A/N: This is a Legolas/Glorfindel slash, a mild slash though, if you dont't like it, don't read it. This is my first slash and yes - I am ashamed (-:

To all the Glorfindel fans, don't worry. It's not like it seems to be!

You'll have to tell me if you want a sequel - so review!!!

Disclaimer: All the characters belong to J.R.R. Tolkien!

The song "Goodbye to you" belongs to Michelle Branch.

Goodbye to you

Legolas just stood there and watched how he kissed her. How he held her in his strong and yet gentle arms which should be holding him right now.
This wasn't right!
This was supposed to be a wonderful day!
He hadn't seen Glorfindel for two years, not a very long time for an Elf and yet it can seem like an eternety when you are parted from the one you love.
As soon as he had arrived in Rivendell he had gone to Glorfindel's room, only to find him with this woman.
He didn't even know her and he already hated her.
She had taken everything from him. He had been together with Glorfindel for so long, he had been his first and only lover. Legolas had only been 50 years when he had first met Glorfinel and they had fallen in love almost immediatly. His father had been against this love for the lord-herold of Elrond was so much older than Legolas. But those things don't matter when you are in love and finally Thranduil agreed.
Now Legolas was 448 years old and everyone had thought that this was forever.
And now the prince of Mirkwood just stood there and watched all his dreams falling apart.

~ Of all the things I've believed in
I just want to get it over with
Tears form behind my eyes
But I do not cry
Counting the days that pass me by ~

Suddenly Glorfindel turned around and saw Legolas standing in the door.
"Oh, Legolas. I didn't expect you here before tomorrow." He said as if nothing had happened.
The black haired woman just smiled at him coldly.
The Prince of Mirkwood wasn't able to say anything for he knew he would have lost control if he had said one word.
So he just turned around and walked into the garden.
As soon as he was out of sight he couldn't hold back his tears anymore.

Lord Elrond, who had seen how Legolas had entered the garden followed him quietly.
He was reather surprised when he found him crying for he had thought that he and Glorfindel would spend at least the next few days together. Usually it was impossible to talk to any of them after they hadn't seen each other for so long.
His old friend had also been looking forward to see his beloved again, after all that had happened during the last two weeks. Glorfindel's wife whom he had been living with in Gondolin had come to Rivendell because she had heared that her husband had returned from the halls of Mandos long ago.
Elrond didn't really like her. It was obvious that she loved Glorfindel but she had tried to get him back very often, even though she knew about Legolas.
But Glorfindel's or Legolas' feelings didn't seem to matter to her at all and that was why the Lord of Rivendell didn't come along with her.
But of course Glorfindel had remained true.
That was why Elrond didn't understand the prince's tears now.
"What's wrong, Legolas?" He asked finally.
Legolas slowly lifted his head. He was ashamed of his tears, but that didn't matter now. "Why didn't you tell me that Glorfindel is in love with a woman when I arrived here?"
"I'm sorry but I don't know what you are talking about."
"When I entered his room he was just kissing a woman."
"Legolas, I didn't know ..." Elrond was shocked. Why had Glorfindel done this? He loved Legolas more than anything in this world, Elrond was sure of that. He knew Glorfindel for so long.
"Oh please, leave me alone!" Legolas tried desperatly to fight back the tears which were forming in his eyes again.
He only wanted to be alone, he didn't even understand all that.
For most of his life he had been in love with Gorfindel and now everything fell apart.

~ I've been searching deep down in my soul
Words that I'm hearing are starting to get old
Seems like I'm starting all over again
The last few years were just pretend ~

Legolas didn't come for dinner. Elrond had given him a guest room where he spent the rest of the day.
The Lord of Rivendell had told him all about Glorfindel's wife and it grieved him deeply. Yes, he had known about her but his lover had always told him that he wouldn't miss her at all because they had only quarreled all the time.
Had Glorfindel lied to him all the time?
Legolas couldn't tell and that hurt even more.
He had loved and trusted this man for 398 years. But had Glorfindel ever loved him? Had he only played with him? Maybe his father had been right, someone as old as Glorfindel wouldn't be really interested in someone as young as Legolas. But even Thranduil had trusted him within a few months.
In the evening, when it was dark already, Elrond entered the guest room. The Elven lord carried a plate with him.
"How are you feeling?" He asked gently after sitting down next to the younger Elf.
But Legolas only shrugged.
"You should eat something. Did you eat anything today?" He handed the plate over to the prince.
"No." Legolas finally answered, his voice raw from crying. "But I'm not hungry."
"I can understand that but, please, try to eat something. Only a little bit."
He obeyed, but he really didn't take much and he needed a long time to chew and swallow every bite.
Elrond could see that it was of no use. He took the plate back and placed it on a table near them, then he reached out for Legolas' hand and squeezed it gently.
"I talked to Glorfindel and Noralia."
Legolas looked at him for the first time, his eyes full of questions.
"I'm sorry, but they are really a couple again. I don't understand it myself. Yesterday he still talked about you and told me how much he had missed you the last two years. And today he seems to be ... not himself." Elrond really couldn't understand that. How could such a love die in not even 24 hours?
He had been so sure that Glorfindel had found his true love in Legolas. His herold had never really loved Noralia, their parents had wanted them to marry when they had been very young, at least that's what Glorfindel had always said. But it had been so different with Legolas, Elrond, who knew Glorfindel for so long, had never seen him like that. He would have done anything for Legolas, just to see him smile.
That was why the Elven lord couldn't understand that at all.
"So he really doesn't love me anymore." Legolas said more to himself. "I will leave tomorrow then."

~ And I said
Goodbye to you
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew
You were the one I loved
The one thing that I tried to hold on to ~

"Are you sure? You could wait a little longer, you don't have to talk to him of course, you don't even have to see him, if you don't want to." Elrond was worried. He didn't want Legolas to make such a long ride alone now.
"Thank you, but I cannot stay here." Again the younger Elf had tears in his eyes. "I can't bear it to be so near to him."
Elrond nodded. "I can understand that, but would you allow me to send one of my sons with you?"
"Thank you, but ..."
"No, I don't want you to ride to Mirkwood alone now." The Elven lord said firmly.
Legolas sighed. To be honest, he didn't want to be alone anyway, and he came along with Elrohir and Elladan very well.
"Alright then." He said quietly. "One of them can come with me."
Elrond was relieved to hear that.
He watched how Legolas slowly walked over to the window. But when he looked out he tensed.
The Lord of Rivendell walked over to the prince of Mirkwood and then he saw what he saw.
Glorfindel and Noralia were sitting in the garden, holding hands and whispering to each other.

Legolas felt a knife cutting his heart into many peaces. Silent tears were running down his face again as he saw his beloved Glorfindel kissing this woman again and again.
His blue eyes sparkled and there was a most brilliant smile on his lips.
A smile which wasn't for Legolas but for a woman Glorfindel had always claimed not to love.
He could have stood there forever, watching the other Elf and crying for a love lost, but Elrond gently led him away from the window.

~ I still get lost in your eyes
And it seems that I can't live a day without you
Closing my eyes and you chase my thoughts away
To a place where I am blinded by the light
But it's not right ~

The next day Elrond was talking to his sons.
"I cannot understand that, ada." Elrohir said. "Glorfindel was so in love with Legolas. Why should he now hurt him so much?"
"I do not know. All I know is that Legolas suffers and I don't want him to ride home alone. Would one of you ride with him?"
"Of course!" They both said immediatly.
Elrond smiled. "I think one of you would be enough."
"Then it's probably better when you let Elrohir go." Elladan said. "He is more sensitive in such things."
Elrond nodded. His oldest son was right. He had a good heart and his father loved him deeply, but he was not as good in showing emotions like his younger brother.
"You're right Elladan. Is that alright?" He asked Elrohir.
"Of course, ada."

Legolas prepared for leaving.
It hurt to leave his love behind. He wasn't like his older brother who was already experianced in that. Kirian had never been in love for longer than three years, even though Thranduil was very unhappy about that. But Legolas had been together with Glorfindel, his first love, for so long. He really had thought that nothing would be able to seperate them.
He had been wrong.
The young prince sat down on the bed and tried desperatly to fight back the tears.
He didn't want to cry anymore, he had cried enough yesterday and tonight.
Elrond had said after all Glorfindel had done he wasn't worth it.
Maybe he was even right, but Legolas couldn't help loving him.
He knew he had to go, it would have broken his heart to stay, but it was also the hardest thing he had ever done.

~ Goodbye to you
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew
You were the one I loved
The one thing that I tried to hold onto ~

Elrond saw Noralia leaving Glorfindel's room and entered it.
He wanted to talk to his lord-herold alone. The blond Elf still lay in bed and seemed to wait for his wife.
"Glorfindel, I have to talk to you."
The other jumped slightly then smiled at Elrond. "Oh, hello. What is it, my friend?"
"What do you think you are doing?"
Glorfindel frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about Legolas."
"Oh."
"Is that all you can say?"
"I don't love him anymore, that's all. He's so young."
"He was never too young for you. You claimed to love him when you first met, he was 50 years old then. Now that he's 448 years old he's suddenly too young for you?"
"He's much younger than I am."
"Yes, but that did never matter to you. Why does it now?"
"I don't know. Noralia is here and ..."
"You always told me that you never loved her, that your parents forced you to marry her. Did you lie to me all the time?"
"No! Or yes ..."
The blond Elf seemed to be confused suddenly and Elrond saw something in his eyes, something that wasn't right.
The Elven lord didn't have the time to think about it for Noralia came back.
"Oh, good morning, my Lord."
"What's wrong here, Noralia?"
"What do you mean?" The woman asked innocently.
Elrond grew angry. "I mean exactly what I said. Glorfindel doesn't seem to be himself. What's wrong with him?"
She seemed to be nervous. "I .. I don't know what you are talking about."
"That's not true, we both know that." He turned back to his friend, who was watching them with empty eyes. "Glorfindel, isn't it true that you love Legolas? Think of him, my friend. Think of the man you claimed to love for nearly 400 years."
Suddenly Glorfindel looked desperatly at his oldest friend. "I... I can't fight it. Help... me!" He seemed to fight something inside him now, it was as if he was in physical pain.
Elrond looked sharply at Noralia. "How did you do it?"
"I didn't do anything!"
"He's under a spell, that's obvious. Who else could have done it?"
She looked to the ground, ashamed.
"Noralia, does anybody else than yourself matter to you?"
"Yes, Glorfindel matters to me." She whispered in a soft voice. "He never loved me. Our parents wanted us to marry, but I always loved him. When he was killed by the Balrog my whole world was shattered. When I heared that he had come back from the halls of Mandos I only wanted him back. On my way to Rivendell I met a wizard. He taughed me how to do that for gold. it was not hard to learn. I only wanted him to love me, like I have always loved him!"
"But you won't have him when you choose this way."
"But ..."
"Please, just look at him! Is that what you want? You want him to fight against this spell forever without having a chance? I don't think you are heartless, Noralia. Just think of Legolas, it breaks his heart to think that Glorfindel doesn't love him anymore. Is that really what you want?"
She slowly shook her head, tears were running down her face now.
Elrond looked at her with pity in his heart. He gently stroke her cheek. "Take it back. You will find someone who truely loves you, I'm sure of that. But Glorfindel's heart belongs to another."
The woman nodded and walked over to her husband, who was still sitting on the bed.
She touched his head and whispered some words which Elrond didn't understand. Then she just turned around and left the room.

Glorfindel felt his mind clear, the spell he had fought all the time had been removed.
Everything came back to him, how he had kissed Noralia, how Legolas had seen it, how he had left the room - a heartbroken look in his beautiful eyes ...
He looked at Elrond with pleading eyes. "Where is he?"

Legolas and Elrohir already sat on their horses as Glorfindel came to them.
"Legolas!" Glorfindel said. "I'm glad that you are still here."
His beloved prince only looked at him, so much sadness in his eyes.
"Please listen to me, love..."
"Don't call me that."
Glorfindel looked to the ground for only a second, then he raised his head again to look into Legolas' eyes. "Please, let me explain. I was under Noralia's spell, I didn't want that. I would never hurt you and..."
"Stop that, Glorfindel. I understand that you don't love me anymore. Just leave it now."
"But ..."
"Are you ready to leave, Elrohir?"
Elrond's son nodded and they rode off, left Rivendell, left Glorfindel who stood there, looking after them, not able to cry, not able to believe that it was over.

Two hours later Legolas rode next to Elrohir without saying a word.
His thoughts were far away, with Glorfindel.
Was it really possible that he had been under her spell?
No, he shouldn't believe that. It hurt so much to see him in her arms, he couldn't bear this once more.

~ And it hurts to want everything and nothing at the same time
I want what's yours and I want what's mine
I want you
But I'm not giving in this time ~

"Are you sure that he lied to you?" Elrohir asked after a while. He had known Glorfindel for all his life, he had never seen him so happy like the last few years with Legolas. It was simply hard for him to believe that he would hurt him so much.
"Elrohir, I cannot bear this. Can you even imagine how much it hurt to see him with this woman?"
Elrohir didn't answer, he didn't need to.
Legolas had already decided. He had to leave.
Even if it broke his heart.

~ Goodbye to you
Goodbye to everything I thought I knew
You were the one I loved
The one thing that I tried to hold on to ~

In the night Legolas silently walked through the trees, he didn't want to wake Elrohir just because he couldn't sleep.
He thought of the many nights he had rested in Glorfindel's arms. He remembered how safe he had felt, how wonderful everything had been and he felt like he would collapse right now.
But he didn't and so he walked back to the camp, where he lay down and tried to get some sleep.
It was of no use, he just couldn't. He was cold, which was not usual for an Elf, and he had never felt so alone before, not in his entire life.

~ The one thing that I tried to hold onto
And when the stars fall I will lie awake
You're my shooting star~

The End