Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
Thanks you if you have reviewed! I am sick right now, so here is a quick update. It's actually pretty long, so here it is.
Early the next morning as the sky brightened with the rays of the morning sun, Elrond awoke to find himself comfortably lying in his own bed. He felt revitalized and refreshed after his first night's rest. The entire world seemed peaceful and he felt that if he stayed in his bed all day, nothing bad could happen. But his dream was shattered when all the memories of the past days came flooding back into his mind. He also remembered his injured son, so in great haste, he made himself presentable and made his way quickly to his son's room.
Elrond entered the room to find Glorfindel watching vigilantly over the two friends, and Elladan and Elrohir fast asleep in two chairs by the bedsides of Legolas and Aragorn. He figured that the twins had a hard time finding sleep when they knew that their brother and best friend were injured. Smiling at their loyalty and care, he silently made his way over to Glorfindel to discuss how the wounds were healing and their next plan of action.
"Good morning, mellon nin," Elrond greeted softly with a smile.
"And good morning to you my friend. I trust you slept well?" Glorfindel asked with a smirk.
"I must admit, you were right. That rest was the one thing I truly needed. Hannon le for being as a stubborn as I am," Elrond stated while lightly inclining his head toward his friend in a gesture of gratitude.
"I am glad to hear that you have acknowledged my superior wisdom after all these years. So nice to hear that my advice is held in such high regard," Glorfindel said lightheartedly.
"I never said anything about superior wisdom. I may have taken your advice last night, but that was only because you took advantage of my…overly exhausted state," Elrond countered trying to defend his pride.
"Whatever you say, mellon nin, whatever you say."
"Now onto more pressing matters…" Elrond began.
Before Elrond could ask anything, he heard a moan coming from Aragorn's bed. He made his way over to his son's bed, just as Elladan and Elrohir awoke.
"What happened? Where am I? Ada?" Aragorn asked confused by his surroundings. He struggled to get into a sitting position, ignoring the protests of his body.
"It is alright my son. I am here now. You are safe back home in Imladris," Elrond said soothingly. He gently, but forcefully pushed Aragorn back against his pillow.
"You should not get up just yet. You need more rest for you are far from healed."
Aragorn calmed slightly until the memories of the past day came flooding back full force. He remembered the attack of the orcs, Sarkáhn in the woods, the choking and insatiable need for air, Legolas…
"Legolas!" Aragorn exclaimed when he suddenly realized that his friend had passed out in the woods and was injured as well. "Where is he? Is he well?"
"Calm down, my son."
"No! I need to know. It is my fault that he was injured in the first place," Aragorn said exasperated.
"No it was not," said a voice coming from the other side of the room. Legolas had been listening to the conversation and at that point decided to make his presence known. His heart could not bear the sadness and pain whenever his friend felt burdened by a guilt that was not his to bear.
"You could not have done anything to have helped me. As I recall, Sarkáhn was the one who tossed me into a tree like a rag doll. You could not even move from the position you were standing in let alone save me. You are not at fault, mellon nin."
"But…"
"No buts, Aragorn," Legolas said in a commanding yet gentle tone, "You are not to blame. You are my best friend. I know that you would never do anything to cause me harm."
After a slight pause, Aragorn said lightheartedly and with a small smile, "You always seem to get your way, mellon nin. One day though, I am going to win,"
"I do not think that will happen in this lifetime. A human's life span would not be long enough. Besides, I have had more years of practice," Legolas said nonchalantly.
Although Aragorn knew that Legolas meant his statement to be humorous, he could not help but feel a pang of sadness by his words. He never liked to be reminded that he was human and inevitably destined to die. He could not bear to think of dying and never seeing his family or friends again. He always seemed to be reminded that he was a burden to them, and eventually, he would become a painful memory. When Elrond noticed the look on his son's face at Legolas's words, he could almost completely read the thoughts going through his mind.
"Estel, please do not think that way. We would never think of you as a burden. Yes, you will die in this life, but we will always remember you and love you no less. What's more, I do believe that the spirits of men have some connection to the Undying Lands. I believe that we will meet again in the next life, but even if that is false, we will find a way to be with you again. You are my son, and nothing will change that." Elrond had tears in his eyes as he spoke those words to his son. He loved him with all his heart and wanted him to always remember that.
"Thank you, ada."
"Well, on a more pleasant note," Elrohir began, "Sarkáhn has not been seen since the forest."
"That is quite true. Scouts have gone out searching for any sign of him, but nothing has turned up. I do believe that we are safe now," Elladan added.
"That may be so, but Sarkáhn is not gone and he will come back," Elrond contradicted.
"Well we must decide on our next move," Glorfindel said. "We cannot allow him to enter Rivendell."
"Are we forgetting about Mistad. He has brought warning to us. What of his riddle?" Legolas asked concerned.
"Yes and why is his name the elvish word for 'error'?" Aragorn asked puzzled.
"I do not know. The only way for us to determine his true purpose is to invite him to come back. We need to know more than what it has already revealed. But the only person that he will approach is Aragorn," Elrond stated sadly.
Aragorn was having a hard time coming to terms with his father's meaning. 'How could he expect me to allow that creature to come back,' Aragorn thought bitterly. But his anger was just his cover for his real emotion: fear. For once in his life he was truly afraid of what was to happen. He did not want to see his whole family dead again. He could not bear to see the desolation and emptiness of Rivendell. However, he knew that it was necessary if they were ever going to defeat Sarkáhn.
"Alright," Aragorn said ruefully, "I will try to attract Mistad here. I do not wish it so, but if it would help in the destruction of Sarkáhn…then so be it."
"Spoken like a true leader. You are very brave, my son, and I am very proud," Elrond said lovingly as he put a hand on his son's shoulder.
"How are we going to attract Mistad here?" Elrohir inquired. "It is not like we can just sit here and call out its name and hope it comes."
"No, not in that sense, but we must call for its presence," Glorfindel began. "If the only one that it will communicate with is Aragorn, then we must allow it to have access to him. We must be patient."
"If my speculations are correct, you should be able to communicate with it mentally," Elrond stated slowly. "I have a hunch as to what kind of being we are dealing with, but I am not certain. I must go and research more about this. We will discuss our steps toward Sarkáhn's destruction at a later time," Elrond stated as his mind already began pondering his hypothesis in his head. "Now, I would like you to get some rest, Estel, and allow your wounds to heal. We will prepare this evening for the arrival of Mistad, but until then, you are to do as I say."
"Yes, Estel, listen to your father. Stay in bed or I will make sure that you do," Legolas commented.
"Oh…Legolas," Elrond said with an amused look on his face, "The same goes for you as well. So, I believe the enforcers of rest will be Elladan and Elrohir. Oh and by the way, Estel and Legolas, I would try not to do anything that you might later…regret. I will have no power over my sons' actions. Elladan, Elrohir…be nice." With that sarcastic warning stated, Elrond gestured for Glorfindel to come with him and they left the room heading towards Elrond's study.
"Well, I seem to be feeling a bit tired, Estel, I think I shall go to my bed and rest," Legolas said quickly as he made his way over to his corner.
"I feel the same way. Valar knows that we would not want to provoke them when we cannot defend ourselves properly," Aragorn complied.
"I believe that you are becoming smarter as the years go by. Soon you will be as intelligent as we are," Elrohir stated laughing.
"If we wanted to be as intelligent as you are then I believed we have already surpassed the intellect of an immature houseplant," Aragorn retorted with laughter in his eyes. Legolas could hardly suppress the fit of laughter that was threatening to overwhelm him when he saw the looks on the faces of the two brothers.
"You are treading on a fine line, little brother, and if I were you I would watch myself. You don't want to suffer from an unfortunate 'accident'," Elrohir said with a do-not-mess-with-me look.
"Do not worry, Elrohir. We can always have fun with them while they are sleeping. Maybe…I don't know…turn their hair blue or give them a nice mustache," Elladan said while eyeing both friends, amused by their reactions.
"Do not worry; we will not do anything while you are injured. Please get some rest. We don't want to invoke the wrath of Ada," Elrohir said
Both twin brothers took a seat next to one of their patients- Elrohir next to Legolas and Elladan next to Aragorn. It was time for rest. They knew that this would be one of the last peaceful moments they would have until Sarkáhn was destroyed.
AN: Please Review! I love reviews. They make me happy especially since I am really not feeling well. Hope you all enjoy this chapter and I shall update soon; ) Next Chapter: Discoveries are made about Mistad!