High, low, here we go Hear the word That floats upon the air above Reach up, touch the night Catch a light That's falling on the only ones The only ones

And the way you see your life

A case of "do or die" Returns us to the way It used to be before And the future lies In the years of sacrifice You'll open up your eyes And wake to see it Standing at your door

Right time turn it on Touch a heart That's waiting for the only one Night time, can't go wrong Open up and sing the song For everyone

And the way you see your life A case of "do or die" To preserve your sanity When others lose control

And the years we spent Heaven blessed or heaven sent Sang where kings and presidents Could change the world Just standing at the wall!

Why, tell me why, don't you know Do you believe in dreams? Tell me where did they go? Why did they leave us?

If you ask me i don't know. Where did the music go? After all is said and done Same chance for everyone

If you ask us we can't say When did the music go away After all is said and done Same chance for everyone

Why, tell me why, don't you know? Do you believe in dreams? Tell me where did they go? Why did they leave us?

- The Barclay James Harvest, Do You Believe In Dreams (same Chance For Everyone)

*

Gandalf and Estel walked into the halls, where the dwarves and Bilbo were having supper, just before sun set. Estel's stomach grumbled and he quickly attacked the food, feeling as if he hadn't eaten in weeks.

"Where is our host, and where have YOU been all day yourself?" They all asked Gandalf, completely ignoring Estel, which he didn't really mind. As long as he didn't have to answer any questions he could stuff his mouth with food.

"One question at a time- and none till after supper! I haven't had a bite since breakfast."

Gandalf waited until after supper and AFTER he blew smoke rings before answering their questions. After stuffing his stomach full, Estel sat back, feeling tired and sore. He must have made some sort of noise because Thorin swiftly turned and scrutinized Estel's disheveled appearance. "And where did you go off to?" He asked Estel accusingly. Estel opened his mouth to answer, when Gandalf answered for the both of them:

"WE have been picking out bear-tracks." Estel had to bite his tongue in order to not retort something about it being rude to interrupt someone. He listened as Gandalf told them of their conclusions regarding the meeting of bears, the number of them and the time of the meeting. Estel smiled proudly, thinking he discovered most of the details himself.

"They came from almost every direction, except from the west over the river, from the mountains." Gandalf continued. "In that direction only one set of foot prints led- none coming, only ones going away from here. We followed these as far as the Carrock. There they disappeared into the river, but the water was too deep and strong beyond the rock for us to cross." He gave Estel a look, causing him to downcast his eyes. He was stupid enough to immediately try to cross the river, nearly drowning and being swept away by the current. He was lucky Gandalf was there, stretching out his staff for Estel to grab onto.

"... We had to walk miles before we found a place where the river was wide and shallow enough for us to wade and swim, and then miles back again to pick up the tracks again. By that time it was too late for us to follow them far-." Estel nearly toppled over his own feet, otherwise he was sure Gandalf might have followed the tracks farther...

"-They went straight off in the direction of the pine-woods on the east side of the Misty Mountains, where we had our pleasant little party with the Wargs the night before last. And now I think I have answered your first question, too," ended Gandalf, and he sat a long while silent.

"What shall we do," Bilbo suddenly cried, jumping a sleepy Estel, "if he leads all the Wargs and the goblins down here? We shall all be caught and killed! I thought you said he was not a friend of theirs."

"So I did." Gandalf answered harshly, apparently not doing much better than Estel. "And don't be silly! You had better go to bed, your wits are sleepy."

Estel decided to take that as his cue to go to sleep as well, his muscles aching from the long trek. But he did not regret it for a moment, it was fun most of the time and he learned so much about tracking! Estel settled down, reliving an important conversation he and Gandalf shared earlier.

~ "What is it?" Gandalf asked Estel, noticing the troubled look on the youth's face.

"Nothing," Estel said too quickly, picking up his pace. How long have they been walking? The sun was already past her peek. At this rate they'll only be back in a few days, at best. He bumped into something, falling back. He got up tiredly and looked up at the offending obstacle-

Gandalf stood rooted to his spot, his arms crossed over his chest, waiting.

Estel sighed and rubbed his aching limbs, knowing they'll be ugly bruises by morning. "Fine," he said agitated, seeing that Gandalf will not take no for an answer. "I am scared, alright?" He admitted shamefully, looking angrily anywhere but at Gandalf.

"I have told you before, there is no shame in fear," Gandalf responded evenly. "What has scared you?"

Estel looked up at Gandalf, but all he could see was the Gandalf now imprinted on his mind, with his arm bloody, his visage pale and he was swaying dangerously on the battlefield.

"Is it the dream?" Gandalf guessed, prodding gently. Estel merely nodded, not trusting his own voice.

"I have already told you, it may mean nothing. And if not, then it only means I might be injured, not-"

"I don't want to lose you!" Estel yelled quickly, not wanting to hear the word implied at the end of Gandalf's sentence. He felt fresh tears in his eyes and he quickly wiped them away, not wanting to cry again like a child.

"Child," Gandalf said, struck by the raw emotions in Estel's voice. "What makes you think-"

"I know," Estel said quietly. "I know you are stronger than a stupid Warg and that it will take more than that to bring a powerful wizard down. I know all that, it's just... I love you."

Gandalf's eyes grew slightly at the confession, not quite understanding where all this was coming from. "I love you too, Estel."

"People have a tendency to leave me," Estel admitted quietly, looking with anguished eyes at the wizard. "I couldn't bare to lose you too."

"Who has left you?" Gandalf asked confused. Estel lived in Rivendell, where death was a foreign concept. The last time he checked Gilraen the Fair was well, who else-

"My father," Estel said, before correcting himself. "Not Elrond- my OTHER father. The one that died." Gandalf waited patiently for Estel to continue, slightly unnerved that Estel had an idea how Arathorn died. He could only hope all he had was a vague idea from whispered words in Lord Elrond's house. If the boy actually had a vision of his father's death...

"But there are others," Estel said quickly, afraid of seeming foolish. "I don't remember their faces, but I saw them. I saw them die." Estel turned away and played in the dirt with his foot. "I know all things end and that people die," except for elves, he thought ruefully. "But I was there- I was there, standing helplessly by as the light left their eyes. And then I witnessed you falling as well... It was simply more than I could bare." Gandalf grabbed the boy in a tight embrace, for a moment forgetting what they came here to do.

"My dear dear child," Gandalf said, his voice raw with emotion. "I would never dream to call you helpless." He glanced at the small head near his waist and wondered why life seems to be cruel to this one in particular. "I wish I had words of comfort for you, but I do not. It is the way of nature for people to die. I believe that you have been granted a wonderful and horrible gift of sight." Estel glanced up at Gandalf, his grey eyes huge and young.

"Many in this world pass without leaving any note in History," Gandalf continued. "Yet here you are, remembering them, carrying their torch of life with you, wherever you go."

Estel seemed slightly comforted by those words and he left Gandalf's embrace. "I don't remember them," he said quietly, a new determination and resolve shone from his eyes. "But if someone must bare silent testimony to their life, I will do it." He shook his head, a headache forming from all the crying he did today. "I believe we have a Bear to track." He smiled slightly at Gandalf in silence thanks.

"I believe you are correct." Gandalf ruffled his hair and they continued onwards.

~

*

"So here you all are still!"

Estel opened his eyes and saw Beorn, standing tall above them, seemingly in a good mood. He glanced outside and saw that it was already morning. Beorn picked up Bilbo and laughed: "Not eaten up by Wargs or goblins or wicked bears yet I see," he poked Bilbo's waistcoat. "Little bunny is getting nice and fat again on bread and honey. Come and have some more!"

Estel smiled to himself, thinking that he was the first to think of the hobbit as a rabbit. He went to breakfast with the rest, not really listening to Beorn's tale, as he told them that how he caught a Warg and a goblin wandering in the woods. From them he heard that the company's story was true.

"It was a good story, that of yours," Beorn said, "but I like it still better now that I am sure it is true. You must forgive my not taking your word. If you lived near the edge of Mirkwood, you would take the word of no one that you did not know as well as your brother or better. As it is, I can only say that I have hurried home as fast as I could to see that you were safe, and to offer you any help that I can. I shall think more kindly of dwarves after this. Killed the Great Goblin, killed the Great Goblin!" He chuckled fiercely to himself.

"What did you do with the goblin and the Warg?" Bilbo asked suddenly. Estel wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"Come and see!" Beorn said, and led them round the house. A goblin's head was stuck outside the gate and a warg-skin was nailed to a tree just beyond. Estel shuddered, and as Gandalf told Beorn their whole story and the reason of their journey, he couldn't help but glance at Beorn, wondering what he would have done to Gandalf and he, if he would have found them tracking him. He glanced back at the goblin head and felt as though he might lose his breakfast.

Beorn provided them with a pony each, giving Gandalf (and Estel) a horse. He gave them food to last them weeks with care and some last minute advice. They left Beorn's house at around midday, after eating with him one last time. They rode in silence until nightfall, when they set up camp and slept uneasily.

The next few days of riding went by uneventful. All the while they saw nothing save grass and flowers and birds and scattered trees, and occasionally small herds of red deer browsing or sitting at noon in the shade. On the third evening they pressed on after dusk and into the night, for Beorn said that they should reach the forest-gate early on the fourth day.

The next day they started out before dawn. The silence began to draw upon them; the birds began to sing less. There were no more deer; not even rabbits were to be seen (not counting the fat one riding besides Estel and Gandalf, looking frighteningly around all the time). By the afternoon they had reached the eaves of Mirkwood, and were resting almost beneath the great overhanging boughs of its outer trees.

"Well, here is Mirkwood!" Said Gandalf. "The greatest of the forests of the northern world. I hope you liked the look of it. Now you must send back these excellent ponies you have borrowed."

"What about the horse, then?" Thorin asked. "You don't mention sending that back."

"I don't, because I am not sending it." Estel glanced up at Gandalf, already guessing where this was going.

"What about YOUR promise then?" Thorin pressed on.

"I will look after that. I am not sending the horse back, I am riding it!" The rest of the company now realized that Gandalf was going to leave them at the very edge of Mirkwood. Gandalf tried to cheer them up. "Now we had this all out before, when we landed on the Carrock. It is no use arguing. I have, as I told you, some pressing business away south; and I am already late through bothering with you people." Estel wondered what 'pressing business' Gandalf had in the south. Gandalf said he would make sure Estel reached his father safely, was he meeting him there? Was Elrond also going south to this "pressing business"?

"So cheer up Bilbo and don't look so glum," Gandalf finished. "Cheer up Thorin and Company! This is your expedition after all. Think of the treasures at the end, and forget the forest and the dragon, at any rate until tomorrow morning!"

The next morning they started distributing their packages and unpacking the ponies. After saying goodbye to their ponies, and sending them home, they were forced to part with Gandalf. Bilbo sat on the ground looking extremely unhappy and as if he wished he were beside the wizard on his tall horse. Estel wished he could trade places with Bilbo. Gandalf said goodbye and tried giving the Company some last minute advice. Estel jumped down from the horse and fidgeted nervously. He walked over to each in turn and embraced their arms, like a good elf would. He walked over to Gloin and embraced his arms. The dwarf smiled fondly at him and tussled his hair, a sign of liking grownups tend to do too often. Estel smiled sheepishly at him. "You should come to Rivendell again some day, to visit."

"I would like that very much," Gloin said sincerely. "I think I'll bring my son along, something tells me the two of you would get along." Estel nodded and turned to Bilbo.

"Goodbye Rabbit-Feet," he grinned at the Hobbit. "The next time you are in Rivendell, I expect you to teach me new shire-songs."

"If you keep calling me "Rabbit-Feet" I shall be forced to write a song about you, a not very complimentary one at that!" They embraced quickly, before Estel turned to Thorin.

"I was an honor to meet you, sir," Estel said. He threw his arms in a full embrace around the surprised dwarf. "Keep safe, and when you come and visit I expect some share of the treasure." Thorin smiled and patted Estel on the head.

"Keep safe, young one," he said to Estel, as they parted. "I shall remember you for our next great expedition!" Estel walked away and Gandalf helped him onto the horse.

"Good-bye then, and really good-bye!" Gandalf said, and he turned his horse and rode down into the West. Before he had passed quite out of hearing he turned around and put his hands to his mouth and called to them: "Good-bye! Be good, take care of yourselves- and DON'T LEAVE THE PATH!" Then he galloped away and they were soon lost to sight. Estel sadly wondered if he would see any of the Company ever again. He turned in his seat, looking up at the Wizard. There was no delaying the matter further- now he will finally get some answers.

*END CHAPTER 10*

Author's Note: Only a few more chapters to go now! Lots more Estel angst ahead, and he finally gets to be with his family! So some nice warm moments, as well as the angst! This is a quick update, the next one will be in a while, I don't know my "Silmarillion" well enough, and I need to know how long it took Gandalf to get to the war (since the time they parted and until he joined them in the war).

Grumpy- Wow, you love EVERYTHING about the story, that is so great! Especially considering what I'm putting poor Estel through! Heehee, I hope he can convince Elrond to get him SOME pet, though I doubt he'd allow an Eagle... I agree, that is such a little boy's way of thinking, because as mature as you think Estel is, he is still 10 and still a little boy! And I love him for it!

HobbitsRFun- Yes, Estel has always been insecure, growing up as the only human among elves would do that to you! I'm glad you like the tracking scene, since I have no experience in the matter, I was worried it wouldn't come out right. Yes he is so sweet, he just needs a boost of confidence every now and again!