Finding Hope

‘____’ indicates mindspeaking.

Chapter 17

Glorfindel had finally managed to get Faelion to sleep, and then two adas gave Gailion and Amdiriel their bath. The elflings were dressed in their soft night robes, and sat on the rugs in front of the fireplace with their parents.

“Ada, what are we going to do tomorrow?” Gailion asked Glorfindel.

“What would you like to do, little one?” Glorfindel asked.

“Can we finish making the dollhouse, Ada?”

“Of course we can, little one,” Glorfindel said.

“What would you like to do, sweetheart?” Erestor asked Amdiriel as he held her on his lap.

“Can I stay with you, Ada?”

“Aye, my love, of course you can.” Erestor kissed her head. The soft, dark auburn curls tickled his nose and he chuckled. “Have I told you yet today how beautiful you are, sweetheart?”

Amdiriel shook her head and wrapped her arms around Erestor’s neck. “You are beautiful too, Ada.”

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Erestor chuckled and kissed her cheek.

“Ada Restor,” Gailion said, “Amdiriel and I, we want you and Ada Glor to have alone time tonight.”

“You do?” Erestor asked. The elflings nodded and Glorfindel grinned. “That is very nice you both. But what about if you have a nightmare again?”

“I do not have as many nightmares any more, Ada,” Amdiriel said, “and I will sleep with Gailion. You have not even kissed Ada Glor tonight, Ada,” she chided Erestor. “You need alone time.”

Erestor smiled, then leaned over and pulled Glorfindel’s head to him, kissing him sweetly. “I love you, Glorfindel,” he said.

“Hmm…I love you Erestor.”

“Are you ready to go to bed now, sweetlings?” Erestor asked.

“Aye. Ada Restor, will you sing us a song first?” Gailion answered.

Erestor sang a lullaby for his tired little elflings, his beautiful voice turning it into a caress. Glorfindel’s heart filled with an overwhelming love for his husband, as it always did when he heard Erestor sing to the elflings.

They put the sleepy elflings to bed in Gailion’s bed. “Goodnight my little ones,” Erestor said, kissing their brows.

“Sleep well, my loves.” Glorfindel said, tucking them in and kissing the tops of their heads.

Erestor took Glorfindel’s hand, and drew him into the bathroom for their bath. He closed the door and wrapped his arms around his husband’s neck, drawing him close. “I love you so much, Glorfindel,” he whispered before capturing Glorfindel’s mouth with his own and thrusting his hungry tongue into the sweet depths.

Glorfindel moaned as he wrapped his arms around Erestor’s back. He slid his hands down, cupping the firm, round globes and lifting Erestor against him, crushing their groins together. ‘Erestor, my love…my heart…my soul. I love you’

Erestor groaned as he was held against Glorfindel and heard his beloved voice echo in his mind. ‘Oh, beloved…I want these robes off…I want to feel you against me.’ He pulled his mouth from Glorfindel’s and whispered, “Please...” as he started to unfasten clasps, all thoughts of their bath abandoned.

Glorfindel lowered him and their robes were quickly unfastened and dropped to the floor around their feet. Erestor pulled Glorfindel’s head down to plunder the mouth as Glorfindel’s hands caressed his bottom, and he was once again lifted.

Glorfindel turned them around and pressed Erestor against the wall, as his hands held him up, caressing the firm globes. Erestor wrapped his legs around Glorfindel’s waist. ‘Oh...take me…take me, my love.’ Their tongues thrust against each other before Glorfindel sucked Erestor’s into his mouth.

‘Oh, Erestor…baby…I love you so much.’ He reached one hand out to grab a bottle of oil from the shelf and popped the cork off with his thumb. Holding the bottle in his fingers he tilted it into his palm, emptying it over his hand, and allowed the bottle to fall to the floor. The oil ran over his fingers and he moved his hand to Erestor’s crevice, seeking and gently massaging the opening. He thrust two fingers inside, then quickly moved them deeply in and out.

Erestor moaned into his mouth. ‘More…more! I want to feel you inside of me. Claim me…take me…now!’

Glorfindel removed his fingers and quickly coated his throbbing member with oil from his palm, then thrust his cock into Erestor to the hilt, slamming it into his sweet spot. Erestor wailed ‘Again!’ in his mind and used his hands on Glorfindel’s shoulders to push himself up.

Glorfindel thrust up into the tight channel, and just at that moment Faelion woke, screaming.

Both elves moaned as Glorfindel slowly lifted Erestor free and set him on the floor. They groaned, then quickly donned their robes and rushed into the bedroom. Gailion had gotten up and was bending over the cradle trying to shush his little brother.

“It is all right, sweetheart, I will take him,” Erestor said as he lifted the crying infant from the crib. “Go back to bed, love. Your Ada and I will take him to the sitting room so you can sleep.”

“I am sorry Faelion woke up, Ada,” Gailion said as Glorfindel tucked him and Amdiriel in again, “It is your alone time.”

Glorfindel smiled. “It is all right, sweetling. Go back to sleep now.” He kissed the elfling’s brow and stroked his head, then did the same to Amdiriel. “Good night, little ones.” He followed Erestor into the sitting room, shutting the door behind them.

Erestor rocked the baby in his arms. “Feel him, Glorfindel. He feels hot.”

Glorfindel placed his hand on the baby’s face. “A fever?”

“I am taking him to Elrond. He is closer than Nestoron. Stay with the children?”

“Aye, love. Go.”

~~~*~~~
Elrond had just finished tucking Erynoron comfortably into bed after he had finished washing him, when he heard a knock at the door. Hearing a baby crying, he ran to open the door and found Erestor holding Faelion.

“Elrond, he is hot! He has a fever! What is wrong with him? What do I do?” Erestor said, distraught.

Elrond took the infant from his arms and laid him on a sofa to examine him as Erestor huddled over him. “He is teething, Erestor. Sometimes even elflings will get a little fever when they teeth. I will fix some herbs for you to make a tea for him that will help. Placing him in a bath with cool water will help, too. Rub a little brandy on his gums every so often to numb them, and give him things to chew on. I will have your new icebox delivered in the new rooms tomorrow. Take a cloth and wet it very well in water, then place it on the ice to freeze. When it is frozen, roll it up and give it to him to chew on. Oh, and be prepared for some very messy diapers. They go along with this. Elrohir’s were terrible!” Erestor picked up the baby as Elrond began gathering the herbs.

“Erestor?” Erynoron called from the bedroom. “Is that you?”

“Aye, my friend.” He walked into the bedroom with the still crying Faelion. “I am sorry we woke you, Erynoron. Faelion has a fever, and it scared me.”

Erynoron smiled. “Will you bring him here so I can see him?”

Erestor lowered the infant so his friend could see him, and Faelion decided that looking at a new face was interesting. He whimpered, and his lower lip trembled, but he stopped the loud cries. “Oh, what a beautiful little elfling you are! Much too beautiful to be crying.” Erynoron exclaimed softly. “What is wrong, Erestor? He cannot be ill?”

“He is teething, and Elrond says a little fever is normal.”

Erynoron nodded. “Aiya, I do not envy you and Glorfindel right now, my friend.”

“Erestor, here are the herbs. Steep a spoonful in water, let it cool and put it in his bottle. He can have as much as he will drink of it.”

“Thank you, Elrond. I am sorry I disturbed both of you, but I did not know what to do.”

“Do not worry, my friend. This is normal. I just hope he does not keep you up night after night as the twins did me.” Elrond said.

After bidding good night to his friends, Erestor hurried back to Glorfindel and told him everything Elrond had said. “Will you fix the tea, my love? I will get him into the bath,” Erestor said, handing Glorfindel the herbs.

Glorfindel was glad they had started keeping a kettle for hot water in their rooms, and took the kettle from the hearth to prepare the tea. He placed the herbs into a large pitcher, then added the hot water. ‘Erestor, I am going to the kitchens to get some honey to sweeten the tea and some ice.’ Hearing Erestor’s ‘Hurry back’ in his mind, he ran to the kitchens.

In the kitchens he located the honey, then took a pitcher and a heavy knife and went to the cold pantry for some ice. He used the handle of the knife to break off pieces of ice and filled the pitcher with them. He put the knife away, then located a sieve, spoons, and another pitcher to take along. Placing everything on a tray, he hurried back to their rooms. He could feel Erestor’s distress.

Reaching their rooms, he strained the steeped tea into the empty pitcher and added honey to it, stirring it to dissolve the honey in the hot water, then added a handful of ice to cool the tea. When the ice had dissolved, he carefully filled one of Faelion’s bottles with it, and went to the bathroom to join Erestor.

Opening the door to the bathroom, his heart broke to find Erestor bent over the bathtub, sobbing as he held the crying baby in the cool water. “Oh, sweetheart,” he said softly. “Let me help you.” He knelt down next to Erestor and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Would you like me to do this for you?”

Erestor shook his head. “I just cannot bear to see him so miserable, Glorfindel,” Erestor sobbed.

Glorfindel placed his hand on Faelion, feeling if he was still as hot. “He is cooler, sweetheart. Let us get him out of here and see if we can make him more comfortable.”
Erestor nodded. Glorfindel grabbed a towel to wrap the infant in and held it open in his hands for Erestor to lay Faelion in. Erestor laid the baby on the towel and wrapped it around him, then lifted him, rocking him in his arms. Glorfindel wrapped his arm around Erestor and led him back to the sitting room.

“Will you get the brandy, please my love?” Erestor asked, sitting on the chaise longue. Faelion had not stopped crying, and tears still ran down Erestor’s face.

Glorfindel brought the bottle and poured some into a cup. “Here, sweetheart, drink some first,” he said, handing the cup to Erestor. Erestor looked at him gratefully, took the cup, and had a large swallow.

“Thank you, my love. I needed that. Here, you put it on his gums while I hold him,” Erestor said, handing the cup back to his husband.

Glorfindel dipped his finger into the cup, and gently placed it in Faelion’s mouth in the middle of a loud cry, rubbing it on his gums. The baby stopped crying and began to suck on Glorfindel’s finger before biting on it. Glorfindel simply grit his teeth and let the baby chew on his finger.

“What is it, love?” Erestor asked softly.

“He is chewing on my finger,” Glorfindel whispered tersely. “He has quite a bite.”

“Oh, sweetheart. Where is the tea?” Erestor asked. Glorfindel pointed to the table. “Just take your finger out if you can and grab it. He can chew on the nipple.”

Glorfindel removed his finger, painfully. He grabbed the bottle, dipped the nipple in the brandy, and placed the nipple in the baby’s mouth before he could scream too loudly. Faelion happily chewed and sucked, drinking the tea.

“Oh, thank the Valar,” Glorfindel said, sucking on his finger, as he went to join Erestor on the chaise. He lifted Erestor’s legs onto the long seat, then sat behind him and drew him back against his chest. He wrapped one arm around Erestor, and with the other stroked Faelion’s soft head.

The baby soon finished the bottle and fell soundly asleep. Erestor carefully placed him over his shoulder and rubbed his back until he heard a soft burp. “We need to get a diaper on him, my love,” he whispered. “I would just leave the towel, but Elrond said the fever and the teething may make his diapers really messy, and I do not want to take a chance.”

Erestor and Glorfindel carefully diapered the sleeping baby, then laid him in his cradle in the bedroom. They silently removed their robes and slipped on their nightshirts, then returned to the sitting room, closing the door behind them. Glorfindel lay on the chaise and held his arms open for his husband. Erestor collapsed on top of him, wrapped his arms around Glorfindel’s neck, and laid his head on the beloved chest, sighing.

Glorfindel gently stroked Erestor’s back and hair. “Rest for a little, sweetheart,” he said, bending his head to kiss Erestor’s brow.

“Hmmm…”

“I love you, my Erestor.”

“I love you, my Glorfindel,” came the muffled reply. “Do we still have time for our ‘alone time’?”

“Aye, love. Rest a little first, and then I promise to ravish you.”

“Oh, good.”

Tbc….