And here comes the sequel to 'A love Unknown', I'm glad I managed to finish it! You don't need to read the prequel to understand this story but I would recommend it. This is a little longer then the last one so you will get it in two chapters.

Title: Nightmare in the Woods

Author: Sione

Pairing: Glorfindel/Erestor

Rating: M

Disclaimer: I own nothing, everything belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien.

Notes: I had no beta reader for this and English is not my first language so I'm sorry for any grammar and spelling mistakes.

Summary: Glorfindel and Erestor decides to take an evening ride in the woods but things goes terribly wrong.

Edit: This is now finally beta-ed, it was certainly about time, huh? ;)

-------------------------------------------------------------

Glorfindel had now been courting Erestor for about five months and everything was going well. The Councillor had to say he enjoyed the extra attention, and instead of spending his evenings alone, like before, they were often spend in the pleasant company of the golden warrior. To be honest he loved being courted, but at the same time it was an unusual feeling to be the centre of someone's attention. And it was not just any elf's attention, it was Glorfindel's. Erestor smiled broadly at the thought. Once again the warrior showed him that he really cared about him and was not simply interested in a night of passion and nothing more.

Actually, everything had been going very slow and they still hadn't taken it further than innocent kisses. The dark elf suspected that Glorfindel was more than ready to take it to the next level, but he never said a word of it and Erestor appreciated his patience for he did not yet feel ready for anything more than kisses. The crude comments said by the warriors five months earlier hadn't been entirely wrong about Erestor's lack of lovers. He had a couple of female lovers in his youth, but those moments had on the whole been pretty awkward and it was a very long time ago. He had never had any male lovers, even though his attraction to the same sex had started to outgrow his love for females a long time ago.

The advisor also felt a bit embarrassed at the thought of being together with Glorfindel, who must be so much more experienced. What would he think of him? He had read a couple of books on the subject but he wasn't exactly sure what to expect from the act itself. It seemed to be rather painful and to be honest Erestor found it somewhat scary. They hadn't really discussed any of this yet, they were still in the kissing stage after all, but Erestor couldn't help but to think about these matters.

Their relationship had been looked upon with surprise by many. Erestor supposed it must have been quite a shock for Glorfindel's warriors. The elf that they used to make fun of was now suddenly courted by their dear Captain, and if they didn't have the desire to muck out the stables for a couple of months they better not talk ill of him in the presences of Glorfindel. That had been the punishment for the two unlucky elves who had humiliated Erestor that special evening almost five months ago. The dark-haired elf was happy that he was not in the two warriors' shoes the day after when the Captain ordered their punishment, Glorfindel could be rather intimidating when he was angry. Erestor had discovered that the blond elf had a very protective side and he found it to be somewhat sweet and scary at the same time.

But he also discovered that Glorfindel indeed had a soft side as well. He was an excellent listener and he was always caring and sweet. They actually did have things in common too, they both enjoyed a game of chess and they had surprisingly interesting conversation about just about everything. To the advisor's delight Glorfindel enjoyed reading and Erestor excitedly recommended to him all of his favourite books in the library.

Sometimes Erestor thought that his warrior was just like a big teddy bear, which he teasingly pointed out to Glorfindel one evening. The blond elf had merely growled and leapt on him, catching the petite elf in a fierce hug. 'You know bears can be quite dangerous when provoked, my sweet. You should watch that sharp tongue of yours, or this bear might just decide to gobble you all up,' he had whispered in a pointed ear, making Erestor shiver. Glorfindel had slowly planted kisses along the dark elf's neck, down along his collarbone to finally return to the ear and nibble on the tip lightly. Erestor had gasped and taken a firm hold on the golden tresses. 'If this is how it feels to be gobbled up I might just want to try it again sometime,' he had said with a grin, making the warrior growl once more in the crook of his neck. That had been a good evening, Erestor thought. They had eventually eaten a rather cold dinner because of certain…distractions, and later that night went for a ride under the stars. He smiled fondly at the memory while running his fingers through his feather quill.

The Councillor hadn't gotten much done this morning, lost in memories and excited about the afternoon when Glorfindel would return from his one week patrol and join him for dinner in his chamber. The week had felt excruciatingly long, and he yearned with all his heart for the golden elf's return. He couldn't help but to also be feeling a little worried whenever the warrior was away on his regular patrols. The borders of Imladris were normally safe, with some raids of orcs from time to time and some trespassing humans but nothing serious. So there really wasn't anything to worry about, but still… 'Ai, I'm really turning into a lovesick fool!' Erestor cursed himself. 'And I'm not getting anything done either. I really must finish these reports.' Once again he turned his attention to the documents in front of him.

----------------------------------------------

About three hours later Erestor stood in the courtyard together with a group of elves waiting for the squad of warriors' return. He was standing next to Elrond, restlessly shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"He will be here soon," Elrond said with an amused smile.

"What? Oh yes, I'm just a bit excited. I'm acting like an impatient elfling, aren'tI?"

"Just a bit," the elf lord replied with a chuckle.

Erestor blushed and murmured, "I'm sorry"

"Don't be. I'm just glad to see you happy my friend, even if it means I have had a very absent-minded Chief Councillor of late."

The dark-haired elf smiled apologetically, but the sounds of hooves made his head snap around. He saw the troop come riding through the gates and closely looked for a glimpse of golden hair. As Glorfindel came riding to the head of the group Erestor's smile broadened. He looked beautiful up on his white steed, his golden hair shinning in the sun. Blue eyes met dark and Erestor's smile was answered with an even broader one. As Elrond gave a formal welcome to the warriors they kept staring at each other, not hearing a word of it. When he finally finished Glorfindel dismounted and handed the reins to one of the approaching stable boys with a loving pat on Asfaloth's neck.

Not able to contain himself any longer, Erestor let the warrior take about two steps towards him before he launched himself at him, not caring about the elves around them. He had been much less concerned about his appearance as of late, Glorfindel definitely had had a bad influence on him. He was caught in a fierce hug and he felt his feet leave the ground for a moment.

"Missed me?" The golden warrior chuckled in his ear.

"Unbearably so, I'm glad you're back." He absently drew a finger along the warrior's leather-clad chest and murmured, "Did you miss me?"

"Of course, the days couldn't go fast enough," Glorfindel huskily replied. He licked his lips and looked down on the advisor with a predatorily grin. "Hmm, I think I know what I missed the most."

"And what is that?" Erestor asked with a mischievous smile.

"Those wondrous soft lips of yours. I think I will have a taste of them right now." He slowly leaned down and captured the advisor's lips in a hungry yet gentle kiss which was eagerly responded to. Slightly breathless, Erestor finally drew back.

"Maybe we should take this inside," he suggested with a rising blush when he looked around the courtyard, noticing the many glances directed at them.

"I rather just ravish you right here in the courtyard in front of everyone," Glorfindel replied cheekily in his ear.

Erestor pushed away the smirking warrior. "Behave, my dear Balrog slayer, or you won't get a chance to ravish me anywhere," he responded with a teasing smile. "Now come on, I will have dinner served in my chambers for us."

"Oh you spoil me, Erestor."

"Yes, I know." He grinned, but then turned serious and pointed a finger in Glorfindel's chest. "But first, you need a bath." The blond elf groaned, but the Councillor merely raised a dark eyebrow.

Glorfindel shrugged his shoulder. "Fine, I'll be in your rooms in an hour."

"I'm looking forward to it," Erestor said softly while running a hand over the muscular chest. "Now off with you, my smelly warrior. The faster you go, the earlier I can have you in my rooms again."

Glorfindel chuckled and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before he was off.

Erestor didn't waste any time as he hurried up to his chambers to prepare for the blond elf's return. He changed into a dark blue robe, fixed his hair and swiftly prepared for their dinner which had been brought up to his room. He had chosen Glorfindel's favourite food for the evening and brought in fresh flowers. He had just lit the last candle when there was a knock on the door. He took a quick look in the mirror and straightened his robe before he opened the door.

Glorfindel was standing there with a big grin plastered on his face, wearing a green tunic and brown leggings. "I'm clean," he pointed out.

"So I see." He stepped aside with a smile. "Please, come in."

Glorfindel looked around the room and smiled. "You really do spoil me." He stepped closer and fondled the raven black hair. "You look lovely Erestor." The warrior extracted a rectangular wooden box from behind his back and handed it to him. "Here, a present for you. It's nothing special, but I thought you should have it."

"Glorfindel you didn't have to—"

But the warrior just shushed him and pressed the box into Erestor's hands. "I know, but I wanted to."

So the dark-haired elf opened the box and gasped when he looked inside. A beautiful long black feather had been laid on a bed of deep red velvet. He carefully lifted the feather to study it closer. "It's beautiful, where ever did you find this?"

"I found it during the patrol in the woods, and I thought it would make a perfect quill for my little scribe," he said fondly while caressing a smooth cheek.

"It's too lovely to use, really."

"No, you should use it," Glorfindel insisted.

"I will, but only on special occasions. I don't want to wear it out too quickly." He smiled and stroked the black feather before carefully placing it back on the velvet bed.

"So you like it then?" The warrior said softly while pulling the small elf closer to him, two hands planted firmly on the slim hips.

"I love it, thank you," Erestor replied honestly and met the approaching lips of the warrior. A moan of delight escaped him as Glorfindel gently kneaded his back with skilful hands while nibbling lightly on his full lips.

"Maybe we should eat first," Erestor suggested a little shakily when the warrior finally released his lips.

"I'm eating right now," The golden-haired elf murmured while he continued to nibbling and sucking along his neck and collarbone.

Erestor almost yelped when Glorfindel bit down a little harder but soon felt a soothing tongue on the bite mark.

"The dinner, Glorfindel. Before it gets cold," he specified in a high-pitched tone, even though he was aware that the blond elf knew all along what he was talking about. With a large amount of will power he pushed Glorfindel away from him and earned himself a disappointed look.

"We are not going to eat cold dinner like last time, sit down." He determinately pointed to one of the chairs at the fully set table. Glorfindel finally gave in with a shrug and sat down. Fortunately the dinner hadn't gone cold yet and they had a pleasant meal while they talked about the last week and its happening.

When they finished Glorfindel leaned back with a satisfied smile on his face. "That was wonderful, thank you Erestor. I'd been longing for some proper food."

"It was nothing."

Glorfindel leaned forward and caught the advisor's small hands in his. "How about we celebrate my return with an evening ride?"

"That sounds like a lovely idea." Erestor smiled a cheeky grin. "One or two horses?"

"We take Asfaloth, I want to feel you close tonight. I have missed holding that perfect body of yours."

"And I have missed being held by you." Erestor reluctantly drew his hands away and stood up. "I must change first though."

Glorfindel came around the table and gave him a lingering kiss. "Come down to the stables when you're ready, I'll be waiting for you."

Erestor hurriedly stepped out of his robes and dressed in black leggings and a simple rust brown tunic. He thought about braiding his hair but stopped himself; Glorfindel liked his hair loose he remembered. With a smile he took a brush and ran it through his raven mane a couple of time before leaving it as it was.

---------------------------------------------

When Erestor joined Glorfindel, who stood ready in the courtyard, the sun was set low in the sky and painted it in golden tones. This wasn't the first time they had taken an evening ride; actually it was one out of many. Their jobs often kept them busy in the daytime, and besides they enjoyed riding out to meet the beautiful sunsets of Imladris. Summer was upon them so the weather was warm and the evenings were actually a blessing from the burning sun this time of year. If they stayed out long enough and the sky was clear, they would watch the stars together. It reminded Erestor of that cold winter night five months ago when they had shone bright upon them.

The blond warrior was standing ready with Asfaloth's reins in his hands. He smiled broadly when he saw Erestor approaching.

"Ready?" he inquired.

Erestor nodded and answered that broad smile with one of his own.

Glorfindel grabbed him by the waist and helped him up on Asfaloth's back, even though he was quite capable of mounting a horse by himself. An amused smile played on Erestor's lips. Well, come to think about it, there were a lot of things Glorfindel had done for him these last months that he had no trouble doing on his own before. Like holding out his chair, opening doors, and at one time actually feeding him, Erestor thought with a blush. He was so caught up in memories that he jumped slightly in surprise when Glorfindel sat up behind him, which earned him a chuckle from the blond warrior.

"And where were you, my dear Councillor?"

"Oh, I was just thinking…"

"About what?" Glorfindel whispered seductively in his ear while leaning forward to take hold of the reins.

Erestor felt the blood rush to his cheeks. "About the time we ate strawberry tarts," he answered with an embarrassed smile.

"Aah, that was a pleasant evening, we should do it again sometime." The warrior kissed a heated cheek and tightened the hold he had around the slim waist.

------------------------------------------------------

They rode longer than usual that evening, none of them really interested in stopping. Glorfindel was content with holding the small elf in his arms and Erestor was enjoying the feeling of being held. But when the advisor felt himself slipping into slumber he suggested a stop. He knew Glorfindel would be reluctant to wake him if he fell asleep, but he wouldn't want his sleepiness to end the night so quickly. He hadn't been sleeping very well the last week and it seemed like his tiredness was catching up on him.

"You seem tired," Glorfindel noted when they dismounted. He caught Erestor's hands in his. "Do you want to return?"

"No, I'm alright." He shook his sleepiness off him and smiled up at the warrior. "I can sleep later, now come on." He dragged Glorfindel with him to the small pond they had stopped by.

It was a beautiful little glade they had found, Erestor concluded. He had missed these rides and fully enjoyed being out in the nature again, instead of sitting hunched over his desk. They sat down in the grass against a big oak and Glorfindel drew him up against his shoulder. None of them said anything; instead, they just enjoyed the closeness of each other and listened to the sounds of nature around them. Erestor decided to rest his head against the warrior's shoulder and after awhile closed his eyes.

Erestor woke up groggily when he felt Glorfindel become rigid under him. He blinked confusedly a couple times, for a moment wondering where he was. Then he realised the warrior must have let him fall asleep against him. He was about scold him for it but stopped himself when he looked up into Glorfindel's worried and concentrated face.

"Glorfindel, what—" he started uneasily, but was shushed by a silencing gesture.

It was then that Erestor also heard what was keeping the warrior so tense. A howl carried through the woods and the screech of what sounded very much like an orc followed.

"I can't believe it. How could they have ventured this far?" The dark elf whispered disbelievingly.

"They have their wargs with them. They must be looking for prey to feed them with."

"Maybe we're merely paranoid. It could just be humans with a pack of hunting dogs," Erestor tried hopefully.

"There are no humans Erestor and you know it. You must ride to Imladris now," Glorfindel said seriously and stood up, dragging the dark-haired elf with him.

"What?! I will not leave you here!" he retorted sharply and jerked himself free from the warrior's grip.

"Erestor please, you're unarmed and even if you weren't you haven't fought a battle in ages. I'm the Captain of Imladris; this is my job, let me take care of this."

"Glorfindel, you know this is folly!" Erestor felt himself panicking. "You can't fight them alone, they are too many. Why can't we try and outrun them together?" He grabbed the blond elf by the arm and looked him sternly in the eyes. "You're not staying here alone. Either you come with me or I'm staying right here."

"My sweet Erestor, I love you and I would rather see you safe in Imladris than getting us both into trouble by trying to flee together. Asfaloth cannot carry both of us fast enough from the wargs if they would find our tracks. I can detain them while you get help, and I will only fight them if necessary. Don't worry, I will be fine." He stroked a flushed cheek of the advisor, trying to persuade the obstinate elf.

But Erestor just folded his arms and looked even sterner. "No Glorfindel, I'm not changing my mind in this. I'm staying and that's final."

"Then I'm truly sorry, Erestor," Glorfindel said with a pained expression.

"For what?" he asked with a confused frown.

"For this," The warrior simply said before, with a swift blow, he struck the unprepared advisor in the back of his head with the hilt of a knife he had been hiding behind his back. He tried to keep the blow as gentle as possible but still do the job. Hopefully it had been hard enough to keep Erestor unconscious for awhile.

He quickly caught the small elf before he slumped to the ground. "I'm so sorry love, but I don't want to see you get hurt," he murmured in Erestor's ear while stroking the black head.

He whistled for Asfaloth who obediently came trotting, and hurriedly put the dark-haired elf on the horse. "Bear him well my friend, I'm trusting you on this." He stroked the muzzle of Asfaloth lovingly, who pushed him gently in the chest and gave him an accusing look. The distanced sounds of wargs had now grown uncomfortably loud. "I know." He sighed. "But I'm coming right after you. Now go, carry your burden well and hurry home!" He gave the white horse a light smack on its behind. Asfaloth snorted and, after one long look at his master, set off.

Glorfindel knew he had to run as well. He could probably outrun the orcs but the wargs were likely to catch up with him soon if they found his trail. He would rather avoid that confrontation as long as possible. He had to get back, but first he needed to lead the enemy away from both Imladris and Erestor. At least, he hoped they would chose to follow him instead. He set of at great speed, only barely touching the ground. Without boasting Glorfindel knew he was a skilled warrior, but by the sound of it, he would be badly outnumbered and even he couldn't be sure to win such a fight. Though his heart felt lighter knowing that Erestor was on his way to safety, the Councillor would probably be furious with him when he woke up. But that was a price Glorfindel was willing to pay.

-------------------------------------------------

Erestor slowly regained consciousness again by a bumping motion that painfully banged his pounding head against solid muscle. Something tickled him in his face and he irritably tried to blow it away and slip back to the blackness that fogged his mind. But something was nagging on his mind and stopped him from returning to that blissful oblivion once again. He tried to concentrate his thoughts on that distressing feeling and slowly became aware of the surroundings around him. Come to think about it, he thought he was moving and that solid thing he was flung over was the reason for all the bumping motion which was torturing him so. He groaned loudly when pain shot through his head with double force after another nasty bumping. 'What was going on?' he thought groggily, and slowly started to open his eyes. All he met was darkness and figures of tree trunks flashing before him. He suddenly noticed that he actually was lying over a horse's back, and the thing that had been tickling him was white mane blowing into his face.

Memories suddenly came flashing before him and he abruptly sat up, making Asfaloth flinch at the sudden motion. The evening ride, the orcs, and Glorfindel's pained expression when he apologised for something… Realisation suddenly hit the Councillior. 'No, he didn't,' he thought disbelieving. He traced slender fingers along his throbbing head and found the lump that was forming on the back of his head. 'That damn stubborn elf knocked me unconscious, I can't believe it,' he thought angrily. But now Glorfindel was back there all alone… Erestor was not going to let himself be carried back to safety while his love was still out there. Asfaloth's lonely return would warn the others elves of danger. He was going back there. He took hold of the reins and tugged them to stop the running horse.

"Asfaloth stop, I must get back!" he pleaded.

The horse just snorted and tried to continue his run, but Erestor had made up his mind. With a still firm grip on the reins he pushed his heals into the horse's side.

"Either you stop right now or I will just jump right off you!"

That seemed to get the horse's attention, and he slowed down his run and started dancing nervously. Before Asfaloth even fully stopped Erestor was on the ground. The horse nibbled on his tunic and gave him an accusing look, clearly thinking he should get back up again. Erestor stroked his neck soothingly and then pushed him away. "I know what you master wanted, but this is for the better. Now, go and get help." Asfaloth took one long look at him before with a defeated neigh took off.

He knew Glorfindel would be absolutely furious with him for this, but Erestor wasn't too happy with the warrior either at the moment. His head still throbbed painfully and he knew he would have an impressive bump by the morning. So this probably wasn't a great idea, but he refused to return to Imladris without Glorfindel. He couldn't bear the thought of anything happening to the blond warrior.

Though he didn't know if he could make much of a difference, he would at least try. He now dearly wished for his old sword which hung like a dusty relic on the wall in his chamber. He hadn't carried it for a very long time and he was never really good at using it, but in the times of war in the past everyone should know a little bit about self-defence. He remembered how his father had pleaded with him to leave his dear books and at least learn the basics of how to wield a sword. He never enjoyed it, but he got his father's point about the importance of it and did his best. There were some who did worse than Erestor who in any case had his agility to relay on, however it was quite clear that he would never make a good warrior.

But as it was now he was pretty much unarmed. Except for the small dagger hidden in his boot that not even Glorfindel knew of. Actually nobody knew of the little knife he usually wore, efficiently hidden under his long robes. He supposed it was a remnant from the dark times when it felt necessary to at least carry something sharp with him. Though there had been peace for a long time now the world was still not a safe place, which had been clearly shown tonight. To feel the dagger pressed against his leg had always felt comforting. Of course there wasn't much he could do with a knife, but at least he wasn't unarmed.

His light run had taken him closer to the sounds of orcs and he cautiously began to slow down, not wanting to reveal himself. He didn't hear any wargs and guessed they were off hunting somewhere else. The voices seemed to heading his way and he quickly decided to climb a tree to go unnoticed. Erestor hadn't climbed any trees since he was an elfling but he thought he remembered the technique well enough. After some effort he finally was seated on a thick branch, and it didn't take long before the orcs emerged from the trees. Erestor watched the vile creatues with dread; ithad been a long time since he even saw an orc. They didn't venture into the forests of Imladris often, and if they did the warriors would be sure to hunt them down quickly.

When they came closer he noticed that without the wargs the group wasn't as big as you would have thought from the sounds, maybe just something over a dozen. But they were still a formidable threat. The orcs were pretty big too, bigger than anyone Erestor had encountered before. It would definitely be a risky thing to take on this group by yourself. The advisor truly hoped that Glorfindel hadn't run into them yet. If so there was a chance that he would find the warrior's lifeless body next, and the thought made him shiver. He went further out on his branch to take a closer look at them. If none of them were injured, they likely hadn't met Glorfindel. They seemed uninjured, he thought with relief. He didn't know what their wargs were up to, but this group of orcs had at least not had any encounter with the blond elf. So caught up in his musing, he didn't even notice when he took a wrong step and found himself slipping off the branch. With a racing heart he quickly tried to regain his balance and find something to hold on to. His flailing hands managed to get hold of a twig above him, but it was too thin to support his weight for any longer time so it cracked and had him falling to the ground with a yelp. He landed on the leaf covered ground with a painful thump, right in the middle of a group of very surprised orcs.

------------------------------------------------

Glorfindel stopped his run and listened carefully. The sounds of the wargs seemed to be heading away from his track. Either they had found a more interesting track to follow, or the orcs had called them back. He didn't want to lose the position of the orcs, so he started heading back to see what they were up to. They were likely to have followed the wargs, so they should be close by. They were starting to get alarmingly close to Imladris and he didn't like it; he would need his warriors soon to stop them getting any closer. Asfaloth should have carried Erestor to Imladris by now, and that meant that enforcement should be on its way, he thought hopefully.

After tracking through the forest for some time he finally heard the sounds of orcs again. They were close to Imladris, but still a safe distant away. Glorfindel was relived by that, but the excited voices from the crowd increased his worries once again. He hurriedly set off to see what the orcs had found, but a piercing scream made him stop dead in his tracks. Glorfindel would recognise that voice anywhere. 'Erestor,' he thought with rising horror.

TBC