Why you should Never Mess with a Staff
By Evenstar of Hogwarts
Chapter 2-
Erestor stomped through the hallways in a towering temper, after an excruciatingly long day. What events in the Hall of Fire! He was dog tired.
Erestor's scowl darkened as he remembered he had promised Elrond to teach the elfling version of Glorfindel History and Quenya. He was already dreading the sessions.
'Confound Estel.' Erestor thought. 'Why must he go and mess around with Mithrandir's staff of all objects? And that meddlesome Balrog Slayer- why did he have to go and jump in front of the spell. An elfling Elrond would be much easier to manage than him. But no; he must go and make life difficult for me. As if his adult version wasn't bad enough!'
Erestor flung his robes on the back of his chair, quite unlike his tidy self and changed into his night clothes. He snuggled into the covers, asleep before his head hit the pillow.
It seemed he hadn't been asleep for more than a minute when he felt an incessant tugging on his robes. Grumbling something about 'an infernal Orc' under his breath, he peered over the edge of the bed, only to see an elfling with a tear stained face, clutching a pillow. Glorfindel.
"What?" asked Erestor, clearly annoyed.
"I can't sleep. I had a nightmale. Can I sleep with you tonight?" Glorfindel asked tearfully.
Erestor looked about to refuse. "Pwease?" Glorfindel asked, making huge puppy dog eyes at the advisor, lower lip trembling ever so slightly.
"Oh, fine," Erestor said, relenting and allowing Glorfindel to clamber up. "What was the nightmare about?" he asked.
"I dweamt that Linden scolded me weal dweadful. And then he tulned into a monster and he gobbled me up!" Glorfindel wailed, dissolving into hysterical sobs. Erestor resisted the urge to chuckle at the absurdity of the nightmare.
"I want Nana." Glorfindel said unexpectedly, looking at Erestor with huge tear filled eyes.
"Err… Nana can't come now." Erestor said hesitantly, unsure of what to reply.
"I WANT NANA!" Glorfindel screeched shrilly. Erestor winced horribly.
Five seconds later, Arwen came bursting into the room. She restrained an amused smile as she hurried to the bed. Arwen sat next to Glorfindel. "What ails you, child?" she cooed softly.
Glorfindel stared up at her, mouth agape; stopping his noisy wails abruptly.
"What happened, penneth? Cat got your tongue?" Arwen asked eyes full of mirth.
"But you are so pwetty, Luthien!" Glorfindel said innocently. Arwen blushed. Erestor turned away, doubling over in silent laughter.
"Thank you, Glorfindel. But you mistook me. I am not Luthien." Arwen replied awkwardly.
"Yeah, and I'm Cildan" Glorfindel said sarcastically.
Arwen laughed. "Nay, penneth, I may not be Luthien but I'm related to her. My name is Arwen."
"Oh, sowwy," Glorfindel apologised, turning red.
"Oh, there's nothing to be sorry about. Just a funny mistake anyone might make." Arwen said, waving away his apology with an airy hand. "Now, what were you crying about?" she enquired.
Glorfindel described his nightmare, tears welling up yet again. Arwen didn't think it would be prudent to say anything right then; her ribs had probably cracked from the strain of not trying to laugh.
"Would you like me to sing you a song?" she managed.
"Yes, pwease!" cried Glorfindel.
Arwen began a song about Valinor she had learned from Celebrian. It was a long one, and by the middle of it, Glorfindel was asleep, sucking contentedly on his thumb.
"I guess my work here is done." Arwen whispered.
"Yes. Thank you. Who would have thought that ickle Glorfindel has a cwush on Alwen." Erestor whispered in a mock baby voice, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Stuff it Erestor" Arwen whispered, a murderous expression on her face. She left quickly, trying hard to not slam the door behind her.
Erestor didn't sleep well. For one thing, Glorfindel slept fitfully. The first time Erestor woke, it was to find Glorfindel using his legs as a pillow. The second time, he woke with a curse as Glorfindel had just kicked him in stomach. The third time, he had just risen on an elbow, preparing to get a glass of water, when Glorfindel rolled over and slapped him on the cheek. Erestor fell to the floor in a flailing tornado of white sheets and muttered curses. He glared at the sound asleep elfling before giving up completely, and dragging a pillow and blanket to his chair.
Erestor woke up in the morning, back aching because of the terrible position he had slept in. It was a moment before he remembered the events of the previous night. Automatically, he looked over to his bed where Glorfindel was still asleep.
Erestor tiptoed to the bed, checking whether the elfling was really asleep or just pretending. Luckily, he was sound asleep.
In fifteen minutes Erestor was ready. Normally, he took a much longer time for his bath, preferring to have a long soak, but now with an elfling in charge he hurried up. He was settling down to finish a few documents when the door banged open violently, causing the councillor to knock his inkpot over with a shout of horror and anguish and Glorfindel to wake up with a scream.
Erestor glared at Elrond who stood in the doorway completely bewildered. Glorfindel started crying because of the loud noise. Elrond stared apologetically at Erestor. Erestor shot him a disapproving, withering look before hastening to comfort the crying elfling.
"There, there Glorfindel. You just had a big scare, that's all. It was just a door," he soothed.
"No Olc?" Glorfindel hiccupped.
"No," Erestor replied.
"No twoll, Balwog, or any other bad cweatule either?" Glorfindel asked, still hiccupping.
"No," Erestor said, shooting Elrond a glare as the Elf Lord sniggered.
Erestor and Elrond waited until the elfling had calmed down. "Now, will you like to have a long bath?" asked Elrond.
"No!" squealed Glorfindel, clambering off the bed, dodging around a stupefied Elrond and flying down the halls at breakneck speed, leaving two swearing and cursing elves behind him.
"Catch him!" Elrond and Erestor yelled together. The two looked at each other before by a wordless decision began chasing after the elfling.
The two rounded yet another corner. At the same moment, Lindir, the chief minstrel came ambling along the same hallway. His dark grey eyes widened at seeing an elfling running full pelt towards him, with Elrond and Erestor in hot pursuit.
"Lindir! Catch Glorfindel!" screamed Elrond.
Lindir stared around for a millisecond; perplexed, fully expecting to see an adult Glorfindel barrelling towards him. Then he remembered that Glorfindel was now an elfling.
Lindir planted his legs wide apart, crouching down. Glorfindel simply slid through the minstrel's legs, regaining his balance neatly and speeding down the stairs.
"How the blazes!" Lindir swore.
"Quit gaping and help us catch him, you fool of a minstrel!" Erestor snarled.
The three of them followed Glorfindel down the stairs, just in time to see him leap off the last three. In an extremely unlord-like manner, Elrond leapt off the last seven stairs, stumbling a little at his landing.
Glorfindel had just cut through the next hallway, when a door on his right opened and Elladan and Elrohir emerged, tousle haired and groggy.
"Dan, Ro! Catch Glorfindel!" shouted Erestor.
Bewildered, the twins spun around. Glorfindel immediately head butted Elrohir who stumbled sideways into Elladan. The two of them fell to the floor in a confused tangle of limbs.
"Aiieee!" they screamed.
Elrond stopped to help them up.
"What the heck was that?" asked Elladan.
"A certain mischievous, young Balrog Slayer," panted Elrond.
Just then, a door on Glorfindel's right opened and Arwen emerged, stretching.
"ARWEN!" bellowed Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir, Lindir and Erestor.
"What in Arda!" Arwen swore.
Unable to control his speed, Glorfindel stumbled into Arwen, who caught him before he could bonk fully into her.
Arwen lifted the once grown Elf up. Bewildered, she turned to the five other breathless Elves, leading them into her room.
"What in Middle Earth happened?" she questioned.
"That elfling is giving trouble with his bath," growled Erestor, as Lindir departed from the room, after taking a hearty swig of water.
Glorfindel buried his face in Arwen's neck. "Mean Wessie," he mumbled. The others snorted loudly. Arwen was torn between laughter and rolling her eyes.
She carried Glorfindel to the tub, where hot water was ready. "Go away," she snapped, shooing her father, brothers and Erestor out of her room.
"Oh, and Erestor? Fetch some tunics for him," Arwen said, closing the door on his face. Erestor facepalmed as Elrond and his sons began to laugh.
Arwen deposited Glorfindel into the tub. He obediently pulled his tunic over his head and threw it on the bed.
"Alwen? Are you angwy with me?" Glorfindel asked.
"No, pen neth," sighed Arwen. Glorfindel brightened instantly.
The rest of the bath passed in much-appreciated silence.
After around fifteen minutes, Erestor appeared carrying a small bundle of clothes.
"Finally. I thought you were never going to show up," grumbled Arwen.
Erestor rolled his eyes as he deposited the clothes on the bed, turning to leave.
"Hey, wait. Can you braid his hair for me? I'll dress him," called Arwen.
Erestor's face took on a fearful look. "Um, er I um no, I-" he stammered but Arwen cut him off. "I'll take that as a yes then,"
Erestor cursed loudly. Arwen raised an eyebrow. "Fine," he muttered.
Within five minutes, Arwen had dressed Glorfindel. He bounded off to the door.
"Where do you think you are going?" snapped Erestor.
"To play," replied Glorfindel.
"No way. You'll braid your hair first then play to your heart's content," said Erestor, holding the hairbrush rather like a sword.
"Fine," Glorfindel pouted, flinging himself on the bed. Arwen exited the room hurriedly, never believing that she had seen Glorfindel pout.
Fifteen minutes later, Erestor still hadn't finished combing the wild tangle of hair.
"Glorfindel, stay still, pen neth," chided Erestor as Glorfindel squirmed for the millionth time.
"I'm hungwy. I want bleakfast. And I want to play," whined Glorfindel.
"Just a few minutes more," coaxed Erestor.
"There, done!" Erestor exclaimed triumphantly after another fifteen minutes. He turned away to gather up a few scrolls. He frowned in exasperation as he turned around again.
There, like a bat, Glorfindel was standing on his head on the bed. Feet gracefully pointed in the air, the carefully done braids once again a mess…
Next chapter: Elrond appoints Estel as Glorfindel's playmate and asks Erestor to watch over the two. Of course, Glorfindel and Estel give Erestor hell…
Reviews, reviews and more reviews! They make me happy. All flames shall be fed to the Balrog.