The twins now walked the halls, only to find many averted faces at their approach, followed always by a trail of hushed whispers in their wake. On occasion, they would catch one elf, or another, staring at them with unforgiving eyes and it pierced the brothers' hearts to bear such from those they had known all their lives. But there were also others, who went out of their way to offer public tokens of tacit acceptance and those acts of simple kindness became precious to the twins, who knew they went against the grain of what elven law dictated.
Even in the barracks, where they found the largest measure of tolerance from the other warriors, many of whom owed their lives to the twins' skill with bow and blade, there was a new acwkwardness all around them. This tension permeated the very air about the Last Homely House, like an invisible gaseous mantle, waiting only for the tiniest spark to ignite into a flurry of explosions.
And inevitably, those explosions began to flare, as all awaited the Council of Judgement.
The deep division in Imladris became blatantly evident, as tempers arose within the households of the realm. These households became echoes of the larger sundering as individual family members, who had lived all their lives in gentle harmony, began to address one another with bitter words of dissention.
This, more than anything, cleaved a vicious wound into the twins' shared fea. Horrified that their love had brought such discord among their people, they steadily withdrew, spending more and more time within the confines of their shared chambers, until they ventured out not at all. Their only solace, apart from each other, came from the steadfast love and support of those closest to them, who refused to let the brothers completely disappear into their self-imposed seclusion.
Thus, as often as their respective duties allowed through out the day, the rest of the ruling members of Imladris made it a point to stop in for a quick visit. And not a single night passed that Arwen and Aragorn, Elrond and Lindir, Glorfindel and Melpomaen, or Erestor and Ja-zel, could not be found sharing the evening meal with the twins. With them, they brought trays ladden with all of Elladan and Elrohir's favorite foods, prepared especially for them by the loving hands of the Last Homely House's formidable head cook, who had become a staunch advocate of the two she still thought of as her ' Little Warriors'.
But in spite of all the best efforts by this tightly-knit group, the light in the twins' eyes began to fade. They became listless, their opalescent skin grew wan and their hair dulled to coarseness, as their spirit sagged under the inmense weight of their grief and guilt over the emotional chaos surrounding them. Alarmed, the others held their own private council in Elrond's study. And so it was, that in the dead of night, two of them made their way into the brothers' stone hideaway.
They found the twins entwined upon their large bed, brows furrowed in a sleep that brought no rest. Even in the near pitch-darkness of the room, Erestor and Ja-zel's feral eyes could see the bruised skin beneath the twins' closed eyelashes. The two Lyons were as troubled by that, as they were by the fact that the figures abed did not stir at their presence. After exchanging a quick look, Erestor set about lighting a few of the candles in the room, while Ja-zel approached the slumbering brothers.
" Elladan, Elrohir. Awaken." she said, loudly.
the two came apart reluctantly, as if loath to face the waking world.
" Are they here?." Elladan asked, his voice dull.
Ja-zel, knowing instantly what the twin meant, quickly reassured him.
" Nay, Elladan. Twill be one more week before they are due to arrive."
" Then what is amiss?."
This question came from Elrohir, who was rubbing at one of his eyes in a way that lent to him the look of a sleepy elfling. Ja-zel's lips curved into a tender smile at the sight and her voice was gentle, as she came to sit beside them on the bed.
" You are amiss... Both of you." She stretched her hand out to cup the younger twin's face. " It is instinct to seek refuge in a dark, quiet place when one is wounded. But this hole you cubs have retreated into is not for healing, but for dying."
Her hand moved to lay a soft caress upon Elladan's cheek, who was looking at her with eyes fractured by pain. Though her voice remained gentle, the Lyoness allowed a slight growl to enter into it, as she continued.
" This cannot go on. You both need to come out from this pit you have dug for yourselves. You need to feel the sun warm your skin, to hear the songs of the trees, to look upon the stars, so beloved by your kind. And so... It has been decided that you will spend the next week away from here."
The twins tensed and sensing the impending refusal in their posture, Ja-zel let out a real growl, from deep within her throat. Two pairs of identical grey eyes widened upon her at the fearsome sound.
" This is not a request." She stated, adamantly.
Elladan and Elrohir looked at each other in admitted defeat.
" When do we leave?." They asked, in unison.
Two fully stocked travelling packs bounced onto the mattress, riveting the attention of the twins towards the foot of the bed, were a grinning Erestor stood with arms folded across his chest.
" Now." He answered.
A short time later, four figures made their way through the dark grounds of the Last Homely House, heading towards the special annex that had been built along one wall of the impressive stables.
The annex seemed to flow out of the main building, forming a roughly semi-circular wing. At the widest point, Erestor slid the huge barn doors open and he and Ja-zel went inside to light the large sconces flanking the entrance. As the twins stepped within, they could see a small bathing pool at the far end of one side. Beside it, sat an open set of shelves, stocked with fluffly towels and all other acruments needed for bathing. Before it, were two comfortable-looking divans with a low table in between, while the space along the long wall opposite the entrance was taken up by a large mirrored vanity, more open shelves and several beautifully-crafted wall hooks.
The other far end, was taken up almost entirely by several large mattresses, all laying toguether upon the polished floor and covered by soft blankets and plush pillows. By this enormous bedding, on the same wall as the vanity and nearly to the very center of the room, were two especially-made stands, over which draped two saddles, never meant to fit over any horse's back.
Even burdened in spirit as they were, the twins could not help but smile. For this private stable, unlike any other place in Imladris, was truly representative of the dual nature of their companions.
While Elladan and Elrohir took in the details of the vast room, Erestor and Ja-zel began to disrobe, hanging their outer garments upon the hooks and placing all else inside the open shelves, as they addressed the two behind them.
" We have discovered a beautiful place, not too far from this realm, that we think you will find most enjoyable." Ja-zel said.
" Aye. And it can be reached fairly quickly, if you ride on our backs. You can fasten your packs atop the ones we already set up for ourselves. Do you recall how to place the saddles upon us?. Or do we need to instruct..."
Erestor's words were cut short, as the two Lyons turned to find the twins staring at them with open mouths. The tuffed end of Ja-zel's tail twitched against her calf and she found herself hard-pressed not to burst out in laughter, when she noticed their grey eyes widening as they involuntarily riveted on a certain part of her mate's anatomy.
While the twins were somewhat embarrased by Ja-zel's nakedness, it was not the sight of her that caused a deep blush to color their cheeks. For even though the two had always felt naught but the utmost care and admiration for the elleths around them they, like Glorfindel, had never found any sensual appeal in the female form.
Nay, it was the sight of Erestor that held them mesmerized.
The dark advisor had been a tutor that both Elladan and Elrohir had alternately worshipped and feared through out their elfling years. And as they neared their majority, his somber black-clad figure had become a safe, yet tantalizing fantasy outlet for the burgeoning sexuality they could not yet consummate with one another. So as they stood rooted to their spots, the twins found the color on their faces deepening even further at finally seeing the object of their heated past speculations, fully revealed.
Erestor, unaware of the tangent taken by the twin's unruly minds, simply assumed their discomfiture was attributed to modesty and he cocked an impatient eyebrow at the two, as he had often done when finding them to be less than attentive pupils.
" Elladan, Elrohir. You two must put aside such misplaced modesty, if you are to travel with Lyons." He adonished. " Now, do you need instruction on how to saddle us?."
" N-no..."
" Good. Then let us be about it, for the night awaits. Elladan, you will ride me."
Elladan almost groaned at the remark, as Erestor rippled into the change to stand, waiting. Ja-zel passed by the twins, giving them both a saucy wink.
" I, too, find him most pleasing to look at." She whispered.
Then her figure also rippled, until a huge Lyoness stood beside her mate. With a pair of lopsided grins, Elladan and Elrohir quickly set the tackle upon their ' mounts' and in short order, all was ready. The wall sconces were doused, before the barn doors slid close, then the twins hopped up on their respective saddles.
And once again, the two great beasts bounded off into the night...
TBC...