A Lone Child
5 - Estel
"Our choices for the future do not change our past. We are twins; we will always be twins. We can never be alone. And I will never leave you, Elrond. You cannot understand now, but in time you will see that truth."
Estel didn't know what had compelled him to take the Master's hand, but he was glad that the gesture was welcomed. He supposed it was because his naneth was always sad, and he had become very good at telling when she was sad so he could make her feel better. Master Elrond certainly seemed very sad since their afternoon in the garden. At first he was worried that it was because of him, but now he was quite sure it wasn't. He wondered how grown-ups can become so sad that by looking into their eyes you can feel a bit of it too, like the sun would never shine again. He didn't really want to find out, come to think of it. But looking up at Lord Elrond now, Estel felt a sudden urge to try to make the Master happy, to see him laugh. He felt silly for the thought, because the Master was a relative stranger and he had trouble enough keeping his naneth happy.
He recognised the heavy wooden doors immediately, as his naneth like to go to the large room with the roaring fire. As usual when it was dark outside, the hall was filled with Elves and music. He followed Lord Elrond to a big, soft couch near the fireplace that was the twins' favourite seat. The Master sat, and motioned for Estel to sit next to him. A group of minstrels moved towards them and sat in a half-circle around the couch, then began singing a song that Estel didn't know.
At first he was quite content to sit on his side of the couch. But the combination of a full stomach and flowing Elven harmonies made his eyelids increasingly heavy. Instinctively he shuffled over to the Master, snuggling up to the warmth. The small part of his mind that had yet to be overwhelmed by drowsiness sensed the Master becoming tense, and the alarm began lifting the shroud of sleep. But then strong arms encircled him, gently lifting him and placing him on a somewhat unfamiliar lap.
The alarm went away, and his worries were eased as he rested against the Elf-lord's form. The strong arms held him close as he let sleep take him, and he smiled, knowing that he was in the safest place in the world.