Posted: July 21, 2006
Title: Fluff 'n' Stuff :: The Baby Blue Plot Bunnies
Author: Zhie
Type: FCHet, FCS
Characters: Elrond/Celebrian; Glorfindel/Gildor; future Glorfindel/Erestor insinuated
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or the world they live in; I only play with them in my sandbox and put them back when I'm done.
Warning: Both het and slash contained herein. Also, you will encounter some minor unhappiness now and then, a traveling elf who probably should be slapped, religious views and variations, talk of cross-dressing and gender conflicts, and a touch of smut at the very end, which can be skipped and still the story should be enjoyable. Consider thyself warned! ^_^
Beta: No betas were harmed in the making of this fanfic.
Timeline: Spring and Summer of 260 Third Age; Rivendell
Author's Notes: This is part of a series of fics I have written, but works as a stand alone series as well. I ended up with 28 after putting out a call for suggestions for the writer's choice, so although this was written for 25FluffyFics, I have 28 parts. No one has complained yet. For more on the entire AU I am writing in, please go to http://pounce.queencheetah.com

Summary: Life in Rivendell in 260, Third Age. Glorfindel spends his six months of leave from the borders among family and friends, finding that the more things change the more things stay the same. Mostly fluff.

*****

*-Home-*

Onto the grass flopped Glorfindel. "I am home," he announced with a groan.

Erestor, who had been leaning against a tree and reading, looked up at Asfaloth, from which Glorfindel had simply slid off of. The horse pawed the ground and snorted into the mass of blond hair spread on the ground before stepping over his master and wandering back to the stable. "Welcome home," replied Erestor before looking back to his book.

"You should ask me how the patrol was."

"No, I think I shall not," answered Erestor, turning the page of his book and choosing a piece of licorice from a bowl beside him.

Pouting, Glorfindel squinted from the sunlight and said, "No, really, ask me about my patrol."

"I respectfully decline," said Erestor, trying not to smirk.

"Errrggghhhnn." Glorfindel stretched his arms and legs before lying still again. "Come on, ask me."

"No," said Erestor just as his book was snatched away. "Fin! Give that back!"

"Ask me how the patrol was," prodded Glorfindel, shoving the book under his back as he settled into the grass again.

"I refuse." Erestor glared at the warrior while the sounds of the young peredhel of the valley approaching caused his ears to twitch. Trying another tactic, Erestor picked up the bowl. "If you give me my book back, I will share with you."

Lifting his head to see what was being offered, Glorfindel pulled a face. "Why can you not humor me?" he asked.

"Because all you will do is complain, and the day is too beautiful to listen to you bemoan the abilities of your fellow trackers and guardians," explained Erestor as he picked through the candies. Arwen was the first to make it to them.

"Uncle Finny's home! He's home!" Arwen practically pounced Glorfindel, tackling him with an 'ooof!' that was overexaggerated by the warrior. "Did you bring me something?"

"Arwen! You cannot ask him that every time he comes back," scolded Elladan as he joined them, with Elrohir on his tail. "Welcome back, Glorfindel."

Glorfindel was rummaging through his pockets, with Arwen sitting now on the grass next to him. He pulled a smooth piece of violet-colored quartz from one of his pockets and handed it to her with a smile. She grinned, and threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Uncle Fin! It's so pretty!" Arwen happily turned it over and over in her hand, admiring the way it shined and sparkled.

Glancing around and frowning when he saw Erestor concentrating on his candy dish, Elrohir asked, "Did you leave that poetry book in the house, Erestor?"

"No, it was stolen," said the advisor calmly before popping another candy in his mouth. He offered the dish out to the children. Two of them grimaced as Glorfindel had, but Elladan perused the items and smiled in thanks after taking a few pieces for himself.

"Oh, no..." Elrohir wrung his hands. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." Erestor poked his bare foot at Glorfindel's shoulder. "He stole it."

"Uncle Fin stole from Uncle Erestor?" Arwen frowned. "That is not nice," she scolded Glorfindel. "Nana says that sort of thing is unacceptable."

Before he could defend himself, Glorfindel heard Erestor say, "I was just about to tickle him to get it back – 'tis under his back, by the way – but then you arrived, and-"

"Get him!" shouted Elladan, and Elrohir, always heading his brother's advice (good or bad), leaped down upon Glorfindel as his twin did. Arwen scooted off to the side and onto Erestor's lap a safe distance away as Glorfindel let out a gasp of surprise. This was followed by loud, boisterous laughter and demands for them to stop. Rolling to the side in an attempt to jostle the twins away, Erestor saw his chance and seized up the book, setting little Arwen aside. He handed her the dish of candy, patted her head, and took off toward the house with the book.

As Glorfindel rolled back, he immediately figured out what had happened while he was trying to fend off the twins, who were now taking off in the direction of the woods. He glanced one way, and then the other. Although the house was closer, it would be more difficult to catch up with the youths than it would be to catch a barefoot advisor wearing long robes.

Not ten feet from the steps of the house, Erestor's joyful grin was wiped from his face. He found himself being hoisted into the air and tossed over Glorfindel's shoulder.

"You do know, going barefoot leaves you open to a most merciless attack," Glorfindel said playfully to the somewhat upside down Erestor.

"Do not dare!" shrieked Erestor as Glorfindel's free hand danced across the soles of the dark elf's feet. "Fin!"

"Sorry, what was that?" Glorfindel lightly teased the wiggling toes.

"Stop it!" S-s-s-stop!" Erestor squirmed and shook with laughter. "By Eru, Fin, put me down! You are embarrassing me in front of everyone!" he laughed, which was not completely true, but there were a fair number of other elves around who were watching them, laughing at his predicament.

Glorfindel moved to tickle the advisor's ankles now as well. "What was that? Did you just ask me how my patrol was?"

"No, I asked no such- yes, yes! How was your patrol?!" Erestor shouted as Glorfindel attacked more ruthlessly.

"Oh, alright." Glorfindel gently knelt so that he could put Erestor down without dropping or hurting him. "Very uneventful, and very boring, which is a good thing. And, I missed you," added Glorfindel in a more subdued and sincere tone.

Erestor, still holding the book tightly, tucked it into the fold of his robe and reached out to pat Glorfindel's shoulder. "Well, for what it may be worth, I missed you too, you rogue."

Arwen had just arrived, having followed them. She handed the candy dish, which she had carefully carried back, to Erestor. Seeing her parents on the porch (who had rushed outside upon hearing from a worried Melpomaen that 'Erestor and Glorfindel were fighting in the courtyard'), Arwen ran to them calling out, "Uncle Fin's home! And Elladan and Elrohir are gonna be in trouble with him for tickles!" Arwen looked up at her parents very seriously. "I was good. I have a pretty rock, too." She held the quartz up for them to inspect.

Celebrian smiled and nodded at her daughter's excitement over the rock while Elrond walked down the steps. He gave his chief staff members a very stern look, but it soon dissolved into light laughter. "Sometimes I wonder, did either of you ever truly grow up?"

"No, and I have to hunt down your sons and tickle them, so if there is anything more...?" Glorfindel stood up and brushed the dirt from his clothing.

Elrond gave Glorfindel a long, hard look. Finally, he said, "Do you need any help?"

As Glorfindel and Elrond jogged off in the direction of the woods, Erestor took a moment before making it back to his feet as well. "Wait for me!" he shouted after them.

*-Nightmare-*

With his hand poised to knock, Glorfindel stood rooted in his place outside the tall oaken door. He swallowed hard, trying to steady his breathing so that he would appear calm. Unable to see any windows where he was, he missed the streak of lightning. The thunder caught him off guard and he inadvertently hit his knuckles against the door.

Running away was not an option, so he willed his body not to tremble as it was. When the door opened, however, he practically flew inside. "Good, you are still awake!" he said as he passed by the disheveled advisor, who appeared to have only just tumbled out of bed.

"Good morning," Erestor half-mumbled in regards to the early hour. "Something the matter?" he asked with a yawn.

"What? No, I just came to see if you were doing alright. Because of the storm," lied Glofindel. He whimpered as another lightning strike lit up the sky and covered his ears, cowering when the crash and roar came through the air.

Erestor, more awake now, retied the sloppy knot he had made putting a robe on and went to shut the window. "Storm should pass in an hour or so," he said in hopes of comforting his friend. He walked to Glorfindel and led him to the bed. "Here, the walls are thicker in my room, I think. Sleep here; you will not fall victim to Manwe and Ulmo's fun in this room."

"It is not Manwe or Ulmo who are tormenting me," said Glorfindel. "'Tis Irmo and his wicked dreams. You would think it would be enough for me to have lived through my death not to have to relive it in my dreams." Another boom sounded outside, and this one was indeed more subdued now that the window was closed, but frightened Glorfindel no less. "You know, I used to like the rain," he reminded Erestor as he was tucked into bed.

"I know," nodded the elder elf sympathetically, fluffing up the pillow before easing Glorfindel's head upon it.

"Where are you sleeping?" asked Glorfindel with concern as Erestor went to the fire and added wood to it.

Erestor pointed to the desk. "I have some work I should finish. You rest; I am here to keep the demons at bay."

They had both forgotten about the door to the hallway being open, and when Erestor looked there now he was surprised to see a little peredhel dragging a worn green blanket behind her. "Uncle Finny, I went to Nana when the thunder started but the door was locked and the thunder noises were worse there, and I came to your room and you were gone!" She invited herself in, dragging the blanket across the floor. "Nana says I am too big to sleep in bed with her and Ada now." The thunder crashed above the house and Arwen shrieked and grabbed her blankie close. "I thought I would crawl in with you because El'n'El would tease me if I went to them but you were gone!"

Glorfindel was sitting up, nearly about to get out of bed. "I am not gone, sweet little flower. Come; I will walk you to your room and sit with you while the storm passes."

"You just came from patrol. Ada says never to bother you when you get back from one." More thunder, another whine. "But I could not help it I am so scared the house will fall down!" she finished quickly, rushing up into Glorfindel's arms, her blanket left discarded on the floor.

Erestor came to retrieve the precious remnant of a quilt that once was and handed it back to Arwen. "This house will never fall. It is good and strong, built in part by your father with his two hands. Nothing he built would ever dare fall," Erestor assured her.

"Were you going to sleep in Erestor's bed?" asked Arwen, suddenly realizing where she had found Glorfindel.

"I-"

"Can I sleep in here, too?" Arwen turned her pout to the chief counselor. Her sorrowful grey eyes finally made him smile and nod.

"Of course you can. Both of you, in bed now," instructed Erestor.

"I do not suppose you have room for one or two more?" asked a voice timidly from the hallway. Elladan and Elrohir stood in the doorway, each of them clutching the other's hand behind Elladan's back so that no one would see how afraid they were of the thunder.

Erestor lifted up the corner of the blanket and made a wave of his hand toward the bed. Scampering into the room, the twins clambered up onto the mattress as if they were no more than elflings as well.

Arwen frowned. "You are too big, you will ruin the bed," she scolded her brothers, but when the bed seemed not to move one bit beneath the weight, she sighed and said, "Fine, but you have to share that side of Glorfindel. I get this side."

"Are you afraid of the thunder, too?" Elrohir asked Glorfindel once the four of them were tucked in by Erestor, who pulled a chair up to the side of the bed.

Glorfindel shifted uncomfortably, and then said, "The roaring thunder sounds a lot like an angry balrog." He, and the children, all shivered at the word.

"There are none of those here. Only rain, falling down from the sky again, as it always does, and ever will. We are all perfectly safe here," Erestor assured them. "Now, go to sleep, the lot of you."

There was silence until Arwen asked, "Uncle Erestor?"

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"May I have a drink of water?"

Erestor opened his eyes (for he had been attempting a little sleep on his chair) and located the pitcher of water and a glass. After fulfilling her request, he heard one of the twins clearing his throat on the other side of the bed. "Are you thirsty, too, Elladan?"

"I think I am," replied Elladan sheepishly. A second glass was brought to him, and after he drank it, Elrohir asked, "Is there any water left?"

"Yes, but I have run out of cups," explained Erestor.

"He can use mine," Elladan assured the dark advisor, holding out the empty glass.

As the third glass of water was poured, Glorfindel gave a little sigh. "All of this talk of water coupled with the rain-"

"You know where the chamber pot is," spoke Erestor. "That, I am NOT bringing to the bed for you." The peredhil all laughed as Glorfindel stuck out his tongue and wriggled himself out of the middle of the bed, climbing over the end of it to get to the little washroom.

Once everyone was situated again, another request came from Arwen. "I need a song. Or a story. Or both."

So she got three songs, and two stories, and a poem, and another glass of water, followed by a trip to the restroom herself. It was not until dawn was just breaking that finally she fell asleep. Her brothers had done so an hour earlier, and Glorfindel was now yawning and getting a glazed look over his eyes as the last reminders of the storm could only be faintly heard in the distance.

Fighting to keep awake in his chair, Erestor saw a worried Lady Celebrian pass by in the hallway. He hissed in her direction that she should return, not wishing to wake the occupants of his bed.

"Oh, there they are," she whispered with a sigh of relief. "Last night the storm was so bad, Elrond and I plugged our ears with wax to keep from hearing that terrible thunder. I woke this morning, and found Arwen gone from her bed. The twins were not in theirs either, and when I knocked on Glorfindel's door, he was gone, too."

"This is where they ended up," confirmed Erestor as if the sight was not proof enough. "Would you-" He yawned. "-would mi-i-i-nnd-" Another yawn. "Telling Elrond I shall be late for work this morning?"

Celebrian frowned. "Did you sleep at all last night?"

"A little," said Erestor as he rubbed his eyes. "I just need to take a cold shower and get dressed-"

"No, do not dare," she said softly, laughing and shaking her head. "Go on, get into bed."

"What, here?"

"'Tis your bed," she reminded him, turning down the covers on the side Arwen occupied. She picked the little girl up into her arms and pointed at the available spot while her daughter instinctively reached her arms around her mother's neck and snuggled against her, blankie tightly held in one hand. Walking around to the other side as Erestor sat down on the vacated spot, Celebrian roused the twins and prodded them from the bed, telling them to go to their rooms and take a nap.

Erestor glanced at the near empty bed, and looked up with the same look that Arwen had given him hours earlier. Celebrian snorted.

"That one does not belong to me," she said with amusement. "And I am not carrying him back to his bed." With that, she left the room and shut the door behind her.

With a sigh, Erestor pulled the covers up and rested his head on the pillow. The movement jostled the bed enough to wake Glorfindel. He sleepily turned his head and blinked. "Erestor? What is going on?"

"Shh.. go back to sleep. You are just dreaming," replied the dark elf, nodding off as Glorfindel fell asleep again.

Back in her room, Celebrian stretched and roused her husband, who complained of the time. "Why did you get me up so late, Bri?"

Pulling back the curtains to let the light shine in, she replied, "Your sons and daughter were up half the night, so I had to put the children to bed." She paused and added, "All five of them."

*-Picnic-*

"How busy are you?"

Elrond contemplated the question, looking up at his wife. Little Arwen was balanced on one of her hips while Celebrian's other hand was occupied with a picnic basket. He smiled, but frowned once he looked across the desk at Erestor. "We have quite a lot to get done yet today," he apologized.

Celebrian was about to give an understanding comment, but Arwen had a different idea. Her frown, her little pout, and the batting of her dark lashes made the corners of Erestor's mouth turn up in a smile. "It can wait," said the dark haired advisor, and immediately, Arwen smiled brightly.

" Ada, put your quill down, silly," she called out, being one of only two residents in the valley allowed to grace upon the lord of Imladris such a title.

"Here, silly, you can carry the picnic basket," offered Celebrian, holding it out and giving her husband a wink.

Elrond gave a passing glance at Erestor, who was shuffling the papers on the desk, as he walked to the door. He shed his formal robe to reveal much more comfortable attire- leggings and tunic. "What about-" he began to whisper, but Celebrian had already figured that one out.

"You, too, Erestor. Come along, do not make me drag you out."

His smirk was concealed as he was still faced away. "I suppose I could be persuaded."

"The day is lovely," she said, although there really was no argument. "Come, the tulips are in bloom. I packed seed cakes."

As if he could be bribed in no other fashion, Erestor shoved the chair back and stood with a flourish. "Only if I might be allowed to escort the lovely lady Arwen to the picnic," he said with a bow. He kept his robes on as he held out his hand, and the peredhel child nearly leaped to the floor from her mother's arms, placing her tiny hand into Erestor's palm. Everyone in the valley knew how much Erestor loved children; even the children.

"Someday, one of your own, perhaps?" teased Elrond with a nudge as they headed out of the door.

"I definitely hope so," answered Erestor as the group began to walk down the hallway. Celebrian was on Elrond's arm as he hummed a playful tune. Arwen insisted on swinging Erestor's arm back and forth as they walked.

An impatient tapping of a foot greeted them at the door. A grin came from the other one. "And where do the four of you think you are going?" insisted the elder, while the younger continued with the foot tapping.

"Are you coming, then?" Elrond obviously saw no reason to explain himself, and he kept walking past his sons.

"Did Nana pack enough?" Elrohir always worried that there would not be enough to go around, even though there was always more than needed. Despite this, he managed to sneak a peek under the cloth covering the top of the basket, and licked his lips in anticipation.

Celebrian nodded in the direction of the stables. "Should we ask Glorfindel to join us?"

The twins raced ahead, eager to have their favorite teacher along. They found him in the stables, as expected, but Lindir and Melpomaen were with him. Impatiently, Elladan rocked back and forth on his feet as Glorfindel finished an explanation regarding a particular type of saddle as Lindir and Melpomaen nodded.

Again, Elrohir raised his concerns, but instead of speaking, he gave Elladan a sideways look. Elladan, ever the leader, took the matter into his own hands. "We need to take a run up to the house quick for something, but everyone else is heading down to the Bruinen for a picnic." Then, he ran off again, his brother tagging along after a shout of, "You better hurry up or you may not catch them!"

When the twins returned with a second basket of goodies, they found that their sister had discovered that two elves were better than one - especially if you can get them to lift you up now and again and swing you back and forth. Glorfindel, as everyone knew, liked children, too.

Melpomaen had taken control of the picnic basket, while Elrond had begun the task of storytelling. The tale was one familiar to his sons, but they listened to him anyhow while Celebrian pointed out the perfect picnic spot. Lindir fluttered a few notes on a flute that had been sticking out of his back pocket. The 'First Family of the Last Homely House' as many had taken to calling this group, sat down in the grass to enjoy the day.

*-Protection-*

"Fin!" The name came out as a hissed whispered squeak, and Erestor skidded into the room. He nearly tripped on his robes as he came to a halt before Glorfindel who had just stood from his chair. With a giggled snort, Erestor trusted his balance to his officemate, looking over his shoulder as Glorfindel steadied him by the elbows. "I need you to protect me!"

"What is the matter?" asked Glorfindel as he was pulled around the two desks that faced each other and shoved into Erestor's usual chair. The sounds of someone approaching from down the hallway were audible as Erestor squished himself under the desk and yanked on Glorfindel's legs so that he was suddenly at the desk and appearing alone in the room when Elrond entered.

"-and furthermore, I am not 'fat'! You are simply too skinny, and we peredhel-" Elrond paused, looking around quickly, and glancing back down the hallway. "Where is he?"

"Who?" The fact that Glorfindel was a bit confused as to what was going on made acting the part all that much easier.

Elrond crossed the room, seized the curtains and pulled them aside. "You know who," he said in a low voice, his eyes falling upon the closet. He grinned and approached.

Glorfindel tried to make his legs more comfortable, as Erestor was taking up all of the good spots beneath the desk. Finally, he rested his bare feet in Erestor's lap. "I have no idea who you-"

"Oh, yes you do," argued Elrond, mumbling this at the closet door, and then stating rather clearly, "Erestor, open this door right now! I demand you stop hiding from me!" Grabbing the knob of the door, Elrond flung it open, and though a bag of feathers for making quills fell from the top shelf and drifted down upon the elf-lord, it was quite clear that Erestor was not inside.

"Shall I... call for a maid?" offered Glorfindel, who was trying hard not to laugh – but this was due less to the mess Elrond had made, and more because of the fingers vengefully tickling between his toes at the moment.

Elrond turned around and waggled a finger at Glorfindel, narrowing his eyes. "You tell me where he is right now, Glorfindel!"

"Oh, if only I knew. Where, oh, where could he be? Let me think..." As Glorfindel mused this to himself, he patted his feet about, keeping his toes away from Erestor's hands while patting them against his friend's shoulder, chest, stomach, ears, and of course, smooshing his entire foot against Erestor's face at times. "Could he perhaps be under-" *BANG* "Yeeowch!"

Elrond's expression softened suddenly. "Glorfindel? Are you alright?" He began to walk toward the blond.

"Fine, fine, I am fine, yes, just- whoo, those old Gondolin war wounds, every now and then they just sneak up on you," he said, rubbing his knee.

"Would you like me to take a look at it?" questioned Elrond with much concern.

Glorfindel adamantly shook his head. "Oh, no, best just to walk it off." He stood up, walked a brisk circle around the chair, and sat back down. "Yes, much better," he grimaced as he bent his knee, for it had banged into the top of the desk when Erestor, apparently not happy with having toes in his face, bit the underside of his foot.

"Drat, he probably is halfway to Lorien by now," cursed Elrond as he made his way to the door. "If you see him, bring him straight to me! 'Fat', my eye," he mumbled as he left the room.

"Old Gondolin war wound?" Erestor popped his head up from under the desk – and Glorfindel cocked one brow up, for Erestor was looking up from a rather compromising position. "You are just lucky he didn't catch me!"

Glorfindel chuckled and patted Erestor on the head. The dark advisor made a face at him. "Yes, but I have," he said with a grin.

Before Erestor could protest, there was a knock on the edge of the doorway, and Glorfindel sat upright in his chair, shoving Erestor's head back underneath the desk with the rest of him. "Lindir! How good to see you!"

"Good day to you as well." Lindir stepped into the room, and Glorfindel held his breath until the minstrel paused just a few feet from him. His grey eyes were perusing the office with interest – no doubt, Elrond had sent his protégé in to spy. "I thought I heard voices coming from within."

"Just me," said Glorfindel abruptly.

"You were talking to yourself?"

"I thought everyone did that," returned the blond. He felt his legs being repositioned beneath the desk and tried not to appear too fidgety. Glorfindel began to sort through random piles on the desk, hoping Erestor would forgive him later for disorganizing the neat stacks.

Lindir perched himself on the few inches of bare space on the desk, and Glorfindel looked up at him. "Have you see Erestor?"

"No, have not seen him, no, never." The last word earned him a pinch to the inside of his thigh, and he clamped his teeth together to keep himself from yelping.

"You have... never seen Erestor?" questioned Lindir incredulously.

Clearing his throat to give himself a moment to think, Glorfindel replied, "That is today, I have not never seen him. Ever. Not ever today at all. A-hem," he punctuated, clearing his throat again and looking over a request form as if it were most important and much more interesting than what Lindir was saying.

"I thought I saw the two of you at breakfast together," mused Lindir.

"No, that must have been a different Erestor. A different elf that looked liked Erestor. Someone else," Glorfindel hurriedly finished, as Erestor hit his head repeatedly (but silently) against Glorfindel's knee under the desk.

"How many elves in the valley look like Erestor?" questioned Lindir, trying not to smirk as he circled the room. Glorfindel felt the dark elf under the desk retreat to the very back while Lindir studied the cabinets, looked beneath a table, and even knocked on a wall the young ellon suspected at times was false.

"Well, obviously, at least two. Erestor, and the other one."

"And who is this other one?" asked Lindir, ignoring the mess of feathers on the floor as he further examined the closet.

Glorfindel squirmed in his chair. "What other one?"

"The other one who looks like Erestor whom you were breaking your fast with this morn," prompted Lindir.

"Oh! That other one. I do not know," admitted Glorfindel, wiping the sweat from his brow when Lindir looked away for a moment, checking behind the cloaks on a rack by the door.

Lindir turned around, giving him the look that Elrond made famous. "You ate with him, and you do not know who he was?"

"That so long ago – hours and hours. How am I to recall the name of everyone in the valley?" insisted Glorfindel.

For a moment, Lindir did not say anything, but then, he countered with, "Breakfast was only forty minutes ago."

"And a LONG forty minutes it has been," Glorfindel assured the young minstrel. "Now, if you please," he said, standing up (Erestor grabbed his ankles in panic, but Glorfindel gently tugged them away), "I have work to be done."

"Of course." Lindir smirked. "I shall leave you and Master Erestor to that."

"Thank you. I mean-" began Glorfindel, but Lindir was grinning.

As the minstrel left the room, he called over his shoulder, "I think doing one's work beneath one's desk is VERY productive indeed – in fact, I am about to suggest it to Elrond right now!"

"Shite!" Glorfindel would have continued his cursing had Erestor not grabbed his arm and yanked him out the door. "Wait, where are we going?"

"Where Elrond will not find us!" Erestor pulled his robes up from the ground a bit with one hand and prodded Glorfindel down the hall with the other. "Come on! I know you can go faster than that!"

The pair raced out of the house, and Glorfindel blindly followed Erestor through the gardens and out to the oldest of the barns, the one used for keeping poultry and hutches of rabbits. "Up!" hissed Erestor when Glorfindel looked about in confusion. The scholar ran to the other end as Glorfindel began to climb the slats that were inset in the wall to a crude platform that made a sort of loft. When Glorfindel looked down, he saw Erestor running back to the wall to climb it, and noticed that both doors were now open. "Keep going; someone is bound to have seen us!" Erestor said with urgency, having a bit more trouble keeping his footing with his long robes.

When Glorfindel was on the top, he turned about and offered his hand to Erestor. As the dark elf came close enough to reach out to him, they heard the voices of Lindir and Elrond approaching. Glorfindel hoisted Erestor up the rest of the way, and then Erestor pulled Glorfindel to one end of the platform. There they pressed against the only part of the loft bordered by a wall that did not drop down to the ground. Erestor clamped his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

"Well, this is just fine." Elrond had just entered the barn and huffed upon seeing the open door at the other end. "They ran right through and we lost them."

"Are you sure?" Lindir began to explore around the hutches and coups, and Elrond nodded.

"They will have to come back to the house at some point – and then, we shall have words," promised Elrond. He steadied himself against the wire frame of one of the coups while Lindir continued his half-hearted search.

Finally, Lindir gave up and said, "Next time, we will catch them. You just need to get a bit more in shape – all the winter months inside caused you to store a little extra weight. Now with the spring here, you can be out and about to enjoy your strolls in the garden after dinner to walk it off. What exactly did Erestor say to make you so upset?" Lindir asked when Elrond did not converse back.

"He said I was getting sluggish and fat," Elrond told Lindir flatly.

Charmingly as possible, Lindir grinned. "Would you look at the time! I have SO much to do..." The minstrel flew in the direction of the house as Elrond grumbled and then headed there himself.

"What sort of secret hideaway is this?" asked Glorfindel when he was sure that he and Erestor were alone in the barn. The loft was mostly bare, but it did have a few old pillows that Glorfindel recognized from a couch that had once been in the Hall of Fire, as well as a few bales of hay that were pushed together as a sort of lounge or bed. There was wine, and lembas in a sealed canister next to jars of preserved fruit. A stack of old books were piled against the wall.

"Mine." Erestor sat down on a hay bale and patted the one beside him. "If I need a place to hide when Elrond is in a mood, then I come here. Today, I set him off rather unexpectedly and had no where else to run but to you."

Glorfindel smiled. "I am glad that you know you can trust me."

Erestor looked about for a moment, and then snorted. "I called Elrond fat."

"I sort of got that impression," laughed Glorfindel.

"Do you really talk to yourself?" asked Erestor as he retrieved a bottle of wine and some food for them to snack on.

"Erm... sometimes?" Glorfindel nodded. "Crazy, I know, but I do."

"Oh, good," Erestor said with a sigh of relief, taking a drink from the bottle and then handing it to the blond. "I thought I was the only one."

*-Sunset-*

There were times when no one could seem to find Erestor late in the day. He would be at the evening meal, and then would disappear. Once darkness claimed the valley, he could be found many places – sometimes the library, and other times the Hall of Fire. Perhaps he would be singing a lullaby to little Arwen or sitting in the stables with his horses. Yet other times he might engage in cards with Melpomaen and the twins, or ask Glorfindel to share a glass of wine with him on the balcony.

It was the 'in between time' as Glorfindel called it that befuddled the golden warrior. Even with his skills of tracking and perception, he could not find where the dark one hid himself. Looking high and low, and even in places no one else considered – the hidden passages of the house, the loft in the barn, and even in the basement – Glorfindel could never seem to find his dark friend. He never thought to ask, for it seemed that had Erestor wanted anyone to know, he would have said something. On the other hand, Glorfindel was just too damned curious not to try to find out.

So it happened that by complete accident Glorfindel decided one day to hike up the slope of the valley. As dusk approached and he made plans to camp for the night, he turned to regard the sunset and stopped to stare.

The colors were not what mesmerized him, or the swirls of nearly spent clouds wafting across the sky. It was not the sun, either, though it was one of the things of nature that he himself greatly loved. Instead, what gave him reason to pause was the ellon whose back was to him. His exposed back, for this elf wore no clothing – it had been carelessly tossed aside in a heap of leggings, boots, and a comfortable robe.

Glorfindel was afraid to break the silence that lingered as he watched Erestor breathe deeply and tilt his head slowly and slightly back as a warm breeze swam by. "Good evening, Glorfindel," greeted the deep, calming voice.

"Good.. good evening," he replied, and feeling it was alright, he took a step closer. "Erestor, may.. may I ask what you are doing?"

Erestor took another few slow breaths, then eased his head to turn and look up at Glorfindel. "I come here to pray," he answered. "To give thanks for what He has done and to ask Him to bless those I love and care for, and everyone else in this world."

"Not the orcs, though," joked Glorfindel.

A smile crossed Erestor's face. "Even the orcs. Remember, they never asked for anyone to mutilate them; to destroy and mar the beauty that their Father gave to them. Their souls are no different from ours."

Glorfindel chewed on his lip as Erestor looked back over the valley. The dark elf had his palms resting in the grass on either side of him. Finally, Glorfindel mumbled, "I did not mean to disrupt you." He took a step away.

"You need not go." Erestor waited for Glorfindel to return. "If you want to stay you can."

Looking out over the valley, Glorfindel glanced down at Erestor and said, "It just seems odd. I mean, here you are, sitting in the nude on the ridge while I am just standing here. It just looks very strange; you sitting here naked."

"Would you feel more comfortable if I were dressed?" questioned Erestor.

"I.. doubt that would much matter," admitted Glorfindel. "Why are you naked anyhow?"

"Because when I come here, I feel most connected with everything like this. Just at the end of the day, sitting here, as He created me. You know," continued Erestor, "it was not Eru who put it into our minds to wear clothing, it was the Ainur. They were the ones who were ashamed of and embarrassed by the way their hroar looked when they mirrored our forms. So they covered themselves. We followed suit. 'Tis a shame," sighed Erestor, stretching his legs out before him.

Without further discussion, Glorfindel loosened the laces of his shirt and pulled it over his head, tossing it aside. The rest of his garments made it into the pile before he sat down upon the ground beside Erestor to look out over the valley. "Say a prayer that neither of the twins wanders upon us up here like this," suggested Glorfindel, his cheeks tinged slightly red.

"What makes you think I had not already done so?" Erestor stretched his arms up over his head before maneuvering back into a cross-legged sitting position. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, folding his hands together before him.

"So... what should I say to Him?" asked Glorfindel after a few awkward minutes.

"Whatever you like," answered Erestor.

Glorfindel sighed and shook his head. "I have no idea where to begin. Beyond a few desperate calls of 'Dear Eru, do not let me die again' and 'Please Eru, do not let this be another balrog', my experience is limited. What do you say to Him?"

Erestor stiffened slightly, but relaxed as another breeze washed over them. "Sometimes I... just tell Him about all of the good things that happened in my day and how wonderful I think He is. Sometimes I tell Him about those who are frustrated or suffering and ask Him to help them. Sometimes I tell Him about those who I love and ask Him to give His blessings to them. Sometimes I ask Him to make things in my life a little easier; sometimes I thank Him for what He has done for me. Sometimes, when I am frustrated, I sit and-" Erestor took a breath. "I sit and cry and curse and ask Him why. But I have found there is always a reason why; sometimes it takes a long time to realize why. Luckily for me, He is always forgiving, even when I am most angered and saying things I should not," admitted the dark elf. Erestor paused and said, "Does that help you?"

"A little, and yet, I still do not know what to say."

Giving a nod, Erestor said, "There is a little prayer that I know, perhaps you are familiar with it, too, which I used to say when I did not know what to say. Even now I use it sometimes. Do you know 'The Lord's Prayer'?"

Glorfindel shook his head. "I just know the ones I made up about not meeting another balrog."

A smile crossed Erestor's lips. "I can teach it to you, if you like." As Erestor spoke the words, Glorfindel repeated the lines:

Lord Eru

Who dwells among stars

Sacred is your naming

As is your will

To be fulfilled

Guide us in your singing

Help us to choose that which is our path

And forgive those who will forsake it

Give us shelter from the dark

And lead us into the light

For you are ever and forever the One

The power and glory eternally

Namar

Feeling soothed and more welcome now in these surroundings, Glorfindel looked down into the valley. From the way the trees grew and rocks jutted, one could not quite see the house, but he knew where it was hidden. He could, however, see the gardens, as well as the stable and a few other buildings like the forge, with smoke still billowing. Walkways and bridges made meandering patterns through the land, and horses grazed far below while elves and men alike went about finishing the final tasks of the day. "You really have a remarkable view up here," he said.

"Mmm... can you imagine the view Eru has of everything from the heavens? All of Aman, all of the time." Erestor's gaze wandered back to the setting sun.

"How long have you been... religious like this?" asked Glorfindel, for though he knew Erestor observed the holy times as some of the others in the house did, he had never known the extent of Erestor's beliefs. In all honestly, the way Erestor was talking to him reminded him of the way some of the extremely devout elves spoke. The ones he often avoided at dinner and made excuses about having to be elsewhere when they made attempts to talk to him.

Erestor sighed. "Oh... since around the time I left Valinor. I was at first, but then I left Doriath and I forget about things for a while. Eventually, I ended up in Greenwood where I was reminded of a lot of things, including the faith I thought I had lost. But, Fin, if this bothers you-"

"No. I really, really want to know," confirmed the blond, giving his friend a serious look. "I always wanted to ask someone about these sorts of things, but..."

"You were afraid they would make you join them unconditionally and be upset at you had you not?" guessed the dark elf.

Glorfindel nodded. "I had that preconceived notion, yes. My father always said it was a scam, that things would happen the same whether anyone prayed to Eru or not. He said we were all in charge of our own destinies."

"Fin, not to be incredibly rude, but your father had some very stupid ideas," Erestor reminded him.

With a sigh, Glorfindel agreed. "This is very true. The fact is, though, I never knew how much of it to believe in, because I happen to be very unknowledgeable regarding it."

"Well... there are different versions of the basic belief system. The root in most of them is, you believe that Eru is the One, and the only God that there is. Period. Most everyone, elves at least, believe this in some capacity. Then each specific group has their own particular laws, rules, and customs. My beliefs are stricter than, say, what Elrond and Celebrian practice, and much, much more so than what Galadriel believes," explained Erestor. "Then there are a lot of other little groups that are somewhat similar to one or more of those sets of beliefs. Besides all of that, there are those who do not consider Eru to be anything at all, but they really have more of a lack of beliefs."

"I am... so lost right now," admitted Glorfindel.

"How to make this short... Alright, the basis of the religious beliefs I have is that there is one God, Eru, and that He created everything, and this is His world, and we live in it because He wills it so. I direct my prayers to Him, and practice special rules, such as... for instance, if I do something morally wrong, then I am supposed to find someone to listen to my transgressions, and then I ask forgiveness from Him, usually in the form of a lot of praying and meditating." Erestor stretched his legs out again, and wiggled his toes. "Elrond, on the other hand, also believes that Eru is the one God, but he and Celebrian pray to the Valar, basically thinking that they will carry the messages to Eru. I suppose they do sometimes, but the thing that is forgotten is that Eru is all powerful; that is, He can listen while I am praying to Him, and if you are praying to Him at the same time, He can listen to both of us at once. The group Elrond belongs to has very few special rules to follow, which are basically things like, do not murder, do not steal and other such items – same things I am not supposed to do. But if they do these things, they just try not to do them again. There is no need to confess and do penance and such."

"Galadriel, well, she believes that Eru is not all powerful, and she actually believes that the Valar are the ones who are and that Eru is more of a fairytale or a myth." Erestor looked quite perturbed saying this. "So, she prays to the Valar, when she feels like it, and that is about the extent of what she does. Elrond, he prays when he wants to and when he needs to. I pray at least twice daily, and sometimes more than twice. Now, the other thing that I am supposed to do is spread the message to others; those who have other beliefs, well, they are encouraged to of course share them, but they are not charged with 'saving others' as it may be called."

Glorfindel suddenly had the look of a deer about to flee. "Normally," he said, "that is the phrase that would cue me to make up some excuse to leave."

With a smirk, Erestor continued to watch the sun sink. "I am not one to go about trying to round up others and convert them. I feel that when someone is ready, they will come to me."

"How do you find time to pray twice every day?" questioned Glorfindel.

"I just do. How do you find time to eat three times a day?" countered Erestor. "Eating takes far longer to do once a day than praying does to do so five or six or even seven times."

"How do you remember to do it when you are supposed to?" pressed Glorfindel.

"When I wake up and before I go to bed, I pray. This," explained Erestor, spreading an arm out, "is extra. When I am in my office thinking of someone who I think needs a little blessing, I pray. If I am walking down the hall or in the garden and pass someone, if my mind is not preoccupied, I say a little prayer for them. I have prayed millions of times while you or others have been around me, and I doubt anyone has ever noticed."

"So, being that I never really officially joined with any of these religions, that would mean I do not have one and I can just pick any of them, right?" Glorfindel guessed.

Lying back in the grass to watch the stars overhead after the sun disappeared from view, Erestor said, "Yes and no. You would be considered Aphadsadorin, like Elrond. I have a feeling, even if your parents were not heavily practicing a religion, they would have had you blessed by Eru in some type of ceremony or another. That being said, since you do occasionally pray and you do believe in Eru, they would consider you part of their group. You would nearly qualify as Valabronwin, but you believe in Eru, so they would not be happy to accept you as one of them."

"What about you? What would I have to do to, uhm..." Glorfindel fought for the phrase he had heard a few times before and then said, "join your flock, as it were."

"Well," said Erestor, becoming very serious, "first, you would need to be very sure that this is what you believe in and that there is not some other religion that would be better for you. There are others, all of them smaller than the Aphadsadorin, but most larger than Sedrynerin, so you have to understand, I am in the vast minority, practicing what many think is an archaic religion for a time long past. Now of course, in Valinor, things are quite different, but here in Middle-earth, you will find many, many less Sedryners."

Glorfindel wanted to say he was sure, fairly sure, but since he was not entirely sure, he closed his mouth and licked his lips. "Alright. Once I figure that out, once I decide, yes, I believe in all you are telling me, then what do I need to do?"

"The first step is to make a declaration to Eru," explained Erestor. "On your own, by yourself, you speak to Him. You tell him you understand He is the one true power and that you accept Him unconditionally as your Father. You also admit that you have done things He would not approve of, and you strive to be better – though, even He knows that none of us are perfect in that regard. Well, He is, obviously. Then, from that point on, theoretically, you are considered to truly be one of His children, and you would then be called, in practice, a Sedryner."

"And you did that once?" Glorfindel decided to follow suit and began stargazing as they continued to talk.

Erestor nodded. "When we were sailing here, to Middle-earth, it was Oropher who told me what I am telling you. I had felt as if I had been forsaken – at the time, I was an Aphadsador because I was praying more to the Vala than to Eru and never had really followed any of the Sedrynerin rules – for starters, I had lived for quite some time with an elleth beneath my roof and in my bed that I was not wed to. On the long voyage, Oropher counseled me. He continued to while we were in Doriath. Things went downhill again, and I left before he managed to convert me," Erestor said with a rueful smile. "When we were being attacked in Gondolin, I found a moment in a secluded spot in the midst of battle, and there I first truly spoke to the Lord, not just praying as I had before, but asking Him to take me into His heart as one of His children. When I reached Greenwood some time later, I told Oropher and Thranduil what I had done. Both of them were simply overjoyed about it. And there I completed the rest of the rites."

"And those would be?" Glorfindel asked when Erestor did not continue.

After another pause, Erestor said, "Are you sure you want to listen to me drone on this? I could always find you a book on the subject."

"I would really rather hear this from you," admitted Glorfindel.

"I feel as if you are perhaps just humoring me." Erestor turned to look at Glorfindel and said, "I mean no disrespect to you, and if you tell me goodnight right now and leave, I will have no ill feelings against you."

"Erestor, for a long time," said Glorfindel, propping himself up with one arm, "I have just felt.. lost. I think it was no accident that I came upon you here – how many others have discovered this hiding place?"

"You are the first and only," realized Erestor, and so, he proceeded. "The first thing you do is to confess your sins. This you do to someone who has already been part of the faith for a while, usually someone you are very comfortable with as you will be telling them some very personal things. Oropher offered, but in the end, I asked Thranduil to aid me. It is a very emotional thing." Here Erestor had to stop, and he was looking at some far away point, no doubt remembering that day. "I remember being scared and feeling terrible and, I will admit, crying a lot. Of course, I went in thinking, this is no great task, just a few minutes time. It ended with me sitting in a corner weeping while Thranduil sat beside me telling me how very happy he was and how proud he was of me. It was.. a little strange, but there is a certain feeling after of utter peace that has hardly been duplicated in any of my subsequent confessions – which, sadly, are few and far between not having anyone here in Rivendell whom I feel that comfortable with."

"So, Oropher and Thranduil and their families – they are all like you?" asked Glorfindel, and Erestor nodded in confirmation.

"Oropher indeed was, and he was something of a spiritual leader, though not officially. Thranduil and his sons, they are all trained as ministers of our faith. They are allowed to do some of the things that the rest cannot – perform weddings and cleansings and things of that nature," said Erestor.

"And next, you shall tell me you are as well." Glorfindel smiled just as Erestor did.

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" Erestor's eyes sparkled, an affirmation of sorts.

With a wider grin, Glorfindel said, "You presided over Elrond and Celebrian's wedding. When I asked Celeborn why he did not, his answer was that they wanted it to be 'official', just in case. Now it makes sense – in case either of them decided to convert."

"No, in case one of their children decided to," laughed Erestor. At the confused look Glorfindel gave him, Erestor said, "If you marry and have children and they decide to practice Sedrynereth, then all they would need to do is declare and confess."

"What do you do if you were just... born?" asked Glorfindel. "Or... reborn?" he joked.

"If you are not born to Sedrynerin parents, or parents whose marriage was performed in the Sedrynerin manner, then you need to be cleansed."

"Like a bath?" Glorfindel suspected that it was not much like a bath at all, but Erestor shrugged.

"Something like that, I suppose. You go to a river or a lake or something like that with one of the ministers. Usually, there is an accompaniment of others from the faith, but that is not necessary. You go with the minister into the water, about where it is waist deep or so. Everyone else stays ashore while you and the minister have a little discussion – last chance to leave sort of thing. No one is angry if someone suddenly decides not to continue." Erestor stretched his arms and yawned. "Then you are submersed with the minister there to make sure you do not drown, and when you stand again, you are officially and truly a son – or daughter if the case may be – of Eru. Most then observe a three day long fast and time of silent meditation, often in a secluded place outside. And then, there is a big celebration and... then you are a Sedryner."

"So, the cleansing is mostly symbolic then," Glorfindel assumed.

Erestor frowned. "Well it is, but at the same time, it is a very spiritual thing. If you are interested in knowing more, I have a book you can borrow. Also, if you wish to attend a cleansing, I am performing one in a few days."

"Oh?" Glorfindel wondered who it was. The answer was forthcoming.

"Melpomaen. He told me a number of times that he thought his parents were Sedrynerin, but he was never entirely sure. Pity that they died when he was so young," sighed Erestor. "He made the decision in the autumn, but I convinced him to hold off on this final rite until the waters in the Bruinen had a chance to warm up again."

"But... will it be alright for a non-Sedrynerin to be there?" worried Glorfindel.

"You are curious, and we do not turn away those who feel they are being called to us." Erestor reached over and took hold of Glorfindel's hand, giving it a squeeze. "If you have any other questions for me, I am always here to answer them. If you decide this is not for you, I will respect that completely. Thank you for not running away from me or making an excuse for needing to be somewhere else like you do to the rest of the parishioners," added Erestor as he stood up and retrieved his clothing from where he had left it hours earlier.

"You are welcome. Though, it would have been difficult for me to have left," said Glorfindel as he pulled his shirt back over his head. "You see," he confessed, "I... I tend to lie to them and say that I am on my way to speak to you about something."

"Yes, I know," chuckled Erestor as he finished dressing and headed back into the valley.

*-Blankets-*

If there was one member of the house who loved washday, it was Arwen. It always began with the gathering of all of the dirty laundry by the maids. Arwen would follow them about and help by carrying a sock that strayed from a basket or a forgotten towel to them. For this, she would be given a pat on the head, and sometimes, a candy. Good, sweet candies, not the kind that Erestor offered her that tasted bitter or turned her teeth black and green.

Then, it was off to the river. Sometimes, she would be given a small sack with fruit and bread for lunch, while other times the nanny would be sent along with a picnic lunch for them to share. On occasion, her brothers came, too; Arwen noted that this was to flirt with the wash maids even though they always told their parents it was to look after their sister.

Once they came to the bank of the Bruinen, the maids would unload the wheelbarrows used to transport the laundry through the valley. They would stretch a net from a large rock that was a few yards out to a tree upon shore. This kept any of the items from washing downstream should they slip from their hands. Then they would roll up their sleeves, and the gossiping would begin. The washing began, too, but Arwen took note that the maids seemed more occupied with who was in a relationship with whom than they were with working the stains from someone's trousers.

Her mother never came down to the river on these days, nor would her father, nor her uncles, but sometimes Lindir would join the group assembled on the shore. He would arrive after lunchtime, when the hard work was already done. Clothing and sheets had been wrung out and were stretched across hithlain between the trees to dry. This was the part that Arwen liked the best. Some days, the older elves would act a bit younger, and the maids would engage in games with her brothers (in which the winner always kissed the loser, something she did not quite understand). Lindir would perch in a tree and sing songs, and if there was a game of tag or hide and seek going on, would wink and point out the hiding spots behind a tree or a blanket hung in the breeze to the seekers.

It was inevitable with all of the excitement that Arwen would get tired – the long walk down to the river was enough in and of itself, not to mention the fun once they arrived. A few times she would still be awake when the clothing had dried in the sun, and then would help to fold the linens. Most of the time, however, she would be curled up next to Lindir as he crooned a lullaby or sitting on one of her brother's laps falling asleep.

She always awoke the same way – back at the house, in a wheelbarrow, upon a pile of fluffy, fresh blankets, in the hallway outside the linen closet.

*-Cats & Dogs-*

It was late when Elrond came to the library, and he was not surprised to find Erestor still sitting at his desk. What did surprise him was that the advisor was not bent over a scroll or studying some text. Instead, Erestor was leaning back in his chair with his legs propped on the desktop. His interest was captured in watching one of the many moths that had found their way into the library and were attracted less to the paper and more to the flames of the candles that lit the chandelier overhead.

"Another late night, my friend?" asked Elrond as he passed the desk and continued to the stacks to find a medical book he hoped no one else had checked out.

"Hmmm? Oh, yes, indeed." Erestor yawned and stretched his arms over his head, cracking the kink from his back. "Finding what you need?" he called out when he stopped hearing noise from the area Elrond had gone to.

"When did you acquire all of these books on poisonous plants?" asked Elrond as he returned with a stack nearly up to his nose.

"About... twelve years ago," recalled Erestor. "Just a little light reading for the night?" he teased.

Elrond smiled behind the stack of books. "Aye. Do you mind if I take all of these?"

"Technically, they are your books. Your treasury paid for them," Erestor reminded the lord of the house.

"Yes, but it is YOUR library." Elrond set the stack down on the desk and waited as Erestor took his feet off of the desk and began to remove the checkout cards from each volume. "Next week, I have you scheduled as being off duty; Melpomaen as well."

Erestor picked up the stamp and smushed it into the pad of red ink. "Yes, and thank you as always."

"Of course. I think what you do is... very admirable," Elrond finally settled upon. Erestor looked up immediately, a glimpse of hope in his eyes. "No, no, do not give me that look. You know I agree with most of your teachings already, but your way is not for me."

"I do not see why not," sighed Erestor. "You have said many times that you are not entirely happy with your own religion."

"But I have not the time yours requires," stated the lord firmly, and Erestor knew at that moment that further discussion was pointless. "Besides, I have heard that you have someone else to concentrate on these days."

"Melpomaen does not require my guidance at this point; he has made his choice," said Erestor as he neatly stacked the books for Elrond.

Elrond picked up the stack with a smile of thanks. "I meant Glorfindel. He came to me, you know."

"Oh?"

"He wanted to know how I liked being an Aphadsadorin. I noticed that he has taken to carrying around your copy of the Book and reads to himself in the gardens. I assumed you must have spoken to him," explained Elrond.

"He came to me first," stated Erestor, as if he was in need of defending Glorfindel's actions. "I only did what he asked me to do."

Nodding, Elrond said, "I think it would be good for him."

"But not for you." Erestor made the statement matter-of-factly, then switched to a different topic. "What do you think would be an appropriate gift for a young ellon who has been doing a good job at work?"

Elrond frowned and set the books back down. "Whom are you referring to?"

"Melpomaen – he has picked up a lot of extra hours and has been working very hard. Normally, when I have an employee who is doing well, I like to get them a little gift of some sort. The thing is, until Melpomaen began working here, it was always ellith who were employed as scribes and pages. Ellith are easy to find gifts for; if it shines or sparkles, they are generally happy with it. Or, a lovely book of poetry, usually penned by myself, if it is for one I knew a bit about. Nothing I have been able to come up with seems appropriate. I thought, since you have two sons, you might be able to give me a suggestion."

Pondering this, Elrond asked, "What does Melpomaen do in his free time?"

"He plays cards; he plays chess. He reads a lot. He already has a rather nice chessboard and I have not found a suitable book he might like. Melpomaen has something of a random range of tastes in books," admitted Erestor.

"No interest in sport or music or art?" asked Elrond. Erestor shook his head. "Indeed, I am as uncertain as you."

"Ah, well, it was worth a try," shrugged Erestor. "Thank you for your time," he added as Elrond picked up the stack. Elrond gave him a nod and bid him goodnight as he left.

Closing his eyes as he thought a little more, Erestor was awoken as rays of light came in through the windows. Looking around, he noted with a chuckle that the evening cleaners had come into the library and completed their work without waking him. Standing up from the large leather chair, he stretched and yawned and haphazardly walked into the stacks to further wake himself up.

His fingers idly slid across the spines of the rows as he slowly walked through the towering shelves of written knowledge. The unexplained came first, then philosophy and psychology, religion and sociology. Laws and customs followed, then languages. Here he paused. He reached up and plucked a book from near the top and flipped it open, his eyes scanning the words, both familiar and foreign, on the page. So many times, he wished he had more time to spend in this section. Replacing the book in its proper spot, he continued through the aisle. Science was next, and the medical section was rivaled only by the horticulture books. Then there was a break, and the second half of the library began with domesticated animals. It was a section often favored by the children, where a number of illustrated books were located.

Erestor stood before the section, his eyes skipping from title to title. Pulling a small red book from the shelf, he opened it randomly and smiled. Walking swiftly from the stacks with the book still in hand, he stopped in his rooms to brush his hair and generally make himself presentable before heading to the stables. He recalled a box of them being there a week ago, and wondered if any were left.

- - -

"You wished to see me, Lord Erestor?"

Erestor smiled warmly and stood up, motioning to the seat across his desk. Melpomaen sat down and folded his hands on his lap. "I wanted to speak to you about your performance here in the library."

"I- I can do better," Melpomaen said almost immediately. "Really, I can get done much more than I already do!"

"Melpomaen, calm yourself," Erestor said, raising a hand. "That is not what I meant. Rather, I wanted to compliment you on the work you have been doing."

"Really?" Melpomaen beamed. "Thank you, Master Erestor!"

"No, thank you. You are a dedicated, hard working member of the library staff, and I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate that." Erestor reached quickly under the desk to make sure that everything was still in order. Melpomaen gave him a bit of a confused look, and Erestor asked, "What do you think about cats and dogs?"

"I love dogs," said Melpomaen without delay. "I wanted one for some time, but I always feared, you know, losing them someday. But, still, I think a dog would be nice, even for a short time. A cat, too, perhaps. I suppose it would be difficult for me to decide," the young scribe admitted.

With a nod, Erestor pushed back his chair and reached under the desk, pulling out a box that had edges of a worn blanket sticking up and out of it here and there. "Good, because I had such trouble deciding which to get you, so I just found one of each."

Melpomaen looked down excitedly and grinned. He pulled the sleepy, white puppy out of the box and cuddled him. "Oh, he is adorable!" exclaimed the scribe, holding onto the puppy as his tail began to wag. He received a lick on the face and laughed. Looking down into the box, he found new collars for both the puppy and his companion, a long-haired brown and tan kitten who was curled up in a corner of the box snoozing. There were food and water dishes as well, and a leash for the puppy. "And so is she – thank you!"

"I am very glad you like them," smiled Erestor. "Now, why not take the rest of the day off and let those two rascals get acquainted with your rooms?"

Placing the puppy back into the box, Melpomaen asked, "Can I thank you with a hug, or do I have to do this properly and just shake your hand?"

Chuckling, Erestor came around the desk and gave the younger ellon a hug. "Thank you again for all of your hard work over the past year."

"Thank you." Melpomaen picked up the box and grinned, carrying it carefully out of the office.

Erestor stood proudly in the doorway, watching Melpomaen leave. He decided he would wait until tomorrow to tell Melpomaen about his promotion – after all, a puppy and a kitten were enough excitement for one day.

*-Birthday-*

"Are you busy?"

Erestor gave Glorfindel the oddest look ever. "Am I busy? Let me think." Erestor looked over the piles of unread or unsigned documents littering his desk. Sitting beside him was Melpomaen, his newly named personal secretary – a job the young elf had taken quite seriously. Things which Erestor had planned to set aside for years if possible were brought to light, and no appointment was postponed or altogether missed due to a conflict. The scribe was busily transcribing a document for Erestor and did not do more than look up and give Glorfindel a smile when the blond had entered. "No, how could I be busy? That is the most bizarre idea that ever I have heard."

"Oh, good," Glorfindel responded, ignoring the thick layer of sarcasm that covered Erestor's words. "Come with me."

"What? Why?" demanded Erestor when he saw the grin emerge on Glorfindel's face. "Fin, I have not the time for games."

"This is no game. Your presence is requested, and I must lead you there," smirked Glorfindel.

Erestor frowned. "Lead me where?"

"I cannot tell. Now close your eyes and come with me," Glorfindel instructed.

"This is insane. Melpomaen, tell him I have no time for this." Erestor pointedly unrolled a scroll and hunched himself over the document.

Clearing his throat, Melpomaen leaned over and whispered to Erestor, who narrowed his eyes at the younger ellon. "Tis true," Melpomaen apologized. "Your calendar is clear from now until this evening, due to the race later today."

With a sigh, Erestor stood up. "Very well, but I shall not be led blindly through the house," he argued.

"Close your eyes, or I shall need to blindfold you," answered Glorfindel.

Snorting rather indignantly, Erestor closed his eyes. "Fine. But if anything ill comes of this... Melpomaen, 'tis your fault!" The young elf swallowed hard and looked at Glorfindel with pleading eyes, but Glorfindel returned his look with a smile and a shake of his head. There was no reason for Melpomaen to fret.

Glorfindel tucked Erestor's arm into his own, and began to lead the advisor through the hallways. He wound them up and down and back around again, hoping to throw his friend off as to where they were going. The entire way, he made pleasant conversation which was answered back with witty or playfully sarcastic remarks. Finally, he came to the main doors and walked them outside and across the main lawn, until they came near to the stables.

"Open your eyes."

"Must I?"

"You will hurt the little lady's feelings if you don't."

With a muffled sigh, Erestor blinked his eyes open to the sunlight. He knew that he had been escorted outside, but did not know quite where Glorfindel had led him. To his left, the blond was smiling; to his right stood Elrond and Elrohir. Elrohir had a most wicked smirk, and it was to him that Erestor looked. "Where are your siblings?" he questioned.

"Uncle Erestor! Over here!" called out Elladan. Erestor looked out over the field before glancing back at Elrohir.

"That is my horse."

"One of them," smiled Elrohir.

Elladan walked the huge dark horse up to the waiting group of elves, with Arwen dancing alongside. "Before you say a thing," began Elladan, "this is not a prank. This was Arwen's idea."

"And the two are not connected?" Erestor muttered under his breath so that only the elf lords on either side of him heard. He stepped forward to the proud horse and looked him up and down. "Morir, you are looking quite... floral today," he said. The horse threw back his head and high stepped his way around the entire group, showing off of the blooms that were woven through his mane and tail.

"My, Erestor, what a queer horse you have," joked Glorfindel with a wink.

With a snort and so only the adults could hear, Erestor replied, "You would know." Glorfindel smirked and blew him a kiss.

"If that means pretty, Uncle Finny, then yes, he is a very queer horse," Arwen said, complimenting her own work.

"I suppose he is going to make the rest of my horses jealous now, will he not?" asked Erestor, patting his lead horse's neck once the steed stopped prancing about.

Arwen shook her head, tugging on her 'uncle's' fingers when she wasn't sure he had seen her. "No, no, he will not, not at all! I fixed all of them like this!" Erestor gave Elrond a worried look, but the tugging on his hand again made him look back to Arwen. "The carriage, too, 'tis all decorated."

"Oh. That is... very nice of you," he said, "but I have a race this afternoon."

"I know! That is why I did it!" she said gleefully. "All the rest of the horses are always pretty and braided and yours never are. That always makes me sad, and I think it makes you sad, too."

"I do not have the time to make them pretty," Erestor said apologetically.

"But I do!" Arwen shouted with glee. "At the start of every race," she recalled, "each rider has a pretty lady who puts flower wreaths on his horses and hands him a flower and gives him a kiss. I think I can do all of that if El'n'El help lift me up sometimes. You are going to have the prettiest horses in the whole wide world." She tugged on his hand again. "Uncle Erestor, there is something else!" She motioned impatiently to Elrohir, who grinned and stepped around his father, presenting a package to Erestor. "You have to open it," she explained to him, rocking back and forth on her feet.

Erestor carefully unwrapped the package and pulled from the plain paper a beautifully embroidered jerkin like those of the other horsemasters who raced across the lands. The crest of his house was displayed on the left breast of the garment and shone in the sunlight, the three silver stars prominent above the blue waters. "Shall I ask the occasion?" he questioned softly.

Arwen cued her brothers, father, and Uncle Finny in with a wave of her hand. "Happy Begetting Day, Erestor!" shouted the group, and Erestor blushed when some of the other residents of the house looked up from their daily chores at the little group on the lawn.

"Thank you, but as I have said times before, I do not know when that is."

"That is why we decided for you!" Arwen beamed, brimming over with enthusiasm. "Nana said that any day after she finished this, we could do it. She said you liked late spring best, too. It was very hard for us to wait, Uncle Erestor!"

"Listen to you!" laughed Elladan. "It was so difficult for you to wait, not us! We have acquired patience in our old age," he teased.

"Well, so will I," she answered, still fidgeting around. "You should try it on to make sure it fits for the race today," she insisted. "I helped to draw the designs with Papa, and El'n'El dyed the cloth, and Nana sewed it."

Now smiling, Erestor looked at Glorfindel. "And what, pray tell, was your part in all this?"

"They let me pick the day," he answered. "For the most part, it was all little Lady Arwen's idea."

"My lady, I thank you," said Erestor as he lowered himself to one knee. "This may be my 'first' begetting day, but 'tis truly the best," he said, kissing her hand as she giggled.

*-Hurt-*

Erestor knocked quietly on the door, his other arm holding an assortment of items to his chest. He patiently waited for the occupant of the room to either open the door or bid him to enter.

Melpomaen came to the door, but did not bid Erestor in as he usually did. Standing at the entryway with the door only slightly ajar behind him, Melpomaen said, "Erestor, so good to see you. Thank you again for last week, I appreciate everything you did for me." His hand fiddled with the doorknob as he spoke.

Worry crossed Erestor's face only briefly. With a smile he said, "You are most welcome. It was due to that as to why I am here. I have a gift for you." Erestor plucked from the items he held a simple, leather-bound book with gilded pages. "This is for you, a journal for you to write your thoughts."

"Oh, my! Thank you!" Melpomaen forgot about the knob on the door as he took the journal with both hands and carefully opened the cover. There was an inscription, which made him smile joyfully, and he looked at the next few pages in awe. "This is beautiful. How can I ever write in it?" he asked as he looked over the illuminations that Erestor had drawn of the singing of Creation and the making of Arda around the edges of each page.

"I do hope you will," Erestor told him. "It would be a shame to have a book sit empty." Erestor shifted the other things he carried with him and said, "I have some presents for your little friends as well. Have they torn apart your rooms yet?" he grinned.

"Ah.. no, actually, no, they have not." Melpomaen looked at the book in his hands and closed it and sighed. "Master Erestor, when I said the other night that I had confessed everything, well, sir... that was not entirely true."

"Oh?" Erestor felt uneasiness in his stomach. He had always feared something like this happening, yet, he tended to have a better feeling as to whom such candidates might be, and never would he have thought of Melpomaen.

The look on Erestor's face made the young elf cringe, and he reached around with one hand for the knob of the door again. "I am so sorry, and I did not wish to hurt your feelings. I just... I could not take care of both of them. I found her a good home, though, the best home. I have felt simply awful ever since," he admitted.

Drawing his lips into a straight line, Erestor looked over the young elf. "When you say her-"

"That adorable kitten you gave to me. Please, I am so sorry, Master Erestor. I thought she was so cute, but, aiya, those claws! And the way she made me sneeze, it was truly terrible!" Melpomaen pushed the door in to the room and continued, "She was knocking things onto the floor left and right, and insisted on leaping upon my lap each time I was writing. She even jumped onto my lap as I sat on the chamber pot!" he exclaimed.

Erestor sighed with relief as he entered the room. "Melpomaen, do not worry." He chuckled now that he was relaxed. "It was, in some ways, wrong of me to place such a heavy burden upon you. I could tell the way you spoke when I gifted them to you that you were not as happy about her as you were about the puppy."

"Oh, I love him!" Melpomaen looked toward the desk and made some kissy noises. "Tor! Tor!" A little head poked up over the edge of the box that Erestor had originally given to Melpomaen and a moment later, the fluffy white puppy bounded up over the edge, his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth and tail waggling. "I just adore him! He sleeps on my feet at night, and in the morning, he wakes me up with puppy kisses." Melpomaen blushed after having admitted this, but added, "He has been so wonderful; he is always waiting for me when I come home, and then we go for a walk, and then he sits beside me while I work – I wish I had had a puppy sooner!"

Smiling happily, Erestor held out a chew toy made of colorful rags wound together into a ring. "Then when he begins to lose his baby teeth and teethe, you will want this around." He also handed Melpomaen a large beef bone he had smuggled from the kitchens. "Too bare for soup, but just right for a puppy."

"Thank you," said Melpomaen as he picked up Tor and held the puppy as Erestor made his way back to the door to leave.

"And Mel?" Erestor reached over and patted the puppy's head with his free hand. "You did something many others would not have. I can easily see someone just letting that poor kitten go in the wilds or letting her out in one of the barns, but you took the time to find a home for her. You did not hurt my feelings, penneth – indeed, I am quite proud of you." Melpomaen beamed. "Might I inquire as to her new owner?"

"Lindir fell in love with her the moment he saw her, and she has been with him ever since," said Melpomaen.

"Excellent. In that case, I have some yarn I must take to him. Good night, Melpomaen," said Erestor as he left the room.

"Good night, Erestor." Melpomaen lifted up one of Tor's front paws and waved it. "Say good night, Tor." Melpomaen hid his face half behind the puppy and said in a growly sort of voice, "Good night, Erestor."

Laughing, Erestor waved back. "Good night, Tor." He closed the door and headed down the hallway to Lindir's rooms.

*-Breakfast-*

"Good morning!" The dual voices of both Elladan and Elrohir caused their mother to turn her head and blink sleepily at the doorway that led into their parents' rooms. She sat up as she noted that her sons' hands were carefully balancing trays with steaming food and pitchers and various other items. She nudged her husband, whose snoring abruptly halted with a surprised snort.

"What is all this?" questioned Elrond as the trays were set up before him and his wife on their bed. The pitchers of juice and water were moved to a spot on the nightstand.

Elladan made sure both trays were secure before taking glasses of juice that Elrohir poured and putting them on the trays for his parents. "It is breakfast, father," replied Elladan matter-of-factly. "I would suggest you start eating – 'tis a long way from the kitchens, and I would hate for your food to get cold."

"I need to fetch the fruit," said Elrohir, leaving the room and heading back down the main corridor.

"Alright, what do you want?" Celebrian took the napkin from her tray and spread it out on her lap as she sat up to better reach the food. Although Elrond still looked at both the tray and their eldest warily, she was not about to waste a delicious breakfast.

Elladan looked hurt. "I do not 'want' anything. Well, I suppose it would be nice for you to be happy about our efforts, but other than that it is not as if I am trying to bribe you."

"What does your brother want?" The question came from both parents at the same time, as Elrond, glancing over to see his wife enjoying her meal, decided to begin on his.

"I want to know whether or not either of you would like any berries." Elrohir had returned, and was holding out a bowl to them with ripe blueberries and strawberries in it. His father declined, but Celebrian took a handful of them and placed them beside her pancakes.

Elrond set down his fork. "Alright, what did the two of you do now?"

"Do?" Elrohir glanced at Elladan, who shrugged.

Refilling his mother's glass of juice, Elladan shook his head. "What has the world come to that children cannot do nice things for their parents anymore without being suspect of some mischief?"

"When they are my children, they are always suspect of mischief," answered Elrond.

"We just thought it would be a nice gesture," Elrohir said, looking saddened. "Sorry. We shall not do it again."

"Oh, come here, the both of you." Celebrian temporarily abandoned her breakfast, setting the tray to the side between her and her husband, and held out her arms to her sons. The twins each took a turn giving their mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you both very much. 'Tis lovely that you surprised us like this."

Both of them beamed and Elladan glanced over to their father. Elrond nodded, his mouth full, and swallowed his food. "Yes, thank you."

"You are both very welcome," Elladan said, grinning as he and Elrohir left the room.

Celebrian took the tray and placed it back over her lap, then gave Elrond a sideways look. "There is mischief afoot, but I cannot place my finger on it."

"Yes.. we shall both need to keep an eye on them today," agreed Elrond.

Out in the hallway, Elladan and Elrohir were quietly snickering and wheezing from laughter long contained. "Oh, my! They really think us up to something now!"

Elrohir nodded with a grin. "You are right, brother. It is quite a lot of fun to make them think we have made trouble when there is none at all!"

*- Reunion-*

"I have a thought," announced Elrond as Glorfindel and Erestor arrived for the morning meeting. Neither had the chance to even sit down before their lord said, "What if we cancel the meeting today and skip the council session this afternoon?"

Erestor looked quite taken aback. "Shall we reschedule for tomorrow?" he asked, already turning to that page in his planner as he balanced his papers in his arm.

"No, I think we can hold off discussion until next week. Unless there is something vitally important on the agenda, but I saw nothing which cannot wait." Elrond was himself engaged in another task, with his desk cleared except for a book and a few loose folios for a transcription he was personally attending to.

"I suppose we all have other tasks that we can fill the time with," agreed Erestor.

Looking up, Elrond shook his head. "I am giving you both the day off. If you wish to spend it locked in your stuffy office, go ahead." He looked back to his desktop and said, "I would not."

Glorfindel shrugged and smiled. "Who is to argue with the lord of the valley?"

"A wise decision." Elrond finished the line he was working on and looked to Glorfindel. "Especially considering the fact we have special guests in the house at this time." Elrond gave him a wink.

"Oh?" Glorfindel glanced over at Erestor, completely puzzled. Erestor looked just as confused. "Who?"

"No one of importance," lied Elrond. "He and his company only just wandered in late last night, and I said that when you were free I would send you to him to give him a proper greeting. I am sure my greeting was proper enough, but not nearly as welcome as yours will be."

"Gildor." The smile on Glorfindel's face widened, but then faded once more as he turned his head and saw Erestor, looking out the window and avoiding his gaze. "I... suppose I should... see if he is well..." Glorfindel took a deep breath and made to leave. "Thank you, m'lord." Elrond gave a nod as Glorfindel left the office.

Erestor let out a long-held breath and ran his fingers back through his hair. "Well. I have work to do." He straightened his papers as Elrond set his quill aside.

"You do know," said Elrond just as Erestor had reached the door, "you will either need to convert them both, or get Glorfindel to stop being so promiscuous."

"Yes, thank you, I do know my own religion." Erestor bit his lip and bowed his head. "I am sorry, that came out badly."

Elrond ignored the short outburst. "This one is really important to you," observed the elf-lord. "Not that it is any less important when you have brought your faith to others, but it means something personal to you to be able to show Glorfindel your way."

"Yes. And, I know not why, either. He is no less, nor no more special to me than many others here in the valley, and yet I feel in my heart it is most important that I guide him," explained Erestor.

"I do hope you succeed in your quest," Elrond finally said.

Erestor nodded and said, "So do I."

---

Elsewhere in the valley, a joyful reunion was taking place.

"So long... so good to see you again," murmured Glorfindel as he and Gildor stood in the hallway where the guest rooms were located, holding each other tightly. Glorfindel kissed up the side of Gildor's neck and nuzzled him.

Gildor sighed and took in Glorfindel's familiar scent. "I missed you, too. I would invite you in, but this room is so... plain," he settled on as they stood back, but only a little, still with their arms wrapped around one another.

"Come with me to my rooms then," offered Glorfindel, leaning forward to steal a kiss from his lover. "You have been away from the valley for far too long, and I promised Elrond that I would give you a proper welcome."

"Mmm.. I love the hospitality I find in this house," purred Gildor.

*-Jealousy-*

Idle fingers swept a tangled bunch of blond curls out of Glorfindel's face. "Good morning, darling," murmured Gildor, pressing a kiss to the other elflord's cheek.

Glorfindel smiled, turning his head to steal another kiss. "Good- hmm, too late to be morning," he realized, sitting up. He rubbed his eyelids with the back of his hand.

"Probably," smirked Gildor, pulling on his lover's arm as Glorfindel began to rise. The golden haired ellon twisted out of Gildor's grasp and set his feet on the floor. "Where are you going? Elrond gave you the week off-"

"Yes, but I will be late." Glorfindel was unsnarling his golden locks as he stood and looking around for his discarded clothing. A fresh shirt was pulled out of the dresser as Gildor sat up, the sheet draped over his legs and lap. "Wear one of the blue ones," insisted Gildor as Glorfindel began to pull a white shirt over his head. It was traded in an instant for one of sky blue. "Are you going to tell me where we are going?"

"We- uhm, did you want to come with me?" asked Glorfindel hopefully as he buttoned his shirt.

Gildor folded his arms behind his head and leaned back against the headboard. "Where are you going?" he amended when he realized he was not exactly invited.

"You can come, too," Glorfindel said quickly, sitting down on the edge of the bed so that he could put his leggings on. He tucked in his shirt and then looked over his shoulder and said, "I am sure that no one would mind."

"Where are you going?" prodded Gildor once more, annoyance creeping into his voice.

Glorfindel opened his mouth, about to answer directly, but closed it, furrowed his brow and then said, "Have you ever heard of the Sedrynerins?"

"Oh, Findé, tell me you are not thinking of joining that lot." Gildor sighed and shook his head. "They are... practically a cult. All of the praying and the singing instead of having fun, and they would be very disapproving of our relationship. You do know they have a lot of very strange rules that they follow."

"I know, but... some of it makes sense. I have been reading a book Erestor gave me-"

"Figures he would be one of them," interrupted Gildor, fluffing up his pillow.

"-and... why do you say that?" demanded Glorfindel.

"Because he is the strange sort of elf I would expect to believe all of that nonsense. But go ahead, if you want to – I suspect there is some sort of cult gathering prayer meeting thing you are going to attend?" asked Gildor.

"No. It is not a cult!" argued Glorfindel gently. "Look, I did not understand until I began reading this," he said, picking up the large green book that Erestor had loaned to him and setting down beside Gildor. "Now I am curious to know more; I am going to a... well it is a prayer meeting of sorts, but it is not a cult!"

"Of course not. Well, I will remain here. To be honest, I am still tired from the journey. I will not stop you from going, though. In time, I am sure you will come to your senses." Gildor pushed the book aside to make room again for himself as he slipped beneath the covers.

Glorfindel set out from the house hastily, barely remembering to put on a pair of boots before he left. In passing a few days prior, Erestor had invited him to 'a gathering, nothing special, just a few of us by the river for singing and scripture'. It was really the first time that the pair had spoken in private since he and Erestor had talked on the ridge of the valley many weeks earlier. The blond elf had made it to the river a week past to see Melpomaen being inducted as a Sedryner. However, he had kept quite a distance, and watched from the safety of a tree.

He was still wary of others who passed them in the halls of the house with their prayer books in hand or who engaged him in conversation at dinner. His conversations with those of other faiths had not done as much to move him as the long talk with Erestor had. Elrond seemly fairly bored with his own beliefs, or at least the ones he claimed to have, once he got into things. Some of those he talked to were not even entirely certain what beliefs they were supposed to have, only that they had been taught enough to get by. There was one thing that was obvious no matter what – no one was as passionate about their religion, except for Erestor and those who followed the same path.

It made Glorfindel feel somewhat unworthy of the faith. He had doubts that he could become as serious about it as the others. On the other hand, he did not have a desire to be part of any of the other groups as he found himself having with the Sedrynerins.

Once every few months, the Sedryners in the house would congregate by the river. Glorfindel had been vaguely aware of this, but it would be the first time he would purposely seek them out. They were easy enough to find, he discovered, milling around the bank and greeting one another happily. As soon as he caught Erestor's eye, he was waved over and with slight trepidation, Glorfindel approached.

"How are you today, Glorfindel?" Erestor held out his hands and took the younger elf's into his, holding them tight for a moment. "I do hope you are well."

"Ahhm... thank you, yes, I am. How are you?" Glorfindel hoped no one else could hear the fear in his voice or see it in his eyes. He began to catch snippets of conversation from others nearby that mentioned his name and looked down to the grass when he saw someone practically staring at him.

"Eru has blessed us with a fine day. I am well and among friends; my day has already been wonderful." Erestor let go and put an arm around Glorfindel's shoulder, leading him off a little ways from the main area. "Truly, are you well? I can feel your apprehension."

"That bad?" Glorfindel tried to chuckle, but it came out uneasily. "Are you sure it is alright I am here?"

"Yes. You are nervous, and some are curious that you are here. It is a natural response from both parties involved. None of us bite, and no one will attempt to sway you in a direction you do not wish to go. You are a guest here; worry not," Erestor said comfortingly. He paused and then asked, "How is Gildor?"

Glorfindel shrugged and looked over at the crystal blue waters that flowed silently past. "He is alright. He was doing better last night, I think. This morning I upset him. He sounded a little jealous of the fact I was coming here instead of staying with him."

Erestor pondered this for a moment. "Do you think he wanted to join you here?"

"No." Glorfindel was slightly surprised that there was no hopefulness in Erestor's question, only an air of neutrality which was usually used to mask his true feelings. "He... he seems rather to not like your religion somewhat," Glorfindel said carefully.

"We tend to get that quite a lot more than you may think," Erestor said with a rueful smile. "Come, we are about to begin and there is a spot beneath a tree that would be perfect for listening to the readings."

Glorfindel found himself led over the grass to a tree near the river. The trunk was so large that both he and Erestor could sit with their backs against it and still both face the spot where the leaders would be. Various elves took turns reading stories from a book that looked similar to the one that Erestor had lent to Glorfindel, and in between others would sing and encourage those present to sing as well.

Most of the time, Glorfindel silently listened and observed. Every now and then, he picked up on the words of a song and would join the others. At the end it was asked of those present how many planned to attend the next session. Without putting much thought into it, Glorfindel had raised his hand before Erestor had lifted his into the air.

As others started back for the house, Erestor turned to Glorfindel. "I am sorry that Gildor is upset with you," he said, "but I am very happy you decided to come today."

Smiling, Glorfindel said, "So am I."

*-Sneaky-*

"I thought we would regale you with a night of dancing, m'lord. After all, 'twill be the eve of one of our most celebrated holidays. Unless, of course, it would cause offense." Gildor was careful not to look in Erestor's direction as he said this.

Elrond turned to his advisor anyway. "I think... a dance would be splendid." He left it at that, giving Erestor the ability to respond as he chose to.

The counselor frowned and shook his head, but answered with, "There is no harm in dancing."

"I meant, due to the fact it was on the eve of the Tarnin Austa." Gildor leaned against the frame of the doorway leading into Elrond's office. "Some might find it a little disturbing to attend such a celebration."

"Just because you will be attending and celebrating for your own reasons does not mean that I cannot attend and enjoy the dancing and camaraderie regardless of the day holding no meaning for me." Erestor cleared his throat and said, "Perhaps you should not be asking me if I will be upset by your choice of day, but someone else in this room."

"Hmm? Oh." Nearly missing his cue, Glorfindel sat with his hands folded and stared at them for a bit. "I would not want to ruin things on account of my own silliness. Just because I hate the day does not mean that it should be spoiled for everyone else."

"I am sure that Gildor would be most accommodating and choose a different date if you so wished," said Elrond gently.

Glorfindel shook his head. "No. I have not wanted special treatment of any sort in this life; please, have your celebration. I only apologize now that I may not be very jolly."

"You would not have to attend," suggested Erestor.

Gildor took a step into the room, giving a little sigh that was directed to Erestor. "I had hoped that perhaps this would help to rid you of the idea that there is a curse upon your head."

"Maybe." Glorfindel absently cracked the knuckles of one hand, and then of the other. "I suppose."

"Good! With your permission then, Lord Elrond?" Gildor placed his hand on Glorfindel's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. The blond reached up and patted his lover's hand with a smile.

"Erestor, would you work out a menu between Gildor and the kitchen staff? Be sure we have enough wine for the occasion, and if not, we shall need to make haste in order to obtain it in time," instructed Elrond. "Will you be able to organize music, Gildor, or shall we?"

"We have our own musicians, m'lord. Your generosity, as always, exceeds necessity." Gildor bowed low, and Elrond waved it off. "I will provide the entertainment, but those of my followers who are hunters would of course lend themselves to your service in order to capture the food for the feast. We are also more than capable of handling the décor."

"No doubt. I think this will be wonderful fun," decided Elrond as Gildor bowed once again and left the office.

As soon as he was gone, Erestor sighed. "I will try to get those reports completed for you by tomorrow, Elrond. I have a feeling my hands will be full this coming week."

"Let the reports wait – I think we could all use a good celebration. Glorfindel, I am sure you can manage coordinating between Gildor's hunters and Erestor with the kitchen staff to be sure we have the appropriate amount of food?" asked Elrond.

"Of course. If you have time now," said Glorfindel to Erestor, "we could go to the kitchen and speak with the staff before they are busy with the midday meal."

Closing his book of notes, Erestor stacked his papers and stood up, not wanting to argue with anyone that this was the third weekly meeting that they had either skipped or left unfinished. "Splendid," he said, though he did not quite mean this.

Walking down the hallway with matching speed – for although Erestor had a longer stride, Glorfindel was faster – the younger elf reached out and stopped the elder by touching his shoulder just as they reached the top of the stairway. "What is the matter?"

"Nothing." He bowed his head and turned it aside, furrowing his brow. "No offense to your Gildor, but there are times that he just does not think."

"Oh?" Glorfindel bit his lip, realizing how unconvincing his 'surprise' had sounded, and added, "Well, yes, I know."

"I am sure he means nothing personal," remarked Erestor (though again, he did not quite sound as if he meant the words), "but it does upset me that he chose to suggest this celebration, and Elrond is aware it vexes me, but of course I have to be the perfect bloody diplomat about it."

Resting his hand upon Erestor's shoulder, Glorfindel asked, "Why does a dance the night before Tarnin Austa upset you so?" He was certain he had some idea of the answer already.

"Many reasons. The most important being that that night, many many many hundreds of years ago, was the last time I saw so many who were dear to me. And although you stand here with me now, it does not make that day any easier for me. I still think of the others – Ecthelion, Rog, even Turgon and why I know not but even Salgant. So much was lost, least of all the bricks and mortar that made up Gondolin herself." Erestor's dark eyes could not meet Glorfindel's sympathetic blue ones. "It is also due to the fact that the Valabronwin celebrate it as a 'holy day'. They think of it as the night that Eru forsook them and took Gondolin down; the night that it was proven he did not exist, for else he would have saved them. The very day also happens to match with the day Feanor died, or so they say. I was not privy to that event."

"You should have said something," Glorfindel told him. "I myself would rather it be planned for a different day."

Erestor crossed his arms over his chest. "Well... we should just change it then."

Glorfindel turned around to head back to Elrond's office. When Erestor demanded where he was going and was told, he shook his head and led the blond back to their office. Glorfindel could not help but notice the wicked grin on Erestor's face.

- - -

"So... why are we having the celebration a week late?" Elrond asked again, looking from one advisor to the other.

"Simple math," stated Glorfindel. "We have, right now, only eighty-four bottles of red wine. No one likes to drink white wine at this sort of debaucherous affair."

"There will be no debauchery going on," interjected Elrond, but Glorfindel just continued speaking.

"Obviously, at least half of the guests will be attempting to get intoxicated. Since seventy-five percent of the inhabitants of the valley are elf-kind, that means that we need to account for thirty-eight percent of the members of the household and of Gildor's party wanting to drink at least eight to ten glasses of wine. Now, you tend to have twenty percent who want to get really drunk, so we have to figure for eighty percent wishing to drink three bottles or more. With the current population-"

"We need more wine." Erestor smiled after butting in and said, "Simply math."

Elrond sat and blinked for a moment and then just waved them off with a flick of his wrist. "Fine. Another week. But be sure you count me among those who plan to drink at least three bottles of wine!"

"For you, we figured four," managed Glorfindel before he was yanked from the room into the hallway.

"Very nice," complimented Erestor once he and Glorfindel were back in their own office. "Not that I understood a word you were saying, but I compliment you all the same."

Glorfindel grinned and then leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "So... how long do you think we have to keep that stuff hidden?" wondered the blond elf.

Erestor stood up and went to the closet, opening the door carefully. Where once there were stacks of parchment and boxes of quills there were now cases and cases of smuggled wine. "We... could just drink it," considered Erestor.

"Come to think of it, I could use a drink," admitted Glorfindel, who was a little frightened that Elrond might question why the stock was so low to begin with. "Do we have any glasses?" he asked as Erestor approached with two of the bottles.

"Glasses? Who needs glasses?" He pulled the cork out of his bottle while Glorfindel repeated the action with his. "To us and our sneakiness!" he announced as he clinked his bottle against the warrior's.

"Yes, to us," chuckled Glorfindel, although, he wished it meant something a little different.

*-Massage-*

When Glorfindel entered his room, his expression softened and his lips turned up into a smile. "What is all this?" he wondered out loud as Gildor came around the corner wearing the slayer's bathrobe. In the main room, a multitude of candles had been lit and upon the table was a tray of strawberries, sliced and sprinkled with brown sugar. Glorfindel plucked one of the pieces from the bowl, but was stopped by Gildor.

"Ah, ah, ah," scolded the traveler gently. "Allow me." Bending his head down, the silver-blond elf took the strawberry into his mouth, sucking on Glorfindel's fingers as he did so. Then he stood back up and wrapped one hand behind Glorfindel's neck and the other around his lover's waist. Their lips met, and with mouths parted, Glorfindel tasted the sticky sweetness of the sugar-coated berry as it slid into his mouth. He shuddered as Gildor's tongue lingered, tracing patterns before they broke their kiss.

"You outdid yourself," said Glorfindel as he took his room and noticed the rose petals strewn over the bed sheets. They were golden and peach in hue, but appeared darker in the dim light. "What did I do to deserve this?" he questioned as his arms circled behind Gildor to draw him into an embrace.

"I needed a way to apologize to you," explained Gildor. "It was inconsiderate of me to think that you would want to celebrate on the anniversary of... enough about that, though," he said. "I thought we could have a nice evening alone, if that was alright with you." He lifted up another strawberry, and teased Glorfindel's lips with it, before popping it into his own mouth.

"I would enjoy that very much," murmured Glorfindel against Gildor's cheek as he licked the strawberry's juices from his lips and then kissed his neck.

With a returned purr, Gildor said, "Oh, I am sure you will." After feeding Glorfindel most of the strawberries from the bowl, Gildor led him to the bed. "Lose the clothing, Golden-locks."

With a snort and a cheeky grin, Glorfindel stripped bare in a matter of seconds. "Now you," he insisted, pulling the belt to loosen the robe. It slid off of Gildor's shoulders and pooled on the floor. "Still too much clothing," argued Glorfindel, tugging on Gildor's leggings.

"Not yet." Gildor pulled Glorfindel to the bed and positioned him on his stomach. "Comfortable?" he asked after having fluffed up the pillow.

Glorfindel watched as Gildor reached for a bottle from the nightstand. The cork was removed, and oil was poured into the wandering elf's hand to be warmed. "Should I be?" Although they were lovers, they had yet to take the final step to consummate their relationship. Now with his recent interest in religious studies, Glorfindel was more apprehensive than ever to be in the compromising position he found himself.

Gildor rubbed his hands together and then crawled up beside Glorfindel, bending his head to lick the tip of a sensitive ear. "I hope so. You have been so tense lately; I wanted to give you a good long rub. I thought you might fancy a massage."

"Mmm... yes, that would be lovely," drawled Glorfindel, stretching his legs out to try to loosen up his body.

"What did you think I was going to do?"

"Uhmm..." Glorfindel's face turned beat red and Gildor sat back up.

"Nevermind. Just close your eyes and relax," Gildor said, picking up the bottle from the table again. He dribbled the oil over Glorfindel's back. The golden haired ellon squirmed at the sudden cold, but was soon warmed up by Gildor's remarkably dexterous hands. Firm fingers worked their way down one leg to massage his foot, then back up again and down the other. Gildor's hands lingered as they gripped Glorfindel's rear before continuing up again to his shoulders. Tenderly his sore, tired body was kneaded and relaxed, making him moan in deep satisfaction.

"Turn over, lover," coaxed Gildor once he had covered every part he was able to reach. When he received no reaction, he poked Glorfindel's shoulder. "Findé, you did not fall asleep, did you?" Gildor smiled and crossed the room, picking up a quilt. "Poor, tired elf," he mumbled, covering Glorfindel before pressing a kiss to the blond's head. "I suppose I shall need to find some other entertainment for the rest of the evening," he whispered before blowing out all but one of the candles and leaving the room.

*- Holiday-*

The lord of the valley was drunk. Drunk, and quite amusing. Some might say later that he provided the best entertainment of all.

Although Erestor and Glorfindel had managed to covertly push the festivities ahead a week, it turned out to be for the best. The cook was put off at the idea of having to arrange for a special feast with so little lead time, and the musicians of the house were in a funk over the idea of being left out of the party planning. Erestor complained more than once (but never directly to Elrond) that he had a score of more important things to do, and Glorfindel simply spent his time attempting to keep the peace between all individuals involved.

The event itself proved to be a delight, even with the Valabronwin declaring it a late celebration of the eve of Tarnin Austa. If anyone was concerned about this, they did not speak about it, and surely they all still had a remarkably wonderful time. The singing, dancing, and feasting was all perfect – and then, there was the wine.

The wine had been procured not from the nearest city of men, nor from elvenkind. It came, along with many barrels of good ale, from a small colony of dwarves that Gildor knew of because of his travels. The price was much better than if they would have gone elsewhere, and the taste according to Gildor was superb. No argument had come from Erestor (who was known to prefer beer to wine and was happy about the ale), and Glorfindel was too busy playing peacekeeper to give the idea much thought.

It was only after Elrond had finished three glasses, then playfully grabbed his wife's posterior in public with a feral growl that the advisors began to rethink the plan. "I never thought about how he would react to the strength of the wine," murmured Erestor under his breath as Elrond sat down on one of the benches, pulling a startled Celebrian down on his lap. "Apparently his 'no debauchery' rule does not apply to him."

"Do you think he still plans to drink four bottles of wine?" Glorfindel asked.

"Ah, you managed to get father drunk, I see," said Elladan, suddenly walking up behind the pair. Placing an arm around each of them, he looked from one to the other, nodding his head. "Very nice. This is going to be the best entertainment of the night."

"Only if he keeps drinking." Elrohir approached as well and said, "It wears off of him pretty quick. We found out long ago, unless you keep him drinking he manages to flush it out of his system fast. Of course, if it wears off here, chances are he will be furious that anyone let him get to this point to begin with." He turned his head, looking to each of the elder elves in turn. "Then again, if he stays drunk all night and gets back to his room to sleep it off, the chances are very good he will remember very little of it tomorrow morning."

"Erestor," sighed Glorfindel, "we had best go over and stop him."

Nodding, Erestor said, "You are absolutely right. He should be drinking right now, not fondling his wife." Picking up a full bottle from the nearest table, Erestor headed for the intoxicated elf-lord.

And that was how Elrond came to be sitting on a bench he could barely keep from falling off of with a bottle of wine in his hand, ruddy red cheeks, and a smile that was split from ear to ear. "I remember all of the times that I would sneak off to Lothlorien to woo Celebrian. Sometimes, I made it in without any of the guards seeing me and would spend the entire time hidden in her rooms. Not that we ever did anything inappropriate," Elrond assured his captive audience, but then he smirked and rolled his eyes and followed that with, "Alright, that is a lie, but let us not tell her parents about that."

Elladan cocked one brow high as he squinted his other eye and turned to give his brother a most amused look. "Your secret is safe with us, Ada," he mumbled, nudging Elrohir, who was hiding his mouth with a napkin and managed to nod after wiping the tears from his eyes. "Tell us, what other mischief did an elf such as yourself cause?"

"I cause no trouble." Elrond lifted the bottle to his lips and drank deeply again, chuckling and spilling some as he placed the bottle onto the bench beside him and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt- a shirt that was oh, so luckily, burgundy in color. "Alright, alright, that is a lie as well." He snorted and chuckled at some private joke while Celebrian, keeping a safe distance away from the group, gave her husband's chief advisors a withering look.

Waiting until neither Elrond nor Celebrian was watching, Erestor stealthily swapped the almost empty bottle for a full one that he had kept hidden off to the side. When Elrond picked up the bottle again, he nearly dropped it. "This cannot be mine," he reasoned with a slur in his voice, "mine was practically drained."

"You must be tired, m'lord," spoke Glorfindel, looking away from the bonfire where Gildor danced around it wantonly with others of his traveling kingdom. "Surely, the bottle only appears to be heavier than you think it is."

"Sure." Elrond seemed to need no solid evidence of this, taking the word of his seneschal as he lifted the wine and drank once again. "My, this is delicious. I hope I am not overindulging- how many of these have I had?" he wondered aloud.

"Three," said Elrohir as his brother said, "Two." The twins glanced at one another in a panic, and as their father began to examine the bottle again, Elladan amended, "You have had two full bottles already – that is the third one you are starting right now."

Elrond's mind was already occupied elsewhere. "That is spectacular – I should have a go at that," he said, and stood up to walk to the smaller rings of fire where elves were jumping forth and back over the flames individually or in pairs.

Immediately, Erestor was on his feet as well. "I would really suggest against it, m'lord."

"Elrond, have you had dessert yet?" Glorfindel put his arm around the elf-lord's shoulder and tried to steer him in the opposite direction. "The kitchen staff has outdone themselves – come, try the cheesecake."

"Ullch." Elrond gave Glorfindel a look of disgust. "Cheesecake is about the most unhealthiest thing you can eat! Do you know what is in it? Nothing but fat and sugar and lard. No wonder you are putting on weight," he remarked, glancing at Glorfindel's middle as the balrog slayer's jaw dropped.

Elrond received no resistance as he turned and made his way once again to the elves leaping over the flames. "Fin, come on, you have to help me!" insisted Erestor, for the twins were now happily leading their father to the bonfires and encouraging his plan, giving him more wine as they walked. Celebrian had become distracted, and the twin peredhel were careful to avoid a path that would take them near their mother.

"Absolutely not. Let him burn, see if I care. He just insinuated that I am fat!" Glorfindel crossed his arms over his chest, and then peaked down at his waistline, frowning. Perhaps he did put a few extra pounds on while he was off duty here at the house, but he more than worked them off during his tours on the border.

"We have already been over this," Erestor said quickly. "He is the one who is fat, and you are just--" Erestor bit his bottom lip at once, and sheepishly grinned. "Nevermind. I have to save Elrond," he announced as he sped away.

"Well, that is a fine thank you for letting you hide underneath the desk! And I am just what, exactly?" shouted Glorfindel, glaring after Erestor. The dark elf turned around and shrugged with a grin before heading once more after Elrond and his sons.

*-Parting-*

"If we do not leave now, we will not make our destination in time to set up a proper winter camp and hunt for what we need," apologized Gildor. He took hold of Glorfindel's face in his hands and tilted it up so that they were looking at one another. "I cannot overstay our welcome."

"You were only here a few weeks. Stay the winter," suggested Glorfindel, but Gildor was already shaking his head and laughing.

"You sometimes forget that this is not your house," Gildor reminded Glorfindel in a low voice. "Now, if this was your realm, I would not argue with you. In fact, I would consider making myself a permanent resident," he said with a smile.

Glorfindel smiled back but did not say anything. No one seemed to realize that he did not want the stress and responsibility of his own realm, even though he easily could have founded an elven stronghold of his own long ago. Since his return, Gildor had repeatedly suggested the idea, but Glorfindel had managed to avoid it every time. Lifting his hands up, Glorfindel gently threaded his fingers through the woven ropes weathered silver-gold hair, tied back in tight braids for traveling, and came forward to kiss his lover. "Take care of yourself, love. Safe journey to you."

"Be safe. I will see you again in a year or two, Findé. Maybe sooner." Gildor reciprocated and kissed Glorfindel back. "Tell me something before I leave – are you very serious about this religious thing?"

"I have been thinking about it a lot," admitted Glorfindel. "Why?"

"I am curious," said Gildor. "If you had to choose today, what would you decide?"

"I..." Glorfindel shook his head. "I cannot answer that. I am sorry."

"Good." Gildor kissed his lover again, then dropped his hands to his sides. "Perhaps you might decide some day to dance with me around the fires before Tarnin Austa."

"Perhaps," answered Glorfindel, but in his heart he had doubts of this. "Perhaps you might decide some day to come with me to the river to sing and pray."

Gildor hesitated longer before he finally said, "Perhaps."

This made Glorfindel smile and he drew Gildor into his arms. "That would make me so happy if you did. I look forward to seeing you again."

"I will miss you." Gildor kissed Glorfindel one final time before mounting his speckled grey mare. "Lord Elrond," he shouted across the lawn to the elf-lord who stood with his wife and children some ways away admiring one of the gaily painted wagons of the caravan and the jewels set within. Elrond stood straight and tilted his head to show he was listening. "My people and I thank you again for your generous hospitality! Until we meet again, may Elbereth bless your way. Namarie!"

"Namarie, good friend, until we meet again!" called Elrond back, picking up little Arwen so that she could be seen waving to the departing elves. Glorfindel took a deep breath and stepped away from the gypsy elves as they left the courtyard and proceeded down the path to the main way out of the valley.

Silent as a shadow, Erestor suddenly made his presence known. "You wish sometimes that you were going with them."

"I..." Glorfindel waved and blew a kiss to Gildor as the elf-lord turned his mount around to check on the progress of those near the rear of the group. Gildor ca