Year of Madness

Chapter Two


After one of the best weeks of either of his lives, Glorfindel found himself on the very end of the most mundane week of either. Scouting the area surrounding Imladris had never bored him before, but for the past eight days he’d only half-heartedly searched for bands of orcs or lost parties of men. Even when he approached a small delegation from Lothlorien during the latter part of the week, he felt it was merely another small interruption in what was amounting to a frustrating waste of his time.

He reflected on the previous week as he rode into the stables, and a smile came to his face. Erestor had indeed been correct – the only times anyone bothered to stop to see him was if something was wrong that could not wait for him to return. Elrond would periodically check at first, but when he noted Glorfindel was spending a great deal of time in the room, his visits quickly diminished. Glorfindel found he was glad for this, as he enjoyed the time he had alone with Erestor more and more.

But the week ended much too soon, and Glorfindel regretted leaving. With a promise he would return and a warning he expected to find Erestor in bed and not behind a desk when he came back, Glorfindel reluctantly went on patrol. He had two weeks leave now, and he knew exactly who he was going to spend it with, whether it was on the balcony of the healing rooms or in the library.

The commotion surrounding the healing rooms bothered him as he strolled down the hallway. There were quite a few elves milling around outside the main entrance, but Glorfindel politely maneuvered his way through them. No one seemed worried or frantic, so he relaxed again until he found more of the same within the chambers. Elrond was crowded by a great number of elves and elleths, and as Glorfindel approached, he noted something in the Elflord’s arms.

“Oh, she’s just darling,” one of the stable girls said, while a Lothlorien guard who had arrived with the party days earlier remarked, “She has the beauty of both her mother and grandmother. May the Valar bless her with the wisdom of her father and grandfather.”

All of the pieces fit together at once. Celebrian had given birth, and obviously the delegation from Lothlorien would have come to escort her parents to Imladris for the event. The date of birth would have been known well in advance, but Glorfindel worried little of such things. Now he felt a bit foolish, for he had neglected to find out why the party was traveling from Lorien when he met them on patrol. It was rare the lord and lady of the woods traveled, and Glorfindel thought he would have known for sure if Galadriel had been within the party, and searched the room for her now as he made his way through the crowd.

He was able to maneuver near to Elrond now, and cleared his throat softly so that he did not interrupt the conversation while he procured Elrond’s attention. He gave his own congratulations, and then it was expected that Glorfindel hold the baby briefly, as he would guard her as he guarded all those living in Imladris.

As he handed the yawning elfling back to her father, Glorfindel raised one brow in askance. He was positive Erestor was not in the balcony room, for it was indeed Celebrian’s favorite and no doubt she was there now. Carefully tucking the blanket around the newest member of his household and family, Elrond carefully said, “I had to put something in your rooms. I would have put it back where it belonged, but it probably would have wandered off where it was not yet ready to be. I hope you understand.”

“Perfectly, my lord.” He dismissed himself with an informal bow before stopping out on the balcony to see the Lady Celebrian. Asleep, he suspected, and she was, with her father sitting at the bedside. Galadriel had not come, for such a journey was more dangerous for Lothlorien than for her. Celeborn smiled and stood, and the pair greeted each other before Glorfindel asked of Celebrian’s well being.

“This was easier for her than the twins were,” remarked Celeborn, sitting down once more. “I hope this is the last. Though I do love my grandchildren dearly, it puts such strain on her.” Celeborn took the cloth that was over his daughter’s forehead and dipped it into a basin of cold water before wringing it out and replacing it.

They chatted for some time, until an hour had passed and Glorfindel was anxious to see if he had read Elrond’s riddle correctly. He was glad to have left the Lord of Lorien in higher spirits, and swiftly made his way to his rooms.

The first thing that he found odd is that the door was not ajar as he so often left it. He required very little privacy, and as long as no one walked into the inner bathing chambers he did not mind the visitors that knocked on the doorframe and let themselves in. Glorfindel knew Erestor tended to keep his door closed and sometimes even locked it against intruders, and the blonde was glad to find the latter was not the case. Glorfindel had misplaced the key long years before and had been too embarrassed to ask for another to be made.

He closed the door behind him, taking in the darkened room. The drapes were drawn, but slivers of light teased the ceiling and the floor. In his bed was the peacefully resting elf he adored more and more with each passing day. Erestor was on the center of the mattress with blankets tucked and tangled around him. He was on his side, and one arm was keeping one of the bulkier pillows drawn up next to him.

Standing just to the side of the bed now, Glorfindel smiled down at the elf. On the last night before leaving on patrol, Erestor had once more offered to share the bed (“My feet aren’t THAT cold, really,” he’d told Glorfindel, to which the blonde answered with a tug on Erestor’s exposed toes, shivering as he pulled his hand back to blow warm air against his fingers.), but Glorfindel once again avoided the topic (“Perhaps if I find you some woolen socks…”). Now he realized the tables were turned on him, and wondered if it was really Elrond who had insisted Erestor rest in Glorfindel’s bed, or the other way around.

He was drawn out of his brief reverie by a very pleasant but muffled voice. “Go take a bath, you stink of horse.”

“Valar forbid,” grinned Glorfindel. Erestor’s eyes remained closed, but he smirked just slightly. “Are you enjoying your stay here at the Inn of the Golden Flower,” he teased.

Erestor sat up and tilted his head to the side. “The room and meals are adequate, but you’ve nothing here to read.”

“I do my reading in the library,” he said. “I… enjoy the view,” he added.

“Ah.” Erestor either did not note the meaning, or his mind was elsewhere. “Will you be stopping by the library today?”

“I’m not sure if—no! No, I won’t, you’re supposed to be resting!” Glorfindel crossed his arms and heaved an over-exaggerated sigh. Erestor mimicked him, causing them both to laugh. “Fine, you’ve twisted my arm. What must I sneak out this time?”

Reaching over to the night table, Erestor picked up a folded slip of paper and then handed it to Glorfindel. “I’ve written down the call numbers for three books I’ve wanted to browse for some time, any of them would be fine. Unless you see something else in that section that appears to be of interest. But go take a bath first,” insisted Erestor, waving his hand in front of his nose with a frown.

“Aren’t you demanding,” commented Glorfindel. Erestor gave him a cheeky smile. “Bath first – but only because I want to take one,” he said, walking toward the private bathroom.

“Oh, of course,” said Erestor, settling back into bed.

‘Then, I’m taking a nap,’ Glorfindel thought to himself, ‘In bed, with you,’ he continued to think boldly. ‘And if you’re lucky, Erestor, I just might keep your feet warm, among other things.’


To Be Continued...