Beyond Dreams by Beckyboo

Erestor bit down a frustrated sigh as he marched through Imladris and shoved open the door to Elrond's office. He'd been waiting at the stables on his own for a good half hour. They had been due to go riding today. He had brought the idea up at dinner last night. It was well into spring and the weather was just perfect for a ride but as he'd expected, Elrond had forgotten and was hard at work in his office.

"Well?" he asked as he came to a stop in front of Elrond's desk, placed something on the floor and glared at the Lord of Imladris. Elrond's head snapped up from the report he'd been reading, his face dropped as he saw his Chief Advisor in riding gear stood in front of his desk. How had he forgotten? He thought frantically for an excuse as to why he had forgotten to meet Erestor.

"Oh." Was the best that he came up with.

"Oh, indeed. Come on, you've still got time to get changed. I'm not going out on my own."

"Can we arrange his for another time, Erestor?" Elrond asked looking at the pile of paper work he had to get through.

"No, we can't. You need a break. It's a beautiful day outside. The horses are ready and," he placed a basket on the desk "I packed lunch. Besides, you promised."

Elrond smiled and shook his head. He could never refuse Erestor. "I guess these can wait for a bit. Go and wait, I'll meet you at the stables." He said. Erestor didn't move. Elrond raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm not going anywhere until I make sure you're not just going to sit straight back down again."

"You know me too well." Laughing, Elrond stood up from his desk and wrapped his arms around Erestor. "I won't be long." He said before placing a quick kiss to Erestor's lips and leaving the room.




They rode for a few hours, enjoying the weather and each other's company with no real destination in mind. They found themselves at a shady spot near a stream and both decided it was an excellent spot for lunch.

"We've come quite far, meldir." Said Erestor, looking about before he dismounted. "Still, it's lovely spot for lunch."

"Hmm," sighed Elrond, breathing in the clear air. "I've been cooped up for far too long. I'll see to the horses. You sort out lunch." Erestor busied himself laying out the blanket and dishing out the huge amount of food the cooks had provided him with. He smiled as Elrond flopped onto the blanket.

"All that riding has made me hungry. What have we got to eat?"

"Plenty." Said Erestor, handing Elrond a plate. "I think the cooks thought we'd be out here for a week." Silence descended as they enjoyed their food.

After they had finished Elrond stretched and lay back on his elbows with his face turned up to the sun, basking in the warmth. Erestor had moved so that he was sat cross-legged, reclining against a tree. He shut his eyes and rested his head against the trunk, listening to the birdsong.

"This was an excellent idea Erestor" Elrond sighed happily. Erestor didn't reply but opened his eyes and sat admiring the elf in front of him. The features were utterly relaxed, his dark hair gleamed in the sunlight and there was a slight smile on his face. They had a long friendship together that had somehow seamlessly become something more one evening a few years ago.

"Elrond." He said, suddenly nervous.

"Yes?" he replied, not moving.

"I love you." Elrond turned to face his friend and lover with one eyebrow raised. He smiled and turned his face back to the sun.

"Good, I would hate to think that I was alone in my affections."

"So you..." Erestor trailed off, biting his lip. Elrond moved to sit in front of Erestor. He took his advisor's hands in his before reaching up with one hand to stroke Erestor's cheek.

"Yes, I do. I-"He was broken off by screams and the harsh sound of metal hitting metal. Their conversation forgotten, they both jumped up and looked around, each with a hand on their sword. Elrond whistled to bring the horses and they both quickly mounted.

"We're outside Imladris' boundaries." Said Erestor, suddenly recognizing where they were. He hadn't thought they had come so far out.

"We'd best leave and hope we've gone unnoticed."

They turned their horses in the direction of the house and dug their heels in, the picnic forgotten. As they came around a corner, they stopped dead.

"Yrch." Hissed Elrond

There was a pack of about twenty orcs waiting for them. Erestor took a deep breath and looked over to Elrond, worried. They'd come out to enjoy a ride but had wondered too far out of Imladris. They were no longer protected. They drew their swords and looked at each other.

"Forgive me, meldir." Erestor said, nerves apparent.

"There's nothing to forgive, mellon-nin, you could not have known." Elrond replied, fear evident in his voice.

Then the orcs attacked. The attack was swift and brutal with no pattern in the orcs' movement. Their plan was to kill the Elves as quickly as possible. They both fought hard but they lost their horses and were forced to dismount, losing the advantage of height. They planned on keeping their backs to each other but they were separated in the battle. Erestor tried hard to work his way over to where Elrond had been drawn but the attack was too fierce, all he could do was keep fighting and hope Elrond did the same. He risked a quick glance over to his left and met Elrond's eyes, both amazed the other hadn't been killed yet.

They were both so focused on the battle that they didn't notice the first volley of arrows that shot around them. The orcs paused in the fight trying to work out where the arrows had come from. Another volley shot and they once again sought each other's eyes in the pause. Elven arrows! The few orcs that survived the onslaught quickly retreated, unwilling to do battle against Imladris' finest warriors. The relief was evident on their faces as the last few orcs were quickly taken out by the guards that appeared through the trees. Erestor was overjoyed to find that Elrond had survived. A little battered and bloodied, but definitely alive. He made his way across the battlefield towards him, stepping over the corpses of the orcs, overcome with the urge to hold the bloodied Lord in his arms. Neither of them noticed the dying orc until it was too late. Erestor gasped as he felt a sharp pain run through his stomach and his world began to go hazy. He saw Elrond's look at him in shock. There was an eerie silence on the battlefield as all stopped in their movements. Suddenly, his eyes cleared and all he could do was watch as Elrond fell to the ground, in seeming slow motion, with an orc blade through his stomach.
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