Elrond sat quietly in a corner of the room with a soft smile on his face. He gazed down at the bundles in his arms in utter amazement. They were absolutely perfect. In all his imagination, he had never thought he could feel something like the love and wonderment that he felt at this moment. Looking from one to the other, his smile widened. His new sons were mirror images of each other. Elladan and Elrohir, they had been named, and they were identical in every detail, except for the small birthmark on the bottom of Elladan's foot. As a healer, he had helped bring many children into this world, but none of them could match the beauty and perfection of his sons. His lips quirked upward as he realized that every parent down through the years must have felt the same at the birth of their own children.

A silent sigh passed his lips as he thought of his own twin, gone these many centuries. Seeing the identical elflings in his arms could not help but remind him of his brother. How he wished Elros was here to see this. He would have loved the chance to meet these two beautiful elflings. Rocking back gently in his chair, he held his sleeping sons close and hummed a soft melody.

Closing his eyes as he rocked lulled him to a state of near slumber. A series of visions flashed before his eyes; Elladan and Elrohir as young elflings, among the branches of a massive tree, urging each other ever higher as they climbed. The twins, a few years older, sitting at the dinner table, laughing over something one of them had said. Elladan and Elrohir, along with Elrond and Celebrían, relaxing by the edge of a cool lake on a summer day. Two identical elves, riding proudly on their horses, bows and swords at the ready as they rode off in one of the patrols that guarded Imladris, turning to give him a reassuring smile before they disappeared from sight.

Elrond opened his eyes and gazed down at the tiny bundles in his arms. Whether the visions he had just seen were dreams or portents of the future, he did not know. Whatever their future held, however, Elrond was glad that they would be facing it together. "I wish only the best for the both of you," he whispered into the night. "I would keep you both from all harm if it were in my power. While I may not be able to do this the entirety of your lives, I am grateful that you have each other. I am sure that you will protect each other when I cannot be there. That is one of the greatest joys of being a twin, knowing you will always have someone you can trust absolutely at your back. That is a rare thing, indeed."

As he closed his eyes once again, his thoughts drifted to Elros and thoughts of his son's futures.