Isolation

Part 22…

Lindir was frazzled! He had spent the entire day working on his newest song, putting it to music and practicing; trying to get the tone and the melody to flow as seamlessly out loud as it did in his mind, with the crescendos and decrescendos in all the right places. He had originally tried to compose the musical aspect of the piece on his harp but had almost instantlcidecided that his simple and beloved harp would not strike the proper feeling in his audience and tthisthis song needed something more, something that would wrap around the listeners heart, sing to and vibrate down to the very soul of the elf for who this song had been written. So instead he had turned to a modified version of the harp, one that had been gifted to him by a master craftsman almost one hundred years ago. The design of this new harp allowed the player to lay the instrument across their lap and, when holding down one of the several keys that covered one end of the instrument, cloth covered pads were depress and held specific stings, thereby allowing numerous chords toplayplayed at once. Having finally completed the composition to his satisfaction Lindir had asked one of his fellow musicians to practice with him and play a background piece. After thanking Avarchilion for his assistance and agreeing to sit with him during dinner, Lindir began to prepare for the upcoming evening. Braiding his hair into a simple plait he dressed in one of his more formal robes and nervously toyed with the tiny buttons gracing the high collar. Eyeing himself critically in the mirror he turned to glance at the flat harp and sheets of music sitting on top of his mattress and seriously contemplated hiding under the bed instead of going to dinner, which would inevitably be followed by the dreaded performance that the noble Lord of Imladris was expecting. Dragging his feet he went to the bed and pick up his music and instrument. Squaring his shoulders Lindir marched purposefully towards the bedroom door and out into the hallway before his courage deserted him, winding his way through the corridors until he came at last to the dinning hall where his doom, as he had likened to calling it, awaited.

Lindir had managed to seat himself at the farthest end of the farthest table from where Elrond currently sat and exerted every bit of will power he possessed to not stare adoringly at the Lordly elf. He had been a bundle of nerves all through dinner and had been unable to enjoy the meal of roast duck with the light honey coating or the delicately grilled vegetables, eating what little he had was the only way to distract himself from the on oon of his magnificent lover. With the thought of calming his nerves he had imbibed in more of the potent wine than he would normally drink and by the time Elrond had requested the after dinner music to commence he had a healthy flush to his face as well as an nice buzz to accompany him during the upcoming performance.

Elrond sat back in his chair and sipped from his wine goblet, surreptitiously watching Lindir from across the room as the minstrel arranged himself alongsihe ohe other musicians. A medium of notes and chords rose up as the musicians, eight in total, readied their instruments. A moment of silence settled before the first strains of a well known ballad began and Oulangi, one of the apprentice minstrels, began to sing. The ballad was followed by one song after another, each of the minstrels alternating so as no one monopolized the audience. Elrond began to worry that Lindir would not be performing at all as the evening began to near its end, these things generally only lasted an hour or two, and his lover set down his harp. He was relieved when the young elf took up another ts sts stead while all but one of his companions placed their own instruments aside and shifted back to allow the audiences focus to center on the auburn haired elf. Avarchilion was one of the veteran troubadours and had found a home within the Imladris valley. He had agreed to play a simple background piece on his pan flute in accompaniment to Lindirs song and sat a little to Lindirs left and waited for the younger elf to begin.

Lindir was extremely anxious and the imperceptible trembling of his fingers against the strings of his flat harp did nothing to aid in the calming of his nerves. Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes and experimentally plucked a few strings. The lilting sound his fingers brought forth eased the tension from his body and helped to calm his racing heart. Keeping his eyes closed he took a deep breath and began to play. With the mellow sound of Avarchilions’ pan flute floating softly beside him Lindirs voice ascend until the entire dining hall reverberated with his words of love. When he finished there was a last warbling strain of harp and flute hanging in the air and he opened his eyes to stare directly into silver-grey. Quickly he averted his gaze, ducking his head under the guise of accepting praise and applause from the audience.

The small band of singers and players soon went to mingle with the remaining elves and Lindir painstakingly avoided Elrond to the point where he could be seen hiding behind a pillar. That one glance into his Lords eyes and Lindir just knew that Elrond knew that he was madly in love with the half-elf and he just couldn’t bring himself to face his lover at present. So instead he hid behind a pillar and drank yet another glass of wine… belatedly wondering if he should have perhaps avoided the intoxicating beverage as he began to sway slightly, grateful for the sturdy pillar that was keeping him upright. He gazed blearily at Oulangi as she came up beside him, not truly paying attention to the insistent presence and allowing the owner of the honeyed voice to lead him from the hall and guide his stumbling footsteps to his bedchamber.

Elrond sighed inaudibly as he looked around for his hiding lover once more. He had tried to speak with Lindir several times but each time the shy elf had darted in the opposite direction as soon as he had approached. The last he had seen of the minstrel was behind one of the marble posts, alone with his wine glass, and now he could find no trace of him. Finally making an inquiry of Avarchilion he discovered that Lindir had been feeling the effects of too much wine and one of the other minstrels had helped him to bed. With a slight frown he bid his goodnights and made his way through the torch lit hall to Lindirs room.

When there was no reaction to his quiet knocking Elrond slowly eased the door open and slipped inside, his gaze being immediately drawn to the bed,ch wch was notably smaller than his own, and the slumbering elf tucked under the covers. Smiling Elrond removed his robe, leggings and under tunic, laying them across a handy arm chair and moved silently towards the bed. Pulling back the covers he stifled a chuckle as he realized that who ever had tucked Lindir into bed had only removed his house sandals and had left the young elf fully clothed. Shrugging his shoulders he crawled between the cotton sheets, rationalizing that Lindirs over dressed state would compensate for his underdressed state, and wrapped his arms around the sleeping elf. Placing a loving kiss on Lindirs temple he relaxed and allowed his mind to drift until he too fell asleep.

TBC…