Haldir tapped the excess ink from the quill and placed it into the tray on Rumil's desk. Carefully he resealed the jar of ink and shook the paper that had been resting on the drawing table. The indigo ink stood out in stark contrast to the cream colored parchment he had been working on these past few weeks. Satisfied that the ink was dry enough, he rolled the parchment, tucked it under his arm, and hastily blew out the candles and retrieved the books he had been using.
The sound of hooves had alerted him to the fact that the rest of the family had returned from their vacation. He had expected them back soon, but for some reason thought they would return during the daylight hours. Constantly he had to remind himself that this was Valinor, a place where one need not worry at what time one traveled.
Upstairs he went, banging on the door to the ‘Bachelor Pad', the rooms shared by his three nephews, as he went by to his own suite of rooms. Depositing his scroll safely under his pillow to be guarded by Nibbles, the purple plush rabbit, he returned to the Bachelor Pad and banged on the door again.
"Uncle, it is either too late or too early to speak to you now."
"They have come back!"
A number of sounds could be heard from within the rooms, most of them panicked. Celebdreth wrenched the door open, fumbling to retie his sleeping pants properly. "Elladan refuses to get up. Elrohir is trying to persuade him to." Behind the youngest, Haldir heard what sounded like someone lifting up a bed and tipping it over. Sighing and rubbing his temples, two matched voices rose up. Shaking his head, he headed down the steps with Celebdreth following.
One stop more, to the main parlor. Haldir replaced the volumes of history where they had been found. When he reached the hallway again, he found Celebdreth and a very disgruntled Elladan sitting on the stairs. "Where is your brother?" asked the former march warden.
Elladan pointed above his head. "Still upstairs," he yawned. "Decided it was better not to show them tonight."
Haldir frowned, but nodded. "This isn't quite how I expected things to play out," he said, opening the front door. "Everybody ready?" The other two elves nodded, and they exited, the crisp evening air causing Elladan to shiver slightly. Haldir reached up to smooth down Celebdreth's tangled mass of hair. Barefooted, it was obvious to see Haldir was shorter than most elves, and over the past weeks he had become used to the difference in height. The three of them stood on the porch of the First Homely House until the carriages pulled up in front and stopped.
Haldir, Elladan, and Celebdreth waited until the coaches had been emptied, then, unable to contain themselves, they yelled, "Surprise!" Elladan swung his arms to the southern side of the house, where the addition stood, completely finished.
Elrond, like the others, blinked in surprise. He walked across the lawn past the patio to the doors that matched those on the first half of the First Homely House. "It is done." He looked to Elladan. "The interior?"
Elladan shrugged. "We had to make a few educated guesses about things, but the majority of it was finished already. Shall we give you a tour, or are you all too tired from your journey?"
"Though I had planned upon sleep, I will gladly look at the work you have done." Elrond looked around. "Where is Elrohir?"
"Not feeling well," Elladan said quickly, moving to open the doors. "Now, tell us what you think. And please, be honest." Holding the door open, Elladan waited until everyone was in the new part of the First Homely House before walking from room to room, describing the work that had been done.
"Truly, you have all outdone yourselves." Elrond sat down on a long padded bench that spanned the North side of the new parlor. "Who is responsible for the furniture?" Celebdreth raised his hand, somewhat shyly. "It is the work of a master. I have no doubt your skills in woodcarving were passed from your uncle."
Orophin shrugged. "I taught him a thing or two. An elf has to be able to do something if he can't sing or play the flute."
"We never said you couldn't sing," pointed out Rumil. "We just said you couldn't sing well."
"Same difference. I suppose our dear brother was the mastermind behind getting all of this done before our return?" Orophin looked to Haldir, who shook his head.
"Nay, it was Elrohir who suggested it, and Elrohir who was in charge," admitted Haldir. "I served as master room painter and floor sweeper." This elicited laughter from most, though someone seemed to be missing. "Where is Celebrian?" wondered Haldir aloud.
Elrond looked up, somewhat in alarm. Ever since coming to Valinor, he had been protective of his dear Celebrian, and had insisted, unknown to his wife, that he or one of her brothers know her whereabouts at all times. "In the other room perhaps? Celebrian!" he called, but no answer was received. Worry etched his face, and he stood and went to the door. "Celebrian!"
At first there was nothing, but the response came in the form of a surprised yelp from the other half of the house. Elrond headed to the front doors, Haldir and Celeborn following close behind. "I do not think she is in any danger, Elrond," Haldir told him as they left the Second Homely House to enter the first.
Elrond wasn't listening. "Damn the plans and my not putting a walkway between the first floors. What a nuisance this will be." He reached the doors of the First Homely House, but they flew open before he could reach the handle. Celebrian grabbed for Elrond, tugging at his sleeve. "You have to come upstairs. Now."
"Why? What is the matter?" Elrond drew himself nearer to Celebrian, his arms holding her protectively.
"Well, it isn't a balrog or anything like that." The three elves trembled a bit at the name of the beast, even Celeborn, who had not thought of such evil since arriving here. "It is your son. Come see what he has done."
Elrond looked suspiciously at his brother-in-law. "Am I not going to be pleased about something?"
Haldir shifted his feet, looking to the ground like an elfling about to be scolded. "I didn't encourage him, nor did I discourage him. I didn't think it my place."
"If he has bonded while we were away... " Elrond paused. "Actually, if he has bonded, I suppose that would be just wonderful, considering I kept pushing them both to do so while we lived in Imladris."
"He has not bound himself, Elrond. Not to my knowledge, at the least," answered Haldir, eyes still cast down.
"Nay, it is much worse than bonding." Celebrian pulled Elrond into the house and up the stairs. "It will not take long to see, either."
Elrond opened his mouth to guess something else, but decided voicing concerns would only give anyone listening other ideas. This would be especially bad if Elrohir was the one listening, if he indeed had done something displeasing.
"It is not like Elrohir," he commented as they climbed to the third story. "Elladan, most certainly. But if Elrohir does something, it is likely Elladan was a coconspirator."
"For the record," Haldir added, "Elladan was greatly against... well... " Elrond had reached the door of the Bachelor Pad and knocked on it with a firm but gentle tap.
"Go away, Ada. I do not want you to laugh at me, too."
Elrond eyed his wife suspiciously. "After the initial shock, well... " Celebrian rapped her knuckles on the door. "Elrohir! Open this door right now."
A heavy sigh came from the other side, and Elrohir stood up. He had been sitting with his back against the door, and now opened it barely more than a crack. "Please go away?" he begged.
"Elrohir, I will enter this room." Elrond let one hand wander to the doorknob while he continued to speak. "I will know what is happening in my house. I promise to you that I shall try my hardest not to laugh."
"But you still may laugh."
"I still may laugh," admitted Elrond. "Until you allow me entrance, we shall not know."
Elrohir conceded, stepping back into the room. Elrond pushed the door in, but the room inside was too dark to see anything clearly. "Please, step out into the hall where there is more light." Elrohir did as asked, and Celebrian covered her mouth politely, shoulders shaking in silent laughter.
Elrohir fidgeted, wringing his hands while he met his father's gaze. Elrond lifted a hand to cup his son's chin, and turned Elrohir's head from one side to the other. "Notice I am not laughing," he told Elrohir, and his son relaxed.
"Are you…upset?" questioned Elrohir.
"Nay." Elrond let go of Elrohir. "I am only a little surprised your brother did not follow suit."
"We may be twins, Ada, but we are still individuals." Elrohir shrugged. "He has no interest in his heritage from men. I suppose if I hadn't been so close to him, I might have stayed behind instead of sailing." He bit his lip upon this revelation, and his mother stopped smiling.
Elrond merely nodded. "We are all assembled in the other parlor. I do not know how long we shall be awake, but we would certainly appreciate your company."
Elrohir shook his head. "I am long overdue for a full night of sleep. But I would be most interested in speaking with you in the morning." His voice hinted that this would not be friendly chatter over the morning meal, but a serious talk in his father's library. Elrond nodded, and embraced his son. Elrohir smiled. "I am glad to see you again, Ada. And, Nana, you too," he added, reaching one hand over to his mother, still hugging Elrond.
"So you are going to…keep it." Celebrian lifted her hand up, reaching for Elrohir's face, but drew back. "Hasn't anyone... said anything about it."
"They have asked, but no one has been rude, if that is what you mean. I wouldn't care if they were, either," Elrohir said as he stepped back from his father.
Celebrian nodded, stepped forward and kissed Elrohir on his forehead. "I'm sorry I laughed at you, little star, I just couldn't help it. I have never seen sduch a young elf with a beard before. I have to ask you what caused you to think to do this."
"I am tired, after three thousand years, of shaving every morning. Keeping up appearances as an elf, it becomes tiring, does it not, Ada?" Elrohir looked at his father.
"I suppose it isn't the highlight of my day," admitted Elrond, "but it is part of who I am. A reminder, I suppose, of the choice I was given, of the generosity of the Valar to allow one who might have remained mortal the chance to be counted among the elves."
"That isn't all, though. I was always a little jealous of Estel, and the other rangers. When we would travel, Elladan and I were often mistaken for teen-aged boys instead of old warriors. We looked to be children, yet we knew their ancestors. Plus," and here Elrohir blushed, "Estel seemed to be more popular with women because of it, they really seemed to like it a lot."
Elrond raised a brow, his question clear to Elrohir. "Oh, no, Ada, he never would have done anything he shouldn't. He never did. If he had wanted, the opportunity was there." The eyebrow rose higher. "But I told you he did not. Would I have allowed my sister to marry a man unworthy of her?" This seemed to satisfy Elrond, and the eyebrow retreated.
"I wish I could grow a beard." The conversation turned as Celeborn cleared his throat. "I always liked Mithrandir's," he commented wistfully. "Gives him that sort of wise look. It is difficult being 'Celeborn the Wise' when you look barely a day over five hundred."
None remarked upon this, and Celeborn continued. "Once I remember seeing Mithrandir stroking the hair on his chin as he contemplated things. I began to think that that might be how he got it to grow." Celeborn demonstrated the motion, smiling ruefully. "I spent days when in private trying impossibly to grow one, and by the end of the week, the skin on my face was unbearably raw. Galadriel laughed for years to come, and I still have not fully forgiven myself for such a silly thing." The other elves chuckled, and Celeborn pressed a bit further, "'Tis a shame, for Galadriel admitted to me once how greatly fond she is of facial hair on men."
"As opposed to... facial hair on women?" wondered Celebrian.
"So that is why she was fond of the dwarf... " mused Haldir.
Elrond took the opportunity to close the subject, lest he discover anything more of his in-laws he need not know. "There, Elrohir, you see, your Grandmother will be thrilled to see what you have done. And now, the journey was long, and I wish to relax before I retire. Good night, Elrohir." Father and son embraced again, and Elrond led the party back to the Second Homely House.
Haldir made a slight detour, retrieving his scroll from earlier, before joining them in the parlor. On his way, he passed Elladan and Celebdreth heading back to their rooms in an attempt to sleep once again.
Everyone was lazily admiring the room as Haldir entered, some sitting and some lounging, and Orophin sprawled on the floor. There were no tables in this room, much of the design having been stolen from the Hall of Fire. Haldir took up a space on the floor next to Orophin. "It is wonderful having everyone back."
"Were the twins and my son really that bad?" asked Nenniach. Haldir smiled and shook his head.
"It is not that I was discontent with my nephews, it is that I missed the rest of you. What news from the cities beyond?" Haldir fiddled with the scroll, turning it in his hands.
"Nothing that cannot wait." Galadriel was leaning back on one of the couches, Celeborn beside her. Haldir noted that although one who knew her well would have determined she was pregnant before the trip, anyone who saw her now would be fairly certain that she was. "What item of interest do you bring to show us?"
Haldir rolled the paper back and forth upon the ground. "I met someone while you were away." Everyone was focused on him now, and he blushed at the number of grins sent in his direction. "No, not that. It was two elves that I met, though there was an elleth... but that isn't what this is about," he added quickly, unrolling the parchment. He spread it out on the floor so that it was visible to all in the room. "Did anyone else know about this?"
Displayed on the sheet, in the hand of someone not steady with a quill, was an incomplete family tree. While his siblings and in-laws moved in closer, tracing from their names to the names of others, his parents sat calmly on the couch. "I am sure that many know of this, though of those in this room, only your mother and I, and perhaps Elrond, knew the full extent of things." Celeborn leaned forward, specifically addressing Haldir. "What would you have me say? That I was ignorant that I had fallen in love with my second cousin? And what reason would you have me give for my actions? We are not like men, we do not multiply as fast or in such great numbers. And in the end, an elf has little choice in the matter once he has found the other half of his soul." He sat back again, sliding an arm around his wife.
"Do not think we have deceived you in any way, Haldir," offered Galadriel. "Elves do not follow the rules set down by men. We follow our hearts."
"Shoot, Clebri, look!" Orophin drew his finger across the sheet. "You and I could have had a future together, we're only third cousins." Both Celebrian and Elrond found pillows to throw at Orophin. Valarda opted for tugging on one of his braids.
"And look!" he continued, seemingly not getting the hint. "The way this reads, Haldir, Arwen was your first cousin three times removed, or your third cousin twice removed, depending on how you look at things. Either way, I think you might have been able to make a case on that."
Haldir narrowed his eyes at Orophin. "I didn't do this so that you could mock me."
"I am not mocking you!" Orophin said, looking up in shock. "I am attempting to justify things. Ada," Orophin caught Celeborn off guard, "if Haldir had come to you and said, ‘I am going to court my third cousin', would you have had issue with that?"
"I don't know, Orophin. Go ask your mother."
"Nana." Orophin sat up from his position on the floor. "If Haldir-"
"Ask your sister, it is her daughter," Galadriel suggested. Haldir had crossed his arms and was glaring menacingly at his younger brother.
Orophin huffed, but addressed Celebrian. "Dear sister, if our brother were to-"
Celebrian held up her hand to stop him. "I am not giving you an answer to that."
"Rumil." Orophin cleared his throat while his younger brother gave the appearance of a deer caught at the business end of an arrow. "If Haldir came to you and said, ‘I think I am in love with my third cousin', how would you have reacted?"
Rumil gave the question thought for some time. "Well, you're my favorite brother... " he said, looking to Orophin. Haldir frowned, as Rumil continued. "And you're my favorite cousin... " Rumil leapt up from his chair as Haldir jumped up, the youngest taking refuge behind Celebrian.
"What am I, then?" she asked, pouting.
"You are my favorite sister," he answered, reaching his arms around to embrace her. "And my favorite third cousin, and second uncle, and whatever else you might turn out to be." He stumbled away as Celebrian made a swipe for him, and swiftly made exit, chased by Celebrian and Haldir.
