Against all odds

Chapter twenty one A rough night

Elrond looked at his door in annoyance. Elladan was taking too long to bring his books. He knew Linyenwaer had understood him and he realised it might take Elladan some time to understand but would not be that long.

Suddenly the door opened and revealed his hoofed friend, using his antlers to carry a big load of books. Elrond smiled at the image. Linyenwaer knelt down besides the bed. “I am sorry, my friend, but I only have one hand at my disposal since Erestor possesses the other one and my bed is too small for all those books.”
In response Linyenwaer crept closer as if to tell Elrond he did not mind being a temporarily bookcase. Elrond understood and smiled. “Thank you. I hope they can tell us what just happened to Erestor. And I still have to find an answer for him speaking Valarin too.”

Linyenwaer’s look became one of puzzlement and Elrond quickly explained what had happened in detail and also told him what Valarin was. Erestor stirred and, as if to emphasize Elrond’s tale, started uttering Valarin words. ‘urus..urus igas’ the words were repeated several times and his voice was one of pain and fear. Elrond quickly translated. “He’s saying: “Fire, fire, hot.” He moved to wake Erestor but Linyenwaer bolted upright. The sudden movement sent the books to the floor, where they landed with a loud thud. Linyenwaer pushed Erestor away so he could make mental contact with Elrond.

Erestor woke with a yelp and blinked around confused before he realised where he was. He heard Elrond scold something but then the voice disappeared. He shook his head to get the sleep out and he realised he was in Elrond’s room, sitting on Elrond’s bed. He started to tremble when remembrance hit him. He never noticed Linyenwaer talking to Elrond, nor did he hear the lord’s surprised, disbelieving and astonished cries.

When Linyenwaer pulled back he stared to the ground in pity. He realised he had dropped the books. That had never been his intention. Elrond patted him on the flank. “Don’t worry about it. Those books can take a beating. I have to take care of Erestor now. Will you please do me a second favour?” When Linyenwaer slightly tilted his head in question Elrond continued: “Don’t tell this to anyone.” Linyenwaer made a sound that could have resembled a snort and turned around, Elrond’s laugh in his wake.

Elrond now turned his attention towards Erestor, who was still shaking like a leaf. He enfolded his arms around the shaking form and pulled Erestor close to him. “Erestor?” He received no answer and very slowly tears where added to the shaking. Erestor was beginning to scare Elrond. “Erestor? Please say something? What is wrong?”
But Erestor did not hear. His memory was attacking him in full force and he was having a hard time dealing with it. Picture upon picture flashed before his eyes. Images he had never wanted to remember after he had worked so long and hard to forget them. Flashes of the past, a painful and horrid past: his past.

Elrond did not know what to do, he continued to hold Erestor and shoot him, but not knowing if his actions had any effect was frustrating. Even though he always had an answer for every situation he now was at a complete loss and his long years shrank away, making him feel like a scared little elfling again. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have a clue what it might be, but what Linyenwaer had told him was just from hear-say; not an accurate account. Elrond would just have to wait for Erestor to calm down, before he could get any answers at all. For the rest of the night Elrond would continue holding Erestor, patiently waiting for the end of his friend’s emotional storm.

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Elladan had quietly followed Lindir through the gardens.

Lindir had understood his need not to speak, just to have company and had kept silent but now they had come to one of his favourites spots. It was silent and yet all nature’s sounds were very audible. He loved sitting here and never before had he showed this spot to another. He could hear Elladan’s admiring sounds as the twin took in the sight.
Over time the trees had lowered their branches, crng ang a natural veil through which eyes couee wee without being seen. And more specifically: the beautiful waterfall that had made Imladris famous.

Lindir sat down on the mossy grass and waited for Elladan to follow suit. After some more minutes of intense watching Elladan joined Lindir on the floor and sighed contentedly. “I can’t believe how peaceful it is here. Beautiful.”

Lindir smiled. “Yes, it is. I found it on one of my walks. My best songs I’ve made here.”

Elladan turned to him, an unreadable expression on his face. “All your songs are good, Lindir.”

Lindir blushed, he really didn’t think so and he looked at his hands in his lap. “You give me too much credit Elladan. Not all my songs are good. Most are rubbish.”

But Elladan refused to believe it. “So, the song you sang: “Ancient souls” is rubbish?!”

Lindir laughed. “No, off course not though I was afraid others might not like it as much as I do. But you don’t know how long it took me to write it; I had to rewrite it at least a hundred times before that came out.”

Elladan sniffed the air and threw Lindir a puzzled glance. “Still less than I would have had to do, and I would have gotten nowhere with all that work.”

Lindir was about to respond, but Elladan had suddenly jumped up two feet, yelping as he did so. He threw the elder twin a worried look, but started to smile when Elladan started rubbing his behind. The smile turned into uncontrollable laughter as Elladan was swearing in the Dwarven tongue. Something he did not often do. When Elladan looked at him angrily Lindir tried to compose himself, but he failed in doing so.
“I…hahahahahahahahhahaha…am sorry…hahahahahhahahahaha….Elladan….
buhut…youhuhuhuhu hahahaha…look so funny doing that and…hahahahahaha….your curses…..hahahahahhahahahaha”
By now Lindir was rolling around in the grass. He could see Elladan was angry, but he just couldn’t stop laughing.

The elder twin crossed his arms over his chest, glared at the rolling and laughing elf, waiting for him to stop laughing. When Lindir had some degree of self control back he stood up, rubbing his belly, for it had started to hurt because of all the laughing.

“Are you done?” Elladan’s voice was clipped in ice. A highly flustered Lindir could do naught but nod, so exhausted was he. “So, you think it was funny?!” Elladan approached the other elf and for a second Lindir actually thought Elladan was about to hit him. He swallowed and tried hard to get his breathing under control. He would never outrun Elladan if he was out of breath.

Stepping closer still, Elladan continued to speak: “You get bitten by some stupid bug and then see how you curse.” With that he hard handily pushed Lindir down, which made the other land butt first into a hidden ant-hole, close to where Elladan had first sat.
In defence, thinking their realm was under attack by some horrible giant, the ants attacked Lindir in full force. They bit him everywhere they could, inserting their poison into his system.

Now it was Lindir’s turn to yelp, jump, rub and jump around like a madman and it was Elladan who was grinning. “You were right, Lindir, it does look funny.” But soon Elladan stopped laughing, seeing how Lindir showed no signs of stopping his manipulations or his cursing. And Elladan’s eyes could clearly detect some parts swelling up. He immediately cursed himself for his actions. “Lindir, it looks you’re allergic to the ants. Let’s get you to a healer.” And Elladan started tugging the still itching Lindir along.

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The next morning came with rain. It clattered on the rooftops of the Imladris’ homes, and it seemed to do it tenfold on Elrond’s house. But that was a deception of the ear: one could hear the rain fall against the windows of one’s own room and atop the balcony, but also against the neighbours’ windows and balustrades. It increased the romantic value of the rain, but also it’s dreariness. It depended on one’s mood whether it would be dreary or romantic. Needless to say this day would bring both extremely happy and extremely grumpy elves.

To Elrond it did naught but increase his already dreary mood. Erestor still wasn’t responding to anything, and Elrond could feel his friend’s pain, desperation and confusion through the link. He had tried shaking Erestor out of it, talkinghim,him, but nothing had worked. A while ago Elrond had decided Erestor was being attacked by is past. It made sense. Memories long forgotten can cause great pain when they finally return.

There was nothing left to do but wait and offer Erestor his silent support. He held him in his arms, gently rocking him back and forth. Whenever Erestor’s trembling increased Elrond would tighten his hold. He never stopped talking though. Not that he was specifically addressing the othee wae was rather going through everything he had learned this night and trying to find matching moments in time.
When he started organizing his thoughts Erestor’s fear that seeped through the link had increased, along with an extreme feeling of loneliness. When Elrond’s voice sounded again it lessened. So now Elrond made sure not only to hold his friend, but talk as well. He didn’t care about his throat getting dry. He ignored it. If he had song what seemed for him an entire night, he could certainly continue talking the remainder of the night.

And now it was raining, the drops looking like little mirrors as they caught the first beams of daylight. Although it increased Elrond’s dreariness, it calmed Erestor down. Somehow not only Elrond’s voice made it’s way to Erestor’s mind, but the sound of the rain as well.

In his mind Erestor saw the fire die out. For some reason he knew there hadn’t been rain that dreadful day, but now it lessenend end earlier than it should. It was then that he realised the sound of raindrops.

He looked around, forcing his eyes away from that horrible scene. A light was present, as if Varda herself was coming towards him. He focussed upon it and heard the rain increase and saw the light grow brighter. ‘Am I dying?’ Erestor wondered to himself. But somehow he knew that wasn’t what was happening. ‘This is my past. But how can I be here if it is my past?’
Erestor panicked; it had been horrible but the thought of living it again was worse. About to give in to despair he heard familiar sounds. ‘Just the rain’ he thought. But then his sanity started working again. ‘Wait a minute: there wasn’t rain then. And now there is.’

His mind had picked up on the rain and now, in his mind, he was getting wet. Erestor could only draw one conclusion: the rain belonged to the present. Maybe if he focused on that sound he could make it back? All of the sudden sounds came from everre are around him: his past came back to life, and it was the one moment he did not wish to see again.

He screamed: screamed for life and screamed for help. The same second Elrond felt Erestor tremble and shake like never before and through the link came all of Erestor’s pain, despair and fear. But what shocked the Half-Elf most was the fear of death that came from Erestor. Elrond increased his hold, stopped his thoughts and practically yelled at his friend. He started crying, af he he might lose Erestor. Elrond didn’t know exactly what was going on, but he knew that if Erestor’s spirit died, Erestor died. And he did not want that to happen.

In his mind Erestor was losing his grip on mentality and sanity. But he could still feel the rain. And the tiniest voice reminded him that the rain was the present. He reached his hands for the rain, screaming, praying, hoping for the raindrops to lift him up and carry him to where he belonged. He could already see his enemies coming closer and he was cornered, he knew that. Back then he had searched in vain for a way to escape. Now he clung to the rain that belonged to the real world. Maybe now he would not have to endure that pain?

It was in those desperate moments that he could hear a voice being carried on the sound of the rain. He closed his eyes, trying to link the voice to a face. He new the voice and there was as much desperation in it as he now felt. Suddenly his eyes opened: Elrond. It was Elrond’s voice. ‘But he wasn’t alive then.’, his memory told him. But right now he didn’t care about present, past or anything. He reached out for Elrond, Elrond would scare them away, and slowly, very slowly his surroundings faded away.

Elrond hissed as Erestor suddenly clang to him, almost squishing his arms to jelly, screaming his name. Elrond tightened his hold further. “I am here, meldir, I am here. And so are you. Lasto beth nîn, todo dan na ngalad. Hlara ómanya, Erestor, hlara ómanya. Entula i calanna. Entula nin.”

Suddenly Erestor’s eyes opened wide and fear sd rid right at him. Instinctively Elrond pulled Erestor even closer. “It’s all right, Erestor. You’re not alone. Esta. Ni tiruvatyë.” He silently blessed the link, for without it he would not have know the right words. Now he knew Erestor most needed to know himself safe.

Erestor flung himself at Elrond, so glad was he to be freed from those dreadful memories. The action surprised Elrond. Part of him had feared Erestor would once again push him away, but he happily let Erestor’s weight push him down on the bed. He cradled Erestor in his arms and smiled when Erestor started cooing like an infant. Erestor on his part cuddled closer and locked Elrond in a tight embrace of his own, making sure the ruler had no option but to stay where he was.

In an unguarded moment Elrond planted a kiss on his friend’s forehead. Eres who who had nearly fallen asleep, opened his eyes in sudden shock and stared at Elrond as if the Half-Elf had just told him he was pregnant. Before Elrond could say anything Erestor’s eyes warmed and the brightest smile he had ever seen showed on Erestor’s face. “Hanyëan si”

Now Elrond’s face was one of puzzlement, which increased as Erestor lowered his head to kiss him. Stunned beyond belief Elrond just laid there. Part of him was screaming happy cries, for finally Erestor kissed him. Another part of his mind was asking if perhaps Erestor was showing side-effects from last-nights ordeal, and yet another part of his mind told him to wake up and start responding. He opened his mouth for Erestor to explore it, the feeling sending fibres to his lower regions, but he told himself not to grow aroused, unsure how Erestor would take it.

After a long leisurely kiss where both elves explored each other’s mouths Erestor pulled back. Instead of looking in Elrond’s eyes or voicing any explanation he cuddled himself back into his former position, released a yawn and closed his eyes in a healing sleep. Elrond held him protectively and possessively, combing his fingers through Erestor’s raven hair. Even though he was determined to guard Erestor’s sleep, he soon followed suit and fell fast asleep. Both elves where in such a deep reverie they didn’t hear the day’s activities outside the room, nor did they hear Glorfindel checking on them occasionally.
There was a lot the seneschal wanted to tell Elrond, but when he had first entered the room he decided that would have to wait. He didn’t know what had happened but from the looks of it he concluded Elrond and Erestor where truly together now. And, he judged, they looked happy.

End chapter 21
TBC

Translations:
Lasto beth nîn, todo dan na ngalad. Hear my voice, return to the light. Taken form the movie. (Sindarin)
Hlara ómanya, Erestor, hlara ómanya. Hear my voice, Erstor, hear my voice.
Entula i calanna. Return to the light
Entula nin. Return to me
Esta. Rest
Ni tiruvatyë. I will guard you.
Hanyëan si I understand now

Note:
Sorry it has been soooooooooooooooooooooooo extremely long. But I do not have as much time to write as before, so it takes longer for me to finish a chapter and to update. I know it’s irritating, but I try to write as often as I can.