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Elrond knelt over the body of his son. Hot tears streamed down his face and dripped unceremoniously onto the face of his Estel. His beloved, beloved Estel.

Whoever had done this, he would kill them. He would hunt them down and destroy them.

Scooping his child into his arms, he hurried to the main building of Rivendell and ran flat-out to the healing wing.

It was a red-eyed, panting and breathless Elrond that arrived, gasping for breath with the corpse of his son held tenderly in his arms, at the nearest available bed of the healing ward. The moment the Lord entered, the room quieted for a moment before erupting into a chaos of orders and shocked voices. "It's Estel!" "He's..." "Somebody fetch Elladan and Elrohir!"

A moment later, Elrond's sons rushed into the room, taking in the scene they found. Elrohir took in everything in a sad, silent seriousness, but Elladan had always been the more... forthright of the two.

"ADA! Who did this? How dare they? When I find them, I'm going to make them wish they'd never been born, make them curse this Valar-forsaken world for-"

"Elladan!" Elrond interrupted. "Shut up and help me! If we're going to save him, we have to do it now! Save your revenge for afterwards!" Elrond was already preparing himself and Estel for what was coming.

To tell the truth, he had never done this before. He had heard of it done... but that was on elves. Aragorn was human.

Doubt gnawed at him as he settled the human in his back, and mentally prepared to enter not only his mind, but his soul. But if Estel's soul was too far gone... he may be sucked down with it into the empty chasm of the death faced by all mortals. But Estel was his son, as much as Elladan and Elrohir were. He had to try.

"Elladan! Get over here! Elrohir, you go around the other side; we have to form a circle!"

Once the two elves were in position, their father silenced them with a glare each. "Now, you know what to do. You know the risks. Are you prepared to do this?"

"Yes, Ada." It was Elladan who answered. Elrohir gave a small nod, but that was enough.

"Ok. Good luck, ion-níns. May Ilúvitar watch over us all."

With that simple prayer, they joined hands upon Aragorn's heart and slipped out of their reality, and into his.

It was but a small feat to enter the human's mind. They each shared their own connection with him, carried their own memories and cares. Each had a bond with the human so strong it was like a physical line drawing them in. All they had to do was to follow it.

Later, Elladan and Elrohir could not describe how it was that they had found themselves inside the empty darkness of their brother's mind. But for Elrond, the experience was quite different.

Being the strongest of the three, and having the strongest connection to the human's soul, he had guided his sons with him into the void of the Aragorn's now non-existent consciousness, and, though they did not know it, had helped them to reach it unharmed.

So it was that they had landed, as though on a physical plane, and had taken in the surroundings of the emptiness around them.

It was dark, as though they resided in a deep cave, whose walls were crumbling and slowly slipping down from the death of their host. The three elves stood, small among the vast emptiness, none wanting to speak for fear of causing the collapse of the entire structure, and the death of not only themselves, but of the possibility of bringing Estel back.

It was Elrond who spoke first.

"Aragorn? Estel?"

The words echoed, the quiet sound magnifying and expanding, the desperate call of a father to his son filling the endless quiet.

Far away, Aragorn paused. "Ada?" He wanted to call. But he couldn't. Was it...

"Ion-nín?"

Elrond? His father had braved the darkness for him? Had traversed the empty void in search of his son?

And yet it was so peaceful, so quiet. He knew what he would awake to: pain and suffering and all the turmoil life in Arda would bring. Ada would follow one day. He could wait.

And yet Elrond had done so much for him. What sort of gratitude was this? Leaving him alone to succumb to grief? But what could he do?

It was such a long way back. Such a long, long way through the darkness.

And yet Ada was there, waiting for him! If only he could make it...

Painstakingly, and infinitely slowly, he reached backwards through the darkness. It was empty. No Elladan. No Elrohir. No Ada. Empty. Nobody there that he loved. Nobody here either. The only place that held them was the one he had left.

I'm coming Ada...

He dragged himself upwards, for uphill it seemed, hands fumbling through the endless, murky darkness and closing on thin air, the only thing that kept him going Ada's soft calls.

Until, eventually, his hand closed on a soft leather boot. Closing his eyes, he sank into a heap with a contented sigh.

"Ada."

✧ ★ ✧

Elrond stared in utter disbelief at the human at his feet. Well, more like his foot, for Aragorn had his boot in a death-grip and had collapsed.

"We have to get him out. Elladan, help me carry him!" Elrohir, you make sure there's nothing in the way. Try to open the bond to the outside world if you can!" The two elves immediately sprang into action, and soon they set off. Aragorn was fading. The longer he was here, inside his own head but in death, the lower the already very low odds of his survival would be.

Elrohir was struggling. How could he open the closed, locked and impossible to open bond to the outside world on his own? He pushed against it with all his will, trying to force it to open. It didn't budge.

Behind him stood Elrond and Elladan, supporting the body of his brother. Elrohir tried not to look. It hurt too much.

The two others jolted from their hushed conversation as Elrohir threw himself to the ground, shouting, "It's impossible! It won't give, Ada! I've TRIED and TRIED but it won't open! He's going to die and it'll be my fault." A tear ran down his cheek and he wiped it away angrily. "You do it Ada. I can't."

To his utter surprise, and anger, Elrond smiled.

"ADA! It's not funny, Estel's DYING and you refuse to help him!" Cried Elrohir again.

"Peace, ion-nín. You can open it." He said calmly. "Do not force it. Ask it. Open it gently, and you will do so with ease. And do not fear, I will help you if you fail. I do not expect you to succeed the first time you try this. Are you ready to try again now?"

"Yes Ada. Sorry I shouted at you."

"No matter. Now open this bond, it's getting stuffy in here!" He smiled, a vain attempt to lighten the somber mood.

Elrohir closed his eyes, and tried again. He sent his mind away from his body, pushing gently at the gate, calmly explaining the situation and why they needed to leave. He was so wrapped up in his concentration that he did not notice the other two's gasps of surprise.

Elladan gaped as Elrohir's brow creased in concentration and he raised his arms. His lips formed around strange words and, slowly, they felt a bond forming. Elladan felt a rush of cool forest air, heard the sounds of birds and animals, smelt the smell of the fresh moss and clean air and wanted so badly to be home.

Grabbing Elrohir with one arm, and supporting Aragorn with the other, he followed the bond and blinked as the brightness of the healing ward stung his eyes and the human sat up slowly in front of him, wincing in pain and frowning in confusion all at once.

"Where am I again?"

✧ ★ ✧

Thranduil paced. Why must they always slip through his fingers? He had to hunt down the elfling that was his. He would stop at nothing to reclaim him.

I just hope you remember your manners when you get back, ion-nín. He thought with an evil grin. You were getting pretty good when I last saw you.

But where would Legolas flee too? He knew nobody, had nobody to turn to. Why did that infuriating mortal have to come and mess things up?

The mortal.

Not only was he Elrond's representative, he was Elrond's son. He would go running back to his Ada no doubt, and bring Legolas with him.

"Agardir! Muster all our armies. I want them ready in two days! We march to Rivendell."

It should take about two weeks to get there at full speed. Then I can take my revenge.

✧ ★ ✧

Elrond closed his eyes in frustration as a messenger hurried up to him. Could he not have one moment of peace with his son? His son that he had just BROUGHT BACK FROM THE DEAD? No. If course not. How unreasonable. He opened his eyes.

"What?" He snapped.

"My Lord, the elfling that was brought in with Estel - the one they say killed him..."

"Yes?"

"He's... he's gone."

"What? You just let a MURDERER walk out of the front gates?"

"We are... at a loss as to exactly how he managed it, my Lord. All the doors were locked, and still are, and all the windows are still too closed for anyone to get through."

Sighing, Elrond kicked himself for not stationing a guard outside the elfling - Dagnir, had Tinu sad he was called - outside his room.

"I want him found, and brought back unharmed. Go, now! Give me a moment of peace with my son."

Sorry this update is so late! I've been super busy :(

Next Chapter: Legolas gets lost

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