A Dragon for Estel
Kuramagal
(A/N): This is the last chapter, in it madness ensues. And everyone is asking the question 'why me.' Glorfindel gets stuck with a difficult task and somewhere in the middle we see Elrohir as a princess, Elladan as the prince rescuing said princess and Erestor as the kitten/balrog/dragon/. It will all make sense later, I promise! Anyway, happy reading!
Estel's having a hard time falling asleep so Elrohir, Elladan, Glorfindel and Erestor decide to tell him a story. Fluff
Chapter Two: Why Me
The four elves look at Estel and then one another. "Now what do we do?" Elladan clandestinely whispered to his brother. His brother just had to open his mouth, his mind began to supply him with all things he would do to his twin once Estel was asleep. It would be safe to say his brother wouldn't be able to escape his rage. Well, at least Estel's calmer now, the logical part of his brain reasoned. He and his anatomy, especially the lower part, preferred a calm Estel to a thrashing one.
Elrohir turned to his brother. "Why are you asking me?" he demanded through clenched teeth, trying not to be loud enough for Estel's exceptional hearing to pick up. However, he knew his attempt would be in vain; after all Estel had excellent hearing for one of the edain. He often wondered just how much elven heritage the boy had in him. After all, he had never met a child with hearing that was that good.
"It was your brilliantidea!" Elladan retorted, a rather forced smile plastered on his face. Elrohir was about to say something rather uncomplimentary and probably something his father would skin him alive for saying in front of Estel, when a little voice spoke up.
"Story, please," Estel chirped, his eyes bright, innocent and expectant. Estel remembered his Ada telling him that the word 'please' was good to use if he wanted to get something. So he decided this was a good time to use it. After all, what his Ada told him was never wrong.
Elladan smiled when Estel said that word. He remembered when he had been little. His Adar had said that please would endear people to give him things, his father also said it would make others happy. It was evident that Elrond had told Estel this as well. Elladan looked thoughtfully at his brother. Perhaps a demon was too harsh, Elladan decided in a rather detached way, his mind traveling back to his previous opinion of the child. After all, he had to give the Estel points for politeness.
"Who's going to tell him a story?" Erestor demanded quietly, looking from the twins to Glorfindel. Elladan gave the other advisor a look that told him who was going to be tell Estel his story if he didn't stop asking.
"Story!" Estel demanded again, sounding a little more impatient. He had asked nicely before, but he still wasn't getting what he wanted. And that wasn't making him happy.
"Of course pen-neth," Elladan said soothingly, and then he none-to-gently shoved his twin forward. "Elrohir is going to tell you a story right now."
The look Elrohir gave Elladan over his shoulder was enough to actually scare his twin. Since when had his brother learned to replicate Erestor, Glorfindel and his father's looks and combined them as one? Elladan didn't have the answer to that question. But he was quite sure it was a recent development.
"But … I …" Elrohir looked lost for words. Why had he been the one Elladan had shoved forward? Couldn't he have just pushed Erestor forward? It wasn't like this was his fault! He slumped on the edge of the child's bed. Estel looked at his brother for a few seconds. It was then that Elrohir noticed the look his brother was giving him. He had expected the child to look happy or eager, but contrary to his expectations, Estel only looked annoyed.
Estel frowned at Elrohir and then in a loud voice declared. "No want you to tell me a story!" Estel shook his head and crossed his little arms over his chest. Elrohir did a double take, What? He didn't have to tell a story? A broad smile crossed over the younger twin's face. Elrohir couldn't have been happier to be rejected by the child.
Trying to keep the eagerness out of his voice, Elrohir asked. "Who do you want to tell you a story?" Elrohir was making a vain attempt to hide the look of shear joy on his face. He wasn't going to have to tell a story, someone else would. This was getting better and better. An evil smile crossed over Elrohir's face. "Would you like Elladan to tell you a story?" he offered, throwing his snidest look over his shoulder at his brother. After all, his twin had been kind enough to sacrifice him earlier, it was only right that he returned the favor.
Estel's frown increased. "No, 'Dan!" Estel said still shaking his head. "Want Glorfin!" the child's eyes lit up, "Good story!" Estel clapped his little hands together.
While the child was busy enjoying his pick, the three not chosen elves turned to the fourth. Glorfindel looked as though he had died. In fact, he was entertaining the thought of asking for it. Oh great Manwë!Why had the child chosen him? He hadn't been a child for several thousand years, he didn't know any stories! He wasn't Erestor, the elf who had read every scroll in Elrond libraries, twice, and therefore could come up with something passable. He was Glorfindel of Imladris, formally of Gondolin. He was a warrior, not a blasted storyteller!
Glorfindel looked to the rest of the elves. Nobody seemed to want to intervene. In fact, he saw the faint lines of a smile forming on Erestor's face. It was then and there that he decided that if- if, mind you- he got through this, he was going to kill all of them. Brutally and slowly, and then he was going to kill Lord Elrond, even slower than his sons and his chief advisor. This was that half-elf's fault! And Glorfindel would make him pay for it.
But right now, he had a story to tell. He heaved a sigh and crossed the room to Estel's bed; plopping down on it. The child looked eagerly at him. "Story?" Estel asked him. Glorfindel looked back, trying not to show his forbiddance.
"Yes, Estel," Glorfindel agreed, with the tone of one who's resigned himself to death. "I'll tell you a story." Where was he going to begin? Glorfindel pondered. As he was trying to remember any story he had heard in his childhood, he distinctly saw in his peripheral vision three blurs moving for the door.
"Estel," Glorfindel began looking at the child, but raising his voice so the three escaping elves could hear him very well. "Did you know that Elladan, Elrohir and Erestor said they would act out the story I'm going to tell you?"
Estel's eyes lit up. "Really? Like stories in the Fire Hall?"
Glorfindel smiled, partially because of Estel nickname for the Hall of Fire and partially because of the dumbfound looks that had settled on the faces of the twins and Erestor. "Yes, just like that. Did you know that Erestor is a particularly good actor?"
Estel turned his over bright eyes on Erestor. Who, Elladan noticed, was trying very hard to fly across the room and throttle Glorfindel. If there was one thing Elladan was sure of, it was that Erestor no more liked to act things out than he liked to participate in feasts. Erestor was not a people's person, nor was he jovial. Serious as hell was a much better description and with a personality to match, at least that's how Elladan would have described him.
Estel, however, did not know this and therefore was very happy to find out that his brothers' and father esteemed advisor were going to act out a story for him. It made him feel very grown up. "Really?" he asked Glorfindel grey eyes wide with surprise and delight.
"Oh, yes," Glorfindel said. "You didn't think they'd leave you without helping me tell the story, did you?" Glorfindel asked. Elladan noted how loaded that question was.
"Oh, no," he found himself saying. "No, we wouldn't leave."
"Of course not," Elrohir said in a monotone.
Glorfindel smiled a smug smile that made the other three elves want to kill him. Though, Elladan reasoned, this was nothing new. "See, Estel. They weren't going to leave." Estel giggled.
"Story?" the child questioned.
"Of course," Glorfindel acquiesced, "Just give me a moment to think." Glorfindel may have appeared calm to the child, but to the other three elves he looked nervous. If elves sweated when they were nervous, then Elladan would say that was just what Glorfindel was doing. He could practically see the other elf's mind working overtime.
Now, Glorfindel thought to himself, what can I tell him? Perhaps a story about an animal, children love animals. "Estel," Glorfindel declared. "I'm going to tell you the story about the little kitten." The reaction was far from what he wanted.
"A what?" Glorfindel heard Erestor whisper to the twins. "Is that the best he can come up with?"
"Kitten?" Estel asked, even he sounded dumbfound.
"Yes," Glorfindel continued and with a malicious glare towards the adults he said, "And Erestor will play the kitten."
It took only a second for the words to sink in. "What?" the chief advisor demanded in a dangerously quiet voice. "I'm a what?!" Here Glorfindel had stepped over the line, and it was a fine line! Erestor decided vehemently. Granted, he loved Estel and wanted the child to go to bed. But there was no way in this world or the next he would be playing a kitten! Erestor's mind declared. Glorfindel couldn't pay him to be a kitten.
Perhaps, the gods heard his wish. Or perhaps he was just very lucky, either way it was Estel's comment that saved him. "Ew!" Estel shrieked. "No kitten!" he declared. "Kittens for babies," Estel said sounding totally put off.
"But…oh alright," Glorfindel sighed. Scratch that, Glorfindel decided, But then what's not to babyish for him? Perhaps, … but is he old enough for it?
"What about the story of me fighting the balrog? Would you like to hear that?" Glorfindel asked the child. Estel never got the chance to answer, for his brothers answered for him.
"Absolutely not!" Elladan stated, looking scandalized that Glorfindel would propose such a thing. "Do you realize the nightmares that story gave us as children?"
"But if it will make him go to sleep…" Glorfindel began pointedly, Elrohir cut him off though.
"…only to have him in our beds in another hour? I think not! Find another story Glorfindel," the younger twin declared.
Now Glorfindel had already proposed quite a few ideas, not to mention the ones he mulled over in his head. And he was running low on stories. Just how many random stories did they expect him to know or make up? He wondered angrily. Well, there were always the classics.
"What about a story about a princess?" he asked tentatively. Surely something like this would be okay with the protective older brothers, but would the child like it?
Estel's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "No princess!" Estel screeched jumping on his bed and then climbing to put his hand over Glorfindel's lips. "No princess," he said again with a shake of his curly head. Glorfindel stared dumbfound at the child. How was he supposed to tell this child a story if every idea he came up with was either shot down by the child or his brothers?
"Estel," Glorfindel finally said, "Is there a story you'd like to hear pen-neth?"
Estel thought for a moment. "Want a story with dragon!" the child finally declared. "Big dragon, big teeth!" Estel explained excitedly.
Glorfindel stared at the child. A dragon? How was he going to tell a story about a dragon? "What color dragon?" Glorfindel found himself asking, much to his, as well as the rest of the room's adult population's, surprise.
Estel thought on the matter for a few minutes. "Red," he finally decided.
"Okay, so we have a red dragon, whose name is?" Glorfindel asked the child, feeling slightly successful. Maybe this would work out.
Estel thought for a moment. "Flames." Glorfindel nodded to himself, that was a perfectly acceptable name for a dragon after all.
"Okay, so Erestor will play 'Flames' the dragon then," Glorfindel said, plotting his story's plot in his head. "Now what other characters do we need?" he asked Estel. Unfortunately for him, Erestor wasn't going to go quietly along with this.
In fact, Erestor wasn't even going let it slide a little bit. And he made that evident by the look he gave Glorfindel. For it was a look that would have sent many others running. "I'm what now?" Erestor asked, looking as though Glorfindel had told him that he, Erestor, was the legendary balrog that the military advisor had fought many years ago. Well, Elladan reasoned, that wasn't far from the truth. After all, the beginnings of this story do seem to have similarities to the balrog story. Though, it would hopefully be more child-friendly.
"You, my dear Erestor, will play the dragon," Glorfindel stated acting as though it was the most natural thing in the world.
Elladan distinctly heard Erestor say something rather uncomplimentary along the lines of I don't think so, though with a few more curses added in for emphasis. However, the next comment he voiced was much more diplomatic. "How would you like me to act out the dragon, as it seems you're the only one who has experienced those beasts?" Erestor asked. His tone held a dangerous sweetness to it.
Had Erestor used that tone on him, Elladan would have run as quickly as possible away from the chief advisor. But as things were, Erestor was using in on Glorfindel and Glorfindel seemed unaffected by the dangerousness behind those words. In fact, it seemed he only wanted to further the chief councilor's anger. For his next words were. "Oh I don't know. Just act like yourself. That will be close enough."
Elrohir was seriously contemplating if his father's advisor had taken a complete leave of his senses. For no one in their right mind would bait Erestor when he was in this kind of mood. "I see," the advisor said tightly. Yes, Elrohir decided rather morbidly, Glorfindel would be dead by morning.
"Now, Estel," Glorfindel turned his attention back to the little one, "What other characters do we need?"
"Princess!" Estel said with laugh. "Glorfindel's Princess!" Glorfindel smiled sardonically at the two remaining elves. Both Elladan and Elrohir looked warily at one another and then back at their father's advisor. The look the large blond was giving them wasn't an endearing one. It was a look that left them both with only one question; a question they dreaded the answer to. Which one of them would Glorfindel bestow the title of 'princess' on?
Glorfindel was also entertaining the thought. Which twin should he pick? Well, he thought relishing contemplating his selection, which twin had displeased him the most recently? Glorfindel sighed heavily, no, that won't do, the last hundred times it had been the both of the twins that had tried to bring about his doom. Oh well, he thought sadly, he was just going to have to choose one.
"Elrohir," he said with a smug smile, "Will be the princess, and Elladan the prince."
"What!" Elladan turned hesitantly to look at his brother. Elrohir looked furious, nay, Elladan needed to rethink that. Elrohir had been furious when Glorfindel had stolen his bow. Now Elrohir was livid. "I demand to know, Lord Glorfindel why I am the … princess," he spat the last word with such fierceness that Glorfindel almost regretted his choice.
"Come on Estel," Glorfindel said, ignoring Elrohir's words as he settled back against the head of the bed, one arm draped around the child in a protective way. Estel snuggled back against Glorfindel and then with the covers tucked just so around him, he looked from one adult to the other expectantly.
"Once many, many years ago," Glorfindel began dramatically. "There was a great dragon, named Flames of High Mountain," Glorfindel paused for Erestor. Who, after mentally cursing the giant blond in ever language he knew, took a step forward and flapped his arms gracefully like a dragon would. "Now," Glorfindel began again, after seeing the Erestor was sufficiently acting out his part. "Now, Flames had a great treasure," he smiled mentally as Estel's eyes grew wide with excitement, "It was so great, that he hoarded it with great diligence and never left it," Glorfindel paused once more for Erestor.
The chief advisor gave his previous friend a scathing look that promised death and dismemberment. And then began to 'hoard' a stack of pillows. Or at least that's what he was trying to do. Judging by the snickers he could hear from the twins, he wasn't doing a very good job.
"Now, one day a brave elven warrior's lord told him to go a retrieve the treasure from the terrible dragon," Glorfindel looked pointedly at Elladan, who sighing took a step forward. He then attempted to look brave. "Now," Glorfindel continued, "He was a very loyal warrior, but he was also deeply in love," Glorfindel could stop the smile that came to his face at the sour look that had crept over Elrohir's. Perhaps he wouldn't have to kill Elrond, Glorfindel thought, the look on Elrohir's face was almost worth it. "His true love's name was Anira. She was beautiful, so beautiful that many an elf had tried to win her love. But none had succeeded. Only the brave, loyal warrior had." Glorfindel would have paused to let Elrohir look beautiful, but he as quite sure that if he did, the other wouldn't hesitant to throttle him, and so he decided to skip the little pause.
"Now, the day that he had to leave, the warrior promised his love that he would return for her in three days," Glorfindel said, looking at Elladan and Elrohir, who both reluctantly acted out a conversation. "And then the fair Anira gave her brave sweet love a kiss of goodbye," Glorfindel said, eyes gleaming in excitement as he turned to look at the twins.
"…ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Both twins shrieked at that same time, their faces inches from one another. The twins gave one another a disbelieving look and then backed away quickly. They had gotten so drawn into Glorfindel's stories that they had almost … There was no way in all Arda or the Valinor that they would kiss one another, especially not in that way! Lucky for them, Estel didn't seem to want them to either.
"Ek!" the little boy shrieked, "NO! NO! NO! No kiss! I tell you that before!" The child crossed his little arms definitely in front of him, and then proceeded to put his thumb in his mouth. While he sucked, he glared at Glorfindel as though daring the other to challenge him.
Glorfindel, however, would do no such thing, he had found out long ago not to argue with this of Elrond's sons. A pity, he thought. It would have been interesting to see what transpired. Glorfindel sighed, and then continued. "The brave prince then left his love and on his noble stead, traveled to the dragon's keep." As Elladan 'rode' off toward Erestor and his stack of pillows, Glorfindel felt Estel snuggle closer to him.
"There he found the Great Flames hoarding his treasure," Glorfindel looked at Erestor who gave him a look that basically said he would rather be eating dirt than doing what he was doing right now. That could be arranged, Glorfindel thought while he gave the other advisor a look that said just that.
"Erestor, you're not hoarding," Glorfindel reminded the chief advisor in an annoying tone.
Erestor gave the military advisor a dangerous smile. "Glorfindel if you want to leave this room with your pretty blond head still attached to your body, I suggest you allow me to hoard as I please." His tone was pleasant enough, but it left Glorfindel with no doubt that Erestor would indeed carry out his threat.
Glorfindel smiled. "Carry on hoarding," he said cheekily. "Now, where was I?" Glorfindel asked himself, watching out the corner of his eye as Erestor glared at him. "Ah yes, well the brave warrior pointed his sword at the fierce dragon and challenged him to a fight to the death." From here Glorfindel recounted just how the brave warrior fought against the dragon. He continued on in vain, explaining different strategies and counterattacks until he caught Elladan's glare. While it was well and good that Glorfindel knew all of this information, Elladan didn't think it was good for his brother to hear all of this. "And it was so that he soundly defeated the Flames the dragon," Glorfindel concluded. Then he looked down at the child, "How was that for a story, Es-" Glorfindel paused mid sentence when he saw the little boy curled up against him, fast asleep with one hand clutching his jerkin.
"Is he asleep?" Elladan whispered craning his neck to look at the child who was snuggled close to Glorfindel.
The military advisor looked at the elder twin. "I think so," he murmured as he looked at the child. For some reason, it reminded him of the twins when they had been small. He remembered how little and dependant they had been on him, how they had looked up to him. And as he looked from Estel to his brothers, Glorfindel couldn't help but smile. He knew he was blessed and nothing could change that.
"He's asleep then?" Erestor asked softly, coming over to view the sleeping child.
"We did it," Elrohir sighed exhaustedly, melting down on the rug in the middle of the child's room.
"Should we move him?" Elrohir asked, looking at the position that Glorfindel was in, namely being Estel's giant teddy bear. The child had somehow managed to glue himself to the advisor, and if Elrohir knew anything, he was quite sure that Estel wasn't going to relinquish his 'teddy bear' anytime soon.
"Nay," Glorfindel said, "You'll wake him. I'm fine here for the night."
"We'll stay as well," the twins said in unison. When Glorfindel gave them a confused look Elladan replied, "We can't let you get all the credit, we did do a good job acting after all."
Erestor nodded, "Yes, I think I'll stay as well," then the advisor sat gracefully on the ground by the door. "So," Erestor began, "What are we going to tell your father tomorrow?"
"Well," Elrohir began looking slightly murderous. "When Ada returns home tomorrow, I'm going to tell him that if he ever contemplates leaving us alone with Estel, he will give us the liberty to kill him for it."
"Yes," Elladan agreed, "I think that seems reasonable enough. Glorfindel, what about you?" the eldest twin inquired.
"I'm not going to tell your father anything. Tomorrow," Glorfindel said with a smug look on his face, "While you are telling your father about this, I'm going spend my day teaching Erestor how to hoard something."
"Shut up, Glorfindel."
Elrond wasn't worried. Or at least that's what he was going to tell himself. After all, his sons and advisors were more than capable to take care of Imladris while he was away. How hard could it be to take care of Estel too? Elrond's worry grew at the thought.
Elrond sighed as he dismounted his horse. It was early morning, just before the sun rose. If he was lucky he would find the little boy tucked safely away in his bed. If he wasn't … Elrond didn't want to think about that.
He climbed the stairs to into the Last Homely House. Since it was still very early most of Rivendell's population was just now rising to get ready for their days. He hoped Estel would be awake too. He wanted to see the little one before he was swamped with questions and work when people found out that he had arrived home.
They probably would chain me to my desk, Elrond thought as he entered the families section of the house. As he walked down the hall, he passed Erestor and Glorfindel's room, both of which were across the hall from one another. He was surprise to find that he heard no sound for either room.
This was far from the norm. If he was to go by any normalcy, then the two should be having at least one verbal debate right now over something totally arbitrary and redundant. But that hallway was silent.
Puzzled, Elrond progressed down towards the twins rooms. Unable to suppress his curiosity at the lack of noise there, he popped his head into the room. He looked at the room for a second in surprise. The beds were made and empty. Elrond looked at them suspiciously. Where had his sons gotten to? Surely they weren't up yet.
Elrond shook his head and shut the door. Where was everyone? He wondered. He turned the corner to where the last two rooms, his and Estel's were. He was shocked to see the little one sitting on the floor, still in his night clothes, playing with a toy.
"Estel?" he asked. When the child saw him, a huge smile spread over his innocent features and he ran to greet his father.
"Ada!" he cried, hugging his father's knees. "I miss you!" he declared.
Elrond scoped his son up and embraced him. "And I you, ion-nin," Elrond said. He had found his youngest, now that just left the mystery of where his elder sons and advisors had gotten off to. "Were you good?" Elrond asked his littlest as he set the boy on the ground. The answer he got was not what he expected.
"Shhh," the little boy said, pressing a hand against his father's lips, "Shh. They sleeping," the child whispered, pointing to his room. Elrond was puzzled by the boy's words, so he took a step forward and swung the door open. It only took him a second to see what the boy meant. On Estel's bed sprawled out was Lord Glorfindel, on the rug on the floor were his twin sons and against the far wall was his chief advisor. All were fast asleep, oblivious to the world. Elrond though, was finding the whole situation rather comical after all it wasn't everyday that one saw the tallest elf in Rivendell spread out atop a small child's bed.
"I think you wore them out Estel," Elrond commented, his voice just barely above a whisper. His little boy gave him a big smile and Elrond returned it. I told them he was a handful, he thought a smirk. "Come Estel, it's time for breakfast," Elrond said. Estel frowned slightly. "And my boy, I know that you will be on your best behavior," Elrond stated, handed the child a small candy. Estel gave his father a huge smile and then happily trotted after him, savoring the treat. Yes, children were easy. You just needed to know how to handle them…
Now I just want to make one thing clear here. I'm NOT condoning bribery … no matter how well it works. Elrond does make a good point though, children are easy to handle. Candy is a miracle sent from God! … that and it works wonders. Anyway, thanks to all who reviewed MerryKK, Nick, Daughter of Helba, and grumpy123. All of your reviews were wonderful to receive!
And thank you to my beta, Kalisona, for reading this and helping correct it. I no longer need your snow, so you can cancel that FedX package.
For those of your reading We Reap What We Sow, the next chapter should be out before the end of the month. (crosses fingers) No, I promise I will try!
Thanks again!
Kuramagal