House of the Golden Flower

After our initial meeting, he spoke to me and I was disappointed to have forgotten speech, but what he was able to make me understand was that I was and elf, just as he was, and that I should not live here alone. Hungry for him, I clung to him and agreed to leave my valley, which had grown so small and enclosive I was glad to leave it far behind and go with him to wherever he lived.

He pointed to the sun and to the sleeping eagle in the branches of a nearby tree, and motioned that we must leave. I kept his hand and allowed him to lead me to the bird, which acquiesced pleasantly to our boarding. I was nervous to sit atop the softly feathered predator, but the elf reassured me, sitting behind me with his arms about my bare waist.

Hungry for his touch I leaned back against him, but when the bird took off I reached back and gripped his thighs tightly in fear. He soothed me with gently spoken words so soft I nearly could not hear them, and I calmed for him.

The journey was not long over the hills and mountains; and I was awed by the sight and by the joy of having him with me. Why, I wondered, did I ever run away from him in the first place? I was but a child then, afraid, and I didn't know the power his touch placed on me. Starved for companionship as I was, I was deeply asleep, lulled by his warmth and similarity to myself by the time the bird landed. I woke with a start at not only the alien sound of voices and civilization, but at the suddenness of no longer being in the air.

He moved behind me, getting off the warm feathered back and I whimpered, uncertain and afraid. He shushed me softly and helped me down, letting me hide against his strong form. The ground was sand under my soft boots, and a quick glance around revealed that we were in another valley, surrounded by brilliantly strange trees. More like us went casually by in the sunset light and I reached out uncertainly to touch the hair of a passing female, earning a giggle from her and small sound of amusement from the man beside me.

A tall four-legged creature the size of a warg walked by, snorting as the bird lifted off, and I immediately clung in fear, wishing for my spear. The elf did not seem alarmed, and began to walk on. I stayed with him, taking his hand and receiving comforting squeezes in response to my jolts of panic.

He took me to the biggest tree-thing and began to walk inside. I balked at the door, eyes wide in fear, feet scraping nervously on the stone underfoot. With a reassuring smile he put an arm around my waist and I leaned into him, willing to be led. He took me through a series of cave-like halls until he came to a room where he seemed to visibly relax. I looked around. The room smelled like him, I supposed this must be his winter home.

He released me and I let him, dropping to a crouch and slinking forward to carefully inspect a massive, strange looking object he had no fear of. When I poked it, it did not react. I wondered over this strange thing while he laughed. I turned to look at him and he pointed and said "Bed." I blinked, and then repeated the word. "Bed?" He pointed to it again, wordlessly. I looked at it. "Bed." I said disbelievingly.

He seemed genuinely amused by this, though I hadn't the faintest idea why.

A door opened, and in came another being. I watched amazed, as they talked together for a moment, looking at me. Then the female, I guessed it to be female, drawing on old memories of what was what from when i was young, left the room laughing softly to herself.

I crept around the room, similarly inspecting the furniture, learning new names for things, candle, bed, closet, fireplace, desk, chair, boots, clothes, and window. But i had yet to learn the name of the most important thing in the room. I turned to him and pointed. His amused smile widened to a grin. "Turgon." He said. "Turgon." I repeated, creeping closer to him, giving a mock impression of my inspection of everything else. "You've got a dramatic streak. Mischievous as all get out, too." He rumbled to himself, but I calmly ignored him, smiling a bit myself.

I touched his mouth with my finger, pointing. "Lips." He said, trying not to move them. I repeated after him, smiling at this new game and pointing to his nose. "Nose." He told me calmly. We went on and soon he was fighting to keep form laughing enough to speak. "Eyes." "Chin." "Ears." "Hair." "Tongue." "Teeth." Finally I spared him some mercy and quit with that game at "Neck.".

Then I asked another important one. I pointed at myself. A sadness came over his face, and he reached out and stroked my long hair absently. "Glorfindel." He named me. I waited. "Golden-haired." He said with finality. I smiled. "Glorfindel. Golden-haired." He pulled me close and I held him tight, savoring the solid warmth of his body. The female returned through the door a moment later, and he abruptly stopped leaning on me, and I nearly fell at the loss of balance.

The woman set a tray of food on the desk and left, and I followed Turgon to the food. There was meat, but it was overcooked and I made a face, which made Turgon laugh. I couldn't help a smile, and wiped my hands on my chest and picked up a smaller bit and tried it. He watched with amusement as I looked about for a place to spit it out.

I wiped my hands and tried some of the fruit-looking stuff, which surprisingly enough did turn out to be fruit. I gathered it all up and sat myself on the cold stone floor, eating happily. Turgon joined me, also eating with his hands. His attempts to teach me while eating failed miserably. When I finished, I wiped my hands on my chest again and smacked my lips.

He pointed to the scar that curved around my right calf and I struggled to describe the wargs with my insufficient vocabulary, and gave up with a sigh, leaning on him a. Af. After a moment he finished eating and returned the gesture of trust, leaning against me with equal measure so that we held one another upright.

It began to grow very dark in the room and I began to feel drowsy. Turgon sat me up, and stood. I followed suit, watching curiously as he lit a fire in the fireplace. I had seen orcs and men with fire, and was awed by the warmth. He left me sitting on the hearth, impressed by the flickering heat and went into the adjoining room for a while. When he returned he motioned me to follow, and so I rose and did so.

The room was large, with a pool of water set into the floor. When I had looked in here earlier this pond had been empty. Now it was full of clear water. I knelt beside it and touched the water. It was pleasantly warm, like a ditch in summer. I tasted the water. Fresh, clear and pure. I looked over at Turgon curiously. "Bath." He said. I nodded and stood.

He began to get undressed, and so I followed suit, guessing the intent of the water. He got in first, easing down into a sitting position with a sigh. I stepped down into it, surprised to find it at mid-thigh. It hadn't looked this deep. I sat down beside him, scrubbing at my skin with my hands, having no sand on hand to aid me. Amused, he handed me a flat, slippery bar that smelled pleasant and tasted disgusting. "Soap." He said, laughing at my confusion.

"Soap?" I asked him. "Yes. Let me show you." He said, holding out his hand. I refused to relinquish the prize. He could just get another wherever he got this one. He sighed and took the soap, my hand still firmly attached and scrubbed and my chest, then at his own, rinsing it off and trailing my fingertips over the area. I was surprised to find the skin cleaned there. "Soap!" I said joyfully and started scrubbing at myself in earnest, then him. He allowed it, laughing too hard to refuse much. Only when I had used it all was I satisfied, and huddled down into the water, content.

He got out, wrapping his body in a towel and handing me one as well. I stepped out and took the towel, sighing softly as the entire day caught up with me all in one moment. My head hurt and I rubbed my eyes, yawning. He led me back into the room and tried to make me lay on the bed but I refused stubbornly, getting off it every time he turned and attempted to dress.

He sighed exasperatedly, jerking on a pair of sleep pants and laying down on the bed, pulling the covers over himself. "Nice. Good. See?" He patted the place beside him. Dubiously, I dropped the towel and clambered in, shivering at the coolness of the cloth and huddling against Turgon. If he minded, he didn't let on and I settled happily beside him.

I was asleep in five minutes, not missing the cool autumn night and the dried summer grass that would have made up my bed this night in favor of Turgon's warmth, smell, and closeness. For the first time in years, I slept, and as I dozed off, I puzzled a funny thing. I hadn't howled like an animal or felt the aching lonliness since that first touch beneath the pines. It was peace, this new sensation, and I was happy.