Erestor's Secret

Title: Erestor’s Secret (17/?)
Author: Aglarien
Type: FPS
Pairing: Erestor/Glorfindel, Galdor/Dringion (OMC), Ecthelion/Thoniel (OFC)
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Not mine, except for the cats. The great Master Tolkien’s estate owns everything else. I promise to return his elves when I’m done playing with them.
Timeline: Gondolin, 501 of the First Age
Warning: AU.
Beta: Phyncke. All remaining mistakes are mine alone.


Glorfindel woke the instant Erestor moaned and shifted in his sleep. After they had both recovered from their lovemaking, he had gently washed Erestor with a soft cloth and warm water, and the exhausted elf was asleep before his ministrations had even finished. Glorfindel had quickly followed his mate into reverie, but now it was barely past the mid of night and Erestor was in pain. Remembering the potion of herbs that the healer had left for just such an occurrence, Glorfindel carefully unwound himself from his husband so Erestor would not wake yet, and silently crept from the bed to prepare the medicine. He had not taken two steps before a foot slid out from under him and he landed hard on his bottom. Swearing softly, he rose from the marble floor rubbing his hip and buttocks. After lighting a candle, he held it aloft, moving the light to and fro – and discovered a sparkling field of stars covering the floor.

Mordithen rose from his bed of fine fabric and looked up at Glorfindel, uttering a soft meow, apparently undisturbed by the elf’s angry stare. Amber eyes set in a field of black stared right back at Glorfindel.

“You are in trouble, Mordithen!” Glorfindel whispered. “Bad cat!”

Mordithen blinked in reply, and when Glorfindel swept the diamonds out of his immediate path with his foot, the kitten shot after them, skidding across the floor to reach his new playthings.

Glorfindel shook his head and sighed at the cat, finally ignoring the small animal. He made Erestor’s remedy with the warm water from the kettle hanging over the hearth, to which he added a few drops of the potion. Returning to the bed, he sat next to Erestor and carefully raised him to a half-sitting position in his arms. “Erestor, love,” he said softly as the smaller elf moaned again. “Can you wake up enough to drink Nestoron’s potion? It will ease your pain.”

Awareness returned to Erestor’s eyes, and he gasped at the throbbing ache in his leg. He looked up and nodded at Glorfindel, his eyes clouded with distress. As his husband held the glass to his lips, he drank eagerly in spite of the bitter taste, wanting the throbbing to subside.

“Slowly, dear one,” Glorfindel whispered. “I know it hurts, but take a moment to breathe.” He lowered the now half-empty glass, letting Erestor catch his breath. After a moment, Erestor nodded and Glorfindel lifted the glass again to allow his mate to finish it.

Erestor sighed and leaned against Glorfindel, loving the strength of his husband’s arms around him. They rested quietly for some time, allowing the pain to dissipate, and then Erestor said quietly, “Thank you. Love you.”

“I am sorry you hurt, dear one,” Glorfindel whispered, bending and kissing Erestor’s head. “It breaks my heart to see you suffer. I would give anything to take the pain from you. Perhaps we should not have…”

“Do not say it, Glorfindel….please.” Erestor looked at his husband, his eyes sad. “Do you regret our bonding? That you gave yourself to me?” he whispered.

“Never, dear one,” Glorfindel said softly. “Erestor, I love you more than my life – you are my very soul.”

Erestor reached his hand up to caress Glorfindel’s beautiful face. “I love you so much,” he whispered, drawing the golden head down for a passionate kiss that made any remaining discomfort flee. All that existed was Glorfindel, the warmth of his arms, and the fire that burned in his body. His love for his golden mate was a song that rose in his heart and flooded his soul. When they finally parted, Erestor moaned at the loss of the warm lips on his own and said softly, “You take the hurt away and make me want you again.”

“I would love that too, but I can still see pain in your eyes,” Glorfindel replied quietly as he stroked Erestor’s hair. “You must rest and heal.”

“I do not think it is from our bonding,” Erestor said. “Nestoron said I would have pain from all the movement earlier today, remember? They jostled me a good bit to get me dressed.” Raising his hand, he stroked Glorfindel’s cheek. “You did not hurt me, my husband,” he whispered. “You did not cause me pain. There was no pressure on my leg.”

Glorfindel smiled and turned his head to kiss the palm of Erestor’s hand. “Truly?” he asked.

“Truly,” Erestor responded. Snuggling against Glorfindel he began to drift off into reverie again.

“Then sleep, dear one,” Glorfindel said, laying Erestor back down in the bed. “And in the morning….well, we will see.” He settled down next to his mate and held him close. Cleaning up the diamonds from the floor could just wait until the morning.

~~*~~

Glorfindel awoke to a light knock on the door. Knowing it would be Ecthelion, he smoothed the blankets over the sleeping Erestor and made sure they were both covered decently before calling a quiet, “Enter.”

Ecthelion opened the door with one hand, carrying the tray with breakfast for his brother and friend with his other. He was about to step into the room when Glorfindel suddenly hissed for him to stop. He looked up in puzzlement.

“Look at the floor,” Glorfindel whispered. “Watch where you step!”

The lord of the house took in the scene with a frown on his face. The kitten looking up from his bed of Erestor’s robes and the diamonds scattered over the floor told their own story. “You are lucky that Erestor loves you, Mordithen,” he said, scowling at the kitten. “Do you have any idea what those robes cost me?” He cautiously entered the room, leaving the door half open behind him and sweeping the diamonds away with his foot as he walked.

Glorfindel chuckled. “I am sure he does not,” he whispered. Leaning over Erestor, he spoke softly. “Erestor, Thel is here with your breakfast. Will you wake, love?” He gently ran his fingers through Erestor’s dark hair and watched as grey eyes, dulled in reverie, regained their sparkle. “Good morning, dear one,” he whispered, placing a kiss on his husband’s full, soft lips. “Are you well this morning? How do you feel?”

“Glorfindel,” Erestor said softly, touching his husband’s face with his fingertips. “I am well, beloved.” His fingers traced soft lips. “I love you so very much.”

Glorfindel smiled and kissed the tips of Erestor’s fingers, looking into sparkling grey eyes. “I love you more than there are words to say and I always will,” he whispered, kissing Erestor again. He helped his love sit up with the pillows as a backrest and held him in his arms.

Ecthelion’s sweeping the floor with his foot and then placing their breakfast tray on the bedside table drew Erestor’s attention and he smiled at his brother. “Good morning, Thel. Is something wrong with the floor?”

“Good morning, little brother,” Thel answered. Bending down, he unceremoniously moved the kitten off of Erestor’s robes, and then took the garment to inspect the damage, sitting in the chair at the end of the bed. “Your little cat has divested your robes of the diamonds and they are strewn all over the floor. I have half a mind to. . .”

“Oh dear,” Erestor said guiltily. “We should have put the robes in a safer place. He is just a kitten, Thel,” he added in a pleading tone. Erestor smiled at his brother again. “Perhaps it can be fixed?”

Ecthelion finished his meticulous examination of the robes and glared at the kitten again, saying, “It appears he merely bit the threads holding the jewels and they can be sewn on again. You are a very fortunate cat, Mordithen!”

Erestor chuckled and snuggled into Glorfindel’s arms, practically sitting on his husband’s lap. “Then all is well,” he said happily.

Ecthelion suddenly stared at Erestor, then at Glorfindel, and then back to his brother again. Something was different about them…there was something about their eyes. Suddenly he knew, and he cried out, “Fin! You have bedded my brother! You swore you would not hurt him!”

“I did not and I have not,” Glorfindel answered quietly.

“Do not lie to me, Fin!” Ecthelion stood and nearly roared. “I can see it in your eyes!”

“He did not bed me, Thel,” Erestor said softly, looking at Glorfindel and seeing the love in his eyes. “I love you, Glorfindel. I will always, always, love you.”

“As I will love you, my sweet Erestor,” Glorfindel whispered, bending his head to capture his mate’s lips in a passionate kiss.

“What?” Ecthelion looked at his brother in amazement. “What do you mean? Speak plainly, Erestor!” he nearly shouted in frustration, seeing his brother ignore him, and then he suddenly whipped around at the sound of a soft chuckle in the doorway.

“I am sorry to say you have no imagination, my lord, if you cannot figure it out,” Nestoron said, entering the room and shutting the door behind him. The healer had come to check on Erestor, arriving just in time to hear Ecthelion’s accusation and the newlyweds’ responses. “I suspected that the two of you might work that one out,” he said to Glorfindel and Erestor. He moved around the side of the bed to sit on it beside his patient. “It appears there was no harm done and I can see you are in no pain this morning,” he said, smiling at Erestor. “Now,” he said, addressing Glorfindel, “let me show you how you must massage Master Erestor’s muscles. It is very important that his other muscles do not grow weak from his forced inactivity.”

~~~*~~~

Ecthelion sat over his own breakfast in the small family dining room. He needed the time alone to think, and he finally realized that the time had come to let his brother go. He loved Erestor dearly, but his younger brother was no longer his responsibility: that honor now belonged to Glorfindel. He was happy beyond measure for Erestor and Glorfindel, but at the same time it made him feel a little empty. He had had no right to speak to them as he had. He would apologize to them later, but right now he needed to find Thoniel, and hoped that she was not busy waiting on Galdor or taking care of Dringion. He needed to talk to someone about his feelings and he wanted that someone to be Thoniel. There was still much he had to work out in his mind.

~~~*~~~

Glorfindel crawled around on the floor on his hands and knees picking up diamonds. Every time he reached for one of the jewels, Mordithen’s nose was right next to his hand, the kitten’s curiosity insatiable. He finally picked up the animal, walked on his knees to the bed, and deposited the small ball of fur onto Erestor’s lap. “Hold your beast before I lose my patience with him,” he said with a grin. “I really do not need his assistance.”

Erestor chuckled and held the kitten on his lap with his free hand, his fingers moving through the soft fur. After Thel and Nestoron had left, he and Glorfindel had eaten their breakfast, and then Glorfindel had dressed Erestor in a nightshirt and donned a pair of leggings to move around the floor in. He watched Glorfindel resume his task, painstakingly retrieving each jewel, and said, “I am sorry you have to do that, love. You should have allowed Thel to do it.”

Glorfindel looked up with a smile and shook his head. “No. It is bad enough that we shall have to bear Thel coming to check on you every so often.” Stopping for a moment, he rested on his heels and said, “I cannot help but want you all to myself for a while, Erestor. This is ‘our’ time.” He picked up the final diamond, scooped the pile up in his hand, and deposited them in a drawer of the bedside table.

Erestor was surprised to hear Glorfindel express this sentiment. As was his habit, he thought about it before saying anything. Remembering what had happened when Thel came to the room, he suddenly realized what Glorfindel was trying to say. “I understand,” he said. “If it were not for my injury, we would not be here and we would have more privacy. Because we are still here in his house, he still feels responsible for me. He has not yet fully realized that we are now married. He should not have come to our room this morning like he did, should he? If he and Thoniel were married and if I still lived here, I would never dream of disturbing them the morning after their wedding.”

“No, he really shouldn’t have,” Glorfindel said, rising and moving to sit on the bed beside Erestor. “Even though you are injured, we are newly married, and this is the time we should be growing closer and more intimate,” he said softly. “Did you note that Nestoron made a point of telling us that he would not be back to see you until tomorrow around the midday meal? He understands, and he told us when to expect him again. I love you, Erestor, with all of my being, and I would like nothing more than to stay in this bed with you and show you how much I love you.”

“I would like that too,” Erestor whispered. “But you cannot because Thel might come at any time to check on me. You do not want to say anything to him, not only because this is his house, but because he is your friend and my brother and we love him. Am I right?”

Glorfindel nodded.

“Would you allow me to talk to him about it?” Erestor asked.

“No, love,” Glorfindel said, shaking his head. “However we tell him, it would hurt him, and I would rather that you and I bear it than to hurt one hair on his head.”

Erestor reached for his husband’s hand and brought it to his mouth to bestow a soft kiss on Glorfindel’s fingers. “And that is just one of the many reasons that I love you,” he whispered.

“You have many reasons?” Glorfindel grinned. “Tell me?”

“You are kind, generous, and noble,” Erestor said with a soft smile. “You have such power in you, but you temper your might with justice.” He tilted his head and looked at Glorfindel seriously, stifling his laughter. “You are intelligent and very wise…but I can still beat you at chess. You love animals and are kind to Mordithen. I have known you my whole life and I am very comfortable with you. And you are very beautiful.”

Glorfindel pouted. “Those are the only reasons you love me?”

Erestor tried to keep a straight face and failed. His laughter bubbled over and spilled out at the sulky look on Glorfindel’s face. When he could speak again, he said, “No. Those are all true, but they are not why I love you.” He pulled Glorfindel down beside him and leaned over to whisper in his ear, “Great-heart, I love you because there is no one nobler in spirit to my eyes, and with just a look you can make my heart melt. I love you because you are full of strength and might, and yet your powerful hands touch me so gently and lovingly, and your stalwart arms when you hold me make me feel so warm and safe. I love you because just a gentle touch of your fingers makes my skin tingle and leaves me needing you more. I love you for your quick mind that sees into my very soul and satisfies my every unspoken desire. I love your lips, your sweet mouth that tastes of honey and sunshine, and your kisses that set my senses ablaze and make me hunger for more.”

Fingers entangled with Erestor’s, pressing gently, and the golden head dropped to rest on his shoulder, but still Erestor did not stop whispering. “I love you because your gentle heart cares for everyone and everything around you, and because you love me so tenderly. I love your joy and your laughter that makes my heart sing. You are so beautiful that I cannot fathom why you love me, but I will thank the Valar each day of my life that you do. Last night, when you allowed me to take you to complete our bonding, as much as I loved you before, my love for you grew a hundredfold. Each minute, each hour, I love you more than I did the last. I feel a part of you within me and my love for you consumes me. I am yours, Glorfindel. My heart, my soul, and my body belong to you and always will.”

Glorfindel’s fingers entwined with Erestor’s as the younger elf began to speak. With each word, he drew Erestor closer into his arms, and he thought his heart would melt listening to the beautiful words. When the whispers stopped, Glorfindel pressed his lips against his mate’s and his tongue slid past soft lips to lovingly explore every inch of Erestor’s mouth. He poured every ounce of love in his heart into the kiss, wanting his precious mate to feel how very loved he was.

When they finally parted, Glorfindel’s own whispered words poured out of his very soul. “Beloved one, your beauty steals the breath from my body. Each time I look at you, each time I touch you, my heart pounds within me. One look from your sparkling silver eyes, and my legs turn to jelly. One smile from your beautiful lips, and I want to melt in your sweet arms. Each time I hold your smaller hand within mine, each time I hold you in my arms, my heart, my soul, are so filled with love of you that I think I will burst. You are so gentle, so tender, but you have such inner strength and wisdom. The sound of your voice, your laughter, the faintest whisper from your lips, and I am lost within your magic. The world could fall around me, and I would see only you. I adore you, Erestor, with every breath I take and with every part of my being. I am yours, forever. I will love you with all that I am, forever.” Kissing Erestor again, he was lost within the magic of their love.

~~~*~~~

Ecthelion found Thoniel in the garden, seated beside the fountain, her fingers plying a needle and thread through the fine fabric on her lap. She smiled as he sat down beside her and kissed her cheek. “I am glad you are not busy caring for your uncle or Dringion,” he said. “I thought you might be checking on them or taking them their breakfast.”

“On their wedding morning?” Thoniel grinned, laying her sewing aside.

“Did no one take them breakfast then?” Ecthelion asked.

“I had your kitchen servants prepare a tray of food that would hold and set it on the floor outside of the door, slipped a note under the door that said I had left the food outside, knocked gently, and left.”

Ecthelion hung his head guiltily.

“Oh, Ecthelion, you didn’t!” Thoniel exclaimed softly.

“And worse,” Ecthelion replied, nodding. He sighed. “I took them their breakfast tray and . . . well, I saw in their eyes that they had bonded and I accused Glorfindel of bedding my brother after swearing he wouldn’t hurt him. Fin denied it, and I got a little upset.”

“Oh, Ecthelion,” Thoniel sighed. “And then what happened?”

“Nestoron came to check on Erestor and . . . well . . . ‘twas not Glorfindel who bedded my brother.”

“’Twas Erestor who bedded him,” Thoniel replied knowingly. Realizing what she had just said, she slapped her hand over her mouth and blushed fiercely.

Ecthelion laughed at her embarrassment. “No, you are right, and I was not thinking. Do not be ashamed for speaking the truth with me.” He took the hand that covered her mouth and kissed it. “So now I have to go to them and apologize.”

Thoniel grimaced and shook her head.

“No?” Ecthelion was surprised at her response. “Oh . . .that would be disturbing them again, wouldn’t it? So I should write a note, slip it under the door, knock gently, and then leave?”

“And then come back and walk with me in this beautiful garden.”

Ecthelion nodded and stood, his mind already focused on what he would write. As he began to walk away, Thoniel called after him. “Ecthelion?”

Ecthelion turned and looked at her questioningly.

“I love you.”

The Lord of the Fountain had the grace to blush, and swiftly returned to his betrothed, going down on one knee before her. “Forgive me, beloved. I fear you will have much to teach me of manners in love, but I promise to be a willing pupil.” Taking her hands into his own, he kissed her fingertips, and then leaned up for a passionate kiss while he whispered, “I love you too.”

Tbc…