"Where is Elrond?"
No one said a word as the group on the porch glanced around at each other. "He was supposed to come back here," Haldir finally answered.
Galadriel turned to her husband, who had posed the question. "He has not," Celeborn replied simply. "We have tried to reach him with our thoughts, but he blocks them. It is important, for Celebrian is soon to have her child."
"Isn't it too early?" Rumil asked.
"Too early, too late, have we even kept track of time here?" Celeborn shook his head. "This is serious, I do not understand why he hasn't returned, and why he does not want to communicate with us."
Elrohir shifted uneasily, catching the attention of one and all. "He... he said something to me the other day... about going to see Arwen... he said it as if it would be nice to do, but you don't suppose..."
"Haldir, fetch the horses from the wagons. We'll ride to the King's Kastle and get fresh horses there, and then on to the halls." Celeborn looked around as Haldir ran to the carriages to unhitch the four steeds there. "Elladan, Elrohir, you should ride with us."
"We're not leaving our mother," Elladan said firmly, but Elrohir was already bounding off to help Haldir. "I'm not leaving," Elladan said then, the words difficult for him as he watched his brother mount one of the horses. Before protests could be made, he entered the house.
Celebdreth stepped forward. "I will ride with you, if you will allow me. I feel in part responsible, for us having been so close to the halls from where the valley is."
The four rode in haste to the Kastle, where they exchanged their horses and gained a rider. Legolas was ready at the gate with the fresh mounts, sitting atop his own, so that they merely jumped from their tired steeds to those that were waiting for them.
- - -
Elrond, riding an ornery and angry Fool of a Took, the family horse, through the rocky terrain, was not making very good time. In fact, the horse was pausing now and again to snack on grasses that poked up between the stones. "Fine, be stubborn," Elrond finally muttered to the horse. Dismounting, he tied him to a tree and covered the rest of the distance on foot until he reached the mouth of a cave.
The entrance of the tunnel was shadowed by the trees growing around it whose branches hung down from overhead. Within, there was not darkness, nor light, there was nothing. A vast nothingness that was, and was not. Elrond approached it and reached forward with one hand. It appeared open, but his palm felt something of a barrier in the way, even though none could be seen.
"You should not be here. This door is closed to you."
Elrond turned when he heard the voice rumble nearby. His knees nearly gave out as he looked upon a figure, beautiful but dark, with such a serious look in his eyes. Other than that, he was emotionless, and his features gave away nothing of what he was thinking. Shrouded in earthy tones, rich blacks and browns of the soil, and dark greens, there was a crown upon his head, dark as well, like some sort of metal that had been burned.
"My daughter is in there. I know she is, I know you're keeping her from being reborn. Give her another chance, a chance here in Valinor!" pleaded Elrond.
"She is not meant to live here, and even if she were, she would have to will it." Namo looked into the distance where a group of riders approached, unseen and unheard by Elrond. "She does not."
"That is untrue!" Falling to his knees, Elrond reached his hands out towards the Vala. "You cannot know what she does and does not wish! I do! I know what she would want!"
"You are not the first father to tell me that." Again, Namo looked behind Elrond to see the riders closing in, but he did not move. "Go home, Elrond, son of the stars. Your little star has faded. Her path is not yours."
"No!" Elrond cried out in anguish, bowing his head. "Please, take me, I will go in her stead, do not take her! Give her this chance!"
"Elrond!"
The voice the Peredhel heard was not that of Namo, but of Celeborn, who had jumped from his horse and was running to his kneeling son-in-law. Behind him, the others were closing in, Elrohir dropping to the ground beside his father and throwing his arms around him.
"Elrond, you must come home. Celebrian is delivering your child. You should be there," insisted Celeborn, pulling Elrond from the ground with Elrohir's assistance.
As they managed to get Elrond to his feet, Namo began to turn to leave. "Wait!" shouted Elrond. "I've come this far, let us speak with her. Just once. Let her tell me this is what she truly wants!" Namo turned back. "Please. I beg you." Softly, Elrond added, "As a father to a father."
Something caused the Lord of the Halls of Mandos to change his mind then, and bowing his head, he moved his hand, beckoning them back to the entrance. "You may speak to her, but you must trust me that I will tell you truthfully how she answers, for you will not hear her words, Elrond."
Placing his hands up to where the barrier had been, Elrond was surprised to find that there was nothing blocking his way any longer. "Do not enter!" boomed the voice of Namo as Elrond began to move forward. "Speak with her, but do not enter my halls."
"Arwen?" questioned Elrond softly, peering down the long tunnel of nothingness. "My little love, can you hear me? It's... it's Adar, it's your Papa... I miss you. We all miss you," he added. He reached around, grabbing the closest elf. "Your cousin is here, he misses you, too," he said, pulling Celebdreth forward. Celebdreth nodded and Elrond prodded him. "I don't know if she can see you, Celebdreth... tell her about Valinor, tell her how it is here."
"Uhm... it's very... you'd like it, Arwen. It's very nice."
In an exasperated move, Elrond pushed Celebdreth aside gently and yanked Haldir forward by the shoulder. "Tell her," he hissed in Haldir's ear.
"What?" questioned the younger elf, looking around.
"Tell her!" insisted Elrond, moving Haldir in front of him.
"I... " Haldir looked over his shoulder, seeing Legolas standing the furthest away. Something seemed so very wrong with what he was doing, but turning back to address the void, Haldir said, "I love you, Arwen. Please, don't go."
"Cousin, we will miss you so much if you do!" called out Celebdreth, perhaps suddenly realizing just what they were trying to accomplish. "I forgive you for tripping me in the snow, and washing my face in it even though I said I never ever would, and, and I'm sorry for saying you were ugly, because you never were, and switching your lip paint with red ink, and well, for the rest of it, because I never meant it, not any of it, not at all." Taking a deep breath, he added, "Really, honestly, Arwen, I miss you."
Elrond held his breath as what seemed like the faintest bit of light began moving to the entry. A muffled sound behind him caught his attention and he looked to see Celeborn, standing not five fee away, covering his face with one hand as he cried. "What are you doing?" Elrond whispered, stepping before Celeborn and grasping his shoulders. "She's moving toward us, she's reconsidering, I can feel it! You're going to ruin it! You'll ruin everything, everything we're trying to accomplish!" he scolded, shaking the elder's shoulders. Letting go, he looked to Legolas. "Legolas, tell her- Legolas?"
Legolas was inches from the mouth of the cave. He hung his head down shamefully. "Forgive me if you can, Arwen," he said to the confusion of all before walking away.
"Haldir, say something," demanded Elrond, but Haldir's concentration was on Legolas as he walked away.
Rushing back to Celeborn, Elrond grasped his arm. "Celeborn, you fool, help me!" he pleaded. In a low voice, he added, "I did everything to save your daughter, help me save mine!"
Squeezing his eyes shut, Celeborn took a step to the cave entrance. "Arwen, you must follow your own thoughts, follow your heart. You must do what you feel is right."
"Damn you, Celeborn!" Elrond looked frantically around. "Elrohir?"
His son, left unnoticed by the group, had been moving slowly, one step at a time, until he had made it to the arching stone of the tunnel. "My dear, brave sister," he said, and though the rest saw nothing, Elrohir smiled as he embraced something, or someone, in the air. "Yes, I know," he said softly, then paused, listening. "I wanted to. There was..." Elrohir blushed and said, "Yes, she was very pretty. No, of course not as pretty as you."
There was another pause and Elrohir smiled, recalling something from days long past. "Like lightening." Another pause followed, and he answered, "Because I didn't want you telling Elladan." Pause. "Yes, you would have." Long pause. "What do I think?" Pause. "I think you're lucky. He loves you." Pause. "I will, don't worry," he said, glancing back at Elrond. "Yes, I will. I promise. Just a moment." Motioning with his hand to his father, he moved over a little as Elrond approached.
"How?" asked Elrond of Elrohir.
"They share the same blood," answered Namo for them. "She can speak with her brothers, but with no one else."
"She says she loves you, and not to worry. She will be fine. She must go now, and rest before her journey, but there is someone who wishes to speak with you," explained Elrohir.
Elrond looked around the emptiness in question until something appeared to him in the void. If someone would have asked, he would have sworn it was a mirror that he was looking into as he reached out to touch the soul that approached him. "Brother," he whispered. His eyes closed as he listened to the words spoken to him. "Yes, he does look like you. Elladan takes after me, but Elrohir- we named him after you- he has your eyes, one can easily see that."
For some time, Elrond stood at the mouth of the cave, answering questions, asking questions, and touching something no other could see, until the stars lit the sky and finally Elrond turned from the cave, looking to be at peace.
"She wants to be with Estel," Elrond said softly, giving Haldir's shoulder an apologetic squeeze. "She is happy. And, she is in good company. I know Elros will take care of her until she makes her final journey."
- - -
"I should kick all of your asses for this," scolded Orophin. "I'm going to start with yours," he said to Elrond, "and then move to you," he added, waving a finger at his father, "and then all the rest of you all at once, just because I know you deserve it!"
"What now, Oro?" asked Haldir, looking very tired and not in the mood for his brother's banter.
"Sure. Leave me here with Rumil 'I'm afraid of things that are bleeding' Celebornion and Elladan 'I don't birth babies' Elrondion and a group of ellith who can do not much more than curse the fact that the healer and father are not here. That's right, just go off and leave me here to deliver the baby. Thank you ever so. Now line up, I want to get this over with so I can take my boots off," he said, rolling up his bloodied sleeves.
Leaping off of his horse, Elrond grabbed the stunned Orophin by the shoulders. "What is it? What is it?"
"It's an elfling! What were you expecting? Kittens?"
"No! Boy or girl?" demanded Elrond as Valarda came to join them on the porch.
"It's a girl. A girl, and she'd like a name, Ada Elrond," said the elleth.
"It's a girl!" Elrond hugged Orophin tightly, knocking the wind out of him. "It's a girl," he announced again as he let go of Orophin and ran up the stairs into the house.
Sliding less gracefully than usual off of his mount, Haldir put an arm around Orophin's shoulder. "For someone upset about having to deliver a baby, you look awfully pleased with yourself."
"None of the rest of them could get over the fact she was their mother, sister, in-law, daughter," he said, ticking each of these off of his fingers. "I just told her, 'you push it out, I'll catch it'." After being punched in the shoulder, Orophin said, "Honestly, it was beautiful and marvelous and absolutely disgusting. I'm never having elflings. Make a note of that."
"Noted," said Haldir. "Though, I think physically, it's impossible."
"True," said Orophin. "I have very narrow hips. Have to think of my figure, you know." Beside him, Valarda was tapping her foot. "Oh, and our current living situation," he added as Valarda narrowed her eyes. "Not to mention, the smell... and the mess... " Before he could continue, Valarda pulled her husband back inside by the ear.
"I already have one elfling," they could hear her say, "I don't need another."
