Title: You Are Still The One.
Author: Morgana
Email addy: morganalebeau@yahoo.com
Website; http://www.avalon.cobweb.nl/
Pairing(s): Glorfindel/Erestor, Elrond/Elros
Rating: NC-17.
Summary: Elladan happens upon an injured half-Elf with amnesia and Elrond
volunteers to care for the poor soul. Elladan is determined to find the
perpetrators and endangers his own life/safety in doing so.
Disclaimer: These characters are all Tolkien’s.
Warning: AU.
Author’s Note: Beta read by Aduial, thanks so much! And a thank you to
Ilye, for her help.
You Are Still The One.
Part 2
Elrond had banished them to the waiting area so he could attend to their
patient in peace and quiet. Now Glorfindel paced impatiently, resembling a
large cat, caged against its will. Erestor had seated himself on the
windowsill, and stared into the distance. “Anor is finally rising. Morning will
quickly be upon us.”
“A morning our patient can’t see because someone pummeled him so
extensively that his eyes are beaten shut!” Allowing his rage a way out,
Glorfindel slammed his fist against the wall. He had come to a halt and trembled
over his entire body. He had seldom felt such anger!
Erestor gave Glorfindel a long and troubled look and then rose from the
windowsill. Coming to a standstill behind Glorfindel, he lightly rested his
hands on the tense shoulders, slowly beginning to massage them. “He is safe
now. No one will ever hurt him again.”
“But they already did!”
“You cannot change the past,” offered Erestor, still working on the
tense muscles beneath his fingertips.
Glorfindel looked over his shoulder at the dark-haired advisor, once
more marveling about the other Elf. “I still remember the first time we met.”
He didn’t know where that thought had come from, or why he had said it aloud,
but it had felt like the right thing to say.
“So do I,” confirmed Erestor, who now guided Glorfindel to a wooden
bench. “It was in Lindon.”
“Elrond and you were ready to head for Imladris.” He had heard stories
of the fabled half-Elf, and he had felt proud to serve Elrond. But he had also
been nervous the first time that he was about to meet the half-Elf. Thankfully,
Erestor had been there as well, and the advisor had quickly broken the ice. “I
am eternally grateful that you allowed me in.” Elrond and Erestor had been
shield brothers, and best friends, and he had been worried that the duo
wouldn’t allow him close. “I was to be Elrond’s Captain, and his personal
bodyguard; it was my task to keep him safe. It would have been easy for you to
shut me out and remind me of my place.”
Erestor, who now clasped his hands in his lap, gave Glorfindel a warm
smile. “You are Glorfindel, the reborn Captain of the House of the Golden
Flower. It is an honor to be your friend.”
“Still… What Elrond and you shared was a tight bond. It must have been
hard to allow me in.”
Erestor shook his head. “Not really. From the first moment we met, I
knew you would enrich our lives.”
Glorfindel rested his back against the wall whilst studying Erestor.
Even after all these millennia he still didn’t understand him. The first thing
that had struck him during that meeting had been the easy way in which the
other had welcomed him into his life.
Erestor was easy to like and befriend, and when Elrond’s children had
been little they had adored their dark-haired storyteller. Whenever Elrond and
Celebrían had been too tired to tell them a bedtime story, Erestor had filled
in. Erestor was cunning, wise, intelligent, and possessed a very warm and
loving character. And that was the very reason why Glorfindel didn’t understand
why Erestor had never taken a lover during the long time they had known each
other. But then again, neither had he; losing Ecthelion had scarred him for
life. “Nonetheless, I am still grateful that you helped me gain a place in this
family.”
“If I hadn’t, Elrond would have,” said Erestor, enjoying Glorfindel’s
closeness. The blond was fair, charming and a seasoned warrior. He was truly
honored to have Glorfindel for a friend.
“I am not that certain,” mused Glorfindel, “Elrond had just lost Elros
and he wasn’t very interested in forming new friendships.” Erestor had been the
key factor in them becoming such good friends so quickly.
“Elrond…” Erestor sighed deeply after speaking the name. “I am once more
worried about him. I couldn’t draw him out of that trance-like state earlier.”
“You need to be more forceful with him. Shake him, yell at him. Do
whatever it takes to make him respond.”
“I am not like that,” mumbled Erestor, barely audible.
“I know you’re not. You couldn’t even be cross with the twins when they
played a trick on you.” Erestor was a gentle soul, another thing that made the
advisor so desirable in his eyes.
Erestor shrugged, blushing weakly. “They were children. And it is a
children’s privilege to pull pranks on their elders.”
Although Glorfindel would have loved to discuss the past, he felt he
needed to focus on the present. “Maybe this stranger’s suffering will make
Elrond realize he isn’t useless, that he is still needed.”
Erestor nodded in understanding. “Elrond always needed to be needed.
That is why he is such a good father and ruler -- he cares. Maybe he even cares
too much. He wants everyone to be well and happy, and so he worries.”
Glorfindel wondered if there wasn’t some flaw to Erestor’s reasoning,
but let it rest. “Maybe now that this stranger needs him he will rise above his
personal pain.”
“I feel deeply for our injured patient and I hope he will make a full
recovery, but in the meantime, I am grateful he is here and in need of help.
Elrond will now focus on him and realize there is life after losing Celebrían.”
“I miss her too,” said Glorfindel, seeing the saddened expression on
Erestor’s face.
“She was a good friend…” Erestor drew in a deep breath in order to
compose himself. “It is Elrond and the children we need to concentrate on. How
do you feel about leaving Elladan alone out there?”
Glorfindel considered that question. “His reaction was a lot like
Elrond’s. He was reminded that he isn’t the only one suffering and that might
actually do him good. And how has Elrohir been?”
“Better as well, less angry. Working with the healers and the injured
reminded him of the same thing. There is more suffering out there than just
his.” Erestor briefly closed his eyes. It had been long since he’d had a night
of decent sleep. He had spent most of the hours of the night sitting with
Elrond, watching over him whenever the half-Elf had slipped beneath the
shadows.
“You are tired,” said Glorfindel, wondering why he hadn’t realized that
before. After Elrond had lost Elros, Erestor had guarded the half-Elf’s sleep
as well. “Are you watching over him during the night?”
“Who else is there to perform this task?” Erestor opened tired eyes.
“Don’t misunderstand me; it is an honor to watch over him, but it robs me of my
sleep in turn.”
Glorfindel cast a look down the corridor, which remained empty. “You
don’t have to watch over him now. You could take a cat nap right now.”
Erestor’s eyes widened slightly, but then a smile formed on his face.
“And does that mean…”
Glorfindel finished for him. “That I will watch over you? Yes, I would
be honored to do so.”
“Thank you, my friend.” Erestor accepted the offer, and rested his head
against Glorfindel’s shoulder. “Wake me should news reach you.”
“I will. And now, sleep.” Glorfindel wrapped an arm around Erestor’s
waist, not at all surprised at how perfect the dark-haired Elf felt in his
arms. Hadn’t he been in love with Erestor for the last few centuries? He had
always known Erestor would fit perfectly against him. If only he could find a
way to tell Erestor he loved him.
Erestor, still blissfully unaware of his friend’s infatuation with him,
gently drifted off into the land of dreams.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elrohir failed to hide the grin that now surfaced upon his face.
Glorfindel was holding Erestor close, whilst the Chief Advisor was fast asleep.
Arwen, Elladan and he had often thought there was more than just friendship
when it came down to Glorfindel’s feelings for Erestor, but they had never
confronted their friend with those suspicions.
“Why are you grinning?” The hair at the back of his neck stood rigid,
seeing that particular smirk on Elrohir’s face. That grin took Glorfindel
aback, knowing how grim and gloomy Elrohir perceived life at the moment.
Elrohir shrugged once, as he wasn’t in the mood for teasing. He was here
to inform them about their newest patient. “You might want to wake Erestor; he
will want to hear this as well.”
“I am awake…” Erestor mumbled, rubbing the remaining sleep from his eyes
with his knuckles.
Glorfindel’s heart did something funny at that moment; it leapt in his
chest and it definitely missed a beat at that adorable gesture. /I want to kiss
the sleep away from his eyes…/ Oh, he was utterly in love and a hopeless
romantic! He always had been; Ecthelion had constantly teased him with that.
Erestor ran a hand through his long, dark mane and then straightened his
robes, slightly pulling away from Glorfindel. He managed to stop the blush that
threatened to form on his face as he recalled how warm and incredibly soft
Glorfindel had felt against him. Which amazed him. He had never thought of
Glorfindel as soft before. He had seen the finely toned muscle structure
beneath the skin when he had watched Glorfindel spar with his men. “How is our
patient?” He pushed any musings concerning Glorfindel to the back of his mind
and focused on their charge. /I also need to check on Elladan. I can’t have him
running loose./
Elrohir sat down in a chair opposite their wooden bench and sighed
deeply. “Adar believes there will be little permanent damage, but...”
“That is good news.” Glorfindel had subconsciously reached for Erestor’s
hand and clasped his fingers firmly around the limb, never realizing what he
was doing.
Erestor wondered about Glorfindel taking his hand in his, but he didn’t
mention it, feeling the apprehension that coursed through the blond Elf’s body.
“What about his eyes?”
“When they targeted the eyes with their blows they did some serious
damage.”
“Oh, Elbereth!” Glorfindel involuntarily squeezed Erestor’s hand.
Erestor was equally worried, but managed to hide his emotions better.
Glorfindel’s fingers shook and he reached out, burying the blond’s hand in his,
rubbing the skin softly. Glorfindel’s hand was now cradled safely within his,
but the Captain didn’t seem to notice. He then asked the question he knew
Glorfindel didn’t dare ask. “Is he blind?”
“Adar isn’t certain.” Elrohir shifted uncomfortable on the chair. “Much
depends on our patient’s healing ability. Adar also thinks that our patient is
Half-Elven, and thus is his healing ability the uncertain factor. He should
heal in time, but we won’t know for sure for another few weeks.”
Erestor frowned. “I wonder what he was doing out there -- alone. Why not
come and live here in Imladris?”
“Maybe he was on his way here and then he fell into the hands of…”
Glorfindel paused, “I don’t even know who did this to him.”
“That reminds me,” said Erestor. “I need to contact Elladan. He can’t be
out there by himself.”
“I left ten guards with him,” replied Glorfindel, “he should be
relatively safe.”
Erestor cast a look at Elrohir, expecting a fierce, maybe even
aggressive reaction from the twin now that his brother was being discussed. But
Elrohir surprised him.
“Elladan might act rash at times, but he is an accomplished tracker and
warrior. He will look out for himself and his men.” Elrohir had first wanted to
demand he be sent after Elladan, but had quickly realized he was needed more
here. Ever since this stranger had entered his life, his emotions and thoughts
were shifting. Where he had once only thought of himself, this suffering had
reminded him that he wasn’t alone. He understood once more that he was part of
a family, and for that he felt thankful.
“I will take care of Elladan,” said Erestor, surprising the two other
Elves.
“And how are you going to do that?” asked Glorfindel in a disbelieving
voice.
“Think!” Erestor shook his head and slowly pulled his hands away from
Glorfindel’s. The blond didn’t even seem to notice, as he was staring
questioningly at him. “Estel is out there with the Dúnedain! He is close to
Elladan!”
“And how do you plan to inform him of that fact? We will need to send a
messenger and that will take days!” Glorfindel shook his head. “That is too
long.”
“I will farspeak with Estel,” announced Erestor, who now rose from the
bench. “But first, I want to see how our mysterious stranger is doing.” Without
waiting for Elrohir or Glorfindel to join him, Erestor marched down the
corridor, toward the half-Elf’s recovery room.
“Farspeak? Did he really say farspeak?” Glorfindel had known Erestor for
millennia, but this was one talent he had never known of. He had always thought
only Elrond, Celeborn, Galadriel and maybe a handful of other Elves had
mastered the ability to farspeak.
“He did,” confirmed Elrohir, whose brow furrowed in thought. “I didn’t
know that either, but then again, he is Adar’s confidant and his Chief Advisor.
I wouldn’t be surprised to learn he has been hiding more secrets.”
Glorfindel’s frown deepened. “I hope not. I am not in the mood for more
revelations.”
Little did he know…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elrond’s eyes revealed fatigue and exhaustion when he looked at his
long-time friend, now that Erestor had cautiously entered the room. “There is
no need for stealth. He won’t wake for a few more hours.” Elrond was seated in
a comfortable chair, which he had pulled close to the bed in which his patient
was sound asleep.
Erestor shuffled inside, his features contorting whilst taking in the
bandaged face. Clean bandages hid the eyes from view, providing a shadowed and
restful shelter. “He still looks like he is in a bad way.”
“What did you expect? He has only been here for a few hours. Recovery
will take him months.” Elrond leaned back into the comfort of the chair and
massaged his temples. “I fear for his eyesight; it might never be restored
again.”
Erestor had now reached the foot end of the bed and came to a halt.
Behind him Elrohir and Glorfindel appeared, and they remained standing near the
doorway, unwilling to crowd the room when their patient needed rest.
Elrond managed a weak smile. It was good to have his friends and son
here. If only Elladan was here as well, and Arwen would return from her stay in
Lothlórien. He missed them! He placed his hand on his patient’s, and sent a
tiny amount of his healing energy into the other Elf’s body. He had to pace
himself, as he had already used a large amount of his healing energy.
Elrohir had briefly left the room and now reappeared carrying a glass
with fresh spring water, which he placed on the night stand next to the bed.
“Do you think he will be able to drink some water?”
“Not whilst he is asleep,” said Elrond, taking hold of the glass. He
dipped his fingertips in the cool liquid and moistened his charge’s lips with
the water. A few drips even flowed inside, and the injured half-Elf swallowed
convulsively. Elrond continued to moisten the lips, hoping to get as much water
as possible inside his patient. “We need to make certain that he is never
alone. When he wakes up again he might panic, like he did last time. Someone
needs to be at his side to calm and reassure him.”
“We will take turns,” said Glorfindel, compassionately. “Why don’t you
let me sit with him first? You can sleep
in the meantime; you need to be rested when he wakes again.”
Elrond nodded once. “I agree.” He slowly rose from his chair and watched
Glorfindel take the seat he had just vacated. He walked toward Erestor and came
to a standstill beside his friend. “Elladan?”
“I will take care of him. Don’t worry, Elrond.” Erestor rested a hand on
Elrond’s shoulder and guided him toward the doorway. Before exiting the room,
he looked at Glorfindel from over his shoulder. The blond nodded once, and
Erestor then steered Elrond toward his private chambers. The nap he had taken
earlier had refreshed him and he would guard his friend’s sleep once more,
making certain no nightmares tormented Elrond’s sleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“My Lord? We have found tracks! Fresh ones!”
Elladan immediately joined the guard who now pointed out the tracks to
him. “Orcs…”
“But there is more,” said the guard, and his voice took on a chilling
quality. “Men.”
Elladan sat on his heels, and studied the tracks with disbelief. “Men
and Orcs? Working together? One pack?” It was a shocking thought! “Why would
they ally themselves with Orcs?”
“I don’t know why, but apparently they did just that,” said the guard, experiencing
the same disbelief and shock as Elladan.
“We need to find them and eliminate this threat!” Orcs and Men working
together… The thought alone was enough to make him apprehensive. “We need to
take them out.”
“There are only eleven of us,” said the guard, thoughtfully. “And
judging by these tracks their pack consists of more than twenty members. We are
outnumbered.”
“You speak wisely,” acknowledged Elladan. “We will need help if we want
to take them out. We will follow them for now and remain hidden from their
eyes.”
The guard nodded in agreement and issued all necessary orders. Within
seconds they had extinguished the fire and eliminated all tracks that could
possibly betray them. Once they had disappeared into and between the trees, not
a single trace remained behind. It was as if they had never been there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Erestor watched Elrond’s sleep like he had done countless times before.
The half-Elf had been exhausted when they had finally made it to his rooms, and
Elrond had sunk down onto the bed, asleep the moment his head had made contact
with the pillow. Erestor hadn’t bothered to undress his friend; instead he had
covered Elrond with warm blankets. Seated on the bed, with his back against the
headboard, he closed his eyes and focused the power within.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Estel reached for the steadying trunk of a nearby tree when alien
thoughts unexpectedly formed in his mind. “Who? What?”
/It is I, Erestor. I need to talk to you./
Estel blinked once, twice, and quickly reassured the other Rangers that
he was fine when they stopped to inquire why he was swaying on his feet. /You
took me by surprise, my friend./ Elrond had farspoken with him several times
before, but never had Erestor. What had caused the Chief Advisor to contact him
in this manner? /How can I be of assistance?/ Erestor wouldn’t contact him in
this way unless it was urgent.
/I would ask of you to seek out Elladan’s party. He should be quite
close by./
Estel arched an eyebrow, forgetting Erestor couldn’t see it. /Why is
that?/ He would comply because he instinctively sensed that something was
amiss, but he wanted to know just what had caused such complications that he
was called upon to seek out his foster-brother’s party. Elladan was an
accomplished tracker and warrior and didn’t need someone to watch his back.
/I have reason to believe that he is in danger. He is tracking a pack
of… Orcs probably, and these ones are really vicious. You are closest, Estel,
and you can find him rather quickly. Stay with him if you can until he leaves
for Imladris./ Erestor was quickly tiring. There was a reason why he didn’t
farspeak that often any more; it just demanded too much of his very limited
life energy. /Do you understand, Estel?/
/Yes, I do,/ confirmed Estel quickly, sensing their momentary link was
weakening. /I will find him and keep him safe./
/Thank you./ Now that his mission had been completed, Erestor’s eyes
opened to make certain Elrond was still soundly asleep. “What?” To his
surprise, Erestor found that his surroundings had changed. He was no longer in
Elrond’s rooms, but in his own. How had he gotten here?
“Ah, you are coherent again. You had me worried for a second.”
Glorfindel sat down on the bed and placed a cool, wet cloth on Erestor’ brow.
When he had entered Elrond’s rooms, he had found Erestor shaking and sweating
profusely. Apparently farspeaking was extremely draining for Erestor and it
probably explained why he had never seen the advisor do it before. “Elrond was
awake and he asked me to make certain you rested.”
“Elrond was awake?” Erestor was about to leave the bed to return to
Elrond’s private chambers when a wave of vertigo hit him, forcing him to remain
flat on his back instead.
“Someone needs to watch over Elrond. What if he slips beneath the
shadows again?”
“I asked Lindir to sit with him,” explained Glorfindel, wiping the cold
sweat from Erestor’s brow and then removing the washcloth all together. “You
wore yourself down.”
“It had to be done, and Elrond isn’t strong enough to reach out to
Elladan.” Erestor was slowly regaining his strength and managed to push himself
into a sitting position. “We both know Elladan isn’t in his right mind these
days.”
Glorfindel vividly recalled the haunted look in Elladan’s eyes when the
twin had practically begged him to take hold of their charge. “You are right,
of course.” Glorfindel reached for the goblet filled with miruvor, which one of
the servants had delivered to Erestor’s rooms, and encouraged the dark-haired
Elf to sip. “You need it to strengthen you.”
Sipping obediently, Erestor grew worried again. “Who is sitting with our
patient then?”
“Elrohir is.” Glorfindel took the empty goblet from Erestor’s trembling hands
and pulled up the covers to the other Elf’s chest. “You should rest now. I will
take care of Elrond and our stranger.”
Erestor didn’t agree. “I will be back on my feet in a few more minutes.”
“I never knew you could farspeak,” said Glorfindel in a thoughtful
voice. It looked like he had to stay in order to make certain Erestor rested.
He was sure that the moment he left these rooms, the advisor would leave his
bed and return to Elrond’s side.
“I seldom do, but sometimes it is necessary.” Erestor wondered about
Glorfindel’s presence here. Why wasn’t the blond leaving yet? It almost seemed
as if the Captain wanted to look after him personally! “It came in handy at
“What changed, then?” Why was it so draining now? Glorfindel studied
Erestor and found the dark-haired Elf had averted his gaze.
“Nothing of importance,” said Erestor evasively. “The important thing is
that Estel is on his way to meet with Elladan. Estel will stay with him until
Elladan leaves for Imladris again.”
“You did well, then,” said Glorfindel, smiling. Everything was quiet
around them, everything seemed well, and Erestor was so close, so beautiful.
Glorfindel nearly lost himself in the dark, brown eyes, and began to lean in
closer in order to finally taste those ruby red lips. He had wanted to taste
them for so long!
“My Lord Erestor! The healers sent me to inform you that your patient
has woken and as you told me not to disturb Lord Elrond…”
“Damn!” Glorfindel cursed beneath his breath, and was forced to pull
away from those slightly pouting lips, which he had wanted to kiss so badly.
“Why now? Do the Valar really hate me that much?”
Erestor reacted instantly and addressed the servant. “I will inform Lord
Elrond. You did well, thank you.” The servant’s voice had broken the spell that
had momentarily captivated them, and he sighed, distressed for an unfathomable
reason. He couldn’t agree more with Glorfindel; why now? And did the Valar hate
him too? He could have sworn that Glorfindel was about to kiss him!
“Uhm, you should inform Elrond…” said Glorfindel, reluctantly rising
from the bed. “I will see to our patient until Elrond arrives.” He really
wanted to stay and evoke such a magical moment again. But the moment had passed
him by, and he had failed to make good use of it. “Maybe we can talk some more…
later?” he asked, hopefully.
“Maybe,” replied Erestor, growing hopeful that Glorfindel returned his
feelings after all. But he had to wait to find out. Duty called.