A/N: This chapter did not want to divide like I wanted it to so I split it in half. Sorry.
Chapter 3
Responsibility
The dispatch letter from Lothlórien that Lady Ninniach had delivered to Elrond some days before had spoken of the imminent arrival of Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn from Lothlórien and indicated that they had important business to discuss with the Lord of Imladris. That they would only give him a few days notice of such a visit spoke much of the urgency behind their trip. This worried Lord Elrond somewhat, especially in light of the disturbing discussion he had with Lady Ninniach on the day she had arrived. Perhaps Lady Galadriel had foreknowledge of this danger that had been discussed in such a cryptic fashion.
He had entertained some hope that the Lady of the Golden Wood could visit with Ninniach when she arrived but when he had invited the Maia to attend an informal dinner with the Lord and Lady of Caras Galadhon, she had declined, stating that the problem would be best discussed among those who would actually be doing "all the hard work" as she so adroitly put it. Ninniach had said that there would be time for pleasantries after the business had been seen to. Later that day, when one of the border guards had announced that the Lord and Lady had just passed the borders of Imladris and would arrive momentarily, Lady Ninniach and her granddaughter had been seen by Elurin leaving by another door for a walk in the gardens.
Elrond had been somewhat confused by what he saw as an avoidance of his arriving guests but finally decided that she must have her reasons, after all, she was a Maiar and she was very old. With his mind more at ease, he walked down the steps of his home to the courtyard below and waited for the Lord and Lady of Caras Galadhon and their escort to arrive.
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-).
The sun had just gone down and the new darkness of evening was overshadowing Imladris when the four young elves and the young human walked through the front door of their home. They were having a heated argument and their raised voices could be heard before they opened the door but once the five entered the Last Homely House, the din was worse.
Elladan and Elrohir stood on either side of a rather ruffled, disheveled and angry-looking she-elf. Anayah was more mud than elf at this point and the blood running down the side of her head, drawing little red lines in the mud as it flowed down her cheek was not helping the situation or her disposition.
"Anayah, we said we were sorry. That is probably not what you want to hear right now ..."
Elladan's apology was cut short when Anayah turned on him. A flash of pain and dizziness showed itself briefly in her eyes as she turned and had to reach a hand out to the wall to steady herself.
"What I want to hear from you right now," she hissed at him then turned to the others, leveling each with the "look of doom," "what I want to hear from all of you, is silence! Not another word - from any of you. Nothing! You hurt my horse and you hurt me and even though I know you did not mean for this to happen and even though I could easily forgive my own hurts, I cannot forgive those hurts suffered by Elias. At least not right now." She turned and started toward the staircase leading to the family's sleeping quarters and guest room.
"Please, Anayah, at least let Ada take a look at you. Your head is going to need stitches." Aragorn tried to get in front of his sister to make her look at him but she firmly, yet gently, pushed him to one side, out of her way.
"I meant what I said Aragorn. Not a word. From any of you!"
"But ... ."
Aragorn attempted to speak once more but was abruptly cut off when his sister held up a finger and with flashing eyes gave the room a shake. Any object not a permanent fixture, books, tableware, glasses, cups and plates, rattled and shook for a moment before becoming still once more. Her brothers and Legolas were left with no doubt whatsoever that she did not wish for them to speak to her.
"What in Ilúvatar's name is going on in my home!"
All five heads whipped around to look at the Lord of Imladris as he called for order in a voice that would accept no arguments.
When the argument between the five had been taken into the common area, Lord Elrond had finally felt the need to intervene. His eyes widened as he took in the appearance of the only one of the five that was dirty. His daughter was standing in front of him, covered in mud, with her head bleeding and slightly hunched over as she held her rib cage with both hands and arms.
His look of anger quickly turned to a look of concern and he immediately started moving toward her but stopped in his tracks when she shot him an angry look then turned and slowly limped away in the direction of her chambers. Thinking that leaving her alone for a few moments might be the wiser choice, Lord Elrond turned to his sons and the Mirkwood Prince.
"What happened?" He asked calmly. Then, as if a dam had burst, his sons all started talking at the same time, while Legolas just stood in the background shaking his head. Finally, unable to understand any of them, Lord Elrond held up his hand, signaling for silence.
"You will all lower the tone of your voice and speak one at a time."
Elladan then recounted, to his father, the events of that afternoon beginning with Anayah's somber mood and ending with the four of them watching as both rider and horse had fallen backwards over the embankment.
"Ada, Anayah threw herself clear before Elias hit the ground so he did not fall on her but when he was trying to get up, he accidentally kicked her though it is not only her injury that has angered her." Elladan looked at the floor, his voice soft with the remorse he was feeling. "When Elias again stood, he was limping."
Seeing his brother's distress, Elrohir put a comforting hand on his shoulder then continued.
"We were trying to apologize, Ada. We were trying to get her to listen to us and tell us what we could do to make it right but she is refusing to talk to us or even listen."
"I do not wonder why." Elrond said, shaking his head. "The cacophony of sound coming from the four of you was quite impressive, she probably could not understand a word any of you were saying. Now, tell me how badly was she hurt?"
"We do not know, Ada. She will not let any of us look at her."
Elrond could see that his youngest was quite upset by what had happened and wanted more than anything to help his sister.
"Calm yourself, Estel. I will see to her. Perhaps if we give her a few moments alone ..." Lord Elrond held up his hand and signaled for silence when he saw his sons opening their mouths to speak. "As I was saying, we will give her a few moments alone to calm down then I will go and speak with her."
Looking at the young ones in front of him, he took in their worried expressions and spoke again.
"I am sure this will all work itself out. Now, we have guests and I must go see to them."
After their father left them to return to the sitting room, the brothers looked at one another in silence. Though their intentions had been good and all they had wanted to do was cheer Anayah up and end her dour mood, the results had not been exactly what any of them had expected and they did not know what they could do to make things better.
Shaking his head at the mournful expressions on the faces of the three brothers, Legolas rose from the couch he had been sitting on then putting his long arms over the shoulders of the brothers he spoke to them.
"I will go talk to her." He said softly then he winked at them. "Besides, the three of you need to change your clothes. You smell awful!" He was barely able to avoid the three couch pillows when they came flying his way.
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-).
When Legolas reached Anayah's chambers, he softly knocked on the door and was answered by a faintly muffled voice inviting him to enter. At first, there did not seem to be anyone in the room but when he walked by the closet and was almost hit in the stomach by a roll of leg wrappings, he came to the conclusion that the she-elf in question had her head buried in her closet. Carefully, he stuck his head in the closet and spoke quietly to his friend.
"Can I help?"
Her head came up and she looked at the blonde prince for a moment, and for just a moment, was seriously thinking of refusing his offer of assistance but thinking better of it, nodded.
"I guess so. If you want to."
Backing out of the closet with the items she had handed him, he turned to her bed and began to assemble what had been hastily thrown into a large pile. The array of liniment and leg wraps was impressive including the cushioned leather shoe which he looked at curiously, for a moment, before placing it in the pile with the rest of the supplies.
He saw that though she had cleaned most of the mud off her face and hands, she had still not seen to her injuries, and though this fact worried him, he wisely remained silent on the matter.
"I hope you know that your brothers are sorry about what happened."
"I know they are sorry, Legolas. But neither good intentions nor remorse is going to change the fact that Elias was injured by their little game - his injuries are not going to go away because they feel bad about what they did."
"Neither are your injuries."
The only answer he received was a shrug of her shoulders.
"Anayah, would you please let Lord Elrond take a look at you. For me. Please?"
The look in her eyes was much softer now, a sure sign that her anger was lessening although he could still see the stubbornness lurking behind the concern and pain.
"I'm sorry if I sound sharp, Legolas, but my injuries are insignificant and I am well able to take care of them myself. However, Elias cannot take care of himself and depends on me when he is injured, therefore, it is only right that I see to him first. That is all I am going to say on the matter."
The blonde archer could plainly see that Anayah was worried about Elias but he could also see that there was something else wrong, another pain besides the physical ones.
As she was walking passed him to pick up her pack, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to the bed where he made her sit quietly for a few moments.
"Anayah, there is something else going on here and I would like it very much if you would tell me what it is. And do not say it is none of my business because when you start biting everybody's head off when they are trying to be nice then I think we have a right to know what exactly is going on. Don't you agree?"
She sat on the bed for a moment staring at her hands before she spoke and when she finally did, it was in a sad voice, almost a whisper.
"I'm afraid of losing him, Legolas."
"Afraid of losing who? Elias?"
She nodded before she continued. "Over the years he has dumped me on my ..., well, let me just say that he has dumped me plenty of times, and he has fallen before as well. It really scared me this time because just after he hit the ground, he did not move for a few seconds and for those few seconds, I thought I had lost him."
"Did you ever consider that maybe he was scared too? Maybe that is why he did not move at first."
She looked at Legolas with a look he could not quite understand but after a moment, he finally saw the same look turning into one of comprehension. She nodded her head without speaking then sat quietly thinking for another small space before she spoke again.
"Elias was given to me as a gift by a friend. The two of us have been together for a very long time and have become very close. That horse was my friend and my protector during a dark time in my life when I needed a friend and did not think that I had any."
Legolas was curious.
"Just how old is he? I mean, I know how old Aragorn is, and I know that you are two years younger than he is. That would mean Elias is ... Did your Grandmother and Grandfather give him to you?"
"I can answer part of your question, at least. I cannot tell you who gave him to me because I gave my word that I would not tell anybody but I can tell you that it was not Grandmother and Grandfather."
"I understand."
When Anayah looked into his eyes, she saw the quiet acceptance of her vow of secrecy and so continued.
"You will probably think this is funny, but Elias is almost like a four-legged Dúnadan-Elf, kind of like me. I already told you that he is a Mearas, well, he is also blessed with long life and will live for as long as I do and although he cannot die from sickness he can die from injury. Elias is a very special friend and I have a responsibility to care for him the same as he cares for me. Our hearts are bonded, Legolas, and only death can come between us. I am not ready for him to die and it scares me more than you can imagine when the possibility of his death comes as close as it did today. I could easily forgive my hurts but my heart finds it very difficult to forgive those who have caused him pain."
He gave her a hug. "I understand what you are speaking of more than you realize. Elias is very lucky to have you as a friend, young one. You do not have to worry, what you have told me will remain between the two of us. I give you my word."
She looked up at him and smiled, then sighed.
"You are a good friend, Legolas, and you never ask more than what a person is willing to share."
"Anayah, there are no conditions on friendship. Remember that. I am sure Elias is going to be just fine." He gave her arm a friendly pat before he continued. "Now, would you be willing to indulge a friend when he asks you to let your Ada take a look at your injuries? I am sure Elias is in no imminent danger of traveling to the Halls of Mandos at the moment, but you, on the other hand, look like you are about ready to fall over and it would be a shame if you were to pass out in the middle of treating your friend's injury."
"I think that would be a good idea, daughter."
Both heads turned to the doorway where Lord Elrond now stood with healing utensils, bandages and herbs.
Anayah sighed resignedly, acknowledging that she would finally accept help. Legolas moved out of the way and let the Noldor Healer take his place next to her on the bed but as he started to leave the room, thinking the two might like a little privacy, Anayah reached out and took his arm.
"Stay. Legolas, please stay. If you are here, I will not be tempted to act like an elfling when Ada stitches my head."
The Prince resat himself, smiling at her supportively.
"As you wish."
After Elrond had placed the crushed athelas leaves into the hot water to let them steep, he started to check her injuries. Though the cut above her left temple was deep, he was sure that she had not suffered a concussion or a more serious skull fracture.
"I have sent your brothers to the stables to care for Elias." He spoke without looking at her, expecting an outburst.
Anayah tried to get up from the bed but was held down by her father's firm hands.
"Sit still, child."
"Ada, he is my responsibility, not theirs."
He favored her with "the Look" that told her that further argument was out of the question.
"Young lady, you will sit right here and let me see to your injuries and let your brothers see to Elias. Now, I will hear no more on this. Remember, young one, your brothers are all talented healers and can see to any injury your four-legged friend might have sustained. Besides, sometimes serving those we have wronged is the best way to learn a lesson."
He placed a hand on the side of her face and turned her towards him so that he could look into her eyes.
"Your heart may rest assured that he will be taken care of. Now you will sit still ..."
Anayah was indeed squirming and shifting her weight around on the bed like an elfling.
"I said you will sit still and let me finish my examination of you. You are almost as bad as Estel, squirming about so." He chuckled to take the sting out of his words and from his chair against the wall, Legolas laughed softly, his blue eyes twinkling like stars.
"You can engage a Shadow Wraith in a fight to the death, jump other horses with your own, hike for miles in a blizzard with a broken knee, pulling a sled with somebody in it behind you, but you cannot sit still for a few stitches?"
Though her father held her face still, Anayah still managed to shoot Legolas "the look", right before she winked.
Lord Elrond had rewarded her first Dwarven curse with a raised eyebrow, so she had refrained from uttering any more but had continued to squirm, saying "ouch" each time the needle pierced her flesh for another stitch.
Legolas was laughing so hard at her antics that he had almost fallen out of his chair and when Anayah had found a pillow and had thrown it at him, Lord Elrond almost put a stitch where it was not needed and so had to finally put an end to the antics of the two though he smiled when he did it. However, when her father was about to wrap a bandage around her head, she put her foot down.
"Ada, stop! I am NOT going to walk around this house with a big old bandage wrapped around my head!"
Lord Elrond shook his head. "If you insist, then I will not put it on although I do caution you to keep careful watch on the stitches and see to it that they do not become infected. Do you promise me this?"
"Yes, Ada. I promise"
When the two saw the bruises on her rib cage and thigh where her horse had accidentally caught her with his flailing hind legs as he was trying to get his legs under him to rise, Father as well as friend, hissed in sympathy. Both bruises were exact replicas of the big stallion's feet but while her thigh was just seriously bruised and required nothing more than a poultice, three of her ribs were broken. Anayah sighed, resignedly.
"Well, I guess it is only reasonable that if a 1700 pound horse kicks you, something is bound to get broken!"
As her father reached for the bandages, she started to protest but was interrupted by his raised hand.
"As your Father and as your healer, I suggest that you let me wrap those ribs. We have company who have requested that you join us and I, for one, do not wish to have to pick you up off the floor when you pass out from pain in the middle of the introductions!"
She looked at her father in surprise.
"Who's here?"
"First, I want you to bathe, for at this moment you are more mud than daughter. After that you may come downstairs and greet your Grandparents."
"What? Grandmother and Grandfather? Here? Now? Tonight? Downstairs?"
"Peace, child. Yes it is your Grandparents." He laughed at her excitement as she started to frantically run around her room, yelling for her ladies to draw a bath for her and set out suitable clothing.
Little did the Lord of Imladris know that before the night was over there would be much more excitement in the Last Homely House of Elrond Peredhel, Lord of Imladris.
TBC
A Sly Fan: Thanks for the review! Not to worry, horse and rider are both fine! When I was much younger, I had one of my horses rear and I accidentally pulled him over on top of me. I remember laying on the ground, looking up and seeing that big body coming at me ... then I fainted. My father, who saw the whole thing, said the horse did everything in his power to keep from stepping on me. It is a horse's natural instinct NOT to hurt their rider. What a rider can do is "throw themselves clear", that is, they remove their feet from the stirrups then jump and roll away from the horse before it hits the ground. What you have to remember is that a horse is kicking his legs as he tries to get up. If the rider happens to be within reach of those legs they can get hurt.
Red Tigress: Welcome! And thank you for the review. I am glad you like my story.
DesolateAznVamp: Thank you very much for your review. It is really exciting when someone writes me and tells me how much they are enjoying the story. I am trying very hard to put my readers inside my story so they can experience the story as if they were there. Hopefully, I am succeeding! Again, thank you.
Chapter 3
Responsibility
The dispatch letter from Lothlórien that Lady Ninniach had delivered to Elrond some days before had spoken of the imminent arrival of Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn from Lothlórien and indicated that they had important business to discuss with the Lord of Imladris. That they would only give him a few days notice of such a visit spoke much of the urgency behind their trip. This worried Lord Elrond somewhat, especially in light of the disturbing discussion he had with Lady Ninniach on the day she had arrived. Perhaps Lady Galadriel had foreknowledge of this danger that had been discussed in such a cryptic fashion.
He had entertained some hope that the Lady of the Golden Wood could visit with Ninniach when she arrived but when he had invited the Maia to attend an informal dinner with the Lord and Lady of Caras Galadhon, she had declined, stating that the problem would be best discussed among those who would actually be doing "all the hard work" as she so adroitly put it. Ninniach had said that there would be time for pleasantries after the business had been seen to. Later that day, when one of the border guards had announced that the Lord and Lady had just passed the borders of Imladris and would arrive momentarily, Lady Ninniach and her granddaughter had been seen by Elurin leaving by another door for a walk in the gardens.
Elrond had been somewhat confused by what he saw as an avoidance of his arriving guests but finally decided that she must have her reasons, after all, she was a Maiar and she was very old. With his mind more at ease, he walked down the steps of his home to the courtyard below and waited for the Lord and Lady of Caras Galadhon and their escort to arrive.
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-).
The sun had just gone down and the new darkness of evening was overshadowing Imladris when the four young elves and the young human walked through the front door of their home. They were having a heated argument and their raised voices could be heard before they opened the door but once the five entered the Last Homely House, the din was worse.
Elladan and Elrohir stood on either side of a rather ruffled, disheveled and angry-looking she-elf. Anayah was more mud than elf at this point and the blood running down the side of her head, drawing little red lines in the mud as it flowed down her cheek was not helping the situation or her disposition.
"Anayah, we said we were sorry. That is probably not what you want to hear right now ..."
Elladan's apology was cut short when Anayah turned on him. A flash of pain and dizziness showed itself briefly in her eyes as she turned and had to reach a hand out to the wall to steady herself.
"What I want to hear from you right now," she hissed at him then turned to the others, leveling each with the "look of doom," "what I want to hear from all of you, is silence! Not another word - from any of you. Nothing! You hurt my horse and you hurt me and even though I know you did not mean for this to happen and even though I could easily forgive my own hurts, I cannot forgive those hurts suffered by Elias. At least not right now." She turned and started toward the staircase leading to the family's sleeping quarters and guest room.
"Please, Anayah, at least let Ada take a look at you. Your head is going to need stitches." Aragorn tried to get in front of his sister to make her look at him but she firmly, yet gently, pushed him to one side, out of her way.
"I meant what I said Aragorn. Not a word. From any of you!"
"But ... ."
Aragorn attempted to speak once more but was abruptly cut off when his sister held up a finger and with flashing eyes gave the room a shake. Any object not a permanent fixture, books, tableware, glasses, cups and plates, rattled and shook for a moment before becoming still once more. Her brothers and Legolas were left with no doubt whatsoever that she did not wish for them to speak to her.
"What in Ilúvatar's name is going on in my home!"
All five heads whipped around to look at the Lord of Imladris as he called for order in a voice that would accept no arguments.
When the argument between the five had been taken into the common area, Lord Elrond had finally felt the need to intervene. His eyes widened as he took in the appearance of the only one of the five that was dirty. His daughter was standing in front of him, covered in mud, with her head bleeding and slightly hunched over as she held her rib cage with both hands and arms.
His look of anger quickly turned to a look of concern and he immediately started moving toward her but stopped in his tracks when she shot him an angry look then turned and slowly limped away in the direction of her chambers. Thinking that leaving her alone for a few moments might be the wiser choice, Lord Elrond turned to his sons and the Mirkwood Prince.
"What happened?" He asked calmly. Then, as if a dam had burst, his sons all started talking at the same time, while Legolas just stood in the background shaking his head. Finally, unable to understand any of them, Lord Elrond held up his hand, signaling for silence.
"You will all lower the tone of your voice and speak one at a time."
Elladan then recounted, to his father, the events of that afternoon beginning with Anayah's somber mood and ending with the four of them watching as both rider and horse had fallen backwards over the embankment.
"Ada, Anayah threw herself clear before Elias hit the ground so he did not fall on her but when he was trying to get up, he accidentally kicked her though it is not only her injury that has angered her." Elladan looked at the floor, his voice soft with the remorse he was feeling. "When Elias again stood, he was limping."
Seeing his brother's distress, Elrohir put a comforting hand on his shoulder then continued.
"We were trying to apologize, Ada. We were trying to get her to listen to us and tell us what we could do to make it right but she is refusing to talk to us or even listen."
"I do not wonder why." Elrond said, shaking his head. "The cacophony of sound coming from the four of you was quite impressive, she probably could not understand a word any of you were saying. Now, tell me how badly was she hurt?"
"We do not know, Ada. She will not let any of us look at her."
Elrond could see that his youngest was quite upset by what had happened and wanted more than anything to help his sister.
"Calm yourself, Estel. I will see to her. Perhaps if we give her a few moments alone ..." Lord Elrond held up his hand and signaled for silence when he saw his sons opening their mouths to speak. "As I was saying, we will give her a few moments alone to calm down then I will go and speak with her."
Looking at the young ones in front of him, he took in their worried expressions and spoke again.
"I am sure this will all work itself out. Now, we have guests and I must go see to them."
After their father left them to return to the sitting room, the brothers looked at one another in silence. Though their intentions had been good and all they had wanted to do was cheer Anayah up and end her dour mood, the results had not been exactly what any of them had expected and they did not know what they could do to make things better.
Shaking his head at the mournful expressions on the faces of the three brothers, Legolas rose from the couch he had been sitting on then putting his long arms over the shoulders of the brothers he spoke to them.
"I will go talk to her." He said softly then he winked at them. "Besides, the three of you need to change your clothes. You smell awful!" He was barely able to avoid the three couch pillows when they came flying his way.
8-) 8-) 8-) 8-).
When Legolas reached Anayah's chambers, he softly knocked on the door and was answered by a faintly muffled voice inviting him to enter. At first, there did not seem to be anyone in the room but when he walked by the closet and was almost hit in the stomach by a roll of leg wrappings, he came to the conclusion that the she-elf in question had her head buried in her closet. Carefully, he stuck his head in the closet and spoke quietly to his friend.
"Can I help?"
Her head came up and she looked at the blonde prince for a moment, and for just a moment, was seriously thinking of refusing his offer of assistance but thinking better of it, nodded.
"I guess so. If you want to."
Backing out of the closet with the items she had handed him, he turned to her bed and began to assemble what had been hastily thrown into a large pile. The array of liniment and leg wraps was impressive including the cushioned leather shoe which he looked at curiously, for a moment, before placing it in the pile with the rest of the supplies.
He saw that though she had cleaned most of the mud off her face and hands, she had still not seen to her injuries, and though this fact worried him, he wisely remained silent on the matter.
"I hope you know that your brothers are sorry about what happened."
"I know they are sorry, Legolas. But neither good intentions nor remorse is going to change the fact that Elias was injured by their little game - his injuries are not going to go away because they feel bad about what they did."
"Neither are your injuries."
The only answer he received was a shrug of her shoulders.
"Anayah, would you please let Lord Elrond take a look at you. For me. Please?"
The look in her eyes was much softer now, a sure sign that her anger was lessening although he could still see the stubbornness lurking behind the concern and pain.
"I'm sorry if I sound sharp, Legolas, but my injuries are insignificant and I am well able to take care of them myself. However, Elias cannot take care of himself and depends on me when he is injured, therefore, it is only right that I see to him first. That is all I am going to say on the matter."
The blonde archer could plainly see that Anayah was worried about Elias but he could also see that there was something else wrong, another pain besides the physical ones.
As she was walking passed him to pick up her pack, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to the bed where he made her sit quietly for a few moments.
"Anayah, there is something else going on here and I would like it very much if you would tell me what it is. And do not say it is none of my business because when you start biting everybody's head off when they are trying to be nice then I think we have a right to know what exactly is going on. Don't you agree?"
She sat on the bed for a moment staring at her hands before she spoke and when she finally did, it was in a sad voice, almost a whisper.
"I'm afraid of losing him, Legolas."
"Afraid of losing who? Elias?"
She nodded before she continued. "Over the years he has dumped me on my ..., well, let me just say that he has dumped me plenty of times, and he has fallen before as well. It really scared me this time because just after he hit the ground, he did not move for a few seconds and for those few seconds, I thought I had lost him."
"Did you ever consider that maybe he was scared too? Maybe that is why he did not move at first."
She looked at Legolas with a look he could not quite understand but after a moment, he finally saw the same look turning into one of comprehension. She nodded her head without speaking then sat quietly thinking for another small space before she spoke again.
"Elias was given to me as a gift by a friend. The two of us have been together for a very long time and have become very close. That horse was my friend and my protector during a dark time in my life when I needed a friend and did not think that I had any."
Legolas was curious.
"Just how old is he? I mean, I know how old Aragorn is, and I know that you are two years younger than he is. That would mean Elias is ... Did your Grandmother and Grandfather give him to you?"
"I can answer part of your question, at least. I cannot tell you who gave him to me because I gave my word that I would not tell anybody but I can tell you that it was not Grandmother and Grandfather."
"I understand."
When Anayah looked into his eyes, she saw the quiet acceptance of her vow of secrecy and so continued.
"You will probably think this is funny, but Elias is almost like a four-legged Dúnadan-Elf, kind of like me. I already told you that he is a Mearas, well, he is also blessed with long life and will live for as long as I do and although he cannot die from sickness he can die from injury. Elias is a very special friend and I have a responsibility to care for him the same as he cares for me. Our hearts are bonded, Legolas, and only death can come between us. I am not ready for him to die and it scares me more than you can imagine when the possibility of his death comes as close as it did today. I could easily forgive my hurts but my heart finds it very difficult to forgive those who have caused him pain."
He gave her a hug. "I understand what you are speaking of more than you realize. Elias is very lucky to have you as a friend, young one. You do not have to worry, what you have told me will remain between the two of us. I give you my word."
She looked up at him and smiled, then sighed.
"You are a good friend, Legolas, and you never ask more than what a person is willing to share."
"Anayah, there are no conditions on friendship. Remember that. I am sure Elias is going to be just fine." He gave her arm a friendly pat before he continued. "Now, would you be willing to indulge a friend when he asks you to let your Ada take a look at your injuries? I am sure Elias is in no imminent danger of traveling to the Halls of Mandos at the moment, but you, on the other hand, look like you are about ready to fall over and it would be a shame if you were to pass out in the middle of treating your friend's injury."
"I think that would be a good idea, daughter."
Both heads turned to the doorway where Lord Elrond now stood with healing utensils, bandages and herbs.
Anayah sighed resignedly, acknowledging that she would finally accept help. Legolas moved out of the way and let the Noldor Healer take his place next to her on the bed but as he started to leave the room, thinking the two might like a little privacy, Anayah reached out and took his arm.
"Stay. Legolas, please stay. If you are here, I will not be tempted to act like an elfling when Ada stitches my head."
The Prince resat himself, smiling at her supportively.
"As you wish."
After Elrond had placed the crushed athelas leaves into the hot water to let them steep, he started to check her injuries. Though the cut above her left temple was deep, he was sure that she had not suffered a concussion or a more serious skull fracture.
"I have sent your brothers to the stables to care for Elias." He spoke without looking at her, expecting an outburst.
Anayah tried to get up from the bed but was held down by her father's firm hands.
"Sit still, child."
"Ada, he is my responsibility, not theirs."
He favored her with "the Look" that told her that further argument was out of the question.
"Young lady, you will sit right here and let me see to your injuries and let your brothers see to Elias. Now, I will hear no more on this. Remember, young one, your brothers are all talented healers and can see to any injury your four-legged friend might have sustained. Besides, sometimes serving those we have wronged is the best way to learn a lesson."
He placed a hand on the side of her face and turned her towards him so that he could look into her eyes.
"Your heart may rest assured that he will be taken care of. Now you will sit still ..."
Anayah was indeed squirming and shifting her weight around on the bed like an elfling.
"I said you will sit still and let me finish my examination of you. You are almost as bad as Estel, squirming about so." He chuckled to take the sting out of his words and from his chair against the wall, Legolas laughed softly, his blue eyes twinkling like stars.
"You can engage a Shadow Wraith in a fight to the death, jump other horses with your own, hike for miles in a blizzard with a broken knee, pulling a sled with somebody in it behind you, but you cannot sit still for a few stitches?"
Though her father held her face still, Anayah still managed to shoot Legolas "the look", right before she winked.
Lord Elrond had rewarded her first Dwarven curse with a raised eyebrow, so she had refrained from uttering any more but had continued to squirm, saying "ouch" each time the needle pierced her flesh for another stitch.
Legolas was laughing so hard at her antics that he had almost fallen out of his chair and when Anayah had found a pillow and had thrown it at him, Lord Elrond almost put a stitch where it was not needed and so had to finally put an end to the antics of the two though he smiled when he did it. However, when her father was about to wrap a bandage around her head, she put her foot down.
"Ada, stop! I am NOT going to walk around this house with a big old bandage wrapped around my head!"
Lord Elrond shook his head. "If you insist, then I will not put it on although I do caution you to keep careful watch on the stitches and see to it that they do not become infected. Do you promise me this?"
"Yes, Ada. I promise"
When the two saw the bruises on her rib cage and thigh where her horse had accidentally caught her with his flailing hind legs as he was trying to get his legs under him to rise, Father as well as friend, hissed in sympathy. Both bruises were exact replicas of the big stallion's feet but while her thigh was just seriously bruised and required nothing more than a poultice, three of her ribs were broken. Anayah sighed, resignedly.
"Well, I guess it is only reasonable that if a 1700 pound horse kicks you, something is bound to get broken!"
As her father reached for the bandages, she started to protest but was interrupted by his raised hand.
"As your Father and as your healer, I suggest that you let me wrap those ribs. We have company who have requested that you join us and I, for one, do not wish to have to pick you up off the floor when you pass out from pain in the middle of the introductions!"
She looked at her father in surprise.
"Who's here?"
"First, I want you to bathe, for at this moment you are more mud than daughter. After that you may come downstairs and greet your Grandparents."
"What? Grandmother and Grandfather? Here? Now? Tonight? Downstairs?"
"Peace, child. Yes it is your Grandparents." He laughed at her excitement as she started to frantically run around her room, yelling for her ladies to draw a bath for her and set out suitable clothing.
Little did the Lord of Imladris know that before the night was over there would be much more excitement in the Last Homely House of Elrond Peredhel, Lord of Imladris.
TBC
A Sly Fan: Thanks for the review! Not to worry, horse and rider are both fine! When I was much younger, I had one of my horses rear and I accidentally pulled him over on top of me. I remember laying on the ground, looking up and seeing that big body coming at me ... then I fainted. My father, who saw the whole thing, said the horse did everything in his power to keep from stepping on me. It is a horse's natural instinct NOT to hurt their rider. What a rider can do is "throw themselves clear", that is, they remove their feet from the stirrups then jump and roll away from the horse before it hits the ground. What you have to remember is that a horse is kicking his legs as he tries to get up. If the rider happens to be within reach of those legs they can get hurt.
Red Tigress: Welcome! And thank you for the review. I am glad you like my story.
DesolateAznVamp: Thank you very much for your review. It is really exciting when someone writes me and tells me how much they are enjoying the story. I am trying very hard to put my readers inside my story so they can experience the story as if they were there. Hopefully, I am succeeding! Again, thank you.