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Guardian Angel
folder
-Multi-Age › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
7
Views:
3,829
Reviews:
14
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
-Multi-Age › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
7
Views:
3,829
Reviews:
14
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Lord of the Rings (and associated) book series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter Five
Guardian Angel – Chapter 5
Author: Tuxedo Elf
Pairing: Rúmil/Lindir
Rating: PG13 for now
Beta: Eni
Summary: Lindir finally meets his guardian angel.
Notes: As ever, for SayAye, with love.
***************
Lindir did not linger long with the brothers, and without so much as taking any breakfast was gone, with only the rather feeble excuse that he needed to practise. He was clearly discouraged by the news and both brothers felt sorry for the minstrel. All of a sudden, Haldir banged his teacup down with such force that Orophin visibly jumped. Looking over at his brother, Orophin’s confusion grew as Haldir stood up and shoved his chair back so hard it almost toppled over.
“Where are you going?” he asked, looking at his brother’s only half-eaten breakfast.
“To shake some sense into our stubborn brother,” Haldir snapped, before turning on his heel and storming out of the hall. Shocked at the display of temper, Orophin got up and hurried after him. He had a feeling that things could get unpleasant.
As they hurried down the halls, Orophin mused on the situation. Haldir had clearly taken a liking to Lindir, as had he. He only hoped that they weren’t pushing things too far; there was no guarantee that Lindir was ‘the one’ for Rúmil, after all. However, Orophin had to agree that the minstrel deserved every chance. His persistence had earned him that.
Barging into Rúmil’s room, Haldir stalked over to where his brother sat on the bed. Rúmil looked up in surprise at the sudden entry, watching Haldir in confusion as he came over.
“Haldir?” He started to look worried, seeing his older brother’s expression.
“What in Eru’s name is wrong with you?” Haldir demanded without any preamble.
Rúmil’s look swiftly changed to annoyance. “There is nothing wrong with me,” he insisted, curling a little further into the rumpled blankets.
“Yes there is,” Haldir insisted. “Not far from here there is a very disappointed minstrel who had hoped to see you this morning, not be rebuffed by your brothers on your behalf!”
This remark only caused Rúmil to inch further away from his irate brother. “That is his own fault,” he insisted stubbornly.
Haldir loomed over his brother, forcing the younger Elf to look up at him with wide eyes. “No, Rúmil,” he said, his voice dangerously low, “it was not. Lindir did not pry your mouth open and force the wine down your throat. You drank it of your own free will. It was not his responsibility to tell you that you were drinking too much – indeed, he may even have been relieved that it was making you open up a little! He likes you, Rúmil – though Eru only knows why – and if you let him slip through your fingers then you are a bigger fool than I had ever thought you could be!”
His tirade finished, Haldir glared down at his brother, but Rúmil only looked away, offering no reply. Shorting in disgust, Haldir shook his head and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
A hush fell as Rúmil stared down at the covers and Orophin stood awkwardly nearby. After a few minutes, he went and perched on the edge of Rúmil’s bed. “He is right, you know,” he said gently. “He could have put it better, I admit, but he spoke the truth. You cannot blame Lindir. Please, Rúmil – do not walk away from this chance. Maybe it won’t work between you – but don’t let that be from lack of trying.”
Staring at the blankets, Rúmil took in his brother’s words. Finally he sighed and lifted his head to meet Orophin’s eyes. “How can I face him after last night? It was humiliating.”
Orophin shook his head. “He does not care about that. He cares more that you will not see him.”
Rúmil let out a long sigh. He should have known better than to stare at the minstrel as he had, especially in such a public place, and get himself into this situation. Yet the last time he had seen Lindir the circumstances had been very different and he had been unable to avoid looking to see how the Elf now fared.
“He may not care, but I do.” Rúmil replied. “I am still haunted by it.”
It was Orophin’s turn to look annoyed. “Rúmil,” he said firmly. “You are a warrior. Cowardice does not become you.” Taking his brother’s hand, he tugged him towards the edge of the bed. “For the love of Eru, get up, bathe, make yourself presentable and then go and find Lindir. Trust me, by this evening things will seem better.” He looked firmly at his brother and barely suppressed a cry of victory when Rúmil heaved a resigned sigh and dragged himself from the bed.
“I’ll see to that bath,” he grinned, dashing off before Rúmil could even think of another protest.
****************
It was not too much later when Rúmil found himself in the courtyard, scanning the area for his companion of the previous evening. The courtyard was nearly deserted at this time of day and a quick glance told him that Lindir was not present. Laeriel, however, was. Rúmil took a step backwards, intending to leave, but Orophin coughed behind him. He sighed – he would never get any peace until he satisfied his brother.
Slowly, he approached the Mirkwood minstrel. “Excuse me,” he mumbled, “have you seen Lindir?”
Despite her surprise at being approached, Laeriel smiled. “I saw him earlier, but he went for a walk by the river. Perhaps he is still there.”
“Thank you,” Rúmil muttered, forcing a smile. “I will look there.” Quickly he hurried away, a blush staining his cheeks.
Watching him go, Laeriel smiled. “Perhaps there is hope yet,” she murmured.
******************
It had taken some considerable effort, but Rúmil had managed to convince Orophin that his presence was not required and that he would see the task through. If he was going to do this, he could not bear the embarrassment of being watched by his younger brother.
Still, he did not hurry on his way to the river, instead running his mind over what to say. He really had no idea – this, like many other things in life, was utterly outside his realm of experience. He wasn’t even sure how he felt about Lindir, all he knew was that the minstrel was turning his world upside down. He had not opened himself up enough to allow his heart to feel anything more than curiosity.
The long river stretched for several miles and Rúmil had no way of knowing at which point his target would be. Wandering down the path from the palace, he glanced both left and right, trying to determine the most likely direction. Experienced eyes scanned the ground, looking for even the faintest sign of the minstrel’s passage.
After several minutes he finally found a light trail, the grass being slightly more dented along to the right. It was faint indeed, being made by an Elf, but it was there nonetheless. True, it could have belonged to the feet of another, but Rúmil could see no other trails, making it likely that only one had passed by here recently. Turning to the right, he made his way along the riverbank, keeping watch for the one he sought.
It was as he followed the river round a deep bend, that he finally found Lindir. The minstrel was sitting on the bank and had removed his shoes, allowing his feet to dangle in the cool water. His eyes were closed as he leaned back and he seemed quite relaxed.
Rúmil knew he should make his presence known, but he could not resist simply watching for a few moments. He’d not yet had the opportunity to simply observe Lindir so closely without the other noticing. Now that he could, he was able to see no signs of the trauma the Elf had suffered centuries ago. Instead he saw a tall, attractive, talented Elf, who was quite content in his life.
Attractive? The thought had come to mind almost before he could register it and it surprised him, causing him to look again at the Elf by the riverbank. Lindir was pleasing to the eye, Rúmil had to admit to himself. The attention he’d bestowed on him was pleasant too… if unnerving. He had always shied away from attention, yet deep down he was both amazed and flattered that Lindir had chosen him as the object of his affections.
Finally he knew he could watch no longer – not in the least because Orophin would have his hide if he didn’t go through with his promise. Approaching slowly, he took a deep breath before calling out softly.
“Lindir?”
***********
His attention mostly on the river, Lindir was not expecting the soft call. When it came, he jumped in surprise, looking towards the source. Seeing Rúmil standing there, half-hidden by the trees, his heart leapt in hope.
“Rúmil, good morning.” He kept his voice soft despite his hope, speaking as though he was trying not to spook a frightened animal. Whatever had brought Rúmil here, he did not want to ruin it.
“Good… good morning.” Rúmil squirmed uncomfortably as Lindir stared at him.
“Would you like to sit with me?” Lindir offered. “It is a perfect day for enjoying the woods and the river.”
Chewing his lip, Rúmil nodded and slowly made his way forward. A short distance from Lindir he stopped, dropping gracefully into a sitting position. He was not quite close enough to touch, but it was the closest he’d come of his own free will and Lindir was pleased.
“Were you looking for me?” Lindir asked, unable to quite keep the optimism from his voice.
Rúmil nodded again and paused before replying. “I… wanted to… apologise… for my actions last night,” he mumbled, staring at the ground.
Lindir wondered how much of this apology was due to the actions of Haldir and Orophin, but he wisely said nothing. At least Rúmil was here and without a sibling escort. “Do not trouble yourself over it,” he assured the nervous Elf. “I had a good night and I enjoyed your company.”
“You did?” Rúmil sounded incredulous at such a suggestion.
“I did,” Lindir affirmed. “You are a nice Elf, Rúmil, do not ever think otherwise. It is not necessary to be loud and outgoing to be liked.”
Rúmil looked down as he blushed brightly and played with a leaf that drifted by on the breeze. “Thank you,” he muttered, lost for words. No one outside his family had ever said such things to him.
Slowly and carefully, Lindir edged closer. When Rúmil showed no signs of fleeing, he reached out and laid a hand on the Lórien Elf’s shoulder. “It is only the truth,” he said gently. “I do like you, Rúmil, and wish to be your friend. Will you allow that?”
There was a long pause, while Rúmil considered the question. Finally he looked up and there was a small smile on his face. “Yes,” he said simply.
Lindir resisted the urge to shout for joy at Rúmil’s acceptance. It was not what he truly wanted, his feelings going somewhat deeper than friendship, but it was a start.
“I am glad to hear that,” he said, squeezing Rúmil’s shoulder lightly.
It was definitely a start.
END CHAPTER 5
Author: Tuxedo Elf
Pairing: Rúmil/Lindir
Rating: PG13 for now
Beta: Eni
Summary: Lindir finally meets his guardian angel.
Notes: As ever, for SayAye, with love.
***************
Lindir did not linger long with the brothers, and without so much as taking any breakfast was gone, with only the rather feeble excuse that he needed to practise. He was clearly discouraged by the news and both brothers felt sorry for the minstrel. All of a sudden, Haldir banged his teacup down with such force that Orophin visibly jumped. Looking over at his brother, Orophin’s confusion grew as Haldir stood up and shoved his chair back so hard it almost toppled over.
“Where are you going?” he asked, looking at his brother’s only half-eaten breakfast.
“To shake some sense into our stubborn brother,” Haldir snapped, before turning on his heel and storming out of the hall. Shocked at the display of temper, Orophin got up and hurried after him. He had a feeling that things could get unpleasant.
As they hurried down the halls, Orophin mused on the situation. Haldir had clearly taken a liking to Lindir, as had he. He only hoped that they weren’t pushing things too far; there was no guarantee that Lindir was ‘the one’ for Rúmil, after all. However, Orophin had to agree that the minstrel deserved every chance. His persistence had earned him that.
Barging into Rúmil’s room, Haldir stalked over to where his brother sat on the bed. Rúmil looked up in surprise at the sudden entry, watching Haldir in confusion as he came over.
“Haldir?” He started to look worried, seeing his older brother’s expression.
“What in Eru’s name is wrong with you?” Haldir demanded without any preamble.
Rúmil’s look swiftly changed to annoyance. “There is nothing wrong with me,” he insisted, curling a little further into the rumpled blankets.
“Yes there is,” Haldir insisted. “Not far from here there is a very disappointed minstrel who had hoped to see you this morning, not be rebuffed by your brothers on your behalf!”
This remark only caused Rúmil to inch further away from his irate brother. “That is his own fault,” he insisted stubbornly.
Haldir loomed over his brother, forcing the younger Elf to look up at him with wide eyes. “No, Rúmil,” he said, his voice dangerously low, “it was not. Lindir did not pry your mouth open and force the wine down your throat. You drank it of your own free will. It was not his responsibility to tell you that you were drinking too much – indeed, he may even have been relieved that it was making you open up a little! He likes you, Rúmil – though Eru only knows why – and if you let him slip through your fingers then you are a bigger fool than I had ever thought you could be!”
His tirade finished, Haldir glared down at his brother, but Rúmil only looked away, offering no reply. Shorting in disgust, Haldir shook his head and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
A hush fell as Rúmil stared down at the covers and Orophin stood awkwardly nearby. After a few minutes, he went and perched on the edge of Rúmil’s bed. “He is right, you know,” he said gently. “He could have put it better, I admit, but he spoke the truth. You cannot blame Lindir. Please, Rúmil – do not walk away from this chance. Maybe it won’t work between you – but don’t let that be from lack of trying.”
Staring at the blankets, Rúmil took in his brother’s words. Finally he sighed and lifted his head to meet Orophin’s eyes. “How can I face him after last night? It was humiliating.”
Orophin shook his head. “He does not care about that. He cares more that you will not see him.”
Rúmil let out a long sigh. He should have known better than to stare at the minstrel as he had, especially in such a public place, and get himself into this situation. Yet the last time he had seen Lindir the circumstances had been very different and he had been unable to avoid looking to see how the Elf now fared.
“He may not care, but I do.” Rúmil replied. “I am still haunted by it.”
It was Orophin’s turn to look annoyed. “Rúmil,” he said firmly. “You are a warrior. Cowardice does not become you.” Taking his brother’s hand, he tugged him towards the edge of the bed. “For the love of Eru, get up, bathe, make yourself presentable and then go and find Lindir. Trust me, by this evening things will seem better.” He looked firmly at his brother and barely suppressed a cry of victory when Rúmil heaved a resigned sigh and dragged himself from the bed.
“I’ll see to that bath,” he grinned, dashing off before Rúmil could even think of another protest.
****************
It was not too much later when Rúmil found himself in the courtyard, scanning the area for his companion of the previous evening. The courtyard was nearly deserted at this time of day and a quick glance told him that Lindir was not present. Laeriel, however, was. Rúmil took a step backwards, intending to leave, but Orophin coughed behind him. He sighed – he would never get any peace until he satisfied his brother.
Slowly, he approached the Mirkwood minstrel. “Excuse me,” he mumbled, “have you seen Lindir?”
Despite her surprise at being approached, Laeriel smiled. “I saw him earlier, but he went for a walk by the river. Perhaps he is still there.”
“Thank you,” Rúmil muttered, forcing a smile. “I will look there.” Quickly he hurried away, a blush staining his cheeks.
Watching him go, Laeriel smiled. “Perhaps there is hope yet,” she murmured.
******************
It had taken some considerable effort, but Rúmil had managed to convince Orophin that his presence was not required and that he would see the task through. If he was going to do this, he could not bear the embarrassment of being watched by his younger brother.
Still, he did not hurry on his way to the river, instead running his mind over what to say. He really had no idea – this, like many other things in life, was utterly outside his realm of experience. He wasn’t even sure how he felt about Lindir, all he knew was that the minstrel was turning his world upside down. He had not opened himself up enough to allow his heart to feel anything more than curiosity.
The long river stretched for several miles and Rúmil had no way of knowing at which point his target would be. Wandering down the path from the palace, he glanced both left and right, trying to determine the most likely direction. Experienced eyes scanned the ground, looking for even the faintest sign of the minstrel’s passage.
After several minutes he finally found a light trail, the grass being slightly more dented along to the right. It was faint indeed, being made by an Elf, but it was there nonetheless. True, it could have belonged to the feet of another, but Rúmil could see no other trails, making it likely that only one had passed by here recently. Turning to the right, he made his way along the riverbank, keeping watch for the one he sought.
It was as he followed the river round a deep bend, that he finally found Lindir. The minstrel was sitting on the bank and had removed his shoes, allowing his feet to dangle in the cool water. His eyes were closed as he leaned back and he seemed quite relaxed.
Rúmil knew he should make his presence known, but he could not resist simply watching for a few moments. He’d not yet had the opportunity to simply observe Lindir so closely without the other noticing. Now that he could, he was able to see no signs of the trauma the Elf had suffered centuries ago. Instead he saw a tall, attractive, talented Elf, who was quite content in his life.
Attractive? The thought had come to mind almost before he could register it and it surprised him, causing him to look again at the Elf by the riverbank. Lindir was pleasing to the eye, Rúmil had to admit to himself. The attention he’d bestowed on him was pleasant too… if unnerving. He had always shied away from attention, yet deep down he was both amazed and flattered that Lindir had chosen him as the object of his affections.
Finally he knew he could watch no longer – not in the least because Orophin would have his hide if he didn’t go through with his promise. Approaching slowly, he took a deep breath before calling out softly.
“Lindir?”
***********
His attention mostly on the river, Lindir was not expecting the soft call. When it came, he jumped in surprise, looking towards the source. Seeing Rúmil standing there, half-hidden by the trees, his heart leapt in hope.
“Rúmil, good morning.” He kept his voice soft despite his hope, speaking as though he was trying not to spook a frightened animal. Whatever had brought Rúmil here, he did not want to ruin it.
“Good… good morning.” Rúmil squirmed uncomfortably as Lindir stared at him.
“Would you like to sit with me?” Lindir offered. “It is a perfect day for enjoying the woods and the river.”
Chewing his lip, Rúmil nodded and slowly made his way forward. A short distance from Lindir he stopped, dropping gracefully into a sitting position. He was not quite close enough to touch, but it was the closest he’d come of his own free will and Lindir was pleased.
“Were you looking for me?” Lindir asked, unable to quite keep the optimism from his voice.
Rúmil nodded again and paused before replying. “I… wanted to… apologise… for my actions last night,” he mumbled, staring at the ground.
Lindir wondered how much of this apology was due to the actions of Haldir and Orophin, but he wisely said nothing. At least Rúmil was here and without a sibling escort. “Do not trouble yourself over it,” he assured the nervous Elf. “I had a good night and I enjoyed your company.”
“You did?” Rúmil sounded incredulous at such a suggestion.
“I did,” Lindir affirmed. “You are a nice Elf, Rúmil, do not ever think otherwise. It is not necessary to be loud and outgoing to be liked.”
Rúmil looked down as he blushed brightly and played with a leaf that drifted by on the breeze. “Thank you,” he muttered, lost for words. No one outside his family had ever said such things to him.
Slowly and carefully, Lindir edged closer. When Rúmil showed no signs of fleeing, he reached out and laid a hand on the Lórien Elf’s shoulder. “It is only the truth,” he said gently. “I do like you, Rúmil, and wish to be your friend. Will you allow that?”
There was a long pause, while Rúmil considered the question. Finally he looked up and there was a small smile on his face. “Yes,” he said simply.
Lindir resisted the urge to shout for joy at Rúmil’s acceptance. It was not what he truly wanted, his feelings going somewhat deeper than friendship, but it was a start.
“I am glad to hear that,” he said, squeezing Rúmil’s shoulder lightly.
It was definitely a start.
END CHAPTER 5