I neither created nor own Valinor, Middle Earth, Imladris/Rivendell, Green Wood the Great, Bree, Breemen, Glorfindel, Erestor, Elrohir, Elladan, Elrond, Estel/Aragorn, or orcs. Tolkien created them, and I am most grateful to him for doing so. However, I did create Mellolaes and Tilpithen.

This story is for entertainment purposes only, so please read and be entertained.

Erestor opened the door and paused. There was Estel sleeping alone in his bed with dawn's light pouring through the open windows flanking him. The elleth who had been keeping him asleep or entertained through singing, story-telling, and dancing or cartwheeling around his bed, however, was nowhere to be seen. Erestor had raised his hand to his chin to rub it, when the window pane on Estel's left rose slightly and silently.

A head blazing red and amber like the sunrise behind it appeared. Then a form slipped through, or half of one, before she spied him. "Erestor."

He nodded back. "Mellolaes. I have told you if you weary of your duties indoors you may go outside for long walks while your charge sleeps so deep."

"No, no." Mellolaes finished entering through the window and pushed it down to the halfway point behind her. "I am fine sitting on the roof and clambering about the tree outside his windows now and again. I can hear him through them if he sighs or stirs inside from just out there."

"Indeed."

Lights of amusement lit the ellon's eyes as he watched the elleth, now perfumed with scents of the outdoors, lay down next to the sleeping manling and fall back into a drowse herself. Erestor moved over to her side and gazed at the elleth's soft, still face and the slight movements of her breathing. Then he turned and studied the new piece of furniture in the corner.

Apparently, she had ordered it through the latest caravan of dwarves to pass through. Two had returned to bring it back and collect a far too large amount of gold for the simple task. The amount had been half a month of Mellolaes' pay as far as he could figure. She claimed it worth it. He himself had not seen the value of the gift at first.

He moved over to the piece and stared at it again. Most things in The Last Homely House were made of metal. This though, was formed from golden-amber wood much the same color as the elleth's hair. The thinner pieces curved as they were made it obvious they had been carved from large, fallen branches of yet living trees, great pines most likely. The places where there ought to be short pieces of plank were instead woven wickerware covered by cushions and folded crocheted blankets. All had arrived already together, the blankets bound down with strings. The former smelled of wool from sheep raised by, and dyes made by, men of Bree. Indeed, the whole of it had obviously been made by the hands of Breemen (though the better craftsmen among them). The dwarves had apparently only ordered and delivered.

Erestor had immediately asked Mellolaes what the point of bringing such simple and un-elegant furnishings into Estel's room, let alone the Hidden Valley, was? She had then replied that "was" the point. If Estel ever went out on his own to places inhabited by such people, "something" he might find there would seem familiar to him, even bring fond memories to his mind. Erestor had not been able to argue with this. However, he suspicioned until that day came, Estel would love her gifts simply because he could now both remain sitting as per healers' orders and move back and forth with alarming speed all at the same time.

Erestor continued his loop of steps around the "rocking-chair" one more time in study before pausing, turning, and carefully lowering himself onto it for the first time. As soon as he lifted his feet, it swayed backward with him in it. He gripped the "arms" of the thing. What an unnatural sensation to feel upon sitting! After tilting backward just a little farther, the thing paused and swayed forward again so his feet went back down to rest upon the floor.

The ancient ellon was about to give an undignified sigh of relief when a sound greeted his ears. Mellolaes sat straight up and stared. "Was that what I think it was?"

Erestor had opened his mouth to reply, when a near-matching and much closer call came through both windows. Estel sighed and turned over, his brow furrowing a moment before relaxing again. If his body was any more recovered, he would have reacted like Mellolaes. She rose and walked through the hallway and into Erestor's own rooms. He followed her leaving every door open to better hear any sound Estel made behind them. Then they both gazed out from his balconey standing side by side. A horn sounded from beyond the valley again, not a sound with any particular message this time, just a few notes filled with joyous emotion communicating so much more than words ever could.

Mellolaes smiled. Dew-drop tears budded from her eyes. "They have come home!"

Erestor smiled himself and nodded as well. "They have indeed."

The two stood until the painted shades of dawn gave way to broader daylight, which illuminated the bright colors of the valley and pale tones of its houses. Finally, they could see four figures on horses coming up the paved road. Mellolaes turned to him then. "May I … go greet them first?"

Erestor turned to her mouth open to tell her all the reasons the house's steward had to see his lord and give him his reports before anyone else. At the look on the nurse's face, he shut his mouth. Then he swallowed. The steward thought to himself of all the reasons she could have to speak to his lord sooner rather than later. Most of the reasons he came up with were in regard to his behavior. He deserved it.

He nodded and tilted his head toward the rooms beyond his and across the hall. "You may go. I shall remain near until you return."

She gave him a bright grin. "Thank you." Then she rushed off like a squirrel up a tree. Erestor raised an eyebrow. Odd she should say so friendly a goodbye if she were about to relate his failings to his lord.

He peered back down and watched four weary elves on four weary mounts enter the courtyard. One of the nearly identical pair of elves had an arm in a silng. Twas he the elleth with burning cheeks and snapping eyes approached. Both Erestor's brows rose almost to his hairline.

Elladan had barely turned to Mellolaes when she leapt at the ellon still astride his horse. Arms outstretched, she snatched the front of his shirt and dragged his face down by it until the former was even with hers. There, he was bent double and crookedly crouched on his mount. Once she had him there, Mellolaes promptly yelled at him. Thankfully, his stallion didn't even shy from the elleth's tirade. Perhaps the animal was that comfortable near the Silvan or perhaps it was that exhausted from its journeying.

Erestor leaned over his balcony railing for an even better look at this scene and to better listen to it. Some of the elleth's words were Sindarin and some were seemingly Silvan. All were spoken so quickly and in such high strident tones, it was hard to tell. Mostly, her speech seemed to be about not careful enough ellon with little brothers who went off and put themselves in danger without taking proper care of themselves, almost breaking their little brother's heart beyond repair in the process, and leaving others to pick him up and make him well again if they could while hurting themselves. How could they even have contemplated let alone almost done such a thing?

Erestor blinked and swept his gaze over the wider scene. His Lord Elrond seemed to be staring at this outburst from Estel's nurse with the same wide eyes and raised-high brows Erestor felt gracing his own face. Elrohir and Glorfindel, however, had found the strength to laugh and laugh deeply. Without the balance of their kind, they would have fallen off their mounts.

Perhaps it was this sound that covered those he should have heard from Estel's room, the hallway, and his own rooms. Either way, he was barely conscious of the boy coming to stand by his side, rubbing his own small eyes with small fists, and then following his gaze. The shout brought the steward's attention back to his own task, however. "Melly's shouting at Eldan!"

Erestor's gaze snapped to him. Then he straightened, placed his hand gently upon the manling's shoulder and nodded. Amazement colored his reply. "Yes, she is."

Then the look of shock left the manling's face replaced by the brightest grin perhaps any had ever seen there. He leapt into the air with more energy than he'd had in weeks. "Eldan's home! And Elhir, and ada, and Glorfdel!"

The boy tried to take off like a rock from the sling, but Erestor scooped him up into his arms. "Ah, now Estel, they shall be right up to see you soon. I promise. No need to weary yourself going down to them."

Estel opened his mouth to protest, but then spotted all the faces in the courtyard turned up to see him, including the still pink and now dismayed face of his nurse. He waved to them all. "Hi ada, hi Eldan, hi Elhir, hi Glordel, hi Melly! Can you finish yelling at Eldan later, so he can come up and see me?!"

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God Bless and keep you

ScribeofHeroes