Hello there! Allow me to introduce myself: I am Pinto. I'm not really new to fanfiction.net, but this is my first time in the Lord of the Rings category, so please let me know how I'm doing. I became enthralled after seeing the first movie, and then I read the books, including The Silmarillion.

I'll include the big obvious disclaimer here: I don't own any of the characters, places, or general concepts. They are all property of JRR Tolkien and family. However, the plot is mine, and if you wish (for some odd reason) to use it in any way, please e-mail and ask me first at pinto_2003@yahoo.com. It would be greatly appreciated! Now have a good day!

I decided to take the first fic easy, so I'm just doing shorter stories that will all be combined into one series called Misadventures in Imladris. I figured I'd just avoid taking on an entire novel-length story just yet! So anyway, hope you enjoy the first one! Let me know what you think, please!

Summary: Estel is still young and inexperienced. However, his older brothers seem to forget that and always drag poor Estel into trouble. What is Elrond going to think when Elladan and Elrohir decided it was a good idea for eleven-year-old Estel to go for a climb?

Misadventures in Imladris:

Of Estel and Trees

By: Pinto

Estel glanced anxiously at his twin brothers, both looking as though they could see some fascinating object far off, considerably further than the impatient eleven-year-old could see. Their elven hearing was aptly focused on a distant sound, and Estel glanced restlessly from one dark haired twin to the other. It irked him greatly when Elladan and Elrohir would do this; it only amplified his mortal nature and his lack of Eldar skills.

"What is it?" He finally demanded, his impatient nature getting the best of him.

Elladan looked sharply at the boy, his dark eyes signaling for Estel to lower his voice. "Aí, Estel! Give us one minute and we will tell you!" A clearly visible glint shone in his eyes, giving away his façade of irritability. "I swear by Eru that you have the patience of a drunken orc!"

The dark haired youth raised an eyebrow at his brother's comment. "Now how could that be, dear brother? Ada does not even allow me wine at meals; besides, how would you know how a drunken orc would behave?"

Exasperated, Elladan teasingly gently cuffed Estel alongside the head. The boy brought his hand up, cushioning the spot where he had been smacked. His light gray eyes narrowed in an attempt to send a scathing look to his elder brother.

"Are you both quite finished?" Elrohir had refocused his attention to his quarreling siblings, breaking his concentration from what he had been listening to. A hint of a smile pulled at the edges of his face.

Elladan and Estel looked at each other a moment before they both turned their attention to Elrohir. "I believe so. Right, Estel?"

Estel smiled sweetly, nodding vigorously. "Oh yes. Positively finished."

The other twin struggled not to roll his eyes at the two, both of who seemed to be unmistakably dripping with sarcasm. Shaking his head, Elrohir spoke to Elladan. "I believe the herd is passing to the north, most likely in search of fresh grasses. I would say at least seventy-five, possibly more."

"Aye, that is about the same conclusion I came to." A wicked grin appeared on his face. "I suppose Estel would like to know what we're talking about, brother." Elrohir noted the jesting look on his twin's face and could not resist playing along. Quickly sobering his face, he nodded seriously.

Clenching his teeth together, Estel struggled not to attack his elven siblings. "On the contrary," he gritted out between clamped teeth, "I do not care in the least." The human youth was surprised that his eye had not begun to twitch due to the utter yearning to know what his brothers had heard. But he would not give them the satisfaction of seeing him desperate. Not in a millennia.

"You heard him, Elrohir, he doesn't want to know." Elladan stoically commented. "And to think that we were planning on telling him."

The other mahogany haired elf shrugged sadly. "Estel, it's too bad that you are going to miss out. I had been under the impression that you were interested."

Both elves cast a look of overplayed remorse at their human brother before shrugging and turning to leave. Estel stared wide-eyed at the two as they began to move away from him. They weren't going to tell him? His clenched teeth relaxed and his jaw practically dropped open. He figured that the reverse-psychological method that he had been playing with would win him the answer he was looking for, not cause his brothers to simply leave! Estel grimaced. This would only mean one thing: he had to now beg his brothers for the answers he was looking for.

"Muindyr!" His voice carried the short distance to Elladan and Elrohir's ears. Both shot one another looks of triumph before turning around to face the distraught face of their young sibling.

"Yes, Min-neth?" Elrohir responded innocently, enjoying the look of torture on his youngest brother's face.

Estel shook his head, disgusted with himself for being so curious as to beg his brothers. "I…" He paused, narrowing his eyes at the far-too-happy look on Elladan's face.

"You what?" Elladan prodded, enjoying every minute. It wasn't often that they could get the raven-haired boy in a position like this – far too often it was the other way around.

Sighing, Estel threw the rest of his deflating dignity away. "I was mistaken when I said that…" He stuttered briefly before continuing. "That I did not care what it was that you both heard." He looked into his their faces and saw that they both were waiting for more. By the Valar, he was going to get them back for this. "Would you please tell me?"

Elrohir smiled, knowing that this was the most severe type of torture that could be handed to the young human – having to plead. Estel's self-regard was legendary. He did not enjoy being in situations like the one that he was in now. Reluctantly, the Elf decided that Estel had suffered his share of torture.

"All right, edan." Elrohir gently teased. "There is an unusually large herd of deer passing through just north of the edge of the woods. It is rare to see the deer run in the open in such large number."

"In fact," Elladan interjected, excited by the possibility of a hunt, "if we climb up a tree, I'm almost sure we will be able to see them!" His eyes sparkled.

Elrohir closed his eyes briefly. Why couldn't Elladan think before he opened his unnaturally loud mouth sometimes? Estel was not coordinated in trees yet, as he had neither the natural grace of Elves nor necessary years of experience, and now, undoubtedly, the boy would want to join his brothers.

"Raudh-dôl!" Elrohir muttered quietly, just loud enough for his twin's ears. Elladan shot the other Elf a look of indignity.

Estel's eyes shone with excitement, thrilled with the idea of joining his brothers to see the large herd. Perhaps Ada would even let him go with the hunting group if one were to be organized. "What are we waiting for?" He questioned, still looking eager. "Let's climb!"

Elladan nodded, smiling to see the energy that Estel was showing. Elladan himself was impatient to get to the top of the tree – he didn't want to miss the herd! This could easily turn into the largest hunt in decades. Deftly, the dark haired elf moved to a tall tree and easily leaped up into the first branches, pulling his body up into the leaves. Elrohir looked disbelieving at his twin. Did the Elf have not the slightest bit of sense in his thick skull?

Wasting no more time, Elrohir launched himself into the tree and onto the same branch where Elladan stood. Standing up, he stared unbelievingly at the other Elf. "Aí! Do you have the brains of a dwarf, brother? Estel is not practiced enough in trees to go cavorting about in trees of this height! Ada will have our heads! You forget that Estel is not gifted with elvish balance!"

Placing a reassuring hand on Elrohir's shoulder, Elladan nodded. "Ah yes, Elrohir, but Ada cannot have our heads if he never knows about it. I have faith in Estel; he has lived his entire life around us, I am sure that skills such as these have rubbed off."

Rubbing his forehead, Elrohir looked down to see young hands gripping the bottom limb, where both Elves stood. After a few strained grunts and unsuccessful attempts, Estel managed to pull himself up onto the branch. Once he had properly balanced himself, he glanced at both his brothers, a gleeful gleam in his gray eyes.

"See, no worries!" Elladan proclaimed, smiling at the eleven-year-old boy. "He will be fine."

Shaking his head, Elrohir submitted to his twin's logic. "Fine." He muttered and began to follow the other dark haired Elf up the tree. Estel watched his brothers climb up ahead of him before debating his next best move to advance further up the tree. It didn't seem so hard. He had only fallen out once before, but that was because Glorfindel had distracted him. The fact, however, that the incident in his mind had been the only time he had climbed a tree, seemed to slip past his mind.

Finally, he decided his next plan of attack and leapt straight up, grasping the rough bark of a thick branch in his fingers. He held in a gasp as the surface of the tree treated his tender fingers coarsely. Gritting his teeth, Estel utilized all of his upper body strength to propel himself onto the limb he had been hanging from. Sighing, he looked up. Elladan and Elrohir were already at least ten feet above him. It seemed as though this tree stretched up forever! Estel plucked at a leaf that hung tauntingly in front of his face. He began to doubt if he really could make it to the top; he was lucky if he was ten feet off the ground at this point and even now he was feeling tired.

"No. I am not giving up! Stop being such a weak human." He reproached himself. Standing up, the boy glanced higher, looking at his choices for branches. Leaping forward and up, his hands once again latched onto a tree limb. He swung back and forth precariously for a few seconds, like a pendulum. As he tried to pull himself up, the muscles in his arms protested strongly. Estel glanced at a branch in front of him. If he swung just enough, he could gain enough momentum to propel himself onto it.

Kicking his legs, Estel pumped to move in a swinging motion. His body began to sway back and forth as a result and he focused on the target in front of him. On the count of three… He coached himself, feeling the momentum that he was creating speed up. One… He swung forward. Two… He swung back. Three! As he swung forward again, he released his hands from their hold on the branch. For a split second, Estel felt himself soaring through the air on the verge of a free-fall tumble. Then, his feet hit the bark of the branch, and he teetered dangerously back and forth, wheeling his hands to try and regain a vestige of balance.

Suddenly, his flailing hands caught a slender branch above him, steadying him enough to keep him from tumbling out of the tree all together. Taking a deep breath, Estel tried to relax. How could Elladan and Elrohir move in the tree as quickly as they did? It was impossible! Groaning, he looked up again. He might as well keep moving. He prepared himself for the next jump.

"See!" Elladan motioned to the figure below them. "Estel is doing fine! Did I not tell you?"

Shaking his head, Elrohir could not help but smile. "You are right, he is doing quite well." Glancing down, he guessed that the boy was about twenty feet up in the tree at this point – still ten feet below his brothers, however. Elrohir paused in his climb and stretched out on the branch. He decided to wait here and allow his young human brother to catch up. He sighed contentedly as a warm breeze blew his dark locks of hair back.

A sudden yelp made Elrohir jerk up from his reclined position and look down. He stared in shock as Estel lost his balance entirely and slipped from the branch. The boy disappeared from sight, followed by a sickening thud a few seconds later. Elrohir felt his blood run suddenly cold. He leapt to his feet, sensing that Elladan had scrambled down to where he now stood.

"Sweet Valar, we killed Estel!" The color had drained from Elladan's face from shock, leaving him pale.

Elrohir jerked back up and shook his brother. "Elladan! He's not dead! Quick, get Ada!" When Elladan made no signs of comprehension, Elrohir shook him again. "Get ADA!"

Without another word, Elladan began scrambling down the tree, quickly followed by Elrohir. Within seconds, they reached the base of the tree. Elrohir sucked in a deep gasp of air when he saw his young brother lying limply on the ground. He rushed over to him, releasing his breath when he saw the rise and fall of Estel's chest.

He looked to Elladan. "He breathes. Now go! Quickly, tell Ada to hurry! I dare not move him."

Still stuck in a gaping expression of shock, Elladan raced away, his hair flying wildly behind him. This was his fault. He never should have let his human brother climb the tree! He was hardly more than an infant – only eleven years old! What in the name of Elbereth was he thinking?

Elrohir remained at the boy's side, crouching down next to him. "Estel, Ada is coming." He quietly reassured the unconscious child. Somehow he felt he was just trying to reassure himself though. His eyes traveled the body of the black-haired child. His left leg was twisted at a horrifyingly unnatural angle and his left arm looked as though it may have been dislodged from its socket. Elrohir cringed obliviously. Why on Arda had he allowed Elladan to talk him into allowing Estel into the tree? This was his entire fault.

Lord Elrond sat at a small round table, maps spread recklessly about it, covering the entire surface. Across the desk sat Haldir from Lothlorién. They were discussing the unusual amount of Orcs that the Lothlorién guard's forces had been spotting. They grew dangerously close to the edges of the Golden Wood, and it had become more and more unsettling. Haldir's golden hair splayed across some of the maps as he carefully studied a location in depth. However, a far away sound broke his concentration and he looked up.

It was apparent that Lord Elrond had also heard the calls, and he could identify it immediately. As they grew closer, the cries became more defined.

"Ada! ADA!" A voice echoed loudly down the hallway as its owner drew closer to the library in which the two elder Elves sat.

Lord Elrond supplied Haldir an apologetic glance, but the golden haired simply smiled in understanding, leaning away from the map that he had been so closely examining.

With a sudden burst of energy, Elladan burst into the room, his eyes frantically searching for Elrond. The Halfelven Lord stood at once, seeing the expression of panic that was painted across his son's face. He looked unnaturally pale and his usually well-kept hair was untamed and disheveled. "Elladan, what is wrong?" A crease of concern crossed Elrond's face.

"Ada!" The twin cried again, looking over to see Haldir for the first time. "It's Estel!"

Immediately the lord of Imladris tensed at the mention of his adopted human son. "What happened?"

"He fell out of a tree, Ada! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He blurted out, anguish distorting his features. "I didn't mean…and then he just…I didn't know!" He stuttered, his brown eyes flashing.

"A tree?" Lord Elrond's eyes grew darker. "How high was he, Elladan?" Concern grew within the Elf Lord. For an Elf to fall was painful but not too serious, but humans did not always have the resilient capability of the Elves.

"We think it was about twenty feet." Elladan whispered, looking wide-eyed his father.

Elrond closed his eyes. Twenty feet was a hideously long fall for Men, especially for a child of Estel's age. He glanced over to Haldir, who sat watching the entire drama unfold. "I am sorry, my friend, if you will excuse me…"

"Aye, my lord, it is no inconvenience of mine. Would you like me to prepare the healing room?" Haldir had stood up at this point, pushing several of the maps into a pile at the center of the table. "This may all wait, it appears that a more urgent situation had arisen." Hints of a smile tugged at the blonde Elf's lips.

Lord Elrond nodded appreciatively. "If you could, my friend…" He trailed off, seeing Elladan looking rather perturbed that his father had not yet taken flight to where Estel and Elrohir still remained. "We will return shortly."

With that, Elrond followed Elladan out, nearly being dragged by the younger Elf's strong grip on his Ada's arm. "I should have known better!" The son confessed, his eyes aimed downward as he surged forward in the direction of the tree where Estel had fallen. "He is but a mere child! Elbereth, what was I thinking?"

"My son, we will discuss it later. Right now it is important that we reach Estel quickly, for I do not know the extent of his injuries." Elrond felt worry creeping into his mind. He was concerned by the way that Elladan was acting, for it was rare that the twin would become so distraught. I will find out in a few minutes what makes him so troubled.

Elrohir looked up, hearing footsteps and voices from a few hundred feet away. He glanced down at Estel who still lay motionless on the ground. "Ada is coming, Estel." The Elf's dark eyes shut briefly, already envisioning the demeanor of his father. Both Elladan and himself were going to be fed to a warg for this.

"Elrohir!" The Elf quickly opened his eyes and saw both his father and brother quickly closing the gap between Estel and themselves. Elrohir nimbly got onto his feet, quickly moving out of the way and allowing his ada to kneel down next to where the young human boy lay.

"Estel…" Elrond quietly murmured, seeing the condition of his youngest son. The Lord of Imladris gingerly brushed some of the ebony hair away from the boy's abnormally pale skin and lightly lifted the eyelids. He noted that they were more widely dilated than they should be. He sighed, hoping that there would be no head injury to add onto the list that already apparently consisted of a broken leg and dislocated shoulder.

Looking up, Lord Elrond motioned to Elrohir to move closer. "I need to move him onto his stomach, very cautiously."

Nodding, Elrohir maneuvered his hands to rest underneath Estel's neck and lower back. He glanced up at his father, waiting for his command. "Very good. Now, I need you to slowly roll him to the left."

Forcing his lips into a tight line, Elrohir lifted up with his hands, in effect moving his young brother onto his side. "Easy…easy…" Elrond instructed, guiding the motions with his own expert hands. After a painstakingly long time, Estel lay on his stomach, his back facing toward the sky.

Pushing the sleeves of his heavy tunic up, Elrond placed his hands at the base of Estel's neck, carefully pressing to feel the vertebrae that lay underneath the skin, hoping to sense if the boy had any signs of a cracked spine. Systematically, Elrond moved down Estel's back, finally rocking back on his knees, relieved to find that there was no cracked backbone. However, the broken leg and dislocated shoulder were an ugly sight and knew that if Estel were to wake up soon, he would be in a large amount of pain.

Elladan looked anxiously where his father kneeled, his hands wrapped around his torso in worry. "Ada? Is Estel all right?"

Elrond looked up to his other son and forced an ineffectual smile onto his face. "He has no broken vertebrae, which is a blessing, but I am apprehensive about his arm and leg. It would be best if we can set his leg and replace his shoulder back before he wakes up." Elrond gently rolled the boy's limp body into his arms, easily supporting the child's weight. "Come, both of you." He indicated to his sons, his voice containing both undertones of kindness and disappointment.

The three walked through the woods in silence, both Elladan and Elrohir practically hanging their heads. They could tell that their Ada was not pleased with their irresponsibility. Lord Elrond focused his attention down as a muffled groan came from the child in his arms.

"Estel?" He quietly questioned, surprised to see the boy coming back to consciousness so quickly.

Estel's eyes looked slightly glassy, which Elrond attributed to the pain, and they struggled to focus on the swirling face in front of him. "Ada?" His voice quavered, and his eyes briefly tried to focus. Elrond could feel the youth's back arch slightly as the pain hit him. A confused sob escaped his lips and the light gray eyes searched the face above him for answers. "Ada, it hurts!"

"Shhh, I know, min iôn." Elrond attempted to cradle the small body better in his arms. "We're almost home, min-neth."

Estel looked up, taking in his father's face before his eyes slowly slipped shut again. Elrond watched his son's breathing for a few moments to ensure that he had not slipped into a shock. Once he had determined that shock was not the cause, he relaxed slightly. It was better that Estel not be awake when they would have to wrench his arm back into socket. It was not a fun thing to do, but despite the many years of healing expertise that Elrond had, there was still no other way to do it.

The small procession entered the Last Homely House and quickly proceeded to the Healing Room. Elrond entered first, glad to see that everything had already been set up. This would save him at least ten minutes of preparation time. Haldir stood alongside the bed, watching as Elrond approached.

"My lord, do you wish me to stay and assist?" He inquired as Estel was gently laid on the soft covers of the bed. He knew that this was the young edan that the Lord of Imladris had adopted as his own son. The blonde Elf's eyes lingered on the youth's form. While there was no questioning that he was indeed of the race of Men, there was something remarkably Elven about him.

Lord Elrond looked at the Lothlorién kinsman and nodded. "I would like to set the leg in a brace first. I do not wish to disturb that injury any more, if there was to be… thrashing about….when we have to re-set the dislocated shoulder."

Elladan's eyes widened at that remark. He knew how much that hurt, for after several accidents his father had to do that exact thing to him. He could never forget the burning, fiery pain that lingered for hours after his arm had been twisted down in order to place it back in the socket. He felt such remorse for his young brother. Estel shouldn't have to deal with this type of pain at his age.

Elrond easily dealt with the leg first, without assistance. That was really nothing more than a clean break, which with luck would heal in several weeks. He sighed, remembering that Estel was a young human, and his healing process would take longer than that of the Elves. Perhaps a month would be a more sensible estimate. As he placed the last roll of bandaging around the braces of the splint, Estel's eyes fluttered open again.

He groaned, trying to lift his head up to see what was going on, only to have it pressed gently back down to the pillow that it had been resting on. The boy's eyes flashed to the right to see who had pushed him back. He met the gaze of an unfamiliar Elf and quickly drew a breath in. "Who are you?" He breathlessly questioned, panic building deep in his chest, threatening to constrict his breathing.

"Calm yourself, hen-neth. I am Haldir from the Golden Wood, who are friends of your Ada." A smile crossed the unfamiliar blonde's face.

Estel nodded, attempting to pace his breathing, knowing that he was on the verge of simply gasping for air through the shooting pain. "Where is Ada? Elrohir? Elladan?"

"We are right here." Both of the twins moved closer to the head of the bed. "We are sorry, Estel, we did not mean for you to fall." Elladan apologized quietly.

"Do not blame yourselves." Estel requested, grimacing as another burning wave of pain erupted from his shoulder. "If I were only a bit more graceful I would not have fallen in the first place."

Lord Elrond moved up by his twin sons and looked at Elrohir purposefully before looking down at his youngest son. "Estel, your shoulder became dislocated in your fall. We are going to have to move it back into place and it is going to hurt a great deal." He let his hand gently rest on the black hair. "But it will only last several moments."

Elrohir looked at his father desperately. "Ada, can we not give Estel something to dull the pain? Or perhaps to put him out so he does not have to feel this?"

"I wish I could, Elrohir." Elrond acknowledged regrettably. "But at such a young age and due to the possibility of concussion, I do not want to take the risk of side effects that the drug could have. He will have to endure it unaided. I will need you to hold his good arm to his side and keep him from lashing out and hurting himself more. Can you do that?"

Grimly, Elrohir nodded, moving to Estel's side and carefully grabbing the boy's arm, pinned it down to the bed, alongside him. Estel's eyes rolled over to where Elrohir stood, a look of remorse tingeing his features. "Elrohir?" The boy asked, his voice trembling. "What are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, Estel." Elrohir whispered, closing his eyes.

Elrond's voice broke through, directed at the frightened Estel. "This will hurt." He carefully looked at the boy's arm again and placed his palm on Estel's sweat-dampened forehead, trying to transfer a small bit of comfort into the eleven-year-old. Finally he placed his hands around his son's arm and without dragging the situation out any longer, Elrond jerked the arm in a powerful downward motion.

There was a brief second where no sound came from the young human's gasping lips. But then, a scream came from his lips that Haldir later on claimed that would have scared the Orcs from the borders of Lothlorién faster than if a Balrog were chasing them down.

Elladan sank into a chair, closing his eyes and only hearing the sounds of his ada attempting to calm the frantic and suffering child down. It sounded as though Estel were truly beginning to hyperventilate, the sizzling pain unmistakably clouding his rational thoughts.

As his ada's voice floated through the air in song, Elladan opened his eyes to the sight of his father kneeling by the bed assuaging Estel's pain. His hand stroked the lengthy black hair and Estel's eyes were fixated on the face of his father, eyes glazed over in the resurgence of pain. Slowly, soothed by the soft song, Estel's eyes slipped shut and his erratic breathing slowed and evened.

"He's alseep now." Elrond stated, standing slowly, his gaze falling on both Elrohir and Elladan. "However, I would like to speak with you both in the hallway."

Elladan and Elrohir glanced at each other fearfully. Their father was surely going to send their spirits to the Halls of Mandos before he was done with them. They had known this was coming, and slowly, with heads lowered, the two dark haired twins trudged into the hallway, their father not quite following them yet.

"My lord, I don't believe I ever gave you the proper respect for your abilities." Haldir smiled, looking at Elrond's slightly frazzled expression.

"Aye, Haldir. For the millennia of dangers that I have dealt with, it is my children that provide me with the greatest challenge." The Lord of Imladris looked up at the Lorién elf, a mirthful shine in his eyes. "But if you will excuse me for a moment, again, I shall be right back. I have two sons to feed to the wolves."

Haldir stood stone faced for several seconds before breaking into laughter as Lord Elrond briskly excused himself out of the room.

Translations

- Muindyr! – Brothers!

- Min-neth – young one

- Edan – human

- Raudh-dôl – Nitwit (lit. translation = hollow head)

- iôn – son

- hen-neth – young child