"Elladan!" Elrohir came pelting down the passageway, sword in hand. He had taken the left fork of the tunnel when the twins had split up in their haste to find their mother, but despite having cleared the network of tunnels in his side had found no sign of her.

"I cannot. . . oh. . ." The younger twin stopped suddenly as he saw the crumpled bundle in his brother's arms. Hot tears cut pale pathways through the grime on his cheeks. "She. . . she. . ?"

"She lives." Elladan's voice felt foreign to his tongue. His mouth numbly forming words he had never thought he would have to say.

"Oh Ammë," Elrohir's boots pounded on the dirty rock as he ran over to his brother, "We are here. You are safe."

It was all going hazy now, time passing in blurred confusion. The cloak wrapped around her seemed intolerably itchy on her bare skin but she had not the strength to do anything about it. He was walking carefully, carrying her smoothly. It did not matter now. Could he not see that?

The air was getting fresher out here. She had long despaired of ever being free to enjoy the scent of the grass and wild flowers that lined the pass again. How could flowers grow so close to this? Did they not know what had happened?

More noises. He will not be able to defend himself holding this burden. He should let her fall. But it is Elrohir. My Elrohir. He could not stand to see her like this. He would not cope. They were too close. The pain would cut too deeply. He would know.

Celebrian weakly turned her head to press her face against her older son's chest. The cold mithril plates were strangely comforting. Something of home. Something that signified safety. If only it had been any other. There were hundreds of soldiers available in the Imladris Guard. Who had decided that her children should be subjected to this?

"She lives."

In body maybe but not in spirit. Who knew what harm she was causing them? Elladan did not speak like that. Where was the laughter, the teasing and the life? Had she not been able to hear the steady rhythm of his heart pounding she would have doubted his living. That cold dead voice did not belong to anyone she knew.

"Ammë?"

Elrohir is here. She could feel him crying, his breath coming in gasps that warmed the back of her neck. He had thought to remove his filthy gloves and his warm fingertips stroked the bruised cheek. She would not look at him. He must be protected from this knowledge. He was so sensitive, so gentle. She should be coming out to meet him as he returned from battle, and laughing he should be picking her up and swinging her round. They had grown so big.

"Let me Elladan." Gentle arms slipped around her body, trying to take the burden himself. But Elladan did not yield.

"We must hurry. I will take her." The grip tightened slightly. Elladan would not let her go again. Elrohir's disagreement was evident in the tautness of his muscles but as ever he backed down. For a moment Celebrian had been afraid that the twins would argue as they had done since childhood. Who owned what? Who had done that? But nobody would want her. Not when they knew.

"Where was she?" Ever the peacemaker, Elrohir's voice held no trace of annoyance. He was moving, trying to see into the cavern. He must not see what happened there. Celebrian tried to speak but her strength failed. She was trapped in a useless body. She had to shield him from this but her muscles no longer obeyed her instructions.

"We must hurry Elrohir!" Elladan's voice was deadly and clipped with anger. Side -stepping with more haste than smoothness he blocked the view into the cavern with his body. Celebrian's whole body relaxed in relief. Elladan would protect him. He had always fought for the pair of them, taken the conflict of two onto his shoulders.

Elladan could take this. He was strong.

Celebrian winced slightly as Elladan heaved her onto the back of his horse, and in a smooth movement mounted behind her. As the constant horror faded and she drifted back to the present she was beginning to feel a dull ache in her body and every inch of her skin felt bruised and was painful to touch. The grip relaxed slightly, holding her tentatively, afraid that she would break.

She had not realised how cold she had become. The warmth from Elladan's body and the muscular back of the large dark brown horse was slowly bringing her back into the world of the living. The weak autumn sun was too bright and the light breeze harsh against her skin. Whimpering slightly she managed to turn her face against her son's shoulder. The roughly woven fabric of his tunic was warm and damp against her cheek. He was hurt. She had done this to him. Celebrian felt her throat contract as if to cry but no tears came.

"Elrohir, come we must leave this place." Elladan's voice made a brave attempt at being bracing, but faltered slightly at the end. He was worried for his brother who had already been on his horse when they had emerged from the shadowed entrance. Elrohir had always been fond of horses and was caressing his mount's neck, but unusually he was silent and his face had remained buried in the coarse grey hair for some time.

Slowly Elrohir raised his head and looked sadly at Elladan. His face was deathly pale beneath the sweat and grime and silent tears still streamed down his cheeks although his face held no expression, distressed or otherwise.

"We will ride through the night. We shall stop at the banks of the river to do what healing we can." Elladan ordered, surprised that his brother did not argue. Strangely neither felt tired or hungry despite not having slept and having consumed little more than waybread and water in the last week. Elladan felt apprehension that their healing skills would not be enough to cure their mother of even the physical wounds that she had obtained. He should have thought to take a medical pack, they were not even properly equipped. But they had not thought of that.

It had been a day as any other, the sun setting over the valley, lighting up the reds and yellows of the autumn leaves. They had both finished dressing for dinner, and were strolling along the balconies on a rather long diversion before meeting their father and his advisors. They had felt no guilt at keeping them waiting for as all the young male elves in Imladris knew a group of the youngest female elves were fond of gathering in one of the sunken groves to talk on these evenings. And walking along the west balcony provided the perfect excuse to accidentally notice them. But then just as they had reached their target a weary looking guard had come racing up the steps.

On a whim Elladan had decided to ask whether he could be of assistance, knowing that his father was fully occupied at the time. The message had been jumbled and full of gasps but the twins had only had to hear the words "Celebrian", "captured" and "Redhorn Pass" before they were both flying down the corridors to their rooms. They had barely taken time to fling on their hunting clothes and armour, grab their weapons and fill a water pouch before running to the stables and thundering out of Imladris.

By the time their father even got to hear of the news his sons were long gone, streaking into the night.

But it was a long ride and although they had pushed themselves and their horses to the limit, Elladan somehow doubted that they had arrived in time. Pushing unpleasant thoughts out of his mind with some difficulty, he settled his mother into a secure position and set off after his brother. She was alive, and at the moment that was the best that they could hope for.