Chapter 52 ended with:
"It will be her choice. She will never be forced to bind herself to him. Yet… I am certain you have noticed how she is with him. This light in her eyes. That special bond is already there, only a blind man would not see it. We will just go with the flow, and hope for the best."
"I guess you cannot do more than this."
"No, we cannot," Valerie agreed. She then turned to Mithrellas who gave her an empty cup of tea. "Thank you so much, sweetie. Did you put some sugar in the cup? You know I love my tea very sweet."
Chapter 53 - Threat
"You look better than I had expected," the Lord of the Golden Flower told her with compassion.
Compassion? Why could she read compassion in his eyes? Did he really think she was defenseless and that she was looking for his protection?
"And what did you expect, my friend? You actively pushed Thranduil in my arms when we were in Isengard, by acting like you were courting me and making him insane with jealousy. And now, you are telling me you thought you were sending me to get hurt?"
"No, you misunderstand me. I knew that you could handle him when you left for Greenwood. However, I have heard since then that when he bound himself to you, he gave you some sort of darkness..."
"Who told you that?" she cut, angry that someone had shared the secret outside of the rulers of the elven realms.
"There were always rumors about your mate. I never listened to them. Then Elrond said something to Celeborn one day, in front of me-"
"What did they tell you?" she cut again, ready to strangle the first one she would see that evening. Elrond or Celeborn, one of them would regret being born by sundown.
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing! But I am not an idiot! Even if I am not being told what is truly going on, I understand that there is a darkness in your mate's fëa and that you now carry it too. Even if I do not know the details."
Valerie stared at Glorfindel for a while before turning her gaze away.
"Do not worry, I will not hurt you," she stated, knowing that denial was futile. He had been reborn in Valinor, he was a being of light with certain powers given by the Valar, he could probably see a dark aura around her...
"Hurt me? With all due respect, you cannot hurt me."
Valerie turned back to him, her eyes dark yet with a smirk on her face that told him she was convinced she actually could, and was tempted to prove it.
"I may not be able to hurt you physically, Glorfindel, but I can hurt you regardless."
"How?" he challenged, truly curious yet uncomfortable with the way the conversation was turning. The old Valerie would never have made such disturbing statements. She would never have enjoyed toying with him.
"I can make sure you will never see Finduilas ever again."
Valerie observed him as he turned pale and seemed about to choke, as if she had hit him directly in the throat. It was a good thing he was sitting, because his knees would not have supported his weight.
"Breathe," she whispered, observing him with interest, analyzing his reaction. "Legolas told me how it feels. How such a threat is devastating. I told you I could hurt you. Do not challenge me, Glorfindel. We are friends, but I will protect my family from anyone threatening them."
"I am not a threat," he replied, panting, his expression desperate.
"I hope you are not. As I said, I will not hurt you. I will change my mind the day one of my children or my mate finds themselves in trouble because of you. Especially Finduilas."
Glorfindel could not help but silently plead with his eyes.
"Thranduil is taking this very well, I admit, much better than I would have expected. He must have a lot of respect for you. You know that I do. And this is why I am willing to be accommodating with your situation."
"I do not even understand how it is possible. She had a mate..."
"She did not have a true mate," she reminded him. "She fell in love with Gwindor, then with Turin, yet never bound with either of them. I would guess there were infatuations. She already is very passionate and loves without compromise, even as a child in her second life..."
"How did you know about me?"
"My poor friend. When you saw her, you looked like a starved ellon being served the best meal of his life. I am quite certain everyone noticed, but no one wanted to say anything to you until you spoke to Thranduil or I."
"Was I truly that obvious?"
"Yes. You were." She was looking at him with such a sarcastic light in her eyes, he wondered if she was laughing at him.
"How you will… handle the situation?"
Valerie stood and walked to the table to serve them some wine. The negotiation was starting, but he would find her more accommodating than he probably expected. She fondly remembered how he had helped her years ago. Without knowing it at the time, he had obtained an arrangement for his current predicament. She gave him a glass and sat back down in front of him.
"My expectations are similar to the ones I have for Legolas. Your certainty that she is your fëa-mate must never be mentioned in front of her. You will let her lead your relationship as a friend, until she is of age. My mate and I will never force her into marriage. If she does not share your feelings, you will leave her alone to live her own destiny, without your interference."
"Can I see her, from time to time?"
"I have no objections to that. However, until orcs are no longer roaming in Middle Earth, she will safely remain here, in Greenwood. If you wish to see her, you will have to come for a visit."
He nodded a little desperately.
"I was hoping that Elrond's sons would be able to replace you as captain by now," she said without directly asking the question.
"I have never felt the need to leave my position, even temporarily. My life is… lonely and I rarely spend time at the Last Homely House."
"Your loneliness can be diminished, Glorfindel. I am fairly certain that Elrond would be willing to accommodate you. Do you want me to speak to him?"
"No. I can fight my own battles."
"Good. Now, let me tell you more about Finduilas. She is very protective of Gil-galad, as if somehow she feels that he is her true blood brother. She demonstrated that when she eventually realized that Thranduil was not holding him as frequently as he did Elros. You should have seen her! So small in front of my mate, yet defying him with angry eyes, demanding to know why Gil-galad was not being cuddled by him the same way he did for his other children."
It was clear that Glorfindel could not imagine Thranduil cuddling a child. "What happened then?" he asked disbelievingly.
"Thranduil whipped her."
"What?" Glorfindel cried, standing with his hand on his sword like he was about to go after the Elvenking to hurt him.
Valerie burst out laughing, and the ellon sat back down, understanding that Valerie was teasing him.
"It is funny how people think that Thranduil is barbaric. Wait until I tell him that you believed me when I said he had whipped one of his daughters!"
"Please do not tell him that," Glorfindel requested, embarrassed.
"I may one day, if the right circumstances arise. Do not lose sleep over this, my friend! Anyhow, back to my story, he had not realized that he was acting differently with Gil-galad. We all know why. However, he knows he cannot blame a child for the mistakes made in his previous life. Problem fixed! Thranduil has been a loving father to him since then, and Finduilas showers with love both her father and her favorite baby brother."
"She does sound like a feisty little elleth."
"You have no idea what you are getting yourself into," Valerie teased. "I almost pity you."
"What about Elros?"
"Is there something wrong with my son Elros?" Valerie inquired, insisting on the word son, her tone no longer pleasant.
"Nothing," he backpedaled, deciding not to fight Valerie on this. He would let Elrond fight his own battles. He was glad his situation looked brighter than he had originally expected. Valerie's expression told him Elrond's request to be involved in the second upbringing of his reborn brother would not be kindly welcomed by the Elvenking.
A/N: in the next chapter, Gollum leaves Greenwood… and not with Valerie's benediction!
thrndlwood: she wants them both to be happy, and she wants to give them the best chance at happiness without forcing them into a bond…
princessnera: I always imagined that Imrahil was a man full of wisdom, a man who would have had a great influence on Faramir…
firerosedreamer6: when Valerie's darkness doesn't get triggered, she can be quite reasonable, and will always be a loving mother regardless!
Faithful reader: You now know that his mate is Finduilas – and Thranduil's reaction wasn't unpleasant, he actually was calm when he told Valerie that they needed to speak about Glorfindel at the end of chapter 51. Although I had not revealed what they needed to talk about! I think Thranduil has a lot of respect for the captain of Imladris, now that he doesn't feel threatened by him.
OaktreeX: I am picturing what Valerie would be with a part of Thranduil's darkness, of course many people in Middle Earth will not find her as agreeable than she was before she bound with the king. And you need to remember that she has the backing of Thranduil, who doesn't let anyone in Middle Earth make decisions for him…
ObiLucius: Finduilas took care of Thranduil's initial reaction. She protected her brother and made sure he was treated equally, without even knowing what was going on in Thranduil's mind!
