Author's Notes: Chapters, while slow in coming, will be longer. I started dreaming with the people in my dreams speaking (some) Sindarin! So, guess what that means? Yup! More Elvish in the chapters (after this one)! Arentcha glad? With my other LoTR short story done, the plot bunnies are back attacking this one with a vengeance, so it WILL be finished! Someday....
Ral trusted Vel's judgement. In his time as first lieutenant, he had seen Vel's schemes pull through - no matter how questionable they first appeared. But that was Ral.
Sen kept himself from voicing his doubts; or rather, his fear kept him from it. "Master Vel, you wish us to stop looking for the escaped Elves?" He hoped that it sounded more incredulous than mocking.
The captain's soft, dark eyes turned to him. "Yes, for the third time. And yes, I still order you to go to Gondor, Sen. Deliver this message to their King; I invite him to attend a banquet in the forest of Olde Laskan." Vel smiled, ironically. "If Gamphall gets to the Lost Elves, so be it. But they are not our priority now, Gondor is. If they become involved in this, heads will roll. Now then, Rohan will have found their Rider, and will be on the lookout for Gamphall, or whatever they assume killed the soldier. Be cautious."
Sen shook his head. "Master Vel, I must protest. A 'feast' in Olde Laskan will undoubtedly bring Gondor against us!"
"If he accepts, ask him to come with an honor guard of up to six. Tell him to come as soon as he is able, which will, if luck is on our side, be within a few days after you have given him the invitation. His new Queen, as we speak, is coming to him. She ought to be there by the time you arrive. I expect he will leave her in charge, but we shall see."
"It is madness to tempt him this way!" Sen cried in frustration, for Vel had blatantly ignored him.
The captain's eyes flashed, reminiscent of lightning in thunderclouds. "I extend the invitation to you, Sen. I do hope you won't be late."
Sen lowered himself to the ground immediately. "Master Vel, I apologize. Forgive me."
"I will consider it. But do not overlook my grace when you receive it, undeserving of it as you are. And do not be late to the banquet."
Sen, shaking almost visibly, rose, bowed, and went off.
********
Eolin's body was taken back to Rohan, but the horse they buried where it had been slain. The three Riders insisted that the Elves go with them, and they were quick to accept.
The road was long still; it was longer to go to Gondor, but that is not to say it was very much shorter to Rohan. Eolin's body was a burden on them, though none would ever have found it in their heart to complain. Respect for the dead runs deep in men, and deeper still in Elves, for the concept of death is a mysterious thing to the fair race.
Glorfindel rode with his hood pulled low. The men did not comment, and they never saw the cruel scars or his haunting, pale eyes.
When their paths split, the Elves stopped to watch them go, and sang for the many kind and small accomplishments of Eolin. When the song ended, they stayed in a moment of silence, as the Riders continued on to Rohan.
"The dark Host of Mordor is no longer a threat to us; yet still we mourn one who has met a violent fate," Legolas said.
"Peace is never complete, Legolas," Arwen replied sadly.
"That is not true," Glorfindel answered, and his tone lay somewhere between gruff and simply full of conviction. "There is such a peace that cannot be comprehended... only glimpses of it are ever see in this world. The mists of earthly cares obscure it." But then Glorfindel fell silent.
Arwen turned her gaze south again, to the Riders. "We must move on. Gondor is not far now."
As the white city, the heart of Gondor, came into view, Legolas noted with some bemusement that Arwen's face was never without the patient, joyful smile one has when they find themself in love.
Her eyes shone when they met Legolas', and he could not help but return her happiness. "I had not realized how long it has been since I last saw Aragorn. Let us hurry," he suggested.
At a word, Arod and Gaernell bore them on at a gallop. Behind them, Glorfindel lowered his head and reluctantly bid Asfaloth to follow them.
A large crowd had gathered at the gates to see their Queen's return. A loud cry went up in the city of Gondor when the three Elves rode past; trumpets declared their passage to the world, and everywhere there was great joy.
But no greeting was as warm as that which they received from Aragorn. It had been three months since he was wed to Arwen Undomiel, and in that time he had seen her but little before she was called back to Rivendell.
"Glorfindel," said Legolas, "Come with me. We will care for the horses and allow our friends to catch up with each other."
Aragorn looked up from Arwen in surprise. "Glorfindel? I had not heard you would be coming out here! I wondered who you were; yet the day is warm, why do you wear your cloak?"
Quickly, Legolas spoke up. "Gaernell, telio ah men." Arwen's horse turned and followed them away. Legolas looked back at the King and Queen. "We will explain later; or rather, Glorfindel will explain, when he is ready."
Arwen watched them go; then, putting an arm around her husband's waist, they two entered their castle together.
Glorfindel groaned as he slid off of Asfaloth's back. "I am afraid, Legolas, that I'm no longer suited for such long rides."
"Truly? You, Glorfindel of Gondolin, never separated from his steed; you are saddle-sore?"
"Do not rub it in, son of Thranduil. I do know where you will be spending the night." Glorfindel placed a hand on Asfaloth's neck; then, hand over hand, he traced upward until he found the bridle and began to unbuckle it. "Man annen sen erinich?" Asfaloth rubbed against him, once it was off, and Glorfindel gently scratched along the bridle lines. "Ha rhibich, im gulich."
"Do you need a brush?" Legolas asked. He had taken one already, to groom Arod. Glorfindel nodded, and the prince handed him one obligingly.
Asfaloth's mane and tale had been neglected in Glorfindel's absence, as anyone who tried to groom him was likely to limp away with large bruises wherever the Elven horse happened to set his hooves down, or where his teeth found an arm or leg.
Arod laid his head into Legolas' chest, and nearly pushed him over. Legolas laughed. He began to comb out Arod's pale mane, and Arod stretched out his nose and took a lock of the Elf's fine hair in his mouth.
Glorfindel turned his head towards the stable door.
Arod took the brush from Legolas' hand, when the prince had managed to free his hair and keep it away from the horse. Then Legolas had to chase him around the stalls; though every so often, Arod would whirl around and chase the Elf.
"I thought I heard..." after a moment, Glorfindel shook his head and resumed working the burs out of Asfaloth's long silver mane.
"A messenger is here to see you, Your Highness," a servant announced.
Aragorn frowned; Arwen said, "I will change and unpack." Aragorn kissed her brow and then followed the servant down the opposite hall.
A tall man, dressed in a plain beige shirt and dark riding breeches, stood in the main hall, looking as if he were afraid to touch the very floor. "Hail, Master...ah, King Elessar." He bowed, but it was an awkward gesture, as if done in such a way he had never attempted before.
"Welcome, Herald of...?"
"Laskan, King Elessar. I am Sen Kivol, of Laskan. My master, Vel Ptens has sent me with an invitation; he wishes you to attend a banquet."
"Laskan?"
"Yes, King Elessar. Not long ago, it was no more than a principality. A year ago, the sovereign prince was killed. Master Vel assumed responsibility. Do you accept?"
The directness was somewhat of a surprise. "Where is this banquet to be held?"
"In the forests outside of Gancuron, King Elessar. But you need only go as far as Olde Laskan. If you accept, transportation will be provided wherever else you wish to go. For you and an Honor Guard of up to six men."
"Tell your master that I accept."
"Come as soon as you may. Gancuron is two days' ride North and East, if you have never heard of it, I would hardly be surprised-"
"I have heard of it," Aragorn informed him calmly, in stark contrast to Sen's nervousness. "I will leave with my Guard in one week."
"Good, good. I will go then, and see you again in the Forest." With another stiff bow, Sen turned and hurried out the door.
*****
"Do you plan on joining us for supper, Glorfindel?" Arwen asked, as she searched the room that had been prepared for the Elf. Glorfindel pulled his green cloak off, but then seemed to realize he did not know where to hang it, so he folded it, and held it.
"I am well enough here, Lady Undomiel. I desire rest more than a meal."
"You are in good company, Glorfindel. It would not be complete without you." But in his opaque eyes, she saw the stubbornness that Elrond alone had been able to force into a compromise.
"I respectfully decline. But Estel - Aragorn -- I know has missed you terribly. Go to him; think not for my affairs."
Arwen forced away an impatient sigh. "I hope that you reconsider. Supper is in three hours hence, in the main dining room." Shaking her head, she turned and slipped out the door.
After it had shut, Glorfindel tentatively stretched out an arm, feeling for the bed, a desk, or even simply a chair. When he found nothing in his reach, he took a step forward and tried again, and then again, until step by step he found the large velvet covered bed.
Legolas and Aragorn were speaking as old friends, touring the castle and reviewing the modifications Aragorn and Arwen had made since they had taken the Throne. Legolas looked over, hearing Arwen descend the stairs, though her footfall was too soft even for Aragorn to hear.
Up above them, they heard a dull thump; Legolas and Aragorn both looked up at the ceiling, and then down. Arwen stood there now, also looking where they were. She closed her eyes a moment, and when she opened them she began to walk towards them.
Legolas moved towards the stairs; Arwen said, "No, Legolas. He will not come." The fair prince looked back up at the ceiling doubtfully. "He is not hurt. The things in his room are too soft to leave more than a small bruise, and the carpets are thick."
Aragorn watched the two Elves as they regarded one another; at last, Legolas nodded and turned back to the King. "He will not come down?" Aragorn asked, unable to keep the bafflement from his voice.
"No. And I did not see that arguing with him would persuade him otherwise."
"Well," Aragorn said after a moment of consideration. "I think that if I do not go to him before I leave, I may never speak with him again." He strode easily down the hall, and then up the stairs.
Legolas and Arwen smiled in turn.
Glorfindel was roused by a few short raps on his chamber door. "Enter," he called, in tones that seemed too soft for one of the Eldar.
Aragorn came; the darkness in which Glorfindel lived was somehow charged by the power he carried, which few ever saw.
Glorfindel rose; he had been seated on the bed, with his back against the wall. He strained his ears for any sound of the King, while managing to look at ease. But he did not know that he faced away from the King, and his acting skills were for naught.
"Arwen has told me you won't come to the evening meal. I was surprised that you came, Glorfindel; it feels long since we last spoke. Legolas says you three faced wolves together, and were it not for you, you may not have escaped. For that, I owe you more than I can ever repay."
"Nay, my friend, you owe me nothing. It was my duty to protect those in the House of Elrond, and the rest of my kindred. I did, if anything, too little, and I may have placed them in danger."
Aragorn shook his head. "You speak too harshly of yourself, Glorfindel. But if you still feel thus, then I will take advantage of your debt. I demand to know why you sought to avoid us, your friends."
"Yea, you are my friend; I am sorry I led you to believe I am avoiding you."
"What else was I to assume? Arwen and Legolas will not share whatever it is you hide, and even if I were to pressure them, they would not say, honorable and loyal as they are! Yet I would believe, after our years of friendship, that you will tell me freely."
With a bitter scoff, Glorfindel turned to him, and as it was with Legolas, the light (this time from the window rather than a fire) shone against the Orcs' scars. "I do not seek to avoid you, Estel! Rather, I wish to be alone; to contemplate what I will."
"You can't blame them for worrying where your thoughts will stray. Deny that you have, in the darkest hours, wished to retire from this world, and I will call you a liar." Aragorn's words were blunt, though earnest. Coming from a friend, they had less sting, and greater force.
"I do not deny it. I admit that, in this very hour, I reflected on that wish... But my time is not yet come."
"Do not be hasty to act when you think that time is upon you, Glorfindel. Any life is a gift, but to have it immortal...do not surrender it easily."
When Glorfindel made no answer (though he appeared to be pondering Aragorn's words), the King said, "Will you now reconsider the invitation?"
"I will," the Elf promised. "In fact, I have. I will be down in a few hours; that is when the meal begins, isn't it?"
Aragorn smiled. "It is. I look forward to that time, my friend, but now I will leave you in peace, unless you wish to join Legolas for the rest of a tour?"
"No, I would like to rest a few hours more before we eat. Cenithan edh ennas."
"Telio ah men." means "Come with us."
"Man annen sen erinich?" means "How long has this been on you?"
"Ha rhibich, im gulich" means "It itches you, I know."
"Cenithan edh ennas." means "I will see you there."