Deny Me Not

Disclaimer: LOTR belongs to the creative genius of JRR Tolkien, not me.

Deny Me Not

Chapter 10

A still very distressed Amien waited until Elladan and Elrohir were well out of sight then turned her footsteps in the direction of Glorfindel’s office believing that her broken heart would find solace in a place that surely held echoes of the faded seneschal. She entered the unlocked chamber and walked slowly across the small room until she reached the desk. Nothing had changed since she had come here to collect a piece of parchment just after Glorfindel had left to go on patrol. Papers were strewn in no partic ord order, the ink well had been left open and the liquid dried up, and the feather of his quill was bent at an odd angA saA sad smile forced its way to her lips at the state of disarray to be seen there, so different to that of her Adar’s meticulously organised workplace.

Looking around the chamber, Amien noticed that the arms of one of the armchairs normally used by visitors was covered with one of Glorfindel’s tunics and she moved quickly to pick up the garment, tears welling in her eyes as grief overcame her when she inhaled the scent of the Lord who she believed would have been hers had he not followed Lord Erestor to Mandos. A flash of anger invaded Amien’s sorrow at the thought of the Advisor, for his death, although unintended, had defeated her plans and taken Glorfindel from her reach forever. Unable to contain her heartache any longer, Amien sank into the soft armchair and holding the tunic close and wept uncontrollably as she mourned her lost love.

Several minutes later, the sound of voices and merry laughter coming from the courtyard outside the office caught Amien’s attention and she crept to the window to see who was displaying such disrespect towards the seneschal. To her surprise, it was Glorfindel’s own patrol that was cheerfully being greeted by Elladan.

“So our esteemed Captain is alive and well, despite the orcs?” Darian, Glorfindel’s second asked Elladan, clapping him on the back in relief.

“As I said, his injuries were not as bad as they appeared. He is a mighty warrior and to the dismay of the orcs as Adar observed, very hard to kill,” Elladan replied with a hearty laughter that was echoed by the warriors. Amien’s eyes widened as she realised what Elladan was actually saying. Glorfindel was not dead! He was recovering! Ignoring for the moment the fact that she had been deliberately mislead, Amien hugged the tunic tightly and in her unbounded joy and relief, thanked the Valar that all was well with the golden lord.

“Even though he was very distracted for days before he unwisely decided to return alone,” Darian added in a tone of voice that suggested he intended to have words with his Captain on this very matter. Elladan could barely credit that any elf would dare reprimand the Balrog slayer, but it seemed that this one did not fear his leader and he was secretly pleased that Glorfindel had such a protector, whether he felt he needed one or not.

“Aye, but what of his heart? How fares Lord Erestor?” Many heads nodded in approval of this more serious question and the laughter subsided in the wake. It did not surprise Elladan in the least to be asked this, although it confused Amien who was still eavesdropping. How would they have known anything had happened to the Advisor?

“Their love for one another is very strong to be able to felt keenly even over such a large distance and thanks to it, and Glorfindel’s timely arrival, he is recovering albeit slowly,” replied Elladan, smiling at the looks of relief on the faces about him.

“The company of one’s betrothed is always a sure remedy for any ailment, be it of the heart or the body,” said one of the warriors wisely as he snaked his arm around the waist of his own lover.

“Indeed that is true, but they are no longer betrothed,” said Elladan with a pointed look at the office window where he had seen a brief glimpse of Amien out of the corner of his eye. His words elicited a series of questions, all spoken at once.

“Why?”

“What happened?”

“I do not believe it!”

“Those two had eyes only for each other!”

“Amien?” mouthed Darian, his eyes narrowing at the mention of the maid he regarded as nothing but a trouble maker. He had lost count of the number of times he had ‘rescued’ his Captain from her presence, knowing it was unwelcome. Elladan nodded and winked conspiratorially at his companion.

“I am pleased to announce that they have already spoken their vows before the Valar, and are now wed!” He exclaimed, unable to contain a broad grin at the cheer that rose from those around him.

“You speak falsely, Elladan! That can not be! Erestor is dead!” shrieked Amien as she ran out into the courtyard and began pounding Elladan’s chest with her fists. He easily caught her hands in his and held them none too gently as he glared with disgust at his attacker.

“Nay, he is alive and well and safely in Glorfindel’s arms, in his *spouse’s* arms, even as we speak, no thanks to you,” declared Elladan angrily.

“What did she do?” Darian asked, listening with alarm as Elladan explained what he and many others believed Amien had done to Erestor, and unwittingly to Glorfindel.

“I admit I wanted Lord Glorfindel to be mine, but you are all mistaken, I did no harm to Lord Erestor,” Amien said, eyes flashing defiantly. The other Elves were so outraged at her denial of guilt that they eyed her with a mixture of pity and disgust, none seeking to offer her any comfort. Darian placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her head upwards so that she could see the coldness of disbelief in his eyes that was matched by the hardness in his voice.

“You are fooling only yourself, child. Lord Glorfindel is not, nor would he ever have been yours so deeply bound in heart, body and spirit is he with his lover. He would have followed Lord Erestor, even to the Halls of Waiting,” he said before turning from Amien in disgust.

“Does Lord Elrond know of this treachery?” he asked Elladan.

“Adar suspects Amien as the culprit, but as far as I am aware, has found no evidence to support such accusations, although he has summoned Amien and her parents to attend an inquiry in his study.” Elladan explained, still maintaining his grip on the maid who was now trying to escape.

“I deem it likely Lord Elrond will have found such proof and will devise a suitable way of making her pay for her crimes.” Darian spoke with such confidence in his lord that Elladan could not help but feel proud of the respect in which his Adar was held. Amien tried even harder to free herself from Elladan’s grasp at the mention of punishment, but to no avail for Darian took her other arm.

“I will accompany you and Amien to Lord Elrond, but first perhaps a visit wit my lords Glorfindel and Erestor is in order. It is only proper to offer them our congratulations and wishes of happiness for their future,” he said meaningfully. Elladan nodded his agreement, for to make Amien do this would be worse punishment for the maid than anythingond ond had in mind.

*********

The loud rap on the door woke Erestor, and he smiled drowsily UP at Glorfindel who still held him close.

“Elrond is making certain of a polite entrance this time,” he chuckled.

“And so he should!” Glorfindel declared with equal amusement before answering. “Co


“ Darian! What are you doing here? I ordered you to stay on patrol!” Glorfindel declared, with a mixture of surprise and anger when he saw the visitor was not Elrond as he had assumed.

“I am pleased to see you alive and well, my Lord Erestor,” Darian said ignoring Glorfindel for the moment to speak with the Advisor who was held in high regard by all the warriors, both as Elrond’s second and as Glorfindel’s lover. “I bring greetings and many congratulations to you and your spouse from the members of your patrol who were very concerned for you both when your illness affected Lord Glorfindel so severely,” he added in reply to his Captain’s outburst. Releasing Amien, he strode over to the bed where he could see how pale and drawn Erestor still was, but the glow of happiness in his eyes was heart-warming to behold. The Advisor accepted Darian’s salutations with a nod, and Glorfindel’s initial glare of anger changed slowly to a smile of affection for his friend and comrade of many years.

“I am so sorry Glorfindel,” Erestor said, ignoring the others as he turned to caress his spouse’s cheek before stealing a rather passionate kiss. Only now that he was well on the way to recovering did he give the whole unpleasant incident much thought, and on reflection he knew that his lover must have felt his fading keenly. Darian cleared his throat to gain their attention.

“’Twas through no fault of your own, as I understand it, my lord,” he said, indicating Amien who was standing silently in the background, Elladan’s hand still holding her arm. She stared numbly at the scene before her, her heart filling with jealous rage at the unmistakeable love light shining from within the wedded couple as they gazed into each other’s eyes, confirming they shared a bond that would last for eternity.

“So Elrond and Celebrían have helped me to recall,” said Erestor, turning to glare at the young maid he had come to despise.

“Excellent!” Darian exclaimed. “However, there is someone else who wishes to offer her her good wishes,” he said, indicating for Amien to reluctantly step forward.

“She is not welcome in my presence,” stated Glorfindel in the voice of command of the Lord of the House of the Golden Flower, refusing to even look at the maid.

“Say your piece child, then go with Elladan,” Darian ordered. “I will follow shortly,” he added.

“I am sorry you almost died, Lord Erestor. That was not my intention. I did not fade when my lover left me for another and so I did not believe it could happen. I offer my congratulations on your marriage,” she said quietly and with apparent sincerity. Erestor studied her for a moment then shook his head in denial.

“Your good wishes are meaningless to me,” replied Erestor harshly. “You are only sorry that your plan to steal Glorfindel from me failed. You may have been ignorant of the severity of the outcome, but that does not justify your actions which I deem totally unforgivable.”

“As do I,” added Glorfindel. “Elladan, please take this evil child to Elrond immediately. I can no longer bear to look at her.” Elladan raised an eyebrow in astonishment, he had never heard his former tutor speak so insultingly to anyone, but the dangerous fire in Glorfindel’s eyes warned him not to comment. He simply nodded and grimly led Amien from the room, allowing a brief smile to escape his lips in response to Erestor’s surreptitious wink of acknowledgement of his former student’s unspoken words of congratulation.

“Now on to more pleasant matters,” said Darian cheerfully after the door closed behind Elladan. “Although you two are now wed, do not think the celebrations planned for Midsummer are to be forsaken. Those under your command, my Captain, have been eagerly anticipating the wedding feast and young Elladan assures me that the Lady Celebrían’s plans remain unaltered.

“Since neither you nor Celebrían are forces I care to reckon with, I have no objection, as long as Erestor is well enough,” a suddenly much more relaxed Glorfindel told Darian.

“A wise decision, and I believe my recovery will be swift my love, once a certain young maid is no longer in Imladris,” said Erestor as he snuggled back against Glorfindel’s chest allowing strong arms to carefully enfold him.