For Better Or For Worse

Lonely Lord

Glorfindel sighed as he watched the training of his warriors. He knew them all by name, both Vanyar and Noldor. Generations of elves had trained under his constant watch. Only the best of the best were allowed to join these trainees.
The House of the Air, being the most gracious and the oldest of the Vanyar houses had allowed the Noldor to live on their lands without gaining a thing and without the Noldor learning of the land already being owned by the Lord of the House of Air.
Glorfindel sighed as he watched yet another trainee face plant on the field. He missed being with his friends but they had all passed on to Mandos, leaving him as the only Vanyar to have awakened on the Eastern Shores. All the elves of Vanyar decent knew him and treated him with greater respect then the king of the Vanyar. Honestly, he was sick of it!
He observed a young warrior with grate potential for the blade. The instructor refused to teach the young one because he was a Noldo.
He sighed as he descended from the elevated Dias, where he had been watching, to intervene. His movement caused almost all movement to stop. Never once had any of the lords or the captains upon the Dias descended to the fields.
Many of the Noldo believed him to be a captain because he wore no circlet. The Vanyarians and the Noldo guards that had completed training knew better and bowed in respect as he passed them. He approached the young one, who bowed respectfully. The trainer paled at the flash of anger in the Lord's eye that had been directed to him.
"You are dismissed, Lieutenant Marafin. I will see you in the barracks no later than an hour past lunch." The Lieutenant was quick to obey the order and sprinted for the barracks, fear quickening his steps. Glorfindel shook his head in exasperation, refocusing on the bowing elf in front of him.
"There is no need to bow to me. What is your name, penneth?" Glorfindel asked softly, sensing the young one's fear.
"I am called Erestor, my Lord." The young Noldo elf replied, still on his knees in a formal bow.
"Call me Glorfindel. I will be your instructor in the art of the blade as commanded by the Lord of the House of Air. Come with me and please don't bow. It is unbefitting to bow to your instructor." Glorfindel waited till the young one stood before heading to a more secluded part of the training field to start the lessons.
Erestor was more than polite to the elf who taught him to wield the blade. Years passed but he would not be less than absolutely polite. He could see the pain flicker in his teacher's eyes every time he called the Vanyar my lord. Erestor would always receive a gift from Glorfindel and a well wishing for every begetting day. He always felt uneasy about this since he could not return the favor. The one thing that stayed with Erestor for millennia was the loneliness that he could see in those ancient eyes.
He noticed that Glorfindel was always doing things that a warrior would never be assigned. He would be in the library, talking to members of court and debating things with advisors. He was called Grandfather or father by all Vanyarian elves and knew every single person he was in charge of. He oversaw many things. He wore circlets of varying degrees of delicacy and intricate designs. His armor was more majestic than the Vanyarian King's. He seemed to struggle with speaking in the Noldo tongue or Sidar. He would never draw as little attention to himself as possible. Above all else, he was old, kind, wise, gentle, and the fairest of all the Vanyar.
Erestor found himself being taught all things that he desired to know. He was told that Glorfindel and the Lord of Air had prepared and gifted to him scrolls transcribed into his tongue. His tutors were kind and patient. He excelled, not knowing that he was to become part of Lord Glorfindel's council. Than one day, Fëanor and his sons killed kin and exile began.
Erestor never thought he would see Glorfindel again but he was wrong. After all, the Vanyar are the most loyal of elves and Glorfindel had nothing to prevent him from going with the Noldor.