Disclaimer: Tolkien owns the characters. I am taking liberties with them.
Rating: PG-13.
Author's Note: I update my bio frequently, and answer general comments and questions there. Please check my bio if you seek answers that apply to a majority of readers. And those of you who have qualms about slash (or lack thereof) that I do not clarify within the story might want to check out my little explanation at the very bottom of the page. ;)
Thank you to Anastasia Who for reviewing every chapter of Of Elflings and Adolescents! I was surprised to hear that a friend of yours read my story as well! I'm happy that I made you laugh. ;)
Thank you to DreaminofLorien for reviewing each chapter of that story as well! It means much to me!
Thank you to Sesha for reviewing chapter 7 and 8. I am honored to hear your words. Is it really true that the twins choose mortality? That is horrible. Then our poor Elrond...::sobs:: anyway, thank you so much for reviewing!
.
.
By Kasmi Kassim
.
.
.
Tears of Yesterday
Chapter 9: Gathering Clouds
.
.
.
The door to the library quietly closed. A black swirl glided into the gray-lit space, facing the dull white of the window. And remained by the door, stilled into silence.
Gentle waves of gold approached from the light. Walking slowly toward the motionless elf, Glorfindel's tall body was outlined by a thin film of white.
It was a gray day.
"Do you hear it?" The whisper was voiceless, the black eyes lost in the white vortex outside the glass. "The cry."
Glorfindel stilled.
Erestor's pale fingers dug into the stack of scrolls in his arms. He moved briskly past the motionless warrior and began to unburden his stack onto a table. Glorfindel turned and watched.
The skies were darkening.
Without looking up, Erestor called out nonchalantly.
"Don't, Glorfindel."
The golden elf tilted his head. Erestor continued to move about, stacking parchments and sorting scrolls. The black crystalline pendant tapped against his chest, swinging and twirling in the brightness of the clouds. Pierced by a dull and blinding white shaft of light, glimmering a gentle shade of gray.
"Do not tempt me. Either change your expression or do not look at me." The tone was now harsh, tense.
With a soft sigh, Glorfindel lowered his gaze.
Erestor raised his head, sharp black eyes prompting the deep blue eyes to meet his.
The tension left the advisor's shoulders. He suddenly seemed drained. Moving around the table, he approached wearily. The warrior elf's eyes watched on, as the slight figure slid across the distance between them, the long black hair swirling in rhythm with the quiet pulse of silence.
Glorfindel raised his arms, but faltered when he saw the other elf's shoulders stiffen. Obediently, he dropped his arms to his sides, and stood still.
Erestor closed his eyes. He slowly leaned forward, allowing his chin to rest on the taller elf's shoulder. Glorfindel remained motionless, staring up at the ceiling, as Erestor's light weight rested delicately against his body. And yet refusing to move closer, refusing to yield to the warm comfort of the welcoming arms.
Finally, Erestor pulled away. Stepping back, he met Glorfindel's gaze with a resolute inhalation. Glorfindel tilted his head.
"You promised you'd unchain your grief tonight."
A mournful wail of a child rang in a distance.
Erestor raised his eyes to the ceiling, hollowly searching for the sound. "It can wait."
Eyes trailing the thin hand that clutched the black crystal, Glorfindel's face deepened with pained tenderness. Erestor turned to grab a stack of scrolls from the table, and headed toward the door when Glorfindel's arms reached out and pulled him into an embrace.
The advisor's body swayed in his arms. The slender frame was thin, almost broken. Burying his lips into the wearily hanging strands of black hair, Glorfindel shut his eyes.
"My strong brother," he breathed, "hold no more your tears."
A shrill cry of an infant pierced the gloom of the gray halls.
The body in his arms stilled. With some force, Erestor pulled away. Glorfindel released his hold with reluctance.
Turning to give Glorfindel a reassuring smile, Erestor shook his head. He turned again and headed for the door. His body swayed once again. Glorfindel reached out immediately, but halted when the slender body retained balance with forceful effort.
After a great breath, Erestor righted himself, and left the library.
.
.
.
Glorfindel looked up, his chest heaving slightly, and watched the small figure approach. The determined steps crossed the garden, entering the training grounds, and finally halted before him. Dark eyes regarded him with steely resolve. Glorfindel lowered his sword.
"You seem to have a question."
"I do." The young elf boldly looked up into the warrior's eyes, and then shifted his gaze. The dark eyes rested on the sword that lay glistening in the balrog slayer's hand. Glorfindel watched in silence as the young eyes scanned the sword, and slowly sheathed his blade. He casually leaned the long sword against his leg and began to wring sweat out of his long hair.
"Ask away."
The boy turned back to look up at the golden-haired warrior. "Where was Nana held captive before Elrohir and I found her?"
Glorfindel did not answer. His eyes silently searched the young face, the unhidden emotions that permeated from the child. Child? No, this was not the look of a child. His fingers moved slowly and meticulously as they twisted the last drop of perspiration from his drenched hair. He could feel the impatience of the youth before him.
"Near the eastern riverbank, one slope away from the Dry Falls," he answered slowly. His impassive eyes gauged the child's reaction as he digested this information.
"Does the orc encampment still stand?" asked the boy, looking up once again.
Glorfindel shook his head. He turned briskly and picked up his discarded tunic from the grass. "We burned it to the ground."
Throwing the tunic casually onto his bare torso, Glorfindel observed the reaction in the child. The young one turned away. "Thank you, Lord Glorfindel," he called, walking back toward the house. As the blonde warrior watched the small figure move away, his hands remained unmoving, clutching at the tunic that clung halfway around his shoulder. When the figure disappeared into the house, he at last let out a silent breath. Wearily, he looked up toward the gray skies.
It was beginning to rain.
.
.
.
Elrohir gasped, his eyes flashing as they shifted back into focus. He quickly sat up. "Elladan," he breathed, looking around. He realized that he was alone on the bed. The cold was hushed as rain pattered gently against his window. His brother's warmth was long gone.
Dread rising in his heart, Elrohir quickly rose from the bed. The gray skies were dark outside his window.
The boy bit back a groan as he staggered toward a chair to pick up the tunic that was slung over the frame. His head was pounding madly. Hastily donning the apparel, he ran out the door.
The corridors were dark, empty. His breath became faster and faster as he ran, groping the walls, alarm and fear rising to his throat.
He burst into Arwen's quiet room. Breathing hard, he scanned the hushed air. The babe raised a cry.
Mind reeling, he quickly shut the door, and ran further down the hall, toward the House of Healing.
Before he could burst into the room, however, a slender hand caught his wrist in a deadly grip. Thrown off guard, Elrohir swung around, stumbling for balance. Erestor stood by the door, a silent figure of power and serenity in his flowing black robes.
"You should be a bit quieter if you wish to see your father," he said placidly, scanning the child's appearance. "He still has a fever." His brows creased imperceptibly at the elfling's bewildered expression.
"Have you seen Elladan?" asked Elrohir, breathing hard.
Erestor shook his head, eyes glittering sharply on pallid skin. "Did something happen?"
Clutching his heart, Elrohir shook his head. "Yes. No, well – I don't know. I just feel..."
"He is probably outside." The steady voice of the balrog slayer cut into the space between them. Both elves turned their heads to see Glorfindel approach. He was fastening the long sash to his robes. Golden strands of hair clung onto the soft cloth, sending small droplets of water down his body.
Dark blue eyes rested on Elrohir as he came to stand with them. "Is something amiss, Elrohir?"
Elrohir shook his head. Mumbling a brief phrase of thanks, he turned and ran down the corridor. The two elves behind him exchanged glances.
.
.
.
yuki's first love: Thank you! I am glad that you are satisfied with my story here. It's always exciting to hear readers come out of the dark and tell me that they have been reading my story. Such a delicious surprise! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!
xAKGIRLx: I agree. It is sad, isn't it? Sigh. Well, anyway. Thank you for reviewing!
Anastasia Who: I am glad that you liked the relationship between my characters. It is a relief to hear it, since I am hearing quite a bit about the tension in readers who take my character relationships in a different light than I intended. Thank you for reviewing!
seeing-spots: Oh, you are? What do you think about the Erestor-Glorfindel relationship now? Do you think something is going on? ;) Anyway, thank you for reviewing!
Brazgirl: No, Erestor is not taller than Glorfindel. I hope this chapter made that one clear for you. ;) And I am excited to hear that you thought my Erestor-Glorfindel relationship cute. I think I am treading on thin ice here, depicting intimate relationships between males without specifying that they are not slash – but I did not want to define my character relationships within certain boundaries. Thank you for your review!
Unsung Heroine: What a beautiful review. Thank you so much for letting me know! I was so excited to hear it!
Beling: What a deliciously long review! I was ecstatic to hear your deep speculation and understanding of my story once again! And Glorfindel and Erestor...I originally intended to keep those two characters' appearances at a minimum, but I suppose not everything works the way you intended from the beginning ;) Well anyway. I suppose you will see the unfolding of the story soon enough, without me telling you ahead of time...heh. And I am amazed to hear that you read other people's reviews and go back to read my story again! It just shows me what a deep reader you are as is Someone Reading. Hannon le, mellon nin.
Achika: I am glad you could conjure up my images! And yes, you're right – Elrond's life pretty much sucks. And it will suck again when Arwen gets married. Sigh. Poor guy needs comfort.
Someone Reading: Wow, your brilliantly psychological examination of the last chapter left me breathless! Did your read Beling's review by the way? She mentioned you ;) And I could not agree with her more, even from the point of view of the author. Ah, and it seems that more reviewers are in awe of your beautiful reading and reviewing! Your visions and interpretations of my images and literary devices are simply fabulous. You honor me to no end – you certainly make a writer like me seem so much more able than I am! Thank you so much, again and again! Sorry this update is a bit later than usual – but I was racking my brain over the oh-so-delicate placement of my Erestor and Glorfindel. ;) Till next time, mellon nin!
Ertia: Wow, you read Someone Reading's review too? Yes, great minds think alike don't they? Hehehe. It's good to hear that I managed to make my imagery clear – thank you!
Coolio02: You think so? Oh, you make me giddy! Thank you!
ThePastIsPrologue: First of all, let me thank you for your wonderful review. I was very happy with your take on my symbolism, and your praises once again flattered me to no end. Thank you ;) I just got a call from the library saying that my Hobbit is here, and I am excited! You see, I need some more background info on Thranduil and Mirkwood in order for me to go onto my Mirkwood stories. ;) I do hope to get my hands on the Silmarillion soon!
And as for the Erestor-Glorfindel situation – you surprised me; you should not be asking me for forgiveness. I mean, you had your doubts, and I did not clarify. Though I had my own little reasons for not wanting to clarify my writing, you should not feel rude for asking innocent questions. ;) I was not upset at all; I am just a very tactlessly frank and straightforward person by nature – I apologize if I made you uncomfortable by sounding upset. Though my lack of explanation leaves room for people to take this as slash if they wish, no, slash was not my intention. ;) I just wanted to picture a deep love (non-romantic) between friends who do not hold back from intimate actions or explain their behavior. Anyway, thank you so much for stopping by to talk to me additionally concerning this, and I hope you do not feel further discomforted by my characters in my future postings including this one. ;) Till next time!