Rundil straightened as her tent-flap opened. She relaxed back into her bed when she recognised the golden head. "Hello."

She scooted over to make space for him. The bed dipped beneath his weight. "What are you reading?"

"A history on Gondolin."

She felt him tense and turned her head to face him. He was looking pale again. Rundil cupped his jaw with her one hand. He leant into her touch, closing his eyes and slumping into the bed.

"Do you ever get nightmares?" she whispered.

"Yes."

"Me too."

He opened his eyes and turned to face her, grabbing the opportunity to talk about something else. "About Sauron?"

She shook her head. "Melkor."

Glorfindel froze. After a few moments he gulped. "How...?" his voice was strangled.

"I really don't want to know."

His eyes sharpened and zeroed in on her face. "Rundil?"

She inhaled sharply. "That's not my name."

He tensed. "What?"

"I am pretty sure that's not my name. Have you ever wondered how come two elleths wandered the realms of men?"

His breathing had sped up. "There can be a number of reasons."

"My first memory is of running. Running, tugging Eylra along with a horrible feeling of dread and the need to flee, to blend in and an obsession to cover my ears. We were elflings still."

Glorfindel took a deep breath. "Rundil..."

She shook her head. "I really don't want to know. I suspect Eylra might remember if she tried. In the beginning she spoke of things I had no memory of. She obviously suspects, wonders. I do not speak of it, but she might figure something out." She met his eyes. They were dark and stormy. "I suspect you might know what is going on. I don't want to. I just thought someone should know, in case something happens."

"I know what happened," he rasped. "I know exactly what happened."

Rundil sighed in relief. "Good," she whispered leaning into him. "Then you know what to do."

Glorfindel swallowed. "What glamour are you wearing?"

Rundil let the glamour covering her ears fall back. Glorfindel's eyes snapped to them and he reached out a hand to it. He yanked it back. "Sorry."

Rundil shrugged. "Go ahead."

He stared at her then smiled wryly. "I hope you don't allow every male to touch your ears, Love. It is considered very inappropriate in public."

She frowned. "Elves. But we are not in public."

"Rundil, it is an act of intimacy."

"Oh." Her eyes snapped to his. "Glorfindel. Were you about to touch me inappropriately intimate?"

"I believe I was," he grinned.

Rundil shifted. "Does it count if a mortal touches it?"

His eyes focused. "Did a mortal touch your ears?" he growled.

"Calm down. I had no idea it was like that. He was just curious."

"Rundil," He growled again, leaning towards her.

She sighed. "Eomer never knew I was an elf and I confessed the other day."

Glorfindel's body coiled. "He touched your ears?"

"Yes." She closed the distance between them and pressed her lips to his. Glorfindel responded with a growl, flipping her onto her back and attacking her lips with a fury she had never seen in him before, not even during battle.

When he pulled back and she lay underneath him, panting, he met her eyes and growled, "No one ever touches your ears again. Understand?"

Rundil nodded mutely. He exhaled sharply and fell back onto the bed. Rundil shifted closer and curled up against him.

After a few moments of silence, Glorfindel looked at her. "About the glamour. What else do you have?"

Rundil frowned. "Nothing I know of."

"You are keeping it up. It saps your strength. Look for it."

She closed her eyes. "I am not getting anything."

He stroked her cheek. "It's alright. Remember to look for it and let me know when you find it."

"Okay." She snuggled into him. "Sorry about Eomer."

He sighed. "You did not know."

Rundil leant up to kiss him softly. He reciprocated gently, slowly deepening it and awaking a hunger deep within her. Rundil moaned, pressing closer to him, knotting her hands in his golden locks.

He pulled away and pecked her lips. "That's all for tonight," he whispered.

"Sadist," she growled and buried her face in his neck.

"So," said Elladan when she sat down next to him at breakfast.

"Morning," she mumbled and grabbed for bread and cheese.

"I saw something interesting when I did my rounds this morning," he continued. Rundil lifted an eyebrow, gulping down some milk.

"I saw a half-dressed Vanya leaving the tent of a commander of the Gondor army."

"What an interesting piece of gossip. Whatever could that mean? Oh! Do you think they are having a hot, deviant affair?" she rolled her eyes at him and took a big bite of her bread.

"Oh, come on Rundie! Take pity on a curious friend!"

"A meddlesome, rumour-mongering lordling with no sense of…"

"Morning!" a blonde giant sat down heavily across from them. Rundil beamed at him. "Éomer!"

He gave her a small smile. "Rundie, I was wondering if you would want to go for a ride with me this morning?"

Rundil's smile faded. "Oh. I was planning on catching up with some people I haven't seen in a while. And I heard Aragorn has a surprise at noon?"

"Of course. I forgot." He gave a boyish grin. Rundil could not help but smile back. "Listen," she leaned over the table. "I heard…"

"Ah, breakfast!" Glofindel sat down next to Eomer and grabbed a piece of bread and some cheese. He smiled a hard smile at Eomer. "Hi there. I'm Glorfindel."

Eomer looked slightly dizzy.

"I thought you were having breakfast with Mithrandir?" Rundil frowned.

"That is true." He shrugged. "Must be the hobbits. I am starting to see the appeal of second breakfast."

Rundil sighed. "In any case, Glorfindel, this is Eomer." She gave him a glare. "And I was just telling him," she looked back at Eomer with a grin. "It seems like the plan is working. I overheard lady Lothíriel asking around about you. And any attachments."

Eomer grinned back at her. "Did she now? So now the only thing to is…?"

"Have a big, public break-up?" Elladan, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, butted in.

Rundil rolled her eyes. "We were never courting. We just spent copious amounts of time together, since we were both broken and lonely and had not seen each other on some time. Now, my sister is back, Eomer is better, Goldie over here is going to monopolise my time again and Aragron is getting married."

Elladan frantically waved at her with his hands. "What?"

"Secret!" he hissed. Rundil waved his frantic gestures away. "Oh come on. Only the truly dense do not know what is coming."

Eomer cleared his throat pointedly. Rundil lifted an eyebrow. "Seriously? Why else would the Lord and Lady themselves be here?"

"Oh I don't know, perhaps to celebrate Sauron's defeat?"

She shook her head at him. "The only hope for the Riddermark is Lothíriel. Probably better if you say as little as possible until you are married."

"Hey now, woman!"

Eomer jumped up and leaned over the table to take a swipe at her. Rundil caught his fist and grinned at him. He shook his head at her and leaned back. "Well, thanks for the company. I'd better go lay down some courting plans." He nodded at Glofindel. "Good to meet you, Lord Glorfindel."

The Vanya nodded gravely. "You too, Eomer King."

"Goldie, huh?" Elladan asked and took a spoonful of porridge.

Glorfindel shook his head back effeminately. "Yes, well, it was only a matter of time until these gorgeous locks caught up with me."

Elladan stared. "You know, there are rumours. And when you do that I can completely understand why."

"Oh, those ones of him and Erestor?" Rundil asked excitedly. Elladan stared at her. "Yes, indeed."

She swung to Glorfindel. He was laughing helplessly.

"Oh, come on, don't be like that," she pouted.

"What can I say?" Glorfindel said. "The more outrageous cover stories we make up, the less likely people are to believe it."

Elladan's eyes were steadily growing. "How long until you were found out?" Rundil asked. He shrugged. "A few centuries. Lindir stumbled onto us in a… compromising situation."

"You were doing a type of dwarvish wrestling that requires the wearing of only towels!" Elladan said. Glofindel cleared his throat. "Yes, well."

Rundil laughed. Elladan looked at her questioningly. "Have you never heard that euphemism before?" she laughed at him.

Elladan looked at her, then at Glorfindel, then pushed his bowl away. "Excuse me."

Rundil looked at Glorfindel and started laughing helplessly again. "Is that how you have been keeping yourself entertained?"

He grinned at her. "You know how I love rumour-mongering. And it upsets Erestor so. He refuses to speak with me for months after particularly bad episodes. I need to win back his favour with gifts and songs…"

Rundil wiped at her eyes. "I have missed this."

"Lying together? We are unusually skilled at that."

She lightly swiped at him. "It's easy to work with you."

"I missed you too, Rundil."

"Two hundred years, hey?"

"We have some catching up to do. Fancy a walk?"

"Yes."