Title: The Rivendell Chronicles: Once Upon A Saturday Morning
Characters: Elrond, Glorfindel, Erestor, Elladan, Elrohir, Estel, Legolas, Ashiaro
Summary: Friendships are at stake and the prices are high. Can Glorfindel and Erestor learn to get along before it's too late? And, more importantly, how will Estel and Legolas teach the twins a lesson about pranking that they won't be soon to forget?
Rating/Genre: G/Drama (with many humour elements)
Author: Namiko Iolana
Erestor hummed to himself as he dried the dishes from breakfast on a bright Saturday morning in Rivendell. He loved Saturday mornings, especially when Elrond was not around. He dried the last dish and set it on the rack to dry, still humming the same song to himself. This song had been a childhood favourite of his and was similar in tune to "It Isn't Any Trouble Just to S-M-I-L-E". Outside the kitchen, and inside of Rivendell, the sun was shining. The weather could not have been any nicer for a Saturday, a full day to do whatever he pleased.
Saturdays in Rivendell were like that. After the family had breakfast, Erestor would take care of the dishes. The rest of the day was free to do whatever one pleased. Oftentimes, Elladan and Elrohir would retire to the room that they shared, leaving Estel with Glorfindel.
"I love Saturdays," said Erestor, walking out of the kitchen and down the hall. He smiled to himself, forgetting to watch where he was walking.
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Glorfindel rounded the turn, heading from the library to the kitchen. Elrond had sent him to get glasses of water for their meeting. He sighed deeply to himself, thinking about what Lord Elrond had said to him in regards to Erestor.
The next thing he knew, Glorfindel found himself lying on the floor, muttering a curse in Elvish under his breah. He was about to start yelling at the twin terrors, or so they were called, but he glanced once again at who he was facing. The crash had knocked both Elves off of their feet.
"I am sorry," came the voice. "I did not realize someone was coming around the corner."
"You should be!" Glorfindel's voice was clearly upset, the tone, serious. "Watch where you're going next time, Erestor!" Glorfindel stood up, dusting off his outer cloak. He stormed off, disappearing for most of the rest of the day, leaving Erestor alone on the sunny Saturday morning.
"What did I do wrong?" Erestor found him asking himself aloud. He sighed. The bright, sunny morning that it had been before was now clouded by a dark storm cloud, which was moving in rather quickly. Erestor felt the same way. His heart had been glad, his music joyful, but now a shadow had passed over him.
"I don't think you did anything wrong," said a voice from behind him. Elrond's councilor turned to find another blonde Elf standing directly behind him.
"Oh, hi, Legolas," said Erestor. "Nice of you to come." As much as Erestor tried to welcome the Elf, it just didn't seem sincere enough. He was still upset at Legolas and the twins for playing a mean trick on him several years ago, though he had really tried hard to forgive and forget. (A/N: Read u A New Friend /u for the whole story.)
"Hannon le, Erestor," said Legolas. He offered Erestor a hand to help him up, which the older Elf gratefully accepted. Erestor smoothed out his robes, a requirement by Elrond, and left the hall, desperate to find Elrond before Glorfindel did.
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"Watch out!" Elladan's voice could be heard throughout the entire valley. Legolas didn't know his friend had such a loud voice, but apparently, he did. A hand pulled the blonde elf down, just in time.
"What is going on!" Legolas asked, bewildered. Though he knew the twins and the mischief they could cause, he didn't fully know exactly how much could be done.
"Stay down, Legolas," whispered Elrohir. The younger of the identical twins glared over at his brother and motioned for Legolas to stay close to the floor. "It's a trap for Rangers," he explained.
Before Legolas could ask, Estel came running through the halls, covered from head to toe in a pasty gluey sort of substance. The fifteen-year-old human was a mess. Not only were his clothes all sticky, but so was his hair, face and arms.
"Well, at least it worked," said Elladan to his brother. He pulled on Elrohir's arm, and both twins retired to their room, busily planning other tricks to play on unsuspecting Elves, including their father, Glorfindel and Erestor.
As soon as the twins had left, Estel came up behind Legolas. The elf did not notice the human walk up behind him, as the blonde Elf was busy humming to himself as he freely walked the halls of Rivendell.
"What'd you do that for? It wasn't funny, Legolas," accused Estel.
"What did I do?" Legolas said. He fiddled nervously with the papers he held in his hand. He had been sketching for the entire morning. Out of the many years of knowing the children of Lord Elrond, he still did not know how they could manage to be so mischievous, and even more importantly than that, why he always seemed to be the one to blame for the twins' intentional mishaps.
"Or maybe it was my brothers," muttered Estel. "I'll get them back for this!" He shook his fist in the air and started to storm off to his room.
Legolas grabbed Estel's shoulder. "Wait!" he said. "Instead of becoming upset, why don't you go take a bath and use that time to calm down a little?"
"How about not?" came the reply. Legolas sighed. He should have known better than to come to Rivendell in the first place, but now that he was here, nothing could be done about the past. All he hoped was that Estel didn't do something he would later regret.
"Lord Elrond will not be pleased to see you like that," Legolas replied, a smile starting to curve on the corners of his lips. He tried not to laugh at the young human.
Knowing that his friend was right, Estel sighed and walked to his room to take a bath. 'Twas best Lord Elrond didn't see him a mess, as the peredhel would surely ask what had happened. Then, he knew, he would have to tell the whole story. Elladan and Elrohir would get into trouble, and they would be mad at him. After that, life would become quite miserable.
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"Please, Erestor," Elrond pleaded with the dark haired Elf. "Give him a chance." Elrond stood up, pacing back and forth across the council room, much to the annoyance of his companion.
"Why must I give him a chance, Lord Elrond?" asked Erestor. He had gone to Elrond about the incident involving himself and Glorfindel, but the peredhel had offered no sympathy whatsoever.
Elrond liked to be fair, but it was a difficult task when two of his closest friends were fighting like they were. i Why can they not seem to just get along with each other? /i he asked himself. "Just give him a chance," he said.
"Do I have to?" asked Erestor.
Elrond groaned to himself. Erestor was beginning to sound like Elladan or Elrohir when he told them to be nice to one another. "Yes," said Elrond. "Be nice to him, and I'll talk to him, as well."
"Hannon le, Elrond," said Erestor, not seeming pleased at all. In fact, it was certain to Elrond that Erestor was rather ticked off, as he left the council room quickly and walked to the kitchen.
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i Where could that Glorfindel be, /i Elrond thought to himself as he walked around Rivendell, searching for the blonde Elf. i He's always hiding somewhere, and I can never find him when I need him... /i He checked in the library. Glorfindel was not there. The only one who was present was Legolas, who was looking at some drawings that he had done, mostly sketches of Elves.
"Legolas," said Elrond. "Have you seen Glorfindel anywhere? I have been looking for him all over Rivendell."
Legolas shook his head. "No, I have not seen him," he replied. "Not since a few years ago, the last time that I visited."
"Hannon le," said Elrond, a sarcastic tone in his voice. He left Legolas alone in the library, still searching for Glorfindel. He hoped the blonde Elf hadn't taken Erestor's comments the wrong way. Sometimes, Erestor said things that he did not mean to, and Glorfindel, well, Glorfindel tended to get upset easily. Elrond knew he had to find him before it was too late, but where could Glorfindel have gotten himself to?
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Estel finished putting on his grey tunic, fitting it carefully over his head. He smoothed out his dark, scraggly hair and pushed it out of his face. He resolved not to let Elladan and Elrohir get away with their tricks this time. It had been one time too many. Last week, he had received a pleasant surprise of several small spiders in his bed, and the week before that, he had gotten an anonymous note to go to the stables to meet a secret admirer. Glorfindel had been furious when he had missed lessons because of this.
He walked out of his bedroom, carefully closing and locking the door, just so his brothers could not get in. He headed towards the library, where he was sure he could get a few moments of peace and quiet. It was the last place he expected to find anyone who would disturb him.
He walked into the library, carefully closing the door behind him. He spotted Legolas in the far corner, pondering over some drawings, probably ones that he had drawn. Silently as he knew how to, he crept up behind the blonde elf and pounced.
"Mae govannen, Estel!" exclaimed Legolas. "I see you are nice and clean." This comment was met by a scowl of the young boy. He didn't seem surprised that the boy had crept up behind him. Estel, after all, was human. He was used to it, as the twins had tried countless times, mostly resulting in failure, as one of the identical mischief-makers would start laughing.
Estel put a hand on Legolas's shoulder. "Will you help me with something?" he asked.
"What is it, Estel?" Legolas asked. The look on Estel's face was halfway between revenge and mischief and the blonde elf wondered what his human friend was planning.
Estel paused for a moment, wondering if it would be wise to tell Legolas or not. "Would you be willing to help be get back at the twins?" he asked, lowering his voice to a whisper. "They've been playing trickes on me, on everyone in Rivendell, for several months now, and it's driving everyone crazy!"
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas muttered to himself. He had known the identical twins for londer than he could remember, and they were infamous for the mischief they caused and the havoc they were capable of wreaking. "Sure," he said. "But we really shouldn't do too much."
Estel grabbed the blonde elf around the waist in a hug. "Thank you so much, Legolas!" he said. "We can go to my room to plan." He and Legolas left the library and walked over to Estel's room. They closed and locked the door behind them.
"So..." Legolas said. He sat down on the wooden chair. "What exactly do you have in mind?"
"Well..." Estel began, taking out a piece of paper and a pen, dipping it in the ink. He started to draw...
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A knocking sound was heard on the door of the room that belonged to Glorfindel. Oftentimes, he would hide in his room, especially when he did not want to face the reality of living in Rivendell, especially all of the problems that it held.
Glofindel decided it best not to answer, trying to lead Elrond into the false assumption that he was not there. It would be best for the peredhel not to know at that moment. The discussion, if a discussion it could be called, would most likely be talking about Erestor. It would probably be a one-sided lecture, consisiting of the peredhel ranting and raving more than anything else.
"Glorfindel!" came Elrond's upset voice from outside. "I know you're in there, so please, let me in." Outside the door, Elrond shook his head slowly. It just seemed that everyone in Rivendell came to him with their problems, especially his advisors.
"No!" came Glorfindel's angry shout. He really did not need another lecture from Elrond, especially about Erestor. He knew he'd never learn to get along with the other elf, and Elrond only made things worse. "If only he could see that," he muttered to himself. Silently, Glorfindel crept closer to the door, almost wishing Elrond would persist.
"Please, Glorfindel," Elrond pleaded. Slowly, he shook his head. He hated when his friends fought, and he always had. If only there was something to help them get along. "I need-" Elrond's sentence was cut short by the door opening in his face. Startled, he stepped backwards.
The door had been opened by Glorfindel, who did not know that Elrond had been standing nnear it. For this, the blonde Elf received a glare from an exasperated Elrond. He did not look at Elrond, only staring down at the ground.
"Glorfindel," Elrond began. He entered the room, but had made up his mind to stop at any moment if Glorfindel seemed to be upset. "Please, just listen. I will let you talk, but I need you to listen first."
Glorfindel rolled his eyes, but motioned for Eelrond to sit down in the chair. He sat back down on his bed. "Sure," he said. His words told one story, but his emotions, another. He was not too pleased about Elrond's lecture that he was certain was coming, but he had to listen to it. Again.
It was always the same. First, the peredhel would tell him to get along with Erestor. Then, he'd go on to say how Glorfindel should i 'be an example to everyone else' /i . The blonde Elf sighed. 'Twas no use to protest. Elrond had a mind of his own.
"Erestor came to me earlier today," Elrond began. "I think it would be a good thing for the two of you to spend some time together, Glorfindel." Glorfindel scowled at the peredhel, almost ready to kick him out of the room, but that wouldn't do much good. Instead, he'd just smile and nod. Well, maybe not smile, but nod at least. Either way, he wasn't planning to do what Elrond said.
Elrond turned to leave. "I see that I'm not getting through to you, but I wish I could somehow," he said. "I wish you would be willing to listen, Glorfindel, mellon-nin, I really wish you would." With these words, he left, gently shutting the door behind him.
Glorfindel didn't answer. Sitting down on his bed, he fumed silently, wondering why Elrond seemed to always take Erestor's side on things.
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"You sure they are not planning anything for us?" Legoals asked, his brow wrinkled, eyes carefully looking over Estel's messy sketch, words written in the Human's miniscule script. "If they are, would it not be better to avoid their traps instead of luring them into our own? And what if something goes wrong? What will your Adar say to that?" Without realizing it he raised on of his hands to his mouth and started nibbling on his fingernails.
"Just look at that!" Estel teased, trying to contain his laughter. "An Elf like you...biting his nails! Just wait until Ada hears about this, and he will surely reduce his lectures for playing in the mud!" A sly grin appeared on his face. "But we shall have to find a way to keep you from biting them, mellon-nin."
Legolas raised an eyebrow at the boy, taking the tips of his fingers out of his mouth. Hands moving quickly he grabbed Estel's hand, holding it tightly in the strong grip of his own. "And you do not bite yours?" he asked. He sighed, as Estel's fingernails proved to be unbitten, though very dirty.
Estel scowled audibly. "Back to the plans," he said. "And this time, I mean it." He pointed to where he had drawn a floor plan of Rivendell. He mumbled a couple of things, indistinctly, moving his fingers to various points on the map as he spoke.
"Wait a minute," Legolas said slowly. "But what if we-" His words were caught shourt by the door opening suddenly. Ashiaro stepped into the room and Legolas smiled. He'd known Ashiaro since the first time he had come to Rivendell. "Suilad, mellon-nin," he greeted Ashiaro warmly. "I have not seen you in quite a while."
Ashiaro nodded briefly. "I have only come to warn you that both Erestor and Glorfindel are about ready to kill one another," he said in a hushed voice. "And to ask what you have been up to. I know you are planning something; it is written plain onto your faces." Though his manner was slightly condescending, everyone else had gotten used to this from Ashiaro.
Legolas shrugged, pushing aside the map that Estel had drawn. "Why should we tell you what we're doing?" he asked defensively. "It shouldn't be any of your buisness!"
Ashiaro raised an eyebrow at Legolas doubtfully, knowing that his Mirkwood friend nearly always wore his emotions written on his face for anyone to see. "You're planning something, aren't you?" he asked suspiciously. "If it is for Master Elrond and his advisors, I would advise against it, but if it has anything to do with the twins, then I will gladly help."
"So," Estel said. "You would be willing to help us get back at the twins? They have been playing tricks on everyone, and, quite frankly, everyone is getting tired of it!" With a deep breath, he sat down on his bed.
Ashiaro grinned, perching himself on the window sill. "Young human," he said. "I should know that. After all, I knew that the twins had been planing things for Elrond and his advisors, and I had even assisted them with Erestor and Glorfindel." Noticing the hurt look that crossed Estel's face, he added, "But I did not know they were playing tricks on everyone else. It appears that no one escaped unscathed."
"Are you going to help us or not, Ashiaro?" Legolas said, glaring, as if to threaten to pin Ashiaro on the floor if he refused. "Because I've seen that look before." His face lit up in a cheeky smile, wondering if his friend would help them in their endeavour.
Ashiaro smiled, jumping down from his perch. "I do not know what you hve planned, but what if we play several small tricks on various elves. Elladan and Elrohir are sure to be blamed for everything," he said, "and you know how upset everyone will be with them. I say that will be punishment enough." Taking the pen and piece of paper, he wrote a few things down. "Of course, we would havee to prank Elrond, Glorfindel, Erestor, Lindir, every other Elf who has been effected, and even ourselves."
Estel eyed Ashiaro like the half-elf had gone insane at that moment. "What do you mean that we're supposed to prank ourselves?" he asked, both confused and exasperated. "We're trying to get away from pranks, not bring more upon ourselves!"
Ashiaro smiled. "But I know that, mellon-nin," he smiled. "Elladan and Elrohir would not dare to prank every other Elf in Imladris without forgetting us. And if we pranked them, it would give us away, because they would surely not prank themselves." He wrote a couple more things down on the paper, and turned towards Legolas. "What say you?" he asked.
Legolas thought for a moment and smiled. "I think it is a good idea, a noble cause to prank ourselves-or to at least make it seem like we've been pranked," he said. "But, Ashiaro, would it be possible if we only seem to be pranked, but do not actually carry the procedure out?"
"Evil Elf!" Ashiaro muttered, half under his breath. "That is what I was planning to do! Who would be foolish enough to prank themselves and actually follow through with it?" Legolas looked down at the floor, not saying anything. "I will be back in a minute; there is someone outside who I must speak with." With that, Ashiaro left quickly.
"If we're actually going to do this, we'll need a plan," Estel pointed out in a matter-of-fact voice. "So here's what we'll do..."
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Glorfindel sighed, not wanting to go outside his room, even though the day was beautiful. Even if he did, he would avoid both Erestor and Elrond at all costs. But how long could he stay inside his room? Even if he refused to go out, he would eventually have to face reality, wouldn't he?
"I guess Eru Iluvatar did not mean to make life simple," he joked to himself. "But why must it be so difficult for me? How many times must I forgive Erestor? He does not deserve it." A knock at the door interruped his thoughts.
"And neither do you," the voice came from outside. Glorfindel opened up the door, but there was no one outside. Puzzled, he decided to come out of his room and see what was going on. The voice seemed to belong to one of the younger Elves, but the accent was foreign to him, belonging to neither Rivendell, nor Mirkwood. He shrugged his shoulders, and kept walking.
"Glorfy," a voice said. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" Glorfindel snapped out of his thoughts about the mysterious voice to find Elrohir by his side. "Elladan's busy talking to Erestor." Glorfindel raised an eyebrow at the younger of the twins. Sure enough, his braids were straight, one of the two easiest ways to tell the identical twins apart by appearance. Elrohir's braids were always straight and braided tightly, while Elladan's were looser and always crooked. They also had slightly different voices, which a trained ear could easily distinguish without much trouble at all.
"Okay," Glorfindel said, sighing. At least talking to Elrohir would be easier than talking to Elrond or Erestor. "What about?"
Elrohir smiled. Glorfindel was always more fun to talk to than Ada or Erestor. Maybe it was because Glorfindel always seemed younger, moe willing to have fun or to relate to him and Elladan, or maybe it was because Glorfindel was not as quick-tempered as most of the other older Elves. "Why do you and Erestor always fight?" he asked in a quiet voice.
Glorfindel sighed. He should have known this question was coming, if not from one of the twins, then certainly from Ashiaro or Estel or Legolas. "Let's go into the library and talk, Elrohir," he said. He led the younger Elf into the library and both sat down at one of the tables near the corner. No other Elves could be seen anywhere in the large room. "Firstly, Elrohir," Glorfindel began, "why do you think we fight? Most Elves argue with one another once in a while. You and Elladan argue. Legolas and Ashiaro aruge. Even Elrond argues with other Elves. Eru Iluvatar did not wish for life to be dull."
Elrohir narrowed his eyes. "Remember history lessons, Glorfy?" he asked. "Morgoth started all the evil because he wanted to be better than Manwe. Feanor's sons argued with one another because they wnted to be the best. I fight with Elladan because I want to be better than him, to get more attention from you and Ada than he does." He paused for a moment, to be sure Glorfindel was listening to him, then nervously asked, "Do you and Erestor argue because you both want to be better than each other?"
Glorfindel opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it, completely taken aback by the young Elf's knowledge and use of it to prove a point. i So he had been paying attention in history lessons, /i Glorfindel thought to himself. But Elrohir's last few words kept repeating through his mind, a lingering effect on his thoughts. Were he and Erestor arguing because they desired to be better than one another? His mind drifted back to a conversation he'd had long ago...
i "Ah, I understand," said Celebrian. She patted Glorfindel on the shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. "It's Erestor again, isn't it?" She motioned for the twins to take Arwen and Legolas inside, into the Great Hall. Ashiaro would be able to tell them a story that would entertain them.
He nodded as he blinked back the tears that came to his eyes. "Yes," he said gravely. "It is."
"Yes," she said. "That is what I thought." She reminded Glorfindel of the fair Lady Galadriel, her mother. "But Elrond seems to enjoy his presence, and that is a good thing." Ever since Gil-galad had died, Elrond had not had a close Elf-friend, except for Celebrian, and of course, Glorfindel.
"At least someone understands," Glorfindel whispered after a long silence.
"I do not think Erestor will take your place," said Celebrian softly. "No one can take anyone else's place, and no one will." She patted Glorfindel gently on the shoulder and left the practice fields, leaving Glorfindel alone with his thoughts. /i
Elrohir's soft words took Glorfindel away from the past. "Will you forgive? Will you forget? Will you live what you know? He left his rights; will you leave yours? You won't understand it; let it go." With that, he stood up quietly and left.
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"Did it work?" Elladan's anxious voice asked in a harsh whisper. "What did he say?" While Elrohir had been talking to Glorfindel, Elladan had been helping Erestor in the kitchen. Both twins had agreed to do this, and to meet up to figure out what to do next. Life just wasn't the same with Glorfindel and Erestor arguing.
Elrohir shrugged. "He really didn't say anything, but I think he was too busy thinking. He was talking a little bit about how it is natural to argue. Everyone argues. We argue all the time; Estel argues, Legolas argues. Even Ashiaro argues," he sighed. "He also said something about Iluvatar meaning to make life interesting, but I do not believe him."
"Why? What did you tell him this time?" Elladan asked, raising an eyebrow at his twin. This, he was interested in knowing how his twin managed to convince Glorfindel. He hadn't really spoken much to Erestor, at least, about nothing of particular importance. Of course, he had apologized for messing up the kitchen so badly the week before.
"Remember our history lessons?" Elrohir asked. Elladan shook his head. "I told him that Morgoth started everything by wanting to be better than Manwe, and that everyone argues with everyone else because they want to be the best. Does that make sense?"
"Other than the Morgoth and Manwe part, yes," Elladan replied, a strange look on his face. Elrohir elbowed his brother in the ribs. "But what should we do about...you know?" Elrohir raised an eyebrow, not having a clue as to what his brother was talking about. "You know...what happened last week...with Erestor and Glorfindel and everything?"
Elrohir shrugged. "Hopefully Estel and Legolas won't decide to prank us, will they, my brother?" he said in in a singsong voice.
"Hopefully not," Elladan added with a smile. Ashiaro had heard all he needed to hear. It was well past time to get back, and hopefully, neither Estel nor Legolas had done anything they would regret later. Silently, he raced back to Estel's room, flinging open the door once he got there. Legolas and Estel were busy in their planning, chattering away in whispers of mixed Common and Sindarin. Ashiaro chuckled to himself, knowing it was nearly miraculous that they could carry on a conversation like that, speaking about half in each language.
But he had to warn them before it was too late. "Legolas! Estel!" he hissed under his breath. "We need to talk. Now." Legolas turned around, but Estel continued what he was writing. Ashiaro sighed. "Come on, Estel. It's important."
"What is it, Ashiaro," asked Legolas impatiently. "We were just working on our preparations for the chaos, and Estel had a great idea for Erestor and Glorfindel." Ashiaro glared at his friend.
"Legolas!" he said, almost shouting. "We need to talk-before it's too late." With one hand, he grabbed Legolas, and with the other, Estel. With a swift motion, he he took the bewildered Elf and pulled him over to his room. "Stay here, and don't cause any mischief while I am gone. I shall return in a few minutes." He closed the door, leaving the Human, who was still wondering what was going on, with the bewildered Elf. He had to find the twins.
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"Can you forgive? Can you forget?" Glorfindel asked himself. Although he loved peace and quiet, and it was rare, he was tiring of it rather quickly. "Please let someone come," he whispered, a prayer to Eru Iluvatar. The last words that Elrohir had spoken to him were still running through his mind. "Will you forgive? Will you forget? Will you live what you know? He left his rights; will you leave yours? You won't understand it; let it go." His voice was quiet, his head bowed slightly as he spoke these words in a whisper.
"Let it go, Glorfindel," a voice said in Quenya. "You know that you cannot hold onto it forever. Look what it did to Morgoth, to Feanor and his sons, to Sauron. If you hold onto your anger forever, that will happen to you. You will become like them. Is that what you desire?"
"No," he said, shaking his head slowly. "But did Morgoth not fall because of his love on power and his desire for more of it? To be greater than Manwe, whom Eru Iluvatar appointed to be the mightiest of the Valar, or perhaps, to be greater than even Iluvatar himself?"
"But the love of power is the root of all evil," the voice said again. "Did you not understand me the first time? Why do you and Erestor argue? Just answer that."
Glorfindel thought for a moment. Why did he and Erestor argue? Truthfully, even he didn't really know the exact answer, if there was one. "I suppose it started with something little, then became bigger and more consuming over the course of time," he replied, not sure of anything he had just said.
i "I do not think you that Erestor will take your place. No one can take anyone else's place, and no one will." /i This time, the voice seemed to echo in his head. "Do you and Erestor argue because you are afraid of loosing your friendship with Elrond because of him? The voice spoke in Quenya for the last time.
Glorfindel gasped, closing his eyes. He wished he'd never stayed in the library.
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"You are the craziest half-elf I've ever known, Ashiaro!" Legolas exclaimed when Ashiaro returned, flinging open the door. On one side of him was Elladan, on the other side, Elrohir. "Explain the meaning of this to me this time!"
Ashiaro shrugged his shoulders apathetically. "We need to talk, mellryn-nin," he said, his voice low. "That is the reason why I brought these two fine peredhel with me to talk things over. Would you like to talk first?" He glanced over at Elladan, green eyes gleaming in the light.
Elladan shrugged. "I guess I will go first," he said. "Sorry for pranking you, Estel. Could you forgive us?" Ashiaro sat down on the window sill. Estel thought for a moment.
"This is some kind of trick, isn't it?" he burst out, eyeing his older brothers suspiciously. The twins had been infamous for pranking others, and in their most recent string of chaotic events, no one had escaped unscathed. Elladan shook his head.
"There's enough trouble in this world without aruging over petty things," Elrohir spoke for his brother. Oftentimes, one would start speaking and the other would finish the sentence. "Besides, Glorfindel and Erestor argue enough without us pranking them to make things worse."
"And what fun is pranking if you aren't allowed to do it to those who you really want to?" Elladan added. Two identical smiles beamed over at Estel and Legolas, who were both very much surprised by this.
Ashiaro sighed, standing up and walking over to where the twins were standing. "All of you know Elrond is going to be very disappointed when he sees that Erestor are still arguing with one another, right?" he asked, putting his arms around the twins. Elladan and Elrohir nodded their support. "The least we can do is make things better for him by not arguing ourselves."
Legolas stared at Ashiaro like he was crazy. "You are in over your head, my friend," he said. "But let us hope that it is for the better this time, right?" He and Ashiaro shared a brief smile, assuring that the earlier incidence would be kept a secret from the twins.
"I do wonder what this means for Glorfindel and Erestor," Elladan said. "I hope they're thinking about what we told them earlier today." Two confused gazes met the twins' smiles. Estel perched himself on the window sill, folding his arms across his chest. Legolas and Ashiaro sat down on Ashiaro's bed, all awaiting an explanation.
"What do you mean, Elladan?" asked Legolas, pushing a strand of blonde hair out of his face.
"What we mean, Legolas," Elrohir answered for his brother, "is that earlier today, I talked to Glorfindel and El talked to Erestor. Hopefully we managed to convince thm to get along with each other and make up, so everything will be fine."
Ashiaro sighed. "Elrohir," he began, "what exactly did you say to Glorfindel? When I walked by the library, I heard two voice. One was clearly his, but the other one, I could not tell who that one belongs to. It sounded nothing like any other voice I have ever heard before in my entire life!" Legolas shrugged his shouders. Ashiaro was older than any of them, being born near the end of the Second Age.
"What language?" Estel asked, still staring out the window. "If it was in the Black Tongue of Mordor, then we'd be sure the voice was some evilness!" To this, the twins rolled their eyes. Their fifteen-year-old human brother seemed to come up with some of the most ridiculous ideas they'd ever heard. Legolas reached his hand to his mouth and started biting his nails.
"Are you biting your nails again, Legolas?" Elladan asked before Ashiaro had the chance to answer Estel's question, glancing over at Legolas. The last time he'd come to Rivendell, the Prince of Mirkwood had been punished for his bad habit of biting his nails. And that was nearly two and a half years ago. Estel had been just thirteen. In fact, it had been around Estel's thirteenth birthday, a memorable event for everyone.
"The voice was speaking in Quenya, but an accent so foreign that I could hardly understand it, but Glorfindel was speaking in Sindarin," Ashiaro replied. Nearly everyone in Rivendell knew both Sindarin and Common, but few were fluent in Quenya. Elrond had insisted upon the twins learning it, as well as both Estel and Ashiaro, but the old language was difficult and tedious to learn.
"I wonder who the voice belonged to," Legolas said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Did you see anyone enter or leave the library?"
Ashiaro shook his head. "I looked inside, but I only saw Glorfindel sitting by some of the scrolls of history that Master Elrond has written," he replied. His glance shifted, looking at each person sitting in the room. "And, yet, it remains a mystery to be solved."
center /center
"You okay, Glorfindel?" a voice asked from above him. A hand gently, but firmly, shook Glorfindel's shoulder, while the other hand pushed hair out of Glorfindel's face. The voice seemed to be concerned. "As I walked by, I saw you fall out of your chair. Do you want me to get Lord Elrond?"
Glorfindel opened his eyes, blinking slowly. To his surprise, he saw Erestor kneeling above him. "But-" he began, but Erestor silenced him, putting a finger to his lips. Putting his fingers to his mouth, he whistled shrilly three times, then waited a few seconds, and repeated the whistle. He followed this up by one long whistle. Footsteps could be heard outside, and Elrond came running in.
"No, Elrond," Erestor said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I was not here when it happened, but when I found him, he had fallen out of his chair." Elrond nodded.
"We'll help him to his room," Elrond said after glancing over Glorfindel quickly to see that the blonde Elf was not injured or anything. "After a couple days' rest, he should be just fine." With Erestor's help, Elrond lifted Glorfindel up, putting one arm under Glorfindel's. Erestor did the same on the other side. Together, they helped Glorfindel walk to his room. "I'll leave you two alone to talk for a few minutes," Elrond said before leaving the room. He closed the door behind him, retiring to his study.
Erestor pulled a chair up to Glorfindel's bedside and sat down. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "Lord Elrond was right."
"No," Glorfindel answered. "I'm sorry. I should not have snapped at you like that. Is it too late to turn from the past and become friends?" His eyelids closed slightly, and the brightness of his grey-blue eyes turned dull and lacklustre.
Erestor shook his head, feeling the coolness of Glorfindel's hand in his own. "It is not too late, mellon-nin," he smiled. "It is never too late."
i A/N: I wrote this after hearing a Newsboys song which goes:
"Will you forgive?
Will you forget?
Will you live what you know?
He left his rights, will you leave yours?
You won't understand it, let it go."
Rim hennaid to everyone who inspired me in some way or another, especially Vana for the idea of using a song within the storyline. /i