Dedicated to Fiona Rayne  ;)

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Return to Valinor
by DLR 2003

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Chapter Twelve

Elethîr wrinkled his nose.  "What is that, Herenion?"

The young elf looked smug.  "It is a sheep's bladder, of course."

Elanna's face contorted into an eloquent expression of disgust.  "Ew, why would you want one?"

Herenion smirked.  "Watch and learn something."

Emmelin knew what was coming.  "You should not be doing this; you will land us all into trouble.  It will be bad enough if Nínim sees you, but if Ada or Nana finds out . . ."

Herenion contemplated his sister with a sigh.  "You worry overly much."

"With just cause, lately it seems.  Why can you not simply behave?"

"You have no humor in you, this is but a jest."

"A poor one, to my mind."

Elethîr interrupted.  "But what will you do with it, which is so bad?"

Herenion looked about furtively.  He submerged the bladder in a nearby horse trough and when he pulled it out, it was distended with water.

"Ew," repeated Elanna.  She poked it with her finger.

Herenion quickly moved away from her.  "Do not do that, you will burst it."

"Which would most likely be a good thing," admonished Emmelin.

"You may simply leave if I bother you so," her brother remarked.

"I am only trying to save you from further punishment."

"Let that be my concern."

"Fine, then."  She sniffed.  "As you wish."

Elethîr remained fascinated.  "But what is it for?"

Herenion secured the end with a bit of string.  He grinned.  "We first must choose a victim."

Emmelin followed his gaze.  "No, I forbid it.  You will not do anything to Frodo; he is in 'mourning.'"

Elanna's eyes were wide as she looked at the hobbit quietly sitting under a tree reading.  "Do what to Frodo?  Please, leave him be."

Herenion sighed and cast his eyes about, searching.  He smiled suddenly.  "Ah, yes.  Perfect."

They all looked.

"Glorfindel?" asked Elethîr.  "He seems to be sleeping."

"Indeed, he will be completely unaware until it is too late."

Elanna looked confused.  "I still fail to see what you are going to do."

Emmelin folded her arms.  "If you are smart, you will have no part in it."

Herenion became irritated.  "So be gone already, who is stopping you?"  His sister sniffed again and walked quickly away.

"Emmelin!"  Elethîr ran after her.

The two remaining children looked at each other. 

"Are you leaving as well?"

"I . . . I . . . do not know." 

"This will be quite amusing, trust me," Herenion said.  "Glorfindel will like it."

"Well, I . . ."

"Come, follow me."  He crossed the yard quickly with Elanna close behind him.  They came to where Glorfindel lay sleeping peacefully beneath a giant oak tree.  Herenion crept up, more silently than the quietest elf in Aman until he was almost leaning over his unsuspecting victim.  The slimy bladder jiggled in his nervous hands.

Elanna gasped as she realized nearly too late what he meant to do.  "You cannot hit him with that, it would be mean," she whispered urgently.

"It is only a jest," he whispered back.

"Emmelin is right, it would not be funny.  Give it to me."

"Nay, I will not."

Elanna came around to the other side and reached across the sleeping elf to grab the water-filled sac from Herenion's hand.  She watched in horror as the slippery bag fell out of her fingers to fulfill its owner's intention.  It hit Glorfindel's face with a resounding smack and burst open, drenching him.  Elanna stood frozen in shock as the golden-haired elf sat up with a jerk and grabbed her by the arm.  She looked wildly around, but Herenion had already vanished. 

Glorfindel choked and sputtered.  "Elanna?"  He became incensed.  "What is the meaning of this?"

She winced at the firmness of his grasp.  "I . . . I . . . I am so sorry Lorfi."

"Indeed you should be for playing such a prank.  Your Ada will hear of this, believe me.  What have you to say for yourself?"

"I . . . I . . ." Elanna burst into tears.

Glorfindel let go of her and his anger melted as he looked at the little girl sobbing before him.  "There, there, hush now."  He took her in his arms.  "I am sorry as well, do not cry."

Elanna continued to weep, hiccupping.  "Please do not hate me Lorfi, I love you."

Glorfindel stroked her hair and his eyes glistened.  "I love you as well, little one."  He sighed.  "So long as you behave," he muttered under his breath.

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Erestor smirked.  "It is a bit cool for swimming, is it not?"

Glorfindel responded with a curl of his lip and a low noise sounding distinctly like a growl.

Erestor raised his eyebrows.  "Forgive me; apparently you are in no mood for jests."

Glorfindel snorted.  "One could say that, yes."  He sighed.  "Nay, I am sorry, and not for the first time today, forgive me for snapping at you."

"What is amiss?  May I be of assistance?"

Glorfindel shook his head.  "It is nothing worth concerning yourself with."  His eyes narrowed.  "There is something I have been meaning to discuss with you, though, if you have a moment."

Erestor paled slightly.  "Yes?"

Glorfindel coughed.  "It has been quite some time since we last spoke of Gwendolyn.  This is actually no business of mine any longer, but have you lost interest?"

The color rushed back into his face.  "Nay, of course not, I am simply proceeding carefully."

"You mean slowly."

Erestor pursed his lips.  "I am courting her in my own fashion, not yours."         

"Courting her?  Is that what you call it?"  Glorfindel regarded him with exasperation.  "I would call it sniffing around her heels like a sad little puppy."

Erestor's jaw dropped.  "I do no such thing, how dare you speak so?"

Glorfindel put his hand on the other's shoulder.  "I dare because I am your friend and she will not wait forever.  I have seen her once or twice giving me 'that look' again."

"Look?  What look?"

Glorfindel coughed.  "The look that means she is wondering if I would like to renew our past acquaintance."

Erestor's heart sank down to his toes.  "So she has no interest in me, I suspected as much."

Glorfindel rolled his eyes.  "I rather think it is she who believes you have no interest.  It has been more than eight years now, what progress have you made?"

Erestor shuffled his feet.  "Well, we are friends; we have long wonderful conversations together."

Glorfindel looked at him.  "Have you kissed her?"

Erestor regarded him with shock.  "Of course not!"

"Tell me you have at least held her hand."

"Well, I . . . that is . . .um . . ."

Glorfindel closed his eyes with a sigh.  "You are hopeless, my friend, hopeless." 

"I cannot simply kiss her, it is not that easy!"

"Why not?"

"I . . . I . . ." Erestor reddened.  "Just because."

Glorfindel stared at him a moment, and then laughed as understanding washed over him.

Erestor was indignant.  "I happen to believe that one should wait for marriage for those activities.  I still follow the old customs, even if you do not."

Glorfindel smirked.  "One is not obligated to marry every person one kisses."

"And I do not kiss every person I meet, unlike some I could name."

"Indeed, apparently your tally amounts to zero."  Glorfindel sighed once more.  "Do you love her?"

"Well I . . . I . . . I know not."  Erestor faltered.

Glorfindel poked him.  "If you kiss her, you will find out."

Erestor blinked.  "I will?"

"Indeed yes, you should try it."

Erestor was worried.  "Suppose she does not like it?"

"Then you apologize and do not do it again."  Glorfindel winked.  "My guess is that she will like it."

Erestor gave him a wary look.  "I have heard from Elrond and others about your advice in these matters."

Glorfindel was offended.  "My advice is faultless, I assure you."  He sniffed.  "They are simply jealous."

Erestor's lips curled up at the edges.  "Indeed, there are times when I will admit to that myself."

Glorfindel patted his shoulder and smiled.  "You will be fine, dive in, the water is not all that cold."

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Elrond stood on the windy shore and watched the gulls swoop screeching down into the gentle surf, searching for minnows and crustaceans, battling amongst themselves for a juicy morsel.

He turned up his collar and pulled his cloak tightly around himself as a shield from the relentless gusts.  When the descent of Anar was complete into the western horizon, he made his way to the white tower where his mother embraced him.

"The seashore is very pretty at sunset, is it not?"

"Indeed," said Elrond quietly.  "A perfect place to be alone with one's thoughts."  He accepted the mug of hot tea Elwing offered him and sipped it carefully while he reflected.

Elwing broke into his reverie.  "You are still not entirely decided in this, are you?"

Elrond stared at his tea.  He seemed close to speech, and then stopped, sighing.  "Nay, indeed I am not, Naneth."

"You seek answers to questions?"

"I do."

"You may not like the answers you will hear, but at least you will have them, finally."

He nodded.  "This is true; all doubt will cease."  He twisted the cup in his fingers.  "I was so young, Naneth.  There was no one to explain it to me then, and I fear I still look back at it with a child's eyes."

Elwing looked at him with concern.  "Perhaps I can help you to age your conceptions of the past."  She had a faraway look in her eyes.  "You father was born and grew to adulthood in Gondolin as you know.  It was a very secret kingdom, built deep into the mountains, totally inaccessible to most, not unlike your Imladris, from what I have heard.

"When the city fell and his people journeyed to Sirion, it was the first time he had ever seen the Sea and he was immediately enraptured.  It was apparent all too soon that it was his destiny to become a mariner, his fate to sacrifice those he loved in pursuit of a noble cause, the salvation of Middle-earth."

Elrond looked up.  "And were you happy with this, Naneth?"

"I married your father with my eyes open, I knew his love for the sea and his quest for the Blessed Realm would eclipse all other loves."  She paused.  "Happy with it?  Nay, most assuredly not, but it was part of him and I loved him."

"Could we have not gone with him on his voyages, stayed together?"

She shook her head.  "That would not have been considered a proper life for a wife and children.  There were only males on the ship."

Elrond's voice became bitter.  "Everything that happened to us, that happened to me, may have never come to pass had he been there to aid us."

"This is true, but you have the luxury of hindsight, we had no vision of the future at that time."

"I disagree.  You had the Silmaril in your keeping; you knew the peril surrounding the guardianship of such a thing. You were aware of the Oath of Fëanor and the lust of his sons.  How could you look at the slaying of your father and the fate of your brothers and not have taken steps to protect us?"

Elwing sighed.  "We thought we dwelt in secret, that our whereabouts were unknown to our enemies.  We had a false sense of security.  I know this now and I agree with you, our laxity proved disastrous." 

Elrond closed his eyes.  "The only thing I can possibly see being unchanged by his presence would be Elros' decision perhaps."

Elwing laid a hand on his arm.  "I am glad you mentioned this, I have never understood how your brother could have made such a choice."

Elrond placed his cup on the table and stared at the flames in the hearth.  "It was difficult for me to accept as well.  The life of the Eldar in Middle-earth at that time was one bloody conflict after another and Elros was no soldier.  War was destructive and he desired to create above all else.

"Eönwë made it clear to us that the age of men was dawning and the Eldar would fade into reclusive obscurity."  Elrond smiled.  "This way of life did not fit into Elros' grand plans.  He was very much his father's son in that respect it seems."

Elwing's eyes sparkled.  "I comprehend a little better now and I am proud of my son.  He built a great nation and sired a race of mighty kings."

"Indeed he did."

She regarded Elrond as he continued to stare into the fire.  "I see great strength in both my sons, in your own way you bore the trials of Middle-earth as heavily on your shoulders as Eärendil did.  Also, there are few who could have endured that which you did and still survived."

Elrond lifted his head but could not meet her eyes.  "You know of this, you were able to see it?"

"I know of it, yes, but not firsthand.  Olórin told me about it many years ago before he left for Middle-earth."

Elrond turned his head to gaze out the window at the stars.  "Does he know of it?"

She shook her head.  "I would doubt it; he does not concern himself with the doings of Middle-earth or of Aman, even."

"But the dragon-slaying, the death of Ancalagon at the fall of Thangorodrim, was that not a concern of Middle-earth?"

Elwing considered.  "I believe that was a directive from Manwë."

"I see," said Elrond quietly.  He resumed his steady gaze into the fire.

Elwing rose.  "If you will excuse me, there are things I must attend to for a short while."

Elrond waved his hand.  "Go about your business, by all means.  I will be here."

She paused for a brief moment and touched his shoulder.  "I love you, Melliôn, always remember that."

Elrond smiled and placed his hand over hers.  "I love you as well, Nana, and I will."

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Elrond's eyes snapped open and he was disoriented, wondering where he was.  Have I been asleep?  He sat up quickly and passed his hand over his face, attempting to assimilate his surroundings.

There was a small sound and he turned to see an elf sitting in a nearby chair.  An elf that resembled him so greatly, he could have been his brother.

Elrond blinked.  Well, perhaps not exactly an elf, he could see right through him and his entire essence seemed to glow.

Elrond's eyes widened.  "Adar?"

"I am Eärendil the Mariner," the apparition responded.  "You are Elrond Peredhil. I understand you have questions you wish to ask of me."

Elrond stared at him for a long moment and then shook his head sadly.  "Nay . . . nay, it seems I do not, after all.  I wonder if you could perhaps just tell me something about yourself . . ."

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Erestor shuffled his feet nervously.  Gwendolyn looked at him with concern.  "What is it, what is troubling you?"

"Not a thing," he replied, feeling the betrothal rings burning a hole through his pocket.

"Oh," she said, disappointed.  "I thought perhaps . . .you seemed like you might have a question for me."

Erestor nearly fainted.  "Ah . . . a question?  What kind of a question?"

Gwendolyn shook her head.  "Umm . . . nothing.  Apparently I was mistaken."

Erestor cursed inwardly.  He took a deep breath and swallowed.  "Gwendolyn?"

She perked up immediately.  "Yes?"

"I . . . I . . . that is . . . will you . . ."

"Oh Erestor!"  She moved closer and looked up at him, parting her lips.  He froze, staring at her and she sighed with exasperation.  She reached for him, encircling his neck with her arms, pulling him into an intimate embrace.

Their lips met and every bone in Erestor's body melted.  "Oh Gwendolyn," he panted.  They kissed passionately, their long pent-up desire becoming urgent very rapidly.

She reached inside his clothing, caressing him.  "Oh Erestor.  Oh my love."

His eyes glazed over.  "We move too quickly, we must stop . . ."

She tore open her bodice with a quick motion and guided his head to her breasts.  "I do not wish to."

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Elrond finished brushing down his horse and left the stable, walking towards the house.  It was late, most everyone would be asleep.  Ithil shone brightly overhead and a movement in the garden caught his eye as he passed.  He looked quickly away as it became apparent he was witnessing two elves in the act of consummating their betrothal.

Elrond paused and stole another glance, unable to believe his eyes.  Erestor?  And Gwendolyn?  He smiled and walked on, shaking his head.  Will wonders never cease . . .

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He set the candle down on a table.  He pulled up a chair and sat motionless, quietly watching his children sleep.  There was a noise behind him and Culurien came into the room.  "I thought I heard you come up the stairs."  She pressed against his back and laid her head on his shoulder, kissing his neck. She paused and studied him.  "I have a feeling it did not go well, did it?"

Elrond reached for her hand and pulled her into his lap.  He held her tightly around the waist as he laid his head on her breasts.  He kept his eyes fastened unblinking on his peacefully slumbering children while the tears rolled slowly down his cheeks.

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