Disclaimer: See Chapter One
A/N: Hey there everyone! So, you all think I'm evil do you? You have no idea! Compared to what is coming up in later chapters, last chapter was nothing but a hill. MWAHHHHHAAA! Be afraid, very afraid. Anyhow, thank you all so much for your reviews! I love them all! Yes, even when ducking sharp or blunt objects. Many many thanks to my postively fabulous beta enb2004! As promised, here is Chapter 9! Enjoy!
Glorfindel watched the smoke rising from the palace with mounting horror, but yet, he could not force himself to move. All he could think about was how he had failed Estel and Elrond.
As he watched the smoke though, his brain whirled back into action. There was a chance, however slight, that the fire had nothing to do with Estel and that Estel was helping to put out the flames.
Clinging onto that slight hope, Glorfindel urged his horse and raced into view of the palace courtyard. The flames seemed to be coming from the stables and everywhere, people were running, trying desperately to save the horses and to keep the fire from spreading.
Despite the madness of the courtyard, Glorfindel was able to easily spot the dark heads of Elladan and Elrohir. Dismounting, he ran over to them.
"Elladan! Elrohir! Where is your brother!" Glorfindel roared over the sound of the fire.
The twins turned around in surprise. What was Glorfindel doing here? "What?" they questioned together. The fire was drowning out almost everything.
"Your brother! Where is Estel!" Glorfindel shouted.
The twins eyes widened with fear. The last they knew, Estel had been in the gardens.
"The gardens! He was in the gardens not more than half an hour ago!" Elladan shouted.
Glorfindel swore and was about to head in that direction, when Iaurdil stopped him.
"Glorfindel! Estel isn't in the gardens. I saw him go back into his room not more than five minutes ago."
Glorfindel nodded in thanks before taking off a dead run in the other direction. By the Valar, he couldn't be to late, he just couldn't!
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Estel struggled desperately as the elf brought his sword down. The elf was too strong though and held the struggling human down with no effort.
"Consider this a reminder," the elf hissed.
Before Estel could do anything, the elf had plunged the sword directly through his right arm.
Estel screamed in agony as the sword plunged through bone, muscle, and tendons. His vision became spotted and he nearly passed out from the pain.
"Did you really think that I would make it that easy for you," the elf hissed. "Fear not urchin, I am nowhere near done with you. We will meet again in the near future though."
Estel opened his eyes just in time to see the mysterious elf jump off the edge of the balcony. For a few seconds, he lay there breathless, fire seeming to run down the course of his entire arm. He had to get up and get help. Valar only knew when that elf would be back to finish him off as he had promised.
Slowly, Estel attempted to push himself up, only to cry out in pain as the sword that was through his arm dug itself in deeper due to hs movements. Breathing slowly, he opened his eyes and reluctantly looked at his arm. The sight of it was enough to make him feel ill. He realized why he couldn't get up. The sword had not only gone through his whole arm, but partially through the floor as well. There was no way he could remove it.
His vision started to go black as shock and blood loss started to kick him. Hazily, he was aware of someone calling his name, but he couldn't find the strength to answer back.
"ESTEL!" some called again. Whoever it was was getting closer. Mustering his strength, Estel tried to answer the call.
"In here! I need help!" he called out weakly.
Estel heard muttered curses and was aware that someone was opening the door.
"Oh Valar," he heard someone whisper before the world went dark around him.
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"Estel! Estel, can you hear me!" Glorfindel shouted as he ran towards Estel's room. No no answered though. Glorfindel swore and called out again. "ESTEL!"
Then, he heard it. A faint cry that sounded desperate. "In here! I need help!" Estel's voice said.
Swearing, Glorfindel ran for the door, and hastily opened it. Stepping in, he stopped at the sight of Estel, lying on the floor with blood pooling around him. "Oh Valar," he whispered.
Pushing away his own shock, he quickly reached Estel, taking care to avoid the sword that was sticking out of Estel's arm.
"Estel? Estel!" Glorfindel said frantically when he saw that the boy's eyes were closed.
Estel didn't respond though. Glorfindel took a look at the sword that was in Estel's arm and immediately felt somewhat queasy. Hesitantly, he examined the sword and found that it was stuck in the ground as well as in Estel's arm. He had no idea how to remove the sword without causing further harm to Estel. He needed help and fast.
"HIMBAND! I am in need of assistance!" Glorfindel shouted at the top of his lungs. He just prayed that Himband was in the palace and had heard him.
While waiting for someone to come, Glorfindel checked Estel's pulse and tried to stop the bleeding. Estel moaned slightly when Glorfindel touched his arm and his eyes fluttered open.
"Estel? Can you hear me tithen pen?" Glorfindel asked.
"Glorfy?" Estel questioned weakly. His arm was killing him!
Glorfindel raised an eyebrow at the nickname Estel had given him when he was but a toddler. It showed just how much pain Estel was in to revert to his nickname. The only other time he used it was when he was teasing him.
"Yes Estel, it's me. Can you tell me who did this?" he asked softly.
"An elf. Don't know who it was. Said that I should remember him and that maybe this injury would remind me," Estel said as his eyes started to close again.
"Nay Estel! You must stay awake," Glorfindel said while trying to keep his panic at bay. He knew very well whom Estel was talking about. The injury said it all.
Much to Glorfindel's dismay, Estel was unable to remain conscious. "Himband!" he called out again as Estel passed out from the pain.
Much to his relief, he heard hurried footsteps seconds later. "Glorfindel?" came Fuina's voice.
"Fuina! Run and get Himband. Estel needs help! After you find him get the twins!" Glorfindel ordered when she stepped into the room.
"I'll be right back," Fuina said hurriedly. Without looking back, she ran in the direction of the healing wing.
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Fuina ran as fast as she could for the healing wing. She hadn't gotten a good look at Estel but Glorfindel's none to calm expression had told her that it was not good.
"Fuina! Where are you going in such a hurry?" Legolas asked after Fuina had nearly run him down in his haste.
"To get Himband. Estel is injured! I'll get Himband, you go get the twins" she said breathlessly.
Legolas said nothing further and sprinted to the courtyard where the twins were trying to calm the horses down. The fire had thankfully been put out without any loss of life, be they elves or horses. The stables would need to be rebuilt but that was all. They had truly been fortunate.
He wondered what had caused the fire though. So far they had found nothing that would start a fire. That didn't matter right now though. Estel did.
By the time that Legolas had collected the twins, Fuina and Himband were already at Estel's room.
"Fuina, I want you to stay out here, and keep the twins and Legolas out as well. I will call for you when you can come in," Himband said sternly.
Fuina didn't look happy about it but she agreed, if only to keep on Himband's good side.
Nodding at her, Himband walked inside, not truly knowing what to expect. Nothing though could have prepared him for what he saw. This was the type of wound he would expect to find in the aftermath of a battle with orcs on the battlefield, not inside a palace!
"Glorfindel, what happened," he asked as he examined the arm that was pinned.
"An elf attacked him," Glorfindel growled.
Himband looked up in surprise. "An elf? Why would anyone attack Estel?"
"This is not the first time he has attacked Himband. All will be explained later though," Glorfindel said tersely.
Himband nodded and eyed the arm. There was no way around it. The sword was going to have to come out right there in the room.
"Glorfindel, hold him down, this is going to hurt him."
Glorfindel nodded in understanding and carefully braced Estel in case he started to flail about.
Himband took a deep breathe and positioned himself where he could get a good grasp of the sword. With an inward prayer to the Valar, he gripped the sword and pulled it up out of the floor and out of Estel's arm.
Estel jerked violently and screamed as the sword painstakingly was pulled out of him. It didn't surprise anyone when the twins, Legolas, and Fuina all came running in.
Himband wouldn't have been surprised if all of Mirkwood had heard Estel's scream. The sword had to have been taken out though. With the sword out, that left Himband free to tend to the wound. Ignoring the cacophony of voices in the background, he went to work.
"Estel!" "What happened to him?" "Why was he screaming?" a chorus of voices asked all at the same time.
"Enough! All of you! You are all to go outside right now. Himband needs to concentrate and he can't with all of you hovering all around him. Legolas, if you would go get your father for me, I would be highly appreciative. The rest of you, scat! Yes, that includes you two," Glorfindel said to the twins.
Unhappily, they all left, but not before shooting some nasty looks at Glorfindel which promised revenge at a later date.
Once they had all left, Glorfindel turned to Himband who was frantically trying to stop the bleeding.
"How grave is the wound mellon nin?" he asked.
"It could have been worse, far worse. Whoever stabbed him did so in a place where there was already a lot of scar tissue, on the inside that is. It is still a serious injury and it will take quite some time to heal, but Estel shall make a complete recovery," Himband said.
Glorfindel sighed in relief and thanked the Valar repeatedly under his breathe.
"Himband, Glorfindel, what happened? First, I heard Estel scream and then Legolas came running to get me as though a Balrog was on his tail. What has happened?" Thranduil asked breathlessly.
"Estel was attacked by an elf Thranduil. A viscous elf at that," Himband hissed as he stitched the wound closed.
"What? Surely not Glorfindel. Who would attack Estel?" Thranduil asked.
Glorfindel's normally bright and cheerful blue eyes hardened to the color of cold steel.
"It was indeed an elf Thranduil. One who has attacked Estel before, when he was very young in Imladris."
Thranduil's eyes widened. He knew instantly what Glorfindel was speaking of. Estel had only been attacked within Imladris by an elf once. Elrond had sent him a message telling him of all that had transpired and to keep a look out for the dark elf. Gorothdil. How in the name of all that was good had he gotten past the gates!
Himband looked between Glorfindel and Thranduil with confusion. "Would one of you care to tell me what you are talking about?!"
"It was Gorothdil who attacked Estel. He's here," Thranduil said softly.
Himband paled. He remembered what Thranduil had told him about Gorothdil and how he had attacked Estel. Looking down at the arm, he realized that the scar tissue was probably from the last attack.
"How is Estel though?" Thranduil asked.
"He will be fine, though his recovery will be long and arduous," Himband said.
Thranduil rubbed his eyes wearily. Great, just great. Now he had to write yet another message to Elrond, telling him that his youngest was once again being targeted by an insane elf.
"Glorfindel, when did you get here? The message I sent should have only just reached Imladris," he said.
"I arrived just as the stables went up in flames. As to the message, I never received one. I came here for Elrond had a vision of Estel in great danger. What was the message about?"
"Oh, Himband can fill you in later," Thranduil said quickly. "Right now, I have to writeto Elrond."
"Nay, I shall do that mellon nin. You have had a bad enough day as it is. Speaking of which, was the fire put out in time?" Glorfindel said.
"Aye, it had been taken care of and no lives were lost," Thranduil said.
Glorfindel sighed in relief. At least there was one piece of good news today. "Good, very good. I must go write to Elrond. Thranduil, I suggest you tell the twins and your children what is going on before they break down the door due to their impatience."
"Aye, I shall. Himband, are you doing to move Estel to the healing wing or keep him here?" Thranduil asked.
Himband frowned in thought for a few moments. "I believe here milord. I would think that the last place that Gorothdil would look for Estel would be the same place he left him."
"True, very true. I will go write to Elrond. I shall be back right away," Glorfindel said before leaving the room.
Thranduil and Himband looked at each other fearfully. A mad elf was after Estel, and it didn't look like he had any qualms about killing or hurting anyone who got in his way.
Mirkwood was in serious danger, and for once, it was from within her own borders.
Translations:
Ada: Dad/Daddy
Mellon nin: My friend
Tithen pen: Little one