Title: Coming Home

Author: Morgana  ---  morganalebeau@yahoo.com

Website; http://www.paranoid.nl/avalon
Pairing: Glorfindel/Erestor and Elrond/Celebrían

Rating; nc-17

Summary; Imladris’ newest addition proves to be a handful and quite a mystery.

Disclaimer: These characters are all Tolkien’s.
Warning: AU, angst, mention of physical abuse. No rape.

Author’s Note: All mistakes are all mine; yeah, I am greedy! And remember; this is AU!

Beta read by Lady Mirfain, thanks! The stunning artwork is courtesy of Punisher, thanks sweetie. You did a great job! Second drawing by Enye, thanks!

 Delicious smells coming from the kitchens made his mouth water and fill with saliva. He was drooling, breathing in the sweet scents, and promptly his stomach growled. Bowing his head, he rubbed his empty belly. He couldn’t recall the last time he had eaten something. It must have been on his way here; he had been living on nuts and berries mostly, staying away from any settlements. But then the lights of this beautiful place had called him closer and he had obeyed their call, as he had been overcome by a strange longing.

He had sneaked inside without anyone noticing him. His past had shaped him into a quiet observer, who managed to stay away from curious eyes. He still vividly recalled his wonder when he had entered this unearthly place for the first time. A sense of peace and serenity had invited him closer and he had stealthily slipped inside.

The first things to take his breath away had been the valley and the house. He vaguely remembered a time in which his mother had told him tales of the Valar, and for one moment he had been afraid that he had somehow trespassed into their lands, but then the first Elf had appeared, carrying a basket full of luscious fruits. His stomach had growled and he had pushed deeper into the shadows. They couldn’t find him – ever.

Using the cover of the night, he had started to explore. The valley appeared to be full of apparently happy and content Elves. That should have reassured him, but it scared him instead. This couldn’t be right. No one was this happy and certainly not a whole community!

But, as time passed by, he realized these Elves did feel at ease and jested among each other. They teased, sung, danced, ate and drank together. He even came upon a few couples engaged in more romantic activities and he had quickly left, not wanting to spy on them.

But even seeing these Elves so carefree and happy didn’t encourage him to make contact with them. In his past, he had learned not to trust anyone and he had learned that lesson well. So he lurked instead and remained hidden in the shadows.

Imladris had gained a new addition, but none of the resident Elves knew of his presence and he wanted to keep it that way. His safety lay in invisibility.

But his belly still remained empty and he was beginning to feel weak due to the lack of nourishment. He didn’t dare take away much food, and merely dreamt of stealing an apple or some bread. If he got the chance, he would take his precious treasure to the stables, where he had created a small nest up in the rafters. From his hiding place, he could easily spot new arrivals and flee if necessary.

The horses had given him an experimental sniff when he had first appeared and he had stroked their noses, which had reassured them. After that, they had accepted him. There was one, powerful stallion that seemed to like him best and the horse even allowed him inside the box to sleep close at night. Sometimes, the need to feel something warm nearby overwhelmed him and then he would snuggle up to the proud steed.

His stomach growled again, reminding him that he desperately needed to eat something. And this time, he was afraid that nuts and berries wouldn’t do the trick. He needed something more substantial.

Tremors ran through his thin form and he wrapped his arms around his waist, trying to dampen the growls coming from his stomach. He had avoided venturing into the kitchens for a long time, as there were too many Elves about. The danger of getting caught was high, but now that he was starving he had little choice left. He had to take the risk.

He slowly rose from his nest of hay and looked down at the ruined clothes he wore. The black shirt had definitely known better days and showed several cuts and large holes. His brown leggings were so thin that they hardly offered any protection against the cold. Barefooted, he sneaked over to the ladder and climbed down.

On the ground floor, the stallion raised his head and intelligent eyes took in the raven-haired Elf’s form. The first time this strange Elf had appeared he had been a bit reluctant to allow him inside the stables, but after the stranger had stroked his nose he had changed his opinion. The mighty steed didn’t smell any danger or evil on the stranger and decided he liked him.

“Be quiet, please,” said the raven-haired Elf. “I cannot be found. I told you that before.” He quickly stroked the mighty neck and rubbed behind the ears. Leaning in closer, he rested his frail body against the stallion’s flank. From where he was standing now, his gaze caught a name, written on the inside of the door. “Asfaloth? Is that your name?”

Asfaloth nodded his head and maintained eye contact with the stranger. It would only be polite if the Elf shared his name as well.

Blushing weakly, he said, “I forgot my manners, didn’t I? My mother called me Erestor, though it has been a long time since she called me that.” Saddened by his memories, he buried his face in the long, white mane. “You are the only friend I have here.”

That was definitely a shame, decided Asfaloth. The raven-haired Elf had become his friend as well, but it would be best if Erestor had Elven friends instead. The hungry growls made him study Erestor. The noble stallion had long realized that this Elf was different from Glorfindel, or the other Elves that visited the stables. Erestor was smaller, frail and much dirtier than any self-respecting Elf would ever be.

“I will be back later, my friend. I need to find some food first.” Erestor pressed a kiss on Asfaloth’s nose and giggled softly, surprised by his bold deed. “You are soft.”

Asfaloth snorted; this was a silly Elf. Just as silly as Glorfindel could be at times. Erestor moved away from him and he nudged the Elf toward the exit of the stables. He hoped the dark-haired Elf would go straight to the kitchens. Compared to the other Elves, Erestor was much too small.

Erestor looked over his shoulder at the stallion and smiled. Maybe he would also be able to steal an apple for his friend.

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

The cook placed the freshly baked apple pie on the window sill to cool and turned away, eager to start preparations for tonight’s dinner. The hunters had returned with game and he knew that Lord Elrond enjoyed a nice meal. He would do his best not to disappoint his Lord.

Drawing by Enye, thanks!

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

Erestor stood in the shadows and waited for the cook to leave. When the Elf did, he knew his time had come. He had never been so bold before to steal something that would be so easily missed, but he needed the food! The tremors had worsened and he felt constantly light-headed now. Taking advantage of the afternoon’s shadows, he sneaked over to the window sill and took hold of the apple pie. He almost dropped it, because the plate was much too hot to hold. Erestor grabbed a napkin, scooped most of the apple pie out of the dish and put a knot into the fabric, carrying it that way.

Commotion near the doorway told him that the cook was about to return and he fled the kitchen, diving into the shadowed corridor. He hoped no one had seen him! He had forgotten to snatch an apple for Asfaloth, but he knew the stallion would forgive him, as the horse was well-fed on a daily bases.

Erestor carefully made his way back to the stables. Asfaloth snorted, softly, upon his entrance and Erestor’s eyes widened, finding the golden-haired Elf, who often visited and rode the steed, in the horse’s box. He remained hidden from the azure eyes, which now lovingly took in Asfaloth’s form. The fair Elf rubbed behind the stallion’s ears and whispered compliments. Erestor grew impatient, wishing the blond Elf would finally leave. The sweet smell of the apple pie might float into the stranger’s nostrils and pique his curiosity.

“I will take you out riding later,” said Glorfindel, stroking Asfaloth’s flank. “It promises to be a wonderful evening. We will head for the Bruinen at sunset.”

Erestor could tell that those words pleased the stallion, as he scraped his hoofs across the floor. Asfaloth was impatient and would prefer to leave right now.

“Don’t be so impatient, my friend,” said Glorfindel, amused. “I will return here shortly.” He rubbed the stallion’s nose one more time and then left the stables.

Erestor released an audible sigh of relief now that the other Elf was gone. He waited a few moments longer, just to make sure that the blond Elf wouldn’t return unexpectedly. Once he was certain that he was relatively safe, he soundlessly walked over to the stallion. “I am sorry, my friend, but I forgot your apple.” His belly made a loud and angry sound; the food was near and he should be eating instead of apologizing to Asfaloth!

The stallion shared that opinion and gently nudged him toward the ladder.

Erestor smiled, gratefully, and carried his treasure to his hide-away. After settling down, he untied the fabric and began eating – fast – as he was starving.

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

The cook scratched himself behind his right ear. He was certain that this was where he had left the apple pie, but now it was gone. This was most odd.

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

Satiated, Erestor had fallen asleep and he only woke because there was noise below him. Curiously, he peeked below and found that the golden-haired Elf had returned. The fair Elf was readying Asfaloth for their ride and now that he felt safe and comfortable, Erestor studied the other Elf more closely. The most intense cerulean eyes he had ever seen stared back at him from a friendly and kind face. A handsome face as well – he noticed, distractedly. The red lips were full and pouted as Asfaloth kept dancing impatiently, making it harder for Glorfindel to move closer. Long, fair hair tumbled down the Elf’s back and reached his narrow hips. The blue shirt snuggled tightly against the broad chest and the leggings hugged the powerful thighs close. This Elf was obviously a warrior and Erestor grew more careful, knowing from past experiences that he didn’t stand a chance against someone, such as this fair Elf.

“Calm down!” said Glorfindel, amused. Asfaloth was particularly impatient today! A few moments later, he swung onto the stallion’s back and guided him outside.

Erestor sighed, softly, and even managed a smile as he returned to his sleeping place. He made himself comfortable and closed his eyes, trying to recall the way the apple pie had looked and smelled. He wished he had more food, but knew he couldn’t grow greedy. The cook was probably already wondering about the missing pie and he couldn’t venture into the kitchens for days now. He shouldn’t have eaten it all and saved some for later, but he had been too hungry to think of that!

Curled up beneath the hay, he felt safe and allowed himself to drift off into sleep.

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

“I am so sorry, my lady, but the pie… disappeared.” The cook cringed; the lady Celebrían had requested he baked a pie today because she wanted to take it with her on the picnic she had arranged for. “I do not know what happened to it. I left it to cool and when I returned it was gone.”

“It is no disaster,” said Celebrían, soothing the nervous cook. “There is enough food available to take on this picnic.” She felt a bit disappointed though; apple pie was her favorite and she had been looking forward to sinking her teeth into the sweet pastry.

“I will bake a new one!” announced the cook, but he also knew it wouldn’t be ready in time. “I wonder who took it.”

Celebrían shrugged once. “It does not really matter who took it, but I would like for you to bake a new one.”

“I will,” said the cook, determined to guard the next apple pie he baked. No one was going to take that one!

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

Erestor woke from a restless sleep the moment Asfaloth and his rider returned. Shifting slightly, he realized he was able to watch them from his sleeping place. The fair Elf was handsome, he mused, handsome and obviously in a good mood. He laughed almost constantly and rubbed Asfaloth’s slightly sweaty skin. The Elf dismounted and grabbed a handful of straw to rub Asfaloth dry. During the entire time, he kept talking about Elves Erestor knew nothing about. He heard names, which meant nothing to him, but he tried to remember them nonetheless; Elrond, Arwen, Celebrían… Those were the names the fair Elf used most.

“Glorfindel! I was looking for you! I should have known I would find you here!”

Erestor involuntarily held his breath, seeing a second Elf enter. This Elf was dark-haired and wore long, formal robes.

“Elladan, I wanted to ask you to join me, but I couldn’t find you!”

“My father requested my presence in his study as a delegation from the Golden Wood arrived today.”

“Ah, that’s why…?” Glorfindel pointed at the outfit.

“Aye… I cannot wait to change back into a shirt and leggings again. Robes are uncomfortable!” Elladan leaned against the wall and smiled. “I should have known I would find you here. I looked for you in the barracks first.”

“I decided to go for a ride.” Glorfindel finished tending to Asfaloth and uncovered a carrot from a pocket, which the stallion slowly devoured.

Erestor smiled, seeing Asfaloth munch happily. The stallion hadn’t gotten his apple, but the carrot would do as well. His attention shifted from the horse to the two Elves; he knew their names now, and he repeated them softly to himself. The blond Elf was called Glorfindel and the dark-haired one was Elladan. He didn’t know why it was so important to remember these names… /I do know,/ he admitted a heartbeat later. /I feel lonely./ He longed for companionship, for someone to talk to occasionally, but he was much too scared to make the first step. It was better this way.

“Come, my friend, dinner is about to be served!” Glorfindel folded an arm around Elladan’s shoulder and together they walked toward the doorway.

Elladan smiled; knowing there would be little left of the dessert the moment they got there. Apple pie was his mother’s favorite.

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

Erestor felt safer now that the two Elves had left, but not safe enough to go downstairs and seek Asfaloth’s company. A lazy, pleasant warmth radiated from his stomach and he was content to simply rest. Maybe he could stay here for a while. As long as he remained unnoticed, he was safe. He just had to find other ways of acquiring food. Stealing into the kitchens again wasn’t an option.

But there were gardens as well, and he had seen trees carrying fruit. He could go there and pick the ripe fruits, even bring back an apple for Asfaloth.

But not this evening. This evening his belly was already full and he purred, softly, dozing off once more.

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

“The apple pie simply disappeared?” Elrond enjoyed teasing his wife, who had just claimed the largest part of the newly baked pie. “That is a most hideous crime! We should find the perpetrator and punish him!”

Celebrían giggled, hearing her husband’s silly banter. “I cannot blame the thief. This apple pie is delicious.” She guarded her plate closely and swept Elrond’s hand away when the half-Elf tried to steal a little piece of her pie. “Behave, or you will be sleeping on the couch tonight.”

Arwen chuckled, softly. She was still rather young as she had just reached her majority, but saw that her brothers were laughing as well, and they were much older than she was.

“Glorfindel, I hereby command you to find the thief and to bring him before me,” declared Elrond, good-humoredly. He wouldn’t ‘punish’ the Elf of course, but had grown curious as to whom enjoyed apple pie as much as his dear wife.

Glorfindel groaned, playing along. “Must I, my Lord? It is already late and my bed is calling me.”

“You don’t have to do this now,” said Elrond, enjoying their little game. “But it will be your first priority in the morning.”

“Are you certain it wasn’t your lovely wife who took the apple pie and thus made the cook bake a second one?” Glorfindel gave Celebrían a humorous wink. 

Celebrían’s giggles grew louder. “I should have thought of that, my Captain, but I didn’t! However, I will keep it in mind the next time the cook bakes a pie!”

Lovingly, Elrond gathered his wife’s right hand in his. “I will order the cook to bake one every day if that pleases you.” Even after so many centuries he was still utterly in love with her and he would do everything to make her happy, even if it meant replacing rose bushes with apple trees.

“I cannot eat that many apple pies.” Celebrían playfully nudged her husband with her elbow. “It is only so special because I cannot have it every day. Let us keep it that way.”

Elrond nodded once. “As you wish, my love.” He raised her hand and brought it to his lips, pressing a kiss on the back.

“Oh, please!” Elladan bowed his head and covered his face in his hands. His parents always flirted and the rest loved teasing them about it. “Don’t tell me you are planning on siring more children, father.”

Elrond grinned. “We might, Elladan. Just a little brother to annoy you.”

“I already have one,” said Elladan, dryly, and was prompted kicked in the shins by his dear twin brother. “I will get you for that later!”

“Children, behave!” But Celebrían’s eyes sent out a different message; namely that she didn’t want them to stop bantering. Her family made her happy and she hoped they would never stop their playful arguments.

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

“Surely you were merely jesting yesterday?” Glorfindel frowned, seeing Elrond shake his head.

”I was not. I want to know who took my wife’s apple pie.”

”But, the patrol is about to leave and new guards need to be trained! There are reports to write and…” Glorfindel shook his head. “You cannot be serious.”

“Of course, I am… not,” said Elrond, finally bursting out laughing. “I was just playing you. I know how busy you are. But, if you by any chance ever find the thief, let me know.” Elrond clasped Glorfindel’s shoulder briefly and then left the training grounds. Glorfindel’s expression had been highly amusing.

“Half-Elves have a strange kind of humor,” mumbled Glorfindel, flipping back his hair, which he had forgotten to braid that morning.

“I heard that!” called out Elrond from the distance, raising a hand in goodbye. “There is nothing wrong with my ears.”

Glorfindel cursed, softly, releasing a litany of Dwarven curses Gloin had once taught him. “Your ears are much too sharp for a half-Elf,” he whispered, certain that Elrond could no longer hear him.

“I heard that too.”

“Damn it!”

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

Erestor waited until the dark of night had settled over Imladris before venturing out of the stables. Deep down, he was afraid he was making a grave mistake, leaving his hide-away so shortly after his visit to the kitchens, but now that he had tasted food again, he wanted more. He wanted to form a supply so he could eat whenever he was hungry. If he succeeded in doing this, it would be an unknown luxury, having food at his disposal at all times.

He passed Asfaloth by and the stallion opened an eye to look at him. “I will get you that apple. A promise is a promise.”

Asfaloth wanted to reassure the frail Elf that it wasn’t necessary and that he should rest instead, but unfortunately he was only a horse, without a way to communicate this to Erestor.

Erestor silently closed the door behind him and sneaked away from the stables. He hoped he correctly remembered where the orchard was located, as he planned on collecting all the fruits he could find. That way, no one would miss any food.

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

Erestor used the already dirty napkin to collect the fruits in. Ripe, juicy apples had fallen from the trees and he gathered them quickly. There were cherries as well, and pears, but there was only so much he could carry. Unable to resist temptation he pushed a cherry into his mouth, and sighed, blissfully, at the sweet taste. Spitting out the stone, he reached for another one, but then realized he wasn’t alone.

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

Glorfindel stared in wonder at the strange Elf, who was hurriedly collecting the fallen fruits. He prided himself on knowing each Elf who lived in Imladris and he made a point of greeting their guests, so he knew who was supposed to be in Imladris and who wasn’t. He was absolutely certain that he had never seen this Elf before.

The stranger’s brown eyes locked with his and they reflected fright, shock and utter panic. Glorfindel studied the other Elf’s gaunt face and was shocked to see just how sunken in the features were. He had never seen an Elf looking so starved before. The threadbare clothes looked much too big for the other Elf and were covered with dirt and grime. Did he also see old blood on the fabric? Long, dark and dirty hair framed the pale face and the haunted eyes were deep-set in their sockets.

Fear ran through Erestor and in his panic, he dropped the napkin and the fruits.

“Please, don’t run! There is no reason to fear me!” But the words came too late; the frightened Elf had already taken off and was now running toward the stables. Glorfindel briefly considered taking up pursuit, but discarded the thought eventually, not wanting to frighten this Elf further.

Elf? Had it been an adult Elf? Or an Elfling? He had looked so small – so frail and breakable! And he had dropped the gathered fruits! /The apple pie! He looked starved; did he take it?/ Glorfindel felt guilty for scaring the poor Elf off; it was obvious that he had been in search of food!

Glorfindel sat on his heels and gathered the bruised fruit in the napkin, which he neatly tied together. He left it beneath the apple tree, hoping against all odds that the starved Elf would return to collect his food. But his instincts told him he wouldn’t. The stranger no longer felt safe.

/He left in the direction of the stables. I will start my search there at dawn./ He also realized that he would have to do his best not to scare the strange Elf again. He knew instinctively that this was an Elf who didn’t trust easily. /I am sorry I chased you off. That wasn’t my intention./

But, in the end, he was glad that he had come by here tonight. For now he knew that someone needed his help. He just had to find a way to make it clear to the stranger that he wanted to help.

/Those large, drawn eyes…/ They already haunted him.

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

Erestor panted hard by the time he reached the safety of his hide-away. He quickly hid himself beneath the hay and listened closely to find out if Glorfindel had followed him. He hoped not – by the Valar, he prayed not! He couldn’t be discovered and captured again! He wouldn’t survive being enslaved a second time!

Part 2