Title: The Strong Heart (7-8/14) Author: Aglarien Rating: NC-17 Type: FPS Pairing: Erestor/Glorfindel; Caladir/Gurvelon Disclaimer: Alas, not mine. Except for the cats. Warning: AU. Summary: Erestor and Glorfindel are determined to find out what, or who, is hurting their friend. *~*~*~*~* Chapter 7 Faerlan kicked at the elf as he ran away, striking him in the leg. The pony then ran like the wind, looking for someone to help his little elf. The training grounds were empty. Where was everyone? He ran to the door of Glorfindel’s office, raised his two front legs, and kicked as hard as he could. The door burst open. “What in the name of ….” Glorfindel stared at the pony. “Faerlan! What is it? Where is Saercaeron?” The pony whinnied and backed out, looking at Glorfindel to follow. Glorfindel shouted at Taurfaeron as he leapt onto the pony’s back. “Go get help! Follow us!” Taurfaeron quickly found Elrond. A servant was sent to find Amarion, while Elrond gathered some healing supplies he kept in his office. Suithoron and an escort of guards were waiting to escort Elrond, Amarion and Taurfaeron as they hurried outside. Elrond raised an eyebrow in question. “We do not know what happened, my Lord. I cannot allow you and Amarion to go out there without an escort, even if Taurfaeron is with you.” Suithoron said. Elrond nodded, mounted his waiting horse, and they rode after Glorfindel. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Faerlan raced as fast as he could to the cliff, then came to a slamming stop. Glorfindel ran to the edge. He could hear sobbing. “Saercaeron? Are you down there?” “Glor..fin..del…I hurt…please..come..get..me,” the sobbing little elfling managed to get out. “I’m coming, little one, I’m coming. Just hold on.” Glorfindel carefully lowered himself over the edge, searching for footholds. Saercaeron lay in a crumpled bundle on a ledge, half way down the cliff. Glorfindel dropped carefully onto the ledge. “What happened, sweetheart? Did you fall?” Glorfindel carefully uncurled the elfling to examine him for injuries. Saercaeron’s hand reached for Glorfindel, grabbing onto him tightly. “Someone picked me up….and threw me down here,” the elfling sobbed out. “They threw something over me so I couldn’t see!” “I am here now, little one. You’re safe now. Tell me where you hurt.” Glorfindel wanted to hold the little elfling, but feared moving him. “My leg..it hurts so bad. Make it stop hurting, please, Glorfindel.” Tears welled in Glorfindel’s eyes. Removing his knife, he carefully cut away the elfling’s leggings. The leg was badly broken; a piece of sharp, jagged bone had pierced through the skin. Glorfindel carefully raised the elflings upper body and slid under him. Cradling the little elfings head and shoulders on his lap, he gently stroked his head and face. “The others will be here very soon, sweet one. Then we will get you out of here. Your nana will be waiting for you in the healing house and she and Lord Elrond and Nestoron will all make the pain go away and fix your leg.” Glorfindel bit his lip to keep from sobbing with the little elf. “Glorfindel? Where are you?” Elrond called. “Saercaeron! Where are you my son?” Amarion peered over the edge. “We are down here! Saercaeron’s leg is badly broken. You will need to get something I can place him on, and rope to pull it up,” Glorfindel called. “Hurry!” Suithoron motioned to two of the still mounted escort, and they swiftly rode away. Rope was no problem, but they had nothing to lay the little elfling on. Glorfindel spoke softly to Saercaeron. “Did you hear, little one? Your Ada is up there, waiting for you. We will get out of here very soon now.” Saercaeron was motionless, but moaned in pain. “Is he conscious, Glorfindel?” Elrond asked. “Aye. Did you bring anything for pain with you? “ Is there room for me where you are?” Elrond called. “Aye, we are on a ledge, about half way down.” Elrond quickly removed his outer robe and grabbed his healing supplies and a flask of water from his horse. He tied the items to a rope and lowered them over the edge. “Glorfindel, take these. I am coming down.” “I have them.” Glorfindel called. Elrond was just about to lower himself over the edge when Suithoron stopped him. “Forgive me, my Lord,” he said as he tied a length of rope securely around Elrond’s waist. “Glorfindel would have my head if anything happened to you.” Elrond nodded and began his descent. Suithoron tied the rope end securely to the saddle of his great horse, then went to stand next to Amarion, placing a hand on his shoulder. The poor elfling’s father was ringing his hands in worry. Elrond dropped onto the ledge. “Saercaeron, can you hear me?” The elfling lay with his head in Glorfindel’s lap, eyes closed, but the head nodded. “Will you open your eyes and look at me?” Saercaeron’s eyes opened. Elrond saw pain, but no concussion in them. He moved his hands over the elflings head, neck, shoulders, and chest, searching for other injuries. Finding none, he heaved a sigh of relief. “You are lucky, little one. Only your leg is broken.” Taking the water flask, he mixed a large amount of crushed herbs in it. He motioned to Glorfindel to raise Saercaeron’s head, and placed the flask to the elflings mouth. “Drink, little one. It will make your leg feel better.” Saercaeron swallowed several large mouthfuls, then relaxed back in Glorfindel’s lap again. Moments later, he was drifting off. “Did he fall?” “Nay. He told me someone threw him down here,” Glorfindel whispered. “What?” Elrond whispered back. “Threw him down here?” Glorfindel nodded. “And threw something over him so he couldn’t see.” Elrond peered over the edge, farther over the cliff. “Look down there. What do you see?” Glorfindel looked. “It looks like a cloak – a grown elf’s cloak.” “And if I am not mistaken, it is a cloak made in Lothlorien.” Elrond added. *~*~*~*~* Chapter 8 Elrond and Glorfindel carefully placed Saercaeron on the litter the others had sent down to them. Ropes were securely tied to the four handholds to pull the elfling up. Glorfindel removed his tunic and tied it around the litter, securing the elfling to the litter so he could not fall off. “Pull, slowly now – don’t rush this.” Glorfindel called out. Saercaeron was carefully pulled up to safety. He was luckily still unconscious from Elrond’s herbs. Elves rushed to take the litter when it reached the top, and laid it gently on the ground. Amarion knelt next to his little son, caressing his face. Faerlan lowered his long nose to his little elf and ‘snuffed’ into his long hair. Elrond and Glorfindel easily climbed back up assisted by steady pulling on the ropes attached to their waists. Elrond knelt next to Amarion. “He will be alright, my friend. Only his leg is injured, and we can fix that. He is young, and will heal well.” “Thank you, my Lord.” Amarion said, shakily. “I don’t know what his mother and I would do if we lost him.” Elrond patted his shoulder. “Come, let us get him back and taken care of.” Three of their escort and Amarion carried the litter, the others riding or walking beside them. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Erestor took the pitcher to Nestoron and explained what had occurred in Gurvelon’s office. Nestoron sniffed the contents of the pitcher. “It is the same poison, but much stronger than the former dose. How did they get in the house to do this?” Erestor was angrier than he remembered being in a long time. “I do not know, but I will find out.” Erestor left the healing house and headed for the side of the stables. He removed his outer robe, folded it neatly and laid it on the ground, leaving him in only leggings and shirt. Jumping lithely into the tree, he quickly scaled it and was on the roof. “Lord Erestor, what brings you up to my roost?” Turidon asked. And then he saw the look on Erestor’s face. “What has happened?” “Whoever it is got into the house and tried to poison Gurvelon again.” “I have not removed my eyes from the house! How did they manage that? Could it be someone already in the house?” Erestor shook his head. “I do not think so. So how did he get in?” He stood next to Turidon and scanned the front of the house. “Look, the trees there.” He pointed to the area outside Gurvelon’s office window. “Those trees wrap all the way around the side of the house. He used the trees to work his way to Gurvelon’s window.” “Aye.” Turidon nodded. “I was stupid not to have seen that and watched closer.” “Nay, Turidon, it is not your fault. No one could have seen someone hiding there if they did not want to be seen. I was stupid not to have realized it and keep Gurvelon from his office.” “Is he all right?” “Aye. Fortunately Saercaeron was with him and kept him from drinking the poison.” ~ ~ ~ ~ Back in the house, Erestor headed to his little friend’s rooms. Caladir opened the door to his knock. “Erestor, have you found out anything?” Caladir motioned him into the room. Erestor nodded. “Where is Velon?” “Resting. Should I have him join us?” Caladir asked. “Nay, let him rest. He does not need to hear this right now. You can tell him later.” The two elves sat and discussed what Erestor had found out. “Our mistake was letting him go back to his office,” Caladir said. “But he does not want to be in hiding, and I think he will feel better if he can continue to work.” Erestor nodded. “What about if we moved his desk into the library? Not only will there always be someone around, but I will make sure that there are two experienced guards placed there. If whoever it is cannot get to him with poison, he may try something else.” “Aye,” Caladir agreed, “that should work. And I will be one of the guards.” “I expected you would be, my friend. I will have his desk moved in there tonight so it is ready for him in the morning. Choose whomever you would like for the second guard.” Erestor rose to leave. “ I will leave you with Velon now. Glorfindel was going to see what other information he could find out today, and I need to let him know the latest developments.” Erestor found a servant and asked him to have Gurvelon’s desk moved, then hurried to Glorfindel’s office. Finding the door broken in, he rushed into the barracks, where Imladris guards assured him that his husband was fine. They told Erestor as much as they knew of what had happened. Erestor had been nearly frantic when he heard what had occurred, and was now nervously pacing the courtyard, worrying about Saercaeron. Had the person who was trying to poison Gurvelon taken his revenge on Saercaeron for stopping the little scribe from drinking? It was late in the afternoon before he finally spotted them in the distance. He ran towards them, hair and robes flying. Glorfindel saw him coming, and ran towards him. Capturing his husband in his arms, Glorfindel just held him tightly for a long moment. Finally speaking, he said, “Saercaeron will be all right, my love. His leg is broken. I have much to tell you, but not here.” “I too, my love. We will wait until Saercaeron is safely in the healing house and you have taken care of what you need to, then we will talk.” Saercaeron was safely installed in the healing house, and Elrond and Nestoron began the work of repairing his leg, grateful that the little elfling was still unconscious. Glorfindel sent one of their escort back to recover the cloak at the bottom of the cliff. “Do not tell anyone about it, or let them see it. Just bundle it up and deliver it to Lord Elrond.” He next found Taurfaeron and told him about the cloak. “It will be delivered to Lord Elrond,” Glorfindel explained. “Tell him when he is done taking care of Saercaeron. I want you to examine it and see if you can tell whose it is. If you can do it quietly, without anyone seeing, find out if Thalahir is missing his cloak.” Taurfaeron nodded. “I will take care of it.” Glorfindel posted two guards outside Saercaeron’s room, making sure they understood that there was to be two elves inside with the elfling at all times. Taking Amarion and Diwen aside, he said, “Saercaeron told me someone threw him over the cliff.” The elfling’s parents gasped in horror. “I am posting two guards outside his room. If either of you should ever have to leave him, I want you to have one of the guards go inside the room to replace you. I want two of you with him always. If you both need to leave, then both guards are inside the room.” Amarion nodded. “We will do it, Glorfindel. But why would someone want to hurt our son?” Glorfindel shook his head. “I do not know, my friend. But I mean to find out. Just keep our little elfling safe. And Diwen, make sure Nestoron checks all of his food before he eats it to make sure it is safe.” Diwen paled, but nodded. “I have not had a chance to thank you, Glorfindel. What you did…I do not know how to thank you,” Amarion said. “I need no thanks, my friend.” Glorfindel embraced the two worried parents, and left to join Erestor. He wanted to talk to Erestor, a bath with Erestor in his arms, and to make love with Erestor, in that order. Tbc….