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The cold seeped into his bones, causing him to shiver, both from the chill in the nights air, and
the fear of being alone. The darkness frightened him the most, but also not knowing where he was, or where his family was.
All he knew was he could not see, nor speak, not even move. He had been gagged and bound. He turned his head to the side and
felt the packed earth beneath his cheek, wet and warm with something sticky. Again he shivered, this time from terror, as
a guttural sound reached his little ears.
*
*
*
*
Elrond walked in through the doors feeling defeated. There was no sign of his eldest son anywhere. He shook
his head, as he walked up stairs to check on his wife and youngest child. He had left his aide Glorfindel in charge of the
search party. It was now nearing evening, and he had been out all day looking for signs of his son. Climbing the stairs of
his house to the family halls of Imladris, he wandered towards his son's chambers. He broke into a run when a cry from his
youngest echoed through the halls.
Elrond burst through the doors of Elladan's room, and caught sight of his wife and
son both in a state he would remember for eternity. His wife's face was white, and tear streaked, and his son was wrapped
in her arms, screaming for his twin.
Elrond closed his eyes, then opened them walking over to the bed that lay in the center.
He sat down on the edge, and drew both his wife and son into a comforting embrace. He felt Celebrien's arms wrap around him
and he bent his head to kiss her forehead.
"Any sign of him?" She whispered in a quiet voice.
"Not yet, but Glorfindel,
Erestor, and Figwit are all out with scouting parties looking for him." Elrond replied.
Celebrien nodded against his chest,
and let her tears fall down her cheeks.
"Ada?"
"Hmm?" Elrond looked down at the tiny form of his son.
"Ella?"
He whispered so quietly, Elrond was not sure he had heard his son's voice at all.
"We will find him, Elrohir." Elrond soothed,
stroking his son's hair.
His youngest son shook his head back and forth. "Hurts."
Elrond sat back. "What hurts?" He
let his fingers trace over his son's body looking for injury but found none.
His son's tear streaked face looked up at
him. "Here." He pointed to his chest.
Elrond swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. He gathered his son onto his
lap, wrapping his arms around the small frame. "Shh, my son." He soothed rocking gently back and forth. He locked his wife's
eyes with his own, both sharing a silent dread of fear. Their eldest son, only older by a few minutes, was missing. The twins
were so young that they were still learning full sentences from their teacher, neither had been outside the borders of Imladris,
nor had they wandered off far from their parents. More importantly, they had never been far from each other's sight. Disappearance
at this age would result in forgetfulness on the twin's part. Eventually they would accept life with another should the family
never be reunited.
The twins were so close, that they were rarely seen without each other, or holding hands through the
halls. Elrond shivered remembering their laughter, both smiling faces. He closed his eyes, but they snapped open when he heard
his aide calling for him.
Elrond passed Elrohir to his wife and stood quickly. He raced to the door and pulled it open
to reveal the blonde haired elf, named Glorfindel. "What news?"
Glorfindel lowered his head, and held out an object in
his hand to his Lord. "We found this."
Elrond's breath caught in his throat at the sight of the small piece of clothing
held out for him. With shaky hands he reached for it, taking it and looking at it. It was a torn piece of night ware his son
had worn the night he disappeared. It was pale green with a bloodstain on it. Elrond's eyes shot up to meet those of Glorfindel's,
and in that brief pleading look, was all the command the aide needed. He spun on his heel and ran off down the halls, calling
for members of his guard.
Elrond let out a shaky sign and turned around to meet the fear on his wife's face. He felt his
blood turn icy as his wife cry out for her mother. Celebrien collapsed on the floor tightly holding her youngest son in her
arms.
Elrond knelt on the floor and gathered both crying forms in his arms, and whispered in his wife's ear. "I must go
in search myself. I cannot stand and do nothing, but I fear to leave your side." He glanced down at his wife's tear streaked
face, but they were distant. He gasped allowed, and realized she was communicating with an unseen voice.
Elrond groaned,
as he realized she was talking to her mother. "Galadriel." He whispered. Standing he picked up his son and held him in his
arms. "I will find your brother, you have my word, little one."
Elrohir nodded, and whispered tearfully. "Ella scared.
Hurts here." He pointed to his head, and looked up with grey worried eyes.
"Elladan hurts there? Or you do?" Elrond furrowed
his brow confused.
"Ella." Elrohir held out his hand and showed his father where on his head it hurt. "Here."
Elrond
swallowed hard. He felt his heart skip a beat, and he nodded to his youngest son. "Can you lay down for me, my son?"
"Here
only." He pointed to his brother's bed.
Elrond walked over to the large bed, and laid his son down, covering him with the
green comforter. Slowly, he placed his hand on Elrohir's forehead and closed his eyes deep in concentration. He searched his
son's mind for signs of a broken connection between the twins, but was relieved when he felt both golden strands of their
fae's strong. "Sleep." Elrond murmured.
He opened his eyes and watched as his youngest closed his grey eyes, falling into
an unnatural, but much needed sleep. Elrond stood glanced at his wife who sat on the floor. He walked over to her and lifted
her into his arms, and laid her down next to his sleeping son. She sighed and whispered. "Find him. Please, love, find him."
Elrond
nodded and quickly left the room.
The dark haired elf sat upon his horse looking over the vast valley before
him. He had trailed unknown footprints across the ford to the valley that lay beyond Imladris. His search party was scouring
the ground for signs of over turned earth, and scuffled grass, which would tell them in which direction these men had taken.
"Figwit!"
Another elf called from the distance.
He turned and glanced in the direction of the voice, and nodded to the elf that motioned
him over. Nudging his horse forward, he dismounted, took a few steps and reached the elf. "What have you found?"
"There
are signs that men traveled to the south, but also others to the west." The elf paused. "What would you have us do?"
Figwit
narrowed his eyes thinking. He raised a hand to cover his eyes from the setting sun, and looked into the distance. "Take,
four guards and travel south, I will take the remainder with me to the west." He lowered his hand and turned his eyes to the
elf at his side. "Have a messenger sent to me if you find any traces."
Figwit mounted his horse, called out to his men,
and the five of them raced into the setting sun, leaving behind the others to travel their own way.
Elrohir tossed
and turned whimpering. Sweat beading his little forehead, he felt his brother's fear and pain, which matched his own. He sat
upright in bed, and found he was alone. His father and mother were both gone, and he felt his eyes widen at the chill he felt
enter his soul. With a startled gasp he clutched tiny fists to his head, and shook his head.
"Quiet, stop, please. Ella.
Hurts." He mumbled. He blocked the link his brother had sent to him, and quickly got out of bed. He wandered out of his brother's
room, to his own, and gathered together a tunic and packed a small bag. After dressing, he quickly walked down the candle
lit halls to the kitchen.
Once there, he piled pastries and water together in his bag, and left the kitchens to the room
behind his father's study. Slowly poking his head around the door, he wandered into the room filled with weapons. Here he
found a small dagger made for training young elflings. Here he also found a flint and candles, which he also pilled into his
growing pack. Once satisfied, Elrohir wandered the halls to the front doors, and exited the house out in the quickly dimming
light.
Glorfindel knelt beside the river separating Imladris from the valley, where he had found the scrap piece
of clothing. He and his men had searched up and down river for traces of Elladan, but had found none. Now he knelt by the
river, scanning the ground, trying to locate the trail to signal where Elladan had gone. He knew Figwit was trailing prints
left behind from men in the area, hoping to find any sign of his Lord's son in that direction. But also, he knew Erestor was
headed to a nearby village to question the peoples there. Another guard named Amrir was off to Mirkwood to ask assistance
from the King, and a messenger had been sent to Loth Lorien. Glorfindel shook his head, he felt hopeless. He had yet to find
a trail. He raised his eyes to the sky above him, hoping and praying to Elbereth. He lowered his head and rose from beside
the river, and called out to his men to travel on.
*
*
*
*
He felt rough hands grab him and throw him over a shoulder, causing him to grunt surprised. He would have cried
out but the cloth in his mouth prevented anything but sounds from the throat to escape. Every now and then he felt his throat
contract, gagging on the tightly bound cloth in his mouth. He tried squirming to escape the foul stench of the one who carried
him, but he was only clutched tighter. Defeated, the young elf remained still, reaching his mind out to his only comfort.
His brother, his soul, his life, his twin
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