Title:
Twins (sequel to Letting Go)
Author:
Morgana
Author’s Email:
Web page: http://www.paranoid.nl/avalon
Pairing:
Elladan/OMC (Bevyn) and Elrohir/OMC (Brys)
Rating;
PG for now
Summary: On their way back from the Golden Wood, Elladan and Elrohir encounter
a pair of twins in need.
Disclaimer:
Not mine. These characters belong to Professor Tolkien. No copyright
infringement is intended.
Warning:
AU of course. And yes, new OMC’s…. They seem to be determined to bother me!
Beta
read by Patricia and DA, thanks sweeties!
All
remaining mistakes are mine.
Twins
In
truth, Elladan and Elrohir were grateful that they had been able to leave the
Golden Wood so quickly. Originally they had planned to stay a few more weeks,
but Galadriel and Arwen’s grief had suffocated them. The twins understood that
their grandmother and sister still mourned losing Celebrían, but the half-Elves
had been unable to bear their sorrow any longer. They had been in danger of
becoming depressed in turn and had practically fled the Golden Wood with their
grandfather’s aid, who also shared their feelings and was disheartened as well.
Since
they were on the road again, life looked much better. Arien’s golden rays
caressed and warmed their skin as the birds sang their songs while the water of
the creek rustled against the white pebbles that blocked its way.
Elladan
smiled at his twin. During the last few weeks he had been afraid to smile since
Galadriel or Arwen might have taken it the wrong way. The two she-Elves were
overcome with sorrow and a gray shroud of bereavement surrounded them. “I love
our grandmother and Arwen dearly, but I could not have stayed in the Golden
Wood a day longer.”
“I
feel the same way. I am grateful that grandfather helped us out, but I am sorry
that he had to stay behind. Their grief affects him as well.”
Elladan
nodded. “But grandfather is strong. He can deal with their grief.”
After
that, they returned to silence and enjoyed listening to the sounds of the wood
that still surrounded them. They were looking forward to returning to Imladris,
where the atmosphere was less oppressive. Their father was also still mourning the
loss of Celebrían but not to such a degree and Glorfindel would be there:
cheerful, witty Glorfindel who would distract them and keep them busy.
~~~
“Do you want to make camp
now or wait a little longer?” Elrohir looked about and located a cave to their
right which would do well as a shelter. Although they were close to Imladris,
Elrohir didn’t feel safe and the same thing applied to Elladan. Ever since they
had come upon their battered mother, they had become extremely alert.
Elladan looked at the sky.
“We should travel a little longer. It will take a while before Arien will set.”
“But that cave would make
an excellent shelter,” Elrohir pointed out to Elladan.
Elladan urged his horse to
stop and looked in the direction Elrohir was pointing him in. “You are right
about that.”
“What do we do?” Elrohir
was fairly certain that Elladan would give in and that they would spend the
night in the cave. As always, he was right. Elladan nodded his head and went to
steer his horse over to the cave when screams echoed through the wood. The
sheer pain that lay in them made the trees sway and rustle. “What was that?”
Elrohir looked at his brother in alarm.
“We should find out. It sounds
like someone is in peril.” Elladan compelled his horse to head into the
direction the scream had come from and Elrohir followed suit. Elladan’s fingers
curled around the hilt of his sword and Elrohir uncovered his bow and placed an
arrow in place. They wouldn’t ride into danger unprepared. They had learned
their lesson!
“Have mercy! Please,
master, show mercy!”
The scene that greeted
them made the twins’ blood freeze in their veins. A traveling cart had slipped
from the road and into the mud. Two young poorly dressed males were covered in
mud and trying to pull the cart free while a third male whipped them to make
them work faster.
“Pull it free! Now!” The man with the whip raised the weapon in warning before
lashing out at the already welted backs. One of the younger males collapsed and
fell into the mud, face-first.
“Leave him alone!” The
other young male caught the leather end of the whip and flinched at the pain
caused to his hands, but he wouldn’t let their tormentor hurt his brother
further.
“How dare you!” The older
man pulled the whip free and tried to lash out again, but a weight suddenly crashed
into him and threw him off the cart. He tumbled forward and hit his head on a
rock when he made contact with the earth. Suddenly everything went eerily
quiet.
Elladan, who had attacked
the man holding the whip, ignored the man after a bit. He jumped from his
horse’s back and headed for the collapsed man. “We are friends,” he stated in Westron.
“Stay away from him! I
don’t know you and I don’t trust you!” Although he was bleeding from several
wounds, the young man placed himself protectively in front of his brother. “I
will kill you if necessary!”
Elladan raised his hands palms
up and tried to soothe the distraught man. “I am a friend.” Looking at the man,
Elladan’s eyes widened. The younger man possessed feline green eyes which
glittered with determination. He didn’t know what had happened to him, but this
man’s spirit was still unbroken. Covered in dirt and dried as well as fresh
blood, the younger man looked pitiful, but there was something about him that
warned Elladan to be careful. “We are friends,” he repeated when Elrohir joined
him.
The injured man gasped at
their similarity. They were identical in every way and their beauty took him
aback. Long, brown hair cascaded down their shoulders and some strands had been
braided away from the strong faces. Large, soulful gray eyes looked at him and
he instinctively liked them, but his brother’s well-being was at stake and he
wasn’t taking any chances. He picked up a branch with the intention to defend
himself with it.
Elrohir placed a
restraining hand on Elladan’s shoulder when his twin went to move forward. “Do
not do that.” Elrohir eyed the strangers closely. Both men sported long hair,
which might be blond beneath the layers of dirt and grime attached to the
strands. They wore frayed shirts and leggings, which had holes in them and
showed raw flesh which was still bleeding in places. Their backs had been
whipped open and they looked underweight. “We must be careful,” he whispered in
his brother’s ear.
“Please allow us to take
care of you. We are friends. We mean you no harm. We only want to help.”
Elladan was still determined to aid them. “At least let us help your friend. He
needs medical attention and we are trained healers.” Elladan took a step closer
to the frightened young man while continuing to hold his hands up innocently.
“Stay away from my
brother! I can take care of him myself. Just go away!”
“Your
brother?” Elladan and Elrohir
exchanged glances. “Please let us help you.”
The young man’s hands
started to shake. The branch was heavy and it had been a while since he had
eaten last. “Go away,” he whispered, but this time, he lacked conviction.
“We want to help… Please
let us.” Elrohir advanced on the fallen man and tried to go close to him. The protector
raised the branch as if to lash out at them, but the wood dropped from his
hands and he collapsed onto his knees.
He felt like a failure. He
wasn’t even capable of defending his twin! He swayed and tumbled forward as malnutrition,
beatings, and lack of sleep finally caught up with him. His body threatened to
faint, but he fought to remain conscious. Suddenly a pair of strong arms encircled
his waist and kept him upright. He cringed, fully expecting another beating,
but then was eased against a powerful chest and a soothing voice whispered in
his ear.
“I am Elladan and I want
to help you. Please do not fight me. The last thing I want is to worsen your
injuries unintentionally.” Elladan had caught the light headed young man and
held him as tightly as he dared in consideration to the man’s injuries. “My
twin will take care of your brother.”
He wanted to fight Elladan
off, but lacked the strength. In the end, he gave in and closed his eyes in
surrender. /Don’t hurt us too badly, please…/
Elladan felt the injured
man surrender to exhaustion and lose consciousness. A look over at Elrohir showed
him that his twin had reached the other man and was gently rolling him onto his
back.
Elrohir’s breath caught as
he saw the man’s face. “Elladan, they are twins like us.” Even through the layers
of dirt he realized the strangers' features were identical.
“Elrohir, we will take
them to the cave and take care of them.” The fact that they had rescued twins
made it even more urgent that they took good care of them. They felt connected
to the two men. Elladan lifted his charge and carried him over to his horse.
Carefully, he placed the man onto the horse’s back. A quick glance at the whip
handling man's body revealed that he hadn’t survived the fall. “We should leave
now.”
Elrohir placed his charge
onto his horse’s back as well and steadied the injured
man by placing a hand against the small of his back. “I wonder what happened to
them.”
Elladan shrugged. He
wanted to hear their story also.
~~~
Elladan and Elrohir made
the cave as homely as they could with their limited supplies. They built a
fire, spread their traveling blankets onto the floor of the cave, and covered
the injured twins with their cloaks. Elladan left to fetch water while Elrohir
uncovered the food they had brought with them. Elrohir looked up when he heard
shifting and saw the twins move closer to each other. They wrapped their arms around
the other while pain-filled moans fled their lips.
Upon his return, Elladan
placed the water skins near the fire and then sat down next to his brother. “We
need to examine and attend to their wounds.”
“They might not let us
touch them without a fight,” Elrohir replied in concern. “And they are not up
to fighting us off.”
Elladan concurred. “Then
what do we do?”
“We shall try to be as
gentle and careful as we can.” They would wait until the twins woke up and then
offer them food and help.
~~~
Bevyn opened his eyes
first and blinked in surprise. He felt warm and sensed his brother close to
him. Apparently they were in some sort of cave and someone had gone to great
lengths to make them comfortable. One look at his brother showed him that Brys
was still unconscious or hopefully merely asleep. He didn’t want to wake his
younger brother just yet, not until he knew what kind of situation they were
in.
The last thing Bevyn
remembered was being whipped while they were trying to pull the cart free before
the two Elves had appeared. Everything had gone so fast after that. Their owner
had fallen from the cart and the Elves – twins – had offered to help them, but
he had been so focused on protecting his brother that he had tried to fight
them off. He had no way to know if these Elves meant them well even if they had
said so. The two Elves had looked like magical creatures and he still marveled
at their graceful handsome features.
“Would you like some
water?”
Bevyn’s head jerked back
and he stared into gray eyes, startled. The Elves were still there and one of
them was offering him a water skin.
“I am Elladan, and this is
my twin Elrohir. We are friends.” Elladan offered the young man the water skin
again. “It is safe. You can drink from it. It is merely water.” To prove his
words, he opened the water skin and drank some. He then offered it again to the
young man, who was still staring at him in shock.
Bevyn eventually curled
his trembling fingers around the water skin and brought it to his lips. He drank
hesitantly at first, expecting them to somehow attack him or take it away, but
nothing like that happened and he drank more.
“Your brother will be
thirsty as well,” Elrohir suggested. “Maybe it would be wise to wake him?”
“I don’t know… I want to
let him sleep,” Bevyn mumbled. He had emptied the water skin and already felt
better. “Thank you for what you did.”
Elladan handed the empty
water skin to Elrohir, who left the cave to fill it again. They hoped that the
young man would feel less threatened when only one of them was present. “Will
you tell me your name?” Elladan gave the young man a reassuring smile.
“I’m Bevyn. At least,
that’s what our owner called us. I don’t know if it’s my real name.”
Protectively, he pulled his brother close and, when Brys moaned in pain, Bevyn’s
features contorted as well. “He’s in pain.”
“You must be in pain too.”
Elladan reminded himself to go slow. “I am a healer. I can help if you will let
me.”
Bevyn realized that he had
no choice. They were trapped inside the cave and Elladan wouldn’t let them
leave. Weakened as they were, they didn’t pose any threat to the Elf. “Maybe
you can look after my twin first?”
Elladan moved closer. “Can
you tell me what happened?” He kept a close eye on Bevyn when he rolled Brys
toward him. Bevyn looked bad, but Brys looked much worse. Dried blood clung to
the brow and also smeared the blond hair.
“Our master hit him over
the head. The wound bled for some time and he had to throw up. He complained
about feeling dizzy and then he lost consciousness.” Bevyn worried about Brys
and gave Elladan a hopeful look. “Can you help him?”
“It sounds like he
suffered a concussion.” Combined with their overall weakened state, the head
injury would weaken Brys further. “Elrohir and I will take care of the two of
you.” They would take the twins with them to Imladris where they could recover
and live in freedom. He had a lot more questions for Bevyn, but upon seeing how
exhausted the young man was, he held them back.
Elrohir returned at that
moment and placed the water skin onto the floor. He was thrilled to see that
his brother had made progress and the man now seemed to trust him.
“Elrohir? I believe Brys might suffer from a concussion. Can
you find me some herbs? You know which ones.”
Elrohir nodded and filed
the name away for later use. “I will fetch them.”
“Bevyn has agreed to let
us attend to his injuries,” Elladan told his brother. “We will do our best to
help them.”
/Brys and Bevyn./ Elrohir nodded and hoped he would be able to tell them
apart once they had been cleaned up. “I will return shortly,” he stated and
went in search of the herbs they needed.
“There is a stream nearby.
Maybe you would like to wash up there, Bevyn?” Elladan wanted to wash the dirt
and blood from their bodies and attend to their wounds.
“I don’t think my brother
is up to that yet.” Bevyn liked the idea of cleaning up, but he would never
leave his brother alone.
Elladan understood the
line of thinking since he would act the same if it was Elrohir who was injured.
Elrohir returned however and placed the herbs next to Elladan, who had an idea.
“My brother is also a trained healer and can look after your brother. We could
go down to the creek and clean you up. We have spare clothes with us and you
could wear those.”
Bevyn wanted to say yes.
The Elves seemed sincere in their offer to help them. “And you will look after
my brother?” he addressed Elrohir. The fact that they were twins as well made him
want to trust them. They had to know what it was like to have an injured brother
and what it took to entrust him into Elrohir’s care.
“I will look after Brys
like I would look after Elladan.” Elrohir gave Bevyn a reassuring look. “I will
not fail you. I understand the measure of trust you are placing in me.”
Bevyn sighed and then
slowly nodded his head. “I will trust you then.”
Elladan moved closer and
assisted Bevyn when the young man tried to push himself to his feet. “Lean on
Elrohir in the meantime
began to crush and then munch on the herbs. Once he had created a paste, he
divided it into two portions. He used some of the paste to cover up the head
injury and tried to slip some of the herbal paste past the man’s lips. He sat
down next to Brys and pulled him upright slightly until the man could rest his
back against his chest. Sharing his body warmth with the injured man, Elrohir
waited for Brys to wake up.
~~~
“Can you stand unaided for
a moment?” Elrohir needed to remove the clothes, soap, and towels from the
saddle bags.
“I can manage.” Bevyn
gritted his teeth and placed his hand against the trunk of a tree for support.
Elladan made quick work of
placing all of the needed items onto the forest floor and then started to
strip. He heard Bevyn draw in his breath sharply and, when he looked at the
injured man, saw fear in his eyes. “I do not want my clothes to become wet when
I clean you up,” he explained. He couldn’t help but wonder though why there was
such fear in Bevyn’s eyes. “I will help you undress.” Bevyn grew rigid and
seemed to stop breathing. Elladan didn’t know what to make of the reaction and
decided to ignore it for the moment as he sought to soothe the young man. “Let
us go into the water.”
Bevyn shakily waded into
the water. He blamed himself for believing that Elladan might have honest
intentions where he was concerned. He *knew* what would happen next and he
would end up carrying new scars. “I will not hurt you,” Elladan said soothingly
as they waded into deeper water. He uncovered the soap and carefully began to
wash Bevyn’s hair. “You do not have to be afraid of me.”
But all Bevyn could think of
was Brys being alone with Elrohir. Pain-filled scared eyes sought out
Elladan’s. “Please don’t hurt him.”
Elladan instantly knew who
Bevyn was referring to. “Elrohir is a kind and gentle Elf. He will be careful
when treating your brother’s injuries.” Bevyn shook like a leaf and Elladan
didn’t know how to soothe the distressed man further. “Why are you afraid of
me?”
Bevyn lowered his gaze and
his knees gave out beneath him. The water caught and cradled him and, together
with Elladan’s support, he floated on the water. Slowly the dirt and blood was
washed away and Bevyn didn’t know what to make of Elladan when the Elf didn't pounce
on him.
“I do not know what
happened to you in the past,” Elladan said when he realized that Bevyn had been
hurt tremendously in the past. “But Elrohir and I are not like the man that
whipped you. We do not find delight in hurting someone.”
Bevyn nervously nodded his
head. “Can we go back to Brys now?”
“In a
bit.” Elladan needed a bit more
time to cleanse Bevyn’s wounds. “What caused these?” he asked when he found
some round, red marks on the man’s back and arms.
“Burns.” Bevyn closed his eyes and drew in a steadying
breath. “I got used to those.”
Elladan’s features
contorted as he realized the magnitude of the wounds that covered the man’s
body. “You called that man your master.”
Bevyn surmised that
Elladan didn’t know much about the vile ways of men and explained. “He bought
us when we were little. We belonged to him ever since.”
Elladan fought for
control. “He bought you?” He shuddered at the idea of slave trade. He had heard
it was common place among men, but it was an appalling idea to the Firstborn.
No one belonged to another. “You are free now. The man died when he fell from
the cart.”
“Free?” Bevyn laughed bitterly.
“Brys and I will never be free. You’re our new masters now, aren’t you? And
when we don’t carry out your commands you will whip us too…or hurt us in other
ways.”
Elladan forced himself to
remain calm. He removed the last dirt from Bevyn’s hair, which had started to
shine golden. “Elrohir and I are not your new masters. We were passing by and
helped you out. You are free to go your own way when you have recovered.”
Bevyn shook his head and
glared at Elladan. “And go where?”
Elladan gave Bevyn a look
full of sympathy. “Elrohir and I hail from Imladris. You are welcome to join
us, if you want to.”
“Imladris?”
The tone Bevyn used when
the man spoke the name informed Elladan that the man had heard about the
valley. “Aye, Imladris.”
Bevyn blinked. It had
always been his dream to take Brys into safety and Imladris had the reputation
of being a safe haven, not just for Elves, but also for men.
“Think about it,” Elladan
suggested. “You do not have to make a decision right now.” Casting his worries
and dark thoughts aside, he smiled at Bevyn. “You look better now that you are
clean.” But he still had to dress many of Bevyn's wounds, but Bevyn’s emotional
wounds would need a lot more than healing herbs and bandages.
~~~
Brys’ eyelids fluttered before
opening. A wordless scream left his mouth and he spat out the paste that had
been forced past his lips. Frantically he tried to push himself to his feet,
but he lacked the strength to do so. But then a terrifying realization
registered with him: someone was restraining him!
“Calm yourself. You are in
safety, but you are too weak to stand. Stay where you are or you will worsen
your injuries and I do not want that.” A soft, melodic voice whispered the
words into his right ear and Brys froze. He was afraid to draw in his next
breath and remained motionless. Where was Bevyn? Where was his brother? Why had
his twin left him alone?
“Your brother will return
shortly. He is safe and so are you.” Elrohir slowly loosened his hold on Brys,
fully expecting the man to stay where he was, but the injured man surprised him
by flinging himself forward. Brys lacked the energy to move farther away from
Elrohir and stumbled. He ended up sprawled on the floor and whimpered
pitifully. “I told you not to move.” Elrohir carefully gathered Brys in his
arms and turned his charge until they could lock gazes. “I am Elrohir. I am a
friend.” Panic, horror, and pain stared back at him from the light-green eyes. “I
am a friend,” he repeated in an effort to calm his charge down.
Brys grew motionless again
and stared at Elrohir in fear. His head hurt as did his body, but the fear of
having lost Bevyn was the worst pain he had ever experienced.
“You suffered a head
injury and your body is covered in cuts. You should not move about too much.” Elrohir
reached for the water skin, opened it, and placed it at Brys’ chapped lips.
“Sip slowly.”
It had been a long time
since Brys had tasted water and he eagerly swallowed the liquid. He stared at
the handsome face that hovered close to his and he wondered what had happened
after he had lost consciousness.
“My twin and I interfered
when we saw you collapse. The man wielding the whip is dead and my twin is
looking after your brother. They went to the creek so Bevyn could clean up.”
Hopefully using his brother’s name would reassure Brys that Bevyn trusted them.
Elrohir’s heart went out to the miserable being in his arms. He had seen
frightened animals which had been trapped and had been expecting to die. Brys
had the same look in his eyes. “I will not hurt you.”
Brys wanted more water,
but would never ask for it. However Elrohir saw the young man look at the water
skin and placed it back against the injured man’s lips. “You can have some
more.” He watched Brys drink and found that the green eyes were fixed on his
hands. The large number of bruises on the face told Elrohir more than he had
wanted to know. Brys had been hit many times in the past. “Can you chew on this
and swallow some?” He gently pushed some paste past Brys’ lips. “It will help
you heal faster.”
Brys automatically did as
he was ordered. He felt numb and helpless since Elrohir was in charge. He
needed Bevyn close.
“You can not be
comfortable like that. I am going to move you about a bit. I will try not to
cause you any discomfort.” Elrohir carefully shifted Brys in his arms until his
charge rested against his chest like before. “We will wait for Bevyn to return
and then we will dress your wounds.” Brys was too scared to allow him close and
Elrohir didn’t want to upset the man further. “Just try to rest.”
Brys closed his eyes. His
head hurt.
“Chew on that paste. It
will help.” Elrohir gently rocked Brys a bit. “Can you tell me where you hurt
the most?” Brys kept his eyes closed and tried to block out Elrohir’s voice. He
needed Bevyn at his side!
“Brys seldom speaks,” Bevyn
said when he entered the cave again aided by Elladan. “He was always punished
when he talked back when we were little so he decided that remaining quiet
would be best.”
Hearing Bevyn’s voice made
Brys open his eyes. Bevyn freed himself of Elladan’s supportive hold and shuffled
toward his twin. “I’m here for you, Brys. I didn’t leave you. I’m sorry I left
you alone even for a short while.”
Brys blinked in surprise
when he looked at his twin. Bevyn looked *clean*. The dirt, grime, and blood
had been removed from his body. Although his face still sported some bruises,
he looked better. The long, fair hair that reached his buttocks was loose and
his twin wore clothes – fine clothes – which he had never seen on Bevyn before.
What had happened?
“Elladan helped me clean
up and he gave me his spare clothes to wear.” Bevyn thought that Elladan was
too good to be true, but since he had no choice anyway, he tried to make the
best of it. “I will take care of you like I always did.” Brys raised a hand and
Bevyn curled his fingers around the limb.
“Can you ask him where he
hurts the most?” Elrohir asked.
Bevyn nodded. “Where does
it hurt the most, Brys?” His younger brother didn’t trust anyone except for
him. Brys had been hurt in ways which Bevyn had been spared.
“My
head…and my ribs.” Brys’ voice
was so soft that Elrohir had to strain in order to hear it.
“Thank you for telling us.
Your brother and I will attend to your wounds.”
Brys didn’t want this
stranger to touch him and gave Bevyn a pleading look. “Don’t worry,” Bevyn
said. “I won’t allow them to hurt you.” Brys released a strangled sob and then
closed his eyes. He would let them do as they wanted, but only because Bevyn
was close.
~~~
An hour later, they finally
finished attending to Brys’ wounds. Elladan cringed for, compared to Bevyn’s
injuries, Brys had carried away the brunt of the beatings and abuse their
‘master’ had dealt out. The younger twin had two broken ribs, a sprained wrist,
a concussion, and his back was literally plowed with welts left behind from the
whip. What worried Elladan and Elrohir the most was Brys’ emotional state. Bevyn
had composed himself and, although he remained skittish and suspicious of their
intentions, the elder twin seemed to accept their presence and help.
Brys had fainted and was
once more unconscious. Elrohir was still supporting him and the half-Elf could
tell that displeased Bevyn. “I know you want to hold him yourself, but you are
also injured. You can not support him for long. You need to rest too.”
Although Elrohir had
spoken the truth, Bevyn didn’t want to accept that. “I cared for him my entire
life!” Tears tried to surface in his eyes, but he ruthlessly fought them back.
He refused to cry in front of these strangers!
“And you will care for him
again,” Elladan replied soothingly. “But right now you need to rest and recover
as well. You can trust us.”
“I don’t trust anyone
except my twin!” Bevyn glared at Elladan.
Elladan swallowed hard. “I
understand that, but you might not have a choice here. You are exhausted and so
is Brys.” Elladan patted the space next to Elrohir and Brys. “Why do you not
lie down there?”
Bevyn didn’t want to
comply, but the truth was that Elladan was right: he was exhausted and there
was no way he could stay awake much longer. In the end, he reached for Brys’
good hand and curled his fingers around it so he would be in contact with his
twin.
Elladan and Elrohir waited
for Bevyn to fall asleep before speaking aloud. “They have been deeply hurt,”
Elladan stated and shared his experience in the stream regarding Bevyn with his
twin. “He was scared.”
Elrohir nodded. “So was Brys.
He was terrified of me.” Elrohir stroked Brys’ hair absentmindedly, afraid to
touch other places which were much more bruised. “Their being whipped by that
man was just a little demonstration of what he put them through.”
“It will take a lot of
time and patience on our part to gain their trust. But, there is hope. When I
mentioned Imladris to Bevyn, he seemed eager to go there. We might have our
chance to gain their trust and help them deal with their past.”
“Father will welcome them
and insist they stay at least until they are fully healed,” Elrohir commented,
knowing Elrond wouldn’t let the twins leave as long as they hadn’t recovered. “We
will have to be careful and patient with them.”
“I agree.” Elladan hoped
that time would heal their physical wounds and that lots of tender loving care would
heal the emotional ones.
~~~
“We should clean his
wounds as long as Brys is asleep,” Elladan suggested. “We have enough water
left to clean him up. We could tie his hair back for now.”
But Elrohir shook his
head. He didn’t agree. “They do not trust us to begin with. If we act behind
their backs they will never trust us.”
“You are right,” Elladan agreed.
“But we must *do* something!”
“We have food left, soup,
bread, and some fruit. Warm up the soup. Hopefully its fragrance will cause
them to wake up. That way, we can feed them first and clean Brys up later.”
“What do you think
happened to them?” Elladan put a small kettle over the fire and started to warm
the soup. He was fairly sure that Celeborn’s sentries had watched them free Bevyn
and Brys and would appear shortly carrying more food and spare clothes and
maybe even some healing herbs.
“You saw what happened to
them. They were abused. They were hurt.” Elrohir gritted his teeth when he
remembered their mother’s fate. “They are fortunate they are mortal. Had they belonged
to the Firstborn they might have faded.”
Elladan sucked in his
breath. “Do you think they were violated?”
“It is possible. I do not
know for sure, but I thought so after you told me how Bevyn reacted to your
closeness in the stream.” Elrohir drew in a deep breath. “The Valar know I want
to be wrong. Even if they were not violated, they were brutally beaten and
abused in other ways which did just as much damage.”
“I did not want to say it
aloud, but I was thinking the same thing.”
“Humans are strong and
resilient,” Elrohir said, trying to cheer his twin up. “We will do our best to
help them.” Elladan stirred the soup and kept a close eye on their charges,
hoping they would wake up shortly.
~~~
The spicy fragrance of the
soup woke Brys, who hadn’t eaten or drank anything for quite some time. His
first look was for Bevyn, who was still asleep, curled up on his side. Knowing
his twin close, he felt slightly safer, but then realized he was still
reclining against one of the strangers. What was his name again? Elrohir?
“Ah, you are awake. Excellent.” Elladan spooned some of the soup into a bowl and
crawled over to Brys. “You must be hungry.” Brys stared at the soup in
disbelief. He hadn’t had anything warm to eat in ages. “Aye, it is for you. Can
you feed yourself or do you need Elrohir to assist you?” Elladan asked.
Brys raised his good hand
and wrapped his fingers around the bowl. He brought it to his lips and sipped.
The soup was tasty and warmed him from the inside.
“We should wake your
brother. He must be hungry too.” Since Elrohir was looking after Brys by placing
his hand beneath Brys’ when the limb had begun to shake, Elladan moved over to Bevyn.
He settled down next to the sleeping man and stroked the fair hair. “Bevyn? Wake up, soup is ready.”
Brys watched Elladan
closely. If the Elf did anything to hurt his brother, he would attack, even
though he lacked the strength to really present a threat. “Be careful now. You
want to eat the soup and not spill it.” Elrohir steadied and supported Brys’
hand and helped his charge sip again. He had been in the same sitting position
for two hours and didn’t mind for being able to support Brys made him feel
good.
Bevyn opened his eyes and
released a yelp when he didn’t know where he was. Disorientated, he stared at
Elladan and then remembered they had been rescued from their master’s harsh
regime. “Elladan,” he whispered as he recalled the name.
“Aye, I am Elladan. Can
you sit up? I want you to eat some soup.” Elladan helped Bevyn to sit up and
then handed the man a second bowl filled with warm soup.
Bevyn locked eyes with Brys
and was grateful to see that his twin was being taken care of. Brys still
looked bad though since he was still covered in dust and blood. “I need to
clean you up.”
“I will do that,” Elrohir
said. “You should continue to rest.”
Bevyn shook his head. “I
want to be there when you attend to his wounds.” He was afraid that Brys might
panic otherwise. The two Elves didn’t know what they had been through the last
few years.
“We can do that,” Elladan replied.
“But first I want the two of you to empty your bowls.”
Brys finished his soup
first and Elrohir handed the bowl back to Elladan. “Brys?
I want to take you down to the creek. Your wounds need to be cleaned and
dressed. Bevyn and Elladan will come with us, so please do not be afraid.”
Brys gave Bevyn a pleading
look. Was it really necessary? Bevyn nodded. “Your wounds need to be cleaned.
Elladan did the same thing for me. It’s safe for you to say yes.” Brys still
wasn’t convinced, but nodded his head at any rate. He trusted his twin.
“I shall carry you,”
Elrohir declared and slowly lifted Brys in his arms.
“I can carry him!” Bevyn
stumbled over his own two feet when he rose from the ground and it was only
Elladan, steadying him that kept him from toppling over.
“Let my brother carry
him,” Elladan suggested. “You do not want to drop your twin accidentally.” Bevyn
had to admit that Elladan was right, but he wanted to stay close to his brother
at any rate.
Brys clung to Elrohir the
best way he could. He placed his good hand at the nape of Elrohir’s neck and
gritted his teeth while the four of them made their way down to the creek. Elladan
supported Bevyn and then assisted him in sitting down on the grass. Next, he
placed soap, towels, and clothes onto the ground and went to help Elrohir
remove Brys’ clothes. Both Elves fought nausea when they saw how badly abused Brys
had been in the past. There wasn’t a spot on the young man’s body that was free
of cuts, burns, or bruises. Elladan had thought Bevyn abused, but his injuries
didn’t compare to Brys’.
Brys kept his eyes closed
most of the time and only opened them again when he felt the water creep up his
body. Elrohir and he settled down in the shallow part of the creek before the
Elf started to wash his hair with infinite care. Against his will, Brys began
to relax and rested his back against Elrohir’s chest.
Elladan sat down next to Bevyn
and watched the worried young man closely. “Your brother is in the best hands.”
Bevyn saw the tenderness
with which Elrohir washed Brys’ hair and nodded thoughtfully. “I never found
out why, but our master delighted in beating up Brys. I got my share of
beatings as well, but Brys got even more of them. That man loved to beat him
with his belt, a chain, or whatever he could get a hold of. I couldn’t protect
him.”
That explained why Brys’
injuries were graver than Bevyn’s. “How long did it last?”
“He bought us when we were
little…Maybe six or seven and it started right away. Brys suffered the most. He
even stopped talking for a while. He didn’t even want to talk to me.” Bevyn
hated his former master!
Elladan glanced up at
Elrohir as he rinsed the cuts on Brys. Elrohir sensed his twin’s eyes on him
and gave him a look filled with understanding. They had to be patient with Bevyn
and especially with Brys, who had been hurt the most. Elrohir’s fingers
encountered an ugly cut and he tried to clean it as gently as possible but he
still drew a soft moan from Brys. “I am sorry. I do not want to hurt you.”
Brys’ head lolled against
Elrohir’s shoulder. He just wanted to get this over with. He was contaminating
the creek with the dirt and blood that came off of him. The water had been
transparent when they had entered the stream, but now it was a muddy brown. His
long hair, fair once more, floated around him like a curtain.
“We shall leave the water
now. I do not want you to grow chilly.” After all, Brys was far from healed.
Elrohir cradled Brys against his chest, careful to not put any pressure on the
broken ribs, and carried him out of the water. “Maybe you can help, Bevyn?” He
wanted to engage the young man in caring for Brys. After all, Brys and Bevyn
were twins and therefore close. He lowered Brys onto the blanket Elladan had
spread over the ground and set to drying the bruised skin.
Bevyn moved closer and gathered
Brys’ good hand in his. In his brother’s eyes, he read fear. He knew what Brys
had expected would happen, but the Elves had refrained from touching them
intimately or beating them like their former master would have done.
Elladan joined in and wrapped
a towel around Brys’ long hair. “We shall dress you in Elrohir’s spare clothes
and then we will return to the cave. You should rest before we leave for
Imladris.”
Brys felt dazed and let
them do as they pleased. Bevyn gave him a pleased look and that encouraged Brys
to cooperate further. It took Elrohir a few minutes, but then Brys’ skin and
hair were dry. Elladan then helped him dress the numerous wounds. The last
thing they did before dressing Brys was bandaging the broken ribs.
Brys endured it all and
tried to remain quiet, but every now and then a stifled moan escaped him,
betraying the pain he was in. Once Elladan and Elrohir had finished attending
to his injuries and had helped him into his new clothes, he managed a small
smile. The clothes were soft against his skin and would keep him warm. He was
grateful that they were allowing him to wear them. One look at his twin showed
him that Bevyn understood. They were both thankful to be dressed again.
“I am going to carry you
back to the cave,” Elrohir informed Brys of his next step. He lifted Brys and
waited for Elladan and Bevyn to join him.
Elladan wanted to support Bevyn,
but the young man seemed to have recuperated some and managed the first half of
the way unaided, which made Elladan smile. He only offered his support when Bevyn
threatened to stumble. The four of them returned to the cave where Elladan and
Elrohir tried to put more soup into the two injured men.
Exhausted by the trip and
digesting the warm food, Brys dozed off first. This time it was Bevyn holding
him and Brys felt much safer since he could press close to his twin. Elladan
and Elrohir were seated close to the fire and kept an eye on the entrance to
the cave just in case an animal wanted to take shelter there.
“They will recover,”
Elladan said, offering his twin some comfort. “It only takes time.” Elrohir
nodded and Elladan placed an arm around his twin’s shoulders. “We will take
them to Imladris, where they will recover and find a new home.”
~~~
“Haldir.” Elrohir caught sight of the March warden first. “I
knew you would visit with us.”
The silver-haired sentry
placed several bundles onto the ground and seated himself next to Elrohir. Elegantly,
he replied, “We saw you rescue the humans and surmised you might need more food
and clothes.” Orophin, Rumil, and Haldir had followed the twins on their way to
Imladris at Celeborn’s request. Their Lord had wanted to make certain his
grandsons reached Imladris safe and sound. “We will stay out of their sight
since we do not want to scare them further.”
“Thank you for bringing
these.” Elrohir had uncovered two pairs of boots, socks, some
leather bands to tie back the fair hair, and more food. Another bundle
contained two blankets and the last bundle had two thick traveling cloaks in
them. “They need these.”
“We thought so.” Haldir rose
to his feet again, inclined his head and left the cave.
Elrohir unrolled the
blankets and cloaks, cherishing the gifts Haldir had brought. Once done, he
looked at Elladan’s sleeping form. The two of them had decided to take turns
keeping watch. “Elladan, wake up.” Elrohir kicked his twin’s leg with his foot.
“Wake up! Haldir visited with us.”
Elrohir’s voice didn’t
wake just Elladan, but also Bevyn. He blinked a few times and then sat upright
to take in his surroundings. He didn’t startle when he saw Elladan and Elrohir
for he had become used to them by that time. “Who’s Haldir?”
“Haldir is a good friend,”
Elrohir explained to Bevyn. “He brought more food and clothes.”
“Is he an Elf like you
are?” Bevyn surprised himself by boldly asking them such questions. Brys
stirred next to him and Bevyn wrapped his fingers around his twin’s good hand.
“Actually,” Elladan replied
with a smile. “We are half-Elves. Our father is not fully Elven.”
Needing to explain
himself, Bevyn lowered his gaze and then said, “It’s hard for me to trust you.
We just met.”
“We understand,” Elrohir responded
and gave Brys an encouraging smile. “What do you say? Shall we leave for
Imladris? You look rested.”
“First we eat and then we
will leave,” Elladan decided. Bevyn and Brys were too skinny and would need
their strength.
~~~
Elrohir decided to place Brys
in front of him on the horse’s back while Bevyn
slipped into place behind Elladan. Bevyn was the stronger twin and could hold
onto Elladan by wrapping his arms around the half-Elf, but Brys needed the
support.
“We shall ride for a few
hours and then we will make camp again,” Elrohir whispered into Brys’ ear. “But
do not hesitate to tell me if you need to rest. We will arrive in Imladris at
any rate and we do not mind arriving a few days late.” Brys nodded and Elrohir
realized it was all the answer he would receive.
Elladan took the lead and
rode in front of Elrohir. He always made certain he kept in sight of Brys since
he wanted the young man to feel comfortable and having Bevyn in his line of
sight would help.
“How long will our journey
take?” Bevyn still wondered if he was doing the right thing by putting his
trust in them. Not for his own well-being, but for Brys’.
“A few days… Maybe a week,”
Elladan guessed. “It might take longer if we need to rest more, but like
Elrohir said, we do not mind. If you need to rest, tell us.” It was a good
thing that he didn’t have to worry about their safety since he knew that
Haldir, Orophin, and Rumil were keeping an eye on them. He could fully
concentrate on Bevyn and Brys.
~~~
An hour later, Elrohir
noticed that Brys had started to lean heavily against him. “Do you want to
rest?” The only answer he received was a shake of Brys’ head, but Elrohir
sensed the exhaustion in his charge. “We shall make camp at the next suitable
spot that we encounter. We will rest for a little while and then we will
continue.”
Brys didn’t want to slow
them down. Bevyn and he had been lucky to encounter the Elven twins and he
wanted to keep them happy. He wanted to please them because then they would be
less likely to grow angry with them. And so, although his ribs were killing him
and his head hurt, he forced himself to remain upright, gritting his teeth.
“I know you do not trust
us,” Elrohir murmured. “But I hope that will change in time. Elladan and I mean
you well and the fact that you are also twins connects us.” He was trying to
find common ground that would help Bevyn and Brys trust them. “When I was little
I fell out of a tree once. Aye, me...an Elf. I landed
on my shoulder and broke it. Elves heal fast, but since we are half-Elves,
recovery took me longer. Elladan always stayed at my side. He even fell asleep
with his head on my chest because he did not want to part from me. I know how
strong your bond is.” Elrohir held his breath in surprise when Brys turned his
head to look at him.
“Bevyn is all I have got
left in the world.” Once again there was the soft voice and the lowered gaze
and Elrohir wondered what exactly had been done to Brys to cause him to act so timidly.
“Will you tell me more
about the bond you and your twin share?” But Brys turned his head away from
Elrohir and stared into the distance.
Bevyn was amazed to see Brys
address Elrohir. “Your twin is quickly gaining my brother’s trust. It’s rare
for him to address someone.”
“And that is because…?”
Elladan let his voice trail off.
“He was beaten ruthlessly
whenever he did. I don’t know why our former master hated him so much. He
didn’t treat me kindly either, but he never hurt me the way he hurt Brys.”
Elladan moistened his lips
and then suggested, “Maybe Brys is the gentle one out of the two of you?”
“What do you mean when you
say that?” Bevyn rested his weary head onto Elladan’s shoulder. It was easier
to accept the Elf’s closeness because they were spending more time together.
“Elrohir is the scholar,
the naturally gifted healer. I am the warrior and had to work hard on gaining
my healing skills. I know that I do not have to protect him, but I still feel
like I should. Elrohir is a capable warrior in his own right, but he is my
younger brother, if only by seconds.”
Bevyn understood. “It’s
the same way for me.” But he had a valid reason to be protective of his
brother. Their former master had always targeted Brys and had abused him
constantly. “I’m grateful you helped us that day. Brys might not have survived
otherwise.”
“You no longer have to
worry about that. Brys is safe now and so are you.”
~~~
“Come, sit down and drink
some herbal tea.” Elrohir fussed over Brys until his charge sat close to the
fire and sipped his tea. Elrohir uncovered a blanket and wrapped it around Brys’
trembling frame. “You are cold.”
Bevyn eyed Elrohir closely
and he in turn was watched by Elladan. Bevyn didn’t know what to make of
Elrohir’s fussing. Neither Bevyn nor Brys was used to being the center of
attention.
“He means well,” Elladan commented
as he gestured for Bevyn to also seat himself. “As I said, he is a natural
healer.” He uncovered some of the cheese and bread Haldir had brought the other
day and offered it to the young men. “Eat.”
“And
what about you?” Bevyn frowned as
he realized that Elladan and Elrohir hadn’t taken any food for themselves.
“We are not hungry yet.”
Elladan stirred the fire higher and was dismayed that it was already growing
chilly while it was still early in the day. He hoped they would make it to
Imladris before winter fell.
~~~
“I’m cold,” Brys
whispered, but Bevyn was already asleep and didn’t hear him. After their break,
they had resumed their journey and had traveled a few more hours. “Bevyn, I’m
cold!” But Bevyn was dead to the world after the exhausting trip. Brys startled
when someone spooned up behind him and slowly pulled him close. His first
reaction was to fight him off, but his ribs still hurt and he couldn’t use his
sprained wrist to defend himself. Bevyn, who was asleep in front of him,
remained asleep and was of no use to Brys.
“It is only me. You do not
have to be afraid. I heard you say that you were cold and I want to share my
body warmth with you,” Elrohir whispered into Brys’ ear. He pulled a blanket
over them and tucked it in around their forms. “Tell me if you remain cold. I will
add another blanket then.”
At first, Brys was scared
to accept Elrohir’s closeness, but when he began to feel warm, he also started
to become drowsy and accepted Elrohir’s closeness more easily. “You feel warm.”
He was amazed at the ease with which he talked to Elrohir. During the last few
days he had said more to Elrohir than he had to his former master during the
last few years. The only person he talked to a bit more easily was his twin.
“That is the idea,”
Elrohir responded and chuckled. “Go to sleep now. We are safe here.”
“How do you know that?” Brys
peeked over the blanket at Elladan, who sat near the fire. The half-Elf was
keeping watch, although it wasn’t really necessary with Haldir watching over
them, but Brys didn’t know that. Seeing Elladan watchful made him feel safe
though. That much was true.
“I know that because the
trees have eyes and they are watching over us. No harm will come to us and
besides that, Elladan will keep us safe.” Elrohir stroked the fair hair and
sighed. “I am sorry that you were hurt so deeply. I wish I could change that.”
“What happened, happened,”
Brys stated. The fact that Elrohir cared stunned him. The half-Elf barely knew
him or Bevyn for that matter.
“You will like living in
Imladris. You will have your freedom back and you will be safe there.” Elrohir
expected the two young men to bloom once they were able to live their lives
without fear.
“Why are you doing this?
Why are you helping us?” Brys tried to turn onto his other side so he could
look at Elrohir, but his ribs acted up and he had to cease his effort. What he
didn’t count on was Elrohir gently shifting him toward him until they were face
to face. Looking into the calm, gray eyes, he read something in them which he
had only seen in Bevyn’s eyes before.
“I care about you – and Bevyn
– and so does Elladan.”
Brys knew it was the truth
because what he saw in Elrohir’s eyes was concern and affection. The half-Elf
cared about him.
“We want you to be happy,”
Elladan added as he moved from the fire closer to where Bevyn was resting. He
took to stroking the young man’s hair and Bevyn didn’t wake up since the touch
was soothing.
Brys marveled at the luck
that had brought the two half-Elves onto their path. Closing his eyes, he gave
into fatigue and dozed off.
~~~
Over the next few days,
the four of them grew closer. Bevyn and Brys started to trust the half-Elves
and Elladan and Elrohir did their best to be worthy of that trust. Bevyn was
healing nicely, but Brys’ injuries continued to worry the two half-Elves and,
since Elrohir had taken Brys under his wing, Elrohir worried the most.
Elladan and Elrohir deduced
that they would arrive at the Last Homely House late the next day and expected
the sentries to have already spotted them. It wouldn’t be long before the news
of their arrival would reach their father.
TBC in Sharing Beds