Chapter 5

Erestor's hope of finding Estel somewhere in the family wing had turned out to be as ill-founded as he had feared. After thoroughly searching all the rooms there, not only had the elf not found the little human, but after looking at Estel's room more closely, Erestor had discovered that the little one had taken several of his things with him. His backpack, rain clothes, his water skin and most importantly his little pen knife were all gone. It was all painting too clear a picture of what Estel had done - and there could be no question as to where he was going.

As upset as Estel had been when he had not been allowed to join the search party, and as worried as he had been about his brothers, of course Estel would try to go after them. Cursing despite himself, Erestor took a deep breath. He should have seen this coming! Estel was as stubborn and pig-headed as any other member of this family after all.

After leaving the family wing, Erestor had gone straight to the stables to confirm that Estel's pony had left as well. By then most of Rivendell had been up and searching, including the elves that worked at the stables. But no one had been able to tell him how long the pony had been gone.

"Rochdithen had been in his box when I turned in," was all the answer he got.

By now almost all of the elves of Imladris had joined in the search and still there was no sign of Estel. It was just after midnight, when they finished the search, but Erestor immediately ordered to assemble a search party anyway. Speed would be of the essence if they were to have any hope of finding him before he left Imladris altogether.

Erestor himself hurried to the healing wing. He would have to wake Elrond early with the help of a potion and then would have to tell his elven lord that while he had been in a potion-induced sleep, Estel had managed to disappear. Elrond's six year old son was now out there by himself, in the dark, intent on going after his missing brothers in an area with confirmed orc activity. And to top it off, there was still no sign of the search party returning and no report that the twins had been found.

All of Elrond's sons were now missing. Erestor did not relish the thought of the upcoming discussion, and the admission of what he had done, that it was largely his fault that Estel had left. But his own discomfort mattered little to him at the moment; all that mattered was that Estel would be found safe and unharmed.

-o0o-

Elladan climbed the sloping wall, made of loose rock, cluttering pebbles and mud. Every surface, every handhold was slick with water, the more so the higher he climbed. Not a stream then, but rainwater that had found a way through the ground and into the cave. And judging by the amount and speed, Elladan thought, hoped, that they must be close to the surface.

His foot slipped off a muddy rock and he dug his fingers deeper into the wall, finding it soft - much softer than it should have been. Soil, he realized. Soil and big stones, all fallen in a massive tumble, the edge of another cave entrance buried after a collapse. But this one was much thinner than the one they had left behind, much less solid and had to be closer to the surface, to the outside world.

Getting his foot back onto another foothold Elladan heaved himself higher. He could almost reach out to feel the high ceiling above him now - and then he saw it. A faint shimmer, a glimpse of something almost lost in the oppressive darkness. A light from outside.

He scrambled forward, pressing his face close to the small opening he had seen in that brief moment, and yes, he could look through it, look beyond the confines to the sky above. It was dark outside, and the clouds hung heavy in the air but for the briefest of moments the moon or the light of Ëarendil must have flared through a hole in the cover of clouds. It mattered not, the only thing of importance was that he had found a way out. A way to get his ailing twin out of this forsaken cave. All he needed to do was dig.

With a prayer of thanks to the Valar Elladan set to work. He struck his hand deep into the small opening he had found, scratching the skin on his knuckles in the process, but he had been right. The material was mostly soil, softened by the rain. It gave way easily and his hand struck through to the open sky on the other side of the thin wall. Dragging it back he removed a large clump of earth, then another, digging with the vigor of one close to long-craved freedom. Soon he would create an opening large enough for him and Elrohir to fit through and they would get out of this Eru-forsaken cave and he would take his twin home.

"Elladan?" The question was almost lost beneath the sound of his efforts but Elladan heard and turned back, away from the small hole he had already created.

"The wall is thin up here," he explained, "an old entrance that must have collapsed at some point. I am sure we can get through."

Elrohir was still sitting with his back against the tunnel wall, exhaustion written all over his fair features, but Elladan thought he saw some hope blossom at his words. A moment later it turned to dread as the top of the tunnel started to crumble above Elladan. As the first shower of smaller debris started, the older twin whirled around raising his arms to shield himself, but within seconds the drizzle became a landslide and he was swallowed by falling earth and rock.

-o0o-

Elrond was beyond furious. In truth, he could not find a word strong enough to describe what he felt, no word to describe his feelings as he looked upon his long time friend and advisor. Erestor had drugged him! Granted he had resorted to the same method once or twice himself, but never on someone whose sons were missing! And then Erestor had let Estel ... no, he could not think about that now. He would get a full and detailed explanation later. All that mattered now was to get his sons back in one piece: all of his sons.

He had already sent Glorfindel and his warriors to look for the twins, forcing himself to trust his seneschal to bring them back when all he had wanted was to fetch them himself. He would not sit waiting in Rivendell any longer! He would go and look for his youngest son himself. And the Valar help him if anything had happened to his Estel.

As Erestor shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, Elrond realized that he had not actually said anything in a while, but had simply stood there glowering at Erestor. 'Serves him right,' the lord of Imladris thought as he turned around and stomped over to the shelf next to the chief healer's desk. Elrond grabbed a satchel and quickly filled it with all the medicine and supplies he might need. He was already going through a mental list of what else might be needed and pointedly ignored Erestor, who had slowly followed him over to the shelf and was watching him worriedly.

"My lord..." Erestor started and waited for Elrond to acknowledge him. When that did not happen, he took a deep breath and spoke into the heavy silence between them: "My lord, I have already ordered the assembly of a second search party. With your permission I will lead the party myself and we will find Estel. I promise you that."

Finally Elrond's head whipped around to fix him with a stare: "No. You will stay here. I will lead the search party and I will find my son."

With those words the elven lord grabbed the satchel and went to speak with the other healers present. He quickly informed them that he would be leaving Imladris and asked them not only to look after the patients currently in the healing wing, but also to prepare for future arrivals.

Once he was finished, he briskly walked out of the Halls of Healing and towards the family wing with Erestor following him at a safe distance.

Twenty minutes later, after he had changed into proper clothes of boiled leather and his red-and-gold armor and after he had grabbed Hadhafang, the Lord of Imladris stood in Rivendell's main courtyard with the rest of the search party and waited for his horse to be brought to him. Rain had started to fall once more.

After much hesitation, Erestor approached Elrond again: "My lord, please let me go in your stead," he pleaded. "There might still be orcs about. It is not safe for you to leave Imladris."

But Elrond interrupted him: "You are right, it is not safe. But your worry is misplaced, I have fought in battles uncounted. It is Estel you should think of. Estel, whom you have lost. It is not safe for him! But this much is certain: No mere orc will stand between me and the safe return of Estel, of all my sons."

"Besides," the elven lord continued, as his horse finally arrived and he mounted it: "perhaps you should be more concerned with your own safety once everyone is safely back home. You have failed me, Erestor." With these final words, the Lord of Imladris spurred on his horse and left his advisor standing in the middle of the courtyard.

-o0o-

When Estel slowly became aware of his surroundings, it felt like he was sliding from a soft white world of nothingness into a dark, wet and cold world of pain. He was lying on the hard ground, his clothes sticking to his body uncomfortably, soaked through by the rain. He was shivering with cold and when he slowly opened his eyes, he could see only dark shadows. His head hurt terribly. Carefully grubbing around with his hands all he found was dirt and stones. Where was he? Slowly, Estel tried to lift himself into a sitting position but as soon as he started to lift his head, he could feel something wet sliding down the side of his face and before he was sitting upright, his head started spinning and he passed out again.

-o0o-

When Estel woke again, he could still feel the hard, cold ground underneath him. This time, however, he could feel something else as well. Something wet and small was dropping on his hands and face. It was a different wetness than before. Estel's sluggish brain needed some time before he realized that it was raining. Turning his head to the side, he slowly opened his eyes again. His head still hurt and he was still surrounded by shadows, but as he careful narrowed his eyes, he was slowly beginning to identify some of what he saw. There were trees around him and to his right was a big bush. Something roundish and black was lying next to it. After staring at it for several minutes, Estel recognized it as his bag. It must have been thrown off his pony. Before Estel could figure out a way to get to his backpack, he heard unfamiliar sounds from his other side. Frightened, he quickly turned his head around. He thought he saw movement before a wave of pain exploded between his temples, blinding him to the world. Before he had a chance to identify what had moved in the shadows, his world started to fade away again. His last conscious thought was that perhaps he shouldn't move his head so fast.

-o0o-

The next thing Estel became aware of was that someone was lifting him off the cold, wet ground. For a split second he thought that his ada had come and found him, but that hope was soon dashed. The people around him smelled strange and made unfamiliar noises. Unfamiliar and too loud, Estel realized.

He opened his eyes carefully. A strange-looking human man, going by the roundness of his ears, half-hidden behind wet strands of blond hair, was carrying him gingerly. The man looked dirty and worn-out. His hair dripped more rain on Estel as the man carried him away. Slowly Estel became aware of ever more humans around him; all moving away from the spot where Estel had lain. They were taking him with them, he realized slowly. Then the thought came again, more insistently. They were taking him with them!

He started to panic.

If the humans were taking him with them, then how was his ada supposed to find him? Estel struggled weakly and the arms around him tightened. The man was talking to him, but Estel couldn't hear him, didn't want to listen to the strange language he did not understand. The panic drowned out all noises and as Estel tried to struggle harder, the world closed in and he lost consciousness again.

-o0o-

Since leaving Rivendell behind him, Lord Elrond of Imladris had been driving his horse hard, refusing to look back or slow down. He was driven by only one thought: that all of his sons were missing. After millennia of being a father to the always trouble-finding twins, Elrond had grown accustomed to the worry that it entailed. He still worried every time they went missing, but he trusted Elrohir and Elladan to be able to handle the situations they got themselves into and to find their way home. They always had before.

Estel, however, was another matter. He was too young and helpless to get himself out of trouble. Although Elrond doubted the same could be said for getting into trouble. Estel seemed to have the same knack for finding danger as his older brothers. Within the confines of Imladris at least, little Estel could hardly get into serious danger, watched and loved not only by Elrond's family and advisors, but by all the elves in the Hidden Valley. But here, beyond the borders of his realm, Elrond did not even dare to imagine what Estel had gotten himself into. The feeling of dread and worry was a tight knot in Elrond's gut, reminding him of the very first time the twins had been missing. But there was also anger - not truly at Erestor, because it was not entirely his chief advisor's fault that Estel had slipped away unnoticed, but anger at himself: He should have seen this coming.

Following Estel's reaction after being denied a spot in Glorfindel's search party, he should have known that his youngest son was too stubborn to give up that easily. The elven lord should have taken the time to speak with his youngest and explain to him that while his will to help was very much appreciated, he could help better if he stayed in Imladris, just like Elrond himself. He should have kept Estel in the healing wing with him, and given him small things to do, things that would have made Estel feel useful. He should have ...

Elrond shook himself out of his thoughts. He could change the past no loner. Now he had to look to the future and to finding his little human son. He could hear the horses of his fellow elves behind him and knew that they had kept up with him, despite the near foolhardy speed he had been riding at. Now, as he started to pay closer attention to his surroundings, Elrond noticed that they had almost reached the borders of Imladris already. 'Must be a new record', he thought absentmindedly. To his dismay the rain that had briefly stopped falling was picking up again. That would certainly not aid them in their quest. They would have to take special care not to miss any signs of Estel's passing and would have to hope that the tracks would not be washed away.

Half an hour later Elrond and his warriors stopped for the first time since leaving the Last Homely House. They had just crossed the border and he intended to spread out his warriors as best as he could. Elrond was certain that Estel had kept just off the path in order not to be spotted. Despite his young age, Estel was quite clever and he knew that if Glorfindel and his search party would have spotted him, then Estel would have been sent back to Rivendell.

So Estel must have kept out of sight. What Elrond did not know was how accurately Estel knew the location of yesterday's battle with the orcs and whether he could find it. Estel knew the trail to the border and would have set out in the direction of the battle from here, but whether Estel would have actually known the right direction Elrond could not tell. No, it was better to spread out here and look for clues. Being young and human, Estel must have left signs they could follow even in the dark.

The elven lord said as much to his search party and had them spread out to look for possible clues. Elrond himself started surveying the forest floor in the general direction of the battle; maybe Estel had known the way. It was a dreary, fruitless search. Even for an elf it was hard to see any sign in the rain-streaked darkness. The moon was well hidden behind the clouds, but Elrond kept searching nonetheless. May the Valar aid him ...

He did not know how much time passed while he searched, but a sudden noise alerted him that he was no longer alone. He turned around and saw that two of his warriors had found him. Before he could get his hope up, however, he saw the warning on their faces. When they were close enough, one of them spoke, barely above a whisper: "A large party is coming up the path towards Rivendell. We could not identify them in the dark, but they will be upon us soon."

Not hesitating for a moment, Elrond walked back to the road and mounted his horse. He guided it to stand in the very middle of the path; just behind a bend in the road. His warriors soon joined him, standing just behind their lord, ready to face whoever would be coming up the road.

It did not take long before they heard the sound of hooves on the ground. Whoever was traveling towards them, they seemed not to be in a hurry, but neither were they hesitant. They knew these paths.

Two minutes later a group of riders came around the bend and stopped abruptly, when they saw the three elves blocking their path. Elrond relaxed instantly when he saw who had just come upon them: "Glorfindel", he acknowledged his old friend, who seemed very much surprised to find the lord of Imladris so suddenly before him. However, he would not be the great Glorfindel if he did not recover soon from such a surprise.

"My lord, whatever brought you here at this time of the night? We were just on the way back to Rivendell to report to you." His face showed his chagrin and Elrond already knew that Glorfindel had not found his sons before he continued. "We tracked Elladan and Elrohir to the mouths of a cave, but it is blocked entirely by a cave-in. In our efforts to dig through the ground collapsed again, causing injuries among the search party. We are returning the injured to Rivendell and hope to recruit some of the visiting dwarves to aid us when we return."

Here Elrond, who had been listening carefully, interrupted the Balrog slayer: "A sensible decision, my friend, however I am afraid the circumstances have changed in your absence. We will send the injured back with an escort and have them report to Erestor so that he may assemble a new rescue mission to leave tomorrow. But I need your help now on a more urgent search."

Glorfindel raised one of his eyebrows at this, but remained silent, waiting for Elrond to elaborate. However, at the next words both his eyebrows shot up to his hairline in shock:

"Estel is missing."

-o0o-

tbc...

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