When they were younglings in Mirkwood, their childhood was brief. Immersed in war , there was no time for fun and play. Swords with sharpened blades and bow that sang were their toys; the battlefield their sandbox. The one thing that seemed to allow them some innocence was the gentle love that grew between the two warriors as they came of age in such uncertain times. Clearly, in years of such war and darkness, there was no time for this.
“You’re it!” Eledu slapped Gwyndir on the shoulder, then ran to clomp up the wooden stairs to the raised platform. “Ha! Made it!” he exclaimed to Erestor, who looked up slowly at his friend. “What? Oh.. wait.. too much fun.. we better stop, Gwyndir,” he said in a scolding voice, looking down over the side of the platform. He was startled to see that Gwyndir was no longer where he last had been.
“Tag!” Gwyndir chuckled, as he had given Eledu’s backside a pat to tag him. He blushed brightly a moment later, having forgotten that Erestor had joined them on their walk, but decided not to partake in the children’s game. “Uh… I… bye,” he muttered shyly, jogging off to the stairway that would take him up another flight to a narrow platform around the edges of the area.
Erestor set his book in his lap. “You have been playing this same game for hours,” he scolded gently, rubbing the back of his neck as Eledu grinned and waggled a finger at Gwyndir, who was quite far away now. “It just has no point… round and around… tag and tag back and tag again…”
“So I suppose you will not mind… if I do this!” Eledu tapped Erestor on the head and leaped back. He smirked, and watched as Erestor simply blinked. “Well, now the game is over, because you lost,” he declared.
Erestor proved that afternoon that an old Elf wearing robes could still run pretty fast.
Story Notes:
B2MeM Challenge:I-18
Games People Play: Tag
Relationship: Childhood Sweethearts
Games People Play: Tag
Relationship: Childhood Sweethearts