Title:
Away with You – Chapter 9
Author: Tuxedo Elf
Rating: R
Pairings: Elladan/Elrohir and Eluréd/Elurín
Beta: Eni
Warnings: Incest, angst
Chapter
9
"Aiii!"
The early morning peace of the settlement was shattered by Eluréd’s
cry of pain.
Elladan,
who had gone to the stream to wash, came rushing back as he
heard the cry. Dashing into the hut, he saw Eluréd with
his hand over his right eye, facing Elrohir, who was hunched
up in the bed, awake and fearful. In an instant, Elladan realised
what had happened.
In the time
it had taken him to wash, Elrohir had awoken, alone and, from
the looks of things, with Eluréd bending over him. Confused
and not seeing his twin, he had panicked, lashing out and striking
Eluréd. The way the older Elf was covering his face,
Elladan suspected his twin had given his new friend a lovely
black eye.
"Elrohir,
stop! He will not hurt you!" Elladan called out, cursing
himself for leaving the room. They had been there five days
and while Elrohir's condition had gradually improved, he had
not woken. Elladan had taken to going to the stream every morning
to swim before returning to sit with his brother. Typically,
his twin had decided to wake when he was not there.
Dropping
down beside the bed, he pulled his brother into his arms and
away from Eluréd. “He is a friend, Elrohir; we
are safe now,” he soothed, rubbing his arm gently. “We
have nothing to fear here.”
Shaking
slightly, Elrohir sank into his brother’s arms, calming
swiftly now that Elladan was near. He was unsure as to where
they were, his last memories being of seeking shelter, but his
twin’s word was enough to assure him that all was well.
“Sorry,”
he mumbled, looking at Eluréd apologetically, as the
other Elf uncovered his eye, which was already starting to darken
and bruise.
Touching
the tender skin gently, Eluréd winced and shook his head.
“Think nothing of it. These things will happen and it
is a small price to pay for your return! Elladan has been most
concerned.” He smiled warmly, despite the throbbing around
his eye.
The door
opened then and Elurín rushed in, having been told of
a commotion in the healing huts by one of the others. He looked
horrified upon seeing his brother’s eye and almost missed
the shocked gasp that came from Elrohir.
Glancing
down at the bed he saw that the injured Elf had at last awoken
and was staring at him with wide eyes.
Chuckling,
Elladan kissed Elrohir’s cheek and rubbed his arm soothingly.
“You’ve missed a lot, brother,” was all he
said.
To that,
Elrohir could only nod dumbly.
*******************
Elladan
held his brother’s arm as they took a slow walk around
the settlement. Neither had ventured out of the healing hut
much in the two weeks since their arrival but now that Elrohir
was stronger they could start to explore the settlement and
meet its inhabitants. So far they had only met those who had
been to see them – namely their uncles, and Anórthad
and his wife.
For Elrohir,
that had been enough. He was still struggling to come to terms
with the identity of the Elves who had saved him and they understood
and shared the way he felt about his twin. He was certainly
glad of them; it simply took some getting used to.
It was also
novel to be able to walk arm-in-arm with Elladan without worrying
if anyone would suspect the true nature of their relationship.
To show their love openly was something Elrohir had always wished
for, but had never truly believed he could have. Now he could,
he was almost afraid to do it.
“Good
mornin’ to you.”
The gruff
but friendly voice jolted Elrohir from his thoughts. He turned
with Elladan to see a lone Dwarf, sitting in a wooden chair
outside one of the huts. He was clearly relaxed and puffing
on the long pipe the twins had come to recognise since their
time in Moria.
“Good
morning!” Elladan spoke first, smiling warmly at the Dwarf.
Already he hoped to form a friendship, for he had much missed
their friends from the underground city. “I am Elladan,
my brother is Elrohir.”
The Dwarf
nodded, having heard the names from Anórthad. “I’m
Glorin. I hear you’ll be stayin’ a while.”
To many, the words would have seemed abrupt, almost rude. However,
the twins were accustomed to the ways of the Dwarves and took
no offence, knowing that none was intended.
“Aye,”
Elrohir nodded. “We have been made most welcome here and
desire to make it our home.”
“It’s
a good place,” Glorin agreed, “nowhere else like
it. Sit down, boy, before you fall over!” he added, as
he saw Elrohir sway a little.
Elrohir
blushed and allowed Elladan to help him sit, leaning against
his twin when he joined him. “If I may ask, how did a
Dwarf come to live in the woods here?” he questioned,
looking up.
In the midst
of refilling his pipe, Glorin stopped. He was quiet for so long
that Elrohir feared he had said the wrong thing. Not daring
to say more, he simply watched as the Dwarf got his pipe to
his liking. Finally, he began to speak.
“There
was a cave-in at me home when I was still a pup,” he said
quietly, taking a puff on the pipe. “The room I was in
collapsed completely – I was only saved because a slab
of rock fell at an angle before me and protected me from the
rest of the rubble.”
The twins
both shuddered and unconsciously held each other tighter, remembering
their own experiences in the Dwarven mines. It was not something
they would have wished on anyone. Saying nothing, they let Glorin
continue to speak.
“I
lost me ma, me da and me uncle in that rockslide. Took the rest
of ‘em three days to dig me out too. Was never quite right
after that. Couldn’t stand bein’ shut in –
still can’t. Well, that’s no good for a Dwarf, is
it? So when I was old enough I left an’ made me own way.
Stumbled into this pace nigh on fifty years ago an’ never
looked back!”
The twins
were saddened to hear of Glorin’s tragic past and Elrohir
opened his mouth to offer words of comfort. Just in time he
stopped, remembering the ways of the Dwarves. Comfort was shunned
as weakness and their new friend might see it as an insult.
As he hastily shut his mouth he saw that Elladan had thought
the same – about to extend a hand to squeeze Glorin’s
shoulder, he had suddenly paused and pulled his hand away, hoping
the Dwarf had not noticed.
“We
are acquainted with your people,” Elladan said, instead.
“My brother and I spent several months in Moria. They
were most hospitable. We still carry the swords they gave us
when we left.”
This caused
a broad grin to appear on Glorin’s face and he laughed
heartily. “Good boys! It’s rare to find an Elf so
open about Dwarves – and the other way round I dare say!”
“It
is true,” Elrohir agreed. “There is still much discord
between our people. I only hope that one day they come to see
that the hurts of the past can be mended.” He yawned as
he said it, though he was sincere.
Elladan
chuckled and wrapped an arm around his twin. “The only
hurts that need mending right now are yours, brother,”
he admonished gently, smiling approvingly when Glorin nodded
in agreement.
“Time
enough for fixing the world!” the Dwarf concurred. “Less
time for fixing broken Elves! To bed with you!”
Elrohir
could not argue with such determination, nor did he want to.
He laughed lightly and allowed Elladan to help him up, holding
his brother’s hand tightly. “Thank you, my friend,”
he said to Glorin. “I hope our paths cross again soon.”
“I
am sure they will,” the Dwarf assured him. “Take
care.”
Elrohir
nodded and allowed Elladan to lead him away. As they left, he
wrapped his arm around his twin and leaned close. “I think
we will be very happy here,” he whispered.
Rubbing
his twin’s arm, Elladan gazed lovingly at him. “As
do I, my brother, as do I.”
*********************
From where
he was, Eluréd could see Elrohir resting comfortably
against the tree, next to Elurín and leaning slightly
against the older Elf. He smiled fondly - the day was hot and
they were clearly glad for the shade the tree provided. Their
respective older brothers however, were not so fortunate.
Elladan
balanced on the roof of the new hut, holding the roof plank
in place while Eluréd fixed it into place. It had taken
three days of hard labour to get to this point, but finally
the hut that would be the twins’ new home was nearing
completion.
Brushing
a sweat-soaked strand of hair from his eyes, Eluréd banged
another nail into the wood before glancing down at his brother
and nephew. “They are enjoying this far too much,”
he grumbled. “Just look at them dozing off in the shade!”
Grinning,
Elladan looked down too. “They are far too relaxed,”
he agreed. “We shall have to make sure they are as tired
as we are later!” He winked at Eluréd, who laughed.
It was so refreshing to have the younger twins around, enough
to make Eluréd feel young again. Not to mention that
watching the younger Elf with his twin reminded him of the love
he also held for Elurín.
“We
certainly will!” he laughed. “In fact, let us finish
here quickly so we can do just that!”
Once, shortly
after they had crossed the threshold from brothers to lovers,
they had doubted whether their love was true, that perhaps it
was only a result of their circumstances. For many weeks they
had resisted lying with each other, before the pull overwhelmed
them. As time passed, they had come to realise that their love
and dedication to each other was beyond doubt and beyond question.
However, the presence of Elladan and Elrohir eased the last
doubt from his heart – they had grown up around many others
and that had not stopped their bond from forming. Though he
had not and likely would not discuss it with his twin, he was
sure Elurín felt the same measure of relief.
“Nearly
done,” he mumbled, as he picked up one of the few roof
planks left. “You’ll be all moved in by tomorrow!”
“I
am glad to hear it,” Elladan replied. “It will be
the first place Elrohir and I have truly been able to share
together. To have a place we can both call home; it is a dream
come true. I do not think we can ever thank you enough.”
“You
have already repaid us,” Eluréd said. “Because
of you, we know what happened to our family. That is something
we had given up even hoping for.”
Deeply touched,
Elladan reached out and squeezed his uncle’s hand. He
thanked Eru for this place and these people – for the
first time in his life, he was completely content.
At that
moment there was a rustling of branches and Anórthad
burst into the glade, an expression of urgency on his face.
“The bandits, they have found us!” he cried. “They
are attacking our borders and we cannot hold them back!”
END CHAPTER
9
