Ithillaer again! I don't know how my brain is thinking of these so rapidly! I hope you are enjoying reading these as much as I am writing them!
Estel should have been in his room, napping. But he was five. Much too old for naps now. So he was instead sneaking throughout Imladris, trying to stay out of sight. It was such a fun game!
Presently, he felt braver, and decided to venture into Elrond's study. The door was slightly ajar, only just wide enough to allow a small boy through. He waited for the right moment... then dashed through the doorway, hiding behind a weapons chest on the floor. Stifling his giggles sufficiently so that even the Elves could not hear him, he listened.
Elrond and another Elf were speaking. "Orcs in numbers unprecedented approach Imladris, My Lord!" the other Elf said, as if he believed Elrond did not grasp the severity of the situation. Estel figured that they had been having this conversation for a while.
Suddenly, Elrond's strong voice cut through the panicked blabbering of the younger Elf. "Arlenath! Imladris has not fallen yet. Nor will it this time. Even when all seems lost, and all else fails, hope remains," he said comfortingly.
Estel could not muffle the gasp that tore from him, alerting his adar (father) to his presence. Footsteps sounded, coming in his direction, but Estel had nowhere to go. Nor could he move; the words just spoken terrified him.
"Estel? Why are you here?" Elrond asked, surprised that he had not sensed the child's presence earlier. He noticed the wide eyes and frightened expression on the human boy's face. "What troubles you, ion nin (my son)?"
Slowly, Estel reached out to grasp the hand Elrond offered, pulling himself up into a standing position. Elrond knelt down to Estel's height. Estel looked Elrond in the eyes. "You… you said I would remain, ada (dad). Why? That's a LOT of pressure!"
Elrond only laughed, pulling the boy into a hug. It still amazed him how quickly Estel matured compared to those humans that did not grow up with Elves. "No, Estel. I was not talking of you at that time. We will all be here together, Estel. It is alright." Elrond stroked the boy's hair and felt him relax. But then Estel tensed and pulled away.
"Are you mad at me, ada?" Estel avoided his adar's face, looking at the floor next to Elrond's knees, twisting the hem of his tunic in his small hands.
Elrond smiled. That was just like his little Estel. "No, ion nin (my son). Not this time. But I do wonder how you got in here so quietly?"
"I can show you!" the little boy exclaimed excitedly, eager to prove himself to Elrond. Elrond smiled, recognizing the offer for what it was.
"I can spare a while, so why not? Where shall we go?" he asked Estel.
Estel's face lit up. "The gardens! The gardens! There are always good spots there! Let's hide from 'Ro and 'Dan!" The child was literally bouncing now.
Standing, Estel grabbed his adar's hand and tried to drag him out of the room. Elrond cast a look back at Arlenath. His mouth was agape, his eyes wide. He never thought he would see the day when the Lord of Imladris would go hiding in the gardens –for fun– when there was work to be done! Elrond did not care. He knew from other reports that the force coming their way was actually rather small; nothing a few warriors could not handle. What was more, he was making his smallest son happy. That was all that mattered.
"Hope remains, Arlenath," he smiled, letting the boy drag him away.
Review? Please? :D