Disclaimer: See Chapter One.
A/N: Hey there people! Thank you all so much for your lovely reviews! They truly make my day! Sorry about any confusion as to when I posted. I actually posted Chapter 6 on thurdsay and then, well, the site was being it's usual stubborn self. Anhow, a huge thank you to my beta enb2004. Go and check out her Harry Potter story, it is fabulous! As promised, here is Chapter Seven. Enjoy!
The following morning found the entirety of the royal family in the healing wing watching over Elladan and Estel. Sadly, none of them could stay for long save Legolas, Iaurdil, and Thranduil.
Thranduil had reluctantly left for a time to to write a letter to Elrond to tell of him everything that had occurred, but had returned shortly afterwards. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before Elrond would, conveniently, have a reason to visit Mirkwood.
Elladan had woken earlier in the morning, much to Elrohir's relief. That was one less brother he had to worry about.
Immediately upon waking, Elladan asked after Estel. Reluctantly, Elrohir told his twin that Estel was very ill still.
Elladan hadn't taken the news about Estel very well at all. He had taken it even worse that Himband was unsure of the cause of Estel's illness. Upon learning that Estel hadn't even regained consciousness yet, he plopped himself down in a chair right next to Estel, despite Himband's protests for him to stay in bed.
Himband was about ready to strangle someone, namely his lord and King, with his incessant pacing. Legolas and Iaurdil weren't much better either. If Estel didn't wake soon, there was a very real possibility of madness taking over.
All in all, it was not a very happy group that dwelled within the healing wing.
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Unlike the first time he had regained consciousness out in the woods, the first thing that Estel was aware of was that he felt comfortable, which was somewhat surprising to him. The last thing that he could recall was that he had been on a horse with Thranduil.
It took a few minutes before his senses were able to identify the reason he felt comfortable was because he was lying on a bed.
Apparently, he had finally made it to Mirkwood. Valar though! He was so tired still. All he wanted to do was go back to sleep and not wake up for a least a century.
Estel knew he couldn't do that just yet though. He remembered that Elladan had been injured. He had to see if his eldest brother was all right before he could go back to sleep.
Using what little energy he had, Estel slowly opened his eyes. Af first, all he saw was a blurry form hovering over him but he couldn't make out who it was.
After blinking a couple of times, his vision cleared and he saw that the figure was in fact Elladan!
Elladan didn't seem to notice that he was awake though. His head was turned and was talking to Legolas about nothing in particular.
"Dan," Estel started to say but didn't get to continue as he suddenly broke out into a violent coughing fit. He closed his eyes and doubled over as the coughs shook his frame. Distantly, Estel felt someone pull him into their arms and rub his back soothingly while murmuring comforting words in elvish.
By the time it was over, Estel had lost his breathe and what little energy he had had to begin with. Reluctantly, he reopened his eyes and saw several worried faces peering down at him.
"Estel? Are you with us gwador?" Elrohir asked.
"Aye," Estel whispered tiredly.
"I'll say Estel, you sure know how to frighten a person half to death," Legolas said weakly.
Estel gave him a half smile. He hadn't meant to frighten anyone. "I'm all right," he said while trying to sit up.
"I don't think so tithen gwador. You are far from fine. Valar! I would have thought that even you would have recognized that fact by now!" Elladan said while keeping Estel leaning against him.
Estel sighed but he knew when to give up. Instead, he tired to redirect everyone's attention. "Dan, how are you feeling?"
It seemed to work for Elladan sighed before glaring daggers at Himband. "I am fine although Himband insists that I stay here for two days!"
Himband glared right back at him. "That leg was very badly mauled Elladan! You should consider yourself lucky that I didn't make it five days."
Elladan promptly shut his mouth. It was far better to spend two days in the healing wing than five! He knew if he provoked Himband, the healer would keep him in bed for that long too.
"How long will I have to stay?" Estel asked with a scowl. If Elladan had to stay for two days, who knew how long he would have to.
Himband turned his scowl onto Estel. "You, you will be here quite a while young one. I'm still not certain what is wrong with you and until I am, you shall not be going anywhere!"
Estel scowled at the healer and turned towards King Thranduil with a hopeful look on his face.
Thranduil saw the look on his face and shook his head no in amusement. "No, no, I don't think so Estel. I know better than to cross Himband when he is lie this."
"Indeed you do. A lesson you learned the hard say as I recall," Himband said smugly.
Thranduil scowled at Himband. "You had best stay quiet Himband. I have quite a few stories which you just happen to feature in."
Estel started to laugh at the expression on Himband's face but his laughter quickly turned into violent coughs.
Elladan quickly tightened his grip on Estel and rubbed his back soothingly while exchanging dismayed glances with Legolas and Elrohir.
The coughs went of for several seconds, although it felt like minutes, until at last they stopped and left Estel lying limply in Elladan's arms.
Seeing that the coughs had stopped, Himband hurried over with a cup of tea that would hopefully ease the coughs and loosen the congestion in Estel's lungs. "Here you go Estel. This should make you feel better."
Estel made a face but he allowed Himband to help him sip the tea. He frowned though as he felt his eyelids droop and extreme weariness suddenly came over him.
"You drugged me," he slurred.
"Just sleep Estel. Next time you wake you'll feel much better," Himband said.
"No fair," Estel murmured before falling fast asleep against Elladan.
"No, I don't suppose it is," Thranduil said softly. "It's for your own good though."
"I don't suppose I will be able to kick any of you out?" Himband asked hopefully.
The glares he received were more than clear as to what they thought about that suggestion.
"Yes Himband, we are staying, even if that means bringing that mountain of paper work in here that is waiting for me," Thranduil said with a scowl.
"You sound like you hate paperwork as much as our father does," Elrohir said wryly.
"It wouldn't surprise me. I only know one person who enjoys paperwork and that is Erestor. I have never seen anyone else do as much paperwork as he!" Thranduil said shaking his head in wonder.
"Aye, don't we know it," Elladan said.
"Enough, we all hate paperwork except for Erestor. You have all made that abundantly clear. Now though, Elladan, you need rest, as do the rest of you! If you are to stay here, you shall at the very least be somewhat quiet," Himband said.
"Yes Himband," they all said.
"Good, now rest! I am going to do some paperwork of my own," Himband said darkly as he walked out of the room.
For a few seconds, there was complete silence in the healing wing until Thranduil snorted and everyone started to laugh.
Himband smiled at the sound of laughter from behind the door. He had successfully lightened the mood. Now if only he really didn't have paperwork to complete. Oh well, one couldn't have everything after all.
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Within Imladris, Elrond was looking at the ever growing pile of paperwork on his desk with disgust. He would have sworn that the papers had multiplied when he had turned away from them for just one second.
"You know mellon nin, staring at them won't get them done. In fact, they may just increase in volume if you don't start doing them," Glorfindel said wryly.
Elrond snorted. "You are one to speak Glorfindel. The stack on your desk beats mine any day."
Glorfindel shuddered. "Don't remind me Elrond. Hmm, perhaps we should give our paperwork to Erestor. You know how he loves doing it."
"Don't I wish we could. Unfortunately, all of these papers need our signatures on them. Yes Glorfindel, both of ours. So once I am finished, these will find their way onto your desk, that is, if there is room on the desk for them at all!" Elrond said, eyes twinkling.
"You would be hard pressed to find any empty space within that room Elrond. I have just come from there and there is hardly space to walk let alone place anything done," Erestor said disgustedly.
"Mellon nin, just because you enjoy paperwork doesn't mean the rest of us do. I'm sure King Thranduil and Galadriel would agree with me completely," Glorfindel said smugly.
"He is right Erestor. I happen to know personally that the Lady and King Thranduil detest the stuff as much as I do," Elrond said with an exaggerated shudder.
Glorfindel laughed and Erestor couldn't help but smile. It was true that he did have an affinity for paperwork while almost every other ruler he had ever met went to impossible lengths to avoid it.
Inwardly, Erestor wondered how Aragorn would deal with paperwork when he would eventually take his rightful place as King of Gondor. He was willing to bet that Estel would hate it as much as his father seemed too.
"I thought that Elladan and Elrohir were supposed to help with these papers," Glorfindel said, breaking Erestor away from his amusing thoughts of Estel glaring at a stack of papers as though they were healers in disguise.
"Aye, they..." Elrond started to say but suddenly stopped.
"Elrond?" Erestor questioned.
Elrond didn't answer though. Glorfindel and Erestor exchanged glances before walking up to where Elrond was standing.
"Mellon nin?" Erestor questioned.
Elrond's eyes were glazed over though, and he seemed to be seeing something far away.
Glorfindel and Erestor swore as they hastily grabbed Elrond to keep him from falling. They knew that he was having a vision. After millennia of knowing the elf lord, they had come to recognize the signs easily.
This vision though seemed to be particularly intense. Elrond's breathing seemed to be labored and his face was twisted in an expression of pain and fear.
"Elrond!" Glorfindel and Erestor exclaimed together as the vision suddenly ended and their friend nearly collapsed against them.
Without thinking twice, they dragged Elrond over to the couch and made him sit down.
"What did you see mellon nin?" Glorfindel asked hesitantly. Elrond could sometimes be very closed off about something he had seen.
"I saw, I saw Estel," Elrond said, his eyes brimming with unshed tears.
Glorfindel and Erestor exchanged concerned glances. The tears in Elrond's eyes told them that whatever it was that Elrond had seen about Estel, it was not good.
"He was alone and there was a person with him shrouded in darkness. The other person had a dagger, and it was dripping with blood, human blood," Elrond said, his eyes vacant as he replayed the scene in his mind.
Erestor and Glorfindel exchanged horrified glances. This was not good, not good at all. Estel was in serious danger.
"Glorfindel, you must go to Mirkwood. You must protect Estel and warn him of the danger," Elrond pleaded.
"Of course mellon nin. I would have thought that you would accompany me though," Glorfindel said puzzled.
"Nay, I must consult with Galadriel about what I have seen. I fear that this is more than Estel being in danger from an unknown assailant," Elrond said.
Erestor and Glorfindel were puzzled but they did not let it bother them. They were far to used to Elrond's visions to question him on them.
"Erestor, you shall stay here and take charge of Imladris while we are here. No matter what happens Erestor, you must stay here. The safety of Imladris is in your hands," Elrond said, looking Erestor directly in the eye.
"Of course my Lord," Erestor said seriously.
"Glorfindel and I shall leave as soon as we are packed. Could you make sure that supplies are made ready for us?" Elrond questioned.
"Aye, they shall be ready. Fear not Elrond. Estel is as stubborn as them come. He is an Elrondion after all," Erestor said, trying to cheer everyone up.
"Aye, that he is. That is precisely what worries me," Elrond said softly as he walked away, leaving Glorfindel and Erestor to puzzle out that statement.
"What did he mean by that?" Erestor asked.
"I think he may have been referring to the stubbornness that seems to run in his family. He fears that Estel may be too stubborn to except help even when it is offered," Glorfindel said softly.
Erestor looked at Glorfindel anxiously. Estel was infamous for refusing help, even when he needed it. He saw it as a weakness.
As Glorfindel walked away to prepare for his journey, Erestor sent a silent prayer to the Valar to keep Estel safe and for him to accept help when it was offered.
Translations:
Ada: Dad/Daddy
Ion nin: My son
Tithen pen: Little one
Gwador: Brother
Tithen gwador: Little brother
Mellon nin: My friend