Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any characters and/or places
thereof
*****
Glorfindel confided in Elrond, "All day I have had an adolescent sort of giddiness about me."
Elrond turned to his friend, disbelief and faint horror written in his face. For a long moment he struggled with various conflicting emotions, then at last he said, "May you have many children, Glorfindel. May you find a wife, and may she bear you many children."
Glorfindel watched Elrond stride ahead of him, not understanding this curse in full. He ran to catch up. "Whatever can you mean by that, Elrond?" Glorfindel asked.
"What I can mean by that," answered Elrond, his tongue sharper than Glorfindel had ever heard before, "is--"
Before he had the chance to finish this statement, something, or perhaps someone, very small and swift dashed around the corner and attached itself with some violence to Elrond's leg. "Yes, Estel?" Elrond asked in a voice not far from laughter. Glorfindel thought of horses, the feeling in their muscles when, though the rider bade them trot, they wished nothing more than to canter. That half-a-step from breaking gait feel was the same as the sound of Elrond's voice, only half a word from laughter.
Estel giggled as Elrond swung him into the air and, sobering, Estel nestled peacefully against his father's chest. Without a thought he moved his thumb to his mouth.
Still puzzling over what in Elrond's earlier tone had so disturbed him, Glorfindel spoke in Quenya, a language Estel did not yet understand: "Would you like me to put him down for you?"
"Put him down?" Elrond questioned. "This is a child, not a horse, Glorfindel! Thank you, but no, I will put him to bed. He would not accept you in my place."
This statement had been made not of vanity but of hard-learned fact. None, not even Elladan and Elrohir, could leave Estel to his rest save for Elrond. In truth he minded little, because--Elrond thought--when a boy has seen his father slain, he needs proof that he will not be abandoned again.
Estel's bedtime ritual, for ritual it had become, had a strange sort of paradox to it. Though Elrond could have gone through the motions in his sleep, Estel would never be satisfied unless he believed that Elrond believed every word he said.
"Ada," Estel asked, when he was lying beneath the covers but not quite ready to sleep yet, "how come Elladan and Elrohir don't have a bed-time? They get to stay up as late as they want to."
"Elladan and Elrohir are adults. When you are an adult," Elrond promised, "you will not have a bedtime either. In fact, when you are an adult, you will want to sleep!"
Estel giggled. "Not me, Ada, not ever! When I grow up I'm going to never, ever sleep again!" He behaved like such a happy little boy before he slept; he was such a happy little boy before he slept. The nightmares and fears of the night before fled his mind the moment the sun showed her radiant face.
Amused at the prospect, Elrond answered, "You are welcome to try this! All right," in a more efficient sort of tone, "you ought to be asleep by this hour, Estel. Good night, child."
"Good night, Ada."
Once Estel had been kissed goodnight and hugged, twice, he curled up and closed his eyes. In mere seconds his breathing began to even and deepen. Elrond smoothed the blankets over Estel and tucked them beneath the child's sleeping body, then gently took Estel's wrist and took his thumb from his mouth. Estel squirmed and whined in his sleep, and replaced his thumb.
Elrond laughed quietly. "All right," he conceded, "but only tonight."
In the corridor, Elrond encountered Glorfindel. He was glad for this, needing to apologize. "My behavior earlier was completely inappropriate," Elrond said, before Glorfindel so much as opened his mouth.
"You frightened me, Elrond," Glorfindel admitted. "I have never before heard you so...raw."
Elrond sighed. The two walked side by side, watching their steps fall into unplanned synchronocity. They left roofs behind and made their way out into a garden of roses, blooming eerie reds and yellows, pinks and whites under the moonlight. "Around Estel, I cannot speak my mind for he is too small to understand. It has been so for many years, for before Estel the twins...Some times I need a release. Forgive me for snapping at you."
Glorfindel nodded. "Consider it forgotten. What are friends for, after all?"
"I do not know, to be honest, and somewhat dislike sharing this trouble of Estel with you."
"From whence springs this selflessness?" Glorfindel asked. "Why would you sacrifice yourself for the happiness of others?"
"Oh..." Elrond kicked at a clod of dirt. "It was just after CelebrÃan...You know, when the boys first brought Estel here he was little more than an underdeveloped child likely to die ere his fifth year began, yet now he is quite like to the twins at that age."
Elrond yawned, and Glorfindel told him, "Go to bed, Peredhil! Ai, crazy! If Estel awakens this night, I will see to him."
"He'll never have you," Elrond warned.
Glorfindel drew his dagger. "Sleep, Elrond, before I induce this condition with the blunt end of a dagger!"
Laughing, Elrond wandered back inside. Glorfindel shook his head. "Bless his tortured heart," he muttered.
*****
To be continued
Sorry for the short chapters, but school's gotten pretty hectic just now so I'll try to write short chapters and post often, instead of longer chapters ages apart. Please be patient with this!
French Chipmunk: Er, he won't. This story will not feature Legolas in any small part.
*****
Glorfindel confided in Elrond, "All day I have had an adolescent sort of giddiness about me."
Elrond turned to his friend, disbelief and faint horror written in his face. For a long moment he struggled with various conflicting emotions, then at last he said, "May you have many children, Glorfindel. May you find a wife, and may she bear you many children."
Glorfindel watched Elrond stride ahead of him, not understanding this curse in full. He ran to catch up. "Whatever can you mean by that, Elrond?" Glorfindel asked.
"What I can mean by that," answered Elrond, his tongue sharper than Glorfindel had ever heard before, "is--"
Before he had the chance to finish this statement, something, or perhaps someone, very small and swift dashed around the corner and attached itself with some violence to Elrond's leg. "Yes, Estel?" Elrond asked in a voice not far from laughter. Glorfindel thought of horses, the feeling in their muscles when, though the rider bade them trot, they wished nothing more than to canter. That half-a-step from breaking gait feel was the same as the sound of Elrond's voice, only half a word from laughter.
Estel giggled as Elrond swung him into the air and, sobering, Estel nestled peacefully against his father's chest. Without a thought he moved his thumb to his mouth.
Still puzzling over what in Elrond's earlier tone had so disturbed him, Glorfindel spoke in Quenya, a language Estel did not yet understand: "Would you like me to put him down for you?"
"Put him down?" Elrond questioned. "This is a child, not a horse, Glorfindel! Thank you, but no, I will put him to bed. He would not accept you in my place."
This statement had been made not of vanity but of hard-learned fact. None, not even Elladan and Elrohir, could leave Estel to his rest save for Elrond. In truth he minded little, because--Elrond thought--when a boy has seen his father slain, he needs proof that he will not be abandoned again.
Estel's bedtime ritual, for ritual it had become, had a strange sort of paradox to it. Though Elrond could have gone through the motions in his sleep, Estel would never be satisfied unless he believed that Elrond believed every word he said.
"Ada," Estel asked, when he was lying beneath the covers but not quite ready to sleep yet, "how come Elladan and Elrohir don't have a bed-time? They get to stay up as late as they want to."
"Elladan and Elrohir are adults. When you are an adult," Elrond promised, "you will not have a bedtime either. In fact, when you are an adult, you will want to sleep!"
Estel giggled. "Not me, Ada, not ever! When I grow up I'm going to never, ever sleep again!" He behaved like such a happy little boy before he slept; he was such a happy little boy before he slept. The nightmares and fears of the night before fled his mind the moment the sun showed her radiant face.
Amused at the prospect, Elrond answered, "You are welcome to try this! All right," in a more efficient sort of tone, "you ought to be asleep by this hour, Estel. Good night, child."
"Good night, Ada."
Once Estel had been kissed goodnight and hugged, twice, he curled up and closed his eyes. In mere seconds his breathing began to even and deepen. Elrond smoothed the blankets over Estel and tucked them beneath the child's sleeping body, then gently took Estel's wrist and took his thumb from his mouth. Estel squirmed and whined in his sleep, and replaced his thumb.
Elrond laughed quietly. "All right," he conceded, "but only tonight."
In the corridor, Elrond encountered Glorfindel. He was glad for this, needing to apologize. "My behavior earlier was completely inappropriate," Elrond said, before Glorfindel so much as opened his mouth.
"You frightened me, Elrond," Glorfindel admitted. "I have never before heard you so...raw."
Elrond sighed. The two walked side by side, watching their steps fall into unplanned synchronocity. They left roofs behind and made their way out into a garden of roses, blooming eerie reds and yellows, pinks and whites under the moonlight. "Around Estel, I cannot speak my mind for he is too small to understand. It has been so for many years, for before Estel the twins...Some times I need a release. Forgive me for snapping at you."
Glorfindel nodded. "Consider it forgotten. What are friends for, after all?"
"I do not know, to be honest, and somewhat dislike sharing this trouble of Estel with you."
"From whence springs this selflessness?" Glorfindel asked. "Why would you sacrifice yourself for the happiness of others?"
"Oh..." Elrond kicked at a clod of dirt. "It was just after CelebrÃan...You know, when the boys first brought Estel here he was little more than an underdeveloped child likely to die ere his fifth year began, yet now he is quite like to the twins at that age."
Elrond yawned, and Glorfindel told him, "Go to bed, Peredhil! Ai, crazy! If Estel awakens this night, I will see to him."
"He'll never have you," Elrond warned.
Glorfindel drew his dagger. "Sleep, Elrond, before I induce this condition with the blunt end of a dagger!"
Laughing, Elrond wandered back inside. Glorfindel shook his head. "Bless his tortured heart," he muttered.
*****
To be continued
Sorry for the short chapters, but school's gotten pretty hectic just now so I'll try to write short chapters and post often, instead of longer chapters ages apart. Please be patient with this!
French Chipmunk: Er, he won't. This story will not feature Legolas in any small part.