Chapter 5
The gates opened swiftly as the sentinels of Imladris watched from their stations as the golden lord rode out on his white steed, with a line of warriors behind him.
Whatever the mission was, no one but he and the Lord of Imladris would know.
He glanced at the fine threads still on his wrist and felt a surge of determination to get to his intended targets in time.
"Noro Lim Asphaloth!" He whispered, sure that his trusted companion would heed his words as they sped through the valley gates to the borders.
Meanwhile Rina had decided her morning would begin with the merchant stalls, her mission clear in her mind as she looked through the fine fabrics laid on display for yet another day of potential purchase.
She stilled on sighting a finely threaded fabric rich in green and quickly lifted it up, her face beaming underneath her veil as she proceeded to bargain with the merchant of the stall.
She rubbed the fabric in-between her fingers, satisfied with the fabric's quality, she fetched some threads from another stall and decided she was finished with her business. The spice and herbs stall would have to wait another day especially since no word of any fresh supplies had come up.
She returned home and poured over measurements she had snuck away from the seamstress shop, well aware that Glorfindel was somewhat larger in build compared to most of Imladris's warriors.
Sighing, she made certain her threading supplies were enough and lifted her scissors to begin cutting the finely woven fabric. Emerald green with a fine golden embroidered threads would match perfectly into a fine tunic, which she hoped he would accept as a gift.
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He had returned to the banquet hall that very evening, his mind plagued with the desire to retrace his steps back to her doorway, well aware of what would become of them both should he do such a thing.
Glorfindel smiled at the elves still enjoying their evening and gently picked up a goblet filled with wine, swiftly drinking it as his eyes searched for the one to aid him in his plight.
He took another goblet from the tray of a servant and drank again, if he was to find a solution whether temporary or permanent he would need his tongue loosened enough to tell the truth as is.
He drank one more full goblet and walked to the elleth he had been looking for, his head was somewhat lighter now and he felt a little more relaxed but not so much to let his guard down in the presence of others.
"Mae Govannen my lady, if I may have a private word with you? This will be brief" Glorfindel said to Arwen and she nodded to him in response.
They left the hall in silence and strolled down the hallway away from the merry cheer of the elves taking to their fun before Glorfindel turned to her, deciding they had walked enough.
"Pardon me My Lady for interrupting your evening but I seek...your counsel" he ended.
Arwen looked over the elf before her and noted he was slightly drunk on the wine, but beyond that was an expression she thought she'd never see on this particular ellons face...Desperation.
"If it is counsel you seek then surely Adar would be better suited than I" she responded in concern.
"I come to you on a matter of experience based on your... entanglement with Estel" Arwen felt incensed at the suggestion that her love affair was a mere tryst between herself and her lover, that is until she caught the look in his eye and the realisation hit her.
"This concerns an elleth" Arwen said all the while combing through her memories of any talk or gossip surrounding him and she realised again, there was no elleth that came to mind, not when it concerned Imladris' most noble lord.
She knew many had tried but none had managed to catch anything more than a smile and a simple greeting from the golden elf.
"This does not concern any elleth of Imladris Arwen" Glorfindel held the beautifully crafted railings of the hallway and looked into the dark of the forest.
"She is from Lorien then? Or Mirkwood?" Arwen had grown excited at the prospect of seeing Glorfindel in love but then frowned as a thought crossed her mind for the first time, she quickly understood why he came to her.
Glorfindel sensed she had gotten to his answer and spoke further.
"I did not intend for it to happen" Glorfindel sighed in defeat and turned to Arwen who sat on a nearby bench, her legs weak from this revelation.
"No, no one ever intends for such things to happen, they just do" Arwen said.
"It was a mistake, I had stumbled upon her in an intimate moment unbeknownst to her and I find myself unable to stop myself from seeing her, from..." He didn't finish and he didn't need to.
Arwen saw it written clearly as day on his face. He was in love with the harad woman who had taken refuge in the valley.
"I know what our customs would have me do but with her I fear I know nothing, I do not know what is the right path to take but one thing is certain, I do not want to be away from her even now it seems painful enough to be away from her" Glorfindel finished, looking over at Arwen to relay his feelings.
"I would not expect any less of your feelings my lord, it is all the more proof you need to know they are real" She smiled sadly, reminded of the look of longing Aragorn would always give her.
Glorfindel was fighting a losing battle against his own desires, she could very well see it and it was only a matter of time before his restraint failed him, they both knew this.
"I do not know if you have the strength to walk away from this but if you can, now would be best. However..." Arwen smiled at him in assurance that all would be well in time.
"If you choose her, then you must be certain of your choice and know that it cannot come undone"
"I understand that much but I do not know if I could let go if she refuses me"
"That is for her to decide, but it need not be an easy choice for her to make" Arwen grinned.
"What do you have in mind?" Glorfindel's heart beat harder in excitement as he listened to Arwen's next words.
"Adar has a copy of The Haradhrim's tribes and cultures, what do you know of their courtship rituals?"
It was at that moment Glorfindel realised he would never really wish to face Arwen as a foe.
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It had been a week and there had been no word from the borders or anyone.
Rina had been working tirelessly to finish the golden embroidery on the tunic she was making.
They would return any day now, he would return any day now.
She had tried to go on about her life as though she had not stayed up all night yearning for his presence, his touch. What was wrong with her?
She sighed exasperated as she dumped the nearly finished tunic on the table.
She had been this way since their last meeting, worse she had been reduced to a wanton woman with no decency.
The ellon occupying her thoughts of late had her flustered and worried. She decided quickly that she would finish the tunic and give it to him as a final parting gift and be done with him for good.
He was a lord of Imladris and was not one to be trifled with.
She peeked out her window and wondered when he'd walk down the bridge to her door before stepping away, releasing another sigh she picked the cloth once more to continue, stifling whatever dreams she harboured in her heart.
After hours of careful needle work, Rina rose from her chair and decided she needed some time away from her task and took her veil, wrapping it around her face she looked at the tunic which was nearly done neatly tucked in its basket and she headed to the one place where she could rest her thoughts, the archive chambers.
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Glorfindel raced through the plain field manuevering around sparse trees and shrubs, he had barely reached Estel and his company of hobbits in time.
He dug his heels into Asphaloths side, gently urging him to ride faster.
"Noro Lim Asphaloth!" He cried out as a wave of screeching echoed behind him.
A weak and pained groan alerted him to the wounded hobbit in his arms.
Frodo Baggins as Estel had called him had been stabbed by a morgul blade. The fading of his eyes told of his gradual and painful transition into a wraith which meant Glorfindel had to reach Imladris quickly or the little hobbit would suffer a fate worse than death.
He looked over his shoulder, confirming the presence of nine nasgul hot on his tail. This was indeed one confirmation that the hobbit was in possession of the one ring, the second one was the sickening evil that rubbed against his very flesh.
Riding across the Bruinen, he watched as a thunderous roar erupted from the waters, it's violent waves crashing straight into the nasgul as it swept them away ending their pursuit for now.
His relief would be short-lived as Frodos situation grew dire.
Glorfindel reached the gates of Imladris, quickly upon reaching the city's square, volted from his horse and lifted Frodo, carrying the petrified hobbit through Elrond's halls to the healing chambers.
Elrond, who had forseen the unfolding of such events received them with swift action and set to work on healing the deadly wound.
Perhaps it was the quick thinking of Estel using athelas on the wound that slowed down the poison but it gave Elrond the chance to mend the damage wrought by the evil blade.
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Over the next few days the valley had grown excited, too excited. The presence of guests arriving spontaneously one after the other meant something serious was happening and Imladris was at the center of it.
Rina did not imagine it to a festival as elven festivals rarely received guests, atleast not with the ones she had witnessed so far.
It was strange to see, the sight of hobbits, dwarves and elves from different realms, but what made Rina nervous was the presence of men from the south.
She had made sure to stay away from the guest quarters and only to visit the market stalls only when necessary.
She had heard of the legendary Dunedain from her mother who often dwelt up north moving in the shadows and the other man, the gondorian was not a man she wanted anywhere near her, doubting he would welcome the thought of her presence here in Imladris.
She had neither seen nor heard talk of Glorfindel so far as news of the warriors return from the borders reached her.
She sighed quietly, certain that he was well and there was nothing to worry over. He was a mighty warrior, surely no harm would come to him she thought as she brushed her fingers against the book that kept records of deeds done by the ellon in her thoughts.
She picked it up from the shelf and opened it, gently sliding down by the shelf as read the first words from the book unaware once more of a pair of eyes watching her with rapt attention.
Glorfindel had wanted to approach her, to talk to her. He had indeed missed seeing her face even though he was gone for a brief moment. However, Arwen had insisted on maintaining some distance from her, if her plan was to bear any fruit.
He watched her pick up a book he was certain she had read before and wondered why she would choose to read it again.
As quietly as he came, he slunk away from the archive room. His thoughts becoming firmer with each step he took, thanks to the quick study and extended conversations with Estel who had some experience with the people of harad, the elf lord knew what he would do next.
With the aid of Imladris' lady, he moved to make his preparations ahead of the next feast which he was certain would be soon.
For if there was ever a thing he never doubted, it was that the Lord of Imladris was certainly a magnificent host.
