Okay for the sake of the plot to sound better, and continue, I decided that this chapter needed to be sorted. Basically, Edomir and Elrond have an encounter before both go and see Aragorn. Thats all really. Don't have to read it. Just thought I'd let you know.

Disclaimer: Read Back to Chapter 1

Rúnya stood there for a few minutes thinking on how he should answer the being before him. 'I was just surprised that's all'.

Elrohir narrowed his eyes and cocked his head to the side, 'Surprised? How so tithen-pen?'

Rúnya shuffled his feet slightly under the carpet, and took a deep breath before answering. 'Well, it had always been a thought to me why Elladan had scars. I just thought it was weird. That's all… I didn't know…'

Shaking his head Elrohir comforted the elfling, 'Hey, why you so nervous about telling me? Not many people know this story save my family, and most people are amazed about how Elladan has scars, as y'know Elves heal fully. Is that why you wanted to come with me?'

Rúnya nodded his head, looking at the floor. Elrohir gently raised the elfling's chin with his hand and sighed, 'you thought Elladan would get angry hey? He's fine with it, tell you what he's always telling the ladies he done it in some heroic fight'. Elrohir just rolled his eyes. 'Nah, its just that his failed, and he couldn't really heal as fully as was hoped. For a moment there Rúnya I thought you didn't like us…'

Rúnya sighed and shook his head. 'It's not that I don't like you guys, you're cool. I'm just scared of you'.

Elrohir's eyes widened to dinner plates. 'Scared? Scared of what? I'm not that scary… dunno about Elladan though…'

'The stories I heard about you two, the way you went on an Orc rampage killing as you went, not caring as long as you fed your souls with the number of filth you killed. Some I heard didn't really sound like you two, but the more I heard, the more I feared you. I thought the scars Elladan had were from some sort of skirmish and the Valar punished him…'

'What are you lot being told at school? Yeah we killed all those Orcs and yes, we now realise it was wrong. Give us some credit though. Sheesh, I doubt the Valar would go as far as punishing, we were doing them a favour, killing all the yrch'.

'I know, that just came out wrong… I'm sorry'.

'There's nothing to be sorry for, now, are coming to get a drink or what?' Elrohir took off in a full sprint in the direction of the kitchens and yelled behind him 'last one there is an Orc'.

Smiling to himself and knocking out all thoughts of the evil twins form his head he raced after the Elf Lord, 'yeah, well, the first one there has to kiss him!'

When the pair arrived back into the Hall a few minutes later, after being fully refreshed about things physically and mentally, they didn't expect the welcoming they wanted.

Elladan was crouched behind a chair with Táridur's fake sword in his hand, wearing two smudges of coal underneath his eyes. In front of him Kirwen was bouncing on the chair, obviously amused by the way Elladan looked. But Elrohir almost died when he saw the mess she was making…and the mess she was in. He whole dress was covered in soot, and her bare feet left little footprints on the cushions.

But where was Táridur? Elrohir looked high and low and almost died again of a heart attack when he saw what Táridur had found. But it was too late to do anything.

Táridur had found Elladan's real sword leaning up against the wall in the far end of the hall, and even though it was too heavy to lift, he dragged it across the floor and charged towards what it seemed Elladan's butt.

Elrohir covered his eyes and crouched low too the floor, but even that wasn't enough. Through his two parted fingers, Elrohir saw Táridur swing the sword up with all his might, and the tip of the sword found a soft place to embed itself in.

Of course, a scream came next. And then the dancing of the 'Manly elves turned she-elf routine'. Elrohir rose from the floor, gathered his wits, and then went over to his brother.

'I leave you for 5 minutes, and you create chaos, how do you do it?'

A sniffle was his only reply. Thinking that this was the only way, maybe not the best dignified way, to find out what the damage was, Elrohir grasped the top of Elladan's trousers and with a tough and quick pull, yanked them over his bum.

'Elrohir, you son of a… what the hell you think you are doing?' Elladan tried to hide what ever was nude from creeping child eyes. 'Hoist them back up now!'

Elrohir didn't bother to reply, instead he just pulled his brother's trousers back up, patted Elladan's bum, and simply put it, 'No damage there, now stop acting like a she-elf's bloomers'. A growl come from his left, and simply disregarding it, and settling back over to where is place was, he began to get comfy.

Táridur ran from where he was standing, taken aback from Elladan's 'dance' and threw himself into Elrohir's arms and buried his head in Elrohir's broad chest. 'Don't him hurt me 'Ro'.

Patting the elflings head, Elrohir nodded 'I won't let that mean old bully hurt you'.

'Watch who you're calling old dear twin…I'm only a few minutes older than you'.

Rúnya walked calmly over to his seat next to the fireplace, rested his elbows on his knees, silently waiting for the next part of the story. Whereas Kirwen on the other hand was madly trying to battle Elladan in regards with her undies.

'But I want to be like you… I wanna be bare bottom Ellwadan!'

'No! Since you're the only girl in here, it's not very nice!' With a quick tug and quick lunge, Elladan managed to get the elfling settled in his lap… but also managed to get his hair chewed on. 'Nice…'

Giggling and smiling over to Rúnya, Elrohir continued….

The two brother's smiled at each other and for the first time in a couple of days, Elrohir actually thought things were going to be alright. That was where he was wrong.

A sudden groan and a shift of the blankets alerted the two brothers that their other one was waking. Running… or in Estel's case floating, their quickly made it to Elladan's bedside.

Elrohir skidded to a halt and crouched down immediately clasping Elladan's hand in his. Gently nudging his brother back into the world, he couldn't contain himself when his twin's eyes fluttered open. Throwing himself forward, forgetting how stupid he looked, he linked his arms around Elladan's neck and gave him a quick hug.

'Gwandur, you gave a heart attack. When I saw you, I… I thought you were dead'.

Elrohir heard his brother chuckle and with a still shaky voice he answered, 'hey, don't worry 'Ro, I thought you would have known by now that I'm the best actor'. Glaring down at his brother, but then replacing his stern eyes with more compassion, Elrohir shook his head.

'I know, but most importantly how do you feel?'

Elladan was stuck, words caught in his throat, how could he tell both his brother's that he felt like he was dying, that every time he breathed it was like fire burning inside him, every time he swallowed he could taste blood, coppery and metallic. But worst of all, among all these different things, it felt as if a strange acid was coursing through his system destroying each living cell. He felt cold.

'Okay, not great before you start to kill me with your speeches. But better'. Elrohir still growled low in his throat, not missing the quick wince, jerk and soft moan emancipating from his brother. 'Okay, I don't believe you, but, for your sake I'll except it. Don't expect Ada to be so convinced…'

For a few minutes everything went quiet between the brothers, the only sound was the harsh winds seeping through a crack in the windows, and the occasional thump from upstairs, presumably Elrond checking for some cure. But when the wind became its harshest and managed to break through the windows catapulting them forward was when all hell broke loose.

It all ran in slow motion for Elrohir, first the shock when the windows clattered open, colliding with the walls, the wind wrecking havoc on random things, blowing them across the room, shattering some things into tiny pieces. Those problems were non existent compared to what followed next.

First his brother's hand was gently held within his, next it was grasping the sheets with a white knuckle hold. Elrohir watched as Elladan's eyes shut closed, his teeth grated together, sharp inward hissing was the only sound he made. His once gentle breathes were now irregular, fast paced and now the hisses were turning into cries of agony.

When his brother arched for the third time, was when Elrohir went into action. Sprinting across the room and throwing the windows shut, he leant against them and quickly regained his breath. Ignoring the glass that was spilt over the floor, Elrohir made another mad dash to Elladan's beside again.

'Elrohir…please'.

'What? What… Elladan, tell me what's wrong please'. Elrohir watched in horror as Elladan brought himself upright in a flash and then coughed up another clot of pure crimson. Elrohir done the only thing he could, he yelled. 'ADA! Anybody!'

Elrohir clambered onto the bed, falling forward sometimes in his frantic rush, he positioned himself behind Elladan, and leaning against the headboard, he brought his brother into his lap. 'Come Elladan, it's going to be okay, just try and breathe… like me'.

He resisted the urge to yelp when his brother's hands grasped his and squeezed. All Elrohir could do was to help his brother through it, he didn't have the heart to just leave him. His brother slumped forward once again falling into another coughing fit, and coming back breathless once again.

'I….I… can't, breathe'.

'You can, you can, just try and calm'. Elrohir held his twin tight against him, briskly shaking away salty tears that fell. Elladan jerked once more, screaming in hot white agony, a sound which Elrohir knew would haunt him forever.

'Elladan, tell me what hurts?'

'M..my arm, it's…. on fire, 'Ro'.

Elrohir arched his way around Elladan's head and almost threw up. They blood flowing from the wound was stark black, the edges red raw and torn. Green and yellow pus oozed from it and slipped onto the bed sheets. But worst off all, it was much deeper, and if one could look hard enough you would be able to see the pulsing muscles, trying to repair themselves.

'Elrohir, I…I don't… want to… die'. Elladan's head turned into the direction of his brother's and Elrohir was amazed at how young his brother looked. Wide, but pain masked eyes greeted him, and tears threatened to spill. His raven hair haphazard, fly away strands fell across his face. A questioning and fearful look was plastered on his face. Cold sweat formed on his forehead and intermittent beads of sweat ran down his face, but his blood poured out in rivulets.

Elrohir could feel Elladan shake, his whole frame trembling in his grasp. Elrohir gripped his brother closer. 'You won't die, by the Valar I won't let you. Hold on, I know you can'. The young Lord grabbed a fist full of bed sheets and held them fast on Elladan's arm, trying to ignore his pleas and weak attempts of breaking free.

'Ro, You… you're hurting me'.

'You'll thank me later, just stay awake…'

The youngest of the twins cried out once more for help, and cursed in anger and anguish when no one appeared. Then Elrohir knew some one was missing. Aragorn. His eyes darted about the room, but he could no longer see him. 'What the hell? Where is he? He knows what's wrong with Elladan! He just can't disappear on me now!'

Then the body in Elrohir's hold wasn't shaking any more, wasn't gasping for air no longer. He just lay limp. When Elrohir gave up looking for his youngest brother, he gasped. 'No, not now.'

Gently but quickly sliding out from behind his brother and laying him down on the bed once more, Elrohir shook his brother, trying to get a response, but to his dismay, Elladan's eyes still remained closed and his chest still unmoving.

Fumbling for some sort of pulse, Elrohir sighed in relief when he found one, although faint. Suddenly the most unexpected of noises touched his ears: hooves. 'Who would be coming to Rivendell this late at night?'

Not bothering to look outside the window, Elrohir remained focused on the task at hand. Yelling out for more help, he was relieved when footfalls echoed in the hallway. Elrohir turned to greet the person at the doorway and almost fainted when he say who had come to their aid.

Arwen.

Edomir sheathed his sword after examining it and made is way towards the door. With a quick look behind him, Edomir slid out of the doorway and into the shadowed hallways.

Placing his back against the wall and edging his way from door to door, he tried to find the room to which led to his treasure. He was pretty hesitant at first as he couldn't shake this feeling that if someone would spot him, then he would be under more suspicion then he is now.

That, would be a hazard to his plan.

Each door he came upon, he would twist the handle to see if it was open, and if it was, Edomir would throw a gaze into the room, just to check what or who was in it. After a few hours and without finding the wretched human, as he would say, Edomir was about to give up and try again tomorrow night, when from the corner of his eye he spotted a blur of deep blue robes and long dark hair.

Guessing that this must be the 'revered' Lord Elrond, Edomir followed suit, keeping his distance at the same time. When Elrond came to an immediate halt, and looked around, Edomir had to quickly duck behind a vase and conceal himself 'Damn suspicious Elves'.

When nothing happened, Edomir peered out from his hiding place and stood up cautiously, hand ready at the hilt of his sword. 'I will chop anyone down who dares to get in my way'. After his random ranting and raving about elves and their lack of hospitality, Edomir decided that arguing to his brain wasn't getting him anywhere closer to his gold. NO matter how brainy he was.

Taking a few steps out into the hall and nervously looking around, he spotted an open door at the far end. Smirking to himself and melting back into the shadows, he continued his hunt.

Just when he felt a slight tap on his back.

Jumping up and letting a high pitched pig like squeal erupt from his throat, Edomir looked around to see who had caught him. He saw the back of a person gently sliding the door to the Aragorn's room shut and his heart began to pound against his chest, so hard he thought the person in front to him could hear it. But when said person turned around, he heart almost burst, 'The Elf Lord? By the spawn of Mordor, how am I going to explain this?'

He saw Elrond open his mouth to say something and quickly butted in.

'So, how are you?'

A look of confusion passed over Elrond's face, and taking the hesitation, Edomir carried on. 'You look well, errr..', Edomir frantically looked around and spotting the vase next to him, Edomir began to look at it as if he was admiring it. 'Great work you have here'. He looked around and nodded to himself, 'Excellent craftsmanship'. He was about to make his leaving speech when he was cut off by Elrond.

'Thank you, and I doubt very much, Edomir that you are just here to view the 'greatness', of this vase here, are you?'

Flushing slightly and trying to pull and answer from his brain Edomir started to back away, 'Ah, about that, you see, I was looking for the errr, kitchen, got a bit hungry, and when I saw this vase, I liked it. So, yeah, bye!' Edomir dashed around the corner and ran into a random room on the left, thankful that no-one was in there.

Catching his breathe for a few moments, retracting out of the room, and making sure Elrond had left, Edomir wiped the sweat from the top of his forehead, looked about himself once more and then carried on his 'hunt'.

Coming to a stand still outside the door and shaking his long hair out of his face, Edomir peered through the gape in the door, and almost begun to jump up and down in glee. Settling down to a crouch outside, he concentrated in hearing if anyone was about or inside the room. After all, he had no idea where that Elf Lord went.

Thinking that all was clear, he slowly uncurled out of his defensive position and took a step forward into the room, he needed to quickly retract when darned Elrond sped out of the room at full pace and literally ran down the hall, wearing a wide grin. 'His teeth are only that white because he has dentures'.

Stopping for a few more minutes to convince himself that no more run away elves would come barging out of a door way almost losing their dentures in their wide grins, Edomir crawled around the corner into the room, and with his foot gently shut the door closed. With his lack of information he needed to act fast, Elrond could be back in any moment, catch him in the act and BOOM, it's either jail or the high road for him and both ways he'd come out empty handed.

Spotting the sleeping mortal in front of him, Edomir began to slide across the floor to his wanted prey's bed. With both hands he gripped the edge of the bed and hauled himself up and gasped when his sleeping beauty was actually awake and looking at him. 'Shit!'

It was all quick blur, Being solid…almost, once again. Then the wind, then Elladan gets sick again, after that the feeling of falling, speeding through some vortex trying to determine shapes, and colours, all of which speed past the eye at infinite speeds turning a rainbow of colours into a white mist.

Then there was the stop. The jerk. The pain. All at once everything return to him, it was like a thousand different, heavy weight champion dwarves were gnawing their way through his body with either spoon or sharp spades. It was as if alarms were going off in his head, high pitched squeals returned to his hearing, all of which he thought he lived through for a matter of years, the pain never ending, the noise never dimming. But it was only for a few minutes, then peace arrived. Not total peace, but tolerant.

Cracking his unused eyes open and shutting them once again when light beamed into them causing his head to throb and pound tenfold. Though he found when he was able to open his eyes once again, the light was a tolerable level and Estel could just about identify things around his room.

Once before he could only feel cold, not once was he able to feel different temperatures, smell different things or taste the air. Before he was numb. But now, his senses were revived, renewed. Not believing it, Estel peered down at his hands, turning them over and over, again and again, his smile creeping further and further until it touched both ears. He was whole once again.

Estel could hear someone coming and when the door creaked open, he smile widened (if at all possible) when his adopted father entered the room.

Elrond had only been thinking of failure whilst he walked down the halls. He had given up in trying to look for anything, nothing made sense. Again and again he would check his sons over noting down any change, but nothing got him anywhere.

He knew that his son by blood was poisoned but by what was his only problem and none of the symptoms he showed matched any of the possibilities in the book. His adopted son, the hope of men, lay still never awakening. Elrond would sit for many an hour just hoping and praying that he would wake up, tell him everything would be alright. Only then would he be convinced.

Deciding to check on Estel once before he retired back to his study once again, Elrond rubbed at his eyes and took a quick stroll down the stairs. After a while he felt as if he was alone, but then all of sudden his senses were screaming at him, telling him that someone was near, of evil intentions. But no matter how many times he looked around, Elrond would find nobody.

So, diagnosing himself with over tiredness, he yawned, then carried on.

The hairs on the back of his neck were sticking up again, sending cold shivers down his spine. 'Okay, there is someone here…'. Pretending that nothing had alerted him, hoping to catch this mystery person, Elrond carried on down the hall.

An elusive figure stepped out of the shadows from behind a large vase, peering into Estel's room. Taking long strides, quick and silent towards the figure, he quickly tapped the being on the shoulder, and was taken by surprise when it leapt up squealed. Hurriedly, Elrond gently eased the door to Aragorn's room shut, not even taking a glance into the room.

Elrond could only remember getting into a quick conversation, acknowledging it was Edomir, then turning very protective plus, feeling rather bemused, then he was gone.

Sighing and opening the door to his sons room once again, looking over his shoulders just in case that damned man appeared again and feeling safe it was okay to move, he peered in and swore he could see open eyes. Stepping into the room a little further this time, Elrond could make out a smile.

Everything froze for the Rivendell Lord at that particular moment. He let go of the door he was holding open and then let it creak shut. Then he followed his legs, as they carried him over to Estel's bed. And true to his eyesight, there in front of him lay the awakened hope on men, smiling up at him.

The falling back into reality, Elrond rubbed at his eyes a second and third time before he was utterly convinced that this was all real. Letting out a quick sigh of relief, he bent forward and gathered the human into his arms and held him without intention of letting go.

'I thought I had lost you. When you never awoke, no matter what I did, I didn't think you would return. I had given up hope. Forgive me'. His tears spilt forward and shattered Estel's head.

'There is nothing to forgive. Time was just needed'. He was amazed at how strong his voice sounded even after his ordeal, he graciously hugged his father back and for a few minutes they stayed like that until Elrond decided to jump up.

He lowered Estel back onto his bed and draped the covers over him, kissing his forehead. 'Stay here, I will be back. I just need to tell you brothers is there anything you need?'

Shaking his head and then wincing at what pain the small move made, he let his father leave… and then regretted it. Trying to call his father back, but failed when his father ran out of the room, leaving the door ajar, he hung his head. 'I got to tell him about Elladan, and fast. Before its too late'.

Thinking to himself for a little while, guessing that his father should be back in time, and since he wasn't able to move an inch without causing himself pain, he decided that going after his father would prove to any help what so ever.

He was soon drawn out of his thoughts though when the door rattled shut, without his father's presence, and that was when he saw him. 'Edomir…what?'

Trying to make as little movement as possible and trying to not to laugh out loud when he saw Edomir begin to slide his way over to him on his belly, Estel carefully pulled himself to the edge of the bed and peered down.

The look on the man's face was priceless and Estel could imagine what he was thinking, either 'Damn I forgot to knock' or 'Shit'

From the moment Estel saw the man, he knew that his battle with this guy was far from over.