Arátonya (Elrond/Glorfindel)

Chapter 2

The moment that Elrond and his steed Arda fell from under the stars of the night sky to under the tall trees of Greenwood, he couldn't help the gaping pit of worry that arose in his stomach. He was a Noldor, walking a Sindarin city, he was a unarmed man walking into the lions den. The group of Noldos and Sindars wound their way through the wild paths that lead to the Kingdom of Thranduil.

"I'm surprised." Thranduil and Legolas rode up on their elk, the Woodland King sporting a casual smile. The two elves had tried to talk to each other the entire ride from Rivendell to Greenwood, but the conversations always dropped back into silence after the first few sentences which was fine with Elrond. He didn't really want to talk with Thranduil at the moment. "We made it back even faster than we made it to Rivendell." 

"Well, the weather was in our favor." 

"Aye, that the Valar that it was. If not, we may be quite a bit behind schedule." Thranduil seemed to be worried, but Elrond had yet to find out what. With that sentence, the two had fallen into silence once more. 

The Lord looked over to see Legolas, who was giggling madly as he watched the forest canopy above. Elrond watched the prince with a smile playing on his lips. Thranduil looked down at his son and smiled, speaking softly in Sindarin to Legolas."Pîn legolas nín." The blond elfling looked at his father with big blue eyes and giggled. Thranduil chuckled softly and ruffed up his son's hair before gathering the elk's reigns in his hands. The flicked the reins lightly and the great elk picked up it's speed and began to take him to the front of the group, leaving Elrond and his black stallion in between the Greenwood guards and the Rivendell guards. Leaving him alone with his thoughts.

Elrond sighed and let his mind wander as an effort to pass the time. He found himself in many different places. Walking through the beautiful gardens in Rivendell, slipping through the shadows of the corridors in the great castle of Gil-galad, running through the early snow in Himring, sitting by the ocean side in Sirion. All of the places he wanted to be badly, and only one of them still stood. Elrond frowned, all of his memories were in places that he could never see again. Places that sunk beneath the waves and places that had been leveled in the war against Sauron. All but his home of Rivendell which had been close indeed to becoming another one of the places that was only a memory.

He thanked the Valar above that he got to keep Rivendell, even though it had once been no more than a valley full of tents and wounded warriors that were being chased by a power that could kill them where they rested. He was lucky that he was able to keep Rivendell, and keep the few friends he had made in service of the King. Dark haired and even tempered Erestor, musically inclined and grey eyed Lindir, and golden haired and swordsman Glorfindel.

His thoughts instantly turned to that of his Commander. What was he doing? Was everything alright? Did he feel as bad as he did? Did he miss him? Question after question, some he already knew the answer to, but the question surfaced in his mind anyways. He felt his gaping hole of worry begin to get even bigger, now adding his worry for Glorfindel to the mix.  Even just thinking about the other Lord put Elrond under a lonely and worried mood. 

Thinking of him and thinking of home made him hope that this trip would be over as soon as possible. He wanted to go home, he wanted to spend another night with Glorfindel like the night before he left. Curled up in his arms, safe from the plague of nightmares. He wanted to feel safe again, and in the golden haired arms he felt safest. He had lost so much and so had Glorfindel, yet the Commander was his rock in a way. Glorfindel kept him grounded and always told him what he thought was right, always offering a presence that put him at ease. That's what he needed right now, to be at ease with his surroundings. 

Elrond looked up to the tree tops. It was so odd to him, he had grown up being able to look to the sky at any time and see the bright light of the stars. To see his father, but all he could was the leafy canopy of Greenwood. There was something about that as well that made him feel uneasy. It was too dark under the trees without the stars, only small shafts of moonlight penetrated the treeline and made it to the floor below.