Disclaimer: Still the same, nothing is mine, all Tolkien's and Co.

Word count: 1696/6507

Chapter 4

Glorfindel hastily slipped from his horse's back, as soon as he rode into the courtyard, pulling the unconscious elf down with him to make his way as fast as possible with his charge in his arms towards the house. More than one elf had to jump out of his way to avoid being run over, giving him confused looks.

Glorfindel briefly considered bringing the elf to the Halls of Healing, but he quickly changed his mind and headed for his own chambers instead. It would take too much time to make room for him there, overfilled as it was due to the long and hard winter. The elf was cold as death and Glorfindel's own rooms were much closer.

He instantly set the elf down on his bed, pulling the covers over him to offer some first warmth. He hurried over to his wardrobe and pulled out any blankets, or clothes that could serve as one, to pile them over the elf in the bed as well, whose lips had a quite disturbing shade of blue. Luckily he always had some stones to warm in the fireplace since it had turned this cold and he hurried to pull them out, wrapped in towels or tunics, and to push them under the blankets, close to the elf's body.

He was barely finished when the door opened and Elrond strode into his room, looking alarmed. "What happened?" he asked the blond elf, studying him with a healer's gaze. "I have been told that you returned and that you were in immediate need of my help."

"Not me." Glorfindel extended a hand and pointed towards his bed.

Elrond quietly walked up to the bed, studying the stranger with a furrowed brow. Extending a hand he put it on his cheek, eyes widening in alarm when he felt the cold emanating from the elf in front of him. "What happened?"

"It is cold in the woods," Glorfindel simply answered.

Elrond stared at him, trying to make sense of his words. Then his mind made the connection. "Don't tell me this is-" He broke off with astonishment, his gaze travelling to the balcony from where the wood could be seen in the distance.

Glorfindel nodded silently, following Elrond's gaze, shuddering slightly as he thought about what it would have meant for the elf if he hadn't been found.

Elrond took a deep breath, visibly shaken by this news. "Valar. I…" Sitting down hard on the edge of the bed he stared at the elf, not knowing what to say in his surprise. "Just where did you find him?!"

"In the woods," Glorfindel answered calmly. "I told you he was there."

"You did," Elrond agreed, though some part of him still had a hard time believing Glorfindel's words. But he had seen many things in his long life as a healer and this certainly wasn't the most amazing thing to happen.

Swallowing hard he resolutely pushed those thoughts away. This was not the time for discussion. Wherever he had come from, the elf needed help, and he needed it now. Bending over the still form Elrond studied it closely. "Was he unconscious when you found him?"

Glorfindel nodded. "Unconscious and nearly frozen to death."

"He certainly would have if you had left him out there." Examining the elf closer Elrond added: "In fact, he might still do. We need to get him warmed up, and quickly."

Glorfindel nodded, gaze anxiously fixed on the elf's face, worry lying like a sick knot in his stomach at the sight of the lips, still the same shade of sickly blue as when he had brought him in.

Elrond rose from the bed, moving towards the door. "I'll get a few supplies and be back as soon as possible." Having left the room he ran as fast as he could towards the healing wing. The elf was cold as ice and he was already barely breathing or showing any other signs of being alive. If left in the woods, he would have died within the hour. It was nothing short of a miracle that Glorfindel had found him. It might have saved his life.

Glorfindel did not need to wait long for Elrond to return. A short time later he was back and the room began to fill with the scent of the herbs and supplies he had brought with him. Glorfindel swallowed hard, staring at the eerie utensils now sitting on the nightstand. They made him wish he would need this kind of attention.

Elrond worked quickly and efficiently, doing his best to warm up the frozen elves body. Glorfindel turned his head away in disgust not wanting to see watch Elrond's efforts to warm the elf, from the inside out. He was more than glad when they were finally finished and the elf rested undisturbed in the bed again, covered with warm blankets.

Elrond sat down on the end of the bed once more, putting a hand on the unconscious elf's face, content that his temperature seemed to risen somewhat. Shaking his head in disbelief he stared at him. "I still can't believe this whole story… an elf… alone in the woods… living with a pack of wolves…?" He watched the strange elf, then, receiving no answer, his gaze moved towards his friend. The blond's gaze was tightly fixed on the dark haired elf and Elrond smiled when he saw the doting and worried expression on his face.

"Most amazingly, he seems to be completely healthy, even if terribly malnourished and half frozen, but that is to be expected after a winter like this one." He certainly wouldn't have thought that possible, not after seeing some of the scars on the elf's body. Teeth marks. It was clear he had had his fare share in pack fights, and it was nothing short of a miracle that he seemed to be in such a good bodily condition. Bite wound could leave nasty infections in the right circumstances, even for an elf.

"I wonder where he comes from," Glorfindel said softly, interrupting Elrond's musings with his own thoughts.

Elrond furrowed his brow, staring at the elf lying as dead in the bed. "I'd like to know that as well. It seems strange that he could have spent so much time out there without anybody noticing him, or missing him. Surely he has family."

"There needs to be a way to find out."

"There should be," Elrond agreed. "I'll do my best to find out about our mysterious friend's identity."

Glorfindel nodded slowly in acceptance. As the immediate danger of the elf's death vanished now, he could take the time to properly study his charge. Despite his paleness and the slight blue of his lips he was also very beautiful.

"Will… you take him to the Healing wings?" he asked softly, finally pulling his gaze away from his bed and looking at Elrond.

Elrond sighed deeply, this question apparently already having plagued him for some time. "I'm not sure I have room for him. I can't remember the Halls of Healing ever being so filled up as just now, but this winter… He would certainly have to share his room, and I'm not sure this is the best course of action, neither for him, nor for his roommate. If he wakes up and finds himself in unfamiliar surroundings with unfamiliar people… We do not know how much wolf he really is on the inside."

"If you want…" Glorfindel calmly offered, "He can stay here for now."

Elrond smiled thankfully, clearly relieved that he did not think about where to put a wild elf like this one. "I'd be most grateful if he could stay here for a little while. The Valar know I am busy enough, without having to think about what he might do to the other sick in the Healing Halls."

He rose from the bed, starting to collect what he had brought with him. "I will send someone to take care of him, so that you are free again and don't need to spend your time here."

"I will look after him," Glorfindel quickly interrupted, feeling a strange need to take care of this elf himself. "It is no trouble."

Elrond hesitated a moment, already on his way out of the chamber. "Are you sure? I could easily find someone to do it for you."

"No." Glorfindel firmly shook his head. "I found him. I can't just leave him alone now."

Elrond nodded in agreement. "I don't think he will wake anytime soon, but if he does, please come and fetch me. And, don't worry," he added, as he saw the concerned expression with which Glorfindel rwas looking at the elf, and his furrowed brow. "If he survived up to now, chances are high he won't die anymore. Just let him sleep for now, and rest."

After Elrond had left the room once more, Glorfindel collapsed in his chair next to the bed. In some way this had always been his intention, he had wanted to find the elf and give him the chance to return to his own kind. Surely that was better than to be forced to live the hard and dangerous life of a wolf.

But now that this elf was really here, he started to doubt that he had done him any good, aside from saving his life. In the woods the elf had acted like a wolf, it was only too reasonable that he also thought like one. And a wolf would not be that delighted to wake up and find itself in a strange place, out of the woods, away from the security of its pack, surrounded by strange and in his opinion dangerous smells and creatures. The elf would probably get a heart attack in the morning.

Knowing that it would lead to nothing to rack his brain over this, Glorfindel settled back in his chair. There was no real possibility to know how the elf would react. The only way to find out was to wait. Eyes fixed on the sleeping elf in his bed Glorfindel waited for the morning to come, keeping vigil.