-THE GAMES OF THE GODS-
-Disclaimer:-
CS: *randomly glomping onto Glorfindel* I shall call him teddy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my teddy!
Glorfindel: Er...y'might want to get off me before Rachel shows up.
CS: Quiet, teddy! You are mine, and nothing anyone says can change that!
Rachel: *appears, sees CS glomping Glorfindel, and growls*
CS: *jumps off Glorfindel* Growls, on the other hand...
Rachel: *Wraps Glorfindel in a possessive hug, all the while glaring at CS*
Glorfindel: *sigh* It was a pathetic attempt to try to lay claim to any part of Lord of the Rings, anyways.
CS: Yeah...s'pose it was...'specially since I don't own any of it as it is, and really have no right to any of it, so any claim I make otherwise is entirely untrue, yes?
Glorfindel: Yes.
-69: Puzzles-
Glorfindel's mind was whirling as Shadowfax galloped across the countryside, headed for Minas Tirith. Elrond was his lord, and when he had sent that message requesting Glorfindel return to Rivendell, Glorfindel's sense of duty and loyalty had demanded that he obey. And in a way, he was glad he had. For it was two days into the journey that he started thinking, instead of fuming, over his last encounter with Rachel.
It had hit him, just before he stopped for the night, that it was rather likely - no, VERY likely - that Rachel did not know what Elvish marriage consisted of. Kari and Rachel both seemed to see him as someone they could speak with freely about their home, and he had picked up many things over the years since the two had shot out of the river at him. One of the things he had picked up was that, while Rachel and Kari might have extensive knowledge of certain events in Middle-Earth, they seemed to have very limited knowledge of anything else. Kari had much more than Rachel, but even she seemed at a complete loss sometimes. More than once, Kari had appeared at Glorfindel's study, looking completely confused, and had proceeded to ask him about something that was so common-place that he rarely thought about it anymore. So it was not hard to connect the dots and realize that Rachel had not known exactly what the consequences of her actions would be.
It was also not hard to mesh that realization with Rachel's personality and a human outlook on the events of that night, and come to the conclusion that Rachel would most likely be Very Mad. And when Glorfindel had realized that, he had decided that perhaps another good thing had come out of Elrond's order to return to Rivendell. The extra time would give Rachel a chance to calm down - which, by all of Kari's accounts, was a good thing, since Kari's theory of Rachel's initial fearlessness when faced with Glorfindel back when she and Elladan had galloped into Rivendell was that Rachel found it hard to be scared of someone who was less scarier than her when mad.
Yet Glorfindel had known that he needed to be the one to speak with Rachel about what had happened, even if he was (strangely enough) scared of her wrath. Because as soon as he had realized that Rachel would be angry, he had also realized the other ways his walking out of the flet - his flet - could be taken. And from his knowledge of Rachel, he knew that she would most likely take the one that included the worst image of her - which she apparently had - and would probably run away from him.
But the possibility of her fading had not even crossed his mind, and the possibility of her doing so now shook Glorfindel to his very soul. He realized, as Shadowfax sped towards Minas Tirith, that he was not entirely sure if he would survive if Rachel faded. True, he had known Rachel for less than a year, total, but a deep connection had formed that he could not deny. He had actually been considering asking her to marry him when Sauron was defeated. Or once they were safely in Valinor, protected from the wrath of a victorious Sauron by the Valar, if it had come to that.
Things, however, had happened. As they usually did when Rachel was anywhere around. And now he was not even sure if Rachel would live, though Sauron was gone forever.
---
It was a sharp-sighted guard that spotted the silver gleam of Shadowfax as he sped back to the city, and sent word to the King. Aragorn, who was slowly getting more and more curious as to why any Elf who entered Minas Tirith seemed to suddenly become worried and do unpredictable things - like ride off on the Chief of Horses the day after they'd arrived - decided that he would meet this new arrival in the courtyard of the Citadel.
The king had already tried to ask Kari about what was going on - as well as Elrohir, before he'd left - but neither seemed inclined to give Aragorn an explanation. They just made some vague comments and dashed off, apparently disappearing into the bowels of the Citadel; and with Aragorn's limited knowledge of the Citadel's layout, he was unable to find them. Especially since it seemed they were being aided in whatever they were doing by Faramir.
So now Aragorn waited in the Citadel's courtyard as he waited for Shadowfax to climb up the roads of the White City. The king wasn't in the least surprised that, once Shadowfax's hoof-falls were audible to his ears, Kari suddenly appeared in the courtyard. She stood behind Aragorn out of deference, but that didn't stop Aragorn from gauging her mood. The few minutes in the courtyard were the longest he'd been in the company of his foster brother's wife since he had been crowned, and he was disturbed to find that not only did she seem unusually worried, but dead tired. There was also, Aragorn realized as Shadowfax entered the gates, and underlying strain of controlled panic in Kari's manner.
Aragorn, however, forgot completely about Kari as Shadowfax slowed to a stop in front of him, and Lord Glorfindel leaped off gracefully. He looked worn and tired, as if he had been traveling for days straight, and Aragorn wondered when the last time was that the Elf had eaten.
"Your Majesty." Glorfindel said smoothly, bowing deeply to Aragorn. Aragorn arched an eyebrow as the Elf-lord straightened.
"Lord Glorfindel. This is very much a surprise." Aragorn replied.
"So are most things in life." Glorfindel replied, then bowed lightly again, and Aragorn saw that Kari had stepped forward. "Alkarisil."
"Glorfindel." Kari replied, and then turned to Aragorn, putting a hand lightly on his arm. "I know you want answers, Estel, and you shall get them. But for now, time is of the essence, and if you delay us with pleasantries or explanations - both of which would be long - a soul may leave this world and find its way to Mandos' Halls." With that, Kari took Glorfindel's arm and the two set off at a brisk walk - almost a run - into the Citadel.
Aragorn looked after them thoughtfully for a time, and then his thoughts were broken by a nudge to his shoulder, and he turned to find Shadowfax looking at him impatiently. Aragorn eyed the Mearas with amusement, and was just considering taking the horse down to the stables himself to see it settled - because he doubted he would be able to focus on anything with this puzzle tickling his mind - when Gandalf appeared.
"So you're finally back, eh, sluggard?" the wizard asked the horse with a light scowl. Shadowfax whinnied indignantly, and snapped at Gandalf. Gandalf chuckled, stroking the Mearas' muzzle. "Let's go get you cleaned up and fed, then." he said, and set off, Shadowfax trailing behind, without a glance to Aragorn. Aragorn twitched, and suddenly decided that it was a very good thing he had a Ranger background and was used to being ignored, and that he had grown up among Elves and was used to their secrecy. Because otherwise, he was sure, he would have been driven mad several weeks ago.
---
When Kari brought Glorfindel to Rachel's room, and he saw how barely alive Rachel actually was, he realized that until now, he hadn't really believed Elladan. Some part of his mind had been denying, during the entire whirlwind ride to Minas Tirith, that Rachel was fading, putting it down to an unusually cruel prank of Elladan's, or some plan of both the twins, or something, anything other that what it actually was. But when he saw Rachel before him, still as death, skin almost translucent, with waves of despair and sorrow rolling off of her, he could no longer deny it, and drew in a sharp breath.
"We have tried everything." Kari said softly, and then looked at Glorfindel pleadingly. "Bring her back." she asked unnecessarily, then disappeared from the room.
When she was gone, Glorfindel simply stood for a time, watching Rachel. Then, cautiously, he went over to the bed and sat down on the edge. There was no response from Rachel, so he took one of her hands in his own and called her name. Rachel's eyes opened with an agonizing slowness, and her eyes focused on Glorfindel. For a moment, all was still, and then, with surprising strength, Rachel pulled her hand out of Glorfindel's, and rolled so her back was facing him, pulling her knees up to her chest and hiding her face under an arm. Glorfindel grimaced at the pain that this quiet rejection caused. Oh no, he would not survive if Rachel decided to go to the Halls of Mandos.
"Rachel..." Glorfindel said again, his voice suddenly hoarse, resting a hand on the Elf-maiden's shoulder. He felt a tremor go through her body, and swallowed heavily, knowing it was from fear. "I know that you did not know. I do not hold you accountable for your ignorance. Do not do this - do not fade. Please."
There was no indication that Rachel heard, and Glorfindel let out a pained sigh. This, he could tell, was going to be difficult. Glorfindel tilted his head to one side as he looked at Rachel, trying to think of what would reassure Rachel. He smiled slightly as he got an idea, and stood from the bed, sadly noticing that Rachel relaxed visibly as soon as his weight left the bed.
Not that it was going to make much difference, as all he did was walk around to the other side of the bed and sit down on that side. A well-placed arm prevented Rachel from turning around to present him with her back again, and as he got a good look at Rachel's face, he was surprised to find that she was silently crying. Her eyes, which had been closed, slid open with the same tired slowness as before when he sat on the bed, and when she discovered his arm stopping her from turning around, those tear-filled eyes locked onto his face, and Glorfindel was able to see every painful piece of emotion contained within.
His heart ached, and he slowly lifted his hand to brush Rachel's tears away. She shrunk back slightly, but did not recoil entirely, and Glorfindel, watching her expression-filled face, was glad to see there was more than just fear contained in it as he caressed her cheek. Longing and hope were there as well.
That gave Glorfindel the surety he needed to carry through with his little idea, and so he carefully and slowly leaned over and brushed his lips against Rachel's. He felt her stiffen immediately, and try to pull away, but his arm behind her still kept her from moving her body far, and his other hand now rested behind her head, preventing her from moving it very far, either. He did not push it, however, and pulled back to watch Rachel's expression. She was squeezing her eyes shut, and pain was etched on her features - but there was also a hearty amount of confusion.
"Rachel, whatever you may think my reaction to your actions was, it is not true. I love you, and I will not cast that love aside easily." Glorfindel said softly. An eye cracked open promisingly, looking up at Glorfindel. Glorfindel smiled tenderly, then leaned in and brushed his lips against Rachel's again. This time, he noticed, Rachel didn't try to shrink away, and when he pulled back again, her expression was one of uncertainty and confusion.
All was still for a moment as Glorfindel almost literally watched the thoughts going through Rachel's head. Then Rachel hauled herself up and wrapping her arms around Glorfindel, burying her face in his neck and managing to end out sitting in his lap. Glorfindel was slightly surprised, but quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as he felt a slight dampness against his neck as Rachel started crying again. He held her for a time, and then lightly kissed her cheek.
"I was going to ask you to marry me soon, anyways." he added with a touch of amusement. There was a pause, a moment of absolute stillness in the Elf he held in his arms, and Glorfindel's mind went into panic mode as it realized all the ways that could be taken. "I would bind myself to you even now to prove my intentions," Glorfindel added hastily, "Except it would, once again, be an act of comfort, and this started because I did not want to bind to you under such circumstances."
"What better circumstances are there?" Rachel asked softly, her face still buried in Glorfindel's neck.
"Love and joy." Glorfindel replied softly. Unexpectedly, Rachel snorted, drawing away from Glorfindel and giving him and ironic look.
"Love and joy are illusions." she said bitterly. In response, Glorfindel pulled her to him and gave her a deep, tender kiss.
"I beg to differ." he said when he pulled away, his voice throaty and low. Rachel looked back at him with a slightly dazed look in her eyes, and nodded wordlessly. Then, surprisingly, she let out a small, low giggle. A twinkle entered her eyes, and while she didn't quite smile, the corners of her mouth turned up a little, and she look much improved from before.
"Sorry, my mind decided to compute the age difference and what my parents would say if they knew." she said. Glorfindel smiled and let out a little laugh.
"You always think of the most amusing things at the oddest moments." he said. Rachel actually smiled now, but there was a sad tinge to it.
"Only sometimes." she said, and Glorfindel would have had to be an idiot to not get what she was referring to. He gave her another light kiss.
"That was more feeling than thought, I think." he said softly. "And the way you trust and follow your feelings is what makes you who you are - the only elf-maiden to see past the legend of the twice-born Balrog-slayer to the elf beneath." Rachel gave another little sad smile, and then snuggled up close to Glorfindel again, tightening her hold on him somewhat.
"I love you, Glorfindel." she said quietly after a moment, and Glorfindel kiss her lightly on the temple.
"And I you." he said, his mouth twitching in an attempt to smile as he realized the reversal in roles. "And I you." he repeated, and let his eyes close, simply enjoying holding his beloved, though he knew that while the crisis was passed, there was a long way yet to go to full recovery.
---
Aragorn was waiting for Kari when she returned to her rooms - well, they were her and Elrohir's rooms, to be truthful. The servants had quite hastily moved where Kari was staying when Elrohir had showed up and they had found out he was her husband.
"Eager little beaver, aren't we?" Kari asked, shaking her head slightly with amusement. Aragorn blinked.
"Beaver?" he asked.
"Funny little creature with a big tail." Kari explained, waving her hand through the air dismissively.
"Ah." Aragorn replied, not really understanding, but pretending he did, anyways. There was a pause as Kari flopped down into a chair. "So will you explain now?" Kari sighed.
"I will explain some, but not all. The story is, truthfully, not mine to tell. You will get to hear it eventually, however - Rachel intends to gather everybody who needs or wants to be told and explain it to them all at once." Kari's face darkened for a moment as she mentally added 'if she survives'. Then she pulled herself back to the present and continued, "But the basics of the current situation is this:
"In-between the time the Fellowship left Lothlórien, and dawn the next morning, Glorfindel and Rachel somehow managed to get into a fight. So Rachel and I left without Glorfindel. Something - probably anger - kept Rachel going until just after you guys left to go thumb your noses at Sauron. I think, perhaps, that she had still harbored some hope up until then that Glorfindel would show up and everything would magically be better. But then that hope disappeared somehow, and she started fading.
"I didn't recognize it, unfortunately, because I have, fortunately, had little experience with fading - Celebrían was the only fading Elf I have seen, and I'm not into healing that much, so I haven't even read up on it. So it wasn't until Elladan and Elrohir arrived that I found out what was wrong with Rachel. Elladan, as you know, immediately set out to find Glorfindel, and thankfully, Gandalf convinced Shadowfax to bear him there, and Glorfindel back. No other horse could have gotten Glorfindel here in time - though Asfaloth probably would have burst his heart trying." Aragorn smiled somewhat at that accurate description of Asfaloth's loyalty to Glorfindel.
"And so now Glorfindel's in there trying to convince Rachel not to go to the Halls of Mandos and see if she can drive a Vala insane." Kari finished with a shrug. "We'll find out whether or not he succeeds soon." There was a moment of silence as Aragorn thought over what Kari had just told him.
"My thanks." he said at last. "This has, of course, raised more questions, but if they will be answered eventually by the one they concern, as you say, then I suppose I can wait to ask them."
"Well I'm glad someone managed to pound some patience into you." Kari said with a grin.
"It is hard not to pick it up when surrounded by Elves." Aragorn said, rolling his eyes as he hoisted himself out of the chair he had been....for lack of a better word, sprawled in (though Rangers never really sprawled, since it was such a vulnerable position). He bid goodbye to Kari, and she replied in kind before he left at a brisk walk, apparently off to whatever meeting Glorfindel's arrival had interrupted.
----To be continued...with Sleepy!Claim!Staking!Rachel!----
(And the Enterprise A!)
-Authors Note:-
Well, since not all of you have access to my LiveJournal, and I announced it there on Monday afternoon, here's the Author's Note of the story:
As of Monday afternoon, 'The Games of the Gods' has stood finished at 79 chapters in length.
Yes, though I haven't really announced it to you reviewers at large, I HAVE been writing far ahead of where I'm posting in this story...mostly only ten chapters or so ahead (except over Christmas vacation...got 20 chapters ahead, then). But now...I'm done writing it. So from now on I shall simply be posting...one day earlier than normal, if I can think up disclaimers in time. :) So that means: instead of updating Saturday night/Sunday, I'll hopefully be updating next sometime on Saturday. Then sometime on Monday. Then sometime on Wednesday. And I think you can figure out the rest from there. Those especially smart ones might even figure out that with that updating schedual, it is only going to take me 20 days to post the remaining chapters. Well, 22 days, actually, since I have the special feature thingy at the end.
And while we're on about the story...I revised a small part of Chapter 57 because of a comment a reviewer made that I realized was right and just now corrected.
Right. Now, don't let the fact that the story is finished being written turn you off of reviewing! More than once I've changed an already-written part of the story because a reviewer suggested something good, or pointed out a mistake ahead of time. And if people completely lose interest in TGotG, at least as far as I can tell from reviews, why would I bother to finish posting it? So please keep reviewing, and look for an update sometime on Saturday!
~Crimson Starlight
-Revision's Author's Note:-
Yeah, ok, I woke up at 4 AM last night and had this sudden inspiration to add to the scene where Glorfindel said he was going to ask Rachel to marry him soon, anyways. Unfortunately, I had mis-placed the pen that I usually keep beside my bed for when such night-time inspirations strike (though they, thankfully, don't do so very often) though I did have paper. So I had to crawl out of bed, turn on my light, and then poke around trying to find a writing utensil that worked while constantly running over the scene in my head so that my sleepy mind would not forget it. Urg. I hope you enjoy it...
~CS
-Disclaimer:-
CS: *randomly glomping onto Glorfindel* I shall call him teddy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my teddy!
Glorfindel: Er...y'might want to get off me before Rachel shows up.
CS: Quiet, teddy! You are mine, and nothing anyone says can change that!
Rachel: *appears, sees CS glomping Glorfindel, and growls*
CS: *jumps off Glorfindel* Growls, on the other hand...
Rachel: *Wraps Glorfindel in a possessive hug, all the while glaring at CS*
Glorfindel: *sigh* It was a pathetic attempt to try to lay claim to any part of Lord of the Rings, anyways.
CS: Yeah...s'pose it was...'specially since I don't own any of it as it is, and really have no right to any of it, so any claim I make otherwise is entirely untrue, yes?
Glorfindel: Yes.
-69: Puzzles-
Glorfindel's mind was whirling as Shadowfax galloped across the countryside, headed for Minas Tirith. Elrond was his lord, and when he had sent that message requesting Glorfindel return to Rivendell, Glorfindel's sense of duty and loyalty had demanded that he obey. And in a way, he was glad he had. For it was two days into the journey that he started thinking, instead of fuming, over his last encounter with Rachel.
It had hit him, just before he stopped for the night, that it was rather likely - no, VERY likely - that Rachel did not know what Elvish marriage consisted of. Kari and Rachel both seemed to see him as someone they could speak with freely about their home, and he had picked up many things over the years since the two had shot out of the river at him. One of the things he had picked up was that, while Rachel and Kari might have extensive knowledge of certain events in Middle-Earth, they seemed to have very limited knowledge of anything else. Kari had much more than Rachel, but even she seemed at a complete loss sometimes. More than once, Kari had appeared at Glorfindel's study, looking completely confused, and had proceeded to ask him about something that was so common-place that he rarely thought about it anymore. So it was not hard to connect the dots and realize that Rachel had not known exactly what the consequences of her actions would be.
It was also not hard to mesh that realization with Rachel's personality and a human outlook on the events of that night, and come to the conclusion that Rachel would most likely be Very Mad. And when Glorfindel had realized that, he had decided that perhaps another good thing had come out of Elrond's order to return to Rivendell. The extra time would give Rachel a chance to calm down - which, by all of Kari's accounts, was a good thing, since Kari's theory of Rachel's initial fearlessness when faced with Glorfindel back when she and Elladan had galloped into Rivendell was that Rachel found it hard to be scared of someone who was less scarier than her when mad.
Yet Glorfindel had known that he needed to be the one to speak with Rachel about what had happened, even if he was (strangely enough) scared of her wrath. Because as soon as he had realized that Rachel would be angry, he had also realized the other ways his walking out of the flet - his flet - could be taken. And from his knowledge of Rachel, he knew that she would most likely take the one that included the worst image of her - which she apparently had - and would probably run away from him.
But the possibility of her fading had not even crossed his mind, and the possibility of her doing so now shook Glorfindel to his very soul. He realized, as Shadowfax sped towards Minas Tirith, that he was not entirely sure if he would survive if Rachel faded. True, he had known Rachel for less than a year, total, but a deep connection had formed that he could not deny. He had actually been considering asking her to marry him when Sauron was defeated. Or once they were safely in Valinor, protected from the wrath of a victorious Sauron by the Valar, if it had come to that.
Things, however, had happened. As they usually did when Rachel was anywhere around. And now he was not even sure if Rachel would live, though Sauron was gone forever.
---
It was a sharp-sighted guard that spotted the silver gleam of Shadowfax as he sped back to the city, and sent word to the King. Aragorn, who was slowly getting more and more curious as to why any Elf who entered Minas Tirith seemed to suddenly become worried and do unpredictable things - like ride off on the Chief of Horses the day after they'd arrived - decided that he would meet this new arrival in the courtyard of the Citadel.
The king had already tried to ask Kari about what was going on - as well as Elrohir, before he'd left - but neither seemed inclined to give Aragorn an explanation. They just made some vague comments and dashed off, apparently disappearing into the bowels of the Citadel; and with Aragorn's limited knowledge of the Citadel's layout, he was unable to find them. Especially since it seemed they were being aided in whatever they were doing by Faramir.
So now Aragorn waited in the Citadel's courtyard as he waited for Shadowfax to climb up the roads of the White City. The king wasn't in the least surprised that, once Shadowfax's hoof-falls were audible to his ears, Kari suddenly appeared in the courtyard. She stood behind Aragorn out of deference, but that didn't stop Aragorn from gauging her mood. The few minutes in the courtyard were the longest he'd been in the company of his foster brother's wife since he had been crowned, and he was disturbed to find that not only did she seem unusually worried, but dead tired. There was also, Aragorn realized as Shadowfax entered the gates, and underlying strain of controlled panic in Kari's manner.
Aragorn, however, forgot completely about Kari as Shadowfax slowed to a stop in front of him, and Lord Glorfindel leaped off gracefully. He looked worn and tired, as if he had been traveling for days straight, and Aragorn wondered when the last time was that the Elf had eaten.
"Your Majesty." Glorfindel said smoothly, bowing deeply to Aragorn. Aragorn arched an eyebrow as the Elf-lord straightened.
"Lord Glorfindel. This is very much a surprise." Aragorn replied.
"So are most things in life." Glorfindel replied, then bowed lightly again, and Aragorn saw that Kari had stepped forward. "Alkarisil."
"Glorfindel." Kari replied, and then turned to Aragorn, putting a hand lightly on his arm. "I know you want answers, Estel, and you shall get them. But for now, time is of the essence, and if you delay us with pleasantries or explanations - both of which would be long - a soul may leave this world and find its way to Mandos' Halls." With that, Kari took Glorfindel's arm and the two set off at a brisk walk - almost a run - into the Citadel.
Aragorn looked after them thoughtfully for a time, and then his thoughts were broken by a nudge to his shoulder, and he turned to find Shadowfax looking at him impatiently. Aragorn eyed the Mearas with amusement, and was just considering taking the horse down to the stables himself to see it settled - because he doubted he would be able to focus on anything with this puzzle tickling his mind - when Gandalf appeared.
"So you're finally back, eh, sluggard?" the wizard asked the horse with a light scowl. Shadowfax whinnied indignantly, and snapped at Gandalf. Gandalf chuckled, stroking the Mearas' muzzle. "Let's go get you cleaned up and fed, then." he said, and set off, Shadowfax trailing behind, without a glance to Aragorn. Aragorn twitched, and suddenly decided that it was a very good thing he had a Ranger background and was used to being ignored, and that he had grown up among Elves and was used to their secrecy. Because otherwise, he was sure, he would have been driven mad several weeks ago.
---
When Kari brought Glorfindel to Rachel's room, and he saw how barely alive Rachel actually was, he realized that until now, he hadn't really believed Elladan. Some part of his mind had been denying, during the entire whirlwind ride to Minas Tirith, that Rachel was fading, putting it down to an unusually cruel prank of Elladan's, or some plan of both the twins, or something, anything other that what it actually was. But when he saw Rachel before him, still as death, skin almost translucent, with waves of despair and sorrow rolling off of her, he could no longer deny it, and drew in a sharp breath.
"We have tried everything." Kari said softly, and then looked at Glorfindel pleadingly. "Bring her back." she asked unnecessarily, then disappeared from the room.
When she was gone, Glorfindel simply stood for a time, watching Rachel. Then, cautiously, he went over to the bed and sat down on the edge. There was no response from Rachel, so he took one of her hands in his own and called her name. Rachel's eyes opened with an agonizing slowness, and her eyes focused on Glorfindel. For a moment, all was still, and then, with surprising strength, Rachel pulled her hand out of Glorfindel's, and rolled so her back was facing him, pulling her knees up to her chest and hiding her face under an arm. Glorfindel grimaced at the pain that this quiet rejection caused. Oh no, he would not survive if Rachel decided to go to the Halls of Mandos.
"Rachel..." Glorfindel said again, his voice suddenly hoarse, resting a hand on the Elf-maiden's shoulder. He felt a tremor go through her body, and swallowed heavily, knowing it was from fear. "I know that you did not know. I do not hold you accountable for your ignorance. Do not do this - do not fade. Please."
There was no indication that Rachel heard, and Glorfindel let out a pained sigh. This, he could tell, was going to be difficult. Glorfindel tilted his head to one side as he looked at Rachel, trying to think of what would reassure Rachel. He smiled slightly as he got an idea, and stood from the bed, sadly noticing that Rachel relaxed visibly as soon as his weight left the bed.
Not that it was going to make much difference, as all he did was walk around to the other side of the bed and sit down on that side. A well-placed arm prevented Rachel from turning around to present him with her back again, and as he got a good look at Rachel's face, he was surprised to find that she was silently crying. Her eyes, which had been closed, slid open with the same tired slowness as before when he sat on the bed, and when she discovered his arm stopping her from turning around, those tear-filled eyes locked onto his face, and Glorfindel was able to see every painful piece of emotion contained within.
His heart ached, and he slowly lifted his hand to brush Rachel's tears away. She shrunk back slightly, but did not recoil entirely, and Glorfindel, watching her expression-filled face, was glad to see there was more than just fear contained in it as he caressed her cheek. Longing and hope were there as well.
That gave Glorfindel the surety he needed to carry through with his little idea, and so he carefully and slowly leaned over and brushed his lips against Rachel's. He felt her stiffen immediately, and try to pull away, but his arm behind her still kept her from moving her body far, and his other hand now rested behind her head, preventing her from moving it very far, either. He did not push it, however, and pulled back to watch Rachel's expression. She was squeezing her eyes shut, and pain was etched on her features - but there was also a hearty amount of confusion.
"Rachel, whatever you may think my reaction to your actions was, it is not true. I love you, and I will not cast that love aside easily." Glorfindel said softly. An eye cracked open promisingly, looking up at Glorfindel. Glorfindel smiled tenderly, then leaned in and brushed his lips against Rachel's again. This time, he noticed, Rachel didn't try to shrink away, and when he pulled back again, her expression was one of uncertainty and confusion.
All was still for a moment as Glorfindel almost literally watched the thoughts going through Rachel's head. Then Rachel hauled herself up and wrapping her arms around Glorfindel, burying her face in his neck and managing to end out sitting in his lap. Glorfindel was slightly surprised, but quickly wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as he felt a slight dampness against his neck as Rachel started crying again. He held her for a time, and then lightly kissed her cheek.
"I was going to ask you to marry me soon, anyways." he added with a touch of amusement. There was a pause, a moment of absolute stillness in the Elf he held in his arms, and Glorfindel's mind went into panic mode as it realized all the ways that could be taken. "I would bind myself to you even now to prove my intentions," Glorfindel added hastily, "Except it would, once again, be an act of comfort, and this started because I did not want to bind to you under such circumstances."
"What better circumstances are there?" Rachel asked softly, her face still buried in Glorfindel's neck.
"Love and joy." Glorfindel replied softly. Unexpectedly, Rachel snorted, drawing away from Glorfindel and giving him and ironic look.
"Love and joy are illusions." she said bitterly. In response, Glorfindel pulled her to him and gave her a deep, tender kiss.
"I beg to differ." he said when he pulled away, his voice throaty and low. Rachel looked back at him with a slightly dazed look in her eyes, and nodded wordlessly. Then, surprisingly, she let out a small, low giggle. A twinkle entered her eyes, and while she didn't quite smile, the corners of her mouth turned up a little, and she look much improved from before.
"Sorry, my mind decided to compute the age difference and what my parents would say if they knew." she said. Glorfindel smiled and let out a little laugh.
"You always think of the most amusing things at the oddest moments." he said. Rachel actually smiled now, but there was a sad tinge to it.
"Only sometimes." she said, and Glorfindel would have had to be an idiot to not get what she was referring to. He gave her another light kiss.
"That was more feeling than thought, I think." he said softly. "And the way you trust and follow your feelings is what makes you who you are - the only elf-maiden to see past the legend of the twice-born Balrog-slayer to the elf beneath." Rachel gave another little sad smile, and then snuggled up close to Glorfindel again, tightening her hold on him somewhat.
"I love you, Glorfindel." she said quietly after a moment, and Glorfindel kiss her lightly on the temple.
"And I you." he said, his mouth twitching in an attempt to smile as he realized the reversal in roles. "And I you." he repeated, and let his eyes close, simply enjoying holding his beloved, though he knew that while the crisis was passed, there was a long way yet to go to full recovery.
---
Aragorn was waiting for Kari when she returned to her rooms - well, they were her and Elrohir's rooms, to be truthful. The servants had quite hastily moved where Kari was staying when Elrohir had showed up and they had found out he was her husband.
"Eager little beaver, aren't we?" Kari asked, shaking her head slightly with amusement. Aragorn blinked.
"Beaver?" he asked.
"Funny little creature with a big tail." Kari explained, waving her hand through the air dismissively.
"Ah." Aragorn replied, not really understanding, but pretending he did, anyways. There was a pause as Kari flopped down into a chair. "So will you explain now?" Kari sighed.
"I will explain some, but not all. The story is, truthfully, not mine to tell. You will get to hear it eventually, however - Rachel intends to gather everybody who needs or wants to be told and explain it to them all at once." Kari's face darkened for a moment as she mentally added 'if she survives'. Then she pulled herself back to the present and continued, "But the basics of the current situation is this:
"In-between the time the Fellowship left Lothlórien, and dawn the next morning, Glorfindel and Rachel somehow managed to get into a fight. So Rachel and I left without Glorfindel. Something - probably anger - kept Rachel going until just after you guys left to go thumb your noses at Sauron. I think, perhaps, that she had still harbored some hope up until then that Glorfindel would show up and everything would magically be better. But then that hope disappeared somehow, and she started fading.
"I didn't recognize it, unfortunately, because I have, fortunately, had little experience with fading - Celebrían was the only fading Elf I have seen, and I'm not into healing that much, so I haven't even read up on it. So it wasn't until Elladan and Elrohir arrived that I found out what was wrong with Rachel. Elladan, as you know, immediately set out to find Glorfindel, and thankfully, Gandalf convinced Shadowfax to bear him there, and Glorfindel back. No other horse could have gotten Glorfindel here in time - though Asfaloth probably would have burst his heart trying." Aragorn smiled somewhat at that accurate description of Asfaloth's loyalty to Glorfindel.
"And so now Glorfindel's in there trying to convince Rachel not to go to the Halls of Mandos and see if she can drive a Vala insane." Kari finished with a shrug. "We'll find out whether or not he succeeds soon." There was a moment of silence as Aragorn thought over what Kari had just told him.
"My thanks." he said at last. "This has, of course, raised more questions, but if they will be answered eventually by the one they concern, as you say, then I suppose I can wait to ask them."
"Well I'm glad someone managed to pound some patience into you." Kari said with a grin.
"It is hard not to pick it up when surrounded by Elves." Aragorn said, rolling his eyes as he hoisted himself out of the chair he had been....for lack of a better word, sprawled in (though Rangers never really sprawled, since it was such a vulnerable position). He bid goodbye to Kari, and she replied in kind before he left at a brisk walk, apparently off to whatever meeting Glorfindel's arrival had interrupted.
----To be continued...with Sleepy!Claim!Staking!Rachel!----
(And the Enterprise A!)
-Authors Note:-
Well, since not all of you have access to my LiveJournal, and I announced it there on Monday afternoon, here's the Author's Note of the story:
As of Monday afternoon, 'The Games of the Gods' has stood finished at 79 chapters in length.
Yes, though I haven't really announced it to you reviewers at large, I HAVE been writing far ahead of where I'm posting in this story...mostly only ten chapters or so ahead (except over Christmas vacation...got 20 chapters ahead, then). But now...I'm done writing it. So from now on I shall simply be posting...one day earlier than normal, if I can think up disclaimers in time. :) So that means: instead of updating Saturday night/Sunday, I'll hopefully be updating next sometime on Saturday. Then sometime on Monday. Then sometime on Wednesday. And I think you can figure out the rest from there. Those especially smart ones might even figure out that with that updating schedual, it is only going to take me 20 days to post the remaining chapters. Well, 22 days, actually, since I have the special feature thingy at the end.
And while we're on about the story...I revised a small part of Chapter 57 because of a comment a reviewer made that I realized was right and just now corrected.
Right. Now, don't let the fact that the story is finished being written turn you off of reviewing! More than once I've changed an already-written part of the story because a reviewer suggested something good, or pointed out a mistake ahead of time. And if people completely lose interest in TGotG, at least as far as I can tell from reviews, why would I bother to finish posting it? So please keep reviewing, and look for an update sometime on Saturday!
~Crimson Starlight
-Revision's Author's Note:-
Yeah, ok, I woke up at 4 AM last night and had this sudden inspiration to add to the scene where Glorfindel said he was going to ask Rachel to marry him soon, anyways. Unfortunately, I had mis-placed the pen that I usually keep beside my bed for when such night-time inspirations strike (though they, thankfully, don't do so very often) though I did have paper. So I had to crawl out of bed, turn on my light, and then poke around trying to find a writing utensil that worked while constantly running over the scene in my head so that my sleepy mind would not forget it. Urg. I hope you enjoy it...
~CS