After Elrond finished examining his sons and tending to their wounds, he turned softly to look at his wife and daughter.
"They are stable now, but they need to rest. Let us leave them be."
The two women in the room nodded in agreement and were just preparing to step outside when Elladan's anxious voice from his bed stopped them.
"Where is Thoron? Is he alright?"
Elladan was genuinely deeply concerned for his loyal falcon, who had been struck by a crossbow bolt during the battle.
Meanwhile, at the far end of the corridor, a peaceful silence reigned in Arwen's elegantly decorated, princess-worthy chamber. Resting upon a soft cotton cushion inside a custom-made stone birdhouse lay the bandaged falcon, languid and still. Right beside him sat a large bowl containing pieces of dried meat, a few fresh worms, and insects. Waking from his slumber, the falcon turned his head with tranquil grace, gently picked up a piece of meat with his beak, tossed it slightly into the air, and swallowed it with practiced ease. He seemed utterly content with his situation; after finishing his meal, he let out a deep sigh and dozed off once more.
Returning to the twins' chamber, Arwen leaned toward the bed and answered in a soothing voice.
"He is fine, brother, do not worry. He is resting in my room."
Hearing this, the twins finally breathed a sigh of relief. Their bodies remained as motionless as if paralyzed due to the severe wounds they had sustained; they simply lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling. Elrohir swallowed hard and asked in a dry voice.
"Father, how many more days will we lie here like this?"
Elrond weighed the situation thoughtfully for a moment before speaking.
"I am not entirely certain. But you will be back on your feet in no less than five and no more than eight days. Soon, I will tell you the true reason you are here."
The twins murmured in unison.
"Understood."
Elrond gave a slight nod before turning his back and heading for the door. Just before stepping out, Celebrian glanced over her shoulder at her children and smiled warmly.
"I will come to visit you again. I will ask the kitchens to prepare something; you must be starving."
The twins responded to their mother's deep affection with immense gratitude in their voices.
"Thank you, Mother."
Celebrian acknowledged them and walked out the door with graceful steps. Then, Arwen chimed in cheerfully.
"I will come back too. I will bring your favorite fruits."
Knowing the true value of having such a thoughtful sister, a faint smile graced the brothers' faces. Elrohir murmured quietly.
"Thank you, sister."
Arwen smiled and left the room, following her mother. Elrond was the last to leave. Just before closing the door, he offered one final word of advice.
"Rest well."
The door clicked shut softly. However, there was one thing Elrond did not know; his sons were not going to rest as peacefully as he presumed.
In the adjacent room, Igris was staring with curious eyes at the ancient parchment in his hands. Little Estel, meanwhile, was leaning against the doorframe, nervously keeping watch. Igris smirked, carefully rolling up the parchment in his hand, and placed it back inside the chest.
"Wow! I had no idea our Orc hunter possessed such poetic talent."
Hearing this, Estel furrowed his brows and looked at Igris.
"I thought you couldn't read Elvish script?"
Igris shrugged as he continued to tidy the contents of the chest.
"I said I didn't know the Quenya tongue. My Sindarin isn't too bad."
Terrified of being caught, Estel whispered nervously.
"Mr. Igris. Would you please stop now?"
Igris shot a brief, glaring look at the anxious child standing behind him. Then, conceding defeat, he let out a heavy sigh and closed the lid of the chest.
"Whatever, I've already looked at everything anyway."
He stood up and stretched, popping his joints. Just as he took a step toward the door, it swung open unexpectedly, and a guard walked in.
"The twins are available, Mr. Igris."
Hearing this, Igris nodded in acknowledgment. Then he turned to Estel with a mischievous smirk.
"Shall we go, brat?"
Relieved to finally be free of this unauthorized search and the heavy moral dilemma it brought, Estel took a deep, comforting breath. He nodded eagerly and quickly slipped out of the room. Seeing his frantic state, Igris smiled mockingly and shook his head.
They walked down the corridor and headed for the twins' room. Igris unceremoniously pushed the door open and stepped inside. As the twins, lying paralyzed in their beds, startled at the sound of the sudden intrusion, Igris crossed his arms over his chest and chuckled derisively.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You didn't believe me when I told you you were old, and now you can't even get out of bed? I'd say it's time to start thinking about retirement."
An annoyed yet amused smile crept onto the twins' faces at these words. Elrohir fired back with a stubborn tone.
"How many times do I have to tell you that we are not old, brat?"
Igris rolled his eyes in feigned exasperation.
"The moment you call me a brat, you are already accepting your old age, Lord Elrohir."
He had deliberately dragged out the end of the sentence, delivering it in a highly mocking tone. Elladan, lying in the adjacent bed, chuckled.
"Don't push him too hard, Igris. He is going to need a walking cane soon."
Igris raised his eyebrows, pretending to be astonished.
"My, my. My poor grandpa, I will carve a cane for you with my own two hands."
Accompanied by this delightful banter, Igris calmly walked further into the room, with Estel following timidly behind him. The guards at the door stared after them in bewilderment at this overly familiar exchange before slowly pulling the door shut.
Unable to move from his bed, Elrohir grumbled unhappily.
"Would you like this grandpa to break that cane over your head?"
Igris giggled mockingly.
"Learn how to walk first, and then we'll discuss it."
Elrohir narrowed his eyes and spoke with disdain.
"Just don't run away in fear when I recover. Learning to walk is the easy part."
Igris kept laughing.
"Let's not call it running away. It's just customary not to strike the elderly, and I'd hate to beat you up."
Growing thoroughly cranky, Elrohir scoffed.
"You? Beat me up? Hah! Maybe in 7000 years."
Igris paused for a second and smirked cunningly.
"Don't forget what happened the last time you said that. Also, do not threaten me; right now, you look like a sacrificial lamb served up on a silver platter."
Hearing this, Elrohir suddenly realized his own helplessness and practically choked on his own spit. Elladan, on the other hand, was struggling to hold back a fit of laughter.
"Brother... I agree. Don't provoke the man while you're in this state."
Igris nodded in agreement. Then, he leaned a little closer to the bed to look Elrohir dead in the eye and flashed a diabolical grin.
"Listen to your brother, Mr. Elrohir~ or you might just wake up bald one morning. Hehehehe~"
While Elrohir shuddered violently at this horrific threat, Elladan could no longer contain himself and burst into loud laughter.
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
Estel, watching all of this unfold from the sidelines, was frozen in shock. Observing this bizarre dynamic between the twins and Igris, he now understood perfectly well why Igris had been so comfortable snooping through Elladan's room moments ago. When Igris shot him a mischievous glance over his shoulder, poor Estel trembled involuntarily. Igris straightened up and spoke calmly.
"Brat, watch closely."
He pointed at the bed on the right.
"This grumpy old man's name is Elrohir."
Elrohir's eyebrow twitched with rage as he muttered through gritted teeth.
"Just wait until I get on my feet. I'll show you old, you bastard."
Completely unfazed, Igris gestured to the one lying on the left.
"And this is his twin brother, Elladan."
Lying with his body locked in paralysis just like his brother, only able to stare at the ceiling, Elladan finally noticed Estel's presence and asked curiously.
"Who is that with you, Igris?"
Igris giggled mischievously. Suddenly, he grabbed Estel by the armpits and hoisted him into the air. Lifted off the ground, Estel was thoroughly bewildered and began to squirm uncomfortably in mid-air.
"What are you doing!?"
Igris laughed with sheer delight.
"Stop squirming, brat! I have to hold you up so they can see you!"
Hearing this, Estel instantly stopped flailing and went stiff as a board, while the sightless Elrohir asked impatiently.
"What is going on over there?"
Igris ignored him. Holding the ten-year-old boy by the armpits—much like the baboon holding up Simba in the Lion King animation—he brought him up to a level where the stiff-necked Elladan could see him.
"Elladan! Look, this is your foster brother, Estel!"
As Estel hung suspended in the air in a mix of embarrassment and astonishment, Elladan stared blankly at the boy's face for a moment. In the other bed, Elrohir suddenly went dead silent. The playful mood in the room vanished instantly, replaced by a strange, heavy atmosphere. As Elladan traced the features on the boy's face, he thought with a heavy heart.
'So this is Aragorn, son of Arathorn...'
Melancholic memories of the past rushed into the twins' minds in that very second. They remembered their comrade Arathorn, who had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with them eight years ago. On the day they set out to raid an Orc camp, they had walked into a devastating ambush. The brave man, the current Chieftain of the Dúnedain and the rightful King of Gondor, had been struck in the eye and died on the spot. Blaming themselves for Arathorn's death, the twins had wiped every surrounding Orc tribe off the face of the earth in a blind rage of pain and fury. When their bloody work was done, they delivered the bitter news to their father, Elrond, requesting that Arathorn's wife, Gilraen, be provided for. Gilraen, however, had wished to seek refuge in Rivendell with her son, and Elrond had gladly taken this orphaned boy—the future King of Gondor—under his protection.
While they wrestled with the ghosts of their past and Estel hung frozen, clueless as to what he should do, Igris broke the dramatic silence with a fake sigh.
"My, my. I am sorry, kid, but it looks like these two old timers haven't accepted you."
Snapped out of their reverie, the twins jolted and shouted in unison.
"STOP STIRRING UP TROUBLE!"
To dispel the tense atmosphere, Elladan took a deep breath and smiled softly.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Estel."
Snapping out of his shock while still dangling in the air, Estel nodded frantically.
"P-pleased to meet you too, Lord Elladan."
Elladan chuckled genuinely.
"Just Elladan will be fine."
Estel smiled, visibly relieved.
"Alright, Elladan."
Then, he tilted his gaze upward and glared at Igris, who was still holding him.
"Will you put me down now?"
Igris maintained his roguish smirk.
"No way~ let's go show you to the other old man."
As Estel grew exasperated once more, Igris kept him suspended in the air and sidestepped toward the adjacent bed, bringing the boy perfectly into Elrohir's line of sight. Wearing a highly awkward expression brought on by this bizarre predicament, Estel gave a tiny wave of his hand.
"Hello, Lord Elrohir."
Just like his brother, Elrohir let out a warm chuckle and echoed the same sentiment.
"Call me Elrohir."
Estel nodded in agreement, then craned his neck to look over his shoulder again. By now, he was getting genuinely annoyed.
"There, are you happy? Put me down on the floor now!"
Igris laughed, acting as though he were conceding defeat.
"Alright, alright~ don't get mad, little guy."
Igris finally set the boy down. With his feet planted firmly on the floor and his freedom restored, Estel took a deep, liberating breath. Meanwhile, Elrohir asked curiously.
"Why did you come here, Igris?"
Igris shrugged nonchalantly.
"I was worried that your wounds might actually kill you due to your old age."
While Elrohir chose not to dignify this with an answer and stayed silent, Elladan's dry chuckle drifted from the neighboring bed.
"Alright, stop joking around. We get it, you were worried about us."
After stifling his laughter, Igris revealed the true reason for his visit.
"I also brought you food. A meal I prepared myself."
The twins, who hadn't eaten a proper meal in days, realized just how famished they were the moment they heard those words. In the quiet of the room, the loud rumbling of both their stomachs echoed out.
Grrrr~
While Estel stared in bewilderment at the sound erupting from the stomachs of two mighty Elves, Igris smirked and raised his eyebrows.
"Ah~ it seems you are hungry."
Elrohir asked with an eager and curious tone.
"What did you make this time?"
While answering with utmost nonchalance, Igris gently helped Elrohir shift from his prone state into a semi-seated position.
"I tried a few new varieties. You could say it is quite different from what I used to cook when traveling with you."
Igris gave his hand a slight wave in the air. Suddenly, a small wooden dining table materialized, fitting perfectly across Elrohir's bed. Seeing this, Elrohir raised his eyebrows in astonishment.
"So you found something else to replace the spatial pouch I gave you."
Yielding none of his secrets, Igris just shrugged and offered a faint smile.
"What can I say? Everything changes with time."
Then, he retrieved piping hot, steaming dishes from his inventory one by one, arranging them on the table before Elrohir. The exquisite aroma of the food filled the nostrils of the Elf, who had been exhausted for days. Igris then turned to Estel, flashing a cunning grin.
"Alright, kid. Help Lord Elrohir eat. He is too sick to feed himself right now."
As Estel nodded without a word of protest, the face of Elrohir—who was about to be spoon-fed like an infant—sank. He looked utterly miserable. Igris, meanwhile, calmly strolled over to Elladan's side.
---
If you like Naruto, check out my two new fanfics. One is multiverse themed and the other is about everyday life. You can find them on my profile. Their names are:
My curious adventures with the Nine-Tailed Fox
Uchiha: My Brother Came Back... but not alone...