AN: Well, folks, I was working on my review responses last night (I was! I promise!) when the power suddenly blew. It came back on a moment later, but with the added bonus of throwing the internet server out so I couldn't get to my email. So I worked on the story instead. Review responses are up now (link on my profile), and here's chapter fourteen.
Chapter Fourteen: Explanations and Decisions
"But Ada," had Elladan been younger, he would have resorted to whining. As it was, he was merely trying to convince his father. "It's only across the room. How could I hurt myself going across the room?"
Elrond raised one eyebrow, regarding his son with a look that mingled patience and incredulity. A look he commonly used with his sons. "One might also wonder how you could hurt yourself walking through the gardens."
"But he wasn't walking," Elrohir piped in, much to his twin's annoyance. "He was running."
The elf-lord glanced over at the younger twin, his expression somewhat sharpening. "And you're entirely innocent in this?"
Elrohir looked down, the slightest blush stealing onto his face. "I didn't make him fall," he muttered.
"Ada," Elladan grabbed his father's attention again, putting on the most pitiful face he could muster. "It's only my ankle, and I would only be going as far as the window. Please?"
The face had worked on his father—and all the adult elves of Imladris—when Elladan was an elfling, but it was somewhat less effective now that he was grown. Elrond did not sigh or roll his eyes, but his sons could sense their father's exasperation.
"Please, Ada?" Elrohir added, leaping up to drag an armchair over to the window as though to demonstrate that Elladan would be comfortable. "I'll even carry him over if that's the only way you'll let him."
The smile that Elrond had been trying to hide finally broke loose, just slightly. "You would rather do this than try to escape Emyntur's grasp?" he asked, thinking of the healer who had, unluckily, been assigned to keep the injured Elladan out of trouble.
"Yes," Elladan said seriously.
In that moment, Elrond did not know if he had ever been more proud of his sons.
After the wood-elves' arrival the day before, Legolas, who had been staying in this room under the healers' care, had been taken away by his older sister. She and her husband had kept him with them through the day and the night, yet Elrond had to insist that they bring him back to be cared for by a healer. He also needed to discuss the young prince's condition with Luinlothiel and her husband, and did not want Legolas present for that discussion.
He was going to ask if another member of their company would be willing to look after Legolas, as the elfling's condition was still rather frail, but when his sons had gotten wind of it they had begged for the opportunity.
Apparently, the short time they'd spent with Legolas had left a lasting impression. More than simply seeing a sickly elfling who should not be left alone, both Elladan and Elrohir had asserted that they wanted to befriend him.
They had also insisted that he be allowed to stay in the bed by the window, and that Elladan, broken ankle and all, hobble over to sit by him.
"Very well," Elrond finally assented, after remaining silent for a few moments to make his sons worry (just recompense, he thought, for all the worry they'd caused him over the millennia). "If he agrees to come and if you, Elladan, promise to stay off that leg."
"Oh, he will, Ada," Elrohir interjected brightly.
Elrond thought about asking Elrohir who he meant, but decided it wasn't entirely important. "He should be with his sister now," Elrond said, turning to leave.
For a moment he considered telling his sons that Haldir was visiting, but decided they probably deserved being kept ignorant this time.
Besides, their reaction to the Lórien elf's appearance might amuse Legolas.
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Luinlothiel and Gilfaroth were already nervously awaiting Lord Elrond in his study as the elf-lord entered.
"How is he?" Gilfaroth demanded, jumping to his feet as soon as the door opened.
Elrond waved a hand for them both to sit down, pausing in the door to quietly ask one of the passing elves to send some refreshment up.
"He should make a full recovery," Elrond finally said, sitting heavily in his chair. His meeting with the Princess and Captain of Mirkwood had been delayed when one of the other healers had called for Lord Elrond's help. Brithdil, one of the elves who had fallen to a poisoned arrow, had not reacted well to the antidote the healer administered. The poison had been stronger than they had thought, and had it not been for the other healer's quick thinking the captain might not have survived.
"What happened to him?" Gilfaroth asked worriedly, gripping his wife's hand so tightly that she gave a tiny flinch.
"An orc trick," Elrond explained, glancing up as a servant entered carrying a tray with tea and an assortment of biscuits. "It is not common, but neither is it so rare as to be completely unexpected."
The couple looked confused, worry still coloring the captain's features. "What do you mean?" Luinlothiel asked calmly, gently rubbing the back of Gilfaroth's hand to calm him.
"They used different poisons. Many orc bands will all use the same poison, but occasionally there will be some that divide two or three among their archers, in hopes that the healers will not realize what has happened until it's too late."
"But he's all right now?"
Elrond smiled reassuringly at the younger elf. "Not quite, but he will be in a day or two."
Gilfaroth nearly collapsed with relief, and Luinlothiel gave him a gentle smile. "What about my brother?"
The elf-lord sighed. "Your husband explained what happened," he said slowly. "He also explained that there are suspicions that it was not, in fact, an accident."
Husband and wife glanced at each other, hesitation in their faces.
"It does not matter at this moment," Elrond interjected, holding a hand up to forestall any comments. "If it was not accidental he will be safe here, away from anyone who could have hurt him. What matters now is your brother's condition."
Luinlothiel stiffened noticeably, her hand tightening around her husband's. Elrond felt a slight flash of sadness, knowing that Thranduil himself should be here to hear about his son rather than being forced to send his daughter in his place. "To put it simply," Elrond began, "Legolas is terrified."
He could see that his words weren't entirely shocking to the she-elf who had sat at her brother's bedside as his sleep was constantly disturbed by nightmares.
"Whether this is terror of an elf who harmed him or due to an accident I cannot say," the elf-lord continued, "but it is fear that is affecting him this way."
Gilfaroth shook his head, as though unable to understand it. "How?" he asked.
"His fear has given the Shadow a foothold," Elrond explained. "It has left his heart with a wound that cannot be healed except with time and love, away from the Shadow."
The princess slumped in her seat. "So he must stay here," she whispered painfully, her eyes filling with tears.
Elrond nodded sympathetically. He knew she had held out hope that he could simply heal the elfling and they could go home together.
"Even if circumstances were different, Luni," Gilfaroth said softly, "we couldn't take him home until we were sure he'd be safe. Even if it was an accident, what if something worse were to happen?"
"I know," Luinlothiel sighed. "He would be safer here."
And so with heavy hearts it was agreed that Lord Elrond would foster Legolas until he reached adulthood, and then the prince would be given the choice of returning home or remaining in Rivendell.
Tears flowing freely, Luinlothiel could only bury her face in her husband's shoulder and weep as he led her away.
Eighty years was a long time for an elfling to be parted from his family.
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"So, this is where you've been hiding?"
Elrohir jumped, startled, and whirled around to see the intruder, nearly losing his balance as he did. Elladan laughed at this, tossing a cheeky grin toward the light-haired elf standing in the doorway.
"What are you doing here?" Elrohir exclaimed.
"Not that we aren't happy to see you," Elladan quickly interjected.
"But...what are you doing here?"
Haldir shook his head, drawing a chair up to sit near the twins. "That is a long story," he commented wryly.
"Haldir, this is Legolas," Elrohir said by way of introduction.
The Lórien elf raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Princess Tinlith's brother?"
Legolas looked up, his eyes widening. "You know Tinlith?" he asked softly, surprised to find someone who knew his sister out here in Imladris.
"Haldir is from Lothlórien," Elladan explained. "Though I don't understand why he's here."
"There were Lórien elves in the courtyard yesterday," Elrohir suddenly said, slapping his forehead in realization. "I didn't know you were there."
"I probably wasn't," Haldir replied dryly. "I was busy," he said, nodding toward the elfling. Thankfully, Elrohir seemed to understand that Haldir meant he had been helping the wounded but didn't want to discuss it in front of Legolas.
"But what are you doing here," Elladan asked, repeating Elrohir's questions from before. "We hadn't heard you were coming to visit Imladris or we would have prepared a welcome for you."
Haldir shook his head. "I can only imagine what that would be."
"Seriously, Haldir, how did you come to be in Rivendell? Not that we regret seeing you..."
"We were escorting Princess Tirá home to Mirkwood," Haldir explained. "The rains hit, and we turned aside to wait out the change in weather here. Your father has always said we were welcome."
"Of course you are," Elrohir said with a cheery nod, turning to pull Legolas' blanket up a bit higher as a gust of wind blew through the window. "I heard you saved the Mirkwood company coming through the pass."
"Ah, that is an interesting tale!" Elladan crowed. "How did you manage that?"
Haldir stared at Elladan. "We defeated the orcs," he deadpanned.
It took the twins a moment to realize Haldir was joking, but Elladan finally laughed. "I meant how did you manage to come in time to help them? Fairly convenient timing, wasn't it?"
"Lady Galadriel," Haldir said, by way of explanation.
"Galadriel is our grandmother," Elladan explained to Legolas, shifting in the chair and wincing when he moved his ankle. Haldir noticed this with some concern, and easily slipped the footstool further under the twin's injured leg. "She's rather gifted with foresight," he added unnecessarily, as even an elfling as young as Legolas was well aware of Lady Galadriel's reputation.
"We were preparing to leave, and she rather strongly suggested we wait a few more days before departing," Haldir said. "Had we not, we would have continued through the rains rather than turning aside."
"I had wondered," Elrohir commented, "why you would not have simply come up the western side of the mountains if you were coming here."
"Awfully coincidental detour," Elladan agreed with a grin and a short laugh.
"It wasn't a coincidence," Elrohir argued. "Merely a convenient occurrence."
"Ah. Convenient to both sides, of course."
"Of course. Now Haldir need not go all the way to Mirkwood."
"Unless he wishes to."
"Would he?"
"I don't know...what could possibly draw him to visit Mirkwood?"
"Suppose we should ask him?"
"Of course."
In one accord, the twins turned to face the Lórien elf.
Legolas glanced back and forth with a puzzled expression, having gotten lost at some point during the twins' discussion. Haldir, too, looked a bit disconcerted.
"If you're asking if I'm planning on visiting here for a time, the answer is no," Haldir replied. "We are still accompanying the princess to Mirkwood, to...aide the company on their journey home," Haldir finished lamely, barely remembering not to mention in front of the elfling that several of the wood-elves from Mirkwood had been seriously injured. As his company had already been going to Mirkwood, they had decided to finish their journey before returning home rather than letting Lord Elrond send an escort out of Imladris.
"Too bad," Elrohir sighed, leaning back in his chair and grinning over at his twin and Legolas.
Haldir knew that look far too well, having been on the receiving end of the twins' pranks during their visits to Lothlórien.
"Legolas," he suddenly said, shooting his own grin at the twins, "did Elladan and Elrohir ever tell you about the time they painted a picture in the bottom of their grandmother's fountain to make her think she was having a vision?"
"Haldir!" Elladan protested. "We were elflings at the time!"
"Were?"
Laughter filled the room as the three elves traded stories about each other, each trying to top the last in an attempt to make the young prince giggle even harder.
And Elrond, pausing just outside the room, smiled.
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