Part 10

'My most treasured possessions are not things, they are thepeople who love me unconditionally and never ask anything in return - man's greatest treasure must be his family.' -- Anon.

:o:O:o:

The sun shone down on the gardens of Imladris and birds chattered in the treetops as they watched the elves bellow curiously. Elrohir sat on an ornately carved stone bench which backed onto the wall below the balcony to the peredhil family's private rooms. It was the height of summer and a gentle wind danced through the tall, lush, grass at the edge of the clearing whilst butterflies fluttered between the wild flowers. Bees buzzed in the heather and the faint roar of the Branuin was complimented by the lilting melody of the trees.

In the small clearing surrounded by young saplings which grew to silver birch and mighty oak as one walked deeper into the forest sat Celebrian watching her elder son closely.

Elrohir laughed as his twin took a tentative step forwards, arms outstretched to keep his balanced. It was like watching a toddler learning to walk, the movments clummsy and awkward, Elladan was biting his lower lip in concentration. Normally Elladan would not come outside, he had taken to staying indoors or sitting out on the balcony, not wanting to be seen as an invalid. Today, however, Celebrian had decided that it was high time for her child to go outside again, it had been nearly half a year since Elladan's opperation.

The Elven Lady had eventually convinced her son that no one would disturb them in the secluded spot. The elder twin was reluctant, but was finally cajoled into it by a dare from Elrohir.

Speech had come easier and quicker to Elladan and he had been able to speak properly again within around two months thanks to the aid of his parents and brother. Arwen had come home from Lorien for the Yen festival that year wanting to see the twins after hearing of what had happened to them and that had brightened everyone's mood. The girl had really helped her brothers in a way their parents couldn't.

"What?" Elladan glared at his twin, trying to turn around too fast and loosing his footing. He fell to the ground hard and Celebrian rushed to his side stroking some of the ebony hair out of his eyes to see that there were tears shining in their silver depths.

"Elladan what is wrong?" Celebrian asked concerned.

"I can't do this Nana," the boy whispered. "I'm going to be like this forever."

"You're not Elladan," Celebrian reassured the boy. "Trust me you're getting better. You've improved so much in the past months. You can nearly walk properly on your own now."

"This shouldn't be so hard," Elladan said resting his head in the crook of his mother's shoulder. It was impossibly hard, everything had been impossibly hard for the last few months. He had learnt to walk nearly a thousand years ago and he was having to repeat the process all over again. He had had to retrain his brain to remember how to move properly and speak. He had felt stupid sitting with his father for hours on end, trying to make simple sounds that would not come to him without his voice faltering. Or when he had spent hours trying to walk, with his father supporting most of his weight, without his legs giving way. For every two steps forwards he had taken he had had to take one step back and the process was both physically and mentally draining.

His legs were weak and clumsy and although his arms were easier to control they too seemed to have a mind of their own feeling heavy to lift and awkward to move.

"You'll be back to normal very soon, 'Dan," Celebrian said soothingly. "You and Elrohir will be racing around causing havoc before you know it."

"I hope so," Elladan said as Celebrian helped him to his feet.

"Do you think you can reach Elrohir from here?" Celebrian asked looking over to where the younger twin sat on the stone bench watching them.

Elladan nodded shakily his hands still gripping on tightly to Celebrian's arm as he steadied himself. "I'll try."

The elder twin turned his arms flung out to either side to balance himself and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. He looked odly like a tightrope walker his arms wobbling slightly as he fought for balance, his feet almost touching as he made small hesitant steps. Elrohir watched silently what mirth he had seen in the situation gone. He shouldn't have laughed at Elladan, he knew that, but he really hadn't seen the harm in it at the time. Today seemed like a particularily light-hearted one. Nothing could put him in a foul mood today. The scent of lillies drifted by on a light breeze and he let his spirit soar on that wind closing his eyes so as to enhance the beautiful smell.

He was jerked back to earth by someone grabbing onto his arm. The hold was tight and tense, but when he opened his eyes his brother was standing next to him a broad smile gracing his lips. It had to have been the furthest Elladan had walked before and the elder twin laughed, the sound such a brilliant contrast to the sadness his face had held in the past months. Now his eyes were shining with joy and Elrohir smiled back at him.

The younger twin tried to gauge the distance between his mother and himself and was greatly surprised. It had to be at least twenty foot and up a slope. That was a vast improvment to the seven foot or so that Elladan could normally manage.

"That was brilliant 'Dan!" Elrohir said helping his twin to sit down beside him. "Nana was right we are going to be racing around again in no time."

Elladan grinned. "Don't patronise me, I know that was not some great achievment, I only walked a few feet."

"Well only a few months ago you could barely stand," Elrohir said knowing that it was important to encourage his twin. He knew that Elladan felt stupid learning to walk again like an infant when really he should be expecting to go on his first border patrol, but he also knew how hard it was for his twin and how quickly he was improving - something which Elladan obviously couldn't see.

Elrohir had waited patiently for his brother to catch up with him for the past few months. The younger twin had refused Glorfindel's offer to accompany th balro slayer and his patrol, knowing that Elladan would be both sad and annoyed if Elrohir went before him - especially as Elladan was proving to me a much more promising warrior than he. The difference in the twins skills was incredably slim, but it was easy to see that Elladan had that sanguine nature that Elrohir couldn't quite master. That temperment alone was enough to distinguish the pair, to tell which would be the scholar and which the warrior, although they were both were adept in such matters. So Elrohir had waited, and would still wait until his brother was better again. They were brothers, twins, whatever they did they did it together.

"Please don't remind me Elrohir," Elladan said an impish smile playing on his lips.

"You know I was thinking maybe we can cause some havoc sooner than Ada and Nana think," Elrohir said grinning. "If you help me think of something and then I..."

"No you don't," Celebrian said quickly walking over and sitting down in between them. "You two are staying where I can see you until I am certain Elladan is better - and after that as well."

"But..."

"No Elrohir your father and I don't want you going out on your own, not until we know you're ready." Celebrian said her voice broked no argument and the thought of what had happened the last time they had gone out on their own added to that threat.

"I know Nana," Elrohir said. "To tell you the truth I don't want to go out on my own yet."

Elladan nodded his agreement. "Not without Ada or Glorfindel."

"Oh boys, nothing is ever going to happen again don't you know that?" Celebrian asked wrapping an arm about her sons shoulders and pulling them close. The scars that had marked their skin had healed quickly, but the ones on their souls would last far longer. "Your Adar isn't going to let that happen again, he's increased the patrols no orcs have been sighted anywhere near here for a long time. Nothing will happen to you if you go in the forest."

"I'd rather stay here though," Elrohir said. "At least until Elladan is better."

"Well you could still go out with your Adar or Glorf-"

"No I'll stay here for now," Elrohir said cutting his mother off rather rudely - something which Celebrian chose to ignore. He had decided, he wasn't going anywhere without his brother.

"Alright then," Celebrian said knowing there was no arguing with either of her sons' once they had made their minds up. At least not about a matter like this, she couldn't force either of the twins to go out into the forest. "But I don't want you two staying here all the time you have to go back outside at some point you know."

"We are outside," Elrohir laughed waving a hand around him to ephisize his point.

"I mean out in the forest, you haven't been out of the gardens since... in the last few months," Celebrian said quickly changing her words half way through. "When Elladan is better I think the pair of you should go out hunting with your Adar, does that sound good?"

Elladan nodded, smiling. "Yes, it does."

A few months later...

"Elladan! Elrohir!" The Elven Lord's cries became more desperate as he turned again eyes searching every inch of the forest for his sons fear tearing at his heart. Not again, how could he have lost them again? "Elladan! Elrohir!"

He hadn't been gone that long had he? It had only been mere minutes. He had told them both to stay put, they wouldn't have wondered off so carlessly forgetting his anxieties as well as their own would they? Then a horrible thought crossed his mind, what if they hadn't wondered off? What if they had been taken again? He couldn't bear for that to happen to his boys - not again.

"Elladan! Elro-"

"Ada?"

Elrond span around to see the twins standing at the edge of the clearing where they were camping for lunch and raced over to them pulling them close. "I thought I told you to wait here," he sighed eyes closed. That had been too close for him, far too close.

"It wasn't my fault Ada," Elladan protested resting his head against his father's chest. Elrond obviously needed the reassurance, he could hear his father's heart was beating wildly with worry and fear. "Elrohir caught sight of a rabbit and tried to shoot it he missed-"

"-Elladan made a noise and frightened it-"

"-It doesn't matter," Elladan dismissed his brother's comment. "Elrohir went after it and so I thought it would be best to follow him, so really it was all his fault."

"We only went a little way away, we could still see the camp," Elrohir said looking up into his father's worried silver eyes. He paused. "We didn't think..."

"I know you didn't," Elrond said sitting down on a log pulling his children with him, still not satisfied that they were there if he could not hold onto them. It was too much for him, he wondered if they knew how much strain the past year had put on his heart. They had probably just blocked everything out, that was natural and probably best for them. He would have to keep an eye on them though, he didn't want them developing psychological problems because of repressed memories.

"Are you angry with us?" Elladan asked from where he sat beside his father.

Elrond rubbed his aching temples with one hand eyes closed. "No I'm not angry with you, I was just worried. You two have to learn to think before you act, that's what got you in a bad situation the last time."

Both the twins immediatly tensed and Elrohir who was still clutching his father's hand squeezed it so tightly that it almost hurt. The very thought of what had happened a year ago had the same effect on the twins as nails grating down a black board.

"Sorry Ada," Elrohir mumbled.

"No I'm sorry Elrohir, I shouldn't have said that," Elrond said quickly knowing that he had just brought a lot of unwanted thoughts back to the surface. He opened his eyes looking at them both. "You just have to be more careful, the forest is safe, I can assure you, but the world beyond Imladris isn't and I am never going to let you go out if you can't learn to think first."

"But we were so close, we didn't wonder off we were right over there," Elladan waved his hand casually in the direction they had come from.

"I know," Elrond sighed. "I over reacted, but you have to be careful, you two are so precious to me."

"Sorry, we'll think next time, I promise," Elladan said quietly.

"Good," Elrond smiled looking over at the fire the twins had started to build. "Why don't we get started on lunch then?"

They returned to the Last Homely House as the last pink fingers of sunlight receeded across the sky. Celebrian was sitting on the balcony waiting for them reading a book she had found in the library. When she heard the sound of excited talking she looked up over the edge of the book to see her husband walking up the sloping lawns followed by Elladan and Elrohir. As usual the twins seemed to be arguing, and as usual it was only child like banter which could easily be ignored.

Elrond smiled at her when he noticed that she was watching them over the top of the book and quickened his pace ever so slightly. The twins followed behind him, jogging in small spurts to keep up with their father.

When they finally reached the balcony walking up the steps to where Celebrian sat at a garden table she put down her book and smiled, happy to see that they were obviously having a good time. She hadn't seen them all like that in a while...

"Did you have fun?" She asked the twins who nodded exaggeratedly.

"Ada taught us how to fix a snare," Elrohir said excitedly. His mind was already thinking up all of the tricks he could play on unsuspecting elves with the trap his father had taught him.

Elrond raised his eyebrows suddenly understanding the look on his son's face - Elrohir was a lot like Elros, in many ways. "Which you will not use on poor innocent elves-"

"Adar, how can you possibly think that I would-"

"Or Glorfindel," Elrond said cutting Elrohir off. He remembered that the Balrog Slayer had a habbit of getting in the way of his son's tricks - probably because he was the one that tried to stop them all the time. There was no fighting the twins. Their minds worked differently and with both of them working on something they could usually work out a completely flawless plan. True they didn't always catch the one they intended to, but it was good enough.

"I can't believe you really think that little of us," Elladan said incredulously mirroring his twin's expression, which Celebrian thought, resembled their father more than they would probably like to think.

"I was young once," Elrond said slinging his wuiver over the back of a chair and resting his bow against the table before sitting down opposite Celebrian. "I know what you two are like."

"I can't imagine you being young," Elladan said sitting down at the table with his parents before relieving himself of his bow and quiver - Elrohir followed suit. Elrond smiled recalling that he had said something similar to that to his own father.

"Were you like us?" Elrohir asked an expression that looked like curiousity creeping into his face - Elrond could see the slight malicious glint in it and knew what the younger twin was planning. Elrohir definatly had the brains in most operations - not that Elladan was unintelligent - but everything had an alteria motive with the younger twin. If Elrond told him what he and Elros had been like when they were younger he would immediatly be branded a hypocrite.

"Of course he was," Celebrian said answering for her husband smiling. "Worse even."

Elladan snorted rather ungracefully for an elf - especially one with his parentage - and Elrohir laughed, though whether this was because of the impertinent sound Elladan had made or his father's expression nobody knew.

Elrond raised an eyebrow. "Worse?"

"Far worse," Celebrian said leaning back in her chair her eyes glittering with mirth and that same hint of malice he had caught in his son's eyes a moment ago. So that's where he gets it from, the Elven Lord thought rolling his eyes. "And back then children were supposed to be better behaved. You lot get away with murder these days."

"Well I don't think using Erestor's book for archery practice qualifies as murder," Elladan said, "and I didn't get away with it either. I was cleaning the stables for weeks."

"Ah yes, but you murdered something even more valuable to Erestor than another elf - you killed a poor innocent book," Elrohir laughed and everyone smiled at that. It was true that Elrond's advisor was far too protective of his books.

"It wasn't a good one anyway," Elladan said dismissing the thought.

"I thought it was valuable," Elrohir said looking across at his brother.

"It was jibberish," Elladan replied, "I couldn't understand a word of it."

Elrond rolled his eyes, "that is because it was very old and very valuable and written in a dead language."

"Oh."

"Yes oh," Elrond said smiling at his son's expression.

"It was amusing though, when Erestor caught Elladan," Elrohir said remembering. "I was terrified, I thought that Erestor was going to throttle him."

"Or lecture me to death on the importance of books."

It was Elrohir's turn to laugh then. He stopped suddenly when his stomach growled and he was reminded that he was terribly hungry. "I'm starving," he complained looking at his parent's hopefully.

"We only ate a few hours ago," Elrond protested.

"But-"

"All you ever think about is your stomach Elrohir," Elladan grinned.

"You can talk," he turned back to his parent's trying to make himself look as innocent as possible.

Celebrian laughed. "Alright then, go and get something from the kitchens both of you."

Elrohir jumped up grabbing Elladan and dragging him towards the kitchens.

The two elder elves watched the pair run away through the balcony doors and out into the hall, and smiled, their hearts warming.

"He's definatly better now," Elrond said thinking of Elladan. The elder twin didn't falter at all anymore when he was moving - it was quite amazing considering the fact that a few months ago he could barely walk.

"Glorfindel suggested that he could take them on patrol in a few days," Celebrian said seeing her husband's hesitant expression. "Elladan wants to go, it would mean the world to him."

"I know," Elrond sighed suddenly finding the table interesting. "It's just..."

"What?" Celebrian asked when her husband's words faltered.

"Today, whilst we were hunting," Elrond explained slowly. "I went away for only a few moments and once I returned they were gone." His eyes darted up to hers before looking away again. "I thought that I had lost them again."

"But you didn't-"

"I could have," Elrond protested. "What if something had happened to them and I wasn't there? How would I ever be able to live with myself. And they don't think Celebrian, they went chasing off after a rabbit or something like that. It doen't really matter, the point is-"

Celebrian reached across the table tilted her husband's chin up so that she could look him in the eye. "The point is that you worry too much. They're lucky to have you here for them, you'll do anything for them, but they're growing up Elrond you will have to let them go."

"How can I when they can't think ahead?" Elrond asked, but his words had lost their conviction. Inside he knew that the twins were growing up. He could see it sometimes just in the way they spoke and acted - but sometimes they could be so stupid...

"They'll learn," Celebrian smiled her eyes glittering. "You have to learn to relax."

"I am relaxed," Elrond replied.

"You are now," she said slowly, "but you follow them around everywhere - you'll give yourself grey hairs."

Elrond inadvertantly looked down at his hair where it lay across his shoulder. "I don't think elves get grey hairs."

Celebrian grinned. "What about my father?"

"I doubt that you gave him grey hairs," Elrond said looking across at his wife, noticing the mischievous smile "...then again..."

Celebrian laughed. She looked in the direction her sons had gone in. "Do you think we should go after them?"

Elrond followed her gaze and nodded, "yes we need to make sure that they don't deplete the food stores."

They both stood and wandered after their sons everything that had happened in the past year completely forgotten. Elrond smiled when they found them fighting with the food instead of eating it knowing that his family was the greatest gift in the world. The greatest treasure...

A/N: Wheeee I finally finished it! I am so pleased with this story! And I am so thankful to all of the people who have reviewed! I would write out all of your names, but I have a tendancy of missing out people, but thank you to everyone that had read, reviewed favorited and even glanced at this story.

It does need editing I will admit, there are thousands of grammatical mistakes as well as one or two where I forget about something I wrote in a previous chapter so check back here sometimes, there may be some big changes.

Ok please please review I'm trying to hit 100

Thank you very much everyone!

ElvenHope