Uglyestor

Title: Uglyestor (1/2)
Author: Janalynn27
Type: FPS
Beta: Me, Myself, and I (all mistakes are mine if you can’t tell *sigh*)
Pairing: Erestor/Elrond
Rating: R, eventually
Warnings: Mean Elflings
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. They belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien. No disrespect is intended and no profit is being made.
Summary: Poor ugly Erestor leaves his home to find others like himself. Taken from Hans Christian Andersen’s The Ugly Duckling.
Author’s notes: This is for the Fairy Tale challenge for Erestor_lovers yahoo group.
Feedback: Greatly appreciated. janakabugsbunny@yahoo.com


Chapter 1

Erestor sat huddled in the alcove, hidden behind the curtains, listening to his Naneth (Mother) tell yet another story to his brothers and sister. He sat on the window seat, looking out into the night, wishing he could be sitting at his Naneth’s feet along with his siblings, but knew that would never come to be. Focusing on his reflection in the window, not for the first time, did he wonder why it was that he looked so much different than the others in his village, different from his family? Where Erestor was raven-haired and milky skinned, all the others were golden-haired with sun-kissed colored skin. Because of these differences he was always shunned, never allowed to join in games with the other Elflings and was teased without mercy. He was given the barest things from his Naneth, the plainest foods, where his siblings would get rich and tasty foods along with sweets, and the hand-me downs of his brothers’ clothing, often too big, for Erestor was smaller than those of his age. All he longed for was to find someone like him, someone who would accept him for himself. Slowly a tear made its way down his cheek and he tried his hardest to not make a sound, knowing that he would be sent from the room should his Naneth realize that he was there.

A few minutes went by when suddenly the curtains were pulled open and his sister sneered, “Look Nana (Mommy), the baby is crying! You are such a loser Uglyestor.”

Erestor tried his hardest to keep more tears from falling at the cruel nickname that his oldest brother had given him a few years ago, and which the others adopted with relish. He was not even sure if they knew his real name any longer, for none except his Naneth ever called him Erestor, and that only when she deigned to give him any notice.

“Really Erestor, you should be in bed,” his Naneth said with a disapproving frown.

“Yes Naneth,” Erestor whispered and quickly went to leave the chamber only to stumble over his feet just before he reached the door.

“You are so clumsy!” his oldest brother said, “Nana you really should make him sleep out in the stables with the other animals before he breaks any of your beautiful things.”

Erestor turned a horrified gaze to where his Naneth sat as if contemplating the thought until he was told to go to bed and he fled the chamber so as not to give his Naneth a chance to reconsider and send him out to sleep in the stables.

That night Erestor made the decision that he would leave his village, even though he was still so young, 15 years before his majority, but knew that he could no longer stand to stay where he was so different and definitely not wanted. For the next week he pilfered what food he could without the loss being noticed and other sundry things he thought he would need for his journey. He also managed to sneak into the little library of their village to look at the one map of Arda that they had. Looking at it wide-eyed, he had not realized that Middle-Earth was so large. Not knowing where he should go first he decided he would begin his journey heading west towards Mirkwood, surely in such a huge forest he would find someone that looked like him.

The night of his leaving he waited well past the time the others went to bed, making sure that all would be asleep before he packed up his things into a little sack and crept out of the cottage and made his getaway in the still of the night, never once looking back.

For what seemed such a long time to an Elfling, he wandered aimlessly, hoping that he was heading in the right direction. Many times he came into a dangerous situation, only his size saving him, he was able to scurry into small spaces or scramble up trees to get away from the things that would surely have eaten him if they had gotten a hold of him. Three years of wandering finally found him reaching the forests of Mirkwood and his first encounter with an elf since the start of his journey. To Erestor’s keen disappointment, the elf was golden-haired and bronzed-skinned. Asking if the elf knew of others that were like him, he was even more disappointed when he was told no.

The elf took pity on him and brought him to the caves of King Thranduil, where he was allowed to stay, given a job as a servant. Though Erestor was not mistreated, he still despaired for he continually received looks of disfavor or pitied because of the difference of his appearance. Erestor stayed ten years with the Mirkwood elves, working and soaking up any and all knowledge he could, until he could no longer take the loneliness and once again started his search for those like him.

Traveling southwest he journeyed, wandering for a few years more before entering the woodland realm of Lothlórien. Hoping beyond hope that he would finally find others just like him, he was heartbroken when he encountered a silver-haired ellon (m. elf) who told him that he did not know of someone with his coloring.

With his head bowed, Erestor turned and ran, not listening to the ellon who called for him to stay. Erestor did not know that if he would have followed the silver-haired ellon, he would have been brought to the beautiful Lady Galadriel who would of told him just where he could find others like himself.

He wandered for twenty more years, his heart growing heavier with each season that pasted when all he encountered were golden-haired elves, silver-haired elves, Edain (Humans), Dwarves, and even the occasional Orc that he luckily was able to flee from. As time passed, Erestor outgrew his awkwardness, his body filling out, growing into an enchanting vision of silky raven-hair and alabaster skin. Eyes that even though filled with sadness, shined like dark jewels, rimmed by long beautiful eyelashes that any elleth (f. elf) would be jealous of.

One winter while traveling through the High Pass in the Misty Mountains, Erestor found himself in the middle of a blizzard, not able to see two feet ahead of him. He wandered aimlessly, desperate to find shelter of any kind until finally the cold and exhaustion sapped his strength and he stumbled down a small ravine, knocked unconscious.

Only by chance was he found the next day by a wandering band of gypsy elves led by a kindly Noldorin ellon named Gildor Inglorion. Shocked to find a nearly frozen ellon amid the snow, Gildor and the others in his party quickly checked him for wounds and finding a broken leg, set it as best they could before carrying him to a sheltering cave. All day and night they watched over the dark-haired ellon who had yet to stir to wakefulness. Worried, Gildor decided that he had best bring him to Lord Elrond of Imladris, the infamous healer. During the journey, which took them three days through the deep drifts of snow, Erestor still did not wake, his skin unbelievably pale and cold. When reaching The Last Homely house of Lord Elrond, Erestor was rushed into the Healing House and divested of his wet clothing and covered with warmed blankets after his leg was set properly and splinted.

Elrond stared down at the mysterious dark-haired ellon with awe, thinking that he had to be the most beautiful creature he had ever encountered in all his long days. The Lord sat, keeping vigil over his patient for two long days until finally the long-lashed eyelids flutter open to reveal the most hauntingly beautiful eyes.

Erestor’s eyes slowly focused and what he saw upon coming fully awake was a dark-haired ellon staring down at him with kindly steel-grey eyes. At first Erestor did not believe what he was seeing, so long had he been searching for someone like him, until the vision before him spoke.

“My name is Lord Elrond. You are in The Healing House in Imladris. You were found, injured and unconscious, and brought to me. I am a healer. How do you feel?”

Erestor blinked, hardly believing that he was not dreaming. Trying to speak he found that his throat was dry and only managed a croak.

“Oh, I am sorry, here,” Elrond said as he carefully raised Erestor’s head and put a cup of water to his lips, “Drink slowly.”

Taking a few swallows he then waited until he was laid back down before he whispered, “You look like me,” then tears started to fall and he was unable to quell them.

Elrond gasped as tears came flooding down his patient’s cheeks and he carefully gathered the dark-haired ellon into his arms and held his trembling body close, finding that he felt so right in his arms.

Erestor clung to the kindly healer, never wanting to be let go, for never in his whole life had someone comforted him, let alone held him in their arms. He cried and cried until exhaustion took over and he fell once again asleep, grasping the healer’s hand tightly.

Elrond was saddened by the ellon’s reaction, the loneliness he saw and heard in his eyes and voice, was heart wrenching. Not wanting to let go of the dark-haired beauty, Elrond carefully laid down besides him and held him through the rest of the night.

TBC