A/N: Hello! This is my very first fic that I have decided to publish, so please be kind with reviews and feedback. That being said, feedback and reviews are greatly appreciated and encouraged from readers.
Glorfindel is my favorite character in Tolkien's universe and I feel that he is neglected, so this is my part in giving him some love.
This may sound silly, but this was partly inspired by the Minecraft adventure map 'The Fall of Gondolin'.
Disclaimer: I own nothing from the Tolkien estate, although I do own any OC's and other deviations from the books.
"I want you to be home not long after sunrise; it's not good for you to be mining for such long shifts." Tuarwen chided as she helped her daughter to don her cloak.
"Yes naneth, don't worry I shall return before sunrise." Her daughter Nariel assured her as she turned to face her mother.
"Just be careful pen-neth" Tuarwen told her daughter as they embraced.
"I will naneth, I promise." Nariel said with a smile as she bid her mother farewell and exited her house and into the cold night air.
The streets of Gondolin were dimly lit in the darkness of the night and nearly empty of pedestrians as Nariel swiftly made her way through the chill air towards the west gate of the city. Once she reached the gates of the city, she noticed that there must have been a change in the guards as there were no guards at the bottom of the gate, nor any at the top of the two towers beside the gate. Nariel let herself through the small door built into the gate, as she usually did whenever she had night shifts in the mines.
Once outside the city, she began the decent onto the plains that were between the city and the Encircling Mountains. Out here, the wind seemed chillier and the gusts were stronger, so Nariel drew her cloak closer around herself to stay warm.
The main cavern of the mines was a welcome shelter from the winds for Nariel. She was surprised to find that she was the only person in the mines; usually there were always one or two people in the caverns. After removing her cloak from her shoulders, she hung it on the hook that was assigned to her, and grabbed a pickaxe from the bin.
To connect all of the mineshafts below ground to the cavern on the surface level, there was an intricate system of mine carts and rails to transport the miners themselves as well as any supplies, and their findings down below. By taking a quick glance at all of the tracks, Nariel could see that she was indeed the only person in the mines, as none of the carts were missing.
Just the other day, a new cave system had been discovered, and the miners were in the process of turning it into a new mine shaft. The tracks had recently been completed, and Nariel wished to be one of the first to get some minerals or gems from the new system, so that was her intended destination. From the supply bins she grabbed several torches, flint, and burlap sacks to carry whatever she might find.
The ride down through the mines was eerie, sparsely lit by torches along the tracks, and left miners with a lot of time to their own thoughts. Often on these journeys Nariel thought of her deceased adar, he himself had been a miner in the same mines that she was. Twenty years prior he had been killed in a cave in, leaving Tuarwen to raise the then 28 year old Nariel all by herself. Despite her mother's objections and fears, mining was the trade that Nariel had decided to pursue, and when she was forty she began her apprenticeship in the mines, and after eight years, she was in her own right a miner.
The abrupt stop of the mine cart brought Nariel out of her brooding, and into the mine shaft. Using her flint, she lit the nearest torch on the wall, and brought it with her deep into the cave, lighting more along the walls as she went, scanning for minerals. For many minutes Nariel turned down different pathways, searching for minerals, so engrossed in her task that she neglected to continue placing torches along the way.
Finally, after ten minutes searching, she came across a good sized seam of coal. Smiling at her find, Nariel placed down her torch and began the laborious task of picking away at the seam. For nearly half an hour Nariel diligently worked at the seam, gaining enough coal to fill one of the sacks full. Gathering the coal into the sack, she began the trek back to the mine cart, but quickly realized her mistake, and that she was becoming lost.
Panic rising up in her throat, Nariel pressed on, straining her keen eyesight for the sign of a torch coming up ahead of her. As the minutes pressed on, she knew she was walking in circles, and desperation began to creep up in her as well. She noticed that her own torch was burning low, when she finally saw ahead of her salvation, a torch in the distance. However, after a few moments of observation she realized that the torch was moving, being carried by another elf.
Assuming that it was another miner eager to explore the new mine shaft, she was greatly surprised to see instead an ellon not in work clothes, but the garb of a warrior, bearing the seal of the House of The Golden Flower. She was even more surprised that the ellon was in fact the Lord of the Golden Flower, Lord Glorfindel.
Putting the sack of coal on the ground, with torch still in hand she awkwardly curtsied to Glorfindel.
"My Lord," she said quietly.
"Ah, Nariel, daughter of Tuarwen" he replied, inkling his head in greeting.
"What may I ask, my lord are you doing all the way in the mines in the dead of night?" she inquired.
She had always been somewhat intimidated by his presence, but she had always admired him from afar, he was a very well respected member of the community, kin to King Turgon, and very handsome, his golden hair, attributed to his part Vanyarin ancestry made him stand out in the city of brunettes and raven haired elves. But never had she thought that she would be this close to him, alone in a dark cave besides that.
"Actually, mistress Nariel, I came to investigate something that the guards at the west gate had told me." He said, eyeing her in the torch light.
"The new recruits told me that right after the change in the shifts, they had seen an elf walking along the plains, without seeing their credentials and not knowing who it was. They were fearful of malicious intent from this elf, so they asked me to investigate." He explained stepping closer to her, she assumed to gain a better look at her face in the poor torch light.
"I tracked the footsteps of this elf, and they led me here to the caves, and judging by the lone cloak in the cavern, and the single missing mine cart, and just now finding you, I can assume that you are this mysterious elf that was spotted." He concluded, his height imposing upon her as he continued to stare her down.
Nariel had to look away a moment under his gaze before she could find her voice to answer him.
"My apologies my lord, that elf was me. I'm so used to going into the mines after dark, the guards on duty all know of me, so they usually never stop me or ask to see my credentials. I also did not realize that were new guards on duty." Nariel replied, lowering her gaze to her feet.
She was startled when his hand lifted her chin so her gaze would once again meet his. His eyes appeared much softer than they had before, much less authoritative.
His tone also was soft when he addressed her, "You are not in trouble, Mistress Nariel. I was only doing my duty, I am sorry if I gave you cause for fear of punishment. Now please, let me escort you back to your home." He said, gesturing down the corridor.
"Thank you my lord, you are very generous." She replied, bringing a small smile to her face.
Nariel was suddenly grateful that she had also brought her pick with her, for she couldn't find her way back to where she had been mining if her life depended on it. Ever the lordly gentleman, as she went to pick up the sack of coal, Glorfindel beat her too it, and effortlessly hoisted it over his shoulder. She flashed him a smile in thanks as she took his torch from him, as well as her recently extinguished torch and her pick axe. Once again he set her heart pumping wildly as he startled her once again by draping his free arm around her, coming to rest on the small of her back, leading her through the mines.
Although she knew she should have been paying attention to the way back, Glorfindels arm around her distracted Nariel so much that she was surprised when they suddenly rounded a corner and the mine carts were before them. She was surprised again when Glorfindel sent the lead cart on its way, leaving them to share the last cart. The strong ellon before easily heaved the coal into the front of the cart, and then held his hand out to her, gentlemanly helping her to board the mine cart. She clutched her pickaxe to her chest like it was a life vest in the ocean as he boarded the cart behind her, acutely aware of where their bodies touched in the confines of the cart. To Nariel's relief, the journey through the mines was made in a comfortable silence, though she did admit to herself that she greatly enjoyed being that near to Glorfindel.
Glorfindel patiently waited as she marked the sack of coal as hers, returned her pick axe and signed the ledger for account that she had been in the mines that night. Grabbing her cloak from the wall and fastening it around her neck, she met a smiling Glorfindel at the entrance as they braved the cold windy night.
Once again Nariel found herself thanking the darkness of the night as it hid her blush as Glorfindel wrapped his arm around her, holding her securely against his body as the wind battered the pair. Once they neared the city gates, Glorfindel released his hold from her to signal the guards to let them pass, however she was delighted when he once again rested his hand on the small of her back as he brought her back to her home.
When the pair reached the stoop of the modest house that Nariel shared with her mother, Glorfindel really did make her knees go weak as he brought her hand to his mouth, and while eyeing her meaningfully, he feathered a kiss to her dirty hand.
Swallowing hard, Nariel managed to thank him for his services that night. "Thank you for the escort Lord Glorfindel."
He flashed her his handsome smile, still holding onto her hand, "It was my pleasure, Mistress Nariel. Until next time my lady," he said, inclining his head.
Nariel curtsied in response, unable to stop herself from smiling as well. "My lord," she said, opening the door, and stepping inside, giving him one last smile before she closed it.
Once she was safely behind the closed door, Nariel couldn't help but let out a breath, and plaster a very girlish smile onto her face. Never had she thought that she would get the chance to be so close with the ellon that she had watched from a distance for years, let alone to have him look at her like that.
She managed to regain her composure as she quietly ascended the stairs to her bedroom, mindful not to wake her sleeping mother. After she had washed herself from the water basin in her room and was in her nightdress in bed, she gazed out of her window at the stars. She couldn't help but let that smile return to her face as she drifted to sleep, thoughts of the Lord of the Golden Flower gracing her dreams that night.
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