"Fin? Are you still there?" Erestor's small and insecure sounding voice cut through the silence.
"I am here, only a few moments longer," Glorfindel answered immediately.
Glad to know he had not been abandoned Erestor smiled to hear that Glorfindel had started to whistle the tune to a particularly bawdy song to ensure he knew that he was not there alone.
A short time later Erestor felt Glorfindel sit down beside him once more, there was a little more rustling before he felt hands untie the band that covered his eyes and a whisper in his ear that sent a shiver down his spine asked.
"Are you ready?"
Erestor nodded, the butterflies that danced in his stomach making speech unwise for fear his apprehension would show.
The cloth fell away, and Erestor gasped raising his hand to cover his mouth and turning eyes full of wonder towards Glorfindel who was looking at him adoringly once more.
Where once there was darkness now a multitude of candles sparkled. Lanterns strung into the trees lent a warm glow to the surrounding foliage and scores of flower shaped candle boats floated aimlessly upon the pools. Like the night sky above had descended upon the land. Erestor stood slowly and walked about the clearing as if dreaming, his eyes filled with childish wonder. If strong arms had not enfolded him from behind to halt him perhaps he would have walked as one enchanted until the last flame was extinguished.
"Happy Begetting Day Erestor."
Twisting in the embrace he turned to face his Golden Lord and laid his head upon his shoulder, "thank you…My heart and soul thanks you."
Glorfindel smiled, "there is more."
"This is more than I could have dreamed of Fin, I…" Glorfindel's finger upon his lips halted any words that may have come next and he guided Erestor to sit upon a stone by the pool's edge. Kneeling upon one knee at his feet Glorfindel produced a small box, decorated with a golden ribbon, but he made no move to pass it to Erestor.
"Much has happened in the last few months," Glorfindel stated unsurely looking deep into Erestor's eyes.
"Fin, I…"
A hand upon his knee and the pleading in the eyes of golden haired figure kneeling before him stopped his speech once more.
"Please let me speak."
Erestor nodded once, wanting only to take the elf into his arms and reassure him, but he would do as he was bid, for the sake of his friendship and the sake of his love.
Glorfindel shook his head absently before raising his eyes to meet Erestor's once more, "Much has happened, and your admission…" Glorfindel's voice trailed off, and Erestor felt the deep regret reignite in his heart for the pain he had caused those he loved.
"We have much to talk about, much to rebuild." Erestor looked down at Glorfindel in wonder, a small seed of hope, growing deep down inside of him, though he dared not let it loose just yet for fear he was mistaken in his understanding.
"I love you Erestor, never have I desired another as I desire you, not in two lifetimes." He sighed, the exhaled breath and his admission lifting a weight from his shoulders. It seemed Erestor was going to speak so he raised a hand to halt him. "But we have much to rebuild so I would ask if you would allow me to court you as your station and my heart require? You need not answer me at once; I ask only that you give it thought?"
For just a moment Erestor looked at him, his eyes wide in bare faced astonishment.
"I have offended you, forgive me," Glorfindel stuttered in response to Erestor's reaction, his heart falling into his boots and an overwhelming urge to run away and cry overtaking him. He rose swiftly turning from Erestor, making his way back to their camp and his goblet of wine.
"Fin!" Erestor rose from his seat to follow, his momentary astonishment and wonder at being offered his greatest desire turning into fear at Glorfindel's subsequent actions.
He quietly took a seat on the blanket next to Glorfindel's brooding form. "Fin?" he asked again, urging the golden elf to acknowledge his presence.
"You do not have to say anything, I understand." Glorfindel finally stated dejectedly after a long pause. And Erestor smiled at him fondly.
"I see." Erestor's smile broadening as he came to realise the depth of Glorfindel's lack of understanding.
"So you understand that my heart is yours? And you understand that my answer to your question is aye! And aye again? Do you understand that I love you as surely as I breathe?"
Glorfindel turned to stare at him with the same look of astonishment and wonder as Erestor had recently displayed. "You do?"
Erestor smiled at him reassuringly, taking a sword calloused hand into his own, "Aye Fin, I love you and I would court you, and I will repeat myself as often as I may that you would know the truth of it."
Glorfindel pulled free of Erestor to pat the blanket, as if searching for something. Cursing softly he pushed himself to his feet and grabbed a burning branch, walking over the clearing using the flaming branch to illuminate the ground.
"What are you looking for?" Erestor asked.
"This!" Glorfindel stated triumphantly, retrieving something from the ground, before returning, throwing the branch into the fire as he passed.
Collapsing next to his beloved, he held out a small dark wood box, decorated with a golden ribbon for Erestor to take.
Erestor smiled broadly and took the box from him reverently, his eyes regarding Glorfindel curiously as he opened it.
"We need not use these if they are not to your taste, I simply felt that rings where rather an important part of a beginning courtship."
Erestor rolled his eyes, leaned forward to kiss Glorfindel on the mouth quickly before pulling back. "Would you please stop making assumptions and be quiet!" He teased.
Glorfindel bowed his head in assent, a self-conscious smile on his lips.
He lifted the larger of the two rings from the box and held it up to the light to study it, "These are exceptionally fine Fin." His fingers traced the intertwined ivy and celandine flowers in reverence. "How is it that you found time to have them made?"
Glorfindel looked relieved and smug all at once as he removed the smaller ring from the box and slipped it onto Erestor's finger.
"They were fashioned by your Ada's jewel smith in Arvernien, his workshop remained mostly untouched, but his spirit was understandably low. I overheard him wish for a commission that he might take his mind off the dreadful events." Glorfindel shrugged.
Erestor's brow furrowed. "I do not remember him," He mused quietly, "Did he know that you meant to give one of these to me?"
"Nay, though he seemed an intelligent sort, and there are not many elves of Doriath here on Balar, I would be surprised if he did not know by now."
Erestor smiled, lifting his hand to admire the ring that now adorned his finger for a moment before taking Glorfindel's hand in his own and slipping the matching ring onto his finger. Fingers entwined, Erestor looked at Glorfindel with eyes full of love, "You are mine, as I am yours."
"Always," Glorfindel sighed moving forward to claim Erestor's lips, settling back amongst the cushions as they kissed.
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A/N - For any that are interested, there is a smutty chapter of this story that comes between this chapter and the next. Because of the low rating of this tale I cannot include it as part of this story (nor can it be posted here for the same reason). It can be found on my Live Journal (follow my homepage link on my profile page) It is titled 'Interlude'