Right, Alaina has a kinda of offshoot fic to this, it's called Ellarohir (title might give it away, hehe) and it's here: https://www.fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=1660502
Alaina - woohoo, TWINS! GLORFINDEL! *coughs subtly* FARAMIR!
mrs.shigwa.cobain - lol, I finished that chapter on x-mas day, maybe I was a bit preoccupied and wanted to lead onto the nexct chapter, hehe.
Dslguy14 - Ah, they may be in my head a while yet, or mayhap someone elses?
Meethrill - for me, I try to make sure that every chapter is 1000 word and at least every two weeks, thenI thought 'that's a bit short, let's try and make it's 2000 every week at least. Well, it's up to 3000 in a couple of days, although I'm afraid I may not be able to keep up with this pace.
Ainu Laire - That's a BAD mental image?! o_O hehe.
MERRY something or other...
Nimmir - 'white jewel', hopefully.
"%TEXT%" Denotes talk in Sindarin.
--------------------
Smells like elves...
--------------------
"So what did you say we are supposed to do?" Glorfindel asked.
"I told you, it's a winter festival, it's very fun and there are presents!"
"Presents? What kind of presents?"
"Well, generally you ask for what you want and hope the other person gets them for you."
"Ah, what other person?"
"Parents, grandparents, family and some friends."
"That's a lot of people."
"Yeah, the only down side is that we generally have to get them presents in return. But don't worry, all I REALLY have to worry about is Nan, Granddad, Mum, Susan and the secret Santa present."
"Secret Santa?"
"Yes, remember, names in hat, one good present."
"Right." Pause. "Why are we here again?"
"Buy the presents."
"Ah."
*
"Do you think she'll like that?" I asked Glorfindel and Erestor, pointing at a picture frame.
"I'm not sure, didn't she say no more picture frames?" Glorfindel.
"No, I'm sure she said no more ridiculously small picture frames, or maybe that was Susan."
"It was Susan." Erestor confirmed.
[snip]
"Slippers? Why would they want slippers?"
"Because it's cold there."
"Who are we buying these for again?"
"Never mind, Glorfindel."
[snip]
"Diabetic chocolates? Haven't tried 'diabetic' before. Is it nice?"
"Oh just don't ask Glorfindel."
[snip]
"Ohh! Let's look in there, please?!"
"No Glorfindel, we don't need any more clothes."
[snip]
"Well, maybe that picture frame's big enough for Susan." Glorfindel.
"That's a mirror, not a picture frame." Me.
"No, it's a picture frame" Glorfindel.
"Mirror." Me.
"Picture frame." Glorfindel.
"Mirror."
"Picture frame."
"Mirror."
"Picture frame."
"Oh look, just ask the people at the counter!" Erestor.
"'scuse me, is that a picture frame or a mirror?"
"It's a flat screen TV."
"Oh."
[snip]
"Didn't we get Susan a present?" Glorfindel.
"No, be quiet." I snapped.
"Yes we did, the make up bag." Erestor.
"Oh, maybe we did." At least I had the courtesy to blush.
[snip]
"Oh just get the picture frame! Come on, I want more mince pies!" Erestor.
[snip]
I don't like shopping
*
"What do we do with the presents now?" Glorfindel asked now we were back home with the presents in front of us.
"Oh, this is the much nicer part, we wrap them."
"What do we wrap them with?" I indicated the paper. "This is the nice part?!"
I was sitting, quite happily wrapping presents and idly talking with Glorfindel and Erestor, when the ribbons were pulled out.
"Ohhh, how delightful!" Cried Glorfindel.
"See? I told you it was fun, and each with celotape."
"Can we give them the presents now?" Glorfindel asked.
"No, we have to wait until the twenty fifth of December, because that's the day the festival is celebrated."
"Is it the end of winter?"
"No."
"New year?"
"No."
Glorfindel continued to ask what made it the twenty fifth of December. I considered trying to explain about Jesus, but that hadn't gone down too well last time so I opted for: "It's religious related."
"Oh," Glorfindel seemed to think for a few moments, just as I heard him start speaking, Erestor cut in, "Just leave it, Glorfindel. Enjoy the holiday."
He sighed.
*
It was that trip again, up to Norfolk to my grandparents, I literally had my fingers cross, no ickle children, please! All we had to do was stop at my uncles and drop the presents up there, easy enough. Mum walked in, and came out, no cousins in tow, phew. She got into the car, sat down, and suddenly asked me for her car keys.
"I don't have them, you took them." 'Didn't she?' I added to Glorfindel and Erestor, they agreed with me.
So she got up, walked back into the house, I held my breath again. Came back out with no cousins, double phew.
"By the way, Sara." She said to me once we were on the road again, "they said they might come up and visit tomorrow." Drat.
Glorfindel was full of the joys of spring again as he was within arms reach of the CD player, it was a long trip and there was nothing to stop him complaining until I put something he liked on. Trips were nice and all, but when you had Glorfindel in your head, they weren't so nice. He was almost enamoured with the car, that and speed.
"Why don't you just give him control?" Erestor asked, "You can come back here and let him have his fun, what harm can he do?"
Remind me never to listen to Erestor. I agreed and Glorfindel had the time of his life, well, so to speak. Music blaring, windows open and hair blowing and Glorfindel giving shouts of 'faster' and 'over take /that/ car'! I guess his road safety phase had passed. I think my mum just blamed these spurts of random wild behaviour on me being a teenager, either that or she was humouring me. Although I suspect she may have been doing that as well.
Still, it's funny how the trip goes so much faster when there's good music to listen to and no company. Probably got something to do with the fact that there was no other 'adults' in the car to complain about the speed it was being driven at as well. I love my mum.
*
So we were at my Nan's, it was Christmas Eve and no matter how much I had nearly conquered the art of sleeping easily and peacefully on Christmas Eve Glorfindel and Erestor seemed to have ruined it. Maybe it was their anticipation of a certain host of presents to be opened in the morning. Ah well. Up at 5 am and presents under the tree, yay! I ran to the living room and went straight after my presents, it didn't matter that it wasn't light yet, right?
Some books, some DVD's, a mug, some slipper socks (rather nice) and one of the best things in the whole of the world, or at least so Glorfindel thought. Lord of the Rings Risk. There went Christmas.
Quick read of the instructions and we were off.
"Why do I have to be evil?" I asked.
"Because there are only two good armies and as we're elves we should get to be the good ones. Look, at least one of the evil ones are black. The Nazgul look good as well."
"But you've got to be the actual elves, you know what you're doing more and it'll be easier."
"Look, this has nothing to do with real life, it was even an elf on foot would be worth more than a Rohirrim on a horse. And eagles would be worth more than five. There are more than nine Nazgul!"
I sighed, "Ok, I suppose."
Half a game later.
"Haha! I own the whole of Mirkwood now! And Arnor! I will never be defeated!" What more should I expect from Glorfindel? Erestor was doing well as well, all I had was The Dead Marshes and Fangorn, with an Orc on each land. Great.
My grandparents were giving me worried looks, I suppose playing a three player game of Risk by yourself is quite strange, but oh well, it was fun!
*
Glutted I was, full of food to the rim and now my family decides is a good time for a walk in the woods, 'to help the dinner go down'. Bah, lose at risk and now this. True, Erestor had lost as well, but nowhere near as bad as me. At least the woods were nice, I hadn't felt this relaxed and peaceful since, believe it or not, France. When Glorfindel and Erestor were relaxed, I was relaxed. And no matter how many times I insisted that they were Noldor, not Silvan or Sindar Elves, they still said woods made them feel more like they were at home. Beats me. Although I'm not sure Erestor was a Noldor, but it's not the kind of thing you ask about, at least I didn't think so.
We were all walking quite far from each other when I saw my dog run past a thick group of trees and went to follow.
"It smells like elves." Glorfindel suddenly came out with.
"What?" I asked in disbelief, who ever heard of a place smelling like elves?
"Elves live here, or camped here recently."
"Look, Glorfindel, it's just a small wood, all the elves left, didn't they?"
"What have I told you?" Erestor asked.
"Er, um, Glorfindel's always wrong?"
"No, some elves stayed, Silvan elves and generally in things like this Glorfindel's usually right." Erestor admitted, almost begrudgingly.
"So you're telling me that there could be elves in this forest, right now? And it could be as easy as this to find them?"
"Yes."
"Oh, well, where are they?"
"Give me control of the body and I'll tell you, you want to see elves, don't you?" From Glorfindel, who seemed rather less pleased at the situation than Erestor.
"Will they be all dangerous armed f-ing mad wood elves?" I asked, thinking of the Mirkwood elves.
"Probably," Erestor admitted.
"Well come on then! They sound interesting!"
We followed a path that I couldn't at all discern, I think if it hadn't have been for Glorfindel being able to smell the elves we would have had no chance. We walked straight up until we reach a sheer cliff, ok, how did they do that?! (I bet you wanna know what a cliff was doing in the middle of a wood, so do I. I put it down to being the weirdness of a wood near the sea.
"Where did they go?" I asked.
"They might have gone up..." Erestor looked up and then ended with, "...maybe not."
Glorfindel walked around and moved a few rocks...to reveal a small opening in the cliff face. "That was just nifty."
We carefully entered the cave and found we could see nothing, until Glorfindel tensed and the odd torch was lit. We were surrounded.
I could almost feel arrows pointed at us, and then one poked me in the back so I could /actually/ feel arrows point at us. Thank God Glorfindel was in control.
"%Nay, do not fire!%"
One elf actually gasped. Another Elf quickly hit the other one upside the head and said in a rather powerful tone, "%How do you speak our tongue?%"
Glorfindel squinted, "%Thranduil, is that you?!%"
A quick look of shock replaced by flitting anger and then some akin to a pout passed the light haired elves face. "%Nay, I am Nimmir, his eldest son.%"
"%Oh, well, that explains the resemblance, where's good ole Thranny?%"
"%'Good ole Thranny' left for Valinor many years ago, he missed his son, /his/ Greenleaf. Never thinks that maybe it's his other son that needs attention, oh no, never think of something like that. I mean it's not exactly my thought I'm still here. All he ever came out with to sort my problems were 'master your fear' oh yes, because it's that easy. And mother was no better, 'don't mind your father,' she used to say, 'he'll get over his sea longing, and so will you.' Such useful parents I was blessed with, what ever would I do without /them/?! I mean, do you know what his lasts word were to me? No, I don't suppose you do, well they were, 'stop being such an idiot and get on the damned boat!' Well if that does just that the...%"
One of his elven companions cleared their throats.
"%Oh, sorry about that, where was I, oh yes! Who are you and how do you know my father?!%"
*
A little while later and it was all explained. Well, it had been explained, then we had the arrows pointed back at us, then it was eventually proved and then all the elves started laughing.
"What's happening?" I asked Erestor, not having understood anything that had just happened to us. Well, that's not entirely true, I understood they were angry or feeling the urge to kill us any more, that was good.
"They're laughing at Glorfindel, and maybe me, but I think it's him. He's explaining how we got here."
"Oh, what was the blond one babbling about earlier?"
"Glorfindel mistook Thranduil's son for Thranduil, not very pleasant."
Thranduil's son?! Thranduil's son?! But that meant..."Legolas?!"
Erestor would have glared at me if he could have, "What happened to Legolas, Sara?"
"Oh, he sailed over the seas," I answered, quite proud of my memory. I suddenly realised what this meant, "But then how can that be...?"
"It's one of Thranduil's other sons, just because they're not mentioned in the books doesn't mean they don't exist, remember?"
"Yes," I muttered, quite amazing how you could mutter mentally when you didn't have a body to mutter with.
"Thranduil had two sons and a daughter."
"What happened to the daughter?"
"She was killed in Mirkwood when she was but an Elfling, it's best not to mention her, she was Legolas and Nimmir's younger sister, quite tragic. She was killed whilst Legolas was on the quest, during the burnings of Mirkwood."
"Oh, how did it happen?"
"She fell in the Forrest River and was pulled out by wolves, not very pleasant. They never did find out how she fell in quite tragic, like I said."
Well, that was quite a downer. "Where's Thranduil?"
"Nimmir says he's left, sailed West."
"If he's sailed West then how did Glorfindel mistake him for his son?"
"Do you know what everyone in England looks like?"
"Fair enough."
As usually happen when our conversations die down, Glorfindel piped in. "Can you smell them now? Well? Well?"
As he inhaled I could quite easily smell the elves, oh they smell so nice, like everything that's good and pure in the world! They smell like the colour green! Strange but that's exactly what they smelt like.
"Yes! Oh god! Do you two smell like that as well?"
Erestor laughed and answered, "Yes, we do, but we never notice it this much, we smell much more tempting to mortals than we do to each other, trust me. No wonder mortals are drawn to us!"
"Glorfindel, can I, er, y'know..." I kind of asked.
"Oh, if you can take control of the body of course you can meet them!" He answered.
Ok, here goes my test of skill, close our eyes, relax, breath deep and easy and try to open my eyes. I did it! Hurrah!
"Look Glorfindel, Erestor! I actually did it, yay!" I shouted, before I realised that I had said it out loud. I looked to the elves around me and wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Oh dear lord kill me now! 'Glorfindel, want control again?'
'No, introduce yourself, it will be alright, and try not to, well, breath too deeply.'
'Why?'
'The smell will effect you, trust me.'
'Ok,' I answered, 'I'll try.' I paused for a moments thought and added, 'How will it affect me?'
'Oh look, just talk to them, they're giving us weird looks.'
"Er, hi, I'm Sara?" I tried. All the elves burst out laughing, and then something strange happened, as I was upset and at the verge of sulking or tears, my mind was still deciding. Erestor took control.
"Typical wood-elves! Nearly made a mortal cry!" He paused for a moment listening to me mentally crying, "you have made her cry, shame on you!"
Most of them seemed stunned into silence, until one of them with a smile spread across his face answered, "The Elf that helped Imladris run smoothly for thousands of years! Erestor's back!" They all started cheering.
I sniffled and was about to question Glorfindel when he answered, "Erestor's a Sindar, quite good at hiding it really. Unfortunately chances are he's related to most of them, knowing those grey-elves." He stopped for a moment, "no harm intended, Erestor."
Erestor blinked and answered, "No harm done, it's probably true knowing these elves. Although these are more Silvan than Sindar, although I'm pretty sure that red haired one is my second cousin twice removed. And I know that the blonde one in the back is my grandfather's niece's husband. Or maybe it was my grandmothers nephew's husband."
"You can do that," I asked Glorfindel.
"Aye, two male can marry, anything's possible with the Sindar, I told you."
"Where were we?" Erestor asked, "Ah yes, I was scolding them."
"Well?" He barked, "What do you have to say for yourselves? To Sara?" The elves had quieted down by now and most muttered apologies. Still hurt that they'd been so mean.
"Can we meet the mortal now?" One of the darker haired elves asked.
'Can they?' Erestor asked.
'I don't think I want to.'
"She says 'no', see, you've scared her away. Now, where were we? Ah yes, Nimmir, why are you still here if the rest of your family has departed?"
A few of the elves actually slapped their heads and groaned. We soon found out why. An hour later and with the distinct feeling that I was forgetting something we now knew why Nimmir was still here. He was afraid of water and got sea sick. Oh great. Unfortunately he couldn't just say that, oh no, he had to launch into a whole long full blown LIFE HISTORY! Currently he was going on something about his mother.
"...father said I have too much Silvan blood in me and not enough Sindar, quite funny really considering..."
A bark from somewhere outside brought us all back to reality and the fact that I had left my mother, grandmother and dog and just wondering off. Oh dear. Erestor jumped up and I tried to think of something to do about my most recent discovery.
"Tell them not to go anywhere and we'll be back in a month and a half, half term."
So he told them and we ran outside to where my dog was. A quick race back to the car and things were almost sorted.
"WHERE WERE YOU?!" My mother shouted at me.
"The dog had fled and I pursued it and it was not until I recaptured her that I was aware of how far I had travelled. The capture and walk back took time, I offer you my deepest apologies." I think they were so stunned by Erestor's speech that they let me slip into the car and off we drove. Oh well, at least he was better than Glorfindel.
***
Well?
Alaina - woohoo, TWINS! GLORFINDEL! *coughs subtly* FARAMIR!
mrs.shigwa.cobain - lol, I finished that chapter on x-mas day, maybe I was a bit preoccupied and wanted to lead onto the nexct chapter, hehe.
Dslguy14 - Ah, they may be in my head a while yet, or mayhap someone elses?
Meethrill - for me, I try to make sure that every chapter is 1000 word and at least every two weeks, thenI thought 'that's a bit short, let's try and make it's 2000 every week at least. Well, it's up to 3000 in a couple of days, although I'm afraid I may not be able to keep up with this pace.
Ainu Laire - That's a BAD mental image?! o_O hehe.
MERRY something or other...
Nimmir - 'white jewel', hopefully.
"%TEXT%" Denotes talk in Sindarin.
--------------------
Smells like elves...
--------------------
"So what did you say we are supposed to do?" Glorfindel asked.
"I told you, it's a winter festival, it's very fun and there are presents!"
"Presents? What kind of presents?"
"Well, generally you ask for what you want and hope the other person gets them for you."
"Ah, what other person?"
"Parents, grandparents, family and some friends."
"That's a lot of people."
"Yeah, the only down side is that we generally have to get them presents in return. But don't worry, all I REALLY have to worry about is Nan, Granddad, Mum, Susan and the secret Santa present."
"Secret Santa?"
"Yes, remember, names in hat, one good present."
"Right." Pause. "Why are we here again?"
"Buy the presents."
"Ah."
*
"Do you think she'll like that?" I asked Glorfindel and Erestor, pointing at a picture frame.
"I'm not sure, didn't she say no more picture frames?" Glorfindel.
"No, I'm sure she said no more ridiculously small picture frames, or maybe that was Susan."
"It was Susan." Erestor confirmed.
[snip]
"Slippers? Why would they want slippers?"
"Because it's cold there."
"Who are we buying these for again?"
"Never mind, Glorfindel."
[snip]
"Diabetic chocolates? Haven't tried 'diabetic' before. Is it nice?"
"Oh just don't ask Glorfindel."
[snip]
"Ohh! Let's look in there, please?!"
"No Glorfindel, we don't need any more clothes."
[snip]
"Well, maybe that picture frame's big enough for Susan." Glorfindel.
"That's a mirror, not a picture frame." Me.
"No, it's a picture frame" Glorfindel.
"Mirror." Me.
"Picture frame." Glorfindel.
"Mirror."
"Picture frame."
"Mirror."
"Picture frame."
"Oh look, just ask the people at the counter!" Erestor.
"'scuse me, is that a picture frame or a mirror?"
"It's a flat screen TV."
"Oh."
[snip]
"Didn't we get Susan a present?" Glorfindel.
"No, be quiet." I snapped.
"Yes we did, the make up bag." Erestor.
"Oh, maybe we did." At least I had the courtesy to blush.
[snip]
"Oh just get the picture frame! Come on, I want more mince pies!" Erestor.
[snip]
I don't like shopping
*
"What do we do with the presents now?" Glorfindel asked now we were back home with the presents in front of us.
"Oh, this is the much nicer part, we wrap them."
"What do we wrap them with?" I indicated the paper. "This is the nice part?!"
I was sitting, quite happily wrapping presents and idly talking with Glorfindel and Erestor, when the ribbons were pulled out.
"Ohhh, how delightful!" Cried Glorfindel.
"See? I told you it was fun, and each with celotape."
"Can we give them the presents now?" Glorfindel asked.
"No, we have to wait until the twenty fifth of December, because that's the day the festival is celebrated."
"Is it the end of winter?"
"No."
"New year?"
"No."
Glorfindel continued to ask what made it the twenty fifth of December. I considered trying to explain about Jesus, but that hadn't gone down too well last time so I opted for: "It's religious related."
"Oh," Glorfindel seemed to think for a few moments, just as I heard him start speaking, Erestor cut in, "Just leave it, Glorfindel. Enjoy the holiday."
He sighed.
*
It was that trip again, up to Norfolk to my grandparents, I literally had my fingers cross, no ickle children, please! All we had to do was stop at my uncles and drop the presents up there, easy enough. Mum walked in, and came out, no cousins in tow, phew. She got into the car, sat down, and suddenly asked me for her car keys.
"I don't have them, you took them." 'Didn't she?' I added to Glorfindel and Erestor, they agreed with me.
So she got up, walked back into the house, I held my breath again. Came back out with no cousins, double phew.
"By the way, Sara." She said to me once we were on the road again, "they said they might come up and visit tomorrow." Drat.
Glorfindel was full of the joys of spring again as he was within arms reach of the CD player, it was a long trip and there was nothing to stop him complaining until I put something he liked on. Trips were nice and all, but when you had Glorfindel in your head, they weren't so nice. He was almost enamoured with the car, that and speed.
"Why don't you just give him control?" Erestor asked, "You can come back here and let him have his fun, what harm can he do?"
Remind me never to listen to Erestor. I agreed and Glorfindel had the time of his life, well, so to speak. Music blaring, windows open and hair blowing and Glorfindel giving shouts of 'faster' and 'over take /that/ car'! I guess his road safety phase had passed. I think my mum just blamed these spurts of random wild behaviour on me being a teenager, either that or she was humouring me. Although I suspect she may have been doing that as well.
Still, it's funny how the trip goes so much faster when there's good music to listen to and no company. Probably got something to do with the fact that there was no other 'adults' in the car to complain about the speed it was being driven at as well. I love my mum.
*
So we were at my Nan's, it was Christmas Eve and no matter how much I had nearly conquered the art of sleeping easily and peacefully on Christmas Eve Glorfindel and Erestor seemed to have ruined it. Maybe it was their anticipation of a certain host of presents to be opened in the morning. Ah well. Up at 5 am and presents under the tree, yay! I ran to the living room and went straight after my presents, it didn't matter that it wasn't light yet, right?
Some books, some DVD's, a mug, some slipper socks (rather nice) and one of the best things in the whole of the world, or at least so Glorfindel thought. Lord of the Rings Risk. There went Christmas.
Quick read of the instructions and we were off.
"Why do I have to be evil?" I asked.
"Because there are only two good armies and as we're elves we should get to be the good ones. Look, at least one of the evil ones are black. The Nazgul look good as well."
"But you've got to be the actual elves, you know what you're doing more and it'll be easier."
"Look, this has nothing to do with real life, it was even an elf on foot would be worth more than a Rohirrim on a horse. And eagles would be worth more than five. There are more than nine Nazgul!"
I sighed, "Ok, I suppose."
Half a game later.
"Haha! I own the whole of Mirkwood now! And Arnor! I will never be defeated!" What more should I expect from Glorfindel? Erestor was doing well as well, all I had was The Dead Marshes and Fangorn, with an Orc on each land. Great.
My grandparents were giving me worried looks, I suppose playing a three player game of Risk by yourself is quite strange, but oh well, it was fun!
*
Glutted I was, full of food to the rim and now my family decides is a good time for a walk in the woods, 'to help the dinner go down'. Bah, lose at risk and now this. True, Erestor had lost as well, but nowhere near as bad as me. At least the woods were nice, I hadn't felt this relaxed and peaceful since, believe it or not, France. When Glorfindel and Erestor were relaxed, I was relaxed. And no matter how many times I insisted that they were Noldor, not Silvan or Sindar Elves, they still said woods made them feel more like they were at home. Beats me. Although I'm not sure Erestor was a Noldor, but it's not the kind of thing you ask about, at least I didn't think so.
We were all walking quite far from each other when I saw my dog run past a thick group of trees and went to follow.
"It smells like elves." Glorfindel suddenly came out with.
"What?" I asked in disbelief, who ever heard of a place smelling like elves?
"Elves live here, or camped here recently."
"Look, Glorfindel, it's just a small wood, all the elves left, didn't they?"
"What have I told you?" Erestor asked.
"Er, um, Glorfindel's always wrong?"
"No, some elves stayed, Silvan elves and generally in things like this Glorfindel's usually right." Erestor admitted, almost begrudgingly.
"So you're telling me that there could be elves in this forest, right now? And it could be as easy as this to find them?"
"Yes."
"Oh, well, where are they?"
"Give me control of the body and I'll tell you, you want to see elves, don't you?" From Glorfindel, who seemed rather less pleased at the situation than Erestor.
"Will they be all dangerous armed f-ing mad wood elves?" I asked, thinking of the Mirkwood elves.
"Probably," Erestor admitted.
"Well come on then! They sound interesting!"
We followed a path that I couldn't at all discern, I think if it hadn't have been for Glorfindel being able to smell the elves we would have had no chance. We walked straight up until we reach a sheer cliff, ok, how did they do that?! (I bet you wanna know what a cliff was doing in the middle of a wood, so do I. I put it down to being the weirdness of a wood near the sea.
"Where did they go?" I asked.
"They might have gone up..." Erestor looked up and then ended with, "...maybe not."
Glorfindel walked around and moved a few rocks...to reveal a small opening in the cliff face. "That was just nifty."
We carefully entered the cave and found we could see nothing, until Glorfindel tensed and the odd torch was lit. We were surrounded.
I could almost feel arrows pointed at us, and then one poked me in the back so I could /actually/ feel arrows point at us. Thank God Glorfindel was in control.
"%Nay, do not fire!%"
One elf actually gasped. Another Elf quickly hit the other one upside the head and said in a rather powerful tone, "%How do you speak our tongue?%"
Glorfindel squinted, "%Thranduil, is that you?!%"
A quick look of shock replaced by flitting anger and then some akin to a pout passed the light haired elves face. "%Nay, I am Nimmir, his eldest son.%"
"%Oh, well, that explains the resemblance, where's good ole Thranny?%"
"%'Good ole Thranny' left for Valinor many years ago, he missed his son, /his/ Greenleaf. Never thinks that maybe it's his other son that needs attention, oh no, never think of something like that. I mean it's not exactly my thought I'm still here. All he ever came out with to sort my problems were 'master your fear' oh yes, because it's that easy. And mother was no better, 'don't mind your father,' she used to say, 'he'll get over his sea longing, and so will you.' Such useful parents I was blessed with, what ever would I do without /them/?! I mean, do you know what his lasts word were to me? No, I don't suppose you do, well they were, 'stop being such an idiot and get on the damned boat!' Well if that does just that the...%"
One of his elven companions cleared their throats.
"%Oh, sorry about that, where was I, oh yes! Who are you and how do you know my father?!%"
*
A little while later and it was all explained. Well, it had been explained, then we had the arrows pointed back at us, then it was eventually proved and then all the elves started laughing.
"What's happening?" I asked Erestor, not having understood anything that had just happened to us. Well, that's not entirely true, I understood they were angry or feeling the urge to kill us any more, that was good.
"They're laughing at Glorfindel, and maybe me, but I think it's him. He's explaining how we got here."
"Oh, what was the blond one babbling about earlier?"
"Glorfindel mistook Thranduil's son for Thranduil, not very pleasant."
Thranduil's son?! Thranduil's son?! But that meant..."Legolas?!"
Erestor would have glared at me if he could have, "What happened to Legolas, Sara?"
"Oh, he sailed over the seas," I answered, quite proud of my memory. I suddenly realised what this meant, "But then how can that be...?"
"It's one of Thranduil's other sons, just because they're not mentioned in the books doesn't mean they don't exist, remember?"
"Yes," I muttered, quite amazing how you could mutter mentally when you didn't have a body to mutter with.
"Thranduil had two sons and a daughter."
"What happened to the daughter?"
"She was killed in Mirkwood when she was but an Elfling, it's best not to mention her, she was Legolas and Nimmir's younger sister, quite tragic. She was killed whilst Legolas was on the quest, during the burnings of Mirkwood."
"Oh, how did it happen?"
"She fell in the Forrest River and was pulled out by wolves, not very pleasant. They never did find out how she fell in quite tragic, like I said."
Well, that was quite a downer. "Where's Thranduil?"
"Nimmir says he's left, sailed West."
"If he's sailed West then how did Glorfindel mistake him for his son?"
"Do you know what everyone in England looks like?"
"Fair enough."
As usually happen when our conversations die down, Glorfindel piped in. "Can you smell them now? Well? Well?"
As he inhaled I could quite easily smell the elves, oh they smell so nice, like everything that's good and pure in the world! They smell like the colour green! Strange but that's exactly what they smelt like.
"Yes! Oh god! Do you two smell like that as well?"
Erestor laughed and answered, "Yes, we do, but we never notice it this much, we smell much more tempting to mortals than we do to each other, trust me. No wonder mortals are drawn to us!"
"Glorfindel, can I, er, y'know..." I kind of asked.
"Oh, if you can take control of the body of course you can meet them!" He answered.
Ok, here goes my test of skill, close our eyes, relax, breath deep and easy and try to open my eyes. I did it! Hurrah!
"Look Glorfindel, Erestor! I actually did it, yay!" I shouted, before I realised that I had said it out loud. I looked to the elves around me and wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Oh dear lord kill me now! 'Glorfindel, want control again?'
'No, introduce yourself, it will be alright, and try not to, well, breath too deeply.'
'Why?'
'The smell will effect you, trust me.'
'Ok,' I answered, 'I'll try.' I paused for a moments thought and added, 'How will it affect me?'
'Oh look, just talk to them, they're giving us weird looks.'
"Er, hi, I'm Sara?" I tried. All the elves burst out laughing, and then something strange happened, as I was upset and at the verge of sulking or tears, my mind was still deciding. Erestor took control.
"Typical wood-elves! Nearly made a mortal cry!" He paused for a moment listening to me mentally crying, "you have made her cry, shame on you!"
Most of them seemed stunned into silence, until one of them with a smile spread across his face answered, "The Elf that helped Imladris run smoothly for thousands of years! Erestor's back!" They all started cheering.
I sniffled and was about to question Glorfindel when he answered, "Erestor's a Sindar, quite good at hiding it really. Unfortunately chances are he's related to most of them, knowing those grey-elves." He stopped for a moment, "no harm intended, Erestor."
Erestor blinked and answered, "No harm done, it's probably true knowing these elves. Although these are more Silvan than Sindar, although I'm pretty sure that red haired one is my second cousin twice removed. And I know that the blonde one in the back is my grandfather's niece's husband. Or maybe it was my grandmothers nephew's husband."
"You can do that," I asked Glorfindel.
"Aye, two male can marry, anything's possible with the Sindar, I told you."
"Where were we?" Erestor asked, "Ah yes, I was scolding them."
"Well?" He barked, "What do you have to say for yourselves? To Sara?" The elves had quieted down by now and most muttered apologies. Still hurt that they'd been so mean.
"Can we meet the mortal now?" One of the darker haired elves asked.
'Can they?' Erestor asked.
'I don't think I want to.'
"She says 'no', see, you've scared her away. Now, where were we? Ah yes, Nimmir, why are you still here if the rest of your family has departed?"
A few of the elves actually slapped their heads and groaned. We soon found out why. An hour later and with the distinct feeling that I was forgetting something we now knew why Nimmir was still here. He was afraid of water and got sea sick. Oh great. Unfortunately he couldn't just say that, oh no, he had to launch into a whole long full blown LIFE HISTORY! Currently he was going on something about his mother.
"...father said I have too much Silvan blood in me and not enough Sindar, quite funny really considering..."
A bark from somewhere outside brought us all back to reality and the fact that I had left my mother, grandmother and dog and just wondering off. Oh dear. Erestor jumped up and I tried to think of something to do about my most recent discovery.
"Tell them not to go anywhere and we'll be back in a month and a half, half term."
So he told them and we ran outside to where my dog was. A quick race back to the car and things were almost sorted.
"WHERE WERE YOU?!" My mother shouted at me.
"The dog had fled and I pursued it and it was not until I recaptured her that I was aware of how far I had travelled. The capture and walk back took time, I offer you my deepest apologies." I think they were so stunned by Erestor's speech that they let me slip into the car and off we drove. Oh well, at least he was better than Glorfindel.
***
Well?