Title: Chiaro Scuro

Author: Elladan

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Estel is constantly being teased and bullied for being adan. One day the teasing goes too far, but Estel is convinced that he can find a solution for the treatment without the help of his family. The only problem is that his solution does everything but make his life simpler.

Disclaimer: I am not making any money off this and I am only borrowing Tolkien's characters for a little fun.

A/N: Estel is about eleven years old is this story. I was going to write the entire story at once and then post it a little at a time, but I have hit a stand still and so I decided to go ahead and post what I have. I have one more chapter after this and then who knows. As soon as I can get over this writer's block than I will post more regularly, so please be patient. Ok, well here goes. Remember I love reviews, they always make me feel good and want to write more.

Chapter One:

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Estel ran through the garden as fast as his legs could carry him. They were after him and he had to get away. He couldn't let them catch him this time. The bow he had been practicing with bounced lightly against his shoulder as he ran. Suddenly, in mid-stride he was thrown forward and stifled a cry as his ankle wrenched. He landed hard on the rocks with a heavy weight resting on his back and heard a loud snap with the impact. 'Ai, that was my new bow.' Estel mourned to himself before a voice rudely yanked him back to reality.

"So, adan, you dared to think that you are worthy enough to be practicing on 'our' fields?" the voice asked cruelly.

Estel refused to reply and received a sharp kick to his side in encouragement. He felt himself roughly flipped onto his back and the weight centered itself on his chest. Estel's tormenter placed a knee on each of his arms, effectively pinning him down. Two other elves held down his legs as the voice began again.

"Filthy, stupid, slow, useless adan! How does Lord Elrond stand you?"

The boy emphasized his contempt with a few swift punches to Estel's face. Estel did not make a sound, for he knew from past experience that it would only be asking for a longer beating. The weight on his chest made breathing difficult and Raydaion was in an especially violent mood, but still Estel remained silent. Both the punches and insults were steady and increasing in degree. After what seemed to Estel to be an eternity, the fists stopped and the pressure was lifted from his chest. The pain had already begun to overwhelm his mind so he hardly felt the series of parting kicks before the elven children retreated. Only after he was alone did he allow himself to groan and let tears wash some of the blood from his cheeks.

'Why did I have to be born human?' he asked himself as he waited for the pain to ease enough for him to move. As soon as it had, Estel pushed himself to his knees and glanced sadly at his broken bow, which had been a gift from Glorfindel less then a week before. He dejectedly rose to his feet and yelped in painful surprise as his ankle protested use. His head was swimming as he gathered the pieces of his bow and began to limp back home. As soon as he got back to his room, he would clean up and hide the evidence of the beating the best he could. If anyone asked, he would reply that he had fallen from a tree or something like that. As long as Ada and the twins did not find out the truth, he would be fine. Estel could not bear to give them more reason to be disappointed in him.

*****

Estel looked at his reflection in the mirror. 'It simply will have to do.' he thought with a sigh. He had tried to clean the cuts and hide the bruising behind some smudged dirt, but the ugly purple splotches were still too visible. And the limp, Estel could neither fix nor hid his injured ankle.

'Maybe, if I go to bed now, they will not mind my presence being absent at dinner.' Estel thought with some hope. He did his best to ignore the pain as he pulled on his sleeping clothes and removed the chair he had propped up against the door. Estel made sure that none of his lamps were lit as he crawled into his bed. As he closed his eyes, he tried to forget the pain that the day had brought to both his mind and body. The broken bow lay in a disregarded, forgotten pile on one of his dressers. Mercifully, sleep came to him quickly so that he could escape the world for the night.

*****

Elrond, Elladan, and Elrohir sat patiently at the dinner table, waiting for Estel. It was not like him to be late; on the contrary he was usually early.

"Do either of you know where Estel is?" Elrond asked.

"Nay, Ada, I have not seen him since the midday meal." Elladan replied.

"Shall I go and see if he is in his room, Ada?" Elrohir offered.

Elrond responded with a nod and Elrohir left the dining room in search of his younger brother. When he reached Estel's room, he was surprised to see the door was closed. He cracked it open just enough to see the sleeping form on the bed before heading back to dinner.

"Estel must have exhausted himself today, for he is already asleep." Elrohir reported as soon as he had returned.

"Do you think he is ill?" Elladan asked with concern.

"Nay, he would have told us." Elrond assured his sons "Nevertheless, I shall check on him before retiring tonight."

The two younger elves seemed contented by their father's words and the three settled down to a fine meal of roasted venison.

*****

Later that night, Elrond carried an oil lamp down the hall to his youngest son's room. The door was still cracked open and so he entered without a sound. The first thing he noticed as he looked around was the broken bow, followed quickly be a pile of dirty, bloodstained clothes in the corner. Elrond had only to shine the light on the sleeping boy's face to see that something was very wrong. He set the lamp on a nightstand and hurried from the room to get the twins.

"Elladan! Elrohir!" Elrond called as he entered the hallway. Two near- identical heads popped from the door jams of the rooms down the hall.

"What is wrong, Ada?" Elladan questioned.

"Elladan, come with me to my study and aid me with some herbs. Elrohir, kindly go to Estel's room and await our return. I fear there has been an accident." Elrond ordered as he made his way to his study. Neither twin hesitated to carry out their father's orders, for they had learned not to question him in situations like these.

Elrohir walked into Estel's room and went over to the bed. He took in a sharp breath as he saw his human brother's face, which had already become puffy under the angry cuts and dark bruises.

"Oh, Estel." he whispered and reached down to touch a swollen cheek, what has happened?"

Estel's eyes fluttered open and he looked at his brother in confusion. The confusion melted into pain and then flashed recognition and fear. 'No, they must not know! They must not find out. Ai, how I wish I were an elf and not just a cowardly edain!' Estel thought as a single tear rolled down his face.

*****