(-)Chapter 12(-)
Estel shrugged as he came to his room, "I do, but not that part of his job. I want to be a healer like him."
"Oh, your father's a healer, I see," the hobbit suddenly took on a look of understanding.
"Yeah, he says that 'Dan and 'Ro, my brothers, are his most common patients."
Bilbo laughed, "They get into a lot of trouble then?"
Estel nodded sadly, a suddenly worried look coming over his face, "They're leaving again soon, I hope they don't get hurt again. Sometimes they have to stay in the healing ward for weeks."
"Oh dear, that doesn't sound good," Bilbo frowned, "they can't protect themselves very well?"
"They can," Estel corrected quickly, suddenly grinning, "they're both very good with the sword and bow. They said one day they'll teach me, but not until I'm older," he pouted slightly, then shrugged, "ada says it's because if I try before I'm ready I could get hurt and then I'd have to stay in the healing wards with my brothers. I don't like the healing wards..."
"You've been in them as well?"
"I broke my arm last year," he admitted, "ada wouldn't let me out for two whole days. It wasn't any fun."
"Those must have been the two longest days of your life."
Estel nodded solemnly, "Well, I have to go to bed now, I will see you at breakfast."
"Of course," the hobbit smiled brightly.
Estel smiled and shut his bedroom door, an odd look coming over his face, "What an odd person," he muttered in near silence.
Bilbo shook his head, "What an odd child," he turned and headed back to his room.
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Estel peeked out his bedroom door warily. Today was the twins last day here. That meant something bad was going to happen to him. Last time they left he woke up tied to the ceiling. He glanced down the hall in either direction before creeping out and slowly moving down the hallway, placing his feet carefully so as not to make a sound. He spun suddenly when he heard an incredibly light noise behind him.
Bilbo blinked in surprise at the sudden movement before tilting his head to the side, "What are you doing?"
"I... um... I'm trying not to let anything fall on me, jump on me, squish me or throw me out a window or some such thing."
The hobbit blinked, "Oh... I see..."
The child looked doubtfull, "Really?"
"No... not really," he admitted.
"My brothers are leaving today and they always prank me before they go..."
"Well that's not very nice," the hobbit frowned.
Estel grinned suddenly, "I want to beat them at their own game this time," his voice had lowered into a highly mischievous tone, then he shrugged, "but that can wait until later, if we don't get to the dining hall soon they'll start without us."
He turned then and continued his careful trek down the hall, his eyes scanning every corner and crevice in the long hall. He breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the dining hall.
He glanced at the twins nervously before climbing into his chair, but continued to watch them.
Bilbo blinked in confusion, he had met the twins the day before and knew them to be Elrond's sons. He only now realized that this meant that Estel must be his son as well.
Elladan grinned, "Good morning little brother. Did you sleep well?"
Estel eyed him, "Yes... why?"
Elrohir laughed, "You sound so suspicious."
"Why shouldn't I be? I'm not going to make it through the day without being coloured or tied in a tree or something."
"True," the two muttered together.
Estel shifted uneasily.
"Well," Elladan spoke after a moments silence, "you need not worry for a while little one, nothing is about to happen until after luch so you can relax."
Estel's eyes narrowed, "That's what you said last year and five minutes later I was green."
Elrohir snickered, "He has a point you know."
Bilbo simply watched this in veiled amusement.
"'T is sad that our little brother has so little trust in us," Elladan sighed.
"Well I don't blame him," came a new voice from the doorway.
"Ada!" Estel quickly jumped out of his chair, happy to be out of the twins reach for the moment.
The elven lord smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately before staring at the twins, "You're not threatening him are you?" He sounded serious, "You know I wont tolerate that."
Elladan shrugged, "You tolerated it well enough when we glued feathers to Erestor's hair last week."
Elrond couldn't help but smile, but he didn't say anything about that particular incident.
Erestor walked into the room at that exact moment and leveled the twins with a nasty glare.
They just grinned.
Estel whimpered slightly and tugged on the elf's robes.
Erestor sighed slightly and glanced down, only to be met with a wide-eyed ten-year-old whom looked scared out of his mind.
"'Restor the twins is going to be mean again," he whimpered, still clinging to the elf's robes.
Erestor still looked slightly uneasy, not knowing exactly what to do.
He was saved from trying to figure it out by a third elf who walked in and plucked the child off the floor.
Glorfindel grinned, "We're just going to have to protect you today then aren't we?"
Estel nodded slightly, though he thought he was too old to be picked up the elf didn't think so and for the moment he allowed it since it kept him safe from the twins. He turned to stare at them for a moment, shifting so his face was hidden from all but the three at the table and stuck his tongue out at his brothers in a mocking manner.
(-)(-)(-)(-)(-)
Estel sighed as he sat on a tree branch well out of view of the elflings on the ground.
The twins had caught him before they left, of course, and they had dyed his hair a multitude of different colours.
This of course had gained him even more teasing from the elflings than usual. He'd never tell the twins though, even though the pranks could be irritating at times, he still looked on them as fun and knew it was one of his brother's odd ways of showing affection.
He figured that one out when he realized they never pranked anyone they didn't like, and they did prank those they did like. The only acception to this rule being Glorfindel. Mainly because they couldn't, though they had tried.
He was startled out of his thoughts by a voice beneath him and glanced down to catch sight of Bilbo staring up at him worriedly.
He quickly scrambled out of the tree and smiled slightly, "Hello... I thought you were supposed to be inside."
"I was of no use in there so I decided to come out here and take a quick look around before we left."
Estel sighed again, "You're leaving?"
"Yes. Tomorrow morn."
"Ah."
The hobbit glanced over at the elflings who were playing in the field nearby, "You do not wish to join them?" he sounded confused.
Estel immediately looked uneasy, "I would... but they do not want to let me."
Bilbo looked startled, "Why is that?"
The child sighed yet again and dropped his gaze, "Because I... because I'm human."
The hobbit looked even more startled, "What?"
"They don't like me because I'm not an elf," he repeated.
Bilbo stared at him a moment before speaking again, "I didn't even realize you were human. I had thought you were an elf..."
Estel winced slightly, "No I'm not, so now that you know you can leave if you wish."
"Why would I want to leave? I care not that you aren't an elf. I am simply... surprised, you are more elven than human if my few short memories of men are correct."
Estel cocked his head to the side, "Am I?"
"Yes, and it only makes sense, the only human you're around here is your mother."
"And the rangers that sometimes stop here," Estel added.
The hobbit looked slightly confused by the term, telling himself to ask Gandalf about rangers later.
Estel frowned suddenly, catching the looks some of the elven children suddenly started giving him, only just noticing he was there.
The child just shook his head and turned away from them, "I'm going back home... before they decide to start teasing me again."
Bilbo smiled slightly, "A good idea... I'll join you then."
(-)End Flashack(-)
Legolas interupted the story with a yelp, his mind had wandered and Aragorn had grabbed the chance and purposely tripped the elf.
"Gah! Estel!"
Bilbo just shook his head in amusement, "Well, I suppose some things never change."
A/N
Elven Kitten: Hi! Sorry I haven't updated for so long! I was away for a week, as I had said, and when I came back my mind was a complete blank... I just couldn't think of anything to write XP stupid writer's block... but anyway, I managed to get this chapter finished. Again I'm sorry for the wait.
Thank you; MicroCHips, Aranna Undomiel, juut telcontar, grumpy, Elentariel, Inuyashaloverfan, and Ilaaris for the great reviews:D