When someone settled beside him, Erestor was suprised. What with the late hour and the foreboding, starless sky, he had counted on the gardens being empty, and with a mild panic he set about ignoring the person altogether, hoping that maybe, if he stayed still enough, they might go away.

People barely ever talked to him, and only Elrond approached him when he needed something. He sat alone at meals, and other Elves feared him because his eyes were shadowed and distant, glinting in Erestor's famously quick temper. Nobody ever bothered him.

But they had disturbed him now, sitting beside him without a word, but with the unspoken expectation of a greeting and perhaps a conversation or explanation. Erestor intended to put that off as long as possible, but when a hand settled compassionately, heavily on his shoulder, he could ignore the visitor no more.

"Is something the matter, Elrond?"

Erestor did not turn before speaking, but he knew it who it must be-Elrond might have been the only elf in the valley who would dare approach him so casually.

He did not answer at first, but did remove his hand. Erestor could almost feel the careful consideration radiating from his liege, and he did feel it when Elrond turned his probing gaze to the chief advisor's slight form. Erestor still did not look at him, insisting futilely in the back of his mind that if he did not look, Elrond might leave him to his brooding. He also did not look when Elrond forcibly turned his shoulders to face him, and averted his eyes when Elrond grabbed his chin and turned his head. In turn, Elrond silently reprimanded him with a look that Erestor sensed even without seeing. Hesitantly, Erestor glanced at his lord.

He felt exceedingly uncomfortable. He'd have been fine if this was business as usual, but it was not. Business-as-usual did not happen at two o'clock in the morning in the garden, under a sky that warned of rain. In business-as-usual, worry did not echo in Elrond's eyes and Erestor was not the subject of such intense, meaningful scrutiny as now. He wanted to look away again, but Elrond's gaze was commanding as well as soft, and it would be disrespectful if he did look away now.

Erestor damned his courtesy, but did not say anything further.

Elrond did not say anything either, but looked at him for a long time. Erestor tried his hardest to keep his gaze flat, but it was late and he was oh-so-tired, and Elrond was so damned perceptive that it was almost worth not trying at all. On top of it all, his eyes looked so sad and understanding and compassionate, and Erestor was having a hard time maintaining his composure at all.

This was why he liked being alone. He could brood all he wanted without these complications, and even if he did get upset nobody was around to see it.

Erestor wished that the Peredhel would say something, explain why he was out here at all, because Erestor's lips were pursed and his breaths trembled and he really hated the idea of breaking down in front of anyone, much less his lord. He had been doing well tonight, too. He'd not have cried at all were it not for those eyes and that welcoming posture, and the unfamiliar sensation of someone sitting right next to him.

After a long silence, Elrond lightly touched the side of Erestor's face and smiled a little as he said, "Do you come out here every night?"

Erestor offered a brief nod and looked down and to the side. Elrond did not force him to look again. He heard Elrond sigh and there was another pause before he continued. "Why?"

He knew it was coming: the inevitable explanation. He did not want to answer because he did not trust his voice to remain steady, and he did not want Elrond to hear that he was almost ready to cry. He'd surely be even more compassionate than he all ready was and offer him a warm embrace, and that was the last thing Erestor needed.

"I don't sleep." Erestor settled for the shortest answer he could think of, even though he knew it would awaken the healer in Elrond and make him even more worried than he all ready was. Elrond touched Erestor's temple and Erestor looked up again, though he kept his head bowed.

Elrond looked at him again and his smile faltered. "You are not all right," he observed at a length. Erestor shook his head and swallowed.

"Tell me why."

He hesitated then, because it was not quite a command or a request, and because he did not want to tell him, but he did, too, and he was afraid that if he talked about it he'd finally crack. He had not talked about it in forever, and were some things not better left unsaid? But Elrond was waiting and at the very least, he should not disappoint his lord.

Erestor turned away and brought his knees up to his chest. "It's because..." He gulped again and buried his face in the folds of his robe. "In sleep, he sings to me. I can hear it even now, echoing in my memory and I can hardly bear it."

Elrond did not say anything; give any indication what he thought, but he moved a bit closer to Erestor and lay an arm across his hunched back.

"... I... I see him in my dreams, my lord. Every night, and every night I have to make myself wake up before I can register him, because otherwise I might never wake up at all!"

"Oh, Erestor!" Elrond drew him into his arms and stroked the back of his hair, and despite himself, Erestor felt tears leaking out the corners of his eyes, and soon he was shaking and clutching Elrond's tunic, and Elrond was rocking him back and forth like a child, shushing and saying that everything would be good again.

"But it will not be good again! He-he's gone even-even though he said he'd b-be right back! W-we had escaped and, and he only had to kill one Balrog, and he should have been f-fine but he fell and they would not let me fall w-with him!"

Then Elrond kissed the top of Erestor's head, and Erestor thought he felt Elrond crying a little, too. Maybe he was crying in sympathy, or maybe it was guilt because it was his family Glorfindel had died to save. It did not matter, really, why he cried, because they both knew there was nothing he could say; because they both knew that it was not fine, and it could not be without Glorfindel's return.

They sat in the garden for a long time. Elrond held Erestor, who had cried himself to sleep and dreamt of Glorfindel. He hoped that his friend would wake up again, and that maybe someday Glorfindel would ride blazing into Imladris and put Erestor's pieces back together... Until then, Erestor would sneak outside in the dead of night and remember, and Elrond would follow him and hope that maybe Erestor would remember happy things and not be so lonely.

But for the rest of that night, Erestor dreamt and Elrond held him and guarded.