The next morning found the bed empty and the elfling gone. The twins weren't certain when he left, where he went or if he would return. All they could do is hope he returned with help.
Bread from the night before served as their breakfast. It wasn't filling by any means but was slightly better than nothing. Their bath was just a quick dip in the spring near the cabin. It was of minimal value since they had to slip right back into the same clothes they wore the day and night before. It did refresh them though, and gave them time to consider whether to wait for the elfling or explore the forest. Elrohir was all for leaving the cabin behind. Elladan realized that their best chance for help lay with a young elfling that did not speak.
They were deep in discussion about their best course of action when the elfling returned carrying a toy. It was a wooden elf complete with quiver and bow. Without anything in the way of greeting, he walked over to Elladan and sat down on the floor. The twins looked at one another in puzzlement when he held his toy out to the elder twin.
"Thank you pen'neth but this isn't the best time to play. It is a fine archer though. Have you eaten this morning?"
The elfling looked slightly perplexed at the older elf's disinterest in the toy archer. He turned the toy over and found a wooden pin. When he removed it, the quiver came off and revealed that the body was hollow. Stuffed inside was a small piece of parchment. He retrieved it and handed it to Elladan.
Elrohir peered over his brother's shoulder as he read. The note was written in elegant Quenya script. It obviously was not the work of an elfling. It was written by a well educated elf with resources. The parchment was of good quality. This was noted by both brothers.
'Remain hidden. If not for my nephew, your dead bodies would be feeding the crows right now. The elves guarding this place are distrustful of outsiders. Don't trust their hospitality or hope for mercy from them. The nature of your appearance has perked my curiosity but keep in mind that your lives depend on my nephew. If he is put in danger, I won't think twice about consigning you to the justice of the lord of this place.
'You will be taken to a more secure location. Food and water will be provided. When it can be arranged, a savant will hear your story. If any can understand such things as elves appearing out of mist, it is him.'
Elladan looked at the elfling and asked, "Do you know what this says?"
The elfling nodded as he put his toy back together. Then he stood up and gestured for the elves to follow him back toward the tunnel.
"It is too small and dark pen'neth. Is there another way?"
There was, but he wasn't about to show it to them. His guardians schooled him well. His safety depended on the maze of tunnels. Danger was kept at a minimum for so long as the cabin's existence and access remained a highly guarded secret. He looked from the hole to the twins and back again.
It was with great relief that the twins watched him retrieve a small torch that they had overlooked. There was no fire in the cabin, but they did find flint that had seen use in starting fires in the past. Elladan made quick work of getting one started and lighting the torch.
The elfling went down into the tunnel and waited for the twins to follow. He could traverse the tunnel fairly easily, but the twins had to crawl slowly while keeping the torch out in front of them in order to see where they were going. Although it was impossible to accurately judge distance, it felt like they crawled about half a mile before dim light shown from the tunnel's end.
The opening was just large enough for the elves to slip through. After climbing out, they camouflaged the entrance and crawled through the surrounding brush. Although the brush was prickly and relatively dense, Elrohir was relieved to be in the sunshine once again. That relief proved to be short lived. Almost immediately, both twins realized that they were not alone.
"Do not move pen'neth! Elladan, do you see them? A pack of wolves is just over there."
Quietly, Elladan responded, "It is probably the pack that was close to the cabin last night. Move carefully back toward the tunnel. We need to get back to the cabin and formulate another way to get to the safe place mentioned in that note."
As if on cue, the wolves moved to block their access to the tunnel. Elrohir quickly surmised their situation. "They are herding us. We have no arms, so there is only one thing to do. We have to go forward till we reach trees that can be climbed."
The elfling paid no heed to the wolves and impatiently motioned for the twins to follow. He had no intention of assisting their efforts to evade his best protection.
The wolves maintained a distance. It allowed the twins to believe they might make it to a climbable tree when one was spotted. Of course, the elfling knew better. He kept in the brush, skirting the hill till it became rockier. The twins wouldn't have seen the entrance had the elfling not been there. To reach it, he climbed a small rock wall that was shielded by a brushy thicket. Suddenly, Elladan saw nothing but the elfling's feet as he disappeared into a small opening in the earth.
While the elfling made it inside, Elladan wasn't certain that he and his brother could do it. It would be a tight fit. However, when one of the wolves snarled, it was enough to propel their larger bodies inside.
The twins made it through the opening, but could not easily move about. They were forced to wriggle and crawl through tight passages while maneuvering a lighted torch. Claustrophobia was hitting the younger twin hard. Elrohir was in a cold sweat, but didn't slow down. Instead, he prayed to the Valar and told himself that if an elfling could do it, so could he. Elladan noted something that, in his panicked state, his brother did not; bat guano.
The elfling continued forward till the tunnel became larger and more comfortable for the twins to traverse. They had just become slightly more at ease when the tunnel opened up into a large cavern. The first thing that struck them was the beauty created by the many stalactites and stalagmites as they reflected the light of the torch. The second was the sound of bats.
The blood drained from Elrohir's face and his eyes were wide with fright. Elladan instantly grabbed him and held tight. "All is well, Ro. Pen'neth, stop for a moment. Try to calm down and listen to my voice, Ro. We are just going to walk through this room and go out on the other side. They won't attack us. Take the torch. The bats will avoid the fire. You know this."
Elladan held out the torch and Elrohir grabbed it like a life line. "We must go back!"
Elladan held his brother's shoulder, preventing him from moving. "We can't. Unless we keep moving forward and following our little friend, we are trapped. Those wolves are waiting for us outside. The tunnel is probably where the bats exit the cave at night. I know you don't want to stay there. Come on brother, we must put our trust in our little friend. He will lead us safely out of this cavern."
Although the elfling didn't like Elrohir nearly as well as his brother, he knew that he was terrified. He took the younger twin's free hand and walked as fast as his short little legs allowed. Finally, they came to the far end of the cavern. After a lot of wriggling and crawling, they immerged from a tight passage into a corridor that almost seemed to have been carved into stone by artists. The walls were littered with crystals.
A dim light appeared just ahead of them. Elrohir was very relieved to be able to see what was in front of them without having to rely on a sputtering torch. He was even more relieved to see that they had left the bats behind them!
Their destination was further than it seemed in the dark, and it was with great mutual relief that they finally arrived. It was a chamber lit by living rock. There were furs on the floor, food supplies and water. The chamber seemed to be a safe room of some sort. It had obviously been used before.
Although they were out of the tunnel, Elrohir was still suffering the after effects of claustrophobia and fear. He was fighting a panic attack, but it was a losing battle. Elladan tried to calm him, but his brother's fear of closed in spaces was great. Being deep inside the earth surrounded by rock and confronted by bats was simply too much. Elladan didn't particularly like caves either, but he did not fear them.
The elfling seemed not to be affected whatsoever. He was aware of Elrohir's panic though. Finally, when it seemed that Elrohir could take no more, the little one climbed into his lap and gave him a big hug. He stroked his hair and tried to comfort him as best an elfling could. Elladan was deeply touched.
They stayed that way, an elfling comforting an elf many years older, until Elrohir was able to compose himself enough to return the hug. "Thank you, pen'neth. Sometimes a hug is the best medicine."
The elfling stepped back and looked at Elrohir with concern. He was plainly not convinced that all was well. There was only so much that he could do though. In his short life, he had learned where to go when he didn't know what to do. He leaned forward and kissed Elrohir's cheek, signaled them to stay and hurried back down the tunnel.
"That is a very special elfling." Elladan couldn't help but be affected by the innocent attempt to calm his brother's fears.
"Aye, I hope that we can do something for him before we leave." Elrohir wondered about the little one's continued silence. If his ada was there, he would know if it had a physical cause.
"You say that like you are sure we will get out of here."
"I don't know why, but the empathy and kindness of that young elfling fills me with renewed hope. I misjudged him." Elrohir squeezed his brother's hand. "Have faith. We will see Imladris once again."
It seemed like days passed, but in truth it was only a few hours. Suddenly, a torch was thrust into the chamber. It was carried by a tall Noldo dressed in a rich black cape. His hand was held by their little friend. It was apparent that the elfling had gone for help.
"So you are the mysterious elves. My nephew says that you materialized out of mist. You are fortunate that he was the only witness. Very few have ever eluded the guards, and you'd not have enjoyed their welcome. Now, tell me how you came to be here. Your clothes mark you as outsiders used to a privileged lifestyle. They certainly aren't meant for hardship or battle, and unfortunately that is what life in this place holds. You look very much out of place. Where are you from?"
Elladan nodded. "Might I have your name? I would know how to address you."
"No, you may not. My nephew has heard you address one another as Elladan and Elrohir. He tells me that Elrohir is frightened." He turned to the twin with a sheen of cold sweat on his forehead. "That would be you, I assume. Our accommodations aren't meant to provide comfort. You will not be harmed by them though." He turned back to Elladan. "Now answer the question. Where are you from and how did you come to be here?"
Elladan recognized the voice of authority when he heard it. "We are from Imladris and our father is the lord of the valley. As for how we came to be here, it was completely by accident. The tale will sound odd, but please believe me when I tell it. There was a book on the desk of my ada's chief advisor. It was full of 'magic spells' and the like. We thought it was meant for the amusement of elflings but Ada's advisor is a very learned elf. Seeing that type book on his desk was curious, so we read one of the passages."
"I've never heard of a valley called Imladris." Then the elder elf smirked. "I take it that this advisor was not in the room when you looked at the book."
"Nay, he was not."
"If he is such a learned elf, would it not have been wise to have asked him about it?"
Elrohir coughed. "It would have been wise, but as Ada is fond of saying, we don't always think before acting."
The elf lifted an eyebrow. "That can get you killed."
"Aye, our father has uttered those very words many times unfortunately." Elrohir looked at his brother glumly. "If he gets an opportunity, he will do so once again."
"Let us hope that he gets that chance." The elf was unimpressed with the two elves standing before him. Two grown elves chanting magic spells, which by their own admission they thought to be written for the amusement of elflings, was ridiculous. They would not survive long with that outlook. It was time to send them back to the place from whence they came. "You read a book. Tell me what it said."
Elrohir quickly replied, "The last time we uttered those words we wound up here!"
The elf rolled his eyes. "The last time you were reciting some sort of spell. This time you are answering my question."
Elrohir took a deep breath and repeated an abbreviated version of the spell. Elladan looked slightly apprehensive, not altogether sure that they wouldn't be transported somewhere else. He was greatly relieved when nothing happened.
"I have come across the name Sucellos in my readings, but don't recall the context. Including the words 'for the betterment of all' is a different matter. It attaches a meaning to the spell or curse." The elf looked closely at the twins. "How would your appearance be for the betterment of all? There is the mystery. I can think of a few things that would improve life for us all, but doubt that any of them can be brought about by either of you." Suddenly the elf's expression became threatening. "I wonder if your appearance is intended to aid Morgoth in some way. Perhaps I should have you put to death, just in case."
The twins paled and cried out, "We are not here to aid Morgoth!"
The elder elf nodded. The only reason he mentioned Morgoth was to judge their reaction to his name. "I believe you." In fact, he knew that with the information they had, the only thing that the two elves might be able to do was relay their approximate location. Since they didn't know who they were dealing with, the information would be of no value.
Elladan looked at his brother and then the elfling. "There is one thing that I'd like to help with, if there is a need. I don't see how it would be for the 'betterment of all' though. Your nephew, if that is who he is, has yet to utter one word. If there is a physical problem, we have some training in the healing arts."
The elfling grinned and looked smug.
The older elf smiled fondly at the elfling. "You have done well pen'neth. You will be a fierce and brave warrior one day. There is nothing wrong with my nephew; quite the contrary. He is overly verbose to those he trusts, but neither of you is counted among that number. With his flute, he even accompanies the wolves and birds of the forest in their song. You met his woodland friends I assume. They are quite protective of their little elfling."
"If you mean a pack of wolves, we saw them. However, we did not introduce ourselves. The elfling's silence is the only thing that I've come up with." Elladan looked defeated. "Is it possible that we simply uttered the words, invoking the magic without purpose?"
"Follow me. You need to talk to someone that knows more about this type of thing than me. He is waiting, but has precious little time to waste."
The twins followed the elder elf out of the cave and around two sharp turns. They were shocked to see a door that opened into what looked like an office or small library. Their father would love to have seen it. There were many books, scrolls, maps and weapons on display. Both were certain that the weapons were not for show. They had been used. That wasn't as surprising to them as the wealth of knowledge that such a large amount of literature implied. None of the cottages that they had seen in their brief glimpse of the village had been large enough to include a room such as this. It was a puzzle, but one that would remain unsolved.
There was an elf leaning against a large desk. He was studying the twins with unmasked curiosity and distrust. The elfling's uncle guided them to the center of the room and stepped aside.
"What have we here? They aren't elves." The elf walked over to Elrohir and, without a by your leave, lifted his hair to reveal one of his ears. "The ears are not as distinct as the typical elven ear. I've seen a dead orc with similarly shaped ears, but not quite like these."
Elrohir tried to jerk away from the elf, but only succeeded in pulling his hair. A large section was held firmly in the elf's grasp. He snarled and started to make an ill conceived comment when Elladan interrupted.
"We are half-elfs."
The elf cocked his head and narrowed his eyes. "Half-elfs? What taints your elven blood enough to disfigure your ears?"
"That is a rather rude way to phrase it, don't you think?"
The inquisitive elf merely shrugged. "I'm sorry if my words cause you to be distressed. I am a loremaster and oddities interest me. Now answer the question. Why are your ears deformed?"
The elfling's uncle chuckled. "It will only get worse. Just answer his question. He may be a loremaster, but he can be blunt to the point of insult."
Thinking the reason to be an obvious one, Elladan replied, "Our mother is an elf, but our father is a half-elf. That is why the ears are different from your own."
The elves exchanged glances and the loremaster shrugged. "I've never heard of such a thing. What blood runs through your father's veins if not elven?"
Elrohir replied, "Ada's parents were half elf and half human."
The elfling's uncle furrowed his brow. "I've never seen a human before."
"You are speaking of the Edain?" The loremaster nodded. "I've read of them. Do they all look like you?"
Elrohir looked at them in amazement. "How is it that you have never seen the Secondborn? Humans are becoming more numerous than elves with their propensity to bear children as often as they do."
Elladan interjected, "We look like elves to the Edain. They are broader than the Firstborn and their ears are more rounded than ours. They age quickly. As they do, their skin wrinkles and hair turns grey. Also, the males tend to be hairy."
The elfling began squirming, prompting his uncle to say, "This is all fascinating, but they need to be sent back to their home."
The loremaster nodded. "This speaks of a different time. It is clear that you are from our future if the Edain are so numerous in your world. As tempted as I am to learn of what is to come, it might alter our future in some way. There is parchment and ink on the desk. Write the spell exactly as you recited it. It is extremely important that you get the wording right."
While the twins conferred about the wording of the spell, the elfling sat perched on a chair and dangling his feet. All was right in his world now that his uncle had taken control of the situation. Only one thing could make it better, and his uncle easily guessed what it was. He went to the door and gave instructions to an elf that seemed to be on hand for just such a thing. Within minutes, a plate of cookies and a glass of milk was delivered. The elfling beamed, and after a nod from his uncle, he began munching on cookies.
After all that had happened over the past few hours, the exact words of the spell were not that easily remembered. Between them though, the twins were able to reproduce the words precisely as they had been recited. Once that was done, they presented it and waited to see what would happen next.
"Good." The loremaster looked over the spell and asked, "Now what exactly did you do when you read these words, and why did you do it?"
Elladan looked sheepish. "Like I said earlier, we thought it to be designed for the amusement of elflings. Neither of us knows anything about the magic arts. All we could think of are the stories that Ada used to tell us when trying to get us to sleep."
The elf raised an eyebrow reminding both twins of their father.
Elrohir cleared his throat. "We pricked our fingers and let blood drip into the flame of a candle while we read the words. It was from a bedtime story we were told as elflings."
The elfling traded smiles with his uncle. "My nephew is amused because he has been told a similar story. A fallen maia cast a spell in a similar manner, but it backfired. He became trapped within a gem that was mounted in the ring of his enemy." Elladan's eyes grew wide, which didn't escape the elder elf's notice. "You know the tale?"
"Um, I don't know that exact tale, but there is a problem in our time that involves a fallen maia and a ring. It was born of war and not…"
The elf raised a hand. "Say no more. Instead, tell me the date when you were last in the place you call Imladris."
"It was 986 of the Third Age."
The elf's eyes widened briefly. "You are from a far distant future! It is enough to know that Melkor hasn't yet succeeded in destroying us all."
The loremaster shushed them. "Hush. I am trying to reverse this spell and need to concentrate." Once he finished altering the spell, he handed the finished product to the elfling's uncle. "Recite the words just as I have written them. It is for us to send them back, so you must be the one to say the words. While you speak, they will go through the steps as they did when activating the spell. Fetch a candle pen'neth."
Elladan rose and said, "Wait. Before we try to reverse the spell there is something that I wish to do. In a small way, I want to repay a debt. Pen'neth, come here."
The elfling paused and looked at his uncle. Upon receiving a nod, he walked over to the elder twin.
"Were it not for your aid, my brother and I would have perished soon after our arrival. In the cave, you calmed my brother when his fear threatened to overtake him. We owe you a great deal pen'neth, yet there is little that I can give." Elladan removed an ornate silver necklace from his neck and carefully slipped it over the elfling's head. "This was given to me by my grandfather. It is the most valuable piece of jewelry that I own. If ever you are in need of coin, this will fetch a good price. My brother and I wish you well." Though he didn't voice it, he hoped that the money would help fix the cabin up, if that was truly where the elfling lived. Elrohir didn't believe it was, but he still had a suspicion that it might indeed be the elfling's home.
The elfling gave the candle to Elrohir and went to his uncle's side. When the candle was lit, the elder elf pricked the twin's fingers with his dagger. As their blood dripped into the candle's flame, he recited the words.
"Sucellos, god of love and time, hear these words. Hear my rhyme. These elves are out of place and time. Sucellos, we send to you this burning sign. For the betterment of all, return these young elves to their own time."
Just as before, the twins became nauseous before blacking out. This time though, when they awoke they found themselves back in Imladris.
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Chapter notes: Beta: TWED and KRob
