Chapter 1

Author's Notes: italics indicate a flashback, dream or memory

Erestor stiffled a yawn and stretched his legs. It had been a long night and the warmth of the summer breeze had made it difficult but he had managed to stay awake. Anor was rising in the east, a pale patch of golden light that threw long shadows across the valley and Imladris was slowly waking up. Normally he would have rejoiced in the beginning of a new day but he had nothing to do except trying to catch up on some sleep and that was not exactly something he was looking forward to.

He had barely slept these last few weeks. Whenever he closed his eyes strange images and dreams assaulted him. Dreams he did not understand. He saw his parents, his friends and reletives and the other elves that had been living in their village but somehow he sensed that these elves were not what they used to be any more. Whenever he saw his parents in his dreams they looked at him with hatred and loathing. He was afraid of dreaming, afraid of going to sleep.

He wrapped his arms around his knees and huddled into the corner of his dark cell as he heard footsteps on the corridor. He knew what would happen if they came for him. He had seen the others when they were brought back but that seemed to have been an eternity ago and the other cells were empty now. Today the footsteps stopped in front of his cell.

He looked up, his brown eyes wary and frightened, and finally his gaze came to rest on a tall elf with a very pale complexion, smouldering black eyes and midnight black hair. The elf would have been beautiful if it had not been for the cold and haughty expression in his eyes. Erestor shuddered, blinded by the light of the single gem that adorned his captor's iron crown. He knew that this was the beginning of the end.

"I swear, I will get Elrond if you don't… Erestor!" Glorfindel breathed a sigh of relied, "Thank the Valar! I did not know what to do!"

Confused Erestor stared at the worried blond elf in front of him. Why had he not heard the seneschal enter?

"Erestor?" Glorfindel tried again, kneeling down in front of the councilor and shaking him by the shoulders, "Erestor are you even listening to me?"

Slowly Erestor shook his head. "No," he managed.

"You are awake again." Glorfindel smiled nervously, "Elrond ordered me to bring you breakfast and I found you out here, starin straight ahead without noticiing anything or anyone. I tried to talk to you but you didn't respond and…" Glorfindel shook his head, "Forgive, you are obviously tired and I wearing you down, let's get you inside."

Carefully he helped the raven-haired advisor to his feet, steadying him as Erestor swayed on his feet. The blond frowned as he saw that Erestor wore nothing but a leggings under the blanket. Sighing he wrapped Erestor into the blankter and led Erestor inside, happily chatting on about a lot of small nonsense. He did not want the advisor to know how worried he was. Erestor did not answer any of his questions and his hands were cold. Glorfindel knew that Erestor was no peredhil, so that left him with only one possibility. A possibility he did not wish to think about.

Erestor blinked slowly a few times, surprised that someone was actually taking care of him. He was inside again, sitting on his bed and Glorfindel was running agitatedly through the room, waving at him with a piece of bread and rambling on non-stop.

"Glorfindel?" Erestor frowned, "Why are you in my quarters again? I cannot remember inviting you in…."

"So you finally decided to grace me with an answer after all," Glorfindel smiled but Erestor noticed that there was something odd about the way the blond teased him, "I already told you, remember? Elrond? Breakfast?"

Erestor's frown deepened, till he noticed the tray with bread and fresh fruit on the nightstand.

"I thank you for your thoughtfulness, seneschal," Erestor inclined his head, addressing Glorfindel as formally as possible, "You may leave now."

The determined set of Glorfindel's jaw, however, told him that he would not succeed in getting rid of the elda that easily. He sighed.

"I really appreciate your concern, Glorfindel," he tried again, "But I would like to be alone now."

Glorfindel remained where he was, crossing his arms in front of his chest and staring grimly at Erestor.

"I will not leave," the blond stated through clenched teeth, "It is obvious that you should not be left alone in your state."
"And just what would my state be?" Erestor sneered, hoping to finally get rid of Glorfindel.

"Why don't you tell me?"

"Because there is nothing to tell senechal. I am, however, honoured that you are prepared to neglect your duties as Imladris' captain just to harass me."
Glorfindel's eyes narrowed dangerously and for a few seconds he just stared at Erestor, a frown deeply etched onto his face.

"That," he said finally,his voice as cold as ice, "Was below you, councilor."

Erestor watched almost disappointedly as Glorfindel spun around and marched out of the room, slammning the door shut behind him.

He blinked again, forcing his gaze to leave the door. Staring after Glorfindel was definetely not an option. Sighing he regarded the bread and fruits Glorfindel had brought him with a disgusted glare. He had no appetite. Slowly he got up and switched into his usual black robes, leaving his hair unbraided as always as he prepared himself for the day.

"My lord Erestor?"

"Yes, Collmir?" Erestor replied, without looking up from the correspondence he was reading.

"Lord Glorfindel asked me to bring you these."

"Thank you," Erestor took the reports from the young guard's hands, his attention still focused on Thranduil's letter.

"What is it Collmir?" Erestor grew irritated as the guard remained where he was, nervously shuffling his feet, "Do you have nothing else to do?"

Collmir cringed, finding himself at the receiving end of Erestor's impatient glare.

"Lord Glorfindel also told me to bring your attention to the fact that it is already past midday."

Erestor raised an eyebrow, his expression one of utter disinterest.

"Acknowledged," he stated, "Now would you please leave me to my work?"

Collmir's mouth opened but slowly closed after a few seconds. "Yes, my lord councilor." The blond murmured demurely and silently left, shaking his head.

Erestor pinched the bridge of his nose and quickly scanned Glorfindel's reports. He sighed again. More and more orc-sigthings all over Imladris' borders. And not only in Imladris. Thranduil's letter seemed to be no more than a polite inquiry at first glance but Erestor sensed that the Mirkwood king was fushing for information without giving away what he knew. He would have to tell Elrond about this.

Frowning he read Glorfindel's report carefully. Most elves had sailed after Sauron had been defeated and the numbers of the guards were uncomfortably low, which made these renewed orc activities all the more dangerous. The orcs and uruk-hai that had survived their master's fall had been hunted down all over Arda but some of them had survived. Some, but never enough to seriously threaten Mirkwood, Lothlorie or Imladris. And surely not all of them. Still, something was wrong in Mirkwood. Relations with the woodland realm had improved after Legolas' success with the fellowship but Thranduil never wrote without reason. And this letter seemed to have no reason at all.

The door to the library fell shut with a thunderous slam. Frowning he looked up, supressing a sigh as he encountered blazing blue eyes.

"Captain Glorfindel," he tried his best to return the blond's murderous glare, "And pray tell me, what caused you to venture in here?"

"You did, "growled the elda, "You are obviously incapable of taking care of yourself."

"Even if that were so," Erestor got up, crossing his arms in front of his chest, "It would be no concern of yours."
"I have decided to make it my concern." Glorfindel looked around, scorn evident in his gaze, "It cannot be healthy to hole oneself up in the library each and every day."

"This library happens to be where I work." Erestor pointed out.

"Why did you think I let Collmir tell you that it was past midday?"

"Why should I care?"

"Because I know that you did not eat the breakfast I brought you."

For a moment Erestor was at a loss for words. "How?"

"The cook told me."

Erestor filed that piece of information away, making a mental note to talk to the cook later. "I am not hungry," he said turning and sitting down on his heavy oak desk once more, "If that was your only reason for coming, please leave and don't distract me any further."

Glorfindel stared at the dar-haired elf at the desk, unable to believe what he had heard. Erestor's behaviour became more and more puzzling every day. "Very well," the blond said slowly, "If I leave you to whatever you were doing right now," he paused, "Will you have dinner with me then?"

Large, chocolate brown eyes stared at him in surprise. "And pray tell me, why should I?"

Glorfindel grinned. "Because you wouldn't want me to tell Elrond that you probably haven't eaten for days, would you?"

Erestor mumbled something unintelligible, transferring his gaze to the papers on is desk once more.

"I will take that as a yes, councilor." Glorfindel could not help feeling smug. "I shall meet you in the great hall after Anor has set."

Erestor glanced quickly at the heavily ornamented gingerbread clock on the edge of his desk and released an impatient sigh. He had approximately 5 hours before he had to meet Glorfindel and that was barely enough for what he had just decided to do. He had to find out what was amiss in Mirkwood and there was only one way of doing it.

Elvish Translations:

Anor Sun

Arda Middle Earth

Meldir my friend

Peredhil half-elf