This story takes place between Chapters 28 and 29 of my story Teach Me to Live. Probably best to read that one first as this features my primary OC from that story (though forgive the juvenile writing as I was only 16 when I started it!).
"That one looks like a horse!"
"Do you think so? I think it looks more like a dog. But look there! Doesn't that one look like Mithrandir with his pointy hat?"
In a quiet, cushion-strewn window seat in Imladris, Faelwen lay with her ten year old brother burrowed against her side. Their respective work and lessons were done for the day and they were idling away the last of the mild autumn afternoon by indolently watching the clouds traversing their way along the valley and making a game of spotting shapes and patters among them.
They had passed contentedly some time in this way, the valley glowing in the red-orange rays of the setting sun, before the sound of measured, dignified footsteps heralded the arrival of their father Lord Elrond. Faelwen opened her mouth to invite him to join them when she realised he was dressed for travel; clad in russet-coloured riding clothes and lightweight armour and so the words died in her throat.
"Ada? What is amiss?" She asked instead, getting quickly got to her feet and hurrying across the room to meet him.
"Faelwen, we have had some alarming news about orc movements far closer to our borders than is customary," Elrond replied, his ageless face very grave. "I am going to ride out with Glorfindel and a small patrol to look into the matter."
"You are leaving?" Faelwen cried in alarm. Elladan and Elrohir were already out on patrol with many of the guards; the absence of Elrond and Glorfindel would leave her and Estel alone in Imladris in a way they had never been before. What if something terrible were to happen to them all whilst they sat at home cosseted and unawares?
"I do not anticipate that we shall be gone for long," Elrond reassured her calmly. "But it is unusual for orcs to be active so close to Imladris. It bears investigating."
"But Ada, what if…" Faelwen began, her imagination already beginning to run riot. She did not like this one bit! It had been many, many years since she had arrived in Imladris but well she remembered the perils of the lands beyond the borders. Too well she remembered the white face of her mother when she had been brought home following an ambush by those filthy creatures, and the pain of her departure for Valinor. It was bad enough that she could not prevent the twins from venturing out into it, but now was her father to risk himself too?
"Faelwen," Elrond cupped her cheek gently, reading the anxiety in her eyes with his usual quiet insightfulness. "It will be all right. You and Estel will be perfectly safe here."
"It is not myself I worry for!" Faelwen protested in distress. "How could…" She was distracted from finishing her sentence by the feeling of a small hand slipping into hers and squeezing tightly.
"I will protect Fae, Ada!" Estel declared solemnly, now standing next to her. "I will not let any harm come to her." He had begun some simple arms and archery training and was now full of dreams of being a warrior.
Ai, he was growing up so very fast, thought Faelwen with a pang, affectionately smoothing down his hair and hugging him against his side. His head was on a level with the middle of her ribs now; no longer was he the chubby faced infant who had clung to her skirts.
"I am glad I may entrust the safety of your sister to you, my son," Elrond responded with equal gravity, managing to hide his amusement from his young foster son. "And you make sure that you mind what Faelwen tells you and attend to your lessons while I am gone."
Estel cheerfully promised that he would and Elrond kissed each of his children in turn before hastening off to join Glorfindel and the rest of the party who would be riding out. A very short while later, Faelwen and Estel (who in Faelwen's opinion had already lost more than enough parents between them) stood and watched as the riding party sped out of the valley and disappeared from view.
"Do not fret, Fae," Estel urged her, squeezing her hand again when he noticed his sister's pale-faced agitation. "I will look after you. When next you write to Haldir, you may tell him that I shall protect you when he is not here."
Faelwen's heart swelled; how she adored this open-hearted, precious little boy! She was amused to see that his opinion of Haldir had quite altered now that he was old enough to learn archery and there were trick shots to be begged of the Marchwarden when he came to visit. "Thank you, Estel," she replied with a smile, hugging him tightly. "I am sure he will be delighted to hear it. Come on now, my brave warrior, I suppose we had best go and dine now."
The household now much depleted, Faelwen and Estel ate a quiet dinner with Erestor, Lindir and Melapomen, none of whom could hazard a guess as to what could have caused the sudden appearance of orcs so close to the Last Homely House. Estel was quick to assure them that he would do his best to protect them, as well as Faelwen, should anything be able to make its way through to the valley itself and was in turn assured that they were all very proud of his courage.
Indeed, Estel's bravery as the new defender of Imladris lasted all evening but when Faelwen announced that it was past time for him to be abed, it began to waver and he visibly hesitated.
"Perhaps I should sleep in your room tonight?" he asked Faelwen, before hurriedly adding: "You know, to make sure that you are not afraid with Ada and Glorfindel gone? I should not like you to be frightened in the night."
Faelwen had not the heart to deny him. "That will be a tremendous comfort, I am sure, little brother," she told him gently. "Go on then, choose a book and I shall read to you awhile."
He lasted precisely one chapter, and then was insensible to the world; taking up more of Faelwen's bed than seemed believable for such a slender little boy!
Though Faelwen slept little, the night passed peacefully and in the morning, the household went on as normal in its Lord's absence. In the morning, Estel and Faelwen practiced brewing a pain reliever to replenish some of the supplies in the healing rooms. Faelwen was glad it was a task that needed close observation as it kept her from imagining the hoard of dreadful things that might have been waiting for her father and Glorfindel when they reached the borders as she had done all night.
She was also delighted to view her brother's fast-increasing competence in the healing arts. Though he had primarily made the request to learn from her because he had been jealous of Faelwen's attention and fearful her attachment to Haldir might cause her to leave Imladris for Lorien, Estel was showing a really excellent intuition and ability in what he had been learning. She was certain that he would be a first rate healer by the time he was grown to manhood.
After the midday meal, Estel went to his lessons with Erestor as normal in the large, airy chamber just off the library. Soon after, they were joined by Faelwen and Lindir, who sat a small distance away as the elder elf assisted Faelwen in restringing her small harp. Estel thought that this seemed much the nicer task than a ballad about Doriath from the common tongue into Quenya and would gladly have traded places.
"Erestor," he began in what he hoped was an artless tone. "Perhaps we could ask Lindir and Faelwen to sing the ballad? They are both ever so fond of Quenyan songs. It would be pleasant to listen to and would allow Faelwen to test her new harp strings."
"That was well tried, Estel," Erestor laughed indulgently. "And I am sure it would indeed be very pleasant. However, the ballad being sung shall not help you grasp the various tenses of the Quenyan speech. I assure you that your sister, and indeed Lindir too, had to do these same exercises when they were your age and one day you will find it as easy to recall as they do now. If you are still in a mood to hear the song later, I am sure they will oblige you after dinner but you must complete the translation first."
It had been, Estel mused ruefully, worth a chance and thus chided, he bent his head over his work obediently. It was only when Erestor moved to fetch a text from the library for their next task that he let his attention wander and stared out into the valley's autumnal beauties. What he saw though, made his eyes start from his head and his quill fall unnoticed from his fingers. With a cry of astonishment, he leapt from his seat and ran for a closer look.
"Fae! Fae! Come quick!"
Heart leaping to her throat, immediately thinking that someone must be returning injured, Faelwen dashed to where Estel was leaning half out of the window, staring at the bridge which led up to the Last Homely House.
"Look Fae!" He pointed delightedly, his young face alive with wonder, exclamations bursting forth out of him one after another as he barely stopped for breath. "Dwarves! A whole company of them! I have never seen a real dwarf before! How hairy they are! Do you not think their beards look funny? I have never seen anyone with a beard as odd as that!"
Faelwen stared dumbly in the direction her brother pointed and blinked several times as though to question what she saw. Lindir, who had come to the window behind her, gave a quiet exclamation of shock. Estel was not playing the fool. Sure enough, slowly approaching the entrance to Imladris were a noisy, travel-worn company of dwarves.
Faelwen, too, had never seen a dwarf in the flesh before – only in books in Elrond's library – and now she took in the sight of them in frank bewilderment. Her first impression was that Estel was correct - they were in deed very hairy! They all had very thick locks; some as dark as her father and the twins, some red, some fair. Some wore it straight and long, while others had theirs elaborately plaited and styled. Most of them also had enormous beards, far greater than any of those Faewen could remember seeing on the humans of her early years.
The weapons they carried were also unfamiliar. Only one of them seemed to carry a bow and there were few blades among them to compare to the long, elegant blades carried by her brothers, father and the other warriors of Imladris. The dwarves' swords seemed as stocky and hardy as they themselves did and some did not carry a sword at all, bearing instead axes, maces and was that a catapault?
Only one among the company could rival an elf's height and that figure was topped by a hat that those watching from the window recognised at once: it was Mithrandir! He had not been in Rivendell these six years, not since Estel was quite a child, but he was still clad in the same grey garments that made his silhouette so distinctive. Mithrandir was, of course, very welcome – thricely so! – in Imladris, but what on Arda could be the meaning of this peculiar company he had brought with him? Utterly at a loss, Faelwen turned to Erestor and Lindir for guidance.
"You stay here, Faelwen," Lindir cautioned, exchanging a silent look and nod with Erestor. "I will go down and greet them."
"We may watch though, Erestor, may we not?" pleaded Estel excitedly, looking as though the last thing in the world he wanted was to move. "Please say we may! We will keep ever so quiet."
Erestor gave his permission and so Estel and Faelwen settled down at the window to watch as Lindir left the chamber and went to welcome this peculiar company of visitors.