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Cutiepie2191: Here it is, one chapter left, hope you love it.

Title: Cold War 4/5

Author: Sivan Shemesh

Beta: nautika

Rate: K

Warning: Is snowballs fight counts? Fluffy. And more surprises as it depends in my bunnies…

Disclaimer: Characters belong to Tolkien, I just borrowed them.

Spoiler: AU.

Summary: It is not a regular war it is… snowball fight… with consequence…

Note: Estel first year at Peredhil's house in Imladris.
The cold sequel of "White Blanket", and could be the prequel of "Surprise".

4. Cold War and Illness

"Yes you are, ion." Elrond softly said to the boy who kept sneezing, and his eyes were wet from the falling tears.

"Nay, I am not," Estel replied, as he wept the tears away, showing them that he is not crying.

"Then stop sneezing." Elladan suggested with a small smile.

"Ada, save me from sneezing, please… my head is now beating me…" Estel begged his Adar, as he wished the pain in his head will stop along with the sneezing that seemed unending.

"Lay him in his bed, while I prepare a tonic that will take care of his health." Elrond said over the twins as he stepped outside the room.

Elladan did as his Adar told him and watched over the boy; he moved his hand to rub the boy's hair, while Elrohir chatted with him, hoping that would distract him from his sneezing.

"Estel?" Elrohir asked as his eyes were locked on the boy's blue crystal eyes.

Estel tried to keep himself awake, but failed as he could felt his eyes closed.

"You have to stay awake, Estel, saes…" Elrohir begged the boy softly, as he did not wish something to happen to him, as for Elrohir he believed that the boy had suffered enough.

"I… cannot…" And Estel fell asleep, letting himself drown in the world of dreams, as he dreamt of the trees, and then he woke, staring blankly at the twins.

"Estel, what is wrong?" Elrohir asked as he noticed how frightened the boy was.

"Hunted dreams…" Estel explained, as he turned away from them.

"Care to share, little brother?" Elladan asked gently, as he moved his hand to rub the boy's hair.

"Tired…" the boy only murmured and drift to sleep once again.

The twins stared over the boy as he closed his eyes; to them he looked so peaceful, and yet so hurtful.

When Elrond back, he noticed the worried looks that the twins gave him, and wondered what had happened.

"He closed his eyes, awoke… mumbled something about hunted dreams, and then he closed them again… is he going to be all right, Adar?" Elladan asked with concern in his voice.

"He is going to be all right, though he may be stiff for a bit, as for the headache, I am afraid that I have no healing herbs for that." Elrond answered as he stared worriedly at the little boy.

CW4

Later that day…

Estel tried to open his eyes, but could not as he could felt like there was something that pushing on his eye-lids and keeping them from opening.

He knew his Adar and the twins might be worried for him and, as he kept whispering to himself, "I have to open my eyes, Adar and the twins are worried, I have to do it."

Time after time Estel tried, and when he succeeded, and found himself staring at his Adar, he blinks till he could see clearly.

"Estel, how do you feel?" Elrond asked him with gentleness and caring in his eyes.

Estel breathed easily. His head still ached but his sneezing seemed to have stopped.

"The sneezing has stopped Ada, though my head is still beating, can you not stop it?" Estel begged as he stared at the elf lord.

"You need to sleep more, ion, I am here, I will not let anyone hurt you." Elrond assured to his son, as he gently rubbed the boy's head.

Estel closed his eyes, drifting back to sleep, hoping that his headache would pass.

Elrond watched the boy, not moving his eyes from him, even when the twins urged him to take rest or even to eat.

"Ada, saes, you need to rest." Elladan said to him, concerned too about Estel.

"Nay, when he feels better, I will take my rest." Elrond said without turned back to his son.

"You are tired as well, Ada, saes, just rest, gain your strength for him as well." Elrohir asked, almost begging him.

Elrond glanced from Elrohir to Elladan; he knew how much they loved him, and yet he also knew that he had to take care of Estel, "Once he awake, and I know that he is fine, I will go to rest, but not now. Now I need both of you to boil water and bring to my room herbs that I use for emergencies and I believe that we should get it here before something worse would happens."

Elladan and Elrohir shook their head in defeat and then they went to fulfill the tasks their adar gave them.

Elrond sighed heavily when as they were gone, and as he sat beside Estel's bed, and watched him as he moved restlessly, he got worried.

He stood and leant forward over the boy to touch him. His hand met with cold sweat and yet it was too warm.

'He has a fever… I need a cold water… boil would not help me now…' Elrond thoughts and then he said to the twins, who had just returned to the room, "I need you to get cool water for me, boil would not help us as I thought. He has a fever."

"Is it bad?" Elrohir asked as he noticed the frown that his Adar gave him.

"I do hope that it is not." Elrond respond with a slight fear in his voice.

The twins hurried outside, they knew that every minute counted.

Several minutes later that as they stared the boy, they could hear him mumble, but his eyes were still closed.

"What does he say, Ada?" the twins asked their Adar.

"I do not know, though it is our last concern about it." Elrond answered as he immersed some leaves with the cold water and put it on the boy's forehead.

He found himself changing it from time to time, as he also prayed to the Valar. He did not want to lose the boy, as he gave him too much hope, and he did not wish to lose hope again.

2 Days later…

Estel was pale, though he had been awake now and then, before falling back to sleep.

And now two days later, Elrond and the twins were still worried of the boy's health, as the fever had not dropped, and the fear of losing that charming boy started to show all over again.

"What can we do Adar?" Elladan asked.

"Help me with the bucket of water, and use the torn clothes. We need to wash his brow to cool the heat." Elrond replied, worried of his son.

And so they did, making Elrond proud of them.

But Estel as he was seemed taking the heat for a longer fight, fight it, and the elves could hear the words that left from the boy's lips as he fought his inner demons.

It took time until the fever broke, though they still wash Estel, waiting to see him awake.

"Now all we have to do is to wait for him to open his eyes." Elrond said to them.

The twins nodded in agreement, as they stood watch over Estel's form.

As Dawn appeared outside, Estel stirred groggily, yawned softly and then he asked weakly, "What happened?"

Elrond and the twins sighed in relief to see him awake, and then Elrohir took cup of water, as Elladan helped Estel to sitting position as Elrohir let him drink slowly, not wishing to see his brother strangle.

"You were ill, my son," Elrond replied, stroking the boy's hair, as he continued, "the cold might be the reason for it."

Estel smiled weakly, and then he asked, "Who won?"

"No one. We stopped it right away." The twins replied as one.

Estel grinned; he loved it when the twins answered like this.

End of Chapter 4.