The bath was perhaps one of the most interesting firsts that Glorfindel shared with his wild companion. Not because it was a romantic affair, or anything that would make him smile himself silly in the morning. It was Celebrian who gently suggested, once the immediate curiosity of Elladan, Elrohir, and others had worn off, that their newest resident would probably do well to be properly bathed.
Uneasily, Glorfindel nodded, while the ellon still clung to his arm, leaving small red marks where his fingers gripped too tightly. Best as he could, Glorfindel tried to explain, with thoughts and feelings, what exactly a bath was. The wild one, wary as ever of all the newness, held tighter to Glorfindel as his breathing came quicker.
"I shall aid you," offered Celebrian, noting the look of terror in the wild ellon's eyes. "We can use the private bath Elrond and I have. Follow me."
There was no room to dispute the lady, and with the best smile of reassurance Glorfindel could give him, he led his mate down the hallway behind Celebrian. Although he seemed to have no reaction to the ladies and children that they passed – he seemed as curious as the twins as they had been of him - every time another ellon came close, the wild elf reared back and snarled, sometimes growling and trying to bite them as he had with Elrond.
'At least he has not tried to strike them,' thought Glorfindel to himself as one of the junior guards backed himself against the wall as they passed by after the darkling snapped and bared his teeth at the ellon. "Sorry, I'm sorry," he vocalized in apology of his mate to the scared guard.
As Celebrian opened the door and stepped aside for Glorfindel and his partner to enter, the lady remarked, "I do declare. I believe he is quite possessive of you, Findel."
"Possessive? Why do you say that?" asked Glorfindel as he led the dark one to the tub at one end of the room.
"All of the hissing and growling. He sees the other ellyn as competition, I think." Celebrian shut the door and locked it to give them privacy and then retrieved soap and a cloth for washing. "There should be warm water in the tub already; I told my maid to ready the bath."
"Aye, there is," confirmed Glorfindel. He reached down and skimmed his hand through the water, finding it was indeed warm. "Bath time," he said to his companion, reaching for the belt around the dark elf's waist. "Time to clean you up."
Looking warily at Celebrian, the slighter ellon finally allowed Glorfindel to undress him. Getting him into the tub was another story.
"Please, just get into the tub," begged Glorfindel for the tenth time. He had first tried to ease his mate into the water, but his darkling would have none of it. He pulled and tugged and managed to get away, resulting in a chase around the bathing chamber and sometimes around poor Celebrian. Half of the items that had been on shelves were on the floor and the other half were tipped on their sides threatening to fall.
"May I offer a suggestion?" asked Celebrian as the dark elf leaped away from Glorfindel, knocking over a stool. Glorfindel gave Celebrian a pleading look. "Try getting into the tub and perhaps he will follow?"
With a sigh, Glorfindel quickly stripped off his clothing and dumped it into a pile. Climbing into the tub, he lowered himself down, watching the darkling the whole time. "Come on. Come over here," he coaxed, motioning with his hand. "Please? Look, it's fun!" he exclaimed, trying to act excited about being in the tub. Still, his mate did not believe him, and simply turned away and faced the wall. "Alright, that's it," he growled, standing up and dripping water onto the floor as he exited the tub.
Marching over to the dark one, he expected the fight he received. The entire time that he hoisted the wild one to his feet and practically dragged him to the tub, he was kicked and clawed at. Despite the squirming of the other ellon, Glorfindel managed to get them into the tub. He then sat them down, with his mate in his lap. Glorfindel's hands were firmly gripping the slighter elf's wrists, and he had his legs wrapped over the other's to keep him from flailing about. A good amount of water had managed to make it out of the tub anyhow. "Well. Finally."
"If you can keep him in the water," said Celebrian as she rolled up her sleeves, "I can at least wash his hair." Picking up one of the bottles that had been knocked to the ground, the lady mumbled to herself, "Here I used to complain what trouble the twins gave me – tis nothing compared to this."
The wild ellon continued to snarl and hiss as Celebrian lathered the dark snarled locks of hair, but he stopped fighting against Glorfindel's hold on him. "Better not push it too much tonight," she suggested, setting a bar of soap on the ledge of the tub. "Let me give you some room in case he thrashes again, but you should try to clean him up a little at least."
Glorfindel nodded and waited until Celebrian was across the room before letting go of one of the darkling's wrists to take hold of the soap. He managed to quickly scrub the dirt and dust of their journey from both of them, making the water turn a dingy grey. Setting the soap aside, Glorfindel helped his mate to stand up as Celebrian brought a pitcher of water over.
"Stand closer to him, I only have the one pitcher and there is an awful lot of area to rinse off," said Celebrian, stepping up onto the stool. Glorfindel did as instructed, holding onto the wild one's wrists again as the water was poured over their heads. There was no squirming and shuffling, and Glorfindel realized that this was probably much like the waterfalls that his darkling would use to clean himself.
Celebrian was ready with a fluffy towel, which she held out for Glorfindel. The minute he and his mate had stepped out of the tub, however, the darkling bowed his head, bending over to put his hands on his knees, and rapidly began to shake himself off, spraying water over everything in the entire room. Droplets slid off the window, the mirror, and even Celebrian. "Oh, dear," muttered Glorfindel as he patted off his face and then wrapped the towel around his hips to cover himself. Taking another towel from the pile, he shook it open and approached the wild elf before another round of shaking could occur.
"Use a towel. Towel." Glorfindel demonstrated, wiping the water from his arms as he came closer. He held the towel out to the other ellon, who sniffed it, then snatched it, and sloppily did as Glorfindel had shown him. "Celebrian, do you have a comb I can use? I just noticed his hair is even worse now than it was."
"Of course. Just a moment." The lady finished mopping herself up, and then searched the floor for the requested item. "Here we are," she said, handing Glorfindel the comb. She pulled the stool away from the tub and into the middle of the room. "Do you think he will sit on it for you?" she wondered. "It will make it easier."
"We shall soon find out." Glorfindel held his hand out to the darkling. He led him back to the middle of the room, and motioned to the stool, patting the seat. Cautiously, the wild one sat down. and Glorfindel breathed a sigh of relief. Walking around behind him, he grimaced, trying to decide where to begin.
"Start at the bottom," advised Celebrian, joining Glorfindel. She lifted up the long, matted hair so that Glorfindel would have both hands free. "Just work on it a little at a time."
Twenty minutes and a dozen scratches later, Glorfindel threw the comb to the ground. "This is impossible," he grumbled. "I do not think I even managed to untangle any of it."
"Well... hair grows back," Celebrian reminded him, letting go of the clump they had been working on. "Some of this is really bad," she assessed, examining some tightly knotted areas. "We could keep going, but it won't do any of us a bit of good in the long run. I have a pair of sewing shears in the other room."
"Can you get them without him noticing?" asked Glorfindel in a low voice, not wanting to see what the darkling's reaction would be to yet another foreign object. Celebrian nodded and quietly padded to the door and exited the room. Glorfindel pretended to continue doing what he had been until she returned.
"I cut the twin's hair all the time, grows like weeds with the two of them, so do not worry," Celebrian assured Glorfindel.
The darkling, no doubt having realized something was going on, happened to turn around. Upon seeing the sharp, pointed object in Celebrian's hands, he was on the other side of the room in a corner, snarling and snapping once more.
"Damn." Glorfindel sank down onto the stool. With his elbows on his knees and his face in his hands, he mumbled, "Why do you have to be so damn difficult? Why?"
- snick -
Glorfindel sat up suddenly in alarm as something soft grazed his back. "What are you doing?" he demanded, feeling slightly ill.
"Shh, look happy. At least look at ease. I'm showing your mate he has nothing to fear." Celebrian cut another golden lock from Glorfindel's mane.
"Yes, I concluded that, but that's my hair you're cutting, m'lady," he managed to say from behind clenched teeth. "The least you might have done was ask."
"You would have said no," she reasoned.
"Exactly!" Glorfindel continued to smile and kept himself glued to the stool, though he wished nothing more than to jump up and yank the scissors from Celebrian's hand.
Snip. Snip. Snick. "Sit up straight, Findel," said Celebrian, pausing for a moment. "I need to be sure this is straight." Glorfindel did as he was told, keeping his hands folded in his lap and willing himself not to wring them and not to whimper as a clump of golden waves fell to the ground within his sight. Looking to the darkling, who was looking on with curiosity now instead of fear, Glorfindel gave him a reassuring smile. "Nearly done?" he asked.
"Just another minute." Celebrian picked up the comb from the floor and made a few more cuts after combing back Glorfindel's hair. "There. Hopefully he won't have a fit now," she said.
"I would hope so as well," said Glorfindel as he glanced down at the curls of gold that were strewn across the floor. Looking at the wild elf, he stood up and patted the stool. "Your turn," he said, though it was in a rather unconvinced tone.
Coming slowly forward, the dark elf eased himself onto the stool, taking hold of Glorfindel's hand and refusing to relinquish it. "Go ahead," said Glorfindel to Celebrian as the darkling fixed his eyes forward.
Celebrian judged where the worst of the tangles were and took hold of the dark mass, cutting off three-quarters of the matted mane. What was left was still fairly tangled, but she tried again to comb out the dark hair that fell just past the wild one's shoulders.
As she hit the first unmanageable area, the ellon howled and reached back, taking hold of the comb and flinging it across the room, where it landed in the tub and sunk to the bottom. Letting go of Glorfindel's hand and scrambling to the floor, he retrieved the shears and forced them into Celebrian's hands, then sat back on the stool.
"I would just do what you have to do before he decides he is going to object," said Glorfindel, scratching his neck where the ends of his hair now tickled it. "It will make it a lot easier to clean and take care of until he really learns how to do things," the blond added.
By the time Celebrian was finished, the floor encircling the stool was covered with tangles of dark brown hair, with the occasional patch of gold peaking out. Both Celebrian and Glorfindel breathed a sigh of relief as the retrieved comb managed to pass through the short dark hair without a problem. "Thank the Valar," added Glorfindel as he picked up one of the two robes that had miraculously managed to escape the drying off episode earlier. After tying the belt at the waist, he brought the other to his mate. "You can not run naked through the hallway," he apologized, holding the robe up.
"What an adventure." Celebrian sat down on the stool,
exhausted. "Findel, if you need anything else, have one of the pages or the maids call for me. It appears you are going to have your hands full for a while."
"Aye. And thank you." Glorfindel led his lover to the door, the two of them walking down the corridor after leaving the Lady and Lord's chambers. It was late now, well past dinner, and the halls were mostly deserted. Those whom they did pass wisely gave them a wide path to avoid the glares and growls from the darkling. Upon reaching his room, Glorfindel found that a fire had been lit, and food had been left on the table inside the door. There was a note from Elrond as well, offering any aide that might be needed and wishing them a good night. Before he had finished reading the note, Glorfindel noticed that his wild mate was already feasting on the cold duck and chunks of bread which were on the tray.
Locking the door, Glorfindel stretched and yawned, then went to turn down the bed. Until now, he had not realized how tired he was. "You need to learn to slow down," he muttered as he came back to the table to find that the duck was half gone. Pulling out a chair, he sat down and placed a few chunks of fruit and a slice of meat onto an empty plate before lifting it to his place. He then picked up a fork from the tray and began to eat.
The darkling paused, his mouth open and food about to be shoved inside. Watching as Glorfindel very casually ate his meal, the dark one dropped the chunk of bread he had been chewing on onto the other plate. Clambering onto the opposite chair, he grabbed the plate as well as a fistful of fruit and another hunk of meat and dumped them onto the plate. Picking up the fork, the darkling held it in his hand tightly and stabbed it into the bread, lifting it up to gnaw on the crust.
Across the table, Glorfindel could not help but smirk. "It is a start," he said, continuing to eat. Although his plate contained less, he finished after his wild mate, who was sniffing at a bowl of water on the tray meant for washing one's hands. Before Glorfindel could stop him, the wild ellon had scooped up a handful of water and was drinking from the bowl. "Ah, well, at least you didn't go for the chamber pot," he reasoned, taking one of the goblet and the bottle of wine which had been provided. The pop of the cork gained the dark one's attention, but he soon went back to slurping water from the bowl.
Taking his goblet with him as he walked to the bed, Glorfindel announced, "Bedtime!," and sat down on the edge of the mattress. He was setting aside the wine on the table beside the bed when the dark one wandered over. "Aiya, you are a mess! And to think, you were just bathed. Here, back to the table with you," he scolded lightly, leading his mate back. Stripping the robe from him and tossing it onto the chair, Glorfindel then took a cloth from the table and wetted it, wiped off the ellon's face and hands. "There. Now, time for bed," he said, leaving the cloth atop the discarded robe. He brought his mate to the bed. "Time to sleep," he added, trying to think about sleeping, hoping that through the bond they now shared that he could make the darkling understand.
Eyeing up the fire, the wild ellon pulled away from Glorfindel and made for the fur pelt that was on the floor. Curling up on the fur, he started to purr and nuzzle against the warmth.
"No, no, not on the floor, in the bed. Sleep in the bed."
Glorfindel bent down beside the darkling and lifted him up, leading him to the bed. Again, his mate pulled away, spying now the dark area under the bed. "No! Not under the bed!" Glorfindel wrapped his arm around the darkling's legs before he could manage to crawl under the bed completely. "Sleep IN the bed. IN the bed." Glorfindel patted the mattress as soon as he had pulled his mate out from underneath it.
Once more, the ellon headed for the fire and the furs. Before he could reach them, Glorfindel had managed to reach the pelt. Lifting it up, he brought it to the bed and draped it over the foot of it. Immediately, the darkling leaped onto the bed and nestled against the furs. "Getting warmer," remarked Glorfindel, taking time to drink the wine in the goblet before refilling his glass. As he took another sip, a smile pulled at his lips. "I have an idea," he said to himself, sitting down on the fur beside his lover.
Again he sipped his wine, adding the appropriate `Mmmmm', as he did so. Sitting up slightly, the darkling sniffed in the direction of the goblet. "Oh, you don't want any of this," said Glorfindel, taking another sip. The wild elf rose up more, sniffing closer. "Alright, just a little taste," he said, keeping hold of the goblet as he lifted it to the darkling's lips.
Two glasses later, the darkling's eyelids were drooping and no sounds of protest came as he was moved from the furs to beneath the covers on the bed. "I hope it won't take too long to convince you this is better," said Glorfindel, setting the goblet on the side table. Glorfindel removed his own robes, tossing them onto the floor, before sliding in next to his mate.
"Damn. I forgot about the fire." Glorfindel laid his head back into the pillows, contemplating whether it was worse that the room would be lit by the firelight for the next hour or so while the embers burned out, or that he would need to go through the process of getting his mate into bed again for no doubt curiosity would lead his lover to leave the bed when Glorfindel did to put out the fire. As he wondered about this, Glorfindel turned his head to the side to find his mate on his stomach, examining the items that lined the double shelf of the carved headboard.
Glorfindel propped himself up with one arm, watching his dark lover touch volume after volume, mesmerized by the feel of the leather bindings, some coarse and worn and some smooth and new. Perhaps it was only because there were so many that his darkling was enthralled - Glorfindel's collection of books rivaled that of a small library. Not only did he own the shelves of tomes behind the bed, but he had many cases in the rooms of his quarters, as well as piles here and there which had no official place yet.
'Parma,' he thought to his companion, and the ellon immediately withdrew his hand. Glorfindel lifted himself up more and moved closer, reaching his arm around his mate to touch one of the books. "Parma," he said out loud, and he took hold of the ellon's hand and together they caressed one of the spines. "Parma." Glorfindel repeated the word as he moved their hands from book to book until the elf beside him relaxed once again.
Glorfindel brought his dark one's hand back and placed it over his own throat. "Parma," he said clearly, slowly. He continued with this exercise, moving his lover's hand to feel how the jaw moved with the word, how the mouth moved. By now they were facing one another, and the little darkling's lips were mirroring Glorfindel's movements.
"Parma."
"Phhh Mhhh."
It was faint, more just sounds of air being blown between one's lips, like the sound a flute player makes to warm up, but to Glorfindel, it was something joyful. He grinned and nodded with great encouragement. "Yes! Yes, you are doing it! Yes! Parma! Say it again - Parma."
"Pahh Mahh."
"Nearly there. Nearly. Parma. Try it again. Parma. Pah – Errrrr – Mah," said Glorfindel, stressing the R sound.
"Pahhhahrrrmmaahh." The darkling took a deep breath and
repeated, "Paharma. Pahrrm Mah. Parm- Parmah. Parma. Parma."
"Yes!" Glorfindel embraced his mate tightly, snuggling and kissing him. "You did it! You spoke! You're brilliant, you know that! That was excellent!"
"Parma!" offered the darkling, not knowing what else to say.
"Yes! Parma, yes, oh, you don't know how happy you made me!" Glorfindel calmed himself a little and then placed his hand on his chest. Not wanting to complicate things too greatly with his whole name, he said, "Findel. Fin – Dell."
"Ffff Dahhl."
"That's good, we can work on that," Glorfindel said with a yawn. As he began to slide down beneath the covers, he was stopped by hands that grabbed at him. "What? What's wrong?"
"Uggh!" The darkling slapped his hand against his own chest, giving Glorfindel an enquiring look.
Glorfindel shrugged. It was something he really should have considered early – his mate would need a name, and it seemed he either had none or had forgotten what it was.
An idea came to Glorfindel. Every elf was always given a name by their father and later one by their mother. Glorfindel had preferred his mother's name for him, and most had no recollection of what the name his father had given him had even been. It was a nice name, and someone should get some use out of it, decided Glorfindel. Gently, he placed his hand over the dark one's and whispered, "Erestor."
