“Harder! Ugghn! Yes, more, yes!”
“I should... get you drunk... more often...”
Few words were exchanged from that point on as Elrond thrust faster and deeper into his wife’s slick passage, while Celebrian dug her nails into his shoulders and moaned to him her pleasure. Neither noticed the little elfling that wandered into the room and stood silently by the doorway.
“Ahhnnn! Yes... yes... hhhnnnhh.” Elrond sat up carefully, looking down through drooping eyelids. “You alright?”
Celebrian panted and closed her eyes, her head rolling to the side. Chest heaving, she nodded against the soft pillow. “Would you get me a glass of water?”
“Of course.” Elrond moved from their bed, fumbling to light a candle to take with him. In the soft glow, he made out the silhouette of his sneaky son beside the doorway. Glancing to be sure Celebrian’s eyes were still closed, Elrond then narrowed his eyes at Elladan and pointed to the hallway.
Elrond exited the room practically on Elladan’s heels. When they were back into the main sitting room, Elrond placed his hand on the youth’s shoulder and steered him to the couch, sitting him forcefully down. “What have I told you about knocking before you enter someone’s room?”
“To do it?”
“Yes!” hissed Elrond. “Why did you just walk in without knocking?”
“I thought... I just thought you would be asleep,” mumbled Elladan.
Squinting his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose, Elrond sighed. “If you thought we were asleep, there was no reason for you to come in.”
“I wanted to say I was sorry about today,” explained Elladan. “I still feel bad about it.”
“You feel bad because you have been grounded,” reasoned Elrond. “You feel bad that you will spend your free time helping to reset the library and that you are not allowed to come to the hall at night until the library is back in order.”
“No, I feel bad because Elrohir said I nearly killed Erestor,” said Elladan. “I wanted to say I was sorry, but he never came back to the library tonight. I went to your healing room to see if he was hurt, but no one was there.”
“Erestor was very shocked, to say the least, because of your antics,” Elrond said. “If you want to tell him you are sorry, you shall have to wait until tomorrow. He is being taken care of by Lord Glorfindel.”
“Oh. Alright.” Elladan fumbled with his fingers. “May I go to bed again, sir?”
Rolling his eyes at this response, Elrond placed his arm gently around Elladan’s shoulder. “Do you even know why I was so upset this morning?” Elladan shook his head. “I could have lost you today, Elladan! What if you had tumbled from that shelf? What if you had fallen beneath the one that fell? There was no one who could have saved you in time – do you understand now why I was so angry?”
“I... thought you cared more about the books...” pouted Elladan with a sniffle.
“Well, yes, once I knew you were alright, I was concerned with the books. They are expensive! But you were my main concern- you were why I rushed from my office when your brother came to tell me what happened! Do you understand that now?” Elladan wiped his nose on his sleeve and nodded. “I love you, ion-nin. I want nothing bad to befall you. No more shelf climbing.”
“Yes, Ada.”
Elrond wrapped his other arm around his son and embraced him. “You are getting big so fast, ion-nin. I cannot always protect you; I do the best I can. And I teach you to think a little harder about the things you do when you do things like this. Now get to bed; you have a lot of books to put away tomorrow.”
Hugging his father back, Elladan offered a muffled but heartfelt “I love you,” back, and then stood to return to his room. At the doorway, he turned and asked warily, “What were you and Nana doing?”
“What do you think we were doing?” questioned Elrond in a low voice.
“Trying to make a baby,” answered Elladan. “According to Legolas, when your parents are in bed together making a lot of disgusting noises, it means they want more kids.”
“That was exactly what we were doing,” answered Elrond, wondering if leaving his sons alone to play with Thranduil’s children was such a good idea for the future. “Now, off to bed,” he said hastily.
“A baby to replace me?” Elladan looked over with concern in his stormy grey eyes.
“Oh, no, I have no intention of replacing you, or your brother, no matter what trouble you cause. Now you are being silly. To bed, or I will add another week of grounding to your punishment.” Elrond watched Elladan disappear quickly down the hallway to his own room, and close the door as he want inside. “Besides,” said Elrond quietly to himself as he retrieved the water his wife had requested, “I will be praying for a girl next time, a very quiet, sweet, obedient little girl...”
** -- ** -- **
Two floors below, Lindir squinted in the dim candlelight, working so intently that he did not even consider replacing the stubby wax puddles with new tapers. “Dear King Thrandu—no, no, too for-r-rmal,” he said through a yawn. The sheet was dropped neatly into the waste basket. “Your royal high... blah.”
Lindir picked up the page by the corner, and held it over the basket. As he let go, he watched the sheet float down into the wooden bin. “Damn, I should go to bed.”
Stretching his arms behind his back and trying to work the kink from his spine, Lindir looked to the housecat curled up on a pile of books. “How would you address Thranduil?”
The cat blinked, yawned, and flicked her tail.
“Fine. Be that way.” Dipping his quill into the inkwell, Lindir began again. “To the Great King of Greenwood.” Lindir sat back. “Yes, that will do.” He began to write once again, copying down the message that Elrond had dictated to him earlier in the day inviting the King and his family to Rivendell for a holiday. It was customary that every few years, either Elrond or Thranduil would invite the other to his realm for a few months time. This had begun soon after the return from the Great War, which had claimed the lives of Elrond’s best friend and confidant and Thranduil’s mentor and father. The first invitation had come from Thranduil, and a few years later Elrond decided to reciprocate.
“And now, it is our turn to play host.” Lindir signed the letter with Elrond’s name, chuckling to himself that if ever Elrond made an attempt to sign something himself it would be considered forgery. Neatly sealing the document after it dried, Lindir tucked it into a cloth bag, which was then filled with an assortment of sparkling jewels and some trinkets which would be of interest to Thranduil’s ever-growing brood. He then locked the bag in his desk, and tucked the key in his pocket.
Rubbing the cat’s neck, Lindir smiled as she purred. “Time for bed?” The cat stood up, stretching her legs and arching her back. She jumped into Lindir’s arms once he extinguished the last of the sad-looking candles, landing daintily and purring.
From the office, he carried her up two flights of steps, retiring to his bedroom. After depositing his cat on the bed, Lindir went to a puzzle box and pushed slats of wood here and there until the center of the box was revealed. It was here that he placed the key, and then retraced his steps. Once it was again looking like an ordinary little wooden box, Lindir set it back in place.
His clothing he removed amid further yawning, dumping it in a pile at the door for the maid to collect the next morning when she brought his breakfast. He cleaned his teeth was a soft, spongy wand and some strong mint paste while looking in the mirror at a scar across his nose. The scar had been fading for some time now – some told him it had faded already – but he still studied his nose and found it all the same.
Once finished with his nightly routine, Lindir climbed into bed with a book he had every intention of finishing, or at the very least, starting. This was until he sighed and tossed the book onto the covers next to himself. “I love this bed,” purred to himself, stretching his toes until his feet were flat against the silken sheets.
With very little coaxing, he blew a puff of air at the freshly lit candle on the nightstand, and curled his arms around his pillow. At his feet, his one and only companion kneaded her favorite spot before settling down for the night as well.
** -- ** -- **
Several doors down, for the first time in centuries, Erestor was asleep in a bed.
Sitting in a chair beside the bed, Glorfindel kept watch on his charge, while playing with the tiles on the table. He picked up the rabbit, which was still mystifying him.
Tonight would be a sleepless one for the warrior, but after so long a time in the Halls of Waiting, it seemed he was due a bit of sleeplessness. Quietly, he wandered the room, minding himself to look at Erestor’s sleeping form often. At any sign of a nightmare, Glorfindel was ready to wake and comfort the younger ellon.
For the first time since his arrival, Glorfindel took a really good look at the rooms he had been given. They were much larger than he needed for his own needs, but now with Erestor living in them as well he was glad for them.
Stopping at the desk, Glorfindel opened the cabinet above the writing area, finding many little drawers and spaces for things like different colors of ink and extra quills. In one drawer, he discovered jars of paint. A thought came to him as he closed the drawer, so he slid it out again. He selected a few of the darker colors before closing it again. More compartments were opened until he found the one containing brushes. He was happy to find one with a very fine tip.
Taking his treasures to the table, he deposited them there before going back to the desk to tidy up. Once more, he went to the bed, smiling as he observed Erestor’s peaceful rest, before he sat down at the table to begin his project.
