Chapter Title: Chapter Eleven - Long Journey Home 11/15
For disclaimer, summary, etc: please refer to chapter one.

A/N:

LOL I probably would have gotten this out a little sooner (as in hours ;) ) but Rhonda and I decided to work on "Channel 11 News". ::eg:: That parody is just pure ... evil. Hehehehehehehe.

Okay so ... only chapters 12 - 15 to go! :) And then I'll be posting the other fic ... which is rather short ... and then ... er ... maybe I'll start on that huge Silmarillion/LotR/modern day plot bunny that attacked me. maybe...

Oh! And you know, earlier tonight, I realized I REALLY need another can of RAID in my room. I was attacked by this HUGE (Shelob sized) spider! After flicking it off of my leg, it landed on my bed, where it sat for about ten minutes until I figured out how to kill it. (I wasn't touching it - the thing was soooo ... BIG! Seriously!) THEN I got the bright idea to get Estel (my cat, which is completely grey, haha!) to kill it. Estel decided no, he wasn't going to kill it, he was going to bat it around until it escaped. So I ended up having to whack the spider with a long pole while Estel attacked ME for killing his playtoy! It must be karma, really ...

AH YES! Before we begin - although it isn't written, a lot of the wolves did escape with the orcs. So the wolf lovers can rest easily knowing not all the wolves were killed in the attack. :)

Without giving it a second thought, Elrond dived in front of the wolf. The animal leapt and caught the elf in the chest, sending them both sprawling backwards in the water. Elrond ignored the claws tearing viciously into the skin on his chest and the teeth that clamped on his arm. He only focused on grabbing the knife from his boot and killing the creature. After rolling around a few times, his fingers grasped the familiar carved hilt. In less than a second, he yanked it up and buried it between the wolf's eyes.

Panting with fatigue, Elrond rolled the bloody body off of him. His chest and arms ached terribly, but there was no time for that right now. He shook off the pain and quickly crawled over to Estel, lifting the boy's head out of the water.

Elrond choked on a sob. His son wasn't breathing. Lifting a shaking hand to Estel's throat, he checked for a pulse.

It was there, but very faint. There was still time!

Closing off Estel's nose, Elrond began breathing for the boy, forcing air into the unresponsive lungs. Several times he repeated this action, almost giving up hope when Estel continued to remain unresponsive.

'Come on, Estel! Just one breath ... please!' Elrond breathed into the boy's mouth again.

Finally, with a shuddering breath, Estel coughed and spit out the water that resided in his lungs. Coughing several more times, his breathing finally leveled off and opened his eyes. It was the most beautiful sight Elrond had ever seen.

"... A-...ada?" His voice was so low that the elf lord could barely hear it.

"Yes, ion nin, I am here! I have you!" Elrond wept in relief, finally able to have his son in his arms again.

"Ada, ... I'm sorry ..." Estel said, his eyes also filling with tears. He realized then what he had put his father through, as he watched the oh-so strong elf cry.

"Estel! My dear son, there is nothing to be sorry for!" Elrond smiled down. "Now rest. We will get you out of here."

Estel nodded slightly and drifted off, his body falling limp in Elrond's arms.

Around this time, the rest of the group had finished driving off the remaining wolves. Elladan limped towards them, a claw having torn through his leg. Elrohir supported his brother as best he could, as his own arm bled from a gash caused by an orc blade. Glorfindel, with his head held high, stubbornly ignored the blood that ran from his shoulder. He had been speared by an orc who had gotten through his defenses. The Gondolin elf smiled dryly to himself ... that had been the orc's last mistake.

Legolas and Erestor were fine, having not actually fought. They used up their arrow supply though, getting rid of the creatures that had threatened their loved ones.

All quickly went over to Elrond and Estel, glad the young boy was alive. Now they just had to keep him that way.

Elrond looked up with anguish in his eyes. "We have to remove the tree. He is slowly bleeding to death."

They nodded and moved into position. Even Legolas, who received several stern glares. He ignored them and focused on the task at hand.

Elrond remained in place, holding Estel's head above the water. With his other hand, he grasped the branch that pinned Estel down.

"On three." Elrond said. "One ... two ... three!"

The elves heaved, using all of their natural elven strength to roll the tree off of Estel. They continued rolling it a good distance, to be sure it wouldn't roll back towards the boy.

When done, Elrond ripped his shirt off, tieing it on the human's shoulder to stop the bleeding. He ran a critical eye over Estel's wounds. The boy's left leg was definitely broken in two spots - it would have to be set when they arrived back at Rivendell - and the right was either broken or fractured. Multiple cuts and bruises covered him, and Elrond guessed he had internal bleeding as well. At least two of his ribs were broken and three others fractured. On top of all of that, Estel was suffering from hypothermia and the beginnings of a bad cold.

They had to get him back to Rivendell - and now. Elrond could not bear to think of what would happen if they did not.

As if reading his mind, Legolas called the horses over. Elrond's horse, as well as the others, had followed them and waited patiently for their masters. They trotted over, standing in a protective circle around the group.

Erestor, possibly the only elf not injured in their party, leaned down to take Estel while Glorfindel helped Elrond to his horse. He then handed the limp body back to Elrond and climbed onto his own horse.

"We must ride to Rivendell, and fast." Elrond said, then spoke quiet words to his mount.

The others did the same, riding off into the moonlight, and hoping to make it home on time.

Reviews -

Night-Owl123 - Beginning to see a trend here. ;-) Thanks for reviewing! LOL. :)
sielge - Thank you! :) The wolf has something against Estel, really. I don't know what exactly, but something. Thankfully, the wolf has been taken care of. ::g::
The Cap'n - Haha, thanks, the title was just something off the top of my head. (I really am not good with titles ... heck, I still haven't figured out one for my novel! ::Shakes head::) Glad to see you are enjoying it though! :)
Deana - Legolas is always either in trouble with his friends/family or in physical trouble with his enemies. ::Sigh:: He really needs to stay out of trouble! Seems impossible for him though ...
Zammy - LOL okies! :)
elvingirl3737 - Elrond with elven fury, mmmm. Yummy. ;-) Haha, thanks for the confidence! I do hope the last chapters live up to your expectations though! :) And although Estel is out from under the tree ... who knows if he will make it back to Rivendell in time? ::G::
Mornflower - You know, if one were to give you pompoms, you'd sound just like a cheerleader. What with the "Whoop whoop whoop". ;) LOL kidding. And yes ... Estel found, yet STILL in deep crap. Hahahahaha! Poor him. ::snicker::
galadriel evenstar - Legolas with shishkabob arrows??? Eep! ::pushes him away:: No need to do any physical damage, haha, I'll post, I'll post. Although I do believe Legolas is put-out at not being able to get revenge ... sadistic elf. ::g:: Hope you have not worn a hole in the floor by the time you read this, haha!
AM - Glad you like it! :) Really? Didn't know that about "pop". ::Shrug:: Learn something new everyday! :)
Sangfroid - Yes, I do suppose Linden was asking for it, wasn't he? ::g:: Don't worry about being sadistic, that's normal here, haha. And cool, about your dog! :) I think it is Timber wolf, I'm not exactly sure. I don't really speak to the owners of his mother anymore, sadly, so I can't find out. Ah well. "One Wolfie"? Hahahahahaha! That just caught my attention like nothing else! My dog's name is actually "Wolfie"! (My dad named him, the day he was born, LOL.) But yes, many of the pack lived. They escaped with the orcs. ::g:: And Glorfindel ... ::reads over one of the end chapters:: ::snickers:: okay, trust me! He will NOT remain calm throughout the whole fic! :) (And I really can't wait to post that chapter as it is rather evil and emotional!) Elrond should really be able to kick more butt in fics. Really. Although yes, he is the Lord of Rivendell, that does not mean he cannot go out and fight! He is a warrior, first and foremost. I hate that people leave that out. And, hahahaha, you get that too? Although with me it usually takes about a week for anyone to notice... oh well! Much for the better, haha! And I am really, really glad you are enjoying the fic this much! I do love reading your long review, quite a bit! :) Thanks so much!! :D
Helluin-trip - The meds are all gone, ::sigh:: so I cannot blame the late update on them! I can however blame Rhonda. ::does so:: ::eg:: Thanks for updating, glad you like it! :)
Elwen the Insane Elf - Legolas probably spends a good third of his life landing in bed and sneaking out of it. ::Sigh:: Trouble prone elf. LMAO!!!!!!! I can so see that!!! And ::veg:: so you noticed that was that chapter???? Okay okay, really. Here's a real hint: Estel will stop breathing more than once! :) OH and Elrond's exhaustion will catch up to him in a rather bad way. ::snicker:: ::Runs::
Catmint - LOL thanks so much!!!!! :) And ... Legolas is in for it ... though not in the way you expect. Hehehe.
Beling2 - Awww thanks! ::hugs back:: And I don't think the meds were exactly like Elrond's tea. Though they did cause drowsiness they were more rather ... uhm ... numbing. Hahahahaha. At the time I would not have minded Elrond's tea though, ::g::. Or Elrond himself. That would have been ... interesting, LOL. Of course though - Elrond IS a mighty warrior. Again, as I said to someone else, it make me angry that people forget/leave that out. ::sighs::
leggylover03 - Okay, you shall pay for that. I have reread it to reply to it and it is 5 AM, you know I shall be going to sleep (or trying to) in like half an hour! WENCH! That was EVIL!!! ARMAGEDDON!!!!! Ohhhhhh my god ... that was just ... so evil. I don't know HOW but you shall pay, perhaps the next time you update Stand or Fall. ::veg:: Yes ... I cannot wait until YOU update again! Mwahahahahahahahahahahaha! ::goes off screaming ARMAGEDDON, POOF, and wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee::

TBC ... of course ...

Reviews = welcome. :)