You Are Still The One

Title: You Are Still The One.

Author: Morgana

Website; http://www.avalon.cobweb.nl/
Pairing(s): Glorfindel/Erestor, Elrond/Elros
Rating: R
Summary: Elladan happens upon an injured half-Elf with amnesia and Elrond volunteers to care for the poor soul. Elladan is determined to find the perpetrators and endangers his own life/safety in doing so.

Disclaimer: These characters are all Tolkien’s.
Warning: AU.

Author’s Note: Beta read by Aduial, thanks so much! And a thank you to Ilye, for her help.

You Are Still The One.

Part 4

Elrohir stood in the doorway, studying his father who had fallen asleep some time during the day. Elrond’s hand was clasped tightly by their patient’s, who was caressing Elrond’s long fingers. At least one of them was awake then. Elrohir took his time to observe them, realizing something strange was at work here. After they had cleaned away the blood and grime from Eden’s face, strong features had appeared, and a high jaw-line gave him a noble appearance. Like his father, he wondered about the rest of the stranger’s face, still hidden by bandages. Looking closer, he realized that Elrond and Eden were of the same height and the same build. Their patient was still way too thin though, but he knew his father would fix that quickly. In some ways, they looked much alike. Even the long, dark hair possessed the same raven tone. /And this one is half-Elven too./ Elrohir no longer believed in coincidence and knew this stranger had come into their lives for a reason. He just wished he knew why.

“Who… is… watching…?” Eden had felt the eyes upon him, and as Elrond was still soundly asleep, someone new must have entered the room. He felt uncomfortable being watched and shifted nervously on the bed. However, he made certain he kept a tight hold on Elrond’s hand; he wasn’t letting go.

“It is I, Elrohir. Do you remember me?” Elrohir placed the tray with dinner on the nightstand and then walked over to the bed. “It is time to eat.” Elrohir continued to walk until he had reached his father. He then placed a hand gently on his father’s shoulder. “Adar, wake up.”

Eat… Eden wasn’t certain he could. His abused jaw still hurt badly.

Elrond stirred, yawned, and then opened his eyes. He smiled brightly at Elrohir, finding his son close. “I must have fallen asleep.” It was amazing; he had slept and no upsetting nightmares had disturbed his dreams. He felt rested and at peace. His gaze shifted from Elrohir to his patient, and the smile remained in place, finding Eden was still holding his hand.

“I brought dinner,” explained Elrohir, who still watched them closely. “I reckon our patient can’t eat any solid food yet so I brought soup for him.”

“That was very thoughtful of you,” said Elrond, praising his son. One look at the tray told him that the cooks had prepared a lovely stew for him, which was accompanied by freshly baked bread.

“Is there anything else I can do?” Elrohir had the feeling his father wanted to be alone with their patient, but he didn’t know why. It was just a hunch.

“Not at this moment,” replied Elrond, “But I would ask of you to sit with Eden tonight. There are matters I have to attend to, and I will need to read the latest reports.” He also wanted to talk to Erestor and find out if his Chief Advisor had learned more of Elladan’s whereabouts. Hopefully his oldest son would return to them shortly!

“I will be back, then,” announced Elrohir, noting the minute tremors that shook Eden’s frame. /He doesn’t like the idea of having to part from my father. Why?/ Pushing that question to the back of his mind, Elrohir left the room. He also hoped that his brother would return to them within the next few days.

“Let’s try the soup,” said Elrond, determined to help Eden eat before he started on his own dinner. “You might want to sit up for that.”

Eden pushed himself into a sitting position and yelped softly when Elrond’s hand slipped out of his. He immediately felt lost and deprived, and tried to establish a hold again, but this time Elrond didn’t allow it.

“I am sorry, my friend, but I need both hands right now.” Elrond felt deeply touched by Eden’s need to feel him close, but feeding his patient was more important than maintaining physical contact. Elrond rose from the bed, walked over to the nightstand and took hold of the bowl of soup and a spoon. Sitting down on the side of the bed, he carefully set the spoon against his patient’s lips. “Try to eat something.”

Eden parted his lips and most of the soup made it past the lips. He expected the warm liquid to set fire to his sore throat, but when that didn’t happen, he swallowed, and eagerly ate more of the vegetable soup.

Elrond smiled, pleased, now that Eden’s appetite had returned. Within a few minutes the bowl had been emptied, and Elrond asked, “Would you like some more?”

Eden nodded his head once. “Yes… please.” His stomach growled hungrily, demanding more food after a period of enforced fasting. He was content to be spoon fed by the mighty Lord of Imladris, who was nothing but a healer to him. No Lord, no fabled warrior, just a friend and healer. One day, he would thank Elrond for his support in a proper way.

And Elrond in turn enjoyed taking care of his patient, who was already slowly on the mend. He could tell Eden was strong and no matter the terror the other half-Elf had been through, Elrond just knew Eden would emerge stronger from the ordeal. There was just one thing that didn’t sit right with him. “Forgive me for asking, but I must know… Did any of your memories already return to you?”

A tiny shake. “No…” Speaking still pained him and he resorted to using their mental link. /I wished I could see your face./

That thought reached Elrond with ease, who continued to wonder about the absence of any barriers between them. A tendril of his being was already reaching out to soothe his charge. /You must be patient. Two more days, and then I will remove the bandages./

/But there are no guarantees I will be able to see./

/No guarantees,/ repeated Elrond, honestly. /But why don’t we wait to find out before feeling this… melancholy? Maybe your sight will be restored./

Eden resigned himself to the situation and managed another bowl of soup. /I am taking up an awful lot of your time. I apologize for doing so./ Only now did he fully register the fact that Elrond ruled Imladris. And instead of seeing to his duties, the Lord of Imladris was looking after him. /I must seem selfish to you./

/No, you aren’t selfish,/ soothed Elrond, /I understand your need to have me close./

/You do? For I don’t understand myself./

/In what way?/ Elrond was eager to continue this conversation; this was the most his patient had revealed so far.

/I feel like I know you,/ explained Eden, hesitant to ruin whatever relationship was forming between them. /I feel like I have known you for a long time. You feel familiar to me. I trust you whilst I thought I would never trust again -- not after the pain inflicted upon me./

Elrond hated doing this now, but... /Do you remember who hurt you?/ It was important that Eden began to remember the past, his identity, and the reason why he had been found so close to Imladris.

/I don’t want to remember!/ Eden swept away the empty bowl and began to move away from Elrond. /Don’t ask me such questions!/

“But *do* you remember?” In order to stress his question he asked it aloud. “Do you remember?”

/Bits and pieces! I remember pain! Why do you insist I remember the pain? The suffering!/ Involuntarily, he beat his fists against Elrond’s chest in an attempt to stop the questions. /I don’t want to remember!/

Elrond stopped asking his questions for now, seeing how emotional his patient had become. “I am truly sorry that I made you relive such torment, but you must understand that it is for your own good. You need to know who you are and why you were close to Imladris.” Elrond disposed of the bowl and spoon, and carefully gathered the trembling half-Elf in a soothing embrace. “I am sorry I bought those memories back, but you cannot live without knowing who you are. Trust me, you need to remember this.”

/But not now! Not yet! Not when you are close!/

“When I am close?” Elrond frowned.

/I just want to feel you close -- have you close. I need you here./ Eden was at a loss to explain this himself. /You… I need you./

Elrond swallowed hard; he felt the same need, but was hesitant to express his feelings until he knew where this need was coming from. He had looked after patients before, but never had he felt such a strong pull. What was different this time? Eden suddenly wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close. And then it struck him; the scent… Eden’s scent was incredibly familiar, and he had inhaled it before… A very long time ago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Everything happened so very fast. One moment, Elladan was seated safely upon the top branch. The next, he was pulled off of it and slammed onto the forest ground. All around him, the same thing happened to his companions. They found themselves surrounded by Orcs and Men, their daggers glimmering in the light of the moon. One or two axes cleaved the midnight air. Elladan succeeded in drawing his sword and found himself fighting back to back with one of the guards.

But they were still greatly outnumbered and it was only a matter of time before the pack overwhelmed them. Fighting for their lives, the Elven party tried its best to kill as many attackers as possible, but in the end, they were defeated.

The last thing Elladan registered was a hard blow to the back of his head. The world around him went dark as he sagged to the ground, losing consciousness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Elladan!” Elrohir dropped the mortar, which held precious herbs. Eyes wide, he leaned against the wall for support. “Elladan…” His twin’s pain sliced through him, and the connection between them that normally just slumbered now fully came alive. “Something has happened to Elladan!” Not thinking logically, he ran out of the room, leaving behind the healers in a commotion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erestor woke to a warm and cherished sensation. Warm because there was a body resting against his, and cherished as there were arms wrapped around him protectively. As long as he could remember he had always awakened alone in this bed, so who… His breath caught as he looked into azure eyes, which were very awake and very much aware. “G-glorf-findel?” Erestor stuttered the name in disbelief, finding his dearest wish had somehow come true. “You?”

“You fell asleep on me last night,” whispered Glorfindel in a tender voice. “Not a compliment from me, though. I promise I will work on my kissing skills.”

Erestor blushed to the roots of his hair. “There is nothing wrong with your kissing skills.”

“I was merely teasing,” said Glorfindel softly. “You must have been exhausted last night. Why? Was it because you watched over Elrond for so long?”

Erestor shook his head marginally. Glorfindel’s arms enfolded him tightly and he was loath to do anything that would break the spell. Glorfindel was close, holding him, and he wanted things to stay that way. “Farspeaking exhausts me these days, and I will have to do it again shortly. I am worried about Elladan, and I need to make sure all is well.”

Glorfindel ran a hand lightly through Erestor’s long hair and pulled the other Elf close. They lay facing each other, Erestor’s head tucked beneath his chin. One strong arm remained folded around Erestor’s waist, whilst his other now rested against the elegantly curved back. “Why does it exhaust you like that? And why do you feel so cold? I have never known an Elf that feels cold.” When he had first encountered Erestor’s icy cold feet, he had instinctively pulled back, only to return a moment later to rub his feet against the cold limbs.

Erestor moistened his lips, nervous all of a sudden. “This is not the time for that. We need to check on Elrond and our patient, and I need to make certain all is well with Ella --”

Erestor never finished his sentence, as a keening wail echoed through the building. It didn’t take him long to identity the voice’s owner. “Elrohir! Something must have happened to Elladan!”

Glorfindel -- grateful that he was still dressed -- regretfully left Erestor’s bed. He got to his feet, grabbed the cloak he had shed earlier and marched out of Erestor’s rooms, ignoring the stunned ‘oh’ that sounded through the corridor when he entered it. He ignored the curious Elves and advanced on Elrohir, who was pale and shaky. Elrohir had managed to grab hold of a sword, but now his movements had frozen, his sword poised in midair.

“Elladan…” Elrohir whispered, eyes filling with tears. “Where are you?”

Glorfindel carefully cornered the shaky half-Elf. “Elrohir, what has happened?” He pried the sword from the quivering fingers and placed it on the floor, where it couldn’t do any harm. Elrohir quivered over his entire body and released a soft wail, and then there was Glorfindel’s arm, folding around his waist in order to steady him.

Glorfindel cringed at the sight of Elrohir’s lost and confused expression. “What has happened to Elladan?” Quickly making up his mind, he steered Elrohir into Erestor’s rooms, away from curious eyes.

Erestor had already pulled on a morning robe and joined the other two Elves. “Sit him down on the bed.” Gone was the sweet rapture he had felt when waking up in Glorfindel’s arms, and he was now solely focused on the distraught half-Elf. “Elrohir?” He sat on his heels in front of his former student and waited for Elrohir to finally make eye contact. When the half-Elf did, Erestor asked, “What is amiss?”

“Elladan… He is in pain… I feel it.” Elrohir swallowed hard, trying to keep his growing panic under control. “He is unconsciousness… but before that, I sensed his fear.”

Erestor drew in a deep breath; there was only one way to ascertain what had truly happened to Elladan. “I will farspeak with him, Elrohir, and find out what has truly transpired.”

“Yes, please! Now!” Elrohir frantically clutched Erestor’s shoulders, leaning in closer.

Erestor understood Elrohir was in emotional turmoil, but he needed to concentrate if he was to reach out to Elladan. “Glorfindel? Restrain him.”

The blond pried Elrohir’s hands loose from Erestor’s robes and sat down behind the half-Elf, pulling his former pupil close and rocking him slightly, just like he had done when the twins had been little. “Give Erestor a moment to focus himself.”

Elrohir nodded, but his gaze remained locked on Erestor, who now sat cross-legged on the floor. He watched the raven-haired Elf close his eyes and next, a distant expression appeared on Erestor’s face. /Please, Elladan, answer him!/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/Elladan, answer me!/ Erestor was growing nervous now that Elladan wasn’t answering his call. /Elladan, Elrohir is worried about you, and answering me would help him calm down!/

/Stop shouting at me! My head hurts!/ Elladan stayed motionless, hearing growls all around him. His eyes had closed when he had lost consciousness and he now carefully peeked through the slits. His wrists and ankles were bound, restricting him. /I am their prisoner, then./

/Prisoner?/ Goose flesh formed on Erestor’s body. /Tell me what happened./

/They surprised and overwhelmed us. I don’t know what happened to the rest of my patrol. We were already outnumbered as it was./ Elladan tried to make sense of the grunts and growls that echoed around him, but gathered very little about the pack’s intentions.

/Are you injured?/ Erestor was already considering his next move. Apparently Estel hadn’t reached Elladan in time and now the half-Elf was the pack’s prisoner. This required swift action!

/I was hit on the head,/ supplied Elladan, cursing himself for not watching his back. /But I will survive./

Erestor was growing drained and knew he had to draw away from Elladan shortly. /Listen, Estel is on his way and should reach you within the next few hours. You must hold out./

/I will. Just keep an eye on Elrohir so he doesn’t do anything stupid./

/I will do my best. Elladan, don’t give up hope./

/I won’t./ The temporary connection snapped apart, leaving Elladan alone again in the midst of the enemy’s camp.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Erestor, what did you learn?” Unable to stay seated on the bed any longer, Elrohir jumped to his feet and knelt in front of Erestor, catching the advisor when he swayed dangerously.

Glorfindel followed quickly, kneeling behind Erestor and pulling him toward his chest. Erestor’s skin felt like ice and he rubbed the cold hands, which now trembled, cradled within his.

Erestor forced himself to address them. “Elrohir, Elladan is alive. Captured, but alive.” The words had barely left his lips when the half-Elf released an agonizing yelp.

“Captured? Who captured him? Don’t tell me it is the pack that mistreated Eden so badly!” His eyes were alive with fire, and his hair danced wildly against the small of his back. “I cannot stay here and do nothing! I will search for and find him!” Elrohir jumped to his feet and stormed out of the room.

“Glorfindel, go after him. Elrohir shouldn’t be alone right now.” Although he felt exhausted, Erestor had enough strength left to push Glorfindel away from him. “Elrohir will go after Elladan and you cannot let him leave alone. He will be captured himself. Go with him.”

“But, I thought Estel…” Glorfindel was torn inwardly. Erestor obviously needed looking after, but Elrohir also needed supervision. What was he to do?

“Go after him and stay with him, Glorfindel!” Erestor mustered the last remnants of his strength and pushed himself to his feet. “Go, you are wasting time! Don’t let Elrohir out of your sight. Yes, Estel will reach Elladan shortly, but that matters little to Elrohir right now. Go!” Weakly pushing Glorfindel toward the doorway, he swayed, but then steadied himself. “I can manage! I have been through this before. I merely need to rest, but Elrohir might get himself killed if you aren’t there to watch his back.”

Shaken from his temporary worry for Erestor’s well-being, Glorfindel nodded once in understanding. “I won’t fail you – or him!” The warrior rushed out of the room, and ran after Elrohir, determined to catch up with the Peredhel. He wondered briefly if he shouldn’t inform Elrond before leaving, but realized he didn’t have the time to detour. He had to leave that unpleasant task to Erestor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Erestor struggled back to his bed, collapsing on it. He curled up into a fetal position, and then reached out once more, although he knew he had long reached his limits. /Estel, hear me!/ He would pay for this later, but right now, he needed to inform Estel.

/Erestor? Again?/ Understanding the seriousness of the situation, Estel did all he could to strengthen the link -- which was much weaker than that first time they had spoken.

/I cannot talk for long, but you need to know that Elladan has been taken prisoner. I don’t know how many of his party survived, died, or are severely injured. Proceed with caution, but proceed quickly!/ He clung to the fading connection, but had to let go as he was losing consciousness quickly. /I fear for Elladan’s life. What they did to Elrond’s newest patient was horrific. Make haste!/

Estel wanted to reply, to reassure Erestor that he was only an hour away from Elladan’s party, but the connection died unexpectedly. Grinding his teeth in determination, he spurred his horse on to an even greater speed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

/His scent – Why didn’t I recognize it from the start?/ But there had been blood, dirt and grime covering up the half-Elf’s original scent. /But even if my assumption is correct, how can this be? How can Elros have returned to Arda? He chose to belong to the race of Men! His soul never traveled to the Halls of Waiting! How could he have been reborn?/ Stunned, Elrond caressed the raven hair, so similar to his. /Will I find calm, gray eyes looking back at me when the bandages come off? Oh, by the Grace of the Valar, what if he is forever blind?/ That thought was almost too much to bear.

Cradling Eden to his chest, Elrond felt grateful that the other half-Elf had fallen asleep. The steady and deep breathing reassured him that all was well, and he pressed a chaste kiss on the dark hair. /Are you Elros? Are you my twin? How is this possible?/

But this stranger was real, was a half-Elf, and how many Peredhil were there? “How can you be alive?” Shocked, he realized that he had already accepted this as the truth. /But I only have his familiar scent to prove my theory!/

/Is that the truth?/ said a tiny voice coming from the back of his mind. /What about the connection that became active the moment you first held him? His need to have you close? Your need to have him close? You know his thoughts, and he knows yours. You *know* how seldom that happens! There is more evidence to support your theory./

Had Elros really returned to him? Or was he merely holding onto false hope -- wishful thinking? Only time would tell. But in the meantime, he planned on enjoying holding this Peredhel in his arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Elrohir! Slow down!” Glorfindel finally managed to catch up with the distraught twin just before Elrohir mounted his horse. He placed a restraining hand on the half-Elf’s shoulder and waited for the other Elf to finally look him in the eye. When Elrohir did establish eye-contact, Glorfindel said, “Please remember that your father won’t survive losing a son -- let alone both of them. Be careful.”

The words hit Elrohir like a physical blow and he sucked in his breath. In his distress, he had completely forgotten what dire consequences his rash actions could have. “I need you to guide me in this matter, Glorfindel.”

“I will accompany you,” promised Glorfindel, who let go of the half-Elf’s shoulder now that Asfaloth was led before him so he could mount the stallion. “It would help if you stayed close.”

“I will try,” said Elrohir, mounting as well. “But it is hard for me to stay in control of my feelings. I sense his pain, you know.” His dark hair obscured his facial features and he turned his head away from Glorfindel. Elrohir didn’t want his friend to see the tears lurking in his gray eyes. “I cannot lose him, Glorfindel. I wouldn’t survive either.”

Glorfindel swallowed hard, realizing how important it was that he find Elladan and saw to it that the twins returned home safely. “Estel is close to your brother; Elladan will be freed shortly.”

But Glorfindel’s words did little to comfort Elrohir, and he quickly wiped away the tear that had escaped his eye. Driving his heels into his horse’s flank, he took the lead and steered away from the Last Homely House.

Glorfindel looked over his shoulder, quickly locating the window that belonged to Erestor’s rooms. For once crazy moment he hoped he would see the advisor standing there, but then he shook his head. This wasn’t the time to dwell on his feelings for Erestor. They would discuss the matter *after* Elladan was safe and at home again.

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