The boy, he was rejected by the people that he cared for. It's not what they expected, but he could not keep it secret anymore. Angrod made sure that his younger children knew the reason for Glorfindel's departure, and the consequences of what he believed, of the words he said. Everyone in Angrod's realm knew of his reaction, and none dared even mention the subject.
Far from home now, waiting, he was all alone. Glorfindel wandered the wilderness in hopes of finding someone who would accept him and what he was when he came to a brilliant city. The elves there took him in without hesitation, and one particular lord adopted the frightened boy who pretended to be so bold. Ecthelion welcomed Glorfindel into his house and taught him everything, from politics and war to poetry and love. Glorfindel had not the heart to tell his benefactor of his true feelings when the pair courted maidens, nor did he dare rouse the suspicions of anyone, especially King Turgon, by acting otherwise. If King Turgon knew anything of Lord Angrod's son, he said nothing, and rewarded the youth with a place of honor in the guard and a post in a most revered position- Guardian of the Fifth Gate of Gondolin, before the city was even finished.
"Look out over all of it, Glorfindel," said Ecthelion excitedly, spreading his hand out before him. "The hidden city is complete. Is it not the most splendid view you have ever beheld?"
Glorfindel nodded in agreement, standing just to Ecthelion's right. Joyous dancing and celebration could be seen and heard in the streets below, but some of nobler rank stood watch from the balconies. Tonight, Glorfindel stood overlooking the city from the House of the Fountain. Tomorrow, things would be different.
"There's a new world," reminded Ecthelion, perhaps more excited than Glorfindel was. "You are no longer in the service of my house after tonight, pen-neth. Tomorrow, you shall rise and find yourself Lord of the House of the Golden Flower. A peculiar name, but an unforgettable one, and no sillier than Lord of the Fountain," he grinned.
"My father used to tell me a bedtime story," said the golden-haired elf. "In it, the sun was a giant golden flower, from the gold tree in Valinor. He would say that my face, when I smiled, reminded him of the sun, with my hair wild and glowing," he reminisced. Glorfindel shook the image from his head and admitted, "I am still unsure of it, of me being a lord of my own house. I would have more confidence if I stayed part of your household."
Ecthelion shook his head. "That is nonsense. You shall make a great lord; You can make it on your own. There are so many who are ready to follow you and who love you dearly as a fighter and a friend. I only wonder who you have your eye upon to be your lady," he smirked.
Glorfindel tried to force his eyes to the ground, but a flicker of light from a balcony near the King's own raised pavilion lifted his chin and caused him to seek out the object of his desire. Before he could turn away, he knew Ecthelion had seen, and he stepped back with shame upon his face.
"Oh, Glorfindel…" Ecthelion joined his former ward further back in the shadows. "Glorfindel, you must not say a word of it, if what I dare think is true."
Glorfindel's eyes betrayed him once again as he took in the form of the tall, dark mystery that retreated after a moment into the shadows of his own balcony. In a rush, the truth poured out from the lost child, from shaky words to hiccupped pleas for forgiveness of his sin. Ecthelion calmed Glorfindel best he could, now understanding the true reason for the wall that had been built around this elf.
"My dear friend, Turgon himself would see you slain for such thoughts. I myself see nothing wrong with it, but that is not a statement I am at leisure to make," he warned the younger elf.
"I suppose you're ashamed of me now," sobbed the elf, his golden hair blocking his face from Ecthelion's view.
"No, I am not shamed by you," Ecthelion responded. "No, pen-neth, you could not shame me, not by thoughts or by words. You are my pen- neth, my little boy, the closest I shall ever have to a son. You are dear to my heart and it pains me to see you are hurting over this."
"Are you still proud of your little boy?" mumbled Glorfindel, not really expecting an answer.
Ecthelion placed a hand upon Glorfindel's head. "Yes I am," he told him as he looked up. "Don't be afraid. You don't have to hide away."
"So I should tell him-"
"No," Ecthelion said sternly. "Not now, not yet. You would condemn yourself, and perhaps him as well. You must say nothing."
"But I love him!"
Ecthelion shushed Glorfindel by clamping his hand over the younger's mouth. "I understand. But he may not, and Turgon will not, and many will be against you. This is not the time or place," reasoned Ecthelion as he removed his hand.
Glorfindel took a labored breath. "What if I accidentally slip? What if one day I learn he is as interested as I am?"
"Perhaps one day. But not now. If you say anything now, you sentence yourself to death." Ecthelion sat down next to Glorfindel, and gave him a little hug. "Don't be afraid. Love will mend your broken wing. Time will slip away; Learn to be brave. This cannot last forever. Someday, if the Valar will it. Not now, Glorfindel. Not now."
