Chapter Two
[Westron]
The setting sun convinced Estel that he had found enough herbs for the day, as well some particularly interesting plants that Elrohir had requested- he had thought it better not to ask what they were for. He was just turning back towards home, taking his time as he enjoyed being in the woods of his beloved home, when he heard a cry of help somewhere in the woods. Following his ears, he quickly but quietly crept towards the direction of the sounds. Soon he came upon an overgrown thorny bush, with a battered-looking woman entangled in it. She saw him, and after a moment of hesitation her eyes pleaded for him to help.
Unsheathing a knife from his belt, he carefully cut off parts of the bush that had caught onto the woman and her clothes. At last she was free, and she looked at him fearfully, her meek eyes darting from his face to the blade in his hand. He quickly re-sheathed the knife.
"My Lord, thank you for coming to my aid," she stammered, obviously very afraid of this Man clad in elven garments.
"It is quite all right," he said, not sure how to allay the woman's fears. There was a strange glazed look in her eyes that bothered him somewhat, though he wasn't sure why. Perhaps she had a concussion of sorts; at the moment it was her physical injuries that concerned him, with night not too far away. "You are injured, dear lady. Would you come with me to my father's home?"
She appeared uncertain, but her cuts and bruises seemed to make up her mind for her. She spoke uncertainly though. "If it is no trouble, my Lord."
"None at all. My father will be happy to heal you." He decided that telling her who his father was would not aid in convincing her to go with him. Gently he took an arm, careful not to touch the lashes there. His first guess was that it was orc work, but he knew that a healer's first priority was to get a patient into a safer environment before any questioning took place, unless said patient had something urgent to say. In the fading light the woman stumbled over hidden roots and rocks, but Estel knew the woods of his home, and held her so she did not fall.
~*~
[Sindarin]
Estel's decision to withhold the identity of his father proved to be wise. Ilitha, as she said her name was, looked ready to fall and kiss the elf lord's feet (much to the Elrond's horror, and Glorfindel's amusement) had Estel not kept his hold on her. Finally Elrond had ushered her into a ward in the Halls of Healing and had seen to her injuries before the stars had come out fully. Now she was reportedly sound asleep, and the Peredhil extended family settled in the sitting room… The room was situated in the section of the Last Homely House that was the private domain of the Peredhel family, and there the members of said family could find a brief respite from the other inhabitants of Rivendell. The room was furnished for comfort, and the little odds and ends that decorated the place gave it a sense of home. A balcony looked out towards the river and allowed a clear view of the stars.At the moment the room had more occupants than it had for many months. Elrond sat in the most comfortable chair -his sons had all experienced the punishment for being caught occupying that space- near the fire, a map lying forgotten on his lap. Elladan, Elrohir and Estel were on couches in one corner, talking excitedly in hushed voices that basically hung a sgn around them saying 'Up to some mischief'. Even Gilraen was there, sat near the window with a balcony, reading a scroll in the soft music of water over stone. Glorfindel sat next to her, intently repairing a pair of leather gloves.
"So, Estel, I hear you brought in an injured woman today," Gilraen asked the young Man, putting aside her scroll. Estel looked up from his discussion with the twins. "Is she well?"
"Ada says she is, Ammë," Estel pointedly ignored the curious looks of his brothers.
"Aye, she will be well in a few days," Elrond agreed. "She was waylaid by orcs on her way to Bree, and ran without knowing where she was going. Thus she ended up in our woods."
"Or so she says," Gilraen said softly. Estel looked at her sharply, but as always, her face betrayed none of her feelings. He was sure he detected a hint of suspicion in her eyes though. And Estel had learned a long time ago that Gilraen was most acute in detecting things even his father failed to notice.
"Ada, would you believe that I got another marriage proposal today," Elrohir suddenly complained, before Estel could comment on his mother's words.
Glorfindel grinned. "Shouldn't you be flattered, 'Rohir?"
The younger twin grimaced. "Not really. Especially since most of them seem to think I'm Elladan."
Estel, Elladan and Glorfindel burst out laughing. Even Elrond chuckled. "Why do you think I insist on you two dressing alike when we have guests? If we are fortunate, someone will mistake you for your brother and marry you before you know it. Otherwise I may have to put up with a bachelor son for all the Ages of Middle-Earth." That called for another round of laughter.
After several more rounds of friendly banter, an unseen signal seemed to pass between the brothers, and together they stood up and said their goodnights. Looking extremely concerned for the welfare of some new swords that had attracted the brothers' unhealthy attention, Glorfindel followed them out, leaving Elrond alone with Gilraen in the sitting room.
Elrond remembered the first few years of Gilraen and Estel's stay in Imladris. Though the elf lord had gotten along well with the boy eventually, there had always been a sort of uneasy tension between him and Gilraen. The young woman had loved her husband with all her being, and his death had cast a shadow on her. He could see that shadow in her eyes, the darkness over her soul, and recognised a similar shadow lay buried in his heart.
But with hope I will see Celebrian again before the end. But it was no consolation, and did not make his loss any less than the human woman's. She would not see Arathorn until she left this world, and he had lived for centuries without Celebrian, yearning for when he, too, would depart, though on another Road.
He was suddenly aware that Gilraen was staring at him. Over the years he had grown used to her presence, and had resolved to bridge the barrier between them. He thought he understood her predicament; after all, he had taken away her son, the closest to Arathorn she would ever get to now.
Her eyes remained on him, studying him intently. Elrond, son of Eärendil, adopted son of Gil-Galad, Lord of Imladris, whose legendary patience was said to be able to outlast Caradhras, shifted uneasily in his seat.
"What ails you, Gilraen?" he said finally, unable to take the heavy silence any longer.
"You no longer wear your Ring," she said simply.
Elrond froze. Only a precious few in Rivendell knew that one of the Three was borne by the Lord of Imladris, and the fact that she had noticed that he was no longer wearing it…
"How long have you known?" he asked, giving up his pretence at reading.
"Years," she answered, meeting his gaze. "As you know, I have the gift of the foresight of the Dùnedain, and in one vision I saw one of the Three in Imladris. I studied some of your scrolls until I was sure."
He nodded. She had told him of her gift; similar to his own, as it had descended from his brother Elros to his people. "But how could you tell I no longer wear it? Even amongst the elves, only other Ring-bearers can see it, or one who has seen the He who made the One."
She smiled grimly. "I am neither, yet this I could see. And now… I can sense the Dark Lord's presence the world, Elrond. He grows ever curious, scouring Middle-Earth for the heir of Isildur, the last of the remnant of the proud Men of Westernesse. Perhaps it is because of my gift that I can feel him, but his malice is ever in my mind."
Elrond wondered at this new information, and, not for the first time, experienced a feeling that Gilraen was more than just a simple widowed woman looking after her son. But before he could say another word, she rose, bade him good-night, and left.
~*~
"'Adan?"
"Yes?" came the reply out of Estel's balcony.
"When will the guests be leaving?"
"Tomorrow evening. Why do you ask?"
"Because, as bad as my mortal hearing is, I can still tell when you and Elrohir are hiding in my room. Or dangling outside of it, for that matter. The noise is keeping me awake. Why do you not just come in and sleep here?" Estel opened his eyes. He really didn't feel like getting out of bed, so he simply stared at the ceiling.
"Apologies, little brother. We really didn't want to wake you. And as you so kindly offered, we will reside in your chambers for the night."
He heard the older twin climb onto his balcony and call softly to Elrohir. "You wouldn't believe the length some of those maidens go to! It was by mere fortune that last night I decided to explore the outer walls of the House. I was hiding underneath Erestor's balcony when I saw a maiden approach my balcony with a rope. She had a hawk with her, who flew up and tied the end of a rope to my balcony so she could climb up!" Elladan made a small sound of disgust.
"Life has certainly been a lot more interesting with all the she-elves around," Estel said with a smile. The other day, he had found an arrow on his balcony with the message "Meet me at the Falls." Elrohir had found it hilarious, and had teased his brother for hours.
"Perhaps one of these days one would fall for you, little brother, and give us a rest," Elrohir teased softly as he swung up onto Estel's balcony.
"And I would beat Glorfindel one the Logs," Estel replied. The Logs was one of the different terrain used in the training ground to simulate fighting on treetops or logs on water.
As he lay there, Estel's thoughts turned to other things. For some strange reason, he was… uneasy. He didn't feel that anything was wrong, but something wasn't right. He tried pinning it down, but all he determined was that it had started sometime that day. Perhaps it had something to do with the woman.
Nonsense. You are only getting paranoid. All is well.
Sleepily, he nodded and closed his eyes. Elladan, seeing this, smiled and sang a soft, soothing song that Estel remembered from his childhood. So, in his very content state of mind, he hadn't realised that his last thought wasn't his own, and only a few seconds before he had been wide awake.
~*~
Ilitha couldn't escape him. Even when she was awake, he was always there, whispering and guiding her actions. Controlling her, actually, in every sense of the word. She knew she was but a mere vessel, carrying his thought and doing his deeds. If he wanted he could take complete control of her, body and mind. He had broken her a long time ago.
She still remembered pieces of her old life. Remembered freedom, love. Family. Only pieces, but enough to know that she would dearly love to have such things again. He had promised to give her them, but she didn't trust him now. He had promised a great many things before.
So all she felt was the everlasting sting of regret. Regret at not seeing her children again. Her family thought her dead, and in a way she was. She knew that she would never have her old life again. Knew that her despair only gave the Betrayer a greater hold on her. She had no reason to resist him, no reason to care about his victims.
Except that she still had her heart. He even had control over her emotions, for his words were cunning and poisonous. But it took a long time to corrupt a simple woman with a simple heart, and she could still feel joy at odd times, when the Betrayer could not decide on whether to make her feel angry, or jealous, or mix of both. Not enough to threaten his hold on her, of course, yet it kept her sane.
He was whispering instructions to her now. "Gain their trust first. Do not rouse any suspicions, you understand? I shall make your injuries heal slowly, so you have more time."
Though she didn't dare ask, her mind wondered why he couldn't do it. In the past he had simply taken complete control of her when the mission was important. And he had made it clear to her that this mission was very important.
As if he could guess her thoughts, he said, "I have my reason for doing things. Just do as you must, and all will be well."
She obeyed. She always obeyed. But that didn't stop her from thinking.
~*~*~
