Elrohir rode Gilroc, his white stallion, in a moderate pace as he ventured out of the house of Rivendell. He proceeded towards the city, the sound of Gilroc’s hooves draped across the cobblestone path warned the people around him of an incoming rider. They instinctively made a way for the young lord of Rivendell as he rode past the market.

“Lord Elrohir! Hi!!” cheered a small elfling, drawing his attention. Elrohir smiled his boyish smile at the young elfling who was waving his hand at him, his mother holding his other tiny hand.

“Gwithron!” Elrohir called back, “Eat your salad and listen to your nana (mother)! She knows best!” He rode past by the elfling but not before giving him a playful wink. The elfling giggled and continued waving.

The exchange between the two earned smiles from the elves passing by. The family of Lord Elrond was always loved by the people of Rivendell. The twins, particularly; it was easy to love them.

Elrohir continued riding towards the outskirts of the city and entered the forest. His heart was giddy at the prospect of surprising Wanda and to lay his eye upon her face again. This time he doesn’t need to hide his feelings from her anymore. The ear to ear smile seemed like it was forever engraved on his expression. He had never known other that could make his heart sing like she did.

After a while he began to realize that something was amiss. He slowed down his horse and eventually stood still. Listening.

Elrohir scanned the trees. His cool grey eyes searching as alarm rose behind his mind. The young twin instinctively put his hand on the hilt of his sword. It was silent. Too silent. He couldn’t hear the trees singing; not even a whisper of their music.

Instantly, his eagerness to see Wanda in the forest dissipated. The silence from the trees in the elven realm signaled only one thing: Danger.

Elrohir unsheathed his elven sword. “Noro lim (run). Noro lim, Gilroc!” he commanded his horse in Sindarin. With a neigh, the white stallion jumped on its rear feet and started to ride hard.

He ventured deeper into the forest, his elven senses heightened. He felt a sense of familiar darkness—orcs. The anger and hatred that had haunted him for centuries resurfaced.

He was ready to kill when he smelled them, but was met with bodies. Not orcs, but goblins. Elrohir dismounted his stallion as he inspected the scene before him. Looked like someone had gotten there first to take care of the dark creatures.

The sound of horse hooves draping closer entered his elven ears even from afar. Elladan, dressed in his patrol armor got to him first, grey eyes alarmed as he scanned the dead bodies.

“I got your message,” said Elladan as he dismounted his own black stallion. “They’ve gotten past the border,” he concluded, a disturbed look on his face.

“Maybe I should have listened to Erestor this morning,” said Elrohir gritting his teeth. “Someone else came here first. But this,” he kicked a body and turned it with his boot, “This is not our doing. Not our border patrol.”

Elladan covered his nose from the dead goblin stench as he crouched down to look at the mutilated body. “Not a clean cut. Not of our blade. Or any blade that I know for that matter,” he observed before standing back up on his feet.

An ominous nod from Elrohir. “It is as if they were… stretched to death.”

Both twins stood and looked down at the dead bodies, a new concern rose in their mind.

Elladan was first to break the silence between them. “I’ve alerted the scout before I came here. An additional border patrol team is going to be here soon to secure the area.”

Elrohir nodded.

“Did you manage to meet Wanda? I hope she wasn’t around today,” said Elladan with a frown.

Elrohir turned his head sharply towards the mirror image of himself. “I have to find her. Make sure she’s unharmed,” said Elrohir with a clenched jaw as he strode towards Gilroc.

“I’ll come with you.”

***

A knock was heard on the wooden door of her tiny house. Another knock. Then another. Etheriel shared a confused look with her daughter.

“I don’t recall having a guest today.”

“Whoever it is they seemed to be in a hurry. Someone must have a serious wardrobe malfunction,” joked Belethiel with a grin on her face.

Etheriel let out a chuckle of amusement as she got up from her seat, leaving her work behind and floated towards the door. When she opened it, she could hardly believe who were standing before her.

They both were an exact mirror to the other, except for their attire. They stood tall before her, their build was strong and durable. Agile, yet deadly when they want to. Fighters. One was dressed in a full armor with a rich silver cape draped behind his back. The other dressed in a simple yet elegant white riding tunic and a pair of leather boots over his brown leggings. Being a skilled seamstress, Etheriel couldn’t help but admire the richness of the fabric of their clothing—worthy of the sons of Lord Elrond. Standing here in front of her humble home, the handsome twin brothers seemed out of place.

Elrohir opened his mouth to say something, but Elladan beat him to it.

“A! Le suilon (I greet you),” greet Elladan with a formal, polite smile to Etheriel.

“Oh! What an honor to have your visit, Lord Elladan and Lord Elrohir!” she greeted back with a bow, though she didn’t know which one was Elladan and which one was Elrohir.

Elladan offered her a genuine smile. “We are friends of Wanda. Please call us Elrohir,” he gestured to his brother, then placed a hand on his chest, “…and Elladan. Wanda speaks very highly of you. Mae govannen (well met), Etheriel.”

Etheriel was lost for words. The male that Wanda had been meeting secretly in the forest…

Before Etheriel could answer, Elrohir cut her.

“We were just passing by. We were wondering if she is home,” said Elrohir, forcing a small smile to hide his growing anxiety.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Elladan slight nod of approval. Elrohir almost straight out interrogate Etheriel, too eager to know if Wanda was safe. But luckily Elladan intercepted first, reminding Elrohir not to cause unnecessary panic to Wanda’s family.

“She left hours ago after lunchtime to the forest to collect some fruits,” replied Etheriel. “The sun is almost down. She should be home very soon.”

Elrohir paled at hearing the answer, but Elladan maintained his collected expression and nodded. Having sensed his brother’s sudden spike of anxiousness and concern, Elladan spoke up and gently wrapped up their visit quickly.

“That is too bad we missed her. Unfortunately we must go too, so would you be so kind to let her know that we dropped by?”

***

Wanda could no longer walk. Her feet was bleeding because of her run through the forest. Somewhere along the way, she had lost her shoes. Fatigue and pain forced her to resort to crawling on the forest floor, still trying to get home. It felt like she had been going in circles; she no longer understand the layout of the forest. The place was unrecognizable to her.

Her breathing gradually become ragged as she dragged herself, refusing to stay behind and rest. She knew that if she did, she’d die. The key to survival was to keep moving.

Her ears were ringing and the sting on her cuts began to burn angrier by the minutes. She began to gasp, forcing air to fill her constricted lungs.

Just as she began to lose all the light in her eyes, she saw a blurry vision of dried leaves on the ground being stomped off by horses’ hooves.

A pair of warm arms surrounded her and when they turned her, she was faced with the view of the person that she thought she was never going to see again.

“I’m sorry,” he said with his calming British accent. A look of remorse and concern painted across his man-made face.

“Me too,” replied Wanda, her eyes began to sting as she laid her eyes upon his ruby skin. A yellow jewel rested on top of his forehead.

“It is as I said,” he gently brushed the skin on her cheek, “Catastrophe.”

Her sight slowly became a tunnel vision, and before long, she was momentarily blind.

***

Elrohir and Elladan had split up to cover more ground in their search for her, but Elrohir found her first.

Seeing Wanda crawling on the ground, dress tattered and stained with blood made his blood boil inside his vein. He dismounted his horse urgently, but even the movement still managed to look graceful—the blessings of the elves, something that humans don’t have.

“Wanda! Odulen (I’m here)!”

With such gentleness, the elf warrior turned her body around. With deep concern on his expression he studied her face. She was awake, but not actually present.

“Me too…” she mumbled, hazel eyes seemed paled as a look of confusion and remorse etched across her face.

He nodded, frantic, forgetting the fact that she didn’t actually speak Sindarin to be able to respond to him. Her pale skin were glistening with cold sweat, eyes refusing to meet his.

“Can you hear me, guren vell (sweet heart)?” he shook her lightly.

Wanda didn’t answer right away. Immediately he glanced at her body, noticing cuts here and there, all the way to her bare feet. He was sure that she was attacked by the goblins, and it sent rage smoldering inside his chest.

“I looked into your head…”

Elrohir snapped his cool grey eyes back to her face, not understanding her words.

She drew a sharp intake of air and writhed, murmuring confusedly, “And I saw annihilation…”

Elrohir cupped her cheek, now realizing he was missing something. She was hallucinating.

Cursing under his breath, his eyes scanned her body again—and there on the side of her arm, he saw it. A gash was no longer bleeding, yet it had turned the veins around it green.

“Manwe’s breath…” he said with dread across his face. With a renewed sense of urgency, Elrohir quickly scooped her up in his arms. He was gently setting her up on his horse while Elladan caught up to him.

Seeing the state in which his female friend was in, Elladan was quick to unclasped the pin that held his cape secure behind him and proceeded to give it to Elrohir. Without question, the younger brother took the cape and wrapped it around her fragile, shaky form.

“Goblin’s poison,” Elrohir briefed his brother.

The easy, rather mischievous smile that usually graced Ro’s feature was gone, replaced with a deep frown that hinted deep concern and a hidden anger. The anger that Elladan also felt inside his own chest.

The dark creatures once tortured and ripped their beloved mother from them. And now this. Unacceptable. They will die for that. Elladan’s knuckles turned white as he held the rein of his horse tighter. Without more question, he led the way, riding hard before Elrohir to make way for him.

“Move! Make way!”

The command in Lord Elrond’s oldest son’s voice sounded throughout the market. The crowd swiftly broke apart, clearing the path at the urgency of their lord’s command. Elladan rode past, followed by his brother, who was riding his horse with a wounded mortal woman in front of him.

“Hold on, Wanda. Almost there,” he whispered softly to her, concern swimming in his grey eyes.

Wanda floated in and out of consciousness. In the haze of her hallucinations, she heard him.

“Elrohir…” she murmured weakly, her head bumping slightly against his chest at the movement of the horse beneath her, “…You…came for me…”

She almost toppled forward, but his strong arm draped around her front, keeping her close to him. The warmth radiating off of his body relaxed her a bit.

“Of course I do,” he replied softly to her ear in a playful way, though there was sadness lingered the deep, smooth voice of his.

The side of Wanda’s lips turned up into a weak smile. She rested the back of her head against his neck and forced her eyes open. From this angle, she could freely ogle his masculine beauty.

What a magnificent sight he was. Long, silky dark hair blew softly against the graceful plane of his face. Flawless skin, high cheekbone and a set of determined, sculpted jaw spoke of his strength. His liquid grey eyes set forward, burning even in its coolness. He was the portrait of an angel.

Fighting against her fatigue, Wanda lifted up a hand to hold his arm in front of her. Elrohir threw her a worried glance when he felt her touch, his heart broke inside him to see her looking up at him through her long, wet lashes stained with blood.

“My hero.”

He returned her weak smile with a pained smile of his own. But as soon as it came, his smile instantly disappeared when Wanda’s head suddenly hung against his arm. He felt her weight rested completely against him and the storm inside his heart raged on.

Feeling his brother’s unspoken anguish, Elladan kicked the sides of his horse harder, urging the animal to move faster.

‘We’re almost there, brother,’ he sent the comforting thought to Elrohir through their bond as he urged his black stallion to run.

The sight of his sons riding home hard with an unconscious passenger on one of their horses brought a painful memory to Lord Elrond. Suddenly he was back to centuries ago when his sons returned home after rescuing their mother.

Oh, Celebrian, he thought as he remember his beautiful wife. Not centuries, nor millennia could ever rid him from the torment of losing the love of his life to the hands of the orcs.

On the outside, Lord Elrond was the picture of calm and collectedness. He had to for the sake of his people.

“What ails her?” he inquired as Elrohir dismounted his horse before carefully taking the unconscious woman into his arms with Glorfindel’s help.

Elladan dismounted his horse and swiftly came to his adar, presenting a rough short blade marred with a black substances. “Goblin’s poison.”

The lord of Rivendell took the dagger and studied it. Before his eyes, his son stood with the unconscious woman draped against his chest.

Lord Elrond’s eyes met Elrohir’s. The same desperation that the young elf had in his eyes when he had came home from rescuing his mother was now present. Along with it, anger, and something else he didn’t see coming: Love.

“Please save her, adar,” pleaded Elrohir, begging with his eyes.

A look of undivided focus and calculation graced his father’s aging yet young face. “Bring her to the healing room.”

***

[Author’s Note: I skipped work to finish this chapter. I rescheduled of course hehehehe. So what do you think of the chapter? Meh or yeah? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and thanks for reading and voting! Bonus: Picture is Elladan & Elrohir (just one picture because… twins) Stay tuned!]