Many thanks to Cathy, my wonderful beta reader!

For a disclaimer, see the first chapter.

Chapter Nine

Elladan whirled around at the sound of his brother’s voice. Dashing back to the bed, he grabbed Elrohir’s hand gently and beamed down at him.

Elrohir looked up at his twin with pained, glazed eyes but managed to return the smile.

“You have no idea how good it is to see you awake, ‘Ro,” Elladan told him, his heart nearly bursting with joy. “Are you in a lot of pain? And do not lie to me if you are.”

“My chest feels like it was embedded with a thousand arrows,” the younger twin replied, his voice a bit scratchy as his throat was parched. “What happened?”

Elladan told him what happened with Celedur, conveniently leaving out the sword fight between him and the other elf, and that Celedur had shot the younger twin with Elladan’s arrow. But, as usual, Elrohir could tell that Elladan was not telling him something.

“You are not telling me something, Elladan,” the bedridden elf accused, glaring at his twin. “Tell me what it is.”

“I should get Ada, he will want to know you are awake,” Elladan said evasively. As Elrohir was too weak to stop his twin from leaving, he had to wait for an answer as Elladan went to fetch their father.

Elrond looked relieved and joyful as he rushed into Elrohir’s room, followed closely by Elladan, Aragorn, Legolas, Glorfindel and Arwen. Arwen stood on the side of the bed opposite her father and grabbed her brother’s hand affectionately.

“How do you feel ion nin?” Elrond asked as he checked his son’s fever.

“My chest hurts,” the younger elf replied softly, pain in his voice.

Elrond nodded compassionately. “It will for some time, I am afraid. You were lucky, though. There were moments I did not think you would pull through.”

The elf-lord turned away to make some tea for Elrohir and Aragorn took his place next to the bed.

“Do not ever make me carry you home like that again,” the ranger told his brother gently. “You scared me nearly to death!”

“Sorry Estel,” Elrohir replied, a soft apologetic smile on his face. Aragorn was smiling back, clearly thinking there was nothing to forgive.

Elladan was also smiling down at Elrohir from the foot of the bed, looking as if all was right in the world. Elrohir’s eyes slowly scanned the room to see Glorfindel and Legolas, and he smiled at them as well. A strange feeling in his stomach, however, told the injured elf that all was not well among the people he loved so much. A frown turned over on his face as Elrond returned to his side with a cup of tea.

“Do not make me drink that,” Elrohir whined pathetically.

“If you do not drink it willingly, I will pour it down your throat,” Elrond threatened calmly. Elrohir just grinned in reply.

Very carefully, the elf-lord helped his son sit up just enough to be able to drink the tea. With every inch he moved, Elrohir’s chest protested loudly and he grimaced. The others cringed, and Elladan almost didn’t notice himself bringing his hand up to his own chest.

When he had finished the tea, his father didn’t move, but rather leaned the younger elf back against him, happily cradling his son in his arms as he had not done since Elrohir was a child. Elrohir, for his part, did not complain because he did not have to lean all the way back down to the bed, and secretly, he really did not mind being held by his father at this moment. And anyways, he was much too weak to protest.

“Now would someone tell me what is going on?” he inquired of the others in the room, fighting off the sleep that the tea was bringing on.

“What do you mean, ‘Ro?” Legolas asked. All eyes were on Elrohir except for Elladan, who knew what Elrohir was asking.

“Why is there so much tension between all of you? What happened?” Elrohir forced his eyes to remain open as he stared around at his family.

Seeing that Elrohir would refuse to go to sleep until his questions had been satisfied, Elrohir told them what Elladan had told him and demanded to know the rest. After an awkward silence, Elrond sighed and filled his son in on the parts Elladan had omitted.

“And you all really thought it was him?” Elrohir demanded, looking furious even in his condition. Elladan’s eyes were still on the floor, not wanting to discuss this subject at all. The others all harbored guilty looks but no one answered Elrohir’s question.

After an awkward moment of silence, Elrond shifted and eased his son down to the bed. “You need to rest, ion nin. We can discuss this later.” He ignored Elrohir’s fierce glare and pulled the sheets up to his son’s shoulders. Within seconds, Elrohir was in a healing sleep, and his father felt his forehead to gauge a temperature.

“Still a little higher than I would like,” he said, mostly to himself, “but it should go down quickly.” He turned to the others. “There, you see? All will be well, although it will take him some time to recover. Elladan, you must be hungry as you missed dinner.”

Elladan nodded and turned to the door, followed by Aragorn and Legolas, leaving the other three with Elrohir. The dark-haired elf could hear his human brother’s footfalls behind him, following him into the dining hall where food waited.

“Did you two not already eat?” Elladan asked with only a hint of impatience as he took his seat at the table.

“I’ve eaten little since Elrohir was shot,” Aragorn admitted, putting some food on his plate. “It was wonderful to see him awake finally.”

Elladan nodded and reached for some food as well. “It was,” he had to agree.

“So do you have any plans of revenge for his prank?” Legolas asked, a mirthful gleam in his eye.

Elladan blinked, startled at first by the question but then he smiled. “I’d had a few ideas that first day you three were gone, but anything I decide on will have to wait until he’s fully recovered.”

Aragorn and Legolas both nodded, and promptly got into a fight over the food. Elladan smiled to himself, knowing they were purposely avoiding the subject of their doubts against them and that they were trying to distract him. He also knew they hoped that he was no longer angry with them.

He found he was glad for their company and the distraction they provided. Elrohir’s awakening had lifted a huge weight from his chest and he knew he could not hold his family’s doubts against them anymore. His father had been right—had it been Estel’s arrow Elladan might have done worse than merely have doubts. Now that Elrohir was recovering, the older twin saw no need to pull their family apart.

“Well I would not have spilled the wine all over you last time if you had not tripped me!” Aragorn protested to Legolas indignantly.

“Oh, yes, Estel, I tripped you from in front of you,” Legolas replied dryly. “A likely story.”

“It’s true!” the ranger insisted. Elladan grinned. When this incident had happened those two argued over it for days. Of course he had no intention of letting either of them know that he and Elrohir had been behind Estel’s “trip.” Just one of the many secrets the twins shared that they’d never tell another living soul. It was great to be a twin.

*****

Elrond spent the entire night awake in Elrohir’s room, watching the steady rising and falling of his son’s chest, thanking Illuvitar that Elrohir would live. Two long days of fretting and worrying had come to a peaceful end. And now Elrond had only one concern—Elladan.

Last he spoke with eldest son, Elladan was not about to forgive him or anybody else. Perhaps things were different now that Elrohir had awakened, but when the younger twin had found out he had seemed very upset about it. He well understood the reason, but the elf-lord knew that with Elrohir behind him, Elladan was even less likely to forgive. And Elrond could still lose them both.

Would they really let that happen? One thing Elrond had always been especially proud of about his family was the close bond they all shared with each other. That bond had even extended to Estel when he joined the family. Elrond would not see it destroyed now.

A painful whimper alerted him to Elrohir waking up. Slowly the elf-lord rose and smiled down at his son.

“Are you still in a lot of pain?” he asked Elrohir gently. The younger elf just nodded. “I can make more tea for you but I am afraid it would only knock you out again.”

“That would be wonderful,” Elrohir told his father, who nodded and turned instantly to make a cup.

“I am also afraid you will have to miss the annual banquet tonight,” he said as he returned and handed the cup to his son, who had painfully pushed himself up enough to drink his tea.

Elrohir grinned between sips. “You mean I do not have to put on my formal robes and be on my best behavior? I am so disappointed.” His voice dripped with sarcasm.

Elrond resisted the urge to whack the other elf upside the head but could not repress a small chuckle.

“Unfortunately, I must be there, and so must your brothers and your sister. But as you will more than likely sleep away the next several days I suppose that does not matter that much.”

Elrohir murmured an agreement as he sank back down in his bed. Elrond bent down to kiss his sleeping son’s forehead and then turned to leave, leaving the injured elf alone for the first time since getting home.

TBC