A/N Real life...has been happening. It mentally exhausted me, and playing Minecraft was a lot easier to do than writing. Less effort. But hey...I did it...hopefully it is good, because I stayed up late to complete this. I thought it would go one direction, but it didn't...I thought it would be sort of happy chapter, but then it ended up sad. It isn't as Elrohir centered either, so...but update better than no update, yeah?

I also realized I hit an awkward time spot in this thing, with Estel's birthday. So...pardon me if it seems that his birthday is later than it should be, or that we are earlier than we ought to be. :l

Hack, slash, smack, dodge, bang…Elladan huffed in his hate for these mangled, disgusting creatures. His blood boiled in his veins and he could not think beyond one thing: kill. It had been so long since his blade drank their life force.

They brought harm and suffering to all races. They stole the lives of innocents. They brought destruction on all they crossed…

They took away his mother.

Elladan gutted another orc and he turned savagely in search for another enemy, daring their toughest, strongest soldier to come forth and face him. Much to his disappointment, they were all dead. But he was not out of his blood-craze yet as he refused to acknowledge any other person's presence.

The half-elf walked slowly among the corpses, staring at each face as his heart pounded in his chest and his limbs shook slightly from adrenaline. The haze from his vision never lifted, and the longer he stared, he stopped abruptly as he saw the face of Arathorn. He turned away from that body and saw Celebrían: bloodied and in torment.

'No, please don't do this to me,' Elladan begged and shook his head again. He walked to the edge of the massacre, oblivious to Halbarad calling his name. The faces never left, but the last straw was when he saw Elrohir dead and mutilated with the expression of one's trust and confidence in someone having been crushed.

Elladan fell like a ragdoll and wept silently.

The half-elf did not know how long he let his heart out. He had failed to keep a few of the most important people in his life from harm. Arathorn: if he had not slaughtered so many orcs, he could have saved the man with his innate healing ability. But an elf loses the ability to save a life if they spent so much time taking them. Celebrían: if they had only heeded the signs right or went with her…they could have kept her safe.

Elrohir…

Elladan berated himself: if he had not been such an idiot in the past, said one word when the rocks were falling, Elrohir may not be suffering now.

But no, he had failed in keeping his little brother safe from harm too.

Elladan felt his shoulder be shaken, and the haze finally began to lift.

"I knew it was coming, and thank goodness that cork has finally been unplugged, but you have been at it for an hour, and we all want to leave."

Elladan lifted his head and blinked the tears away. Halbarad watched him with concern. The elf brushed his arm against his nose. "I am sorry."

"For what?" the man asked.

"Everything," Elladan whispered dejectedly. "I am sorry for my past actions, for if I had not been an orc slaughterer, your chieftain would still be alive." He cast his eyes to the ground and started speaking to no one. "I am sorry for not being wiser when I should have been…"

A long silence followed and when Elladan lifted his head, Halbarad was staring at him with a bland expression. "Are you done?"

Elladan made a face. "You are being helpful," he replied sarcastically as he stood up.

"It's my job," Halbarad answered with a shrug. "Do you feel better?"

Elladan paused to take input of his state of being. He sighed. "Yes," the elf admitted. "…But I feel like I have failed in my duty to protect my family and friends. Whenever I think things are going well, it blows up in my face." He looked around the field and noticed that most of the hunting party had gone back to the nearby village to celebrate. Elladan returned his attention to the ranger. "You are not going to let me go yet are you."

"Not yet," Halbarad answered matter-of-factly. "After the feast then you can go, but seeing some happiness for a change might help the others when you go back." The man started to walk back to his horse. "Besides, since it's the boy's birthday soon, I want to go back with you, yet I have to see some folks before then too."

Elladan sighed in resignation and followed the man. Thoughts of going back to Imladris had been overwhelming. Two days ago, he tried to go back, only for Halbarad to tackle him and haul him back to the group. It was embarrassing, but no one made a comment on it.

He could last for another night before they start their journey back…

Elrond watched as Elrohir slowly walked without any help. The elf-lord could see the lines of strain as Elrohir tried not to show any pain. The elf had a visible limp, and after the sixth step, Elrond had to catch Elrohir before his son could face plant on the hard floor.

"You have improved greatly" Elrond spoke lightly to try and lessen the bitter feelings Elrohir was bound to have for stumbling.

Elrohir only hummed grumpily as he tried to get up again. He grabbed hold of a ledge and stood shakily.

Elrond briefly looked out the window as Elrohir found his footing. They were doing Elrohir's evening exercises, though now since he had stumbled, and his somewhat-good mood was ruined, they were done for the night.

Elrond turned his gaze back to Elrohir as the twin slowly made his way to sit down in a chair. Elrohir looked tired, but it made Elrond feel some gladness to see that his son was not letting the stumble ruin the rest of the day, even if it meant being dull and apathetic for the rest of the evening.

"You have not been needing to put all your weight on the staff lately," Elrond commented to try and fill the silence.

"It's better," Elrohir agreed quietly. When more silence followed, he took the initiative to change the subject. "…I will be alright alone…Glorfindel running late is all."

Elrond nodded slowly. Ever since giving Elrohir something to do, he had been a little more social than before while he was in the library. He never talked much, but it was better than hiding away all day. Erestor has reported Elrohir helping Estel out with his studies, and Elrond one day took the time to go to the library to see Erestor playing his flute while Estel was complaining, and Elrohir was smiling in amusement toward the whole thing.

It made Elrond happy to see it and had to add to his list of things he owed to Erestor over the years, among the other lists for other people he owed.

"I will see you tomorrow," Elrond said and stepped closer to kiss Elrohir's head.

The twin closed his eyes in simple pleasure before he opened them again as Elrond was leaving. "Ada?"

Elrond turned. "Yes?"

Elrohir hesitated for a moment. "…When will Elladan come back?"

Elrond blinked. It had been little over a week since Halbarad and Elladan left the Valley. Although Elrohir managed to settle into this new routine, it was clear that he missed Elladan, and that he still did not understand why Elladan left in the first place.

"I imagine soon," Elrond answered gently. "I doubt they would want to miss Estel's birthday."

Elrohir frowned at this, but he gave a resigned nod and exhaled softly.

Elrond looked a little sad at this. "Do you want me to stay?"

"No…I-" Elrohir fell silent as he became lost on what to say. In the end, he shook his head. "Goodnight, ada."

Elrond nodded. "Goodnight, Elrohir." He said as he left the suite.

Elrohir sat listening to the insects outside. Velegdal hopped over to him, but he did not give her any attention, and this of course made the bunny groan in displeasure for being denied. When she hopped onto his lap, that was when he acquiesced.

Things were fine. Improving would be a better word, he thought. Elrohir felt better knowing that his leg was finally improving, that his penmanship was not so sloppy…that he was not stuttering so much. They were good things, and his family and close friends were delighted. But Elrohir wished Elladan was there to see these accomplishments…to be proud too.

He at least could share them when his brother came back.

Elrohir sighed as weariness crept up to his mind. He set Velegdal on the floor-much to her displeasure-and stood up to change. As much as he felt fleeting pleasure for these improvements, he felt lonely.

Elrohir quietly slid into bed. Glorfindel would come by later. Not that his presence made much a difference either…

The one issue Glorfindel found with the affair was that the couches were too small. Of course, he could blame it on being too tall, but blaming inanimate objects was more entertaining. Thus, he had to resort to sleeping on the floor; something the captain was used to out in the wild, so he did not mind.

The nights in the twins' suite were uneventful. Glorfindel would try to get Elrohir to engage in conversation, though more often than not, there was no response. Recently, however, Elrohir seemed willing to listen to Glorfindel's ramblings.

It made the gold-head happy, seeing a positive change finally.

Elrohir was already asleep when he came in. Laying on the floor, Glorfindel mused. He had to admire the strength the twins showed when faced with these shaky situations. Yes, they were rough throughout and walls had been torn down in the process, but every time it happened: stronger walls were built. It tended to bring self-awareness as well…those mostly were met with displeasure, because it meant having to accept that they had flaws.

Of course, head-injuries always brought the bad forth-he did not criticize Elrohir for that: it was not his fault that he was like this. Though for Elladan: it was good for him to realize that he cannot always be the unmovable boulder that no enemy nor bad thing could break.

Every night, Glorfindel made a mental note to be ready if Elrohir ended up sleepwalking. So far, it had not happened, and as the golden-head drifted, he let his guard down. Late in the night, Glorfindel was roused by the sound of moving objects and grunting. The balrog slayer expressed bewilderment and sat up in response, and turning his head, he saw the source of the sound, and for a moment felt…well, he was not sure how to feel.

Elrohir stood at the desk rubbing the candlestick stand into the wood, eyes glazed and looking dull.

Glorfindel blinked a few times before he shook himself out of his daze of…amazement? Confusion? Uncertainty? Regardless of his emotions, the older elf stood up and approached the twin. "Have anything of insight, child?" he whispered to himself and gently took a hold of Elrohir's arm, and carefully removed the candlestick from his hand.

Elrohir did not wake up and continued making odd sounds: primarily gibberish.

Glorfindel had to fight down the thought of comparing his lord's son to that of a wight from the Barrow Downs. They were nothing alike, but this was spooky. "Come on," he coaxed gently.

Elrohir stumbled meekly along, and Glorfindel had to make sure Elrohir did not wake up. He would panic, and that was something Glorfindel wanted to avoid. They eventually made to the bed, and Elrohir subconsciously must have recognized it since he went back under the covers with no help.

With the twin herded back to where he should be, Glorfindel stood there trying to wrap his head around this. He put a hand behind his head and looked back to the main chamber.

No more sleep tonight.

Elrohir woke up stiff and felt like he had not slept well at all. It made him feel slightly bitter, which was not a good way to start the day; it would end up dragging out until evening. Elrohir groaned reluctantly and wanted to go back to sleep. He did not want to go to the library…did not want to do anything. Maybe he could get out of doing it today; he had been diligent for the past week.

With that in mind, Elrohir forced himself to sit up and let the cobwebs disintegrate some more. He noticed Glorfindel reading a book in the main chamber and waited to see if his mentor would notice that he was awake finally.

Glorfindel did notice and he looked up. "Good morning, Elrohir."

Elrohir hummed in response, not bothering to conceal his disgruntled expression.

Glorfindel lifted a brow, though he was not unused to receiving this kind of greeting in the mornings, especially this early. "You are waking yourself up again, and that is good."

"No," Elrohir rubbed a hand against his head.

Glorfindel smirked. Even before the accident, Elrohir hated getting up super early. He then sobered. "You can go back to sleep if you want."

Elrohir caught the change and he frowned. "W-what happened…?"

"You sleep-walked a little last night," Glorfindel said bluntly, but not unkindly. "That may be why you are tired."

Elrohir blinked at this, and his bitterness disappeared to be replaced by embarrassment and uncertainty. He was silent for a long time as he worried with his hands. Velegdal put herself under them and he petted her. "…Did…I do anything?"

"Rubbed the candle-holder against the desk, but not much else." Glorfindel then smiled a little. "Your father and I want to think this is a sign that you are improving, since sleep-walking is a form of vivid dreaming."

Elrohir could not find any comfort in that thought: only the shame.

Glorfindel let the smile drop a little. "If it makes you feel better: I used to back in Lindon, on multiple occasions, been caught so deep in a dream: bad ones I might add, that I would walk the halls and wake up at the foot of Erestor and Tathardes' bed, and the former would then scold me before he allowed me to sit in the chair while they went back to sleep."

Elrohir looked back at Glorfindel with surprise.

Glorfindel seemed embarrassed himself, but he laughed a little. "An effect of being a new release from Mandos perhaps. It was a subconscious act most the time." He appeared pensive. "I was very insecure: since I did not want to end up failing again. Did not want to be alone, and those two were the only ones I could rely on at the time until I could find myself again."

Elrohir took this information slowly; mildly amused, but also thought-provoking. He and Elladan would always see their elders with great respect, and things like what Glorfindel shared were unthinkable. Yet, even these strong and wizened figures need help too.

Glorfindel closed the book. "Just another strange adventure with yours truly, nothing compared to marmot-town though."

Elrohir smirked despite himself, then pressed his eyebrows together as he came back to the reason why he woke up. "…I do not want to do anything today…" He said softly. "…Don't want to break the streak by going out…"

Glorfindel considered it for a moment before nodding. "I will bring it up to your father. I think you will be excused from working for the day."

Elrohir sighed gratefully and laid back down again. Velegdal assumed the position by sitting on his head.

"I will let your father know. I will see you this evening or afternoon."

Elrohir hummed again in acknowledgment, his ears picking up the near-silent footsteps of his mentor. He was left to listen to the sounds outside, and eventually, he fell asleep again, hoping this time there would be no sleep-walking.

Elrond and Gilraen were walking outdoors. The woman shared more about her recent sojourn to her people's lands, spoke some of her thoughts, and Elrond listened. The elf-lord then spoke about her son in high esteem, knowing that Gilraen was oft worried about Estel and his destiny to become king one day. It was a secret Gilraen needed to vent about, and Elrond dealt with it patiently and comforted her.

Then it was quiet, an uncomfortable one at that.

"Elrohir seems to be improving," Gilraen began slowly.

Elrond blinked, and he tried hard to not let his defenses go up. He was very well aware of Gilraen's distrust about his son being around Estel. "We are happy for him. It is another step closer to him reclaiming his life."

Gilraen hummed. "He has not been…as unstable like he was when we first came, has he?" She asked hesitantly.

Elrond stopped walking. This was one of the few times where he could not discern a person's intentions. Gilraen meant no harm by this inquiry…but it was a touchy subject, especially knowing the other individual's feelings on the matter. "Not as severe when he wanted to kill Halbarad."

Gilraen said nothing in response to that.

Elrond exhaled and turned his eyes to the woman. "You look like you are hiding something in the dark." He said softly.

Gilraen blinked and she pursed her lips to a thin line. "I mean no disrespect to you or your son. You…you have been good to me and my people." She replied meekly.

"I only want to ease your fears regarding Elrohir," Elrond said in turn. "And if you have any information of value that we do not know yet, it would help us."

Gilraen continued to hesitate, the aura of fear of how Elrond would react was palpable. It was right for her to do so, but Elrond tried with much effort to not let that stain Gilraen's own feelings of security living with a different people than her own.

"I take full blame for not allowing myself to form a better relationship with them," she admitted. "I do not know your sons well, and I am unsure of how to act or respond to someone who…is still recovering from such a blow." Gilraen paused, "I have seen the effects of a concussion on my own, but a heavier blow to an elf: from the tales that speak of your fey tempers…it unsettles me, and I fear for my own son's safety."

Elrond listened and did not answer immediately. He took a few breaths before he spoke again. "Elrohir would never harm Estel, not even if he were enraged beyond hope."

"I can believe that…and I try very hard, but…all I knew was taken away, the day the orcs came…I still dream about it." Gilraen admitted.

Elrond felt his heart soften slightly, and he looked a little compassionate, but the defensive side was still there although not shown. "Such traumatic events cannot be swept under the rug that easily…I know that all too well, and many years have been spent healing from such events."

Gilraen nodded, knowing the story of Celebrían very well.

Elrond shook his head. "But know you are safe here, as well as Estel. As far as I know…perhaps this may help Estel be prepared to face the real world when it is time; that not everything is easy, nor will life turn out the way we want."

Gilraen accepted the reassurance, and Elrond noticed her shoulders relaxed ever so subtly. But the woman was not done. "I should have mentioned it…when we came back, I heard a couple of your people ask if Elrohir would be sent to the Havens after that incident."

Elrond felt his own tension build at this news and he inhaled through his nose to keep himself calm. "I see," he said quietly.

Gilraen bowed her head. "I should be away…" She expressed true remorse. "I am sorry for bringing it up. It has been hard for you and your family, and I-"

"Peace," Elrond interrupted. "You have the right to know, as Estel has been involved since the day of the accident."

Gilraen stopped and she bowed her head. "Good morning, my lord." She said and she quickly left the area.

Elrond did not mind, and he meandered to a bench and sat down. Gossipers were bound to happen. He expected it…perhaps the attempt to keep things secret worked too well. Or they gave the impression that things were better than they actually were. Elrond would have Tathardes or the dramatic-duo investigate and listen for more rumors, but the elf-lord found himself imagining the other possibility, against his will.

It was not unheard of that some elves, or at least the family made the choice for the individual to go to the Havens after a severe head injury. Mainly because their loved ones wanted them to sail over the sea, so they could get their life back, or because Círdan's people provided things to keep the disabled engaged. Lindon was safer in comparison than Imladris, in terms of enemy activity, and that was a benefit as well.

But those cases were few in comparison to a majority of head wounds Elrond has dealt with…as well as some where evil people intentionally took the victim's ability to think from them via barbaric methods. Elrond briefly thought about a young elf, who had just reached their majority, who had his life before him: have that be taken away by orcs and left an invalid for a long time: years before he could walk again, let alone speak.

The cases that did go to the Havens: it was because they remained in a coma, paralyzed, or reduced to that of a child. Those that did not: Elrond has seen soldiers emerge from comas…and much like his son, they fought for months, sometimes years, and they were restored to their former glory.

It was things like that that made Elrond thankful for elven healing. But thinking back to Elrohir…he felt angry toward the gossipers for thinking so little of their prince. It was a blow up: a bad one, but nothing they could not handle nor warrant Elrohir needing to be sent away. Besides, …it was not their choice to make whether Elrohir wanted to stay or not. He was able to make his own decisions.

Elrond sighed and rested his head in his hands, feeling his eyes moisten. He was happy that his son was making progress…but the thought of it not being so and have seen people who were unable to move past a certain point, it hurt. Elrond would not have known what to do if Elrohir, or Estel, or Elladan, if any of them were permanently stuck in that kind of circumstance.

Elrond did not hear the other person approach. The person stood before him, and seeing the gold and white, instantly knew it was Glorfindel.

"Come at a bad time?" The captain asked.

Elrond lifted his head up: the strain of these past months showing on his face. "Could I have done anything more?" he questioned sadly.

Glorfindel stared at his lord, becoming pensive. "You have done all you can. You have always done all that you could."

"It never feels enough…" Elrond continued. "…I always feel if there was more effort...if I did something different, things would not be this way."

Glorfindel studied the half-elf instead of answering. The Vanya shook his head and exhaled. "You have been thinking dark things again."

"Is it wrong for me to mourn?" Elrond questioned in a harder tone.

"No, it is not," Glorfindel replied lowly, looking at him in the eye. "Especially when it is clear you never had the chance to properly mourn."

Elrond stared at the air and inhaled shakily. "Elrohir?"

Glorfindel made a face at the change of topic but went along with it. "He wants a break from working today. He did not sleep restfully last night, and he does not want to spoil the day because of it."

Elrond nodded absently. "He can have it…he needs it," he spoke vaguely too.

Glorfindel placed a hand on Elrond's shoulder. The gesture was enough to make the bearer of Vilya to bow his head, close his eyes, and let his sadness out in silence.

A/N The other elf Elrond thought of is one of my role play characters that I did in the last days of lotro rp. The whole idea with Lindon being a healer haven was from lotro, so brief honor-memory to that I suppose. I liked my little teleri healers in the game setting. I don't know...I kind of want to write that event out at some point.

Yes, me being social. :p And sorry if I don't get updates out fast. :( My brain needs to recuperate, and sorry if this chapter was all over the place.

May life treat you all well.

(The feeling you get when you realize you used the wrong name for a character weeks after posting.)