-THE GAMES OF THE GODS-
-Disclaimer:-
Glorfindel: Ehm, well, as per usual, it looks as if CS has left the disclaimer up to us Elves to do...though unlike most times, she is actually nowhere to be seen at the moment, instead of just standing off to the side snickering like she usually does...
Elladan: That's because she's walled herself into her basement to avoid angry reviewers and characters.
Glorfindel: *blink* Angry characters? Why so?
Elladan: *looks at Glorfindel incredulously* Haven't you READ the chapter?
Glorfindel: Er...no.
Elladan: Go read it. *makes shooing motions at Glorfindel*
Glorfindel: Uh...alright then. *goes off and starts reading*
Elladan: CS owns nothing, especially not this chapter. The little killer bunny from Monty Python and the Holy Grail wrote it, and is entirely responsible for it.
Glorfindel: *comes storming through heading for CS's basement* Must...kill...author...
Elladan: Heh. *smirks* Good luck, CS. *grins evilly*
-63: Grieving-
It was a patrol of the southern borders that felt the distant sorrow and went to investigate. Their leader, the Marchwarden Haldir, ended out being the only one to actually approach the clearing that was the source of the sorrow, as the grief coming from it was almost palpable it was so intense. It brought back old tragedies from the memories of the members of the patrol, and so they stayed at a distance and let their Marchwarden, a much stronger Elf in the emotion containing department, see who - or what - could be the cause of such grief.
And so Haldir was the one to discover the Lady Asira of Gondor as she had finally stopped when her grief overcame her - on her knees in a small clearing, her face upturned to the sky, eyes shut and tears streaming from them down her cheeks. It shocked even him to find the supposed unfazable lady in this state, and his first action was to return to his men and send one to fetch Lord Glorfindel at once, no matter what he was doing.
Then the Marchwarden returned to the clearing and called out to Lady Asira, but she did not notice his presence. Somewhat hesitantly, Haldir approached Asira and rested a hand on her shoulder for comfort. The next thing he knew, he found himself with an arm full of black-haired, grief-filled elf maiden. Surprised, it took him a moment to react and wrap his arms around her, but even then he was uneasy, and hoped Glorfindel would return soon - even his control was slipping, and snatches of his mothers departure for Valinor after his fathers death were beginning to slip through and make him want to join in Asira's crying.
Just as it seemed his control would slip, however, a hand touched him lightly on the shoulder, and Lord Glorfindel kneeled beside him. Haldir gratefully handed over the crying elf maiden, and stood, preparing to leave, but Glorfindel caught his sleeve and gave him a questioning glance. Haldir shook his head, not knowing what had caused Asira's breakdown, and left the clearing quickly. Outside, he composed himself hurriedly before appearing before his men and gruffly setting them back on the path of their patrol again.
Glorfindel, in the clearing, held Rachel as she cried (not like he had much choice, since she had a rather strong grip), not even attempting to speak words of comfort, as he didn't know what was wrong, and doubted words could make sorrow this strong go away, anyways. He himself had to force himself to concentrate on the lady in front of him to keep his own grief-filled memories at bay. And finally, the tears began to slow, and sorrow-filled eyes looked up at him blearily.
"Glorfy?" she asked, sniffling. Glorfindel couldn't help but smile at the old nickname the twins, and Arwen in her time, had given him when they were younger.
"I am here." he said reassuringly. Rachel buried her face in his chest, and a few moments later, she was asleep. Glorfindel sighed, then shifted the lady in his arms slightly so he could carry her easily before standing and making his way back to Caras Galadhon. He got more than a few strange looks on the way up to his flet, but he ignored them, and was grateful when he finally kicked shut the door to his flet and set the still-sleeping Rachel down on his bed.
Her grip had loosened during the walk back to the Elven city, so now he was able to pry her hands off of his shirt. He changed his shirt, and then quickly slipped out to get a messenger sent to those he was supposed to speak with today to inform them that he was no longer available. When he returned to his flet, he heard soft crying coming from his bedroom, and returned quickly to find Rachel awake again, curled up in a ball and staring sightlessly at the wall as little sobs and whimpers escaped her every few moments.
"Rachel?" Glorfindel asked in concern, sitting down on the bed next to her. There was a pause, and then her eyes slowly focused and turned to him before she said something in a whisper so quiet he couldn't hear it even at this distance.
"What was that?" he asked.
"He's going to die." the words were mumbled, quiet, and barely distinguishable, but he heard them this time.
"Who?" Glorfindel asked softly, concern etched across his features.
"Boromir. He's going to die. The Fellowship is going to be attacked an Amon Hen, and they're going to be scattered around because Boromir will have gone after Frodo, and then everyone else out after the two of them, and Boromir will die defending Merry and Pippin, which really turns out to be in vain because they get captured anyways." Rachel rambled on, and then finished on a miserable note. "I could have stopped him. Twice now he's asked me whether or not he should go. And both times I've given him vague answers that let him believe he should continue. Or that it's his fate to continue. I've sent him to his death."
Glorfindel was silent for a long time, as Rachel looked around the room absently in a sad, wistful manner. So far, the knowledge that Alkarisil and Rachel had let slip to Glorfindel had been of little consequence. But now he began to see the dark side to their knowledge - they knew the sorrows that came along with each victory, each achievement. They knew, perhaps better then anyone, what pain the Shadow would cause before the War was done. But it was fate, obviously, or otherwise they wouldn't know it - and therein lay the comfort Rachel was obviously seeking.
"It IS fate, Rachel. You cannot change that." Glorfindel said quietly. "You brought him to Rivendell, you encouraged him to go to the Council, and you have kept him on the path he was supposed to take. You could have done no different."
"I could have told him no! I could have warned him of the dangers! I could have just forgone this whole thing and brought Faramir - or just let Denethor send a messenger as he wanted to! I could have done many things different, and he wouldn't now be going to his death!" Rachel said angrily, one hand lashing out to push Glorfindel's hand off her shoulder, where it had come to rest.
"Perhaps. Or he might have fallen in defense of Minas Tirith. Or out in some garrison in Gondor. Or you could have let him embark on a quest that is the last hope of Middle-Earth." Glorfindel said softly.
"A fool's hope." Rachel said bitterly. Glorfindel sucked in a breath, wondering if that meant what he thought it did - but surely Rachel and Kari would not have been speaking of going to Minas Tirith if Sauron was going to regain the Ring? "A fools hope that they could do this thing and come back unscathed. Gandalf will go through fire and death, Aragorn will claim his birthright, even though he doesn't want to, Legolas and Gimli will most likely be forever shunned for the friendship they're going to form, Sam will see things more horrible than he ever imagined, Pippin and Merry shall both come to deaths doorstep, and Frodo will lose a finger...and his innocence. And Boromir will die." There was a pause, and then Rachel glanced up at Glorfindel with grim amusement in her eyes. "Aren't you going to shut me up yet?"
"Only if you wish it." Glorfindel replied, looking at her intently. "It did not take a genius to notice that you and Boromir are close - and now you say he is going to his death. Your grief is understandable, as is your need to get some things out of your system. I did not understand until now the depth or your knowledge, nor the danger or grief contained within it. Now I have glimpsed it, and I swear to you that I will be here for you when you need support." Rachel smiled sadly, but thankfully, and then hugged Glorfindel.
"Thank you." she said softly and unnecessarily. Glorfindel kissed her lightly, then lifted her effortlessly into his lap and held her there as she continued to hold onto him. They stayed that way for a long time, silent and still, holding each other, but eventually, Glorfindel became aware of movement from the lady in his lap. It was small, at first, and then one of her arms unwrapped from around him and rested lightly on his chest for a moment before beginning to idly draw random patterns.
Glorfindel smiled slightly. Even if the grips of grief, Rachel could not stay still for long. It was one of the things he loved about her - her energy and vitality were refreshing, pulling his memory back to before Sauron, before Morgoth's rise to power, when the Elves were more carefree and happy, at the height of their glory...instead of at the bitter end. Even Elladan and Elrohir, in their younger days, had not had such a way about them. They had been wild and energetic, to be sure, but they had never had the...
Glorfindel's thoughts trailed off as he realized that Rachel's random patterns had turned into caresses. He blinked momentarily in surprise, caught even more off-guard when he felt a light kiss near the base of his neck. More light kisses followed, with the occasional flick of tongue, and Glorfindel held in a small groan, turning his head and capturing Rachel's lips in a kiss to stop her progress.
This was, as was usual with things Rachel did, entirely unexpected, but unlike most of the other things Rachel did, Glorfindel needed to figure out what was going on and decide what the best course of action was before he responded. Grief was a powerful emotion, especially for Elves, and he did not wish to make a wrong step here, for he had no doubt that it would be fatal for his relationship with Rachel, if not for himself. (She was getting rather good with that sword of hers.)
But Rachel, it seemed, was used to Glorfindel's quick response to her unpredictable actions. Thought was pushed forcibly aside as the maiden in Glorfindel's lap pulled herself closer to him, the arm that she had previously brought forward now wrapping up around his neck, her fingers brushing oh-so-accidentally against the tip of his ear before burying themselves in his hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss. This time Glorfindel couldn't hold back a small groan, and without thinking, nipped at Rachel's lower lip, then licked it lightly. Her lips parted, and Glorfindel slid his tongue inside, exploring her mouth, only to withdraw and let her do the same to his mouth after a time.
Lost in the sensations, it took Glorfindel a moment (or more) to realize that Rachel's hands were being quite busy. His tunic was loose, his belt gone, and one of her hands was resting on his bare chest underneath his tunic. He had no doubt that he would shortly be no longer wearing his tunic. And he was right.
Rachel withdrew suddenly from their kiss, dropped a few light kisses on Glorfindel's jaw, then moved away quickly, pulled off Glorfindel's tunic, and was back to kiss, lick, and nip along Glorfindel's jaw, neck, shoulder and collarbone before he could react. To further distract the elf-lord, one of Rachel's hands was stroking his chest in a rather seductive manner, and the other was dangerously close to the top of his breeches. It took a moment for that last bit about the location of Rachel's hand to sink in, and when it did, Glorfindel abruptly pulled his senses together, and thought furiously while internally fighting against the distraction and temptation that was Rachel.
Glorfindel losing his tunic was nothing new - Rachel seemed to have an inordinate fondness for removing it. But the current circumstances made him think, and as he did, he realized that something was quite different from previous encounters with Rachel. There was a sense of tension and passion that there had never been before, for one thing, as well as several other emotions that were the reason why most Elves had less physical relationships with those they courted. This, Glorfindel realized, was serious. Rachel was not about to stop at merely removing his tunic.
With that realization, Glorfindel abruptly stilled. He had no qualms with binding himself to Rachel, but he did not want to do it this way, under these circumstances. He wanted to do it romantically, not as an act of comforting a grieving maiden.
"Glorfindel?" Rachel had noticed Glorfindel's stillness, and looked up at him curiously. He smiled tenderly back at her.
"Now is not the time for this." he said softly, and then kissed Rachel lightly as he gently unwrapped her arms from around him. He pulled away again to find Rachel looking at him in utter confusion, the passion and love that had been in her eyes before slowly fading. Glorfindel smiled tenderly again, then lifted Rachel off his lap and set her on the bed before grabbing his tunic and belt and slipping out the door. He would have stayed, but he hadn't realized until he'd seen her confusion how much she'd affected him - he had suddenly wanted nothing more than to let her continue, tell her to never mind.
If he'd looked behind him as he left, however, he most likely would have changed his mind and returned. For the confusion in his ladies eyes was very quickly changing to a darker, smoldering emotion - showing that that fatal mistake had just been made. But Glorfindel was oblivious as he left his flet.
---
Glorfindel was surprised - and, he admitted to himself, somewhat hurt - when he returned to his flet later that night to find Rachel gone. But he assumed she'd gone to talk with Kari, and dismissed it as he went to bed and fell into a restless sleep.
When the elf-lord woke the next morning, it was with a feeling of dread, and a distinct impression that something was about to go very very wrong, if it hadn't already. Which it apparently had, he discovered with a wince as he looked out the window. The sun was high up in the sky - close to noon - and he, Rachel and Kari were supposed to have left right after breakfast.
As they were going by Rachel's usual breakfast time, that only made him two hours or so late, but as he hurriedly threw on his clothes, he wondered why nobody had woken him. He wondered in response if the trip had been postponed - despite what Rachel and Kari said about the dates being tight as it was - due to Rachel's grief over the Son of Denethor's impending death. As Glorfindel finished dressing, he decided to go to Rachel's flet and find out.
The instant he stepped inside Rachel's flet, he knew something was most definitely wrong. It took him only a moment to realize what it was - the flet was empty. None of the books that had gravitated to the flet were there, and it had the feel of a recently abandoned building. Glorfindel felt a cold knot forming in his stomach, and quickly checked the bedroom - empty. He felt a flash of panic, then calmed it and thought about it. Of course, Rachel could be at Kari's flet, already having cleaned up, and the two might be waiting for him there. Reassured, he left Rachel's flet and made for Kari's, where he betrayed his worry by entering without even bothering to knock.
It was empty as well, though not as empty as Rachel's - Kari obviously intended to return. But not anytime soon. Glorfindel looked around blankly for a moment, and then calmly reasoned that Rachel and Kari could just be down by their horses waiting. He left and headed for the paddock.
He reached the horses quickly, but found no short, black-haired elf there, and Aratelpe and Kari's horse - Lomesure - were gone. Cold fear the likes of which he hadn't felt since he had had his face-off with Morgoth's Balrog settled in the pit of his stomach, and he turned, searching for one of those that took care of the horses. He found someone quickly, and after a quick question, was informed that the Lady Asira and Lady Kari had left early that morning just after dawn - with provisions and equipment for a long journey.
Glorfindel let out several curses that he had learned from the dwarves when they'd stayed in Rivendell, followed by several he'd learned from Círdan during the Last Alliance. The Elf he was talking to looked at him in surprise, and Glorfindel apologized briefly, then set off at a brisk pace - almost a run - for Galadriel and Celeborn's chambers. When he reached them, he knocked swiftly, and was bid to enter.
Inside, he opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he saw that besides Celeborn and Galadriel, there was another Elf in the room - wearing Rivendell colours. The Elf - a messenger named Analto - rose when Glorfindel entered, and bowed, before coming over and holding out a letter. Glorfindel stared blankly at the letter for a moment, addressed to him in Elrond's flowing handwriting, while Celeborn and Galadriel looked at him in surprise, clearly not expecting him to still be in Lothlórien after hearing of Rachel and Kari's departure.
With a low growl, Glorfindel took the letter, broke the seal, and read it swiftly. He pursed his lips and glanced up at Analto, then reminded himself not to shoot the messenger. Or impale him. Or slice him into little tiny pieces and blame it on Haldir. 'Horribly wrong' didn't even begin to describe how this day was going.
"Very well. I shall be leaving for Rivendell after lunch." Glorfindel snapped, tossed the letter into the fireplace, and stalked out, leaving a stunned Lord and Lady of the Wood behind him, along with a confused messenger.
----To be continued...with Gondor!----
(And fun with Kari's full title!)
-Authors Note:-
The author's note for this chapter has been cancelled due to Crimson Starlight walling herself into her basement in an attempt to keep the inevitable angry reviewers away from her. This does not stop CS from appreciating any and all reviews, however, even if they do just say 'How could you?!' She will, however, be back on wednesday, hopefully in one piece and most deffinately with a new chapter. She might be a bit late if she gets lost in her directory system again, though...
Sincerely,
~TFGWRW (from chapter 6, remember?)
(I might be over-reacting, but hey - better safe than sorry, right? Oh, and there's a link to a page of TGotG images in my profile now, right where the old link to Rachel's Sword used to be. The Glorfindel/Rachel picture is at the bottom of the page.)
-Disclaimer:-
Glorfindel: Ehm, well, as per usual, it looks as if CS has left the disclaimer up to us Elves to do...though unlike most times, she is actually nowhere to be seen at the moment, instead of just standing off to the side snickering like she usually does...
Elladan: That's because she's walled herself into her basement to avoid angry reviewers and characters.
Glorfindel: *blink* Angry characters? Why so?
Elladan: *looks at Glorfindel incredulously* Haven't you READ the chapter?
Glorfindel: Er...no.
Elladan: Go read it. *makes shooing motions at Glorfindel*
Glorfindel: Uh...alright then. *goes off and starts reading*
Elladan: CS owns nothing, especially not this chapter. The little killer bunny from Monty Python and the Holy Grail wrote it, and is entirely responsible for it.
Glorfindel: *comes storming through heading for CS's basement* Must...kill...author...
Elladan: Heh. *smirks* Good luck, CS. *grins evilly*
-63: Grieving-
It was a patrol of the southern borders that felt the distant sorrow and went to investigate. Their leader, the Marchwarden Haldir, ended out being the only one to actually approach the clearing that was the source of the sorrow, as the grief coming from it was almost palpable it was so intense. It brought back old tragedies from the memories of the members of the patrol, and so they stayed at a distance and let their Marchwarden, a much stronger Elf in the emotion containing department, see who - or what - could be the cause of such grief.
And so Haldir was the one to discover the Lady Asira of Gondor as she had finally stopped when her grief overcame her - on her knees in a small clearing, her face upturned to the sky, eyes shut and tears streaming from them down her cheeks. It shocked even him to find the supposed unfazable lady in this state, and his first action was to return to his men and send one to fetch Lord Glorfindel at once, no matter what he was doing.
Then the Marchwarden returned to the clearing and called out to Lady Asira, but she did not notice his presence. Somewhat hesitantly, Haldir approached Asira and rested a hand on her shoulder for comfort. The next thing he knew, he found himself with an arm full of black-haired, grief-filled elf maiden. Surprised, it took him a moment to react and wrap his arms around her, but even then he was uneasy, and hoped Glorfindel would return soon - even his control was slipping, and snatches of his mothers departure for Valinor after his fathers death were beginning to slip through and make him want to join in Asira's crying.
Just as it seemed his control would slip, however, a hand touched him lightly on the shoulder, and Lord Glorfindel kneeled beside him. Haldir gratefully handed over the crying elf maiden, and stood, preparing to leave, but Glorfindel caught his sleeve and gave him a questioning glance. Haldir shook his head, not knowing what had caused Asira's breakdown, and left the clearing quickly. Outside, he composed himself hurriedly before appearing before his men and gruffly setting them back on the path of their patrol again.
Glorfindel, in the clearing, held Rachel as she cried (not like he had much choice, since she had a rather strong grip), not even attempting to speak words of comfort, as he didn't know what was wrong, and doubted words could make sorrow this strong go away, anyways. He himself had to force himself to concentrate on the lady in front of him to keep his own grief-filled memories at bay. And finally, the tears began to slow, and sorrow-filled eyes looked up at him blearily.
"Glorfy?" she asked, sniffling. Glorfindel couldn't help but smile at the old nickname the twins, and Arwen in her time, had given him when they were younger.
"I am here." he said reassuringly. Rachel buried her face in his chest, and a few moments later, she was asleep. Glorfindel sighed, then shifted the lady in his arms slightly so he could carry her easily before standing and making his way back to Caras Galadhon. He got more than a few strange looks on the way up to his flet, but he ignored them, and was grateful when he finally kicked shut the door to his flet and set the still-sleeping Rachel down on his bed.
Her grip had loosened during the walk back to the Elven city, so now he was able to pry her hands off of his shirt. He changed his shirt, and then quickly slipped out to get a messenger sent to those he was supposed to speak with today to inform them that he was no longer available. When he returned to his flet, he heard soft crying coming from his bedroom, and returned quickly to find Rachel awake again, curled up in a ball and staring sightlessly at the wall as little sobs and whimpers escaped her every few moments.
"Rachel?" Glorfindel asked in concern, sitting down on the bed next to her. There was a pause, and then her eyes slowly focused and turned to him before she said something in a whisper so quiet he couldn't hear it even at this distance.
"What was that?" he asked.
"He's going to die." the words were mumbled, quiet, and barely distinguishable, but he heard them this time.
"Who?" Glorfindel asked softly, concern etched across his features.
"Boromir. He's going to die. The Fellowship is going to be attacked an Amon Hen, and they're going to be scattered around because Boromir will have gone after Frodo, and then everyone else out after the two of them, and Boromir will die defending Merry and Pippin, which really turns out to be in vain because they get captured anyways." Rachel rambled on, and then finished on a miserable note. "I could have stopped him. Twice now he's asked me whether or not he should go. And both times I've given him vague answers that let him believe he should continue. Or that it's his fate to continue. I've sent him to his death."
Glorfindel was silent for a long time, as Rachel looked around the room absently in a sad, wistful manner. So far, the knowledge that Alkarisil and Rachel had let slip to Glorfindel had been of little consequence. But now he began to see the dark side to their knowledge - they knew the sorrows that came along with each victory, each achievement. They knew, perhaps better then anyone, what pain the Shadow would cause before the War was done. But it was fate, obviously, or otherwise they wouldn't know it - and therein lay the comfort Rachel was obviously seeking.
"It IS fate, Rachel. You cannot change that." Glorfindel said quietly. "You brought him to Rivendell, you encouraged him to go to the Council, and you have kept him on the path he was supposed to take. You could have done no different."
"I could have told him no! I could have warned him of the dangers! I could have just forgone this whole thing and brought Faramir - or just let Denethor send a messenger as he wanted to! I could have done many things different, and he wouldn't now be going to his death!" Rachel said angrily, one hand lashing out to push Glorfindel's hand off her shoulder, where it had come to rest.
"Perhaps. Or he might have fallen in defense of Minas Tirith. Or out in some garrison in Gondor. Or you could have let him embark on a quest that is the last hope of Middle-Earth." Glorfindel said softly.
"A fool's hope." Rachel said bitterly. Glorfindel sucked in a breath, wondering if that meant what he thought it did - but surely Rachel and Kari would not have been speaking of going to Minas Tirith if Sauron was going to regain the Ring? "A fools hope that they could do this thing and come back unscathed. Gandalf will go through fire and death, Aragorn will claim his birthright, even though he doesn't want to, Legolas and Gimli will most likely be forever shunned for the friendship they're going to form, Sam will see things more horrible than he ever imagined, Pippin and Merry shall both come to deaths doorstep, and Frodo will lose a finger...and his innocence. And Boromir will die." There was a pause, and then Rachel glanced up at Glorfindel with grim amusement in her eyes. "Aren't you going to shut me up yet?"
"Only if you wish it." Glorfindel replied, looking at her intently. "It did not take a genius to notice that you and Boromir are close - and now you say he is going to his death. Your grief is understandable, as is your need to get some things out of your system. I did not understand until now the depth or your knowledge, nor the danger or grief contained within it. Now I have glimpsed it, and I swear to you that I will be here for you when you need support." Rachel smiled sadly, but thankfully, and then hugged Glorfindel.
"Thank you." she said softly and unnecessarily. Glorfindel kissed her lightly, then lifted her effortlessly into his lap and held her there as she continued to hold onto him. They stayed that way for a long time, silent and still, holding each other, but eventually, Glorfindel became aware of movement from the lady in his lap. It was small, at first, and then one of her arms unwrapped from around him and rested lightly on his chest for a moment before beginning to idly draw random patterns.
Glorfindel smiled slightly. Even if the grips of grief, Rachel could not stay still for long. It was one of the things he loved about her - her energy and vitality were refreshing, pulling his memory back to before Sauron, before Morgoth's rise to power, when the Elves were more carefree and happy, at the height of their glory...instead of at the bitter end. Even Elladan and Elrohir, in their younger days, had not had such a way about them. They had been wild and energetic, to be sure, but they had never had the...
Glorfindel's thoughts trailed off as he realized that Rachel's random patterns had turned into caresses. He blinked momentarily in surprise, caught even more off-guard when he felt a light kiss near the base of his neck. More light kisses followed, with the occasional flick of tongue, and Glorfindel held in a small groan, turning his head and capturing Rachel's lips in a kiss to stop her progress.
This was, as was usual with things Rachel did, entirely unexpected, but unlike most of the other things Rachel did, Glorfindel needed to figure out what was going on and decide what the best course of action was before he responded. Grief was a powerful emotion, especially for Elves, and he did not wish to make a wrong step here, for he had no doubt that it would be fatal for his relationship with Rachel, if not for himself. (She was getting rather good with that sword of hers.)
But Rachel, it seemed, was used to Glorfindel's quick response to her unpredictable actions. Thought was pushed forcibly aside as the maiden in Glorfindel's lap pulled herself closer to him, the arm that she had previously brought forward now wrapping up around his neck, her fingers brushing oh-so-accidentally against the tip of his ear before burying themselves in his hair, pulling him deeper into the kiss. This time Glorfindel couldn't hold back a small groan, and without thinking, nipped at Rachel's lower lip, then licked it lightly. Her lips parted, and Glorfindel slid his tongue inside, exploring her mouth, only to withdraw and let her do the same to his mouth after a time.
Lost in the sensations, it took Glorfindel a moment (or more) to realize that Rachel's hands were being quite busy. His tunic was loose, his belt gone, and one of her hands was resting on his bare chest underneath his tunic. He had no doubt that he would shortly be no longer wearing his tunic. And he was right.
Rachel withdrew suddenly from their kiss, dropped a few light kisses on Glorfindel's jaw, then moved away quickly, pulled off Glorfindel's tunic, and was back to kiss, lick, and nip along Glorfindel's jaw, neck, shoulder and collarbone before he could react. To further distract the elf-lord, one of Rachel's hands was stroking his chest in a rather seductive manner, and the other was dangerously close to the top of his breeches. It took a moment for that last bit about the location of Rachel's hand to sink in, and when it did, Glorfindel abruptly pulled his senses together, and thought furiously while internally fighting against the distraction and temptation that was Rachel.
Glorfindel losing his tunic was nothing new - Rachel seemed to have an inordinate fondness for removing it. But the current circumstances made him think, and as he did, he realized that something was quite different from previous encounters with Rachel. There was a sense of tension and passion that there had never been before, for one thing, as well as several other emotions that were the reason why most Elves had less physical relationships with those they courted. This, Glorfindel realized, was serious. Rachel was not about to stop at merely removing his tunic.
With that realization, Glorfindel abruptly stilled. He had no qualms with binding himself to Rachel, but he did not want to do it this way, under these circumstances. He wanted to do it romantically, not as an act of comforting a grieving maiden.
"Glorfindel?" Rachel had noticed Glorfindel's stillness, and looked up at him curiously. He smiled tenderly back at her.
"Now is not the time for this." he said softly, and then kissed Rachel lightly as he gently unwrapped her arms from around him. He pulled away again to find Rachel looking at him in utter confusion, the passion and love that had been in her eyes before slowly fading. Glorfindel smiled tenderly again, then lifted Rachel off his lap and set her on the bed before grabbing his tunic and belt and slipping out the door. He would have stayed, but he hadn't realized until he'd seen her confusion how much she'd affected him - he had suddenly wanted nothing more than to let her continue, tell her to never mind.
If he'd looked behind him as he left, however, he most likely would have changed his mind and returned. For the confusion in his ladies eyes was very quickly changing to a darker, smoldering emotion - showing that that fatal mistake had just been made. But Glorfindel was oblivious as he left his flet.
---
Glorfindel was surprised - and, he admitted to himself, somewhat hurt - when he returned to his flet later that night to find Rachel gone. But he assumed she'd gone to talk with Kari, and dismissed it as he went to bed and fell into a restless sleep.
When the elf-lord woke the next morning, it was with a feeling of dread, and a distinct impression that something was about to go very very wrong, if it hadn't already. Which it apparently had, he discovered with a wince as he looked out the window. The sun was high up in the sky - close to noon - and he, Rachel and Kari were supposed to have left right after breakfast.
As they were going by Rachel's usual breakfast time, that only made him two hours or so late, but as he hurriedly threw on his clothes, he wondered why nobody had woken him. He wondered in response if the trip had been postponed - despite what Rachel and Kari said about the dates being tight as it was - due to Rachel's grief over the Son of Denethor's impending death. As Glorfindel finished dressing, he decided to go to Rachel's flet and find out.
The instant he stepped inside Rachel's flet, he knew something was most definitely wrong. It took him only a moment to realize what it was - the flet was empty. None of the books that had gravitated to the flet were there, and it had the feel of a recently abandoned building. Glorfindel felt a cold knot forming in his stomach, and quickly checked the bedroom - empty. He felt a flash of panic, then calmed it and thought about it. Of course, Rachel could be at Kari's flet, already having cleaned up, and the two might be waiting for him there. Reassured, he left Rachel's flet and made for Kari's, where he betrayed his worry by entering without even bothering to knock.
It was empty as well, though not as empty as Rachel's - Kari obviously intended to return. But not anytime soon. Glorfindel looked around blankly for a moment, and then calmly reasoned that Rachel and Kari could just be down by their horses waiting. He left and headed for the paddock.
He reached the horses quickly, but found no short, black-haired elf there, and Aratelpe and Kari's horse - Lomesure - were gone. Cold fear the likes of which he hadn't felt since he had had his face-off with Morgoth's Balrog settled in the pit of his stomach, and he turned, searching for one of those that took care of the horses. He found someone quickly, and after a quick question, was informed that the Lady Asira and Lady Kari had left early that morning just after dawn - with provisions and equipment for a long journey.
Glorfindel let out several curses that he had learned from the dwarves when they'd stayed in Rivendell, followed by several he'd learned from Círdan during the Last Alliance. The Elf he was talking to looked at him in surprise, and Glorfindel apologized briefly, then set off at a brisk pace - almost a run - for Galadriel and Celeborn's chambers. When he reached them, he knocked swiftly, and was bid to enter.
Inside, he opened his mouth to speak, but stopped when he saw that besides Celeborn and Galadriel, there was another Elf in the room - wearing Rivendell colours. The Elf - a messenger named Analto - rose when Glorfindel entered, and bowed, before coming over and holding out a letter. Glorfindel stared blankly at the letter for a moment, addressed to him in Elrond's flowing handwriting, while Celeborn and Galadriel looked at him in surprise, clearly not expecting him to still be in Lothlórien after hearing of Rachel and Kari's departure.
With a low growl, Glorfindel took the letter, broke the seal, and read it swiftly. He pursed his lips and glanced up at Analto, then reminded himself not to shoot the messenger. Or impale him. Or slice him into little tiny pieces and blame it on Haldir. 'Horribly wrong' didn't even begin to describe how this day was going.
"Very well. I shall be leaving for Rivendell after lunch." Glorfindel snapped, tossed the letter into the fireplace, and stalked out, leaving a stunned Lord and Lady of the Wood behind him, along with a confused messenger.
----To be continued...with Gondor!----
(And fun with Kari's full title!)
-Authors Note:-
The author's note for this chapter has been cancelled due to Crimson Starlight walling herself into her basement in an attempt to keep the inevitable angry reviewers away from her. This does not stop CS from appreciating any and all reviews, however, even if they do just say 'How could you?!' She will, however, be back on wednesday, hopefully in one piece and most deffinately with a new chapter. She might be a bit late if she gets lost in her directory system again, though...
Sincerely,
~TFGWRW (from chapter 6, remember?)
(I might be over-reacting, but hey - better safe than sorry, right? Oh, and there's a link to a page of TGotG images in my profile now, right where the old link to Rachel's Sword used to be. The Glorfindel/Rachel picture is at the bottom of the page.)