Author's note: I initially wasn't going to do this chapter, but honestly, it felt absurd to just skip over such a big dose of joy as Glorfindel's 8000th when there's so much turmoil and misery going on. I hope you've got some joy in your day, too! :D It's okay if you don't, though. Not everything has to be beer and skittles. Keep sipping on your water, and nap as needed!
Guest: Her reluctance to use her powers, I think, is part of the beauty of Rhodri. She has spent her life aware that a huge power imbalance exists between her and most others, and she refuses to exploit it. Beyond that, though, she likes her life to be simple, which in this case means continuing the steady supply of bread and cake flour from Gondor to Imladris. ;) And I suppose a curious self confidence comes from being so hugely powerful that makes indignities seem much less hurtful, hence relaxing as the guards carried her off. She was bothered quite a bit though, I think, when the warden grabbed her hair to restrain her from checking Glorfindel for injuries. Everybody has their price, it seems.
Clare: I dunno how diplomatic immunity worked in Middle-Earth, to be honest. :P I imagine they just sorted it out amongst themselves as needed. What I will say is that I think Elrond was quite horrified with the whole prison affair and had to hear a lot of soothing words from Rhodri and Glorfindel so that the topic wasn't broached with Denethor in a crabby but polite letter. The things people are willing to overlook in the name of flour for their cake.
§
There were few things more pleasant in life than seeing Glorfindel ecstatically happy. Well, his happiness at any degree was wonderful, of course, but there was something particularly delightful when he'd gotten a huge dose of it. At maximum happiness, he would let out this loud, joyful laugh that rang for miles and was the most splendid noise I'd ever heard.
I wasn't alone in that sentiment. When we were planning Glorfindel's surprise party, Elrond had admitted to eagerly anticipating the sound whenever something was happening he knew would max out Glorfindel's good mood.
Now, let me be clear: even if Glorfindel never gave outward signs of euphoria, Elrond and I would still have striven equally as much to make his surprise party as enjoyable as possible. He loved parties, and he adored surprises.
As far as Elrond and I were concerned, he would get both in titanic proportions on this particular day. He was so well-liked by all that we had extended the invitation to everyone in Imladris, so it was going to be a party with a Capital P.
And not just that, but Elrond and I had been preparing two not-insignificant presents. The first had taken some years to engineer and was finally coming to fruition. Some years prior, I'd had the idea to make a slingshot by one of the longer pools, and planted two trees in proximity of each other. They were of a type that had fairly thin, smooth branches that were impressively bendy, making them ideal candidates for the repeated strain of propelling an Elf lengthways across a hundred metre pool.
At the time, I had thought about telling Glorfindel, but his big conception day was only a few years away at that point, so I decided to keep it a secret. When Elrond found out, we arranged it so that we took turns training the branches and maintaining the trees so they would be perfectly ready when the time came.
The second present had also given me quite a surprise. I don't know what possessed Elrond to do it, but during a Happy Hour just after we'd returned from Gondor, he dropped this bombshell on me in Glorfindel's absence.
"Your spouse seems to be making more trips down to visit Oldreth and Singlis of late," he remarked casually, swirling around the wine in his glass.
"Yes, their cats just recently had a litter of kittens," I replied. "According to Oldreth, Glorfindel is very taken with them."
"As taken as was with that litter a few years back?"
"Even more so, I think," I replied with a laugh. "He really loves cats."
"Perhaps you should let the poor fellow have one, then," Elrond said, not making eye contact now as a smug smile crept over his face.
"Excuse me, Elrond, but I believe it was your good self who put the kibosh on pets in your house, if I recall correctly," I returned, scarcely believing my ears.
"It pays to check that certain laws are still in place after a time, Rhodri," Elrond said crisply, sipping at his wine. "I, myself, wouldn't mind having one of those kittens as a pet of my own."
"What in god's name prompted this sudden change of heart?" I exclaimed in disbelief.
"Oh, come now, Rhodri, it's a perfectly reasonable thing to like animals. I personally feel a strong affinity with cats. They remind me of myself, somehow."
"Yeah, you'd be the one to knock my bloody glass off the table," I muttered under my breath.
"What was that, sorry?" Elrond raised an eyebrow at me.
"Oh, I just said it's an excellent idea," I said airily. "I think we could use a little feline amusement around here. Let's pay Oldreth and Singlis a visit a few days before Glorfindel's party and put an order in, eh?"
On schedule a few weeks later, Elrond and I sauntered down to Oldreth and Singlis' place to say hello and have a look at these tiny, hairy delights. An hour later, Elrond had selected a shy blue-eyed ginger tabby for himself. Oldreth and Singlis advised me that Glorfindel's favourite had been a little jet-black individual with eyes as green as fresh leaves who purred like a motorbike whenever pats were being administered. They agreed to bring Glorfindel's little fellow up early the morning of Glorfindel's conception day, and Elrond's cat the day after.
The night before, I ran through my mental list as I lay in bed. Cat? Check. Slingshot? Check. The birthday cake was ready (an absolutely bloody enormous bee sting cake that took up almost an entire family-sized dining table). The party was due to start at exactly 5 o'clock in the afternoon, and Elrond and I were to keep Glorfindel busy away from the dining hall so that everyone could prepare without interruption. Too easy.
The sun shot up the next morning like it had come just to see Glorfindel, the light billowing through the window onto his face. As soon as he woke up, I sang him the birthday song (modified for the occasion) and he clapped his hands in delight.
"Oh, how excellent!" he enthused, beaming. "What a wonderful start to the day."
"Eight thousand and fabulous, my darling. Good job!" I replied, grinning and giving him the thumbs-up. "Now, are you ready for your presents?"
"Pr-oh, yes, I think so!"
"Marvellous. Well, let's get dressed and meet Elrond."
"Is Elrond the birthday gift?" Glorfindel asked, sounding a little surprised.
My mind flicked to those seedy pick-up moves where someone would wear nothing but a strategically-placed bow and saucily announce themselves as being the present, and I shuddered.
"I bloody hope not," was all I said before we arrived at the dining hall.
Elrond was already in there, hoeing into a bowl of strawberries, and he smiled and waved at us as we went over to him.
"Congratulations, Glorfindel! Eight thousand magnificent years!" he said warmly, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder and passing him some water.
Glorfindel jittered cheerfully. "Thank you, Elrond!"
He loaded up his plate with strawberries, grapes, and everything sweet he could get his hands on and managed to eat it all without any bother. Glorfindel had the most wicked sweet tooth I had ever seen, and never had I met anyone who could habitually consume so many sugary things in single sittings and keep it all down. I was in awe of him.
It was probably for the best that he did eat as much of that sort of thing as he did, because our first stop was to the pools.
"You're taking me swimming for my birthday!" Glorfindel squeaked excitedly as we approached the water, donning our fabulous stripy swimsuits. "Excellent! But why are we going so far away from the main pool?" he looked at us in confusion. We had walked straight past the biggest pool, which was the one with the water slides. The others that lay beyond were for training or more tranquil bathing.
"Follow us and you'll see," Elrond replied with a roguish grin.
After a short distance more, we were at the smaller of the lap pools, where the slingshot stood ready for use.
"The training pool? Are we preparing to undertake something?" Glorfindel asked, not able to keep his curiosity from overwhelming him.
"In a manner of speaking, yes," I replied. Glorfindel looked more confused now than when he had started out, but kept walking with us until we were at the slingshot tree. He hadn't really noticed the tree yet, so I had to point it out to him with a "ta-da!" for added effect.
"Tree art! I love it!" he said upon seeing it, and walked up to it for a closer look. "Have you two been training these all this time, just for me? This must have taken years to do!"
"Oh, this isn't for aesthetic purposes, mellon-nîn," Elrond replied with a laugh. "Do you not see all the ropes hanging off the branches?"
"Oh. Now I do," he murmured, looking at them with interest. "If it isn't art, what does it do?"
"Ever wondered what it's like to fly?" I asked with a grin.
Glorfindel's entire face was a question mark now.
"Lean on the branches, hold onto them, and bring your legs up to your chest," Elrond instructed.
Still bewildered, he did as we asked. I took hold of the ropes and began to pull, and then, when I heard the wood start to make a tiny groaning sound, I let go. The branches snapped back and Glorfindel went rocketing through the air, screaming ecstatically. When gravity sufficiently caught up with him, he hit the water like a cannonball, the force of it all sending waves that went all the way back to Elrond and me.
Resurfacing after a moment, Glorfindel gave a rusty, wild laugh as he threw a fist in the air.
"Oh, YES!" he shouted joyfully. "Yes indeed! Art and functionality!" He climbed out of the pool and jogged over to us, the face-splitting grin not budging all the while.
"So you like it, do you?" I asked with a chuckle.
He snapped Elrond and I up in a rather wet embrace. "It's marvellous," he enthused.
We spent a few hours noisily amusing ourselves with the slingshot. Even Elrond gave it a go, which may have been an even bigger joy for Glorfindel than trying it himself.
"I know we could probably stay out here all day," I broached as lunchtime rolled around, "but we do need to give you your second present."
"My goodness, I am spoiled," Glorfindel purred, rolling his eyes delightedly.
After drying off and changing, Elrond and I walked Glorfindel to the library and parked him there with the instruction to wait for us. We turned the corner and walked out to the top of the valley, where we had arranged to meet Singlis and Oldreth, and sure enough, there they were, standing under a huge beech tree, holding a smallish black box with a red ribbon tied around it. There were holes around the perimeter of the box to let the light and air in, but the kitten didn't seem to mind being in there.
"Ah, lovely," I said to them as they handed me the box. "Thanks very much, you two." With broad smiles and nods, they waved as they headed back down the hill.
Glorfindel watched Elrond and I in curiosity as we walked over to him, box in hand.
"Here you go, darling. Present number two," I said as I slowly passed the box to him. "Fragile contents inside," I added as a warning.
Intrigued, he held the box carefully in one hand as he untied the ribbon and eased the lid off. The kitten popped up, no doubt roused by all the noise and motion, and took a swipe at the ribbon.
Glorfindel's jaw dropped. "Is this for me?" he asked as his eyes widened at this tiny creature.
"No, Glorfindel, we got you a box and ribbon. The cat is merely for display purposes," I said sarcastically, chuckling. "Yes, beloved, the kitten is yours."
"Well, only if you want it, of course," Elrond added with a smile.
"Oh, yes!" Glorfindel squeaked as he took the cat out of the box and snuggled it to him. It started purring so loudly you could almost see the thing vibrate. "I most certainly do." He beamed at us, his face positively shining. "This has been the most excellent birthday so far."
"Why don't you two take the little fellow to your study, Glorfindel, let him settle in a little. I'll bring some food and water so you don't have to leave," Elrond offered, nodding at me. Genius move. Keeps Glorfindel out of the dining hall all day.
I nodded back, and we headed down the corridors to Glorfindel's study. I closed the door to the balcony, and the cat seemed extremely pleased with the arrangement, walking around as though he owned the place. Still, I'm told that's a good sign with cats, so we must have been doing something right.
"Have you thought of any names for him yet?" I asked Glorfindel after Elrond had dropped off some food for us and the cat. We sat on the floor together, playing with the newest household addition.
"I have, actually," Glorfindel mumbled through a mouthful of sandwich.
"Lay it on me."
"Moth," he declared happily.
Moth, the Sindarin word for dusk, wasn't the first translation that came to my mind. Oddly enough, my brain went straight to English, and as I watched this kitten chase after an errant beam of light, I couldn't have been more convinced that it was ideal. In either case, the name fit like a glove.
"Moth it is," I agreed with a smile.
"How did you convince Elrond to let me have a pet?" Glorfindel asked quietly as he glanced at the door. "I didn't think he'd ever allow it."
"I have no clue," I replied, shaking my head. "I'm still in shock over it, myself. I think Elrond's getting soft in his old age."
"Says the one who's older than both of us combined," Glorfindel quipped with a chuckle.
I kept forgetting that. It gave me pause for a brief second, but with a shake of my head, I laughed and said, "So, what's it like being eight thousand years old, then?"
"Blissful," he affirmed, a contented smile on his face. "If only one could turn eight thousand years old every day."
"My god, how many cats do you want?" I whispered in horror, imagining Elrond's house absolutely teeming with felines. As I dispelled the thought, I perceived a curious, almost imperceptible feeling of heaviness inside me, but it wasn't my own. I looked up at Glorfindel and saw this smile had an edge of wistfulness to it.
"Something troubles you," I said as I put an arm around him. "Tell me?"
"I think, my Rhodri, we are entering the time of the lasts in Imladris," he said softly, breathing a tiny sigh.
"The lasts?"
"Mmm. The last big birthday celebration, the last few golden, quiet years- the last of everything before the world is irreparably changed."
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I didn't know what to say to him.
"There are no comforting words for it, beloved," he said, smiling gently and shaking his head. "It simply is what it is."
"We'll make the most of them, then," I replied, bringing him a little closer to me. "We'll drain every last drop of happiness out of these years. Nowhere else will be quite like Imladris, but I think we still have some grand adventures ahead of us in Valinor. What do you say when all this with the Ring blows over we take a trip somewhere?"
"That would be nice," he murmured, a little happier now as he rested his head on my shoulder. Moth, seeing that we were comfortable, came over and curled up in Glorfindel's lap, purring like a jumbo jet.
"How does such a tiny thing make so much noise?" Glorfindel said to nobody in particular.
"I don't know, it's something about babies I think," I murmured, eyes widening as I recalled the noises little Aragorn had made upon arriving in Imladris. "They're lovely when they're not perforating your eardrums, though, don't mistake me," I added quickly.
Half an hour before the party was due to start, I took Glorfindel and Moth upstairs under the guise of getting the creature used to our bedroom before we went for dinner. That was a reasonable thing, but I also intended to get Glorfindel dressed nicely for his party so he didn't show up to his eight thousandth 'do in a robe that was covered in the last of Moth's biannual moult.
We left the room, Moth fast asleep on the sofa, and made our way downstairs to the dining hall. When we were in the vicinity of the entryway, Glorfindel cocked his head to the side.
"That's odd," he remarked. "The door to the dining hall is closed. Do you think that means we can't go in?"
"Oh, I doubt it," I said casually. "Probably just means we'll have to open it if we want to go inside. Tell you what, though, I'll knock and ask the dining hall powers if we can come inside and avail ourselves of food."
I loped over to the door and banged on it hard. "HELLO, DIVINE POWERS OF THE DINING HALL! I, RHODRI OF IMLADRIS COME WITH GLORFINDEL OF GONDOLIN, SEEKING TO AVAIL OURSELVES OF YOUR TREASURES THAT DWELL WITHIN!" I cried dramatically.
Glorfindel snorted and shook his head, but his expression changed to one of confusion as the handle turned and the door unlatched.
I asked him to come over. "If this is a trap, I don't want to die alone," I said with a shrug.
A chuckle came from him as he walked over to me, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.
At that moment, noise seemed to explode from everywhere as people started jumping out from all parts of the room, cheering so loudly that I thought the roof was going to lift off.
A beaming Elrond emerged from around the corner and joined me in putting a hand on Glorfindel's back.
After a few shocked seconds, Glorfindel realised what was going on. His eyes widened, and he glanced at the two of us, absolutely stunned. We smiled and nodded, and ah! He threw his head back and let out a loud, ringing laugh of delight as he pulled us to him. Elrond and I, squashed against Glorfindel, briefly grinned at each other as we drank in The Laugh.
"How cunning of you two," Glorfindel remarked. "Goodness, how did you arrange all this without me knowing?"
"Why do you think your birthday activities kept you away from the hall all day?" Elrond replied with a chuckle.
We got treated to an encore of The Laugh when Glorfindel clapped his eyes on quite possibly the biggest bee sting cake in recorded history, measuring around two metres long and wide. I have no official figures to prove it, but I have anecdotal evidence that around a fifth of this cake was consumed by the guest of honour himself (only after everyone else had taken their fill, of course).
I'm also pleased to report that as usual, he survived the attempt with no side effects at all. Mix in some dancing, hours of chart-busting music, and lashings of attention, and that's a dream night for Middle-Earth's favourite ray of sunshine.
Naturally, we had to zip back from time to time to check on the cat, but the party marched on until the sun had risen- the sort of night we hadn't had since Aragorn had come of age. Magnificent. The day after the party was unofficially declared a public holiday so everybody could go straight to bed when they went home, a stroke of genius on Elrond's part.
In our chambers, Glorfindel was out like a light the moment his head hit the pillow. I, however, lay awake for a while as I thought of our idea to move to Valinor. I had no idea why it kept looping in my head. It wasn't as though it was the first time we'd discussed it. It was going to happen at some point. I supposed the time was simply starting to draw closer now, so near that we could almost touch it now. Eventually, I shut my eyes. Whether I slept or not was anyone's guess.
