Year of Madness

Chapter Five

“Morning, Glori,”

Opening his eyes the rest of the way, Glorfindel caught a glimpse of Erestor in the chair near the window before the bright light streaming through caused him to flinch and rub at his eyes with the back of his hand. It had been long since he’d awoken from such a deep rest, from actual sleep, that it took him a few minutes to get his bearings. “Good morning,” he finally answered, following with, “you should have come to bed with me.”

“I did,” said Erestor, following a chuckle. Glorfindel grinned, for he was becoming accustomed to the happy laughter Erestor offered him. “I woke at a decent hour, and even ate breakfast as you slept.” There was a half-empty tray on the table beside the bed to confirm this. Stretching up from the chair before crawling up onto the bed, Erestor said, “You sleep so peacefully. You were just heavenly to watch – eyes closed, soft lips parted,” he murmured, sliding his hand down Glorfindel’s face as he spoke. Two fingers moved to breeze over the just barely opened mouth. “How I had to fight to restrain myself from kissing them.” Erestor did not stop himself now as he moistened his own lips with his tongue and proceeded to make up for the many kisses he did not bestow upon Glorfindel the night before.

Pouting a little when Erestor finally stopped and settled himself on his back upon the bed, Glorfindel said, “You resisted my good looks and charm?”

“You were asleep,” countered Erestor as he sat up and pulled his shirt up and over his head before tossing it onto the chair and sliding under the blanket beside Glorfindel. “But please note, you’ve been up not more than five minutes, and already I’m half-undressed beneath the covers with you.”

“I should have liked to have skipped the five minutes and had you here the moment I was awake.”

“All in good time,” answered Erestor, wrapping his arms around Glorfindel’s broad shoulders. “Guess what I did last night!” he said, a rather devilish smile gracing his lips.

Glorfindel couldn’t help but laugh at the excitement in Erestor’s voice. “I’ll never guess, so you might as well tell me before you burst,” he suggested, his own hands finding their way around Erestor’s waist to pull him closer.

“Well, it all started after you fell asleep…”

- - -

Erestor walked slowly down the hallway, smiling weakly but warmly at those he passed by. He honestly wanted to skip down the hall and sing a merry tune, but he also wanted to be sure he still had the next few weeks free.

As he turned a corner with caution, he saw a pair of elves on a bench in the hall having a pleasant discussion with one another. The one facing his direction stood upon seeing him, and the other glanced over his shoulder before following suit. “Dear Erestor, you are awake,” said Elrohir affectionately as his teacher and father’s chief advisor approached. “You are looking much better,” he added after a q app appraisal.

“I feel better, thank you,” answered Erestor. “Much better, but still in need of rest.”

Elladan was slightly less cordial, but with the best of intentions. “You’re headed to the library. Father says you are not to be allowed in until he says you are well again.”

“I seek Master Melpomaen,” answered Erestor. “If he is in the library, that is where I shall see him.”

“I believe he is, but you are still not to enter the library,” Elladan reminded him sternly.

As much as Erestor hated being scolded by a peredhel barely past his majority, he did not wish to disobey Elrond’s rules. “Perhaps I might ask your assistance,” ventured Erestor.

Elladan glanced warily at Elrohir, while the younger twin tilted his head. “Something is different about you...” Elrohir commented, tilting his head to look over Erestor again.

Once more, Elladan was more direct. “That’s not your clothing,” he realized.

- - -

“Oh, Erestor, do they know? Did you tell them?”

“They guessed most on their own,” Erestor said to Glorfindel. “Although, I did blush when Elladan made the initial discovery, which really placed me in an awkward situation. No harm in it, really, when the truth was given, they both readily agreed to help with my plan.” Glorfindel snuggled closer, and listened more intently as the tale continu
-
- - -

Erestor pressed his ear against the closed doors that led to the library, smiling to himself at the commotion from within. Two muffled voices, similar to one another, were talking nearly non-stop while a third tried in desperation to answer the questions he was being asked.

“... but if we don’t have anything on the specifics of water lilies, I would suppose a book on li in in general would do. Then again...”

“... no, no, no, Roh, you need to get something on water plants, not lilies. But we must have a volume on water lilies, what with the popularity of the flower here. Even just a scroll on their care would be fine.”

“I can look that up, but not until I search for the other three items you have requested,” explained Melpomaen, trying to get a word in and still regain his usual calm.

“Three things? I recall only two, the annuaportport from last year, and the book on the canning of peaches and other summer fruits. Roh?”

“No, there were four things. The others were the lyrics to that wonderful song that was sung two nights ago by that elf from Lothlorien that is here-“ The sound of the snapping of fingers in an attempt to recall something could be heard, and then, “Oh, bother, what’s his name again, Adan?”

“Who, Rumil?”

“Yes, the sulking one, the song he sang.”

“I hated the song he sang.”

“Oh. Well, it’s just the two then.”

“Two, and then the book on lilies, making it three,” Melpomaen said in a strained voice.

“Yes, obviously, there are three items. Two plus one. That we know.” There was a pause and then, “While you look for those, are there any good works of fiction you might recommend, Master Figwit?”

Chuckling to himself, Erestor knocked on the door just loud enough to make himself heard. He knew just how much Melpomaen hated the nickname the twins came up with after they had begun lessons in Westron and went through the household translating everyone’s proper names for them. Silently thanking his mother for not giving him a name as silly as Melpomaen, Erestor concentrated on looking sickly and pale as the door opened.

“Master Erestor, it is good to-“ Melpomaen cringed as a crash came from behind him, and he sighed heavily when he turned to look at the damage done to a stack of books that had been on the corner of his desk. “-see you,” he finished, rather unenthusiastically.

“And you, Master Melpomaen,” returned Erestor.

“You look... well, thin,” Melpomaen said, amending his statement as he looked over Erestor. Glorfindel’s clothing hung a little loosely on him, further giving the appearance that Erestor was under the weather. “Shouldn’t you still be in bed?”

“Aye, but I had an idea that I wanted to propose,” answered Erestor. Inside the library, he c hea hear the twins causing a ruckus and did his best to draw out his thoughts, taking ample opportunities to rest himself on the bench at the door outside. His only real challenge was keeping a straight face as he explained hioposoposal. “... so if I work one week, and then you work one week, and then I work one, and then you work two, it keeps us on a strict five week rotation, and essentially would give both of us more free time while I still work my hours and you still work yours. Right now, you workaighaight through every week – how long has it been since you took a vacation?”

Another crash came from the library, and Melpomaen answered, “Too long.”

“Adan, do you think that document is important?” questioned a voice in the library.

There was a pause, answered by, “I don’t know, Roh, but you’d better start cleaning up that ink.”

“Much too long,” corrected Melpomaen, rubbing his forehead.

- - -

“You’re on the same schedule as I am?” Glorfindel’s face lit up at the news. “You changed your work hours around for me?”

“Well, for both of us,” Erestor admitted, snuggling closer. “I won’t be so stressed with this schedule. I spoke with Lord Elrond as well and explained to him that I cannot keep my health, and manage meetings twice daily with him.”

Glorfindel nuzzled the top of Erestor’s head. “What did he have to say about that?”

“He wanted to know why I was wasting my time speaking with him when I could be in bed with you,” Erestor answered slyly.


Continued...