Stories > Jay's
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Celebrían listened to the hum of insects, gentle birdsong, and
the distant murmur of the river as she relished this rare moment of
solitude. For once there were no demands on her time – her sons
were playing somewhere in the gardens, Elrond was happily translating
some documents in his study, and no crises had arisen in the
household. The whole of this perfect summer’s afternoon was hers
to do with as she wished. She sat on the bench, and picked
up her book.
“Nana? Nana!”
Celebrían sighed, and looked up as a distraught elfling ran to
her, flinging his arms around her neck. “Elladan? What is
it? What is wrong?” she asked softly.
Elladan sniffed. “It’s El. He’s hiding from me, and I don’t
know where he is.”
“Hiding? Why is he hiding from you?” Celebrían
prompted. “Are you playing?”
“Yes. We were playing hidenseek, and it’s his turn to hide, but I
can’t find him, and I don’t know where he is!” Elladan was
beginning to cry.
“Then can I help? We shall search the valley from head to foot
and peer under every pebble until we find him.” Taking Elladan’s
hand, Celebrían joined in the game, helping him to search in all
the most likely places to conceal a small child, and the places she
knew were Elrohir’s favourite haunts. Yet there was no sign of
him. He was not in the orchard, pocketing the sour, unripe
windfall apples. He was not pestering the cooks to cut a crust
from one of the hot, freshly-baked loaves intended for the evening
meal. He was not splashing in the small stream that bordered the
gardens, or attempting to scale the cliffs. He did not appear to
be anywhere.
No evil or danger could enter the valley, but of course there were
always accidents that could befall a mischievous, curious child – and
Elrohir was nothing if not curious. It would be odd, though, if
he had embarked on an adventure without Elladan – the twins rarely did
anything alone. Beginning to share Elladan’s concern, she knelt
so that she was at eye level with him. “Elladan? I want you
to think hard about Elrohir. Do you think he is frightened, or
hurt? Can you tell?”
Elladan screwed up his eyes and concentrated. “He’s not
hurt. He’s happy.” His eyes opened, and he stared at her in
indignation. “He’s laughing!”
“Is he?” Celebrían smiled as her anxiety vanished.
She did not really understand the bond between the twins – and neither
did they, yet – but they could each tell when the other was upset or in
pain. Elrond assured her that the bond would strengthen and grow
with time. Wherever Elrohir was, he was safe and unharmed.
But where was he?
“He didn’t really want to play hidenseek,” Elladan informed
her. “He wanted to go swimming instead. So we wrestled, and
I won.”
Celebrían hid a smile. Elladan liked to be the leader in
their games, and although Elrohir usually acquiesced to playing a
secondary role and followed his brother’s ideas, occasionally he
rebelled. Was it possible that he was hiding in some secure spot,
and deliberately ignoring Elladan’s calls? Even as she considered
the possibility, she rejected the idea. Elrohir was never devious
or malicious, and he would know that such an underhand trick would
cause Elladan to worry. If he had truly not wanted to play hide
and seek, he would have said so, forcibly, and would have stubbornly
refused. “Do you think he went swimming on his own?” she
asked cautiously.
Elladan shook his head. “We’re not allowed,” he pointed
out. “And anyway, I said that we could go after I found
him.” He sniffed again. “But I can’t find him – not
anywhere!”
“I think we should go to the bathing pool anyway, just to be
sure.” Taking Elladan’s hand again, she hurried along a woodland
path. Although both twins could swim like fishes – a necessary
precaution in a valley blessed with so many streams and waterfalls –
they were forbidden to go alone to the deeper pools to swim or
play. If Elrohir had defied that instruction, she would
personally skin him alive.
As the path widened and opened onto the banks of the river, she saw one
of the grooms ahead, leading two horses to the water to drink. It
was time to enlist more help to widen the search party, and she hailed
him. “Marach! Have you seen …” Her voice
trailed off as she caught sight of the small, grubby figure leading the
second horse.
Elrohir spun around, though he still kept a careful grip on the rope he
held. “El!” he cried in delight. “I hid, and waited
for ages for you to come and find me, but you didn’t; so I came to find
you, but I couldn’t; and then I saw Marach, and he asked me if I wanted
to help him groom the horses, and now we’re taking them to have a
drink!”
Elladan gave a snort of exasperation. “I looked for you
everywhere! Then I saw Nana, and I could tell she was worried, so
we came to look for you together.”
Elrohir looked contrite. Passing the rope to Marach, he ran
to Celebrían and hugged her. “You didn’t need to worry,
Nana,” he said seriously. “I was quite all right – I was
just helping Marach. Are you going to play hidenseek as well?”
Celebrían returned the hug, then looked down with resignation at
the dark stain Elrohir had transferred to her dress. “Of course I
can play,” she said with a smile. “But I thought you were
going to swim once Elladan found you?”
“Yes!” he exclaimed. Turning to Marach, he asked politely,
“Do you still need my help, Marach?”
The groom shook his head. He bowed, but Celebrían did not
miss his broad smile. “No, Lord Elrohir, but thank you for your
assistance today. It was invaluable.”
“Can I come back tomorrow?”
Marach nodded. “Of course, if your parents agree.”
“As long as your lessons are finished,” Celebrían
forestalled firmly.
“Thank you!” Elrohir exclaimed joyfully. “And El can come
as well!”
Elladan nodded less enthusiastically. “All right,” he
agreed. “Nana, are you going to come swimming with us now?”
Celebrían considered. She was hot, and Elrohir’s hand in
hers felt sticky. A strong aroma of horses clung to him.
“That sounds like an excellent idea,” she agreed.
The twins whooped with delight and raced off. Two excited voices
carried back to her. “Race you, El! Last one in’s orc bait!”
She smiled as she followed them to the bathing pool. All hopes of
her peaceful, solitary afternoon had fled, but she knew she did not
mind in the least.
The
End
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