Chapter 2
Glorfindel had just finished braiding his hair and was about to slip on his dress tunic when there was a knock at his door. Before he could respond though, Elrond came charging in, already dressed in his regal robes for the banquet. He paused when he saw Glorfindel in his leggings and undershirt, and mumbled an apology.
"My Lord Elrond, what brings you here this evening?" Glorfindel asked, inserting his arm into the ivory tunic.
Elrond didn't respond immediately. He fidgeted with his billowing sleeves in the middle of Glorfindel's bedchamber, his eyes fixed upon some indistinct spot in the corner. After a few moments he sucked in a deep breath, then looked Glorfindel dead in the eye before he blurted:
"Did you ever do anything stupid in front of Ereiniel after you met her?"
Glorfindel choked back laughter as he watched Elrond's face turn beet red. To ask such a question about the Elleth whom Elrond considered his sister meant he was beyond desperate. If he were Erestor, he would have seen this as a golden opportunity to goad him. However, Glorfindel was well aware of what love did to a person and felt only sympathy in that moment. After he shrugged on his tunic he sat Elrond down in a chair and poured him a glass of wine.
"I never told you how Ereiniel and I actually met have I? Though I didn't know who she was at the time." Glorfindel said after handing Elrond his drink.
"You mean it wasn't at the dinner party the King threw to welcome you?" Elrond asked as he took a sip. He recalled it was a small and informal affair, since Glorfindel arrived during an extremely precarious time. War with Sauron had just begun, and all their resources had been poured into their defenses. More importantly, it would have been unseemly to have an extravagant affair at the time, even though they were welcoming an emissary of the Valar.
Not that Glorfindel cared of course. After he was introduced to Ereiniel he spent the rest of the night entertaining her and paid no mind to the simple fare. Elrond would never forget the look of seething rage on Gil-galad's face as he watched the Vanya openly flirt with his beloved child. It was an expression that not even Círdan nor Erestor could ever hope to emulate.
Elrond was still surprised that the King didn't order Glorfindel straight to the front lines after dessert was finished.
"I had decided to go for a walk along the beach before supper that night," Glorfindel said as he poured his own drink. "I found myself along the tide pools and climbed up a set of rocks to look out over the ocean. Once I had seen enough and turned to jump down, I slipped and fell face first into the water."
Elrond snorted, knowing full well when the tides came and went in Lindon. During Glorfindel's outing he assumed it would have been low, which meant―
"You don't mean," Elrond started, his eyes shining with mirth.
"Oh yes," Glorfindel nodded as he drained the contents of his glass. "When I was sure I would never heave myself out of the brackish mud, Ereiniel appeared and helped pull me up. She had been walking by and saw the whole thing."
Glorfindel could now look back upon that episode with some good humor now, but at the time he was mortified. After taking one look at Ereiniel's pale beauty and radiant smile, he would have preferred to drown in the shallow depths. He would have been less embarrassed to explain to Lord Námo why he was back in Mandos so soon. Not that she seemed to notice, she was more concerned about whether he had hurt himself.
Yet he was determined to prove he was anything but a clumsy fool after she helped wash some of the stains from his clothing and walked him back to the palace complex. He was initially attracted to her charming and friendly nature, and decided he would seek her out the next day, believing she was a simple Falathrim maid since she introduced herself as 'Erie'. He was shocked when he saw her later that night and learned she was Ereiniel, the King's daughter and the High Princess.
She later told him that she got the impression he was embarrassed by his fall and gave him her pet name to save him from further humiliation. He had been beyond grateful for that.
"So what happened to you is nothing compared to what I did," Glorfindel said. "And if the Lady Celebrían is only half as kind as Ereiniel is, she will have already forgotten it."
Elrond was clearly irritated that Glorfindel did not think as highly of Celebrían as he did, but he was also extremely grateful. Glorfindel was not the least bit entranced by her, even after she had shown an interest in him —much to Elrond's displeasure.
"Do not fret so, Peredhil," Glorfindel said as he fastened the gold clasps on his tunic. "Celebrían will be here awhile yet, and you can easily impress her in the meantime. Don't forget you'll have my help, as well as Erestor and Lindir's."
Elrond narrowed his gaze.
"I'm not sure that's the kind of help I need," he said as he set his glass down and stood. "Out of the three of you, you're the only one that has any experience with courtship. And Celebrían is not Ereiniel."
"You're correct of course, no one can be Ereiniel," Glorfindel said with a provoking grin. "But that's not what I meant. Lindir has made sure she has the best guest room with every luxury Imladris can provide. Erestor created the itinerary, which allows you and Celebrían to spend as much time together as possible, and I'm going to make sure that no one bothers the two of you." He omitted his other job, which was to oversee the engagement and/or wedding party in the coming weeks.
"We promised we'd help you win over the Lady Celebrían, and that's what we're going to do," Glorfindel added with a nod.
Elrond raised a dubious brow as he stared the grinning Balrog Slayer down. He had this gnawing feeling of suspicion ever since Glorfindel burst into his chambers early one morning and announced he was going to help him overcome his fear of Celebrían. Though Elrond initially dismissed it as Erestor running his stupid mouth again, his curiosity was piqued when the advisor wrote missives to Lothlórien that same day, inviting them to Imladris during the High King's visit without consulting him first. Moreover, Erestor performed the task himself, rather than have one of the pages write them, as he normally did.
Lastly, Lindir's quarterly expenses had greatly increased. Though Elrond knew Lindir was having to prepare for two visiting royal courts, his receipts were rather perplexing upon review. While Elrond could understand the increase in necessities like butter, eggs, and meat, he didn't understand why there was a need for so many spices, copious amounts of sugar, and dried fruits. It looked like he was preparing to make a giant fruitcake, but whatever for?
His suspicions were confirmed, however, when he learned the three of them were making frequent trips down to the wine cellar again. And Elrond knew damn well that was where they went when they were conspiring without him.
Something was going on, and he would figure it out sooner or later.
"Just remember, take deep breaths, don't think about what could go wrong, and just be yourself," Glorfindel said, clapping him on the shoulders.
"I'm starting to think that all your coaching isn't going to help," Elrond said with a deep frown, turning his thoughts back to that morning. "Stage fright isn't the same as, as, whatever this is I feel around Celebrían."
"It's nerves, that's all. Just try to talk about things that you're confident about first. Once you do that and get comfortable you'll be fine," he said. "Just relax and treat her with the same kindness and consideration as you do all your other guests tonight. I'll be right there to help you keep the conversation going and steer it towards subjects that will keep everyone entertained. And, not to mention, put you in a good light."
This seemed to satisfy Elrond, who took a deep breath, smoothed his robes, and straightened to his full height. He survived Mordor's host, so surely he could survive dinner with Celebrían. Besides, he felt more confident since his most lively friend would be there to help him out of a rut.
"Very well, but let's hurry and go," Elrond said.
"Yes!" Glorfindel smiled as he started from the room. "Come Peredhil! The Lady awaits!"
"Shouldn't you finish getting dressed first?" the half-Elf said, watching the Vanya turn on his heel and walk back.
"Yes!"
