Fading Light

A Broken Heart

A young boy sat alone on a cold stone bench in the middle of the courtyard.

He brushed away some of the snow that had piled up beside him and pulled his cloak tighter around himself.

It was nearly midnight but he wasn't tired. He was bored, and lonely. His brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, had been gone for weeks and were not planning on returning for many more.

And his father, Elrond, had left a few days ago to run an urgent errand. Lindir had told him that he would be coming home any day now and the boy wanted to be the first to greet him when he arrived.

His ears picked up the sound of hooves pounding against the path, he sprang from his bench and ran through the knee-high snow.

His excitement turned to curiosity as the sound of hooves merged with the frantic shouts of elves.

The boy watched as his father suddenly ran past him, carrying something in his arms and calling for a room in the healing wing to be prepared.

The boy followed quietly after him, areful not to make his presence known to his father.

He wanted to know who it was his father carried and what was wrong with them.

Inside the house the boy kept his distance as more elves crowded around his father.

He waited until the elves disappeared around a corner and then continued following.

Soon he came to the room that had been prepared for whomever it was Elrond carried.

The door was closed but he could hear the urgent voice of his father giving orders to the elves around him.

Cautiously the boy opened the door and peaked inside. He breathed heavily out of his nose in frustration as the figure on the bed remained hidden behind the group of elves.

The boy decided to try his luck and crept into the room, tiptoeing around the elves he tryed to catch a glimpse of the stranger.

Unfortunately his presence did not go unnoticed by his father.
"Estel! What are you doing in here?"

Estel jumped as Elrond walked up to him, grabbed his arm, and ushered him out the door.

"You cannot be here now Estel. Please wait out here until I am done."

Estel was barely listening, he had finally caught sight of the figure in the bed.

It was elf, but he was unlike any elf he had ever seen before. He was pale, and almost looked dead.

Estel's view was suddenly blocked as Elrond closed the door. The boy took a few steps backward and began to wonder about the elf inside.

Who was he? Where did he come from? What was wrong with him? How had he gotten in the state he was in?

Estel waited outside of the door for his father to finish. Finally the door opened and the elves who had been in there walked out.

Elrond came last and closed the door behind him. Estel approached him immediately and grabbed his hand.

"Who is that elf adar? What's wrong with him?"
Elrond sighed and knelt down in front of his son. He gripped him by the shoulders and explained everything to his son.

"He is an elf from Mirkwood, his father is a friend of mine and he has been here before. I found him laying injured in the snow just a day's ride from here. I do not know how long he was out there or how he received his injuries."

"He is injured?"
Estel asked widening his eyes.
Elrond nodded grimly.
"Yes, he has been wounded by something but I do not know what it was. He is in a lot of pain Estel and he needs to rest. It is important that he is not disturbed for any reason, understand?"