Disclaimer: Lord of the Rings, Elrond, and Elladan are not mine. They belong to the Tolkien Estate, and I make no claim to them whatsoever, and as such make no profit from writing this. Unless you count enjoyment and happiness profit (which I do. But it'll be pretty pointless to try to sue me because of that, 'cause you won't get anything...)

Rating/Warnings: K. None whatsoever (shocker, right?)

Time frame: 180 of the Third Age

A/N: This has actually been complete for a little over a week now. Those of you who follow me on tumblr will have read it already, but I only just remembered that I hadn't posted it here yet. It was initially written for one of my tumblr followers (thus why it was posted there first), but yeah...I figured I'd share here too. Anyway, I hope that you enjoy reading this! I would absolutely love a review, whether it's a simple "I liked it!" or an in depth deconstruction. I can always use some constructive criticism to help my writing improve. Most importantly, however, I sincerely hope that you enjoy!

~I Fear, Oh Father~

Elrond found him curled up by the trunk of a thick bush hidden deep within the gardens, arms locked tightly about his shins, face buried in his knees. The broad, gleaming green leaves formed a protective screen, masking him with shadow, and the vibrant yellow petals of the clusters of blossoms distracting the eye from the dash of blue of his tunic, and the even darker shadow of his hair. They could not conceal him entirely, however, especially with the trees whispering in concern all about.

Eyeing the thick bush, Elrond quickly shrugged off his trailing robes, leaving him clad in simple tunic and breeches. He dropped the finery in a pile on the grass, and then began to thread his way carefully between the branches.

Elladan looked up in surprise when he felt his father sit down beside him. He quickly dashed away the faint traces of tears that had pricked at the corners of his eyes, and he swallowed the thick knot of fear and emotion that clogged his throat, his mind all the while somersaulting as it attempted to find a reason why his father had come looking for him.

For a long moment, the silence was broken only by the whisper of the wind as it teased the leaves of the bush around them, and the far-distant call of a whooper will. Elladan watched his father, waiting for him to speak, and Elrond was carefully observing his eldest son. Elladan dropped his eyes to study the loose earth beneath his bare toes, unable to bear the weight of his father's piercing, silver gaze, and the sense of foreboding and looming doom that clutched at his heart when he met his father's eyes.

"Elladan…" Elladan looked up as his father spoke at last, his voice soft. What he saw in his father's face shocked the young Elf. Tenderness, concern, but above all pure and unbarred love, were written plainly in his features. His father had always been one to wear a mask over his emotions, to hide them behind an impregnable wall that even his own sons could only sometimes see through. Elladan's heart jumped, and he felt the knot in his stomach tighten further. "Something is troubling you greatly, my son." It was not a question. "Would you like to talk about it?"

Mutely, Elladan shook his head, afraid that, if he spoke, he would begin to cry. He felt ashamed, and more than a little taken aback that such a display of love could so nearly unhinge him. He was very nearly to his majority – just two weeks from his fiftieth begetting day – and he was convinced that tears were a sign of weakness, and a mark of childishness. He swallowed thickly, and looked down once more.

"Is this about the test tomorrow?" Elrond's voice was soft – even softer and more tender than it had been before. For an instant, Elladan considered shaking his head again. But then, before he could stop himself, he found himself nodding slowly.

"What if I fail?" he blurted out, and his words, which had unveiled the dark fear he held tightly in his heart, gave him the courage to look up and meet his father's gaze. "What if I cannot pass the test? I…" His throat seized, and he fell silent, clenching his hands into fists.

"Oh, Elladan," Elrond murmured, and he drew his trembling son into his arms. Elladan accepted the comfort of the embrace without protest, and buried his face in his father's shoulder, just as he may have when he was a young elfling. "If you fail the test tomorrow, then you will remain in training for another year, nothing more. There is no shame in not passing on your first attempt."

"But you and Naneth," Elladan choked out, his voice muffled by his father's tunic, "won't you be ashamed? I want to make you proud."

"There is nothing that can make me more proud than the fact that you are my son," Elrond replied, "and whether or not you pass or fail a test will never change that fact."

"But…"

"There is no but," Elrond said. "Your mother and I love you, and nothing – nothing – will ever change that. We are proud of you – and will be proud of you – even if you never become a warrior. If you chose instead to go to Lindir and ask to become a bard, we will be no less proud, or even if you went to Idhremith to become a cook – although I doubt that she would even allow you into her kitchens after the incident last week." Elladan chuckled weakly at the memory of the head cook yelling at him and Elrohir, brandishing a ladle at the two of them as they stood sheepishly by the ovens, soot smeared across their cheeks and the edges of their hair singed.

"Truly?" Elladan asked after his chuckles had subsided. "Even if I fail horribly, you and Naneth will think no less of me?"

"No," his father said firmly.

For a long moment more they were both silent, and then Elrond released Elladan from his embrace. His son sat up, once more dashing away the tears from his eyes, and he smiled hesitantly at his father.

"Thank you, Adar," Elladan said quietly. By way of response, Elrond simply leaned forward and kissed Elladan on the brow.

"Now, what do you say we leave this bush?" Elrond asked teasingly. "Else your mother and brother may begin to believe it has eaten us."

Elladan laughed, and then nodded. He felt significantly lighter, and his heart not so plagued with worry as it had been. And even though he was still nervous about the test the next morning, he found that he was no longer afraid.

Elrond rose, and then led his son out into the sunlight.