Chapter 2

Days of Happiness

 

          Ereinion felt a tug on his blankets.  He opened his eyes slowly, to see a very upset Elrond.

          “ What is it?” Ereinion sat up.

          “ I had a bad dream.  Please.  Let me stay with you,” Elrond’s eyes were full of tears.

Ereinion pulled open his blankets, unsure of where this would lead, but not wishing to disappoint the little boy.  Elrond climbed in, burying his head in Ereinion’s shoulder.

          “ They always die,” Elrond whispered, “ Everyone always dies in my dreams.”

Ereinion bit his lip, hesitantly wiping the boy’s tears.

          “ Twas only a dream.  It will fade with the dawn.”

Elrond nodded, moving his head to a comfortable place on Ereinion’s shoulder, and then closing his eyes.

          Sleep did not come again to the high king.  He was content to watch the youngster, absently twirling the baby soft dark strands between his fingers.  He had never particularly liked children, but this one was no child.  The half-Elvin and his brother had never been children.  Their carefree days were still long, but nearly a third over.  Neither boy acted their young age anyways.

*Maybe they never had those carefree days.

His eyes fell back to the boy when the tears leaked onto Ereinion’s shirt.  Ereinion laid his chin of the boy’s head and then looked down at him.  Elrond looked up, his lip trembling.

          “ They all die.  Will you sing to me?  Maglor did.”

Ereinion nodded.  He softly began to sing an old elvish lullaby, watching the boy drift off to sleep.

~*~

          Elros had found Celeborn up.  Galadriel was away, so Celeborn was catching up on his reading.  Elros climbed onto the large bed, sitting beside Celeborn.  Celeborn glanced away from the papers and at the boy leaning against him expectantly.  He put an arm around Elros’ shoulders hesitantly, drawing the boy closer.  He had no child of his own and sincerely doubted there would ever be one.

          “ Can I stay with you, Mister Celeborn?  I dunno where Minë, I mean, Elrond, went, and, well, my rooms kinda big and lonely.  You’re here all by yourself, not doing anything, so…?”

          “ Yes, Elros, you can stay.  And it’s just Celeborn.  No mister, master or lord.”

Elros grinned cheerily, before closing his eyes to promptly go to sleep.  Celeborn put aside the papers, content to watch the boy sleep.

~*~

          Círdan sighed again, pacing in front of the high king’s chambers.  The king never slept this late.  Círdan finally decided to peek inside.  Very softly and carefully, he began to open the door, so as not to disturb the king, were he resting.  Círdan’s face softened the moment he saw the bed.  The high king and the elder twin both slept.  Ereinion’s arm lay protectively around the boy, as if to shield him from whatever threatened the child.  Círdan shut the door again with a smile.  He could wait.  Those little boys had been traumatized enough.  Everyone seemed to always leave them and if it was Ereinion’s job to protect one of them, then Círdan knew he had no place to interfere.

~*~

          Galadriel found Celeborn in the middle of an archery lesson.  She smiled politely at the unfamiliar young boy.

          “ Go on, Elros and find Elrond,” Celeborn caught sight of her.

The boy sent Galadriel a cheery grin as he dashed past her.  Celeborn followed, greeting her with a quick kiss.

          “ And how was your journey?”

~*~

          Ereinion finally woke.  He squinted at the sunlight peering in the window and groaned.  He would be late to breakfast.  He could not believe he had slept so late.  He glanced down at the unfamiliar warmth in his arms and found two little eyes watching him.

          “ Daer aur, Elrond. (Good Morning)”

          “ Daer aur.”

Ereinion slowly sat up, stretching.  A smile twitched his lips when Elrond did the same.  Ereinion pulled a robe over his nightclothes, knowing the handmaidens were probably frantic looking for the boy.  He swept up the nightshirt clad and barefoot boy, eliciting a laugh from Elrond.

          “ Come on, Elrond.  No doubt they are looking for you.”

          “ Who?”

Ereinion bit back a laugh at the boy’s wide and fearful eyes.

          “ The evil handmaidens.”

Elrond burst into laughter, wiggling at the tickle.

          “ No, no, you are evil.”

Ereinion set him down.

          “ Really?”

Elrond’s eyes darted around as he began to bite his lip.

          “ There he is.”

A she-Elf marched up and took Elrond’s hand.  She took one glance at Ereinion.

          “ And you best go get ready also, majesty.”

Ereinion made a sweeping bow, before turning.  He shook his head.

          “ This will be a new adventure for us here.  Two identical twins.  Morgoth has no power close to theirs.”

~*~

          “ They have nowhere else to go.”

          “ No.”

          “ Please?”

          “ No.”

          “ Twill be like old times.  Come on.”

          “ No, no and no, a thousand times no.”

          Celeborn sighed.

          “ Nerwen.”

          “ Calling me that will not, I repeat, not help you.”

          “ Galadriel, darling,” Celeborn ventured forward, but a sharp glance from her made him freeze, “ Someone must take care of them, and Ereinion cannot do it alone.  He has far too many duties, and well, you know.”

Galadriel shook her head.

*Tis the last time I let him search for missing children and actually find them.

He did not have to deal with the heartbreak every time she helped birth a child and knowing she would most likely never have one.  Too many years had passed in their marriage.  Maybe she could reason him out of this idea.

          “ Celeborn, two five years old boys.  That is like having four Ereinion’s to watch at one time.  Do you really wish that kind of a…” she waved her hands trying to search for a word, “ Disruption?”

          Celeborn’s hands clasped her crossed forearms, his eyes searching for hers.

          “ But you know you will love every second of it.”

Galadriel threw her arms down, throwing his hands from her also.  She had had enough.  Galadriel then crossed them again and turned angrily.  Celeborn took a step back, waiting and watching carefully.  He argued only when he knew he could win, but he was beginning to doubt about this victory.  Galadriel finally turned again, her mouth set in a firm line.

          “ I hate it when you become fond of things.”

Celeborn dropped his gaze.  That had hurt.  Galadriel put a hand to her head, her expression falling with his.  She had hurt him more than he showed.  She hated it when he of all people was gloomy, especially when she had caused it.  It made her feel, so, well, guilty.  She moved towards him.

          Two heads, adorned with matching circlets and perfectly combed and plaited hair, popped in. 

          “ Celeborn.”

Galadriel watched with confusion. Both were the same boy she had seen earlier.  The only difference even now was that one (the eldest, she guessed) wore crimson, and the other a navy blue.  She sighed, watching the animated conversation.  Celeborn had never shown this much interest in a child or children since Ereinion had been put in their care to bring to Círdan’s havens.  Celeborn knelt on one knee so the conversation could continue.

*He would have made a great father.

          “ Galadriel,” Celeborn began, the boys positioned perfectly to portray their adorable faces, on either side of him.

          One, the one dressed in scarlet, turned his head, moving towards her.  He went up on tiptoe to reverently touch a piece of her hair.  Galadriel glanced up at Celeborn, thinking it a trick, but he only shrugged with a headshake.  The little boy tilted his head.

          “ Did it hurt?”

          “ Did what hurt?” Galadriel bent over her torso until they were eye-to-eye.

          “ When your hair was en-ensnared in the Two Trees, did it hurt?”

Galadriel’s face softened and she breathed a laugh, before lifting him up.

          “ What is your name?”

          “ Elrond.”

          “ Well, Elrond.  You do know many things.”

          “ Maglor taught me all kinds of things,” Elrond beamed.

          “ An’, an’, I can shoot a bow,” Elros interjected.

          A smug smile formed on Celeborn’s face.  Galadriel had just been won over.  He could see the smile and light in her eyes.  She loved the twins already.  Galadriel looked up, giving a consenting smile.  She knelt down, taking the boy’s hands.

          “ How would you two like to live with Celeborn and I?”

~*~

          Círdan laid out the ship plans before the twins.  Elros had persisted in his questions that finally the old shipmaster pulled them out.

          “ This is Vingilot, the ship of Eärendil.”

          “ Who is Eärendil?  You never told us of him,” Elros asked.

Círdan paused, taken aback for a moment.

          “ Why, he is your sire.”

          “ He is a horse?” Elros made a face.

          “ He means father, Elros,” Elrond nudged his brother, rolling his eyes.

Elros mimicked his brother’s words silently, rolling his eyes also.

          “ If he is our Ada, then,” Elros paused, “ Why did he leave?  Did he love us or did he leave to get away from us?”

          “ He definitely loved you two very much,” Círdan was sure to empathize that fact, “ In fact, your Adar loved you and the Elves and Edain, which are men, Elros, he loved them so much, he decided to leave this place and go over the Sea to Aman to try and plead with the holy Valar to help us against Morgoth.”

          “ Has he?” Elrond asked.

          Círdan sighed.

*Why am I the one who always has to answer the hard questions?  How can you tell two boys that it seems like their father failed?

          “ No one knows exactly.  Once you leave these shores, you are never seen again.”

Elros leaned over the table looking at the maps and plans.

          “ I wanna go off to Sea,” Elros looked up at Círdan, his gray eyes shining like little stars, “ I wanna live right in the middle of it, like a great king.  Elrond can stay here, so he does not have to leave the books and such, and I can live there.  That would be perfect.”

Círdan chuckled, humoring the boy, and never in the least imagining there was some truth to the child’s fantasy.

          “ I am sure you will do whatever you set your mind to do, Elros.”

 

AN: So, do you want to see Ereinion Gil-galad get to play baby sitter for a day with 2 mischievous twins that can pretend to be the other?  Tell me what kind of adventures you see these 2 getting into.  Thank you for reviewing!!!