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SWEET, SWEET FREEDOM

Today was the day. These valar forsaken bandages were coming off. Elrond had waffled for a bit before finally giving in. While she would be getting the stitches out she would still need to wear a light bandage to protect the area as the skin was still tender. Now she could begin building the strength back up and with luck she would be heading out of Rivendell in a weeks time. All she needed to do was stop by the supply master the day before and she would be good to go. Currently she was headed to the healing wing excited by the prospect of having full range of motion again. Celeborn had left a week ago to head back to Lothloríen as while he did wish to stay for a while longer he was missing his mate and home. Elrond, Glorfindel and Celebrían had all tried talking her into remaining longer than the week she had planned but in this Eruraviel stood firm, she would leave Rivendell in a week.

She entered the healing halls with a bounce in her step grimacing slightly at the tang in the air from the herbs stored in the cabinets. She looked around the bright and airy room there were 20 beds in the hall, with ten on either side with about 3 feet of space between each bed. Unlike most other healing rooms where the predominant color was white here it was a mixture of creams, greens and blues. It made for a very soothing environment if one could ignore the scent in the air. You could also hear the waterfalls that fell 60 feet away behind the hall. At the end of the rows of beds opposite the doors was an open area with several long counters and cupboards most likely holding the different herbs for treatments, bandages and splints. There was another door between the beds on the left and the workspace and with the width of the door, she guessed it was where any operations were performed.

While Eruraviel walked the length of the resting area she jumped startled when the door to the healing wing opened. Spinning around she saw Elrond and Glorfindel standing there each holding a slight discontented frown on their faces. She knew it was from her refusal to remain in Rivendell. Elrond was worried about her health and she knew that a large part of him also worried about her mental health as well. He had needled her into several conversations about her travels and unfortunately he seemed very apt in picking out the bits and pieces she let slip that hinted to a darker more troublesome issue. Glorfindel was well on his way to becoming her mate. A part of her balked at the thought of someone else having that kind of control over her wellbeing as elves when they mated were entirely monogamous and while triads were possible generally each mated pair had a dominant and a submissive and Eruraviel could feel that should Glorfindel continue to pursue the mating she would be the submissive.

Being the Submissive wasn't a bad thing, it wasn't like she would be locked in her room and unable to continue doing anything with her life. A submissive was treasured by the dominant and would be protected by any means. The dominants did not take kindly to harm falling upon their submissive be it by and enemies hand or being the fault of the sub. When a compatible pair met, the submissive would often notice the dominant almost instantly. The only time that this instinct failed was if the sub or dominant was in a life-threatening situation at the time. Once the submissive noticed the potential dominant the faer would slowly start to analyze the other in an attempt to see if the other was truly as compatible as it seemed. The dominant would notice the analyzation and preform one of their own seeing if their potential mate was unharmed and functional. Should direct contact between the faer of the potential mates occur soon after it would start the bonding process if both passed the compatibility test of the other. This would lead to the dominant slowly become more and more protective of the other and attentive to issues and needs that may plague the other.

A submissive could still hold their own in a fight and everyday life, in that they were no different that the dominants. However should the alpha sense their mate is in danger; which they can do as soon as the bonding process starts, then instinct can take over and they will find their mate at all cost to protect them. Once a pair has confirmed that they wish to bond fully they will consummate the bonding during which time the dominant will bite the submissive on the juncture where the neck meets the shoulder and place their claiming mark, which will never fade. Once the bonding is complete the mated pair cannot be separated for at least a month to allow the bond to settle completely. As the bond settles the mated pair will find that they can speak mind to mind and feel both emotions and the wellbeing of the other. The only time a dominant will truly exert their position as alpha is when their mate is attempting or in the act of committing something that will place them in harm's way. At that point the dominant will issue what is known as an Alpha Command to the submissive forcing them to back down and return to their mates side.

Eruraviel could admit…somewhat grudgingly…that the thought of being Glorfindel's submissive was not an…unpleasant thought. It actually excited her on some level while terrifying her on another. There was no doubt in her mind that Glorfindel was every inch an alpha male, and he seemed quite intent on making her his mate. As such her leaving was causing him quite an issue. He was unable to leave Imladris due to needing to protect Elrond and Celebrían as he had sworn an oath to do so, but at the same time his soul snarled at the thought of Eruraviel leaving his sight and protection. Something told Eruraviel that when she returned after her journey that it would be sometime before she left Imladris once more. And she did admit that part of her was thrilled at the prospect of having such a powerful, handsome mate while another acknowledged that she would need to curb her tendency towards life-threatening adventures should he bond with her or she would never be allowed to leave his side.

She smiled lightly at them as they walked towards her with Elrond gesturing for her to sit on one of the beds. She did so and felt him stop in front of her while Glorfindel stood behind her while placing his hands on her shoulders. She shivered as she felt his faer caress hers almost possessively while Elrond undid the bandage holding her arm captive.

"I still wish you would remain in Imladris awhile longer Eruraviel. There is no harm in waiting another week or two." Elrond told her his voice almost pleading, as he unraveled the bandages concealing the now thankfully obsolete stiches. She felt Glorfindel's hands tighten on her shoulders at the sight of the injury, the view paining him more now than when he had first seen it when she had arrived as his instincts had developed further now in regards to his future mate, for he had no doubt she would eventually be his. She watched in poorly hidden glee as Elrond grabbed a pair of pincers and a small scalpel. He gently cut the tiny black lines one at a time with upmost care not to catch her skin with the incredibly sharp blade. Once all the stiches were cut he grabbed the pincers and holding her arm steady at the elbow grabbed one end of the cut twine and slowly pulled it from her skin. It took him only a minute to pull the remaining stiches from her arm and turn grabbing a roll of light bandages and a cream in a small jar. He opened the jar and Eruraviel took a deep breath catching the scent of Aloe Vera and Rosemary as Elrond cover the closed wound in the pleasantly smelling cream and wrapped her arm.

"I'm sorry Elrond, but we really need to find out exactly who is behind this kidnapping of Celebrían and the longer we wait the more chances that any relevant information will fade and we will be caught flat footed the next time they strike and you know as well as I do that there will be a next time. I lost my last home to darkness Elrond and this place has become very dear to me. I won't see it meet the same fate." She told him. She was sorry for the worry that she was going to cause with her leaving but it was necessary. She privately thanked the valar that the bond between her and Glorfindel had not yet hit the stage where he could tell where she was or where she was going, or she would have been unable to leave the valley until she promised to never enter Harad. He nodded sadly and she could feel Glorfindel's unhappiness with her response in his faer. Glorfindel helped her off the bed and they left the healing wing two leaving as unhappy as they were when they entered it.

While she regretted their suffering on this, she would not relent. She smile at them and headed for the gardens internally unsurprised when Glorfindel followed her silently. She entered the small garden down the hall from the offices and sat at the base of the only tree in the garden, a large willow. She felt Glorfindel settle down next to her and his arm settle across her shoulders. She was unable to resist leaning her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes as she let the breeze and the warm body next to her relax her and gently let her mind drift. She let her eyes glaze over slightly and smiled as she felt him rest his head on top of hers. That was how she passed her afternoon curled up against the warm body of her probable mate.

It was just turning dark when she woke and smiled at the deep breaths and sleepy feeling in the faer next to her, it seems she wasn't the only one to take a nap. She gently shook him awake and stretching, they both headed to the dining hall. She followed just slightly behind Glorfindel and there was a slight hush when the entered the room. Eruraviel rolled her eyes at this and followed Glorfindel to the dais where they both sat next to Elrond. Slowly the gathered elves returned to their conversations and she smiled in thanks as her meal was placed in front of her. As she ate, she took in the large dining hall and had to admit; this was one of the few areas that made her uncomfortable to enter. The walls and roof were made of carved stone and gems, the vaulted ceiling supported by large columns that were covered in ancient Quenya. Stories and legends of old, she had been mildly horrified to find one that depicted her battle against Thuringwethil in a grand tale. Glorfindel had laughed until she pointed out that he had one as well telling of his valiant stand against the Balrog of Melkor.

The large arching windows showed the beauty of Imladris in her full glory letting the diner see the cascading waterfalls and vibrant forests. It was not however the luxury of the room that made her uncomfortable but the elves within. Eruraviel hated, loathed and despised the fame that came from her defeat of Thuringwethil the first time she had made the mistake of entering alone without Glorfindel as a shield. It had been a near mob that had swarmed her; all asking questions about her past. She had stuttered out her answers, looking for any way out of the hall. She thanked the valar that Celeborn had been on his was to dinner as well and had sent to crowed running with a few scathing comments and glares. Needless to say that if she would be the only one there she did not go in the Hall of Fire alone. If that was the case she grabbed a quick meal from one of the kitchens and ate out in the garden or her room. Although she had eaten dinner in Elrond's study one night when she had noticed that he and Glorfindel had missed both meals. As dinner approached she had asked Celebrían what they were working on and was surprised and touched to find that they had been attempting to discover on their own what the reason behind the change in the tactics of the orcs in order to prevent her having to leave Imladris. As such, they hadn't left Elrond's study at all nor had they eaten. She had rolled her eyes at the stubbornness of males before heading to the kitchens.

She had explained the situation to the elves inside and both had nodded with a look of slight exasperation on their faces, telling her that this wasn't an unusual occurrence. She had asked them for a tray of food that she would take to them and both had told her that they had tried that in the past, but that the one taking them the food was unable to get it to them for the simple fact that they were not allowed in Elrond's office when sensitive information was being discussed. She had then informed them that as today's discussion was about a topic she was already informed on they couldn't keep her out. If they tried…well, they would find out why it's a bad idea to irritate an elleth of Gondolin. They had laughed and within a couple of minutes, Eruraviel was leaving the kitchens with a tray full of food. Walking carefully to avoid spilling any of it as she only had one arm available, she reached Elrond's office about five minutes later.

She had kicked the door firmly as her hand was full and she didn't want to place to heavily laden tray on the floor. From within the office she heard Elrond say that he didn't want to be disturbed and she had then responded in a tone full of ire that unless he wanted to lose his door he better damn well open it and let her in. She didn't care if he was a lord or a king if he didn't let her in she would beat him half to death the let Celebrían finish the job. There had been several seconds of silence before the door had almost flown open and she had come face to face with a slightly worried Glorfindel. His expression had changed to exasperated when he had seen he standing there holding a tray full of food with one arm. He had quickly taken the tray and she had followed him into the office coming face to face with Elrond who was actually looking worried. She had spent the next ten minutes lecturing him on; how rude it was to turn his own mate away and how stupid it was to not have one of them send for food during the day, as the servers wouldn't necessarily have to come in the office someone could go out the door, get the food then come back in.

She had then watched as a sheepish Elrond mentally called for his mate and upon arrival apologized profusely for turning her away. She had looked at him with a raised eyebrow for a minute or two before forgiving him and accepting his offer to join them for dinner. Little did Eruraviel know that that night had settled in the minds of the others that she was not an elleth to cross.

As dinner came to an end she accepted Glorfindel's offer to dance and that was how she spent the rest of her night until early morning dancing across the floor to songs both old and new. It was several hours into early morning when the dancing had wound down and she headed back to her rooms with Glorfindel walking next to her. It had been a most enjoyable evening she decided. Normally she really wasn't one for dancing but figured since she was leaving soon she should probably accept some of the things Glorfindel wished to do. As they stopped at her door she turned to Glorfindel once more.

"Thank you very much for the enjoyable evening Glorfindel, I do hope to repeat it soon." She told him smiling at the happy and satisfied Ellon. As she looked at him, she saw his eyes had darkened to a dark blue before he was suddenly kissing her. Caught by surprise she didn't think to fight the kiss that was becoming longer and longer by the minute. She gasped at the feeling of his firm lips against hers. He took advantage of her open mouth to deepen the kiss massaging her tongue with his, taking complete possession of her mouth making her go weak at the knees and grabbing hold of his arms to keep from collapsing. Breaking away they both gasped lightly for air as they gazed into each other's eyes. She shivered lightly as she realized that the presence of his faer within hers had grown larger. Judging from its possessive happy feeling she knew for sure that it was only a matter of time before the powerful, hungry lord before her claimed her as his own.

He gently turned her and pushed her into her room; just before closing the door between them, he placed one last brushing kiss against the sensitive tip of her ear. She shivered and simply stared at the closed balcony doors as the sound of her door closing seemed to echo in the room. She got changed from her day wear and climbed into bed in a daze. This had been a fantastic night.

The past week had seemed to fly by like clouds under an eagle's wings. Just yesterday she had stopped at the supply master to gather the basic supplies for her trip. A new cloak, spark steel, a new bed roll and lambas that would last her about three weeks if she rationed it. She planned to save the lambas for her trip to Harad so that her journey through the desert wouldn't be as taxing. Currently she stood saddling Arvellas for the trip and she had just finished tying her saddlebags into place. The past week had been very enjoyable in an odd way that she wasn't used to. Glorfindel had taken to kissing her halfway to Aman and back whenever he could. He had done it so much that the presence of his faer was always present. Even now, she could feel it like a light breeze swirling through her body.

She could now feel if he was within a mile of her location as they had tested that just yesterday. She led Arvellas out of the stables and turned towards the path that led to the main courtyard. As she led her companion up the path, she felt four presences' waiting for her. One she knew was Glorfindel and she could guess that two of the remaining three were Elrond and Celebrían but she couldn't place the last one. She knew it but was unsure. As she entered the courtyard, she smiled at the gathered elves who had come to see her off. As she thought Glorfindel, Elrond and Celebrían were there along with Erestor.

Erestor approached her first.

"Please be safe Mellon-nin I have come to treasure you greatly as a friend and I would despair greatly if you were hurt." He told Eruraviel pulling her into a light embrace as he did so. She smiled and hugged him back.

"I will do my best Erestor, keep them in line for me while I'm gone." She said pulling a laugh from him. They released each other from their embrace and as she turned, Celebrían was the next to approach her.

"Don't do anything reckless on my behalf. This information is not worth your life please remember that. We will be here waiting for your return." Celebrían said as she gave Eruraviel a light hug that somehow managed to convey how serious the other elleth was. Eruraviel almost cringed at what their reactions would be when she returned. As Celebrían stepped back, Elrond took her place.

"I will try to keep an eye out for you with my foresight. I know how serious you feel about this but please remember to keep yourself safe. If you come back with even one scratch it will be at least a few years before I let you leave Imladris alone again." With that he handed her a small package.

"This is an emergency aid pack that is given to all Imladris warriors when they leave. Use it if you need it but try not to get yourself into a situation where it's necessary." He told he seriously. He pulled her into a much tighter hug than the others and as he let go he looked into her eyes for a minute before turning away seemingly satisfied at what he saw. She took a deep breath as the others backed away a bit to give her and Glorfindel some privacy. He stepped forward and stood within arm's reach of her simply looking at her for a minute. Reaching out he pulled her into a hard embrace, tucking her head under his chin. She hummed slightly as she felt his faer sweep through her, seeping into her very bones. She inhaled his scent that always managed to relax her as she sank into his powerful form. They stood that way for several minutes merely basking in the embrace of the other, neither wanting to be the first to let go. Finally, Glorfindel stepped back and kissed her lightly.

"Meleth-nin I will be here when you return. I will not rest easy until I have you within my arms once more. You are mine and though you leave now a part of my soul will always be with you. Don't be reckless and get yourself hurt." With that he kissed her one more time before letting her go and watching as she mounted Arvellas. As she looked at four of the five people that had forced their way past her walls and into her heart she smiled. Maybe coming to Imladris wasn't such a bad idea after all. She nodded and turning Arvellas she galloped out of the courtyard and up the mountain path only stopping when she reached the top of the ridge. Turning around she glanced back at the courtyard that now seemed so small saw four figures that waved at her still figure. She raised her arm in return before Arvellas led them past the ridge and the courtyard of the main house of Imladris passed from view.