Chapter 4. Some Answers.

Elrond shifted slightly to make himself more comfortable, and the sharp sound of the slate hitting the tiled floor as it slid from the edge of the bed reminded the Elf Lord of his original mission.

"Do you wish me to answer your questions now, Estel?" The child smiled at him and nodded eagerly, but made no move to leave the comfort of his foster father's arms. "Very well," Elrond said, tightening his grip slightly so as not to drop the boys as he reached down to retrieve the slate. "I see that your mother added the last question so perhaps I should begin there. Yes, your father and I were close friends, almost like brothers, as she says, yet I had never seen him so happy and proud as on the day you were born. He told me that he hoped for nothing more than a safe and peaceful future for you."

"Is that why I am called Estel?" asked the child, seeing the connection Elrond had tried to make.

"Yes," said Elrond, grateful that no further explanation seemed necessary. It was not the entire truth, but it would suffice for now. "You were also curious about Gandalf?"

"I do not think he is really a wizard?" Estel observed doubtfully.

"He is something more than a wizard, but even I am not exactly certain as to what that may be. He does not give up his secrets easily, not even to one of his oldest friends." Elrond smiled at the surprised look on the child's face. "Neither does he control the rain, either side of the gates; that has more to do with the elvish power that even now protects Imladris."

"Oh." Estel's eyes widened at that unexpected response. Elrond could see a silent 'how?' hovering on Estel's lips and raised his hand to prevent the question from being voiced.

"Do not ask how, just accept it that it is so; some things are beyond explanation," Elrond said, looking back at the list. "Now we come to your foster brothers and the matter of spider hunting in Mirkwood. I am afraid they are correct, the spiders that inhabit the trees in the dark places of the forest are very large, and do have a taste for unwary travellers."

"Then I hope that they are not in danger," said Estel, suddenly afraid for the twins. They often annoyed him and teased him mercilessly on occasion, but he loved them both dearly.

"Hunting anything is dangerous," explained Elrond, "and requires that the hunter be skilled in weapons and self defence. They both possess such skills, as does Legolas, and all three have had many years of experience as hunters. They are in some danger, but it is not as great as it would be if they had the added distraction of taking care of someone who has barely begun training with wooden swords. Do you understand?"

"Yes, father, I understand, and thank you for answering my questions," he said as he turned to hug Elrond tightly around the neck, eliciting a smile of content from the Elf lord. The dull tones of the bell signalling the evening meal filtered in through the balcony doors and Elrond reluctantly set the child on his feet. "Is it that time already? Shall we go to the dining hall together?" he asked. Estel smiled happily and slid his small hand into Elrond's as they walked down the hallway.

******

The next morning dawned bright and clear with no sign of clouds in the sky and Estel briefly wondered if the mysterious power of the elves was responsible for the change. As he ran across the courtyard, he decided it was not important, for now that his confinement was at an end, he had other plans. Running headlong into Gandalf as he rounded the corner of the building was not one of them, however.

"Oh, I am sorry," said Estel, as he disentangled himself from the wizard's robes. "I hope I did not hurt you?"

"No, but I think you would be wise to either slow down or at least look where you are going," suggested Gandalf. "Where are you headed in such a rush, anyway?"

"El. um. I mean... father has asked Glorfindel to teach me how to shoot. I am going to the archery range." Gandalf smiled at Estel's tentative use of the word 'father', and he was pleased to know that the issue had been resolved, as were all the inhabitants of Imladris. It had been many years since they had seen their beloved Lord Elrond so happy and content.

"I have no plans this morning, would you permit to accompany you?" Gandalf asked.

"I would like that," replied Estel, thinking he might learn more about his new friend, perhaps even something that his father did not know. It was only a short walk to the archery range that was used both for practice and the occasional competition and Estel and Gandalf arrived to find Glorfindel already waiting.

"Good morning, Glorfindel," said Gandalf, bowing respectfully to the golden haired Elf lord.

"Yes it is a good morning," replied Glorfindel, favouring Estel with a smile and indicating for him to sit beside him on the grass. "I would ask why you have decided to grace us with your presence, Gandalf, but I do not feel the need to waste my breath," he said, sounding to Estel's ears much like Elladan or Elrohir did when they were teasing someone, as they often did.

"I merely wish to enjoy the morning sun whilst watching your young charge take his archery lesson," replied the wizard haughtily, feigning offence.

"If you say so," laughed Glorfindel. "Now, Estel, before you can shoot, you must learn about your weapons." Gandalf sat smoking his pipe in quiet contemplation as the lesson continued, his attention directed elsewhere than the stringing of bows or the fletching of arrows. Thus he was startled out of his reverie when he heard Estel cry out.

"Oh no! I did not mean to do that!" he wailed as he ran to where his last arrow had landed. Both Glorfindel and Gandalf quickly followed and watched as the child bent down to pick up the rabbit that had managed to run between the arrow and the target. "Should I remove the arrow?" he asked, looking to his elders for advice.

"See if you can stop the rabbit from wriggling so much first, that way less injury will be caused when the arrow is removed," suggested the wizard. The animal was certainly in pain and obviously terrified, but as they watched, Estel kept stroking it gently and whispering to it until gradually the creature calmed enough so that its struggling ceased and it lay quietly in the boy's arms.

"Very interesting," Gandalf murmured softly to himself, eliciting a glance of suspicion from Glorfindel, whose elvish hearing easily caught the words. "It would appear you have some of your father's healing abilities," observed Gandalf, raising his voice so that Estel could hear.

"Which of his fathers are you referring to?" asked Glorfindel softly.

Although he had only ever seen Elrond remove an arrow once, from Elladan's shoulder, he seemed to instinctively know what to do. The others watched as he expertly performed the task, then press his hand against the wound to stem the flow of blood.

"Both of them, of course," whispered Gandalf in reply. Glorfindel pulled the wizard aside and lowered his voice even further.

"Would I be correct in assuming that you set this incident up as a test, to see if he has the healing powers of the King he is to become?" asked Glorfindel, his tone of voice indicating that he knew he had assumed correctly, even if the wizard would not admit the truth.

"Think what you will, but do not voice such thoughts in his presence," cautioned Gandalf sternly.

While they had been speaking, Estel had wrapped the wound in a bandage hastily fashioned from some cloth he tore from the bottom of his shirt and was attempting feed the rabbit some crumbs of the lembas he always carried in his pocket.

"I think I should take the rabbit to father now," he said, walking slowly across the archery range. "Thank you for the lesson, Glorfindel," he said, remembering his manners.

"You are most welcome, shall I see you here again tomorrow?"

"Oh, yes, please," he replied enthusiastically. "I need to become skilled enough so that I can go hunting with Elladan and Elrohir! Are you coming, Gandalf?" he asked, stopping to see if the wizard was following.

"Yes, I think a nice cup of that tea Elrond favours is in order," replied the old man.

They reached the rooms Elrond used as healing chambers, to find the Lord of Imladris sitting quietly, studying a scroll that detailed some ancient medicines. To Estel's surprise, a pot of hot tea sat next on the table near Elrond and Gandalf poured himself a cup as he watched the child placed his patient on one of the small benches. Estel looked on nervously as Elrond examined the both the creature and the treatment it had been given.

"Is it going to live, father?" he asked after several minutes went by with no comment from Elrond.

"Yes, thanks to your skill, the rabbit should be able to be returned to the forest in the morning. The arrow did not penetrate very far, and the wound was treated just as it should have been. I am most impressed," he said, his heart warming at the brilliant smile his praise elicited from his foster son.

"I did not mean to shoot it," Estel said, moving forward so that he could continue stroking the soft fur.

"I am sure you did not, but now you can see why you must learn the skills before you can join the hunt. A stray arrow can injure or even kill an unintended victim. I think it would be a good idea to take the rabbit up to your room so that you can look after it overnight," he suggested, placing the creature in one of the large baskets that were used as containers when gathering medicinal herbs and plants. "Oh, and Estel," he called as the child left the room, "might I also suggest you tuck your shirt in before your mother sees the state it is in. I will tell her how it came about later."