Gifts by Aglarien

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“How could his nurse have left him alone,” Erestor said, frustrated and sick with worry.

“She just turned her back for an instant to warm his milk, and he was gone, Erestor,” Elrond replied, just as desperately worried as his mate. “You know how fast he can disappear.”

Along with a group of servants and scribes, the Elves had searched the house from top to bottom, calling as they went and looking in every place a very small boy could be sleeping or hurt, but no sign of the human child was to be found. It was not like Estel to hide from them, and neither Elrond nor Erestor believed that their foster son would do such a thing. Rounding a corner, they met up with Elrond’s sons.

“Nothing, Ada,” Elladan said. “You?”

Elrond shook his head in dismay, his anxiousness doubling and making it hard to breathe. “Perhaps Glorfindel and Melpomaen will have found him,” he whispered. The Captain of Imladris and his Chief Scribe husband had taken command of the search of the grounds, enlisting the help of everyone from stable hands to guards.

Moments later, they were joined by Glorfindel and his mate. “There is no trace of him,” Melpomaen said dejectedly. “We have searched the grounds of the house and the outbuildings.”

“The falling snow is rapidly hiding any tracks,” Glorfindel added.

“He has to have gone outside somewhere,” Erestor said, nearly frantic by now and fighting to control his distress. It would do Estel no good if they lost their wits.

Glorfindel nodded, and saw the pain and growing alarm in Estel’s foster fathers’ eyes. “Right. Get warm cloaks and boots for yourselves. Erestor, bring a blanket for Estel for when we find him. I will go to the kitchens and get a couple flasks of warmed, sweet milk for him. He will need something to warm him. Mel, you run to the stables and tell them to ready the horses. We will need to take lanterns with us – it will be dark soon. We meet in five minutes in the stables.”

The six Elves were joined by many others who wished to aid in the search, and small parties of Elves left in all directions into the surrounding woods and down to the river, all calling out Estel’s name as they went.




Estel knew he was lost. He had tried to catch the little rabbit he saw from his balcony, worried that the tiny creature would be cold in the snow, but the animal had bounded away from him into the woods. He had called and called for his fathers and brothers, but no one answered. He was cold and wet, and it had gotten dark awfully fast. The snow kept falling and he got colder and colder as he wandered through the trees, crying. The shadows cast by the trees were menacing, and he was afraid. Miserable and whimpering, he finally happened across an old, inviting tree. The trunk was hollow, and so he crawled inside, shivering. He was out of the snow, but he was still wet and so very cold and tired. Huddling into the dried leaves that covered the floor of the hollow, teeth chattering in fright and cold, he sobbed out his misery and fell into an uneasy sleep.




“We have to find him!” Erestor nearly screamed in his panic. “It has been over two hours and we have been out here nearly an hour! How far could one little child have gone in this weather!” The snow continued to fall around them, thankfully not hard, but the temperature continued to drop and the wind picked up. “He is not dressed warmly enough. He will freeze.” Erestor wiped a sleeve over his eyes, blinking furiously at the tears that blurred his vision.

“Erestor is right,” Elrond said. “We have to find him, and find him fast. I cannot bear to think…I cannot lose him.” His voice cracked on a sob. “We have to find him. My son…my little son…”

Elladan moved his horse close to his father’s and laid a hand on Elrond’s shoulder. “We will find him, Ada,” he said firmly. “Can you not sense him?”

“I have tried,” Elrond said dejectedly. “Nothing…I can sense nothing. I feel so helpless,” he whispered. “What good are my gifts if I cannot even feel his light…my own kin.”

“Maybe,” Elrohir said, almost to himself. Shaking his head, he continued, “This is not working. We will never find him like this. Maybe if all of us together…Glorfindel and Mel too…maybe we could…we have to try, Ada.”

“It is a good idea, Elrond,” Glorfindel said. “We have to try. This is not working. We’re not finding him this way and neither are any of the others.”

“I have no special gifts as the rest of you have,” Melpomaen said. “I do not want to hinder you. You have to try, but do it quickly. Erestor is right. Time is running out and he will freeze. Hurry.”

Glorfindel looked at his mate and smiled gently, “Of course you do, Mel. You are an Elf – you do not know what gifts you have until you use them. You love Estel as we all do. Come and join us.” He held out his hand to Melpomaen. He did not realize that his husband thought so little of his inherent, natural gifts, but he would deal with that later.

Elrond nodded. The Elves, still astride their horses, moved close together; each taking the hand of the Elf on either side of him. Their eyes closing, all turned their thoughts to the small, lost human.

Anyone passing would have seen a small group of elves, all focused on a single thought, each of them seeming to burn with an ethereal glow. One by one, each Elf began to speak quietly.

“He is cold…very cold and wet.”

“He cries and calls out for me.”

“There is no snow. He clothing is wet, but there is no snow.”

“He is frightened. The trees scare him, and so he hides.”

“Leaves…there are dead and dried leaves.”

“His body shivers, fighting to warm itself.”

“It is dark….damp.”

“He sleeps fitfully in his shelter.”

“Leaves…he is lying on the dried leaves.”

“It is dark….small…leaves.”

Suddenly Melpomaen opened his eyes and exclaimed, “I know where he is!” Pulling his hands free, he quickly moved his horse out of the circle. “Hurry! This way!”

The scribe led the way though the woods, seeing the child in his mind. He knew the tree – he knew it well. It was old, and he had played in it himself as a child. And best of all, they were close. As the tree came into sight, he pointed. “There!” he exclaimed. “He is in the hollowed out trunk of that tree – I know it!”

Elrond, Erestor and the twins flew off their horses to the ground.

Elrohir held up one of the lit lanterns as Elrond reached into the dark trunk and lifted the child out to place him in Erestor’s arms. “He is nearly blue,” the Elf-lord said, rapidly removing Estel’s wet clothing and shoes, and wrapping him in the blanket they had brought.

Elladan brought the flask of warm milk as Erestor placed the shivering child inside of his cloak and held him next to his chest, desperately trying to warm him.

“Estel, my son, you are safe now,” Elrond said, rubbing the child’s face and hands as Erestor held him close.

“Ada,” Estel whimpered, “cold.”

Erestor held the child with one hand, and with the other, removed his heavy fur-lined cloak. Wrapping Estel in it, Erestor held the little one in his arms once more, uncaring about the cold snow that now covered his head and clothing. With one hand inside the cloak, he massaged the child’s frozen feet as Elrond continued to rub life into cold little hands.

“I am so proud of you,” Glorfindel whispered, wrapping an arm around his husband and placing a kiss on the shorter Elf’s brow. “So very proud.” Melpomaen smiled and leaned into Glorfindel’s warmth.

Elrohir lit one of Mithrandir’s fireworks he carried, sending a flare of bright light high up into the night sky and signaling to the other searchers that Estel had been found. When the child’s teeth had stopped chattering, he sleepily drank some of the warm milk and nodded off in Erestor’s arms, feeling warm and secure once more. His ada was holding him and all was right again in his world.

The Elves rode back to the house, Estel in Erestor’s arms and Erestor seated in front of Elrond, the Elf-lord’s great cloak covering them all.




When they arrived back at the house, a warm bath was hurriedly prepared for Estel and Elrond examined him for any sign of frostbite. Miraculously, there were none, the bed of leaves in the tree having sufficiently protected him from the worst of the cold. Once Estel was clean and warm, Erestor sat in front of the fire in their rooms holding his foster son as the little one finished his cake and warm milk.

“You scared your Ada Elrond, your brothers, and me very much, Estel,” Erestor said softly, brushing the child’s still damp hair with his fingers. “Everyone was afraid for you and looking for you, and poor Glaneth was in tears thinking it was all her fault because she was with you.”

“I sowwy, Ada Ewestow,” the child said.

“Whatever made you run off like that, my son?” Elrond asked, dropping down to the floor to sit beside his husband and Estel.

“Der was a bunny an’ it was snowing and I din want him to be cowd, Ada,” Estel said, stuffing the last of his cake into his mouth.

“The bunnies have fur to keep them warm, little one,” Erestor said. “He would not have been cold. Promise me you will never run off like that again?”

“I prowmise, Ada,” Estel said, reaching up to touch Erestor’s face with his sticky fingers. “Wuve you, Ada.”

“I love you too, my little one,” Erestor said, melting as he always did at the child’s sweetness, and bending down to kiss a sticky cheek. “Time for a little boy I know to be in bed. Tomorrow is the eve of Yule and a big day.”

“And prewsents!” Estel exclaimed, clapping his hands.

Elrond chuckled and winked at Erestor. “And presents,” he said, lifting Estel from his husband’s lap.




Melpomaen snuggled into his husband’s warmth as they lay curled in their bed. “I love you,” he whispered.

“And I love you, dear one, so very much,” Glorfindel answered, pulling his beloved mate closer. “I was so proud of you today. Without you with us, we would not have found Estel when we did. You have many gifts within you that you do not yet know of, my heart.”

“I did not know I could do that. I am no one special, Glorfindel. Not like you and Elrond and the others. I am just a normal Elf.”

“All Elves are special, Mel,” Glorfindel said softly. “Yes, there are some who have stronger gifts of one kind or another, like Elrond’s gifts of healing and foresight, but we all have abilities and gifts that are unique to our kind.”

“Do you know what my very special, most unique gift is?” Melpomaen asked, looking up at his golden mate with a smile.

“What?”

“You.”

Glorfindel chuckled and captured the lips he loved in a passionate kiss.




Erestor stood at the open balcony doors watching the snow fall, a soft smile on his face. His mate moved soundlessly, but Erestor knew when Elrond approached even before strong arms wrapped around him from behind.

“What makes you smile, beloved? What are you thinking of?” Elrond asked.

Erestor leaned back against his husband’s chest. “You. Estel. The twins. This family we have. How very much I love you all and how very happy I am because of you,” he said. “I love you so much, Elrond. So very much.”

“As I love you, Erestor,” Elrond whispered. “You are my very heart and soul…my most precious gift.”

A bright star flickered in the night sky.

“Mid of night has passed, and it is the Eve of Yule. Happy Yule, my love,” Erestor whispered. “Happy Yule.”
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