Firelight glistened on Curufin's sweaty forehead. He brought the hammer down again, relishing his work. This blade would be his finest creation.
He paused to look more closely at the piece, then realized that he could see his own reflection. He looked almost like his father… the same coal-black hair, fathomless dark eyes, fine-featured face… a specimen of masculine beauty, nearly flawless.
Imperfect.
Suddenly filled with rage, he drew back the hammer and brought it down in a glimmering arc. The metal rang beneath his fury, nearly shattering with each blow.
He beat it until the only reflection was fire.
Author's Notes:
ellfine: I'm glad that you liked it! I tried to tweak the details as much as I could to be reminiscent of Gondolin, even though it couldn't be exactly the same. Thank you!
Avalon Estel: I had to do Glorfindel and Erestor eventually, and this was an idea salvaged from a story that never did get finished. It worked out perfectly. I'm so glad that you enjoyed it!
seeing-spots: I hope you had a great birthday, and I was glad to be able to contribute. :) Glorfindel may be the best on a real battlefield, but Erestor seems to be the most strategic. After all, leaping on a Balrog doesn't exactly demonstrate thinking through things ahead of time! Glorfindel is delightfully impulsive. I'm glad that I tricked you, even if it was only for a moment. ;)
CapriceAnn Hedican-Kocur: There will be more, for sure! I love writing drabbles. I'm so glad that you enjoyed them, and thank you for reviewing!
kingmaker: I knew that some people would see right through the thin deception, but I'm glad that you liked it anyway. :) This one and the Eärendil one were both fun to write, even though they're drastically different. I'm glad that I can give you something to enjoy after work!
Mirfein: I'm so glad that you liked it! That one seems to be my most popular yet. I should write Erestor more often... ;) It was my intention to be sneaky, so I'm glad that you got a kick out of that!
SilverWolf7: I can see Erestor winning at strategy games too. Glorfindel seems to be more of a spur-of-the-moment kind of person. I'm so glad that you like it! I'm definitely going to keep up with drabbling. It's so much fun.
Neige: I completely understand. I'm a lazy reviewer myself, unfortunately. Glorfindel is one of my favorite Elves. I'm so glad that I was able to trick you! I feel so devious now. :) Chess seems like a good game for Elves to play. It takes a long time to finish a game, but Elves have more than enough time as it is, so it suits them. I'm glad that you liked it, and thank you for your review!
Sirielle: I figured that you would enjoy this one. ;) Thank you!
Unsung Heroine: Wow, what a compliment! I'm honored! Thank you so much! I'm glad that you enjoyed them. :)
BanbieBunny: Erestor is one of my favorite Elves... not that anyone could ever figure that out... :) I'm glad that you liked this drabble!
Svadilfari: Thank you so much! Drabbling is good for me as an author, I think, because it has really taught me about trying to say a lot in just a few words. I'm still learning, but I'd like to imagine that this is doing me some good! I'm glad that you liked them. I plan on doing tons more. :)
I hope that you all won't be terribly offended if I stop replying to my reviewers individually after this. There's more reply here than there is story, and the last thing I want to do is get this taken down for broken rules. Rumors are going around that this might count as an "interactive entry," and I don't want to be banned for any length of time. I do love all your reviews, and I cherish each individual one! -Ithiliel