Posted: September 2003
Title: Perfectly Happy
Author: Alex
Type: FCS
Rating: R
Characters: Haldir/Glorfindel
Disclaimer: I do not own nor do I profit from the use of these characters.
Beta: Larian Elensar
Author's Note: Grouchy Haldir has been nagging me today.
Summary: Haldir and Glorfindel ride to Mirkwood to a meeting.

~~~

PERFECTLY HAPPY

Haldir found Glorfindel to be the most insufferable elf he had ever met. The blond always had a smile on his perfect face for everyone. He was so infernally happy that he glowed with cheer. It made Haldir want to retch. No one could be that happy! It simply wasn't possible.

He and Glorfindel had been sent to Mirkwood to meet with Thranduil about the encroachment of Orcs and men from the East on all their borders. There had even been some Orcs caught the Golden Wood recently so Lord Celeborn had sent him, the chief March Warden of the Northern Fences, to meet with both Imladris and Mirkwood.

He had known that Lord Elrond would not come. Lord Elrond would not spit on Thranduil if he were on fire... and Thranduil felt the same about him, but he did send his emissary. Haldir wished that it had been Erestor who had come. The taciturn, somber counselor was much easier to abide. In fact, Haldir thought with a slight smile, he had been known to 'abide' the serious Erestor several times in one night.

He looked over at the tall blond sitting astride Asfaloth. Even the damned horse glowed. He grunted.

"Is there something wrong, Haldir?" The question was asked gently and yes, cheerfully.

"No," was the Lorien elf's sullen, one word answer. He stole a glance at Glorfindel a few seconds later. He was greeted with a soft smile. He turned away quickly, saying nothing further for hours.

"Have I done something to offend you?" Even though three hours had passed, Glorfindel spoke as if it were the next thing he had meant to say miles back.

"No." Another one word answer. Why didn't he just shut up?

They rode for several more hours and Glorfindel began to sing. What really irritated Haldir the most was that it was lovely. Glorfindel's voice was rich and full and even though he sang quietly, Haldir could hear every note from his position several feet ahead.

Haldir was convinced that the reason that Glorfindel had come back from the Halls of Mandos was that he was so cheerful that they could stand him no longer and sent him back to Arda to torment the elves there with his damned smiling face.

And what a face. Glorfindel was perfect. Haldir could not find a single flaw. And he had tried, staring at the elflord for hours last night as he slept. He had thought the he found one at one time but it was just a shadow cast by a tree limb.

His body was perfect too. Haldir had hidden and watched him bathe in a small stream two days back. He understood then why people tended to smile a lot around Glorfindel, but that still didn't explain why Glorfindel was so happy himself.

He vowed to ignore the big buffoon the rest of the way to Mirkwood, just before he slipped into sleep that night.

He awoke to the sound of birds singing or so he thought, but it was Glorfindel. For some reason, that was the last straw.

"Would you please just shut up? Why are you so happy anyway? Doesn't it ever occur to you that life is full of pain and sorrow and there's very little to smile about? I hate you!" He dug his heels into his horse's sides and took off.

He rode hard until his horse began to tire then he slowed down, finally stopping to let the animal drink from a nearby stream and rest for a bit. He sat down under a tree and was soon asleep.

When he woke, he was surrounded by Orcs... ugly, smelly Orcs. He was scared; he knew he was likely to die. He just hoped it was over before Glorfindel found him. He didn't want the golden elflord to die too. One death was enough for anyone.

"He's a right big 'un, ain't he? He'll feed us for two or three days." The Orc holding a knife to his throat gloated as his putrid breath almost made Haldir retch. He closed his eyes.

In the next second, he heard the thwack sound of one arrow after another hitting its mark. He opened his eyes to see a circle of very dead Orcs all around him. A smiling Glorfindel walked into the clearing.

Damn him!

Glorfindel grabbed him by the front of his shirt and lifted his not inconsiderable weight. He slammed him back against the tree. And kissed him hard and long until Haldir was sure he was going to pass out from lack of oxygen.

"You stupid little fool! Do you know what it is to wait in limbo, neither dead nor alive, for someone to decide your fate, to decide if you can move on... or go back... or whether you are just doomed to the never-ending purgatory of the Halls of Mandos? DO YOU?"

He let go of Haldir, who sagged back against the tree but wisely, for once, said nothing.

"I am so glad to be alive that every day, even the worst day, brings joy to me. I will not embrace gloom and doom, not for you, not for anyone else. I will take pain and sorrow over nothingness any time, my young March Warden."

Glorfindel moved closer to him again and Haldir found himself pushing back, trying to escape but the tall elflord allowed him no escape. He pulled Haldir close to him and whispered, "There is no sorrow, no joy, no pleasure, nor pain that I will not taste."

He took Haldir's mouth in another bone melting kiss. This time, Haldir reached up and wrapped his arms around Glorfindel's neck and leaned into his strong body.

"You, my sullen little one, will be all pleasure."

**

Several hours later, they were on the move again, riding again toward Mirkwood. Glorfindel was singing and laughing and chattering away.

Haldir grunted.

Maybe a smile now and again wasn't such a bad thing after all.

*****

THE END

If you enjoyed this story, please send feedback to: Alex