For three days more did Gilraen stay in Elrond’s rooms. Aragorn’s crib was moved to the bedside, and Elrond spent the time sleeping in the rocking chair. He was no stranger to it; for the final year that Celebrian lived in Rivendell, she occupied the bed exclusively and he stayed on the sofa or a chair. The difference in the situations was that while he found himself moving the sofa or the chair further from the bed per his wife’s request, he moved the rocker slowly closer and closer to Gilraen each night. She would awaken briefly from nightmares, and he would hold her hand until she drifted back to sleep. Aragorn was not a sound sleeper, and the hoot of an owl or a call of a stray cat would have him standing in the crib, holding the rail, bouncing up and down excitedly. Elrond tried to take care of the child when this happened so that Gilraen could get as much uninterrupted peaceful rest as possible.
On the fourth day, she left the bed for a period longer than it took to use the lavatory and asked for a hot bath and clean clothing. She took a walk on her own, leaving Aragorn in the care of Elrohir. Elrond stood upon his balcony and watched her from a distance, ready to join her or send someone to her aid should she suddenly appear distraught. Instead, it seemed she needed the time to think and to contemplate the entire situation. A few minutes after she entered the house again, there was a knock on Elrond’s door.
The butler joined him on the balcony soon after. “Lady Gilraen has asked for the crib to be returned to her rooms. She said to tell you that she appreciates your hospitality, but will not require the use of your room this evening. Shall I have the maid strip the bed?”
Elrond nodded curtly, and the butler disappeared back into the house. When Elrond returned inside, he found that every last trace of Gilraen and Aragorn having been in the suite was gone. Not a single toy remained in the parlor, not the crib, not the hairbrush that had been on the nightstand for three days. The bed was perfectly made, sheets crisp and tucked in under the mattress. Even the rocking chair had been taken away, back to the Hall of Fire where it belonged.
He dropped down on the edge of the bed and looked around at the empty room, and suddenly realized how much it mirrored his life. Once Celebrian left, his sons took to hunting orcs in the forests, and on the very first occasion that they returned, had moved the few items left in the family suite to their own rooms far from their father’s. Arwen still lived with him, when she was home, which was not often. She spent most of her days in Lothlorien, feeling more at home in a tree than a house. Having never liked pets, due to their short life spans, Elrond dismissed Glorfindel’s idea of keeping a bowl of fish or a cat. Instead, he lined the walls with portraits of loved ones. Only now, as he looked around, did he realize that each and every one that stared blankly from their frames was gone – either over the sea or to the world beyond.
As he lay down with the intent to take a nap in order to forget, at least for an hour or two, just how miserable he was, a sweet scent invaded his nostrils. The maid, in her haste, had not removed the pillowcases, and they were now infused with the feminine essence he had not smelled for many years. Rose petals and lilac, common in the soaps sold in the market to woman of all races. He breathed it in deeply, and took his mind back to a much happier time, drifting into reverie with thoughts of long walks in the garden and his early days of courting Celebrian.
* * *
The next morning, Elrond went to break his fast with all intentions of eating with Lindir, for it was midweek and their usual day for it. Instead, he found the chair that was normally occupied by Lindir was being used by Gilraen. She was alone, and smiled pleasantly to Elrond, and stood when he approached. “I hope you do not mind. I asked Elrohir if he would allow one more morning of taking care of Aragorn. He seems to get along with children quite well. Do you mind if we share the meal?”
“Of course not,” Elrond assured her. He looked about. “I tend to eat with Lindir once a week. I do hope he can make other plans.”
“Oh, he has,” said Gilraen. “He and Glorfindel took some fruit and muffins to the conservatory. Something about Glorfindel not being able to sneak out of his lessons.”
“Ah, yes. My seneschal has been learning how to play lute,” explained Elrond fondly.
Gilraen sat down again as Elrond did. “For how long?”
“Since... as long as I can remember,” Elrond answered. “There are many distractions for Glorfindel to deal with. If he could take a few years leave and concentrate on all of the things he wants to learn to do, then it would not be so difficult for him to master the instrument.”
“Have you ever offered that possibility to him?” asked Gilraen as plates of griddlecakes were set in front of each of them.
Elrond reached for the maple syrup. “It is something we have discussed, but he is adamant about his duties. I have to force him to take vacations – and even then, he still works. Technically, he is on vacation right now,” said Elrond. “Technically, the only thing he would have to do is attend council meetings. He works from late fall through to early spring, constantly at the ready patrolling the borders. He rides between all of the outposts; he can do this in a day and a half. Most of the time, he is in the wild when he rests for the night. No tent, no shelter – he swears it would slow him down. The task is grueling, and he is the only one who does it. In the better part of the year, the same route takes three to patrol, and they time their pace to be at an outpost each night.”
“That is incredible. We have heard many tales of Glorfindel the Great, but it is amazing that they are true.”
“Do not call him that,” warned Elrond. “He hates that description. He thinks of himself as any other person.”
“I will be careful not to use the name around him,” Gilraen assured Elrond. For a little while, they ate in silence. Gilraen finally asked, “Do you have time for a walk after breakfast?”
Elrond was about to tell Gilraen of his busy day ahead and how impossible it was to alter his schedule, but then somehow the air wafted across the table and lavender and rose petals were all he could think about. He had been reluctant to leave his bed that morning, hugging the pillow to his chest until he heard the butler enter the suite. “I am sure I can postpone a meeting or two.”
* * *
“Where is he?” Erestor was impatiently tapping the end of his quill onto the top of the desk. The council meeting had originally be rescheduled at the last minute, and now the council sat, all in attendance having rearranged their day to accommodate, with Elrond nowhere to be found.
“Maybe he forgot?” suggested Melpomaen.
“Maybe we are in the wrong location. Might he have changed the room?” asked a junior councilor.
Lindir went to the window and looked out over the courtyard. “He may have gone outside for lunch and lost track of time.”
“Are you sure he meant for it to be rescheduled for later today, and not a later day of the week?” asked Glorfindel.
“Certain.” Erestor snapped his fingers twice, and the page at the door scurried over. “Find Master Elrond. Do not bring him here; just find him and tell me where he is,” instructed Erestor angrily. The page nodded and rushed out of the room.
Glorfindel leaned over and touched Erestor’s arm. “We could start without him. We have many times.”
“I had to cancel a very important engagement in order to be here,” hissed Erestor. “I am not particularly happy at the moment, and if I lead this meeting I do not think it will contain language appropriate for the meeting minutes.” Someone snickered about this, but one glare from Erestor shut everyone up.
The page returned ten minutes later. “I located Master Elrond, sir. He and Lady Gilraen are in the gardens.”
“Are they walking?”
“No.”
“Picking flowers?”
“No.”
“Well, what are they doing?”
“Just... sitting. And talking. Should I return and find out what they are talking about?”
“No, no need.” Erestor stood up and clapped his hands twice. “Due to a technicality – that being the absence of our council leader – I call this meeting adjourned. Thank you for coming.” Chairs scraped the floor and sheets of notes were gathered up, but Erestor rushed over to Glorfindel and tapped him on the shoulder as he was leaving. “Come with me.” He went on ahead, out into the hallway.
Glorfindel frowned. “Must I? You were not the only one to alter your day. I had other plans, too.”
“I need your help. It will not take long.” Erestor motioned to Glorfindel to follow him, and the blond reluctantly did. They walked quietly through the house and out the front door. “I should have asked which part of the gardens they are in. Between us, we should be able to track them.”
“I thought you were not going to confront them,” said Glorfindel warily.
“No, not confront. Not exactly. Just help me find them.”
The pair, so attuned to all of the happenings in Rivendell, did not take long to find the bushes behind which was a bench, and upon the bench, Elrond and Gilraen. Erestor motioned for Glorfindel to be quiet for a moment, and then leaned in as close as he dared to eavesdrop.
“And Arwen is the only girl,” said Elrond. He was stripping the bark from a dropped twig of a nearby tree, watching his work instead of looking at Gilraen. His little task seemed to keep his shaking hands from being as noticeable as they might have otherwise been. “She spends a lot of time with her grandparents in Lothlorien. Her mother’s parents, of course. She really enjoys living in trees.”
“I would love for Aragorn to have known his grandparents,” said Gilraen wistfully.
Elrond took a deep breath. “I would be honored to serve in whatever way possible. That is, if Aragorn would not mind an adoptive grandparent.”
“What Aragorn truly needs right now is a father.”
Erestor shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Come on,” he whispered to Glorfindel as he started to walk around the hedges. Glorfindel jumped into step just as Erestor began talking to him. “So I was telling Lindir that we really ought have a music competition again soon, just to—oh, there you are! We were waiting for you all afternoon,” admonished Erestor as soon as he made eye contact with Elrond.
Elrond leapt up from his spot on the bench, which was awfully close to Gilraen. “The meeting! I lost track of time! Has it begun?”
“It has already ended. We all voted ourselves raises. I hope you do not mind,” said Erestor casually.
Momentarily, Elrond looked shocked, but then he looked to Glorfindel. “Is that true?”
Glorfindel shook his head. “Traitor!” announced Erestor, giving his friend a gentle shove. “I knew I should have brought Lindir with me instead!”
Elrond quirked a brow. “Did you know I was here?”
Erestor grabbed hold of Glorfindel’s arm. “Well, we hate to run, but it is such a lovely day, so much to do—“
With his arms now crossed over his chest, Elrond gave them a little glare. “You are supposed to watch my valley – not me!”
