It pleased Glorfindel the next morning to see Faelion on the field with the other recruits, and more so when he was close enough to see the concentrated look on the young elf’s face. The dramatics appeared to have passed for the time being. Orders were given to the officers, and after leading the training until the afternoon break, Glorfindel left his second in command in charge, taking the rest of the day off. There was still a matter of keeping up appearances, and he had not seen his wife in nearly a week.
As he entered the apartment, he heard all three – Tauniel, Aranel, and Erestor – enjoying lunch on balcony. A narrow table had been moved out to join the chairs, and Glorfindel dragged a fourth chair to the doorway, peering around it with a hopeful look. “Might I impose?”
“Well, look who apparently still lives here!” Tauniel stood up and helped situate Glorfindel while Aranel ladled soup into a bowl for him and broke off a chunk of bread from a large crusty loaf for the warrior to eat. “I just asked Erestor this morning when he thought we might see you again. It was a relief when he said you were going to try to make it home for lunch. I was beginning to wonder if we had caused you to run away.”
“Just busy training.” Glorfindel returned the smile Aranel gave him, and then looked across the table at Erestor, who seemed to be trying to look around him. “Something wrong?”
“You cut your hair... is it shorter than mine? I think it is,” Erestor half-mumbled. He took a moment to size up the length of Glorfindel’s compared to his own. “Shit, Glorfindel, Rog is going to be a pain in my ass over this.” His tone was joking, but Glorfindel frowned apologetically nonetheless.
“It got caught on something. However,” he cautioned the others at the table, “my official stance is that it was getting too hot during practice.”
Erestor had settled back into his chair and chewed on his bread thoughtfully, pulling small parts from the whole instead of biting into it directly. “Oh, right, Ecthelion will end up giving you shit for it otherwise.” As Aranel loudly cleared her throat, Erestor glanced sideways to her. “What?”
“Could we possibly tone down the language during mealtime?” she asked in her sweet voice that really meant she was very close to being not-so-sweet if the behavior continued.
“Sure.” Erestor rolled his eyes as soon as Aranel focused hers away from him. He was given a slightly disappointed look from Tauniel, while Glorfindel decided a subject change might help the situation.
“Faelion has been quite a challenge, but I think I finally have him on the right path,” Glorfindel declared as he poured wine for himself from the carafe.
Erestor crumbled the rest of his bread crust into his soup. “Good for you. Is he staying in the barracks or is he still at Rog’s house?”
“Good question. I never considered looking at what his arrangements were. With the barracks still unfinished, I just assumed the option of having some of them live in their current homes was going to work well for everyone concerned.”
“Even if you do that for the new groups, when you get to the second level, if I were you I would make them stay in the barracks,” suggested Erestor. “They will gain a better sense of fellowship if they are all living under the same roof.”
“I know. I just have no idea where to put them all.”
“When the barracks are finished, there should be no worries about that, though, right?” asked Aranel.
Glorfindel nodded. “Right.” He rolled his neck back one way and around the other. “I promised myself I was not going to worry about that today, though. I took the afternoon and evening off, and unless something happens where I am needed I am taking a week for myself.”
“A vacation? You? Unheard of,” teased Tauniel.
With a mischievious smile, Erestor picked up his glass of wine. “Really? A vacation? What do you have planned?”
“Uh... nothing,” answered Glorfindel before realizing this was the wrong answer.
“Well, it just so happens I have the next four days off.” The mischief was making Erestor’s eyes sparkle now. “Do you know where we are going to go?”
“Uhm... the... stables?” he guessed.
“No.”
“No?”
“No.” Erestor gulped down the rest of his wine and then stood up, patting Glorfindel’s shoulder. “Go change into something comfortable and find your bow. Pack your bedroll, too, if you can find it.”
“I know where it is!” answered Tauniel cheerfully. She pushed back her chair and edged he way around and back into the apartment past Erestor.
Erestor reached down the table and grabbed the rest of the bread loaf. “I think we should take this along just in case we do not manage to get anything tonight. Suppose I should get ready, then, too,” he said to no one in particular as he left the balcony.
Glorfindel scrambled after Erestor. “I was thinking I might spend a few days here. Sleep, read a book or two. You still like books, right? We could sit on the porch, read a few books, drink a little wine. I know you still like wine,” Glorfindel argued unsuccessfully as his bow was taken out of the closet by Erestor and handed to him.
“I think I know where the arrows are. You had better go pack a few things,” he suggested as he walked to their shared room, passing Tauniel coming from the room as he went.
Tauniel could not wipe the grin from her face as she handed a bulging sack to Glorfindel. “Here you are! I placed clothing for you on the bed, and you have everything else you need to take along in there, except your bedroll, which I am going to retrieve from the linen closet right now—oh, never mind, Aranel beat me to it.”
“If I did not know any better, I would say the two of you were trying to get rid of us,” muttered Glorfindel as he snatched the satchel from Tauniel and stomped toward his bedroom.
“Who, us?” asked Aranel with a wink as he walked by, scowling best he could. Could he blame them for wanting time alone? Not really. Was he looking forward to time alone with Erestor? Did he really need to answer that question? It was the thought of what the true purpose of the excursion was that put him on edge, and he said a little prayer that all of the creatures of the forest would keep hidden over the next few days.
