A/N This chapter is for CrazyAZNkid who asked me the question "What is wrong with you!?" Thank you for bugging me, I hope you like the chapter.
Chapter 9: Innocence
To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower:
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And
eternity in an hour.
William Blake (Auguries of Innocence)
"In innocence there is no strength against evil," said Sparrowhawk, a little wryly. "But there is strength in it for good."
- Ursula K. Le Guin (The Farthest Shore)
When Estel and Elladan arrived home after dark, a harassed-looking Elrohir greeted them in the courtyard.
"Ada was not pleased when Legolas and I arrived home without the two of you," he told his brothers as he walked towards them. "He told me I should have remained with you and not allowed Estel to enter the market alone."
"I am sorry you got in trouble because of me," Estel said to Elrohir, his voice apologetic and kind. "I did not mean to cause trouble."
Elrohir caught Elladan's eye and both of them smiled; they knew their brother would become a good person. "It is not your fault, Estel, I was not thinking properly. Ada made sure I knew that," Elrohir added dryly.
Elladan grinned. It was rare that their father got worked up over such things, but he decided that Elrond had a just reason. Estel had been unattended in the market, but he wasn't a child anymore. "Should we avoid Ada?"
"How can you avoid him when he is waiting for you? Ah, how foolish that would be, dear brother," Elrohir said sarcastically.
Estel gave his brother an odd look; it was rare for Elrohir to be so sarcastic and mocking. "Are you alright, Elrohir?"
"Yes," Elrohir replied. Looking at Elladan he said, "You should go inside." He took his eyes off of his twin and looked at both of them. "Ada will want to speak with both of you, he is unhappy."
Elladan raised an eyebrow in question to Elrohir but Elrohir just shook his head, indicating that they would talk later. "Come on, Estel; let us go talk with Ada before we get ourselves into deeper trouble."
Estel nodded and quickly walked up the stairs. He hadn't noticed the twins' silent communication; he was too worried about what their father would do to him.
Elrond sat on a cushioned bench by the door and nodded to his three sons as they entered. "Did you have fun today, Estel?" Elrond asked, letting his gaze rest intently on his youngest.
"Yes, Ada," Estel said nervously. He didn't know why he would be in trouble but after he had seen how harassed Elrohir had looked, he was anxious. He shuffled his feet, the nervousness getting to him.
"Good," Elrond said neutrally, not giving away any feelings. "Go get yourself something to eat; I wish to speak with your brothers."
Estel looked at the twins, who nodded for him to go, and he hurried off, not in the direction of the kitchens, but towards his own room. He had eaten some food with Fialoh and Fernia so he was not hungry.
As he walked past his brothers' rooms, Legolas walked towards him from the other end of the hall. "Hello, Estel," Legolas greeted him. "Care to walk with me outside? I dare say your brothers will be with your father for a while and there is no reason to stay inside when the moon is full and the stars are bright."
Estel smiled at the prince. "Of course; there really is nothing to do in here." His brothers and father had told him to spend time with Legolas so that they could get to know each other. He was one of Elladan and Elrohir's best friends.
"Come, then, let us go outside." He walked with Estel down the stairs and out the front door.
"Did you come back in time to speak with my adar?" Estel asked. Elladan had told him where Elrohir and Legolas had gone to when he had been in the village.
"No," he replied. "Luckily."
Estel looked at him oddly when he gave his response. "Why is it lucky? You will just have to give him a report later."
"I know that; it is just that I had nothing thought out to say." He sighed and waved a hand. "Formalities and the like, I did not have anything thought out to tell his council." He grinned wickedly at Estel. "Besides, the council is intimidating and it is not a favorite of mine."
Estel snickered. His brothers had been right; Legolas would be fun to be around. "Tell me about Mirkwood, Legolas."
"It is beautiful," Legolas told him, awe in his voice. "It is much more secluded in Mirkwood than it is here in Imladris. There are no villages near our borders and few even miles beyond that. Spiders live there," he said, his voice getting a little sad. "It is no longer as safe as it was many years ago with the spiders around, but we try to avoid them." He continued to tell Estel of his home, explaining how things looked and making Estel laugh.
"It is getting late," Estel said absently. He had not noticed the hours tick by, but now that he looked up at the sky, he could see the moon and stars had moved quite a bit and that it was very late. "We should go back to the house."
"Do you want to go back?" Legolas asked. He was not tired; he enjoyed walking at night.
"No," Estel replied. He was having fun with the prince. Legolas made him laugh with the way he described things. "I just do not wish to be in trouble."
"I will take the blame; your father should not be too angry with me." Legolas grinned.
Estel nodded. It was true, his father would not be angry with the prince. "I still think it might be best if we started going back – if Ada is not mad at me, Elladan and Elrohir will be." He turned around and started to walk back with Legolas next to him.
Legolas raised his eyebrows in surprise. He knew the twins had to be protective of their younger, mortal brother but he did not think they would actually scold Estel. "Do they get you into trouble?"
Estel made a face. "It depends on what you are asking," he told the prince reasonably. "When I was younger they would tease me or make me do something stupid things, but they do not tell Ada when I do something wrong." He paused for a few moments. "Well, unless I deserve it."
"What do you mean?" Legolas asked, interested and confused at the same time. He had no siblings to get into trouble with so he was curious as to what the twins would do. He knew they enjoyed terrorizing people and it looked as though Estel was one of their favorites to bother.
Estel shrugged. "It all depends. Elladan and Elrohir are more like parents; they watch me and their reprimands mean as much as Ada's."
Legolas looked surprised. "Really? I never thought I would see those two mature."
"Oh, they are not fully mature yet," Estel said wickedly. "Ask Glorfindel or Ada; they will tell you."
Legolas chuckled. "I am sure."
They walked through the courtyard and Estel led Legolas to one of the back entrances. He knew that it was really late and his brothers and father would probably not be happy.
Estel and Legolas walked to their own rooms. "Tomorrow your father will hold council with some of the older elves," Legolas told him, making a face. "I will have to attend."
Estel laughed. "You look very happy about it."
Legolas rolled his eyes. He was very comfortable around Estel. Legolas had to admit that Estel was a very charming young man and he found him to be a lot of fun. "Your brothers will probably go too. Will you attend or do you find councils to be very dull?"
"I do not go to them, Ada thinks me too young. If they are as boring as you say, I am grateful that I have never been asked to attend," Estel remarked dryly.
Legolas laughed at his words. "What will you do tomorrow?"
Estel shrugged. "Ada will probably assign me work or a book to study. If I am lucky, he might let me go with my friends."
Legolas nodded. "Have fun. Good night, Estel."
"Good night," Estel replied. He left Legolas and walked to his own room. He thought the prince was fun and he understood why his brothers liked Legolas.
-----
Elladan and Elrohir walked back to their own rooms once their father had finished talking to them.
"Do you think Ada is worrying for a good reason?" Elrohir asked.
"Probably," Elladan replied. "He normally has a good reason to worry about things."
Elrohir shrugged. "Yes, but I do not know why he is worrying about Estel leaving or some such. I admit he tried when he was younger, but he is almost an adult now."
Elladan shrugged too. "I do not know, but I agree with you. Ada does seem to be worrying about something strange. I doubt he told us all of his reasons."
"Let us go to bed, we can think more about this in the morning. I think Ada wants us to attend the council with some of his advisors and Legolas." Elrohir sighed. "Tomorrow will be boring."
Elladan chuckled. "I agree."
-----
When Estel woke the next morning, he headed to his father's study. If there was to be a council like Legolas had said, he wanted to go do something. "Ada?" he ventured, knocking on the door.
"Come in, Estel," Elrond called from inside.
Estel opened the door and stepped into the study. He saw that his father was alone with his papers and scrolls so he walked over to the desk. "Ada, are you having council today?"
"Yes," Elrond replied. "We have to hear the news Legolas has brought us and there are some other things to discuss." He put the scroll he was looking at on the desk and looked up at his son. "Why? Is there something you would like to do today?"
"May I go to Poln for the day?" He knew he had been spending a lot of time down there, but he liked the children.
"Yes, but be home before dark." Elrond looked pointedly at Estel.
"I will be," Estel promised.
"I mean it, Estel, no wandering in the woods." He thought for a moment. "I will send one of your brothers to collect you before the sun sets. You will meet him at the third patrol station."
"Yes, Ada," Estel agreed. "I promise I will be there. It is not always my fault I am late. I get lost sometimes." He smiled sheepishly.
Elrond chuckled. "I know it is not your fault. These things do happen, but I would feel better if I knew one of your brothers was with you."
Estel nodded. "I understand. Thank you, Ada." He smiled at his father and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him to give Elrond privacy.
Elrond watched his son go and sighed as the door closed. He had heard what Elladan and Elrohir had said about the human children and he fervently hoped that Estel wouldn't be swayed by them. Estel had no racial prejudices, he knew that, but Estel was young and words could still affect his mind.
-----
Estel walked to his room so that he could change his clothes. Since Elladan had warned him about the humans and the elves, he decided it would be best if he wore clothing without the elven insignia. He changed into plain breeches and a brown shirt that were so old and worn that under other circumstances he would have never considered them. He didn't bother changing his shoes; many people wore deerskin shoes and he saw no reason to change them.
He opened the door and stepped into the hall to see Elladan and Elrohir walking out of their own rooms.
"Where are you going dressed that way?" Elrohir asked, eyeing the old clothes with distaste. "People will think we do not take care of you."
Estel shrugged to show that he didn't care. "I am going to Poln and I need to blend in."
"You certainly will blend in," Elrohir said with a hint of contempt in his voice.
"Do not be angry," Estel said quietly to Elrohir. He didn't understand why his brother was upset; he didn't see anything wrong with going to visit human children.
"I am not angry, Estel," Elrohir told him with a sigh. He patted his brother's cheek. "Enjoy your innocence, for it will not last much longer."
Estel frowned when he heard the sadness in his brother's voice. "What do you mean, 'Ro?"
"Nothing," Elrohir replied before walking down the hall and towards the council doors.
Estel stood with Elladan, watching Elrohir walk towards the room.
"What did he mean?" Estel asked in confusion. "I do not understand."
Elladan smiled sadly. "Do you remember what I told you about the human children?" He understood what Elrohir was trying to tell Estel and wished Elrohir had said nothing to their little brother.
"Yes," Estel replied. "I remember everything you told me." He didn't see what this had to do with Elrohir's words, but he listened to Elladan all the same.
"He was warning you," Elladan told him.
"What did he mean about my innocence? I am not innocent," Estel protested.
"You are still innocent; you have not experienced much evil," Elladan replied. "It is not a bad thing. Go; have fun with your friends. I shall come to retrieve you before sunset. Do not worry about Elrohir, for he has been acting very strange recently. I will talk to him."
Estel nodded. "Alright, thank you, Elladan. I will see you at sunset." He turned and walked off towards the front door.
Reviewer Responses:
LalaithoftheBruinen: Heehee, I am so happy you liked the last chapter. I really hope you like this one as well. I know it took me a long time, but the next chapter will be up on Sunday. Thanks for the hugs and bunnies!!!
Wolf Jade: ::sighs:: yes, I know I am quite frequently away on AIM. At least you caught me last night! I'm happy you liked the conversation with Elladan and Estel. Estel surely needed to hear it!
Leggylover03: Aw! ::blushes:: thank you for the compliments. I am happy you enjoyed the chapter.
Dark Lady Arantraneth: ::grins:: I am happy you like this fic. Who/what is Dark Borg?
Grumpy: YAY!! I am so happy you liked the chapter. ::sighs:: I don't know what Estel will eventually understand. I hope that he knows that racism is a problem. Oh well, he'll find out eventually.
Jacquelinestel and wackoranger: ROTFLMAO!!! Oh, mellon-nin, your reviews are a light in my day. They make things so much more enjoyable because the reviews are so funny!! I really liked the one for my other fic. Tell wackoranger she is welcome to review under an anonymous name or simply under 'wackoranger' it would be much easier to identify her. Well, I am glad you enjoyed the fic, please update yours soon!! ::pokes::
MusicDreamer: Oh, I thought you had gone off or something. Well, I am happy to have you back (even though you didn't leave) Heehee, I thought the dwarf comment would be something people could laugh at. I'm glad you liked it! I hope that Estel doesn't say something stupid about elves and men in the upcoming chapters!
Isil: I hate you. (I should end the review here, but I know you'll kill me on the 19th) You've been calling a lot, thank you for that. I was beginning to feel bad. ::tear:: Niiiice comment about Elladan btw, Sealy, I thought that was really sweet.
CrazyAZNkid: As I said in the A/N this chapter is for you for reasons above. Thanks for the bugging, I needed it. I have been slow at updates; I wasn't always this bad, though!
Catmint: Thank you for beta reading this chapter and the next one! I hope you like the writing I sent you. Thank you so much for the review and the compliments. ::grins:: You know I love to hear them.
Horsiegurl: I'm glad you like it. I hope this update is soon enough for you. Thanks for reading!
Aknightofni: Heehee, I like you name. Did you get it from Monty Python? Oh well, thanks for the review, I hope you liked this chapter too!
