The Dance
Author: Luthorin
Pairing: Glorfindel/Erestor
Disclaimer: Not mine
Warning: AU, Slash, character death
Genre: Romance, Angst
Rated: PG-13
Summary: Erestor looked back on his first dance long time ago. Song fic.
A/N: This is my first fanfic. English is not my first language, please be kind. ^_^
It's a spring festival in Imladris. The hall of fire was crowded with joyful elves. There were a lot of singings, dancing, drinking, gossiping and even flirting all over the hall. Everything was so perfect, by the hands of one person who did not even participated in the joyful events, but drinking quietly by himself at one shadowy corner of the hall.
"Erestor!" A shirking voice loud enough to make him wince pulled him from his observation of the merry elves in the hall.
"Lord Elladan, Lord Elrohir" Erestor greeted the little lords, who had a big smile on their faces.
"Why are you here all alone by yourself? Come, dance with us!" Elladan said, while Elrohir grabbed his hand and tried to pull him toward the dance floor.
"I'm sorry little-ones. I do not dance." Erestor said matter-of-factly.
"Please Erestor!" Elrohir pleaded.
"We can't believe you can not dance! You live like ten thousand years already!" Elladan, who could not think before speak, said boldly.
"I've never said I can't dance. I said I do not dance. And I'm not that old." Erestor mused.
"Why?" The twines, confused, asked in unison.
"Boys!" Elrond called his sons from behind the elflings.
"Ada!"
"Don't bother Erestor."
"We did not!" Elladan argued.
"We just asked Erestor for a dance." Elrohir added.
"We just don't understand why he does not want to dance." Elladan pouted.
"We want Erestor to have fun with us." Elrohir was about to cry.
Elrond looked at Erestor apologetically. The counselor just smiled at his lord. He put his hands on the twins' shoulders. Both elflings looked up at him, tears sparkling in their eyes.
"You want to know why I do not dance." Erestor said softly. "It's because the last time I danced, I lost my city and everybody I loved to the hand of Morgoth."
The answer stunned the lord and his sons completely.
"We.. we are sorry Erestor." Elrohir whispered.
"Don't be." Erestor smiled sadly. "It's long time ago, like ten thousand years already." He used Elladan's words to tease them. "You two go, have fun."
Erestor watched Elrond ushered his sons to their mother. He knew his lord would come back and apologized to him shortly, but now, even it was a long time ago, the pain was still there, in his heart.
Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared beneath the stars above
For a moment, all the world was right...
It was the feast to celebrate the Gates of Summer. King Turgon's court was decorated richly. Food and drink were abundant. And almost everybody in Gondolin was gathered here in the great hall of the king.
In one corner of the hall, Erestor looked at the joyful event before him, a goblet of wine in one hand. Now the minstrels were playing beating music for those merry elves on the dance floor who swung and twirled around each other joyously. He could catch a swirl of gold among them. That one undoubtedly was always the center of attention in this realm. Even he could not resist drawing his eyes to that golden elf regularly. His thought was interrupted when he felt a tuck at his rope. Erestor looked down to see a small hand tucking around the hem of his outer rope, curious grey eyes looking up at him.
"You are not supposed to be here young Earendil." He smiled at the seven year-old boy.
"Nana?" The boy asked.
"I haven't seen her around here." Erestor told the boy. He glanced around the room to search for the king's daughter among the crowd, but found no trace of her.
"Are you sure she is not in your chambers?"
"I searched everywhere, even in the closets." The boy's brow creased with worry. "Please help me find my Nana, 'Restor."
"Alright" Erestor picked the boy up, and carried him through the empty hallway in search of Idril. Earendil's arm circle around Erestor's shoulder, another hand grabbed his lock of black hair.
At the end of the north hallway, they found Idril speaking to someone. The elf grabbed her arm and tried to pull her toward him. She insisted and tried to call for help, but the elf's large hand close around her mouth to stop her from shouting.
"Nana!!" Earendil shouted and struggled to be free from Erestor, who held the boy tighter lest the boy might get hurt from this unknown elf. The elf startled and freed Idril immediately. Then Erestor found that the elf was Meaglin, who is retreating to the next hall swiftly.
Earendil, now freed from Erestor's arms, ran to his mother and hug her tightly. Idril looked up at the elf that stood before her with gratitude in her eyes.
"Are you alright milady?" He asked.
"Yes, thank you lord Erestor."
"May I ask what just happened?"
"Yes you may." She sighed. "Meaglin tried to take me to go with him. He said we needed to go to a safe place tonight, but he didn't tell me the reason." She looked at her son. "Why are you with Earendil by the way?"
"I woke up and couldn't find you. Restor helped me find you." Earendil answered.
"Thank you again Erestor." Idril smiled at him.
"It's nothing milady. You'd better take the little one to bed. It's almost dawn." He smiled at her and the little one. "May I escort you to your chambers?"
"No, thank you Erestor. You'd better go back to the feast. The welcoming of Anor is about to begin. You were the one who arranged this feast, you deserve to enjoy it."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I don't think he will come back anytime soon."
"Then, good night milady. Good night little one." Erestor bowed to the king's daughter and her son.
"Goodnight 'Restor" Earendil kissed him at the cheek and waved him goodbye before following his mother to their chambers.
Erestor watched until they turned the corner, he, then, went back to the great hall.
"Here you are, Lord Erestor!"
Erestor turned to look at the one who called him, the one who he just saw twirling around on the dance floor.
"Lord Glorfindel. May I help you?"
"Oh no. I was just wondering where you were. You, of all people should be here, celebrating the coming of summer more than anyone in here." The golden elf said, his eyes sparkling with something the dark elf could not comprehend.
"How so?" Erestor raised his eyebrow skeptically.
"I happened to know that you were the one who arranged this wonderful feast. Besides, you haven't set your feet on the dance floor tonight. May you grace us with your beauty on the dance floor tonight, Erestor?"
"Someone who is beautiful and radiant like Anor himself call me beautiful, a lowly scholar like me? Don't pretend you care." Erestor walked away toward the balcony that led to the garden, but Glorfindel followed him nonetheless.
"You are a lord, why do you thing yourself lowly?"
"I'm a lord of a house that no one follows. I'm no warrior, like yourself, who would want to join my house for the protection?"
"But they respect you for your intelligent. And yes, I care. I care for you very much Erestor." Glorfindel's eyes lit up when he realized something. "You think I'm beautiful?"
Erestor averted his eyes from the warrior. "Everybody thinks you are beautiful."
"Everybody thinks YOU are beautiful.." Glorfindel thought for two seconds then added "..and intelligent."
"You've never agree with me in any council meetings." Erestor crossed his arms over his chest and raised his eyebrow again.
"True. But I always followed your advices in the battle field, did I not?" It's Glorfindel's turn to raise his eyebrow. It's an eyebrow rising competition so it seem. Erestor chuckled softly.
"You did because everyone agrees with my plans."
"See? That's why I said you are intelligent." Glorfindel smiled a winning smile. "And beautiful." He added swiftly.
Erestor sighed, defeated.
"Whatever." That was not an intelligent come back after all. Now they were at the empty balcony at the north-east of the palace, the place best to see Anor rising in this season. The music from within the hall could still be heard there. Now the music changed into a slow beat for a waltz. Glorfindel smiled at the dark beauty before him, and then asked.
"Would you honor me with a dance, Vilwarin?" He's truly like a butterfly, to the name of his house, the House of the Butterfly.
"Don't call me that!" Erestor scowled at the golden elf, but complied. He placed his right hand in the larger hand of the warrior, and his left hand at his waist. Erestor smirked at his dance partner.
"I will lead." He said to the larger elf, who now was laughing loudly.
"But, Erestor, I'm taller." Glorfindel pretended whining.
"I'm not complaining, am I?"
Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared beneath the stars above
For a moment, all the world was right...
They danced like a butterfly playing with a golden flower. Erestor tilted his head to look at the bluest eyes he had ever seen. The sparkling blue eyes captured his heart in that moment. Why he'd never realized before that this golden elf had captured his heart for a very long time.
Without realization, he placed both hands on Glorfindel hips, while the blond circled his arms around the dark elf's shoulders. Erestor's head rested on the muscled shoulder, and they moved in synchronization to each other. It seemed like the world stop in that moment, there were only two of them under the starlit sky.
"Erestor, I have something to tell you." Glorfindel whispered to Erestor's ear.
The dark elf looked up, and his heart skipped a beat when he saw the love in those blue eyes.
Glorfindel touched his forehead to Erestor's. Their breath mingled; there lips were merely inches apart.
"I.." Glorfindel stopped abruptly when he saw the frightening expression on Erestor's face. The pale face was even paler than usual, he griped Glorfindel's waist tightly. "..Erestor..?!"
"That is not the east!" Erestor stammered. His eyes fixed at he vision behind Glorfindel to the horizon on the north. "There is light from the north!?"
Glorfindel twirled around to see what the dark elf saw. His eyes widened when he saw the red light growing from the north, and it was moving toward the center of the city!
"Erestor, alert everybody! Take women and children to safety, I'll tell the king and prepare our warriors. Go!"
"Glorfindel!" Erestor, now shaking with fear, grabbed Glorfindel's arm. He did not fear for himself, he once was a warrior, but he felt something inside. He feared he would not see the warrior again.
How could I have known that you'd ever say goodbye
"Erestor," Glorfindel touched the pale cheek, his smile was saddening. He leaned forward to kiss Erestor's lips, this might be their first and last kiss, he wished it was not.
"Vilwarin, I love you." He whispered to the parted lips, then straightened himself suddenly and pushed the dark elf toward the hallway. "Go!"
Erestor ran to the court of the king, alerted everybody, but in his heart, he only preyed for his beloved. 'Glorfindel, don't die. Come back to me.'
Tuor, Idril and Erestor led women, children and wounded to the secret passage through the spiral way of Cirith Thoronath, Erestor was on the back of the group, ushering as many people as possible to safety. He had a long sword in his hand, his cloths and his weapons were red with orcs' blood. Then he heard a roar, so loud and frightening to make everyone stopped in their track.
"Balrog!!"
Somebody screamed, and the chaos was even more extreme. Erestor turned to face the creature; there was no fear in his eyes. He just wanted to save these people.
"Erestor!" "Rostor!" Idril and Earendil screamed his name.
"Go!" Erestor shouted back. Now the balrog was standing just several feet in front of him.
Tuor ran from the head of the group when he heard his wife and son's scream. And what he saw made the hair on his neck stood up. Erestor was taking a blow from the balrog's whip. His hands were shacking, his cloths were burn in parts, but he still stood upright between the balrog and the refugees.
Erestor screamed when the flaming whip hit his arm fiercely, the flame spread to his sleeve and burnt his arm immediately.
Tuor hurriedly took off his cloak, and used his cloak to extinguish the fire spreading over the dark elf's arm.
The balrog stepped, slowly, closer to the man and elf. Suddenly, it shirked and roared with pain, a sword sticking in its back.
"Tuor! Take Erestor! Go!"
It was Glorfindel who struck the balrog with his sword. The balrog turned to the golden warrior, and charged him fiercely. Erestor who was dragged by Tuor looked at the battle scene wide eyes, his heart stopped beating, his feet seemed to move by themselves, followed Tuor through the path.
The last thing he remembered was Glorfindel pierced the creature through its heart, but before it fell down the edge of the cliff, the balrog grabbed his golden hair, and pulled Glorfindel to the abysm with it.
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end, the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance.
If that night was different, if they had not had that dance, if he had not fallen in love with the golden warrior in that moment, Erestor wondered, whether would he have this pain?
If he had known that he would have fallen in love and lost his love shortly after, would he have that dance in the first place?
Erestor always knew the answers for those questions.
He might have this pain, but he would not have had it differently.
He would not have missed that dance.
Fin
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