Do not run Away From me (Elrond/Glorfinel)

Chapter 3

        The three horses thundered through the woods. Kicking up clouds of dirt and small stones. They took a sharp turn to the left through the wood to reach a small clearing. The mountains were visible from the clearing. Glorfindel could see the sky through the empty space in the forest canopy. The clouds soared over them as they slowed down to a stop in the clearing.

        "Here Commander, this is where the trail begins." Callon pointed to somewhere near the center of the clearing. Glorfindel slipped down from the back of Asfaloth, the bells chiming softly as he did so. As he walked to the center he felt a sinking feeling. Yet, he knelt down and looked where the trail began. Red blotches were mixed into the dry dirt.

        "It is blood Callon, just as you said. Most likely the blood of a wounded animal." The statement felt like a lie to Glorfindel, he had put two and two together and the answer made him sick again. But I know blood when I see it. The shirt, the gash, is this where that happened? It made sense, more than he would have thought.

        "Are you sure it was just an animal?" Glorfindel looked down at the red blotches once more, but he saw something in the dirt that made his feeling sink deeper. The horses pawed at the ground as they stood waiting to ride again. Maethorion was about to dismount but Callon gave him a glance from the side that the second-in-command read perfectly.

        "I am sure Callon." He remained on the ground, staring at the dirt. "Go back to the rest of your patrol, this is nothing. No reason to leave them without a commander." The warrior gave Maethorion a worried glance and looked back to the Commander.

        "As you say." Callon turned his silver stallion away and galloped off to wherever the rest of his party was. Glorfindel thumbed away the dirt around the blotches, uncovering a few long elven threads. Threads used to make clothing. They were mostly white with a few spots of red seeping in.

        "Commander?" Maethorion called. Glorfindel placed the treads in his hand, balled up his fist and rose to his feet, hoping, praying, the his second-in-command wouldn't notice anything. 

        "Let us go back Maethorion, there is no reason to stay here." He walked past the warrior and mounted Asfaloth, causing the bells to jingle once again. "Callon and the rest will be fine. I doubt whatever was here is still in the forest." Maethorion gave a quick nod before they set their horses into a gallop.

        They raced through the woods once again, each with a different perspective on what may have happened. Glorfindel kept his hand clenched tightly, he did not want to loose what he had found. The wind whistled in their ears and the sun began to fall to the west. Woodland flowers sprung up at the hooves of their mounts and small birds chirped and flew through the sky. The elves kept their brisk pace through the heavily wooded forest until they reached the stables again. The stable boy took their horses for them and left the two warriors alone in the wooden made building.

        "I'll be taking my leave Commander." Maethorion bowed before leaving back to the main wings of the city. Glorfindel was once again left alone with his thoughts, and the threads, of this story. The burning desire to go and speak with Elrond was a strong one, yet Glorfindel couldn't get the spark in his Lord's eyes out of his mind. A simple reason and he could see the anger dancing in his eyes.

        The Lord sighed and walked into the main building as well. He turned away from the Dinning Hall and walked back to the Royal wing, he needed to be alone for a while. He opened the door to his large room in the wing. His room was empty, not a soul was their other than himself, and he liked that. He sat on the edge of his bed and unballed his hand to find the dirty threads still intact. 

        Glorfindel rolled them in his palm and tried to mentally piece together the puzzle he found himself mixed up in. There was the gash in Elrond's sleeping clothes, there was the way he had been reacting, there was the bloody trail leading back to Imladris, only half way back to Imladris, it had stopped in the middle of the forest, and then there were these. Four threads of elven cloth.