[Belin]

*****Rivendell*****

In unspoken agreement, Elladan and Elrohir set off along the corridors, in search of a person they had not named once during the journey, though she was present in both their minds.

They explored the halls cautiously, Elrohir in uncomfortable silence, and Elladan, after the first few moments, unconsciously began humming once again. His brother gave him a look of despair, but he was preoccupied and didn't notice.

Two elves they hadn't seen before rounded the corner ahead of them, talking to each other. They stopped when they caught sight of Elladan and Elrohir, glancing at each other as if satisfied at having found the singer.

Elrohir nodded at them irritably, ready to simply walk past, but they addressed the brothers in tones of welcome and introduced themselves as Orodan, prince of Mirkwood, and Nefros.

They exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes, Elrohir hiding his impatience less and less effectively. "It is good to see you here. The king invites all, as we've seen."

"All have suffered in the war, and all have concerns that must be addressed," answered Elladan, in a bored voice.

"Indeed," said Orodan, "some by choice and some not. Our brother has left us." He paused thoughtfully, and added, almost to himself, "On the other hand, some make sacrifices willingly where others would not."

Suddenly Elrohir's full attention was upon him. "What?" he asked, in a quiet voice.

The Mirkwood elves looked at him. His face was calm, and so was his voice, but the intensity of his gaze disquieted them. Neither answered.

"Elrohir..." said Elladan, in an undertone.

"Are you talking about my sister?" continued Elrohir, in the same unperturbed voice as before.

Orodan and Nefros continued staring, less and less certain of themselves. "What exactly are you..." started Orodan. Elladan interceded.

"My brother takes things personally. I apologize. We really must be going." He resolutely continued down the hall, giving Elrohir a look of warning.

------------------------------------------
Arwen, it seemed, was busy, and, for all practical purposes, unfindable. Discouraged, the brothers wandered out into the streets to look around the city. They'd barely left the gates before they met up with their old traveling companions, the dwarves, again.

As they began to talk, only Elladan noticed that the tone of their stories was nearly identical.

[ November 10, 2002: Message edited by: Belin ]

[ November 10, 2002: Message edited by: Belin ]