Disclaimer: See Chapter One.
A/N: Hey there people! So sorry about the slow updates but I'm doing the best I can I'm afraid. I'm in a play and work is starting tuesday and my beta is in camp and currently is very sick with a respiratory infection, poor thing. Thank you all so much for your reviews and here is Chapter 20. Enjoy!
The first thing that Estel was aware of was great pain. He tried to move his arm but whimpered from the pain the movement caused. The second thing that he was aware of was that someone was holding his hand.
Slowly Estel opened his eyes and saw that it was his father. "Ada?" Estel said softly.
When his father did not wake up, Estel started to become frightened.
"Ada!" he cried out a bit more loudly.
Estel's cries went unnoticed by Elrond, but not by Galadrial, who had finally woken up from the drugged tea.
Estel was openly crying by the time Galadrial had fully woken up. Seeing that it was Estel who was crying and very much awake, she hurried over to him.
"Shhhh, it's alright my tithen pen," she said soothingly while gripping Estel's hand.
"Grandmother, it hurts," Estel whimpered.
"Shhh, I know it does and you are such a brave little boy," Galadrial said, her heart breaking from seeing the pain on Estel's face. Gorothdil would pay for hurting Estel dearly.
"Why isn't Ada awake?" Estel asked still whimpering.
"He is exhausted little one. He has sat up with you almost all night. He was very worried about you, as are we," Galadrial said motioning at the various sleeping elves within the room.
"Why are they all asleep if they are so worried?" Estel asked curiously, the pain in his arm momentarily forgotten.
Galadrial's smile turned into a frown and she glared at Elrond's sleeping form.
"You see Estel. It was not our choice to fall asleep, but I am afraid that your father thought that we needed the sleep so he drugged our tea, though I doubt you know what that means," she said glaring at Elrond again.
"Oh! I understand grandmother. It's like when Dan or Ro get injured, Ada always gives them his special tea which makes them fall asleep," Estel said knowledgeably.
Galadrial could not help but smile. "Indeed? I would not put that past your father. Your father can be quite the tricky one when he wishes to be," she said with a slight chuckle.
Estel nodded and yawned sleepily.
Galadrial noticed this and pulled the blankets back up over Estel.
"You need to go to sleep tithen pen. That injury is quite serious and little boy's need their sleep if they are to get better," she said firmly.
"But I'm not tired grandmother," Estel said while yawning.
"I would beg to differ Estel, but it is up to you. If you wish to be stuck in bed for the Winter Solstice that is fine with me, although I don't think that would be much fun. I know that I would rest so I could get better faster and be outside having fun during the holidays," she said grinning, knowing what Estel's response to that would be.
"Wait! You're right grandmother, I am a bit sleepy. My arm hurts very badly though," Estel said whimpering slightly.
Galadrial frowned lightly. Estel was right. How was he to sleep if his arm pained him very much? She did not want to risk giving Estel the drugged tea for she did not know how much of the drug she should give a four year old mortal.
"Grandmother? Ada says that you have a pretty voice. Maybe if you sing to me it will help me fall asleep," Estel said, pleading with his eyes for her to say yes.
"Of course I will sing for you Estel. You know that your brothers and sister always asked me to sing to them as well. Perhaps a song will help you sleep," Galadrial said smiling.
Gently, she sat down on the bed with Estel, and began singing a lullaby that she had sung to Celebrian when she had been but an elfling. In no time, Estel had fallen asleep to Galadrial's melodic alto voice.
Galadrial saw that he had fallen asleep but continued to softly hum the lullaby while still sitting on the bed with Estel, with Elrond on the other side fast asleep. She smiled and continued to hum her lullaby.
It twas in the very early hours of the morning when Haldir, Glorfindel, Erestor and the twins arrived in Imladris. They were all exhausted but they had pushed themselves so that they could return as quickly as possible.
Quietly, the five elves dismounted and put their horses back in their stalls. As soon as their horses had been properly cared for, they silently entered the house and made their way to the House of Healing.
As they approached the doors, the Elladan was becoming increasingly nervous. At the time that Haldir had left, Estel had had a bad stab wound to the arm that was bleeding profusely. Elladan was loathe to admit it, but he was afraid of what he would find behind those doors.
Logically, Elladan knew that a stab wound to the arm, while a serious injury, was not life threatening, but everything became different when it was his little brother that was injured.
Judging by the look on the others faces, they were all having the same fears that he was.
"Shall we?" Elrohir stated more than asked.
Elladan nodded and silently opened the doors. The room was peaceful and dark and many beds were filled from the orc attack that had taken them all by surprise.
The five elves walked into the room and only then did they hear someone humming a lullaby that the twins knew very well.
"That is the song that mother used to sing to us when we were elflings," Elrohir said softly, not wanting to disturb those who were sleeping.
Elladan nodded. He too had recognized the song and the voice that was humming it.
"Come, I do believe that is Galadrial's voice," Glorfindel said softly, unknowingly voicing Elladan's thought's out loud.
They moved silently until they came to a private room that could only be Estel's.
Silently, they opened the door and walked in.
Galadrial smiled at them and motioned for them to be quiet, indicating with her head that Estel was asleep.
She silently got up, and motioned the others to follow her outside of the room.
Once they were all outside where no one could hear them, Galadrial turned to them.
"Haldir, did you tell them?" she asked softly, knowing that his had been a hard night for everyone involved.
"Aye milady, I have," Haldir said tiredly.
Galadrial nodded. He had done the right thing.
"How is Estel? Is he alright?" Elladan and Elrohir asked together.
"Estel shall be fine, physically within a week, two at the most. Mentally, I am unsure. An attack on him by a supposedly loyal elf may scar him, but I am unsure. He is so young and young children have an incredible tendency to bounce back from things like this with no problems. When he is older, he may not even remember this, and perhaps, that may be for the best," Galadrial said wearily.
"What of the traitor, Gorothdil?" Glorfindel said, practically spitting out the name.
"He is being watched by Mithrandir. Fear not Glorfindel, that one is not going anywhere," Galadrial said, fury flashing in her eyes at the thought of what that traitor had done to her grandson.
"Good. I can not wait to get my hands upon him. He shall rue the day that he turned his back on us and attacked a son of Lord Elrond of Imladris," Erestor said angrily.
No one dared to harm a member of Lord Elrond's family and expect to get away with it. Not as long as Erestor had breathe in his body.
"We shall all have our chance at revenge, but for now, Estel has need of his family. And you are all in desperate need of rest, do not even bother to deny it. Your father is already sleeping," Galadrial said.
"Fine, but should Estel wake or his condition change, wake us immediately," Elladan growled.
"Very well, now sleep, all of you,"Galadrial said leading them back into the room and into various chairs.
They nodded and the exhausted party all fell asleep at Galadrial's commands.
Galadrial nodded approvingly once she saw that they had fallen asleep. She turned back to her little four year old grandson, and started humming her lullaby once more.
Translations:
Ada: Dad/Daddy
Tithen pen: Little one