Title: The enigma that is Erestor

Author: Chaotic-Binky

Rating: PG-13 

Pairing: Erestor/Glorfindel

Summary: Sequel to The kiss up a tree – Glorfindels POV, Erestor is not
who he at first seems to be, can Glorfindel work out the puzzle of
Erestors past life? 
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I just dream about them!

Warnings: AU. Angst, slash
Feedback: yes please


He completes me, and I love him. He is the owner of my heart and I keep
his, safe forever. I will always love him. When Illuvatar’s creation
unravels and the first born become as nothing; I will still love him.

I knew the tree; it was one that had lived longer than the trees around
it and it welcomed me as one who knew of ages past and could share the
tales of the land.  The day was hot and I sought shelter from the sun.
The tree bowed a branch to me and I was carried up to the canopy, and
into the cool shade. I removed my clothing and threw it in a heap to
the ground and lay back on the branches, I relaxed and eventually fell
into a warm reverie.

Erestor is to be admired for his exceptional stealth; I truly did not
hear him mount the bank or fold my clothing up, however the tree
whispered to me that my true love was climbing up and to remain in
reverie. I trusted the tree and my eyes glazed over once again. I felt
something small and cool touch my chest and was momentarily mystified
but then I felt the fleeting brush of lips against mine and was
thrilled. When I roused from my reverie I found an orange segment on my
chest, I looked at it and then ate it.  

‘Who kissed me?’ I asked the tree.

A subtle wind flew through the tree and rustled the leaves, ‘A kiss, a
kiss, a kiss from your true love, your love is Ere…’ and then abruptly
it stopped.

‘My love is who?’ I asked again.

‘Ere…’ the rustling quickly became too faint to hear, but in the
background I could hear the faint sounds of battle and the screams of
the dying. The tree reassured me that these were noises from the past
but still I was unsettled. 

I dressed as quick as I could. The way back to the house was along the
river and I espied Erestor swimming in the direction of the house with
an orange segment in-between his lips. I decided then that the tree
must have meant Erestor but I had no explanation or reason for the
sounds of battle.  I kept this uncertainty close to me, hoping that all
would clear at some point.

I cleaned myself and applied scented oils to my skin and hair.  I know
that I am passing fair and I have been told that I am beautiful even,
but Erestor has a rare loveliness with exquisite and delicate features
that render him most comely to my eye. His ethereal beauty eclipses my
own and he is glorious in his splendour; the Valar has blessed me by
making this brilliant and dazzling elf my soul mate for all of time.
However; I digress, as excited as I am by Erestor and our mutual, love
I must tell the rest of the tale.  I walked to his rooms and knocked on
the door. He did not expect to see me and so I took advantage and
kissed his sweet lips and declared my love. 

We went to the Hall of Fire for dinner and instead of sitting in his
customary place opposite me, Erestor asked the occupant next to me to
swap; when asked why he answered that he was in love with me and would
surely not be able to eat if he could not sit by my side. Erestor sat
by my side for every meal after that and I gave the previous occupant
my hearty thanks.

I am told by Elrond that most elves are in awe of me, but he added
gently, it is because they fear me. Apparently I am arrogant, brave,
strong, tough, courageous, sardonic and even cruel; he added that I am
also considered beautiful and intelligent, and a great warrior and
leader almost as an afterthought.  I am hardly any of those things; but
that is how I am perceived by those who live in Imladris and by those
who serve and train under me. I mention this only because the other
warriors openly sneered that Erestor was now my love; why would I have
a spoilt, cold hearted, soft bodied and pretty little councillor when I
could have a masculine, hard muscled warrior. To them we are an odd
couple; my aforementioned qualities do not marry well with those of
Erestors.  It is but mere jealousy as Erestor is not effeminate and
more than a match for me.  He has the hard muscles the warriors accuse
him of not having, although only Eru can say how he got them, he never
takes exercise that I know of. My love is also accused of being cold
hearted but of this I can only say that he does not tolerate fools
gladly. Perhaps my warriors are all fools; it would not be too hard to
believe!

Enough of my musings! Let me tell you how Erestor came to us.

One hundred and fifty years ago Cirdan came to Imladris with a small
baby whom he introduced as Lord Erestor. We grinned, but he maintained
that the child had every right to the title due to his parentage.  His
parents had been killed in an orc attack and now he was the new Lord.
Cirdan had decided that Elrond should be the elflings new guardian and
he gave Erestor into Elronds arms. I looked at his sweet sleeping face
and tickled under his chin. The cutest brown eyes appeared and I smiled
and made silly cooing noises to him.  He opened his mouth in a wet
little smile and Elrond looked perturbed.  

‘I know this child’ he said to Cirdan ‘He is reborn and I knew him very
well’

‘This is why he is here’ replied Cirdan.

‘Who is he? I asked.

‘One day you may know’ said Cirdan enigmatically.

I shrugged, if I was not meant to know then so be it.

Erestor was a very happy child and to Elrond’s short lived
consternation he insisted on calling him Ada. Celebrian was overjoyed
at her new little elfling son and indulged him at every turn.  One of
my most enduring memories of him as an elfling was of how he loved to
play ‘Boo’’ He would leap out at every opportunity on me and just about
everyone else passing his way and shout ‘BOO’ at the top of his voice;
after jumping out of my skin the first few times I became used to it
and would shout ‘BOO’ back at him and he would dissolve into giggles.
Elrond and Celebrian successfully brought up a well rounded elfling who
at his majority had two parents who were justifiably proud of their
son.  

Erestor was made a junior councillor and even I raised an eyebrow at
that, after all what experience did he have. It was none of my business
so I did not involve myself in the protestations of others. Erestor
astounded them all – not only was he a skilled councillor, but an
excellent strategist and knew lore as though he had lived it first
hand, which as a reborn elf he may have done. I noticed that as Erestor
aged, Elrond became more deferential to him. I did not understand this.

Eventually Erestor became Chief Advisor at the age of one hundred and
twenty and Elrond treated him as an equal and often he had the final
say on many far reaching decisions.  I thought Elrond must have lost
his mind and was truly perplexed when I heard Erestor tell him that if
there really had been anything left between them he would never have
let him leave to set up Imladris. What did it all mean? It was not up
to me to pry, but I kept it in mind for a puzzle of many parts was
forming and begged desperately to be solved.

It was when Erestor reached one hundred and fifty years that he kissed
me in the tree. He had hardened in attitude these past few years, was
uncompromising and often argued with Elrond about affairs of state. He
carried himself with a powerful, regal assuredness and it was generally
thought that he was cold hearted and unfeeling.  I knew this not to be
true; he had the same frailties as everyone else. Erestor was hesitant
about his reputation, about whether anyone could ever love him, he did
not see a beautiful elf in the mirror and he was given no outlet to
express his sense of humour. It is because of his quirky sense of
humour that I was kissed and fell in love.

We spent much time together after our declaration of love and I found
that he did indeed know how to use weapons of all varieties but was
especially masterful with the broadsword and spear. He was as big as me
and we fitted well together. My warriors were slowly changing their
opinions of him but Erestor was never one to try and conquer hearts and
minds; he just couldn’t care less.

I wondered at the enigma that was Erestor, but not too much, because my
love is grounded in the present; not a word did he say to me about his
past but continually told me that I would always be his future. 

We were sitting on the bench in the private gardens and I asked my love
what he would like for his one hundred and sixtieth begetting day. He
smiled his sweet smile and said that he already had my heart; what more
could he wish for. I kissed him and I knew what his present would be.

On Erestors begetting day a big party was planned.  It was in the hours
before that I gave my love a parcel wrapped in silk.  He looked in
wonder at the carving I had made of the both of us intertwined in a
sweet kiss.

’This is very beautiful, Glorfindel’ he said ‘we are kissing’

‘You should ask why we are kissing’ and I turned the statuette around
slightly.

‘We are wearing rings’ he exclaimed and looked at me expectantly.

I love him too much to keep him in suspense for too long and pulled out
a secret compartment from the base which contained two mithril rings. 

‘My Erestor, I would bind with you’ I said and then kissed him and set
the betrothal ring on his finger.

Erestor was laughing with joy, a sight that I wish all his detractors
could see so that they would be in no doubt as to the warmth and
happiness generated by this beautiful elf.

‘I wanted to bind with you since I kissed you in the tree’ he laughed
happily.

Erestor took the other ring from the compartment and said that he would
bind with me. We went to the party and announced our happy news.

A year later we were bound, it was start of a life of joy and oneness.
It was also the day when the puzzle was solved. After the ceremony and
the feast we made to go back to our room so that we could complete our
binding and as we were walking through the cool, deserted corridors we
walked past the old battle scenes and portraits of elven heroes.  We
stopped at a large painting of me in battle armour wielding a huge
broadsword and Erestor announced that it was his favourite painting and
as a child he had stared at it for hours on end. 

We walked to the next painting which was of the Leaders of the Last
Alliance and there was among others, Elendil, Oropher and Erestor.  I
knew now the tree was not saying Erestor but Ereinion and I knew the
significance of the noise of battle.

Erestor stood with tears sliding down his cheeks ‘It was awful, I was
so frightened but I led the alliance and even though I died, we won’ he
whispered ‘I want to be Erestor not Ereinion because there lays the way
of pain and I want this new chance to have the happiness that I never
had before’

I turned my love around and held him in my arms, ‘You are my husband,
my Erestor and I love you; whoever you choose to be, nothing changes,
you are mine and I am yours.’

He breathed a sigh of relief and with a cheeky wink led me on to the
bedroom.