Disclaimer: don't own them. They belong to J.R.R Tolkien…

A/N: It honestly was supposed to be a one time shot, but because several people have wanted to know why Estel was sleepwalking I decided to write one more chapter. An explanation is given at the bottom in case you're wondering about the reason. As always, you know I'm not Tolkien, so if the characters or anything seems off to you, forgive me for taking the liberty with them. Enjoy!

'Replies' to reviewers:

Amlee: thank you for the very nice compliment! Ah, whether you will find the answer to your question satisfactory I don't know, but there must be a reason why I decided to make a second chapter… : )
NekoMegami-chan: great you liked it and if you're reading this I hope you'll enjoy this part as well!
secretkeeper11: and I hope to see more from YOU as well! Don't let the bunnies win over you, but cook them over an open fire! ;)
sielge: blushes you guys will make me either very red for a long time from all the blushing or you'll blow up my ego. Thanks! :D
HarryEstel: looks suspiciously Did I ever review one of your stories, or have I still not? Hmm… give me a while and I will review them! I remember something about liking what I've sneak read… (if I am repeating myself – sorry! My mind is a sieve lately) Well, I'm glad that the plot's unique – it's getting harder for everyone to think of new stuff (but then again – there will never be enough h/c!) :s
Someone Reading: well, you did it. You and the others' requests softened that weak spot and I finally did the second part. Whether your questions will be answered or not – you will find out…
Rede: thank you! Glad you liked it! :D
grumpy: ah, seeing as this is a second chapter and you always seem to find my stories, I'd like to say "thank you for your wonderful reviews!" Your idea was actually the same I had, but read on and enjoy! : )
Elven Kitten: thank you very much! Glad you liked it and I hope you will enjoy this part! :D
Princess Faila of Gondor: was this what you meant with 'more like this'? Hope you like it!Boromir: ah, for you the wait hasn't been all that long, but here it finally is! The sequel (though actually it was meant to be a stand alone). You however were the drip that made the bucket overflow and encouraged me to finish it already! Enjoy!

x x x x x

Chapter 2/Epilogue

Elrond had spent the rest of the night in the chair besides Estel's bed, watching his youngest son for any signs of unpleasant dreams and hoping the boy wouldn't start wandering the halls once again. The concerned father had worried his lip the entire time, something he hadn't done for many centuries. So far, Estel had wandered the halls twice that he knew of. What if it happened again and no one was there to keep him from harm? Elrohir had told him the child had nearly knocked a vase to the ground – what if one of the shards had flown in the boy's direction? And why was this happening in the first place? Why was his youngest not resting in bed as he should? In all his experiences with humans before, the elf lord had never actually witnessed it himself nor given thought to the cause…

Luckily, Estel's dreams hadn't become haunted by monsters or other memories and instead the boy had slept peacefully for the remainder of the night with his favourite pillow tucked once more under his head, one small hand occasionally squeezing the soft fabric for comfort. He had looked so vulnerable then, so innocent, Elrond had vowed he would do anything in his power to protect his little one.

Not wanting to worry or upset the child, the elf lord decided to retreat to his own room and wait for the sun to lure Estel to him as she always did. Every morning, Estel would wake up because of the sun peering through a small opening in the curtains and every morning the toddler would scramble out of bed – still in his night shirt – and run to his Ada's room; eager for a new day to begin. Elrond would be 'woken' when the small form climbed onto his bed and small, still slightly chubby hands grasped his face. And every morning his youngest would urge him to wake up in a loud whisper, as if afraid that speaking any louder would wake him.

Elrond smiled, remembering their morning ritual. He had no hopes of going back to sleep again so shortly before dawn and it wasn't necessary as he had rested well enough for the biggest part of the night. The ancient elf opened his curtains slightly so that he could watch the changing colours of the sky and made himself comfortable once more under the bedcovers. As he gazed outside he hoped that Elrohir would not bombard Estel with questions at the breakfast table, but instead wait for him to hear the boy out, or perhaps he would do it before they went to break their fast…

Whether before or after, he would have a talk with the toddler later today and figure out how much he remembered. Elrond had done the same thing the first time and he had been glad that the child didn't remember anything. Now, however, he was starting to become frustrated. Would it happen again or would he strain his ears every night for nothing – fearing to hear footsteps while Estel was safely in his bed? The ancient elf quickly discarded the idea of locking his son up in his room at night; that was not the way to go about this, no matter how appealing it might seem at the moment…

Thinking back to several months before, Elrond was left puzzled. The twins hadn't been home that night and Estel had been as happy as he usually was. When the little boy had first arrived here, a period of grieving over his real parents had hit him hard and now, the toddler had forgotten who they actually were and was a bright and cheerful child, always smiling unless he'd scraped his knees on the stone pavement or received another small hurt, but then the silver tears would quickly disappear after a hug and a kiss from his Ada. Life was so simple for the little toddler and on the few occasions that he suffered nightmares Arathorn and Gilraen were only vague faces and distant remembered voices among many others. The thing he remembered vividly though were the hideous looking monsters nearly hidden by the darkness and when he woke up he told his Ada that the monsters had hurt them, though he had no idea who 'them' were.

Elrond sighed and settled back against the headboard, watching the sun rise in the sky until a small bundle of energy would come for their daily ritual…

x x x x x

Elrohir sat at the breakfast table, shuffling his food around his plate. Elladan sat next to him, wondering what was wrong with his younger brother. What could have happened that had dragged his twin's mood down like it was now? When they'd arrived last night they had both felt the bed beckoning them and he hadn't had any problems falling asleep, so what could have happened in the short period between sleep and waking?

"Elrohir, stop playing with your food and tell me what's on your mind," the older twin scolded slightly, sounding suspiciously like their father.

The younger twin looked at his brother, startled from his musings and a worried frown appeared on his face, "I don't know, Elladan…"

The other elf rolled his eyes at this, "How can you not know? Just tell me what's driven your thoughts so far from the breakfast table!"

Elrohir bit his lip. He'd awoken this morning because Elladan had jumped onto his bed and cheerfully pronounced that it was 'time to rise and greet the new day!', yet he hadn't told him about his own restlessness or the nightly wanderer he had spotted. "Last night, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find any sleep," he started and, seeing his brother's confused look, continued, "Then all of a sudden, I heard very soft footsteps and when I stepped out of the room I saw Estel walking through the halls…"

Elladan's gaze had turned even more confused, wondering where this story was leading to, "Go on…"

"I caught up to him and he didn't notice me. I talked to him and I got no answer back… until I shook him, yet then he stilldidn't see me!" Elrohir conveniently left out who Estel had thought him to be, "He talked to 'me' yet also not and I brought him to Ada who told me that our little brother was sleepwalking!"

Elladan frowned, he'd heard of the phenomenon, yet to know someone who suffered from it was quite another matter. "Did Ada know why?"

Elrohir shook his head, "No, but that Estel was wandering the halls isn't what bothers me so much, Elladan. He stumbled into a vase and it would have fallen near him if I hadn't stepped in! What if the little tyke does it again and gets hurt?"

The other elf frowned; he didn't know what to do either. The only options that came to his mind was to lock the child up at night or…" All of a sudden a wicked gleam appeared in his eyes, yet before he could say anything their father entered with little Estel on his shoulders.

"Elhiw! Eldan!" the toddler exclaimed, seeing his brothers. He still hadn't mastered the 'r' yet, or their full names. From his seat on his Ada's shoulder, Estel held out his small arms in invitation to be picked up by one of them.

Smiling gently, Elrohir obliged, exchanging a look with his father. Elrond mouthed 'later' and allowed his youngest to be taken from him. "Hello there, little one!" the younger twin said, raising his brother high up over his head and throwing him slightly in the air – rewarded when high pitched giggles filled the large room. "And, have you grown wings yet to fly with?" he asked, holding the young boy in front of him and purposefully trying to look at the child's back before setting him down on the floor and turning the boy around in circles.

Finally stopping with spinning, the human looked up and two slightly chubby hands reached up to cover his mouth, trying to hold in bubbling giggles – that was not a boyish thing to do, only girls giggled! – and shook his head. "No wings, silly Elhiw! Biwd haf wings, not boys!"

The elf slapped a hand against his forehead, "Ah, how silly of me! Only birds have wings?"

At this Estel fiercely nodded. He would know – there was a nest of birds near his balcony and together with his Ada he had watched them before coming to break their fast.

Elrond had settled down to eat already, keeping an eye on his sons and thinking of the things he'd surreptitiously asked his youngest this morning. Whether he'd slept well or had any nightmares, whether he'd been thinking about something that troubled him and if he'd seen his brothers coming home last night. The ancient elf smiled as he remembered a blushing Estel admitting quietly he'd been out alone on the balcony at night (somewhere he wasn't allowed to be without a grown up present) and had seen his brothers. Elrond had decided not to reprimand him this time, for he knew his youngest had been far too anxious to see his brothers again. Upon the question what he'd thought when he saw his brothers, Estel had pouted slightly and asked him 'why can they be diwty coming back fwom play and not me?'

Elladan in the meanwhile walked towards his brothers and knelt behind Elrohir's legs, holding them as if hiding behind his mother's frocks and looking with huge 'frightened' eyes at the toddler, "But dragons have wings as well, don't they? Big, scary dragons…"

The night before his brothers had left, the two elves had told him a story about dragons; that they were nearly all gone now and that there were rumours of a fiery red dragon east of Mirkwood hoarding treasure and sleeping on a very hard bed of gold and silver, as all huge worms were wont to do. At the time the boy had thought them 'mean beasties' and that 'their mommies should tick theiw noses!' There had been no sign of fear for the beasts, instead a fascination with them. He'd even hopefully asked whether he would ever meet one, but all his brothers could say to this was that it wasn't very likely and that he shouldn't look for them. Ever since that night the small toddler would stroll through the gardens, asking every lizard that he met whether it was a baby dragon.

Seeing his big brother cowering in front of him, Estel walked behind Elrohir's legs and comfortingly patted the older of the twins on the back, "Is allwight, Eldan. Dwagons faw away! They can't huwt you," and now the little child proudly puffed out his chest, "me pwotect you fwom them!"

Elladan let go of his brother's legs and instead held out his arms towards Estel. "I can always count on you, can I not, little brother?" Immediately the small form ran into the elf's arms and hugged him close, feeling the large arms go around him in return, but instead of releasing the hug, Elladan rose and walked back to the table. "Let's fill your tummy before the bear in it will growl at us!" he jested, setting his youngest brother in the high chair.

Estel happily clapped his hands as on his plate bread slices lay, covered in butter and honey and already cut into small pieces. "Hownee fow the beaw!" he cheered, glad to see this special treat.

Elrohir walked up behind him and lightly ruffled his hair. "Are you looking forward to your lessons today, little one?" he asked, for 'real' lessons were something new to the boy – having only started several weeks ago. For the time being they would only be held in the morning, leaving the boy free to play and explore in the afternoons. "Do you like studying with Erestor?"

Immediately Estel nodded his head, "Is fun! Ewstor weally knows a lot!"

All three elves had to smile at this, for though Erestor was undoubtedly very wise, the things he taught his new pupil were still the basic things. Ah, to be young again and so impressed by little things!

"How about playing with your brothers when you've had your lessons, Estel?" Elrond suggested, "I'm sure you have lots of things you want to tell your brothers about the time they were away, don't you?" Seeing the toddler nod his head, the ancient elf smiled, "Now eat up, let's not keep Erestor waiting…"

x x x x x

Once the small toddler had run off to join Erestor in the library, the three elves finally had a chance to talk.

"Have you found out why Estel was out last night?" Elladan worriedly asked, "Will he do it again? What can we do if he does?"

Elrond held up his hand, "I don't know, Elladan. So far he's walked two times in his sleep that I know of and I hope he will not do so again. On both occasions I've made sure he wasn't ill and asked him whether something was bothering him or whether he'd seen something that disturbed him, yet it seems there is nothing wrong. Estel saw you coming home last night, covered in orc blood and dirt, yet that's not the reason he was reminded of his parents – he didn't even know it was blood," the elf lord laughed slightly, "the little tyke found it quite unfair that you were allowed to return all dirty when you came back from play and he was not!"

The twins looked at each other; Estel was far too young to be told what his brothers truly did when they left home, but the older beings were glad that he didn't remember the dangers that lurked outside. Let the monsters be a part of his nightmares in the dream world instead of bringing them into the real one… And in a certain way it was a game, though a deadly one at that and one that brought back harsh memories…

"How will we know if Estel wanders about at night?" Elrohir asked, "I was lucky to hear him this time, but I fear that if I had been asleep I wouldn't have heard him…"

Seeing the twinkle in his other son's eyes, Elrond immediately negated the idea the twin would mention, "No, Elladan. I too have thought of locking his door at night, but that isn't the way to solve this. Besides, what if he has a nightmare? He would only be more frightened at finding the door locked!" Not to mention that our little morning ritual could no longer take place, the elf lord thought with a crestfallen look on his face – it would greatly dampen his and the boy's spirit – and to Estel it would seem as if it were for no reason at all!

Elrohir thought hard on the possible causes, "Perhaps it's stress relief from his new lessons? That Estel has been worrying about his lessons and now that he likes it, his emotions…" immediately he cut off himself, muttering under his breath, "No, that can't be it – why would his memories have brought him back to his parents' murder? Or…"

Elrond clasped his hands behind his back, walking slowly from the table and steering his sons towards the door, "We may not know what caused it; perhaps his subconscious did recognize the blood, perhaps he was stressed or there may be no cause. We don't know, so for now I suggest to just see whether it will happen again. I know my ears will be fixed on little footsteps tonight…"

The twinkle that had appeared earlier in Elladan's eyes returned and the elf stole a glance at his twin. He had something to discuss with Elrohir as soon as they were alone…

x x x x x

The day passed swiftly after that. After Estel's lessons were over and he had bestowed a loving hug on Erestor, the toddler was off to find his brothers and play with them. Perhaps they could tell him some stories from their trip and describe the strange things they'd seen, or perhaps they knew some other great stories he hadn't heard yet! The first thing the twins did however, when seeing their little brother running up, was to take one tiny hand each and with small swings in between walk to the kitchens for some lunch. Their father, upon hearing the chatter from his youngest and two calm voices replying every now and then, left his study and his reports in order to join them. This meal wasn't as strained to the elves as it had been before, even though they had come no further to figuring out the problem or a solution. Estel wasn't informed of his nightly strolls though, for it would be of no use to the toddler and would only worry him.

After lunch the three brothers headed for the gardens. Elrohir wondered at the fact that Estel's body didn't seem to suffer from a lack of sleep; the boy was as exuberant as ever! After running around playing tag for quite a while, the youngster calmed down and plopped down onto the grass. The two elves, finally hoping they had tired the young human enough, sat next to him and immediately Elladan found his lap full with the four year old. "Tell me a stowwy?" Estel asked, looking upside down at his oldest brother.

Not one to easily say 'no' to those innocent and curious grey eyes, Elladan asked, "What sort of story would you like, little one? Did you have anything in mind?"

Adopting his most serious and pensive look, Estel scrunched up his nose and thought hard. Not coming up with something at the moment – there were far too many things to choose from! – he eventually shook his head, "You pick!"

Remembering a time from long ago, when they themselves had still been elflings, Elladan started… "Did we ever tell you about a gentle and nice Mirkwood spider we once had as a pet?"

Estel expectantly stuck out his tongue, shaking his head and making himself more comfortable on the twin's lap. "Nice spidew?"

Elladan nodded and looked at Elrohir, smiling as he remembered the little bloated figure. "It all started when we were visiting our friend, Legolas…"

Later, going for a stroll and enjoying the sun while she was still up in the sky, Elrond found his sons in the garden – Estel fast asleep in Elladan's hold and Elrohir lying lazily on the grass. Both twins were watching as the clouds passed by and had serene looks on their faces. Elrond smiled at the sight; Estel was a little miracle the Valar had sent them, for the worries that plagued the twins and his own mind dimmed by his tiny presence to make place for happy memories. If only he could halt the passage of time – children grew up so fast!

x x x x x

When it was time for Estel to go to bed, Elrond told him a short story before tucking him in and kissing him on the head. "Sweet dreams, little one," he whispered to the already sleeping figure. Then the ancient elf walked to the Hall of Fire where Erestor sat next to the fire, two glasses of wine waiting on the low table. Elrond smiled at his long time friend and seated himself next to the other elf – this also was one of the little rituals that brought him comfort: listening to elves telling stories or singing and occasionally taking up the harp himself. Tonight however, the elf lord was content to slowly sip the Dorwinian wine King Thranduil had sent over a decade ago and stare at the fire.

"So you suspect no more nightly wanderings from Estel, my lord?" Erestor asked, having been informed of his little pupil's nightly behaviour by Elrond earlier. He slowly swirled the wine in his glass and stared mesmerized at the flames.

"I cannot say for sure, Erestor, but I certainly hope he won't. He's a happy child and the reason for his nightly strolls remains elusive to me, so what can be done about them?" Elrond was still troubled by the chance that it could happen again, or would his son grow out of it?

"Let's keep an ear out for him then, my friend…" Erestor heaved his glass slightly, as if toasting to a well made decision.

Elrond sighed and sipped some more of the soothing wine, wondering where his two other sons were. Hmm… the twins… If this continues then I could move Estel into one of their rooms, for the young elves would have a better chance at hearing Estel toddle about the room then, or at least when he opened the door…

But where were Elladan and Elrohir? Normally they could be found in the Halls as well on nights such as these, keeping him company. Perhaps they were still tired – after all, it had only been yesterday when the two had returned home and this afternoon they had entertained a very excited Estel. The ancient elf decided to check on his oldest sons later to make sure they were all right, for no matter how many years passed they would always be his little ones and he would always worry about them. For now though, he would just sit content before the fire and forget about everything going on in the world around him…

x x x x x

Seeing as everyone was in the Hall of Fire this time of day, two identical figures sneaked through the corridors and stopped before the door to Estel's bedroom.

"Shh, Elladan, we don't want to wake him up!" Elrohir whispered, quickly looking behind him to make sure no one would spot them.

"Hush yourself, Elrohir! It's not easy keeping this thing silent!" the older twin replied in a loud whisper, gesturing to the thing in his hand.

Looking at his twin, Elrohir rolled his eyes, "How hard can it be? It's only a small thing!"

Wisely deciding not to reply to that, Elladan opened the door slightly and stepped inside with his brother following. Looking above the door, the older twin spotted the nail they had hammered into the wall shortly after dinner while Estel had been with their father. Looping his hands together, Elrohir indicated for his brother to step on them so he could attach the small object on a string. Once finished, the twins looked proudly at their handiwork and, giving one last look to the slumbering figure in the bed, silently sneaked out of the room again, taking great care not to make a sound… If Estel would get up in the middle of the night again and leave his room, they would know it!

Above the door the two had attached a small, cupper bell…

THE END

x x x x x

A/N2: Well, I hope you liked this part and the state in which I left them all… I said I would explain the reason for this: really not all that much is known about why people sleepwalk. A lot of children do it and they 'grow out of it' most of the time, so there might be a reason for their behaviour and perhaps there is none at all. When adults do it, reasons could be that they have something on their mind or are stressed, but seeing as Estel was still a four year old in this story… ah, I'm not telling – I leave it up to you to decide what's the case here…

Would you be so kind as to hit this little button below here? It would really bring a smile to my face! : )