Disclaimer: I do not own Estel, Elladan, Elrohir, Elrond, or Imladris. They belong to Tolkien.
Chapter 1 A Blow Too Many
The girl lay on the floor, curled on her side, so battered and bruised she barely felt the blows that rained down on her from above. She did not know what had set him off this time, nor did she really care. All she cared about was being able to get through this without voicing the pain. She had learned long ago that crying or screaming only brought more pain. She bit the inside of her cheek hard enough to taste blood as the belt smacked solidly between her shoulders. She had lost all track of time. Whether five minutes or five hours, she could not tell. She breathed a small sigh of relief as she heard the belt fall to the floor.
That wasn't too bad this time maybe now he'll go to the inn and get drunk, she thought as she began to uncurl. A vicious kick caught her square in the chest, catching her unaware. This was new, floated through her mind before being driven out by two kicks to her lower back. She was unprepared for the intense pain that flooded her body, and could not stop the cry that escaped her lips. He grabbed her by the shoulders and started shaking her.
"How many times do I have to tell you, no noise?" He punctuated his question by slapping her hard enough to split her top lip and bloody her nose. He raised his hand to strike again, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. He dropped her to the floor and walked over to the door.
"Come on Gaedry, let's go to the inn," a voice said as he opened the door. Without a backward glance, he left with the other man. Once the door closed, the girl allowed herself to cry. Sharp pains ran up and down her back and she could not draw a deep breath without pain. She knew this time he had hurt her, hurt beyond the normal everyday bruises. She also knew that if someone hadn't come he very well might have killed her. She decided to run, despite the threats he'd made about what he'd do to her if she ever tried to leave. She crawled over to a chair and used it to pull herself up. She stood there for several minutes, her hands clasped around the chair back, willing herself not to pass out. When she felt steadier, she went to the door and opened it. She walked out.