By Elbereth's Hand

The golden Lord walked at Elbereth’s side enraptured by her attentions.

"You have vexed me, my golden child, for it seems your beauty and legend have diverted your path on more than one occasion. " The goddess squeezed his arm, a fine shower of silvered light marking the embrace. “But it matters not, my dear one,” she continued," for your heart is free and your path no longer obscured by the darkness of uncertainty. You walk within the light of your destiny, my son, that which has always beckoned to you from afar, but you have yet to grasp.”

Glorfindel dared a glance at the shimmering goddess on his arm. " Destiny? I do not understand."

Elbereth laughed merrily, the sound like the lightly tinkling resonance of tiny bells whispering upon the night breeze.

“Long have you sought your purpose, Glorfindel, Knight of the Golden Flower. . .that which would give your existence meaning and fulfill your soul, yet the roads of Fate have led you astray more than once. No longer, meleth-nin. . .come. . .”

Glorfindel wondered if his feet actually touched the ground as Elbereth guided him along the misty pathways, past the silently resplendent gardens where even the foliage that crept over the walls seemed to bloom in the presence of the Star Kindler’s ethereal beauty. Her simple touch upon his arm was of the breath of the coolest breeze, yet imbued with warmth that infused his soul with the purity of its light. Never before had Glorfindel been as beguiled yet serenely lucid as he was with the touch of the Goddess herself upon his fair, golden skin.

All that he passed blurred into the halo of her silvery brilliance until location was no longer a factor, for each step drew him closer to a curiously familiar thrumming that pulsed throughout his entire being as he passed through ornate arches of the House of Elrond, ascending the stairs with floating grace, his hand suddenly upon the handle of the doorway that led to his bedroom.

Had he actually crossed the distance in so little time? His thoughts suddenly felt as if they were not his own, yet entwined with those of the being beside him as he guided his hand to move the heavy wooden door, pushing it open with a gentle creak.

Shards of moonlight pierced the gloom of the velveteen darkness, playing across the mahogany planks of the floor, rasping a silvered tongue over the glossy surface, cleansing the ebon density with the soft glow of alabaster, yet one beam of brilliancy shone greater than all the rest as it lay draped across the naked flesh of the sleeping figure in the bed, a blanket of gilded radiance that honed the pale skin to shimmering silver.

Elbereth stepped aside, her arm flowing gracefully in a beckoning gesture towards the ornately carved bed where Haldir lay, wrapped within the tranquil embrace of slumber, her gaze instructing Glorfindel where words were no longer needed. He moved as if in a dream, gliding to where his mate lay sprawled upon the crimson sheets, the fine strands of his hair glistening like silken mithril upon a pallet of roses. The touch of sleep had slackened his features into an innocence Glorfindel had not noticed before. Gone was the haughty sneer, the proud yet lofty stare, leaving only the softness of sheer Elven beauty in its wake, pure and gently refined by the edge of Ithil’ght.ght.

Reaching out a slender finger, Glorfindel traced the silvered glow that effused from his beloved's pristine flesh, the
brilliant light entwining around his raised hand swirling and caressing it with tendriling energy. It was as if Haldir's
essence had been drawn from his sleeping body to float upon the surface hovering and seeking its release.

Glorfindel’s eyes caught the flux of his own essence as it seeped ethereally from beneath the folds of his tunic, and a a
without needing to be told , he stripped the binding garment from his body loosing the fingers of curling light to vibrate
within the soft darkness of the room.

Breeches and boots followed the tunic, and soon Glorfindel stood cocooned in a riotous symphony of brilliance, the pale wisps of his golden hair floating upon the vortex of his essence, alive with starlight.

Once released, the energy sought out its twin, drawing the golden Lord to kneel at Haldir's side enveloping them both in an amalgam of silver and gold ,the consonant harmony of their joining filling the silence of the room with a humming resonance.

Glorfindel drew closer to his lover's face, his actions no longer governed by his conscious will but orchestrated by an ancient wellspring of need set in motion at the first awakening of the Eldar.

Parted lips touched the supple softness of another’s, their press melting the pliant flesh into one as Glorfindel drew in Haldir’s waking breath taking into his thrumming body that which sustained his lovers life, and returning to him the sweet vapor of his own existence.

Haldir’s eye’s fluttered open, the lashes shading the allure of cobalt orbs that glittered sleepily within the moon’s pale light, the cord of his own braided hair still clutched within his palm, for it had been at his side upon awakening. He had grasit ait and held it close to his heart, knowing that his beloved had left it there as a sign of comfort and assurance. A light far more eminent than Ithil’s glow radiated from an unknown source and Haldir rolled onto his side, feeling Glorfindel’s naked warmth meet the coolness of his night-kissed skin.

Upon the sight of his mate, Haldir’s eyes grew wide.

Starlit embers wafted amongst the lushness of Glorfindel’s golden tresses as they fanned away from his refinedly chiseled features, highlighting the delicate curve of his jaw, the gentle slope of his aristocratic nose, the pliant fullness of lips. . .but mostly, the luminous depths of his brilliant azure gaze, floating there like points of light upon which the answers to life’s journey could found among the star’s pictorial puzzles.

Was he dreaming?

Tentatively, he reached for his golden Lord, expecting that his hand would pass through him rather than meet with the solidity of flesh, but the contact of his fingers against soft skin contradicted the possibility of fantasy.

Was the light coming from Glorfindel? It was so bright. . .so profoundly effulgent that Haldir could barely squint into its center until his sight converged upon the flowing brilliancy of silvery hair and the radiantly gentle smile of one whom he had seen only once before.

“Elbereth?” Haldir stammered in disbelief, his eyes round with utter disbelief. “Do my eyes deceive me?”

For a moment, a wave of fear washed of the March Warden. Had she come to take his love away with her, perhaps back to Mandos to live amongst those who had crossed over? Or, had she come to convince him to return the Grey Isles, perhaps to. . .

“No, my dearest Haldir,” the being said, her voice lilting and musical. “My purpose is far greater than that.”

He nearly went limp with relief as the Star Kindler moved to stand beside the bed where the two Elves now knelt, her hand resting upon Haldir’s shoulder. Curious warmth flooded his veins at her touch and he felt relaxation and comfort where tension had once been.

“Glorfindel, Knight of the Golden Flower, here is your destiny. It stands before you now, naked and unadorned and it is far time that this destiny come into being.”

The purest of light surrounded them in a brilliant glow, far more dazzling than the stars that seemingly fell to alight upon the coverlet at her approach.

Glorfindel was unable to take his eyes off Haldir and from the moment his lover awakened in his arms he felt the pull of his body, as if in someway both of them were smaller pieces to a larger more important whole seeking completeness.

Elbereth's voice caressed his soul, speaking the truth that had been his all along, laying before him the ultimate gift. There were no more shadows, no more doubts, just the certainty that his destiny lay entwined with Haldir's.

With a surge of light, Glorfindel soul answered the Goddesses' charge, accepting what it knew to be it predestined fate. With solemn assurance the golden Lord raised his palm to rest against Haldir’s , his fingers lacing with his lovers luminance flesh.

Softly words uttered from his lips, though he was not quite sure he formed them, and neither did it matter, for his desire flowed from his body without need for sentiment.

" I embrace my destiny........"

“And I, mine,” Haldir said solemnly, his grip upon his lover’s hand tightening.

The fingers of the starlit Goddess brushed lightly against the two hands now joined as one, their ethereal warmth coming to rest upon them both.

“By seed and root, by bud and stem, by leaf and flower and fruit, by life and love, in the name of the Valar, I bind thee, Haldir, Guardian of Lothlorien and Glorfindel, Knight of the Golden Flower to the hands, hearts and sps ofs of the other, at the setting of the sun and the rising of the stars. Death shall not part you, for you shall be born again at the same time and in the same place as each other and shall meet, and know, and remember. . .and love again.”

The beginnings of purest silver began to glimmer within Elbereth’s free hand and she opened her palm to reveal its brilliance, the beam growing limber and resplendent, rising to hover above the joined hands of Haldir and Glorfindel, encircling them in a band of shimmering light which held no beginning and no end.

“Let the sun and the moon and the stars bear witness that Haldir and Glorfindel have been joined together in the sight of the Valar. . . and may the heavens bless them, as I have done.”

Placing a hand beneath the curtain of Haldir’s hair and the other beneath Glorfindel’s thick mane, she leaned to kiss each Elf gently upon the lips.

“Forever are you bound to the soul of other, for you are not two, but one. A single entity joined in the most sacred of rites, your hearts beating as one. You need only listen. . . and hear.”

Glorfindel's body felt as if it were weightless, floating upon a blanket of starlight, the brilliance of his incandescent soul reflecting back from his lovers eyes. One heart, one soul, one destiny.... for time immemorial.

The sanctity of the moment began to filter though the golden Lord sparking body, loosing emotions that he had kept in check for too long. Raw need and humble acceptance swirled within the space of a moment, one breath leading to another as he closed the distance between them, MarcMarch Warden's light drawing him closer.

As his lovers lips touched his, Glorfindel felt Haldir's love anew, experiencing it as never before, his soul reaching out to embrace him in it's protective cocoon. Tears fell unheeded fromtightlyy closed eyes as the epiphany of the moment swept them both away.

Soft tentative presses gave way to a more fervent salt tainted embrace as hands sought to tangle within the strands of starlit hair that stirred with the very breath of the Valar.

With a nod to the newly joined, and forever bound couple, Elbereth raised her glittering arms and surrounded them in a fall of glittering starlight, her corporeal being dissolving into a shimmering mist of silvery light, melding within the couples embrace ,forever to dwell within their joined hearts.