"I still must wonder where you came from," spoke Glorfindel to himself as the wild one ran ahead in the direction they were going before scampering back to nuzzle him and repeat what he was doing once again. "Who are you, and is someone missing you right now?"
Glorfindel smiled as he was snuffled, a nip given to his neck, and then into the grass he was knocked down. The grinning face of the wild ellon hovered above his. His nose was licked and he felt the rumble of a deep purr through his skin. Just as his hands began to move to draw his mate closer, the wild elf hopped off of him, rolling to the side. He landed in a crouch, made a laughing sort of hissing noise, and dashed off again.
"Tease!" shouted Glorfindel as he sat up watching the retreating figure who kept looking over his shoulder. The ellon glanced back more and more, and when he saw that Glorfindel was sitting in the grass and not following him, he barked with worry and retraced his steps.
Flopping down beside Glorfindel, the wild one mewed impatiently. "Yes, yes, I know, do not worry," comforted Glorfindel, reaching his hand up to smooth the dark tangles of hair back as best he could. "We will be home soon – in less than an hour, I think. We are nearly to the guard posts. I do hope they will leave us to walk in peace," thought Glorfindel aloud.
Sensing his companion's unease, the dark one crawled upon Glorfindel's lap and snuggled against him. "You are such a sweet thing," remarked Glorfindel, holding his precious treasure tight. "I hope I am not doing you harm by bringing you here."
The elf edged away as Glorfindel loosened his hold. He was dressed with the best Glorfindel could come up with, wearing the warrior's shirt with the strap from his sack tied around the dark one's waist as a belt. He was nearly presentable- the shirt fell low enough to cover things that needed covering. Glorfindel was wearing only his leggings, but it was not altogether uncommon for him to venture out and return with his shirt stowed in his pack during a hot day.
He would have liked to have sat there in the sunshine with his dear little newfound lover, but when Glorfindel's stomach growled as the faint scent of fresh baked breads and pies set out to cool filled his nostrils, he stood up and pulled the dark one up as well. "Are you as hungry as I am?" he asked, sniffing the air.
The wild ellon began to smell the food as well, and whined hopefully. "Yes, time to get home," agreed Glorfindel, tucking his mate beside him. If he passed the guard posts with the little one close by, he suspected he would have less trouble entering without being questioned by the guards.
The dark one nuzzled him as they walked closer. A bit of chimney smoke was visible above the tops of the trees. As they stepped past the hidden flets in the trees, the dark one began to growl low in his throat, his eyes darting up to look dead on at the warriors who were unseen by the naked eye.
"Shhh." Glorfindel soothingly rubbed his companion's back, looking around in hopes that the soldiers would simply ignore them. He held his breath as he saw, high in the branches, an arrow pointing down at them. This was not unusual; it was normal practice to have someone just that ready to fire. As the arrow was retracted back into the branches, Glorfindel let out a relieved sigh.
"You are going to love the house," said Glorfindel as they continued to walk. "Everyone there is wonderful. Beware of Elrond, though," he remarked ruefully. "That one is a tricky sort of elf. One can only trust a peredhel as far as one can throw him – and believe me, no one can throw Elrond very far."
His dark companion was looking up at him with interest now, so Glorfindel continued despite the fact that none of his words would make any amount of sense. "You see, the thing about Peredhil is that they are like very tall Halflings. They may not look it, but most of them have a bit of pudge around their middles. It comes from indulging in too many sweets, and Elrond is one for indulging."
"At least he has a good tailor," Glorfindel decided as the house came into view. "The robes he wears cover his belly bulge quite well. However, I have seen him swimming in the river, and he could do to skip dessert a few times each week, or to take a few extra strolls in the gardens than he does. Come to think on it, his sons had best watch their own habits; they are both fit now, but who knows what might happen if they go down the path he has. Speaking of Elrond's tailor," added Glorfindel, "someone really should tell him that yellow does not look good on his person. Honestly, for the most part, Elrond has good taste in clothes, but I swear, it is only because his wife picks out his outfits. I know he had that gaudy yellow thing before she married him; and there is another one, ugly and blue with fur trimmings. You would think upon seeing him sometimes that he had never taken the time to look at himself in the mirror."
As they neared the house, Glorfindel lowered his voice. He knew he was saying things he would never voice out loud, but it helped ease his nervousness at coming to the house with his newfound lover. His wild one. "The funniest thing, though, is his hair. I have oft wonder if the weaver he uses is drunken daily. There are all sorts of loops and... things... and sometimes, adorned with very feminine hairpieces, like clips that look like butterflies. Truly, who in the all of Arda who is or was a warrior wears butterflies in their hair? Certainly NOT me." Glorfindel took a deep breath as they approached the steps of the house. "Well. We are home."
