The Music in My Heart
folder
Lord of the Rings Movies › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
75
Views:
3,791
Reviews:
11
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Lord of the Rings Movies › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
75
Views:
3,791
Reviews:
11
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Lord of the Rings book series and movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 39 All Her Life
Title: The Music in My Heart, Chapter 39
Author: Sorsha
Fandom/Pairing: Elrond/OFC, Glorfindel/Haldir, Elladan/OFC, Elrohir/Legolas, others implied
Rating: PG-13, but rating will increase in future chapters
Warning: AU (Story set 770 years after ROTK); Slash and het.
Feedback: This is my first fanfic, so constructive feedback appreciated.
Archive: AFF.net: fanfiction.net
Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Alex Cat for her help in betaing this fic. Thanks also to Lady Victoria for her comments and support.
Disclaimer: Any of the residents of Middle-earth and Aman that you recognize belong to Prof. Tolkien’s estate. The same is true about Middle-earth and Aman. I’m only visiting and admiring the “views”.
Summary: Sauron may be gone, but his legacy of evil still lingers. As Middle-earth faces the threat of another dark lord, a party of elves departs Aman on a mission for the Valar, a mission of mercy long delayed.
Chapter 39 --- All Her Life
“We are each other's business:
we are each other's magnitude and bond.”
Gwendolyn Brooks (on family)
***
“Oh my son's my son till he gets him a wife, but my daughter's my daughter all her life.”
Dinah Mulock Craik
*****
Erestor sat staring into the fire, lost in thought. Elrond had just left. The day he had known would come, known even before Elrond sailed home from Aman, had arrived --- “I wish to ask for your blessing….”
The elf that he had long cherished as a friend and confidant, nay a brother, loved his daughter and wished to court her. He had given his consent… what else was there for him to do? Still, he sat in silence after Elrond left, an odd ache in his chest making breathing difficult.
Looking up at the sound of the door opening, he smiled wanly at the two elves that entered --- Celeborn and Glorfindel. “May we join you, mellon nin?” Glorfindel asked. (my friend)
“Indeed, yes. I would welcome your company. There is something I need to discuss with you,” Erestor responded.
Exchanging a look, the two pulled chairs into a half circle in front of the fireplace. “What would this be, meldir?” Celeborn inquired, the tone of his voice deliberately neutral. (friend)
Erestor had noted the look that passed between his friends. /They already know! Had I realized that earlier… I would have liked to discuss this with someone before Elrond’s visit./
“From that look, I would guess you already know. May I ask when you came to an understanding of this matter?” His testy tone betrayed his mood.
“Came to understand or saw the possibility? I suspect we both knew the possibility that morning we spoke in your study after Seere told us the ships had sailed. Perhaps we both knew the moment she told us he was returning; she is, after all, the living image of his soul mate that he has foreseen since his youth,” Celeborn offered. “And, we all saw their reaction the moment they first saw each other in the courtyard.”
Seeing the mounting frustration on his friend’s face, he continued. “As for when I was sure of what was happening, I felt a growing attraction between them over the summer, but I did not know without doubt until I found them after the storm. I could sense the bond emerging between them that morning. I started to say… but it seemed only right that Elrond should be the one to approach you, not me. I am sorry if I chose the wrong course of action, mellon nin.” (my friend)
Erestor sighed, marginally appeased by Celeborn’s response. “I take it you think this a good match for my daughter?”
“Do you doubt that it is, Erestor?” Glorfindel asked, somewhat surprised by that question.
Sighing, Erestor stared at the glowing embers burning in the fireplace as if looking for his answers. “In truth, she could find no better elf to share her life. I know this. My concerns, I fear, are not rational ones; they are emotional reactions.”
Erestor raised his eyes to meet Glorfindel’s. “He is my oldest friend, along with you two. I have known him for millennia…since the day he and Elros arrived in Lindon… both little more than skin and bones. I watched him struggle to find his place, a peredhel in the court of the High King. I stood at his side as he founded this realm and made it prosper. I helped rase his children… who in turn helped me raise Seere. He and I have been each other’s confidant and confessor for more years than I can count. He is as dear to me as a brother and that is how I think of him. It is difficult to now think of him as my child’s lover.”
It was Celeborn that responded. “I can understand those feelings, Erestor. For over 3000 years, he was my only child’s husband. If it is any comfort, he was all I could have asked as her mate. He was honorable and kept faith with their vows even after their marriage began to fail. In the end, I suspect he remained faithful to her… even if she did not to him.” He glanced toward Glorfindel, but was not surprised when the blonde warrior refused to look his way.
Taking care to avoid Celeborn’s troubled gaze, Glorfindel turned and met Erestor’s eyes for a brief moment before returning his attention to the fire. In a soft voice, he offered “He has been very much alone for many years as you well know, Erestor. The losses and burdens he endured for so long nearly destroyed him. The ones he hoped he would find upon reaching Aman were not there… at least not for him. He was lonely, even when he was with friends.”
“Since our return… nay, not just since our return. I have never seen Elrond as he is now. I am sorry if this troubles you Celeborn, for we all know he shared love with Celebrian, but they had little in common other than their children. They never formed a bond. With nothing underpinning it, their passion for each other left the marriage and it became empty,” he mused. “Seere matches him in so many ways, and he her. She sees the elf behind the legend and loves him for it all. He sees the strong, intelligent elleth and is empowered by her gifts. They compliment each other. They have already begun to bond. That is significant for it speaks of a deep connection.”
“Elrond is in love… deeply in love, for the first time in his long life, mellon nin. Tis a sight I had begun to despair of ever seeing. I rejoice for them both.” Glorfindel stared into the fire considering this fact, wondering at the niggling feeling it brought to his heart. /I am missing something… but what?/ (my friend)
Pausing, he asked a question he had wondered about for weeks. “Can you tell me you have not seen how they come alive… glow brightly when in each others company? Did his visit really come as a shock, Erestor?”
Erestor sighed, as he considered the Captain’s question. /Nay, I knew. I saw them walking in the woods together over a month ago. They did not see me and thought they were alone. I saw his tender regard of Seere, the harmony of fëar they shared, the passion simmering below the surface as they walked close together simply holding hands. My daughter looked at him as her mother once looked at me. Maybe that is what makes me ache; it reminds me of what I am missing… Laurea nin./ (spirits) (my Laurea)
“I knew. I saw them on one of their medicinal gathering trips. I knew then he would soon come to see me… as I had foreseen. Then… they seemed to have fallen out with each other. They both looked so lost and broken. Seere would not talk to me, but I knew she was hurting deeply. Do you know what caused that?” Erestor watched his two companions communicate silently for a moment.
“Lomelinde. They had an argument and she exploited it by throwing herself at Elrond. While that went nowhere, Seere saw and was hurt. Lomelinde knew this and drove a wedge between them.” Glorfindel stopped, saddened by his daughter’s behavior and his own sense of failing her.
“Yes, I saw the kiss, but he ended it quickly, decisively. I actually felt better knowing he had been tempted and resisted. Besides, I knew how Lomelinde is with men of power and influence. This explains her banishment, for I did not believe she left of her own choosing,” Erestor commented.
Seeing the pain in his friend’s eyes, he asked “Why does this grieve you so, mellon nin?” (my friend)
Sighing, Glorfindel studied his hands as he fought his pain to answer. “She is my daughter, Erestor… mine and Dineriel’s child.”
Hearing Erestor’s sharply drawn breath, Glorfindel struggled to find the words to voice his emotions. “I never knew I had a child and to find she hates me for what her life has been. To find her and then see her banished for her behavior… without time to know her… my own child. She turned her hatred toward Seere for she is very bitter that your daughter has been so loved and mine has been…”
Unable to go on, Glorfindel rose and went to the window to look out on the garden below. He was not surprised when, after a few minutes, he felt a comforting hand come to rest on each shoulder. “Elrond has offered to allow her to return in a few years time, if she can properly account for herself during her time in Lorien. I have written to her telling her I wish to have the chance to know my daughter and perhaps, offer her a better life. She has not written back, but I will keep trying. As Elrond observed, I do not willingly give up on something I want without a fight. My daughter is worth any fight.”
“Aye, a daughter is indeed a gift of unmatched worth,” Erestor responded, his eyes trained on the moonlit garden.
*****
An auburn-haired elleth sat on a bench looking across the sweeping lawn to the river beyond. A sound from behind her made her turn her head to the right in search of its source. An elf stepped out of the shadows cast by the great house. His loving smile seemed to answer the unspoken question in her eyes for a brilliant smile of her own lit her face.
The elf stood for a moment sharing her joy, drinking in her rare beauty, before he walked slowly over to sit beside her on the bench. He took her hand in his before bending his head to press a gentle kiss to her upturned lips. A silent sigh of pleasure shivered through the night air as he lifted his head.
Together, they turned their gaze back to the river. The elleth tilted her head to rest against his arm. After only a few seconds, the elf inclined his to rest over the top of hers. Not a word had been spoken, but their communion was absolute.
A slight breeze rustled the leaves scattered on the ground around their feet; a sudden chill crept into the air of the autumn night. A subtle shift and his arm slipped free to wrap around her waist and pull her against the warmth of his side. Their heads remained nestled together; their clasped hands still in her lap.
*****
The silver light of Ithil seemed to glow brightest as it lit the couple in the garden. Three fathers silently watched, thinking of daughters --- one gone to the afterlife of mortals, one far away across the sea, one banished to another land… and one lovingly held by an elf they called brother.
*****
Author: Sorsha
Fandom/Pairing: Elrond/OFC, Glorfindel/Haldir, Elladan/OFC, Elrohir/Legolas, others implied
Rating: PG-13, but rating will increase in future chapters
Warning: AU (Story set 770 years after ROTK); Slash and het.
Feedback: This is my first fanfic, so constructive feedback appreciated.
Archive: AFF.net: fanfiction.net
Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Alex Cat for her help in betaing this fic. Thanks also to Lady Victoria for her comments and support.
Disclaimer: Any of the residents of Middle-earth and Aman that you recognize belong to Prof. Tolkien’s estate. The same is true about Middle-earth and Aman. I’m only visiting and admiring the “views”.
Summary: Sauron may be gone, but his legacy of evil still lingers. As Middle-earth faces the threat of another dark lord, a party of elves departs Aman on a mission for the Valar, a mission of mercy long delayed.
Chapter 39 --- All Her Life
“We are each other's business:
we are each other's magnitude and bond.”
Gwendolyn Brooks (on family)
***
“Oh my son's my son till he gets him a wife, but my daughter's my daughter all her life.”
Dinah Mulock Craik
*****
Erestor sat staring into the fire, lost in thought. Elrond had just left. The day he had known would come, known even before Elrond sailed home from Aman, had arrived --- “I wish to ask for your blessing….”
The elf that he had long cherished as a friend and confidant, nay a brother, loved his daughter and wished to court her. He had given his consent… what else was there for him to do? Still, he sat in silence after Elrond left, an odd ache in his chest making breathing difficult.
Looking up at the sound of the door opening, he smiled wanly at the two elves that entered --- Celeborn and Glorfindel. “May we join you, mellon nin?” Glorfindel asked. (my friend)
“Indeed, yes. I would welcome your company. There is something I need to discuss with you,” Erestor responded.
Exchanging a look, the two pulled chairs into a half circle in front of the fireplace. “What would this be, meldir?” Celeborn inquired, the tone of his voice deliberately neutral. (friend)
Erestor had noted the look that passed between his friends. /They already know! Had I realized that earlier… I would have liked to discuss this with someone before Elrond’s visit./
“From that look, I would guess you already know. May I ask when you came to an understanding of this matter?” His testy tone betrayed his mood.
“Came to understand or saw the possibility? I suspect we both knew the possibility that morning we spoke in your study after Seere told us the ships had sailed. Perhaps we both knew the moment she told us he was returning; she is, after all, the living image of his soul mate that he has foreseen since his youth,” Celeborn offered. “And, we all saw their reaction the moment they first saw each other in the courtyard.”
Seeing the mounting frustration on his friend’s face, he continued. “As for when I was sure of what was happening, I felt a growing attraction between them over the summer, but I did not know without doubt until I found them after the storm. I could sense the bond emerging between them that morning. I started to say… but it seemed only right that Elrond should be the one to approach you, not me. I am sorry if I chose the wrong course of action, mellon nin.” (my friend)
Erestor sighed, marginally appeased by Celeborn’s response. “I take it you think this a good match for my daughter?”
“Do you doubt that it is, Erestor?” Glorfindel asked, somewhat surprised by that question.
Sighing, Erestor stared at the glowing embers burning in the fireplace as if looking for his answers. “In truth, she could find no better elf to share her life. I know this. My concerns, I fear, are not rational ones; they are emotional reactions.”
Erestor raised his eyes to meet Glorfindel’s. “He is my oldest friend, along with you two. I have known him for millennia…since the day he and Elros arrived in Lindon… both little more than skin and bones. I watched him struggle to find his place, a peredhel in the court of the High King. I stood at his side as he founded this realm and made it prosper. I helped rase his children… who in turn helped me raise Seere. He and I have been each other’s confidant and confessor for more years than I can count. He is as dear to me as a brother and that is how I think of him. It is difficult to now think of him as my child’s lover.”
It was Celeborn that responded. “I can understand those feelings, Erestor. For over 3000 years, he was my only child’s husband. If it is any comfort, he was all I could have asked as her mate. He was honorable and kept faith with their vows even after their marriage began to fail. In the end, I suspect he remained faithful to her… even if she did not to him.” He glanced toward Glorfindel, but was not surprised when the blonde warrior refused to look his way.
Taking care to avoid Celeborn’s troubled gaze, Glorfindel turned and met Erestor’s eyes for a brief moment before returning his attention to the fire. In a soft voice, he offered “He has been very much alone for many years as you well know, Erestor. The losses and burdens he endured for so long nearly destroyed him. The ones he hoped he would find upon reaching Aman were not there… at least not for him. He was lonely, even when he was with friends.”
“Since our return… nay, not just since our return. I have never seen Elrond as he is now. I am sorry if this troubles you Celeborn, for we all know he shared love with Celebrian, but they had little in common other than their children. They never formed a bond. With nothing underpinning it, their passion for each other left the marriage and it became empty,” he mused. “Seere matches him in so many ways, and he her. She sees the elf behind the legend and loves him for it all. He sees the strong, intelligent elleth and is empowered by her gifts. They compliment each other. They have already begun to bond. That is significant for it speaks of a deep connection.”
“Elrond is in love… deeply in love, for the first time in his long life, mellon nin. Tis a sight I had begun to despair of ever seeing. I rejoice for them both.” Glorfindel stared into the fire considering this fact, wondering at the niggling feeling it brought to his heart. /I am missing something… but what?/ (my friend)
Pausing, he asked a question he had wondered about for weeks. “Can you tell me you have not seen how they come alive… glow brightly when in each others company? Did his visit really come as a shock, Erestor?”
Erestor sighed, as he considered the Captain’s question. /Nay, I knew. I saw them walking in the woods together over a month ago. They did not see me and thought they were alone. I saw his tender regard of Seere, the harmony of fëar they shared, the passion simmering below the surface as they walked close together simply holding hands. My daughter looked at him as her mother once looked at me. Maybe that is what makes me ache; it reminds me of what I am missing… Laurea nin./ (spirits) (my Laurea)
“I knew. I saw them on one of their medicinal gathering trips. I knew then he would soon come to see me… as I had foreseen. Then… they seemed to have fallen out with each other. They both looked so lost and broken. Seere would not talk to me, but I knew she was hurting deeply. Do you know what caused that?” Erestor watched his two companions communicate silently for a moment.
“Lomelinde. They had an argument and she exploited it by throwing herself at Elrond. While that went nowhere, Seere saw and was hurt. Lomelinde knew this and drove a wedge between them.” Glorfindel stopped, saddened by his daughter’s behavior and his own sense of failing her.
“Yes, I saw the kiss, but he ended it quickly, decisively. I actually felt better knowing he had been tempted and resisted. Besides, I knew how Lomelinde is with men of power and influence. This explains her banishment, for I did not believe she left of her own choosing,” Erestor commented.
Seeing the pain in his friend’s eyes, he asked “Why does this grieve you so, mellon nin?” (my friend)
Sighing, Glorfindel studied his hands as he fought his pain to answer. “She is my daughter, Erestor… mine and Dineriel’s child.”
Hearing Erestor’s sharply drawn breath, Glorfindel struggled to find the words to voice his emotions. “I never knew I had a child and to find she hates me for what her life has been. To find her and then see her banished for her behavior… without time to know her… my own child. She turned her hatred toward Seere for she is very bitter that your daughter has been so loved and mine has been…”
Unable to go on, Glorfindel rose and went to the window to look out on the garden below. He was not surprised when, after a few minutes, he felt a comforting hand come to rest on each shoulder. “Elrond has offered to allow her to return in a few years time, if she can properly account for herself during her time in Lorien. I have written to her telling her I wish to have the chance to know my daughter and perhaps, offer her a better life. She has not written back, but I will keep trying. As Elrond observed, I do not willingly give up on something I want without a fight. My daughter is worth any fight.”
“Aye, a daughter is indeed a gift of unmatched worth,” Erestor responded, his eyes trained on the moonlit garden.
*****
An auburn-haired elleth sat on a bench looking across the sweeping lawn to the river beyond. A sound from behind her made her turn her head to the right in search of its source. An elf stepped out of the shadows cast by the great house. His loving smile seemed to answer the unspoken question in her eyes for a brilliant smile of her own lit her face.
The elf stood for a moment sharing her joy, drinking in her rare beauty, before he walked slowly over to sit beside her on the bench. He took her hand in his before bending his head to press a gentle kiss to her upturned lips. A silent sigh of pleasure shivered through the night air as he lifted his head.
Together, they turned their gaze back to the river. The elleth tilted her head to rest against his arm. After only a few seconds, the elf inclined his to rest over the top of hers. Not a word had been spoken, but their communion was absolute.
A slight breeze rustled the leaves scattered on the ground around their feet; a sudden chill crept into the air of the autumn night. A subtle shift and his arm slipped free to wrap around her waist and pull her against the warmth of his side. Their heads remained nestled together; their clasped hands still in her lap.
*****
The silver light of Ithil seemed to glow brightest as it lit the couple in the garden. Three fathers silently watched, thinking of daughters --- one gone to the afterlife of mortals, one far away across the sea, one banished to another land… and one lovingly held by an elf they called brother.
*****