Author's Note: Hello hello hello!! I hope everybody liked the last chapter, I got some really nice reviews! I'm gonna be leaving on vacation on the eleventh for fie days, but I'll TRY to have this up by then. Maybe, maybe not!! Hope you like this chappie, bye!

Reviewers to thank: You guys are so sweet!

TrustingFriendship: Yea, little adventurous Estel. Can he swim?............uh........... I might wanna think about that! Tee hee! Thanks for your review!

LE: Hey lady! Did I need to put Galadriel in the last chappie? Uh.......(*sweatdrops ) Who said it was Galadriel? Oh man, that was lame........Anyway! Yes you could do that dive, that cliff was freakin' huge! You can and you know it, you A-League diver you! Haha, thanks for the review!

Grumpy: Estel really does need to learn that high places and humans don't mix. Hehe, isn't he cute? Thanks so much for your kind review!

Happy Molecule: Teehee, Estel gets in so much trouble, I love it! Thanks so much for your positive review!

Amlee: You liked it? Thank you so much, that's awesome! Goodness, I didn't know I needed to update THAT much! Hehe! Thanks!

DISCLAIMER: I don't freakin' own LOTR or any of it's characters.........(*sobsob....)


Childhood Curiosity

Ch. 8: The Aftermath

Elrond knew that there was something wrong this day, something so wrong that he simply couldn't even begin to express how he knew. Everything around the elven lord was literally screaming a warning to him, but he just couldn't understand it for the life of him! And it frustrated the elf so. There he stood on the balcony just outside of his room, simply staring into the confused sky above. His ageless face held a perfected mask of calm upon it, but any could see that the lord's eyes held a glimmer of worry. As the strong winds of the day ripped and soared about him, he didn't even bother to hold his long, dark hair in place, or attempt to straighten his robes that were being whipped this way and that. Even the winds, it seems, are trying to get my attention, Elrond mused gently. Watching as his own hair flew in front of his vision, Elrond lost himself in thought. The skies above were grey and stormy, the air holding it's warm temperature as if to ease the land into the furious storm it knew was coming. Trees creaked and groaned, the waters rippled and roiled, and still everything seemed to cry out a warning. Oh yes, there was something going on. Something indeed, but what? What could possibly be so important that even nature itself was trying to warn him? What was happening outside of Rivendell? Perhaps he should send out a scouting party beyond the borders? After all, the twins were about to leave anyway, this might give them a better experience....................

The Elven lord's train of thought was interrupted quite abruptly as two figures came walking onto his balcony behind them. Sensing the familiar presence of the twins, Elrond did not need to turn around, or put on an "everything's okay" face. He knew why they were here, and could sense the unease of his two sons with a slight twinge of sadness. They knew something was going on, but whether they knew more than he, Elrond was yet to find out.

"The winds, they fester, father. Nature is in an uproar all around us. Surely the reason you are outside on this blustery day is because you have felt it as well?" Came the voice of Elrohir behind him. Studying his son's voice momentarily, Elrond found his youngest son's voice to hold a slight note of worry. Elrohir had always been known to be an elf who wanted to know what was going on, and it seemed that this was no exception.

Waiting a moment before answering, Elrond finally spoke as a large gust of wind blew his hair in front of his eyes, blinding his vision momentarily. "Aye, my son. I feel the unrest of nature. Even the mighty Brunien is speaking it's warning. But as to why............I have not discovered the answer. Have the two of you discovered anything?"

"Nay father, we have tried, but cannot seem to discern the warning." Elledan said glumly. "However we were just about to ask wether we should take Estel out for his lessons today. This weather seems pregnant for rain , and you know how thunderstorms still frighten the boy."

Thinking for a moment, Elrond finally turned to face his sons, whom he found sitting on the thick stone railings lazily. Their faces were calm, and Elrond smiled as he watched their dark hair, so much like his own, blow about their faces. But their eyes, Elrond thought fondly. Looking onto the murky brown depths of his sons eyes, he could read every emotion they felt easily. Just like hers.........As thoughts of his wife invaded Elrond's mind, he felt his heart beat painfully at her memory. She was so far away, healing in the undying lands. What would she do?.............. "Nay." He said finally with a smile. "Estel has worked hard lately, he may have the afternoon off. Why don't you two take him to the Hall of Fire? He will be comfortable there, and pay this coming storm no mind."

His twins smiled back at him, and for a moment there was silence between the three. Suddenly looking up as they felt another approaching the balcony through Elrond's room, The twins grinned as the fair haired Glorfindel came out into the elements, followed closely by a very agitated looking Erestor.

"Greeting, my friends!" Glorfindel said joyously, "Wonderful day out, don't you think?" This caused the twins to look at each other, and stifle sniggers behind their hands, but Glorfindel seemed not to notice as he continued smiling serenely.

Smiling at the two elven lords, Elrond nodded his head, his eyes searching the other's eyes for their thoughts. They felt it as well, the unrest of nature, but indeed they knew no more than he. They had come for something else, but what? "What did you need?" Elrond asked.

Erestor looked quickly at Glorfindel, his eyes flashing as the blonde elf nodded slowly. And with that, Erestor launched into a very violent tirade. At least by elven standards. "Lord Elrond, where is Estel? He has skipped all of his lessons today, and the maids say they haven't seen him all morning. One elleth said she might have seem him playing near the great hall, but it might have also been another elfling! This is in direct violation of his punishment, and now it is much to late to begin the lesson I had planned! It was outside, for Valar's sake!" "As was mine." Glorfindel added in with a quiet smile.

"You haven't seen him all day? Neither have I, but I simply assumed that he was with you two since I did not see you either." Elrond said in a surprised voice, quickly beginning to wonder where his youngest son had gotten off too. Surely not the woods, for he had placed extra sentries in the forests ever since Estel's tree incident some time ago. The two Elven lords before him shook their head slowly, and turned to the twins.

"We thought he was with you two!" Erestor added thoughtfully. The twins exchanged a confused look, before grinning sheepishly. "We thought he was with you two!" They said in unison, a hint of laughter and worry entering their voice.

For a moment, there was a mutual silence between the elves, and then suddenly a huge gust of wind blew them all slightly sideways. The twins gasped and grabbed into the railing for support, and it was then that everything hit Elrond like punch to the head. Estel hadn't been seen all morning, and nature was crying out to him so violently, that surely it must be connected! He was speechless for a moment, allowing his mouth to hang open as suddenly nature's warning made sense along with many other things all at once. Like an explosion in his brain, Elrond staggered slightly, much to the surprise of all the elves around him. "Ada!" The twins cried together, leaping from their seats to grab onto his arms worriedly. They had never seen him display such weakness since their mother had been attacked! Glorfindel and Erestor took a concerned step forward as well, but were quickly knocked back as a huge buffet of wind tore around the balcony. The weather seemed to be getting worse!

As the Elves looked to each other for a consensus, Elledan and Elrohir began trying to lead Elrond into his bedchambers as they tried to get out of the winds. Once inside, Glorfindel forced the delicate glass and wood double door shut, and turned to find a very white faced Elrond staring blankly off into space, muttering to himself in a very fast paced tone.

"But how could he get past the guards?..........Even nature is warning us.........he must be in trouble.......Estel......." Suddenly Elrond's head snapped up, his now messy dark hair flying back. The other four elves in the room looked on, speechless, as Elrond suddenly gave a thundering cry of "ESTEL!!" And rushed from the room, charging down the hall with a strong swish from his silken robes.

Looking at each other momentarily, the twins nodded, and rushed from the room after their Ada, giving similar cries of "Ada!" Glorfindel and Erestor moved wordlessly after the twins, not quite understanding what was going on but feeling the general concern all the same. All that was left now was the great lords of Imladres rushing towards the young Dunedian's room, like some sort of strangely mad race.

*_~*_~*_~*_~

The messenger from Lothlorien rode towards Imladres faster than he even thought possible. Meadows, woods, streams, all of them rushed past his sharp elven vision in a colored blur. His ears were filled with his harsh breathing of his horse, and the music of the wind. As his reddish hair whipped behind him, he smiled as even the wind seemed to push him towards his destination. Allowing his bright brown eyes to dart down to the message that was tucked into his robes, he remembered the oddly emotional face of lady Galadriel when she had given it to him.

##### Flashback #######

Running as fast as his elven legs would permit him, Guathane raced up the ever spiraling stairs towards the treetop home of the Lord and Lady of Light. Allowing his breath to come easily in and out, he didn't even seem to see his pathway before him. After finally rounding the last bend, Guathane came into the entryway of the Lord and Lady's house, a familiar glowing golden light surrounding him immediately. Looking around to find the Lord and Lady already waiting for him, Guathane gave a slight gasp to see the distress on Lady Galadriel's face. Her usually passive face was twisted into a slightly frantic expression, the pools of her ocean blue eyes swimming with fear. Giving a short, distracted bow, Guathane said rapidly "You sent for me, my Lord and Lady?"

Walking briskly up to him, the Lady of Light nodded and began to speak equally as quickly, her siren voice somewhat strained. "Yes Guathane. You are the fastest rider in all of Lothlorien, and now I beseech you to deliver this message to Lord Elrond of Imladres with all haste. You must ride as the wind flies! I leave to you the swiftest horse in our kingdom. Now go, and may Earendil shine upon thee!"

Finishing her statement, Galadriel handed him a carefully sealed envelope. Nodding as the urgency of the situation set in upon him, Guathane gave a short bow, and turned on a heel, racing with all his might towards the Lorien stables.

#### End Flashback ######

Leaning further down upon his horse, Guathane whispered soft elvish to his tired stallion. "Come my friend, it will be soon now that we come upon a rest stop. But we must ride hard! Now run, run like the wind blows."

~*_~*_~*_~*_

The passionate rumble of the Imladres filled the ears of the twins as they stood at the summit of the highest falls, but each feeling lower than the deepest pits of Dol Guldor. It had now been several hours since everyone had noticed little Estel's absence, and their search had lead them here after Glorfindel had displayed his expert tracking skills. The blonde haired elf had taken just a little bit to find the fresh leaves that had fallen off the trellis below Estel's room, and at that moment, they all knew that Estel had snuck off. Again. After a forest trek, and distressed silence between companions, the twins found themselves here, at the top of a waterfall. They had explained to their father how Estel had wanted to dive off the falls very badly, and Elrond took the information in silently. His face clam but his ancient eyes glittering with worry and fear. That sight enough was enough to make both Elledan and Elrohir tremble with fear themselves. Obviously, Estel was really in trouble, somewhere somehow.

As nature had died down and ended it's tirade with nothing more than a light breeze, Glorfindel was now diving into the falls pool to try to find any clues. Anything at all. Casting a nervous glance at his brother, Elledan felt Elrohir's unease. Focusing down into the roiling pool of water, Elledan spoke quietly to his twin. "I know what you are thinking. You feel that this is our fault. Do not worry so, Elrohir. Although we played some part, it was Estel's decision to come here, and possibly jump. His, and his alone."

Elrohir did not look at him, but nodded mutely. And somehow, Elledan knew that despite his somewhat encouraging words, his younger twin felt the same burning guilt that he himself secretly felt. Trying to cast fear into the back of his mind, Elledan intently focused down into the shimmering water. There just had to be some clue, something! Watching as Glorfindel resurfaced momentarily, the blonde elf waded to the left, and that was when Elledan saw it. Feeling a jolt of excitement run through him, Elrohir jumped as well, feeling his brother's happiness. Focusing his gaze downwards, Elledan felt sure that he was looking at the gentle silver glint of a piece of metal under the waves. It was faint, but it was definitely there!

Waving his arms energetically through the air in a very un-elvish manner, Elledan called down excitedly to Elrond, Erestor, Glorifndel, and the three Rivendell soldiers that were with them. "Ada! Ada! Look, right there, beneath the waves, I see something!"

Gathering to the edge of the pool, Elrond shouted back up to confirm the location, and with that, Glorfindel breathed in deep, and disappeared beneath the waves. "Come on, let's go see what it is!" Elledan said excitedly, tugging on his twin as he took off running down the path.

Rushing towards the pool, the twins were by their father's side in a matter of minutes, each looking anxiously into the pool for Glorfindel's return. There was complete silence between the elves, as a horrible tension lingered in the misty air. As every second stretched into an eternity, Elledan felt as though he might explode during the wait. What was it that he had seen? Watching the rippling surface of the pool, several minutes passed before a tired looking Glorfindel broke the surface of the water. Dripping and slightly breathing hard, the Balrog Slayer made his way towards the shore, fighting the current lightly. When finally he touched the edge, Glorfindel looked sadly up into the group of elves. Gasping at the sight of the mighty elven warrior's eyes shimmering with sadness, Elledan felt as though his world were collapsing down around him. As slowly but surely, Glorfindel raised his hands out of the water, clutching a tiny elven dagger. The dripping weapon was left without it's twin, as it shone with the name 'Estel' upon it's surface, in the trembling palm of Glorfindel the Balrog Slayer. And then, there was silence.

*_~*_~*_~*_

".............................hello?............................chil..............child.........................wake........................"

"........Is he.............alive?............injured................blood loss...................he's a fighter..................will he............. live.....?.......................Only .....................time......................may tell......................"


Four Days Later

There were voices, voices all around him. Very faint, as though they were whispering, but he could hear them. What were they saying? It wasn't in elvish, what was going on? Estel felt these thoughts slowly as he become slowly more and more conscious. Things crept back to him for what felt like an eternity. First, he could think, no longer floating in the dark, silent void as before. Then his hearing began to pick up things. Very quiet at first, but growing clearer with every hour that passed. Next came the slight ability to twitch his heavy, numbed limbs. And with that, feeling had flooded into Estel's small body, and he knew that surely he was dead. His entire body hurt more than anything he could ever remember feeling, more than he ever thought possible. Every bit of him ached and burned, as though he had been thoroughly beaten and then thrown into the flames of a white hot fire. Why was this happening? Why....................It was then that Estel's mind launched into the memory of a cloudy night....................he watched himself sneak through a dark, swaying forest. It looked so familiar................and then, he was at the summit of a huge waterfall................... .......................no, no he was jumping! What? There was no one there to catch him as he plummeted towards the water below....................he was all alone!! Where was Ada? Ada........... Ada!!..................Ada!!! ADA!!!!!!!!! "ADA!!!" Estel suddenly heard himself scream out in a cracked voice, and with that, his eyes snapped open, and an odd scene closed in about him.

Throwing his body up, Estel found himself in both a lot of pain, and in a strange room. It was dark, but above him Estel found a thick canvas dome, through which he could just barely see the stars that were shining outside. He was in a soft bed, that was made of skins and other fabrics that looked to heaped upon a flat wooden floor. This wasn't the Halls of Healing!! Where was he? He was all the way enclosed by this strange fabric, but a small flap was fluttering to his right in the invisible night breeze outside. It's a way out! Estel thought desperately. Heaving himself out of the mass of blankets, he began trying to roll his way out towards the flap, clenching his teeth together to stop from screaming. Pushing himself along the rough, wooden floors, Estel's entire body was in agony. He didn't even feel the soft slide of bitter tears that were streaming down his face. It was just a little farther, he was almost there! Almost............

"Oi? What's this?"

A voice sounded behind Estel suddenly, cutting through his pain to let a wave of fear wash over him. Then a pair of rough hand grabbed Estel around the waist, and he stopped struggling, feeling his entire behind simply go limp. With his mind reeling around in every direction, his breath coming in ragged, pained gasps, and his limp body being pulled backwards by some unknown person, Estel did what any small child would have done in his situation. Squeezing shut his dizzy eyes and taking in a painful breath, Estel, Dunedain child of Lord Elrond of Rivendell, screamed.

*_~*_~*_~

Author's Note! Teeheehee! That's it for this chapter, oh I just love cliffies!!!! By the way, the messenger from Lothlorien's name is pronounced " GOO-AH-TH-AH-NAY" Thus, Guathane! Anyway, Ahem,(* loud announcer voice cuts in) What is this mysterious messenger from Lothlorein going to say? What will Elrond do now? WHO IS ESTEL REALLY DEALING WITH??? Tune in next time for another exciting chapter of, Childhood Curiosity!!..................Hehe, that was corny! Anyway, I hope you all liked the chapter, please leave me a review on your way out! Thanks, and see you soon!