Title: The Brightest Light of All
Author: Morgana
Author’s Email:
Web page: http://www.paranoid.nl/avalon
Pairings: Glorfindel/Erestor
Rating: PG
Summary: A bright soul returns to Elvendom.
Disclaimer: Not mine. These characters belong to Professor Tolkien. No
copyright infringement is intended. I'm not making any money out of these
stories!
Warning: AU!!! Big time AU! Time lines
do not exist in this story! If they did, I wouldn’t be able to get the
emotional impact I was aiming for!
Beta read by Patricia and DA, thanks
sweeties!
All remaining mistakes are mine.
The Brightest Light of All
“The time has
come for you to return to Middle-Earth, Glorfindel.” Námo chuckled as he sensed
the soul’s surprise. “Why are you reacting in such a way? You must have known
this day would come!”
Glorfindel
felt stunned. “My Lord, I have only been here for a short while!” All the other souls had been there for what seemed like forever and
Glorfindel had to wonder why he was being singled out. “Why would you allow me
to be reborn when there are so many souls more deserving of that privilege?”
His soul shivered when Námo’s essence closed in on him. He was being singled
out for a reason, but what was that reason?
“Never
question Ilúvatar’s decisions, child.” Námo, who had taken on a form that
looked Elven, smiled at Glorfindel. Due to the Vala’s power, Glorfindel’s shape
was growing stronger. It would only be a matter of seconds before the
golden-haired Elf would once more stand before him in all his former glory.
Glorfindel was
well aware of the changes happening to him. A moment ago, he had been without
shape and now he was looking at his hands. He stretched his fingers and tried
to deal with the sudden transformation. Locks of golden hair tumbled in front
of his face and he raised a hand to tuck the strands behind an ear. Another
look down his form told him that he was dressed in his traditional robes of
gold, pale yellow, and green that marked him as the Lord of the Golden Flower.
“I do not understand.”
Glorfindel shrugged his shoulders helplessly and looked at Námo. “I am supposed
to be dead…why then do I feel alive?” The Vala of Dead had guided his soul since
that fateful day when he had arrived in the Halls of Waiting and, like most of
the souls there, Glorfindel had eventually accepted that he would spend
eternity there. To hear Námo say that he was about to be reborn shocked him.
Námo circled
around Glorfindel and gave him a sly grin. “It is that time of the year that
your kin celebrate Yule. They are readying themselves to celebrate the shortest
day and the longest night. In spite of their attempts at making merry, gloom
has covered Imladris and I have decided to return a light to them. They need
you in their midst to brighten their lives.”
“Imladris?” Glorfindel frowned. He had seen tapestries woven by Námo’s wife
that depicted the lovely valley which Elrond half-Elven had built the Last
Homely House within. His heart contracted – another novel experience – and
Glorfindel’s eyes filled with unshed tears. “Imladris -- *he* is there.”
Námo nodded
and the movement caused his long, raven hair to partly obscure his green eyes.
The eyes danced with mirth and excitement, since Námo knew something Glorfindel
didn’t. “Would you like to go there, Glorfindel?”
Glorfindel
released a pained groan. “Do not play games with me, my Lord, I beg of you. You
know how much I love him… How much it hurt to leave him behind. I once vowed
that we would never be separated…a foolish vow, I realize that now, but at the
time… I could not imagine us ever apart.” Glorfindel bowed his head and
remembered the true love he had once shared with his beloved Erestor. He still
couldn’t believe that Námo would really allow him to return to his lover’s
arms.
“You called,
my Lord?”
A third voice
that was not unknown to Glorfindel echoed through the Hall of Waiting and made
the warrior raise his head.
“Aye, I called
for you. I have need for your services, Olórin. You will escort Glorfindel to
Imladris where his second life will begin.” Námo’s long, fur-coated cloak swept
after him when he turned to look at the new arrival.
Olórin’s form
intensified and Glorfindel saw the wise expression in those ancient eyes.
“I will do as
you ask of me, though I wonder why this soul is being allowed to be reborn.”
Only a very few souls were ever allowed another chance at life.
Námo looked at
them conspiratorially. They need not know that he was a romantic at heart!
~~~
Glorfindel
breathed in the cool air and stared at the surrounding lands. The journey from
the Undying Lands to Imladris had only taken them a few days, thanks to Námo’s
guidance. Olórin, now clad in his human form of Mithrandir, cast a knowing look
at him and Glorfindel gave his companion a radiant smile. “I forgot how wonderful
it feels to be alive! To be able to breathe in the air, feel Arien’s rays on my
skin, and to be able to walk again!”
Glorfindel
stared at the ground beneath his feet and went down on his knees so he could
bury his fingers in the moist earth. He had come home again. An impish grin
surfaced on his face when he looked at Mithrandir. “I never dared hope this day
would ever come! I know how very few are chosen to return to life.”
Mithrandir
smiled warmly. “Something about you must have touched Námo. I wonder what that
was.” He knew Glorfindel’s history, knew what had happened when Glorfindel had
covered the refugees’ retreat, but he didn’t know what had compelled Námo to
let Glorfindel go. “What *is* so special about you?” he asked when they made
ready to mount their horses, also provided kindly by Námo.
Glorfindel
blushed and bowed his head. “Not much about me is that special…”
Mithrandir
shook his head. “There must be some reason Námo let you go.” He wouldn’t let
Glorfindel wriggle off the hook that easily.
Glorfindel
swallowed hard. “Only one special thing ever happened to me.” And Námo had
hinted that his rebirth had something to do with Erestor. He couldn’t be wrong!
“I found true love in my first life and I lost it when I died.”
“Tell me about
your true love,” Mithrandir requested once their horses had started walking.
Glorfindel’s eyes took on a dreamy expression and the smile that radiated from
the warrior’s face almost blinded Mithrandir. Had he ever seen a look filled
with such love before? No…
“His name is
Erestor and he was part of Turgon’s council. I fell in love with him the first
time I met him. Oh, his face…those eyes…” Glorfindel paused when his emotions
overwhelmed him. “He has the kindest heart you will ever find, my friend. And
he loves unconditionally. We were made for each other. Everything was perfect.
Our love was perfect and then…” Glorfindel’s expression darkened. “And then the
attack happened. Erestor was among the refugees and when I died, I left him
behind. He had to face this world alone when I had vowed he never would.”
Glorfindel bowed his head in shame. “I failed him.”
Mithrandir
didn’t reply at once. Instead, he took a moment to consider Glorfindel’s
admission. “And Námo is sending you to Imladris because that is where Erestor
dwells?”
Glorfindel
nodded. “Aye, Erestor dwells there.”
Mithrandir had
met Elrond’s Chief Advisor on occasion, but something told him not to mention
this fact to Glorfindel at the moment. “What will you do when you meet again?”
Glorfindel’s
eyes, which had filled with tears, focused on Mithrandir’s. “I will tell him
that I never stopped loving him and beg for his forgiveness. I broke our pact
when I died.”
Mithrandir
raised a hand and rested it on Glorfindel’s shoulder. “You did not choose death,
my friend. Fate happened.”
Glorfindel
knew Mithrandir was right, but that didn’t stop him from feeling guilty.
~~~
Glorfindel’s
nervousness and guilt increased when he laid eyes on the Last Homely House. The
valley looked exquisite, inviting, and Glorfindel fell in love with Imladris
the moment they crossed the borders. A sense of peace and serenity filled the
air and the water of the Bruinen whispered soothingly, assuring him that it was
all right for him to continue. His heartbeat gradually sped up and his chest
filled with fierce emotions, for he could hardly believe that he was about to
be reunited with his beloved.
“Mithrandir,
how many years have passed since I died?” Glorfindel needed that information,
needed to be able to predict just how shocked Erestor would be.
“It has been
ten years, Glorfindel. Elrond and Erestor are still putting the final touches
to their home, but Imladris has already become a haven of peace.” Mithrandir
sensed Glorfindel’s fears and offered some advice. “Keep in mind that it will
be a shock to him. I do not believe there is a way to prepare Erestor for what
is about to come. It would be best to just walk up to him.”
Glorfindel’s
fingernails dug into the leather of the saddle and he nodded his head shakily.
“I know that, but…” How could he possibly explain just how nervous he was?
Mithrandir couldn’t understand!
~~~
“Visitors? I am not expecting any visitors.” Elrond frowned deeply. “There
are only two of them?”
Melpomaen
nodded once. “Aye and they will arrive at any moment now. One of the guards
mentioned that one of the travelers resembles Mithrandir. But surely, the
wizard would have had his arrival announced?”
Elrond
shrugged. “Maybe not.” Mithrandir *was* a bit
eccentric. “Show them to my study when they arrive.” He needed to find out why
Mithrandir was visiting so unexpectedly!
~~~
Glorfindel’s
heart pounded madly in his chest. The palms of his hands had turned sweaty and
even his vision seemed a bit blurry. A strange noise, which Glorfindel surmised
had to be the rushing of his blood through his veins, rose within his ears and
he swayed momentarily. He quickly steadied himself, not wanting to appear weak
when finally facing Erestor.
Mithrandir
gave his charge a reassuring smile and then entered Elrond’s study, which the
half-Elf shared with his Chief Advisor. One look over at the desk set in a
corner of the room showed him that Erestor was indeed present. For the very
first time, Mithrandir *really* took in Erestor’s form and tried to taste some
of his essence by reaching out with a tendril of his mind.
Erestor looked
up from his writing. He had sensed the gentle intrusion and frowned when he
realized it was Mithrandir whose mind had brushed against his. Like Elrond, he
was about to rise from his chair to greet their visitor when his heart missed
several beats. Another form had entered the room and Erestor felt like he was
about to faint upon seeing the blue eyes…the golden hair…the radiant smile.
Nay, it couldn’t be *him*! It couldn’t! Glorfindel was dead. The Balrog had
taken him down and nothing had remained except for a horribly burnt body,
barely recognizable as Glorfindel.
“Nay…” the
word escaped Erestor unintentionally.
Glorfindel’s
hands turned into fists and a sob escaped his lips. It really was Erestor
standing there – *his* Erestor! The large, brown eyes which revealed every
ounce of love the Advisor had ever held for him were warm and welcoming. The
lips, which would grow bruised when he showered them with passionate kisses,
were pouted and opened slightly as Erestor seemed to be fighting for air. Erestor’s
raven hair which was always worn long and unbraided was dancing against the
small of Erestor’s back and framed his handsome, yet pale face.
“It is you!”
Glorfindel, unable to stay put any longer, charged. There was no other way to
describe the way he swept Erestor off his feet and held him tight. Sobs,
strangled and deep, fled from within his throat and tumbled from his lips.
Glorfindel’s embrace
made Erestor sway for once the warrior was so close the Advisor could once more
smell that familiar scent. He could no longer pretend that he was dreaming –
that it wasn’t happening. His senses proved to him that Glorfindel was in his
arms once more. The scent…the feel of him… the golden hair teasing against his
face and getting tangled with his raven strands – it was all too familiar, too
real.
“Glorfindel?”
Hearing
Erestor’s voice made Glorfindel cry out and he lost his fight to appear strong
in front of Erestor. Glorfindel’s knees buckled and he swayed. He went down on
his knees and took Erestor down with him. They wrapped their arms around each
other, hugged the other close, and whispered declarations of love.
Elrond didn’t
know what to make of the scene at first, but then Mithrandir gestured for him
to step into the corridor with him. Elrond followed as he realized that the two
Elves needed a moment of their own. Mithrandir would doubtlessly tell him what
he needed to know.
Once it was only
the two of them, Glorfindel raised shaky hands and slid his fingers into
Erestor’s ebony hair. He raised the tear-streaked face and touched his forehead
to Erestor’s. “I…” Lost for words, Glorfindel could only stare at Erestor’s
equally stunned expression. “When Námo told me that…that I…that
we…” Glorfindel drew in a deep breath and managed to compose himself before he
tried again. ”I am so sorry I died.”
Erestor fought
the urge to burst out into mad laughter. Trust Glorfindel to apologize for
being murdered! Instead of reacting with words, Erestor cupped the back of
Glorfindel’s head in his hand and brought him in for a kiss. He had to make
certain that his lover had truly returned to him! The taste of those lips, the
shape of them, and the moves of that snake-like tongue – they were all familiar
to him and he finally allowed himself to believe that this was really
happening. “Glorfindel…”
For
Glorfindel, hearing his name whispered like that, felt like Erestor was whispering
a prayer which had been heard and granted by Námo. “Was it your love that
brought me back?”
Erestor
stroked Glorfindel’s hair and lost himself in the endless depth of the sea-blue
eyes. “My love? Oh, meleth…” Speechless, Erestor mirrored the gesture Glorfindel had
carried out but a moment ago and rested his brow against the warrior’s. “I will
always love you and I will never tire of looking into your eyes.” And that
smile, oh, by Elbereth, he had thought he would never see that smile again!
Glorfindel
smiled at Erestor and let a thumb trail the outline of his lover’s bottom lip.
“I missed doing that.” Erestor suddenly collapsed against him and Glorfindel
wrapped his beloved in a tight embrace. “What is amiss?” he asked, afraid that
something dreadful had happened during his absence.
“There is
something you need to know…” Erestor shook like a leaf when he pushed himself
to his feet again. His normally lucid eyes had turned damp and were about to
release more tears, but he managed to keep them back. He curled his fingers
around Glorfindel’s hand and led the warrior into the next room.
Glorfindel
allowed this, trusting his beloved because he had always trusted him. He didn’t
know what Erestor needed to tell him, but he would accept whatever bad news his
lover had in store for him. They had finally been reunited and he wouldn’t let
Erestor slip away from him – never again!
“Look,”
Erestor mumbled in a voice heavy with emotion. He raised his hand and pointed
at the Yule tree standing in the corner of the room.
Glorfindel
complied and frowned. In front of the tree was a brown-haired Elf, clad in the
robes of an Advisor. This Elf was busy decorating the giant tree and whilst
doing that he was also trying to entertain an Elfling who wanted nothing more
than to climb said tree.
“Erestor?” Uncertain as to what his lover was trying to tell him, Glorfindel
was about to turn his head away from the peaceful scene, but then the Elfling
turned toward him and Glorfindel’s jaw dropped.
Just when he
had thought that he had mastered the emotional storm of being reunited with
Erestor, his world spun about again. A pair of sapphire eyes looked into his
and they glittered with life and amusement. Golden hair reached the Elfling’s
shoulders and the smile that lay on that face… Glorfindel swallowed
convulsively and tugged at Erestor’s hand to bring his lover in closer. The
smile on the Elfling’s face, the eyes, the hair color… All those things led him
to an impossible conclusion!
Erestor had
the grace to blush. “Glorfindel…”
“This can not
be!” Glorfindel stared at Erestor and then dropped onto his heels. The smile
that stared back at him from the Elfling’s face was his own. And those eyes
were definitely *his* legacy! “But…”
Erestor crouched
next to him and placed his hands on either side of Glorfindel’s face. “When you
died I cried out in anger at the Valar. I actually cursed them,” he said and
his blush deepened. “One of them confronted me in my anger. Námo came to me and
told me that you had not left me and that a part of you would always remain
with me. Imagine my surprise – no, we had better call that shock – when I
realized what he had done to me; I was with child. I do not know how Námo
accomplished it, but almost a year later, our son was born. Elrond delivered
him. He had to remove him from my body and I still carry the scar, which is odd
since we Elves heal and should not carry scars… But mine is still there.”
“Our son…”
Glorfindel’s voice trembled with fierce emotions. “Our son!”
Erestor smiled
encouragingly at Glorfindel. “Námo kept his word. I always kept a part of you
with me. I was never alone. I had our son to care for and his love kept me
sane. He is my reason to live now… Now you are back!” Erestor had a hard time
believing that the Valar had granted him his prayers!
For the last
ten years, Erestor had prayed, begged, pleaded, and raved at the Valar in the
hope that they would return Glorfindel to him and now his beloved was back in
his arms again. “I called him Malchíl since I wanted
to keep your memory alive.”
Glorfindel
turned his head so he could look his son in the eye. “My
son.”
The Elfling
was confused and reached out to the person he loved and trusted the most:
Erestor. “Nana?” he said and walked toward Erestor. He kept a close eye on the
stranger though, but not because he feared him or was suspicious of him. The
strange Elf’s golden hair looked much like his and the blue eyes were identical
to his. It was as if he was looking at an older version of himself.
Erestor’s
voice almost refused to comply when he whispered, “This is your father. This is
Glorfindel.” He had lost track of all the times he had put his son to sleep by
regaling him with tales about his father’s heroic deeds.
“My father?”
Glorfindel raised
a hand and rested his fingers in his son’s hair. So golden – so soft… so much
like his. He was looking at a miniature replica of himself and he understood
how Erestor had found comfort in having their son close. Drawing his son into
their embrace, Glorfindel closed his eyes in bliss. Getting to know his son
would take time, but that was the one thing he now had in surplus.
“I love you,
Erestor…” Glorfindel whispered, overcome with emotion. Huddling near the Yule
tree, Glorfindel held onto his beloved Erestor.
~~~
Mithrandir,
who had entered the room alongside Elrond, was the only one who saw Námo
standing there, hidden by the heavy branches of the Yule tree. Fondly, he
looked at the Vala, who returned the smile with one of his own.
A family had
been reunited and a soul, bright with light and love, had been returned to Elvendom for Glorfindel had come home.
The end
Have a merry Christmas/Yule!
Morgana