Summary[/B]: Erestor is in love with Glorfindel, but when some elves from mirkwood arrive, another catches Glorfindels eye. Things get more difficult between Glorfindel and Erestor until Erestor final storms out of Imladris. (rating in case of later chapters)


Ok, I've finally plucked up the courage to post one of my serious fics on here; it got a mixed reponse on CoE and fanfiction.net.

Disclaimer: *reads from script* I do not own Lord of the Rings. I do not own Elrond and co. or Thranduil and Legolas. I am not making any money off of this.
*puts down script*. Well, that was underwhelming.

A/N: First thing’s first, Glorfindel’s a woman. WHY? Why not - apart from the obvious fact that he is supposed to be a man. *shrug* Hey, this is a fanfic.
Second thing’s second, I’m going by human ages here.
Chapter 1

Sunlight fell on the dark-haired advisor of Imladris. He sat at his desk, going through the arrangements for their Mirkwood guests. Thranduil’s eldest child, his daughter Mirear, was coming to study the arts of healing under Lord Elrond. She would be living in Imladris with her husband Romendir, and infant daughter Galenorn, until she finished her studies. Thranduil was joining her for the journey and staying for two weeks as well, along with his wife Mirindil, and young son Legolas.
Erestor was half-way through some last-minute preparations when he heard the door open and the sound of familiar footsteps. He didn’t have to look to know who it was: Glorfindel. She was the only elf who didn’t knock on the door before entering his office. She all but skipped up behind him and peered over his shoulder to see what he was doing.
“This again?” she asked with a mixture of exasperation and amusement. Erestor turned to look at her, their faces barely an inch apart.
Her hair was tied back in warrior braids, and she wore her usual green tunic and leggings. Her muscles were slightly larger and more toned then most she-elves (and he guessed that her figure was well shaped and toned) due to a life, or two in her case, as a warrior. He found himself resisting the urge to touch her. He now made an effort to avoid staring at her, ever since she had noticed him doing so a few years before. That thought brought him back to the present, and he turned back to his work.
“It has got to be done. It… GLORFINDEL!!”
Before he had finished his sentence, she’d snatched away the papers and danced a few paces away, waving them in the air.
“‘It has got to be done’, my foot! If you don’t stop this right away, I am afraid I will have to take persuasive action.”
Erestor watched Glorfindel’s insane grin and suppressed a shudder. He clearly remembered the last time Glorfindel took ‘persuasive action’.
“Did you come here for a reason, or just to annoy me?” came his irritated reply. She lowered the papers, and appeared to be trying to remember something.
“No, no reason.”
“GLORFINDEL!?”
“Alright, alright,” she raised her hands in defeat. “The Mirkwood party will be arriving in ten minutes. Elrond wants us both to be there to greet them.”
“Are you not going to wear something a little more … formal?”
Glorfindel shrugged. “Why? That’s what the feast tonight is for.”
“Thranduil and Mirindil will be in formal wear.”
Glorfindel gave him a sceptical look. “You can’t really believe that will change my mind.”
Erestor sighed. “Fine! Shall we go then?”
Glorfindel walked over to his desk and dropped the papers on it. “Certainly.” She walked with Erestor to the courtyard.
Erestor watched Glorfindel and, for the millionth time, wondered why he had fallen for her. She must have sensed his eyes on her because she turned round and raised an eyebrow.
“Why are you staring at me?”
Damn! He hadn’t even realised that he had been staring. “Just wondering why the Valar gave you a second chance at life. Oh, and why did you have to spend it here?” Well, that isn’t far from the truth, he thought to himself.
This seemed to satisfy her, as she just grinned and said, “You love me really.”
“You have no idea,” he muttered under his breath.
~#~
Elrond watched as Glorfindel and Erestor came down to stand with him and his family. “I see you managed to drag Erestor away from his study,” he noted.
Glorfindel smiled back. “With a little persuasion…”
-----Flashback-----
“GLORFINDEL!! GIVE … THEM … BACK … NOW!”
Glorfindel was standing on the rocks beside the Imladris Lake. In one hand, she held the papers Erestor was demanding back. Erestor was standing at the bottom of the rocks, looking very pissed off.
Glorfindel’s grin widened. “Oh dear,” thought Elrond, which also seemed to be Erestor’s thought as he halted.
“Glorfindel, what are you scheming? Glorfindel!? No, not-” Erestor stopped dead, unable to say a word as the papers floated serenely downwards onto the surface of the lake. Glorfindel wisely left before Erestor could recover.
-----End Flashback----
Elrond was jerked out of his memories by a horn, announcing their guests’ arrival.
~#~
Glorfindel watched King Thranduil dismount and help his wife down. Glorfindel and Erestor shared a brief look. Both wore the predicted formal dress, in a regal dark green. The Mirkwood royal family stood together.
“Mae Govannen, Thranduil and Mirindil of Mirkwood,” Elrond said as they all bowed slightly to each other. “You know my wife, Lady Celebrian, my twin sons Elrohir and Elladan, my daughter Arwen and, of course, Lady Glorfindel and Lord Erestor.”
Glorfindel smiled slightly at the surprised look on the face of a brown-haired elf standing slightly apart from the family. Glorfindel listened to Thranduil’s introductions, beginning with his wife Mirindil, a beautiful elf with dark blonde hair. Glorfindel knew from Thranduil’s last visit (several centuries before) that she was a patient elf. She had to be patient to be married to Thranduil.
Glorfindel surveyed Imladris’ newest residents. Mirear had her mother’s hair and gentle eyes. Her husband, Romendur, also had the blonde hair common to Sindar elves. In Mirkwood, he was one of generals, but now he would be working under Glorfindel’s command, perhaps as a border captain or something similar.
“And this must be Galenorn,” Celebrian said to a little blonde head that peeked round Mirear’s legs.
Galenorn looked round at all the new faces and started forward, until she spotted Erestor. She froze, looked at him, and quickly hid behind her parents’ legs. The only ones who didn’t appear to find this funny were Erestor and Thranduil.
Glorfindel walked forward till she was standing a couple of feet in front of Galenorn, and kneeled down. “Don’t worry, little one. I know Erestor looks like a stern, moody, grumpy stiff-neck, but once you get to know him-”
Glorfindel paused, looking first at Erestor, then Galenorn, then at Erestor again, and then back to Galenorn, and smiled. “Maybe you ought to just stay out his way for a few years.”
This prompted a few chuckles, and a dark glare from Erestor. Well he did have it coming, thought Glorfindel.
Thranduil cleared his throat. “…And this is my son Legolas,” he announced proudly, placing his hands on Legolas’ shoulders. Legolas looked a LOT like his father, but his build was closer to his mother’s. He was couple of years younger than Arwen, making him about 10. Glorfindel smiled to herself. He was going to be handsome when he grew up.
As an afterthought, Thranduil added “This is Legolas’ tutor, Narelda.” He indicated the brown-haired elf she had noticed earlier. That is odd: he has never brought a tutor here before.
Lord Elrond called to her. “Glorfindel, will you show Narelda to some chambers?”
“Of course. Follow me.”
As Narelda came up beside her, their eyes meet and she felt a twinge.

~~~End of Chapter 1~~~

Ah... *smiles* This fan fic's interesting (I almost thought it a spoof at first, though. I guess the world 'serious' didn't register with me till I'd read a paragraph ^^)... it's a little different, though, as in, Glorfindel's a woman?!?

Heheh, the first impression I got from the summary was that the story was about a pair of gay Elves, though there's nothing really wrong with that (And it's not unheard of ;) Fine, it is, but...), except that it's unusual XD

Good start, though :yesnod: ^^

*looks embrassed* Well, yeah, erm...so you ya see I haven't updated for ages because.....well, erm....I forgot. *blush* Sorry, but I have been busy, what with my exams starting today 'n' all.

Thank you Atheniel for your nice comment. Don't worry, at least you read the A/N, that's more then what some other people did on other places I've posted this on. :galadrielangry:

Chapter 2

Glorfindel showed Narelda in to his bedchambers. It wasn’t exactly a fancy room; fairly large, with cream walls, a bed against one wall, a desk and chair against the opposite wall. There was a large window next to the bed and another door leading into the bathing chamber.
“These will be your rooms for the duration of your stay. Don’t hesitate to ask either myself or one of the servants if you are in need of anything.” Glorfindel turned to walk out the door, but a couple of thoughts were nagging at her, so when she reached the door she suddenly turned and asked,
“Why are you here?”
Narelda looked blank. “Pardon?”
“I was merely curious as to why Thranduil decided to bring his son’s tutor.”
Narelda smiled. “Due to my curiosity. I have read many books describing the peace and beauty of Imladris, and so I wished to experience it for myself.” He looked out of the window. “I see now that that the descriptions do not do it justice,” he added quietly.
“Why did you look so surprised when Lord Elrond introduced me?”
Narelda looked slightly embarrassed and avoided eye contact. “It was not much. I had just heard much about you and did not dream that you were a maiden.”
“And why would that be?” asked Glorfindel, her curiosity quickly changing to anger.

~#~

When Narelda entered the healing ward with Glorfindel, Elrond observed with some amusement, that he looked like he had implied that Glorfindel might be incapable of something because she was a woman. When Glorfindel admitted that this was what had happened, his amusement quickly disappeared. Elrond was in the process showing Mirear around the House of healing when the pair entered.
“Mirear, I would like to see how much you have already learnt.” Elrond indicated to Narelda. Mirear gave a small nod and started tending Narelda’s injuries under the watchful eye of Elrond.
Elrond silently thanked the Valar that Narelda was not seriously hurt (merely a few bruises) and his nose wasn’t actually broken. He also noted that Mirear seemed to have a fairly good basic knowledge.
“Thank you Mirear that was well done. You may leave; I’m sure you both have many preparations for tonight. Glorfindel, I wish to speak with you.” Accepting this dismissal, Mirear and Narelda left the ward. Elrond rounded on Glorfindel.
“What were you thinking, Glorfindel?”
“He was saying that-”
“I know what happened.” Elrond resisted the urge to sigh, “You know this is not merely an apprenticeship. This is to improve relations between ourselves and Mirkwood.”
“He is only a tutor, even if he is for Prince Legolas.”
“Hopefully, Thranduil will see it that way too.”
“I am sorry for any trouble that this may cause you.”
Elrond looked at her. “Glorfindel, just try to keep hold of your temper when it comes to situations like this. Mirkwood came out of the Last Alliance far worse than us and not all, especially the race of men, are as understanding of your outbursts as we,” Elrond warned, remembering the many men who had come to his wards in the same condition as Narelda, or worse. “I will see you tonight.”
Unknown to them, a very similar conversation had just occurred between Mirear and Narelda.

~#~

The sun was just setting as Glorfindel finished braiding her hair. She checked herself in the mirror. Her hair was in the style of her previous house, the House of the Golden Flowers, a style she only really wore for formal occasions such as these. She wore a deep blue dress, one of the few dresses she owned, having few occasions to wear them. As she surveyed herself in the mirror, she smiled. She found few chances to dress up and generally act feminine. Despite what many thought, she actually enjoyed it, although doing this every day would have driven her insane. She didn’t know how Celebrian did it. When she was satisfied with herself, she turned and left the room. She would not outshine Celebrian or Mirindil, but she did not think she had done badly with herself.
~#~

Erestor heard his name being called as he left his chambers. He turned to see Glorfindel walking towards him. ‘Stay calm, Erestor. By the Valar, she is beautiful!’ He gave her a nod of acknowledgement, and waited for her.
“I see you have decided to dress appropriately,” he commented.
“Of course, you knew I would.” He could have sworn she actually enjoyed all this.
“I see you are wearing black again.”
“Yes. Is there a problem with that?”
“Yes.”
“Tough.”
“You should be wearing your other dress robes, the midnight blue ones.”
“And when did you become so interested in fashion, especially the fashion of others?” replied Erestor testily, deciding he didn’t want to find out how she knew the contents of his wardrobe.
“I merely wish to see you in another colour apart from black.”
“I wear other colours.”
“Yes: blue-black, green-black and sometimes grey. How silly of me to forget,” she replied sarcastically.
‘That is not true; they aren’t all something-black! I have those midnight blue robes; I’ve just never worn them.’ The doors of the great hall came into sight, quickly breaking off Erestor’s train of thought.
They walked together into the large hall, and made their way to the head table. For this evening, three tables had been placed into a U-shape. Mirindil, Thranduil, Elrond and Celebrian seated at the central table. To the left hand side sat Mirear, Legolas, Galenorn and Romendir; on the right were Elladan, Elrohir and Arwen. There were two seats beside Arwen for Erestor and Glorfindel.
Glorfindel paid little attention to Elrond’s speech (something to do with relationships, Mirear, Healing and Homes, nothing really exceptional), but she maintained her politely interested expression until the food was brought in.
Music was played during the whole meal. After the main courses were done, Lindir began leading his musicians in a dancing song. Many elves dragged their partners up to dance. Mirindil’s eyes lit up and she turned onto Thranduil, who smiled indulgently and spoke to Elrond.
“You will have to excuse us for a moment, my wife is very keen on dancing,” he said, standing.
Before he could leave, Elrond was on his feet as well. “Mayhap, then, you will honour me with the first dance, Mirindil … with your consent of course, my Lord,” he added afterwards, not wanting to anger Thranduil.
“As you wish, my Lord.”
“Then, Mirindil, you must allow me to dance with Thranduil,” Celebrian said, and they went off to dance.
Mirear and Romendir seemed content to just sit and watch. Mirear leaned over and whispered something to Legolas. He pulled a dissatisfied face, but got up and walked over to Arwen.
“Would Lady Arwen like to dance?” he asked. Arwen blushed slightly, but agreed. Well, that would please her; normally she only ever got to dance with her father. She had learned not to trust Elladan or Elrohir if they asked.
When the next dance began, Celebrian and Mirindil came back to sit down. Elladan danced with Mirear, while Romendir danced with Arwen. Glorfindel was trying to convince Erestor to dance with her.
“Please Erestor, just one dance.”
“Glorfindel, I keep telling you, NO!”
“If Erestor will not dance, then I wish to steal a dance from this Golden flower.” Glorfindel and Erestor turned to see that Narelda had come over from one of the lower tables. ‘What did he call me?’ was Glorfindel’s main thought as they stared at him.
“Consider it an apology for this afternoon,” he quickly added, thinking that he had offended them in some way.
“It would be my pleasure, Narelda.” As they danced neither of the couple notice Erestor’s extra-watchful eye, or Mirindil and Celebrain’s conversation as they watched both them and Erestor.
“I must apologise to you, Lady Glorfindel. I should not have implied that you were incapable, just because you are a maiden. I had no real reason to jump to conclusions.”
“But are there not many women in the Mirkwood army?”
“Since the return from the Last Alliance, yes, but none of them are of high rank. We lost most of our men in the war and therefore have needed to recruit women into our army. But it is still in its’ early stages. Are there many women in the Imladris guard?”
Glorfindel didn’t reply. She hated to admit it but there indeed only few. Not many she-elves choose the path of a warrior; some, yes, but not many. This was something she had never really noticed before.
Their dance soon drew to an end.
“Glorfindel, I wish to see the woods surrounding Imladris. They seem so beautiful and untainted in darkness. It would be a pleasure to have you accompany me for a ride through them by day.”
“I have duties to attend to…”
“Of course, it was a foolish request,” he interrupted.
“Friday.”
“Pardon?”
“I will be free on Friday. Romendir should have settled in by then, and my duties do not tie me down so much as to deny me time to myself.”
Narelda smiled. “Friday morning, then.” He lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed it. “I will long for that day.” With that he turned and left.

End of Chapter 2.

Sorry if you got a bit bored with that. I promise the next chapter will be better. It was one of those important, but not very interesting chapters. Well say what you thought of it, and I’m very sorry again for the delay, the next one won’t be so long in the coming.

It wasn’t a boring chapter at all ^^ It was quite good ;) Scarily enough, through that, I began to get used to the notion that Glorfindel was female (the name isn’t all that masculine, ye know >.<) If this were a spoof, I would have politely asked you to put on some tango music at that Elven ball ^_^ You know, just for something different =)
[Late review =( I’ve been away for a while]

Atheniel: I'm afraid that I'm quite paranoid that people find my fanfics boring, especially as there's alot of talking and not much action (at the moment). :yesnod: Tango music is the spoof dance music of all music :D

Chapter 3:

Laughter echoed in the clearing by the river.
“Surely he is not that bad?” Narelda questioned Glorfindel. They were lounged on a blanket by the river’s edge. The remainders of a picnic were back in the basket, and their horses were grazing nearby.
“No, he is not ‘that bad’,” replied Glorfindel. “True, he may seem cold at times, and is intimidating to the elflings (and some of the adults). That is mainly the reputation he cultivates, though. Erestor is a scholar, a diplomat, and an advisor, so he is adept at hiding his emotions while reading others, and likes to keep it that way. He is also very direct. I suppose people find that intimidating.
Narelda slimed and nodded. “I understand. I believe that Thranduil has a similar ‘problem’. Most visitors to Mirkwood see him as an ill-tempered and xenophobic king. Thranduil is a great king; he loves his family and people dearly. He has created a close trading system with the people of Lake-town and Dale. His people see him very differently to foreigners.”
“Yet he is ill-tempered?”
“Ahem. It is best avoided.” This caused another burst of laughter from Glorfindel. “And what about you? Surely you must be misjudged regularly. Most are unused to such a pretty face for a warrior.”
Glorfindel didn’t know how to respond to this last statement, or his hand that had cupped her cheek.
After a few moments, she decided she could not ignore the question. “Er, well, yes, but only by travelers-” Glorfindel suddenly found Narelda’s mouth clamped over hers and felt his tongue against hers. Glorfindel was taken-aback to say the least; this she hadn’t been expecting! She felt Narelda’s fingers caress the point of her ear. She relaxed into the kiss and closed her eyes as she leaned back onto the blanket.

~#~

“Erestor! Of course we only kissed!” Glorfindel exclaimed. She had just been recounting the day’s events to Erestor over a game of chess. It was an activity in which they occasionally partook, chess being one of the few games (nay, the only) in which they were equally matched. Every once in a while, Glorfindel would ask Erestor to play a couple of games and, to her eternal surprise, he agreed every time.
Returning her attention to the game, Glorfindel moved a pawn forward. “Your move.”
Staring at the board, Erestor asked “Why did you return his kiss?” He moved a rook forward, trying to find a position to take the queen safely. In truth, Glorfindel still was not sure. He was a great kisser, though, attractive in several ways. Glorfindel found herself thinking about Narelda, daydreaming even while her hand rested on the knight, her thumb gently rubbing the figure. Her daze was abruptly interrupted by Erestor sharply telling her it was her move. She looked at the board, briefly thought and moved her knight, with a triumphant “CHECK!!”, finally finding a crack in his defence. She smiled at Erestor and then frowned slightly If she didn’t know him better, she would say he was annoyed, maybe even angry. The only sign, though, was in his eyes and a slight change in posture, something she’d managed to detect after many years experience.
“Certainly not.” He moved his rook into the path of the knight.
“Well, you are annoyed at something.” He said nothing. “Erestor, I have known you for far too long for this. You are annoyed at me; why?” She moved her knight, taking his rook, placing it in check again.
He rested his hand on the king, deciding his next move. He wished to get into a position to take Glorfindel’s queen, but unfortunately her knight was in a dominant position. He knew if he could just take the queen then he could win the game, but only if Glorfindel didn’t counter-attack with the knight, punching straight through his carefully placed defences.
As Erestor concentrated on the game, Glorfindel tried to sort through her thoughts and discover what was on Erestor’s mind; his stony silence told her she was correct. The only prompt that she could think of was her past actions with Narelda, but she saw no reason for this to irritate him. Well, there was only one way to find out. She put the question to him.
“Why should I be?” he answered, a little too coolly, moving his piece out of check.
“Please, Erestor, we are friends. Can you at least be honest with me?” Glorfindel gave Erestor a completely serious look, and then looked down at the board. “It is not every day I have a man pining over me,” she added, moving her knight and missing Erestor’s sudden stiffness. Erestor laid his hand on a piece.
“I don’t like Narelda,” he said suddenly, moving his rook towards the queen.
Glorfindel stared at him, surprised. “Why?” The game was temporally forgotten.
“It does not matter,” he murmured, picking up his bishop absently to move it.
“Yes it does; I want to know why you do not like my-“
“It does not matter!” Erestor snapped, standing up. “If you will excuse me, I have work to attend to.” He dropped the bishop he’d been holding onto the board, knocking down Glorfindel’s knight and Queen in the process. He turned and swept out of the room.

~#~

Erestor sat at the breakfast table the next morning, eating fruit. He thought over the previous night, considering weather or not he should apologize to Glorfindel. He wasn’t angry at Glorfindel, but jealous of Narelda, and this brought up the fact that if he apologized, then he would have to explain to her why he disliked Narelda. He hadn’t been able to tell her before now, so he highly doubted that he would be able to now. With Narelda in the mix now, it made things harder. Narelda seemed to suit Glorfindel so much better. He was bright, happy, and the sort of elf you’d enjoy having a conversation with. Erestor mentally shook himself; he’d just have to go about this in the way he always did when facing a problem: work it through logically. Unfortunately his mind had other ideas, ideas which were muddled with love and jealousy and generally not co-operating. He looked up. Across the table sat Elladan and Elrohir with Legolas, and behind them he could see Glorfindel walking over. He hastily decided that the best course of action would be to ignore it. Now was not the time to discuss anything with Glorfindel.
“Good morning, Erestor,” she flashed him a quick smile. Apparently, Glorfindel was thinking along the same lines.
“Good morning.”
She was about to sit down when a grin broke her face and Narelda walked past Erestor. “Good morning, Narelda.”
“Good morning, Glorfindel,” and he treated her with a quick kiss, much to the surprise of the room’s other occupants. Erestor’s stomach felt like it had turned to ice. He really couldn’t bear to sit here with the couple.
As Erestor made his way to his office, he decided his course of action: nothing. Narelda had Glorfindel, and that was that. He wasn’t some hormonal youth, whose idea of a plan was to make a fool of himself. He would conduct himself in a more appropriate manner: he would avoid spending too much time with Glorfindel. As for Narelda, well, he couldn’t promise anything.

~#~


While things had not gotten worse over the week, they had not exactly improved either. Whenever Glorfindel asked Erestor to play chess, he refused, saying he had more important work to do. He was acting very cold and rude towards Narelda. At first Glorfindel thought he needed space, but now she was beginning to doubt it. If anything, Erestor seemed to be in an even fouler mood than before. It had improved slightly when she stopped talking about Narelda in front of Erestor, unless she had to. It may have helped a lot more if she wasn’t spending more time with Narelda. Which was where she was at that moment, leaning against him, under a tree, in the gardens.
“At least he still holds our friend. That is something I can take comfort in.”
“And me,” he breathed into her ear. She giggled as he nuzzled her neck.
“Would you like me to talk to him?” he queried. She smiled up at him.
“Thank you, but I believe that would make things worse.”
“I believe I remember a certain golden flower telling me that ‘he was not that bad’,” he chuckled.
“He is not. He has never behaved like this before. He spends most of his time being diplomatic and dignified.” She frowned slightly. “I am worried.”
“Worried enough to leave me?”
“Never.” Narelda claimed her lips and held the kiss for longer.
“If you have quite finished with Glorfindel, I believe she has some work to do.” Glorfindel suddenly pulled back and turned around to face the irritated voice. She immediately felt embarrassed and slightly ... guilty? Erestor stood there, and beside him were Elrond and Mirear, who was carrying a bag full of greenery. Glorfindel briefly remembered Elrond mentioning that he was taking Mirear into the surrounding woods to collect herbs today. Erestor had evidently met them on their way back.
“Lord Elrond, Princess Mirear,” Narelda quickly stood and bowed to each. “Lord Erestor,” he added more stiffly.
“I wish to remind you, Narelda, that even through you have no work, Glorfindel still has reports to write and guards to train; guards that have politely waited while you monopolize her Lady’s time.” he put an emphasis on ‘lady’, as if to imply that he wasn’t good enough for her.
“Then I will join Glorfindel,” he retorted.
“I believe that Glorfindel will need air to conduct the session.”
“Erestor!” Glorfindel was not impressed by his jibe.
Elrond decided that he should step in. “Narelda, I believe that you have other forms of entertainment, and Glorfindel is certainly late enough to her training session.” They took the hint and left. Before Erestor could leave, Elrond stopped him. He sent Mirear up to wait for him. “Erestor, what is the matter?”
“Nothing, Elrond.”


~#~

“Do not bind them too tightly. Yes, that is better; the herbs lose their effectiveness if damaged.” Mirear hung the last of the bushels in the dispensary. She had just finished sorting the plants they had just collected.
“We will return tomorrow, to prepare the plants. It is nearly evening and we have been out since dawn; I believe we may relax for the rest of the evening,” he smiled down at her.
“Thank you my Lord. My mother will be happy. She wishes to spend as much time with me as possible before she leaves. It will be the first time I’ve been away from Mirkwood for so long.”
Elrond perfectly understood Thranduil and Mirindil’s feelings. He remembered the first time Elladan and Elrohir had spent years away in Lothlorien. Things had been much quieter during those years, and safer.
“I believe your mother will be with my wife. They seem to have forged quite a friendship.” They were not the only ones. Legolas was often seen with Elladan and Elrohir, and Arwen had taken to Galenorn like a sister.
When they entered the family room, Celebrian and Mirindil were sat talking to each other. Mirear went and sat next to her mother and began reading a book she was handed. Elrond sat beside his wife, noticing the look that passed between the two ladies and Celebrian’s slight nod.
“Did you collect all you needed?” Elrond answered, but had the distinct feeling that this wasn’t what she really wanted to know.
“And Mirear, are you enjoying your apprenticeship?”
“….”
“Mirear?”
“….” They all looked towards her, but she was busy reading.
Her mother smiled. “She is reading. Imladris could fall down around her, Valar forbid, and she would not notice.” She moved her hand to take away the book, but Celebrian stopped her.
“Leave her. I wish to speak to walk with Elrond, anyway.” They moved down into the gardens.
Elrond sat on a bench, Celebrian beside him as they passed a quiet moment. “I believe you should talk to Erestor.”
Elrond looked at her. “About what?”
She shook her head. “About Glorfindel, and her behavior towards Narelda.”
“I tried, and he told me nothing was wrong. If I do not know what ails him, I cannot help him.”
Briefly, Celebrian wondered if all men were so blind to love. “Erestor loves Glorfindel!”
Elrond looked at her disbelievingly. No wonder Glorfindel was so oblivious to Erestor’s feeling, with her closest friend being Elrond. Celebrian chose to carry on. “Erestor will need someone to talk to.”
“Erestor will not talk to me unless he wishes to, which I highly doubt he ever will.”
“Then Glorfindel-”
“It is not our place to interfere with their relationship.”
Celebrian still looked worried. Elrond held her close to him. “Glorfindel and Narelda are like young elves.” Elrond smiled slightly at calling Glorfindel, one far older than him, young. “Their flame burns brightly for now, but will quickly burn out. Nothing will result from this relationship.”
Celebrian deferred to Elrond, as always, but privately she wasn’t comforted much.

End of Chapter 3.

Delayed review, I know. Sori :(
So will nothing really result from the relationship, or will everything?
It's pretty funny, I'm not sure whether it was deliberate or anything, but I kept coming under the impression that Glorfindel, since he is (in truth, well, according to the shall we say, official records) a guy, is the guy, and Narelda, since his name sounds so annoyingly femine, is the girl. Needless to say, it got confusing ^^
(Next you'll be telling me out of the blue that Elrond is really, secretly, a female *grins evilly* I have a thing about teasing Elrond. I think everyone does >.<)
Great chapter though! =) Keep it up ^^

LOL, I never really thought about how Narelda's name before, in fact I didn't notice it was very feminine until you pointed it out. Well, after writing this fanfic ( and during writing the sequel) I now keep on thinking of Glorfindel as a women. It can get very destracting at times :D


Chapter 4:

Glorfindel and Narelda ran laughing into Glorfindel’s room. Glorfindel’s room was far better furnished than Narelda’s guest chambers. There was a large double bed, a large, very untidy desk and a tall, thin mirror against one of the pale blue walls. Slightly off to one side was a lounge area with three large, comfortable chairs. Two of the chairs faced each other, and between them was a handsomely carved chess set. There was a door leading off to the balcony. Glorfindel smiled, and stood by her bed. “Thank you for tonight, Narelda.”
Narelda walked over and wrapped his arms around her. “T’was my pleasure,” and then he leaned forward and whispered into her ear “I love you.”
Glorfindel hesitated. It was odd, but they had never exchanged these words before now. “I, I love you too.”
Narelda smiled and trailed kisses from her mouth down her neck. His hand slid from her thigh up her body. She felt him loosen the ties on her tunic. She froze: did she really want this? Did she really want this NOW? Narelda’s light nip on the sensitive point of her ear, and the thrill of pleasure that this sent through her body answered her question.
She quickly unbuttoned his tunic. Once hers was disposed of, and she had pushed his off his shoulders, she ran her hand over his bare chest, wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him.
She never recalled discarding her boots and leggings, or falling on the bed. She did remember the feeling of having Narelda, though, and what followed.


~#~


Glorfindel was burning. She could feel the unbearable heat. She could smell it: her flesh was burning. She could see it: her skin melting and the flames that surrounded her, until her vision failed. She could hear it: screams of agony in her ears.
The only thing she knew before blissful death took her was the pain, the unbearable, burning pain.
Glorfindel sat bolt upright in her bed.
She took several deep gulps of air, her breath coming rapidly. Sweat covered her body, and she shakily placed her head into her hands. She was shaking violently and trying not to sob. She had not dreamt about her death for centuries, in fact only twice since coming to Imladris. Both times she had been very upset about something, but now?...
She slowly raised her head, and looked to Narelda beside her. He was still asleep. She felt a strong urge to wake him and seek comfort from him. She stretched out her hand, but froze just before she touched him. She wanted comfort, she realized, but not from him. He could probably help her forget about her troubles, for a short while, but that was not what she wanted.
Suddenly, she felt silly, wanting to wake him like a frightened elfling. She quickly pulled back her hand. She was Glorfindel, the Balrog slayer, not some silly little girl frightened by bad dreams!
She lay back down and tried to relax, to go back to sleep, but found that she couldn’t. Finally, realising that she wasn’t going to fall asleep, she got up, threw on a thin over-gown and stood by the window. She remained there, looking out until the eastern sky began to brighten. As the sun rose over the Misty Mountains, she stood there and watched Imladris come to life until her lover woke.


~#~


Erestor sat with Glorfindel and Elrond in a meeting which was rapidly drawing to a close. Every month, a meeting was held between Elrond and his two seneschals, which covered the general running of Imladris. Reports were given, and arrangements were made. Glorfindel was in charge of Imladris’ security, while Erestor’s responsibility lay with the household.
Erestor looked out of the corner of his eye, to Glorfindel. She had been late this morning. She had dashed in thirty minutes after they had begun and made some hasty apologies. Elrond just gave her a long look, and then proceeded. Erestor had merely glared at her.
As the meeting progressed, he noticed that Glorfindel was paying even less attention to the meeting than normal. Her moods oscillated between dreamy happiness and glum reverie. He found it very distracting.
Elrond closed the meeting by reminding them of a meeting between the three of them and Thranduil later that week, a simple meeting about the arrangements for the departure of the woodland king and Mirear’s apprenticeship. When the meeting broke up, the two seneschals walked down the corridor together.
Glorfindel was quiet, lost deep in thought, paying absolutely no attention to where she was walking. This was unusual behaviour for the energetic she-elf.
“You are very quiet," he attempted, hoping that it didn’t sound like he was asking what was wrong. He got no reply. He mentally shook his head. He was probably as likely to get her attention as he would have getting Mirear’s when she was reading a book. In fact, this would be tested when they passed the library.
One of Glorfindel’s novices ran straight into her. She was knocked over backwards, only prevented from landing on her back by Erestor’s steadying hands under her arms. The novice was not so fortunate; she went sprawling onto her back. Groaning quietly, she slowly looked up. Upon seeing a disgruntled Erestor holding up a slightly puzzled Glorfindel, she leapt to her feet, made some hasty apologies and all but fled to complete her errand. Erestor turned back to Glorfindel once the novice had run round the corner. As he looked down at her, he caught her scent and resisted burying his nose in her neck to smell her. She smelled a lot like cinnamon, unlike most of the she-elves, who used floral soaps. She had special asked not to have flower-scented soup (something about not wanting ‘to smell like a centre-piece’). He remembered her telling him how she preferred the smells of spices and fruits to flowers. In fact, it was just after she had noticed that he too favoured desserts containing cinnamon. He did not doubt that it was an unconscious reaction to her.
“You may release me now”
“Pardon?” He just stopped himself blinking in surprise at her comment.
“I wish to stand,” she stated, drawing his attention to the fact that he still held her. He rather hesitantly released her, dragging more than lifting his finger off her arm.
Glorfindel straightened herself, smiling slightly, and looked down the corridor. “I believe you scared her away.”
“I believe you normally pay attention to your surroundings. Glorfindel, what is on your mind?”
“’Tis not much.” Erestor raised a disbelieving eyebrow, causing Glorfindel to grin. Her face grew serious, however, when she spoke again. “I merely had a bad dream.”
Erestor frowned inwardly. “A bad dream?”
Glorfindel nodded. “About my death.”
This time Erestor frowned openly. “Why?” he queried. Noticing that some servants were taking a little too much interest in their conversation, he opened the library door. A glare sent them fleeing; but still, hallways were not the place for private conversations.
Nobody would be in library so early in the day.
Glorfindel, barely noticing, walked through the door. She continued talking as they walked between the tall book-shelves. “I do not know. I can’t think of anything that upset me.” She smiled to herself. “In fact, yesterday was a perfectly wonderful day with Narelda.” Erestor stifled a groan, and his stomach twisted. Agonised, he listened to her talk about Narelda; how wonderful he was and how much they kissed. The only reason he was able to deal with this topic, which thankful came up rarely now, was because he loved the expression that crossed her face every time she talked about it. He only wished that it was because of him. What came next, though, he would never endure. “And Narelda made sure my night was extremely pleasurable.”
Erestor felt like the twins had just tipped freezing water over him. Erestor stopped, just next to a large window, and turned around slowly.
“You-,” Erestor began, but he froze before he finished. Glorfindel, seeing his eyes looking past her, turned. Mirear was sitting in a comfortable chair by the window, her eyes fixed on the pages of the book in front of her. Thinking that she wouldn’t notice them, they turned back to their discussion.
“You slept with him?”
“Yes, but-”
“How could you? You meet an elf and barely a fortnight later he is in your bed!” His voice rose slightly as he continued, but it sounded unnervingly calm.
Glorfindel looked up in shock, but her expression hardened. “What right do you have to question and pry into my private affairs?”
“You told me!”
“You asked!” They were both shouting by now. “If you do not wish to know, do not ask.”
“If you do not wish me to know then you should not have told me. I, unlike you, do not pry into others affairs without good cause.”
Glorfindel, failing to find a response that wouldn’t result in them shouting “You told me”, “You asked” at each other, chose a different tactic.
“I do not understand why you refuse to give Narelda a chance.”
“Why do you give him so much affection? Glorfindel, you have known him for two weeks and you are already sleeping with him.” She stared at him for a while, trying to think of a reply to end this.
“At least I am willing to show some affection to others.”
“At least I do not sleep with anyone who gives me a little attention, like some human whore.” As he watched her face redden, part of Erestor (apparently the sarcastic part) clapped its hands and congratulated him on doing such a wonderful job.
Suddenly he felt something very hard hit him on the jaw. Turning his head back he saw a fuming Glorfindel, with one hand balled into a fist. He had very rarely seen her so angry and it was a sight he would rather avoid. Furious and hurt, Glorfindel spun round and left. How dare he say such things to her. She had hoped that he would help, make her feel better, or just tell her that she was being silly over one little dream, but instead he had ignored the dream and just shouted at her. She had always liked talking to Erestor, it just seemed so natural, but if he didn’t want to help…
Nursing his jaw, Erestor also turned, and walked through the library to his office.
Once they had both left, Mirear sighed and started reading her book.

End of Chapter 4.



There you go people. This is where things really start going badly.

Chapter 5:

Elladan and Elrohir caught up with Legolas round the side of the houses of Healing.
“Legolas! So, what did your father say,” asked Elladan, slipping a companionable arm around Legolas’ shoulders.
“No. He won’t let me go hunting.”
“No?” exclaimed Elrohir, “Did you tell him that we would accompany you?”
Legolas decided not to tell them that this was probably why his father wasn’t letting him go. He explained to the twins that his father felt that he was too young to go hunting. He would perhaps allow Legolas to go in the forests for a day with the twins, provided that he took several guards. This most accurately translated to ‘Take half the royal guards that we brought with us, if not all.’
“So your father will not allow you into the woods?”
“Not with only the two of you.”
Elladan grinned at his twin. “Then perhaps we should show you a little secret.”
“Really? What?” Legolas asked, slightly suspicious.
“You will just have to wait and see,” replied Elrohir enigmatically.
Legolas looked from one sibling to the other, very suspicious now. Elladan turned to his twin, wearing an expression of mock-injustice. “Elrohir, I believe that Legolas does not trust us!”
“Which is very wise of him,” stated an amused voice from behind them. They turned to see Glorfindel leaning against a tree, her arms crossed with a blood-red apple in one hand. “What mischief are you planning now?” She began walking towards them and took a bite from her apple as Elladan objected.
“Glorfindel, we have matured since our youth.”
Glorfindel just shook her head and walked past them. “Just keep Legolas out of your mischief,” she called back, just before taking another bite out of her apple.
“Don’t you trust us?”
She just laughed and carried on walking.
Elrohir did think she was being slightly unfair. They had calmed down with age, even if they were occasionally prone to the odd joke.
“Come, Legolas,” and Elladan led him along the side of the building. “We have never told you about the time when Elrohir and I found Erestor’s journal.”
“Erestor has a journal?” Elrohir didn’t know why Legolas sounded so surprised; he thought it sounded typical of Erestor.
“Erestor has two. One is the ‘official’ Imladris records, the other is his personal journal. We discovered it by chance while we were searching for the official records.”
“You were searching for the official records?” Elrohir wondered if he should feel insulted by this comment.
“We wanted to erase all the dates and replace them with new ones,” Elladan explained, grinning at the memory. “We went into his office and luck was with us; he had just stepped out. Elrohir went to open the book on his desk, believing that it was the records, and found to his surprise that it was his private-”
“Shh!” Elrohir raised his hand, indicating that they should be quiet. They were just about to round the corner to the front of the houses of healing. They could hear voices coming from just out of their sight.
“Erestor, why do you insist on shutting yourself away from me?” Elrohir recognized the voice as that of Glorfindel, and she sounded irritated. “And not just me, but almost everyone.”
“Glorfindel,” - Erestor’s voice sounded as if his patience was rapidly running out - “We work together, and that is our relationship. Let it remain that way. The only time I wish to speak to you extensively is on matters pertaining to Imladris.”
There was a pause. “Fine.” Her voice sounded more disappointed then angry. “I shall speak to you at Friday’s meeting … or before, if I need a book.”
“In that highly unlikely situation, I will be most careful to help you find a book with lots of short words and pretty pictures.”
Elrohir winced as he heard what sounded like Glorfindel’s apple hitting the wall. They heard the rustle of Erestor’s robes slowly moving towards them … moving towards them?! Elrohir turned to his brother and saw the same thing running through his mind. Erestor would kill them if he found them eavesdropping on the conversation. They grabbed Legolas and made their way to the gardens.
As they walked, Elladan continued his story, relating how Erestor had chased them through the gardens.
“Was anything interesting written in it?”
“Not much, mainly how irritating we were.” Legolas laughed and Elrohir mentally shook his head. He was the one reading the journal and he had found something very interesting written in the journal.
“Actually, we were never punished for that. I wonder why?”
Elrohir smiled. That question, he had the answer for. In the evening after the golden discovery, Erestor has taken Elrohir aside. He was still not sure if he had been bribed or blackmailed with the prospect of no punishment. Whichever it was, he never told anyone, not even his twin. As time passed, his silence became more out of his growing respect for his old tutor.
.
As Legolas climbed the rocks by the waterfall, he debated with himself. On the one hand, he wanted to know more about the argument they had just overheard. On the other hand, his father had always told him that it was rude to meddle in other people’s business or to listen into their conversations. As Elrohir helped him onto the bank, he decided that they weren’t the type of elves to shout at him just because he was curious. They had just walked under the shelter of a weeping willow when he plucked up the courage to open his mouth and ask.
He was cut off by Elladan before he uttered a sound. “Here we are.”
Legolas gazed round the willow, but there was nothing. It was a willow tree. So? There were willow trees in Mirkwood too.
“Now Legolas, you must promise to keep this a secret.”
“Keep what a secret?”
“Just promise.”
Legolas sighed; he hated it when the twins were like this. “I promise.”
“And you must promise never to use this alone.”
“I promise.”
Elladan turned and began to climb the trunk of the willow. Legolas turned to Elrohir. “What are you showing me?”
“All in good time,” he grinned, walking towards the tree.
“Come, Legolas, or have you forgotten how to climb a tree?” Elladan’s voice called from above them.
Legolas rushed forwards; of course he could climb trees! While Elrohir climbed just behind Legolas, Elladan was far ahead of them. Legolas may have been climbing for as long as he could remember, but his companions were bigger and stronger than him.
Elladan stopped where the final branches spread out. When he finally reached Elladan, Legolas sat on a branch and then nearly fell off in surprise. The trunk of the tree was hollow, and led down into what appeared to be a tunnel. His mouth fell open in surprise as he briefly wondered how it was possible that the tree was still alive, but then, there were many things about Imladris that he did not understand.
He looked at the twins, who wore identical grins. As he was obviously lost for words, Elrohir spoke up. “It leads into the forest. Elladan and I discovered it when we were running from Erestor, after we had read his diary.”
“We used it, when we were your age, to get into the forest unhindered.”
“But surely there are others here who know about it?”
“Probably,” Elrohir admitted. “Father almost certainly does, but not many others. Elflings are not allowed to climb the waterfalls and few others have the time or inclination to climb trees.”
Elladan, becoming impatient, interrupted. “Come, Legolas, we will show you the way,” and with that, he jumped into the dark tunnel.
.
.
.
Elrond watched, from a store room in the houses of healing, as Glorfindel threw a half eaten apple at Erestor’s retreating back. It missed him, but only barely. He sighed; they had been like this ever since the meeting yesterday. He had no idea why this rift had suddenly appeared between the two. Glorfindel was angry at Erestor, but he highly doubted that she wanted an end to their friendship.
“You are worried about Glorfindel and Erestor,” Mirear had come into the room and, seeing Elrond watching the pair outside, had put two and two together. Elrond, however, choose to ignore her comment. Mirear was a kind girl, but his friend’s relationship had nothing to do with her. He had no desire, or right, to talk to her about this. So Elrond turned and reached for a plant.
“He’s angry because she slept with Narelda. He called her a whore and she hit him,” she suddenly blurted out.
Elrond turned to look at her. He didn’t think that she was lying, but the only way she could know was if she had been eavesdropping on their conversation. Maybe his original impression of her was wrong, and perhaps she wasn’t the only one she had graced with this knowledge…
“How do you know this?” he questioned, and Mirear looked slightly embarrassed.
“I went to the library, to find a new book. Just after I sat down, and before I could read a word, they came in and stopped right in front of me. They assumed that I was reading, and continued their argument. It was too distracting to start reading, especially when they started to shout, and I did not wish to disturb or embarrass them by leaving, so I merely sat and pretended to read.” She seemed genuinely guilty, and he found himself angry for doubting her morals. But there was still one question unanswered…
“Have you told anyone else?”
“No, my lord. I only informed you because Narelda is the one who caused this rift to form. Narelda works under my family, so I feel partly responsible.”
Elrond nodded. “Thank you, Mirear.” At least some things were explained, such as the appearance of Erestor’s bruise. “However, you must not feel guilty for the actions of others.” Mirear really did have a kind heart, and was observant. She would make a kind and gentle Queen, were it not for the growing darkness, which was causing great harm and strife in Mirkwood. It needed a warrior leader, not a healer.
He was fairly impressed that she had kept eye-contact throughout the discussion, but then she was a princess of Mirkwood. He realised that she may have some difficulty adjusting to life in Imladris. The transition from being in place where she had close to absolute power, to one where she would have very little would make it challenging to adapt.
Elrond turned around again. “Mirear, I will need you to bring me a large bowl and pestle, along with some moon-flower.” Mirear nodded her understanding, and turned to collect the items. The previous discussion was over, and would remain over. She was here to learn, not to meddle in the lives of people she did not know.

End of Chapter 5.

The Glorfindel and Erestor rift made me laugh. It really does remind me of two very similar characters. I thought Elves were too 'perfect' to fall into the trap of jealousy? ;) I wonder where this will end up?
<3 the fic, so I hope you continue to write =)

Wow, this is really well written. I thought it was weird at the start Glorfindel a female- but it just works really well. I can't wait to read more, and can't believe its taken me this long to find this fic!
well done!

Hey guys, I'm back, disappeared for abit. Thanks for your comments, I'm glad you like the way I'm writing the characters.


Well this is quite a slow chapter, not much happens. But it’s one of those important link-between chapters. I did think this was the shortest chapter so far, (when I wrote it on paper) but then I reliased that it was just because I was writing really small.

Chapter 6.

Narelda wandered through the corridors of Imladris. Glorfindel was training novices again, so he was left to amuse himself, and to do a lot of thinking.
Erestor and Glorfindel were arguing and it was upsetting Glorfindel. Ever since that argument in the library... He still wasn’t sure if he had got the whole story. When she first came in to him, she had just ranted, but as she calmed down he got more of the story. So, when Erestor appeared at breakfast the next day, sporting a big bruise across his jaw, Narelda had very little pity for him. Of course, rumours were spreading, since nobody believed what Erestor had told them; that a book hand slipped out of his hand when he was placing it on the shelf, and Erestor and Glorfindel’s stiffness toward each other only made spread the whispers faster.
Some of them where outrageously funny; his personal favourite (one that was unfortunately quashed very early on) was about Erestor secretly being in love with Glorfindel.
However, Glorfindel still talked about Erestor a lot. Granted, they were mainly rants now, but he wondered if she would have talked as much about Erestor, had he been more welcoming of their relationship. At first he waited, thinking she was worried, but now he wasn’t sure. He shook his head. Well at least he could take her mind off her problems, but he wished for a more permanent solution. He didn’t want to move away from Glorfindel for long, he would go insane. He always felt the urge to be touching her or kissing her.
It was these thoughts that had led him to his lord’s chambers. Either side of the door stood a Mirkwood guard. Even in the safety of the Last Homely House, Thranduil still felt the need for guards at his door, but then relations between his kingdom and Elrond’s were still uncertain.
He took a deep breath to calm himself.
Then another.
And then another.
“He is in a good mood.” Narelda thought he recognized the guard on the right, and he exchanged a smile. He paused briefly in the doorway, and then knocked. After a moment, he heard a command for him to enter. Summoning his courage, he entered the room.
The king’s chambers were exquisite. The room he had entered was merely a lounge area. There was a door leading onto a large balcony and another door leading into what he presumed where the sleeping chambers. The lounge had several chairs and couches. Thranduil sat beside his wife, who watched Galenorn play on the floor with a doll.
“Narelda,” Thranduil acknowledge his subject.
Mirindil was more welcoming. “Narelda, how pleasant it is to see you. I assume you have been enjoying your stay here?”
“Yes, your highness, very enjoyable.”
“I assume that there is a purpose to your visit,” interjected Thranduil.
“Yes your majesty,” Narelda bowed his head and took a final deep breath before continuing. “I wish … I wish to have your permission for Glorfindel to come back with me to Mirkwood. To live.”
A sparkle of interest appeared in Mirindil’s eyes. Thranduil looked straight at him.
“Have you spoken to Glorfindel about this?”
“I wished to have your consent for her to join us first.”
“How great is your desire for this?”
Narelda raised his head at the odd question. He swallowed. No matter what he told Glorfindel (not that he had lied to her), Thranduil was still an intimadating elf. “With all my heart,” he responded finally.
Thranduil merely looked at him, thinking. He turned to his queen. Narelda had seen this action on several occasions during his time at Mirkwood. It wasn’t an action which asked for advice, more support. Mirindil gave her support in the form of a smile.
“You may ask her. If she wishes to, she may join us. But, if she does not, then let it rest.”
Narelda smiled. “Thank you, your Majesties,” he dismissed himself. As he turned to leave, Thranduil called to him. He looked again to his lord.
Thranduil looked away for Mirindil and spoke: “Do not be disappointed if Lady Glorfindel is not as enthusiastic as you. She has many ties here.”
Slightly surprised at his lord’s advice, he answered, “Thank you. I will bear that in mind,” and he turned and left the room.

---------

Thranduil lay on his bed, watching his beloved wife. Mirindil sat in front of a dressing table, passing a silver brush through her hair. He smiled to himself, and admired his wife. She was beautiful, but unfortunately she somewhat lacked in intellect. She knew nothing of law, nor politics. Mirindil placed her brush on the table, and came towards him.
She may not have been intelligent, but she was everything a Queen needed to be. She always supported him, no matter what. He never looked to her for advice, just support. As long as she was behind him, nothing else mattered. She was always patient, no matter how frustrated and angry he became. She was graceful, and she knew him so well… She could tell when he was troubled, and would listen to his rants and dilemnas, even if she understood nothing of it. She knew a lot about love as well; that was how she raised Legolas and Mirear so well.
She sat on the bed and he took her hand and kissed it. She leaned forward and gently kissed him.
“Something is troubling you. What is it?”
He smiled, and lay back against the pillows. “Narelda,” he answered.
“Do you regret your decision?”
He snorted in a most unregal way. “Of course not. If Glorfindel wishes to come, then let her; she would be a welcome addition to Mirkwood’s army.”
Mirindil looked puzzled. “Then what?”
“Glorfindel has many ties to Imladris. She will not be rushed so easily into leaving, and many will not be keen to see her leave. I hope it does not cause any trouble for Mirear.” He smiled to himself, “I probably worry too much, I doubt that Glorfindel will leave.”
Mirindil laid her head on his chest. “Not unless things become even worse between her and Erestor.”
Thranduil wrapped his arms around her. He had been surprised when Mirindil had told him about Erestor’s love. He had always liked Erestor, a logical elf and a very talented diplomat, but he would never have guessed that Erestor would love someone like Glorfindel. Not that he disliked Glorfindel, they just seemed very different. ‘But then’, he thought as he looked down at Mirindil, her eyes glazed in sleep, ‘maybe that wasn’t so odd.’
Thranduil banished the matter from his mind; what ever happened, he was sure things would turn out fine for his daughter, and the strong relationship the realms were trying to form would grow. Narelda was a good tutor for Legolas, and a good elf. He didn’t want Narelda to be hurt by this experience, but then he had the feeling (partly helped by his wife) that Narelda wasn’t thinking with either his heart or brain. With these thoughts he drifted to sleep.

-----

Elrond sat in his office, writing, when he heard a knock at the door.
“Enter,” he called without looking up from his work.
The door opened, and Glorfindel walked in. Elrond smiled and placed his quill down, glad for an excuse to stop writing.
“Glorfindel, how nice to see you.”
Glorfindel pulled a chair up beside his desk. She smiled, understanding the hidden sting. “I have been a little occcupied recently.”
From a nearby cabinet, Elrond withdrew a decanter and two glasses, set aside ‘for social reasons’. “What troubles you?” he asked, pouring the wine into the two glasses and handing one of them to her. It was very late and the only occasions when she disturbed him so late was when she wanted to talk.
Glorfindel swirled her wine, and took a quick sip. “Narelda asked me to go with him to Mirkwood, to stay.”
Elrond drank more deeply from his wine. He hadn’t expected Narelda to spirit his closest friend away so soon. She was a great friend, and her fighting skills where a great asset to the safety of the Vale. Life would be a great deal more difficult, were she to leave. The friend in him told him to help her do what was best for her, but another, more tempting voice told him to keep her, whether it was best for her or not.
“Will you leave with him?”
“I know not. What should I do?”
Elrond smiled slightly. “Is my counsellor coming to me for counsel?” Then he shook his head, “Glorfindel, you know I can’t tell you what to do.”
She smiled back. “But I can always hope,” then the room lapsed into silence as they drank. Glorfindel needed to hear her options out loud, to have someone to talk it through with. As Glorfindel seemed reluctant to start, he began.
“Well, you have two options-“
“To stay or leave,” Glorfindel finished his sentence, and continued herself. “If I stay, then the Valar only know when I will see Narelda again. I have a life in Imladris, though; this is where my friends are, this is where I belong. I have a duty to you and your family, to protect you.”
With a sudden burst of insight, Elrond realised why Glorfindel had come to him. “You do not have to leave.”
“I know, I just…” she sighed in frustration. “What will I tell Narelda?”
“That you are not ready to leave. If he truly loves you then he will understand.” Inside, he wished that this was not the case and supported Erestor.
A grateful smile spread across her face and she embraced Elrond. “Thank you.”
When they parted, Elrond looked Glorfindel in the eye. “I want you to talk to Erestor. You have been friends for far too long for one argument to spoil it all.”
Glorfindel narrowed her eyes. “How do you know we had an argument?”
“I am not blind. I can see Erestor’s bruise, just like the rest of the valley can.”
Her face darkened, “He got what he deserved.”
“Then put it behind you.”
Glorfindel opened her mouth to protest, but Elrond’s stern, irritated voice cut her of: “Glorfindel! Someone your age should be able to see that this is not worth your friendship.”
For a while the two just glared at each other until Glorfindel looked down. “I know.”
“Good,” and Elrond filled Glorfindel’s glass as the conversation drifted to happier subjects. By the end of the night, the decanter lay empty and Elrond’s work left forgotten.

End of Chapter 6.

There you go people. Looking back this is actually quite a fluffy chapter. Well next chapter is the meeting between Elrond, Glorfindel, Erestor and Thranduil and things are made worse when Erestor finds out that Glorfindel might leave.

That'd be a hard decision, I suppose. But then, the other option is... why doesn't Narelda stay? (I keep having to remind myself that he's not female! :oddlook: ) A nice (I know that's not the most effective word. In fact, it's like the blandest word in the dictionary >.<) chapter, this one ^_^
You know, six chapters is about the most I've ever lasted on writing a fan fic, I admire your ability to keep it going ^^

Lol, it does takeme uch along time to update, that's how I keep it up. About the Narelda staying.....*shhhhhhhhh* ;) lol, actually you're the first one to have thought of that, which is lucky as I'd have to think up an excuse if they had though of it.

By the way, if you were wondering, or are about to wonder, why (after the first chapter) I don’t put any words in elven like many other fanfic writers do, e.g. instead of writing father writing adar/ada, it’s because I’m assuming that as all the characters are elves, they’d all speak elven to each other (or is it Elvish?).

Chapter 7.

Legolas walked between Elladan and Elrohir, toward the kitchens. Elladan carried a basket containing bait and the fish that they had caught that morning, while Elrohir carried the fishing rods. It was early afternoon, and they were returning from a morning spent fishing in the woods. They had brought a picnic and had lunched under the trees. Elladan and Elrohir agreed to take the equipment so that Legolas could climb the trees on the way back.
Even though Legolas was happy with the day, he was still a little disappointed at how small the fish were. Elrohir comforted him by telling him that fish would be small here because it was so close to the river’s source in the mountains, and so most fish were still small. Legolas had told them about how much bigger the fish were in Mirkwood, and of some of the times when he had gone fishing with his father.
As they walked down the corridor, talking about their day, they met Mirear holding her young daughter by the hand. Mirear greeted them, while Galenorn just continued to cling to her mothers hand while smiling up at them.
“Going to the library, Mirear?” Elladan asked, grinning.
Mirear wore a slightly strained smile. “Yes, I am.”
“Mummy is going to read to me,” Galenorn piped up. Legolas had noticed that she had become a lot bolder around other elves recently, although she still remained shy around Elrond, being such an important elf, and Erestor, being, well, Erestor.
“I am sure you will find a wonderful book,” Elrohir said, smiling down at her, and Galenorn smiled back.
“Just make sure your mother does not forget to read to you,” Elladan warned.
“I see that you have been fishing,” Mirear said, quickly changing the subject.
Legolas, pleased that she had noticed, answered, “We left at sunrise and took a picnic.”
She smiled at them. “May I see?”
“Of course,” Elladan smiled back, offering her a look inside the basket.
“Well, that is a fine batch,” she said in a sweet tone that nonetheless put Legolas ill at ease. He knew his sister, and the only time she used that tone was when was making some sort of threat. “However, I must confess that I am confused,” she continued. She was definitely getting at something.
“Confused?” Elrohir replied.
“I thought that fish in Imladris were few and very small. Why, these types of fish I would only expect to find deep in the forest, where Legolas is not allowed.” She gave another sweet smile. “Perhaps I am mistaken.”
A corner of Elladan’s mouth twitched in a half smile, half sneer. “Perhaps you are.”
“Mummy,” Galenorn said impatiently, trying to drag her mother away.
“Good day,” and with that she left the trio.
“She knows,” stated Elrohir.
Legolas shrugged. “Probably.”
“Will she not tell Thranduil?” Elladan sounded worried.
“No, she just wanted you to know that she knows. She does that sometimes, either as a warning to make me stop doing something, or when someone irritates her.”
“She wants you to stop going into the forest?”
“I think you are annoying her as well.”
“Us?”
Legolas wasn’t sure whether his surprise was genuine or not, so he just settled for saying, “Yes, you have,” and continued on his way to the kitchens.

(^)

Mirear walked towards the library; she had been given permission to do as she pleased for the day. She was tired after all the work she was doing. In fact, she had never worked so hard in her life. In Mirkwood, when she was taught, her lessons would consist of no more than a few hours at a time, due to her position as Princess. But she had a feeling that things would soon become harder. She knew that both her father and Elrond had doubts as to whether this apprenticeship would actually happen. Relations between the two realms were shaky, and an argument between Elrond and Thranduil could finish everything. Elrond obviously, and understandably, didn’t want to pour a lot of energy into something that wouldn’t come to anything.
Well, at least everyone seemed to be getting along at the moment. Her mind was cast back to the recent encounter with her brother and the twins. She knew that Legolas was lying about his latest misadventure. He surely couldn’t think that they would believe he had merely been playing in the grounds when he came back with more dirt on him than a dwarf! Their father had been angry with Legolas’ state, demanding an explanation and giving him a LONG lecture. Their mother, however, seemed happy with the excuse. Mirear wasn’t sure if she believed him or not. Mirindil had always been able to tell when she was lying, so why not Legolas? Not that it ever made much difference: if she was worried, she would tell their father, otherwise she would let it lie.
Normally, she wouldn’t have said anything, but she had been meaning to wipe the smiles off the twins’ faces all week. Not that they had done much, she admitted to herself, just let her know that they out-ranked her. They did things like dropping all titles form her name, and recently they spent a whole day countermanding her orders to servants. She probably sounded like a spoiled brat, but then she realised as she walked into the library, she probably was. It was a realisation that she didn’t really like. She always tried to be kind and just to all, but she had also always had power and the knowledge that everyone (besides her mother and father) had to do as she said. The sudden loss of power was just beginning to sink in.
Once inside the library, Mirear knelt down to her daughter. “What sort of book would you like to read?”
Galenorn smiled and said, with a small jump, “Something new!”
Mirear smiled. “I think that is a very good idea,” and, standing, she began to search for a thin and easy book. Something new did sound good. Mirkwood had its own library, but it was nothing when compared to Elrond’s (or was it Erestor’s library, she wasn’t sure). Mirkwood’s archives were limited, and many of the books were not stories. For that matter, many of the rest were not suitable for young children. Mirear had even tried to read Galenorn a medical book, but Galenorn quickly lost her attention. But here, she was sure she could find a book on almost any subject. It was the kind of place she had always dreamt of finding. With so many new books, she was positive that she would never be bored here. After the first day in the library, her husband, Romendir, had nearly had to carry her out.
“Found one!” Galenorn came running up, a thin book in her hands. Mirear took the book, noticing that it contained many pictures alongside the writing. The book was a small collection of children’s stories. She sat down in a chair and flicked through the pages. To her delight, she found that she had never heard of any of the stories before. Pulling Galenorn onto her lap, she placed the book in front of them, so that Galenorn could turn the pages, something she always insisted on doing.
So Mirear began to read to her daughter. It was a charming story about a hobbit and an elf who went looking for a magical coin, where-
Suddenly, she discovered that the book was no longer in front of her and there was a thud of the book hitting the floor. Galenorn was standing next to the book, teary eyed. Mirear was about to scold her daughter for standing so rapidly, possibly damaging the book, when Galenorn spoke.
“You stopped reading!”
Oh dear. She had only done this once to Galenorn and that was when a new book arrived. She also noticed, with some annoyance, that this was exactly what Elladan had warned Galenorn about. She had had this habit in her youth, so much that her tutor would make her read the work the night before. She could usually stop it happening if she concentrated. But she had now done it while reading a simple child’s story. She felt her face become very hot.
“I am sorry, Galenorn. I became a little distracted. Shall we begin again?”
Galenorn looked unsure.
“I promise not to get distracted.”
This seemed to satisfy her, as she scrambled back onto her mother’s lap. Mirear reopened the book and noticed, with some disappointment, that some of the pages were bent by the collision with the floor. She would have to apologize to Erestor. She hoped he wouldn’t be too upset, she really did like him. He seemed to be the only person who enjoyed books as much as she did.

(^)

By early evening, the meeting was well under way. It had started soon after lunch, and the time was now drawing towards dinner. They had read though and confirmed the agreements of Mirear’s apprenticeship, making only minor changes. They were now discussing the arrangements for Thranduil’s departure and the journey back to Mirkwood.
As the meeting progressed, Elrond became increasingly frustrated, but not with the meeting itself. Glorfindel and Erestor had been making little snips at each other throughout the meeting. More than once, he had to glare or clear his throat meaningfully to make them stop. It was becoming embarrassing.
Things would have come to nothing if Thranduil had not asked one simple question:
“Glorfindel, ahem, will you be joining us? In Mirkwood?”
Erestor narrowed his eyes at Glorfindel. “Joining them?”
Elrond noticed Glorfindel bracing herself. “Narelda asked me to go with him to Mirkwood.”
“Why was I not informed?”
“I told my friends.”
Erestor’s jaw tightened slightly.
“Glorfindel! Erestor! Contain yourselves!” Elrond hissed. This was a meeting, not a place for childish arguments. Both elves were old enough to know how to behave and how to exercise discretion, especially in the company of other nobles.
If they heard him then they ignored him, acting as if there was no one else in the room.
“So, after centuries of friendships and duties forged here, you would drop everything just to follow a tutor you met a fortnight ago. What for?”
Elrond turned to Glorfindel, watching her temper rising.
“For love. Do you know what that is?”
Erestor voice, when he replied, was low and deadly calm. “I assure you, I am fully aware of what love is.”
“I am not talking about what you have read in books. I am talking about real feelings. Do you have any?”
Elrond stared at Glorfindel, trying not to gape. He wondered if she realised what she had just said; he could barely believe it himself. After a few moments, he saw the tell-tale signs on her face and eyes. She had just realised fully what she had just said, but still kept her face straight, not wanting to back down in front of the others.
Elrond turned towards Erestor. For a brief moment, he saw his face pale and the sting that the words had caused. Then Erestor slipped his mask over his face, shook his head and turned, nearly running form the room. Glorfindel sighed, and went after him.
“I believe the meeting is over.” Elrond looked up at Thranduil, who had spoken. Before Elrond could make up his mind whether or not he should apologise for his friends’ behaviour, Thranduil spoke again. “There is no need to apologise.” Elrond was slightly surprised by this comment. It really wasn’t something that he expected from Thranduil, but he was now beginning to see his fellow ruler in a different light…

(^)

Glorfindel caught up with Erestor in the corridor. She reached out to him, placing a hand on his arm. “Erestor, I-”
“Don’t!” he said, jerking his arm away from her touch, “Do not touch me, do not talk to me, just … just stay away from me. Leave me alone,” he said in such a quiet, raspy voice that she could barely hear it. Before she could form a reply, he had left.

(^)

Erestor quickly entered his bedroom and closed the door. He leaned against the door and slid down until he hit the floor. Burying his face in his hands, he let tears silently slip down his face. How could she? It was like she had just rejected his love for her; he could have taken anything else but that. Did she really think that he was emotionless? NO! That was stupid, she knew him too well for that. But then why had she said it? Part of his mind informed him that he probably deserved it, in the same way that he deserved the bruise that had only recently faded from his face. But this didn’t help any thing, it still hurt more then any physical wound could. Oh yes, he definitely had feelings, whether he wanted them or not.

End of Chapter 7.

WOW! This is brilliant. I hope Erestor and Glorfindel work through their problems. I feel really sorry for Erestor. and UHOH Mirear can't go after him!!!

I'm really getting into this -cannot wait for the next chapter! ^_^

Awwh, poor ickle Erestor :( One tadbit of curiosity: what is with Mirear's tendency to stop reading during a book?
Awesome chapter. Sori I took so long to review this, I've been pretty busy lately :moodswing: I see the fic is turning out to be quite long. Coming back to it for some time, some memory refreshments would be good. Would you mind recapping what happened in previous chapters?