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Chapter Text

The mountain had gone quiet for the night, tools had stopped chipping away at rock, ores no longer clinked and rattled on the scales, and most Dwarves of Khazad-Dûm lay asleep in their beds.

Except for one. 

Gamli always struggled to get to sleep. He didn't mind too much, in his opinion there was so much to see and do it was foolish to miss out by just lying in his bed and pretending to be asleep whenever Disa came in to check. He was happier to tell himself stories until he eventually fell asleep.

It always seemed to work, until tonight. He had tried, truly, he had! He had rolled and tossed and turned for what felt like days, but he just couldn't sleep.

It was so late even his Mama and Papa were in bed. It was strange that he couldn't hear the warm rumble of their voices from the main chamber. The only sounds keeping him company were the distant rush of a waterfall and Gerda's gentle snores from the bed beside him. 

Gamli sighed. He was bored, so terribly bored! He had left his quills, ink, and his paper in the main chamber, he couldn't even write or read his own tales! He huffed again, and threw his arm over his head in frustration.

He listened some more, hoping the constant sound of rushing water would lull him to sleep, and pulled his blanket higher up his chin.

Just as he thought he was dropping off, as the tension left his little body, a clang echoed from the main entrance to the mountain.

Gamli snapped his eyes open.

'A visitor? At nighttime? They must be mad! Got to be a returning guard, or a farmer who lost his way...'

Oh, the stories that flooded Gamli's mind. Maybe it was a seven foot tall man, brooding and looming over the mountain, teeth like pickaxes, eyes red as rubies-

The clang echoed again, this time it was closer, it was from his parent's door...

Gamli jumped up, placed his feet upon the stone-cold floor, and scurried into Gerda's bed. Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea to picture something so frightening...

Gerda grumbled sleepily, turning over to push her brother away.

"Ger'off...you have your own bed, Gam..." She mumbled, half-heartedly pushing her brother's shoulder.

"But Gerda, I heard a noise! And-"

"You're dreaming...go back to your own bed. I'll tell Papa if you don't."

Still, Gamli didn't move. He could hear voices from his parents room.

"What is-"

"Shh!" He hissed at his sister. "Come on! Let's listen..." He said, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of bed. She groaned at him, but acquiesced, and pressed her ear to the door.

"He's here? Now?"

"That's Papa's voice!"

"Shh!"

"Yes sire. Just arrived. He asked forgiveness for the late intrusion, and asked if he could stay with you for a while."

"Aye, of course...we'll go get him, I haven't seen him for a while now...be good...lots to talk about!"

"We can't leave the children on their own, my love."

"That's Mama!"

"I know, now shush!" Gamli insisted, earning himself an elbow to the ribs.

"I'll be on guard outside the whole time, it's only the main entrance, you'll be there and back with him in no time!"

There was a moments hesitation before Disa sighed.

"Aye, I suppose you're right. Aulë knows our only child in trouble right now is the one half-asleep at the door. Thank you Odgrin."

"Of course."

There was a brief shuffling of footsteps, a door opening and the gentle sound of it being pulled shut again.

The children were alone...there was no one in the home. Odgrin was outside the front entrance, but no one was there to see they were awake.

"Who could it be?" Gerda asked excitedly, much more awake than she had been a few moments ago.

"I'm not sure? Nobody really comes to visit, not even our uncles!"

"That's just cos they're mean to Papa."

"Where'd you hear that?"

"I heard Mama call our uncle's beard 'lice-ridden', and Mama only says that about nasty people." Gerda shrugged, giggling slightly.

The little ones paused, thinking in the dark of their shared room, surrounded by little figurines and the odd stray boot.

Gerda suddenly clasped Gamli's arm and shook him.

"What? What is it?"

"Do you think? Uncle Elrond?" Gerda asked wistfully, still clasping her brother's arm.

Gamli considered it a moment. They hadn't seen Uncle Elrond for a while now. He used to visit often, but Papa said he was looking after a sanctuary. Gamli pictured somewhere sunny, with lots of green, and flowing waterfalls. Had he come to stay? Truly?

"It's gotta be, Gerda! Oh, Uncle Elrond coming here!"

"I'm gonnae show him my resonating crystal, and show him the ore I pried, and hug him!" Gerda was positively buzzing with excitement, listing things off her fingers, any trace of sleep gone as she shook Gamli's arm and bounced up and down.

"I'm going to hug him too! And show him my writing!" Gamli paused, thinking to his leather-bound book of notes and stories sitting in the main chamber with his quill and ink. "I need to go get my book! C'mon!" 

Gerda hauled him back as he tentatively opened the door.

"Gamli, Mama and Papa will be back soon!"

"You scared?" Gamli teased, face lit dimly by the torches in the corridor.

"No!" Gerda exclaimed, indignation plain on her face as she took the lead and marched out of the door.

Gamli giggled, following his sister and tip-toeing carefully along the corridor to the main room.

It was eerily quiet, but the siblings were too focused on the task at hand to be afraid. They crept towards the table, spying the book and writing materials. They listened carefully, any moment now they might have to scramble back into their beds.

Mama wouldn't mind really, she'd just tut and insist they have a nap the next day. Gamli privately agreed with her, knowing that Gerda would definitely be in a grumpy sort of a mood come morning if she didn't get much sleep. But if Uncle Elrond was coming, she wouldn't be able to hold a frown for long.

Gamli lurched forwards and grabbed the book as Gerda hauled the pile of quills and a pot of ink into her hands, and they both sprinted back to their room, giggling with adrenaline.

They put everything down and laughed breathlessly, their stolen treasure lying in a heap on Gamli's bed.

"I know we weren't racing, but I won." Gerda proclaimed, ignoring her brother's dropped-jaw.

"No way! I'm much faster than you!"

"Sure, Gam-"

All of a sudden, they heard their parents return with a clang of a door and a shuffle of footsteps. 

The pair scrambled over each other, battling half-heartedly over who got to put their ear by the keyhole, and listened.

Sure enough, their Father's gruff voice echoed through the rock, followed by their mother's soft and soothing cadence, though they were too far to make any of it out.

They pressed their ears closer and closer to the gap, listening for a third voice.

"Is it Uncle Elrond?" Gerda whispered anxiously.

"Just wait...it has to be him!" Gamli assured her, holding his sister's hand gently.

Sure enough, a tired but undoubtedly Elvish voice rang through the chamber.

Gerda gasped and jumped up and down, probably a hairsbreadth away from whooping with joy. Gamli grinned broadly, leaping up to join his sister in her excitement. 

Had they stayed at the door, they'd have heard the three sets of footsteps get closer, noticed that the lightest set stepped into the room just down the corridor from their own. But, cheerful and jovial as they were, they didn't.

It was only when Gamli was about to pull open the bedroom door to ambush his favourite uncle that he heard his mother's footsteps approaching.

"Gerda, into bed, quick!" He shout-whispered to his sister, barrelling under his own covers just as Disa opened their door, Gerda still only halfway to her bed.

"I thought I heard you wee monsters! What are you doing up? It's much past your bedtime, my loves." Disa warned, a soft smile on her face lit by the candle she carried.

Gerda pattered over to her mother in anticipation.

"Uncle Elrond's here, Mama! We want to see him! Can we see him? Please can we see him, Mama?" She asked, eyes alight with excitement.

Gamli removed himself from his blanket and hurried over to join his sister.

"I heard you and Papa, Uncle Elrond is here isn't he Mama! Please can we see him now? I think if I wait until morning I'm going to pop." Gamli said, throwing his arms up in the air.

Disa knelt to their level, eyes fond and warm, lit by the golden fire.

"Oh, my dearies, I know you're excited. And Uncle Elrond asked after you straightaway. But he's had a very long journey, he's only just managed to wrangle a few days off."

"Oh, but-" Gerda started, protesting in frustration

"He's fast asleep in the spare room, my loves. And he needs his rest."

"Can we not even say hello?" Gamli asked, the beginnings of a pout on his lip.

"You can, my sweet ones, but in the morning, I promise." Disa said it with a smile, so neither children protested any further.

She took their faces in her hand one at a time, and gently kissed their cheeks.

"Now, why don't you try to get some sleep? Tomorrow will come much quicker if you sleep."

"I don't think I can, Mama!"

"Me neither, I'm awake now." Gerda said, shooting a look at her brother.

Disa smiled fondly.

"Well, maybe if you try you might feel a little sleepier. I'll come tuck you in, and then it's eyes tight shut for me."

The children nodded unenthusiastically.

Disa lifted her babies into their beds, making sure the blankets were pulled up to their chins, handed them their stuffed bears, and kissed their noses before going out of the room.

"Sleep well, my lovelies."

The door shut, and the room fell dark once more. Minutes passed in silence, the siblings both waiting for their mother's footsteps to retreat from their door.

"We need to see Uncle Elrond." Gerda whispered into the darkness.

"How? Mama and Papa won't be asleep for ages. And Mama always hears us, you know she does!"

"Well, we'll wait." Gerda proclaimed stubbornly. Gamli could practically hear her folding her arms.

"And do what? I don't want to be bored. And we can't play the knocking game, don't even think about it!" Gamli warned his sister, who huffed in response. 

"I just want to talk to Uncle Elrond. I want to tell him everything! But he's being silly and sleeping." Gerda said, a pout in her voice.

Gamli shuffled on his pillow, pulling a feather quill from where his head had been a moment before.

"We can write him! All we want to say, right now!" He exclaimed, brandishing the slightly bent feather.

"Gamli," Gerda said, disapproval plain in her voice, "he wouldn't even read it until morning." Gerda insisted, squinting as her brother got up and re-lit the candle Disa left.

"But maybe we'll at least sleep, and I think he'd like that we're thinking 'bout him." Gamli was going to write a letter regardless of his sister's opinion.

He sat at his writing desk, rolled up his sleeves and dipped the quill nib in the dark ink. It was a little tricky to see with only the dim candle, but he didn't mind.

"Fine then." Gerda groaned, pulling herself out of bed and sitting in the chair beside her brother, swaddled in her blanket. "What d'you want to say?"

Dear Uncle Elrond,

This is your favrit favourite niece and nephew writing! You're asleep, and we're not. Mama says you need your sleep, but we want to talk to you now, so here's our things we want to tell you.

HELLO! Gerda here! Mama got me a resonating crystal, it's purple and shiny! You'll really like it when you're awake. I pride pried my first ore with singing just like Mama! She says I've "got a good set of lungs", which must be a good thing. I missed you a lot. No one here gives good piggybacks and Papa won't let me play with his axe, but you always let me look at the sword you have! I can't wait to hug you Uncle Elrond!

Lots of hugs,

GERDA

Hello Uncle Elrond, Gamli here now! It was my idea to write to you. We can't sleep, you see. I've written loads of stories for you. They're all in this book, I even did pictures for them! You'll love them. I can't wait to hear your stories. I want to know about your sanctuary. I think it's green because Elves like green don't they? And sunny. I don't really like the sun, only for a little bit. But it sounds like a fun place, especially if you're there! I can't wait to read you my stories and give you more hugs than Gerda can! She says that won't happen, but I think it will!

Even more hugs than Gerda,

GAMLI

Gamli finished correcting the spelling, put his quill down and yawned, scrubbing at his eyes. Gerda had placed her head on his shoulder not long ago, and her eyes were drooping slowly.

"D'you think Mama and Papa are asleep yet, Gam?" She mumbled.

Gamli stretched tiredly, yawning his way to reply.

"I hope so. If we're quick giving Uncle Elrond the letter, we won't wake them."

"Alright then, let's go." 

Gerda took her brother's hand firmly in her own, pulling him towards the door. 

They opened it a crack, peering through it to listen for voices or footsteps. They heard nothing and tentatively began creeping their way along the dimly lit corridor.

It was very cold, and Gamli had to bite hard to stop his teeth chattering, but they slowly found their way to the guest bedroom and pushed the door open, cringing slightly when it creaked.

Their half-elven uncle, still in his travelling cloak and muddied tunic, was lying completely asleep on the enormous, elf-sized bed. Gamli thought it must have been able to fit their whole family on it. 

They crept in and Gamli placed the letter on the bedside table without so much as a whisper.

As he turned to leave, he saw Gerda scrambling up onto Elrond's bed.

"Gerda," He hissed quietly, "what are you doing?!"

Gerda was sat on the bed, just next to Elrond's side.

"Doesn't it look cosy, Gam?" She said sleepily, sinking into the mattress as she spoke.

"Yeah, but-"

"I'm so sleepy, Gam. Can't we stay?" Gerda widened her eyes to give her brother her best pleading face.

"You don't think Mama and Papa will mind, do you?" Gamli asked cautiously.

"S'long as we sleep, they won't mind where. And it's so comfy up here, Gam! Uncle Elrond is warm and toasty too. C'mon, be cosy with us." Gerda whispered, already tucking herself under the covers and slotting herself under Elrond's arm.

Gamli was so very tired, his feet felt weighed into the mountain and his eyes were being pulled down with every second that passed. Gerda did look warm and peaceful. It was much too cold to be on his own in the dark!

And so, with little hesitation, Gamli scrambled into the bed on Elrond's opposite side, curling under his uncle's arm and huddling into the warmth.

Elrond stirred from his slumber and the siblings froze, but Gamli felt his uncle smile from where his head rested, and he relaxed once more.

"Hello my little ones...I missed you." He mumbled, pulling the blankets higher over the three of them and cuddling them extra close. He kissed their foreheads and they all shut their eyes, all lovely and warm.

Come the morning, Disa would go into her children's room and find them gone. She would not panic, instead she would gently open the guest room door. Elrond would smile contentedly back at her, two dwarflings still snoozing on him, Gerda flung over Elrond's torso, Gamli still curled tight into his side, and an open letter in Elrond's hand.

Chapter Text

Elrond was used to waking from the bright sun streaming through his window, tempting his eyes open with beams of light, so it was a surprise on that particular morning to wake from the feeling of all the air being knocked out of his chest.

It was not a gentle way to wake up, nor a particularly pleasant one, but he smiled when he blearily opened his eyes to see Gerda had thrown herself over his chest.

He tried to think back to the night before, his memory hazy from sleep. He stretched out, as much as he could with two dwarflings attached to him, and yawned. Perhaps it was the low ceilings of the rocky mountain, the way the darkness was all-encompassing in the warmest and cosiest of manners that made him feel so content, and so very sleepy.

He glanced to his left, smiling upon seeing Gamli tucked under his arm, the boy's head resting on his shoulder. He looked ever so comfortable.

Elrond recalled feeling cold during the night, and then the sudden appearance of his favourite dwarflings, the sounds of hushed whispers, the patter of tiny footsteps, and the next moment being swaddled in warmth.

Still hazy, Elrond decided to get some more rest. He really hadn't stopped on the journey and his limbs felt achingly tired.

He turned, hoping to adjust Gerda a little, so that the arm trapped beneath her head didn't fall numb, when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye.

It looked like a note, propped up against a jug of water on his bedside table. 

Elrond wasn't nosy as such, he couldn't know who had left that note, or who it was intended for, but the handwriting looked suspiciously like that of the very dwarflings strewn over him.

And so, carefully, he removed his hand from beneath Gerda's head, holding his breath and hoping she didn't wake from the movement. Mercifully, he freed his hand with relative ease and snatched the letter deftly from the table. 

He unfolded it, glancing to the children and ensuring their eyes remained squeezed shut, and began to read.

He laughed a little at first, softly and fondly of course, but as he read on he found the little heartfelt stories and declarations of love gave him the most overwhelming feeling of adoration for the two wee ones.

He smiled with crinkled eyes, pretending to himself that they didn't mist up, all the while wiping the odd tear away with the knuckle of his thumb.

He truly hadn't known just how loved he was of the entire family, how much Gamli adored his tales, how long Gerda had pined to hug him, how much he was missed from somewhere. It felt good and warm, something akin to butterflies humming contentedly in his stomach, something that tugged at his lips until he was beaming away.

Gerda snuffled gently in her sleep, turning her head until her curls had fallen into her face, still snoozing upon Elrond's chest.

He gently tucked the curls behind her ear as she slept, then pulled the blanket higher over Gamli.

Elrond read the letter again and again, drinking in the well-crafted words of sleepy dwarflings that made his heart feel so full.

Oh, how he was going to spoil the both of them. He'd help them pick blackberries until their fingers and tongues were red with juice, he'd let them dress him up as an Oliphaunt or whichever creature they decided on, he'd hand them an extra coin to spend at the sweet vendor and piggyback them around the house until they laughed themselves to sleep.

Lost and beaming in anticipation of the joys of his visit, Elrond didn't hear Disa crack open his door.

"Good morning, dearie!" She whispered, smiling at him from the doorway.

Elrond startled, the letter still clutched tightly in his hand, waiting to be read again.

"Oh! Good morning, Disa." He smiled at her, whispering gently and glancing at the children.

"I see you gained a couple stragglers in the night, I thought they might come in here."

"It's quite alright, they've been keeping me warm."

Disa tiptoed over to the three of them sitting on the side of the bed.

"Ach, I knew I heard them doing something last night!" Disa whispered, glancing at the letter in Elrond's hand. "There's no sound I can recognise more than these two squabbling over whose handwriting is neatest."

Elrond huffed a gentle laugh, remaining vigilant not to move Gerda too much. He fell silent, still looking at the scribbled signatures the siblings had left upon the paper.

"I hadn't realised they missed me so." Elrond said quietly, refusing to meet Disa's eye.

She frowned, almost in disbelief.

"Ach, dearie...of course they missed you, and not just because you're going to spoil them rotten! We all love you being here. So much." 

Disa had even been surprised at herself how much she missed Elrond. It was how she imagined it would feel when her wee ones were old enough to leave the home. It was something like a little maternal tug on her heart every time Elrond returned to them, tired, but smiling nonetheless.

"And I love visiting. It is nice to have somewhere that feels homely. Truthfully I think it is the people more so than the place that makes it that way."

Disa smiled warmly towards him, then busied herself with tucking the covers a little neater and cosier.

"You waxing poetry again, Elf?" A gruff voice whispered from the door.

Elrond beamed up at Durin as he crept towards them, smiling at the sight of the children both curled up like dormice.

"What else am I to do after reading such well-crafted words!" Elrond joked, folding the letter and placing it on his bedside table once more.

Gerda still snored lightly, her head heavy and peaceful upon her uncle. Gamli, though his eyes were shut tight, smiled proudly. 

If letters made Uncle Elrond feel loved, then it was letters he would get.