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Glorfindel stood in the doorway of the main tower. He stared straight forward for several more seconds before he finally asked, “Who are you and what have you done to my husband?”

“We can discuss that later.” Erestor ducked under Glorfindel’s outstretched arm that blocked the passageway and entered the room. Last minute outdoor preparations were in full swing, and Erestor had to dodge his way around workbenches and busy workers in order to find the person he was looking for, all while Glorfindel trailed after him, making silent, incredulous hand gestures at the recently dyed hair on Erestor’s head.

“Finrod! There you are—we need to talk,” said Erestor once he found the younger Elf. Finrod was in the midst of showing one of the recently hired painters exactly what needed to be done in the room they were in. Once finished, he turned around and did a double take. “Finrod, I was thinking that you might be happier with a position other than.. what did we decide on?”

Finrod smiled in amusement as he tried to take the exuberant Elf standing before him seriously while watching a very frazzled balrog slayer off to the side with a look of worried confusion making helpless gestures . “We never did decide,” he reminded Erestor.

“Oh, right… let me think…” He rubbed his chin and puffed out his cheeks for a moment and then asked, “What would you say to Headmaster?”

Now it was Finrod’s turn to look shocked. “But.. Erestor, you are the Headmaster.”

“I am the.. founder. No, this is just a rebirth.. I am the project coordinator.” He thought for a moment and smiled. “Yes, this was my project… final project, took me long enough,” he said, speaking more to himself than to anyone else. “Well? What do you think?”

Finrod looked beyond Erestor. Glorfindel approached and put his hands on Erestor’s shoulders. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. Do you want the position?” asked Erestor.

“I do, and.. I will be honest, I was a little jealous of the fact you came up with the idea to do this before I did,” Finrod finally admitted.

Erestor shrugged. “Just luck.” He held out his hand. “Good luck with your venture, Headmaster. If you ever need a guest lecturer for anything, let me know.” Erestor walked away with a lightness in his step that Finrod had never seen before.

Glorfindel was on Erestor’s heels. “Just a minute! Answers. Now.”

“Give me three minutes, and I am all yours.” Erestor made his way up another level, but stopped abruptly when he saw that the basket where Greyson usually slept was gone. “Where..”

“Gone.” Glorfindel swallowed hard. “When you left, he spent two days with everyone, eating leftovers, limping after things that rolled across the floor.” Glorfindel pressed his lips together and sniffled, and Erestor walked back slowly and wiped his own tears after he wiped away his partner’s. “He fell asleep to Fingon playing harp, and he just never woke up.”

Erestor embraced Glorfindel and held him tightly. “We buried him next to the library, and Orophin is going to build something there in the spring,” continued Glorfindel. “I thought he was going to get better,” sobbed Glorfindel. He squeezed his eyes shut. “He was happy, though. He just drifted off. Just.. just fell asleep.”

“He had a good life. I cannot think of an animal who was more loved or spoiled than that wolf.” Erestor produced a handkerchief and handed it to Glorfindel, who blew his nose and took a moment to compose himself.

“Haldir is also gone,” said Glorfindel. “He left the following night. All he took was his flute and the clothes on his back. Sometimes, we can hear him playing in the woods, but.. I think he does not mean to join us again for a while.” Glorfindel sniffled again, and then touched Erestor’s face. “You even dyed your eyebrows. Why? What—“

“Give me half a minute,” Erestor said as he half-walked and half-jogged down the stairs until he was back to the main room

“Twenty seconds,” replied Glorfindel as he stayed on Erestor’s trail, still using the corner of the handkerchief to dry his tears. He was so close that when Erestor stopped, he actually walked into him and had to grab Erestor’s arm to steady himself.

“You!” Erestor pointed at Fingon, who was sitting beside Beleg. “Do not make the same mistake I did.”

It took Fingon a moment, as he was distracted by Erestor’s hair. Beleg, still calm as ever, barely seemed to notice. Fingon shook his head and then asked, “Excuse me?”

Erestor motioned his hand between the pair sitting on the couch. “Just kiss him already.”

Fingon looked positively dumbfounded, skin paler than could be imagined. Beleg looked up at Erestor, looked to his left at Fingon, and then back again. “Alright,” the hunter said, and a moment later, a wide-eyed yet pleasantly surprised Fingon was the lucky recipient of Erestor’s suggestion.

“Not exactly who I meant, but.. just as good. Right, then.” He stepped to turn around and bumped into Glorfindel. “Ah, there you are.”

“That took more than thirty seconds,” scolded Glorfindel as he held out the used cloth.

“My apologies.” Erestor took hold of Glorfindel’s hand and raised it to his lips. “You now have my full and undivided attention, you amazingly beautiful creature,” he said before he placed a kiss upon Glorfindel’s wrist.

“That is not going to distract me,” Glorfindel warned.

“It was not meant to.” Erestor smiled at the glare he was being given.

Glorfindel narrowed his eyes further. “What happened to you?”

“It is not what happened,” corrected Erestor. “It is what will happen.”

“And what is that?” questioned Glorfindel. “Look, I know I was the one who suggested you take some time and think about things, and obviously you have thought about a lot of things. I would just like to know when you are going to make such major changes. I thought we were partners,” he said as he motioned between them. “I thought I had a little say in what we were doing. We. What we do. I was all set to stay here with you – I was excited, in fact, at the idea of having an office with you again, and teaching again, and I was even considering what you were saying about having some sort of warrior training here. Now, I feel like we are being ripped by the roots again and—“

“Shut up,” interrupted Erestor. It was not shouted, but calm. He took a step closer to close the gap between them.

“—I do not… appreciate… what did you say?” Glorfindel narrowed his eyes as Erestor took another step closer to him.

“I said, shut up.” Erestor reached out and grabbed hold of the front of Glorfindel’s shirt. “It is not our place to be here,” he said once Glorfindel drew his lips into a thin line. “We were trying to make ourselves happy here. I know I was; I think you were, too.” Glorfindel frowned at this, but did not deny it. “I stumbled upon something better; a place that feels like home. I know this is all very sudden, but you trust me, right?”

“Maybe..”

“Please try.” Erestor loosened his grip, settling his hand against Glorfindel’s chest. “It is a small estate, on the island. The Cottage of Lost Play. It will be secluded, quiet, and ours. No one else to tell us what the majority should or should not do or want or rules or any of that. A place that will be our haven,” Erestor explained.

Glorfindel sighed. “You know I can deny you nothing,” he muttered. “I just wish you would have.. sent a message to me, something,” he requested.

“I am sorry, Glorfindel. It was sudden, and so much has happened. I have learned so much about myself, and.. every moment of my day, things are making so much more sense.” Erestor wrapped his arms around his spouse and smiled at him. “There are so many things I need to tell you. Things I should have said, things I forgot to say, and things I did not know myself until this past week. Not here,” he said. “But soon. Very soon. I promise.” Erestor lifted Glorfindels hand again to kiss it, but Glorfindel pushed away Erestor’s hand so that he could grasp Erestor behind the neck and pull him forward for a proper kiss.

“I love you, you idiot. You know I am going to follow you anywhere.” Glorfindel kissed Erestor again. “Come on. We should go pack.”

Nearby, someone cleared their throat and Glorfindel and Erestor both looked embarrassed to realize that Beleg and Fingon were still in the room. “Sorry to eavesdrop on that,” spoke up Fingon, “but.. this cottage.. would there happen to be a guest room there?”

Erestor looked to Glorfindel, and he reached around to rub Erestor’s back. “Would you disapprove of—“

“Of course not.”

Glorfindel smiled and motioned to the pair. “Go pack,” he whispered.

“Quickly,” added Erestor as Orophin entered the room with a wrapped package. “I do not want a caravan of people following us,” Erestor warned Glorfindel as Orophin approached them.

“I have no intention of joining you,” said Orophin as he held out a box. “It sounds dirty and dark and also not fun.”

Erestor looked at the box quizzically and took it when Orophin nodded to him. “What is this for? And how do you know anything about where we are going?”

“I am my mother’s son,” replied Orophin. “Go on. Open it.”

Erestor lifted the lid of the box. Within, he found the red and white chess pieces Orophin had been carving. “These are lovely. Thank you, Orophin.”

“No, thank you. This was a very interesting adventure. I think I learned more about myself here than I did when you were trying to teach me in Imladris.” Orophin leaned in to hug each of them. “Maybe I can come visit you down there when you get settled in.”

“That would be lovely, Orophin. I suppose you are going to be leaving soon as well,” said Erestor.

Orophin shook his head. “Uncle Finrod promoted me on my way down here. Valarda is going to join me before the winter. I think we are going to be here for a while.”

“Then perhaps we will come visit you now and then,” offered Glorfindel.

“That would be lovely, Glorfindel,” replied Orophin as he attempted to emulate Erestor’s accent. “By the way,” he added as he started to leave the room, “I like the hair, Erestor.”

“About that..” began Glorfindel.

“I know. Everyone has been put off by it,” Erestor admitted. “It is nothing permanent. I am going to let it grow back naturally.”

“Oh.” Glorfindel sounded slightly disappointed as he wrapped a lock of unnaturally blond hair around his finger.

“Unless you like it like this?”

Glorfindel continued to wind the hair around his finger. “Actually..”

“Hmm?”

“I was just wondering what you would look like as a redhead..”

“Were you?” Their noses were nearly touching.

“Mmhmm. This gives me hope that I might get that chance.”

“You know what else you might get a chance at?” murmured Erestor as he kissed Glorfindel’s neck. He leaned in to whisper into his ear, and despite it being just the two of them in the room now, Glorfindel blushed.

“You have changed,” scolded Glorfindel, but there was mischief in his eyes.
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