- Epilogue:: First Year of the Fourth Age -
“Look, Orophin! The blessed lands!” Lineth squeezed her husband tightly as they continued to watch their progress to the shore, flanked on one side by Haldir and Lindir and on the other by Rumil and Liriel. All three couples collectively sighed at the beauty and wonder of the island they were fast approaching. Elves were scattered upon the shore, awaiting this ship as it sailed to the dock.
A little further away from the bow of the deck, Glorfindel stood with Elrond and Galadriel, all of them content with the peaceful silence they shared. The blond looked over his shoulder and smiled at the dark haired elf who was resting on a chair that had been brought on deck, with one of the boat cat’s resting on Erestor’s lap. “Still asleep,” he said, more to himself than to the other two standing with him.
“It’s Ada! I see Ada!”
This outcry caused the trio of elder elves to look to where the younger group was. Liriel was pointing and practically jumping up and down. Her siblings, husband, and brothes-in-law all looked as delighted as they noted Veduiel also on shore. All six raised a hand in greeting. Lindir was the first to notice, giving a scream of pure joy.
“He waved! Adar waved!” Blinking away his tears and clutching the railing with one hand, he grabbed hold of Haldir’s hand with the other. “Oh, blessed Eru! Haldir, my love, look! Tell me what I see is true!”
“Adar!” Liriel stepped up on the bottom rung of the railing, waving madly. Rumil kept a firm hold on his wife’s waist as she squeeled in delight and waved even more wildly as the gesture was returned. On the beach, Lindreth began to wave both hands back at his children, who, along with their spouses, were overcome with joy.
“Who in the name of all that is holy is making such a racket?” Erestor yawned as the cat leaped from his lap. Rubbing his eyes, he stood up and made his way to where he knew Glorfindel was standing. “Can no one get a- “
Turning around, Glorfindel found he was being stared at. Erestor’s eyes were wide, his jaw slack. “What? What is wrong, darling?”
“Glor- Glorfin-“ Erestor’s hand shook as reached forward in disbelief and touched Glorfindel’s cheek. His words came out in a jumble. “It has to be you, it sounds like you, it feels like you, but how could someone so beautiful be... oh, my.” Fingers traveled over Glorfindel’s face, but not so blindly as they always had before. “You... you... I’m married to you...”
“I certainly hope there was no expiration on our commitment,” Glorfindel said with a wink. Which is when it hit him. “You... you can... Erestor?”
Erestor’s eyes had already wandered to the sky. White gulls swooped past the white sails that billowed in the wind. A clear blue sky was the perfect backdrop to the canvas, and Erestor turned his head to look at the shore, tan sand giving way to lush green grass. Mountains brushed with purple could be seen in the distance. Tears were streaming down Erestor’s cheeks, but he seemed not to pay mind to these as he drank in the sights surrounding him, finally looking back to the golden elf in whose arms he was being held, into the warm grey eyes that for so long he had wanted to look into. “I can see. I can see!” Firmly holding Glorfindel’s face between his hands, Erestor kissed him soundly with both eyes wide open. “Pinch me; I must know this is no dream!”
Hesitating for only a moment, Glorfindel did as he was told. “You! Not there!” Erestor blushed red while those on deck laughed at his predicament. Swatting Glorfindel’s hand away from his rear, Erestor turned around to see the group at the bow and then laughed with them. “You have to be Lindir,” he declared, pointing to the silvery-haired ellon, who nodded. Erestor regarded both Liriel and Lineth, finally settling on the latter. “Lineth, I think. Only because, I know you are married to Orophin,” he admitted, “and I remember you scolded him earlier today for wearing brown boots with black leggings. Why did I think you to be taller?”
“I must sound taller than I look,” she grinned.
“That must be it. Then you are Liriel,” he said, and Liriel stepped back down to the deck from her perch, giving Rumil cause for a sigh of relief. “It is so nice to have faces to go with the voices.” There was a great jolt as the ship made landfall, and with shouts of glee Lindreth’s son and daughters pulled their spouses to the ladders to make it to the shore. Galadriel and Elrond had already snuck away; within minutes they were greeting a warm and lively Celebrian on the beach.
Left forgotten on the deck of the ship, a pair of elves stood gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes, holding one another tight. “I may need you to pinch me again; I still think I am dreaming.”
“I assure you, this is no dream.” Moving one arm down around Erestor’s waist, he used his other hand to regard the shore. “Shall we?”
With slight reluctance, Erestor let go of his hold on his husband and allowed himself to be led to the stairway that led to the lower decks. They walked down together, hand in hand, reaching the door of the room they had shared during the voyage. Once inside, Glorfindel gathered together a few items which he tossed hastily into a sack. It was explained to them before the journey that the ship would be docked for many days for them to freely come and go upon until they had made living arrangements in one of the cities, and that the first reaction of most elves was to run to the shore and bask in the glory of the realm.
Glorfindel met Erestor back at the door, from which the dark elf had not moved since entering. Leaning against the panel of the door was an old wooden stick, a beautifully carved item that had been with Erestor for thousands of years. Picking up the walking stick, Glorfindel gave Erestor a questioning look. “Should I bring this, or leave it here?”
Erestor looked at it for the first time, smiling a little at the memories linking to the object. “Put it down for a moment, please,” he said, taking the sack from Glorfindel’s other hand. The bag was tossed onto the nearby table, sliding over to the edge. For a moment, Glorfindel looked at it with a frown as he placed the walking stick back where it had been resting.
“Is something wrong?” he meant to ask, but he had not the time to do so before he was practically pounced upon, pulled with great force to the bed as his lips were silenced and his clothing removed. No time was wasted, and he was very soon finding himself pushed back onto the mattress, wearing only his pants and a smile. “You know, we can probably find a bigger, better bed in Valinor,” he panted as Erestor advanced, hastily removing his own attire.
“No. Here. Now.” Stripped naked, Erestor’s desire was obviously displayed. He rubbed his erection against Glorfindel’s groin. “Take me.”
Struggling to remove his leggings, Glorfindel laughed when Erestor tugged on the lacing and growled. “Patience, patience. You’re going to knot them up.”
Another growl of frustration was emitted. “When we have our own home here,” announced Erestor as his fingers worked on the knot they had made, “I insist you be ready for this without any... impediments.”
“You want me to simply be naked whenever we are at home?” smirked Glorfindel.
“I had not thought of that,” admitted Erestor. “Just a robe would do. Fuck, this thing is impossible.” Sitting back on his haunches, he frowned and looked around, presumably for a knife to cut the lacings. Looking back, he tilted his head to the side, closed his eyes, and felt the knot with his fingers. Glorfindel was nude within seconds. “Well, what are you waiting for?” he demanded before the pants had even hit the floor.
“Silly me.” Glorfindel pulled himself up and opened the box that was sitting close to the bedside. Turning around to see Erestor still kneeling on the bed with his hands resting on his thighs, his eyes looked to the place on the middle of the bed he had just vacated. “Well, what are you waiting for?”
Erestor crawled behind Glorfindel, leaning into him. “What did I tell you to do?”
“You were not very specific in exactly how you wanted me to take you. I assumed you were going to help me out a bit.” Glorfindel removed a vial of oil from the box and set it upon the nightstand.
“Should I spell it out for you?” Erestor nipped the ear he was speaking into, his hands flowing across the blond’s warm flesh. “First, I want you to turn around, grab my hips, and shove me back onto the bed. Let me watch you, let me watch everything you do to me. Press your knee between my legs, spread them wide. Open the vial; cover your fingers in oil. Tease my body while you prepare me for your love; use your mouth and your hands.” Along the curve of Glorfindel’s ear moved Erestor’s tongue, and the blond shuttered. “Enter my body with your finger as you torment my senses with your touch. Steal my breath with your kisses; stretch me as I moan your name.”
“And then?” Glorfindel’s voice was hoarse, his mouth dry. Swallowing and licking his lips he asked, “What then?”
“You know the rest.” Erestor reached around and fisted his hand around Glorfindel’s erection. His fingers squeezed gently, sending a pleasureable rhythm coursing through the blond’s body. “Bend my knees, lift my legs, hold my hips, thrust inside, and fuck me. Hard and rough, the way I like it, until you spill yourself inside of me and undo me as only you can. And then,” he whispered, leaving it to linger there.
“And then, what?” Glorfindel’s legs shook as Erestor gave his length one final stroke.
There was a pause. “And then,” Erestor finally finished, “you will most likely need to clean us up, and then we will probably take a nap. And then, before we go ashore, I will make you do it all again, just to be absolutely certain this is no dream.”
Shoving Erestor back onto the bed, Glorfindel nudged his legs apart as he pulled the stopped from the vial of oil. “I love you,” he said as he idly traced his oiled fingers around Erestor’s entrance.
“You better,” came the response as Erestor attempted to push in the right direction for Glorfindel’s fingers to slip within. His eyes stayed wide open as Glorfindel leaned forward to capture his lips with his own. “I love you, too. And then some.”
