Halls of Mandos: Elrohir’s POV

I know I can’t just let Elladan die. It’s not fair. He shouldn’t have to die. I know there is something I can do. There has to be. My brother and I are meant to be together forever, never to be separated. All I have to do is find a way to bring him back. Come on, it not that hard, Elrohir! Think! There has to be a way!

Ada is sobbing onto my shoulder now. I have stopped crying; I am too consumed by my own thoughts to cry. There must be a way for me to call him back. What has Ada done to call back his patients from the darkness? He’s used athelas, but they’ve already tried that, the scent is in the air. He’s gone to speak with them before but-

That might work! If I can only think of how Ada did it, he never taught us before. Ugh! I don’t know! Well, Elladan and I have a very strong bond, if I can channel that I’m sure I can bring him back. I really can’t believe I am going to try this. Ada says that inexperienced healers who try this often die. I just have to believe in myself, I know I can do this.

Alright Elladan, I am coming. I draw inside myself. My memories flash through my mind: Elladan and I as toddlers playing with our toy soldiers, us slightly older pulling a prank on Glorfindel, my first Westron language class. Everything that has happened to me flies through my head within a few seconds. When I am almost near unconsciousness and closer to my brother, I go limp. My father knows now what I have done. His voice screaming my name echoes as I fall into the darkness of death. Falling, falling….

~*~*~*~*~

My whole body feels on fire as I slowly open my eyes. It’s incredibly dark where I am, no light except for tiny candles that seem to light only a small portion of the long corridor that I am in. The candles seem to go on forever. I can’t see what I am walking towards. Is this where my brother is? Is this where he has been for the past few days?

The dark hallway seems to get darker as I walk down it. The carpet is a dark shade of burgundy, but it appears black because of the lack of lighting. The walls are black from what I can tell. There seems to be a slight wind in the hallway that gives me chills all the way down to my feet.

Eventually, I begin to see a light up ahead. As I reach it, I notice that it is a bright white door. No doubt this is the unconscious and the door way leads to Mandos’ Halls. Death is only a door opening away. In the corner of the end of the hallway, there is a curled figure. His head is laid upon his knees. His ebony hair is spread out, covering his face, and falling past his knees and onto the floor. He rocks back and forth. This pitiful figure is my brother. He’s almost lost.

“Elladan?” I whisper. He doesn’t answer. It is as if he’s in a trance. I kneel down next to him and lift up his chin, forcing our eyes to connect.

“Elladan?” I say again.

“Elrohir,” he breathes, eyes welling up with tears, “I thought you’d never arrive.” The tears took me aback. Elladan has never cried since he grew out of childhood. Not knowing what to say, I take the moments of silence hugging my brother and drying his tears. Elladan’s eyes are tear-streaked, proving that it wasn’t the first time he had cried.

“It feels like a millennia since I began waiting for you,” he says. His voice is small. It makes him seem vulnerable, like a small child and his nightmare over the monster under his bed.

We sit there for awhile, savoring the other’s touch that we’ve been deprived of for so long. I can’t help but think about how much I almost lost, how much I can still lose. My brother is the most important thing in my life, if I lose him, I don’t know what I will do.

“Are we ready?” Elladan says as he pulls away from the embrace.

“Ready for what?” I ask.

“To leave,” he points to the door, “to die?” This surprises me. I know that my brother wants to die, but I thought that maybe if he saw me okay and not dead from pneumonia then he might change his mind.

“I didn’t come here to die, Elladan. I came to bring you back,” I say finding my voice. Elladan’s face falls. He obviously thought that we could just remain forever in the Halls of Mandos. I can’t abandon father and mother; they’d be devastated if they lost us both. Yet I can’t leave Elladan; we need each other. I help him to get up and place my hand on his shoulder. He brushes it off and walks toward the white door to my confusion.

“Elladan?” He turns around, a frown on his face.

“I NEVER THOUGHT YOU WOULD BETRAY ME! I’ve waited for you for Valar knows how long and when you finally get here you expect me to go back to a world full of grief and loss,” he snarls. His outburst scared me and I begin to think that I have lost the brother that I love.

“Our world, my twin, is not full of grief and loss, but hope and love if you could only see it,” I say. Doubt lingers in his eyes, but anger also reflects. The fact that I am the cause of that anger terrifies me greatly.

Elladan, heedless of my pleas, opens the white door and enters. I too enter the passageway not out of curiosity, but out of fear of this place. The walls seemed to run blood and the stench from it was making me feel indisposed.

Elladan and I have entered a field of green. Flowers bloom within seconds. Trees grow tall within minutes. There seems to be no sense of time in this place, just the cycle of living things. Elves dance among the trees and a great song rises above the air and into the clouds. This place is connected wholly with the elves and nature as one: it is paradise. The wind breathes my name, calling me to the land. Like a drum it repeats and its beat soaks inside my soul. The sun shines and bathes the land in its orange light. A rainbow flitters across the sky. The roar of waves hitting rocks can be heard in the distance. This is what all elves dream of, but my heart feels empty. I am surrounded by all I have ever dreamed of, but I don’t feel complete. What is it that I am missing?

Elladan is left speechless as he admires the place. His eyes widen as he sees the birds wave to us from the sky. A butterfly lands upon his nose and he lets out a child’s giggle.

“This is paradise, brother. Isn’t it wonderful!” he says as he spins in circles. I grin at his enthusiasm. It’s great to see him happy. He’s been so locked in about his emotions recently. For the first time in a long while, happiness shines in his eyes. It makes my heart smile to see him like this, but then I suddenly remember where else I have felt my heart like this: when I am around my mother and father!

“This is not paradise, ‘Dan. It’s missing something,” his gaze falls to me questioningly.

“Ada and Nana. Glorfindel and Erestor. Elladan, it’s missing Imladris!” I long to be home and it shows in my stature, but Elladan is convinced that this place is home. As I look around once more, the roar of the ocean sounds threatening, the song of the elves turn dark, the voice calling my name is getting louder and my head is ready to explode within me. I can’t remain here.

“Elrohir, Elrohir, ELROHIR!” the repetition continues….
~*~*~*~

“Elrohir, ELROHIR!” I groan; my head is spinning and my stomach is reeling. That is not the voice in the wind, but my father’s grievous voice. I feel his hand holding onto mine and trembling in fright. His other hand is tucking a stray hair behind my ear. His touch feels exhilarating on my soul. I feel safe now, even though part of me is torn. Elladan did not return with me. I failed.

“I’m sorry, Ada,” I murmur. It’s still painful to speak. Ada’s hand tightens around mine.

“My son,” his says relieved, “I have not lost you and that gives me hope.” I finally open my eyes, hoping that the light will not blind me. Surprisingly, it doesn’t. I look over to Glorfindel who is still trying to revive Elladan. I look away. My brother’s form is pitiful. He has lost so much weight from the coma, his arms and legs have lost most of their muscular roundness.

Glorfindel looks up at Ada and I saddened. We both know now that my brother will not return to us. Glorfindel walks over to my bed and kisses my brow before wiping away his tears and whispering something to Ada. I was able to catch the words, “body… funeral… service.”

As Glorfindel opens the door, Ada and I look at each other’s damp faces. Suddenly, a large gasp comes from the bed next to mine. A loud choking sound follows before I fall unconscious. The last thing I hear is the thunder of footsteps, running into the room.

A/N Please read and review. Many thanks to slayer9649 for beta-ing this story!