Elves Don't Celebrate Yule

By Rhyselle

A/N: Elrond and Elros are approximately 7 years of the sun in age in this fic.  Please note that I go with the idea that until Lord Manwe granted the Choice of the Peredhil to Earendil and Elwing and their off spring, all  Peredhil were mortal, and grew and developed physically as mortals do.  So I based Elros' behavior on that of my youngest son. *grin*  I think this story qualifies as "angsty-fluff".

Elros lay still, wrapped up in blankets, his face half buried in his pillow. Across the room, Elrond already slept, not even his tousled dark hair visible beneath the covers he'd pulled over his head to keep warm. He listened intently to the small noises Maglor was making in the outer room of the chambers allotted to the three of them.  

Please, don't stay up all night, Maglor, Elros silently pleaded. Please don't. 

The bedchamber door suddenly opened and he closed his eyes as Maglor looked inside. Elros prayed that the elf would believe him asleep, because he didn't want the Feanorian sitting on the edge of the bed and singing a lullaby to him. Not only was he too old for such; that was for his mother to do, not his captor! He squeezed the feather pillow tightly as a pang of grief stabbed his heart at the thought of Elwing. They said she abandoned us and ran away. She never would! I know it! 

Thankfully, Maglor withdrew and closed the door once more, and Elros breathed a relieved sigh. Shortly thereafter, he heard the muffled sound of Maglor's bedroom door closing with its usual squeak from the old hinges. He was safe.  

After waiting a few more minutes, he slid out from under the blankets and stuffed his extra pillow under them to make it look like he was still bundled up, asleep. Shivering a bit, despite having left his daytime clothes on, he caught up his soft shoes and a leather pouch from under the bed. He tucked them under his arm, snagged his woolen cloak from the peg by the door, and crept from the room.  

The outer room where they studied their lessons and sat after supper with Maglor was cold and dark, illuminated only by the last flickering coals in the grate. Even though his socks were thick, the chill from the stone floor was too uncomfortable to bear, so he sat down on Maglor's padded chair to slip his shoes on. Fumbling with the laces in the dark, he pulled too hard and one broke. His elbow banged hard against the arm of the chair, and he gasped from the pain that shot up and down his arm. 

Biting his lip, he huddled in the chair, afraid that the noise would draw Maglor's attention. Long, chilly minutes passed and he finally relaxed, rubbing his elbow where it hurt before tying his shoe with the remains of the lacing and picking up the pouch again.  

The outer door didn't creak when he lifted the latch and pulled it open just wide enough to slip through, careful not to catch his cloak in it when he closed it behind him.  

Everyone's asleep, I hope. He sneaked past several closed doors to the top of the stairs that led down to the lower levels to the main hall, the kitchens and the passage that took one to the stables in bad weather. Hovering at the top of the stairwell, he listened intently. 

His shoulders slumped as he heard the faint sound of laughter and conversation from below. He would have to wait until they'd gone to rest for the night if he were to do what he'd planned. 

There's not going to be enough time to do it if they don't go to bed soon.  

He crept halfway down the stairs, listening to the storyteller who was entertaining the off-duty warriors. It sounded as if the tale was almost over; perhaps it would be the last one and they'd go to sleep soon. Or, he thought, maybe they'll be so caught up in the story that I can sneak past them in the shadows. He'd never tried that before; usually he waited until the coast was clear before slipping past and on to his explorations of his new home.  

Elros took a deep breath, secured the leather pouch to his belt and pulled his cloak's hood over his head before creeping the rest of the way down the stairs. The torches on either side of the gathering hall's entrance were guttering low, and he gratefully hugged the walls, taking advantage of the shadows, until he stood with his back pressed up against the wall right by the hall's doorway. Please don't look this way!  

Just then, the storyteller's audience erupted into laughter, and Elros made a dash for the far side of the archway. The passageway to the stables was just a few yards away when he slowed to glance over his shoulder. He sighed in relief as the hilarity beyond the arch went on unabated, and continued tip-toeing down the corridor. 

***** 

Elrond slowly became aware that he was awake, but was not sure what had disturbed him enough to wake him up. Squirming out of his cocoon of blankets, he sat up and peered across the darkened room to see if Elros was awake. "Ro?" he whispered, not wanting to wake up the sharp-eared Maglor next door. He frowned at the mound of covers when he got no response. Elros was a very light sleeper; he should have at least wiggled or something. 

Grimacing at how cold the floor felt under his bare feet, Elrond dashed across the space between their beds and jumped up to sit next to his brother, making the ropes supporting the mattress creak. "Elros! Wake up!"  

He tugged at the topmost blanket, worry making him pull harder than he ought, expecting his brother to have a death grip on it as usual. Instead it peeled back so suddenly that it sent him toppling to the floor next to the bed with a loud thump, half covered by the blanket. "Oomph!" He stared at the pillow arranged to mimic his brother. 

Oh, no. He's sneaked off again! Maglor's going to be so mad at him!  

The creak of Maglor's bedroom door sent Elrond scrambling to his feet to pull the blanket back over the incriminating pillow. He was about to tuck in the last edge in when the door swung open. 

"Not again!"  

Elrond flinched, hunching his shoulders and turning his face away from the glare of the candle his guardian held. 

Maglor sighed and set the candlestick down on the seat of the chair next to the bed before dropping to one knee before Elrond. "Where did he go this time, child?" 

"I don't know," Elrond mumbled, flinching again as Maglor took him by the shoulders. 

"Look at me, Elrond." 

The Peredhel did so, his grey eyes filling with tears. "I don't know where he went, sir. Really!" 

"I believe you." 

Elrond gave quick relieved sigh that turned into a yelp as Maglor let go of his left shoulder, reached around and gave him a sharp smack on the backside, through his night shirt. "OW!" 

"That was for trying to hide Elros' absence. Now, back into your own bed." Another, lighter, swat on his back side urged him on his way. "Will you stay here or do I have to get someone to watch you for the next hour or two?" 

"I'll stay! But can I please keep the candle? I won't be able to sleep 'til Elros comes back." Elrond scrambled into his bed and sat up against his pillows, pulling the blankets up around his shoulders.  

"I'll leave the candle. But you aren't to leave that bed until I get back, understand?" 

Elrond nodded violently. "Yes, sir!"  

Maglor moved the candlestick from the chair to the bedside table next to Elrond's bed. "You may read one story, and then I want you to try to sleep."  

Elrond reached for the storybook that lived on his table and hugged it to his chest as he watched Maglor leave the room. He rubbed the smooth leather cover where the gilt title had all but rubbed off, then opened it to the flyleaf, gazing at the flowing script written there.I miss you, Naneth. I wish we could read this together. And I wish Elros would tell me where he goes when he disappears. He never had secrets from me before. 

***** 

Maedhros greeted the guards at the gate with a tired nod. "One of the mares cast a shoe, or we'd have been here before sunset. Don't wake up everyone; we'll deal with the horses and find our beds."

"As you wish, my lord." The watch commander saluted his liege lord, and returned to keep his vigilant watch against the enemy's minions in the snowy night.

Maedhros made short work of grooming his horse, his missing hand no impediment after so many long-years without it. He saw his men off to their barracks, and, after treating his mare with a carrot from the basket, decided to raid the kitchens for a snack before turning in for what remained of the night. 

Expecting only a token fire in the night hearth, he was taken by surprise when he stepped through the doorway to find what looked like an indoor snowstorm. 

"Here! What are you doing? Elros?" 

The boy was stirring something in one of the large mixing bowls, and with each jerky movement of the oversized spoon, another puff of flour covered him, the bowl and just about everything else around him. 

Startled by the elf's demand, Elros looked up and paled. "M-Maedhros!"  

The wooden spoon clattered against the edge of the bowl. Another puff of flour erupted, spraying up and outward, and forced Maedhros to jump back from the table in a futile effort to avoid it. "Elros, put that spoon down now!" he snapped, brushing at the white mess on his tunic. "And explain just what you are doing down here when you should be in bed sleeping!"  

"M-making Yule Bread." Elros swallowed hard and added softly, "for Elrond."  

He looked down at the table, and Maedhros, disarmed by the answer, heard a very distinct sniffle. Abandoning the mess on his tunic front, he hooked his foot around the leg of a nearby stool and dragged it close enough to sit down on it. 

"Come here, Elros. I don't understand. Why are you making 'Yule Bread' this time of night? Why didn't you just ask the cooks to help you?" He beckoned to the child, who slid down from his stool and trudged around the worktable.

Elros stopped just out of reach and shifted from foot to foot, wringing his hands together. "They said they don't know how to make Yule Bread, and told me to stay out of their way. But it's not Yule without Naneth's Yule Bread."  

Maedhros went still as the word "Naneth" brought to mind the last sight he'd had of Elwing as he'd leaned out over the windowsill; a white-swathed shape plummeting towards the white-capped waves that boiled about the base of the cliff, the Silmaril blazing brightly on her breast. 

"I've been collecting the nuts for it since fall started, and I traded my toy boat for some bogberries, and it's supposed to be a surprise," Elros babbled on.  

Maedhros shook his head, banishing the memory, and raised his hand, hushing the child. "Enough. Your intentions might have been good, young one, but the result is.... well, how long do you think it will take to clean all this up?" 

His lip twitched as he supressed a smile. Elros looked around and actually saw for the first time just how much of a mess he'd made of the formerly pristine kitchen. The boy's eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and his shoulders slumped as he looked at the generous coating of flour that carpeted the floor and table top, the broken nutshells, and the splatters of the batter that trickled down the sides of the bowl, and spread out like a star's rays around it. 

"I didn't mean to...." Elros voice trailed off into a guilty silence. 

He sighed. "Just fetch the broom and dustpan from the corner and make a start of cleaning up, Elros. I imagine my brother has no idea you've sneaked out of bed where you belong?"  

"Well, I know now."  

Maedhros turned his head and cast a wry grin at his brother, Maglor, who stood in the doorway, a thick cloak and tunic pulled over his nightshirt. Noticing melting snow on the half-laced boots, he asked, “Where did you go first? The stables?” 

“No, the tree house.” Maglor cast an annoyed looked at his ward and added, “although I am relieved to find that he did have the sense to stay indoors during this excursion instead of freezing himself half to death.” 

“Tree house?” Maedhros waved at another stool, wordlessly inviting Maglor to sit down. “Since when was there a tree house here?”  

Elros, sweeping half-heartedly at the flour on the floor, volunteered, “Maglor built it for us this fall after you left.” The stern glare that Maedhros shot at him did its job and the boy closed his mouth, looked down, and began to sweep more industriously. 

“Why is it that works for you and not for me?” Maglor grumbled as he dragged the stool closer and seated himself. 

“I’ve had more practice over our siblings than you have. Did the hunters bring in enough venison and boar for the High Day?” Maedhros asked as he shifted to face his brother more fully. 

“Aye. Although I’m sure Colhadron is going to balk at cooking it after he sees the condition of the kitchen when he gets back from his sister’s home. Elros, give me that broom; you’re making more of a mess than you started with.” Maglor got up, rounded the table and snatched the broom from the child. “Take that—that dough—and tip it into the rubbish. How do you expect to make bread without any leavening?”

 “Leavening?” 

The solid thud of the lump of dough hitting the bottom of the bin made the elves wince, then Maedhros grinned at the confused expression on Elros’ face. “Bread needs yeast to rise; otherwise you end up with just a lump of dough hard enough to knock out an orc. You are falling asleep on your feet. Maglor, I’ll take him back to his room and will be back in a bit. Put on a kettle for tea, if you would.”  

Maglor rolled his eyes as he wielded the broom to better effect on the powdery mess. “What did your last servant die of? Boredom?” 

Maedhros grinned at him then he held out his hand to Elros. “Bedtime for you, youngling. Tomorrow, you’ll help Colhadron with whatever he wants to make up for wasting so many of his ingredients.” 

When Elros hesitantly approached him and held out his hand, Maedhros easily lifted him, one-handed, to sit on his hip. “Don’t forget the tea!” he called over his shoulder as he strode from the kitchen. 

***** 

Elros held his body stiffly in the circle of Maedhros’ arm. He knew that he was in trouble and that Maglor was probably going to punish him with more than just chores in the morning when his anger had eased. But he didn’t know what Maedhros would do to him, and he was, in truth, frightened of the tall, red-haired elf. 

The great hall was silent and dark as they passed, the storyteller gone to bed, and his audience likewise. Maedros carried him swiftly up the stairs and along the corridor to Maglor’s chambers and halted outside the closed door. Elros stared at the door, wondering why they didn’t just go in. 

“If you would be so kind as to lift the latch?” 

He flushed with mortification at the soft-voiced request and hurriedly leaned forward to open the door. How could he forget that Maedhros only had one good hand and that was the one that securely held him? “Sorry,” he mumbled as he was carried into the dimly lit room. 

Maedhros gently pushed the door shut with his foot and strode to Maglor’s big armchair. “You’ll remember next time.” 

Next time? Elros didn’t want there to be a next time! He gulped as Maedhros sat down instead of carrying him to his bedroom. 

“Now, will you please explain to me just what all this is about Yule and what you’ve been up to when you should be in bed like a good little elfling?” 

Only slightly relieved to find himself sitting on Maedhros’ lap instead of face down across it, Elros hugged himself and looked at the flour-dusted toes of his boots. “It’s Yule on High Day. Amme would make the Yule bread a few days before and she hid a coin in it for each of us. And Ada, or one of the other captains if he was away at sea, would bring home the big fish with the long sharp nose, and he’d roast it up for everyone. And there were presents, and woven reed star decorations over the doors and windows for good luck, and—and it was wonderful and I want it to be wonderful for Elrond…”  

He gave a sob, tears suddenly running down his face. “But when I mentioned it, Inglain—you know, the chief guard’s son—laughed at me and said Elves d-don’t c-cele-b-brate Yule and I just have to get used to it—but Yule is so special and I wanted to make it Yule for Elrond even if no one else thinks it’s a special d-day.” 

He wept, disconsolate, and hardly noticed that Maedhros was silently rubbing his back. Now he wouldn’t be able to make the circle of Yule bread, his brother’s favorite part of the celebration besides the presents, and it would just be the usual sort of High Day to everyone else, and it wouldn’t be special at all. 

The gift he’d made after buying some materials from one of the passing traders with the few coins of pocket money that he’d hidden away might as well just stay under his pillow. If I give it to Elrond over breakfast, everyone’s going to know that I’m just a stupid Peredhel who follows “barbaric” Mannish customs, and Elrond will be upset at the teasing they’ll do about our doing anything different. 

Eventually, the tears slowed to a trickle, but, despairing, Elros hardly heard Meadhros’ quiet words of comfort, and didn’t make any sort of objection when the elf stood up, holding him close.  

He didn’t remember opening the bedroom door, but when he looked up and saw Elrond asleep with the storybook splayed open over his chest, he began to silently weep again. He listlessly sat on the edge of his bed and toed off his boots when bidden to do so, and crawled beneath the covers, rolling away from Maedhros and pulling them over his head. He eventually fell asleep on a damp pillow some time after the bed chamber door closed.

*****

Maglor poured hot water over the leaves in the pot and inhaled the fragrant steam, hoping it would calm his temper. He'd have to discipline Elros in the morning, and it was better he sort out his feelings about the boy's behavior now so he could handle it appropriately without frightening or alienating the child. 

Maedhros strode into the kitchen and made a beeline for the steaming teapot. 

"That needs to steep, so be patient," Maglor scolded as he hung the kettle back over the fire. "What took you so long? I'm almost done clearing this up." 

"I think I know what we can do to sort out his problem."  

"I'd like to know just what his problem is," Maglor retorted. "Here, make yourself useful and hold the dustpan while I get this last little bit up off the floor." He swept the remaining pile of flour and dust into the pan and let Meadhros dump it into the refuse bin. 

"Apparently, at the Havens, they celebrated the solstice with a mix of Mannish and Elvish customs, and Elros wants to re-create some of them for Elrond, because earlier this fall, Inglain told him 'Elves don't celebrate Yule'," Maedhros quoted. "He thinks that next High Day is just an ordinary one, and he's quite upset about disappointing Elrond. So he's been planning and plotting ever since on how to make it Yule anyway. But you can see the result."  

Maglor put the broom back into its usual spot, and went to the table while Maedhros put the dustpan away. "Good intentions, but unfortunate execution. I thought that keeping the Door of Winter a surprise would be fun for them." 

"I think that they still aren't sure about us, brother. Sweeping them up from the only home they'd known, with no idea about what happened to their parents.... what did you tell them about Elwing and Eärendil anyway?" 

"They've never asked me about them," he admitted as he filled Maedhros' mug and then his own. "If I tell them the truth, they'll hate us. But if I prevaricate and they find out later that I lied, they'll hate us too. Besides," Maglor dropped onto one of the stools, cradling his mug in his hands, "I don't know what to tell them. Maybe she managed to avoid the rocks at the bottom of the cliff and swam out to where Cirdan's ships patrol and they picked her up. Maybe Eärendil got there right after we left and found her. Or maybe he's lost in the Shadowed Isles and she's dead. What would you tell them?" 

His older brother grimaced. "It has to be the truth and we have to hope that by that time they've come to see that we really do mean them no harm."  

Maglor sighed and sipped at his tea for awhile, thinking about the past six months since the debacle at the Havens in Aviernen. "I wish that we knew, one way or another, but since we can't, why don't you tell me what you think I should do about Elros?" 

"I think that we need to give him Yule as well as the Door of Winter. He said that his naneth's bread was made with nuts and bogberries and dried fruit, and shaped into circle, served for breakfast. I'm going to ask Colhadron to find out in passing what it looked and tasted like from Elros while he's doing chores to make up for all this." 

"Fruit and nut bread at breakfast, that's not too bad. What else did they do?" Maglor listened closely as Maedhros explained about the coins baked into the bread, the feast that featured the sword-nosed fish, the evergreens and the presents for 'everyone'. 

"Coins in the bread. That must be what these are for." The bard pulled out the leather pouch he'd found on the table after Maedhros had taken Elros to his room, and opened it. "Yes, there's two silver pennies in here." He tucked them back in and put the pouch into his pocket. "Greenery won't be a problem as the elflings will be going out to get that the day before High Day. And I have presents for them already." 

"I'm afraid we won't find any sword fish anywhere around here," Maedhros pointed out.  

"The venison and boar that we have hanging for the feast will make up for that. And I told Colhadron to save out a basket of the last of the apples so we can have pastries as a special treat."  

They sat over their tea until dawn, planning out how to combine the memories that Elros had of Yule customs with the traditions they'd developed long ago as the elves had become aware of the cycle of the sun through the year.  

Relieved to find that it wasn't outright rebellion that had caused Elros' misbehavior, Maglor enjoyed arguing with Maedhros about the suitability of a bow and arrows for a seven-year-old boy until the cook came yawning into the kitchen to start up the big pot of porridge for breakfast.

 ***** 

Elros dragged his sleeve across his face, sniffled hard, and pushed open the kitchen door. The cook on the far side of the room was tasting something that simmered in the big pot on the hearth, and more than a half-dozen others were busy with various tasks in the overly warm chamber, including a youngster sitting at the table, cracking nuts with a mallet.  

He paused inside the doorway, hesitant to interrupt. But Maglor had told him to report to the cook, and to do whatever he was told. "Master Colhadron?"  

Colhadron set the tasting spoon aside and turned towards the door, wiping his hands on his apron. "Ah, Elros. There you are. Come over here and we'll get you started. How good are you at sorting the nut meats from the shells?" 

Elros walked slowly to where the tall elf stood with hands on hips. It seemed that everyone was staring at him, and he tried not to show how uncomfortable he felt. "I used to help Naneth," he said, flushing at the amused expression on Colhadron's face. 

"Then climb up on that stool and help Inglain by sorting out the nutmeats from the shells he's cracking." 

Elros stifled a groan. Inglain was always teasing him and Elrond about the differences between them and the other elflings, and it wasn't nice teasing either. He shuffled over to the stool and, avoiding everyone's eyes, climbed up to sit gingerly on its hard surface, half expecting the dark-haired elfling to make some mean comment. 

"Here, I already started with these." A pair of low bowls were shoved in front of him, but the congested sound of Inglain's voice made Elros look up at the other youth.  

Inglain ducked his head, hiding behind disarrayed strands of dark brown, but not so fast that Elros didn't see his red-rimmed eyes.What's he in trouble for? he wondered, then jumped as Colhadron rapped on the table with a wooden spoon. 

"To work, Elros. I'll be needing those nuts shortly." 

"Yes, sir."  

He painstakingly separated the good bits from the shells and filled up about half of one bowl, listening to the regular thwack of the mallet to his right, hiding behind his own black hair.  

A short time later, giving a frustrated sigh, Inglain asked, "Why don’t you just break the nutmeats into smaller pieces?" as the pile of unsorted nuts began to build up. "It's faster and I can't get up until you're done, too." 

"Naneth always wanted some to be whole," Elros said, laying another complete nutmeat in the second bowl, "to decorate the top of the Yulebread." Then, remembering who he was talking to, he looked away, waiting for the sneering comment that never came. He glanced over his shoulder and was surprised to see that Inglain was again concentrating on his work. Elros sighed and returned to his sorting, but he continued to save the whole nuts separately in the second bowl. 

It didn't take too long for his bottom to begin to complain of the hardness of the kitchen stool, and he squirmed fruitlessly to find a more comfortable position. 

"It doesn't help; Uncle Colhadron picked these stools for us on purpose." Inglain whispered. 

"Did he--um, you know?" Elros blushed, and looked down to worry at a stubborn shell that was refusing to let go of its treasure. 

"What do you think--?" The last word ended in a yelp as Colhadron smacked the table between Elros and Inglain with the spoon. 

"Inglain, your job is to crack nuts, not chatter. Elros, you missed a bit there; be more attentive." 

By the time they'd cracked and sorted enough nuts to satisfy the cook, their former differences had been erased by a new unity against Colhadron's scolding and fussiness. Once the bowl of broken shells had been discarded, Inglain was dismissed to report back to his father, and Elros wondered if he was to go back to his room. 

Instead, he was told to go out to the wood pile for more kindling. Elros was very glad to be allowed to stand up and stretch--and, once he'd escaped the kitchen, to surreptitiously rub his still slightly stinging bottom. Maglor had a hard hand! But, Elros admitted to himself, his guardian hadn't been angry; he'd explained why he was getting disciplined, and had even cuddled him afterwards until he'd stopped crying. Sneaking out after being put to bed was dangerous, even for such an important thing as fixing Yule for Elrond. 

As he picked up the bundle of kindling from the pile against the side of the woodshed, Elros suddenly remembered that he'd never picked up his pouch with his precious silver pennies the night before! He raced back to the kitchen, the bundle of twigs tucked under his arm, and skidded to a halt in front of Colhadron. "Sir! Please, did you find a pouch with two pennies in it when you came to the kitchen this morning?" Oh, please don't let it be lost! 

"No running in the kitchen, Elros!" the cook snapped. "And no, I haven't seen a pouch. Put the kindling by the log basket and go wash your hands. We're making bread this afternoon." 

By the time supper time came around, Elros was so tired he could barely think, much less worry about his missing pouch. His bottom had stopped stinging but now his arms were sore from practicing kneading bread dough and forming it into little round rolls. His clothes smelled of flour and yeast, and the sauce that he'd accidentally dribbled on himself when helping to put it in the little bowls that would be placed on the high table in the Great Hall.  

Elrond appeared at the kitchen door and cheerfully announced to the cook that Maglor had sent him to fetch Elros home. Elros, helping scrub the worktable at which he'd spent most of the day, looked at the cook hopefully.  

"Away with you, lad," Colhadron made some shooing motions with his hands. "You can tell Maglor I said that you did a good day's work. Now, out!" 

Elros let Elrond drag him from the kitchen to halfway up the stairs to their apartment. "Maglor taught me how to play his harp!" the younger twin excitedly announced. "He's teaching me a new song too!" 

A bit of jealousy flared for a moment, then Elros remembered that there would be no Yule this year after all, and maybe the treat of getting to hold Maglor's treasured harp would make up for it a little bit. Yawning, he simply said, "I'm glad." 

Maglor pointed them to the small table where their supper was set out, and after washing his hands yet again, Elros sat down, to nod off to sleep over his bread and milk. 

***** 

Every day for the next four days, after break of fast, Elros made his way to the kitchens to work for the busy cook, carrying things, washing pots and bowls and spoons, sifting flour, cracking nuts, and running back and forth to the woodshed for more kindling. And somehow, he always seemed to pulled into the middle of Colhadron's bread making. At the end of the day, he always went back to his room for supper and bed, fetched by Elrond, Maglor, or on the last night, Maedhros. 

"I can walk up the stairs by myself," he sleepily complained as Maedhros hauled him up one-handed to perch on his hip. Even as Elros grumbled about it, he laid his head on Maedhros' shoulder, and curled his arms around his neck. 

"I know, but for tonight, you do not have to. What did you do for Master Colhadron toay?" 

"Washed dishes, and made a bunch more rolls." Another yawn interrupted him. "And I got to cut up a bunch of dried cherries and bogberries and mix them with dried currants. Don't know what they're for." 

"I’m sure you will find out soon, sleepy little one." 

"I'm not little." Elros felt more than heard Maedhros' chuckle as he fell asleep on his shoulder, and was surprised to wake up the next morning in his own bed. 

***** 

The following day found Elros, not in the kitchens, but traveling with a large group of youngsters and grown-ups who took several small wagons into the forest around the keep, and filled them with boughs of pine and other evergreen branches. Riding on the driver's bench of one of the carts, Elros and Elrond, seated on either side of Maglor, followed a path to a grove of mixed oak, beech and pine. Maedhros rode along side on his mare, singing about sunlight on the snow.  

"Why are we doing this, Maglor?" Elrond asked and Elros listened intently to the answer. 

"Because we always do this each year. The green boughs help make the hall and the rooms smell good when the windows are shuttered against the cold winter. The holly and ivy, and many of the dried berries are useful for medicines, too. And they look nice draped over the hearths and doorways." Maglor paused a moment, then asked, "Didn't your family do this each winter?" 

Elrond shook his head. "We had ropes and wreaths made of braided reeds, and dried grapevines. We're not allowed to gather tree branches because they have to grow straight and tall for the masts for the ships." His voice softened wistfully. "Naneth was really good at making pretty stars out of the reeds and she hung them in the windows."  

Elros turned his head and looked away at the underbrush, trying hard not to let even one tear free. All of a sudden, he missed Naneth more than he ever had, more even than he had during the first terrifying days when they'd been spirited out of the ruined Havens on horseback and carried off by their guardians. I wish I knew where she is. I wish she and Ada would come and find us and take us home. 

"Elros!" Inglain raced up to the side of the wagon, loping along with a gaggle of his friends. "Do you want to collect the green ivy with us? We have to climb really high to get the best of it." He noticed Elrond peering around Maglor's tall figure. "You can bring your brother, too!" 

Distracted from his sad thoughts, Elros turned eagerly to Maglor. "May we please? May we climb up to get the ivy?" 

He was disappointed when Maglor insisted that he and Elrond remain on the ground. "You can catch what they toss down and carry it to the wagons," he was told, "but I'm not having one or the other of you break a leg by trying to keep up with them while they scramble through the treetops." 

Elros and Elrond reluctantly obeyed, and ran back and forth between the trees and the wagon. As they moved deeper into the forest, Elrond had been thrilled to find an aged oak with a generous bounty of mistletoe before any of the elven youngsters did, and Elros was happy to see his twin being made much of by everyone for his sharp eyes.  

But as the short winter day waned, they began to tire well ahead of the elflings, and Maglor announced that he would drive one of the full vehicles back to the keep and the boys were to come with him. Elros fought to stay awake, but by the time they got back to the keep, he was sound asleep, leaning against Maglor's side. 

***** 

It was the sound of low voices murmuring in the sitting room that aroused Elros in the middle of the night. That, and the rumbling in his middle from having slept through supper. 

Elros rubbed his eyes and rolled over to peer across the room at his brother's bed. Elrond was sound asleep, hardly visible beneath his covers. His stomach rumbled again, and he slipped out of bed to pad, barefoot, to open the door. "Maglor? I'm hungry." 

His guardian looked up from the game board that rested on a low table between him and Maedhros. "I'm not surprised. I kept some soup warm on the hearth for you. Sit down, Elros." 

Elros scurried across the chilly floor until he stood on the square carpet around which the chairs were arranged, and dug his toes into the pile, with a relieved sigh. 

"Where's your slippers, lad?" Maedhros asked, glancing up from the game board to smile at the boy. 

"I forgot to put them on." Elros sat down in his own little chair, and pulled his bare feet up onto the seat under the hem of his nightshirt to warm them. "If you move the castle, you can catch the orc captain," he pointed out. 

"But if I do that, Maglor can move his Spearman and take out the Castle. See?" Maedhros pointed out the pieces and the paths they'd take. "And that leaves my Lord open to attack." 

"Save the lesson for tomorrow after we all get some sleep," Maglor interjected, putting a mug of warm soup on the edge of the table in front of Elros. "Get this inside you and go back to bed, child. You'll need all your energy tomorrow with the other elflings." 

Elros wrapped his hands around the mug and took a sip of the warm broth. "I thought I was helping Colhadron in the kitchen again." 

"No, you'll be doing something else instead. You'll enjoy it, I promise." Maglor sat down and eyed the game board. "Foot Soldier Four to Lady Four. My game!" He grinned and moved the Foot Soldier figure across the light and dark squares to bump the Light colored Lady out of her block. 

"How on Arda--?"  

Elros giggled at the stunned expression on Maedhros' face, then ducked his head to drink up the last of his soup, while Maglor smugly collected up all of the game pieces and dropped them into their box. "You should have moved your Castle, sir," he said as he put down the mug. 

Maedhros stared at him, then at Maglor, and started laughing. "You sneaky.... you let him make me think you were taking an entirely different track--Come along, brat. If you are done with that soup, it's back to bed with you." 

Elros squealed as Maedhros jumped to his feet and swept him up, tucking him under his right arm like a load of laundry. "Nooo! Put me down!" He wriggled and giggled, and for a moment it seemed that he was back home, with his Ada returned from the sea, playing with him before bedtime. 

"You didn't like the cold floor, so I'm keeping your feet warm." The red-haired elf started tickling, and Elros squealed again, the memory slipping away as he tried fruitlessly to tickle Maedhros back. 

"Stop it, Maedhros. You'll drop him." Maglor plucked Elros from his brother's grasp and turned him right side up. "Let's not wake Elrond, shall we? Dawn will come all too soon." 

In short order, Elros was back in his room, under the covers, smiling even as his eyes closed. As Maglor tucked the quilts around him, he mumbled, "G'night, 'Da." 

***** 

"Elros! Elros! Look!"  

Elrond's voice was shrill in Elros' ears, startling him into sitting bolt upright, tangled in his blankets. "What--?" His jaw dropped as he saw a garland of evergreen and ivy draped across the top of the room's window, a handful of silvery stars suspended from threads making a constellation against the closed shutters. 

"Yule presents!" Elrond pointed to a cloth bundle at the foot of the bed that Elros knew hadn't been there the night before.  

Elrond bounced on the edge of the bed. "Please let me see what you got. See! I got a toy horse and a new writing slate, and a new pair of boots!" 

Elros rubbed his eyes, double-checked that it was all really there, then smiled as he reached under his pillow to pull out a small flat packet of parchment. "I made this for you, Elrond. Happy Yule!" 

Leaving his own presents for the moment, he anxiously watched Elrond rip open the parchment that wrapped his gift. His twin's grey eyes widened as the ivory vellum fell away from the star woven out of a length of thin grapevine. 

"I couldn't find reeds and straw didn't work, but I remembered how much you loved Naneth's stars. There's another part to your present, too." Elros nodded toward the flat bit of leather that the star lay on. "I drew it so we can always remember."  

He didn't have to look at the image inexpertly etched into the dark leather scrap to see it clearly in his head. It was of Ada and Naneth and Elrond and him hanging up stars in the window for Yule back home. 

He glanced at his brother's face to see his reaction, and then was practically flattened against his pillow again as Elrond flung his arms around him.  

"It's Naneth and Ada! Thank you!" 

Elros hugged his brother tightly, tears dampening his cheeks. "One day, we'll all be back together for Yule, Elrond. One day...." 

He sniffled a little bit as Elrond sat back on the edge of the mattress and examined the vine star and the drawing again, then reached for his bundle. "If you got a toy horse, I wonder what I got?"  

He was examining a wooden puzzle, and had his new boots pulled over his bare feet, when Maglor opened the bedroom door and came in.  

"Time to get dressed for break of fast. We're eating in the Hall this morning. Oomph!"  

Elros bounced off of the bed and threw himself at Maglor, hugging him tightly. "The stars! You remembered Elrond's Yule stars!" Beaming up at his guardian, he said, "Thank you! Thank you!" 

"You are welcome, Elros, Elrond. My brother and I hoped you would like our Door of Winter gifts." He unpeeled Elros' arms from around his waist and sat down on the edge of the bed and beckoned for the twins to sit on either side of him. 

Elros asked, puzzled, "Door of Winter?" 

Maglor ruffled Elros' dark hair. "Inglain was both right and wrong when he told you that Elves don't celebrate Yule. We do celebrate the return of light on the shortest day of the year, at the Door of Winter, but we don't call it Yule. I wanted to surprise you; not cause you any pain by allowing you to think that there was no celebration at all. Will you please forgive me?" 

Elros nodded his head and hugged Maglor tighter. "I forgive you. Thank you, Maglor. So much!" 

***** 

Later that morning, towards the end of the joyous, leisurely breakfast feast in the Great Hall, Colhadron carried a round platter up to where Elros sat next Maedhros. "Happy Yule, young Elros," he said kindly, and lifted the cover to reveal a delicately browned ring of braided dough that was bumpy with pieces of dried cherries, bogberries, and currants, and sparkling with a honey glaze and scattered with nutmeats. 

"Naneth's Yule Bread!" Elros gasped. "But--! But--!" 

Maedhros rested his hand on Elros' shoulder. "You told me that you wanted to make today special for your brother, little one. I hope that we made it special for you, too."

As Colhadron cut into the ring, revealing the gleam of a silver penny, Elros beamed. "Oh, you did! You did!" 

The End