"I am going to go higher than you!"
"No! I am already higher than you are!"
Tallasinde gripped the ropes of her swing. "Push me higher, Uncle Ressi!"
Erestor waited until Tallasinde's swing dipped down, and then gave her a harder shove on her back with both hands, sending her a bit higher in the air. Pouting, Vilya looked back at her 'pusher'. Glorfindel grinned and winked, and as she came back toward him, slowed her and took hold of the swing, stepping back and raising her up so that she was nearly high as his head. "Ready?" Vilya nodded and Glorfindel let go.
"Wheeee!" Vilya straightened her legs, toes reaching
toward the sun, before swinging them back as she flew in Glorfindel's direction again. He gave her a gentle one-handed push and stepped back, allowing the Elfling to propel herself. Tallasinde took note of Vilya's progress, and began to swing her own legs as the dark-haired elfling did, determined to match her height. Erestor stepped back and smiled as he watched Tallasinde correct her mistake of swinging her legs back too late. Both girls were soon giggling and competing against each other without the assistance of their 'Uncles'.
"Elflings are wonderful, are they not?" asked Glorfindel. "Not a care, so content just simply to be. Nothing in their way, nothing holding them back. Well, perhaps their parents," he said. He looked to Erestor, who was smiling affectionately at the pair.
"I still want one, Fin," he said, but unlike times in the past when he had spoken of it, he was not sad or remorseful. He said the words with acceptance. "I know I will never have an elfling running around calling me Ada, but I would have enjoyed it very much."
Glorfindel pulled Erestor to him and hugged him tightly. "I have told you," he whispered, "if there was a way, I would gladly-"
"Please, Fin, that just paints a picture worth more than a thousand words and not one I want in my mind for eternity." Erestor reciprocated, embracing Glorfindel. "Thank you for the offer, though, despite the fact it is silly and impossible. Let us never speak of it again."
"As you wish," grinned Glorfindel. "Though, for the record, I would do anything in my power to give you anything you ever want."
"I know." Erestor turned his head in order to kiss Glorfindel gently, and fast enough so that they did not have to listen to a round of 'ewww's from the Elflings.
The pair looked back to the girls and their competition. "Look at things another way, Ress. These Elflings are the best kind of Elflings," Glorfindel said, nodding to the girls. "We get to play with them, practically whenever we want, teach them all the things their parents do not wish them to know, and return them spoiled rotten. I am sure they will not be the last two Elflings in Valinor. I am looking forward to spoiling Haldir's future children, and after that, the children that the twins have - remember, two of them, twice the Elflings - and then, if Orophin ever has any-"
"-then we shall know the end of all is near."
Glorfindel chuckled. "Right you are, love. But when Ecthelion has Elflings, oh, I am spoiling them and then some."
"Those will be very spoiled children," nodded Erestor.
"Uncle Ressi! I am done now!" called Tallasinde, trying to slow down.
Erestor grabbed hold of the back of Tallasinde's swing to slow her down gently, for she attempted to jump down from the swing while still in motion. Vilya was a bit more careful, waiting until Glorfindel had come around to the front of her swing, and then jumped into his arms with a gleeful giggle. Vilya allowed herself to be placed on the ground, and then pulled Glorfindel to the base of the birch. "You said you would tell a story after lunch."
"We came out to swing instead," Glorfindel reminded her.
"Uncle Fin, it is still after lunch! You can still keep your promise to us!"
"Yes!" Tallasinde dragged Erestor over to the tree as well, and the four of them made themselves comfortable, the adults with their backs to the tree, and an elfling on each of their laps. "Not the balrog story," she said before Glorfindel could open his mouth.
"What about a story of a handsome elf who slew a…a giant cave troll with wings and breath of fire?"
"No!" said both elflings.
"Hmm." Glorfindel pretended to think hard. "What about the golden-haired warrior who saved an entire village from a flying shadow dragon?"
"No!" shouted the pair again, giggling.
"What about the boring librarian who did nothing but read books and shelf scrolls?"
"Oooo…that is a good one!" said Vilya.
Tallasinde nodded. "We shall take the boring librarian," she said, snuggling against Erestor.
"Who would have thought," laughed Glorfindel. "A few hundred years and a trip over the sea, and you are the popular one," he teased the grinning librarian.
Story Notes:
(This was written when I still thought these two were going to turn up being Aranel & Tauniel reborn; Erestor and Glorfindel were *supposed* to end up with them again later... scrapped that idea as things went along, but it's an interesting thing to know)