Chapter Six

Tempting Skills: Understanding

The twins sat in the small cubicle in the kitchen nibbling on their pastries, surprised that they hadn't been found out and caught. Elladan glanced at his brother and grinned at what he saw. There was honey and apple and a tiny bit of sugar circling his mouth. He knew he looked much the same, with him frantically eating the last few pastries on the tray.

"We need something to drink." He muttered around the food in his mouth.

Elrohir smiled broadly and nodded. "I know there is some in the cellar. Be right back." With that the younger twin slipped out of the cubicle and down the cellar steps."

Elladan sat there uncomfortably for a few moments before his brother returned. 'What if he was caught without his brother there?' He shivered fearfully knowing the punishments that would come if he were caught. He also knew his brother would admit his guilt also. Elrohir slipped inside quickly with two cups of milk. He smiled and handed one to his twin.

Elrond paced his office with his arms clasped behind his back. A knock at the door brought him out of his thoughts. He turned to see a pale advisor standing there holding a glass of wine.

"Glorfindel?" Elrond asked surprised.

"Mind if I join you?" He asked a bit too quickly, causing Elrond to raise his eyebrows in question.

The blond haired elf shook his head quickly stopping the question from forming on his lord's mouth. Elrond waved him to a chair, which the advisor took without question. With a great sigh he slumped into the cushioned back and rested his head wearily on his hand.

Elrond walked over and asked his question. "What ails you, my friend?"

Glorfindel held up his hand and shook his head again. "Do not ask, for I do not wish to speak of it." He looked up at Elrond with pleading eyes to ask no more questions. "I, however do not want to be left alone at this moment."

Elrond nodded and strolled over to his study pulling out reports, and letters that still remained unopened. He glanced over at his long time friend who sat there sipping his wine with shaky hands. "Help me with these reports?" He asked giving a small smile. He knew Glorfindel had his moods, sometimes disappearing for days at a time, but he had never seen his friend in one of his moods asking for company.

"I do not think I would be of great help to you, Elrond. Let me sit here quietly. Imagine I am not here." Glorfindel whispered.

Elrond frowned. 'Strange behavior.' He thought. He sat down and started opening his daily reports, of course, which should have been opened at the beginning of the day, not at dusk. Shaking his head, he stood and walked to his small wine rack and pulled out a flask of wine Thranduil had sent to him. Opening it he poured himself a glass, then walked back to his friend and refilled his goblet. Nodding his head in thanks Glorfindel rose the cup to his lips and took a long drink. It appeared his advisor was attempting to drink his ailment away. He placed the flask down on the table beside his aide and wandered back to his desk and sat down.

They sat there in silence far into the night, Elrond glancing from time to time at his friend who sat there lost in his thoughts. Cautiously, he stood and walked back to his friend and shook his shoulder. Glorfindel looked up surprised. His eyes were dilated with drink and he smiled wanly.

"Have you finished drinking your sorrows away?" Elrond asked sitting down in the facing chair.

"Not even close my friend."

Elrond raised a delicate eyebrow. "Do you wish to speak of it?"

Glorfindel heaved a large sigh. "I do not know if me talking about my past would ease my troubled head. I have great memories and dreams. Some which cause me to drift into myself and leave all this behind." He waved his hands around him.

Elrond nodded. "Go on. I am always here to listen. You came to Rivendell running from something, tattered clothing hanging from your frame. Drenched with seawater. Haunted eyes." Elrond started softly. "But not once did you mention why you were running, nor where you came from. I took you in and sheltered you, and befriended you for your great courage, and abilities. You have been here beside me, when I married, when my twins were born, helped me with sword skills, sighting, helped me grow in many ways. I wish only to help you now."

Glorfindel nodded slowly. "My past is complicated, Elrond. Nor would you understand it. I do not believe that it will ease my head. I wake most nights drenched in sweat, shivering from a cold I do not remember. I feel my skin burn from a heat that haunts my dreams." Glorfindel sighed.

Elrond raised his eyebrows again. "Tell me."

"Pour me another glass, and perhaps I will gain the courage to do so."

Elrond complied and watched as his friend drained the contents of his glass in one long swig. He held out the glass for filling again.

"You know as must about me as I know about myself. However there is one small thing that I remember that I do not fully understand, nor that makes any sense to me." Glorfindel started. "I woke on the sandy beaches near the Gray Havens. I knew my name, but my skin burned. I knew nothing more. I wandered endlessly, surviving on instinct alone, and then I remember hearing some men talking about the elven refuge Rivendell." Glorfindel paused to take another drink. "It took some time, but I traveled here, and that is how we met. There were times I would wake from a nightmare, but I did not understand it fully. Then the other night when your son pointed out the monster wreathed in flame, memory came rushing back to me."

"The balrog?" Elrond whispered.

Glorfindel nodded hesitantly. "Think Elrond!" Glorfindel hissed loudly. "What stories do you remember of Gondolin?"
Elrond felt his eyes widen. "I remember hearing of great warriors, demons. The downfall of the city, but not much else. I never really did pay attention to those stories, for they were before my time."

Glorfindel paused. Then whispered so softly that made Elrond have to lean forward to see if he had heard anything at all. "I was there."

Elrond frowned not understanding his friend's words. "You were in Gondolin?"

Glorfindel nodded warily. "From what I can remember, and pieces of my dreams, plus adding these new memories, I was there the year Gondolin fell."

"That is impossible, there was only one mention of a Glorfindel during that time." Elrond shook his head.

Glorfindel nodded slowly. "Glorfindel of the house of the golden flower."

Elrond gaped at his friend. He cleared his throat briefly. "It must be coincidence. Perhaps your parents thought the name well suited for you."

Glorfindel nodded. "I remember your father, Elrond. I remember his parents, it was foggy at first, but now it is as though they were standing before me no more then a few moments ago."

Elrond gulped, but remained silent.

"I still feel the heat, my skin burning, the feeling of weightlessness as I fell. I remember the balrog!" Glorfindel shuddered, and drained his goblet of wine. He shook his head. "I went over all this myself, but why would I have memories of a time if I was not there?"

"Glorfindel of the house of the golden flower died." Elrond softly said. "He slew the balrog of Morgoth, and fell." Elrond stood and went to his case of books and pulled one out. He returned and laid the book in his lap. "He fell after he fled the city with Tuor and Idril, and my father."

"I know all that, Elrond, trust me I know." Glorfindel shook his head. "Explain to me then how it is I have this Glorfindel of old's memories? How is it I can picture the Halls of Waiting? Why does my skin burn at the mere sight of the balrog? Why do I still feel the heat from it? Why do I remember falling?"

Elrond shook his head; he could not explain it himself. "Perhaps Galadriel has some answers that I do not?"

Glorfindel groaned. He shook his head. "There are no answers to these questions, Elrond. There never will be until I decide to travel to Valinor. Perhaps my answers lie in wait with the other Glorfindel." He stood up and wandered to the window.

"Is there more?"

"Always, my friend. More then you can ever imagine." Glorfindel whispered.

Elrohir raced through the halls, with his brother far behind, they were playing chase. They passed their father's study, then past the Halls of Learning, skidded around corners, and stopped at the Halls of Fire. Elladan tapped his brother's shoulder. "You are it!"

Elrohir smiled at his brother and pointed to the window inside the Halls of Fire. They rushed to the great pane and crawled onto the benches surrounding the room. Glancing out they saw Figwit and Erestor in a debate of sorts. Elladan grinned from ear to ear and quickly climbed down from his perch over to the water basins in the corner of the room. He grabbed the pitchers and lugged them back to the window where his brother sat watching. He pushed one up into his brothers waiting hands and placed the other onto the seat climbing up after it. Both boys softly pushed open the paned windows and leaned out seeing their advantage point. Elladan pulled the pitchers up one by one sitting them onto the sill and leaned out again. He whispered softly to his brother who nodded and both boys stood up gripping their pitchers in their hands.

Then they both tipped the water jugs, the water pouring out and landing on both elves below. They quickly clamored inside the window stifling their giggles, hearing muffled curses drift in through the windows. Then they about faced, jumped from the benches and ran out of the room before they were caught.

Figwit stood there shocked, and lifted his head trying to locate where the water had emerged. Erestor looked no better, although the scowl made Figwit grin triumphantly. "Well I suppose we deserved that!"

Erestor glared at him. "Who was it? Did you see?"

"No, but someone saw us and thought to cool us down." His grin widened. "Perhaps we can finish this discussion later?"

Erestor nodded and stalked away fuming. While Figwit stood and waited until he was out of earshot before bursting into laughter. Shaking his head, he wandered into the great house of Elrond to retreat to his chambers to change.

Elrohir, and Elladan flopped onto the couches outside their rooms giggling. "Do you suppose they know it was us?"

Elrohir shook his head. "That was fun. Let's do that again!"

Both twin's stood up and headed off to find their next victim. Some things were too good to let go of especially when they had still yet to be caught.