As always, thank you everybody for your faves follows and reviews! No warnings for this chapter. And of course, I own nothing but my elfling. I don't even own her flute. Shame, really.
Chloe Zhang: thank you! Yes, it is surprising.
minnie123456890: thank you!
sorcha15: oh yes, me too. I wonder what they'll think of each other.
Lostfeather1: I have no doubt she would be! You'll see! Thank you!
Cupcake155: yes, me too! Thanks!
Chapter 8
Eruanna woke up early and yawned, looking up to see Glorfindel sleeping, eyes glazed in sleep. She smiled at the sight. She probably would have giggled if his mouth had been open.
As it was, she slipped out of his lap silently and padded over to the window. She scrambled up to sit on the sill and closed her eyes, saying a silent good morning to the wind and sky.
The wind was puffing today, puffs of breath on her face and hair, huffing indignantly at the sun that drove them away. She smiled slightly as the breeze complained to her about the distance that they had to travel, rattling the leaves of trees in annoyance.
Then she slipped off of the windowsill and managed her way into the blue dress from the day before. She would have to wait for Glorfindel to wake up so that he could help her with the laces in the back, but oh well.
She folded the tunic neatly and placed it on the trunk at the foot of the bed. Glorfindel stirred slightly, and she sat on the carpet in the room, in his view, sketching absently on a piece of paper. He stretched and woke up, eyes un-glazing and focusing once more. She was thinking when he saw her on the floor, and smiled unconsciously.
"Good morning, sweetling." He said, voice gravelly with sleep.
She looked up with blank eyes that cleared and she smiled lightly. Then she bent over the paper again while he began to dress for the day.
When he was finished, she stood and turned around, looking at him over her shoulder. He noticed the laces and tied them for her. She smiled in thanks and he chuckled, tapping her nose. She giggled silently and then picked up her paper and turned it over, writing on it.
He took the proffered paper. 'What do we do today?' He looked at her and scooped her up, kissing her cheek gently.
Her eyes widened adorably and her cheeks flushed rosy red. Then she smiled shyly and hugged him. His eyes softened as he studied her fondly.
"Well, we need to go retrieve your dresses, then I will show you around Imladris. How does that sound, sweet?" He asked gently. She nodded, eyes lighting up slightly.
They swept out of the door and went to the seamstresses' shop, where they were given said clothing and made their escape as fast as possible from the cooing elleth. He dropped off the dresses back at their quarters and let Eruanna change to a silver dress that matched his white and blue robes and made her eyes pop and hair glimmer more.
They made their way to the dining hall for breakfast. Lady Celébrian greeted them and squealed over Eruanna, much to the child's embarrassment. Lord Elrond smiled and greeted her warmly, and the twins scooped her up, to her delight. They grinned and teased her about getting mistaken for a moonbeam, which earned them a bright smile and a shy hug.
Glorfindel swept her away and set her in his lap to eat, while Elrond and Celébrian exchanged glances over the golden lord's behavior. She ate without any incidents and he whisked her to the library.
"Eruanna, this is my good friend Erestor, lord Elrond's personal councillor and librarian." He introduced her to the ellon sitting in a chair.
The elf looked up, and his eyes widened as he looked at the elfling that studied him curiously. To her, he was grey. His hair was a dark color like dust, but gleaming and clean, and his eyes were a grayish color with flecks of silver. His aura was knowledgable. Books. The smell of leather and parchment and ink. His deep purple robes made her think of violets.
She smiled shyly, and Glorfindel, watching her reactions carefully, was pleased to see her response. Erestor smiled softly.
"Mae Govannen, Eruanna." He inclined his head to her. Her cheeks were brushed a light pink and she reached out slightly. The scholarly elf, knowing that she was mute, for word of her had spread rapidly, reached out in reply slowly, touching her fingertips with his own.
Glorfindel noticed with interest that she did not flinch when Erestor reached out to her. Everyone but him was allowed to move to touch her without earning a violent flinch. Even the twins drew out a slight jerk of reflex, which was ignored.
Her eyes were studying Erestor piercingly, and the librarian met her gaze unwaveringly. Glorfindel was almost unnerved every time she used that gaze, for it was like being pierced with a sword and seeing everything underneath. His thoughts, heart, and mind.
But Erestor met her gaze unflinchingly and soon her look returned to normal. She looked to Glorfindel and smiled slightly. "What do you think?" He asked her with a grin and a smirk in Erestor's direction, who rolled his eyes. She was given a piece of paper and she wrote. 'He is like the twilight. His aura sings of knowledge, and he is like a fountain of words.' She replied shyly, hiding her head in his shoulder.
Erestor blinked in shock while Glorfindel nodded. "I say, Erestor, she can weave words as well as you can." He chuckled.
He had set their next destination to the music room, to meet Lindir, when Eruanna's head suddenly bolted up and she squirmed, making Glorfindel set her down and hurry after her as she broke into a run towards something she had seen, according to his guess.
"Eruanna!" He called, but she had stopped at a door. She impatiently tugged his robe and gestured to be quiet before tilting her head. He listened as well to hear what she had.
Eruanna was delighted. The sound of a harp was floating out from the door, and the drafts of wind, the whisper of ivy, and even the trees were singing along with it. She reached up to try to open the door when Glorfindel's hand made it before her.
She smiled at him brightly and crept in quietly, sitting down on the floor in the shade of a pillar and quietly watched Lindir play his harp. She did not know who he was, but she liked his aura.
It was calm and focused, balanced and almost empty in its un-chaotic manner. Ignoring Glorfindel's puzzled gaze aimed at her head, she continued to study this new elf's aura.
Unbeknownst to her, she reached out with her own consciousness, brushing against his. The harp paused, and she retreated. It went on again. The music was soothing, and the trees sang along with it, rustling their leaves and the ivy plants rubbing their green hands together in time with the tune. His aura focused his emotions into the harp, and she brushed the fingers of his aura with her own unconsciously.
The harp stumbled and stopped, Lindir's head jerking up in confusion. Glorfindel swept Eruanna up and stepped out of the shade of the pillar, making Lindir look up at them, startled.
"Forgive us for disturbing you, Lindir. Eruanna heard your music and apparently enjoyed it." Glorfindel apologized, even as Lindir stood with a small smile.
"There is no need to apologize, Lord Glorfindel, lady Eruanna. I am glad that you enjoyed my composition." He replied with a smile. Eruanna smiled shyly and nodded.
"It was not your presence that disturbed me. Something was brushing my feä, and it was quite strong." He puzzled. Glorfindel turned sharply to Eruanna, who looked confused.
"Eruanna? Were you studying Lindir's aura?" He asked.
Her face scrunched in bewilderment as she nodded. He was startled, as was Lindir. "You were not aware of what you were doing, were you?" He asked gently, and she hung her head ashamedly with a nod.
"There is no need to be ashamed, Eruanna." He coaxed her head up. "You should be proud. There are not many elves that can do such a thing." He marveled. She shrugged bashfully.
Then she wriggled down and toddled over to Lindir and pointed to his harp with a smile. He knelt and handed it to her, it being just a small, hand harp. She took it gingerly and then shook her head, handing it back to him. She went over to where other instruments lay, and then spotted the flutes.
She picked up a silver one, engraved with leaves and vines, and held it out to him questioningly. "You wish to play, little one?" He asked. She nodded shyly.
He smiled and began to teach her the notes while Glorfindel sat, thinking. It was not often that elves found that they could use their feä's to study another's presence. He, Lord Elrond, and Lady Galadriel were the few that could, in fact. They were able to because Lord Elrond and Lady Galadriel came from Valinor, while Glorfindel had returned from the halls of Mandos.
The fact that she could pointed to the possibility that she could communicate with others using a mind link. That was good news, but he still wondered how it was possible.
Her inner light must be powerful in order to be able to do such a thing, and it only opened a whole new case of questions about this little elleth that had come from the deeps of Angband. Why was her inner light dimmed? Where did she come from? Who was her family? How was she able to do this thing?
He was suddenly drawn out of his train of thoughts by a beautiful tune on the flute. He smiled and turned to watch Lindir play, but froze, the smile on his face replaced with shock. It was Eruanna that was playing, not Lindir.
Eruanna had the flute held to her lips, and notes flowed out of it in a waterfall of notes. He and Lindir sat, captivated by the music. It told a story. Everything suddenly seemed to glow with an otherworldly light all around them.
The tune was haunting. It was filled with pain, death, agony, shuddering, and fear. The halls seemed to grow dark, and both elves shuddered involuntarily.
Then the tune suddenly changed. Victory sang like a call of light from the flute. Sunlight streamed into the window with a burst of intense light, and ivy leaves grew greener on the walls.
Again, it changed. Hope. The light softened in intensity and instead glowed warmly like a lamp at a safe harbor beckoning to ships at night. The flute warbled notes of change and a growing light.
Then sadness. Lonesomeness. The hope faded into bitter tears that dropped from the mouth of the flute and splashed to the ground, dispersing into their ears like raindrops on the ground.
The ivy leaves on the wall withered slightly, curling in on themselves and changing to a dark green. Both elves sat, overcome with heavy sorrow and despair. Thunder rumbled in their ears in tandem with the staccato notes that leapt from the flute into their ears and left them ringing with the aftershocks.
The storm changed to whisperings of the wind. The light patter of rain on leaves, and the flute sighed with the breathy quality of exhaustion. Ivy leaves unfurled and merely drooped in tiredness, serrated edges curled to rub their eyes sleepily.
The flute came alive again and changed to apprehension. Notes shivered in throes of angst and new notes spilled like pebbles onto the ground as horse hooves beat closer and closer to their ears. Glorfindel suddenly realized that this was Eruanna's version of meeting them.
Fear. Scrambling notes that scuffled the polished floors as they landed, and scurried away from their feet like startled insects from underneath a rock. Then it paused.
Anticipation grew. The tune changed. The tone became a weep of relief, notes scattered on the ground like fallen leaves mingled with the tears of the sky. Soggy relief. A dreamy quality, like something from far away. Reassurance.
Then it became a myriad of emotions, ranging from teardrops, to dancing notes, to the rush of water, to so many others that suddenly wound up faster and faster until it ended on one high, shrieking note and stopped.
Sunlight streamed into the window again. The ivy leaves became normal. The flute lowered. The halls went back to normal brightness. Glorfindel and Lindir suddenly gasped as the spell broke and the last notes faded away from their ears. A bird tentatively chirped outside the window.
Eruanna stood on the floor by the window, barefooted and eyes closed. The breeze ruffled her hair and the silver flute was clutched in her small hands. The silver dress whipped back from her tiny frame and her pale skin almost seemed to reflect the silver of the flute. A tendril of ivy was curled around her shoulders.
Silver-blue and leafy-green eyes studied them questioningly as she gently moved the ivy leaf and went over to them, silently asking for feedback. Lindir sat, speechless.
"Incredible." He breathed.
Glorfindel gathered her into his arms and whispered in her ear. "So that is how you felt." She nodded in reply, clutching his tunic.
Then he smiled. "I think there might be another way to communicate, Eruanna."
