Sunbathing

Title: Sunbathing-Alternate Ending C
Fandom: Lord of the Rings
Author: Lynsey
Websites/Mailing List: See links under user information/bio
Beta: None
Part: Alternate Ending C
Pairings: Erestor/Glorfindel
Rating:
Warnings: Het (can that really be a warning?)
Disclaimer: I do not own The Lord of the Rings or its characters. I do not make any money from this fiction.
Summary: Erestor’s secret is out when Glorfindel walks in on him sunbathing.
A/N: This story has one beginning and three very different endings. Pick your poison. Each ending has its own warnings. A forty year old elfling is the equal of a 16 year old human.

“Erestor…Oh dear Gods…I…I have too…” Glorfindel turned to exit as quickly as possible, but he was stopped by Erestor’s terrified voice.

“Please, Fin don’t tell anyone!”

Glorfindel turned a disbelieving face to Erestor.

The other elf was frantically pulling the robe on. “I can explain. Truly. Just don’t go.” The small elf sat down slowly and tiny arms wrapped around shapely legs in a very vulnerable looking position.

“Erestor!” Glorfindel sputtered, “How can you possibly explain this?!”

“Fin, I-”

“Erestor you’re a woman!”

Erestor flinched and hid his…her?...face in her hands.

Glorfindel stood in the doorway, torn between leaving this mess behind and staying to find out just what the hell was going on. He took one hesitant step forward along with a deep, calming breath. Bracing himself, he took a few more steps until he was close enough to the couch to collapse on it. He leaned forward until he rested his elbows on his knees and rested his head in his hands. He took another deep breath, “Alright, let’s hear this explanation.”

Erestor wrapped the robe tighter about herself, as if it could hide the evidence that Glorfindel had already witnessed. “I-” her voice trembled. She coughed and tried again. “I…my parents died when I was young. About forty years old. We lived in a small village, and when the attack came…” Erestor stopped and cleared her throat. “We didn’t stand a chance. Everyone died…except me. I hid in a potato bin until those…vile creatures left. I was so scared, terrified. I didn’t know what to do. I rummaged around the wreckage that had been my village and managed to find some boy’s clothes. I thought that I would look less vulnerable if I looked like a boy. I bound my breasts, and I put on a sword and a dagger that had been left behind. I felt so much more…safe just by changing my appearance. Like no-one could harm me. Like…like I’d finally found who I was supposed to be.”

“An elleth can protect herself just as well as an ellon can with dagger and sword.”

“Glorfindel, I grew up in a tiny village full of old morals and ideals. Women were not treated the same as men. Girls like me were taught to be gentle, to be homemakers. Men were protectors, warriors.”

Glorfindel was still puzzled. “Why, once you were safe, didn’t you…well…be female again.”

Erestor snorted. “I ended up in another tiny village with the same old morals and outdated traditions.” She looked at Glorfindel earnestly. “I had a chance to become more. My whole life I had been trained to be a good wife, a good mother. My old life was gone, lost in flames and terror. I had a chance to…be something.” Erestor sighed deeply, lost in the memories. “I was teased, of course, for being the smallest of the boys. I was bullied quite a bit. I was careful though. No one ever found out my secret. I went through weapons training, I went through the schooling usually denied girls, and when I reached majority I packed up everything in my possession and left to find…more.”

“What’s your name?” Glorfindel queried abruptly.

Erestor frowned in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Erestor is a male’s name. What was your name before you became Erestor?”

“Oh. Erynseriel, after my mother Erynseron.”

Glorfindel smiled softly. “You don’t seem like an Erynseriel. You’re too…hard for that name I believe. Erestor suits you, male or female.”

Erestor blushed a little, nodding in agreement.

They were silent for a long time, Glorfindel to digest the information and Erestor in a fit of anxiety.

“I always thought you were too beautiful to be male.”

Erestor’s head popped up and stared at Glorfindel disbelievingly.

“Truly, Erestor. No man could ever be as beautiful as you are. A man’s beauty could never rival that of a woman’s. Your voice was always too sweet, too perfect to be male now that I think about it.” Glorfindel studied Erestor’s blushing cheeks for a moment. “That’s why you have been ignoring me. You didn’t want me to know.”

“I was afraid that if you knew you wouldn’t have feelings for me anymore. You fell in love with an ellon, Glorfindel. Not an elleth. I thought it prudent to take the knowledge that you felt something for me and run. It was better than nothing.”

Glorfindel dipped his head. “I suppose I would have done the same.”

Erestor buried her head in her hands. Her voice was muffled when she spoke, “So what will it be, Glorfindel. You fell in love with a male. Now you are faced with a female. Do you end this before it even begins?”

Glorfindel was quiet as he pondered, face pained.

“It’s fine, Fin,” Erestor said quietly, obviously heartbroken. “I understand. You are attracted to…males, and-”

“That’s not it Erestor,” Glorfindel broke in. “Truly. I just…I’m attracted to both sexes. I don’t-I mean I haven’t…” he blushed. “I’ve never been with a woman. I fear I don’t won’t know what I’m doing.”

Erestor couldn’t help herself. She laughed. “Truly? You’re a…virgin? I mean a virgin with women? I would have pegged you for having dozens of notches in your belt.”

Glorfindel blushed harder. “I have plenty of notches, thank you very much. Just not with women.”

“Why is that?” Erestor asked quietly, interested despite herself.

“Well…I guess males always seemed safer in many ways. The obvious being they won’t get pregnant. The last thing I needed was a child before I was ready for one,” he shook his head at himself. “Another reason was I never thought I could truly fall in love with a male. That was, until I met you. There was something about you that was different from the others. Something I could fall in love with…” he trailed off, not knowing how to continue.

“If we do this,” Erestor said, staring intently at Glorfindel. “I don’t want…I don’t want anyone to know about me. We go about this relationship as if we are both male. I’ve been a male for so long, I don’t think I could actually be female even if I tried. As far as I’m concerned, I’m a man in a woman’s body.”

“I can understand that,” Glorfindel agreed. He grinned suddenly. “Does that mean I still get to skip the flowers and chocolates stage of courting?”

“Skip the flowers. I still want the chocolates.”

Glorfindel laughed and Erestor smiled back.

Glorfindel’s smile suddenly faded. “Erestor, what if…what if you get pregnant?”

Erestor’s grin melted into alarm. “Fuck. I’ve never even considered that.” Her head dropped into her arms. “I’ll have to go to Elrond. He could probably give me some kind of herbs to prevent conception.”

“I thought you didn’t want anyone to know?”

Erestor brought her head back up with a small smile. “Elrond already knows. He’s had to treat me for a variety of injuries and illnesses. The secret didn’t last long.”

“He doesn’t care?”

Erestor shook her head. “He understood. I believe there is very little that Elrond would not be able to understand and accept.”

Glorfindel nodded with a smile of his own.

They looked at each other for a long moment, studying each other intently. There was a slight hesitation, then they were both lunging for each other. The kiss they instigated was everything they had both been looking for. When they parted, they were both a panting, sweating mess.

“I suppose you are a virgin as well?” Glorfindel panted, sifting his hand through thick, dark hair.

Erestor nodded, pressing herself against Glorfindel tightly. “You won’t hurt me. It’s not like I’ve never…played down there before.”

Glorfindel groaned at the mental image of Erestor pleasuring herself. “You’ll be the death of me,” he groaned, mouthing at Erestor’s neck.

The darkling moaned with pleasure, letting her head fall to the side. “Fuck, I’m glad you swing both ways. I don’t know what I would have done-”

“Shhh,” Glorfindel hushed, placing his finger over shapely lips. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is now, and us, and our future.”

“Speaking of which, we should probably put our current activities on hold before our future includes children,” Erestor panted and Glorfindel lowered the silk of the robe to mouth a pale shoulder.

Glorfindel groaned loudly and reluctantly-very reluctantly-disentangled himself from the dark beauty. “You’re going to Elrond tomorrow. Even if I have to drag you.”

“Deal,” Erestor agreed, arranging the robe to cover herself again. They parted with reluctance, both wanting more but neither willing to jeopardize themselves.

“So…I’ll see you tomorrow?” Erestor said, still a little unsure.

“Definitely,” Glorfindel said, leaning forward for one last, lingering kiss. “Definitely.”

END


Erynseriel = Daughter of the Forest Lover
Erynseron = Forest Lover