Chapter Title: Chapter Thirteen - The Last Battle 13/15
For disclaimer, summary, etc: please refer to chapter one.

A/N:

Close call the other day. My kitty (Estel) almost died, thanks to Hartz Once A Month Flea/Tick drops. NEVER buy that crap! Go to hartzvictims[dot]org and you will see why. Do not buy ANYTHING from Hartz. There is a great chance it will kill your dog/cat. ::seethes at them::

On a random note - advice from someone who now knows - do NOT ever step on a large/sharp/pointy poster tack while you are jumping down the stairs to get the phone. 1) It takes about 3 seconds to figure out what you have stepped on, which is the poster tack, that has lodged itself completely through your foot. 2) The pain hits. Lots of it. 3) You are then faced with two options ... you can pull it out slowly while screaming, or quickly yank it out. 4) Yanking it out quickly hurts like [bleep] and quite a lot of blood will follow the tack. I swear, this is payback from me torturing Estel, isn't it?? ...

I'm going to try to get the rest of this posted before this weekend. Hurricane Frances (which is now a category four) is possibly headed this way. Ugh. ::Has an army of random elves secure everything down::

Okay, so. Chapter 13 ... that means there is only TWO left! ::Gasp:: But that's okay, I've begun typing up the other fic. Hahahahaha! :) Anyway, enjoy!

Outside Estel's room, three injured and angry elves argued with one stubborn soon-to-be-dead elf.

"Erestor, move or we shall move you!" Elrohir, normally the calm and reserved twin, snarled.

"No, I am sorry but I cannot! Your ada gave me specific orders NOT to let you three in. He will call for you all if he needs you!"

Glorfindel sighed, seething inwardly, and giving in for the moment. Although the blond elf wasn't sure for how long he could hold out. "He is right, young ones. Your father ... although injured ..." he gritted his teeth, "is very wise and capable of healing Estel. We must trust him and wait until he is finished."

Elladan moved to object, but restrained himself. Clenching his jaw, he gave a sharp nod. "But so help me if ada neglects his own wounds afterwards, I will never let him live it down."

"Neither will I." Glorfindel muttered, then quieter, "Neither will I."

Inside the room, a battle was going on. A battle for Estel's life. Bloody bandages littered the floor, thrown there in haste as Elrond constantly changed them. He worked tirelessly, his needle moving almost faster than the eye could see. Estel had much internal damage that had to be fixed, although Elrond was almost finished with it now; two ribs Elrond had just gently set, and various cuts and slices that had to be cleaned and sewed. Right now, Elrond was just finishing the sewing on the last of the internal bleeding.

When the last stitch was complete, Elrond ran a sleeve over his brow. The heat was stifling, as they worked on warming Estel up before the hypothermia did any lasting damage. The two apprentices ran quickly about the room, getting him instruments or preparing herbs and salves. The elf lord looked down ... and gasped. Estel wasn't breathing!

"No!" Elrond cried. He placed his hands over his sons face, channeling as much energy as he could into the young frame. A blue glow surrounded them, strengthening as the seconds passed. Then, the boy took a great shuddering breath; he didn't open his eyes, much for the better. Elrond breathed a sigh of relief, sagging in exhaustion. Although, now he hated to think of what was to come next.

Ignoring a wave of dizziness that claimed him, Elrond began working on Estel's shoulder. He slowly, with care, picked out the wood splinters and debris that stuck into the skin and muscle. It took quite a while, but finally he was finished. Tears of pain rolled down Estel's unconscious face, as tears of grief ran down Elrond's. How he hated to cause loved ones any pain, even while healing them.

Flushing out the wound with a cleaning liquid, Elrond stitched up the entry and exit holes. He finished the shoulder with a large bandage, fashioning a sling and putting Estel's arm in it.

By now the upper half of the human's body was a mass of bandages. The apprentices kept the fire roaring; Estel's body was almost thawed, as the hypothermia faded. A rattling sound could be heard every time Estel took a breath. This was not good.

Elrond grasped a cup of steaming tea and tipped it to the boy's lips. He slowly coaxed the unresponsive body to drink the tea, to help get rid of the cold. When he felt Estel had drank enough, he prepared himself for the last task: setting Estel's legs. It would be very painful, and he was thankful the boy was unconscious for this.

"Nayan, Ithilioth, come here." Elrond asked quietly. The two apprentices hastened to obey, standing next to the bed.

"Grasp his arms and legs where he is uninjured. I must set this break." Elrond's voice grew to a whisper.

They nodded, doing so. Elrond forced himself to stop trembling and, with steady hands, gripped Estel's leg. Even that small movement caused the boy to shift in pain. He took a breath and began to slowly manipulate the leg back into position.

The effect was almost instantaneous. Estel jerked, throwing his head back. The young face was contorted in agony.

"Ada! F-father, please! P-p-please help me!" The strangled cries passed from the boy's lips. "Ada, I b-beg of you!" Tears slid down the face, when suddenly, the body went limp. A wet pop sounded, signaling the leg was repositioned.

Elrond dove, putting a finger to Estel's throat. The pulse was still there. He sagged in relief, looking as if his shoulders held the weight of the world and all of its' inhabitants. But, as he reflected, they did. They held his world. Estel.

Just then, the door burst open, as three - no wait, make that four - annoyed elves barged through and almost trampled poor Erestor in their effort to do so.

"I'm sorry, Lord Elrond! I tried to stop them but they were very ... forceful." Erestor apologized, rubbing a hand over his now very black eye.

Elrond raised an eyebrow, glaring at the twins. Then he noticed Glorfindel give a sheepish cough and try to hide his now bright red ears. Elrond's eyebrow rose even further.

"Peace, Erestor." Elrond waved him off. "It is fine. All that now remains is the bandaging of Estel's legs."

"We can do that, ada. You look tired." Elrohir said, obviously very glad the screams he heard did not mean what he had thought.

Elrond almost refused, but then nodded. The twins went to the bed and - with help from Legolas - began wrapping Estel's legs.

Elrond stepped forward and was overcome by a wave of dizziness so powerful that it literally brought him to his knees. Only Glorfindel was able to catch him in time before he hit the cold and unforgiving floor.
Reviews -

sielge - I did? Eek. ::Sets an air mattress below the cliff:: :D LOL.
Erindi - LMAO! Yes, poor Legolas. And wait! You left out Thorongil and Elessar! ;) But yes he does have too many names, someone should smite him for that ... ;) ::volunteers to smite him happily:: ::eg::
et-spiritus-sancti - Legolas did deserve it, he did hit Linden rather hard. ;-) And oh yes! I definitely love having an upstairs room. I don't have to worry about the light from my door annoying anyone now at 4 AM in the morning, hahahaha. Although I now sleep on the couch since my dog, who is 13 years old, cannot climb up and down the stairs and she is used to sleeping with me. LOL.
Mornflower - LOL yeah, I probably would have too. No, wait ... I probably would have smited Legolas long before he had the chance to swing. Err ... I think ... he does have elven quickness ... darnit! And LOL it is a good thing Elrond finished when he did, huh? Else poor Estel might not have made it ...
Deana - Naahh, not poor Legolas ... funny Legolas. ::wink:: I rather like him drugged up though ... ::ahem::
The Cap'n - Thank you! :) And yes Linden did drug Legolas ... I think we both think along the same track, hehehe. Eek, me? Why would I hurt poor Estel?? ::eg::
Zammy - LOL thanks for reviewing. You got it. :)
Elwen the Insane Elf - ELWEN! ::Smite:: You did not tell me you had a DevArt page!!! ::smite again:: :P I dunno ... perhaps Legolas has been personally taste testing dwarven feet? ::g:: Although he wouldn't seem as appealing then, would he? ::listens to the muffled screaming:: Wait, is that a sock you have in Glorfindel's mouth?? Hey! You better hope he doesn't get free. He is giving you rather dirty looks. But ... it could be the fact that he has what appears to be a VERY dirty sock in his mouth. Poor Glorfindel. And LMAO! Might as well say, as you can see, there will be no death in this fic. ::sigh:: Oh well ... I can say I have killed off characters before though! Hehehehhehee!
Night-Owl123 - Thank you!! :) Here's the update ... hope you like it! :)
elvingirl3737 - Glad you liked it! :) I do hope this chapter was angsty enough for you?? LOL. If not there is more to come!
Hiei-Rulez - Nope, not at all. Though things hardly ever go well for Legolas. LOL. And oh my GOD. ::still shaking of laughter:: That is SO funny!!! (Sorry I didn't review - It's currently 4:51 AM and I have to get to bed in the next thirty minutes, haha!) But do keep writing, it is so hilarious!!! :)
Catmint - LMAO! Though I don't think any of his characters are eunuchs though. Errrr ... well okay Legolas is questionable but anyway ... (come on! males can't be that pretty! ::g::) But thanks, LOL, glad you like it.
grumpy - Yep, Estel was healed! :) And haha, glad to see you enjoyed Linden's revenge! ::eg:: Thanks for reviewing!

TBC ...

Reviews = welcome. :)