Glorfindel awoke and smiled at his lover lying naked at his side, his love was smiling back at him, observing him with eyes full of desire. He drew the man into his arms and a kiss to welcome the waking hours.

There was a flash of light and the elf found himself standing, fully clothed in front of Mandos and Vairë in the audience hall.

He muttered in a disgruntled way and Mandos raised an eyebrow in amusement as the elf before him bowed his head.

'Glorfindel of Gondolin, you have resided in my halls now for an age and I deem you ready to return to Arda' Mandos stated. Glorfindel shifted his eyes from Mandos to Vairë to Mandos in alarm, 'My Lord, I should like to stay'

Mandos laughed quietly and said 'and why is that?'

Glorfindel took a breath, 'because I have found something in these halls that I did not expect to find in life, or in death'

'Ah, the man?' Mandos stated, 'I see your love for him is true, but if you were to stay, how then will things sit with you when his time comes to be reborn, for that time will come sooner than you would wish and neither of you will have a say in it!' Vairë noticing the distress his words were causing flashed a warning frown at her husband.

'And is there not an oath which you made unto Eärendil Half-Elven that remains as yet unfulfilled?' Glorfindel sighed and his thoughts returned to Gondolin.

He had been searching for the boy for most of the morning and now he headed to the herb gardens, for a maid had said that she had seen him enter there. As he entered the gardens the heady scent of herbs and flowers came to his nose and the sun on his face made him feel as if he were in a waking dream, and walking through the gardens he had come upon a sun-soaked arbour, and the boy Eärendil and his mother Idril. Eärendil had seen him approach and had risen from his seat and smiled, and with wide eyes had said 'Lord Glorfindel, have you come to save me from my studies?'

And Glorfindel had felt that in that moment as he had knelt with his sword hilt offered to the boy, barely seven years old, that it was like a coming together of destinies. That what was said and promised in this moment would have a bearing upon him until the end of Arda. And so it was, for as the boy took the sword offered him, he had said ' I accept your sword, Lord Glorfindel, however, you will have but one occasion to serve me and so I ask you to extend your oath of fealty to my heirs, and I ask you to bind yourself to them.' He had been most perplexed by the boy's strange words, and did not understand them, though to serve the father is to serve the child and so he had said his oath and bound himself to Eärendil Half-Elven and his heirs. And the Lady Idril had thanked him with tears in her eyes, as she was farsighted and knew some of that that would come to pass.

Glorfindel returned from his musings and looked at Mandos saying, 'I did not take this oath lightly and I will be bound by it, but know that to do so and leave these halls, my heart will be torn asunder.'

Vairë, smiled and rose from her chair, and coming to stand before the elf she said, 'put your faith in us, Glorfindel of Gondolin, and trust that all will be well.' And her words put a thread of hope in his heart.

So it was that an elfling was born into a family of the Grey Havens, and they named him Glorfindel, for Vairë had made him known to them.

Upon that same day, in that same hour, an elf was born to a she-elf of the Grey Company and she named him Haldir, though she knew not why.