Hey everyone! I'm BACK OMG. So here all I will say is that everything will continue to be strangely alternate universey as we have all come to expect from me. Time lines and reality is super screwed up so if you have problems with that I'm really sorry. This chapter features more Estel and some prep for Elrond's discovery ()_() OH NO! I own NOTHING! NOTHING AT ALL! EXCEPT A DOG...NO ELVES AT ALL. Yep. Tolkien owns 'em. Ok. So...shout outs:
midnight13731: I have updated as of when you're reading this...enjoy :D
iluvaikka: Here's an update for ya...and yes, yes it is an Elrond and Erestor story :D We will get to see super lots of them in the chapter AFTER this one
britewing: No, he could only ever be irritated with Estel, never mad
kura-wolfgoddess: Thank you so much for reading it! I'm really glad you're enjoying it, Elrond comes in super tonnes in the chapter after this one so something to look forward to.
Ana: Oooh! Thank you, as I was typing it I couldn't exactly remember WHERE all those vowels go. ()_() There's just so many! Also...yes..yes 'Restor is in for it! ()_()
Gord and V: Descriptions of what exactly? I can definitely try-as I have in these updates...Thank you so much for your review! Hope you enjoy the update!
RebeccaSeverusSnape: Thank you so much! I"m glad you like it...Estel is just too cute as a kid, and if you abandon plot lines...it's kinda fun to have him there for random stuff
ANYWAYS. ENJOY!
The problem ate endlessly at Elrond's mind. There were so many questions needed answers. The most important of course was where had the blood come from?
So encompassing was his confused and worried thoughts that he doesn't even notice when Glorfindel floundered in with a small handful of reports from his men. "My lord?" the warriors voice finally broke through his far away thoughts.
"Hmm?" Grey eyes looked up and met blue and Elrond nearly leapt out of h is chair with shock.
"By Eru Glorfindel what are you doing in here?" He demanded in a voice rocked with anger and irritation, he agitatedly brushed a loose strand of hair from his face, as he glared at his Seneschal.
Unphased, Glorfindel offered a merry smile. "I am deeply sorry for knocking four times and upon receiving no answer, sticking my head in to ensure you were alive. I'm also sorry for when seeing you were staring worriedly out the window for approaching you. I am further sorry for tapping your shoulder and calling your name and title. Finally, I am ultimately sorry for bringing your attention back to the world and scaring you half to your death" Glorfindel babbled, sort of plopping himself on one corner of Elrond's large, well used desk.
"Thank you Glorfindel. What can I do for you?" Elrond all but growled.
"Well if that is how you are going to be, then perhaps I shall never do my job to it's fullest faculties" Glorfindel said, flourishing his handful of reports. Though his brow furrowed in confused, minute worry for his Lords odd behaviour.
Elrond shook his head and forced a small, worried smile. "Forgive me" he said quietly.
"Of course, is everything alright?" Glorfindel asked quietly as he handed over the reports, suddenly much more concerned than he had been a moment ago.
"Yes, Glorfindel, just distracted." he said softly.
"Alright, well..." The blonde trailed off as he got up and made as if to leave, though he wasn't totally convinced, it spoke volumes of his knowledge of Lord Elrond, when the brunette spoke again.
"Were you with Estel, at any time yesterday?" he asked gently, titling his head slightly as the soldier turned to look at him.
"Hmm..." he said, frowning slightly. "Well, for a little while early yesterday afternoon, he wanted to train with us, but I was training some of the older cadets on some advanced manoeuvres and they were too dangerous for him to be around, so I sent him to train separately with his brothers-After that? I didn't see him until the feast...Surely he is not missing?" Glorfindel asked quickly, already on high alert.
"No, no, he was just sporting a strange wound last night and I am trying to find out where it may have come from" the elf Lord said, only half lying.
"Oh...would you like me to ask my men if they know anything? Perhaps Estel tried to mimic something they were learning..." He asked, worriedly.
"Hmm, yes please, that would be very helpful. Thank-you Glorfindel." he said, in a tone that spoke only of dismissal.
Glorfindel nodded and left quickly, allowing Elrond to descend once again into his worry, irritation and confusion.
Erestor for his part spent the rest of his night soaked in his own worry and terror, how much did Elrond suspect? What exactly, if anything did Estel tell his father? What now would Elrond think of him, as a councillor, for sitting idle on the floor with a child when so much work and translating waited for him at a perfectly useable desk?
He worked late in the library, desperate to get away, even briefly, from his pain and worry.
The sun rose over the small cherry wood desk he chose to work at, summoning him to his actual office. He finally stood-after several straight hours at work-he had run out of reports and inventories at about 2 am, letters and requests by 2.30, after that he worked on translating poetry and old mythologies for human allies and for Estel's future.
Now he rose to his feet and almost immediately collapsed. His right foot gave out under him and he gasped and clapped his eyes shut and ground his jaw, apparently he had been sitting too long.
Reaching out, he took his socked foot in hand and began to massage ever so slightly. Closing his eyes he let out a sigh as feeling began to increase. He froze when the door opened and held his breath as it closed hoping he was hidden completely from the ridiculously early morning visitor.
He let out a soft sigh of relief, as the tiny unaccompanied footsteps indicated to him that it was only Estel.
"Master Erestor?" Estel called out in his most grown up voice.
"Estel?" Erestor called back quietly.
"Erestor? 'Restor? Why are you on the ground?" he asked, once he came around the corner and saw him he flew to his side on his knees.
At first glance his young face was soft and eager to see him. But when he assessed the situation and came to realize his tutor was sprawled on the ground, worry flew deep into every section of his face, glittering deeply in the eyes.
He climbed up so his eyes were on the same level and rested one of his little hand son Erestor's knee, the other on his chest, and he looked deeply into Erestor's eyes. "Did you bleed too much?" he asked in the earnest way of children.
"No, no penneth, I simply sat too long" he said softly, breaking off in shame.
"Oooh, the pins and needles-I hate that" Estel said, smiling softly, though he thrummed with worry still.
"Indeed" Erestor replied quietly, too pained to go further then that-Estel was so young to be burdened with this sort of worry and pain. He could not understand entirely why Erestor did such things and the fear and confusion would only eat at him. It also put him more at risk for repeating Erestor's behaviours if in the awkwardness of his youth he ever came to a place where he doubted himself, he may come to do the same thing if no-one else taught him otherwise.
"'Restor?" Estel brought him back to his senses.
"Forgive me, Estel. For everything" he said softly, doing his utmost to keep the anguish from his voice, his face, everything.
"But there's nothing to forgive!" Estel cried out, frustrated.
He leaned forward and cupped his tutor's cheek in both hands, forcing bloodshot brown eyes to stare into fiercely determined, deeply loving grey. "I love you Erestor, and you are hurting. Lots and lots. No one else can see that and I know why. Everyone things you're boring and mean. You don't act and talk the same way that other elves do. You don't like messy rooms, and you don't like dirty clothes, you hate to leave reports not done because it makes your desk messy. You're smaller then lots of other sleves your age. You're smarter then other elves and older too. You don't like to drink at night, you don't spend time with other elves unless Ada makes you. You ccan't get the ink off your hands and your hair is always pulled tightly out of your eyes." he babbled onwards.
"All of these things don't matter" Estel said sharply, dropping his hands, he took a deep breath and fought for his thoughts again.
"They make you a different elf. But I think that few other people can even see that that's ok. They don't see your neatness as good, something that makes you work better or whatever, they see a shiny desk with no papers on it and think about silly Erestor who has no friends but his quill and books. They don't realize that you don't have to waste time looking for a lost paper like 'Findel, you aren't late to meetings 'cos you always know where everything is. You are always clean which must mean that you never have any fun. They don't seem to realize that you have to always look stronger and more...put together then Ada even, because lots of people h ave to respect you, and people make fun of people with dirty clothes and messy hair. They see the ink on your hands and think about how you work too much. But no-one has any idea at all how much you have to do to make sure Ada does well in his work. You're smaller because you denote nights and days on end working-sometimes you forget to come eat with us. And you spend a lot of time going to get reports from people and bringing them to people-which is a lot of walking for someone who deosn't eat a lot. And I think that lots of people are scared and mad when someone is better at stuff...everything, then they are. So they just don't try to be friends" Estel broke off yet again. This time with determination and finality. A tiny smile on his lips and hope in his eyes.
Erestor was speechless, he knew Estel was a very bright young man-and the Númenor in him had always been exceedingly strong, but for someone to be so observant, so inciteful at such a young age was...almost beyond belief. This little boy saw and noted things that no others-no adult elves that he knew at least-had seemed to see or note. If this was Estel in his youth, then ERestor had no doubt that he would make a king of kings. The finest, the fairest and the most capable. He came back to reality at Estel's voice, once again.
"And I know that you will not be able to just feel better because of what I'm saying to you, but I'm just telling you that you don't have to feel bad at all for me finding out. I thought a lot about it...but I love you 'Restor, and I won't stop[ you from doing what you have to bleed and stuff, but I'd rather have you alive and damaged, then dead because your heart wouldn't take the pain anymore" Estel said, honestly.
Erestor gulped thickly, past the tears in his eyes and the lump in his throat. Then looked down as Estel uncurled the elf's icy fingers and pressed a small round stone into his palm. It was round and green flecked with red and black. It's polished surface was warm and wet from Estel's sweaty grip. "Why..." he began but Estel just grinned.
"'Dan gave it to me when he promised me he wouldn't put slugs in my bed anymore" Estel said, a tiny smile touched his childish pink lips.
Erestor couldn't help but smile as he remembered the incident that Estel spoke of his older brothers thought pranks were the finest things in the world including putting various insects and small mammals in their baby brother's bed.
It spoke volumes of tiny Estel's character when he had finally had enough and thrown a fit, not because the pranks had bothered him at all, but when he had accidentally killed a slug under his pillow, the useless death for the twins' sillyness infuriated him-so he had told his father and put a stop to it all.
"And now I want to give this to you, to promise YOU that I will never tell your secret" the little boy finished and pressed an innocent kiss to Erestor's cheek.
Erestor opened his mouth, but once again their conversation was interrupted. "Estel" Elrohir's voice.
"Are you in here?" Elladan's.
Both elders came around the corner but not before Estel curled Erestor's fingers around the stone, hiding it from sight.
"Yep" he replied, looking up at them with his usual warm grin.
"Elebreth, Erestor, are you actually sleeping in the library now?"Elladan asked as they saw him lying beside Estel.
"Oh yes, very comfortable" he retorted quietly.
Elrohir snorted "Well don't get lost down there. I would hate to have to dig you out" he said, solemnly.
"Dig me out? From what?" Erestor asked, confused.
Elladan howled with laughter as he spoke "From the rubble of the party we'll hold in here to celebrate"
"He means mourn" Elrohir put in with mock solemnity.
"Your loss" Elladan finished, scooping up his little brother and offering a hand to his tutor.
Erestor rolled his eyes and allowed himself-not for the first time in 24 hours-to be pulled to his feet by one of his esteemed lords.
"Why are you being mean?" Estel demanded as he pushed away from his brothers, sullenly.
"We're only kidding Estel" Elrohir said, brows furrowing in confusion at his little brother's abnormal aversion to their banter.
"It's just ribbing penneth-Erestor knows it" Elladan added in-their father had said the little boy was acting a little odd.
"'Tis nothing penneth nin-think little on it" he assured the young boy, winking ever so slightly to add weight to what he was saying.
"Oh...well...it's still mean" the little human said, arms crossed across his chest.
The twins shook their heads in unison "well, at any rate-we need to get you off to breakfast little peace-maker. Than to Glorfindel, and back here to this mustly old library for lessons with Erestor." They said, threading their words back and forth between them-a system, difficult to understand for anyone but close friends and family.
"But people are coming to visit us! Why do I have to train and do lessons? I wanna see the people! Grandma and Grandpa are coming soon, they might even be here today!" Little Estel complained.
Erestor smiled as he tidied up his books and inks and quills-the things he had been using that night. Estel may have been VERY intelligent, observant and inciteful, but he was undeniably still a child.
"I do not know penneth nin, personally, I think it is silly to waste such a day on learning, but apparently it is very important" Elladan said, in a wistful tone, remembering many of his own 'wasted' days.
"Do YOU feel that way 'Ro?" Estel asked and Erestor rolled his eyes as Elrohir nodded in agreement.
"Then why do we have to? It doesn't make it fair if we don't WANT to-we should get to choose!" Estel said expectantly.
"You think so?" Elladan asked, quietly with a teasing sort of conviction in his voice.
"Perhaps you should suggest it!" Elrohir said, gesturing at Erestor with his chin, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
"Boys!" Erestor said sharply "Do not put foolish ideas in his head please" Erestor said, warningly.
"Why don't we get to choose" Estel burst in, as the councillor picked up his things and walked slowly out of the library with the younglings.
"Because, while playing all day and spending endless time wtih visitors, friends and family sounds like and IS fun, you will find that as you grow older, you will have to learn things and master certain skills to progress in life. To attain any goals you have for yourself" Erestor explained calmly.
"But I just want to be a warrior! Like 'Findel!" Estel said, pointedly.
"A lofty goal" erector commented lightly.
"yes! and he doesn't need to know stuff, 'cept how to fight" estel said excitedly. As if he was sure he had found a loophole in Erestor's theory.
"Not so quick" Erestor said with a soft smile. "If Glorfindel has no schooling whatsoever, then how does he know how to write reports? How does he strategize his battle plans? How does he plan his raids and attacks with other generals? How is it that generals such as Glorfindel, end up writing books about things like wars, strategies, weapons and armours? Who do you think reads those types of books? How would they read them if they had never learned anything?" Erestor lectured pointedly.
"ooooooh" Estel said, stunned to silence by this revelation.
"Nothing in your life is ever simple, is it Erestor?" Elrohir teased as the boys walked away towards the dining hall and Erestor headed to his quarters to change and freshen up.