Elrohir twisted the silver ring that was on his finger, nervously tracing his fingertips along the surface. He finally managed to look up and smile. “We have always done everything together,” he said quietly, almost sadly.
Across the room, Elladan was lounging across his own bed, head propped up with one hand to watch his brother. “I think it is wonderful you are Glorcheniel are finally going to get married. I am happy for you both.”
Nodding, Elrohir looked back down at his hand, still fidgeting with the mithril that encircled his finger. “I know, and yet...”
“What were we going to do, take turns? Draw straws each night? Have a really, really, really big bed?” Elladan was grinning at his brother’s flushed face. “You know, she and I did not always agree quite so much. I hate the long hours she puts in at the bar, but she loves it. I want children; she has no plans for that. Plus, she adores your beard – so why are we even having this conversation?”
“Because you are my twin. Because... we have always done everything together.”
“Fine, if you want me there, I will stop by for your wedding night-“
“El.”
“-just leave a window open for me-“
“El.”
“-and save a little wine.”
“El, I mean...” Elrohir sighed. “Elladan, I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy. I am very, very happy for you.” Elladan rolled onto his other side, finally able to drop his act when Elrohir left the room. He rubbed his eyes and pulled the extra pillow down against his chest, holding it tightly, as if he too had a lover to hold in his arms.
- - -
“Come. We are going on a little trip.”
Elladan merely turned his head, still prone on his bed. “Well, have fun, then,” he said, and resumed staring at his ceiling.
Erestor stood at the door for nearly ten seconds, then with a sigh entered and crossed the room to the dresser. “Do you have a sack to travel with?”
“In the bottom drawer.” Elladan sat up as he watched Erestor pull open the various sections and pull items out, tossing them into the bag. “What are you doing?”
“I told you, we’re going on a trip.”
“But... I can not just leave.” Elladan stretched his arms and stood up. “Besides, what if I do not want to go? I do not even know where you are going.”
“I was under the impression you were an adult. Being the case, you hardly need to ask anyone permission to go anywhere. You do not need to know where we are going, but trust me. You shall thank me later. We will only be gone a few weeks.”
Elladan blinked in surprise at Erestor’s attitude, but shrugged as his travel pack was tossed onto the bed beside him. “Come. Let us go.”
“I have no desire to go anywhere,” admitted Elladan, which was true. He had spent the past few days in his room, emerging only when it was a necessity. The rest of the house was abuzz with plans for Elrohir’s wedding to Glorcheniel, and Elladan certainly was not in the mood to deal with it. Neither his brother nor his former ladylove had informed him of their decision before it was made, and announced before the whole of the family on Elrohir’s birthday.
Perhaps it was a little harsh for Elladan to blame Elrohir entirely; his twin did not know that Glorcheniel would be the one to present a silver band to her future husband. It had also been Elladan to say some time in the past that one day, she would need to make a choice between them, and that she could not have both of them. Still, a little discussion might have helped.
“What are you going to do, mope here forever?”
“Maybe.”
“Get up.” Erestor leaned over and gave a tug on Elladan’s arm, much like he did in the days when Elladan was just a young elfling and would refuse to come for dinner or do his chores. “We are leaving, you are coming along, and that is all there is to it. I will call Glorfindel to carry you like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder if need be, but Elladan, you are leaving with us now.”
Grumbling, Elladan shrugged his arm out of Erestor’s grasp and yanked the sack into his lap. “I think I should have more than this, if I am to be gone for weeks,” argued Elladan as he peered into it.
Erestor shook his head as he ushered the younger elf out of the room. “Trust me. You will not need much else.”
- - -
“When do I get to know where we are going?” Elladan asked as the trio walked down a crowded street. They had made it to Valimar, having stopped at The King’s Kastle for the first evening and Oropher’s Palace for the second. Their horses were left in the care of the stablemaster at the palace, and now they journeyed on foot. Valimar should have seemed like a small city from its size, but it was well-established and packed. It was difficult to make it from one end to the other without stopping to admire someone’s craft. This Glorfindel did often, and it caused a delay in their travel.
“You will know when we get there,” Erestor assured the peredhel. “Who cares, anyhow? You do not even want to go, so why do you care where we are going?”
Elladan rolled his eyes. “I still wish to know our destination.”
“That will be clear soon enough. Glorfindel, did you... Fin?” Erestor turned around, rolling his eyes again. “Worse than an elfling,” mumbled the dark elf as he and Elladan turned around to drag Glorfindel away from one of the street vendors. This was accomplished only after a large bag of sugar candy and a fine silk brocade cushion were purchased.
Continuing down the path, they eventually turned onto a residential side street, and then a dirt road, and finally a grassy, trodden path. “How much further?” wondered Elladan aloud. The hours had gone by, his stomach was growling, and the sun had already begun to set.
“Patience. We are almost there.” Erestor turned abruptly, causing Elladan to nearly collide with Glorfindel as he turned to follow. They were now heading directly into a dense wooded area. Deer feeding on the soft grasses regarded them momentarily before returning to their feast.
“Are we going camping?” asked Elladan.
“In a manner of speaking,” Glorfindel replied.
Despite the fact that twilight was upon them, the woods had a sort of glow to them which Elladan found soothing. He barely noticed that they were approaching a group and a bonfire until someone brushed against him. He looked to see what looked like two ellon running past, one chasing the other, both of them entirely naked.
“Sorry!” apologized the second, touching Elladan’s shoulder briefly with his fingertips. Then they were both gone, disappeared into the trees again, laughing and frolicking.
Elladan’s eyes were wide, and he looked immediately to Erestor. “I... I really think I should not be here.”
Erestor chuckled. “Elladan, it is not what you think it is.”
“Oh, I do not know about that,” he said, taking a step back, looking to where the pair had gone. From another break in the trees, a young lady skipped forward. “Oh! And you are here!” She took hold of Erestor’s arm and tugged on it. “Father was worried you had forgotten. Come on!”
She, too, was naked, and Elladan’s eyes grew wider. “Erestor, what is this?” he squeaked.
“Honestly, it is not what you think!” Erestor laughed as he was yanked on again. “Alright, dear sister, I am coming!” He disappeared with the female away from Elladan and Glorfindel into the clearing.
As Elladan looked to Glorfindel for an explanation, the golden elf only shrugged and said, “Ainur. Who knows with that lot.”
“Those were ainur?” asked Elladan pointing to where the pair of tag players had gone. Glorfindel nodded. “She is an ainu, the one who stole Erestor away?” Glorfindel nodded. “Erestor called her sister.” Glorfindel nodded, and Elladan’s eyes grew larger than it might seem possible. “That explains an awful lot...”
“Come on. This is an event not to miss. Oh, but first, we had better undress.”
“What? No.” Elladan frowned. “I think I am going to go back into town and find a room for the night.”
“Something the matter? Truly, you cannot be ashamed of your body, are you, Elladan?”
Elladan set his jaw and furrowed his brow. “Elrohir is the lucky one. He barely has any hair on him. Ada happens to be married to someone who likes that sort of thing. Me, I am not so lucky. I found that it disgusts most ellith, so I usually shave all of it off. But with winter, it was cold, so it has been a while, and right now I am rather hairy.”
“I wondered why you were wearing long sleeves in such warm weather.” Glorfindel began to remove his own vest and shirt. “If you are uncomfortable, then, just join us. No one will say anything. The experience is better if you get undressed though.”
“I... just... do not want to offend anyone. While I was growing up, I dealt with so much harassment about it.” Elladan pulled up his sleeve, displaying the fine hairs on his arm. “See? How ugly is that?”
“You see ugliness; I see something beautiful that Eru created. I suppose everyone has their own opinion of things.” Glorfindel shoved his clothing into his bag and slung it over his shoulder. “No one is going to laugh, or tease, or judge, or say anything, but if you do not want them to see it, nothing will be said if you keep your clothing on, either.” Glorfindel gave Elladan’s shoulder a squeeze and then walked the way Erestor had gone.
Pulling down his sleeve to cover his arm again, Elladan took a few steps forward and peered through the trees. There was a bonfire, he had seen the glow of it. Around it, maia danced, their bodies adorned with shimmering paints and flowers woven into their hair. Glorfindel was greeting a lady who sat amid baskets of bright colored blooms. Moments later the ellon sat down, his hair tended to by the weaver.
Part of him wanted to leave, but part of him was still curious so he moved a few paces to get a different view, still keeping himself hidden. Now he saw a group sitting on benches with jars of paints around them in brushes in hand. They were all talking merrily and painting each other, and Elladan spied Erestor among them.
“Feeling a little out of place?”
Elladan turned around on his heels. “Uhm... j-just... just a little.” The peredhel swallowed hard, and bowed his head. “M’lady.”
Nessa grinned and then reached up, and patted Elladan’s cheek. “Such a polite young fellow. Are you going to stay hidden back here all night?” Not wanting to displease the Vala, yet not wanting to lie to her either, Elladan shrugged his shoulders. “It would be a pity if you did. There will be singing and dancing and the most beautiful music will be made tonight.” Nessa’s voice was a calming force, and she easily moved closer and began to remove Elladan’s shirt, opening one button at a time, while Elladan stood idle, mesmerized by her voice.
“Your friends will be so disappointed if you do not join them. Do you want them to be disappointed?”
Elladan shook his head no as his shirt was eased off his shoulders.
“Then hurry up and join them. The festivities are about to begin.”
In a blink, she was gone. Elladan would have thought she had not even been there at all, except that his shirt was in a puddle on the ground behind him. After some hesitation he stripped out of the rest of his clothing and taking a deep breath, headed into the clearing.
Glorfindel, who had to have been waiting for him to emerge, waved him over. Elladan looked around, no longer seeing Erestor, and so he walked around the fire and the dancers and sat down hastily next to the warrior. “I am glad you decided to join us.”
“I still do not think I am quite sure of where I am exactly,” admitted Elladan. “So... where am I?”
“For want of a term for it, you are at the festival for the children of the earth. Orome and Nessa are the two Valar who are closest to the beasts and the trees, and this night honors that. Orome, his children, Nessa, and their followers all gather to celebrate.”
“I see. So... Erestor...”
“This you must not reveal to anyone. Erestor is one of them; he is Orome’s son. Nieliqui, the one you saw pull Erestor away, she is Orome’s daughter. Here, Erestor is called Ress.”
“I have heard you say that,” said Elladan. “I thought it was some sort of pet name.”
“It is, but it is the closest thing to his Valarin name that any of us could understand.”
The maia sitting behind Glorfindel gave him a pat on his shoulder. “All done,” she declared, leaning back to admire her work – clusters of white and blue buds woven into Glorfindel’s hair to make it appear that he was crowned with them. “You next,” she said to Elladan, nudging Glorfindel aside.
“I really do not need-“
The maia glared, not unlike Erestor or his father, and Elladan shifted to where Glorfindel vacated. If he was already sitting in the woods completely naked with a group of unfamiliar ainur, he might as well try to do something to blend in with them. One look down at his chest, arms, legs, and groin made him remember that blending in was not something he had any chance of doing.
“What did I tell you?” huffed Elladan. He and Glorfindel were now surrounded by many pots of bright and shimmering paints. After admitting that they were both completely uncoordinated as artists, they were able to recruit the pair who had been playing tag to help them with their problem. On Glorfindel’s shoulder was already a permanent mark: A sepia colored butterfly he had received in Harad many years prior. On his back was now a tree, that climbed up his leg and sprouted many braches with budding leaves so that his butterfly might have a choice of where to land. Elladan’s body was being painted with a flock of swans, some in flight and some at rest. They matched the white flowers in his hair nicely.
“About what?” asked Glorfindel.
“Look at them. They are all staring at me and laughing.”
The maia working on Glorfindel’s tree looked over at the small clutch of ladies some ways away. They were giggling and looking frequently at the peredhel. “They never saw one like you before, and they are curious. We all are.” He was silent for a bit, and then a smile emerged.
Elladan realized the maia was speaking with his thoughts to someone in the group, and when he resumed his painting, asked, “What did they say?”
“Elladan,” said Glorfindel softly, as he had only done long ago when Elrond’s children really were children.
“Glorfindel, they are talking about me. I think I should have a right to know what they are saying.” His face was flushed, partly in anger, but mostly in embarrassment.
“See that one there, with the red roses in her hair? She was asking me if I thought your fur was soft like a rabbit or coarse like a bear.”
Full-blown embarrassment set in, and Elladan looked down at the ground. “It, ah, depends on where it is...”
“The one with the crown of violets is the only one who seems not to care. She just thinks you are beautiful.”
Elladan, continuing to blush, looked over at the group. His gaze locked with that of the maia spoken of, and she smiled, then looked away.
“She wants to know if you are married.”
Looking back to the maia behind Glorfindel, Elladan shook his head.
“Any lovers?”
“Not at the moment.”
A loud trumpet sounded, and the maiar began to scatter. “Is it time already?” laughed the one who had been painting Elladan, and he began to gather up the paints and brushes.
“T-thank you,” Elladan called out as an afterthought as Glorfindel pulled him over to a spot near the bonfire. “What is happening?”
“It is about to begin. The best place to sit is near the fire, and... ah, yes.” Glorfindel sat down upon a fallen log and patted the spot beside him. “Best place to get a good view of everything.”
The trumpet sounded again and everyone scrambled to find places to sit. At first, a male maia with long silvery hair sat down beside Elladan, but he stood up as someone else approached and offered his seat to the lady. When Elladan turned, he saw it was the one with purple flowers in her hair. Elladan smiled and introduced himself to her.
“Eluinė is my name,” she said with a smile of her own. It was the only conversation they managed before the mighty Valaroma announced the start of the celebration.
Into the clearing came a pair of does, one carrying Nessa and the other carrying her niece. Upon the next sounding, a stag made his way boldly into the area, with Erestor riding him. Had Elladan not known what was going on, he may not have recognized the rider, hair adorned with gold and yellow flowers and shimmering paint covering his flesh, as Erestor. At last the great hunter heralded himself. Orome proceeded forward, carried on the back of a magnificent white hart. When he stopped, his deer and the others bowed their heads, as did everyone else. Words were spoken that Elladan did not understand, but the meaning was clear: A blessing upon the trees and all that lived in and under them.
With little warning, everyone sprang to life. They began to rush to the fire, some with instruments, some raising up their voices. Food was brought, or more it appeared, and some took drink instead. Elladan seemed a little lost as Glorfindel abandoned him to dance and sing with the others, but a light touch on his arm made him feel at ease. “You must be hungry from your long journey.”
Elladan nodded, unable to answer back. He knew what words he would use, but to him, his voice would have sounded unrefined after the melodious speech from the gorgeous maia. Perhaps they all have a way to put you in a trance, he thought as he followed her to the table where small cakes and pies with meat or vegetables were available.
Almost as soon as he reached the table, Elladan was abandoned again. “I must go. I am sorry,” apologized Eluinė. She practically floated away, and it was seconds later before Elladan even thought to thank her or tell her it was nice to make her acquaintance, or something less rude than just staring at her.
He picked up an item randomly from the table and continued to watch her make her way to the fire, joining the merriment. Elladan could see that she was singing, but he wished he could hear her voice separate from the others. Again, he caught himself staring, but not anyone in particular. The movements of the ones around the flames were so precise, so synchronized, that they reminded him of a heart beating. Their music was harmonious – no one tried to take the lead or overpower anyone else. The effects were hypnotic, and Elladan was drawn back from it only when he felt someone approach.
“Can’t you feel it?” Elladan heard Erestor’s voice behind him, but stayed focused on the fire and the ainur who danced around it. “There is something in our souls, something the Eldar do not know, something they cannot feel.”
“Why haven’t I ever... felt this before?” asked Elladan as one foot moved forward, and then the other, like a moth drawn to the flames of the bonfire. “Why don’t Elrohir, or Ada-“
“It sleeps,” Erestor crooned, his hand on Elladan’s back, guiding him toward the dancers. “Until it is awakened. Some never wake. Some... never fall back asleep.” Elladan turned around at the edge of the circle of sand. Erestor’s dark eyes, seeming darker with the kohl that lined them, avoided his own at first, wandering to gaze upon the others, followers and kin mingled with one another, limbs flowing, light reflected from them in the moonlight. Suddenly, his eyes were upon the peredhel. “Are you awake? Can you feel it?”
Elladan bobbed his head up and down, each motioned causing the subtle smile on Erestor’s lips to curl up a little more. “Good. Then, you should join us.”
“But I do not know-“
Erestor shook his head. “Yes, you do. You just do not know that you know how yet.” He motioned to someone unseen by Elladan. As the others danced by, round and round, Eluinė stepped from her place within them and came forward. “Eluinė is one of Nessa’s maidens. She tends to deer and sings so sweetly. I am sure that in her care, your feet will find their way, Elladan.” Erestor took hold of Elladan’s hand and placed it into Eluinė’s.
There were many times when Elladan had complained about his inherited abilities. Upon touching things, he might see the past, or a glimpse of the future. The force of what he saw was greater than anything he had ever experienced. Looking into Eluinė’s eyes, he found the other half of himself, and even more than that.
Without taking his eyes from her, Elladan said, “Thank you, Erestor,” as the half-Vala smirked in a ‘told you so’ sort of way, before following his future wife into the circle of dancers.
