Faelwen was sitting close to the fire, her arms wrapped around her knees, thoroughly enraptured by the story that Erestor was in the process of telling. The day was growing late and many of the elves had gathered in the Hall of Fire to await the return of Glorfindel, the twins, and the border guards from a routine patrol.
The dark-haired advisor was one of the most gifted story-tellers in Imladris, and the whole room was hanging on his every word. Smiling contentedly, Faelwen leaned back against the wall, her eyes alight with interest as she stretched her long legs in front of her. It had been many years now since Celebrian had sailed and in that time, they had slowly put their lives back together again. Absently, she began to twist her golden hair into a long braid as Erestor continued with his lively tale.
"You must be looking forward to seeing your brothers again, penneth," said Lindir quietly, as he sat down beside her. "It has been three weeks since they left."
"I am," Faelwen nodded, smiling. "It is always so quiet when they are away!"
Lindir grinned conspiratorially and nodded in agreement. It was true, what with Celebrian gone and Arwen in Lothlorien, the house did seem to be a bit too quiet when the twins and Glorfindel were absent. Not that Faelwen was ever lonely of course. She had plenty to do, what with her healing studies and she often spent a lot of time in the library with Erestor or in the family wing with Elrond. And then there were the times that Legolas or Haldir and his brothers would come to stay - those times were always wonderful - but she still liked it best when the twins were safely at home; singing loudly in the mornings, arguing playfully with Glorfindel or gently teasing her for being so shy.
Faelwen didn't know when exactly she fell asleep, but she must have been left to slumber for several hours, because it was twilight when Lindir gently shook her awake.
"Time to wake up, little one!" he teased fondly as she blinked at him uncertainly. "The patrol has returned."
"They are back? Are the twins well?" asked Faelwen, hurriedly scrambling to her feet and nearly overbalancing in her haste.
"Peace, Faelwen. They are both alive and well," said Lindir calmingly, before his face turned solemn. "But they have brought bad tidings. The rangers of the north have been attacked and several of their elders, including their leader Arathorn have been slain." Those words immediately stopped Faelwen in her tracks and she regarded Lindir warily.
"Are they here in Imladris, Lindir?" she asked nervously, her face draining of colour.
"No, young one, fear not. There are no rangers in Imladris at the moment," soothed Lindir, knowing that these questions simply came from Faelwen's paralysing fear of humans. "But you may be surprised when you see who the twins have brought back!"
Puzzled, Faelwen headed out of the Hall of Fire and proceeded towards the family wing to Elrond's study, where, as she correctly guessed, her father and brothers were gathered, along with Erestor and Glorfindel.
She knocked politely and entered at her father's command. She was immediately accosted by the twins, who grabbed her between them into a tight hug.
"Welcome back, my brothers," she gasped, a little winded, hugging them both in turn and kissing both their cheeks. "It has been entirely too peaceful without you!"
"Do not encourage them, Faelwen, for Valar's sake!" said Glorfindel, rolling his eyes in mock-exasperation, though he could not stop from smiling. Everyone knew that his gruff jokes meant nothing – he was extremely fond of the twins, no matter how much he insisted otherwise.
"I heard about the Rangers from Lindir," Faelwen suddenly became serious again. "Were any of the patrol hurt?"
"Only one minor casualty, no need to worry." said Glorfindel. "It was Tiarnon. He was grazed on the arm by a glancing blow, but it was not poisoned. It has already been tended to."
Faelwen suddenly realised that Elrond had not yet spoken, and looked over at her father. Her eyes widened in confusion when she noted that he was holding something small, wrapped in a Ranger's green cloak.
"Ada?" she quizzed hesitantly. "What…?"
"He, gwaleth, is the real casualty of the battle." said Elladan sadly.
"He?" repeated Faelwen, still very much puzzled. Elrond walked over towards her and drew back a little of the cloak and Faelwen found herself looking at a tiny face with enormous eyes. She had never seen anything so small before!
"Arathorn's son," explained Glorfindel. "And now an orphan. The rangers cannot raise a child; they move about too much and poor mite would be in constant danger from the numerous threats in the wild. We did not know what to do with him, so we brought him back here."
Faelwen nodded silently, both mesmerised and wary. Being the youngest elf in both her adopted and biological family, she had never really been around a child before. But the fearful voice in her head reminded her that this child would grow into a human man…the one thing on earth that truly terrified her.
"Poor little thing!" said Elrohir sadly. "He is but little more than a new-born, and he's already lost both his parents to orcs!"
"What are we to do with him, Elrond?" asked Glorfindel.
"I will raise him," said Elrond, gently rocking the baby in his arms. "He is a descendant of Elros – it is only right that I should keep him from harm. Outside of Imladris, he would be hunted. Yes, I think its best that this little one has a safe home to grow up in. But, mark me, his destiny must not be revealed, nor his true name. While he resides here, he will be called Estel."
"Estel…'hope'," Erestor nodded. "That is appropriate."
"He is part of this family now," said Elrond. "His destiny will only be revealed to him when he is old enough to understand it."
"Hello, little brother," cooed Elladan, tickling the baby's tummy and laughing as Estel burbled. "Can I hold him, Ada?"
"Of course," smiled Elrond, passing their newest addition into his oldest son's arms. Elladan began to pull silly faces and tickle the baby's nose with the end of his braids. Judging by the high-pitched giggles, Estel approved.
"Can you not find a more appropriate roll model for him?" joked Glorfindel to Elrond. "I do not need another one like these two!"
"He will be well loved, I think," Elrond replied with a smile, watching how both the twins fussed over the baby, before casting an anxious glance at Faelwen. He could see the indecision plastered all over her face. It was clear she wanted to go closer, but the old fear of humankind was making her keep her distance.
"Iel-nin? Would you like to hold him?" Elrond asked gently. Faelwen looked up in alarm as Elrond took Estel from Elladan and sat down next to her.
"No, Ada, please!" she protested. "I will drop him!" The baby looked so frail and tiny!
"Nonsense, penneth," smiled Elrond, gently lowering the baby into her arms, guiding her to show the correct way to cradle him. Faelwen bit her lip, almost afraid to move. She looked down into the large grey eyes that were watching her with tranquil curiosity. How could something this tiny be so frightening?
"See?" said Elrond softly, putting an encouraging arm around her. "There is nothing to it."
Faelwen wanted to agree, wanted to lose all her worry, but she found that the small piece of her heart that still bore a scar could not be ignored. Could she truly love a human as a brother?
Elrond was more than aware of the conflicting feelings that his daughter was suffering from. He also knew that her gentle heart could not bear to shut anyone out. Especially such a small, frail, helpless little child. He knew that it would only be a matter of days before she came to care for this new little brother as deeply as she cared for the twins. And he was fairly sure he knew how to help her along…
"He is a bit like you, Faelwen, you know," said Elladan the next morning as the two of them and Elrohir made their way down to the dining hall together. "A lonely, helpless little one abandoned and desperately in need of some love."
"Or at least, he is like how you were," said Elrohir with a teasing grin. "For you are not so little or so helpless anymore."
"Ha! That is right, and do not forget it!" said Faelwen, slapping him playfully, thoroughly enjoying being in the twins' company once again. But Elladan's playful words had set her thinking…
In a sense, what he had said was true. Faelwen had once been in the same position as Estel. Not orphaned, but lost and alone, seemingly without any place in the world. She remembered how scared and haunted she had felt in those darkest days – nightmares which did not plague her often now – and how those dark feelings had been pushed away by the warm emotions of having a family who cared for her and loved her. Did not Estel also deserve to know this wonderful feeling? She knew in that moment that no matter how difficult it was, she had to lose her fears and give the child the same love that she had received. It was her duty!
After breakfast, Faelwen made her way up through the beautiful corridors of Imladris towards Elrond's study. Her father had not attended the meal as he was tending to Imladris's newest arrival and she wanted to see if there was anything she could do to help.
"Will you watch him for me, while I fetch some food from the kitchens, iel-nin?" Elrond asked. "I will not be gone long and he has only just been fed, so I doubt he will wake soon."
"Of course, Ada," said Faelwen nervously, looking over at the wooden cradle where the tiny figure was lying in peaceful slumber.
"Thank you," smiled Elrond, sensing that she was beginning to lose her fear. "I will be back shortly." And with that, the elf lord gracefully exited the room.
Biting her lip thoughtfully, Faelwen walked towards the cradle and gazed down at the dark-headed baby. Something about this picture of innocence tugged at an unknown area in her heart, and when she smiled as a tiny fist curled up a handful of blanket, she knew that she truly could do this. She could love this child.
"You are so small," she whispered, gently stroking one chubby cheek. "You can't be menacing, can you? I think I'm beginning to understand now. But you're safe here - we will all protect you. You're not going to know any of the sorrow that I had to know. I promise, Estel, I will keep you safe."
All of a sudden, Estel's small face screwed up and he began to cry; the high wails echoing around the chamber. Faelwen panicked.
"Ada! Ada!" she called desperately at the door, before looking back at the cradle and wincing desperately. The vulnerable-sounding cries made her want to weep too. About half a minute had passed and still Elrond did not appear. Finding no alternative, Faelwen hesitantly picked the baby up, taking care to hold him as Elrond had shown her; making sure that his head was well-supported.
"Please, little one, do not cry!" she pleaded, rocking him gently. "Don't cry, Estel. I'm not going to hurt you. Ssssh." And in a gentle, lilting voice, she began to sing softly. It was an old lullaby – now the only memory she had left of her biological father.
Soothed by the song, Estel soon quietened and began to look up at his foster-sister with huge, curious eyes. Suddenly, a tiny hand shot up and reached for a lock of Faelwen's golden hair, pulling on it gently, before the little mouth turned upwards in a gleeful, happy gurgle.
And in that moment, Faelwen Elrondiel well and truly lost her heart to the little bundle in her arms. She pressed the gentlest of kisses onto his forehead and began to sing to him again, all the while rocking him gently in her embrace.
Outside the door, a satisfied Elrond smiled triumphantly at Glorfindel.
"I knew it would work," he said happily. "I knew that she would be bowled over as soon as she held him properly. Faelwen is too soft-hearted to keep anyone out of her affections, and I have the feeling that she is going to grow to love him dearly."
"Elrond, you are a very devious elf!" laughed Glorfindel quietly. "But you are right as always. It will be good for Estel to have a role model who is a little more staid than the twins. Valar knows I love them dearly, but there is still a part of them that is reckless and rash. And if anyone can finally convince Faelwen that she has no need to fear humans, it will certainly be the one human she allows into her heart."