Late that afternoon found Aragorn and Glorfindel keeping Bilbo company through dinner - the elderly Hobbit often slept through supper these days. After a rather short while, Glorfindel got up and wandered off. He'd only been there because Estel was there, and since Elrond and Erestor were both occupied he needed someone to attach himself too; he was an Elf altogether used to being paid attention to and when that was not the case he grew bored quickly. At the moment, Bilbo was carrying on, again, about the Erebor mission, and Glorfindel thought that hearing that tale one more time would drive him to madness. Besides, he thought sulkily, the Balrog was a lot more impressive than Smaug any day.

In his self-indulgent petulance, the Vanya very nearly tripped over a sleeping Man in Elrond's garden, napping beside a lavender row on the soft, cool green grass. Faramir looked so very peaceful that Glorfindel just could not resist waking him. Just as he was leaning down, though, two acorns landed on his golden head... only that was not an oak he was under. Looking up, the Balrog-slayer of Gondolin saw exactly what he expected - a pair of matching black squirrels who claimed to be the sons of Elrond, though Glorfindel had started to wonder if that was true or if they only maintained that to avoid retribution.

Leaping down as lightly as Elves do, the two did not disturb Faramir at all and instead ushered their annoyed mentor off to have a spar before supper. As it turned out, there was more than just the relaxing effect of the lavender under which Faramir had allowed himself to fall asleep which allowed him to rest well; two guards posted in the limbs above, watching out for their little brother's son, was certainly beneficial to the Steward's respite.

Also watching from above on Elrond's balcony was Erestor, though he would have dropped more than an acorn on Glorfindel's head had he been fool enough to wake Faramir, of all people. Erestor just shook his head, relieved that the twins had intercepted his lover. "If only i could convince him that sitting still in solitude for an hour is not physically painful," Erestor said to Elrond, turning back and taking a seat opposite his old friend.

"I doubt you will," Elrond said patiently. "I know little of re-embodiment, but as near as i can tell, physically he is on par with my eldest two. I can not remember what it is to have that much energy."

"You can not!" Erestor said with an annoyed huff. "Try my role, will you? I have been sleeping more than ever, i can not remember the last time i watched a moonset."

"You will be coming with me, will you not, Erestor?" Elrond said carefully.

Erestor sighed. "I have little choice at this point, mel-nín. Believe me when i say that i did not at all mind helping Faramir in Minas Tirith, but it was there i truly realized that it is no longer our time and i began to feel it more than ever. You know about Éowyn and her little girl..." Erestor swallowed a lump in his throat. "I could not help them, i had not felt that powerless since that accursed Balrog took Glorfindel down with it. No, i can no longer stay upon these shores. I need to go home."

"I am glad that you shall accompany me," Elrond said as a means to temporarily circumvent the point he knew Erestor was thinking on. "My mother-in-law shall being joining us and i shall be very grateful to have you there to keep me sensible on that long ride west. I did not exactly inherit my father's love for sailing."

Erestor only nodded as though he had not even heard that Galadriel would be sailing at the same time they would. Elrond noticed and his heart went out to his most trusted advisor and dearest friend.

"I have heard that Glorfindel intends to remain here some while longer," Elrond said casually.

"Of course he does, Elrond," Erestor said sadly. "He is older than both of us, yet has as much vigor as the twins. In this last year i have often wondered if allowing myself to love him is not a mistake, we shall only be sundered yet again and -"

"You do not think he would leave here for you?" Elrond cut in.

Erestor shook his head. "I can not speak for him, but i would not wish him to come with us when his heart may still be at ease here. There may well be a reason for him to remain."

"Well, Erestor, i can not say that i think you are wrong in that," Elrond said. "Yet, was it not you who often said that but a year of love is worth more than a lifetime of loneliness? You do believe that he will come West in time, do you not? Perhaps with Legolas..." Elrond trailed off, seeing now that Erestor did not need advice, only understanding. Knowing that these were the last weeks he would be spending with his son and grandson, Elrond understood and more.

ooo

On the other side of Imladris two young Elves were teaming up against the elder in a friendly fight. For years Glorfindel would spar with both twins at once, claiming that after having fought a Balrog, it just wouldn't be fair to take on only one of them at a time. The older, and better, the twins got, however, the more Glorfindel wished he'd amended that boast.

Their spars always included banter and compliments or corrections on form, but somehow the twins managed to steer their conversation toward more essential subject matter, such as the journey west. It was common knowledge that neither of the two intended to go.

"What about you?" Elrohir asked Glorfindel while putting forth a strong parry.

"No, not yet," Glorfindel said. "Not for a while." He disengaged Elrohir just in time to parry a strike from Elladan.

"Ere's going with Adar," Elladan mentioned to his brother,

"So i've heard," Elrohir replied, again parrying Glor' and wondering why his brother was getting all the thrusts.

"Won't you be lonely?" Elladan asked Glorfindel. Conversation during a spar never consisted of more than a few words at a time.

Glorfindel started to raise his sword to parry Elrohir's strike, but the younger Elf was faster and landed a gentle tap on his mentor's shoulder.

"Caution next time, Glor'... an orc won't be so generous," Elrohir said with a broad grin, particularly relishing the first time he'd ever gotten to use Glorfindel's favorite phrase against him. The twins raised their swords in salute and headed back to the house to get ready for supper.

Glorfindel still had not moved from trying to deflect that hit. Never had those two beaten him before. Oh, it had been extremely close a few times, but even when they cheated they'd never managed to outdo him. When his thought process caught up to him, he whispered, now to no one, "yes... very lonely."

ooo

Once again, Bilbo had nodded off mid-sentence, in actual fact, mid-word after dinner. It was sobering for Aragorn to see how quickly someone could age. His friend from years ago, from the time he was a ten year old boy terrorizing Imladris when the Dwarves came through on the quest for Erebor, to the same Hobbit he'd met as both were traveling back to Rivendell years later, and now to an aged little fellow who was beginning to forget things like where he'd left the sugar bowl that was sitting right in front of him. At first Aragorn thought he'd maybe just had a little too much of the Old Toby, perhaps he'd even been into the old winyard, but before long it had become too clear to Aragorn that the effect of Ring had finally worn off entirely and now Bilbo was just the second oldest Hobbit ever, on track to become the oldest, if he out-aged the Old Took. Aragorn had to wonder how Frodo would be doing and he wondered if he should not make a side trip to the Shire before they left Imladris.

Sighing, Aragorn rose and started back in to get ready for supper. Just then he saw Faramir coming up the walk toward Bilbo's porch, looking refreshed, if not a little rumpled, not that he'd ever been one to talk.

"You look rested," Aragorn said softly, not wanting to wake Bilbo.

Faramir nodded, also keeping the silence.

"Did you... nap in the garden, by chance?" Aragorn asked suspiciously.

Again Faramir only nodded, his father putting an arm around his shoulder and walking further toward the back entrance.

"Erestor never let me nap in the garden," Aragorn said with a slight pout. "Always said something about Men not being lawn ornaments, even if we did just about as much work as one."

"I suppose he revised that assessment after meeting me." Faramir chuckled and held out two acorns. "I was not napping under an oak, but these were beside me when i woke."

"Oh," Aragorn said dismissively, "Imladris is home to it's share of black squirrels." He knew the mark of his brothers anywhere.

"I tried the palantír this afternoon," Faramir said.

Aragorn nodded. "And?"

"Not very much. I thought i started to see something, but daeradar stopped me. There really is not a chance that this could be... dangerous somehow?" Faramir said, still unable to shake the knowledge of what the orbs had caused or at least played a key role in causing in Middle-earth not so long ago.

Aragorn shook his head. "There are only three stones and we have them all. It is extremely unlikely that the former Ithil stone survived the fall of Barad-dûr, i saw that with my own eyes and i do not believe that even a palantír could have come out of that. Adar will be taking the Elostirion stone and he will leave the Anor stone here as that stone needs a little... Elven medicine, shall we say. The Orthanc stone, of course, i intend to keep at home, that way we can communicate between the North Kingdom and South Kingdom a little easier, once things get established. But come, we are not here to think on business. Let us get ready for supper."

ooo

Dashes are gone again for some odd reason, so "ooo" shall now be substituted.

linda: Now if we could only get him to confide in Aragorn about his fear of fire.

Elenhin: Polar Bears may be a bit like the Scouts, except that we never go through all the other stuff. It's basically into the water, out of the water, and out to Cathy and Frank's to eat and drink by the fire for the rest of the day. Funny how it all comes together, but Frank is a herpetologist (well, i think that's what it is) - he had a basement full of snakes, on purpose and in cages and all, all kinds, from the big, squeezy ones to littler poisonous ones, scorpions too. He has a python who is older than i am - used to roam around the house at all until he got stuck in a dish drain once. I have never met any of them, and i will definitely stick to keeping their horses as my friends. I have a really terrible fear of snakes. I have respect for anyone who can stand to be around them but i can't, at all. I'm not sure what's worst, snakes, needles, or dentists. I hate them all. Anyway, i'm leaning toward using a snake... someone else in this story has a fear of snakes just as bad as mine, though i won't say who just yet.

As to books... i have no idea how i have as many as i do. They are everywhere. On my nightstand, on the shelves, on my desk. Everywhere. And i am possessive about my books and don't leave them anywhere else in the house. There isa race between my books, CDs, and clothes to see which can take over this room first. Honestly, though, the clothes are winning.