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: I know, I know, but I have already promised never to do a WIP again so please spare my life. AP's started this week and after those are over, I will be able to update much more regularly and a lot more often. Again, sorry for the lateness of this chapter and I really appreciate all of you dedicated readers and especially those who review. Finally, here it is.

Chapter 7

* * * * *

Elrond tensed slightly as he saw a figure move through the trees above him. 'It is now time for the watcher to be watched.' he thought to himself. The elven lord allowed the figure to travel almost out of his sight before he signaled his companions. With a single shrill note, the message was relayed. Each elf silently rose from the underbrush, leapt into the branches, and took off in pursuit. Although they could easily move faster than the man, they kept their distance.

* * * * *

Elladan dropped down from a large oak tree, landing inches away from his brother. Elrohir flinched slightly, but quickly attempted to hide his surprise. Unfortunately, his twin was not easily fooled.

"As I have always said, toro, you really must learn to become aware of your environment." Elladan teased.

"You should not speak so, for I was not the one who failed to notice that tree while we were hunting last week." Elrohir threw back.

"At least it was not I who walked over the cliff."

"I did not walk over the cliff, I was merely trying a new way of entering the lake."

"So entering the lake now entails flailing about in midair."

"My lords, might I suggest that you finish your conversation later." one of warriors advised softly.

The elven princes seemed to notice for the first time that they had an audience of six slightly annoyed warriors. Identical sheepish grins were offered and the warriors just shook their heads. Truthfully, none were the least bit surprised by the twins, for all had accompanied them on several hunting trips.

"Aye, you are right, Erellont, we all should return to the camp and await our father." Elladan spoke as he tried to hide his slight embarrassment. Each elf nodded in agreement and began to make their way back to camp.

"I did not walk off the cliff!" Elrohir whispered in his brother's ear.

"Yes, you did. I was there."

"Then you must be blind."

Erellant groaned as the two once again started to bicker. 'Tis going to be a long wait.' he thought, trying to block the voices from his mind.

* * * * *

Kelvakanta paused and listened to the sounds of the forest. He stood on a branch and turned slowly in a circle, his eyes scanning for movement. There was something following him, he was sure of it. He sniffed the air, hoping that at least one of his senses would reveal his stalker.

Elrond and the three warriors froze and then very slowly moved their bodies into the dense foliage until even their outlines disappeared. They could take no chances for if they were seen, they might never see Estel again.

Kelvakanta growled softly and crouched down on the branch. He neither saw nor smelt anything unusual, but every nerve in his body felt the eyes of the predators. Growling again, he licked his lips and then launched himself off the branch. He did not like being the prey, he was not used to being hunted.

* * * * *

He could not decide what hurt the worst, but each part of his body seemed to be doing its best to win the contest. Slowly, he allowed his eyelids to open. His vision was cloudy and the few shapes he could make out spun and danced in crazy circles. Estel quickly decided that he no longer had a desire to view his surroundings and shut his eyes tightly. The darkness was just about to come back when he felt someone gently shaking his shoulder.

"Estel, wake up, he has returned." Raydaion whispered urgently.

"Well then make him go away." Estel muttered, his mind becoming hazy and irrational.

"I.I do not believe I can do that." Raydaion replied with a gulp as Kelvakanta slowly approached them.

"Why not?" the muffled voice replied.

Raydaion looked at the adan boy in complete disbelief. 'Surely, he must be joking, or maybe he has finally gone insane.' the elf thought.

"Oh, just ask him to leave Raydaion. Or if you do not want to do that, simply ignore him. I have noticed that if you ignore some things they tend to go away." Estel mumbled before drifting off to sleep.

Raydaion shook his head and watched as Estel's breathing eased slightly in his sleep. 'I cannot believe him. Here we are in some dank cave, chained to a wall, and prisoners of a sociopath and he tells me to ignore him and maybe he will go away.' He almost laughed aloud at the ironic stupidity of his own thoughts.

"How are my little prizes doing this evening?" Kelvakanta asked halfheartedly as he stoked the glowing coals in the ash. A small flame wrapped itself around the lone log, allowing a few dark shadows to move about. Unhappy at the lack of a response, Kelvakanta kicked Estel in the ribs, jarring him awake with a quiet cry of pain. Glee plastered itself on Kelvakanta's face. He grinned widely as fear shone clearly in the adan's glassy eyes.

* * * * *

Goneryn remained motionless as he waited on a small cliff near the cave in which the human had entered. The sun was beginning to sink behind the mountains as the moon slowly materialized, pale and dim in the still-bright sky. It had not taken the elves long to reach the cave. As soon as they had arrived, Lord Elrond had asked Goneryn to watch the entrance while they returned to retrieve the others at the camp.

The elven warrior grasped his bow firmly in his hand and scanned the surrounding area quickly before returning his gaze to the mouth of the cave. Goneryn fervently hoped they would hurry for his keen hearing easily picked up the stifled cries mixed with laughter, which radiated from the dark opening. Shifting, more out of impatience then discomfort he began a silent prayer to the gods that the two young boys would remain alive at least until the search party returned.

* * * * *

"Nin khilye ar dariel an Estel naly lumbulo mi caraxë!"* Elrond cried from the branches above the camp.

Without a second thought or a single moment of hesitation, the eight elves on the ground vaulted into the trees. The entire search, turned rescue party moved through the trees with wind-like speed. Each elf knew that they had precious little time.

Only a few minutes later did they stop outside the cave. Goneryn quickly reported to Lord Elrond before rejoining the group. Elrond thought for mere moments before he began to issue orders.

*Follow me without halting for Estel art in the fangs of the shadow.

* * * * *

Kelvakanta paused in mid-kick when he heard the sound of shifting gravel from outside the cave.

"Ah, so the predator has come to trap the prey. Little does he know that this prey will not so easily be caught. It shall be a shame to leave my prizes, but I will find others." he spoke to himself with amusement as he glanced down at the unconscious human and defiant elfling. He knew he was running out of time, but he had to set up a display.

Quickly, Kelvakanta grabbed a stick and dipped it into a pool of blood on the floor. Using the blood as ink, he scratched a crude message on the wall and then grabbed two apples from his bag. Once again he tied them into the mouths of the boys before fleeing back into the darkness of the cave.

* * * * *

Elrond's plan was simple. The warriors had placed themselves either surrounding the mouth of the cave or in the trees across the way. He and the twins would cause a disturbance and hopefully the 'dark man' would come out and walk right into the ambush. Elrond knew that he was being too hopeful, but he was getting desperate. After glancing around to insure everyone was well hidden, the three lords began to kick about rocks and make odd noises. This went on for several minutes before they began to get suspicious. 'Surely, he would have at least shown the slightest bit of interest by now.' Elrond thought. Something was not right. He signaled for the twins to stop. It was time for a more direct approach. Just before he was about to lead a charge into the cave, he heard a voice cry out.

* * * * *

Raydaion had once again managed to maneuver his arms over his legs. As soon as they were in front of him, the elf began to struggle with his gag. It did not take him long to untie the knot, for Kelvakanta had been sloppy in his haste. He had been listening to the sounds outside the cave and decided to take the chance. Spitting the apple from his mouth he took a deep breath and yelled at the top of his small lungs.

"Nalmet sinome!" (We are in here)

His voice echoed off the walls, amplifying it and carrying to the elves outside.

"TĂșlmet (We are coming)" came the reply. Raydaion sighed in relief and watched as the figures of twelve elves came running toward them.

* * * * *

Elladan and Elrohir sprinted into the cave as soon as they heard the voice. The darkness caused a chill to run down their spines, but they did not slow nor wait for their eyes to adjust to the gloom. The dying embers gave out just enough light so that the twins could see two small silhouettes huddled together against the wall. Elrohir immediately searched for more wood while Elladan moved toward the figures, afraid of what he would find. It took the younger twin seconds to find the pile of dry wood and throw a few pieces on the red coals. As Elladan's vision was slowly adjusting, the dark glistening pool under the one figure caught his attention.

"Ai, dear Elbereth." he whispered as he sunk to his knees by the boys, not caring if his leggings soaked up the blood. When his voice came again it was thick with worry and emotion. "Estel?"

"Lord Elladan, is that you? Please help him." a small voice pleaded urgently.

By that time the rest of the party had joined them. The fire seemed to suddenly crackle to life and light spilled into the dank cave. As Estel's battered and abused body was illuminated Elladan felt his stomach turn and heard Elrohir's choked sobs from behind. Elrond gasped and eased his eldest away from Estel as he too knelt in the blood.

"Help Raydaion." he instructed softly reaching to untie the apple gag.

Elladan turned toward the young elf and began to untie the bindings around his wrists and ankles.

"Are you injured, young one?" Elladan asked gently.

"No, my lord, I have only bruises, but you must help Estel, he is hurt bad. And the evil man, he went that way." the elfling said pointing into the darkness once his hands were free.

"Khile im." (follow me) Elrohir ordered, gesturing to six of the warriors. Without another word, the usually peaceful Elrohir lead them with torch in hand, hunting for blood. Elladan watched the light disappear into the darkness before gathering Raydaion in his arms.

"Come, I shall take you by the fire where there is warmth and you can sit with Erellant while we tend to Estel, alright?" Elladan spoke kindly as he carried the boy to the fire. Erellant took Raydaion from him, wrapping the small elf in his cloak. As soon as his duty was done, Elladan hurried back to his little brother.

* * * * *

Elrond had immediately begun to assess his foster son's condition as soon as he was certain Elladan was untying Raydaion. The first thing he did was remove the gag, allowing Estel to force air into his battered chest a little easier. He had heard Elrohir leave, but did not dwell on the fact for Estel's life was literally in his hands. From what he could see, Estel's body was on the verge of giving up. Bruises and gashes covered every inch of skin, deepest on his head and side. There were broken ribs, damaged lungs, and worst of all was the animal trap clamped around his leg. Already the boy was becoming warm with fever and Elrond felt anger grow inside him. What was left of his son's cloths could barely be considered rags and he himself was kneeling in the ever-growing pool of blood. Silver tears rolled down his cheeks as he turned to two of the remaining guards.

"With all the speed you have, return to Imladris and bring back two horses. I beg you to hurry like never before."

As the words were heard, the two warriors fled the cave as fast as they could. Elladan then placed a hand on his shoulder and handed him a large bag of supplies.

"Adar, how does he fair?" he asked softly.

"Not well, my son, not well at all. I need your help, for we must get that horrific device off his leg. I am afraid he might go lame if we do not hurry and I have not the key to unlock it."

A grim smirk briefly appeared and vanished on Elladan's face as he took off his broach pin and began to pick the lock. With an audible click the metal jaws eased opened.

"Hold him steady, for I fear he might react harshly to this." Elladan warned, grabbing each side of the trap.

Carefully but quickly he forced the teeth apart. Even in unconsciousness Estel's body struggled in his father's arms against the pain. Elladan allowed the trap to close on itself before reaching for a band of white cloth from the bag. Working as swiftly as possible in case Estel should wake, Elladan smeared a pre-mixed emulsion on the wound before binding it tightly. When they returned home, Elrond could set the bone and stitch the wound, but for now he had to stop or at least slow the bleeding. While he wrapped Estel's leg thickly in layers of cloth, Elrond cleaned and bandaged the deeper cuts, all the while he speaking softly to Estel in elvish. As soon as they were done, both elves removed their cloaks and bundled the now- shivering adan before moving him closer to the fire. Now all they could do was wait, for trying to carry Estel home would certainly do more damage then good. Elrond nodded in approval to Erellant who cuddled a sleeping Raydaion in his arms. He was about comment on the scene when he heard a noise that sent adrenaline coursing through his veins.

* * * * *

* * * * *

arabella thorne- Thank you very much! See Estel finally got help, I defiantly could not let him become a cripple.

FrodoelessarBaggins- I am glad you like it, and it is not over yet. If you would like to offer some suggestions on how it could be better, please let me know. Thanks for the review.

Staran- Thank you. I am really sorry that I did not post sooner, but I have been so busy that this is really the soonest I could get it out. I appreciate your review and thanks for reading.

daw the minstrel- I thank you for your review. It means a lot to me that you feel that way about my story. I hope you continue to enjoy it.

QTpie-pippinsgurl- Yet again, I am here to beg that you be patient with me, for I just cannot seem to update at a decent time. Oh well, I am very glad that you like my story and I love getting your reviews.

Orodruin- Yes, in that last chapter I was awful nice to Estel, but the poor boy really does deserve a break every now and then. I hope you enjoyed those apples.

SperryDee- Well, there you go, they found him and he is finally safe again. Safe at least until his next adventure. Thanks for the review.

ThE iNsAnE oNe- You really do have the most unique reviews. I am beginning to get the picture that you do not like Kelvakanta very much. Sorry my posting has been so erratic, thanks for the review.

Kawaii BlueBear- Yes, you are probably right, but I gave Estel a like bit of a break. Oh well, yes, we must now never trust fruit trees again. Hear have some grapes. Glad you like it so far!

arwen-evenstar- I am very pleased that you are enjoying it so much. Well, it took me awhile, but I finally posted. Now we can all give Estel a big hug. Thanks for the review!

Saera- Well, three weeks later.to an elf that might, just maybe be considered now. Oh well, I tried. I hope you enjoyed that chapter also.

Orion- I am truly very glad that you enjoy it so much. Thanks for reading and reviewing. Hope you liked this chapter.

Bookworm2000- Chiaro Scuro is Italian and roughly means 'playing in or among the shadows'. See, Estel was finally rescued and the pedestrians have been following me, so I am beginning to become suspicious of them. Oh well, thanks for the review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Sabercrazy- Ok, now I am really scared. Well, not too much.Yes, if you like I shall attempt to write an Estel-torture story if I can get a good plot bunny going. Suggestions? Thanks for the review.

Dawn- I am so so sorry. I know it took way too long, but at least it is here. Please forgive me. Would you like some brownies?

Carrie- Thank you so much for the long review. I have really wanted to post, but I have bee swamped with AP's and stuff. I'll stop making excuses now and just say that I really appreciate you both reading my story and reviewing. I do agree that we authors can never seem to leave the poor boy alone. I don't know when I will write my next story or what it will be about, but who knows, someone else might become my victim.