A/N: Thank you all who reviewed my last story, you guys are so kind and encoraging! Here is the sequil of sorts I promised. As always, not my toybox, but I swear I'll put everything back where I found it (in one piece...I cannot say) ah well, on with the story! Please Review.
Estel chapter one
Great, sighed a boy as he brushed a curly lock out of his steely gray eyes. He had spent half of yesterday evening convincing everyone that he was old enough to go out on a small trail ride alone, he was after all almost eight years old! That was plenty old enough to go! They had finally consented after what seemed like, no what had been hours, they had agreed saying just as long as he was within sight of the Loud Water Falls. Well, he had been in sight of the falls that is until he had seen the white fawn and simply had to follow it!
Looking around at the woods that lay open before him, ominous and foreboding to the young child. The trees loomed above him and patchy sunlight filtered through the leafy canopy to illuminate the trail he was treading. The soft footfalls of the bay gelding barely audible to the child's ears were astonishingly quiet for an animal his size. His pony made not even a divot in the soft rain soaked earth they walked over.
The boy rested his hand lightly on his horse's mane. "Stella, do you have any idea where we are?" the boy asked in exasperation "No, you're a pony, of course you don't." the boy sighed answering his own question. The smooth reddish brown horsehide glided under the boy's legs as they wandered up the winding path coming into a clearing in the wood. He saw four paths that he may take. Hoping more than thinking that the hillock looked familiar, he turned right. Urging Stella into a canter they swiftly climbed the rise.
Looking down through the trees he saw a small river snaking it's way peacefully through the sleepy forest. "Well at least it's a river, that's a start!" Estel thought wryly to himself. As he looked at the valley below, Stella raised his head, his ears pricked with interest. Then Estel heard the faint sounds of laughter floating on the gentle breeze that tugged at his long curly hair. With an audible sigh of relief, he realized that he must be close to home and he hurried Stella along the path. He had had enough adventure for one day. As he drew closer to the source of the laughter he was puzzled and pulled up short. Those voices, he recognized none, and what they were saying he couldn't even make out words, they weren't even speaking words he didn't think. He wanted to see these people up close.
He quickly dismounted Stella and bade him to remain where he was until he came back. Silently he crept up the bank and climbed a tall tree that overlooked the river. Estel was confused, this was all wrong, this wasn't the loud water river at all, and he had no idea where he was. From his vantage point high in the tree he cold see two boys splashing in the river below him. One of them looked to be about his age and the other one looked to be a few years older than him. They were splashing about in the narrow gentle river, throwing stones and running after each other, clambering up the slippery river rocks.
Two horses stood by a tree; they used their reigns, to tie them there. Odd contraptions were strapped wound the horse's middle that Estel had never seen before. No fire dwelt in their dull placid eyes. Their coats weren't shiny like Stella's and they were much more crude than any of the horses from home. However what Estel was most interested in were the boys. Estel could not take his eyes away form the odd attire they were wearing. Thick heavy boots that made a resounding crunch with every clumsy step they took, as apposed to the soft soled leather moccasins that he wore. The clothes were different as well. They weren't wearing robes at all! They were wearing things that looked almost like loose leggings but he knew they weren't, and the earthy rough color and material they were made of stood out in stark contrast to the pale blue silk robes with silver embroidery.
Estel took off the thin silver circlet he wore on his brow, he knew it would be out of place among these boys, he carefully placed it in his robe pocket. They looked nothing like the elflings from his home, Estel's mind jumped ahead and was soon very excited, because these beings were humans! Young little humans just like him. He had never met a human before and so he was of course very happy. He leaned farther to catch a better glimpse at these boys, if he had not been so excited and lost in his own thought, he would have noticed the tree limb groaning in protest to the boy's light weight. He would have noticed the instability, but in his eagerness he forgot all about caution and thought only about seeing these human children, the first since himself he could ever remember seeing at all. The sharp crack of the tree limb made the boy realize his mistake too late.
Estel and the tree limb were now falling to the ground, the very far away ground. His body hit limb after limb on the way down out of the tall tree, the rough bark tore at his robes leaving painful bleeding cuts. Hitting the ground with a thud, he rolled down the steep hill towards the riverbank, with a jerk his body stopped against a log. He lay motionless; a jagged cut ran across his forehead through his split brow staining his cheek crimson.
The two boys on the other side of the stream stared openmouthed at the boy laying not ten feet away from them. The older of the boys waded across the smooth gray river stone to the fallen child. He gently rolled him over to reveal the extent of his injuries, his arm, already swelling and turning a deep shade of purple was bent awkwardly, clearly broken, and his breathing was fast and shallow.
"Is 'e all right?" piped the small boy from across the river. "Can' much tell" The older boy called back over his shoulder. "Will 'e live Jip" called the younger one to his brother. "Yeah, I'd say so" the boy called Jip relayed. The young boy waded across the river to join his brother by the fallen boy's side. ""Odd sota feller in't he" The young boy stated as he bent to prod Estel. "Easy Neb, 'e in't goina feel to good" Jip said sympathetically.
"Let's take 'em to da, 'ell know what ta do." The older boy nodded at neb's suggestion and they carefully picked him up and placed him atop a small chestnut pony for the short trip into their town.
Stella knew that he was supposed to remain at the foot of the small hill, but he was worried, he hadn't heard anything for quite a while. Quietly reaching the crest of the hill, he looked down at the river, no boys, no Estel. This was all wrong, Estel never went off on his own without him, something wasn't right. Turning swiftly on his haunches he galloped off up the trail hoping to find his way to Imladris. He needed help. By the base of the tree where little Estel had fallen, resting half buried in the leaves a silver circlet adorned with one small green stone set in a circular pendant lay, glinting in the soft shafts of sunlight.
A/N: Runs and hides! Sorry, my first ever cliffy. At least it wasn't to bad of a cliffy though if you think about it, I could have left it off right after he fell, but I'm not that evil! As always Please Review they make me so happy!