Aragorn sighed heavily as Erestor entered the room shutting the door behind him. Elrohir and Legolas had already worn him out. He was not in the mood to entertain any more elves today.
"Sometimes I worry about that boy." Erestor told him and he assumed it was Legolas he refered to. He frowned in concern, Elrohir had been worried too, in between the hysteria about Glorfindel.
" You mean this Glorfindel business?"
" No. Elrond has come up with this hairbrained scheme which involves Thranduil and Legolas has agreed to it. Thranduil will tear him limb from limb when he hears about it. I don't know what he was thinking." Suddenly he paused, "...What Glorfindel business?"
"Elrohir believes Legolas has been sleeping with Glorfindel." Aragorn was really sick of talking about this.
"What?, no...that can't be right!" Erestor looked more than a bit shocked at this news.
"Well Legolas denies it but Elrohir overheard them this morning, A secret Legolas has been hiding for years...Elladan must never know. Legolas refuses to give any explanation. He can be his own worst enemy"
He noticed Erestor seemed strangely shaken. Why was he this bothered?
"Elrohir is angry?" He squeaked.
"Oh yes. Angry, hurt upset, you name it. They are not talking. It is really the last thing I need at the moment. Sometimes Erestor, I seriously wish I hadn't been raised by elves."
"I am sorry Aragorn, I really must go." Erestor began backing toward the door.
"But I don't even know why you are here in the first place."
"Oh," Erestor looked down at the pile of papers in his hands, "...something Elrond wanted me to show you... nothing important...it will wait, I really have to go!" He burbled and Aragorn stared in wonder as he turned and bolted out the door.
Well that was strange. But then again, weren't they all ? Why should Erestor be any different?
...
Glorfindel was relaxing in the garden with Elladan beside him. The sun was shining and all was lovely. What a glorious day.
He reached down and gently stroked Elladan's head as it rested on his lap thinking about just how perfect everything was. That was until Elladan spoke.
"So what did you get up to exactly last night? I looked for you but I couldn't find you."
"Ah...I thought I would leave you with your brothers."
Elladan propped himself up on his elbows and peered at him.
"Were you with Erestor?"
Glorfindel sat bolt upright.
"No. Of course not. Why do you ask that?"
His heart started to pound.
"Oh..." Elladan looked rather surprised, "I thought you would be. You have been friends forever. It made sense you would spend the evening with him. Have you argued?"
"No, no," Glorfindel realised he may have made an error. "Now that I think about it I was with him...for a bit."
"You forgot? How much did you have to drink Glorfindel?"
"Hardly anything! I was with Erestor it just slipped my mind. Can we talk about something else?"
Elladan frowned but in the end shrugged his shoulders.
"If you want."
But Glorfindel thought he actually looked very suspicious, still he breathed a sigh of relief ...that is until Elladan changed the subject.
"Did you see Legolas then?"
"No! No I did not see Legolas, not even for a second. Why? Why do you think I did?"
"I don't. Elrohir didnt know where he was, I simply wondered if you did." Glorfindel noticed Elladan was beginning to look concerned and it bothered him, just what had he heard?
"Well I didn't see him. If Elrohir cannot keep track of him that is not my problem. He definitely didn't come to my room."
"Why would he come to your room?"
"I have no idea, anyway he didn't come to my room, not at all. Elladan you need to stop obsessing about Legolas. He wasn't anywhere near my room!"
"I am not obsessing," Elladan protested, "It was you who said he came to your room."
"I did not!" To tell the truth Glorfindel was by this time completely confused about why they were even discussing this. Luckily he spied Erestor striding purposefully towards them. Thank goodness! he would save him.
"Erestor!" He called out enthusiastically, "Come and join us." Too late he noticed Erestor was actually looking quite stressed.
"Hello Erestor," Elladan said with a smile, "We were just talking about what you and Glorfindel got up to last night."
"What!" The colour drained from Erestor's face and he threw Glorfindel a look of total horror.
"I wasn't with Glorfindel last night!"
"Oh," Elladan looked very confused. "But Glorfindel said you were."
"Yes, yes," this was getting out of hand, Glorfindel thought. Somehow he had to communicate to Erestor just to be quiet and follow his lead. It was at times like this he wished he had Galadriel's mind reading ability.
"I saw you for a bit...remember Erestor? Just a brief time, and definitely not in my room...at least while Legolas was there anyway."
"Oh." Erestor seemed lost for words.
"Why was Legolas in your room when you weren't there?" Elladan asked.
"We never saw Legolas!" Erestor cried, looking more and more distressed by the minute.
"Well of course we didn't." Glorfindel said calmly, "Because we were in YOUR room, while he was in MY room."
Erestor just stared at him dumbly. Could he not just play along?
"Then how do we know he was in your room? If we weren't even there?"
"Oh Erestor!" Elladan said eagerly, "That's a good point, isn't it Glorfindel? How DID you know?"
"Oh well..." He paused for thought, how had they known? Damn Legolas for ever going ANYWHERE near his room. Even when he wasnt there.
"He told me." Of course, he thought the obvious answer is always best. "He told me this morning...that he had been there and I wasn't there."
"Did he tell you why he went there in the first place?" Erestor asked and Glorfindel frowned at him. Why was he asking questions? He was just making it all worse.
"To see me of course!" He said loudly and really kind of angrily. This whole thing was giving him a massive headache.
" Oh no, no." Erestor was shaking his head madly and mouthing something to him. "I don't think Legolas went to see you, definitely not Glorfindel. He doesn't even like you remember."
"Really?" cried Elladan, "What reason does he have not to like Glorfindel?"
Glorfindel had now reached his limit. He had lost track of who had gone to which room and why. He could not even remember what had started this insane conversation in the first place.
"Of course he likes me, don't be so ridiculous Erestor. Everyone likes me! But yes, maybe he didn't come to see me, maybe he was just looking for Elrohir." He put that in because for some reason it was obvious Erestor didn't want Legolas to be visiting him. He had no idea why.
It seemed Erestor had become just as fed up with the conversation as he was.
"Anyway, enough about all that" he said, "I need a word with you Glorfindel. A private word."
"About what?"
"Well if I told you that it wouldn't be private would it." Erestor was making large and rather obvious eye gestures towards Elladan.
"Oh, don't worry Erestor, I understand," Elladan said cheerfully, "You don't want me here while you discuss your First Age issues. I think I will go find Elrohir." And he pulled himself to his feet.
"No!" Erestor almost shouted it and Glorfindel frowned at him. What was so terrible about Elladan going to look for his brother. He watched bemused as Erestor attempted to recover his equilibrium.
"I mean...Aragorn wants to see you, I think now. It sounded urgent."
"Oh. Why didn't you say so immediately Erestor? We have been wasting time."
And With that Elladan took off at speed across the garden.
Erestor turned to Glorfindel and sighed.
"We have a problem."
"Oh?" He definitely looked depressed.
"I have just come from Aragorn."
"I know you have," Glorfindel said, Why was he repeating himself and stating the obvious? Erestor even looked surprised at this answer.
"You just said you had, that he wished to see Elladan." He explained.
"Oh no he doesn't want to see Elladan. I just didn't want Elladan going anywhere near Elrohir...not until we have decided what to do."
"What to do about what?"
Erestor flung himself on the ground beside Glorfindel and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It seems Elrohir has it in his head you have been sleeping with Legolas."
"What!" Glorfindel was horrified.
"Is he mad? Why? What? Legolas is a child!"
Erestor smiled slightly,
"Then Elladan is a child also."
Glorfindel glared at him, he did not like to be reminded of the age difference.
"Legolas is THRANDUIL'S child!"
"And Elladan is Elronds."
"Legolas is much younger than Elladan! And Thranduil is FAR worse than Elrond!"
Erestor simply smiled knowingly.
"Anyway" Glorfindel continued angrily, "What does Elrohir think I am? Does he seriously think I would do that to him?"
"Perhaps he would be right." Erestor said sadly, "isn't it exactly what we just did to Elladan?"
"No. It is completely different. You and I...we have history, before Elladan, it was just...well it was nothing like me going off and cold bloodedly seducing Legolas!"
"From what I have heard," Erestor said, "It would more likely have been Legolas seducing you."
"I don't think so!" Glorfindel was very insulted at that. "I am well able to seduce Legolas if I please. He would not have a chance...if I chose to."
"If you say so." Erestor sounded as if he was humouring him.
"I will show you if you don't believe me!" He challenged.
"Glorfindel! You don't even want to seduce him. You just told me he was a child, that you would not hurt Elrohir. Pull yourself together."
"Still I could do it if I wanted." Glorfindel muttered under his breath. He wasn't going to let Erestor have the last word on the subject.
"Anyway, you have not told me why Elrohir has suddenly taken up these delusions."
"He overheard you speaking this morning. That Elladan must never know and Legolas had been keeping a secret from him for years. He jumped to his own conclusions. And Legolas refuses to defend himself because he has given his word to you he will say nothing. They are not speaking, Aragorn is involved and it is a terrible mess."
Glorfindel's heart sunk and his stomach filled with dread. What a nightmare. He remembered the horrified look Elrohir had given him as he left Legolas's room that morning, how he hadn't answered him. He dropped his head to his knees and buried it in his hands.
"What will we do Glorfindel?"
"There is only one thing we can do," he replied without looking up.
"What? For I cannot think of it."
Glorfindel let out a sigh, a very long and melancholy one.
"I will have to tell Elladan. There is nothing else for it."