Lost Hope

PG-13 for violence, child abuse, some language and some sexual references.

Summary: Rivendell's good harvest and hunts prompts Elrond to send the extras to neighboring human villages. Estel tags along secretly only to find himself utterly lost and then kidnapped. Several guest appearances.

Disclaimer: I promise I won't break them. I just want to play with them for a while. *Evil grin* I am going slightly A-U with some characters, particularly Estel's ears. I'm giving them a slight point to give him an even more elvish look. After all he does have elf blood in him, however discreet. I read somewhere that elf genes were dominant…IDK, but it works for the story…

NEW NOTE: I noticed some typos and bad structure while rereading through and have corrected most of them if not all. So all of the chapters have been revamped a little in some form. Thank you for your time

A pair of silver orbs glistened as they stared up in fear at the man hovering above him. The sharp steel glinted in his hand and the young boy trembled as the man grabbed him roughly by the neck. The foul tasting gag in his mouth made it nearly impossible to breath. The ropes that tightly held his hands bound in front were bloodied and chaffed unmercifully. "I'll teach you what it means to cross me," the man said coldly, raising the knife. The eight year old closed his eyes and begged silently for his Ada to save him as tears rolled down his cheeks.

Chapter 1: A Good Harvest

The year had brought a good harvest and a good hunt for Rivendell. The residents were so well off that the Lord of the Valley had decided to send off some of the extra goods to neighboring villages that had not faired so well. The oncoming winter looked to be a harsh one and the humans would need it more than they would. These extra goods were being loaded onto several small, but sturdy wains capable of going up the steep narrow sides of the valley. Full barrels and crates were loaded on and tied down with ropes. Celebfán was loading on some extra animal skins to one wain when Estel, who had been watching everything in excitement as he sat on the wain asked exuberantly, "Are you to go as well, Celebfán?" The silver haired elf simply nodded silently as he went about his work. Estel sighed as he looked down at his feet dangling above the ground. The dark haired youth sometimes wondered if the elf had been named "silver-cloud" because of the color of his hair or if it was because he was always gloomy.

Estel rather liked the elf, even if the feeling at times did not feel mutual. His family was from Lothlórien and he fought along side his brothers and father in the Last Alliance. His father and brothers were slain in the battle. The Silvan elf was lost in the mayhem afterwards and found him self in a sea of Noldor elves. He had seen no reason to go home and he was feeling so lost and alone that he stayed with the Noldor elves even after Imladris was founded. Estel's brothers had told him and Estel understood but he still wished the elf wouldn't be so gloomy all the time. His brothers would probably be going on this trip as well if they were here. They often were not and it saddened him. He knew it saddened his Ada as well. Estel wished he could spend more time with them and go off on adventures with them. "I would like to go with you." Estel spoke rather cheerily, but inwardly he knew the answer was, "No". Celebfán lifted Estel off the wain and set him on the ground to make more room.

"The Wild is no place for a child," the elf responded solemnly as he did so. Estel's face formed a small half-hearted pout then flinched slightly when a small raindrop hit his nose. He gazed up at the overcast skies as the rain increased. The elves hurriedly pulled tarps over the wains to keep the goods dry. When these were secure, several elves and Estel ran inside to seek shelter in the house. Some leapt into or under the trees while others remained and sang as they danced in the rain. Estel's clothes were soaked by the time he got inside. Dry towels were brought to the wet elves and child. Estel wrapped his around his shoulders and went to his room to change into dry clothes before his mother could come and fuss about how he could catch his death of cold if he didn't. Afterwards, he sat on the windowsill in his room and rested his head against the cool glass with his knees up to his chest. He watched the elves dancing in the rain and listened to their songs. His gaze began to wander and his eyes lighted upon the wains. He wished he could go on adventures. He wished he could at least go with the elves to deliver the goods. He noticed one of the wains wasn't quite as full as the others. A smile spread across his face and his eyes gleamed.

The morning sun kissed the sky a light pink. The Lord of Imladris watched the wains carefully crawl up the side of the valley. He was surprised that his youngest son was not here to watch and bid them farewell. He knew the boy had been excited and wanted to go with them. 'It is still fairly early', he thought, 'Perhaps he is upset at not being allowed to go.' He remained on the steps until the last wain was out of sight. Elrond treaded lightly through the house and into his study. He picked up the small fragile cup filled with hot steaming tea that had been prepared for him as he walked over to his desk and picked up the letter that lay there. Elrond stood on the open veranda reading the letter and sipping his morning cup of tea. Halfway through the fourth page of the letter, the breakfast bells sang sweetly across the valley.

Everyone sat down to eat. Elrond lifted his fork and noticed that Estel's chair was sitting empty. The child had been late before and even if he was still sulking (if was sulking), he had never completely missed breakfast. Gilraen was looking just as concerned and her worried demeanor grew as breakfast wore on. She had not seen her son all morning and had assumed that Estel had been with either Elrond or one of his mentors or simply out playing. Elrond excused himself from the table and Gilraen followed suit. Elrond opened the door to Estel's room to find it empty. The bed had been slept in but there was no other sign of the child. Elrond stepped quickly out of the room and inquired several elves as to the whereabouts of his youngest as he rushed outside to see if Estel was outside. His grey eyes searched the outdoors from the steps before hurrying over to the stables, ignoring the mud that splashed up onto his robes to see if the boy was in there but found none but the groomsmen. Several elves were now helping with the search. Gilraen and several she-elves searched indoors. Erestor checked the wine cellars and then the attic areas.

Gilraen was sitting in a large overstuffed chair, wringing her hands anxiously as she gazed down at her lap. She occasionally glanced up at the Elf Lord who was pacing furiously back and forth in the study. The clocked ticked by slowly and chimed seven times, reminding everyone in the room that it was getting late and there was still no sign of Estel.

A/N: Wow, that was shorter than I thought…It looked longer in my little journal I use for writing stories…The next chapters are longer…I think . . Next chapter, Halbarad and the Adanedhel. Gilraen doesn't make too much of an appearance as she should…I'm mostly going to focus on Elrond's view it comes to the "Rivendell" scenes. I hope you like it so far…which is really all I want to know…I'm not looking to win a Pulitzer. Estel was originally going to be six but it seemed a little too young so he's eight. (If your wondering about the clock…'cause I know some wondered about matches I had in another story…yes they had clocks…read The Hobbit, which is also where we find the matches ) Technically this is rated G/PG till we get to the 3rd chapter.. ….oops! Spoils