Olin Estel

Disclaimer- I do not own LotR. As much as I would like to keep them locked in my closet, I don't.

A/N-Anyone who can spot the double meaning of the title gets a prize. I'm not sure what it'll be yet. Maybe a guest appearance in this fic. You get one clue: Olin means secret and Estel means hope.

Chap1

"Come, 'tis time Aragorn went to Lord Elrond in Imladris to be fostered."

"But nin híril, surely you won't make the journey alone?" Mindeb, the elf girl who served as Gilraen's companion asked.

"Nay," answered Gilraen, "Now that my husband is dead, killed by orcs, and they are multiplying, 'tis not safe. Therefore, I shall be escorted by nine of our strong men who are good with the sword or the bow."

"As you wish nin híril, but, may I make one request?"

"Of course you may Mindeb."

"May I come with you?"

"Ah Mindeb," said Gilraen sadly, "I wish you could, but it is too dangerous."

"Be that as it may, I wish to come," Mindeb said, almost pleading, "Please, grant me this one request."

"All right. You may come."

"Thank you nin híril."

Mindeb then took her leave of Lady Gilraen and went to find Aragorn who was playing in the garden, pretending he was fighting with orcs. Mindeb sighed, poor little Aragorn hadn't yet been told of his father's death, but now she had to tell him.

"Aragorn?"

"Mindeb!" the young boy said excitedly and killed off the last of his pretend orcs as he ran over to her, dodging their bodies.

"Well, what a lot of orcs you've killed today tithen min."

"Yep, sixty I think, I lost count after ten."

Aragorn could only count up to ten, but knew the number sixty because his father was sixty years old.

"Aragorn," Mindeb said seriously, "I've got some very sad news to tell you."

"What is it?"

"You know your father went out to battle with the orcs."

"Yes. Like I did."

"Well, orcs arrows have poison in them."

"And?" Aragorn asked, getting fearful, had something happened to his father?

"Your father," Mindeb felt awful about having to tell him, "Your father was hit in the eye by one, and he's, he's dead."

"No!" cried Aragorn, backing away from Mindeb, "Daddy's not dead. He can't be!"

"Aragorn, please. I know this is a shock for you and you must be very upset but-"

"NO! Daddy's not dead!" and with that he ran off to find his mother.

Mindeb sighed again. This was difficult.

Later that day Mindeb went to see Gilraen and found her comforting her son, explaining what had happened and what they were going to do. Gilraen looked up at Mindeb and asked her to begin the preparations. They would leave in a fortnight. Mindeb nodded and left the room. Poor Aragorn, she thought, he was so young and he had lost his father before he should have. He should have been happy, planning what they would do the next day, going hunting, swimming, and things like that, but now the child faced sorrows and hardship.

Once all the preparations had begun Mindeb retired early. She lay in bed thinking about Imladris. She had never been there, but the Lord and his children had often come to visit them. She had heard tales, but their visits had been before she had been Gilraen's companion.

Meanwhile, Aragorn lay on his bed, staring at his bags. They would soon be leaving home and going to live with elves. If it had only been a holiday he wouldn't have minded, but now he would have to live there and he had to leave behind everything he'd ever known.

"Daddy." He whispered sadly.

Two weeks later Gilraen set out with Aragorn, Mindeb and her escort. The journey was far from fun, becoming ever more dangerous. As the company drew nearer to the mountains, near Imladris, they were attacked more and more often. They managed to defend themselves well enough but the orcs had only attacked in small numbers. Gilraen was getting more and more worried, a shadow of fear had fallen on her heart and she knew that there was worse coming.

The first major assault came when the Dunedain passed by a place where there were many caves; good hiding places for the orcs. When the foul creatures made their first charge the Dunedain were outnumbered twenty-to-one. Even so, they didn't do too badly until orc reinforcements arrived. Soon it was a least fifty-to-one and many of the Dunedain were down. After ten more minutes all the Dunedain were down, most dead, one or two dying. Aragorn was the only one to have been spared. Not because of mercy, but he had hidden so the orcs didn't know that he was even with the company. Gilraen was dead, Mindeb was dying and if any of the men weren't dead or dying they were near it.

Meanwhile, Lord Elrond, Lord Glorfindal, Elladan, Elrohir and some other elves were making their way back to Imladris after a meeting with members from the other elven realms. With their elvish sight they could tell exactly what was going on in the battle.

"Adar!" Elladan cried out, "Look! A dagor!"

"The Dunedain!" Glorfindal exclaimed.

"Noro lim edhelrim!" Elrond called to the elves that were travelling with him.

The elves rode towards the battle and killed or frightened off the orcs that hadn't been killed by the Dunedain.

"Search for survivors," Elrond told them, "If any are still alive, we may be able to help them."

"Nin heru!" Rivil, one of the elves travelling in the company, called to Elrond, "An edhelwen!"

Elrond came over immediately to where Rivil was crouched and saw Mindeb. She was badly wounded and had lost a lot of blood but was making every effort to cling to life.

"Lord Elrond?" she asked when he arrived, her breathing was shallow and ragged and her voice was quiet and hoarse, "Please-find Aragorn-hiding-was coming to you-be fostered-help him."

With those last words she slumped back and died. Elrond sighed, Giraen must have been bringing Aragorn because of his recent tragedy and now, Aragorn was somewhere around, orphaned.

"Elladan! Elrohir!" Elrond called to his sons.

"Yes Adar."

"One of the Arahini of the Dunedain is somewhere near here. Probable hiding from what this edhelwen told me." Elrond indicated towards Mindeb.

The twins nodded and ran off to find the child. They soon came across him; he was lying under a large rock with some smaller stones piled up at the edge of his hiding place that had obviously fallen during the battle. When the twins tried to get him out the young boy yelled at them and fought them to stay in.

"No! You may have got my Daddy, my Mummy and my friends but you won't get me!"

"What?" Elladan said, staring at the child in disbelief.

"We didn't, we didn't kill your family or friends." Elrohir said, shocked.

Aragorn looked at them suspiciously.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Elladan, and this is my twin, Elrohir. We're the sons of Lord Elrond."

"I'm to go to Lord Elrond. Take me to him."

"Come on then."

Some while later the elves and Aragorn were, once again, heading for Imladris. Aragorn was silent. First his father, then his mother and also his friends. He vowed revenge; this would not go overlooked when he grew up. The orcs would pay.

A/N - What do you think? Please review!

Translations

Nin híril - my Lady

tithen min - little one

Adar - father

Dagor - battle

Noro lim - ride on

Edhelrim - elves

Nin heru - my lord

Edhelwen - elf maiden

Arahini - noble children