Chapter 4
Erestor began his search in Princess Ereiniel's rooms. It was a polite search however, to pick through the personal belongings of the High Princess was both bad-mannered and unnecessary. He merely glanced over the tidy receiving room before treading into the more haphazard living quarters.
A half-finished gown of pale lavender adorned a bust form in a corner, with implements and bits of lace surrounding it. Her dressing table was covered with scattered pins and jewelry, and dresses, formal robes, cloaks, and shoes were strewn about the entire room. Evidently the Ereiniel had an exceptionally difficult time deciding what to wear that morning.
However, he could find no clue as to where she might be. It didn't appear as though she had returned that evening, and her weapons were neatly arranged on a side table by her door with her favorite cloak. Casting his gaze over the correspondence on her desk, he could see no missive that bore Glorfindel's distinctive scrawl, and decided to vacate the room.
However, once he walked down the corridor and found Glorfindel's door opened, Erestor's curiosity was piqued. He walked right in and found the same type of localized disarray. His eyes gleaming like a cat's in the dark, Erestor moved forward through the rooms, finding no trace of the Elf lord.
His balcony, however, was an altogether different matter. Draped over one of the two chairs was Ereiniel's silken robe. He recognized it as the one she had been wearing earlier that day, and saw her shoes discarded under the table. Erestor lifted the empty bottle of wine with pale fingers, read the label, then set it back down.
With a rustle of silk Erestor withdrew, feeling as though he had a lead. The wine upon Glorfindel's desk had been imported earlier that day, which meant he had recently been down in the kitchens. The dark-clad Elf glided down the maze of corridors and stairways into the recesses of the kitchens.
There were still plenty of Elves racing to and fro, preparing platters to be delivered to the feasting guests upstairs. Erestor surveyed the massive room bordering a well-tended garden before his gaze fell upon a slight Elf dictating commands to the staff. He slid between Elf, hot stove, oven, and worktable to stand behind Lindir.
Erestor was mildly impressed by Lindir's gusto as he directed servers and cooks, and critiqued or praised the dishes that passed under his nose before he allowed them to proceed to the dining hall. He was a polished captain in command of an army devoted to hospitality.
"My Lord Lindir," Erestor purred, making the smaller Elf jump.
"Ilúvatar Erestor!" Lindir startled, dropping the sheaf of papers in his hands. "Must you always sneak up on people?"
The corner of Erestor's mouth twitched upward in response, but he chose to instead focus on his task rather than admit his favored pastime.
"Pardon my intrusion, but have you by chance seen Lord Glorfindel?" he asked as Lindir bent to gather his meticulously crafted lists and seating charts.
"Glorfindel? No, not since this afternoon," Lindir replied upon straightening. "I had to chase him out of here because he kept pilfering the food meant for this evening's banquet."
"Did he say what he was going to do with it?" Erestor's brow rose, finding this sliver of information quite illuminating.
"No," Lindir said as he reordered his papers, shuffling them hastily as a server shouted from the stairs, asking which wine was to be paired with the berry truffles. "He had a basket with him, so I assumed he had chosen to sample the food before this evening. He's done it before."
"Or, could it be he was planning on absconding with it," Erestor said to himself while Lindir replied to the question about the truffle wine. "Glorfindel has always been a romantic dolt."
"I am sorry Lord Erestor, but I must get back to—no! The blueberry tarts are supposed to be presented with the lemon cakes! Not the blackberry pies!"
"Yes, I can see you are quite busy, please excuse me for distracting you," Erestor said with a slight incline of his head before he swept from the kitchens, leaving Lindir to his task.
The stables were the next location Erestor searched, and was not surprised to find Asfaloth missing from his stall. Ereiniel's noble white and grey stallion remained though, which meant they had ridden together. Erestor almost chuckled, for it was quite an easy task to track a horse carrying two Elves and a picnic basket. Glorfindel may have thought of the perfect romantic getaway evening with the High Princess, but he neglected to cover his tracks.
Erestor quickly saddled and harnessed his own grey and black horse before leading it from the stables. He quickly found Asfaloth's distinctive tread and mounted his horse, encouraging it to follow the famed stallion's path.
Finding them had been among the easiest tasks Erestor had ever undertaken. He need only determine which method he would use to convince the princess to return to Imladris now.
