Day 20 - The Choice of the Peredhil
Title: The Choice of the Peredhil
Author: Grundy (jerseyfabulous)
Rating: FR13
Crossover: LotR
Disclaimer: No money is being made here, it's all in good fun.
Summary: Buffy's brothers make their choice.
Word Count: 1440
Note: I'm down to the wire, so while I feel like I may have used this title once before (last year?), I don't have the time to trawl back through previous entries to make sure. The fic is new, though - just finished writing it. Sorry the 'more cheerful' part doesn't seem to have taken.
In the depths of the night, the healing hall of Imladris was quiet. The sole patient slept deeply.
Her oldest brother did not.
“You should have sought your own bed hours ago, hanar,” Elladan said softly as he entered, careful not to wake his small sister.
His twin did not reply, but the tensing of his shoulders made it clear that he would not be persuaded to leave.
Elladan came to stand next to Elrohir, shoulder to shoulder. The first born child of Elrond had kept vigil at his sister’s bedside long after the rest of their family had gone to rest.
“She is in no danger, and Ada says she is unlikely to wake before noon.”
Still no response.
Elladan sighed.
Asleep, his small golden haired sister looked serene, peaceful in a way she rarely let herself be in her waking hours. With no light save the scant new moon, one could not see the bruises that covered her. The splint on her injured arm he could still see, but the jaw immobilization did not show, and the blanket hid most of the rest.
The rockslide in the mountains to the north had been sudden, giving Anariel only a split second to react. But she had, instantly- she had pushed Xander to safety without hesitation. Elladan was certain that given the same situation, she would act exactly as she had again, even knowing the cost to herself.
Xander had then taken the foolish risk of restraining a frantic elf who had his advantage in both height and mass, as despite his centuries of experience, Elrohir had looked set to follow his sister down.
“You won’t help her that way!” Xander had snapped, doing his best to pull Elrohir back from the edge.
Elladan had known at once the truth in those words, and turned to his pack without delay. Elrohir had continued to watch Anariel’s progress down the steep slope amid several tons of rock. Thanks to his twin, Elladan knew that their small sister had been relatively unscathed until the rocks began to encounter trees further down.
By the time Elrohir was prepared to move in a way that would not endanger himself, Elladan had rope at the ready. They had needed to walk some distance before they found a section of the cliff Elladan judged safe enough to lower his twin down to a point where he could climb the rest of the way to their sister safely. Then he and Xander had sought a path for themselves and the horses.
When they reached her, Anariel had been awake, more or less. Though she was in great pain, she did at least seem to recognize her brothers. They had been distressed to discover that she had apparently lost all Sindarin again. Xander assured them that though the words might be in the California tongue, it was her big brothers they were directed to, not him.
She had drifted in and out of consciousness as they worked to free her from the rocks that trapped her and began to tend her injuries. Despite her accelerated healing, Anariel would not bounce back from this in only a day or two. Besides the arm that had not only nearly been severed but also crushed, damaging both flesh and bone, she had broken both jaw and leg.
The rest of that day had been spent in doing what they could for their sister, and awaiting their father’s arrival, which had not been until dark.
The progress back to Imladris had been slow, taking several days where a healthy rider would have needed only one, two if their pace was unusually easy. But Anariel’s injuries had been so severe that they had to travel carefully, bearing her in a sling between horses, her limbs in splints, and seeking a route that would be as even as possible.
The party returning Anariel had been surprised to find Arwen arriving at the house at the same time they did - she had been aware of her little sister’s peril, and set out from Lothlorien without delay. She had the advantage of being able to ride at speed, and Celeborn himself had escorted her, no doubt as concerned as she was.
Elrond had settled his daughter, making her as comfortable as possible under the circumstances, and she had been much fussed over by her mother, older sister, and grandfather until she had drifted off to sleep.
Elrohir had not moved since.
“You could not have prevented this,” Elladan told his brother. “It was an accident that might have happened to any one of us.”
His twin turned at last.
“I know,” he admitted, though his voice was filled with doubt.
“It may be lucky that it was our sister,” Elladan continued. “She barely survived, with her ‘surfing’ and her fast healing. I do not know that either of us could have done it.”
He did not need to say aloud that Xander certainly would not have.
She nearly didn’t Elrohir said, his distress too great for speech. I spoke with Xander - the question she asked when I first reached her was why I was saying ‘stay’ when before I had said ‘come’.
Elladan shivered. He understood at once what his twin meant - the first command had not been her brother speaking. Mandos had been calling her - and only Elrohir bidding her to stay had prevented her from heeding him.
“I felt her feä flicker,” Elrohir continued, his tone hollow. I thought we were going to lose her again.
The older children of Elrond will never be able to forget the tragedy that had sundered them from their mother and younger sister, with no hint of their fate until their sudden return.
But Elladan felt that there was more to his twin’s distress than merely the thought that they had nearly lost their sister a second time. He waited patiently until he was able to put it into words.
“My choice is made,” Elrohir admitted quietly. “I am sorry, El. I know we always said we would decide together. But as I watched her fall, I realized that if she did not survive, I would not return to Imladris. And I felt in my feä that my decision was known and could not be undone.”
“You would have ridden to the Havens and taken ship,” Elladan whispered in shock. “Why?”
His twin’s anguished eyes found his.
“When we believed her dead all those years, at least we knew naneth was with her,” he explained. “But this time it was only her. How could I let my baby sister go to what is really another strange land, this time all alone?”
“We have kin there,” Elladan pointed out. “If she were reborn before the rest of us arrived, they would have looked after her.”
“She does not know them,” Elrohir replied quietly. “All would be unfamiliar to her, even the language. I am her older brother. I could not fail her twice.”
Elladan put an arm around his twin. Elrohir had taken the disappearance of Celebrian and Anariel hard, for a while believing he did not deserve his name when he could not even protect his own mother and sister. To have nearly lost Anariel again, and before his very eyes…
“You did not,” he told his brother firmly. “Anariel lives, and soon she will be well enough to tell you herself how silly you are. As for having decided, your decision is mine also as you well know. We will not be parted.”
As he spoke, Elladan felt the same certainty his twin had spoken of that his choice had been acknowledged. They were of the Eldar now, irrevocably.
In truth, he could not imagine choosing differently than his twin. They had been sure of that for as long as they had known of the choice that faced them - that they could not be sundered forever as their father and uncle had been. They have seen their father’s pain, well concealed though it was.
And he also could not see allowing Anariel to go West alone.
“We should tell Nana and Ada,” Elladan said. “And Tinu and Arwen. They will surely want to know.”
“Should we?” Elrohir asked. “I would not want them to feel they must choose as we have. The choice is given to each of us.”
Elladan snorted.
“Tindomiel has said with confidence since she first learned of the choice that she would go with the Eldar,” he pointed out. “Though I suppose her decision will only be accepted once she is of age. And Arwen is the most elven - the most Noldorin - of us all. I cannot imagine her choosing mortality.”
Author: Grundy (jerseyfabulous)
Rating: FR13
Crossover: LotR
Disclaimer: No money is being made here, it's all in good fun.
Summary: Buffy's brothers make their choice.
Word Count: 1440
Note: I'm down to the wire, so while I feel like I may have used this title once before (last year?), I don't have the time to trawl back through previous entries to make sure. The fic is new, though - just finished writing it. Sorry the 'more cheerful' part doesn't seem to have taken.
In the depths of the night, the healing hall of Imladris was quiet. The sole patient slept deeply.
Her oldest brother did not.
“You should have sought your own bed hours ago, hanar,” Elladan said softly as he entered, careful not to wake his small sister.
His twin did not reply, but the tensing of his shoulders made it clear that he would not be persuaded to leave.
Elladan came to stand next to Elrohir, shoulder to shoulder. The first born child of Elrond had kept vigil at his sister’s bedside long after the rest of their family had gone to rest.
“She is in no danger, and Ada says she is unlikely to wake before noon.”
Still no response.
Elladan sighed.
Asleep, his small golden haired sister looked serene, peaceful in a way she rarely let herself be in her waking hours. With no light save the scant new moon, one could not see the bruises that covered her. The splint on her injured arm he could still see, but the jaw immobilization did not show, and the blanket hid most of the rest.
The rockslide in the mountains to the north had been sudden, giving Anariel only a split second to react. But she had, instantly- she had pushed Xander to safety without hesitation. Elladan was certain that given the same situation, she would act exactly as she had again, even knowing the cost to herself.
Xander had then taken the foolish risk of restraining a frantic elf who had his advantage in both height and mass, as despite his centuries of experience, Elrohir had looked set to follow his sister down.
“You won’t help her that way!” Xander had snapped, doing his best to pull Elrohir back from the edge.
Elladan had known at once the truth in those words, and turned to his pack without delay. Elrohir had continued to watch Anariel’s progress down the steep slope amid several tons of rock. Thanks to his twin, Elladan knew that their small sister had been relatively unscathed until the rocks began to encounter trees further down.
By the time Elrohir was prepared to move in a way that would not endanger himself, Elladan had rope at the ready. They had needed to walk some distance before they found a section of the cliff Elladan judged safe enough to lower his twin down to a point where he could climb the rest of the way to their sister safely. Then he and Xander had sought a path for themselves and the horses.
When they reached her, Anariel had been awake, more or less. Though she was in great pain, she did at least seem to recognize her brothers. They had been distressed to discover that she had apparently lost all Sindarin again. Xander assured them that though the words might be in the California tongue, it was her big brothers they were directed to, not him.
She had drifted in and out of consciousness as they worked to free her from the rocks that trapped her and began to tend her injuries. Despite her accelerated healing, Anariel would not bounce back from this in only a day or two. Besides the arm that had not only nearly been severed but also crushed, damaging both flesh and bone, she had broken both jaw and leg.
The rest of that day had been spent in doing what they could for their sister, and awaiting their father’s arrival, which had not been until dark.
The progress back to Imladris had been slow, taking several days where a healthy rider would have needed only one, two if their pace was unusually easy. But Anariel’s injuries had been so severe that they had to travel carefully, bearing her in a sling between horses, her limbs in splints, and seeking a route that would be as even as possible.
The party returning Anariel had been surprised to find Arwen arriving at the house at the same time they did - she had been aware of her little sister’s peril, and set out from Lothlorien without delay. She had the advantage of being able to ride at speed, and Celeborn himself had escorted her, no doubt as concerned as she was.
Elrond had settled his daughter, making her as comfortable as possible under the circumstances, and she had been much fussed over by her mother, older sister, and grandfather until she had drifted off to sleep.
Elrohir had not moved since.
“You could not have prevented this,” Elladan told his brother. “It was an accident that might have happened to any one of us.”
His twin turned at last.
“I know,” he admitted, though his voice was filled with doubt.
“It may be lucky that it was our sister,” Elladan continued. “She barely survived, with her ‘surfing’ and her fast healing. I do not know that either of us could have done it.”
He did not need to say aloud that Xander certainly would not have.
She nearly didn’t Elrohir said, his distress too great for speech. I spoke with Xander - the question she asked when I first reached her was why I was saying ‘stay’ when before I had said ‘come’.
Elladan shivered. He understood at once what his twin meant - the first command had not been her brother speaking. Mandos had been calling her - and only Elrohir bidding her to stay had prevented her from heeding him.
“I felt her feä flicker,” Elrohir continued, his tone hollow. I thought we were going to lose her again.
The older children of Elrond will never be able to forget the tragedy that had sundered them from their mother and younger sister, with no hint of their fate until their sudden return.
But Elladan felt that there was more to his twin’s distress than merely the thought that they had nearly lost their sister a second time. He waited patiently until he was able to put it into words.
“My choice is made,” Elrohir admitted quietly. “I am sorry, El. I know we always said we would decide together. But as I watched her fall, I realized that if she did not survive, I would not return to Imladris. And I felt in my feä that my decision was known and could not be undone.”
“You would have ridden to the Havens and taken ship,” Elladan whispered in shock. “Why?”
His twin’s anguished eyes found his.
“When we believed her dead all those years, at least we knew naneth was with her,” he explained. “But this time it was only her. How could I let my baby sister go to what is really another strange land, this time all alone?”
“We have kin there,” Elladan pointed out. “If she were reborn before the rest of us arrived, they would have looked after her.”
“She does not know them,” Elrohir replied quietly. “All would be unfamiliar to her, even the language. I am her older brother. I could not fail her twice.”
Elladan put an arm around his twin. Elrohir had taken the disappearance of Celebrian and Anariel hard, for a while believing he did not deserve his name when he could not even protect his own mother and sister. To have nearly lost Anariel again, and before his very eyes…
“You did not,” he told his brother firmly. “Anariel lives, and soon she will be well enough to tell you herself how silly you are. As for having decided, your decision is mine also as you well know. We will not be parted.”
As he spoke, Elladan felt the same certainty his twin had spoken of that his choice had been acknowledged. They were of the Eldar now, irrevocably.
In truth, he could not imagine choosing differently than his twin. They had been sure of that for as long as they had known of the choice that faced them - that they could not be sundered forever as their father and uncle had been. They have seen their father’s pain, well concealed though it was.
And he also could not see allowing Anariel to go West alone.
“We should tell Nana and Ada,” Elladan said. “And Tinu and Arwen. They will surely want to know.”
“Should we?” Elrohir asked. “I would not want them to feel they must choose as we have. The choice is given to each of us.”
Elladan snorted.
“Tindomiel has said with confidence since she first learned of the choice that she would go with the Eldar,” he pointed out. “Though I suppose her decision will only be accepted once she is of age. And Arwen is the most elven - the most Noldorin - of us all. I cannot imagine her choosing mortality.”