Important Note: this chapter is dedicated to Emmithar, because A) she is the best reviewer in the world; B) she has been kind enough to tell me how one says 'Farewell, my friend' in Elvish
Disclaimer: I don't owe anything
Preface: This is just a short story about Estel, I expect my readers to have some background information. If you don't understand the story, please feel free to mail me. But don't bother asking me questions like 'Who is Estel?'; my only answer would be: go read the books!!! (Yes, that includes the appendices)
This is also my chance to tell everybody to read the Mellon Chronicles written by Cassia & Sio. Another author worth checking out is Emmithar, 'Family is Home', 'A Simple Hunting Trip' and 'The White Wolves of Azscverbae' are really good. I'm also enjoying her non-LotR-fic 'A Fateful Journey' very much.
My friend puck also writes good stuff (though it isn't LOTR) and if you'd read and reviewed her stories I'd really appreciate it.
So what are you waiting for? Go read those stories (after you read & reviewed mine that is ;)
Lots of Author's Note this time:
1. Both Gilraen and Arathorn are slain
2. I am afraid my 2-year-old Estel isn't very trustworthy, just give him a fitting age as long as he is younger then in the main story… (blame it on the AU)
3. Unfortunately I am not a medical expert (I don't even follow Biology at school) so please forgive me if some facts are medically impossible
Next part, the R2Rs (responses to reviews)
Emmithar – thanks again for reviewing and especially for translating
Dragon – I know, most times Estel is having trouble at home, but I wanted to write a different story (with only a minor guilt trip, that of Elladan)
Kawaii BlueBear – an Estel-being-lost story simply isn't complete without a guilt trip *g*
Anita – ze zijn elkaar inderdaad misgelopen, zoals je zult lezen in dit hoofdstuk
Heaven – thank you for your review and here the next instalment (at last)
Pippin-n-legolas & elfchick – I'm afraid I didn't really followed your advice…but well, here's the next chapter
Yes, I'm finished, you can read chapter 3 now:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ indicates it is the beginning (or ending) of a dream
* * * * * * * * indicates the passing of time
Chapter threeWhen the first raindrops began to fall Estel woke up from his peaceful slumber. He hugged himself tightly as a cold breeze made him shiver. He stretched himself to ease the pain from his sore muscles caused by the fact he had been sleeping long in the same position. Looking around, he became slightly worried. For not only was he alone and lost, the weather had become more violent. Once again, Estel tried to figure out where he was, but it was of no avail. Eventually he chose a direction randomly. 'I guess it's wiser to start walking. Maybe I'll be lucky and choose the right direction back to Imladris,' he thought, never been someone to wait patiently. He wanted to do something about a situation, not sit around. But Lady Fortuna was not with him and each step the little boy took, took him further away from Rivendell.
* * * * * * * *
Miserably Estel walked through the woods, not long ago he had eaten his second apple and the last roll he had saved from his breakfast.
The gentle raindrops had changed into a never-ending stream of falling water and Estel was now soaked and very cold; he decided to search for a place where he could shelter from the storm.
By chance he stumbled into a cavern. He entered it warily for he didn't know whether the cave was uninhabited or not. Carefully he ventured in further but still he could find no sign of another being in the cave. When he came at a point he couldn't see the entrance when he looked back, he decided not to go further and went back.
He settled himself near the entrance. 'I'm so cold,' he thought. 'I need to start a fire so I can dry my clothes and warm up a bit.'
He looked around in the cave, hoping against hope there were dry wood pieces somewhere. His eye fell on a small store of firewood, neatly stacked. He didn't wonder why there would be a pile of wood in the cave, he was simply glad having found one. It took Estel not long to start a fire, for Elladan had taught him how to start one.
Estel took off his wet clothes and sat as close to the small fire as possible. His stomach rumbled and he thought about the delicious meal which was probably served in Rivendell right now. How he wished he was home again!
Outside the cave, there was a flash of lightning and Estel flinched to the cave's wall frightened. He was afraid of thunderstorms, not because of the flashes or the thunderbolts, but because of the nightmares they triggered.
It had been a night like this when the orcs had killed his parents and when he fell asleep on such a night he always had nightmares.
The young human tried desperately to stay awake, but as he gazed at the flames of the burning fire, sleep crept up to him slowly. Though he had slept in the woods a few hours, he was both physically and mentally drained by the day's events.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It was quiet and little Estel lay on a pile of blankets in the arms of his mother Gilraen. As he looked up he could see the stars, shimmering above him. Carefully he wriggled out of his sleeping mother's arms and grabbing a blanket he went to find someone who could tell him where his father was. Suddenly he saw Halirion, one of his father's close friends and his advisor, standing guard.
'Halirion, where is daddy?' he asked.
'Arathorn is hunting orcs, little one,' Halirion answered, kneeling so he was at the same height as the small child. 'But he will be back soon.'
'When? Daddy promised me to let me learn how to fight!'
The delighted expression on the little boy's face, caused a grin spread across Halirion's face. 'I am sure he will be here in the morning. So why don't you go back to your mother and sleep till he comes back.'
'But I'm not sleepy, I want to learn how to fight!' Estel pouted.
Halirion laughed at the boy's enthusiasm, but was also a bit worried. 'Why do you want to fight so badly, child?'
'I want to protect mommy and daddy. Daddy always tells mommy and me to take care of each other when he goes away, but I also need to watch daddy, he might get hurt, but I can't defend him when I can't fight.'
Relieved it was only the boy's compassion which caused his need for fighting, Halirion reassured the boy. 'Your father is safe, he has many brave Rangers with him and the sons of Elrond are with him too.'
Estel felt a bit better, he had never met Elrond's sons but he knew they were great warriors.
'Off to bed now, before your mother discovers you're gone.' Estel didn't complain as Halirion picked him up and carried him to Gilraen.
Estel lay next to his mother and Gilraen automatically placed an arm around him and pulled him closer to her. It was not long before Estel was asleep again, safely tucked in his mother's arms.
* * * * * * * *
Loud hooves clattering woke him up again. It was still dark, he looked up and saw a single Ranger coming to the camp. The Ranger dismounted and quickly walked towards Gilraen who was already up.
'Gilraen,' the man shouted. 'We need to help them! There are simply too many orcs!'
'Slow down, Roforth,' Gilraen said. 'Please tell me calmly what happened?'
Roforth took a deep breath. 'We were heading back to the camp after having destroyed the orcs we set out to kill. But then, suddenly we stumbled on a large band of orcs, they took us by surprise and many were murdered in the first attack. Messengers were sent to warn the camp. We need reinforcements.'
Gilraen had heard enough and started giving orders to the Rangers. In no time there was a company of Rangers under the command of Halirion ready to set out north.
As the Rangers galloped away, Gilraen said to the remaining Rangers: 'We need to prepare the camp, most likely there will be many wounded and we must set out a watch in case an orc will somehow be able to get passed the others.'
Everybody went to prepare the camp, some people were preparing the medical tents, others went through their collection of herbs. The few swordsmen who hadn't joined the rescue team, went to watch the borders of the camp.
Gilraen sighed and stared in the direction where the rescue team had gone. 'Oh, Arathorn, please be okay,' she mumbled softly to herself.
'Don't worry, mommy,' Estel said. 'Daddy will be okay, the sons of Elond are with him.'
'Elrond,' Gilraen corrected absently, still worried about her husband. Then her gaze fell on her son, she hugged him tightly and tears were in her eyes.
'Mommy?' Estel asked. 'You're scaring me.' Gilraen was a proud woman, Estel had never seen her cry, but now there were tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
'I feel like something terrible is going to happen,' she whispered in the air.
Then she composed herself for the sake of her son. 'But it's probably nothing. Daddy will come home and we will have a great feast to celebrate the victory.'
Estel, however, was still worried but tried to be brave. He was about to respond, but then one of the Rangers hurried towards them.
'Gilraen,' he addressed the woman, bowing his head slightly. 'Sounds of hooves heading to the camp are heard and we believe it's Arathorn.'
Gilraen didn't give him the chance to finish his sentence as she ran to the northern borders of the camp, Estel following quickly behind her.
As Estel neared the border, he suddenly turned around feeling as if someone was watching him from the south. As he came to a full stop, he heard a startled, strangely cut off cry of one of the Rangers standing guard.
Then orcs could be seen attacking from the south. Most Rangers were near the northern border, anxious to be reunited with their loved ones and the vicious attack of the orcs came as a surprise.
Gilraen immediately shouted orders and soon the Rangers were fighting for their lives, but it was hopeless; every time an orc was slain two took their place. Estel looked at his mother as she grabbed him roughly and led him to a tent in the centre of the camp.
'Quickly,' she said. 'Hide under this pile of blankets and keep quiet, no matter what happens. Do not come out unless someone speaks Elvish to you.'
'But…' Estel objected.
'Promise me!' Gilraen urged.
'Okay, I promise,' Estel gave in.
Gilraen then pulled him close and a little sob escaped her throat, 'I love you, my child.'
She then left the tent and pulled out the tent pegs, causing the tent to collapse. She threw some branches on the heap that once was a tent and made it appear as if it had been destroyed during the fight. She took a deep breath and drew her sword, ready for the battle. It was not long before the first orc attacked her and she thrust her sword deep inside it's flank. Many followed and Gilraen's sword was covered in the foul creatures' blood. As the battle continued, more and more orcs came and Gilraen realized it was hopeless, they could never win this battle.
'Gilraen!' someone shouted. 'Gilraen!'
Gilraen turned around, it was Arathorn. 'Arathorn!'
Arathorn pulled his wife away from the battlefield. 'I came as soon as we heard the camp was under attack!'
'What about the band of orcs that had ambushed you before?' Gilraen asked, knowing there was no chance they could fight at two fronts at the same time.
'I left Elladan, Elrohir and the other Elven warriors to deal with them,' he replied. 'Is our son safe?'
Gilraen nodded. There was no more time to talk, the orcs had approached the place where they had been talking. Together Arathorn and Gilraen charged towards the orcs, fighting unwearyingly, fighting for their child, for the Hope of the Dúnedain.
* * * * * * * *
In the collapsed tent, Estel was able to hear all the sounds coming from the battlefield, cries of agony mixed with the metal sound of swords clashing together.
He tried to be patient; he knew his should obey his mother, but he could not contain his curiosity and he made a small hole out of which he could peek outside. What he saw made him wish he hadn't disobeyed his mother.
Blood. Pain. Scimitars. Sadness. Malice. Horror. Bodies. Fear. Sorrow. Hatred. Tears. Despair. Death.
Though Estel didn't want to see the cruelty surrounding him, he wasn't able to pull his eyes away from the scene. He searched for his parents, they were fighting side by side. Many orcs' corpses lay at their feet, slain by their swords. Fascinated Estel saw his parents fight, it was as if they were performing a deadly dance but the stakes of this dance were high: their lives.
Suddenly Arathorn staggered, Estel could not see why because the man stood with his back to him. As Arathorn started to fall, Estel heard a heart-piercing cry. 'Arathorn! NO!'
All sounds seemed to dim, as in slow motion he saw his mother wrap an arm around her husband, easing him to the ground. Their heads close to each other they whispered softly, but it was not long before his father's body went limp. His head fell backwards revealing an arrow protruding from his eye. Still caught in the shock of his father's death, Estel saw an orc raising his scimitar to slay his mother.
'No!' he tried to scream, but no sound left his mouth. Helplessly he saw the scimitar come down, embedding itself deep in Gilraen's back. He watched as his mother's body slumped over that of his father.
All of a sudden sound and motion came back. He wanted to rush into the battle, to kill those who had murdered his parents, he hated them. He wanted to revenge his parents. But then he remembered his promise.
Keep quiet, no matter what happens…do not come out…But…
Promise me!
Okay, I promise
I love you, my child
And he kept his promise to his mother, though it caused him great pain to see their bodies laying in the battlefield. As his eyes were clouded by tears he saw a red Eye covering the camp. The contour was not clear, as if it was a mere shadow of the real Eye. And though it didn't seem to be focused, Estel feared it. It seemed to feed on the pain and the agony which radiated from the battle. It seemed to revel in darkness. It was evil.
* * * * * * * *
How long he had been hidden, he did not know, but suddenly the orcs were gone and he saw a group of people speaking softly to each other in the light of morning. He immediately looked to the place his parents had fallen. They weren't there.
'Where are they?' he cried out, rushing out of the collapsed tent. 'What did you do to them? Give them back!'
The group turned around, raising their weapons slightly. It was a group of Elves. A dark-haired Elf, who seemed to be the leader stepped forward.
'What do you mean?' he demanded, rather harshly.
Estel was a bit startled by the coldness in the Elf's voice, but he answered the question. 'My parents, they, they are…' he couldn't say the word, it was too painful; he cast his eyes downwards.
Another Elf, looking exactly as the leader, yet wearing a gentler expression, kneeled before the boy and forced him to look into his grey eyes. 'It's all right, you no not have to say it. But, please, tell me your parents' names?'
'A…' he began, but his voice broke down. He took a deep breath. 'Arathorn and Gilraen,' he said, unable to stifle the quiver in his voice.
The gentle Elf stood up and the two identical Elves shared a look.
'We need to get you into safety," the stern Elf said. 'You will come with us to Imladris, father will decide what will be done.'
'But what about mommy and da… my parents?' Estel asked.
The stern Elf seemed to hesitate, but the gentle one laid an arm on his shoulder. 'He deserves the chance to say goodbye to them.'
The stern Elf nodded once and then walked away.
'Come, I will take you to your parents,' the gentle Elf said, taking Estel's hand in his and leading him to a tent. 'We did not take them anywhere, we merely cleaned them to give them a proper burial.'
Inside the tent, there were many Elves, most of them could be seen tending to the wounded, many moans could be heard from the right side of the tent. Turning to the left, he saw fewer Elves, a single Elf could be seen cleaning a man and two others were covering a body with white clothes. Silently the gentle Elf lead him to two bodies, laying a bit aside of the others. It was clear this were his parents. He took a deep breath to prepare himself.
'Are you sure you want to do this?' the gentle Elf asked Estel, looking deep into the human's eyes.
Estel nodded firmly. The Elf pulled away the white clothes that covered the bodies and then stepped back tactfully.
Estel looked at the bodies which once had held the spirits of Arathorn and Gilraen. It looked as if they were asleep. Estel was surprised their faces showed such a tranquillity, not displaying the weariness they had showed in life. A single tear escaped his eye and he closed them.
'Goodbye mommy,' he whispered. 'Goodbye daddy. I'll miss you.'
Then he opened his eyes again, beholding the two bodies. 'No,' Estel corrected himself. 'Not bodies, but corpses.'
He turned around to face the gentle Elf, trying to hold back his tears. 'I am ready to leave.'
The Elf pulled the clothes back mumbling softly: 'Namaarie, Mellonamin.'
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Estel gasped and sat up quickly, staring with unseeing eyes, tears flooding freely down his face. He knew not why he felt so terrible, all he remembered was a vague picture of a woman's face, but even that image was fading. 'Ada,' he cried. 'Oh, Ada, where are you?! I need you!'
TBCNamaarie, Mellonamin = Farewell, my friend
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Please R & R