“You know this is your last chance to, well, to get out of it.” Erestor was already in bed, having bathed separate from Glorfindel, as was proper tradition. The golden warrior was in the bathing chamber himself now, and chuckled at his dark mate’s insecurity.
“Why would I wish to do that? I would think it is you who would want to escape from an eternity with me,” called Glorfindel through the open doorway.
Fiddling with the blankets, Erestor called out, “I gave up.”
“Hmm?” Glorfindel came around the corner, not concealing the jar of oil which he had been warming beneath a candle in the washroom. It was odorless, a gift secretly slipped to him by, surprisingly, Lady Celebrian. Without a sound, he set it down upon the table next to the bed. Erestor’s large bed had been moved to Glorfindel’s rooms, where they would now be living together. Erestor’s rooms would serve as his office, with their trio of cats coming and going between the two places as they pleased.
“Another letter came from Greenwood with a possible treatment for my blindness, but I told Elrond I am done trying to regain my sight.” Erestor’s hands gripped the blanket, squeezing it severely. “I just- I hate to give up, but I am so weary of it all,” he said, nearly choking on tears. Glorfindel sank down onto the bed and drew him into his arms.
“You think that would give me cause to leave you? Silly elf,” murmured Glorfindel, kissing the top of Erestor’s head. “I love you, no matter what. No matter what, Erestor. I took an oath today, same as you. But I needed no oath to love you, and I know you do not need one either.” Holding Erestor tight, Glorfindel said, “I am your anchor. Your beacon, remember?” Erestor nodded and pulled away a little so that he was not clinging so much. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. I hardly deserve you.”
“Well, just wait until I start leaving piles of clutter about absently and not getting my dirty clothes quite to the laundry basket, and then we shall see how you feel about that.” The couple shared a few moments of laughter before Glorfindel brought Erestor closer once again and claimed his lips. “Mmm, you smell heavenly,” he mumbled, burying his nose into Erestor’s dark hair. “You look absolutely gorgeous tonight,” he said as he sat back again, one hand still playing with the dark locks.
“Let me...” Erestor reached forward with both hands and placed them upon Glorfindel’s shoulders. Feeling his way up Glorfindel’s neck, he continued until he reached his face. With tiny movements of his hands, he felt along the surface. Up across the high cheekbones, meeting at a nose with a rounded tip. Down over solemn lips and a solid, squared chin. Around to pointed ears and then to his forehead. When Erestor reached Glorfindel’s eyebrow’s the blond tried to suppress a laugh. “Tickish eyebrows?” Erestor said dryly, but then he, too, joined in the laughter. “Thank you,” he said as the pads of his fingers came to rest upon Glorfindel’s closed eyelids. “I only wish I could see you better.”
When Erestor’s hands lingered, Glorfindel began to say, “The color of my eyes is-“
Erestor’s fingers slid down to Glorfindel’s mouth. “Shhh, don’t tell me. I will see them someday. I still have hope. Just because the healers have stopped does not mean I do not appeal every day to Iluvatar. If it is his will, I shall see again.”
Glorfindel kissed the fingertips that stayed upon his mouth. He raised his hand up and took one of Erestor’s, and began to kiss along his fingers, to his wrist, his forearm, elbow, shoulder, moving sensuously closer and closer, past his neck, up to lips that were parted slightly. Glorfindel kissed Erestor long and hard on the mouth while coaxing him to lie back upon the bed. Following him, Glorfindel hovered barely above Erestor, but he was pulled down against the dark elf. “Please, Glorfindel,” begged Erestor. “Do not make me wait. I have been aching for you all day; love me, Glorfindel, and hard as I like it.”
“I will make love to you hard and rough any other time you ask, but I want the sweetest night to be tonight.” Glorfindel’s preparation was achingly slow. His fingers caressed Erestor within as their tongues slid against one anothers. Erestor’s hands moved freely, gripping Glorfindel’s flesh hard whenever he did something particularly enjoyable.
“I need you... inside...”
“Hush, darling. In good time. Relax.” Glorfindel settled back on his haunches removing Erestor’s hands from his body with his now free one. “Just relax.” Glorfindel’s hand did not remain idle, for he began to glide his fingertips over Erestor’s thighs and across his chest. The ghosting touches made the dark elf whimper.
Withdrawing his fingers from Erestor elicited a sigh, but a moan followed soon afterwards as the warm oil was used to coat his erection. A summer breeze came through the open windows as Glorfindel repositioned himself to enter Erestor, which he did as slow and sweetly as promised.
- - -
“Oh, bother.” Lindir scratched his head as he looked at his poor horse in vain. “There is just no good way for me to do this,” he decided. “I cannot ride and bring my instruments on the same horse. If only I had thought of it; I might have had the time to build a cart.”
“No time for that now,” remarked Legolas, who was observing the situation from atop his mount. “Can you not leave something behind?”
Haldir, who had been leaning against the gate, one hand holding the top of it, strolled over. On his shoulder, Chaos was precariously perched, but seemingly loving the little ride he was getting. “Your highness, asking a musician to leave an instrument is like asking a warrior to leave behind a weapon. How does one choose between a bow and a sword, m’lord?”
“Counselor,” called out Legolas to the dark elf who was laughing with and saying his goodbyes to Orophin and Rumil. Erestor looked in the direction of the voice that had summoned him. “If you have a moment, we have a problem that needs solving.”
Swishing his walking stick before his path very carefully so as not to spook the horses, Erestor assessed the situation with his aide and then said, “Lindir is there anything you can leave behind?”
Lindir’s lip began to wibble as he looked over the array of instruments that were loaded onto his mount. Sheepishly, he pulled out a flute and then looked at Erestor apologetically.
“He has removed a flute from his beast’s burden,” said Figgy in a very low voice, as if perhaps only Erestor was to hear the comments being made by him. “There appears to be no visible change in the animal’s load.”
Supressing a smile, Erestor said, “Well, the solution is simple then.” Walking back to where he was, he passed between Lindir and Haldir and said to the latter, “He will have to ride with someone else.” Then, Erestor winked, and then, he was back where he had been.
Haldir looked from Lindir’s horse, to his own, to the one that was draped in the colors of Greenwood. “Prince Legolas?” Legolas paused and looked down at Haldir. “Would you by chance happen to have room for another passenger?”
“Well, I suppose I might,” he answered, rather perplexed. Lindir’s shoulders were slumped and he was looking longingly at the saddle on Haldir’s horse as he started to walk to the one Legolas was on. He froze as Haldir plucked Chaos from his shoulder and handed the cat up to Legolas.
“Be good, and do not pester your sister,” warned Haldir. Having said this, the head of Princess Lastly, the smallest of the litter of cats, poked up from where she had been burrowed against her master’s chest, snuggled into his cloak. Chaos decided that it looked to be a lovely place, and joined his sister before Legolas could object.
Grinning at the antics of the cats as he mounted, Haldir looked down at Lindir. “Well, are you coming or not?” he drawled slyly, and held his hand down towards the bard.
With a warm smile, Lindir took hold of Haldir’s hand and was hoisted up onto the horse in front of Haldir. No one there could know that within a year’s time, they would be very much in the same position as Glorfindel and Erestor had once been.
Before the riders departed, Elrond gave a little speech as he always did when dignitaries left (even when it was simply Legolas), and said a blessing for the journey as was customary. Family and friends said their final goodbyes and the party departed as the sun began to rise over the valley.
“Is anyone still left here in the courtyard?” asked Erestor when the crowd had dispersed. He had dismissed his aide, for there were no scheduled meetings or audiences with the council for the days when events such as this occurred.
“Just you and me, now.” Glorfindel enveloped Erestor in his arms, pulling him back against his chest. “Guess what?” he whispered into his beloved’s ear.
“What?” asked Erestor, readying himself to tickle Glorfindel if necessary.
Turning Erestor around so that they were facing each other, Glorfindel said, “I lied. There is a horse that is still here.”
“Oh, is there?” Erestor heard the familiar sound of Tinnim as he lazily grazed his way in their direction.
“There is!” confirmed Glorfindel. “Oh, and what is this?” He shifted away from Erestor, who once again took to leaning on his walking stick, and opened the saddlebags. “How strange! Someone has picked a pacnic, er, packed a picnic... damn, I had this whole thing practiced,” he scolded himself as Erestor stood behind him laughing. Turning around, he grinned sheepishly and then said, “Fancy a ride?”
“We’ve been married how long and you have to ask?” A cheeky grin, a quick kiss before they mounted, and two lovers rode out across the valley, both of them finally able to see that which was most important in life.
