Disclaimer: I wish I owned them but I don't. So leave me alone.
For the millionth (well, not really) time, AU, no Arwen, and slashiness is on the way. XD
Chapter 3: Encounters IIt was almost dusk when Strider reigned in his horse before the stone steps of his house in Rivendell. By an amazing stroke of luck on his part, he had actually made it home, on his own, no less, without encountering a single Orc along the way. This was something he was very grateful for, as he had resorted to carrying the portrait by his side as he rode along, being loath to take it out of its frame. Of course, he had several back-up plans in the event he was attacked. The first would be to drop the portrait and fight. The second was to run. And the third was to somehow roll it up, frame and all, and use it to swat at his attackers. Although that last option sounded vaguely more like something Tyan would do…
Perhaps the young man's influence had rubbed off a little too much on him…
His musings were interrupted as the front door opened and a figure appeared, carrying a lantern.
"Ah, looks like our wayward Ranger finally decided to come home. That would be Estel, unless I am mistaken."
Estel grinned as he put down the painting and slid off his horse. "No, Erestor, your eyes aren't failing you in your old age. One correction though, I go by the name of Strider, not Estel, when I'm with them, so it would appear that it is your memory, and not your eyes, that is mistaken."
The Elf laughed as he gave the Human a hug. "Where are your manners? Is this how you speak to your elders?"
Estel returned the hug, then asked, "Where's everyone, Erestor? The house seems too quiet."
"Lord Elrond's in Mirkwood with the twins and Glorfindel. They should be back within the next few days."
"Mirkwood?"
"Yes. Some urgent business with the King. I must say that we weren't expecting you back so soon, though. Come, you must be tired and hungry. Go and change while I see what we can do about your dinner, the grooms will see to your horse tonight."
The Elf turned away as Estel followed him into the house, sensing that he was hiding something from the way the advisor had changed the topic so abruptly. The portrait slipped slightly in his grasp and it bumped against the floor.
"What is that you're carrying?" Erestor asked.
"This? Oh, just something I picked up. I thought Ada would like it," Strider replied, feeling strangely reluctant to show the painting to Erestor.
"I see. Do you need help with it?"
Estel shook his head. "I can manage. I'll be down in a few minutes for my dinner, and I'm hungry enough to eat a double serving. Just to let you know in advance."
Erestor smiled. "Well, then I'd better be off to warn the kitchen then."
As Estel watched the swirling robes of his father's advisor disappear down the hallway, he wondered what could possibly have happened that required his father, his brothers and the famous golden-haired warrior to leave for Mirkwood in such haste and secrecy.
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The moon was high in the sky when Estel was drawn slowly back to consciousness by a strange feeling. Although he was tired, his Ranger training held and his senses were all alive and tingling even before he was fully awake to process what had woken him.
At first, he dismissed the feeling, believing himself to be safe in his own bed in his own house. But as the prickling at the back of his neck intensified, he finally lay fully awake with the feeling that there was someone standing behind him, staring at him.
'It's just my imagination, probably Ada back from his trip and just checking up on me, or else it's Erestor worrying as usual and making sure that I'm alright,' he told himself, his mental voice sounding only half-convinced. Still, there was no harm in being cautious.
He pretended to stretch and roll over in his sleep, then slowly opened his eyes a fraction, expecting to see the robes of either Erestor or his father. Instead, what he saw made him jerk upright in his bed, heart pounding furiously, and grope desperately under his pillow for his dagger, which seemed to be stuck in its sheath. Cursing, he looked down momentarily as he wrenched the dagger free of his pillow and out of its sheath.
But when he turned back with his weapon in his hand, there was nothing there. Cautiously, he stepped out of his bed, weapon held ready to strike, and searched his room carefully. There were no signs of an intruder. The only thing that looked different was that the cover on the portrait had half fallen off, leaving a corner exposed. He remembered that when he went to bed, it had been completely covered, but he reasoned that the cover could easily have slid off when a gust of wind blew into the room through the open window just beside the painting.
Eventually, he got back into his bed, still gripping the dagger tightly and telling himself that he was imagining things. As he dropped off to sleep, he thought himself to be fully convinced. But in the moments before darkness claimed him, he couldn't help believing that what he saw was real…
Golden hair that shimmered softly in the dark and a pair of brilliant blue eyes, barely inches away from his face, staring intently at him from his bedside.
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TBCAuthor's notes:
dramatic music And so it begins!!!!!!!! XDXD Ahem. Err… Rather short chapter this time no? Hehehe… Wanted to have a cliffie before the next chapter. And also cos I've this thing about not liking my chapters to go past 5 pages on Microsoft Word, so I had to split the 'Encounters' chapter into 2. XD
Oh yes, before I forget, I will be referring to Aragorn as Estel for the whole fic, because it concentrates more on the Elven side of his upbringing. Erm… I haven't decided whether or not to bring his heritage into the picture (pun! Ok. Not funny) but if I do, I don't think it'll affect the story much. Or should I say, I'll twist it such that it won't be affected. The joys of an AU story. grin
I am highly stoned/drained/etc now… Just got a job to relief teach while waiting to go into university… and all I can say is that I wish I was at the other end of the classroom cries I swear that my students come from hell… If only I could bring darts to school or something… I wouldn't mind turning them into human dartboards. fingers itching to kill something Then again, a chainsaw sounds better…
Posting this one day in advance (not that it makes much of a difference) cos I'll probably be too busy to do it tomorrow… for a moment, I actually thought that I'd forgotten to post on time and that I was supposed to post this last week! heaves sigh of relief So enjoy the chapter, remember to R-E-V-I-E-W!! And stay tuned for the next chapter!!
Ok. Enough ranting/crapping… On with the review replies!!! glomps reviewers and bounces around (I'm not thinking very clearly now, so excuse any strange sounding comments I make. =) )
Rach: Hee… Thanks! Glad you liked Tyan. Even though he's quite an idiot, he's still very important, right, Tyan? Tyan nods Good boy. locks him up in a box where he can't disturb Leggy and Estel And as you say, let the drama and slash begin… although not for a some time yet. wink
The-Serious-Padfoot: New chapter!! Hope you like it and there's still much more to come!
Littleballofinsanity: Cute name! If mine was like that, it'd be 'crazyballofsugaroverdoses'. XD ahem. Dun worry, you're not alone in your torment… but it's the only way I can stall long enough to get the later chapters written and proof-read to my satisfaction. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter and survive the wait to the next one. Remember, patience is a virtue. Which I don't think I have. XP
Partheon/Kirsten: lol Yuppo, this is going to be one of those stories where it's a miracle if Estel does anything right. Glad you like Tyan too… pets Tyan's head I think he's a much happier OC now. XD Thanks for the feedback and opinions!
Lady Lestat: gasp PSYCHIC!!! Hehe… Yup, Elrond did raise his eyebrow at this. lol It's somewhere in the later chapters in fact. XD poor Elrond… and poor eyebrows too. rofl
Pyro Dragon 117: big puppy dog eyes MOMMY!!! I GOT A DEATH THREAT!!!! ;P But then again, if you do kill me, I can't update! XD gah… too much corn for lunch. clears throat HERE. IS. THE. UPDATE. ENJOY! (bad me. XD)
Empath89: Thank you!!! this is my biggest project ever and it's really nice to know that people like it. big happy grin
Silvertoekee: bounces around Leggy made his appearance at long long last!!! But only for a few seconds. not to worry, he'll be coming out more often soon. evil grin Elrond and Co. will be appearing soon, so watch out for that!
CutieCherry: Thank you! Actually, I didn't want to post this story so soon, but the week before I posted it, I saw a story floating around that had to do with a painting too, so I decided to post mine, just in case people thought that I was ripping off on that author's plot. In the end I guess I over-reacted, cos the stories are totally different, and I think the only way they're related is that they both have a painting of Leggy in it. XP
(The person with the smiley face, cos won't let me put those symbols here): Another chapter over, and another chapter closer to Estel and Legolas slashiness!! Estel's just finding out that he's got a mysterious painting, so stay tuned for more craziness! lol
grumpy: Thanks! Hope you like this chapter too!
Snuffles2: gobbles candy Sugar sugar lalalalala!!!! bounces Oh dear, now my friends are going to suffer from my sugar overdose… I tend to get extremely warped when this happens. evil laugh Thanks for the feedback on Tyan! And, may the rest of the OC's appearing in later chapters fit in as well. =D
The: Thank you! Estel gets to see Legolas' soul face-to-face next chapter. He'll see the real Legolas in a later chapter. XD Glad you like the style of the story too. bounces
Blade6: lol Wish I could paint though… then maybe I'd find a way to let all the readers see what I'm trying to describe. I've got this picture of Legolas somewhere in my com, but I can't remember where I got it from, otherwise I'd post the URL and let people see what the painting roughly looks like. And I think I'm starting to ramble here.
Lillybeth1: Haha… well, new chapter! Elrond's reaction is coming right up in the next chapter. I think. I can't remember. wink
Thanks for reading! And see you guys in 2 weeks! waves and disappears in a sugar cloud