The Flower and The Fountain

The Unheard of Assignment
Summary: Turgon calls his two trusted captains to him and gives them an assignment to keep their minds free from foreboding. It isn’t quite the type of assignment Glorfindel and Ecthelion thought they would be receiving (FA 508, Eärendil is four-years-old, also Erestor, Lothriel, Celebelen, Iavalas)
rgonrgon paced his study, his mind whirling as he tried to phrase his words correctly. He was waiting for two of his captains, Glorfindel and Ecthelion; there was an assignment the King of Gondolin wished to entrust to his two closest friends. But, the problem was, he wasn’t quite sure how he wanted to put his request into words. Throwing his hands up in frustration, Turgon sank into a chair, his dark hair swirling about him.

As of late, the captains of Gondolin were growing uneasy. There were rumors that Morgoth was planning an attack but, as far as anyone could tell, no such attack had yet arrived. Glorfindel and Ecthelion were especially restless, never ceasing their patrols and barely sleeping most nights. Turgon knew his friends were concerned for him, his daughter, Tuor, their son Eärendil and, most importantly, the safety and sanctity of Gondolin. They were far too tense and tired to perform their normal duties to perfection. Turgon knew this, and was planning on giving them an assignment to ease their hearts, and give them a good night’s rest.

A knock sounded on the study doors before they opened, and in walked the two captains. Both Glorfindel and Ecthelion were dressed simply, for once discarding their armor and opting for plain tunics and leggings in the colors of their houses. Swords were slung at their hips, the only sign of their readiness for battle. Their hair was clean, groomed and glowing, yet the pair looked tired and worn. Turgon sighed upon seeing them; they were far from their normal, lively selves.

“What is your wish, my King?” Glorfindel asked, bowing slightly as he attempted to keep the need for sleep at bay; Ecthelion also bowed at his right side.

Turgon released yet another sigh as he realized how little time they probably had with one another; the King was well aware that his friends were also long-time lovers.

“There is a favor I wish to ask, of both of you,” Turgon replied, rising to his feet. The captains straightened as he stepped around his desk. The King leaned his slender form upon the table, gazing fixedly at his companions for a moment.

“What is it you wish to ask of us?” Ecthelion inquired. Both he and Glorfindel were fully prepared to return to their houses and array themselves for battle if that was what Turgon asked of them. He was woefully unprepared for the request that issued from his Lord’s lips.

“Idril and Tuor have asked for some time to themselves,” Turgon began. “I have taken the liberty in granting them the day away from duties. Considering the recent events and how often Tuor has been in my counsels as of late, they could use the time off. However, that leaves me with the dilemma of finding a suitable caretaker for Eärendil. I would like the both of you to watch my grandson for the day.”

“You wish us to babysit young Eärendil this day, my Lord?” Glorfindel’s incredulous look was unmistakable. Turgon merely nodded.

“Aye. He will be joined by young Erestor and his sisters, Lothriel and Celebelen. And, Legolas of the Tree has expressed a wish for Iavalas to join them, while Legolas scouts the surrounding areas.”

“Five elflings, my King?! That is quite a handful, do you not think so?”

“Yes, quite. But, I am more than confident that the two of you will be able to handle them. After all, how much trouble can elflings their age get themselves into?” He clasped them both upon the shoulders, smiling warmly at his friends. “Do not think too much on the matter. I’m sure everything will be fine, and you both will be able to keep them occupied for the duration of the day.”

“As you wish, my Lord,” Ecthelion said. Both he and Glorfindel gave their King another respective bow before leaving the study, closing the doors behind them.

Turgon smiled to himself as he resumed his seat behind his desk, beginning to shuffle some papers. If all went well, Glorfindel and Ecthelion would be sleeping very well tonight and, for once, without any dreams of impending doom.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Isn’t this a bit odd to you?”

“What do you mean?” Ecthelion asked as he and Glorfindel headed over to the stables. They had just been informed by Galdor that Legolas had taken his son, Eärendil and the other elflings to the stables, and were awaiting the pair.

“This assignment Turgon gave us,” Glorfindel replied. Neither he nor Ecthelion felt uneasy using their King’s given name; after all, they had known Turgon long before he became a King and was merely Fingolfin’s son, and their friend and cousin.

“Are you referring to this babysitting job? How is it odd?”

“Ecthelion.” The blond stopped walking, pulling his lover to a stand still as well. He waited until the Fountain Lord returned his gaze before speaking again. “Turgon could have chosen any of the maidens to watch the children. If that is so, then why ask us to attend to the task? We are captains, guards. We are not well-versed in the ways of taking care of children. So then why choose us?”

“I know not, malthener. Nonetheless, Turgon has given this task to us, thus we must complete it, however strange it may seem.”

“But all day?! We have to take care of five elflings all day?! I don’t know about you, but training youths just before their majority is easier than looking after toddlers. I can‘t come up with enough ways to keep them all occupied for any length of time.”

“Aye, I know, melme. But it’s our duty and…Erestor!! Get down off Asfaloth this instant!” Ecthelion sprinted the last few feet into the stable, plucking the dark-haired child of his white steed just before the boy slipped off. At his knees gathered four other children, all with dark hair and all staring up at Ecthelion with sheepish looking faces. The child in his arms looked up at thentaintain Lord with doleful eyes in apology. The horse, a white stallion, did not seem to mind all the commotion; he continued to lazily chew on some sweet-smelling hay as he watched his master and the children.

Glorfindel sighed in exasperation as he caught up with them. /There has to be some reason Turgon wanted us to do this. Valar, give us the strength to make it through this day./ “A long day indeed,” he muttered to himself, voicing the last of his thoughts out loud as Ecthelion began to scold the elfling still cradled in his arms.

“You know better than to be climbing on the horses, Erestor.” Ecthelion’s voice was gentle but firm as he reprimanded the child, who nodded slowly with each word he spoke. “You might have fallen and hurt yourself. You shouldn’t be climbing horses too big for you, and Asfaloth is most certainly too big for you. Remember the time you tried to climb on and ride Duilin‘s horse?”

“I’m sorry,” the elfling said in a timid voice. “But I was curious! I like horses, and…”

“I know, Erestor. I know.” Ecthelion sighed, turning to the other children gathered about his knees. “Come on, the lot of you. Let’s go to the gardens; you can all play there. But stay close so Glorfindel and I can keep an eye on you. No wandering off without one of us nearby.” The five little ones nodded their understanding, obediently following him to one of Idril’s favorite gardens. Glorfindel brought up the rear, keeping an eye on the children and marveling at the way Ecthelion seemed to command their attention.

/Well, that’s not all that big of a surprise. He commands my attention all the time!/ The mischievous thought brought a grin to Glorfindel’s face, one Ecthelion noticed as he turned to look behind him. The Fountain Lord raised an eyebrow in question, but the golden-haired Elf merely widened his smile, shook his head and mouthed ‘later’ to his lover. He couldn’t help but snicker as Ecthelion rolled his eyes and led the little troupe under the graceful archway and into the quiet garden.

~~~~~~~~~~

Several hours passed by peacefully, which both Glorfindel and Ecthelion were thankful for. The boys had occupied themselves by either telling valiant stories to one another about their fathers or grabbing sticks and dueling one another. The girls were content to sit with their two guardians, weaving either flower circlets or plaits into the elder Elves’ and each other’s hair. The captains were thankful to have a peaceful afternoon watching the children; every now and again one of them would speak up to lightly reprimand the boys, but no major incidents had reared their ugly heads. Not yet anyway.

“This isn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be,” Glorfindel commented. The girls had gone off a little way from their guardians to gather flowers; Lothriel’s arms were full of various colored flowers, and growing fuller with each bundle Celebelen gathered and gave to her. The Flower Lord took the opportunity to grab some peace with his lover, and was now stretched on his back with his head cradled in Ecthelion’s lap. He closed his eyes and sighed at the lovely sensation of slim fingers gently combing through his hair. Not too far off he could hear Eärendil, Iavalas and Erestor giggling as they held a mock dueling tournament.

“Makes you want to have your own children, doesn’t it?” Ecthelion laughed richly as Glorfindel’s eyes snapped open and stared at his lover with a horrified expression. He leaned over and gently kissed the golden crown. “I was only joking, malthener. I need no children, because if I had any then I would have to share you with another. I want you all to myself.”

“That’s much better,” the golden-haired Elf said with a slight huff, but he offered his lover a dazzling smile nonetheless. “Turgon is setting us up for something, I just know he is.”

“What makes you say that, malthener?”

Glorfindel shrugged, idly beginning to pick at a tall grass blade. “Intuition I sue. e. He’s assigned us to babysit, rather unusual. He’s up to something, I just wish I knew what. My cousin always has his reasons.” He sighed as Ecthelion nodded in agreement. Silence passed for some time between them. Glorfindel opened his mouth to speak, but his words ended in a sharp gasp as Ecthelion suddenly stood up, dropping the golden head unceremoniously to the ground. “Ecthelion! That hurt!”

The Fountain Lord didn’t seem to hear his lover as he quickly bounded over to the stream that served as the garden’s boundary. “Eärendil! Be careful, that bank is slippery.”

Glorfindel sat up, rubbing the back of his slightly bruised head, to observe Idril’s son kneeling by the waters, clutching something between his hands as he turned to Ecthelion. The dark-haired Elf stood in front of the boy and gazed down at him; the other children had stopped their activities to turn and see what was happening.

“I’m sorry,” Eärendil apologized, blushing faintly as he fixed his eyes to the ground.

“’Tis all right, pen-neth,” Ecthelion soothed, leaning over a little towards the much smaller boy. “You need to be more careful near the water, the ground is rather slippery. Your mother would not want to see you hurt.” He smiled when Eärendil nodded in understanding; it was then that he noticed the child’s clasped hands. “What have you got there?”

Eärendil eyes seemed to brighten as a smile alighted his face. Proudly, he opened his little hands to show his catch, a small wet green frog nestled into the smooth palm of one hand. Ecthelion cocked an eyebrow and was about to speak when the frog made a croaking sound and leapt forward onto the Fountain Lord’s tunic. Yelping in sudden surprise, Ecthelion made to take a step back to avoid the creature, but his foot slipped on the muddy bank and he fell gracelessly into the stream.

“Ecthelion?!” Glorfindel was on his feet in a moment’s notice, sprinting over to the stream. The children were staring in wide-eyed shock at the dark-haired Elf, who sat sputtering in the knee deep waters. Splashes of mud clung to his clothes, his hair thoroughly dampened by the cool waters; Ecthelion shook the water from his hair, spraying droplets everywhere in a vain attempt to dry himself. “Are you all right, vanimaer?” Glorfindel asked worriedly as he helped his lover back to his feet and towards solid ground.

“I’m fine, just soaked.” Ecthelion nodded gratefully to Lothriel and Celebelen as the girls helped to wring the water from his clothes.

“I’m sorry, Ecthelion!” Eärendil said on the verge of tears. “I didn’t mean to. Honest!”

“It’s all right, pen-neth,” Glorfindel soothed, patting the dark hair upon the child’s head. “’Twas an accident, do not become upset. There was no real harm done.” He smiled and patted the boy’s back as Eärendil nodded and sniffed loudly, rubbing the not yet fallen tears from his eyes. The blond then turned to Erestor, who kept looking around nervously as if searching for something. “Erestor? What is the matter?”

At hearing his name called, Erestor slowly turned towards Glorfindel. He fidgeted with the edge of his tunic before speaking. “I don’t see Iavalas anywhere.”

Did he hear right? “Say that again, Erestor. A little louder this time please.”

“I don’t see Iavalas anywhere. He was here a moment again. I last saw him over there.” He pointed a tiny finger towards the open woods that separated the gardens from the outer walls of the city.

Glorfindel’s face visibly paled; what could that boy possibly be up to now?! Iavalas had already scared the elven lords and the girls nearly witless once that morning when he attempted to sneak into the House of the Tree and pilfer one of his father’s knives for show. Glorfindel didn’t even want to imagine what the child was up to now, but whatever it was he was sure it was going to give him a fright.

Before he could ponder the thought any longer, Glorfindel’s feet had moved and he had taken off in the direction that Erestor had indicated. “I’m going to find him!” Glorfindel shouted over his shoulder as he heard Ecthelion call his name. He then proceeded to crash through the underbrush of the woods in search of the elfling.

Ecthelion sighed and hung his head; this day was becoming tiresome. Feeling a tug at his damp sleeve, he opened his gray-blue eyes and found four children staring up at him. He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders as he took hold of Lothriel and Eärendil hands. “Come along, let us follow them.” The children merely nodded and he urged them on, following after the Flower Lord.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Where is that boy?! He can’t have gone far!” Glorfindel looked absolute wretched as he left the woods and emerged near one of Gondolin’s walls. The Flower Lord was far from his normal stunning self. The hem and sleeves of his tunic were torn, parts of the material missing from his hurried run through the woods; leaves and small twigs had embedded themselves into his hair. The golden mane that was Glorfindel’s namesake was wild and loose about his face and down his back, the braids having come undone just as they had when he was a child. Azure eyes darted around wildly, scanning the area all about him for any signs of the elusive elfling he had been chasing. “Where in Elbereth’s name is he?!”

“Glorfindel!”

The blond turned to see Ecthelion emerge from the woods with the other children. The girls had hitched up the skirts of their dresses in their hands, their pretty faces flushed pink from the exertion. Eärendil and Erestor were looking around for their lost playmate, and Ecthelion looked, if at all possible, worse than he had after his unexpected dunking.

“Have you found him yet, Glorfindel?”

“No, and Iavalas best hope I never do or he’ll be in for the scolding of his life. I swear, that boy is the very image of his father! For all I know he could be lying in a hidden crevice or something.”

“Don’t talk like that.” Ecthelion’s voice was firm as he fixed his gaze upon his lover. He didn’t want Glorfindel to involuntarily startle the other children. He was about to say more when Eärendil spoke.

“I think I found him,” Tuor’s son said. He blushed in slight embarrassment as the two lords turned to him.

“Where?!” Glorfindel insisted hurriedly. He followed Eärendil pointed finger and, if possible, paled even more. “Oh Valar…”

Up on the outer wall of the city was perched Iavalas. The boy didn’t seem to notice the small group as he sat on the wall, his legs dangling over the other side as he giggled at the wind that teased his hair and tickled his skin. Feeling the need for a walk, he quickly sprang to his feet, and stretched his arms out to each side for balance as he began to pace the narrow ledge.

“How in Elbereth’s name did he get up there?!” Ecthelion asked, his hands turning into fists as he watched the boy wide-eyed.

“I don’t know, nor do I care,” Glorfindel ground out through clinched teeth. “I just want him down now before he hurts himself. Iavalas!” The group held their breaths as the boy teetered on the ledge, almost falling off before collecting himself again and continuing his pacing. “Iavalas! Get down here this instant!” Glorfindel called up to the boy, who immediately turned to the lord.

“But it’s fun!” Iavalas protested, shaking the hair out of his eyes.

“Now! What would your father say?!”

“Ada would like it up here.”

Glorfindel sputtered indignantly as a vein over Ecthelion’s eye twitched nervously. Both of them knew the boy was right; Legolas was notorious for causing others stress when he ventured along the narrow ledges, trails and pathways around the city. “Just come down here!” Glorfindel retorted.

“All right then…whoops!” The wind, stronger at the top of the tall wall, was enough to blow the elfling off his perch in an unguarded moment. The girls gave startled cries and covered their eyes whilst the boys stared transfixed. Glorfindel and Ecthelion sought frantically to find a way to break Iavalas’ fall, but ended up colliding with one another. Neither noticed the boy quickly grabbing hold of a tall tree branch to stop his fall; Iavalas then quickly swung from branch to branch until he flopped down onto the ground.

Quickly regaining his wits, Glorfindel, a bit roughly, grabbed the elfling by his collar and began to walk away from the scene. “Come on, it’s time you all returned to your parents,” he said in a somewhat exasperated tone as Iavalas tried to keep up with his hurried walk. With a deep sigh, Ecthelion led the other children after them back into the heart of the city.

~~~~~~~~~~

It had been another uneventful patrol of the numerous mountain passes that were hidden around Gondolin. Legolas of the Tree was one of the few who thoroughly enjoyed his duty of patrolling these passageways; some have said that he was the only one who would willingly, duty bound or not, dare explore the dark caverns. Whichever the case may be, Legolas was looking forward to returning to the city for some rest. He had sent Iavalas to spend the day with Eärendil and his friends; he was beginning to wonder what the little troupe had been up to all day.

Humming to himself, Legolas stepped into the city and took a deep breath. “I feels good to be home,” he whispered to himself as he began to seek out his son. Catching sight of a golden head, Legolas smiled and called out to the elven lord. “Lord Glorfindel!” The figure, hearing the cry, turned to look at him, and Legolas hurried over. “My Lord, did you happen to see my son today? I sent Iavalas to…” He stopped speaking when said son was held out to him. The boy dangled by his tunic as he was held out towards the father, feet a good distance from the ground.

“Take. Him. Now.”

Legolas obediently complied, catching Iavalas as he was released; only then was he able to take in the appearance of the Flower Lord from the torn tunic to the leaf and twig infested hair. Glancing around, he quickly located the other children with Ecthelion; the Fountain Lord didn’t look any better with dried mud caking his clothing and the ends of his hair. “I don’t want to know what happened, do I?” Legolas asked, turning back to meet Glorfindel’s piercing gaze. He flinched slightly at the stern look.

“No,” the blond managed to say in a calm voice. “Let us say the day was eventful and leave it at that, shall we?” Glorfindel waited until Legolas had nodded before turning and taking Ecthelion’s arm in hand. “Now, please excuse us. We must see the other children to their parents, and then some much needed rest is in order. Good day to you, Legolas.”

“Good day, my Lords.” He watched as Glorfindel led the others away. Iavalas smiled brightly and returned Eärendil wave as the other child bid them good-bye. “What happened today?” Legolas asked his son, who turned to him with a happy smile.

“Nothing, Ada,” Iavalas replied innocently. “We had fun, that’s all.”

“Fun, you say? I daresay Lord Glorfindel and Lord Ecthelion will dispute you.”

Iavalas could do nothing but giggle as the pair made for their home, the child speaking non-stop about the ‘fun’ he had had that day.

~~~~~~~~~~

Turgon couldn’t help the laughter that poured from his person as Eärendil finished relating to the King, Idril and Tuor what had transpired that day. Tuor remained silent as usual, his face contemplative as he went over all his son had said. Idril, on the other hand, looked positively exasperated as she held her son and glared at her father.

“Honestly, Ada,” she said with a huff. “I do not see how you can find all this amusing after the torment you put Glorfindel and Ecthelion through today. You know they were not…well-trained to watch five elflings in one day.”

“But I did know, my dear daughter,” Turgon said as he wiped amused tears from his eyes. “I know perfectly well what their strengths and weaknesses are.”

“And yet you still assigned them this task!”

“Was there a reason behind it all, my Lord?” Tuor asked in a quiet manner, patting Eärendil’s back as the child looked between one parent to the next then to his grandfather.

“Of course there was. I never give my captains a duty without having some motive in mind.”

“And what, may I ask, was the motive this time, Ada?” Idril asked.

“Well it is quite simple. Glorfindel and Ecthelion were in need of some time to rest and be together; they have been quite busy as of late, as you both very well know. I thought that by asking them to watch the children today that they would realize they were in need of some much-needed rest.”

“You’ve frazzled their wits, Ada! Rest indeed! You could have just given them time away from their duties. Their chief advisors are more than capable of taking over their lordship duties for a few days.”

“Yes yes, that is all very well and true.”

“Why then did you not choose that course of action?” Tuor asked, confusion written across his face.

Turgon was hard pressed to stifle his laughter until he was finished speaking. “Because I wanted to see what horrid state they would be in when they returned.”

“My Lord!”

“Ada!”

Turgon ignored their cries and Idril’s wrathful gaze as he broke into a fresh fit of hysterics. /Oh the looks on their faces! If only I had been there!/ The King clutched at his aching sides as the laughter continued, the spasmodic movements of his body almost toppling him from his throne. Idril merely rolled her eyes and exchanged an exasperated look with her husband over their son’s head. Oh the antics of the King of Gondolin; he would never cease to amaze, and horrify, them.

TBC...