A/N Well, took a while...things got busy...and I kind of lost inspiration again for a time. :l I might also add that the system is all broken again: didn't get notifications for anything, no PMs, reviews...Nothing. AND when I put this on document form it had all the coding too. ._. FFN, fix your site!

Anyway, hope you like this, and let's strive to get 100 reviews on this thing. :) Thank you Sidewalk Surfer for your PM, because that is what got me to finish this chapter.

Gilraen woke up from her nap and stretched. She exhaled after that but remained where she was, looking at the ceiling. Memory of what transpired before she went to sleep surfaced again and she frowned thoughtfully. She was not sure what to make of it, to be honest. It would be hard to have to accommodate for someone whom she was not close with, and being unfamiliar with the twins' personalities to begin with made it more difficult.

She would try to be patient, for now, though if something happened that made Estel upset then she would have to step in and pull him out of the whole thing.

Gilraen walked outside the room, deciding to go to the Hall of Fire for some music. On her way, she eavesdropped unintentionally on a conversation that a couple elves shared.

"When do you think they may decide to send him to the Havens, after today's episode?"

"I do not know, but maybe soon. Lord Elrohir does not seem to be happy here anymore."

"Master Círdan would know how to better deal with him. The sea-people have always been known for their patience."

Gilraen frowned for real this time. But she had no input to give; she knew too little. Instead, she quietly continued her way.

Elrond waited for Halbarad to speak as the ranger digested the information he was just told. Estel sat slumped in a chair as he watched them both, having nothing better to do but listen.

Halbarad pressed his lips into a thin line. "When was this? At the end of fall?"

"It has been a few months since the accident, yes," Elrond answered. "He has made much progress since then."

Halbarad hummed a little. "That explains some of it. I do apologize for causing such a stir. I would not have done so had I known."

"I put no fault on you, my friend," Elrond said softly. "I apologize for Elrohir on his behalf for his behavior. We only just discovered this new fluctuation this morning."

Halbarad folded his fingers over each other as he rested his elbows on his knees. "No blame placed either. I have seen it enough among my own people. Had to replace some windows because of those moods." He looked at Estel and the elf-lord. "My condolences to you and your family though, it must be hard, especially for Elrohir."

"It has been hard, but we will manage. Enough time and patience will win over," Elrond inclined his head. "Thank you for understanding."

"I will not hold anything against Elladan if he does not want to leave for this orc hunt."

"He does, actually," Elrond informed. "And I would want him to as well. It would be good for him to get out and breathe."

Halbarad nodded slowly. "Well, let him know that I will be here for another two days. I cannot be away from my folk for too long, even though I would love to stay longer."

Elrond understood as well. "You will always be welcome here." The peredhel stood up and regarded the two mortals in the room. "I will meet with you later."

Estel watched as his father left the room ere studying his friend. Halbarad seemed to be thinking, his expression grim but not overly so. The adolescent said nothing throughout this meeting and he found himself unable to say anything even now.

Halbarad turned his head to face Estel. "You do not deserve to have to experience this at such a young age, boy." He said thoughtfully, and a look of remorse briefly flashed across his features. "You could have died."

"But I lived," Estel replied in a whisper. "And that is all that matters."

Halbarad shook his head. "Still, a devastation regardless given the aftermath. I just hope it is not an omen that Imladris might crumble to pieces eventually."

Estel hoped it was not one either.

Elladan sat at one end of the couch in a doze with one hand supporting his head. He came back to the waking world with a blink and he turned his attention to Elrohir. His brother still slept peacefully and undisturbed.

'A good thing too…after what we just went through.' Elladan mused.

Elrohir likely blacked out without the fainting that normally accompanied the event. He simply stopped crying and fell silent, appearing dull. Elladan had carefully maneuvered Elrohir to lay on the couch before he covered his twin with a blanket, and it had been peaceful since then.

On the outside.

Elladan felt more tired after today's events. He knew he would not be able to keep doing this; especially if this transition would be one of the bad ones. He just had no mental energy left to give. Sleepless nights did not help either. Elladan began to lean towards leaving with Halbarad when it was time. He could taste the wild open air already…

Elladan turned his head to see his father walking into the room carrying a platter. Elrond said nothing immediately and he set the tray down on the table, and Elladan immediately caught the waft of food in the air. He then realized he had not really eaten much that day either.

"I figured you both would want to eat here rather than out there," Elrond said as he sat on the other seat across from the couch the twins shared.

Elladan nodded his thanks and absently picked up a piece of cheese. "I think I have set my mind on what I want to do."

Elrond turned his attention to Elrohir, who remained peacefully oblivious to what happened around him.

Elladan caught the silent question. "It is hard to rouse him. Once he goes down you cannot wake him up."

Elrond frowned at this. "Has it gotten harder?"

"I would have let you know about it if I suspected anything," Elladan said oddly.

Elrond continued frowning and lifted a brow. "What is it you are not telling me?"

Elrohir made a noise and both the other peredhil stopped talking. They watched as Elrohir with glassy unfocused eyes glanced about the chamber, before sighing and rolling over so his back was to them.

Elladan was biting his cheeks as this went on, and he did not answer the question afterward either.

"Elladan?" Elrond prodded.

The older twin shook his head and gave in. "I should have taken it as a sign," he whispered remorsefully. "Elrohir…is sleepwalking."

Elrond could not decide if he should feel glad or concerned, or both. "Sleepwalking?"

"He gets up in the middle of the night and just…wanders. He gropes for things to stay upright, but I have had to get up and herd him back into bed. He nearly escaped once."

Elrond's brows furrowed together, a little frustrated now that he was only beginning to hear of this now. "Why did you not tell me the night it started happening?"

Elladan shook his head and he appeared ashamed.

Elrond regarded his child sternly. "We would have avoided this day's events from happening with that small bit of information. Did Elrohir sleepwalk last night?"

"…Yes."

Elrond made no noise and he rubbed his temples to prevent a headache from starting. Why now after everything had happened…

"H-huh?" Elrohir croaked as he looked over his shoulder.

Elladan and Elrond put up a façade and regarded their loved one gently.

Elrohir blinked a few times and sat up a little. "W-why are you…Why am I here?" He asked with confusion.

"Do you remember coming here?" Elladan inquired.

Elrohir continued to seem wonky and out of it. "N-no…"

Elrond stood from his seat and went to his side, and Elrohir just became more confused. "What was the last thing you remember?"

Elrohir still could not shake the fog from his mind. "I r-remember…g-going to watch you w-welcome the others home…" He said vaguely. "But I n-never got there…" He cast a pleading gaze towards his father.

Elrond felt his heart warm and become heavy at the obvious need for comfort coming from his child. He stroked Elrohir's head as the twin leaned toward him. Elladan and Elrond shared a knowing a glance with one another. Elrohir did not need to know everything right now. Elrond continued his ministrations. "You blacked out and you were brought here to rest, Elrohir."

Elrohir ate the attention up and he relaxed considerably.

Elladan wrestled internally with himself in the meantime. He needed to let Elrohir know about his decision of leaving Imladris for a time…but so soon? Elladan was afraid he could not muster the courage to do so at a later time: specifically the next day. Much like what Elrohir did, Elladan looked to Elrond for answers.

Elrond said nothing verbally.

"D-dan…sad?" Elrohir whispered.

Elladan briefly let some of his surprise reveal on his face before he composed himself again. "I am sad by what you must endure, brother," he said softly and gave a long pause. "…especially what I plan to do."

Elrond showed no sign of approval or disapproval, even if Elladan got the impression that his father was leaning toward the latter. Elrohir became unsettled again at the implications, not fully understanding, given he had completely forgotten what had happened that day. Elrond only continued to stroke his head and silently slipped a hand to Elrohir's shoulder in case he would get violent.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Brother…I cannot stand to watch you suffer. I want to help you as much as I can, but I can only do so if I look after my own needs first, and that will require me being away from home for a time."

There, he said it. Elladan and Elrond watched Elrohir for his response to that statement. The crippled-elf's eye twitched and his expression slowly grew darker and darker the longer the thought remained.

"Why?" Elrohir finally questioned coldly and with the same lingering bewilderment.

Elladan felt his shoulders tense as he was in the dark of what could follow next. "The chance has provided itself," he explained softly. "Halbarad-"

"NO!" Elrohir exclaimed loudly and lunged for his brother's arm, Elrond withdrew slightly when he detected no violence in his son's intent.. "Y-you can't leave!"

Elladan shook his head but allowed Elrohir to cling to him as the positioning allowed. "I do not have to, but Elrohir, please, let me go. It will only be for a short time."

"N-never," Elrohir said sorrowfully. His eye continued to twitch, and Elladan thought his brother's nerves were firing again irregularly with this news.

"Brother," Elladan continued with his gentle pleading tone. "I cannot help you if you cannot help me, and you keep saying you want to help somehow. This may be the way to do it."

Elrohir stared at nothing before he moaned and curled in on himself, making quiet noises of despair.

"I will sit with him," Elrond said finally.

Elladan took the message to leave, and he was not very inclined to do so after seeing this. Yet seeing Elrohir behave less than an adult hurt badly, and he could not stand to see it anymore. The older twin slowly stood up and silently left the room.

Elrond took Elladan's place and rested a hand on Elrohir's back. "You will be alright," the father said comfortingly.

"N-no," Elrohir moaned in denial.

"You will be," Elrond repeated calmly. "There have been many times before now that one of you stayed while the other journeyed."

"N-not like t-this!" Elrohir's voice raised in volume and rage again and he sat up straight again. He shook from the intensity of his emotions, and to be fair, Elrohir did not know what he was doing either. His head felt numb: skin down to the smallest nerve. "N-not like t-this…W-why?"

Elrond exhaled slowly out his nose. "You need to be taught reality again, Elrohir, and I wish this could have been presented a little bit better, but given today's events, I do not think it could have been dealt with any other way."

"Why?" Elrohir demanded again, still insistent on knowing why Elladan was leaving.

"Elladan needs a break, my son." Elrond finally said lowly. "I would rather him be gone for a little while than have something else happen."

Elrohir shook his head and curled in on himself again. "W-what d-did I d-do? W-what w-wrong…" he trailed off sadly. "W-why w-would he a-abandon me?"

"He is not abandoning you." Elrond stated, letting his hand rest on his son's shoulder. The elf-lord found it better to let Elrohir work it out mentally while he stayed with his son for physical comfort.

Elrohir felt angry and unsettled, and his head was hurting again. Why was Elladan leaving? Why was everything being shaken and being put out of place? He felt he had to fix it all, so when Elladan said he was leaving…by the stars Elrohir did not want to let that only remaining stability go away. The others would stare. The others would whisper. Elrohir did not want that in the back of his head everywhere he went, now feeling like he was alone in this. What would he do?

What did he do, to deserve this?

Elrohir battled with himself while Elrond remained nearby, and the injured-elf was comforted by his father's presence, but it was not enough to console him with the feeling of being left alone to deal with this whole disaster since his constant support was leaving.

Estel, Halbarad, and Gilraen sat in the Hall of Fire for dinner. The adults talked with each other while the younger man stared at the empty seats of his father and brothers. Estel did not know what happened after Elrond left he and Halbarad to their own devices (Estel and he just wandered the valley so the older ranger could become reacquainted with the place), and the not knowing made him antsy. Gilraen comforted her son regarding Elrohir before she abandoned the topic completely, becoming engaged with the others around her. Estel envied his mother for the normalcy she still felt in this place. Estel wished he could have everything normal too, and not this fest of stress and grief.

Estel perked up slightly as he saw Elladan enter the chamber. Everyone continued as they were and the son of Elrond lurked behind the pillars. Estel was not the only one to notice his entrance, Halbarad and Gilraen did too. Gilraen bit her lip and she looked away, though Halbarad worked his jaw before he stood up and went to the lurker. Estel watched his friend approach his brother and strained his ears to listen above all the other noises in the hall.

"Why not come and be social, friend?" Halbarad asked. "Plenty of space left."

Estel did not see if Elladan made any motion. There was a long pause before there was a soft sigh. "I will take you up on your offer."

Halbarad did not reply immediately. "Are you certain?"

"I will go with you on the orc hunt." Elladan asserted.

"You don't have to if you feel like you have to stay," Halbarad tried. "I know what-"

"If I stay here I am going to end up breaking, and who knows what mess that will cause." Elladan interrupted curtly. "Please, indulge me in this. There is no better way to vent my anger with the whole matter than decapitating orcs."

Estel swallowed slightly and stopped listening. That explains why Elrond was not present, but the young man suddenly felt sad for Elrohir. Elladan must have told him…What effect would Elladan leaving have on Elrohir, and by extent: all of them? Someone had to fill in the role Elladan had until he got back.

Estel also began to feel bad for the older twin and did not really blame him for wanting a break from all this. Still, it shook up a lot of things, even if it did not impact the mortal as much as it did the others. The adolescent looked to his mother for a moment. Gilraen was focused on her food and tried to be ignorant of the conversation happening behind them.

Disheartened, Estel slumped back into his seat and made a silent prayer that everything would play out as smoothly as possible.

Elladan did not stay too long in the Hall of Fire after his brief conversation with the ranger: no more than an hour. He won Halbarad over in the argument about staying or not, and the man finally gave in. He offered his condolences to the elf, and Elladan thanked him for it. After that, Halbarad returned to his seat and Elladan simply lingered where he was, letting the music wash away his worries temporarily. Elladan then wandered around the gardens as the sun began to set over the hills, letting his choice sink in.

It would be for the better, even if it was hard now. He could get a break finally, and Elrohir would be making another step into reclaiming his life: being able to cope with bad news. Elladan sighed a little. He would apologize to his father when he went back inside. Hiding any information from him concerning Elrohir was a mistake, but Elladan did not want everyone knowing what happened with his brother. He wanted Elrohir to have some privacy, even from family at times.

Elladan breathed in slowly and out. Elrohir pulled at his heart that day, but the older twin knew this was for the better. He did not want to know what would happen if he stayed. It was too risky. Still…there was two more days to see how Elrohir will act, and Elladan hoped for the better. More days like today would not do anyone good.

Elladan quietly steeled himself as he walked back to the suite; the halls quiet in the night. He did not know if Elrohir was asleep or not, or if their father was still there. Still, he had to prepare for anything.

He hesitated at the door before he stepped in. It was dark, and Elrond likely went to retire for the night. Elladan padded lightly over to Elrohir's alcove. Elrohir lay in the bed awake, holding Velegdal to his chest as he stared at the wall with a hard expression. He pressed a damp cloth to his head as well and did not seem to notice his twin's entry.

"Brother?" Elladan called softly. Nothing. Elladan sighed and spoke a little louder. "I am sorry that I have ruined your normal. But I need to for the better of both of us."

"W-what d-did I d-do?" Elrohir finally said, his voice slightly husky still from the earlier upset.

Elladan blinked back his alarm. "You did nothing to cause this, Elrohir-not by your own will."

"W-why leave then?" Elrohir was looking at him now, hurt confusion embedded in his eyes.

Elladan took a moment to think of his answer. "Our friend needs help…and I would not for a moment hesitate bringing you along if I could."

"I-I n-need you m-more t-than he d-does," Elrohir hissed bitterly.

That was true, and Elladan bit his lip. "I know…but I can only help you by leaving for a time." He bowed his head.

Elrohir frowned some more and became dejected, and he turned his attention back to the wall.

"I do not do this lightly, brother." Elladan stated as he turned to go to his own alcove. After he changed, he also lay in the bed and stared at the ceiling.

Elrohir across the room quietly tried to keep his emotions at bay once more.

In another room, Elrond, Erestor, and Glorfindel sat in a triangle, each in their own thoughts as they mulled over the day's events. Elrond was thinking about adjourning soon to seek his rest. Things would come together on the morrow.

"Sleepwalking happens in a dream state," Glorfindel muttered aloud. "Maybe in some way these images are affecting his mood?"

"Likely," Elrond answered tiredly. "Those things out of reach sometimes affect us the most."

"Who will be his guardian?" Erestor asked somberly, "Given Elladan has made decision to accompany Halbarad."

"I will leave that up to Elrohir, but I suspect he will fight against having anyone else nearby all day and night." Elrond sat up a little straighter in his seat.

"I could have him work in the library with me, to give him something to do." Erestor offered. "It might need to be enforced, for he refused to the last time it was offered."

Elrond looked at the laiquendë and gave a faint nod. "That may be best…But let us see what the next two days bring us."

The other two lords nodded, and they rose from their seats.

Elrond closed his eyes as the silence began to fill the air. He sighed and bowed his head. "Eru give me strength," he whispered.