Chapter 9

The first few moments Elrond saw nothing but the pale wounded boy in the stranger's arms, and pain shot through his heart. Somewhere in his soul he had always feared that this would happen, that everyone close to him was doomed to die an early dead.

He did not notice that Elladan ripped his hands out of his death grip, he did not notice the soft but steady rise and fall of Estel's chest, and he did not notice anything about the stranger in the dirty cloak. He just knew, with certainty, that all was lost.

"RO!" His eldest son had now gone completely insane. He was beaming at the stranger, waving, jumping, dancing on the spot. "Ro… I missed you… I missed you so..."

Elrond turned to the stranger to apologize for his son's behaviour, to explain that it was not really Dan's fault that he was like this… only to find that the stranger was no longer in the place he had occupied only seconds before.

"DAN!"

Elrond turned and saw two versions of the same elf, equally shining, equally beaming, clinging to each other as if they would never let go.

"Ro?" Elrond hesitated. "Ro…Is that really… is it…" His voice failed, he was shivering so badly as he knew what he saw, but did not dare to believe.

"My Ro.." He whispered as Elrohir reached out one arm and pulled his father into the embrace as well. "My little Ro." He repeated the words, touching his son's hair, his face, his arms. "My Ro…"He said, still shivering "I have my Ro back.."

He turned around and looked at his other son, noticing the colour on his cheek and the laughter in his eyes. "And my Dan... I have my Dan back too.." He spoke, sobbing, trying to hug both of his sons at the same time.

"You are all squeezing me to death, you know." A small voice said from beneath the pile of elves.

From the moment the stone-elf had picked him up from the ground, Estel had seen in his eyes that he should not speak. Something had changed in the elf the minute he had asked Estel if he could walk; something had been different. Estel had known the elf had retreated into himself again, and he stayed quiet in his arms, knowing that he was lucky the elf was bringing him along at all.

He had not spoken when the stone elf had run through the gates of Imladris, nor when he had carried him up the stairs.

He had been surprised to see that the scene in the stone-elf's room had not changed at all. That there was another stone elf who still sat in the chair, though he was no longer looking out of the window.

But even that he could not comment on, as only seconds after he had realised there were two stone-elves, he had been trapped between them.

He did not speak up even then for he knew with certainty that this was what the stone elf had waited for, staring out of the window for as long as Estel had been in this house, and he did not dare interrupt.

Not until after Ada Elrond had joined too, looking happier than Estel had ever seen him, and the three elves' arms pressing on his wounded back were hurting him too much.

Elrond looked down and saw the small child, trapped between Elrohir and Elladan, and he quickly got him out, transferring him to his own arms instead.

"Estel." He said softly. "My Estel… I want you to meet your brothers, little one. This one is Ro…"
"We have met" Elrohir said with a smile.
"He freed me from orcs and healed me." Estel added.
Elrond chose not to have heard just yet.
"And this is Dan."
"I believe we have met as well" Elladan said. "You do look familiar."

"And this is Estel Elrondion, both of you. I trust that you will treat him well."

Time passed as the sun rose and fell again.

It was way past Estel's bedtime, but no-one seemed to notice he was not sleeping, as they all were gathered in the healing ward, occupying several beds with his Nana safely next to the his.

Estel was sure it was the most cheerful day the healing ward had ever seen, as they had had parties celebrating the twins' return and the 'Saving of Imladris by the Mighty Estel (with a little help of an insignificant passer-by who was not really needed anyway)' as Elrohir had named their meeting.

The child looked at the twins. Ro was lying on the bed, his feet on the pillow and his head on the foot, Dan not far away, while Elrond was now checking the wounds he had been too late to heal all those years ago. The twins were laughing at some tale Glorfindel was telling them, and blond elf sitting opposite from them was smiling too.

It seemed to Estel that the coming of Elrohir had changed Imladris. It was as if the house itself had healed, for it was brighter, easier and somehow stronger now than it had been before.

It was hard to fear orcs if people could still laugh like this in a healing ward.

He would sleep without nightmares now.

"Not that I am not pleased, Elrohir…" Glorfindel spoke, sounding more serious now than he had before. "But I happen to know a bit about being reborn and well… technically… you are not supposed to be here. That is.. I don't see just how you got here…"

Elrohir swallowed. He had feared having to tell this tale, but he had known he would have to eventually, and he had practiced it inside his head.

"Technically, no." He acknowledged. "But… as it seemed I am a unique case.
Or actually… we are a unique case."
Elrohir nodded at Elladan, who still hadn't stopped beaming at his brother. Both of them smiled. "Such a unique case, in fact, that the Valar didn't really knew what to do with me, or us. You see… Mandos' Halls are created to heal of all sorrow, but I could not. It seems I kept staring out into the distance, back to Middle Earth, not responding to anything they tried to do."

"In short" Elrohir added with a sad smile, "I must have been the most frustrating case they ever had."

He did not speak of the years of despair he had spent in Mandos' halls, or the pain he had felt day after day. He did not speak of the darkness his death could have caused, either. It was all in the past, and soon he would be able to laugh about it. He was sure about that.

He continued, careful to keep all memory of the loss he had felt out of his tale.

"Anyway.. I was a little.. stuck. Even the Valar concluded that I could not heal without my twin, and yet they had no way to send me back without healing me first according to their own rules. Add to that the problem that rebirth might not be a good idea either, as I would have to grow up again, get different parents and no longer be Elladan's twin. This state of affairs, Mandos concluded, would probably result in a second death very soon, as they expected I would be unable to shake the feeling of constant loneliness.

Secondly: they could not place me back in my old body, as.. well.. it had a sword inbedded in it's chest and the heart was not really beating anymore.

Of course, the easiest solution they had was to get Elladan to die soon, but that… erhm.. let's just say, caused other difficulties in the planning of the history of Middle Earth." He would not mention the darkness he had seen. The tapestry announcing the deaths of all he cared about and the destruction of Middle Earth. There was no need. It would never come to pass.

"Of course.. being such a charming and sweet person even if I'm dead and traumatized, the Valar pitied me." He spoke instead, hoping the joke would distract the others from asking for an explanation.

"And so, breaking almost every rule they had on the subject of rebirth, they restored my body, got the orc blade out , put my fea back into it, practically unhealed, and lend me a ship to Middle Earth. They wished me luck, told me to find my other half, and they ordered me not to come back without him"

A small grin played on Elrohir's lips. See? He would laugh about it soon enough.

"Or something of the sort," he continued.

"And so here I am. Not really healed, but alive at least, and back were I belong.
And I just figured.. well, my father is the best healer Middle Earth has ever seen, and I am with Dan again, so I think I will be alright.
Given time."

He would not tell them just yet how much he had changed. He did not tell them he was afraid to sleep, afraid to die, afraid to lose the people he loved… They would find that out soon enough.
It was not necessary to let this knowledge dim the festive spirit, for he would make it eventually. He would heal.

As sure as the person sitting beside him was his brother, Elrohir knew all would be alright.

The End.

Well...That was it. I hoped you liked it.

Liek