Title: Aerial Dance
Author: Morgana
Author’s Email:
Web page: http://www.paranoid.nl/avalon
Pairing:
Erestor/Glorfindel
Rating:
PG
Summary: Erestor shares a secret with Glorfindel.
Disclaimer:
Not mine. These characters belong to Professor Tolkien. No copyright
infringement is intended. I'm not making any money out of these stories!
Warning: AU of course.
Note: I watched Varekai
of the Cirque du Soleil and
there is an act in it with two tins on the aerial straps. Oh, that was perfection.
If you have a chance to watch that (taped) show, then do!)
Beta read by Patricia and DA, thanks sweeties!
All
remaining mistakes are mine.
Aerial Dance
Erestor
continued to look out the window at the darkening sky. It was summer and Arien
descended late this time of the year. There was only one hour left until
They
were working late that night...again. Certain letters, reports, and schedules
needed their attention and Glorfindel was determined to finish their paperwork that
night.
There,
it had happened again. Erestor was staring out the window once more. This was not
typical behavior for the normally so focused Chief Advisor and Glorfindel had
repeatedly noticed Erestor’s attention drifting off. An odd expression lay in the
chocolate brown eyes and Glorfindel wondered what was behind it. What was
occupying Erestor’s mind in such a way that Erestor’s attention was gone? “If
we continue to concentrate, we can have this finished before
Erestor
sighed deeply. “Another hour of work? But then it will
already be
Glorfindel
frowned. It wasn’t like Erestor to object to working late. “And why is that a
problem? We have worked late before.”
Another
troubled sigh escaped Erestor’s lips. “Can we not finish this tomorrow? I have
not been outside today yet. I feel…cornered,” he said eventually as he raised
and waving his hands to emphasize the point he was trying to make.
/It
is true,/ Glorfindel thought. The raven hair didn’t
shine the way it normally did and the eyes seemed sullen. Erestor looked tired
– exhausted. Would it be so bad to finish up the next morn and call it a day?
Erestor obviously needed some fresh air. “We will finish these reports
tomorrow. You are right. It is late already.” The relieved look that appeared
in Erestor’s eyes wasn’t lost on Glorfindel. All of a sudden, the eyes didn’t
look so fatigued anymore. “I will see you first thing in the morning then.” The
gratitude that shone from deep within Erestor’s eyes took Glorfindel aback.
“Thank
you, Glorfindel!” Erestor immediately jumped to his feet and hurried over to
the doorway.
A
moment later, he had exited the study and Glorfindel was alone. /Odd, most odd,/ Glorfindel thought. /I wonder what that was all about./ Glorfindel realized that he wanted to find out and
followed Erestor into the corridor. He caught sight of the gray robes dashing
around the corner and set in pursuit.
~~~
Finally! He was finally
out in the open! Erestor drew in the cool, refreshing air and gazed up at the
sky, which had fully darkened by then. He surmised he had half an hour left at
the most and then the new day would begin.
Erestor had chosen a
clearing some distance from the Last Homely House, which wouldn’t be visible to
the house’s inhabitants. He was safe and hidden there. Erestor carefully
removed his formal robes, folded them, and placed them on the grass. Next he
removed his house shoes, his shocks, and eventually his shirt. He trembled when
the cool breeze caressed his naked torso. Oh, he had missed this.
“I call upon you, Manwë.
You once gifted me with this precious gift and tonight is
the only night that I may use it. Lift me up and carry me away.”
The winds gathered beneath
him, surrounding him as they cradled him. They lifted him up in the air and
Erestor reached for the moon and the stars.
~~~
Glorfindel’s jaw dropped as
he witnessed something he had never thought he would see in his life time.
Erestor rose higher and higher and was practically being carried by an
invisible hand. He had heard Erestor call out to Manwë and was stunned that the
Lord of the Valar had actually granted Erestor his request.
It was a marvelous sight
to behold as he watched Erestor move about in the air. It was a graceful dance
he performed and Glorfindel slowly realized that Erestor was in control of the
movements. The winds obeyed him. How could such a thing be?
The golden-haired Elf
stood hidden behind a tree at a small distance from the clearing, but he now
emerged from his hidden place. He looked up into the skies and wondered if
Erestor could actually touch the stars if the raven-haired Elf tried hard enough.
The raven hair moved like a curtain behind Erestor as he dived toward the
earth, only to gain height a moment later.
Breathless, Glorfindel
moved toward the clearing. Erestor would see him, but the thought didn’t occur
to the Captain at the time. He wanted to see more, wanted to be closer to talk
to Erestor. Now he knew why Erestor had been so desperate to call it a day.
~~~
Erestor had closed his
eyes and had allowed the winds to carry him as they pleased for a while. But he
opened them after a bit and looked down at fair Imladris, the Last Homely House
and, in the distance, laid the river Bruinen. This night was precious to him
and he was grateful that Glorfindel had let him retire for the night.
Something below him,
something golden and shiny, drew his attention and Erestor’s control over the
winds momentarily wavered as he recognized the Elf standing there watching him.
What was Glorfindel doing there? Oh, by the Grace of the Valar, his secret –
his carefully kept secret – was out now.
~~~
Entranced, Glorfindel
stared at Erestor’s form poised in mid air. The white of his eyes shone like
stars and for one moment Glorfindel wanted to fall onto his knees in wonder. “Erestor?” His voice trembled when he spoke his friend’s
name. “How can this be?”
The winds lowered Erestor
to float in front of Glorfindel. His feet didn’t touch the earth and the breeze
toyed with the raven hair, blowing it into different directions. As a result,
Erestor looked like a demon of old, or like one of the Valar incarnated in
Elven form. “I do not understand.”
Erestor didn’t want to
waste precious time talking to Glorfindel when he could be flying high in the
sky. “I do not have much time left, Glorfindel. The day has almost come to an
end and a new one will begin.”
Glorfindel raised a shaky hand
and touched Erestor’s hand. “You can fly!”
“The winds carry me. I can
not really fly.” Erestor bit his bottom lip. He had never wanted to reveal his
secret to anyone. “Can you not give me these few precious minutes, Glorfindel?”
“Can you take me up there
with you?” The question escaped Glorfindel and he quickly covered his mouth
with his hand. “I can not believe I asked you that.” Lowering his gaze, he
looked at the space between the grass and Erestor’s feet. “Is it real?”
Erestor realized he had to
make a decision. He could be stuck floating there and answering Glorfindel’s
questions, or he could take Glorfindel up into the air with him and answer them
there. “Wrap your arms around me.”
Glorfindel paled slightly as
Erestor accepted his request. “You will not let me fall, will you?” He wrapped
his arms around Erestor’s shoulders and moved closer.
“I will not let you fall,”
Erestor replied gently. He cared too much about Glorfindel to do something like
that. “I will hold on to you.” Erestor completed the embrace by wrapping his
arms around Glorfindel’s waist. “Hold on tight.”
The next moment, the earth
beneath Glorfindel’s feet was gone. Safely cradled against Erestor’s chest, he thought
about opening his eyes, which he had closed once he had become aware of the
fact that he was afloat as well.
“You can open your eyes,
Glorfindel. You are perfectly safe up here with me.”
Erestor’s voice sounded
warmer than it normally did...warmer and gentler. Glorfindel opened his eyes
and his breath caught at seeing how much height they had already gained. “How
do you do this? How is this possible?” The air was cooler up there and the
winds played with his golden hair. The breeze caused their golden and raven
hair to entangle.
“It is a short story
really,” Erestor said as he took Glorfindel higher. “Manwë granted me a wish
many centuries ago and I wished that I would be able to fly. He granted me that
wish and there is always one night a year that I may call upon his winds and
they carry me through the air like they are doing now.”
Glorfindel wanted to ask
Erestor what the raven-haired Elf had done to merit such a gift, but, overcome
by the experience, he remained silent instead.
“Glorfindel? How much do you trust me?”
Erestor’s question took
Glorfindel aback and he raised his eyes to search Erestor’s dark ones. “I trust
you,” he replied. “Why do you ask?”
“I want to try something…”
Slowly, Erestor began to untangle their forms from each other. “I do not know
how much longer the enchantment will last, but…”
Glorfindel began to panic once
Erestor’s arms were no longer wrapped around him. To make the situation even
worse, Erestor was also wriggling out of the hold he had on the raven-haired
Elf. Suddenly Erestor pushed him away and Glorfindel screamed, convinced he was
going to fall toward his death – again!
But nothing like that
happened. The winds caught him, carried him, and he realized that, as long as he
remained close to Erestor, he was safe. Glorfindel enjoyed his newly gained freedom
and chuckled to release his nervousness. Erestor’s hand was still in his and
together they danced in the air. It was an amazing experience and to
Glorfindel, Erestor had never looked more beautiful before. The raven hair was
as dark as the night, the eyes glittered like stars, and the lips were curled
in a blissful smile.
But their dance didn’t
last long. The winds began to grow weak beneath them and they descended down to
the earth again. Glorfindel saw the disappointed look in Erestor’s eyes and
blamed himself for not letting the Advisor retire earlier. “If I had known, I
would not have kept you.” He felt heavy again the moment his feet touched the
earth. High up in the air he had felt light – weightless.
For some reason, his legs
wouldn’t carry him and he sat cross-legged on the grass. Erestor seated himself
opposite him and waited silently for what was to come. “That was the most
amazing experience I have ever had!”
Erestor smiled knowingly.
“Each year, I yearn for this day to come. Normally, I try to make myself free
of duties for that day, but today I failed. I wanted to go outside so badly and
now you know why.”
Glorfindel raised a hand
and caressed his friend’s face. “Erestor, will you make me a promise?”
“What promise?” Erestor
had a pretty good idea what Glorfindel wanted to ask him.
“Next year, will you take
me with you? Can we fly together again?” Suddenly, he blushed as he realized
that his request was rather forward since he didn’t know if Erestor wanted him
there with him. Did Erestor want to share this experience with him or keep it
to himself?
Erestor smiled and then
nodded his head. “I will take you with me. We will fly together. The experience
is even better when it is shared.”
“Erestor? Thank you…” Glorfindel leaned in closer and
pressed a kiss onto Erestor’s lips. Then he gave him a coy smile. “Maybe there
are other things we can share as well?” he hinted. /Like our bodies?/
Erestor laughed warmly. “Maybe in time, Glorfindel.” Erestor slid his fingers into
the golden hair and touched his lips to Glorfindel’s. “Let us share a kiss for
now and then we will see what the future will bring.”
Glorfindel couldn’t agree
more. His heart was still pounding from the aerial dance they had just
performed and now it was thumping even harder due to the kiss he had just
received. He was already looking forward to dancing with Erestor high up in the
skies next year.
The end