disclaimer: I don't own any recognizable characters or settings. They all belong to the Tolkien Estate. No harm is intended, no am I making any money from this pitiful endeavor.

A/N: ugh, this took me forever to write, it was a frustrating chappie, *curses writers block*

Anyways, it's un-beta'd, so forgive me any errors.

>>Manwe's spell/riddle was written by the ultra-talented Gwyn, I take no credit whatsoever for it.

Anyways, my apologies for the lateness, but please review anyways. Reviews make me happy :)

there are also some language barriers in this chappie, so I decided that everything spoken in elvish will be encased in // these //, to avoid confusion on my readers part. Lord knows the elves are confused enough *smirk*

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The first thing Elrohir became aware of was something sharp being jabbed into his right side repeatedly.

Instinctively, he rolled over, and grabbed at the object poking him, only to come nose to nose with a small human boy holding a stick.

The lad's eyes were a brilliant blue, and about as big as saucers. He backed away, stammering something in a language Elrohir couldn't understand, then ran out of the room.

He took stock, quickly determining that, while sore, he wasn't really injured, and sat up. He was in some sort of room with many small windows all the way around, on a strange looking couch of some sort. It was covered in an odd sort of fabric that wasn't fabric at all, but shiny, and decorated in a hideous pattern of green and yellow flowers.

"I see you're awake." A nice looking middle aged woman walked into the room, carrying a steaming mug in her hands.

Elrohir was startled by her attire, or lack thereof. She was wearing some sort of short trousers made of a heavy blue fabric, and a white sleeveless tunic. She wore no shoes, and appeared to be perfectly comfortable that way. The younger twin watched her through narrowed, suspicious eyes, and tried to figure out what she was saying to him.

"That was one heck of a storm last night, you're lucky husband found you! We would have taken you to a hospital, until we saw them ears of yours." She reached out, and gently touched the tip of one of Elrohir's delicately tapered ears, "You were mumbling in your sleep, so we figured you couldn't be hurt too bad, so we brought you home."

Elrohir shook his head, confused by the woman's chatter. She put the mug in his hands, he lowered his face to sniff the suspicious looking liquid inside.

"S'just coffee." She said, while bustling about the little room, picking odd and end items. When she found the stick lying on the floor, she glanced out the door, and muttered something unintelligable under her breath.

Elrohir decided that whatever was in the mug, it wasn't poisonous, so he took a sip. Then he promptly spat it back in the cup, grimacing at the bitter taste.

//"What IS this?"// He asked, indignantly.

She blinked at the unfamiliar tongue, and knelt in front of him. "Can you understand me?" She asked, speaking slowly.

//"I cannot understand you."// He spoke equally slowly.

The woman sighed, getting an idea of where this was going. Placing a hand on her chest, she said "Nina." Then looked at him expectantly.

Elrohir got the idea immediately. Placing his hand on his own chest, he said "Elrohir", then he placed his hand over hers, and said "Nina," with a slightly flirtatious smile.

"El...royer?" She tried out his name, tripping over the unfamiliar syllables.

Elrohir shook his head, smiling and corrected her speaking each syllable slowly and clearly, "El-Roh-Hir."

"Elrohir."

He nodded his approval, and looked around himself, gesturing to indicate two more like him.

Her brow furrowed a moment, then she shook her head in confusion, clearly not understanding what he wanted.

He sighed, and buried his face in his hands. Nina patted him on the back sympathetically, and left the room, obviously uncomfortable.

Elrohir sat on the couch a moment longer, before rising purposefully, and looking around for his missing boots.

He walked barefoot through the door, and into some sort of kitchen. Nina smiled at him, and he pointed at his bare feet mutely.

She laughed, and pulled his boots from behind a door, and handed to them.

Elrohir sat on the floor, and pulled them on, wincing at some soreness in his back.

Then he rose gracefully, looking for the exit. When he couldn't find one immediately, he simply opened a window, and hopped out, much to Nina's shock.

She ran to the window, and looked out, watching him walk toward the shore, scratching at the back of his neck.

He found the shore easily enough, all he had to do was follow his nose. The scent of it was thick on the air. He then walked up and down the shoreline, searching for his twin, and Legolas.

It took him hours, but eventually he found Legolas sprawled out on a rock, with Cell-hu in his arms.

The rock was surrounded by water, so Elrohir was forced to wade out to his companion. Grabbing him by the arm, he gave Legolas a gentle shake. "Come mellon nin, we are stranded in a strange land."

Legolas groaned. "I know. Some man in a boat with some sort of loud machine on the back nearly ran me over this morning. But I found Cell-hu!"

The dog thumped his tail once at the sound of his name, but otherwise didn't move.

"Is he alright?" Elrohir looked at the animal in concern.

"I think he's just tired. Would you pick him up please, he weighs a ton!"

Elrohir chuckled at the exasperation in his friends voice, and hefted the dog, wincing as his back screamed at the added weight. Cell-hu squirmed in his arms, so Elrohir set the dog down in the knee deep surf, and helped Legolas off the rock.

Together, the three of them made their way to the shore, and prepared to look for Elladan.

"Wait a moment, mellyn nin!"

The sound of the familiar voice made them both jump, and turn around.

"Aragorn!" Elrohir resisted the urge to fling his arms around the insubstantial form of his long dead brother. "What took you so long!"

"My apologies, I had to convince Melkor you are dead."

"What?!" Legolas' eyes very nearly popped out of his head.

"Oh yes, that's the only way he would stop chasing you four."

"Four?" Elrohir's brow furrowed in confusion.

Aragorn pointed at the dog, who thumped his tail happily, and stretched out in the warm sand at their feet. "Cell-hu is an old friend, especially of Legolas, perhaps when all is said and done, his true identity will be revealed. Eru sent him to help you."

"So, Eru is helping us. Wait, Melkor?" It was too much information, Elrohir's head was spinning. He plopped down on the sand, and cradled his aching head in his hands.

Legolas sat beside him, "Aragorn, my friend, I think you need to start at the very beginning."

Aragorn grinned, "I suppose so. I got very used to you knowing more than me, it's strange that I'm the wise one now." He laughed, his grey eyes sparkling merrily.

"I know you are wondering what has happened, so I will tell you the short version of the story. Melkor has happened."

"But I thought the Valar cast him into the void ages ago!" Legolas' voice was distressed, causing Cell-hu to run over and lay his elegant head on Legolas' knee.

"They did, but Melkor is entirely evil. He has been feeding on the evil of mankind for millenia now! Recently, there has been a surge in that evil, mankind is a deeply corrupted race now, with no regard for one another any longer." Aragorn looked saddened by this news, and indeed, it must have been difficult for him to see a once great race crumble into immorality and corruption.

"Melkor fed upon that evil, and gained a great deal of power faster than any of us, even Illuvatar himself knew! The Dark One has locked the Valar, the Maia, and Illuvatar in the Halls of Time, only Spirit Guides, such as myself, can get in and out now."

"How is that possible?" Elrohir was confused, "How can a lock that is strong enough to hold the Valar let you through?"

Aragorn smiled, "Think of it like a chain. To make a chain strong, you need to make the links large, but then small things can slip through the large links."

"Oh."

"As I was saying, while Melkor was casting the spell that would lock them in, Manwe cast a spell of his own. In it are all the answers we need to unlock the Halls of Time, and release the Valar. Once released, they can destroy Melkor, for he was only able to defeat them this time by taking them by surprise."

"What was the spell?" Legolas looked ready to fight Melkor with his bare hands, if nessecary.

"Residing in the Elements

Of sea and sky and fire

The hidden light of Valinor

Whose source, destroyed by Melkor's ire.

"One guides the children through the day

And in the night, a sign

The others' fate became demise

Completing Feanor's line.

"But that the seven brothers,

At last, in death divided

They were not quite defeated

Would be someday reunited

"Though one still shines and one still burns

The leader of the seven

Did give his life to hide the one

To quench the evil fire

"The sacrifice of perfect love

A mother and unborn

Shall flood a tarnished world with red

And mend an Arda torn

"Friends of old, and song and lore

By time and tide were parted

Shall meet again, the King who healed

And complete a quest once started.

"And when at last the circumstance

Should make the time aright

The Halls of Time shall open up

And release the Valar might!"

"What does it mean?" Elrohir looked at Aragorn, hoping for answers.

"Alas, I don't know. Parts of it, I understand. The second to last verse, I think, refers to us. And I believe that parts of it refer to the Silmaril, though I'm not for sure on any this." Aragorn's tone was apologetic.

"Listen now, I cannot linger here any longer, find Elladan, tell him the spell. Do you remember it?"

Legolas recited it, word for word.

"Good, then I will go now. Remember, Melkor has all of Valinor enslaved. Every other elf in the world is digging for something in a place called 'Iceland'. I'm not sure what Melkor searches for, but pray he does not find it. I will return when I can, in the meantime, I will send messengers, for I am not the only Spirit Guide working against Melkor.

"He does not see us as a threat, and so does not stop our comings and goings. You three are Middle Earth's only hope. Solve the riddle, make it happen, save us all. Good luck!"

With that, he vanished.

~*~