A/N: This is carrying on from my previous drabble. :)

First in Mind

The first thing he felt when he woke up was pain. Elrond felt pain. Why was he feeling pain?

His stormy grey eyes flickered open, and he moved slightly, flinching as a sharp jolt of what felt like electricity shot through his ribcage. His eyes open wide, he tried to stay as still as he could, staring up at the ceiling and hoping the pain would subside soon.

While he was lying still, memories of that morning filled his head, and he sighed. Right. The horse.

It wasn't until almost a minute after silently staring up at the ceiling that Elrond realised he wasn't alone in the room. Carefully, he turned his head, smiling as his eyes found his youngest daughter, curled up in a chair, hugging a pillow, and fast asleep.

As much as he wanted her to stay there, he really did need some medication to help with the soreness. Grimacing slightly, the elf lord moved over a bit in his bed and nudged his daughter gently with his foot.

Eleniel woke almost immediately, bolting upright in the chair and almost falling off in the process.

"Careful, careful," Elrond said quietly, and Eleniel turned her head, glaring in a way only a Peredhel could.

"Your foot is cold," she said sleepily, before moving quickly as if remembering something, and staring wide-eyed at her father, a smile growing on her lips. "You're awake!"

"Yes, and in serious pain. Could you get Landion for me, Eleniel?"

"Of course, Ada!" Eleniel said, moving to get off the chair. She turned and put both hands in front of her. "I'll be right back – don't move."

If only I could, Elrond thought, sighing and making a distressed sound as he moved his arm only to have another shock of pain shoot from his shoulder down to his wrist.

Looking down, he noticed for the first time that there were bandages wrapped tightly around his torso and a splint covering his forearm. His wrist and ribs must have broken. He decided to check for any more afflictions he hadn't yet discovered, pleased – and slightly relieved – to only find a slight discomfort in his shoulder; he concluded that it must have been popped back into place after dislocating it. He couldn't remember. Both the kick and fall had knocked him unconscious.

"Hir nin?" Elrond looked up and smiled slightly at the sight of Landion, the chief healer. He was holding a cup, steam rising from it, and he found himself wishing he was able to jump out of this bed and down it in one go. But he couldn't. So he didn't.

Landion must have noticed Elrond staring longingly at the cup, as he quickly moved forward, calling Eleniel over to help him move her father into more of an upright position where he could properly swallow the tea. Once that was done, he carefully rubbed some salve on the bruised skin over the broken ribs, redressed him, and then left him with a firm command to stay as still as he could while he checked on his other patients.

Once he was gone, Eleniel immediately jumped onto her father's bed, quickly grimacing and letting loose all sorts of apologies when Elrond groaned in pain as the movement jarred him.

"Shush, fileg," he quietly ordered, squeezing his eyes shut in hopes of the pounding in his heart dying down. Once it did, and he could feel Eleniel settling on top of the covers, he slowly opened his eyes and sighed, smiling at his daughter. "Are you alright?"

"Are you?"

"I asked first."

"I don't matter, Ada! I'm not the one sitting here with a broken… everything!"

Elrond took the elleth's hand in his and frowned. "Of course you matter, little one. Don't ever say you don't."

Eleniel chose not to respond to that, ducking her head so that her blonde hair fell around her face like a platinum curtain, and letting her tears fall from her eyes. "It's my fault…" she whispered, and if it wasn't for Elrond's Elven hearing, that sentence would have been lost and never addressed.

His eyebrows rose, and he shook his head. "What happened was not, under any circumstances, your fault. Do you understand? Nobody could have foreseen that horse galloping out of his stall and towards us, could they? When I saw him aim a kick at you, I did not think twice. I would do it again in a heartbeat. You were the first thing in my mind when I pushed you out of the way-"

"Because I stupidly stayed frozen to the spot and didn't move."

-"and you were the last thing in my mind when I was knocked unconscious," Elrond finished, ignoring Eleniel's hushed statement. "I am glad I am the one who is here now, in this bed, with a 'broken everything', not you. I would never in all my years wish you were in my place, and I wouldn't have forgiven myself if you had been kicked and I knew I could have done something to prevent it."

The younger Peredhel lifted her head, and Elrond's frown deepened at the sight of unshed tears glistening in her blue eyes, and pale, silvery streaks running down her cheeks. "I don't like seeing you injured," she said barely audibly, and her father chuckled softly.

"Believe me, I do not like being injured. But pushing you out of the way so that that horse would come down on me instead is the best decision I could have possibly made."

"I don't want him in Rivendell anymore."

Elrond rose an eyebrow. "The horse?"

"Amarth. I named him Amarth."

Elrond laughed heartily at that, stopping only when his ribs protested to the movement. "'Doom'? Surely that is a little mean."

"He kicked you!"

"He is wild, Eleniel, and untamed. Much like you."

Eleniel glared at her father at that, giggling and shifting back when he poked her stomach.

"Once he is trained, and we know he will not kick again, I was actually thinking about giving him to you."

"Me? I do not want that beast!"

Elrond rolled his eyes. "He is not a beast, just a little confused, and very frightened." He saw his daughter's face fall slightly at that, and continued. "It has been three months since you lost Tathar, and I do believe having a new horse to love and care for will make you feel much better."

The mention of her old horse brought tears to Eleniel's eyes, but she blinked them back and nodded. "Maybe."

"Though I do believe you might want to change his name."

Eleniel laughed, quickly looking up as Elrond made another noise of pain, though this time he had attempted to make it as quiet as possible. Not wishing to address it, the elleth crawled closer.

"Thank you, Ada," she said, moving to lie next to him and gently snuggle up to his side. She felt him lift his arm to pull her closer, and his head turn to place a soft kiss to her temple.

"Do not think about it anymore, little one. I will be up and out of this bed in no time."

Eleniel grinned. "Oh, yes. About that…"

Elvish used:

Ada – Dad/Daddy

Hir nin – My lord

Fileg – Bird

Hope you enjoyed! Please review :D ~ Gre3nleaf