End of previous chapter
"Please, brother. Just sit by me. We need not talk unless you want to."
The elf took a deep breath and moved to the bed. Mindful of his brother's injuries, he seated himself slightly higher in the bed than it's present occupant, so he could place his arm around the human and draw the young man's head to his shoulder. With some measure of peace, he let his head rest on his younger brother's. Estel pulled the covers over them both and relaxed into his brother's embrace. Estel had learned patience as well as some healing skills from his adopted father. As long as his brother was within his reach, he could wait.
That was how Elladan found them sometime later. Elrohir's eyes were glazed over in sleep, but when Elladan's eyes met Estel's, the man's were searching and full of concern. Elladan smiled sadly and mouthed, "Later." before silently leaving the room and seeking his own bed.
Chapter 6 What have I done?
Awareness slowly returned, but as with any warrior, he gave no indication he was awake. He could not recall where he was and the information from his body only confused him more. He was evidently in a bed, but judging by the sounds from the balcony, it was not his own, for his balcony was not located to his left. More disturbing was the fact that he held someone in his arms. His head rested on that someone's and that person had an arm about his waist. It was not Elladan; he would have sensed that. Valar, what have I done? With the unbidden thought and against his best intentions, his body tensed. Now the head beneath his lifted it's face to his. Elrohir's heart moved to his throat and he opened his eyes.
"Estel!"
"Easy, brother, no need to yell." Understanding came to the human's eyes as his brother's face turned red and Estel's grin turned into a chuckle.
As the elf opened his mouth to respond, the door burst open and their father entered, followed closely by their brother. Judging from the latter's appearance; he had been sleeping as well. Both had an air of panic about them that quickly changed to confusion when they saw the youngest of the household grinning and noted the mischievous glint in his eye.
Normally, Elrond would have chastised Elrohir for frightening them as he had by shouting Estel's name, but the recent misunderstanding between them still weighed on the elf lord's heart. As for Elladan, he had not had time alone with his brother to apologize for his part in the episode and it took real effort to meet his twin's eyes.
As the silence lengthened, Estel realized that whatever had upset Elrohir involved both their father and brother. Immediately following that realization was one even more shocking. As far as he knew, this was the first time his father had been to see him since he had returned home. The two elves at the door watched the human's grin vanish and determination replace the mischief in his eyes.
Pushing himself away from Elrohir, Estel moved so he could see all three elves and demanded in a tone normally heard from the elf lord, "Tell me". As one, the other three occupants of the room sighed.
Elrond moved to the foot of the bed and smiled. "There will be plenty of time for talk later. Are you not hungry? I believe there is broth ready for you in the kitchen."
Before his father had finished speaking, Elladan had turned and started toward the stairs, grasping at his chance to escape this encounter. He would go after the broth and perhaps the worst would be over before he returned. But no…it would not be that way.
"Elladan! Come back here." Silence as the speaker waited for Elladan's return. Elladan simply stopped and held his breath, wincing as the speaker continued. "Now!" The elf re-entered the room, his expression a mixture of sheepishness and dread.
"Yes, Estel?"
"I would love some broth, as soon as the three of you tell me what is wrong. This is the third time I have heard later'. It is now later. Tell me." Concern for his loved ones renewed his strength, at least for a time.
Again, a united sigh from the elves.
Estel smiled at the three reassuringly. "I am not so ill that you need keep secrets from me. Please, I will only waste my strength with worry and imaginings. Is it not better I know the truth? I might be able to help."
Elrohir moved from the bed, his eyes on the balcony. His 'little' brother's hand suddenly grasped his arm. Gray eyes met brown. The gray eyes were fearful and questioning. Elrohir changed his destination from the balcony and seated himself on the bed. As the hand released his arm, he reached to clasp it with one of his own, bringing them to rest on his brother's chest. With his other, hand he brushed the hair from his Estel's face.
"We are behaving badly, little brother, worrying you like this. Let Dan fetch your broth and we will talk while you eat. I promise."
xxx
While Estel consumed his broth and lembas, the elves shared the telling of the story beginning when he stumbled into Rivendell. The only time the human had interrupted was when his father's collapse was first mentioned. He was quickly calmed by the elf lord and the story continued until they reached the time when those unfortunate words had been spoken and the elves become uncomfortable in each other's presence. None took up the story at that point and an uneasy silence fell.
The food had been refreshing, but the actual act of eating and hearing the tale of the past days all but drained the young man. His mind flew through what he had heard and seen: his staggering into the elven realm; Elrond's collapse; still not knowing the cause of it; the way the three avoided eye contact with each other. Questions arose that he did not have the strength to ask. What to do now? What was most important? Finally, only moments after the elves ceased speaking, Estel made his decision.
"You have given me much to consider, but it has wearied me. I think I will rest now. May Elrohir stay? Do you mind, gwador?"
Elrohir didn't hesitate. "Of course not, tithen gwador /little brother/. I'll stay as long as you like."
Elladan's heart sank. He would never begrudge his youngest brother anything, but this meant it would be that much longer before he could speak with his twin. He needed to make amends with Elrohir and he knew their father felt the same way. His face did not betray his feelings however as he leaned forward to kiss the human's brow before leaving to wait for his father beside the door.
Elrond placed a hand on Estel's forehead, checking for fever and trying to get a sense of how his son truly fared. It was not like the human to admit to being weary or to ask for someone to stay with him. Trying to keep the touch brief, he sought his son's spirit, but found nothing. Realizing that the twins would soon become aware of what he was doing and not wishing to upset them further, Elrond drew back his hand, smiled and kissed his youngest's head. The elf lord scolded himself for worrying. Elrohir would be here and he had taken excellent care of Estel thus far. On impulse, the father bestowed a quick kiss on his middle son's head and quickly left the room.
When Elrohir moved away, Estel was ready. Right hand gripping his brother's arm he pulled him back toward the bed and whispered "Not this time." Elrohir could no longer suppress his tears. Estel placed his left arm around his brother's neck and pulled the elf's face to his shoulder, holding him as he wept. In the hallway, an elf lord and his eldest son heard and thanked the Valar once again for bringing Estel to their family. Elrond pulled Elladan into an embrace before leading him noiselessly down the stairs.
xxx
After his tears were spent, Elrohir had given in to Estel's insistence that sharing his burden would make it easier to bear. Just hearing it spoken aloud had made the problem seem smaller. It was obvious his father and Elladan were as upset over the situation as he was. They just needed to talk. Estel asked Elrohir to call Elrond and Elladan back into the room. When they arrived, he paused only for a moment before beginning.
"Elrohir and I have been talking about a conversation the three of you had earlier. I am not sure I am the best person for him to speak to about this. Ada?"
The elf lord moved to the foot of the human's bed and eased down by the younger twin. "I am grateful your brother was able to confide in you, Estel. I regret it was necessary. Elrohir, I should not have said what I did to you and Elladan. You had been up day and night caring for Estel and for me. You most likely had little food or sleep during that time. In retrospect, I believe not being able to recall what had happened and not knowing the cause unsettled me more than I realized. Please forgive me."
"There is nothing to forgive, Ada. We thought we were losing you and when your condition improved, I chastised you. I am ashamed for the way I spoke to you."
"There is nothing to be ashamed of, Elrohir. It is not your way."
Elladan stood beside their father. "No, it is my way. You would not have spoken to Ada that way if you had not known I was preparing to do worse. In trying to spare Ada's feelings, you caused yourself pain. It should not be your burden, gwador. As always, it is my temper that hurts us all. I am sorry."
The human decided it was time to change the atmosphere. "Well, that settles it. You certainly are a sorry group of elves." The man's grin was daring. With the gloomy mood broken, the elves exchanged apologies, sheepish looks and hugs while Estel looked on proudly. Finally, one problem eliminated. While not dangerous, this particular issue had been emotionally draining on all involved. They would deal with the remainder after a good night's sleep.
Tbc
A/N Finally, a longer chapter. Ispent some time doing Word Count andfound that this chapter has about triple the amount of words of the last. While I still have 2 or 3 chapters that are shorter than this, none are as brief as Chapter 5. The next chapter is actually longer and I have one that is over 5,000 words! This has certainly been educational. I will try and apply what I'm learning to Mind Incursion (the sequel to TPL).
I want everyone who has reviewed to know how much I appreciate the input. I have tried to reply to everyone who logged in. Also,I know there are probably readers who do not review. I didn't for a very long time. As long as you are enjoying it, that is what matters!