“I think that covers everything,” said Elrond as he crossed the last item off of his list. Erestor nodded and began to stand, but there was a knock on the door and Elrond beckoned in the page, who delivered the morning messages from the rangers they had on patrol. Erestor sat down again, and waited to Elrond to skim through them in case there was something else that needed to be discussed. “Shortage of deer in the western pass... rogue skunk causing difficulties for the southern border...” Both of them smirked at this bit of news.

As Erestor tidied up the notes he had taken during their meeting, he abandoned hope that there would be any message from him. Of course, there was only one soldier who would send anything to him personally, but then, he could not always expect to hear from—

“Glorfindel sends greetings, salutations, and a number of other sincere hellos,” said Elrond, chuckling as he read the lengthy note that basically told him everything in the north was better than normal. “He also has a message for you,” he said, handing a second folded sheet to his chief counselor.

Erestor took the paper and nodded. “The next move for our chess game,” he explained, opening the page. He frowned, but it was a rueful, happy sort of frown, one not often displayed by him. “Knight takes rook. Thanks a lot, Findel.” Erestor folded the paper and smiled. “He has been sore over my taking his queen last week.”

“Mmm.” Elrond smiled politely, and nodded as Erestor excused himself from their meeting. After the door shut, Elrond shook his head. For many years, his counselor would not bother to even give the time of day to the reborn Lord of Gondolin turned expert tracker of Imladris. Then, after returning from a trip Glorfindel took into Harad, things changed. The blond elf had presented Erestor with a gift – a game played among the sultans of the Haradrim tribes. It was simple strategy, and many elves would have pawned it off as an elfling’s plaything.

The counselor, however, whom Elrond had long suspected had no friends outside of those he worked with, had also never been given anything of any sort by anyone. Erestor scoffed at begetting days and refused to partake in Yuletide, which made gift giving difficult indeed. Yet, when Glorfindel had handed the wooden box of pieces and checkered cloth to him, Erestor was nearly ecstatic – for Erestor.

Of course, Erestor did not know much beyond the fact that Glorfindel was being friendly to him. Since Glorfindel had to teach him to play, and therefore was the only other in Imladris who knew how, all of the games had been between them. When Glorfindel was on patrol, he corresponded his moves via the daily messages. Sometimes this meant a delay of weeks, but Erestor always waited, and as far as Elrond had seen, kept and treasured every single ragged slip of paper that was sent.

Unfortunately, knowing Erestor, he was never going to actually tell this to Glorfindel. He would just go on acting as if they were just playing a game and nothing more. Starved for companionship, it was obvious that he was afraid to venture beyond that, and risk losing what he had in order to gain something more.

When Elrond had pointed out these observations to Glorfindel, the ellyn had just smiled, and nodded, and said he had a plan in mind. That had been yestereve, when Glorfindel had returned from his patrol. Unbeknownst to Erestor, the latest move had been sent to him not from the borders, but from the desk in Glorfindel’s room.

As Erestor hurried down the hallway, he missed the fact that he was being followed by someone hiding in the shadows. He made it to his room without any detours, and dumped everything except the paper from Glorfindel onto his bed. At the far end of his chambers, positioned next to the window, were two chairs and a small table. On the table was the chess set, with the cloth board stretched out and the polished pieces gleaming in the sunlight.

One side was ivory, and the other ebony. Erestor unfolded the sheet and reread it, his hand hovering over the white side. His eyes searched each piece on the board, and his hand dropped back down to his side. “Knight takes... where are the knights...?” He slid open the single drawer on the table, and saw among the discarded pieces two carved horse heads, both made of oliphant tusk.

“Perhaps it was rook takes knight,” he mumbled. Erestor closed the drawer and looked over the arrangement again. There were no rooks in position to take one of his knights, and in fact, he found no pieces on Glorfindel’s side, with the exception of pawns, that could take another of his pieces.

“There must be a mistake.” Erestor had his hands on either side of the board, drumming his fingers. “Knight takes rook... makes no sense...”

As he pondered, he missed the faint sound of his door being opened, and of someone closing it behind them and walking towards him. Erestor was shaking his head at the puzzle when he felt someone place their hands upon his shoulders. “It makes perfect sense,” whispered a voice in his ear.

“Glorfindel... I thought you were on patrol,” said Erestor, trying to turn around, but Glorfindel’s hands were firm on his shoulders. “I... I do not understand this message.”

“I tried to make it as simple as possible,” he answered, still speaking low, his breath brushing past Erestor’s ear. “Knight... takes rook.” He kissed behind Erestor’s ear, and the counselor stiffened. “It was the only move I could think to make. In fact, it is the only move I have left. Unless you want to stop playing this game.”

Erestor turned his head slightly in order to see Glorfindel. “Check.”

“Mate,” replied Glorfindel as he seized Erestor in his arms and kissed him.