Chapter Four
(AN- Much thanks again to Figgy! I could not have done this chapter well without you! *glomptackle*)
As Elladan was leaving Gilraeth's quarters, he narrowly avoided a collision with his father as he opened the door. After the initial surprise had worn off, Elrond and Elladan set off for breakfast, walking side by side down the halls.
"How is the pen-neth?" Lord Elrond asked of his son.
"He has awakened," Elladan replied. "His name, he says, is Gilraeth, son of Gomeir. He seems well enough to come to the mid-day meal today. Gilraeth has suffered much."
"He will recover," Elrond said in a matter-of-fact tone. "The young usually heal more quickly than those who have seen more winters. Soon this will all be but a distant memory, and he will return home."
"That is not what I meant."
"What are you trying to say, Elladan? Are you implying that the boy hurts more than he appears to?"
"In a way, yes. I saw it within his eyes. There is a reason as to why he was out there alone, father. There was a hidden fear, one he will be loath to speak of later."
The Elves stopped, as if some unseen agreement had passed between them to do so. Familiar gray eyes stared into each other as both father and son tried to understand the other. Elrond was puzzled, but the boy was Elladan's business, not his. He had other matters of importance to attend to.
"The pen-neth will be under your jurisdiction as long as he remains in Imaldris. He is your responsibility, Elladan. I cannot tend to both him and the other issues in my houses."
Elladan nodded. "I know this, adar. I knew it from the time I saw him wandering the trails of the forests. He will not pose a problem to your lands. But his future is uncertain. He did not seem interested in returning home. However, all will be revealed in time."
Gilraeth had decided not to bother himself with the outside world just yet. Sleep still wanted him, and so he fell back into the soft bed and slept deeply and undisturbed for many hours. Once, Elladan came to check on him after the mid-day meal and found him asleep. He did not bother the boy. Just as quietly as he had entered, he left.
It was late in the evening when Gilraeth awoke again. His mind and body felt refreshed, but dull aches within his stomach reminded him of Elladan's invitation for a meal. Yet as he looked out the window and saw that the sun was already halfway into the blackened horizon, he was unsure if the kitchens would still allow him to eat. Furthermore, where were the kitchens in the first place? Hadn't Elladan said something about his brother?
Gilraeth dressed in the clothes he had worn while on his travels, and he noticed the soils that previously stained the garments had vanished entirely. Smiling to himself, Gilraeth cautiously went out the door and into the hall, closing the door softly behind him. Looking up and down the halls, he caught a glimpse of a raven haired Elf walking away from his quarters.
"Elladan!" the boy called, running to meet up with him. The Elf hesitated, and then turned as the boy stopped before him. His eyes were a bit colder and glittered like misty jewels in the torchlight.
"I beg your pardon?" he asked of Gilraeth.
"It's me, Gilraeth! Don't you remember me, Elladan?" he asked imploringly, confusion welling up within him. Then the light dawned upon the Elf. His eyes softened a bit.
"Ah, you mistake me for my brother, Elladan. I am Elrohir."
Gilraeth's brow furrowed, and then smoothed once more as he replied, "You and Elladan are twins?"
Elrohir nodded silently in answer.
"Well, all right then. Uh, could you show me the way to the kitchens, please?" Gilraeth asked tentatively.
"I was on my way there before you stopped me. I shall go with you," Elrohir replied, starting off without another word. Gilraeth hurried to catch up and stay with the quick-paced Elf. Now that he had met both Elrohir and Elladan, he saw the differences in the two. Elladan was much more talkative and friendly, while Elrohir was somewhat more reserved and hid his emotions.
The trip to the kitchens was short and silent, and Elrohir soon departed from Gilraeth without another word to him. Gilraeth's eyes followed the Elf for a short distance before he came upon Elladan, who sipped a glass of wine with another Elf, both leaning against a counter.
The Elf Elladan shared company with was tall, but not as tall as the twins. He had blonde hair that looked like a lightning bolt built in battle. His presence seemed to draw the boy to have a deep respect for him, and he approached the two laughing companions with a bit of fear.
As they stopped talking and looked down at Gilraeth, both smiled, noticing his fear. The Elf Gilraeth did not know set down his empty glass upon the counter, but it was Elladan who spoke first.
"Do not fear Glorfindel, Gilraeth," he said as he gently pushed his shoulder. Glorfindel laughed and pushed back.
"Watch your tongue, Elladan!" the blonde Elf replied with a slightly stern yet musical and friendly tone that cheered Gilraeth. The boy smiled and laughed as Elladan winked at him.
"It is nice to see you up and about, Gilraeth," the obsidian haired Elf smiled warmly. "I was beginning to wonder if you would ever get out of bed!"
"Well, I'm up," Gilraeth replied, shrugging lightly. Glorfindel seemed to be studying the red haired, brown eyed boy with an intense curiosity. Gilraeth met those piercing crystal blue eyes and felt a connection between the two, one he'd never felt before in his life. They were speaking, but not with words.
Elladan noticed the intensity between the two and slowly stepped away, leaving the Elf and the boy to themselves. Glorfindel seemed to be searching his soul, asking the questions Gilraeth had feared would be asked: why was he alone in his traveling to Imaldris; where was he from; were his parents worried, and so on. And yet as Glorfindel began to find a slight understanding, Gilraeth had no such fear. He felt that he could trust the blonde Elf with nearly anything, even more than he could Elladan.
At the thought of Elladan, the connection was broken as Gilraeth turned away. Glorfindel, however, assumed the turning away was for another reason, and so silently allowed his thoughts to refocus on something other than the boy. But he had a feeling that even if Gilraeth did return home, they would gain something out of all of this in the end.
(AN- Much thanks again to Figgy! I could not have done this chapter well without you! *glomptackle*)
As Elladan was leaving Gilraeth's quarters, he narrowly avoided a collision with his father as he opened the door. After the initial surprise had worn off, Elrond and Elladan set off for breakfast, walking side by side down the halls.
"How is the pen-neth?" Lord Elrond asked of his son.
"He has awakened," Elladan replied. "His name, he says, is Gilraeth, son of Gomeir. He seems well enough to come to the mid-day meal today. Gilraeth has suffered much."
"He will recover," Elrond said in a matter-of-fact tone. "The young usually heal more quickly than those who have seen more winters. Soon this will all be but a distant memory, and he will return home."
"That is not what I meant."
"What are you trying to say, Elladan? Are you implying that the boy hurts more than he appears to?"
"In a way, yes. I saw it within his eyes. There is a reason as to why he was out there alone, father. There was a hidden fear, one he will be loath to speak of later."
The Elves stopped, as if some unseen agreement had passed between them to do so. Familiar gray eyes stared into each other as both father and son tried to understand the other. Elrond was puzzled, but the boy was Elladan's business, not his. He had other matters of importance to attend to.
"The pen-neth will be under your jurisdiction as long as he remains in Imaldris. He is your responsibility, Elladan. I cannot tend to both him and the other issues in my houses."
Elladan nodded. "I know this, adar. I knew it from the time I saw him wandering the trails of the forests. He will not pose a problem to your lands. But his future is uncertain. He did not seem interested in returning home. However, all will be revealed in time."
Gilraeth had decided not to bother himself with the outside world just yet. Sleep still wanted him, and so he fell back into the soft bed and slept deeply and undisturbed for many hours. Once, Elladan came to check on him after the mid-day meal and found him asleep. He did not bother the boy. Just as quietly as he had entered, he left.
It was late in the evening when Gilraeth awoke again. His mind and body felt refreshed, but dull aches within his stomach reminded him of Elladan's invitation for a meal. Yet as he looked out the window and saw that the sun was already halfway into the blackened horizon, he was unsure if the kitchens would still allow him to eat. Furthermore, where were the kitchens in the first place? Hadn't Elladan said something about his brother?
Gilraeth dressed in the clothes he had worn while on his travels, and he noticed the soils that previously stained the garments had vanished entirely. Smiling to himself, Gilraeth cautiously went out the door and into the hall, closing the door softly behind him. Looking up and down the halls, he caught a glimpse of a raven haired Elf walking away from his quarters.
"Elladan!" the boy called, running to meet up with him. The Elf hesitated, and then turned as the boy stopped before him. His eyes were a bit colder and glittered like misty jewels in the torchlight.
"I beg your pardon?" he asked of Gilraeth.
"It's me, Gilraeth! Don't you remember me, Elladan?" he asked imploringly, confusion welling up within him. Then the light dawned upon the Elf. His eyes softened a bit.
"Ah, you mistake me for my brother, Elladan. I am Elrohir."
Gilraeth's brow furrowed, and then smoothed once more as he replied, "You and Elladan are twins?"
Elrohir nodded silently in answer.
"Well, all right then. Uh, could you show me the way to the kitchens, please?" Gilraeth asked tentatively.
"I was on my way there before you stopped me. I shall go with you," Elrohir replied, starting off without another word. Gilraeth hurried to catch up and stay with the quick-paced Elf. Now that he had met both Elrohir and Elladan, he saw the differences in the two. Elladan was much more talkative and friendly, while Elrohir was somewhat more reserved and hid his emotions.
The trip to the kitchens was short and silent, and Elrohir soon departed from Gilraeth without another word to him. Gilraeth's eyes followed the Elf for a short distance before he came upon Elladan, who sipped a glass of wine with another Elf, both leaning against a counter.
The Elf Elladan shared company with was tall, but not as tall as the twins. He had blonde hair that looked like a lightning bolt built in battle. His presence seemed to draw the boy to have a deep respect for him, and he approached the two laughing companions with a bit of fear.
As they stopped talking and looked down at Gilraeth, both smiled, noticing his fear. The Elf Gilraeth did not know set down his empty glass upon the counter, but it was Elladan who spoke first.
"Do not fear Glorfindel, Gilraeth," he said as he gently pushed his shoulder. Glorfindel laughed and pushed back.
"Watch your tongue, Elladan!" the blonde Elf replied with a slightly stern yet musical and friendly tone that cheered Gilraeth. The boy smiled and laughed as Elladan winked at him.
"It is nice to see you up and about, Gilraeth," the obsidian haired Elf smiled warmly. "I was beginning to wonder if you would ever get out of bed!"
"Well, I'm up," Gilraeth replied, shrugging lightly. Glorfindel seemed to be studying the red haired, brown eyed boy with an intense curiosity. Gilraeth met those piercing crystal blue eyes and felt a connection between the two, one he'd never felt before in his life. They were speaking, but not with words.
Elladan noticed the intensity between the two and slowly stepped away, leaving the Elf and the boy to themselves. Glorfindel seemed to be searching his soul, asking the questions Gilraeth had feared would be asked: why was he alone in his traveling to Imaldris; where was he from; were his parents worried, and so on. And yet as Glorfindel began to find a slight understanding, Gilraeth had no such fear. He felt that he could trust the blonde Elf with nearly anything, even more than he could Elladan.
At the thought of Elladan, the connection was broken as Gilraeth turned away. Glorfindel, however, assumed the turning away was for another reason, and so silently allowed his thoughts to refocus on something other than the boy. But he had a feeling that even if Gilraeth did return home, they would gain something out of all of this in the end.