By nautika
Summary: An unexpected incident changes Elrond's life. Can he and his family adapt?
Disclaimer: Love them, but don't own them, wouldn't know what to do with them if I had them. Definitely not making money from them.Author's notes: I consider all of my stories AU. This, for example, does not include Aragorn's mother. Constructive, not destructive, review appreciated. Please let me know if you like it! It's my first attempt at a longer fiction and I worked on it for a long time. Thanks to Kellen and Mackie for their input when I was trying to get this story outlined, to Celebwen for beta-ing the latter chapters and to DeepBlueSomething who provided the title when I couldnt think of one.
Adar/Ada Father/informal for Father
Dan & Ro nicknames for Elladan & Elrohir
Ion nin my son
I use both Gandalf and Mithrandir for the Gray Wizard.
Some additional translations may be between / and /
I am not a physician or any type of medical expert, so please do not try these things at home!
That Precious Link, Chapter 1, Unexpected Patient
The young man struggled through the darkened woods. The trees bent to the will of the great gusts of wind, but he took no notice. His entire being focused on staying in motion. He was moving totally on instinct, not consciously aware of his destination. He only sensed that to stop would mean his death.
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Two elves soundlessly patrolled the border of Rivendell. They had counterparts scattered along all parts of the border. There had been no unrest of late, but it did not pay to lower one's guard. The keen eyes and ears of the warriors were attuned to every sound and movement. Dawn was approaching and soon they would return to their homes to breakfast with their families. Except for the weather, which had little effect on elves, it had been an uneventful patrol. Still, they were as alert as they had been when their shift began. Their replacements had just arrived when they heard movement in the woods. Someone was coming down the path. The clumsy footfalls and loud breathing assured them it was not an elf.
Exchanging looks, they stepped forward to investigate and were stunned by what they saw.
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Elrond of Rivendell was strolling through his garden, occasionally stopping to touch a plant or to lower his head and inhale the scent of a petal. Elrond enjoyed this time of day. It was a time of serenity and contemplation for him. His many duties filled his days and evenings. He was Lord of a realm and that alone carried much responsibility. Reviewing legal situations, meeting with councils and visiting schools were only a small part of his routine. He was also a healer, probably the best in Middle Earth. He gathered and preserved a variety of medicinal herbs, growing many in his own garden. The elf lord examined and treated his patients, worked in his lab and read through his vast medical library to insure he was giving them the full extent of his medical knowledge. Many of the books were thorough journals he had compiled himself over the centuries. Diseases and other conditions were meticulously documented with notes and sketches. Elves did not fall prey to illness, but there were always injuries and poisonings enough to keep the lord and healer busy.
Men came to him as well as elves, for Elrond was only half elven and the realm he ruled was the most open to other beings. Not only had his twin brother chosen a mortal life, but his youngest son, Estel, was of the race of men, adopted by Elrond when he was a child. That was the other role in his life…being a father. Lord Elrond cherished all his duties, but the one of father was his favorite, though it could not always come first. He was continuing to train all three of his sons in the healing arts. It allowed him to spend time with them and comforted him that they could care for themselves and their companions when they were beyond his reach. Estel, of course, could not touch the minds or spirits of his patients to aid in their care, but he had the promise of being a great healer of men someday. Elrond privately believed the twins could rival his own ability were they ever to give up their time as warriors and focus on healing. It was not meant for an elf to excel at both and as long as the twins lived in both worlds, their healing ability would be lessened by their warrior ways. But all his sons loved taking up sword and bow to defend that which they treasured and he would not have them change. Some day, Estel, for once benefiting from not being an elf, would be great in healing and in battle.
Thinking of his youngest in battle saddened the elf lord and he mentally shook himself. During this part of his morning, he focused on positive things, such as the beauty surrounding him. It was a method he used to maintain his calm throughout the day.
Doors slammed, chairs scraped and Elrond chuckled softly. The twins were up and at the breakfast table, engaging in another of their endless debates. Sometime it seemed as though Estel was older than his twin brothers, even though he'd lived only a couple of decades and the twins had lived for centuries. Of course, that was never the case when he and his brothers were together. Still smiling, Elrond went to join Elladan and Elrohir for the first meal of the day.
Unfortunately, they would not get to eat it.
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Elrond had barely taken his place at the table when there was a disturbance at the door. The elf serving the meal made as if to answer the door as someone knocked forcefully on it, but Elrond halted him with a motion of his hand as he pushed back from the table. The twins stood and followed their father to the entryway. The elf lord opened the door and motioned those outside to enter. As the first of their guests crossed the threshold, Elrond saw he was carefully holding a body in his arms. Elrond's skills as a healer were often in demand and his home was always open. He gestured to Elladan to relieve the first warrior of his burden and immediately turned to the second warrior to obtain any information that might be helpful before examining the patient. Before he could begin his questioning, however, Elladan interrupted. "Adar!"
The healer quickly turned toward his eldest. In his arms, Elladan held the inert body of his human brother. Estel's head dropped limply back, his left arm dangled awkwardly, he was perspiring heavily and his skin was flushed. Elrond took his youngest in his arms and moved swiftly up the stairs to his room. Those left behind stared after him only a moment before springing into action. Elladan thanked the warriors and gathered what information he could from them; Elrohir went to the medicine closet to gather bandages, athelas and other herbs. He had seen no sign of blood, but where his younger brother was concerned, bandages were usually needed. The servant, accustomed to many illnesses and injuries from the youngest of the household, began heating water.
xxx
Elrond gently placed his youngest on his bed and began to remove his garments. Dirt and grime covered both his clothes and body, increasing the risk of infection. Elrond stopped long enough in his task to brush the hair from the human's face. Even unconscious, the human's face bore signs of great distress. Elrond turned back to his task. The sooner he could locate and care for his son's injuries, the sooner that look would be gone from his features.
Elrohir entered the room quietly, placed the herbs and bandages on a bedside table and began aiding his father. The two had no need for words. They had performed this duty many times for Estel and for the countless number of other patients they had treated over the centuries. Their movements were gentle and sure.
Elladan had finished speaking with the warriors, learning only that Estel had lost consciousness as soon as they had seen him. He had arrived on foot, other warriors were being sent out to look for his horse. They would carefully retrace his steps and report back to Elladan when they returned. After thanking the elves and releasing them to return to their families, Elladan accepted the heated water and some clean cloths from the servant and climbed the stairs. At the door to his human brother's room he paused a moment to observe his family. His father and twin wore somber expressions and as they finished unclothing the young man, Elladan's focus moved to the form on the bed. "He's too still. Estel hates being still."
"Elladan?" Elrond's voice spurred him back into motion. He hurried to Elrond's side and poured a portion of the warm water into the bedside basin. The elf lord accepted a cloth from his eldest and dipping it into the water, began to wash his youngest, gently moving the dampened cloth across his face and down to his neck.
Elladan moved to the other side of the bed to fill a small dish with water. His twin selected a few leaves of athelas and dropped them into the dish. The smell of the medicinal herb permeated the room.
The combination of the scent and of his father's gentle ministrations soothed the distress from Estel's face. Elladan silently sighed in relief and turned to light a fire in the fireplace. Elves rarely suffered from the cold, but his human brother did and he had been out in the wind for Valar knew how long. Elladan lit the flame and moved to the chest where his brother stored his nightwear; smiling as he thought of the time they had removed all his clothes to treat him, and had not thought to re-dress him. The human had not been pleased!
"Adar?" Elrohir's voice was questioning, but his twin also heard a trace of fear and quickly moved toward Estel's bed.
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"Estel!" Elrond placed his right hand on his son's forehead and slipped into deep concentration. The twins watched in silent support, barely breathing. They knew their father was not easily distracted when treating a patient, but fear of losing their brother ate at their hearts.
From the foot of the bed, Elladan watched as his youngest brother's breathing pattern began to match their father's. Elrohir's fingers were on Estel's wrist, monitoring his pulse. He relaxed slightly as the pulse evened out and became stronger. The twins' eyes met and they allowed themselves a small smile. Their father had done it again – why had they worried? As their eyes returned to the bed, Elladan frowned slightly. His brother seemed stable – why had their father not severed the connection between them? Elrohir, noticing his elder brother's expression, gently raised Estel's eyelids. The pupils responded properly. His skin, while still warm, was cooler than before; his pulse and breathing were almost normal.
Unfortunately, Elrond's was not. The elf lord's breathing was suddenly ragged and a fine sheen of perspiration covered his face, which had lost all color.
"Elladan!" Elrohir alerted his twin, who was closer to their father.
In one glance, the elder twin took in the sudden change in his father and moved to his side. His mouth near Elrond's ear, he spoke softly, "Ada, all is well. Return to us."
Seeing no change, Elladan placed one hand around his father's waist and the other under his elbow and spoke with an air of authority. "Ada, Elrond, return!"
Elrond's eyes flew wide, then rolled back into his head and with a great gasp, he fell into Elladan's arms.
A/N This chapter was reloaded to deal with spacing issues. nautika