Request: A slash pairing of Elrond/Thranduil during the War of Wrath.

Summary: Elrond and Thranduil share a few moments with one another and reminisce. However, the thoughts of the future weigh heavily in their minds.

******************

I pray to you, Adar. The last battle is nearly here; please watch over us in the eternal darkness and evil that protects our enemy. Your light has always showed us a path of light. Shine brightly, for in the morrow we face death... and victory.

Elrond raised his eyes from the ground up to the heavens where the brightest star of the night sky sparkled. Comfort suddenly held him, as if a distant embrace enveloped his body. In the fleeting moment it was there and Elrond felt it disappear again, but the sensation of love and hope still clung to his mind. Rising, the dark-haired Peredhel bowed his head and took his leave of the green hillside.

The forest enclosed around him as Elrond left the meadow and headed deeper into the thickets and brush. Eyes were upon him; nevertheless they were not a prying trespasser or a threatening enemy. The warmth of the nearby presence brought a smile to Elrond�s face and he turned to his left. A silver-blond haired elf approached him, appearing out of the trees with nary a sound or word like a spirit floating on the wind.

"I did not wish to intervene," Thranduil said quietly.

Elrond quirked a curious eyebrow, "That is a first for you. Yet, I welcome any interruption you bring."

Breathing in sharply, Elrond�s smile broadened as Thranduil swiftly embraced him. He leaned into the tender caress of the elf�s hand on his cheek, wanting to become lost in the moment they shared. Thranduil nuzzled into his dark hair and Elrond felt him inhale deeply, warm lips finding his bare neck. Encircling his partner�s waist, Elrond pulled him closer.

Thranduil obliged, taking it further and trapping Elrond against a nearby tree. He ground their hips together enticingly, feeling Elrond�s pleased reaction hard against his own. Nibbling lightly, the blond elf groaned lowly into his lover�s ear when Elrond�s hand reached into his leggings and stretched the fabric to get to his desire, wrapping his long fingers around Thranduil�s shaft.

"I am surprised you wish to rut so openly where one may come upon us," Thranduil whispered huskily.

"If not for your enticement, I would not have even considered it," Elrond chuckled, his hand moving teasingly. "I assumed a wood-elf such as yourself knew the best place for such an interlude. Besides, they all already know what is between us."

"Ah, I care not for the scandalous talk of others and neither do you," Thranduil groaned. "Come, I have the perfect spot further that is hidden from meddling people."

Thranduil dragged Elrond into the thick brush and soon the light-haired elf was divesting him of his clothes. The moss below them was soft and cushioned their naked bodies and intertwined limbs. As Thranduil kissed and nibbled his way down Elrond�s torso, the Peredhel could not help but wonder at the twist his life had taken with the elf who held his heart.

* * * * *

"The night will be upon us soon."

"As will the sea, I can smell it in the air," Elrond Half-Elven replied to his brother Elros as they quietly rode together.

"The outer edges of the delta are just beyond this rise," Maedhros said softly, but in his determined tone. "We will reach it by twilight."

"From there we shall leave you and go no further," Maglor added after his brother had finished. "There will be a ferry that can take you to the island whereupon you will have to ask to see Cirdan the Shipwright and High-King Ereinion Gil-Galad. They shall take you as their charges until you are of majority."

Elrond watched the two older elves riding in front of him and his brother. The brothers had not spoken much since their departure from the forests of Arvernian. The night of the first sighting of the new star had brought about many changes. Looking high into the sky, Elrond and Elros had stared with keen curiosity and wonder at the strange appearance while the two surviving Sons of F�anor had contemplated the rising sign with a deeper concern. The next day, Maglor and Maedhros announced their decision to return the twin brothers to the Mouth of Sirion where they had once dwelt as young children. Now, a few months since the rising, they were doing just that.

"Do you think any will know our faces?" Elros asked, his hand absentmindedly stroking the bristled hairs of his horse�s neck.

"It has been many years since our sire�s people laid eyes on us," Elrond pondered.

"I think they will know well enough," Maglor answered.

Elrond caught the sharp glance of Elros stealing at him for a moment before turning straight ahead again. They did not understand what had changed the demeanors of their fosterers so suddenly, but they had known for a long time that an agonizing secret edged constantly at the back of the Noldor brothers� minds and the event of the new star was related to it.

The memories of their parents and their early years were vague, but returned in moments of strong clarity once in a while. It had been seven years since the day Elrond and Elros had wandered away from their nurse who had whisked them away from their home very suddenly. Afterwards, the life they knew was one of nomadic travels and temporary encampments around Western Beleriand. Questions of their former lives were met with unclear information and promises to explain all to them at a later date.

Finally coming around the last hillside, the four beheld Anur slipping below the horizon in the west, setting the sky and sea with tendrils of fire and golden light. The unending horizon of ocean waves spanned out before them to their right and the flat marshlands of the delta welcomed the travelers to the first stop of their journey. The Isle of Balar further off the coast in the bay stood like a sentinel, tall against the darkening sky and disappearing light.

"There will be a small house and pier by the sea-edge where you will find passage," Maedhros said and pointed to a small cluster of buildings.

"This should be enough for the ferry payment and to buy a few items for yourselves once you reach the city," Maglor handed a leather pouch to Elrond and another to Elros. "Also, bear this if any should challenge your kinship claim; however, I doubt many will do so."

The older elf pressed into Elros� hand a golden signet ring that the youngster scrutinized in the dusk.

"That is yours, though," Elrond exclaimed looking to Maedhros then back to Maglor.

"Given to me by my sire upon his death, it is the same ring he inherited from our grandsire when he had been slain," Maedhros explained. "You are of the House of Finw�, too, young masters. We are cousins to your granddame and to Ereinion, he will know what it means when you come before him."

"Why can you not come with us?" Elros frowned.

"We ... would not be welcome," Maglor said simply.

A stern glance from the redheaded elf silenced any further queries from the twins as to why that would be so. The quiet that had been present on their entire ride returned, but this time it was an awkward stillness, the only sounds were of the distant roar of the waves and the loud breathing of the horses. The softening of Maglor and Maedhros� features helped Elrond finally got up the courage to ask his last question.

"Will we see you again?"

"I do not know," Maedhros finally, no deception in his words at answering the most important of the unsaid questions that he knew was on the minds of his brother�s fosterlings.

"We hope we do," Elrond replied.

"Only the Valar know for certain," Maglor said. "Blessed be your days henceforth."

Reaching towards the twins, he squeezed each of their shoulders reassuringly. Maglor knew they needed to go back to where they belonged. Being of the Peredhil, they aged quicker than those of Elf-kind and had matured beyond any elf-child of similar years. In his heart Maglor knew they would never forget them either. They would try to be strong for him, but would not ignore the intimate bonds they had developed.

With one last glance, Maglor turned his back and urged his horse back to the northeast. Maedhros, with a short nod to Elrond and Elros, followed his brother. As the hoof beats became more distant with every passing minute, the twins suddenly realized how alone they were.

The sea breeze picked up considerably for a moment, and then died once they both turned to see Anur disappear below the horizon. Above the hazy glow of lasting light, a glittering jewel of the night appeared. The new star shone with a brilliance they had not seen matched by any other of its companions in the night sky but suddenly, Elrond and Elros felt a little comforted by its coming.

"Let us be going," Elros said, seeing his mirrored face in his brother: his tight-lipped mouth holding back his emotions.

Without a word, Elrond turned his steed down the pathway to the seashore where his brother�s horse already trotted along. The looming, dark silhouettes of the buildings met them quickly and it was then that the brothers realized that the shapes were ruins: burned out shells of homes and storefronts. The only sign of habitation was a pale lantern at the end of the main street. Once they got closer, they saw a figure in the dimness on the pier where a large boat was docked. Elros looked back to Elrond and dismounted, then Elrond followed his lead.

"I will ask him about passage," Elros said and handed his horse over to Elrond.

Not staying too far behind, Elrond followed and led the horses out onto the pier. The mariner had already seen them approaching and met them halfway. By his appearance, he was of the Silvan elves, but not a wood-elf of Doriath. Nay, he seemed to be a shipwright like the former lord of the Falas.

"What are you two masters doing out alone in the evening? Where did you come from?" he asked.

Elrond knew they should not lie but, like Maglor had warned, they would be met with disbelief. He knew that Elros understood that, too, and waited for his brother�s answer.

"We come from Arvernian where we were fostered," Elros explained. "We wish to return to our kin who now dwell on the isle."

The mariner was no simpleton and he eyed them suspiciously.

"There are few settlements beyond here and the island," the elf said. "With whom did you stay?"

At that moment, a great clatter of noise and heavy galloping rose up behind them and the three elves looked up to see two more figures appear from the night.

"Gwiloh�l! We worried that you were about to leave without us!" One of the new arrivals declared.

"No, my lord. I was taking on more passengers," the mariner said with a courteous bow of his head. "It gladdens me you arrived safely from your journey."

"Barely with our skins!" said the new elf, his shining head of silver-blond tresses glowing in the lantern light, then turned to Elrond and Elros. "Now, where were you two traveling?"

"I was just asking them myself, Lord Oropher," Gwiloh�l answered. "They said they were fostered near here, but I did not hear yet with whom."

"Well, come then," Oropher encouraged Elrond and Elros as his companion, a younger elf stood a little behind him with the horses.

The fact that Maglor and Maedhros had told them little of why they had never lived on the Isle of Balar and gave no explanation as to not being welcome, Elrond instinctively knew that if he gave their names as their fosterers there could be uncertain reactions and consequences.

"We are the brothers Elrond and Elros, sons of E�rendil. We seek audience with our kinsman, High King Gil-Galad," he said, hoping his voice did not sound too forced or weak.

The astonished faces of those around them nearly surprised him and all were rendered nearly speechless. It was Oropher who recovered first.

"That is quite a title to be declared," he began. "I never met the sons of our neighboring Gondolindrim lord nor know your given names; however, I cannot argue that your likeness to one another does match the tales I remember."

"If you do not trust our word, we have this to prove our kinship," Elros said, opening his palm that held the ring Maedhros and Maglor had given them.

"The mark of Finw�. I know it well," Oropher said, his voice certain with the knowledge of what they presented. "It is good that you both are here. Last we heard of your well-being was that you were taken captive after the Kinslaying."

"Kinslaying?" echoed Elros with surprise. "Captive? We have been fostered since our sire and dame disappeared."

Seriousness touched Oropher and Gwiloh�l�s faces as they looked to one another then back to Elrond and Elros.

"Adar, perhaps it is best we see to taking them to the High King," the young elf who had come with Oropher finally spoke up.

"Indeed, that is what we shall do, Thranduil," Oropher concurred.

Elrond looked to the youth behind Lord Oropher who had addressed him as his father. This Thranduil looked to be nearing his majority and much like his father in appearance and stature. The only difference from his father was his warm brown eyes that gave him a dark but ethereal presence. Carrying a bow and quiver of arrows on his back along with a sword at his side, he looked ready to do battle at any moment.

Elros bowed, and then walked toward the ship, breaking Elrond out of his interested scrutiny. He followed his brother, glancing back at the elf one last time before joining his brother at his side.

* * * * *

Thranduil watched Elrond sleep; the Peredhel�s eyes half-lidded slumber was peaceful and relaxed. He tenderly brushed a wayward tendril of hair behind Elrond�s pointed ear and Thranduil felt his lover�s hold tighten in his sleep. He sighed while looking upon the younger elf; never did he imagine they would become this close.

Their first encounters had been wrought with youthful competition and arrogance, but Elrond had learned much as he reached adulthood while Thranduil had been away preparing for the coming war with Morgoth. The night on the walls of the island city had changed the Doriath elf�s life when he had found Elrond staring out to the sea and starry night. Thranduil had come to his last thread of hope knowing that the amassing horde of Morgoth�s evil army would be upon them in weeks. It had seemed that all would be lost for the last remnants of the Eldar in the Hither Lands. Yet, Elrond had spoken optimistically with a foresight of some good coming to their aide and Thranduil at his turn learned much of the young Peredhel that he did not know before while they talked. Then, in the twilight of the morning, white boasts with high masts and great sails appeared on the horizon. Valinor had answered the Eldar and Edain�s pleas.

Now, after many years of fighting Morgoth�s monsters and orcs, they were at the eve of the battle that would drive the fatal blow into the heart of the Dark Lord, ending his reign forever. They had come so far and met dangers uncounted without fear, but Thranduil felt a growing worry within him. Things would change once Morgoth was defeated and the future was uncertain as far as Thranduil was concerned. Thranduil�s father, Oropher, had spoken of his own hopes for rebuilding a kingdom like that of fallen Doriath. Travelers from the days of old spoke of a far off forest that rivaled Thingol�s old realm and Oropher missed his lifelong home from which he and his family were forced to flee. Thranduil, too, missed his birthplace, but he was content to live on the Isle of Balar.

Thranduil knew that Elrond would not go to Valinor with the returning host of the Valar, he had said that much, but Thranduil did not know for certain if Elrond would follow him to go in search of his father�s dream. Ereinion Gil-Galad doted on his kinsman and Elrond�s twin brother Elros, and there were no doubts in anyone�s minds that the High King wished to keep the brothers close. They were the line of Noldor kings and of King Thingol�s too, they had the right to claim lordship over the Eldar of the eastern lands in the stead of Gil-Galad if anything were to happen to the High King.

"What are you thinking about so deeply?" Elrond�s voice brought Thranduil out of his reverie, the silver-gray eyes perusing Thranduil�s face.

Thranduil smiled, "I wonder what tomorrow will bring."

"It will be here sooner than you think," Elrond said and began to rise. "We should be returning soon. Others may come looking for us."

Relinquishing his hold, Thranduil nodded in agreement and set about dressing. The two elves made their way out of the forest once they had readied themselves. A few surreptitious glances were made their way when they entered camp, but none joked nor questioned Thranduil and Elrond�s prolonged absence.

"I must see to my brother," Elrond said. "And if the High King requires anything else this night for me."

"Of course," Thranduil nodded. "I shall be waiting."

Thranduil kept his gaze on Elrond until the elf had disappeared among the crowds of elves and men, and then he made his way to his tent. A dim lantern gave the only light under the canvas tarp and Thranduil retrieved another, lighting it with the candle of the first one. He knew it would be a while until Elrond would join him again, but Thranduil already missed his lover�s presence.

"Even on the eve of battle you make dalliances in the forest."

Looking up, Thranduil saw his father in the entrance of his tent.

"What of it then if I did, Atar?" Thranduil asked. "Many do such this night to live once more before facing the possibility of death or hurt in the morn."

"Do not play me the fool, Thranduil," Oropher warned. "I told you to end this with Elrond."

"That is not your decision," Thranduil growled back, but held his temper.

"It is if we mean to rebuild Doriath anew," Oropher said, approaching his son. "You know as well as I that both you and Elrond must sire offspring. We are the lines of kings and princes. If we do not, then we will meet an end without the help of Morgoth or his ilk."

"What of the other Eldar? Will they not continue to prosper and grow?" Thranduil said, he was tiring of his father�s insistence in bringing up the subject as of late.

"You know why I speak of this, Thranduil," Oropher said. "Since your mother�s death... I have not given you brothers or sisters. I do not want to see my line end with you."

Silence met the older elf, but Oropher knew his son well and the seething anger threatening to boil over in Thranduil was apparent. Oropher held his tongue and decided it was enough for that night. Turning out of the tent, he left Thranduil alone where he clutched tightly to the side of his cot bed. Long minutes passed, nonetheless Thranduil did not notice it as he stared blankly ahead. When Elrond arrived, he did not notice until the dark-haired elf touched his face.

"You are troubled again," Elrond frowned. "What is it? What happened while I was away?"

"Nothing," Thranduil said and his face brightened his countenance, but the sadness still remained in his eyes. "I only wished you were here sooner."

Elrond did not fight or hesitate as Thranduil claimed him again, hungrily and impatient. He loved when their encounters turned to such fervent play; however, he could not help but to wonder at his beloved�s demeanor that night. I will make you forget for now in my embrace, Elrond thought as he rolled Thranduil to his back on the cot. We shall make this our night.