IloveOrlando08 - Hi thankyou so much for your review. I just wanted to show this was set before the FOTR, he will not always be portrayed as that young he is going to grow up alot in this story, at the start he is excited to see his only real friends again. Also he has been through some horrible things (stay tuned!) and so these kinda made him shyer etc. I didn't realise he sounded so young but when I read back through it he kinda did, but, I will make him more mature in future chapters. I have changed the order of the chapters around a bit as well.
Chapter 4:
"Ah finally a bit of peace and quiet" said Elrond as he relaxed into his chair by the fire with a glass of wine in his hand. Thranduil had almost the same look about him as he sipped his wine and shut his eyes in delight.
"Mmmm, Mirkwood wine Elrond, I am surprised"
"Only the best for my dear friend" replied Elrond as Thranduil opened his eyes and laughed
"I am honoured"
Silence
"It is too quiet" exclaimed Elrond
"Don't be silly Elrond, how can it be too quiet?"
"I don't know I guess something is always happening around here"
"Well be thankful that there is nothing for you to do my friend" smiled Thranduil as he shut his eyes again.
"Excuse me my Lord Elrond" came a voice from the corner of the room which caused both rulers to sit up in their seats.
"There is a letter for you, it came by pigeon just now"
"Just leave it on my desk thank you, I will look at it in the morning" said Elrond to the servant.
"Pardon me my Lord but it is marked urgent" replies the servant as he handed over the letter with the red seal on the back bearing a rose symbol.
"Oh, thank you then"
"You are welcome my Lord" said the servant as he left the room.
"An urgent letter at this hour, you said it was too quiet!" teased Thranduil
Elrond rolled his eyes at Thranduil as he looked over the letter.
"I know this writing" Elrond murmured to himself as he turned the letter over to break the seal.
"No, it is not possible" he whispered as he stared at the red rose on the back.
Elrond quickly broke the seal, opened the letter and began to read.
My dearest ElrondI am sorry I have not written to you before this and I am sorry for leaving without saying goodbye. There is something you must know and I fear that my time is running out for me to tell you. First of all, I am dying. I have been ill for quite some time and even though I know you would want me to come back so you could try to heal me you must realise that it is my time and I have to go. I only have one worry, that my daughter, your daughter, our daughter Lily will have no one. She is young, only nineteen years of age. She has no one else who can be a family for her, I know the people of our village will care for her greatly, but I thought she would be better off living with you. You are the only family she has left. You and Estel. Please take care of her for me. We live in the village Minis Denath near Minis Tirith. By the time you get there I would have already passed. Take your daughter and give her the life she deserves. Tell Estel his mother loves him very much and I am sorry I didn't come back to see him and say goodbye. Tell him to always look after his sister for me.
I love you Elrond
Your Friend and Lover
Rose xx
"Elrond"
"Elrond!"
"Elrond are you ok?"
Elrond looked up at Thranduil with shock in his eyes
"I have a daughter"
"Pardon" replied Thranduil
"I have a daughter, her name is Lily"
"Do you mean Arwen?" asked Thranduil slowly, worried about his friend.
"No not Arwen…Lily"
"I do not understand, I thought your wife sailed to the Grey Havens a long time ago?"
"She did" replied Elrond as he looked down guiltily.
"You are my truest friend Thranduil, may I confide in you?"
"Of course my friend" replied Thranduil with concern etched on his face
"Just over twenty years ago now Estels mother came to visit him in Rivendell. Her name is Rose. I asked her to stay as long as she wished because Estel loved having his mother around. But something happened which was not supposed to happen. We fell in love. She stayed for a few years and we kept our love a secret from everyone for I knew it would not look good to anyone else since I have a wife waiting for me in the Grey Havens but our passion was too much to resist. She left abruptly one morning. I awoke to find my bed empty and a note by my table. It said she couldn't say why but she had to leave. Estel was upset she left without saying goodbye but I told him she had her reasons and we both soon moved on though I always thought about her. Now I know why she left, she was pregnant, she did not want to tell me, she did not want everyone else to find out about us so she left. Now she has passed on. I do not know what to do Thranduil she wants me to bring Lily back here."
"Well that is interesting!"
"Help me Thranduil, what shall I do, I am in shock"
"Well, well do you love them"
"Who"
"Rose and Lily"
"I, I guess… yes of course I do. Even though I haven't met Lily she is my daughter, of course I love her"
"I guess it depends on how you wish for her to grow up, in a small village or here in Rivendell. She must be mortal, she is obviously not immortal"
"Yes, yes Minis Denath, I will head there tomorrow, Oh my head is spinning, where is that wine?
"Well you did say the night was too quiet" joked Thranduil
The bang of the solid doors made both the older elves jump as the twins and Estel strode into the room followed behind by a still very pale looking Tysolne.
Elrond and Thranduil both stood up fast as they noticed Elronds sons all soaking wet still, Elladan with a split lip and Estel with a purplish bruise fast growing on his jaw also with a guilty looking Tysolne behind them and Legolas and Finolfian nowhere to be seen.
"What happened?"
"Where is Legolas?"
"Where is Finolfian?"
"Why are you wet?"
"Estel and Elladan you are injured!" rushed the two fathers as they took in the sight of their sons, or lack of sons.
Elrohir held up his hands as he tried to calm his father down.
"Something happened but we are ok. Finolfian left us a while ago, he went to write a letter to Neliana. We were down at the lake which is why we are wet. We do not know where Legolas went" trailed Elrohir as he exchanged glances with Elladan not quite knowing what to say.
"What happened, tell us now, everything, why is Legolas gone?" demanded Elrond
"Wait" spoke Thranduil as he noticed Estel shivering and his lips starting to turn blue.
"Perhaps you should all go and dry yourselves and change first. Then you can meet us back here by the fire and warm up"
"Ok, yes quickly go and change" agreed Elrond as his three sons left the room leaving Tysolne to stand alone.
"I am going to find Finolfian, wait here with Elrond" commanded Thranduil to Tysolne as he swiftly left the room.
Everyone arrived back about ten minutes later looking much warmer although Estel was still shaking a bit so he was wrapped in blankets close to the fire. Finolfian had rushed back with his father when he heard Legolas was missing.
"Now we want to hear all of the story from start to finish" demanded Elrond with a look towards the twins.
"It wasn't Legolas' fault" cried Estel, "we were just sitting on the bank of the lake watching Elladan and Elrohir swimming and Tysolne was behind us playing a drinking game with those other two elves that arrived"
"Sithion and Lothfarlial" murmured Elladan without looking at his father who frowned when he heard the names.
"Carry on" said Elrond softly to Estel
"Well they were getting drunk and they started to harass Legolas, but he just ignored them and told me to ignore them and they would get bored and go away"
Finolfian arched his eyebrows in surprise as he heard the advice he had given to Legolas a while ago in Mirkwood and Thranduil tightened his jaw in anger at knowing how foolishly his other son had been acting.
"Elladan and Elrohir didn't notice cos they were in the water swimming but Sithion said Legolas was pretty and he looked like a maiden and then he came over to us and grabbed him on the shoulder and said he wanted him to come away with him, then Legolas and I just moved over and he said no thank you leave us alone but Sithion got angry and grabbed Legolas' hair and said he had to do what he said because he was older, then I said to let him go which he did then he punched me and I fell in the water, then I'm not sure what happened but Elladan and Elrohir helped me out and we saw Sithion…" trailed off Estel as he touched his bruised jaw and looked down silently.
"What" replied Thranduil,
"Well" Elrohir took over quietly, "he was on Legolas and he was kissing him and he ripped his tunic. We managed to pull him off but he was angry and he fought us which is how Elladan hurt his lip and then he got free and him and Lothfarlial ran off as we couldn't really hold them both. Then we decided to head back here to tell you what happened"
"And what about Legolas, where is he now" asked Thranduil worry starting to rise
"We do not know" relied Estel "he ran off into the forest and I followed him but I lost his trail and it was dark so I couldn't really see very well"
Elrond was surprised to hear that coming from Estel, he would never normally point out his mortal faults to anyone, he must be very worried for Legolas.
"And you just stood there and did nothing" yelled Thranduil at Tysolne who flinched
"He laughed" helped Estel, still angry at Legolas brother
Angry Thranduil stood up and said
"I am going to find Legolas, you will go to your room and stay there until I get back"
"No I will go" said Finolfian as he caught his fathers angry eyes
"Let me go" he repeated
Thranduil let out a long breath
"Ok go, bring him back safely"
"I will" bowed Finolfian as he ran from the room to grab his weapons and a cloak before he headed out to the lake to follow the trail.
"You go to your room now" directed Thranduil to Tysolne who left as fast as he could
"Perhaps you three should head to bed now as well, it is quite late" Elrond said to his sons as he was investigating the two small injuries.
"It is just a cut Ada, it is fine" and "it is just a bruise, I am ok"
The twins left the room leaving Estel standing by the fire still
"I want to stay until Legolas gets back" pleaded Estel, "Please Ada, he is my friend"
Thranduil smiled at him,
"I am glad Legolas has such caring friend, I think it would be ok if you waited with us do you think Elrond?"
"Ok, I guess you will not sleep anyway"
Shaking his head Estel smiled and settled back into the chair closest to the fire to await his best friends return.