorn for who he was, but neither Swan Knight knew Eldarion well enough to know how he would react to such an insinuation about his preferences regarding partners.
"No. But it is not the sort of thing that came up in conversation between us and if I go accusing him of something like this and then he is offended…." babbled Díorn.
"Íor, you're panicking. Look at him," said Rosruin pointing to the pair who were tumbling about like litter mates on the grass, the party in the hall seemingly forgotten by both. "Do you really think he would hold such prejudices?"
"And Elboron?" asked Díorn as Eldarion shoved Elboron on to his back and straddling his waist, only to have their positions reversed a second later.
"There are two people involved in their play," replied Rosruin. Díorn nodded and stood.
"Now is as good a time as any," he said. Rosruin nodded and standing, the pair made their way across to where Eldarion was struggling to get away from Elboron's teasing fingers.
"Elboron? Eldarion? Can we have a word with you?" asked Rosruin. Eldarion cocked his head while Elboron nodded.
"What can we do for you?" he asked, removing himself from Eldarion's chest.
"We were wondering what was between you two," replied Díorn.
"Er…care to be a little more specific?" asked Eldarion as he sat up.
"You are as close as brothers," began Rosruin. "And we were just wondering whether it ran any deeper?" Eldarion's eyes widened and he spun to face Elboron.
'They know!' he exclaimed, switching into Sindarin and causing Rosruin and Díorn's to shoot up their foreheads. They both had a basic grasp of the language, having been educated in the classics as children, but lack of use and the speed at which Eldarion spoke meant that they didn't catch much of the conversation.
'Calm down Eldarion,' soothed Elboron. 'You may be jumping to conclusions.'
'Elboron, you know what happened the last time I told people, outside our families, that this bond existed!' said Eldarion, beginning to sound a little panicky. 'I can't lose Díorn as well!'
'Then tell him. If he is worthy your friendship, he will understand. If he doesn't then it is his loss,' replied Elboron, pulling Eldarion forward so that their foreheads rested together and continuing to murmur in Sindarin. If Rosruin and Díorn did have suspicions about the nature of their relationship, their current conversation and actions could not be helping allay any of their fears, but Elboron didn't care. Eldarion's well being was ever his main concern. Eldarion searched Elboron's eyes for a couple of minutes before nodding.
"What do you suspect?" asked Eldarion turning around and switching back to Westron.
"We heard your conversation," admitted Díorn. "You said something about being soul mates. Is that true?"
"Not quite," replied Eldarion, biting his lip, closely monitoring the reactions of both Swan Knights. "We are spiritually tied but we choose to be so. Soul mates do not have that choice."
"How long?" asked Díorn.
"Nine and a half years," replied Elboron, pulling Eldarion to him, feeling his distress. 'It's alright gwador nîn. Just calm down,' he whispered, rubbing his hand up and down Eldarion's upper arms. my brother
"Is that why you took 'funny turns' when we were in Umbar?" asked Díorn. Eldarion nodded, his head resting on Elboron shoulder as he soaked up the calming emotions Elboron was offering. The brothers sat and studied Eldarion and Elboron in silence which did nothing to help Eldarion's nerves. He was shaking slightly in Elboron's arms and the elder Prince wrapped his arms tightly around him.
"You could have told us," said Rosruin eventually nearly laughing at the look that flitted across Eldarion's face. "What? Did you expect us to be disgusted?"
"Something like that," replied Eldarion. "I lost companions because of the knowledge before and it taught me to be cautious. As you can tell, it is not something we broadcast to the general populace."
"Then we feel honoured that you trust us enough to tell us," replied Rosruin. "And we will honour your secrecy."
"Thank you," smiled Elboron and as one, Eldarion and Elboron surged forward and tackled the two brothers to the ground. Everything, for the moment, was alright in the lives of Gondor.