Erestor's Gift

Title: Erestor’s Gift (9/?)
Author: Aglarien
Type: FPS
Pairing: Erestor/Glorfindel, Elrond/Melpomaen
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Alas, not mine. The great Master Tolkien’s estate owns everything. I promise to return his elves when I’m done playing with them.
Warning: None, except for fluff.
Summary: Erestor is sure Glorfindel forgot his begetting day, and Elrond meddles.
Author’s Note: Not a part of my usual Erestor/Glorfindel universe.


Chapter 9


As Erestor and Glorfindel walked hand and hand to the jewel makers shop, they were greeted by happy elves. Fellow warriors slapped Glorfindel’s back and wrung his arm, and fellow scribes and librarians took Erestor’s hand and congratulated him. They were grateful to finally reach their destination in one piece.

A tall elf, with hair pulled back and covered in a leather apron, looked up from his table and greeted them. “Welcome, my lords. I have been expecting you. The news is already all over the city. And I see you finally gave Master Erestor the brooch I made for him all those years ago, Glorfindel,” the jeweler said, pointing to the golden flower and onyx bird pinned to Erestor’s cloak.

“You made my brooch, Sarnon?” Erestor asked. “It is beautiful.”

Sarnon smiled and nodded to Erestor. “Now, I presume you are here for gold rings? It’s about time.”

“Aye, my friend,” Glorfindel said, chuckling. “Even if it is a few centuries later than I thought it would be when you made that brooch.”

Sarnon removed a tray of rings from a cupboard. “Come, sit over here in the light.” He set the tray on a table by the window. Once Erestor and Glorfindel were seated in the chairs, he said, “See if you like any of these. But there is another set of rings I want you to see. I will return in a moment.” He headed into the back room.

“These are all lovely, Glorfindel. Sarnon’s work is amazingly beautiful.” Erestor picked up a ring to examine it closer, and then another.

“Aye, but I want something special for you, Erestor. Something made just for you.” Glorfindel practically frowned at the rings. “These are too ordinary for you.”

“Perhaps you will like these better, Glorfindel.” Sarnon walked to the table and placed a small black pouch in Glorfindel’s hand. “I made these after you ordered the brooch, hoping this day would come. And I saved them just for you two. There are none like them.”

Glorfindel opened the bag and poured the rings into his hand. “Aye, perfect,” he said, smiling at the jeweler. “What do you think my love?” He showed Erestor the rings in his hand.

Erestor looked at the rings and his smile lit the room. The rings were crafted of gold, but darker golden flowers were imbedded in the lighter gold, each with a small ruby in its center. And imbedded in the center flower was a perfectly carved tiny onyx raven. On the smaller ring, the raven was preparing to snatch the ruby with his beak, just like it was on his brooch. And on the larger ring, the raven lay sweetly sleeping, nestled with the flower’s petals half covering it. Just as he knew he would want to lay forever with Glorfindel, his golden flower. “Oh…they are so beautiful. Aye, perfect, my love.”

Erestor jumped up from the table and hugged Sarnon. Then he giggled. And blushed. “Forgive me, Sarnon. I do not know what came over me.”

The jewel maker laughed. “You are happy, Erestor. And I am honored you like my rings. Now let me check how they fit.” He took the larger ringer and put it on Glorfindel’s finger. “Yours is perfect, Glorfindel.” He removed the ring and replaced it in the bag. “Now let me see your finger, Erestor.” He slid the ring on Erestor’s finger. It, too, was a perfect fit.

“I believe it needs a little adjustment, Sarnon,” Erestor said quickly.

“Aye, it does. I can do it now, if you can stay for a little while,” Sarnon said, realizing Erestor wanted to talk to him alone. “Then you can take the rings with you.”

Erestor nodded and smiled at the jeweler. “Why don’t you go and take care your morning work, my love,” he told Glorfindel. “When Sarnon is finished I can bring the rings and meet you in your office for the noon meal.”

“All right, love.” Glorfindel gave Erestor a tender kiss, then turned to the jeweler. “Sarnon, I do not know how to thank you, my friend. Send me your bill for any amount you desire, and it is yours.”

“There will be no bill, Glorfindel.” Sarnon chuckled. “Can you imagine the business I am going to get when everyone sees you two wearing those rings? I am very pleased the two elves I made those rings for will finally wear them. Will you wait the year?”

“Nay!” Erestor and Glorfindel shouted together, and then they both blushed, and Erestor giggled.

“We plan to wed within the week, my friend,” Glorfindel said. “Thank you, Sarnon.”

“Good! I look forward to everyone seeing your rings,” Sarnon answered.

When Glorfindel had kissed Erestor again and left, Sarnon turned to the councilor. “Now, Erestor, what may I do for you?”

Erestor smiled. “Sarnon, the raven on Glorfindel’s ring – asleep in the flower. It is so beautiful. Will you make me a brooch like it to give him as a wedding gift?”

“Nay, I will not.”

Erestor’s smile disappeared. “Nay? You will not?”

“Nay.” Sarnon smiled. “I already made it, you see, when I made the rings and the other brooch. I thought you might want it, so I did not bring it out for Glorfindel to see. Come.” He led Erestor into the back room. Taking a small key from his pocket, he unlocked a cabinet, took out a box, opened it, and held it out to Erestor.

Erestor lifted the brooch from the box. It was a little larger than his own, and perfectly made. He ran a finger over the golden petal wrapped around the raven. “Beautiful. However did you know?”

Sarnon shrugged. “We have both lived in Imladris a long time, Erestor. It is not so large that everyone does not know everyone else over the years. And Glorfindel was then our new captain of the guards, the reborn balrog slayer, and it was not hard to guess what you both would like.”

Erestor nodded. “Thank you, Sarnon. And you will send me your bill for the brooch?”

“Nay, Erestor. Consider it my wedding gift to you.” He opened the bag with Glorfindel’s ring and held it out. “Now take that ring off and put it in here. You cannot wear it yet.”

Erestor chuckled, removed the ring reluctantly, and dropped it into the bag. “Soon. Soon I will wear it.”

~~~*~~~

Elladan knocked on their father’s door. “Remember, we need to find out if Melpomaen and Ada are really in love before we tell them we approve,” he whispered to his siblings. Footsteps sounded from the other side, the door opened, and Elrond motioned his children into the room. Melpomaen stood across the room.

“Come, sit with me,” Elrond said. “I wish to speak with you about something.” The twins sat on a sofa with Arwen squeezed between them. Elrond pulled a chair over and sat closely in front of them. Taking one of each of their hands, he held them between his own on his lap.

“Does this concern Melpomaen as well, Ada?” Arwen asked. “Should he sit with us, too?”

“Aye, it does, little one,” Elrond answered, “but Melpomaen prefers to wait for me to explain why I asked you all to come and speak to me.” Arwen had been so close to her mother. He prayed she would understand. “You know that when your Nana left us, she told me to find another mate…to find someone to love that would help me through the evil times?”

The twins and Arwen nodded. “But it has been a long time, Ada,” Elrohir said. “Much evil has come to middle-earth, and yet you never took another mate. We thought you were waiting for Nana, to be with her in Valinor again.”

“My children, what you do not know is that I told your mother to find another mate as well. Someone who could help her heal. We knew that I must stay here for many years, and I could not bear the thought that she had no one – no helpmate. I could have waited for her in vain. When the day comes and we sail, I expect to find her bound to another.”

“We knew, Ada,” Elladan said softly. “Nana told us. We understand. And have you found someone?”

“Aye, I have. It is someone I love very much, and who I know loves me. It is Melpomaen. I have been in love with him for many years, and he with me. Last night we finally declared ourselves. I hope you will give us your blessings and be happy for us.” Elrond searched their eyes.

“A male, Ada? You have taken another male for a lover?” Elrohir asked, seemingly shocked.

“Elrohir, his sex does not matter. It is the elf inside I love. Have I not raised you to understand this? All of you? What is important is finding the one elf who is your soul mate. The one elf who you were meant to be with.”

“So Nana was not your soul mate, Ada?” Elladan asked.

Elrond hesitated, and Arwen answered for him. “Nay, of course she was not. If she were, they would both be waiting for each other. Is that not right, Ada?”

Elrond nodded. “Aye, you speak truly, little one.”

“Did you ever love Nana?” Elrohir asked.

“Of course I did! Your mother was precious to me, and we loved each other. But it was a love of deep companionship.”

“What if we do not accept this, Ada?” Elladan asked.

“It is our hope that you will, but know this, Elladan, I will not give up Melpomaen. We are bound, and I will not be parted from him,” Elrond said forcefully. “I love you, the three of you, more than I can express. But Mel is my bonded, and I choose him over all else, just as one day you may chose your bonded one over me.” Elrond stared at their hands in his lap.

Arwen looked across the room at Melpomaen. He was standing with his arms wrapped around his waist and tears were running down his cheeks. They had hurt Melpomaen with their talk. Nudging her brothers aside, she pulled her hand out of her father’s grasp and ran to the smaller elf. Taking his hands, she whispered. “Do not weep, Ada Mel. It will be all right. I promise. I am so sorry we made you weep. Come and join us, please?”

Elrond rose when he saw Arwen go to Melpomaen and watched as she whispered to him, hearing a hint of her words. When he saw Arwen begin to lead Mel over, he went to his husband and took him into his arms.

Arwen left them and rejoined her brothers on the sofa. “No more, brothers,” she whispered. “We hurt Melpomaen. Look at them, it is obvious to any with eyes they love each other.”

The twins watched as their father kissed his new mate deeply. Melpomaen clung to him. “They look good together,” Elrohir said.

“Aye. They fit together,” Elladan responded. He wished they could just leave, but they had to finish what they started. He stood, and taking his sibling’s hands, pulled them up. “Come on. We finish this now,” he whispered. Elrond and Melpomaen were just standing together, holding each other, and drawing strength from their love.

The three younger elves surrounded their father and Melpomaen, encircling them with their arms.

“We’re sorry we hurt you and made you think we didn’t approve of you, Mel.”

“We just wanted to make sure you and Ada really loved each other.”

“We love Ada, very much, you see.”

“And we love you too, Mel. We just want you both to be happy.”

“We’re happy to have you as our new Ada, Mel.”

“We’re happy that Ada has someone and isn’t alone anymore.”

“And we want to know if we can call you Ada Mel now.”

“Or if you’d prefer we call you something else.”

“We can’t really call you just Ada, because that would be confusing.”

“And you and Ada Mel have our blessing, Ada.”

Melpomaen lifted his head from Elrond’s chest. “Really? We have your blessing?”

The three younger elves nodded and pulled their new Ada into hug.

Elrond’s eyes filled with tears as he looked at his family before he too was pulled into their arms.

Tbc….