"Mmm... yes, right there... ah, that feels gooooood," purred the blond, leaning forward with his cheek resting on his bent knees. His arms were curled around his legs, and he sighed in delight as Lythvenelen massaged his scalp, creating a cascade of bubbles that foamed over his golden locks and spilled down into the bath she shared with her husband.
"I hope this makes up for my volunteering you tonight," apologized the elleth, working her hands down to the tight muscles of his shoulders. This elicited a hiss from the muscled warrior, but she ignored it. "No doubt the lord will be happy to know that the newest member of his staff is in the most capable hands."
"Less talk, more- mrrrnnnhh." His head sagged again as she kneaded the knots from his back and his arms.
When the fair elf had nearly fallen asleep from the attention he was being given, Lythvenelen awoke him with a bucket of warm water over his head. "There you are, now, time to dry off and dress. I took one of your old tunics and embroidered it, good as new, up with you," she prodded to the protests of her mate.
Reluctantly, the captain of the guard stood up as the plug was pulled to let the tub drain, and he suffered being doused with something his wife liked the smell of but that he could care less about while he patted off the droplets of water with a thick, fluffy towel. Before she made her escape to retrieve his clothing, he pulled her into his arms and nuzzled her, lapping playfully at the water that trickled down her neck.
"Love, if you don't leave me be, you're going to be late."
"Oh, we can't have that, now, can we?" he smirked, and let go, only to trap her once more when she had returned with his garments.
_ _ _
"Is your Captain usually this... delayed?" asked the young elf who sat at the small round table with the lord of the realm. The lord smiled and gave a slight nod.
"Punctuality is not one of his finer qualities," was the answer given as the door to Lord Elrond's private dining room opened. In walked a tall elf, his golden hair still damp from his bath and pulled back in a long braid. "Ah, Glorfindel, we were beginning to wonder," the lord greeted him. "Lord Erestor, my captain of guard and seneschal, Lord Glorfindel. Lord Glorfindel, may I present Lord Erestor of Lindon. He will be joining our staff as my liaison to Lothlórien."
"A pleasure, Lord Erestor," said the golden elf, giving a slight bow.
The darker elf held up his hand, shaking his head. "Please, if we are to be coworkers, I much prefer a comrade than a fellow lord, if you don't mind. It's simply Erestor."
"Then, it is simply Glorfindel," confirmed the elder with a smile.
_ _ _
"It isn't that simple," whined Glorfindel into his pillow. He knew without looking that his wife was wearing her best sympathetic look as she rubbed small circles upon his back. "I have tried, many times, to get rid of him by introducing him to others. He likes music, I had him meet with the minstrels, and he says they are all too mournful. He is intelligent, I took him to the Great Hall and introduced the scribes, and he says they are all too boring. The butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, I am running out of elves for him to meet – at least that gives me a half day of peace, but then he comes `round to tell me of their imperfections! Why? Why me?"
"Because you're very cheerful and easy to talk to," said Lythvenelen.
Glorfindel rolled onto his side and narrowed his eyes. "Well, I'm bloody well not cheerful now," he said. "I'm this close to telling him to go away."
"Dearest, take pity on him. He's come from Lindon; so much changed there after the war, and so fast. He's very young, can't you tell? Have you thought about that? That he's looking for guidance?"
"Guidance in what? Have you seen him play chess? Have you listened to him in council?"
"No," admitted Lythvenelen. "But, I never questioned his mind."
With a heavy sigh, Glorfindel rolled onto his back, and then pulled his wife closer. Obligingly she snuggled against him. "I wish you wouldn't use your secret elleth language. This is a crisis! Really, he's very pleasant to be around, but he's always there. If I were still unattached as it were – and I am quite happy I am," he assured her, tucking the blankets around them both with his free hand, "then I would gladly sit in the Hall having discussions or playing chess or riding or whatever it is boys his age do," he finished, ending on a chuckle.
"He's young, but I didn't say he was a boy," Lythvenelen countered with little amusement.
"Elleth of my heart," groaned Glorfindel, "why, oh, why will you not simply tell me? I am tired, I have a headache, and I cannot sleep with ease. Tell me the answer, and let me rest in peace!"
"Can I introduce Erestor to some elves?"
"Oh, I see. You don't want to just tell me, you want to look better than me."
Lythvenelen's hand began to rove under the covers, and Glorfindel inadvertently gasped. "Can I?"
"Darling, I didn't know you . . . were in the mood . . . "
"Glorfindel . . . "
"Mmm, oooo... it's may I, not can I, darling..." Glorfindel jerked back and then laughed and grinned, fending off Lythvenelen, who was doing nothing to cover up the impish look in her eyes. "Yes, if you finish what you started, you may," he said.
_ _ _
Glorfindel entered his quarters, happily surprised to find Lythvenelen sitting in a chair, stitching something or other, and no one else in the room. "Well, I see we have no guests for dinner," he announced. Lythvenelen nodded and smiled. "It's marvelous how quickly your plan worked! Who did you introduce him to?"
"Oh, I took him first to see the poet's daughter, and then to Mirniel. After tea we met Yaverien... Glorfindel, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Glorfindel?" Lythvenelen tossed aside her work as her husband slumped into another chair. "Oh, no, what's wrong?"
"You can't just... drag him around Imladris presenting him to all of the eligible ladies like that! They're going to get the idea something's wrong with him!" shouted Glorfindel, thrusting his hand into the air. "My mother did that to me in Gondolin – I was so embarrassed, I stayed indoors a week. Aiya, I best go find him," decided Glorfindel as he extricated himself from his seat.
_ _ _
"If I was being a bother," said Erestor, "you might have just told me."
"You... weren't... being..." Glorfindel sighed as Erestor shook his head back adamantly. "You're lovely to have conversation with, but in all honesty, I'm not very outgoing. I like my job, I love my wife, I am social but to a point. I much prefer my wife to a game of chess. I-"
"Glorfindel." Erestor held up his hand as he had during their first meeting. "Do not worry yourself, my friend. Go, the night is young and your wife is waiting," he added with a wink.
"But you-"
"Have many things I can do. And about a dozen ladies to do them with, if I wished," he joked.
Glorfindel patted Erestor on the back as he stood up to leave. "You don't know what a relief this is. I mean, we can still talk on occasion, and such, but-"
Erestor smiled and made a shooing motion for Glorfindel to head back to his wife. With one last nod of thanks, Glorfindel left before seeing the look of sadness that came to Erestor's eyes.
_ _ _
"Can I... help you?"
"Don't you have anything to read in here?" snapped the elf who stood haphazardly on the tall library ladder, one foot upon the step and one upon the shelf. The librarian looked up at him disdainfully, glancing at the sign specifying where one's feet should not go.
"No, not a thing. We fill our shelves with books of blank verse and scrolls written in invisible ink," she stated.
"I assumed as much." Erestor slammed closed the volume he had been holding and waved it down at the elleth's nose. "An entire book, nothing but sappy love letters and flowery prose; what's more, the title has nothing to do with the plot, nearly nothing to do with the characters, and only just the slightest in regards to anything else. Silver and Gold. What a terrible name for a love story." He tossed the book down on the floor at the librarian's feet. "I don't know what rubbish you fill your shelves with in Imladris, madam, but it most certainly is just that."
"Get out."
"Excuse me?" Erestor snorted, hopping down from the ladder. Bringing himself up to his full height, he towered over her and said in a dangerous tone, "Do you know who I am?"
"You're an inconsiderate, insufferable, nasty, horrible, disrespectful, monstrous orc," she answered. "Now get out of my library before I call Lord Glorfindel to have you removed. You're obviously drunk, stupid, or both. Kindly leave. Now."
"I wouldn't stay another minute among these pages of trash," he said. "What a waste of good parchment," he added as he left the room.
_ _ _
There was a knock on Erestor's door, and he waited for the second one before he stood, his head pounding. He set the near empty bottle of wine back onto the table after only three tries and went to the door. No doubt it was Glorfindel, or perhaps even Lord Elrond, having heard of his outburst – in the library, of all places. It was unexpected, therefore, for him to look down and find a very upset elleth standing there. One hand was on her hip, the other held the book he had thrown down onto the floor, and she was crying. "For your information," she sniffled, "this is MY piece of trash, and it even won an award. So there," she said, throwing the book at him this time, and missing pitifully.
Erestor stared at the ground for a few moments before looking back up to find the elleth staring at the ground where the book had hit. "I'm sorry. I'm a stupid, drunk, inconsiderate, insufferable, nasty, horrible, disrespectful, monstrous orc," he mumbled, picking up the discarded book. Instead of handing it back to her, he cradled it in his hands. "I apologize. It... it's actually rather good, I just..." He swiped at his eyes as a tear threatened to fall. "I guess I'm just... a little jealous. You make it sound so easy. Your husband must make you very happy," he finished, finally holding the book out.
The elleth stared at the novel. "I... I don't have a husband," she hiccupped.
"Don't you?" Erestor asked. "Your lover, then. You must have a wonderful time."
The elleth shook her head. "I... I've never been with anyone. I've... not even... kissed anyone before," she shamefully admitted, casting her eyes down.
Erestor stepped forward. "Never?" She shook her head. "Never ever?" He stepped closer and drew her against him, an arm around her waist. As she looked up at him expectantly, he bowed his head down. "Well, someone should kiss you," he said, and took his own advice, pressing his lips against hers. They stayed that way in the hall for a bit, doing nothing more than kissing one another, until other elves who were passing by smirked or coughed enough that Erestor motioned toward the room. "Would you like to come in?"
"That's not very proper. You don't even know my name," replied the elleth.
"Would you like to come in..." Erestor lifted up the book and read the author's name. "Faerfaen? We could... discuss your book."
_ _ _
" `We held that gaze for some time as the wood in the fireplace snapped and spit, rain beginning to run down the high windows, errant drops hitting the floor beneath the open one. I did not expect him to lunge at me as he did, but if he had been slower, I may have turned away once more. His tongue thrust into my mouth, hands sliding back into my hair. I had little choice but to submit, my own fingers wrapping around his shoulders, clawing and kneading as he fed my long hidden hunger.
" `Neither of us made any attempt to change our position, simply kissing and caressing one another, saying nothing. It was so easy to simply love and be loved, after living so long without love.' "
"I like that part the best," said Erestor, closing the book and setting it aside on the night table. Faerfaen smiled up at him, playing with a stray strand of dark hair that was kissed with silver as she snuggled her nude form against his.
"I like the epilogue," she said.
"The epilogue? There's an epilogue?" he asked, straining from the bed to reach the book. Faerfaen pulled him back to her.
Kissing the tip of his nose as she straddled the amused elf, she said, "I have to write it first."
