Going Home (to a place we’ve never been before.) Chapter Twenty Two; Now We Are Four.
This is almost the end of Going Home. There will be an epilogue sometime in the next few weeks - and then I start something new for November. A hint about that - you may have noticed Glorfindel has not been around in this story since the first chapter...
But here is
Going Home (to a place we’ve never been before.) Chapter Twenty Two; Now We Are Four.
2,600 words, rated 15
Beta'd by the inimitable speakr2customrs
Ethuil was drawing to its end. The days were lengthening, the weather was warmer, there were still enough waves for surfing; and Tindómë had got fed up referring to the second pair of twins by name. Elladan and Elrohir were still the pair that most people who knew them meant when they said ‘the twins’, or they were ‘the Els’. If anyone was being more formal they were the Elrondionath, but a similar formal epithet for Naltatamë and Iltatamë was too much of a tongue twister. She had thought of ‘The Tamës’ but it didn’t feel right. So now almost everyone who knew Tindómë, at least, referred to the twin ellyth in Sindarin as ‘The Smiths’.
(At some point in the future this would greatly amuse Spike, that afficionado of British and American Indie Rock and Pop of the 1980s and 90s, but that particular band had never been part of Dawn’s memories, so the joke was lost on Tindómë.)
Naltatamë had returned to Alqualondë with Elladan and Elrohir’s parents early in Ethuil, by which time the Els felt that they and Iltatamë knew each other almost as well as they knew her sister. Her sister who, perhaps, they had known less well than they had thought.
The day that Naltatamë arrived, all four spent the evening in the twins’ sitting room. She apologised, again, for not telling them of Iltatamë. As her sister had said, she had decided that finding out she was one of a pair of twins who had chosen to be apart might be distressing for Adar and Naneth. Adar as a reminder of Elros, and Naneth who worried that she might only see one, or neither, of her sons again.
And, she added, she chose not to tell Elladan when they first shared their bodies because she wanted the Els to choose to know her for who she was, not what she was. And after that it became harder and harder to tell them both.
It had taken a few days for them all to adjust before any of them slept anywhere but chastely in their own bed.
…………………………
Tindómë was out early. There had been a storm over night, and a high tide, and now she was searching the beach for the small blue shells that were often washed up. The Imladris blue dress Elladan had gifted her was light and filmy and designed for summer; the shells would make excellent hair ornaments to compliment it at mid-summer.
She was just deciding whether to simply make small holes in them so that they could be threaded into place, or whether to ask Tharhîwon, recently returned from Lord Aulë’s domain, to use them to make silver side combs or a headdress, when her eyes were drawn to something catching the early morning sunlight.
Something was shining on a balcony of Celebrían and Master Elrond’s house. Not just any balcony but, she knew, that of the Els’ private rooms. She might not have the perfect sight of the elves, but her ‘almost-elven’ eyes realised the sun was catching a piece of jewellery, worn around the neck of one of the Smiths who stood in the open doorway looking out towards the sea. It was the only thing she was wearing, and right behind her stood one of the Els. It was hard to tell if he was completely naked as well but, as the arms encircling the elleth were, it seemed a fair bet.
As she studied them for a little longer (‘I mean’, she thought, ‘if you don’t want an audience, don’t stand there…’), one of his hands moved to a breast, the other to the elleth’s cumb, and Tindómë found herself wondering if, being closer in height than herself and Rumil, joining in that position might be easier for them, without needing something for the elleth to stand on…
At which point she called quietly to her husband, who was also looking for shells, to come to see. This resulted in three things; Rumil pointing out that it was probably as well that the Smiths’ mother was safely in Tirion, then his suggestion that they might want to go back to their own house, where Tindómë kept a box under their bed that made a perfect step for her, and some days later, a rather beautiful sketch that would be given to the El in question.
……………….
Elladan looked over Naltatamë’s shoulder and noticed Tindómë and Rumil looking up at them from the sands.
“Good morning Tinu,” he said silently.
“Good morning Elladan. And it is, isn’t it?” she answered. “I am glad to see we are both making good use of it…”
At that, she turned away, picked up another shell or two and, holding Rumil’s hand, moved out of sight.
Elladan was sure Naltatamë must have heard the brief, silent, exchange, but said nothing. He was reminded of his thoughts when they had stood like this before; that she fitted well both in his arms and in the lifestyle of the edhel here with whom they had, then, just celebrated mid-winter.
He had been right. He could not imagine many of those he had met in Tirion being out here naked, let alone giving the answer she had that day, when he had suggested they could just join where they stood; “I think not today… but another time, yes.”
This was that other time.
It was probably even more pleasurable now than it would have been then. For as the early morning sun warmed the two of them, they needed very little movement to build towards flight. Elrohir and Iltatamë were enjoying themselves more vigorously only a wall away and, as the twin ellyth were as sensitive to each other’s arousal as the Els were, very little more effort than a slight rocking of the hips was needed for the pair in the doorway to add (in the Smiths’ terms) enough fuel to the fire to create a roaring blaze.
This effect, when all four were reasonably close to each other as they enjoyed the pleasures of the hröa in any combination, was stronger than either pair of twins had experienced with other partners. So much so that all four agreed it made sharing such pleasures with other partners less appealing. And whilst it certainly would not stop any of the four enjoying the up-coming mid-summer Silvan celebrations, it meant they were almost certain with whom they would spend their time after leaping the flames. But in what combination they could not predict, for there was still no sense that they formed two distinct couples.
Elladan was almost certain that there would have been as much pleasure, and sense of connection, if he had been buried to the hilt in Iltatamë whilst Nal had been the one sharing different pleasures with Elrohir. And recent conversations confirmed all four felt the same; no matter how much time might pass, they were a quartet not two couples.
……………………………………………………………
Ethuil is the Sindarin name for the season of spring; it corresponded more or less to the 54 days between 7 April and 30 May.
……………………………………………………………
And now it was mid-summer. There had, again, been a be-ribboning get together in the Els’ rooms but this time, as well as those in attendance at the previous one, the twin ellyth came along. Iltatamë had already befriended a Telerin glass-smith and begun working within his workshops, and so there were small glass ornaments for the two ellyn to add to their collection, as well as miniature silver swords from her sister.
Elladan, alone, received a silver clip with two small blue shells attached, from Tindómë.
Tharhîwon had made Tindómë side combs decorated with the blue shells. Rumil thought that she had been right, they definitely worked well with the dress Elladan had gifted her, and it was no surprise when he asked her for the first dance. Rumil wondered, briefly, which would make the better image; the two dancing, or the kiss that ensured that the first ribbon in her hair was black, embroidered with a white tree and seven stars.
It was strange to celebrate without Orophin and Lithôniel, or Galanthir, but he knew Tindómë was happy that Tharhîwon had returned from Lord Aulë’s forge in time to celebrate. He also knew that she was keeping a watchful eye on this son-of-the-heart, for this was his first such celebration without Gimli.
Rumil watched Tharhîwon, too. His fairly regular lover, Nithdur, was visiting relatives who lived further up the coast, before some of them would join a group heading West. Tharhîwon looked to be enjoying himself; dancing, kissing ellyth, and gifting ribbons. But, the sea being calm, there were plans to spend part of the day on Heart of Eryn Ithil, and Tharhîwon preferred to stay on dry land; he did not have happy memories of crossing the Sundering Sea. Last year, when many of them had enjoyed such a day on the sea, Tharhîwon and Nithdur had spent the day with Gimli. Rumil hoped this did not mean that this year their ‘winter elfling’ would spend it without any of his close friends.
The first elves began to jump the fire as the sky began to lighten over the sea, and Rumil stood with his arms around his wife at this, her own time of day.
“You will have to jump alone,” she said, sounding rather wistful.
He did. It felt odd, for he had always jumped with Orophin. But it would not be for long. Surely Aran Thranduil would arrive within the next year or two, and then Rumil and his family could set out to join Orophin and the others, their promise to Legolas fulfilled.
He watched Haldirin jump, then Tharhîwon right behind him, and felt his spirit lift as he saw Haldirin and Rhîwen take Tharhîwon between them, and move off towards the hobbit hole, carrying food and wine.
“We can stop worrying about him,” he said to Tindómë, nodding at the three arm-in-arm. “And do not deny that you worried that he might choose to stay ashore alone.”
Haldirin had once told him that “Thar is happiest, and most relaxed, when his is the middle hröa of three, being both filled and filling. Because, deep inside, there is still the elfling who was so alone and cold.”
Rumil was glad that the pair would keep the ellon, who was as a brother to one and shared a name with the other, from memories of frozen loneliness. Tindómë smiled when she saw the three together as well, but there was a distinct feeling, through their bond, that she was also amused.
Silently she told him that it was probably as well that the Smiths’ mother did not know that the idea of Haldirin and Rhîwen adding this ‘brother’ as a third was seen, by these ‘Wild Wood Elves’, as perfectly reasonable. She would most certainly think all three were severely tainted by evil.
And she added that, at least on this occasion, she had decided she was very glad it was Rumil’s mother who was her law-mother!
…………………………
Spending time out in the bay this way was very pleasant, Elladan thought. They had been out in smaller boats with some of their Telerin cousins, and with Grandmother Gull and Captain Grandfather, but the only other time they had been in a ship this size they had been approaching the unknown and looking to their destination, rather than simply enjoying the experience.
At present he was sitting on a coil of rope in the sunshine, enjoying the sensation of Iltatamë combing his hair to help it dry for, like many of the others, they had spent time in the sea, then rinsed the salt off with dippers of sun-warmed water from a barrel on the deck. Elrohir and Naltatamë were playing a complex board game with Ithilienne and Cîrdoron, a couple of the Telerin cousins were fishing, Rumil and Tindómë had gone below, whilst Legolas sat in his leggings, wet hair in a single braid down his bare back, out on the bow-spit, watching a distant pod of dolphins.
Earlier Legolas had encouraged the twins to climb with him up into the rigging, from where you could see not only much of the land along the coast, and the cloud topped mountains of the Pelori but, looking East, Tol Eressëa. There were more cousins there that they had yet to meet, and offers to take them there, but that trip would have to wait for they planned a visit, first, to their foreparents Elu Thingol and Melian.
Grandmother Gull had given them the wonderful catch-all phrase ‘foremother’ when she has spoken of ‘our foremother Melian’, and they had now extended it to more or less everyone in their family tree that was more than three or so generations away.
Grandmother Gull had suggested they should make this visit after a conversation Elladan had with her about binding vows. They should spend time with her family, she said; these particular foreparents wanted to see them, and they would meet their fellow twins Eluréd and Elurín. But mainly because she thought that, as one of the maia, Melian would be the relative most likely to be able to advise them on the subject of soul bonds.
The conversation that night had started with Elladan’s observation that the more time he and Elrohir spent with Iltatamë and Naltatamë, the less any of them seemed drawn more to one of the opposite pair than the other. They were reaching a point where they had begun to wonder if it was possible for all four to become betrothed and then soul bound together?
They had all been taught, as had everyone else they knew, that the final binding vows were made when a couple were joined hröa to hröa and at the edge of flight. Did Grandmother Gull know if it was essential that you were fully joined to take the vows? If it was, then they could see how two ellyn and one elleth could be bound together, but not even the other way around, let alone two ellyn to each be joined to both ellyth at the same time. They wondered if a bond would ‘take’ if both the Els were to bind, that way, with first one of the ellyth, if they were betrothed, and then the other? Or, once you had made the vows, was it not possible to form a bond with another even if all four wanted it?
Truth be told, neither Elladan nor Elrohir could now visualise a future without Iltatamë in it as well as her twin, but it might have been much easier if they had been drawn to Naltatamë alone.
They knew they could simply bind as two separate couples but still enjoy the desires of the body together, but that felt wrong. How would you decide who shared the closer bond with who? Toss a coin? They thought it might be better to remain as they were now for the rest of time, than that.
Still, Elladan thought, this was not the place for further thought on the subject. He could feel Ilti agreeing with him, his thoughts had leaked across to her as she was so close to him.
Best, he thought, to enjoy the day and worry about the future tomorrow.
He smiled at her, then “Hmm…” he said silently, using the very tight focus he and Elrohir utilised to only be heard by each other, “What is it worth for you to not be distracted from your game by Ilti and I retiring below…?
........................................................................................................
But here is
Going Home (to a place we’ve never been before.) Chapter Twenty Two; Now We Are Four.
2,600 words, rated 15
Beta'd by the inimitable speakr2customrs
Ethuil was drawing to its end. The days were lengthening, the weather was warmer, there were still enough waves for surfing; and Tindómë had got fed up referring to the second pair of twins by name. Elladan and Elrohir were still the pair that most people who knew them meant when they said ‘the twins’, or they were ‘the Els’. If anyone was being more formal they were the Elrondionath, but a similar formal epithet for Naltatamë and Iltatamë was too much of a tongue twister. She had thought of ‘The Tamës’ but it didn’t feel right. So now almost everyone who knew Tindómë, at least, referred to the twin ellyth in Sindarin as ‘The Smiths’.
(At some point in the future this would greatly amuse Spike, that afficionado of British and American Indie Rock and Pop of the 1980s and 90s, but that particular band had never been part of Dawn’s memories, so the joke was lost on Tindómë.)
Naltatamë had returned to Alqualondë with Elladan and Elrohir’s parents early in Ethuil, by which time the Els felt that they and Iltatamë knew each other almost as well as they knew her sister. Her sister who, perhaps, they had known less well than they had thought.
The day that Naltatamë arrived, all four spent the evening in the twins’ sitting room. She apologised, again, for not telling them of Iltatamë. As her sister had said, she had decided that finding out she was one of a pair of twins who had chosen to be apart might be distressing for Adar and Naneth. Adar as a reminder of Elros, and Naneth who worried that she might only see one, or neither, of her sons again.
And, she added, she chose not to tell Elladan when they first shared their bodies because she wanted the Els to choose to know her for who she was, not what she was. And after that it became harder and harder to tell them both.
It had taken a few days for them all to adjust before any of them slept anywhere but chastely in their own bed.
…………………………
Tindómë was out early. There had been a storm over night, and a high tide, and now she was searching the beach for the small blue shells that were often washed up. The Imladris blue dress Elladan had gifted her was light and filmy and designed for summer; the shells would make excellent hair ornaments to compliment it at mid-summer.
She was just deciding whether to simply make small holes in them so that they could be threaded into place, or whether to ask Tharhîwon, recently returned from Lord Aulë’s domain, to use them to make silver side combs or a headdress, when her eyes were drawn to something catching the early morning sunlight.
Something was shining on a balcony of Celebrían and Master Elrond’s house. Not just any balcony but, she knew, that of the Els’ private rooms. She might not have the perfect sight of the elves, but her ‘almost-elven’ eyes realised the sun was catching a piece of jewellery, worn around the neck of one of the Smiths who stood in the open doorway looking out towards the sea. It was the only thing she was wearing, and right behind her stood one of the Els. It was hard to tell if he was completely naked as well but, as the arms encircling the elleth were, it seemed a fair bet.
As she studied them for a little longer (‘I mean’, she thought, ‘if you don’t want an audience, don’t stand there…’), one of his hands moved to a breast, the other to the elleth’s cumb, and Tindómë found herself wondering if, being closer in height than herself and Rumil, joining in that position might be easier for them, without needing something for the elleth to stand on…
At which point she called quietly to her husband, who was also looking for shells, to come to see. This resulted in three things; Rumil pointing out that it was probably as well that the Smiths’ mother was safely in Tirion, then his suggestion that they might want to go back to their own house, where Tindómë kept a box under their bed that made a perfect step for her, and some days later, a rather beautiful sketch that would be given to the El in question.
……………….
Elladan looked over Naltatamë’s shoulder and noticed Tindómë and Rumil looking up at them from the sands.
“Good morning Tinu,” he said silently.
“Good morning Elladan. And it is, isn’t it?” she answered. “I am glad to see we are both making good use of it…”
At that, she turned away, picked up another shell or two and, holding Rumil’s hand, moved out of sight.
Elladan was sure Naltatamë must have heard the brief, silent, exchange, but said nothing. He was reminded of his thoughts when they had stood like this before; that she fitted well both in his arms and in the lifestyle of the edhel here with whom they had, then, just celebrated mid-winter.
He had been right. He could not imagine many of those he had met in Tirion being out here naked, let alone giving the answer she had that day, when he had suggested they could just join where they stood; “I think not today… but another time, yes.”
This was that other time.
It was probably even more pleasurable now than it would have been then. For as the early morning sun warmed the two of them, they needed very little movement to build towards flight. Elrohir and Iltatamë were enjoying themselves more vigorously only a wall away and, as the twin ellyth were as sensitive to each other’s arousal as the Els were, very little more effort than a slight rocking of the hips was needed for the pair in the doorway to add (in the Smiths’ terms) enough fuel to the fire to create a roaring blaze.
This effect, when all four were reasonably close to each other as they enjoyed the pleasures of the hröa in any combination, was stronger than either pair of twins had experienced with other partners. So much so that all four agreed it made sharing such pleasures with other partners less appealing. And whilst it certainly would not stop any of the four enjoying the up-coming mid-summer Silvan celebrations, it meant they were almost certain with whom they would spend their time after leaping the flames. But in what combination they could not predict, for there was still no sense that they formed two distinct couples.
Elladan was almost certain that there would have been as much pleasure, and sense of connection, if he had been buried to the hilt in Iltatamë whilst Nal had been the one sharing different pleasures with Elrohir. And recent conversations confirmed all four felt the same; no matter how much time might pass, they were a quartet not two couples.
……………………………………………………………
Ethuil is the Sindarin name for the season of spring; it corresponded more or less to the 54 days between 7 April and 30 May.
……………………………………………………………
And now it was mid-summer. There had, again, been a be-ribboning get together in the Els’ rooms but this time, as well as those in attendance at the previous one, the twin ellyth came along. Iltatamë had already befriended a Telerin glass-smith and begun working within his workshops, and so there were small glass ornaments for the two ellyn to add to their collection, as well as miniature silver swords from her sister.
Elladan, alone, received a silver clip with two small blue shells attached, from Tindómë.
Tharhîwon had made Tindómë side combs decorated with the blue shells. Rumil thought that she had been right, they definitely worked well with the dress Elladan had gifted her, and it was no surprise when he asked her for the first dance. Rumil wondered, briefly, which would make the better image; the two dancing, or the kiss that ensured that the first ribbon in her hair was black, embroidered with a white tree and seven stars.
It was strange to celebrate without Orophin and Lithôniel, or Galanthir, but he knew Tindómë was happy that Tharhîwon had returned from Lord Aulë’s forge in time to celebrate. He also knew that she was keeping a watchful eye on this son-of-the-heart, for this was his first such celebration without Gimli.
Rumil watched Tharhîwon, too. His fairly regular lover, Nithdur, was visiting relatives who lived further up the coast, before some of them would join a group heading West. Tharhîwon looked to be enjoying himself; dancing, kissing ellyth, and gifting ribbons. But, the sea being calm, there were plans to spend part of the day on Heart of Eryn Ithil, and Tharhîwon preferred to stay on dry land; he did not have happy memories of crossing the Sundering Sea. Last year, when many of them had enjoyed such a day on the sea, Tharhîwon and Nithdur had spent the day with Gimli. Rumil hoped this did not mean that this year their ‘winter elfling’ would spend it without any of his close friends.
The first elves began to jump the fire as the sky began to lighten over the sea, and Rumil stood with his arms around his wife at this, her own time of day.
“You will have to jump alone,” she said, sounding rather wistful.
He did. It felt odd, for he had always jumped with Orophin. But it would not be for long. Surely Aran Thranduil would arrive within the next year or two, and then Rumil and his family could set out to join Orophin and the others, their promise to Legolas fulfilled.
He watched Haldirin jump, then Tharhîwon right behind him, and felt his spirit lift as he saw Haldirin and Rhîwen take Tharhîwon between them, and move off towards the hobbit hole, carrying food and wine.
“We can stop worrying about him,” he said to Tindómë, nodding at the three arm-in-arm. “And do not deny that you worried that he might choose to stay ashore alone.”
Haldirin had once told him that “Thar is happiest, and most relaxed, when his is the middle hröa of three, being both filled and filling. Because, deep inside, there is still the elfling who was so alone and cold.”
Rumil was glad that the pair would keep the ellon, who was as a brother to one and shared a name with the other, from memories of frozen loneliness. Tindómë smiled when she saw the three together as well, but there was a distinct feeling, through their bond, that she was also amused.
Silently she told him that it was probably as well that the Smiths’ mother did not know that the idea of Haldirin and Rhîwen adding this ‘brother’ as a third was seen, by these ‘Wild Wood Elves’, as perfectly reasonable. She would most certainly think all three were severely tainted by evil.
And she added that, at least on this occasion, she had decided she was very glad it was Rumil’s mother who was her law-mother!
…………………………
Spending time out in the bay this way was very pleasant, Elladan thought. They had been out in smaller boats with some of their Telerin cousins, and with Grandmother Gull and Captain Grandfather, but the only other time they had been in a ship this size they had been approaching the unknown and looking to their destination, rather than simply enjoying the experience.
At present he was sitting on a coil of rope in the sunshine, enjoying the sensation of Iltatamë combing his hair to help it dry for, like many of the others, they had spent time in the sea, then rinsed the salt off with dippers of sun-warmed water from a barrel on the deck. Elrohir and Naltatamë were playing a complex board game with Ithilienne and Cîrdoron, a couple of the Telerin cousins were fishing, Rumil and Tindómë had gone below, whilst Legolas sat in his leggings, wet hair in a single braid down his bare back, out on the bow-spit, watching a distant pod of dolphins.
Earlier Legolas had encouraged the twins to climb with him up into the rigging, from where you could see not only much of the land along the coast, and the cloud topped mountains of the Pelori but, looking East, Tol Eressëa. There were more cousins there that they had yet to meet, and offers to take them there, but that trip would have to wait for they planned a visit, first, to their foreparents Elu Thingol and Melian.
Grandmother Gull had given them the wonderful catch-all phrase ‘foremother’ when she has spoken of ‘our foremother Melian’, and they had now extended it to more or less everyone in their family tree that was more than three or so generations away.
Grandmother Gull had suggested they should make this visit after a conversation Elladan had with her about binding vows. They should spend time with her family, she said; these particular foreparents wanted to see them, and they would meet their fellow twins Eluréd and Elurín. But mainly because she thought that, as one of the maia, Melian would be the relative most likely to be able to advise them on the subject of soul bonds.
The conversation that night had started with Elladan’s observation that the more time he and Elrohir spent with Iltatamë and Naltatamë, the less any of them seemed drawn more to one of the opposite pair than the other. They were reaching a point where they had begun to wonder if it was possible for all four to become betrothed and then soul bound together?
They had all been taught, as had everyone else they knew, that the final binding vows were made when a couple were joined hröa to hröa and at the edge of flight. Did Grandmother Gull know if it was essential that you were fully joined to take the vows? If it was, then they could see how two ellyn and one elleth could be bound together, but not even the other way around, let alone two ellyn to each be joined to both ellyth at the same time. They wondered if a bond would ‘take’ if both the Els were to bind, that way, with first one of the ellyth, if they were betrothed, and then the other? Or, once you had made the vows, was it not possible to form a bond with another even if all four wanted it?
Truth be told, neither Elladan nor Elrohir could now visualise a future without Iltatamë in it as well as her twin, but it might have been much easier if they had been drawn to Naltatamë alone.
They knew they could simply bind as two separate couples but still enjoy the desires of the body together, but that felt wrong. How would you decide who shared the closer bond with who? Toss a coin? They thought it might be better to remain as they were now for the rest of time, than that.
Still, Elladan thought, this was not the place for further thought on the subject. He could feel Ilti agreeing with him, his thoughts had leaked across to her as she was so close to him.
Best, he thought, to enjoy the day and worry about the future tomorrow.
He smiled at her, then “Hmm…” he said silently, using the very tight focus he and Elrohir utilised to only be heard by each other, “What is it worth for you to not be distracted from your game by Ilti and I retiring below…?
........................................................................................................