Chapter Six

Worlds Come Crashing Down

Elladan stiffened in his chair as a sudden overwhelming feeling collided with all his senses. His fingers grew numb and his utensil fell limply out of them clattering noisily onto his metal plate. Gasping for air, he heaved his lungs to fill them, when the pressure filling him became too much. It was like someone had taken a fist wrapping it around his heart trying to wrench it from his chest. Tears sprung out in his eyes at the intensity of it, and he turned his horrified gaze to his mother, who had turned around with a spoon in her hand, at the sound of the fork hitting the plate, in stunned surprise.

"Elladan?" She questioned, worry filling her heart at the sudden change in her eldest son.

Shaking his head, Elladan couldn't respond, the pain overwhelming any sense of thought. Somehow, he was able to push back his chair, and stand up glancing around him, terrified of something.

"Elladan?" Celebrián repeated. "What is wrong, darling?" She asked kneeling beside him, placing her spoon on the table surface.

Shaking his head again with more intensity, Elladan tried to scramble back from her touch, which seemed to burn his arm through his tunic.

"Elladan, Elladan!" She cried out, trying to restrain him. "Please, what is it?"

Fighting against his mothers embrace, Elladan fell back landing on his backside when she released him. Scrambling to his feet, he raced from the kitchens trying to out run the horrible feeling that now flew up his spine into the back of his head. The sharp pain intensified as he ran, and all he wanted to do was to hide from the thing that chased after him. He wasn't sure what it was, nor did he wait to find out.

Scurrying around the corner, Elladan slammed into a pair of legs and fell heavily to the ground with a thump. Crying even more now, Elladan pulled his legs up to his chest and wailed.

Elrond bent low and quickly picked his son up into his arms, soothing the boys cry and successfully calming him. "Elladan, are you alright? I did not mean to knock you down."

Shaking his head, Elladan sniffed, wiping his runny nose on his father's council robes. Smiling half-heartedly, Elrond whispered softly to his son until he had calmed down even more.

"Now, could you tell me why you were running as if you were chased by something?" Elrond prodded gently.

Elladan sniffed again and whispered. "A monster was hurting me."

Elrond raised his eyebrows high. "A monster?" The elf lord began walking towards the kitchens, holding the boy tightly.

"Nay ada!" The boy cried, struggling to get out of his grasp. "No, that is where the monster is!" He whispered harshly.

"There is no monster, Elladan. Only your mother, look."

Horrified, Elladan looked carefully over his shoulder, his dark hair hiding most of his features. "But ada." Elladan whispered into his ear fearfully. "The monster was there, it hurt me. It burned me." The small child tried desperately to make his father understand that it was a monster.

Celebrián stood there smiling softly, as Elrond came into the kitchen holding Elladan tightly in his embrace. Elrond glanced around the kitchens curiously, looking for the other boy, and then raised his brow at his wife.

"We went to his chambers to grab a few toys to play with after lunch." She explained. Celebrián placed her hand on Elladan's back, and rubbed it gently. "Are you feeling better now?"

Elladan nodded, placing his cheek on his father's shoulder, his pain and tears forgotten.

"You frightened me." She whispered softly.

"Where is r'hir?" Elladan whimpered suddenly.

"He will join you soon, my son." Elrond smiled, handing the boy to his mother giving her a sympathetic smile as he waved his hands at his robes indicating his having to leave and attend council.

Grinning, Celebrián winked nodding. Placing a kiss on her husband's cheek, she waved him away. She sat down on a stool by the door, rocking Elladan as they waited for Elrohir to return, but to Celebrián's growing worry, he did not join them. A half hour had passed, and finally, she stood up, wondering quietly to herself if her son had maybe fallen asleep in his chambers. Shaking her head, she placed Elladan on the floor, and they both made their way up the stairs to therooms the boys shared.

Elladan followed behind slowly, the painful feeling entering his soul again and he shivered in fear. "Nana?" He whispered, pulling on her robes. "I think the monster has r'hir."

Frowning, she turned and pulled him into her arms. "There is nothing here that will harm you, fear not, your father and I are here to protect you." Giving him a reassuring kiss on the cheek, she stood up again and pushed open the door.

The room was dark, and she didn't see anything right away as her eyes adjusted to the sudden difference in light. However once her eyes adjusted, she caught sight of a small limp form lying on the ground only a foot away from her feet. Giving a startled cry, she raced forward and fell to her knees by her son.

"Elrohir?" She pulled her son over, but was not expecting to see blood covering the boys face, and gasping in alarm, her heart freezing in terror, she quickly waved Elladan out of the room. "Outside, quickly." Her voice was sharp and commanding, and Elladan did not question.

Gathering her youngest son in her arms after finding a pulse at his neck, she ran from the room, running frantically down the hall towards the council halls her husband had retired to. Elladan scrambled to keep up with his mother, tears running down his face at the sight of blood covering his twin.

Almost loosing her footing on the stairs as she descended them carelessly, Celebrián raced around the corner, and shouted at the guard who stood before the council room doors to keep the room quiet from disruptions. "Open the doors." The guard took one look at the boy in her arms and turned quickly shoving the doors open. The oak doors slammed against the walls with a loud bang, causing all inside the room to stand surprised.

Celebrián raced into the room, calling out for her husband. "Elrond!"

Immediately, the elf lord saw her panic, the limp body in her arms, and his youngest sons white face. Brushing his arms over the surface of the table, Elrond shoved the papers off it. His wife placed Elrohir onto the table, and stepped back while he searched his son for signs of injury. The grey eyes were rolled into the back of his head, and his face was so white you could see the veins underneath. Bright red stood out in a large contrast spread across his face, and dripping from his slackened mouth. His lips were blue from lack of oxygen, and Elrond leaned over searching for breath.

Finding none, he lifted his eyes to his wife momentarily, and leaned his ear against the boys chest, there the heartbeat stood, beating erratically, and far too quickly. Elrond lifted a finger and hooked it into the boys mouth searching for anything that might indicate the boy had swallowed something, perhaps lodging in his throat, and found nothing, besides the childs unusually large swollen tongue.

Elrohir began thrashing on the table, causing Elrond to pull his fingers from his sons mouth quickly before the teeth clamped down on them. Quickly, almost on instinct, Elrond grabbed a small wooden paperweight off the table and wedged it between his sons teeth.

"Elrond?" Celebrián hissed, holding back Elladan who had run forward wailing in fear.

Shaking his head, Elrond waved to her, trying to hold his son still on the table. "Out, I need everyone out!" Elrond commanded. "Celebrián send me a healer!"

His wife spun on her heels, pulling Elladan out of the room with her, struggling to restrain him as he fought hard to get back to his brothers side. "Elladan! You must come!" She cried, struggling to pick the boy up into her arms. Gathering her fighting child in her arms, she almost fell over as a man, who in his haste almost knocked her over. Glaring at him, she noticed the look of panic on his face, but ignored it as the other men also looked frightened at what had transpired.

She glanced up and sighed in relief at her husbands long time friend who stormed into the room. Glorfindel glanced around him, and without a word, scooped Elladan into his arms, and left the room, followed by Celebrián who smiled gratefully.

Elladan cried, and held out his arms crying for his brother, as Celebrián shut the oak doors solidly behind her. Slumping against them, she took a deep breath, and followed Glorfindel up the stairs. As they passed the healing halls, she poked her head through the doors and passed her husbands message to the healer within. Immediately, the healer gathered a few items and raced from the room without a glance back.

Once she was satisfied that Elladan was taken care of, she entered her chambers and allowed her tears to fall. Falling to her knees, she put her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. Angrily, she shoved herself to her feet, wiping the tears away. Grabbing the first thing her fingers touched, she threw the small glass vile across the room, which smashed into a hundred pieces. Nodding satisfied, she took a deep breath, and walked out of the room.

Eyes narrowed in fear, and anger, Celebrián left the family halls and headed back down the stairs to get information on her sons condition. Once at the staircase, she began her climb down when whispered words reached her ears.

"What have you done?" A harsh whispered voice commanded.

"Nothing!" The male voice defended.

Stopping immediately, she waited.

"Tell me what you have done!" The female voice uttered. Had it been anyone else besides an elf listening, those whispered words would have been lost on deaf ears.

"I did nothing those two little brats did not deserve!" The man growled low.

Celebrián ground her teeth together, a feral snarl curling the corner of her lip. Enraged, she descended the stairs and rounded the corner confronting the two standing there, holding back the shock that rippled through her body, she snarled at them menacingly. Humreid almost jumped out of his skin at her sudden appearance.

"Why not indulge all of us with what you have done!" She hissed, her teeth clenched tightly, barely able to hold back the intense rage that filled her entire being.