Disclaimer: Still 99.5 Tolkien's. Original elves/humans and...the horse..those are mine.

A/N: This chapter may feel a little slow-going to many, but the reason is this, and the chapter before it, and the ones after, are essentially one big long 7 part chapter.

Chapter Fourteen: What We Think We See

Besides learning to see, there is another art to be learned- not to see what is not.

-Maria Mitchell

Glorfindel watched Morwen walk out of his office, intrigued by her sudden change in disposition. He turned back to the roster in front of him, debating on whether or not he should send only one of the twins on the next patrol, Elrond wanted at least one of them home to entertain Legolas or Thranduil himself. This would be the last major patrol before the Mid-Winter holiday. Glorfindel wanted his elves out and back before the snow started to fall too heavily for the horses to trudge through. Lost in his planning, and secretly wishing he could just pass it all off to Balanauth, Glorfindel did not notice Erestor had entered his office until a packet full of documents was flung down in front of him.

Glorfindel looked up into the face of his old friend, "Erestor, while I assure you my friendship and affection for you knows no bounds, I have a good amount of my own work to do and, I do so believe, you have many more minions than I."

Erestor gave a disdainful sniff as he walked over the cabinet which held Glorfindel's stash of spirits, wrenching it open and pouring a drink into a considerable glass.

"That," Erestor gestured to the packet on Glorfindel's desk, "is not my work but complaints against the realm written by the hand of Saeros."

Glorfindel incredulously looked at the thick packet, "All of these are Saeros's complaints? He has been here less than a fortnight"

Erestor nodded, sitting down in the seat Morwen had recently vacated, "I am well aware how long he has been here. He sent me the first on the night of the arrival and I have been bombarded by them ever since. And I am not the only one he has been hounding. Eregeth was scolded into tears when he criticized her repair of one of his tunics. Apparently, a human child of the north has more dexterity and skill than she. What an orc."

"Now, now, Erestor, do not go insulting the orcs."

Erestor gave his friend a look, "You have a point. An orc has better manners. And really, Eregeth is one of our best, she is quite skilled, apparently they are much better in Greenwood the Great. Of course, his insult caused Thalion to be quite angered but Elrohir was quick to intervene and took Thalion to the training grounds for a practice match."

Glorfindel grimaced, "And how does Elrohir fare?"

Erestor shrugged, "His ribs will heal in no time. Thalion, of course, now feels horrible. Saeros had witnessed the sparring match and has been passing on his observations about the Imladris guard. If you look in the packet, complaint 122 through 164 are all in regard to the training of the Imladris guard."

Glorfindel put his head in his hands and blindly reached for Erestor's glass, he took a quick sip and handed it back to Erestor, "What are we to do? Morwen was just in here running off a list of her complaints against Saeros. I am guessing Rian is equally angered against her former friend?"

"Worse than angered." Erestor replied, "I had to forcibly remove her from the council before she physically assaulted him, which was, of course, his aim all along. That action, as you can guess, started Saeros's whole tirade against women on the council and how such weak and impulsive wills should not be making decisions for the realm. Thank the Valar Celebrian was not present to hear that, I can only imagine the bloodshed."

"Have you told Elrond any of this?"

"He is too busy keeping Thranduil and Laeriel entertained. Personally, I am glad they are not present at our meetings, I can only imagine how that would end, neither wanting to show blatant favoritism to their own side, but unable to turn against their own."

"Has any good come from the talks?" Glorfindel asked.

"Some," Erestor said, "Thranduil's other advisors certainly have many valid points, among those that despite the current manners of our young councilors and all other things considered, we should be doing all we can to keep the lines of communication open and peace between all. They are also currently working out a trading contract between their Wood and a few human settlements. They are proposing a trade road of sorts, going from the Havens to the human settlements."

"Galadriel is not likely to favor that, she does not like unknowns in her realm." Glorfindel said.

"Then I am happy to tell you the trade road's proposed route avoids LothLorien. There is, of course, a false proposal in the works to be sent to Galadriel and Celeborn, if only to not offend them for the supposed slight and assumption of their answer." Erestor said.

Glorfindel nodded, absently thumbing through the complaints of Saeros, "This elf could be trouble, Erestor. More so than even I imagined."

"I know, but we have little power over him."

"Not in his own realm, no, and while the rules of hospitality forbid us from doing much in this realm, I will say this: I do not want him left alone with the twins, or our beloved trio of foundlings. I do not care how charming Saeros may be to his own people, I can only imagine what he would say to Rian, whose family is dead and gone or to Thalion or Morwen whose families left them behind. If he slights any of them for that reason, I must confess, I cannot be held accountable for my actions."

Erestor gave a small smile, "I am most certain Elrond would have a sharp sword ready for you. He, more than any, understands what it is like to be left behind. He has sadly earned that experience more than once, I hope he never has to again."

"Even if he did, he would soldier on. Elrond is a survivor."

"To say the least." Erestor's eyes scanned over the desk, falling on the small box that contained Merileth's gift, "And what trinket does that box hide?"

Glorfindel smiled, "Merileth's gift, the one I was meant to give her before the end of the Second Age."

"That is the present you were meant to give her on the day of her birth? What kind of father-of-the-soul are you?" Erestor asked.

"Erestor," Glorfindel said, "Must I remind you how long it took you to marry your wife? And in my defense, there was the small problem of a war and its aftermath. And then there were twins and foundlings to help raise and then I, well, I must confess I forgot. Laeriel, apparently, has been reminding Merileth of my forgotten gift since the day she was born. Would you like to see it?"

Erestor took the offered box, studying the jewelry within, "It is very beautiful, she will love it. Which smith did this?"

"A human one, he comes from a family of a long line of smiths. I had one of his, well, ancestors fashion that pewter fairy for Morwen all those years ago."

"The same one who fashioned those ri…"

"Yes, the same one, though I believed we agreed never to speak of that matter until the time was right." Glorfindel spoke sharply.

"Will the time ever be right for you, Glorfindel?" Erestor asked.

Glorfindel stared off in the air for a moment, "One day, it will, perhaps."

Erestor sighed, "Valar forsake the person who created the word 'perhaps' for indecisive fools such as yourself. Now, enough of this circular conversation which is obviously getting us nowhere, nor has it for the past 300 years, let us plot how we shall intimidate Saeros into silence at tomorrow's meeting."

Glorfindel emerged from his office, stretching his back out as he was finally able to leave the imprisonment of his desk and chair. It was time for his daily, though informal, rounds. In the distance he heard the bell ringing to signal the beginning of yet another meeting. He let a smile come to his face, remembering one particularly amusing day of meetings when three not yet adult elves of the house had disassembled the chain to the bell, annoyed at the ringing which had continued interrupting their much needed sleep. Elrond has been quite reluctant to let his twins and Rian near the bell tower since that event. To be fair, the three had just returned from a long journey and were in need of a peaceful rest.

Glorfindel enjoyed walking around Imladris, seeing the everyday tasks that made their lives function so smoothly. The familiarity of it all was often soothing to him. He walked down the steps into the laundry, smiling at the talkative elves and the songs that were sung by others as they worked. He spotted Eregeth walking towards the seamstresses quarters, Thalion calmly guiding her and assuring her she did have considerable skill with a needle and thread, while the head seamstress readily agreed with Thalion, even offering to sew Saeros's mouth shut. Turning down the hall he heard bellowing from the kitchen as a group of young warriors were admonished for attempting to raid the kitchens. The laughing group of young recruits suddenly stopped at the sight of their Captain. As one they gave him a simple bow and hurried off. There were many things Glorfindel would punish his recruits for, this was not one of them. Especially since the head baker would not know what to do with herself if she did not have elves at her doorway trying to make off with food. Exiting the house through the kitchens he walked on, passing the smokehouse, the training grounds, the barracks, the weapon storage, and finally he came upon the stables.

Glorfindel walked in, giving greetings to all the horses and their handlers, before he came across his own. Uilos shook her head with pride as she saw her rider and Glorfindel gave her a hearty greeting, "I regret that our ride will be short today, so many guests and so much going on. I shall have to convince Elrond we are in need of taking a long riding tour through the realm."

Glorfindel eased her out of the stables, smiling as he saw Merileth walking towards him,

"Good day, Merileth."

"Same to you." She brought her hand up cautiously, waiting for Uilos to signal it was okay to touch her. "My father and mother are reminiscing with Elrond about times past, so I came out here looking for my younger brother. Have you seen him?"

"I must confess, I have not seen much of your brother since he arrived in Imladris." Glorfindel said.

"Well," Merileth said, "he is at the age you know, so often pouty and moody."

"Yes, I remember it well, I watched five elves go through it very close together. I surely thought that would be the end of Elrond's patience." Glorfindel said.

"Yes, well, all of those elves came out very well. You have done a praiseworthy job in raising them, Glorfindel. They are all so crafty and quick thinking, so fun-loving, and so loyal to each other and those they love. I have no fear Elladan and Elrohir will be formidable and gracious rulers if given the chance. Thalion seems more than decent, defending Eregeth like that, let me be the first to apologize for Saeros's action, someone should. As for the other two, well, Rian is a world unto her own. I must confess, I have not spoken with Morwen, but her reputation has always been a good one. And I have heard Arwen is becoming quite the she-elf. You have done well."

"You could not have paid me a higher compliment, Merileth. As for Saeros, I am sure even he has a purpose to serve. I am surprised you not yet spoken with Morwen, Elladan is always clinging to her. You would like her, for she shares many of your views on life."

"Such as?" she asked.

"Well, she does not understand why so many elves fawn over me."

"Even with her deep love for you she does not understand? No, Glorfindel," Merileth said, "do not deny it."

"Infatuation, Merileth. She will grow out of it."

"Is that how you sleep at night?"

"I could say the same for you, my lady."

"We are not speaking about Tirnion. Enough of this, we have obviously come to a impasse. To make my day complete, I must mock you for the gift you have yet to give me."

"It is in a box in my office, the one in the house not the barracks. I will find it after my ride and give it you in front of your mother, if only to quiet her. You forget one gift…"

"Of importance since my father appointed you the one to help raise me in his absence."

"A position I still cannot fathom, all things considered."

"Glorfindel, when has my father not required the best of everyone and thing?"

Glorfindel silently conceded the point.

Merileth pulled her hand from Uilos's snout, "I shall attempt, again, to located my brother. He may have gone to the river, he says the sounds soothes him. Have a good ride, Glorfindel," and looking towards Uilos she said, "And you as well, Uilos, even if your forgetful master forgot to tell me your name. You must forgive him, for his is quite old."

Laughing, Merileth gave them both one last look as she went towards the guest stables.

Glorfindel turned to Uilos, "Well, shall we?"

Glorfindel let Uilos roam in the fields near the marketplace as he made his way down the dirt path towards the stalls and shop fronts. Glorfindel was in need of a few new quills, since Erestor had a penchant for taking his anger out on Glorfindel's quills rather than his own Apparently stylish quills were more satisfying to break than those standard ones used by most of the House. He greeted Eadwig the owner, inquiring about his family and waited for the requisite hour as Eadwig told of his family and events going on in his small village. He left the store, assuring Eadwig he'd be back next week to hear the latest tales.

Glorfindel glanced over at Uilos, who seemed in no hurry to leave her slow roaming of the fields and being around a few familiar horse friends, and started down into the main market. Hearing a few familiar voices he turned to watch Faeleth dragging ordering Elladan to walk faster as the very aggrieved looking elf held her purchases. He scanned the crowd looking for Morwen, knowing Erestor had decided to excuse from the latest meeting in reward for the control she had shown in not threatening Saeros, and also knowing that wherever Elladan was, Elrohir and Morwen were not far behind. Glorfindel wanted to speak with her, still concerned over the curious state in which she had left his office that morning.

"Glorfindel," Nordithen said from behind him, "it is good to see you, my friend."

"Nordithen," he nodded in greeting, "should you not be at the lovely fifth meeting of the day?"

"I could ask the same of you. No, I came down here to find Tirnion and ask him to lead an exercise for some of my soldiers. He told me he was coming down here with one of your young councilors, um, Morgweth, Morgainne…"

"Morwen?" Glorfindel asked

"Yes, yes, Morwen. That was it. I did not know they were friends, but everyday here I have found Tirnion in her company."

"As for as I can recall," Glorfindel said, "Morwen had never met Tirnion before he came here. She is not often sent to your realm and tends to stay far away from LothLorien."

"She scared of Galadriel?" Nordithen asked.

"No, she feels out of place." Glorfindel said. Then, after seeing Nordithen's look, "the hair, she has dark hair, Nordithen."

While a brilliant warrior, Nordithen had, alas, taken quite a few knocks to the skull and was often slow on the uptake.

"Well, that's good. It would be horrible to have a name look hers and be as silver haired as Tirnion, people would wonder about the 'dark.'"

"Yes, my friend, yes they would." Glorfindel the scrutinized the crowd, searching among the many dark heads for Morwen. He finally found her standing near one of the bookstalls, laughing with the lithe form of Tirnion next to her, the smiling silver haired elf leaning over her shoulder and stealing some almonds from the pack she held in her hands.

"It is always nice to see the young elves in love." Nordithen said.

"What?" Glorfindel asked

"Oh, come now, Glorfindel, I know Tirnion has been infatuated with Merileth for years but it is high time he grew out of it. And look at him, he looks so happy. They can't all be like that one she-elf you always speak of, the one who has always been after you."

"Morwen." Glorfindel stated.

"What?"

"That she-elf who, you say, has 'always been after me' is Morwen. The Morwen Tirnion is currently standing with. And furthermore, she has not been after me, she has been….she is…she is just Morwen."

"Well, I am sure she is 'just Morwen,' Glorfindel, but you cannot deny her and Tirnion appear close to each other."

Glorfindel glanced over Morwen and Tirnion again, as he held up some trinket for her inspection, "Yes, yes they do."

Tirnion placed the small owl trinket back down, looking over the table for something unique.

"I know Merileth likes roses, but honestly, everyone gives her something in a rose form, they have for years. I like to think that even if she does not have a special fondness for me, she at least appreciates the variety in my gift giving."

"Yes, I heard she was a fan of roses earlier in the day." Morwen said and, ignoring Tirnion's hand again reaching for more almonds to absently chew on, she looked back towards Elladan, laughing at the sight of him almost buried under Faeleth's packages. "Poor, poor Elladan, the price he must pay for being so generous."

"Do you not mean the price he must pay for trying to impress Rian?" Tirnion asked.

"You catch on quickly." Morwen said.

"Imladris has quite a gossip network, you just have to know who to ask, or rather, who to listen to." Tirnion said. He suddenly looked up, waving to someone near the marketplace entrance, "Look, there is Nordithen and Glorfindel. I shall go get them."

"Tirnion, you do not need to do that, I am sure they are quite……" Morwen trailed off as Tirnion made his way over to the two elder elves.

Morwen took a breath, fortifying herself, straightened her shoulders and forced a smile on her face, "Glorfindel, Nordithen, so nice to see you."

"You are looking lovely today, Morwen, I do not think I have ever seen you smile so much." Nordithen said, giving her a wink.

Morwen looked at Nordithen closely, "Are you feeling well, Nordithen? Your eye is twitching. We have healers for that, you know."

She glanced to her right as Glorfindel covered his smile with a hand, slowly he moved from her side to behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders, "Nordithen, having been around Morwen her whole life I can assure you she smiles often, especially around Elladan."

"You must admit, Glorfindel, he is often a cause for mirth." Morwen said, attempting to ignore the feel of his hands.

"That he is. Now, you and Tirnion seemed quite taken with the trinkets on this table. What were you looking for?"

Morwen and Tirnion exchanged a glance, silently communicating.

"Um..gifts..of course." Morwen said.

"Yes," Tirnion concurred, " for each other. You see, in this season where gifts are exchanged for propriety's sake we figured, being such close friends, why not pick our gifts out for each other."

Glorfindel looked between the two, studying both before nodding his head. His right hand moved down to Morwen's waist as he guided her down the stalls, "How very…..quaint. Well then, perhaps we can find something more pleasing further down the line. As such close friends,you should only choose the best for each other."

A bewildered Morwen turned to look back at Tirnion and Nordithen, as Glorfindel kept walking.

Nordithen turned to Tirnion, "My dear boy, just what exactly did you do to annoy Glorfindel so?"

Tirnion shrugged and then began to follow, Nordithen not far behind.

Elrohir, with his bandaged ribs, came upon his twin who, despite the amount of packages he was holding, had a considerably large smile upon his face.

"Do I want to know what you're thinking about?" He asked.

"Why do you ask?"

"That was rhetorical so….point."

"Elrohir, did you not see?" an exasperated Elladan asked.

"Did I not see what?"

"Glorfindel, Morwen, Tirnion and Nordithen?"

"I see them now, was there something special about before?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing," Elladan shook his head, "Though, I do believe I just saw Glorfindel starting to stake his claim."

Soon Elrohir's smile matched Elladan's own, "We should get a snack, my dear brother, this could get interesting."