Pen-Estel

Thank you everybody for your comments - we are really glad that everybody is enjoying the story so far! :)

Nina: Hmm, but try to see it this way - if you were married to a woman who got raped and was pregnant because of that, would you leave her for infidelity? Because Elrond did blackmail Legolas in the beginning. He might not have threatened him with a weapon, but he threatened to send him away from Imladris, and away from Gîl.

Juni: You don't need a password for my livejournal - or did you try to login with my username maybe? That of course would not work without my password. *g* Just go to http://esteliel.livejournal.com/

ElenadiVita: Here's your update! :) I'm glad you like Erestor - he seems rather cold most of the time, but if there is something he can respect, then it's Legolas' dedication to his studies.


Chapter Twenty-Five

Legolas counted the seconds. Each one felt like a year, and just when he was sure that Elladan must have abandoned him after all, he heard the sound of the horse’s hooves clip-clopping over the rocky ground towards him. It was such a relief he almost cried, but he held it back as he allowed Elladan to help him stand and walk over to the horse.

Suddenly it occurred to Legolas just what would be required of him, and he stopped dead, so that Elladan turned to look at him. “I can’t do it!” he vowed, realising that he couldn’t mount the horse even if he wanted to. Already he could feel the beginnings of the changes his body was going through. He wasn’t going to be sitting astride a horse anytime soon. The very idea made him want to whimper.

“It will be all right, Legolas,” Elladan reassured him, but Legolas was already shaking his head. “Please,” he urged in obvious fear. “Trust me.” How could he tell Elladan it wasn’t a lack of trust that made him reluctant? How could he explain? Legolas looked down at the ground.

“It’s not that. It’s that I –” He swallowed. “I don’t think I can sit –” Now he shuddered. “Not like that!”

At last Elladan seemed to understand what he meant, because he looked at Legolas, then at the horse, then back at the cave. He smiled. “I think I know what you mean, but don’t worry. I have an idea.”

Legolas stood regarding the horse while Elladan went back into the cave. He edged closer and reached out a hand to pet his nose, managing to giggle despite the terrible danger when Elladan’s horse nudged at his hand to make him carry on.

While he talked to the horse, Elladan busied himself, and Legolas hardly paid attention, only looking up when he realised that Elladan was mounted and waiting for him. Before him on the saddle, Elladan had arranged several of the blankets to make a kind of seat… a sideways seat.

“Can you get up?” Elladan asked solicitously, already reaching down. “Take my hand and I’ll help you.” Hesitantly, Legolas obeyed, and even the horse seemed to help them, making it easy for Legolas to gain his place. It was strange to be seated like this. Elladan’s arm was against his back, to make sure he wouldn’t fall, and yet Legolas tried to sit as straight as he could, not wanting to rely on Elladan’s embrace if he could help it.

Clucking his tongue, Elladan made the horse move off slowly, and although it was a little rough and jolting, it was far more comfortable than he had feared. He wanted to turn and face Elladan – to thank him – but the thought of doing that was too much, while he was being held in Elladan’s arms. He didn’t want to give the wrong impression, so he turned his head the other way and looked at where they were going.

Slowly they made their way through the dark. Legolas shivered, and immediately Elladan pulled the blanket up. “Thank you,” Legolas said softly, feeling strangely touched by Elladan’s concern. Maybe, once this was over – if he survived it – Elladan would find it in himself to forgive him.

Legolas did not need it for himself, but if the child was truly Elrond’s, he did not think that he could bear it to see the babe despised by its own brother. That was the way he had grown up, and he would rather die than see his child subjected to the same experience.

“Elladan,” he whispered, closing his eyes to hold back his tears. The pain would be back any moment now, and he did not think that he would be able to bear it much longer, but before his world would be reduced to nothing but an eternity of pain, there was something he needed to say first.

“Promise me, Elladan... promise me that you will not hate the child, no matter who the father is.” He trembled harder when he felt Elladan flinch at his words. He was afraid of making Elladan angry again, because without Elladan and the horse, he would truly be lost– but he needed to know this now!

“It is not the child’s fault – don’t hate it for what was my mistake,” he pleaded, then bit his lip at the wave of pain that rippled through his body. A moan escaped his lips despite his efforts to hold it in and he bent forward, clutching his belly as he forgot all about the horse he was sitting on, Elladan who was holding him, even Glorfindel and Elrond – there was nothing but the terrible pain.

Elladan stopped the horse and held Legolas close as he tensed up in pain, leaning forward suddenly so that Elladan had to shift his weight, or have them topple from the horse together.

“I won’t hate the child, Legolas, I promise.” He wasn’t sure if the Prince heard him though. This wave of pain seemed worse than all those before, and it seemed longer too. Elladan began to wonder if they would manage to reach Imladris after all. They had only just set off – did Legolas have time?

When Legolas relaxed again, and leaned back against Elladan’s strong arm, there was something different. Elladan groaned when he realised that Legolas was unconscious – or as close to it as made no difference, and he urged his horse to move on again, praying that he could get Legolas back to his father in time.

He felt more alone than he had ever felt before – even when Elrohir had left him alone in Imladris to go to Mirkwood – and Legolas’ behaviour only made him more afraid. Every now and again the Prince would tense up and all Elladan could do was hold him while he screamed. It wasn’t a true scream – more of a thin, reedy, weak sound. But it carried through the night, and Elladan hoped someone would soon investigate so that he could explain his difficulties. They weren’t that far away now. Soon he could expect people to hear Legolas’ screams.

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The animosity they both felt had given way to a worried anxiety. There simply wasn’t time to apportion blame, or to argue about which of them Legolas needed the most. And Glorfindel for one didn’t have the heart for it anyway. He felt helpless and lost while ever he didn’t know where Legolas was. If he was safe. If he was even alive… Glorfindel swallowed and stopped his line of thought right there. It wasn’t that bad yet, he told himself sternly. But in his heart he knew it might be. It was dark, had been so for hours, and if Legolas had started the birth, alone and frightened – perhaps wounded…

Those who saw Glorfindel didn’t see these inner thoughts and feelings. In fact, many of those who were searching felt their concerns ease when they looked at Glorfindel. His demeanour was serious and worried, but he exuded a sense of calm and decisive practicality that made those around him relax and give their best.

Elrond saw through it though. He had known Glorfindel for many centuries, and he saw how thin the veneer was. How the determined set of Glorfindel’s features were icy and too still. He feared himself for what they might eventually find. The longer this went on, the less chance there was of finding Legolas unharmed. But then he heard it. Everyone looked up when a thin scream cut through the still night air. Glorfindel immediately urged his horse towards the sound, and Elrond was right behind him.

There was no room for thought now – all Glorfindel knew was that Legolas was in pain, and that he had to get to him now. To Legolas – and to the child.

Glorfindel forced his stallion to run even faster. It was dark, but the ground was even here, and he just could not wait, not when Legolas was in such pain.

There were more sounds of pain, and coming towards them now the silhouette of a horse. Glorfindel found himself uttering a silent prayer, promising that he would make up for his past cruelty, that he would love the child, care for it, no matter who the sire was – if only Legolas would be all right. If only he would live through this all.

Because if he did not...

Glorfindel’s heart began to hurt as if a giant fist had clenched around it, and he forced his thoughts back towards what was most important now: Legolas and the child.

The horse that was coming towards them was going at a slow walk, and Glorfindel again felt that terrible fear well up in him when he saw one of the figures on the horse’s back convulse.

At the next cry of pain, Glorfindel jumped from his stallion’s back to run the last few steps towards the other horse. He was crying Legolas’ name, and dimly heard his own cry echoed by Elrond’s voice, but he could not think of him now, could not think of anything but Legolas.

Legolas moaned his name as if in answer, and then Glorfindel was at his side, paling as he saw the youth’s state. Legolas seemed to be unconscious, or in so much pain that it made no difference, and Glorfindel did not even look up to see who was holding him before he reached up to gently pull the whimpering youth down into his arms.

“Legolas! Legolas, are you all right?” he whispered urgently, but there was no answer. Then Elrond was there, calmly helping him to put Legolas down onto the ground, and Glorfindel felt a fierce gratitude now that Elrond had accompanied them, for he himself was unable to do anything but clutch Legolas’ hand and press kisses to his sweaty brow.

“How long? When did it start?” Elrond asked the one who had brought Legolas towards them, his voice still the calm cadence of a healer, and only when he heard a soft, tired voice answer did Glorfindel finally realise just who had brought Legolas here.

Elladan.

Glorfindel looked up, focusing a look of such rage on Elladan that he took an involuntary step back.

“Just how exactly does Legolas come to be here, in your company – and in this condition?” Glorfindel asked, and his voice was deadly soft.

Glorfindel turned completely away from Elrond and Legolas to advance stealthily on Elladan. Things were slotting into place in his sharp mind. Legolas’ horse, Lainell, had still been in the stable, and he wouldn’t have walked out here, which meant that Elladan had taken him. Elladan had probably frightened him so much that now he and the child were in danger.

When Elladan began to back away, saying nothing, a red mist descended on Glorfindel’s vision. He no longer stood before Elladan, son of the Lord of Imladris. He no longer stood before a friend or battle companion. He no longer stood before an Elf he had seen grow from a tiny babe to adulthood. All he saw was the reason for Legolas’ pain and distress.

“You did this,” he accused in the same lethal tone, drawing his sword at the same time so that his words were accompanied by the sound of steel. There was nothing before Glorfindel but someone who was already dead – until he heard Legolas.

“Glorfindel!” he cried out, and straight away the Lord was at his side, the sword back in its sheath as quickly as it had appeared. Now, instead, he held Legolas’ hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze as Legolas looked up at him with pain-filled eyes that shone in the moonlight.

“Don’t try to speak, Legolas. It will be all right. We are going to take you back now. Elrond is here.” Legolas shook his head and grasped Glorfindel’s hand desperately. He was so pale! Glorfindel looked behind him anxiously, somewhat relieved to find that those with the litter and the horses to carry it had nearly reached them.

“Don’t!” Legolas managed to gasp, before closing his eyes and ceasing to breathe for a moment that seemed to Glorfindel to last far too long. Legolas opened his eyes again, and drew in a gulping breath. “Not Elladan’s fault!” he exclaimed on an exhale of breath, causing Elrond to look at him sharply.

“Hush,” he soothed, already laying herbs close to where Legolas would breathe in their scent, trying to calm him. But he couldn’t be calmed, and he looked wildly at Glorfindel.

“Promise me! Don’t hurt him!” Glorfindel closed his eyes briefly. It wasn’t fair of Legolas to ask this of him! There was no truth that could excuse Elladan, and all of them knew it. Glorfindel suspected that even Elrond realised as much. But Legolas was not going to find ease without his agreement, and Glorfindel reluctantly put back his intentions for Elladan.

“I promise,” Glorfindel said, bringing Legolas’ hand to his mouth to kiss it. “Besides, I am going to be with you.” Legolas smiled then, relaxing, and Glorfindel found himself smiling back despite the situation, deliriously happy to see love still in Legolas’ eyes. But then the litter had arrived, and Legolas became incoherent again as he was placed into it, Glorfindel having to leave him to follow the stretcher alongside Elrond.

He knew Elladan followed at some distance behind them, but Glorfindel found he no longer had thoughts for Elladan. Instead, all of his attention was focused on Legolas. Elrond looked happy enough with Legolas’ condition, and even said that he was certain everything was going to be fine, pointing out that Legolas’ body was much better prepared to handle the birth this time around, but Glorfindel was still worried.

A quick look back showed him that Elladan was accompanying them – flanked by two of Glorfindel’s warriors, so that he would not be able to change his opinion later on. Glorfindel smiled grimly. Once all of this was over, once Legolas was no longer in danger, he would deal with Elladan. And he would make certain that Elladan would never again dare to give Legolas so much as an unfriendly look...

Elladan visibly flinched when their eyes met, and Glorfindel’s smile widened, holding a promise of what he planned to do later on.

But then his eyes returned to Legolas’ body, and Elrond who was riding on the other side of the litter. “He is so quiet,” Glorfindel said worriedly. As heart-rending as Legolas’ cries had been earlier, this somehow felt even more frightening to him...

“I thought it best to give him something to help with the pain,” Elrond explained, looking down at the pale body of the youth. For a moment Glorfindel felt an inexplicable anger at the way Elrond seemed to be untouched by it all – but then he remembered that Legolas needed this calm Elrond, the healer who focused on a patient and not on a lover.

“The pain is dimmed now – but so are all of his senses. It is like he is half-asleep. I did not dare to do this the last time, because he was already so weak then, but he is strong now, Glorfindel.” Elrond smiled down at Legolas, but his smile seemed sad, and Glorfindel thought that for a moment, he saw all the concern and worry Elrond had to suppress.

“And it won’t take as long as last time either – is that not true?“ Glorfindel could not resist asking.

“Yes,” Elrond said regretfully, “yes, that is true. For the contractions to be so strong already, after such a short time...” His voice trailed of as he thought of the reason for this, the reason they both knew. Elladan.

Elrond looked up, finally meeting Glorfindel’s eyes. “I am sorry. Truly, I never thought it would come to this... That he would go so far...” His voice shook, and he looked away again.

Nothing more was said on the way back, and once they arrived, there was a flurry of activity that drove everything but Legolas from their minds. A couple of the party had gone ahead, and so the healing quarters were already set up for Elrond and Legolas when they reached Imladris.

Elrond inspected the preparations and gave out orders for specific herbs and equipment that was not ready for him. Elves rushed back and forth to do his bidding, and Glorfindel found himself the sole person to hold Legolas where he lay on the bed.

It seemed like an age since he had just held Legolas like this. He could almost be asleep, so peaceful he seemed, and Glorfindel smiled secretly, placing a kiss on his forehead. How different this was from the last time! He was so focused on Legolas Glorfindel never even noticed his surroundings quieten down until he looked up and found that he, Elrond and Legolas were alone.

“Are you staying?” Elrond asked softly, not confronting, just asking, and Glorfindel nodded. He looked down at the youth in his arms again, just as Legolas shuddered and moaned.

“Shh…” Glorfindel tried to soothe him awkwardly, aware that the time for telling Legolas how he felt was long gone. Now it might be too late. At that thought a painful lump rose in his throat, and he swallowed heavily.

“He is not in any danger, Glorfindel,” Elrond reassured him, and Glorfindel gifted Elrond with a rare smile. From that moment he knew he had forgiven them both. And he knew that however this turned out, he wouldn’t hate Legolas, he wouldn’t hate the child, and neither would he hate Elrond. At last, it seemed, he had found acceptance within him, and it had taken losing Legolas to find it.

“Glorfindel…?” Legolas murmured drowsily, and Glorfindel’s attention was taken up again.

“I’m here, roch neth,” he said quietly, brushing the back of his hand over Legolas’ flushed cheek. It felt right to call Legolas the pet name again, after all this time, and he felt his heart expand in love when Legolas smiled at hearing it.

“Don’t leave me, my Lord,” he pleaded unnecessarily, and Glorfindel laughed lightly.

“Never.” He drew Legolas closer to him, and his lover responded with a satisfied sigh, only to begin shuddering again moments later. Yes, how different from last time. When Legolas had been screaming, it had been hard to believe he would survive. Now Glorfindel felt as though he could comfort the youth, and it made all the difference.

“I will never leave you, no matter what,“ he said more softly, and although he knew that Legolas had not heard him, Elrond most probably had. And Elrond had to know what he truly meant with those words – that he had forgiven them both.

“I am glad. He needs you,” Elrond said, meeting Glorfindel’s eyes for a moment to show that he understood, then he once more focused on Legolas, who softly moaned in pain. Glorfindel gently combed his sweat-soaked hair away from his face, trying to both soothe and encourage Legolas at the same time.

Legolas was all he concentrated on now. True to Elrond’s promise, he seemed to be half-asleep, although he still tensed and whimpered with every new contraction, but it was far from the agony he had to go through the last time.

Glorfindel pressed a kiss to Legolas’ brow, silently thanking the Valar for Elrond’s help.

“It will not be long now,” the Lord warned him, and Glorfindel sighed in relief.

“Do you hear that, Legolas?” he gently whispered. “You are very brave, roch neth, just a little longer – it will soon be over, I promise.”

Legolas moaned as if in response to his words, and Glorfindel felt him clutch his hand. Legolas’ senses might be dimmed, but he still knew who Glorfindel was – he trusted him unconditionally, and Glorfindel felt no shame at all for the sudden tears in his eyes.

Again Legolas cried out, sobbing openly now despite what Elrond had given him, and Glorfindel felt a familiar panic well up in him. Yet he knew that he could not give in to it, and so he kept trying to soothe Legolas while the youth trembled and cried in his arms, until, finally, he tensed once more with a scream, only to fall back onto the bed in exhaustion.

“Elrond!” Glorfindel said sharply, “Is he-“

“It is finished, Glorfindel,” Elrond said softly, and then Glorfindel heard the child utter its first cry.

He watched Elrond moving around from the corner of his eye, torn between staying with Legolas, who was now unconscious, or facing the truth. At last he looked at Elrond directly, and caught the Lord cradling the new babe in his arms with a tender smile. It made his heart ache to see it, and he quickly looked back to Legolas again. Maybe I deserve this, Glorfindel thought at last, with as much self-recrimination as he could muster, seeing again Elrond cuddling the child.

“Glorfindel,” Elrond said softly beside him, his voice full of wonder and love, and Glorfindel drew in a deep breath before facing the truth. He looked up at the Lord from his place by Legolas’ side, and was completely caught off guard when Elrond handed the tiny child to him, already clean and wrapped in a warm blanket. He instinctively took the child in his arms, and then looked down.

A shock passed through him when he spied the same distinctive golden curls that Gîl sported, and his soul recognised the child as his own. He knew he was smiling idiotically, he could feel it stretching his face, and he wanted to share the sudden joy with Legolas. The youth still had not stirred though, and instead, Glorfindel found himself grinning at Elrond.

“Congratulations, Glorfindel,” he said quietly with an answering smile, so as not to disturb the child, who had now fallen silent, sleeping trustingly in Glorfindel’s arms. “You have a daughter.”

If there was sadness in Elrond’s voice, Glorfindel didn’t hear it. A daughter! He nudged Legolas deliberately, to make him come around a little. Sleepy blue eyes opened the slightest fraction, and Glorfindel took the opportunity to show the child to Legolas. “She’s a girl, Legolas!” he exclaimed joyously. Legolas smiled but then turned to lie on his side a little, exhausted.

“Good,” he muttered indistinctly, still smiling lazily. “Perhaps you’ll leave my hair alone from now on.” Glorfindel immediately frowned and raised an eyebrow, to which both Legolas and Elrond laughed. For a moment Glorfindel wanted to warn Legolas, but now was not the time, and in the end he laughed too, remembering how he had put waves in Legolas’ hair so long ago.

When the laughter was over, Legolas and the child slept, and Glorfindel placed the babe beside Legolas so that they were close to each other. When a nurse had been summoned to keep watch over the two while they recovered, Elrond and Glorfindel retired to Elrond’s rooms. It was time for a talk. Something they should have done many months ago.

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Glorfindel had thought that he would feel anger, or that he would feel nervous, now that they would finally speak about what had happened after so many long months of silence, but instead he was filled with the warmth of love and forgiveness.

For so long he had lived with the coldness of their betrayal – of Elrond’s betrayal – in his heart, and to know such pain by the doings of someone who was both Lord and friend to him had wounded him deeper than he would ever have imagined. He had not thought that he would ever be able to forgive, but now that he had once again almost lost Legolas, he remembered what was important. Legolas was important, and their children. And so was his friendship with Elrond.

Yet still, although he was willing to forgive now, although he wanted Elrond to remain his friend, there were some answers he need now. He needed to understand before he could truly forgive, and although he thought that he already knew most of the answers, he needed to hear them spoken by Elrond.

“A daughter…” Elrond said softly, once they had reached his rooms and settled in chairs close to the still burning fire. “Your daughter,” he then said firmly, and Glorfindel saw the sincerity in his smile. “Congratulations, Glorfindel. She is beautiful – she will be the morningstar to my Undómiel.”

Glorfindel smiled faintly, still not quite able to believe all that had happened in such a short time. “A daughter,” he repeated, slowly shaking his head in wonder as he imagined himself playing with a little golden-haired girl in the gardens.

“Are you sad?” he then asked, knowing that he could now bear the answer, because he had already held his daughter in his arms.

Elrond smiled enigmatically. “Not as sad as you are happy. I think it worked out for the best.”

Glorfindel considered that, and then at the thought of what they had all gone through to arrive at this point, he shook his head. “You betrayed me,” he accused flatly. “You betrayed us.”

“I have no excuse, Glorfindel,” Elrond noted sadly. “All I can do is ask your forgiveness. I didn’t mean to hurt either one of you.”

“But you did!” Glorfindel burst out, slamming his hand down on the arm of the chair. He took a deep breath, and mentally calmed himself before speaking again. “Neither of us is Legolas,” he noted with a wry smile, remembering how Legolas had begged him to leave Elladan alone. “Tell me why I should give you the time of day again for as long as I am in Middle Earth.”

There was silence, and Glorfindel listened to his own words. They were angry, but that question wasn’t the one that preyed on him. He reconsidered. “Tell me why I should ever trust you again.”

The fire crackled in the hearth as he waited for Elrond’s answer. Was there anything he could say? At last the Lord of Imladris cleared his throat, and Glorfindel continued to gaze into the fire as he spoke.

“You probably shouldn’t. As I said, there is no excuse for my behaviour.” Elrond smiled faintly. “I don’t even have the luxury of youth and inexperience to ease your mind. The only reasons I can give for continuing to be on pleasant terms are firstly, that we are going to be here for a long time, and it’s a long time not to talk, and also that Legolas will not be happy if we are opposed to each other.”

Glorfindel nodded slowly, conceding those points, then he smiled – Legolas could fall in love with anyone – and make anyone love him in return.

“What I did,” Elrond announced hesitantly, “I did without your knowledge and without Legolas’ consent.” Closing his eyes, Glorfindel swallowed. He knew… but to hear it.

“And you let me blame him,” he said with his eyes closed, shaking his head as he remembered just what he had done to Legolas afterwards. “You don’t know half of what he had to do to pay for your wrongdoing.” But he was as much to blame for that as Elrond, and he sighed. It occurred to him that them talking about this without Legolas present was a little absurd, however naïve and forgiving Legolas was.

“I don’t deserve your apology. But he does,” Glorfindel remarked, meeting the Lord’s eyes at last. “As much as he deserves an apology from me.” He suspected that more of this was his fault than he knew. “Tell me truly,” he said with some curiosity. “How did you do it?”

Elrond stood and turned away, staring across the room to the night outside the window. “I blackmailed him,” the Lord admitted quietly. “At first, I told him that he would be forced to leave here if he didn’t accommodate me.”

“And for that he falls in love with you?” Glorfindel asked with some humour, watching Elrond’s head whip around suddenly. “Did you think I don’t know? That I don’t see it in him everytime he looks at you?”

“It’s not the same,” Elrond rushed to say nervously. “It isn’t what he feels for you, you must believe that.” Glorfindel only smiled.

“I know. Which is why you are still alive, my friend.” He looked at Elrond for a single moment longer, then burst out laughing, releasing some of the tension. The Lord laughed too, and in that, Glorfindel realised that actually, it really didn’t matter anymore. What was done was done, and couldn’t be undone. Work with what you have, he told himself sagely. Besides it wasn’t as if there weren’t parallels, he thought with another grin.

“Elrond,” he said, waiting for the Lord to look at him again. “Don’t threaten to force Legolas away from Imladris again, and we should be fine.”

“I won’t. You must know that,” Elrond said simply, and Glorfindel nodded.

“Yes, I know. It is the strangest thing – he makes those that try to hurt him fall in love with him in the end. And that is the worst punishment, is it not?” he said pensively. “To remember how you so cruelly hurt him once... He has long since forgiven you, but you still remember what you did, and that knowledge hurts like nothing else could.”

Elrond nodded. “I will make up for what I did,” he said and sighed. “I will make certain that nobody else will ever be able to blackmail him in that way.” He paused for a moment, and then smiled, but before he continued to speak, he stood to get two glasses and a small flask of miruvor.

He poured the cordial, then raised his glass. “To your daughter – let us hope that the Valar have blessed her with Legolas’ patience instead of your proclivity for trouble.”

Glorfindel chuckled and shook his head, but raised his glass nevertheless. “Legolas once said something similar, yet I still cannot understand how you can think I attract trouble – look at all the trouble Legolas has managed to get himself into.”

“Ah, but he does not really want to invite it - you on the other hand enjoy it! Only you call it adventure, and not trouble.” Elrond shook his head, feeling warmth spreading in his stomach. And it was not only caused by the miruvor – it was friendship that caused it, a warm glow of contentment at the banter he had not realised that he had missed so much during the last months.

Then his smile returned, and the look he gave Glorfindel now was almost mischievous. “But no, I am wrong... he does enjoy it to be in trouble sometimes, is that not right? I think that there is a way after all for me to make up for what happened - if you have not found out about his little secret yet, that is.”

Elrond laughed softly when Glorfindel raised a brow in a good imitation of himself.

“Have you yet found out that... he really loves it to be restrained?”

Glorfindel looked surprised, and Elrond laughed again. “Do not tell me that you are too impatient for knots!” he teased. “You have spent entire nights playing with him – certainly you know all about the rewards a little patience can yield.”

“Patience?” Glorfindel echoed, deliberately speaking as though it was a foreign word, chuckling when Elrond smirked. But Elrond’s words had brought an image to his mind, and he closed his eyes to see it better. In truth he had thought of it a lot, enough so that the vision of Legolas bound to the bed was very detailed, but he had never done it.

Of course, it was mostly because he hadn’t needed to at first. Legolas’ own fear had made him into a perfect submissive with only a small amount of encouragement. And later, he hadn’t wanted to damage the trust that Legolas placed in him. To hear that he enjoyed such, though… Glorfindel smiled secretly, already vowing to see if what Elrond said was true. Though Elrond had no reason to lie. Thinking that, Glorfindel felt a bolt of desire rush through him, but he deliberately quashed it, because Elrond’s words brought something else to mind.

He had done it first. It wasn’t something Glorfindel couldn’t get over. He would simply do it better. But it meant something, and he looked at Elrond earnestly.

“Can you let him go?” That was the question, wasn’t it? Someone was going to be made miserable by all of this, and Glorfindel couldn’t help feeling both he and Legolas had done enough of that. Certainly, Elrond had his loneliness to face again, and he had to be certain that there would be no secret trysts or chance meetings.

Elrond only sighed at his question. “It really isn’t my choice, Glorfindel. You should put more faith in Legolas. He will not betray you. More than once he has said that he would throw me aside for you, and I don’t doubt him.”

Elrond was right, of course. Hadn’t he himself thought only moments earlier that Legolas should be involved in this discussion too? Still, at least this had cleared the air a little, and they both knew where they stood. It would seem that it was up to Legolas, and Glorfindel still believed that after everything – Legolas would choose him… wouldn’t he?