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!
Coming Home
Part 2
“Forgive me for disturbing you whilst you are having breakfast,
but…” Glorfindel impatiently waited for the couple to gesture for him to
approach. He hated barging in on Elrond and Celebrían like this, but felt it
was necessary they talked.
“What is so important that you seek us out at such an early hour?”
Elrond gestured for his friend to seat himself at the breakfast table and a
servant quickly added a third plate so Glorfindel could have breakfast with
them.
“I had an unsettling encounter in the orchard last night,” started
Glorfindel, moving the eggs around on his plate. He didn’t feel hungry at all,
remembering the famished expression in those anxious eyes.
“An unsettling encounter?” Celebrían frowned; normally Glorfindel
would offer more information without prodding.
“I was on my way to the barracks when I passed by the orchard. I
thought it would be deserted, but it wasn’t. A lone Elf was gathering fruit
there.”
Elrond raised an eyebrow. “And why is this reason to call the
encounter unsettling?”
“This Elf is no Imladris’ resident. I have never seen him before,”
supplied Glorfindel.
“Maybe he is part of the delegation from the Golden Wood? They
arrived yesterday,” offered Celebrían, feeling intrigued.
“Nay, this wasn’t one of the Galadhel. This was… Maybe even an Elfling.
It was hard to tell.” Glorfindel locked eyes with Elrond. “His clothes were
old, dirty and frayed, his hair a complete mess, and I have never seen such
sunken in features before. He was so frail that I was afraid he would break and
he looked absolutely starved.”
“What did you do?” asked Celebrían, captivated by Glorfindel’s
words.
“He was gathering fruits and I scared him, so he dropped
everything and ran away. He headed toward the stables so I want to start my
search there.”
Elrond considered everything very carefully. “Find him,
Glorfindel. I will not have an Elf hungry and hiding from us in fear. We must
help him.”
“My thoughts exactly.” Glorfindel pushed the untouched food away
from him and rose from the chair. “Though, I think we should move slowly. We
don’t want to chase him away again.”
“Keep me informed,” said Elrond after exchanging a look with his
wife. He could easily tell that she was upset by the news that someone was too
afraid of them to ask for help and food. They *had* to help this Elf.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Glorfindel first visited the kitchens. He had briefly thought
about taking the bruised fruit, wrapped up in the napkin with him, but the
frail Elf had looked like he needed more than just a few pieces of fruit. So,
he packed bottled milk, a flask of miruvor, bread, meat, cheese, honey and cake
into a basket and then headed for the stables, hoping to find the elusive Elf
there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finding his mysterious Elf proved easier than he had thought.
Glorfindel smiled, pleased, coming upon his puzzling Elf, huddled close to
Asfaloth. The stallion had lain down, allowing the raven-haired Elf to rest
against him. “You like him, then?” The look Asfaloth gave him was remarkably
intelligent and seemed so say; /Don’t you?/
Glorfindel smiled and nodded once. Asfaloth trusted this stranger
and even allowed him into his box to sleep close to him. That meant the horse
sensed nothing evil, not that he had thought anything evil clung to this
delicate Elf. “I have brought food,” said Glorfindel, trying to figure out his
next step. “Should I leave it here? Or should I wait for him to wake?” He
didn’t want to scare the raven-haired Elf again.
Glorfindel shook his head, wondering what he was doing asking
advice from his stallion. He would simply follow his instincts. Glorfindel
entered the box, sat down close to the strange Elf and removed his cloak, which
he used as a rug to place the food upon. Then he leaned back against the wall,
waiting for those large, apprehensive eyes to open.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erestor blinked before fully regaining awareness. Surprised, he
felt a warm body against his, and he briefly panicked, but when he realized it
was Asfaloth, he calmed. He recalled leaving his safe nest high above and
making his way down. His encounter with Glorfindel had left him shaken and he
had needed to feel something warm and real close to him. So he had sought out
Asfaloth and the stallion had allowed him close.
“Good morning. I brought breakfast, so eat!” Glorfindel kept his
tone warm and light, but the stranger still startled.
Erestor panicked; he simply didn’t know what to do. He wanted to
get to his feet and run away, but Glorfindel’s long legs blocked the exit, so he
wouldn’t get past him that way. In the end, he remained motionless, waiting for
the inevitable to happen. It wouldn’t be long before he would be taken in front
of their Lord and judged for his behavior. He would probably be heavily
punished for trespassing and stealing. He stared at Glorfindel from behind a
curtain of dirty and tangled hair.
The fear in the troubled eyes hit Glorfindel like a physical blow.
“I am not going to hurt you in any way.”
But Erestor didn’t believe him. Others had said the exact same
words to him and it hadn’t been long before the blows had started to descend
onto him.
Glorfindel carefully considered his next words. Whilst making
certain he remained absolutely motionless, he said, “I want to apologize for
scaring you last night. That was never my intention.” He knew that if he made
only the tiniest movement the other Elf would bolt. “I gathered your fruits,
but you had already left so I brought breakfast to make up for my behavior last
night.” The distressed eyes spoke of utter distrust and the panic continued to
increase. But he had to make contact!
/Please, Asfaloth,/ thought Glorfindel. /Whatever you do, don’t
get up./ The stallion presented a barrier between them and he suspected it was
the only reason why Erestor appeared that calm. /But he isn’t calm; he is
nervous and panicking. He just doesn’t want me to see./
Erestor checked for a way out of the box, but Glorfindel blocked
the only exit. He was trapped.
“Please, eat something.” Glorfindel took a chance and moved, selecting
a slice of cheese. He began to nibble on it, hoping the dark-haired Elf
understood he only wanted to help. “There is nothing wrong with the food.”
Erestor still didn’t trust Glorfindel, or the food. “I won’t
submit,” he said eventually, his voice raw with fearful anticipation. “You can
beat me as much as you want, but I will never obey you. I escaped before… I
will escape again.”
Glorfindel’s eyes widened. “What?” He must have misheard! “What
did you say?”
Erestor wondered about the stunned expression in Glorfindel’s
eyes, but didn’t let it distract him. On the contrary, he used the other Elf’s
surprise against him and jumped to his feet. He managed to make it past
Glorfindel’s long legs, but then stumbled and was sent crashing hard into the
wall.
Glorfindel reacted at once, cursing himself privately for his slow
reflexes, but Erestor’s words had unbalanced him. Did the dark-haired Elf
really expect to be beaten into submission? Maybe. After all, he knew nothing
of the other Elf’s history.
He reached the stumbling Elf and caught him before he could take a
fall. Glorfindel was shocked to find just how little resistance he met. His
mysterious stranger hardly weighed a thing! “I have you.”
Erestor’s worst nightmare was quickly becoming true, feeling
strong arms wrapped around him. “Let me go! Don’t touch me!” He struggled
fiercely to free himself, but Glorfindel wouldn’t release him. “Please, let me
go. I am not doing any harm! I am sorry I took that apple pie and tried to
steal that fruit, but I was hungry and I promised Asfaloth an apple.”
“I am not going to hurt you,” repeated Glorfindel, as the frail
Elf stopped struggling in his arms. He then made a very risky decision. “But I
would like for you to eat something. You look like you are about to collapse.”
The raven-haired Elf now leaned heavily against him.
Erestor lacked the strength to fight Glorfindel any longer. His
mind was rebellious and he didn’t want to undergo any punishment, but his
weakened body left him with no choice.
“Please, sit.” Glorfindel slowly assisted him in sitting down.
“Drink.”
Erestor accepted the flask filled with miruvor and sipped slowly.
Had Glorfindel put a sedative in it? Would he lose consciousness and wake up in
a cell? It had happened before so it could happen again.
“Will you tell me your name?” Glorfindel sat down opposite
Erestor. Asfaloth watched them with interest and Glorfindel saw traces of
concern for the mysterious Elf in the stallion’s expressive eyes.
The miruvor temporarily strengthened Erestor, and when he looked
at the fair Elf, his gaze was filled with rebellion. He wouldn’t go down
without a fight! “Why?”
“Because it would be nice to properly address you.” Glorfindel
gave him a most charming smile.
Erestor’s lips became a narrow line. “I don’t know why I should
tell you.”
Glorfindel couldn’t believe a simple conversation could be this
taxing! This Elf fought him on everything! “Let me introduce myself then.”
“I already know your name. You are Glorfindel,” said Erestor,
smugly, enjoying the surprise on the fair Elf’s face.
“Aye, I am Glorfindel.” This Elf had been watching him and he
hadn’t noticed! “Now kindly share yours?”
“Erestor,” he said, eventually, biting his bottom lip the moment
he had said it. He hadn’t wanted to give the blond Elf his name, but it was
hard to deny him and his charming smile. He emptied the miruvor and refused
more. He knew what effects this sort of drink had on him and wanted to remain
clear-headed.
“Do you live here? In the stables?” inquired Glorfindel, adding
honey to a slice of bread and nibbling on it. He tried to appear casual and
calm, hoping that it would set Erestor’s mind at ease.
“Not anymore.” Erestor bit his bottom lip. Even if he managed to
escape he would have to find a new shelter and now, they would be looking for
him. The only option he had left was leaving Imladris all together. That was
*if* they would let him!
Glorfindel read all that and more in the easy-to-read eyes. “Aye,
I agree. You shouldn’t have to live here. The guestrooms are much more
comfortable.”
/Guestrooms? That is the first time I heard the holding cells
being called that!/ “What are you going to do with me?”
Glorfindel raised an eyebrow. “Nothing you do not want. You can stay
here if you want to. You obviously befriended Asfaloth and he is a good judge
of character. If he trusts you then that is good enough for me.” He had missed
breakfast and was hungry, so he buttered another slice and added cheese to it.
“Do you want this?” Slowly leaning in closer, he offered it to Erestor, clearly
seeing the hungry, tempted expression in the gloomy eyes. “I hope you don’t
think I am trying to poison you.” To prove his point he took a bite out of the
slice of bread and then offered it to Erestor once more.
Erestor stared at the offered slice; he *was* hungry. Fighting an
inner battle, he wondered if he could trust Glorfindel in this matter. /He can
easily overpower me. He doesn’t need to sedate
Glorfindel was stunned, seeing how fast Erestor wolfed down the
food. But why was he surprised? Bones were sticking out of the skin! Pouring
Erestor milk, he placed the glass close to the raven-haired Elf. “There is more
where this came from.” He had wanted to add; /but you already know that as you
took the apple pie from the kitchen./ But he couldn’t say the words, knowing
eating it was probably the very reason why Erestor was still on his feet today.
Erestor pulled his knees closer to his chest, rested his back
against the wall and stared at Glorfindel. There was still more food, but was
he allowed to eat it?
Glorfindel correctly interpret that expression and offered Erestor
some of the meat. “You can eat it all, if you want, though I would advice
against it if you haven’t eaten for a long time.”
Erestor knew that as well, but his starved body desperately begged
for more nutrition. So he nibbled on the meat, feeling full for the second time
in the last twenty-four hours. “Will you now drag me in front of your Lord and
punish me?” That was what the villagers had done when they had been displeased
with him.
“Drag you? Punish you? Where do you get such ideas?” Glorfindel
shook his head. “We would never do that to one of our kind.”
“The humans did.”
Glorfindel swallowed, hard. “That explains much.”
“Does it?” Erestor couldn’t help growing sleepy. In the last
twelve hours he had eaten more than ever before and it was taking a toll on
him. His body needed the little energy he had left to digest the large amount
of food and he was falling asleep again. /I cannot fall asleep! If I do,
Glorfindel can do whatever he wants! I will wake up in a holding cell!/
Glorfindel literally smelled Erestor’s fear and knew he had to act
carefully now. He couldn’t do anything that would compromise the little trust
he had managed to build between them. “Where do you usually sleep?”
“Up…” whispered Erestor; his guard was down now that he was
drifting off into sleep.
“Up in the rafters. A perfect hiding place and an excellent
choice.” Glorfindel waited for Erestor to fully fall asleep and then rose from
the floor. He pushed his arms beneath Erestor’s body and lifted him. He
frowned, realizing Erestor didn’t weigh much more than an Elfling did. This was
so wrong!
Moving carefully, he managed to climb the ladder one-handed. Once
he had reached the rafters, he immediately spied the little nest Erestor had
built for himself. He gently deposited him amidst the hay and then went down
again to collect the remains from their ‘picnic’, which he placed close to
Erestor, so the Elf could eat and drink the moment he awoke.
He would have preferred to take Erestor with him to the guestrooms
or the healing wing, but he knew that the dark-haired Elf would never trust him
again if he woke in strange surroundings. /I have to take this slow. I will
visit with him tomorrow and bring more food. Clean clothes as well./ Glorfindel
knew that gaining Erestor’s trust would be hard, but he was confident that he
would win it in the end.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Did you learn anything new today about our mysterious stranger?”
Celebrían entered her husband’s study, pleased to find Glorfindel was also
present. “I have been wondering about him.”
Glorfindel rose to his feet and waited until she had seated
herself. “I did, but what I learned wasn’t pleasant.” He informed Celebrían and
Elrond and heard their shocked gasps.
“Did he really say all that?” Elrond shook his head in disbelief.
“Did he really say he expects to be beaten into submission?”
“And to be dragged in front of us and punished for taking that
pie?” Celebrían’s eyes mirrored her husband’s shock.
“Aye, all that and more. He also said that humans had done so to
him in the past. From the way he looks, I think it is very possible that they
kept him as a servant, maybe even as a slave.”
“And when he didn’t do as he was told, he was punished with
beatings.” Elrond leaned back into his chair. “At times like these I feel
ashamed to be part human.”
“I suggest we proceed cautiously. After Erestor fell asleep I took
him up the rafters so he would wake in familiar surroundings.” Seeing Elrond’s
admonishing look, he added, “Aye, I want him in the healing wing as well, but
forcing him to go there will do more harm than good. We have to gain his trust
first.”
“And how do you suggest we do that?” asked Celebrían, eager to
help.
“We let him set the pace and don’t force our presence upon him. I
am not saying we should ignore him, but let him decide when he is ready for
more contact. For the moment I will visit him on a daily bases to bring him
food and water. He could also do with a clean set of clothes.”
“Consider it done,” said Celebrían, certain some of her sons’
clothes would fit Erestor, and if they didn’t, she would instruct the
seamstress to make new ones, but making them would take time. She would search
her sons’ wardrobes first.
“I would feel more comfortable if he saw a healer,” said Elrond,
thoughtfully.
“He is definitely malnourished,” replied Glorfindel in a similar
tone. “But I didn’t see any injuries on him.”
“I will trust your judgment in this matter then.” Elrond rubbed the
bridge of his nose. “Keep me informed. The moment he collapses I want you to
take him to the healing wing and to call for me.”
Glorfindel hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erestor’s eyelids fluttered as he began to wake up again.
Normally, his dreams were haunted by memories, but last night his sleep had
been peaceful and undisturbed. He had actually slept several hours instead of
startling awake every hour. Suddenly realizing he was smiling, he rubbed his
full belly.
Then, the encounter with Glorfindel returned to him and he sat
upright with a start to check on his surroundings. To his utter surprise he
found himself in the safety of the hay. Glorfindel hadn’t taken him to the
holding cells… Why not?
Another quick look told him that the remains from breakfast had
been set beside him. Glorfindel must have carried everything upstairs. Tempted,
he reached for a slice of the sweet cake and nibbled experimentally. His eyes
closed in bliss when the sugar hit his system. This was absolutely delicious!
But then the truth settled in; Glorfindel knew his whereabouts –
his hide-away. And now that the blond warrior knew, the Lord of this valley
would find out as well. Then, they would come dragging him down and punish him.
Maybe it was best if he packed up the remaining food and left before they could
come for him?
“I brought you clean clothes.” Glorfindel left the ladder and took
one step toward Erestor, but froze at seeing the bewildered look in the dark
eyes. “Is something amiss?”
“Why am I still here?” Erestor’s eyes darted wildly in their
sockets, finding his way out blocked once more.
“Where else should you be?” Glorfindel placed the blue leggings
and gray shirt on the hay next to Erestor. “They were Elladan’s once, but he no
longer wears them. They might be a little bit too big for you, but once you
start to eat regularly you will grow into them.”
Erestor stared at the clothes as if they were deadly weapons,
ready to strike at him. “I don’t understand you.”
Glorfindel sat cross-legged and smiled, dipping a finger into the
honey and licking the sweet substance from his digit. “What is there to
understand? You are a guest here and I am treating you like one.”
“A guest? I stole from you!” Erestor hadn’t wanted to say that,
but the words had slipped out in his confusion.
“You were hungry and you took the food you needed. No one holds
that against you, certainly not the Lord of this valley.” Glorfindel studied
Erestor, seeing the hope that tried to blossom in the dark eyes, but the
raven-haired Elf was too afraid to allow it in. “Lord Elrond and the lady
Celebrían are actually concerned about you.”
“You told them about me.” It was as he had feared!
“Aye, I did. They rule this valley and they take their roles as hosts
very seriously. Furthermore, Lord Elrond is an excellent healer and would offer
you his services, but I told him you wouldn’t want him to examine you.”
Erestor’s confusion mounted. “You did what?”
“You can remain here, up in the rafters if you want, but we
prepared guest quarters, just in case you would reconsider. Lord Elrond would
also like for you to visit the healers, but that is your choice. If you don’t
want to go to the healing wing, we will accept that.”
Too fast – he was going too fast. He saw it in Erestor’s baffled
eyes. “But enough of that for now. Why don’t you eat, drink, and change into
your new clothes? If you want to bathe, you could go to the communal baths or
the Bruinen. No one will hinder you.”
/This is too good to be true. I don’t believe you, Glorfindel. You
have a hidden agenda./ Erestor was still convinced that leaving Imladris as
quickly as possible was his best option to stay alive and, more importantly,
free.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arwen and the twins immediately noticed Glorfindel’s worried
expression and scooted closer to their former tutor. “What is amiss?” It was
close to dinner, but their parents hadn’t joined them yet.
Recalling that the children didn’t know about Erestor yet,
Glorfindel updated them. The twins sat heavily on their chairs, hearing the
upsetting news and Arwen released a shocked gasp. “I thought something was
different,” explained Elrohir. “When I visited the stables a few days ago I
felt like I was being watched.”
“You probably were,” confirmed Glorfindel. “He doesn’t present a
danger, Elrohir. On the contrary, he is extremely afraid of us.”
Arwen nodded. “The poor soul. If he was mistreated that badly in
the past, he will expect for it to happen again. It is very understandable that
he doesn’t trust us.”
“Don’t go near him yet,” said Glorfindel. “It would be best if he
made contact of his own accord, instead of being forced in to it.”
Elladan agreed. “But if he ever needs a healer, please come to
us.”
Glorfindel smiled, kindly. Father and sons were known for their
gentle healing touch. “I will.”
Celebrían and Elrond chose that moment to enter and the elder
half-Elf proudly guided his wife to the head table where they sat down. “So, the
mystery of the missing pie has been solved?” asked Elrond, starting up their
conversation.
“He was so very hungry,” replied Glorfindel, thoughtfully. “When I
brought him breakfast, he wolfed it down so fast I was afraid he would choke on
it.” Glorfindel’s thoughts still circled around Imladris’ newest addition. “I
wanted to fold my arms around him and to take him to the healing wing so the
healers could check on him, but he is so easily scared. I couldn’t get as close
to him as I wanted.”
Celebrían’s features had darkened and Elrond wondered what
specifically had upset his wife. “What is it, love?”
Celebrían lifted burdened eyes to meet her husband’s. “We have
such a good life here, husband-mine. There is food and water in abundance, we
wear exquisite garments and all our needs are taken care of. Do we appreciate
enough that what we have? Erestor has so little.”
“But he has his freedom,” replied Glorfindel. “Which is more than
he had when living with those villagers.”
“Did he treat you with suspicion?” inquired Elrond, concerned.
“He did, until I took a bite first to show him that the food
didn’t hold a sedative.” Glorfindel’s eyes misted over with sadness. “The eyes,
Elrond. You should have seen the fear in them and yet he remained defiant. The
first thing he said was that he would never submit, no matter how harsh the
beatings.” Suddenly a proud gleam appeared in Glorfindel’s eyes. “He is weak,
malnourished and exhausted, but they didn’t break him. For that, I am
thankful.”
“It sounds like you are making progress,” said Elrond, who had
lost most of his appetite. “Are you certain he has enough food? I don’t want
him to be hungry.”
“I brought ample for breakfast. He has more than enough left to
eat.” Glorfindel sighed; he didn’t like the thought of Erestor all alone up in
the rafters, being afraid and hungry. “I will bring him more in the morning. I
don’t want to scare him away by visiting too often.”
“Did you also bring him Elladan’s clothes?” asked Celebrían, who
was pushing her food around on her plate.
“Ah, that is where my clothes went!” But Elladan didn’t mind. On
the contrary, he was glad he was helping in a small way. “I will go through our
wardrobe to see what else he can use.” And he had complained about his formal
roves being uncomfortable! Erestor didn’t have much to wear to begin with! He
had never really realized just well taken care of they were!
“I did and he stared at them like they would strike him down.”
Glorfindel’s sad eyes locked with Celebrían’s. “I don’t think that he is used
to any kindness.”
“He will grow used to it, if we can convince him to stay long
enough.” Elrond exchanged a look with his Captain. “What will he do next? What
do you think?”
Glorfindel carefully considered the question. “I hope he will stay
where he is, though I saw the urge to flee in his eyes. Maybe the food and
clothes will start to convince him that we mean well. By the Grace of the
Valar, I hope he stays!”
All family members nodded firmly; so did they!