Oops.  I guess I made it sound as if Chapter 6 was going to be the last chapter in this particular story.  Actually, this chapter is the last one.  I had a few loose ends to tie up, such as Estel's fate at the hands of a frazzled Elrond and an indignant Glorfindel.

Karri:  I'm glad you like the snippets foreshadowing that Anomen will one day be reunited with Thranduil.  By the way, I love your story about the squirrel and the mud puddle!  ROTFL!  ^_^

Farflung: Yes, I think in this instance Elrond is permitting his judgment to be clouded by his affection.  But, hey, if you had a grip on Anomen/Legolas/Orlando, would you let go?

Kitsune: I'm not sure I want to let Saruman get in another shot at Anomen.  I don't want to wear out that plot device.  I'm thinking of introducing some different perils—send them up north for a change, instead of southward, and see what they encounter in that direction.

Dragonfly: Yep, tricksy elveses.  Yes, Estel did in effect save Anomen and the twins, and that fact does save his hide, as you will see in this concluding chapter.

MoroTheWolfGod: OK! OK!  I'm hurrying!  I'm hurrying! ^_^  Hey, do more with the horses!

After the Elves had cleansed the battlefield and purified themselves, they decided to travel part of the way back to Rivendell.  Elves dislike lingering close to scenes of bloodshed.  As it was late by the time they had set up camp and eaten supper, Elrond decided to leave until the morrow the conversation that he and Glorfindel were going to have with Estel.  But perhaps waiting until the morning was not wise, for when the little human arose, the terror and pain of the previous day seemed to have dwindled in his memory.  He cavorted about the camp chattering with all and sundry.

"Estel seems to be his usual irrepressible self," observed Glorfindel sourly.

Elrond sighed.  "He reminds me of Arwen.  Many a time I have wished that she were easier to frighten.  Pity she will be in Lothlórien for two decades at least.  I am sure those two would enjoy each other's company."

"Well, they will meet again someday and become fast friends, I am sure."

Elrond nodded.  "Be that as it may, now I must find the means to impress upon Estel the fact that he cannot wander at will."

"Why don't you ask Anomen what argument worked at last upon him?"

Elrond sighed again.  "As you know all too well, the only arguments that at last bore fruit were the dictates of Anomen's own increasing maturity."

"You shall have to wait long before the same arguments bear fruit with Estel!"

Elrond nodded morosely.  "I fear you may be right, mellon-nîn.  Nevertheless, I must do my best."  He called to the child.  "Estel!"

Estel looked toward his voice and saw Elrond and Glorfindel standing side by side, faces grim.  This was obviously a situation that called for a pre-emptive strike, although, of course, that phrase was not part of the child's vocabulary.  Estel scampered directly to Elrond and threw his arms around the elf-lord's knees.  "Ada!" he crowed.

"Humph," thought Elrond, "now the imp would choose to call me 'Ada'.  Only last week he dropped the 'Lord' in favor of 'Elrond' alone."

"Ada," said Estel in a rush, "I am so very, very sorry about the trellis.  You must be dreadfully angry.  Will you ever forgive me!?"

"Estel," replied the elf-lord, "I am not particularly troubled about the trellis, but I must point out that—"

"Oh, I am so glad that you are not dreadfully angry about the trellis.  You do not get angry easily.  You are a good, kind, dear father.  Yes, Ada, that is what you are, a good, kind, dear—"

"Estel," Elrond tried to interrupt.

"I know, Ada.  Even a good, kind, dear father must punish a tiny little child who breaks a trellis.  I won't blame you for punishing me for breaking the trellis."

Elrond groaned and looked helplessly at Glorfindel.  The balrog-slayer cleared his throat.  "Estel," he growled in the most awful voice he could summon.

Estel clung more tightly to Elrond's knees and looked up appealingly at his 'Ada'.

"Estel," continued Glorfindel.  "I do not care about that trellis in the least."

 Estel brightened.  "Oh, I am very glad.  Then you won't want to punish me at all!"

"The trellis is not important.  But climbing down the trellis is!"

"Oh, yes, Lord Glorfindel.  Climbing down the trellis turned out to be very important.  If I hadn't climbed down the trellis, I wouldn't have gotten out of Rivendell, and if I hadn't gotten out of Rivendell, then you wouldn't have come looking for me, and if you hadn't come looking for me, then you wouldn't have been able to rescue Elladan and Elrohir and Anomen, and if you hadn't rescued Elladan and Elrohir and Anomen, then those nasty Orcs would be eating them for supper right now!  So, yes, I do understand that climbing down the trellis was very important!"

It was now Glorfindel's turn to look helplessly at Elrond.  "Perhaps," said that elf-lord, "we should let his tutor, Erestor, explain matters to the child.  Events may still be too near at hand for them to be explicated satisfactorily.  Moreover," he added, "mayhap we should also press Anomen into service.  He would be able to talk to Estel in terms that the little human would be able to comprehend."

Glorfindel shrugged his shoulders, and so the two elf-lords yielded the field, so to speak, to the precocious little Dúnadan.  Muttered the balrog-slayer as they walked away, "I pity the diplomats and ambassadors who will someday sit opposite that child."

"Aye," said Elrond.  "I suspect Estel will always best his counterparts in negotiations over trade and alliances.  Well, let us mount up and resume our journey to Imladris.  The sooner we arrive, the sooner Erestor will take this child off our hands!"

Mithrandir was at the Hall when the weary troop of Elves rode through the gates of Rivendell.  He had arrived immediately after Elrond and Glorfindel had departed in pursuit of Estel.

"Ah, Anomen," he said merrily.  "I see that you have been having adventures in my absence.  And you once again have taken along Estel.  Well, well."

"I did not 'take along' Estel," protested Anomen.

"No, did you not?  By the way, when I was strolling in the garden this morning, I noticed that a trellis no longer stands beneath your window.  A new one has been built to the side, shorter and out of reach.  Would there be a reason for that?"

Anomen blushed.  How did Mithrandir do that!?  It would not be the last time that he would wonder this.

A few days later Mithrandir invited Anomen to accompany him to the banks of the River Bruinen.  Mithrandir had spent much of his time closeted with Elrond, Glorfindel, and Erestor, so Anomen was grateful to have a chance for a private talk with his mentor.  Mithrandir questioned him closely about all his doings, nodding approvingly for the most part, frowning occasionally, and putting in a few words either of advice or remonstration.  At last they reached the river.  Mithrandir stared at it thoughtfully.

"This river is a powerful weapon against the enemy."

"In what way, Mithrandir?" asked Anomen curiously.

"Ah, did you not know that the waters will rise up against any foe who may try to cross the Bruinen?"

Anomen shook his head.

"Yes, it is so.  Enemies may assault Rivendell from other directions but it is to be hoped that they will not enter from this side—not as long as water fills the channel.  I pray that drought never causes it to run dry."

"If this becomes known," said Anomen thoughtfully, "the enemy may try to dam the waters upstream of the realm of Imladris."

Mithrandir nodded grimly.  "Aye, I would not put it past the enemy to try to torture the very shape of the earth in pursuit of its ends.  That is why Elrond has the valley patrolled constantly, so that he may receive early news of any attempt to tamper with the channel."  Suddenly Mithrandir changed tack.  "Look you at that bend in the river.  Would it not be dramatic if a herd of watery horses thundered round those rocks and galloped down to that point there?"

Anomen let his imagination bloom.  "Aye, very dramatic indeed.  Will you conjure such a herd?"

"Not today, I think." The Istar had a faraway look in his eyes, as if he were seeing visions of a time to come.  At last the wizard shook his head abruptly, as if ridding himself of unwanted thoughts.

"Come.  Let us turn back toward the Hall."

Mithrandir resumed his questioning of Anomen and began to ask him about Estel as well.  After a while, Anomen excused himself and stepped behind a tree.  To his surprise, Mithrandir promptly joined him.

"You don't mind sharing this tree, do you?"

"Oh, no, of course not."

Now or never, thought Anomen.  Briefly he looked slantwise at the wizard.  Mithrandir was looking straight ahead and did not seem to notice.

Finished, the two resumed their path toward home.

"Well," said Mithrandir cheerfully, "I have satisfied my curiosity today, and I hope you have satisfied yours."

How, oh how, did Mithrandir do that!?

Back at the Hall, Anomen at once went in search of the twins.  He found Elladan and Elrohir in the stable currying their horses.  "I have important news," he announced solemnly.  "Mithrandir must have had a mother and a father—either that, or the Valar have equipped him with redundant parts."

Elrohir looked delighted, but Elladan stared at him aghast.

"I hope you still have all your parts!"

Anomen looked uneasy.  "Excuse me for a moment."  He went in search of an empty stall.  After a while he returned, relief on his face.  "Everything is there."

"Yes," said Elladan darkly, "but in working order?"

"As to that," said Anomen, "I will drink a little water and tell you shortly."

Elladan gazed at him with amazement, and Elrohir with amusement.

"Anomen," chortled Elrohir, "have you no other way of making sure that those parts are in operational order!?"

"What other way would there be?" asked Anomen innocently.

Elladan and Elrohir hooted with laughter.

"Elladan," gasped Elrohir, "it is no wonder that the Mirkwood Elves have been dwindling in number!"

"They have been dwindling," protested Anomen indignantly, "because of the depredations of spiders and Orcs!"

"Aye," agreed Elladan, "but you must admit that the, ah, replacement rate has been very low!  Elrohir, mayhap we should mount a mission of mercy to our benighted Mirkwood brethren."

"Aye, brother," said Elrohir with mock seriousness.  "But first, don't you think we should explain matters to Anomen here."

"Oh, indubitably brother!  But," added Elladan, "I draw the line at demonstrating!"

"Agreed.  We will enlighten him, but from there, he will have to take matters into his own hands."

"So to speak."

"Aye, so to speak."

Whilst this lighthearted exchange was taking place, Elrond and Mithrandir were having an exchange of their own.

"Elrond," said Mithrandir, rolling his glass between his hands, "Elladan and Elrohir each have separate rooms, but Anomen shares with Estel.  Why is that?  He is nearly of an age with the twins."

"True," replied Elrond, "and Anomen did indeed have his own room for a while, but when Estel arrived, I had a bed placed for him in Anomen's room.  I thought it best that the child have companionship for a time, and I believed that as a fosterling himself Anomen could best help Estel adjust to his new surroundings."

"No doubt a wise decision, but now Estel seems to have made himself quite at home.  I think Anomen should once again have a room of his own."

"Have you any reason for your sudden interest in these domestic arrangements?"

"Yes.  I think Anomen may need the privacy to explore his inner Elf—as well, I might add, as his outer one!"

Elrond groaned.  "His outer Elf!?  Oh, would that this next century would pass as quickly as a decade."

"Be careful what you wish for," warned Mithrandir.  "The century after this one will bring its own challenges."

Elrond nodded.  "Yes, you are correct, my old friend.  This will be the century of talking and smirking."

"And looking," added Mithrandir, with a smile.

"Aye, and looking!  But in another century—"  Elrond shuddered.  "Mithrandir, my friend, please pour me another drink!"

Now it was Mithrandir who raised an eyebrow.  Elrond scowled at him.

"I do not think that it would be out of order for me to have a second glass of wine once every century or so!"

"You have," Mithrandir pointed out, "already had two."

"Very well, then.  A third glass of wine."

Mithrandir laughed but refilled Elrond's glass.  The two friends raised their glasses for a toast.

"May this century, and the next, pass quickly," Elrond declared fervently.  With that the two friends drained their glasses, but they both knew that it would require more than the fortifying influence of an occasional glass of wine for them, and their charges, to come through the next centuries unscathed!

So ends another episode in the life of Anomen and his merry band of co-conspirators.   Now I must keep a promise and post a story that is set several centuries back, when Anomen was much younger and a relative newcomer to Rivendell.  Action and Angst fans, do not fret; after I post the elfling story (to be titled "Elfling Retribution") I will return promptly to running our beloved Anomen through the twin mills of warfare and sexuality.  So many stories and so little time!