Child of frost

Resistance is futile

Glorfindel felt like crap, he had a terrible feeling of having forgotten something and his body felt sluggish and odd. He was snapping at the recruits he was to train and he kept making blunders, he wasn't himself, that was for sure. In fact he was so grumpy and tense everybody did notice and stayed as far away from him as they could, an angry Glorfindel wasn't someone you wanted to deal with. He just wished that his lover had been there, a quick tumble would most certainly have helped with the problem.

Aytha on the other hand was slowly loosing her feeling of optimism, she had been so sure that things would change, that her golden one would come to her but he never did and now Elrond too acted odd around her. Had she done something wrong? She kept sitting in the garden and she felt more and more depressed and yet the urge kept burning in her. She had lost all appetite and her body felt just terrible. Why didn't he come? It was no way around this whence the urge was felt, everybody knew that. He didn't have to stay with her at all, just do what was needed and then he could leave for all she cared. But they had to mate, it had to be done. She was wailing and crying and Dilloth and Meril tried desperately to comfort her but they couldn't, they didn't understand what the problem was and so they could just hug her and try to show that they were there for her.

The valley was of course in mourning and many were in deep shock, the death of that young one was just horrible and so unexpected. Even in war such things rarely happened, the young were protected and kept out of harm's way at all costs. The dunedain rangers were in shock and were afraid that the elves now would start to regard them too with suspicion but luckily they didn't. They knew that the two humans had been the odd rotten apples in the barrel and didn't blame the rangers at all. The funeral was a very sombre one and most were crying, the elleth's family were to leave within the week and guards were chosen to escort them to the havens. Elrond tried to keep himself busy with work, he didn't want to think about what he had done and what could happen. He had to confess his sins, there was no way around it for sure, Galadriel would know everything almost immediately when they met and he had to just prepare himself for the scolding of this millennia.

He was very worried though, Aytha seemed to deteriorate a lot, she refused to eat and she seemed to be in discomfort the whole time and he had no idea of what it was that was ailing her. Could it be the shock? He did think so at first but then he sort of rejected that idea, she was tough, and he was sure this was something even more serious. He tried to spend some time with her but unfortunately the infirmary was flooded by the local humans who suffered from a bought of stomach flu and he had so much to do he was left in a state of fatigue. For some days he was working like mad and then one evening he was suddenly faced with a new patient, Glorfindel. The captain had gotten a nasty cut in his shoulder and Elrond had to gasp when he saw the balrog slayer. Fin was pale, his eyes bloodshot and he had lost weight, his hands were shaking and he did look desperate. "What has happened?"

The soldier who came with the captain made a sheepish grin. "One of the recruits managed to nick him, it is the first time that has happened"

Elrond just stared, a recruit? Wounding Glorfindel? That was bloody impossible, something serious must have taken his attention. Elrond helped the tall blond down onto a chair and Glorfindel made a nasty grimace, it was very obvious that he was ill somehow and Elrond was puzzled and even more so, worried. "What in Eru's name has happened to you?"

Fin just grunted and held his arm up. "That is pretty obvious now isn't it, I was too slow to parry and he managed to get in under my guard"

Elrond frowned. " I am not blind thank you, no, I meant, you are obviously not well!"

Glorfindel hung his head and moaned. "I feel like crap Elrond, seriously, I cannot even explain it, I cannot eat, cannot think, my mind is a mess and at night I cannot even close my eyes once. I feel like I have ants crawling everywhere!"