Chapter XII: Advances

Several weeks passed, and Elerrina and Glorfindel spent a great deal of time together. Elerrina knew what she felt for him, but still wondered if he felt the same. Her heart was precious to her, and she did not want to risk causing it further pain by revealing her feelings to Glorfindel. What if he did not return them?

She had also not seen or heard from Nenthalion since that morning in the glade. Perhaps he had found another. She hoped that he had. Although he was odd, he had been a friend to her, and she wanted him to be happy.

One morning, she was straightening her house when she heard a knock at the door. She smiled and hurried to open it, thinking it was Glorfindel, but that was not who greeted her. She started in surprise as she saw Nenthalion standing on her doorstep, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. She withdrew as he began to enter the house.

"Elerrina, I have brought these for you," he told her and offered her the bouquet.

She shook her head. "I cannot accept them, Nenthalion. You know this."

He frowned. "And why not? They are an apology and a token of my affection for you."

"Glorfindel is courting me. I cannot accept these flowers from you." She withdrew further from him, for the look in his eyes was terrifying.

"Why do you withdraw? Are you afraid of me?"

Elerrina shook her head and looked him in the eye. "Please leave, Nenthalion."

He smiled at her, an evil smile that made her tremble. "He does not deserve you, Elerrina. He cannot love you or understand you the way that I do. We are meant to be together."

"No, Nenthalion. I do not love you."

"I think that you will," he said as he advanced upon her. "Very soon."

He grabbed her and kissed her roughly. She fought him with all of her strength, but he was too strong. She continued to struggle, but it was to no avail. She began to panic. What was she going to do? How was she going to escape him?

Suddenly, a strong arm grabbed Nenthalion from behind and shoved him towards the door. She looked up and saw Glorfindel standing there, his face livid with rage. He struck Nenthalion hard across the face, sending him reeling to the ground outside. He glared at Nenthalion, hatred burning in his eyes.

"If you ever come near her again, I will have you jailed! No one assaults the maiden that I love!"

He slammed the door and turned to face Elerrina. She looked at him with wide eyes. He went to her and tenderly touched her face.

"Are you all right, beloved?"

"Yes." She stared at him. "Do you realize what you just said?"

He looked at her blankly. "What did I say?" he asked in confusion.

"That you loved me." His eyes widened in surprise, and he opened his mouth to speak, but she gently put her finger to his lips. "Do you, Glorfindel?"

He looked into her eyes and nodded. "Yes. I love you, Elerrina. Very much."

She smiled at him. "And I love you."

He grinned and drew her into his arms. "Who knew that three words could cause so much fear and joy in the same moment?"

Glorfindel took her mouth in a passionate, yet tender kiss. He tightened his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. He loved her so much and wanted to protect her. She drew back and smiled at him. She had a beautiful smile, and he knew that he wanted to dedicate the rest of his life to making that smile appear as often as possible.


Glorfindel nervously paced the floor of his study. Elerrina would be here soon, and he had a rather important question that he wanted to ask her. But how would he do it? And what would her answer be? A soft knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. He sighed anxiously. He would soon find out.

"Come in," he called, unable to keep his voice from wavering.

Elerrina entered and smiled at him. She walked up and gave him a quick kiss. "Hello."

He gave her a nervous smile. "Hello, love."

She reached out and took his hand. "Come. Let us go for a stroll."

She began to walk, but Glorfindel pulled her back into his arms. She stared at him in surprise, but he paid it no heed. He began to lightly run his fingers through her hair, causing her to shudder.

"Glorfindel, is—" He kissed her passionately, effectively silencing her. He released her, and she looked at him with wide eyes. He ran his finger along her jaw and gazed into her eyes.

"Do you know how much I love you, Elerrina? I love you more than my own life, and I would do anything to make you happy."

She smiled at him. "I know. And I love you, more than anything."

He looked into her eyes. "Will you marry me? Will you be my wife?"

Elerrina stared at him in shock. He asked me to marry him! She looked into his eyes and saw the love and hope that shone in them. She smiled at him.

"Yes. I will marry you, my lord." She smiled at the joy that leapt into his eyes.

He grinned at her and kissed her in a way that made her knees go weak. She sighed as he pulled her closer to him. He was everything to her, and she reveled in the way that he made her feel. And now they would be together forever.


The day of their wedding had finally arrived. Elerrina and Glorfindel had chosen to have a small ceremony that was to be presided over by Lord Elrond. They pledged their eternal troth, promising to love one another forever. They had a small celebration, with only their closest friends attending. Once the celebration ended, Glorfindel led Elerrina back to their home. They stood in their bedchamber and gazed into one another's eyes. Glorfindel drew her into his arms and gave her a tender kiss.

"You are beautiful, my wife."

She blushed and smiled at him. "As are you, my husband."

He lightly ran his fingers through her hair and looked at her in adoration. "I love you."

"And I love you."

He pulled her close to him and kissed her passionately. Soon, all they knew was one another, the rest of the world seemingly naught but a memory. When morning came, they rested, held tightly in each other's loving embrace.