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Tending Elrond's Heart	By : kathmco Category: -Multi-Age > Het - Male/Female Views: 3677 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings (and associated) book series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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Title: Tending Elrond's Heart

Author: Emmess

Rated: NC17

Genre: Fluffy romance

A/N: Okay…back to fluff…

Tending Elrond's Heart

Chapter Seven

The Trial

She opened her eyes to another pair, these a deep, dark blue and filled with concern. She was in the House of Healing again, and her guardian, Elrond was with her.

Elrond forced a smile to his lips, his hand smoothing the hair from her savaged brow. "How are you feeling?" he has softly.

"I…am alright, my Lord…"

"The truth, Merenant," he said slightly more sternly, although the concern stayed in his eyes and the smile upon his lips.

"Sore. My head hurts the most, though." She reached a hand to her forehead, but he caught it before she could feel the wounds. She didn't know what had been carved into her flesh, and if Elrond had his way, she never would. It was meaningless, as far as he was concerned…she was no traitor…that honor fell to whoever had initiated this attack. And that traitor, Elrond vowed, would face his wrath.

"Who was that, Lord Elrond…why did he do that to me?" she asked in a small voice, fearing that something she had done had brought the attack on her. Her eyes overflowed, as the memory of the attack washed over her. "He…hurt me…he touched me…"

Elrond bent and gathered her in his arms, holding her close, rocking her gently. "I know, Pen neth…he hurt you. I promised to protect you, and I failed. For that I am so very sorry," he murmured into her hair.

Even in her pain and fear, Merenant sought to comfort her Lord. "I do not blame you, Lord Elrond…you have been nothing but wonderful to me. You took me in, treated me like one of your own…this is not your fault."

Elrond was surprised to find her arms around him, and for a moment he didn't know who was comforting whom. A true smile graced his lips as he pulled away, gently returning her to the pillows. "You will heal very quickly, Merenant. These wounds are not like the last - they will disappear in just a few days with no lingering scar." He prayed that the same could be said for her heart.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elrond strode across the courtyard like a vengeful god when word reached him that Elladan and Elrohir had found the human who had perpetrated the attack on Merenant.

His sons stood near their horses, their fathomless ebony eyes regarding him in stony silence. He knew immediately that the man was dead, at his sons' hands.

"Explain," Elrond commanded, eyeing the corpse that had been tethered to Elrohir's horse, and evidently dragged all the way through Imladris.

"We found him on the southern border…his moneybag full of Imladris gold. He confessed," Elrohir said in a toneless voice, a voice of a soldier giving a report to his commanding officer.

Elladan was more passionate than his twin, as he gave a more detailed version. "He told us he was hired by an Elleth, Ada. He laughed when he recounted how Merenant had screamed when he…took his knife to her. But it was when he told us that he had…touched her…and that he was sorry he hadn't had time to…"

Elrond raised his hand to silence his son. "He is caught, and he is dead. That is all that matters. I have already had Ethuilrost brought here. She is being held in one of the spare bedrooms under guard. I will summon the council, you will give your report, and we shall see to her punishment." He started to leave, but turned back after just a few steps, his eyes flat and cold. "See that the carcass is destroyed - burned. As an animal he chose to live his life, as an animal he will end it. He does not deserve a burial."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Does she not deserve to face the witch who caused her pain?" Glorfindel demanded of Elrond as the council, chosen by the Peredhil Lord, gathered in the Hall of Fire.

"It is not a matter of whether she is entitled to be here, Glorfindel. I know Merenant. She will wish no harm on anyone, not even the one who has hurt her. As the Lord of Imladris, I will not allow this creature to walk free, but as Merenant's guardian I do not desire her to be witness to her aunt's punishment - it will haunt her."

Sighing, Glorfindel nodded his understanding. Erestor stood nearby, nodding also, agreeing wholeheartedly with Elrond on the matter.

Elrond had spent nearly the entire night in the House of Healing, sitting at Merenant's bedside. He had told her that the human who had hurt her was dead, and had been shocked when she cried for him. Tears for the one that had caused her pain…it was almost incomprehensible. When he haltingly told her that it had been her aunt who had initiated the attack by hiring the human, Merenant had begged him not to hurt Ethuilrost. Unable to refuse her anything, Elrond had promised that she would not be harmed by his hands.

Calling the council to order, Elrond looked around at the faces gathered behind the tribunal table in the Hall of Fire. Erestor and Glorfindel sat at his left and right hands, Elladan and Elrohir to Erestor's right, and his next two highest-ranking officers on Glorfindel's left. Elrond nodded, and Ethuilrost was brought into the room.

When Glorfindel had stormed into her house accusing her of the crime, Ethuilrost had thrown herself down on her knees, wailing that there had been a terrible mistake…she would never seek to hurt anyone, least of all her own niece. Seeing that tears would not work on the Balrog Slayer, she had quickly changed tactics, offering him herself in exchange for her freedom. He'd nearly snapped her neck right there, in her own entry hall.

Her eyes shot fiery hatred at the members of the council, Elrond in particular, as she was marched into the Hall of Fire to face her trial. She had been shackled since she had repeatedly tried to bite and scratch the guards who had been sent to fetch her.

Elrond, once again in complete control of his emotions, began the proceedings by listing the charges against her. "Ethuilrost, Elleth of Imladris, wife of Gilden, you are charged with the following crimes against one of the Firstborn: seeking and paying a human to do harm to Merenant, my ward. How do you plead?"

Wild-eyed, Ethuilrost spat, "Why do you care what happens to that little wench? She has nothing to offer…no valuables…no land…no title…she is worthless! Her life is meaningless! She…"

"SILENCE!" Elrond thundered, the power of his voice shocking the woman into just that, her jaws snapping shut with an audible pop. "There is no doubt in my mind as to your guilt…we have had a confession from the one who committed the deed. Plus, Glorfindel has reported that you offered him your body in return for your freedom - hardly the actions of an innocent Elleth."

Addressing the council, Elrond asked, "How say you? Guilty or Innocent?" As he received six solemn answers of "guilty," Ethuilrost dropped to her knees, begging for her life.

"Ethuilrost, Elleth of Imladris, wife of Gilden, you have been found guilty of the crime for which you have been accused. No crime is considered more serious than that of kinslaying, and while you did not seek to have Merenant slaughtered by the human you hired, that very well could have been the result of your actions. The punishment should fit the crime…you should be marked as she was marked, for you indeed, are a traitor to your own kind, and sentenced to death."

At this Ethuilrost began screaming, trying to crawl away across the floor. Two guards quickly dragged her to her feet and held her.

"However, I have promised my ward that you would not be harmed by my hands. Therefore, you are hereby banished from the Elven realms until the end of time, or death takes you. Never again will you set foot within the boundaries of Imladris. Never will you see the Caverns of Thranduil, or the Heart of the Elven Realms in Lothlorien. Never will you see the shores of Aman. You are banished from the sight of all Firstborn, and may Eru have pity on your soul." Elrond nodded, and Elrohir and Elladan rose, scowling fiercely at the hysterical Elleth.

They bowed to their father and the council, and led the guards, who were dragging Ethuilrost by her arms, out of the room. The twins were charged with escorting her to the borders. She would be given three days rations, and a short sword. Should she be found within the borders again, she would be brought before Elrond, and her fate would be sealed Word of her punishment was sent by messenger to both Mirkwood and Lorien, and she would not be allowed within those borders, either. She would live her life with humans or some other race, or alone, or not at all.

Sighing, Elrond thanked the members of the council for their diligence in their duty, and left the Hall of Fire. He needed to tell Merenant that it was over, and of the fate he had dealt her aunt. He only hoped that she would understand, and forgive him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Merenant, of course, did forgive him, although his words brought tears to her eyes again. She blamed herself for being the cause of all the problems Elrond had had to face, and it took many reassurances on his part before the tears finally ebbed, and he could coax a small smile from her. Eventually, her emotions wrung dry, she began to drift into a reverie.

"Have you seen the garden lately, Lord Elrond?" she asked sleepily, her eyes beginning to glaze over.

He smiled, gently stroking her hair, grateful that the horrid wounds on her forehead had already begun to fade, watching her fall asleep. "No, Pen neth…I have not noticed them of late…what of them?"

"Elrond's Heart is beginning to bloom…" she whispered, then said no more as sleep claimed her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He was puzzled by her words…his heart? Shaking his head, he left her sleeping peacefully, and wandered out into the garden she had mentioned. One look at his plant explained everything.

He almost didn't recognize it…the barren stalks that he had so carefully tended without success all of these years were nearly obliterated by the plant that had taken root next to it…a fabulous rose bush, thick with large, fragrant pink blooms. But it was Elrond's plant that surprised him most…it had sprouted delicate, pale green leaves and, near the top of the plant, one tiny, fragile red bud. Underdeveloped, tender and new, it clung to its nest of green, a single drop of dew glistening on its curled petals.

"Elrond's Heart," she had called it, referring he now knew, to this plant. Elrond stood, staring at the once barren centuries-old stalk now just beginning to live, and at the new bush that seemed to be encouraging it, wondering if it were possible that his own heart could dare live again.
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Tending Elrond's Heart