Disclaimer: I own only Margaret, Sulwen, and Calin.
Glorfindel strode down the hall toward Elronds study. He came before a great, oak door and knocked twice. At the muffled reply, he walked in. Immediately, he noticed that Elrond was busy.
Books lay everywhere, some open, some closed. Paper was scattered across the desk and chairs. Ink and quills were resting on the small tables or book cases. Behind a pile of books on the desk, Glorfindel could see a crown of black hair bent over. Glorfindel cleared his throat and waited patiently. After several moments, he did it again.
" Yes?" Elrond said without looking up.
" My lord," said Glorfindel solemnly, " A chicken has taken over the Ford."
At this Elrond looked up. ' Finally!' thought Glorfindel, ' I knew he would have some kind of reaction to that.'
" You have something important to discuss," said Elrond dryly.
Glorfindel sighed. " I know you are busy Elrond, although I have know idea what it is. You know Im not one to beat around the bush so..."
" Yes?" asked Elrond patiently.
Glorfindel sighed again and moved a pile of books and papers off a chair and onto the floor so he could sit. " I wish to be back on patrol again."
Glorfindel knew that this might surprise Elrond, but his Lord would never show it.
" Oh?" said Elrond, " But what about Margaret?"
" Well, that is what is making this so hard. Ive never been away from her before. I dont know how she will feel about my leaving."
" I have a feeling it will work both ways," Elrond said with a smile.
Glorfindel gave a slight nod and ran a hand over his hair. The room remained silent for a few more moments.
" You have something on your mind?" Elrond asked with a raise of his eyebrow.
" Yes, " said Glorfindel hesitantly.
" Go on," Elrond encouraged.
" Well, it just... who is going to take care of her while Im gone? What if she gets lonely or is afraid of something. What if she-
" Glorfindel," said Elrond putting a hand up, " She has many here who care for her. Do not worry. She has Sulwen and Lindir. She even has Erestor, your good friend. And if it helps, I will always be here when she needs something."
Glorfindel sighed and gave a small smile. He knew Elrond was perfectly capable of handling children. He had, after all, raised twins. And now that his worries over Margaret had been reassured, he could leave knowing that she would be fine.
'Yes,' he thought to himself, 'She will be fine.'
Margaret skipped down the steps of Imladris and took in the scene around her. The birds were singing and flowers were blooming. Butterflies were coloring the sky with beauty. But what Margaret was really happy about, was starting music lessons with Lindir.
Lindir had taught Margaret many things like how to sing or play the harp. " Music," he had said, " Is not truly music unless it comes from the heart. Play what you feel and it will be beautiful."
And today Margaret was going to learn to play the flute. Today, she would play her favorite instrument.
" Good morning," said Lindir to Margaret.
" Good morning," she said cheerfully, " Im ready to learn to play."
Lindir smiled and lead her into the room. The said room really wasnt a room at all. It was more like a large balcony. It was round, with arches going all the way around the room. The arches had no windows, only long, lavender scarves covering the openings. The floor was stone, with a few statues places in between the arches. Various chairs and music stands, made of oak wood, were scattered about the room.
Margaret took a seat and waited until Lindir handed her the instrument. The flute was long, with many keys. Most of the keys were in a row going down the middle of the flute.
"This flute," said Lindir, " Is made of a certain type of wood. However, when I think you are ready, I will give you a flute made of silver. Well, it is actually metal with silver cast on the outside. But all the same, it will be a better flute. One that will last you as long as you wish to play it."
Margaret sat silently, taking in the information. 'I will be great,' she thought, ' I will play good music.'
" Now, lets begin," said Lindir.
Glorfindel looked over the paper work he held. It contained a list of warriors that were to leave for the patrol in a few days. He quietly went through the list and picked out there assessments. Each warrior was better at one thing than the other. Most of them were better with swords than bows, but some did prefer twin blades to any other weapon.
As he worked a group into a patrol, he also worked elves out of it. He didnt need every elf in Imladris fighting the few hoard of orcs that came around the borders. Most of the time, he sent the elves to fight the orcs near small human villages any way. Yes, some of the elves could come home and see their families.
All the while, Glorfindel had a nagging in the back of his mind. He tried to ignore it and focus on his work, but it was becoming harder and harder. He didnt know how to tell Margaret that he was leaving. He wouldnt see her for a long while.
'Humans,' Glorfindel thought to himself, ' They are so vulnerable to colds and disease. Not to mention they have such short lives.'
Sighing, he tried to figure out how to explain what he was about to do. Getting up, he went to find Margaret.
After talking to various elves, Glorfindel learned that Margaret was still with Lindir in the music room. He walked over to the balcony and watched from the doorway as Lindir instructed Margaret on her form.
" Make sure you keep a straight back, just like when you sing. The air needs to come out clean and clear. That way the tone of the flute will sound good."
Glorfindel listened to her play a low note on the flute. ' An F,' he realized, ' Well, not a perfect F. The pitch could use some work, but at least she is playing. She will be great when I come back.' The last thought left him with a sense of regret.
" Ah, Lord Glorfindel," said the minstrel, " What brings you here?"
" I seek the audience of a wonderful flute player," he said with a smile. Margaret beamed back at him, and turned to Lindir.
" You are finished for today," he said, " Come back tomorrow and we will work on some other things."
Margaret walked out of the balcony and took Glorfindels hand " I dont think Im very good yet," she confessed.
" But you will be if you practice enough," said Glorfindel reassuringly. He would miss giving advice and encouragement to her.
They walked in silence for a while longer until Glorfindel bid her to take a seat. He looked around him, aware that they had come to a stop in the gardens. The flowers were beautiful. There were many shades of red, blue, yellow, orange, and violet. A gentle breeze blew the flowers back and forth, and made it seem as if they were alive. Butterflies danced around their middles, trying to find a place to rest, but never lingering for too long. If Glorfindel hadnt been so tense, he would have sat back and enjoyed the scenery.
" Margaret," he said turning to her, " There is something I must tell you." She looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. He sighed, knowing she would never understand.
" I am leaving tomorrow, to go back on patrol."
A/N: Ok, thats it for now. Im hoping this chapter didnt seem boring. I do plan to put more action in it, it is just taking longer than I would have expected. Also, if there are errors in this chapter, I apologize. Word perfect got a little messed up while I was typing this. Thank you to all my reviewers! And remember that if you have any comments, just review.
lhuntathraeil: Of course I missed you! I missed all of my readers and reviewers. Im glad youre liking it so far. Thank you for your review!
Idril Miriel: I hope this was a little longer. I hate writing short chapters, but sometimes I am just to eager to post, that I dont bother to write more. Glad you like it so far. Thanks for our review!
Forleaswyn-Shield Maiden of Rohan : Hi! Im glad you like it. I have planned to write Margaret up until she is 16 so far. So it depends how it all works out. Im glad you are giving me suggestions, thank you!
To anyone I forgot, please let me know!