Erestor walked briskly down the hallway, idly making conversation or pointing out interesting architectural facts to those who were following him. A group had arrived late that morning, seeking to find rest and respite in Imladris. Having made the mistake of answering the question ‘Are you free?’ by saying ‘How might I assist you, m’lord?’, Erestor was now responsible for showing the party about while Elrond no doubt hid in his offices.
The chief advisor’s mantra was the same as it often was when he played the part of tour guide: Please let Glorfindel be on duty, please let Glorfindel be on duty, please let Glorfindel be on duty. Each public area they entered caused him to breathe a sigh of relief when he failed to see a glimpse of the blond warrior.
It was the Hall of Fire that was the final stop on the journey, and the place where Erestor would leave their guests while he hurried to carry out a few end of the day tasks before retrieving the group for dinner. As he took a deep breath and pulled open the double doors to the grand room, he paused for a moment, eyes flittering about the room.
He practically leaped in joy at not seeing Glorfindel among the sparse group inside. His happiness was only temporary, for as he brought them into the room and turned around to address them, his jaw hung open and no words came out. Glorfindel was indeed in the hall, he was indeed not on duty, and, of all things, he was wearing the RED one.
- * - * -
“So... I thought, if you happen to be looking for a president of your fanclub, I am more than available.” Glorfindel had a drink in one hand and was leaning against the wall with his opposite arm. Blocked from the door was a slightly frightened looking elleth with large grey eyes.
Glorfindel shifted his balance, staggering a bit on the raised heel shoes he had purchased from a brothel in Rohan some years back. The sound of the doors opening caught his attention, and as he looked over his shoulder, the elleth slipped away. With a friendly nod, Glorfindel acknowledged the group his friend Erestor had led into the hall. As they approached, he heard Erestor clear his throat uneasily.
“And... this is Glorfindel, famed slayer of the last balrog and captain of the guard.” Erestor folded his hands before him and stared down at them. “As you may notice, his favorite color is red,” he muttered quietly to himself.
“Welcome to our home,” greeted Glorfindel warmly, looking upon each of the travelers, who, for the most part, were starting back at him. “I hope you find your stay in our realm enjoyable.”
The mumbled thank yous were met with another smile as the group began to shuffle past. One young ellon gave Glorfindel another look as he passed by and with a snort said to one of his fellow companions, “Nice robes.”
“Excuse me? What was that?” Glorfindel’s voice boomed over the entirety of the hall. Nearly everyone paid their attention to him, and Erestor seemed to try to mingle with the woodwork in an attempt to not be so near to the center of things.
The youth turned about slowly after a grin and a nudge from his friend and spoke loudly. “I was simply complimenting your... style of robes, m’lord,” he said cheekily.
“Ah.” Glorfindel sipped his drink and then answered back, “Obviously, you must have a bit of mud in your eyes from your long journey, for these are no robes. Tis a dress I have on; and quite a lovely one at that,” he added, admiring himself in one of the mirrors along the wall.
“Well!” Erestor clapped his hands together once, hoping to draw the attention of the group back to himself. With a forced smile, he said, “I need to take care of a few minor items prior to dinner. As soon as I do, I shall return to escort all of you back to the Great Hall. Please, make yourselves comfortable until then,” he said, waving his hand toward some empty chairs that were fortunately not in the direction that Glorfindel was.
Walking very quickly to the exit again, Erestor managed to loop his arm through Glorfindel’s and yank him with little resistance into the hallway. Once the doors were closed again, he placed one hand upon his chest while cupping the other over his nose and mouth, clearly hyperventilating.
“Erestor, are you ill?” questioned Glorfindel with concern.
Stopping and regarding the ellon before him, Erestor uncovered his mouth lest he should pass out. “Are you? Did the messenger not give you the note I sent?”
“Yes, actually, he did,” smiled Glorfindel playfully. “It was why I came back from the forest early today.”
“Aiya! Elbereth Gilthoniel!” Erestor rubbed his temples with his fingertips. “Glorfindel, my dear friend, why must you do this?”
“What? I always do this,” he argued, slipping a small mirror from a frilled satchel that had been loosely hanging from his wrist. He looked into the mirror, pressing his lips together to take care of the smudge that had occurred when he had sipped his drink, then put the mirror away.
“But why?” Erestor’s question came out as a whine, causing Glorfindel to frown. “What is wrong with doing this in your room and then just saying up there for the evening?”
Glorfindel bent down to readjust his stockings, then stood up again. “I put all of the effort into it, someone might as well appreciate it besides myself.”
Erestor sighed. “You are dodging my question. Repeatedly.”
“Yes, and doing a fine job of it,” smirked Glorfindel, batting his eyelashes. With a sigh of his own, he said, “Why does it matter? It hurts no one.”
Erestor lifted his arms slightly and let them fall to his sides. “Fine. Play dress up with Arwen’s clothing. I care not.” As he turned to leave, he felt a hand upon his shoulder. He stopped, but did not turn around.
“I just... like it.” Glorfindel lowered his hand and continued. “I never did this in Gondolin, but since I came back, I just... I love the feel of it. Soft flowing gowns and tight lacey undergarments. It just makes me feel... more alive.” Laughing uneasily, he said to Erestor as the dark elf turned to look at him, “I suppose everyone makes fun of me behind my back, do they not? They probably think I am crazy just like you do.”
“I never said that,” corrected Erestor quickly. “I just wondered, and I am sorry of how I put forth the question.”
“But you make fun of me with the rest, yes?” prompted Glorfindel, smiling weakly. “If you do, I will not be mad.”
“But I do not,” Erestor answered. “To me, it is strange, I will admit that. But we all have our quirks and it is not my place to judge. I am sorry if I offended you; it just makes things difficult when we have guests. They ask questions and I can not explain any of it to them. I suppose I was simply trying to make my job easier by banishing you to your rooms.”
“No harm done, Erestor,” Glorfindel assured him. “If they have questions, send them to me. I have no problem answering them.”
Erestor was about to return to the group when he took a moment to address Glorfindel once again. "Strange is not a very good word to use. I apologize for that. I guess, considering the circumstances... brave would be more accurate."
"Thank you," said Glorfindel with a small smile. "I appreciate that."
