Title: The Mirror  
Author: Ilye 
Email:  ilye_elf@yahoo.co.uk
Rating: Will eventually be NC-17, with any luck…  
Pairing: Legolas/Glorfindel  
Summary: Can appearances really be deceiving?  
Disclaimers: Unfortunately I do not own any of these 
characters, although Elbereth only knows how I have 
tried! Please do not sue, especially if you enjoy 
this story, because all you will get will be a dog-
eared notepad and a handful of biros, which I am 
using to write this story.  
A/N: Please send feedback, any is welcome, this is 
only my second shot at a fan fiction (and I was 
stupid enough to accept a challenge…still, the 
pairing appealed to me!) This takes place well before 
the Quest of the One Ring and all the events in Lord 
of the Rings (ie Aragorn and the Halflings haven’t 
been born yet)…<thumbs through copy of RotK> about 
two thousand years before, to be precise (when 
Mirkwood was still called Greenwood, for all you 
fanatics out there, I don’t wanna get flamed!) I’ll 
shut up now…enjoy!  
 
***************  
CHAPTER 1  
***************  
 
Uninvited Hospitality  
 
Lord Elrond regarded the approaching figure from his 
balcony. Long golden hair streamed out behind the 
lean, lithe form, who was riding a powerful white 
charger and dressed in a dark cloak that had been 
wrapped tightly around his body. The figure was 
approaching the house of Imladris at an alarming 
speed, they gleaming grey horse galloping as fast as 
its legs would carry it.  
 
The dark-haired half-Elf turned to look at his 
younger son as he stepped onto the balcony next to 
him. “Lord Glorfindel has returned, I see,” stated 
Elrohir, never taking his eyes from the rapidly 
approaching Elf. Elrond chuckled. “Yes, I believe he 
has. Come, let us go down to greet him.” His son 
agreed with a nod, and both left the room to descend 
to the entrance halls.  
 
They reached the grand front doors just as the new 
arrival entered, escorted by the guard. Elrond 
stepped forwards with a beam on his face and his arms 
outstretched. “Glorfindel!” he exclaimed cheerfully, 
before he had allowed the escort to introduce the 
figure. “’Tis good to see you again, my friend; your 
presence has been sorely missed!”  
 
The guardsman cleared his throat, a slight smirk of 
amusement visible on his face. “My lord, may I 
introduce Prince Legolas Thranduilion, Crown Prince 
of Greenwood.” The half-Elf’s cheeks coloured 
slightly at this, and he coughed nervously whilst 
regarding the Elf with interest. He was young, only 
about five hundred years old and certainly several 
millennia younger than the blond Eldar for whom he 
had been mistaken. With the exception of age, 
however, he was almost an exact likeness to Lord 
Glorfindel; he was tall and slender, although his 
lean frame was undoubtedly more powerful than it 
seemed; with gleaming golden waist-length hair and 
smooth, creamy skin that appeared to glow softly even 
in the daylight, piercing sapphire eyes accentuated 
his stunning facial features, fathomless in depth, 
and glistened attractively so that they gave the 
impression of having seen a great deal more than his 
five hundred years would have allowed.  
 
Elrond finished inspecting the beautiful Prince and 
smiled at him, a touch of embarrassment visible in 
his own chocolate-brown eyes. “I beg your pardon, 
Prince Thranduilion, but you are the exact likeness 
of one of our own Elven lords, whom we are expecting 
back at any moment now. How may I be of assistance to 
you?”  
 
A brilliant smile broke out across the Prince’s face 
and he laughed, a soft, musical sound that was 
bewitching to hear. “Please, call me Legolas, my 
lord,” he beamed, bowing low to his host. His voice 
was melodic and had a gentle lilt to it, and Elrohir, 
who stood silently behind his father, wondered what 
magical touch it would bring to a song. “I bring an 
urgent message from my father, King Thranduil of 
Mirkwood, for you.” A pale, slender hand reached into 
the pouch buckled to his belt and drew out a rolled 
parchment, which he handed to the Lord of Imladris 
before continuing.  
 
“It involves the attack on my home from the Dark 
Forces, although I know not the entire details. An 
immediate response on your part is not required, but 
he stated that was imperative you knew of this matter 
at once.” Elrond acknowledged this last statement 
with a distracted nod as he broke the wax seal on the 
parchment and began to read the fine Elven hand 
fixedly. He frowned increasingly hard as he read the 
letter that demanded his entire attention, leaving 
the blond Prince and his raven-haired son standing in 
an awkward silence.  
 
Legolas shifted somewhat uncomfortably on his feet, 
for he was tired after the long, tough ride, and 
inwardly cursed his father’s tendency to be as long-
winded as possible when it came to writing formal 
letters; he said nothing, however, since it was clear 
that Lord Elrond was concentrating hard on the 
letter, and was unwilling to appear young and weak 
before his elders whom he barely knew. The three 
figures stood in silence for a few long minutes, 
before the Lord of Imladris reached the end of the 
letter and chuckled softly to himself.  
 
“I apologise for being such a poor, host, Prince 
Legolas,” he smiled, albeit slightly distractedly. 
“You are right; no immediate response is required 
upon our part, and your father has instructed me to 
take care of you here for a short while.”  
 
Legolas frowned in confusion. “I am sorry, I do not 
understand,” he replied. “I must return home at once, 
for I am needed to help defend my home.”  
 
“No, it is quite on the contrary,” laughed Elrond, 
amusement at the Prince’s naïveté twinkling in his 
dark eyes. “Your father, who is an old friend of 
mine, has entrusted your safe-keeping into my hands 
until the fighting has been settled in Greenwood. He 
feels that you are too young to be subjected to that 
kind of danger, and that you would be far safer here 
in Imladris.”  
 
Legolas’ blue eyes filled with rage. “Please forgive 
me, my lord!” he exclaimed indignantly, his fists 
balling at his sides in anger, although he managed to 
maintain a composed expression upon his stunning 
features. “I mean no disrespect, but I am over five 
hundred years old, and well trained in the arts of 
sword fighting and archery; I thank you very much for 
your kind offer of hospitality, but I feel that I 
will be of much more assistance at home. Now, if you 
will excuse me, for I must be on my way.”  
 
Elrond’s dark eyes gleamed and a small smirk crossed 
his face as the young Prince bowed deeply and turned 
smartly on his heel as he strode through the large, 
open doors – only to find his passage blocked by 
another Elf of his own height and build. He gaped as 
he caught the stranger’s eye, noticing that he had 
long golden hair of an identical shade to his own, 
with flawless, creamy skin, stunning features and 
captivating sapphire eyes that gleamed with mischief 
in much the same way as his did. If a cheeky smile 
had not crept across the unknown Elf’s face he might 
well have thought that Elrond had played some 
peculiar trick on him and that he had walked straight 
into a mirror; as it was the tall, lean figure in his 
path walked forwards, forcing Legolas to step back 
into the entrance hall, and closed the doors behind 
him. The mischievous smile never left his striking 
face, and he sniggered slightly at the Prince’s 
mystified expression before he addressed him.  
 
“Going somewhere, little one?” he smirked playfully 
at the indignant young Elf standing before him, ere 
diverting his attention to the Lord of Imladris. “You 
will have to keep a close eye on this one, my lord,” 
he teased impishly, knowing full well that he was 
merely incensing Legolas all the more. “From what his 
father tells me he can be quite a handful, and is 
known to be particularly stubborn at times; perhaps 
we should give him the room with the bars on the 
windows and the lock on the door to prevent him from 
escaping?”  
 
Legolas nearly exploded in anger. “You would not 
dare!” Glorfindel laughed again. “Not to begin with, 
Princeling, but I have spent rather a large amount of 
time with your father over the last few days, and he 
has instructed me that if we must keep you here under 
lock and key, drugged and bound hand and foot to your 
bed, then so be it! He does not wish to jeopardise 
your safety in any way, shape or form.”  
 
Elrohir stood silently at the rear of the hall, 
watching the unfolding scene in quiet amusement. He 
had lived in the house of his father for long enough 
to know that Lord Glorfindel was not jesting when he 
threatened to restrain Legolas in such a manner, and 
the young Prince’s reactions to this were priceless. 
He had obviously been taught not to openly display 
any emotion, as befitted Elven nobility, and although 
he was struggling very hard to maintain the façade of 
indifference the anger bubbling just below the 
surface was threatening to erupt at any moment. He 
decided to intervene before Legolas lost his 
composure altogether and embarrassed himself in front 
of his hosts, for he was already beginning to feel a 
strong liking to the young Prince, and stepped 
forwards.  
 
“It is good to have you back, Glorfindel, but why do 
we not discuss this over something to eat?” he 
suggested gently. “Both Prince Legolas and yourself 
have had a demanding journey, and no doubt you must 
both be starving.”  
 
His father chuckled quietly in agreement, feeling 
that Glorfindel had tormented their young guest quite 
enough for the time being. “Yes, leave him be for the 
moment, Glorfindel,” he insisted, and was met by two 
pairs of identical azure eyes, one filled with 
gratitude and the other narrowed in annoyance at 
having his jest interrupted. The owner of the latter 
turned to face the raven-haired half-Elf and grinned 
at his old friend, clapping him on the shoulder in 
greeting.  
 
“I apologise, Elrond, I got rather caught up!” he 
said in way of salutation. “Come, let us eat, and I 
shall tell you of my discoveries from my travels.” 
The two elder Elven-lords strode off towards the 
dining halls, leaving Elrohir to escort the 
exasperated Prince in the same direction.  
 
TBC

The Mirror (2/?)
Legolas/Glorfindel

***************
CHAPTER 2
***************
 
Never Trust The Blond…
 
Legolas sat across the table from Glorfindel and Elrohir and next to the 
Lord of Imladris as the food was served onto the plates before them, and 
he could not help but stare at the golden-haired Eldar whose deep, musical 
voice filled the spacious dining halls as he related lively accounts of his 
travels to Elrond and his son. The Elven Prince was astounded at the 
likeness between the two of them; Glorfindel bore a greater resemblance 
to him than any of his brothers, or even his father, and the likeness 
appeared to be more than skin deep, he discovered, as he listened to the 
Elf-lord talk.
 
Glorfindel paused speaking for a moment as he took a mouthful of food, 
swallowed, and then continued speaking as he looked at Elrond; this time, 
however, he was not addressing the Lord of Imladris.
 
“Has your father not taught you that it is rude to stare, neth ernil,” he said, 
loudly enough for both Elrond and Elrohir to hear. “Eat up; you have had 
a long ride.” Legolas’ pale cheeks coloured slightly, for he found it 
somewhat disconcerting to be spoken to without eye contact, and he 
opened his mouth to reply but Glorfindel took another bite of his dinner 
and resumed his previous line of conversation as though he had never left 
it. The Prince pouted; if he was going to be kept here against his will, he 
most certainly did not need a pretentious Elven-lord mocking and 
tormenting him, let alone treating him as if he was a child. Fuming, he 
diverted his eyes to his plate and picked listlessly at his dinner, although 
his sharp Elven hearing was kept tuned to the Eldar’s conversation and his 
sapphire gaze flicked occasionally across the table to glance at his double 
when he thought that he would not be looking.
 
Satisfying as the food was, Legolas found that he was no longer 
particularly hungry and, after pushing small pieces of his dinner around 
the plate for a while, he set his fork down with a sigh and leaned back in 
his chair. The other three Elves had almost finished eating their own 
dinner and, when all plates save his own were cleared, Elrond turned to 
the fair Prince and addressed him.
 
“Would you like someone to show you to your chambers, Legolas?” he 
asked politely. The Prince ignored Glorfindel’s wicked smirk and the 
impish light that crept into his eyes.
 
“Yes, please, that would be much appreciated,” he muttered quietly, and 
then flashed his host a winning smile. He had no idea how he was going to 
escape this messy situation, but it would surely do no harm to lull 
everyone into a false sense of security whilst he hatched his plan. The only 
one who would be difficult to manoeuvre around would be this 
mischievous blond Eldar behind him, who obviously seemed intent on 
making his life a misery, and he found it almost impossible to restrain his 
sigh of relief when Elrond requested that Elrohir escort Legolas to his 
room.
 
The lights in Glorfindel’s eyes grew brighter. “Make sure that you choose 
the room with the bars across the windows, on the top floor,” he chuckled 
softly, still smirking visibly. “You never know how these wilful little 
Princes may find means of escape!” Legolas seethed and turned on his 
heel to face the Eldar who had somehow made his way to the other side of 
the table without Legolas noticing his doing so. 
 
“I am well over five hundred years of age, I will have you know!” he 
exclaimed, finally losing his cool. “I realise that that may seem young in 
comparison to your ancient status, but I am by no means a child!” 
 
Elrohir took a step back from the heated Prince, narrowly dodging an arm 
as it was flung out to the side; it would appear, from the gesticulations and 
the fire that darkened his sapphire eyes to a deep indigo, that, underneath 
his nonchalant exterior, Legolas harboured quite a temper, and the 
younger twin was glad that it was Glorfindel rather than himself who was 
on the receiving end.
 
The mischievous Eldar, however, merely grinned even wider and an 
amused expression spread over his handsome features. “Temper, temper, 
neth ernil,” he chided. “Whatever shall your father say, when he discovers 
that the Crown Prince of Greenwood lost his composure before the Lord 
of Imladris?” Legolas literally fumed at the derogatory comment; so much 
so that he did not notice when Glorfindel slipped one hand slyly into the 
pocket of his azure leggings.
 
The golden-haired Elven-lord continued, his eyes still flashing ominously 
and the scheming smirk still gracing his fair face. “Or, indeed, that you let 
yourself be caught off guard and drugged?!” As he was speaking he 
quickly drew his hand out of his pocket and blew the fine white dust that 
covered his fingers directly into Legolas’ face, which, by now, was merely 
inches away from his own.
 
Elrond made a small noise of displeasure as he realised what the 
calculating blond was up to, but by that point it was too late and the 
Prince’s eyelids were already becoming heavy from the powerful sleeping 
powder that Glorfindel had used on him and he swayed as he attempted a 
retort. “How dare you!” he spat; he blinked sleepily went to continue, only 
to find that his next words were obliterated by an enormous yawn. Elrohir 
stepped forwards to support him, and just in time, for the Prince’s knees 
gave way beneath him and he succumbed unwillingly to the unnatural 
slumber. The young raven-haired Elf caught him under the arms and 
settled the limp form into a high-backed chair at the table, whilst the Lord 
of Imladris shot Glorfindel a disapproving glare.
 
“That was uncalled for,” he hissed, glowering fiercely at the Eldar. “You 
cannot just drug the Crown Prince of Greenwood because he disapproves 
of the way in which you have treated him! And, to be honest, I cannot 
blame him for his opinions of you, for in the few hours that you have 
known him you have been most unpleasant to him. It must have been quite 
something to make a Greenwood Elf lose his temper in such a short space 
of time, I hope that you are pleased; I also hope you realise that when he 
awakens he will be even less inclined to remain here than he was when he 
arrived, and you, my friend, will have a most difficult job in keeping him 
within the boundaries of Imladris.”
 
The smirk vanished from Glorfindel’s face and he blinked in confusion. 
“Me, my lord?”
 
“Yes, you,” replied Elrond, still scowling so that his lips were pressed into 
a tight, thin line to exaggerate his point. “You have undoubtedly made him 
even less inclined to remain here so far, so you can be in charge of 
ensuring that he does so. I do not have the time or the patience to keep a 
flighty young Elven Prince under my wing every hour of the day; you, 
however, do, and you will do so. Otherwise I shall see to it that Thranduil 
is made aware of your part in his son’s escape, and I am positive that you 
have no desire for that to happen, do you?”
 
Glorfindel scowled back at the half-Elf. “Very well,” he replied 
indignantly, yielding to the Lord of Imladris’ superior status. “I suppose 
that I shall have to start by “escorting” him to his chambers.”
 
It was now Elrond’s turn to smirk. “Oh, do not worry,” he laughed, 
adopting the tone that the flaxen-haired Eldar had used with the Prince. 
“He is only young, for you said so yourself; I am sure that he will weigh 
very little as you carry him up all those flights of stairs to that room on the 
top floor you have spoken of.”
 
The blond said nothing, but stepped up to the chair in which Elrohir had 
settled the Prince and was still standing supporting his shoulders so that he 
did not fall to the floor, although his head still lolled floppily to one side 
and his eyes were closed due to the unnatural drug-induced sleep. 
Glorfindel stooped and slid one arm beneath Legolas’ knees, the other 
taking the place of Elrohir’s around the slim but muscular shoulders; he 
then straightened his legs and stood up straight, easily lifting the lean 
figure from the chair and bearing him over to the door of the dining hall. 
Elrond raised one eyebrow pointedly as the Eldar turned his back on him.
 
“Oh, and Glorfindel,” he called, making the Elven-lord’s fair head snap 
round over his shoulder to show that he was listening to what the Lord of 
Imladris had to say. “No more drugs or ropes, if you please; you must 
keep him here through other means.” Glorfindel scowled again at the 
sniggering half-Elf and stormed out of the door, holding the flaccid body 
of the Elven Prince in his arms so that his golden head was cradled safely 
against his own strong chest.
 
Elrond turned to Elrohir as the Eldar strode, defeated, from the room, and 
smiled at him. “Just for future reference, my son, sometimes the only way 
to deal with that one is to beat him at his own game,” he sighed, although 
still wearing a look of vague amusement. The twin nodded and chuckled 
softly as he replied. “Yes, and even then I see that it may be necessary to 
pull rank on him!”
 
The half-Elf grinned wider and clapped his son on the shoulder. “I can see 
that you are becoming well trained, unlike some of our residents in this 
house!” he commented flippantly. “Although I have no doubts that this 
will make for an interesting few days!”
 
TBC
 

***************  
CHAPTER 3  
***************  
 
Lacking In Experience  
 
Glorfindel paused as he reached the second floor so that he could 
consider where he was actually going to take the young Prince in 
his arms. On the one hand, his life would be made ten times easier 
if he were to merely keep Legolas in the afore-mentioned room on 
the top floor with the bars on the windows; on the other, however, 
he was far too sensible to actually /do/ such a thing with the Crown 
Prince of Greenwood. He sighed and looked down at the golden 
head that flopped limply against his shoulder in the coerced 
slumber.  
 
“I suppose that one of these guest suites will have to suffice, neth 
ernil, for I feel that the room on the top floor has been taken,” he 
muttered softly to the young Elf as he turned and paced down the 
corridor to his right. They shortly reached the chambers that he had 
had in mind; it was a comfortable, spacious room with a large bed, 
and although there was a balcony and double glass doors that 
opened wide out onto it, Glorfindel was certain that there was no 
easy means of escape from over the side. He had also chosen this 
room because it was directly across the corridor from his own.  
 
Stepping up to the bed, he gently laid the limp figure in his arms 
onto the elaborately embroidered coverlet. Legolas sighed softly 
and shifted slightly upon the bed, but his eyes remained firmly 
closed from the potent sleeping elixir that the Eldar now sorely 
regretted using. Glorfindel resigned himself to the fact that it could 
well be a long while before the powder wore off and swiftly 
marched out of the room, only to return holding a book that he had 
taken from his own chambers. He dragged a chair up to the side of 
the bed, loathe as he was to allow the Prince to awaken alone lest 
he decide to escape, settling himself into the comfortable seat and 
leaning back into it as he brought one long leg up to the edge of the 
bed and rested his foot upon it, before neatly crossing the other 
over it and reconciling himself to waiting for the drug to abate.  
 
Try as he might, however, he was unable to concentrate on the 
complex Quenya script before him; instead his sapphire gaze kept 
flicking to the bed and over the young Prince who happened to be 
almost an exact likeness to himself. Both the stature and the height 
were identical and the silken hair fanned out onto the pillow 
beneath the golden head was exactly the same shade as 
Glorfindel’s own. Although the Eldar was undoubtedly much, 
much older than the Prince, shown by the millennia of experience 
in his face alone, their fair and striking features were also 
otherwise indistinguishable, and to his surprise Glorfindel found 
himself recalling that this was how he had looked when he had 
been this age.  
 
Feigning nonchalance to nobody in particular, he reverted to his 
vain attempts at reading his book; this, however, lasted for perhaps 
the best part of thirty seconds before he caught himself staring at 
Legolas once more. His cerulean eyes were drawn to the Prince’s 
stunning face and he soon discovered that they were roving over 
the flawless, cream, glowing skin of his cheeks, lightly tinted with 
a very pale flush and stretched out over impossibly high 
cheekbones; and the delicately pointed ears, curving gracefully up 
into the braided golden locks; and the strong jaw line, handsome 
although definitely masculine, giving his face a very attractive 
angular quality. But most of all Glorfindel found his eyes drawn to 
the pink lips, still pouting faintly from the fierce expression he had 
worn as the drug had taken effect, and still glistening faintly from 
when Legolas had instinctively licked his lips only a few moments 
before. They were parted slightly as the Elf breathed, the air 
whispering past the shining surface and his slim but strong chest 
rising and falling shallowly in slumber; Legolas muttered 
something unconsciously beneath his breath as he turned onto his 
side, and then smiled.  
 
Glorfindel licked his own lips, which he discovered had suddenly 
gone very dry at the beautiful, innocent expression on the Elf’s 
face, and felt his heart flutter very slightly below his ribs before he 
caught himself mentally and silently berated himself. This was 
hardly the time or the place for him to go around seducing young 
Elven Princes, particularly when he had been so unpleasant to him 
downstairs, he scolded; he was meant to be keeping Legolas in 
Imladris under their protection. Both Elrond and Thranduil would 
be most displeased if they discovered that he had done such a 
thing; no doubt one or the other would have his head if he tried 
anything on with his charge. He frowned to himself as he mused 
abstractedly, leaving a furrow in his brow, and pressed his lips 
together as he pursued his mischievous line of thought. So 
wrapped up was he, in all of his wicked plans that sprang to mind, 
that he failed to notice that the sleeping drug was wearing off until 
Legolas began to stir on the bed.  
 
Wiping his face clean of any emotion he leaned back into his chair 
again and laid his book in his lap, folding his arms across his chest 
and waiting for Legolas to open his eyes. His usual wry smirk 
sprang onto his lips once more, when he noticed the long, dark 
eyelashes flutter gently against the high, angular cheekbones; 
Legolas opened his bright but bleary sapphire eyes and yawned 
sleepily, before pushing himself up onto one elbow and surveying 
his surroundings.  
 
Glorfindel was unable to prevent himself from chuckling softly as 
he noticed the emotions upon the fair face and deep within the 
expressive blue orbs flicker from sleepy indifference, to vague 
bemusement, to contained irritation, and then to complete and utter 
shock and anger as he saw the golden-haired Eldar sitting at his 
bedside, his legs resting on the bedcovers and pushing his chair so 
that it was tilted back onto two legs, and his arms crossed cockily 
across his chest. He was still wearing that infuriating smirk on his 
face and his eyes twinkled brightly with, no doubt, yet another 
unknown mischief. He pushed himself backwards on the bed, away 
from the Elven-lord, cursing the fact that he was sitting between 
the bed and the door, thus preventing escape.  
 
“You!” he hissed, his cerulean eyes flashing forebodingly. “What 
are you doing here? Can you not even allow me to sleep off the 
drug that you forced upon me before you come to torment me 
again?”  
 
Glorfindel sniggered. “Relax, neth ernil, I am not going to hurt 
you,” he soothed, somewhat more mockingly than he intended to. 
Legolas scowled and opened his mouth to retort, but the Eldar 
continued speaking without allowing him to cut in. “And, as I am 
sure you will be please to learn – I was delighted, you understand – 
your care has been entrusted into my hands. I am to ensure that you 
stay inside the boundaries of Imladris until your father instructs us 
to send you back to Greenwood; not an easy task, I can imagine, 
for I am sure that you are aware of the fact, being one yourself, that 
wilful, flighty young Princes can be quite a handful!” He grinned 
widely at Legolas, for no apparent reason, throwing the young Elf 
off his guard even more.  
 
“Well it would seem to me that you have decided that the easiest 
way for you to do so would be to keep me sedated until my father 
allows me to leave,” he replied haughtily and a little warily, and 
then yawning to emphasise his point. “That is, I assume, why I am 
in this room, instead of the one with the bars on the windows 
which you were speaking of.”  
 
Glorfindel was struck by the impressionability of the young Elf on 
the far side of the bed, regarding him suspiciously with wide blue 
eyes. He shook his head and laughed softly. “Well, luckily for you, 
Lord Elrond has forbidden me to use any form of drugs or 
restraints; I must keep you here by other means.”  
 
Legolas frowned, a guarded expression on his stunningly fair 
features. “And what would those other means consist of, may I 
ask?” he enquired.  
 
“Ah, but that would be telling!” laughed the Eldar in the chair, 
running his own sapphire eyes over the Prince with a predatory 
regard in an attempt to disguise the fact that he himself did not 
know, either. “You shall just have to wait and see, neth ernil!”  
 
Legolas almost exploded at the last remark. “You do realise that 
you could make your own life so much easier by just treating me 
as if I were an adult!” he spat, enraged as he was by the derogatory 
comment. “I am over five hundred years old, and…”  
 
Glorfindel dismissed the outburst with a casual wave of his hand. 
“So we have returned to this line of conversation, have we?” he 
drawled smoothly, completely unfazed by the furious expression 
on Legolas’ face. “Forgive me, but when you have lived for as 
many tens of thousands of years as I have, five hundred years 
seems to be just a passing moment in time. And,” he added, now 
crawling onto the bed and stalking over to where the Prince was 
sitting, shaking slightly in anticipation of what the Eldar would do 
next, “There are things that can only be taught by the experience of 
those years.”  
 
Legolas backed away, only to find that he was already at the edge 
of the bed. “And w-what is that s-supposed to mean?” he 
stammered nervously, climbing off the bed and drawing himself up 
to his full height. “You are saying that I am inexperienced?”  
 
“Yes,” replied Glorfindel simply, following Legolas off the bed 
and walking towards him until the Prince discovered that he was 
backed up against the wall and unable to move in any direction. 
Thoughts rushed through his head as the older Elf advanced upon 
him, still speaking in the same, laid-back, self-assured tone of 
voice. “I feel that I can safely say that you have not had the 
experience of thousands of years of fighting; I was a captain of the 
Hidden City of Gondolin, once, and partook in the sack of the city. 
I feel that I can also say that you have had not the experience of 
battling a Balrog; nor have you died, nor seen the Halls of Mandos 
and yet returned to walk Middle Earth again. Those are 
monumentally life-shaping events alone, but when combined with 
all that life has to teach you over such a long period of time, you 
will come to see that there are things to be discovered that cannot 
possibly be gained from a mere half-millennium. So forgive me, 
but to me you are but a child who has yet to learn the ways of life; 
I hope that you understand.”  
 
Legolas was still trembling, for by this point Glorfindel was 
standing so close to him that he could actually feel the Eldar’s 
breath brushing across his cheek. He uneasily surveyed the elder 
Elf’s face, mere inches away, once again astounded by the likeness 
that it bore to his own, and found himself surprisingly attracted to 
the strong, striking features, the flawlessly fair skin, the 
shimmering golden silk of his hair and the luminescent cerulean 
eyes.  
 
He pressed his back against the immovable wall behind him, trying 
to still the inexplicable rush of feelings around his body and the 
dizzying rush to his head; wildly irrational thoughts flashed 
through his mind, which he attempted desperately to ignore, but 
found himself unable to concentrate with Glorfindel’s bright eyes 
boring into him and suddenly realised that he was expecting an 
answer to what had not really been a question.  
 
He rifled his brains for a reply, but was completely unprepared for 
the words that left his mouth; if Glorfindel looked rather taken 
aback then Legolas was completely stunned.  
 
“Can you teach me?”  
 
TBC

The Mirror (4/?)
Legolas/Glorfindel

***************
CHAPTER 4
***************
 
Lessons To be Learned
 
Glorfindel raised one delicate eyebrow pointedly. “Can I /teach/ you?” he 
repeated, trying to keep the odd concoction of astonishment and 
amusement from his voice and failing miserably in the process, making 
the pointed tips of Legolas’ ears burn crimson in comparison to the stark 
pallor of the rest of his face. “What do you mean by that?”
 
Legolas lowered his sapphire eyes to stare at an interesting flagstone on 
the floor. "I...I just thought that if you could teach me something - 
anything - to make me seem more experienced, so that you would regard 
me as an adult, then..."
 
Glorfindel raised the other eyebrow. "Does my opinion matter that much 
to you?"
 
Legolas was almost whispering by this point, and the blush had spread to 
his usually pale cheeks. "Of course; I mean, you are so much older than 
me, and perhaps you would treat me better if you saw me as an adult..."
 
"Is that all?" cut in the Eldar for the second time, now intrigued as to the 
nature of the young Prince's thoughts. There was something unreadable 
behind his mortified expression, and he was determined to get to the 
bottom of it. "That is the only reason as to why my opinion is so important 
to you? Are you certain that there is nothing else?"
 
Legolas closed his eyes and shook his head. "Forgive me, forget that I ever 
said anything," he insisted, and extended his arms in an attempt to push 
the Eldar away from him. "Please, just leave me alone."
 
Glorfindel deftly caught the slender outstretched wrists and pushed them 
backwards, gathering them into one hand and pinning them above Legolas' 
head whilst pressing his body against him so that he was unable to escape; 
he then seized the Prince's chin between the thumb and forefinger of his 
free hand and lifted it so that he was forced to look into Glorfindel's 
brightly gleaming cerulean eyes. "Oh, I think not!" he chided. "Not until 
you explain to me precisely what you meant when you said that you 
wanted me to "teach" you."
 
Legolas narrowed his eyes and struggled against Glorfindel's grip, but 
found himself unable to escape from beneath the deceptively strong body. 
"I meant for you to do anything that would make you see me as something 
other than a child," he hissed, still glaring at his captor fiercely.
 
Glorfindel's trademark wicked smirk crept back onto his face. "I would 
advise you to choose your words more carefully next time," he grinned, 
cocking his head jauntily to one side. "I am sure that there is something 
you can do, or that I could teach you, that would most definitely give me 
reason to regard you as an adult; however I am not certain that you would 
approve. Do you truly wish for me to do /anything/?"
 
"Would you treat me as an adult if you had taught me this?" questioned 
Legolas softly, his wide cerulean eyes regarding the Eldar warily as he 
considered his answer. Glorfindel practically beamed. "Without a doubt; 
but I should warn you..."
 
"You have my permission," cut in the Prince. No matter what it took, he 
was determined to prove to Glorfindel that he was worthy of being treated 
as an adult, and he was worried that he would lose heart if he heard what 
the warnings entailed.
 
Glorfindel cocked his head to the other side and surveyed the Prince; he 
could tell that Legolas had no idea what he was planning and marvelled 
again at the innocence of the younger Elves. "Very well, so you shall have 
it. There will be no going back, though, once I have started."
 
Legolas gulped hard. "You have my permission," he repeated, not trusting 
his voice with any other words, and stared into Glorfindel's eyes 
expectantly.
 
The Eldar's smirk vanished from his face when he saw that Legolas was 
deadly serious, although the knowing glimmer in his cerulean orbs 
punctuated his blank facial expression; then, slowly and deliberately, he 
lowered his head and pressed his lips softly to the Prince's whilst slipping 
the hand that had grasped Legolas' chin to cup the base of his skull, thus 
preventing him from moving away. The young Elf beneath him tensed up 
in surprise, but he did not draw back, instead flicking out his tongue to lick 
at Legolas' lips.
 
The Prince gasped slightly at this, and Glorfindel took the opportunity of 
the open mouth to slip his tongue inside. For a few moments Legolas 
remained tense and motionless against the wall, caught unawares as he 
was, whilst the Eldar's tongue gently explored his mouth, but soon found 
that he was actually enjoying what was happening and started to return the 
gesture.
 
Glorfindel smiled faintly into Legolas' mouth as he felt the slim, lithe body 
beneath him start to relax and the Prince's tongue begin to move against 
his own, and for a while he was content to allow Legolas to familiarise 
himself with the situation; presently, however, he sensed the need to 
heighten the passion and deepened the kiss, claiming dominance over the 
younger Elf once again. Legolas easily accepted this and went to wrap his 
arms around Glorfindel's neck, only to find that they were still pinned 
above his head. His shoulders were beginning to ache by this point and he 
shifted uncomfortably below the Eldar's body, hoping that he would take 
the hint; he did so, and released Legolas' slender wrists without once 
breaking the kiss. The hand of the Eldar's that had now been freed dropped 
naturally to rest on one of the Prince's slim hips whilst the other now 
cupped one flawless cream cheek; at the same time Legolas lowered his 
hands so that one was resting lightly on a broad shoulder and the other was 
twisting in the long golden hair.
 
The kiss lasted for several further impossibly long minutes before 
Glorfindel reluctantly withdrew from Legolas' mouth. Both Elves were 
gasping for breath after the final, more passionate moments of the kiss, 
which had brought a delicate flush to each fair face, and each also found 
that there was now an unmistakeable heat pooling in their loins. Legolas 
gazed pleadingly at his likeness, who grinned again wickedly and ground 
his hips deliberately against him. The Prince shuddered at the delicious 
friction created and growled deep in his throat, before suddenly taking the 
lead by firmly kissing the Eldar and pushing him back towards the bed at 
the same time. Glorfindel made no protest and took a few steps back, but 
his knees soon connected with the edge of the bed and his legs were swept 
from underneath him as Legolas pushed his shoulders, leaving him 
sprawled across the coverlet. He uttered a small sound of surprise at this 
but had no time to regain his composure, for Legolas climbed immediately 
onto the bed and straddled his hips, then chuckled softly to himself as he 
leaned slowly down to capture the Eldar's lips in his own again.
 
This kiss was infinitely more arduous that the first as both tongues swirled 
around each other in a battle to claim; this time the increased passion was 
accompanied by restless hands that drifted up and down the length of each 
slender body, mapping the firm flesh and strong muscles that lay beneath 
the now-unnecessary clothes. After a while Legolas grew irritated with 
this and tugged impatiently on Glorfindel's tunic; the Eldar sat up and 
swiftly relieved himself of it before helping the Prince out of his own, 
tossing it to the floor where it was soon joined by a pair of unwanted 
shirts.
 
Now that both Elves were left bare-chested, Legolas sat back momentarily 
and admired the strong, firm chest of the Eldar between his legs, who, by 
this point, was glaring at the Prince, feigning impatience, but with lust and 
eagerness also clearly visible. Legolas pointedly ignored this; instead an 
expression of intrigue spread across his face and he cocked his golden 
head inquisitively as he raised one hand to Glorfindel's face and the other 
to his own. He began to pass his fingers lightly over the fair features, 
comparing the feel of flawless skin, the delicate rise and fall of bone 
structure, and the sensation of the firm skin beneath his hands. Glorfindel 
waited patiently whilst the younger Elf curiously felt the similarities in 
their faces, regarding his fascination at their likeness with quiet 
amusement, before finally bringing both of his hands up to cover those of 
the Prince's.
 
"Are you ready for your lesson to begin then?" he asked quietly, his voice 
deepened somewhat by the passion that had flared up during their kisses. 
Legolas looked a little taken aback.
 
"I thought that it already had!"
 
Glorfindel laughed softly, and his wicked, knowing smirk crept back onto 
his face. "Oh, no, not by a long shot!" he grinned, at the same time 
performing a swift, deft twist and turn of his hips so that he was now 
kneeling and Legolas was lying sprawled on his front across the bed. He 
then climbed off the bed and got to his feet. "Now get up and come over 
here. I have something to show you."
 
TBC


***************
CHAPTER 6
***************
 
My Turn
 
Legolas stirred underneath the soft bed sheets and then lay motionless for 
several moments as his eyes slowly returned to a more alert state. He 
blinked slowly to clear the sleep from his eyes, and then turned his head 
on the pillow to look around him. Glorfindel laughed softly to himself 
from his position in the chair, his legs resting on the side of the bed as they 
had been before, and put down his book as he watched the young Prince 
awaken.
 
"You seem surprised, lirimaer," he said, cocking his head cheekily to one 
side as Legolas' head snapped round to look at him on hearing his voice.
 
"I was wondering where you had gone," came the drowsy reply, the owner 
of which pushed himself into more of a sitting position and settled his 
back against the headboard so that he was better equipped to look at the 
blond Eldar at his bedside. 
 
"I could not sleep," stated Glorfindel truthfully, leaning back against the 
chair and folding his arms across his chest, regarding Legolas with an 
interested expression. "I found it much more restful to watch you do so 
instead."
 
The Prince coloured slightly at the unexpected compliment from the 
precocious Elven-lord and busied himself with unbraiding his tousled 
golden hair, most of which was, by now, hanging loosely around his face. 
"So what happens now?" he asked, feigning indifference, although he had 
to hide behind the curtain of his hair to disguise the apprehension in his 
bright blue eyes.
 
Glorfindel was not fooled by the tone of his voice, however, and climbed 
out of his chair and onto the bed so that he was straddling Legolas' hips. 
"We could have another lesson," he suggested by way of an answer, 
smirking slightly and reaching out to sweep the golden hair away from the 
younger Elf's fair features before pressing a brief, chaste kiss to his perfect 
lips. Legolas smiled against the contact, reassured.
 
"That sounds like a good idea; perhaps I could give you a demonstration 
of what I have learned?" he breathed, pulling back mere millimetres so 
that his breath ghosted past the Eldar's lips. 
 
Glorfindel raised an eyebrow, although his sapphire eyes were glittering 
brightly with unexpected anticipation. "You must be a fast learner," he 
muttered, wrapping his arms around Legolas' neck and leaning backwards 
with surprising coyness so that he could look up at him from beneath his 
eyelashes, which the Prince suddenly found incredibly arousing. He seized 
the Eldar around his waist, hauling him up so that their bare chests were 
touching, then kissed him hard, if briefly.
 
"No," he growled, interspersing his words with tormenting lip contact, his 
voice rapidly going husky with renewed passion. "It is just that you are a 
very. . . " Kiss.
 
". . . very. . . " Kiss.
 
". . . very good teacher." Lips met again with bruising intensity, this time 
accompanied by deep, throaty groans as hands strayed across bare flesh, 
teasing and tormenting flawless cream skin. Glorfindel's hands were 
straying lower and lower, creeping down towards the bed sheets that were 
wrapped around the young Prince's slim waist, and Legolas found his own 
hands mirroring the actions. Suddenly he felt his access barred by some 
sort of thick, soft fabric, and he pulled back from Glorfindel's mouth 
reluctantly so that he could voice his displeasure and both could gulp 
down some air before they continued.
 
"I do not know why you bothered putting these back on," he growled as he 
tugged at the offending item of clothing, panting heavily from both the 
passion of the kiss and the close proximity of Glorfindel's hands to the bed 
sheet, which had conveniently slipped down even lower over his hips.
 
The Eldar flashed him a lopsided grin, his own bare chest rising and 
falling equally as fast as the young Prince's. "I thought that learning to 
remove them could be a valuable lesson for you!" he smirked, toying 
lazily with the seam of the sheet and casually letting his fingers brush past 
the softer, more sensitive skin that lay beneath. Legolas gasped as his 
fingers found the sloppily tied laces that fastened the soft green fabric over 
the Eldar's growing erection, and fumbled.
 
"I think I need more practice!"
 
Glorfindel leaned forwards and pressed his lips to those of the young 
Prince's again. "I will see what I can do!" he muttered, taking both slender 
hands within his own and helping him to undo the leggings. Four hands 
soon made light work of the astoundingly difficult job and the surplus item 
was swiftly slipped over narrow hips and down long, lithe legs, and 
thrown, forgotten, onto the stone floor.
 
Glad to be rid of the leggings, Glorfindel set about wriggling about in 
Legolas' lap until he was now sitting beneath the sheets that covered the 
younger Elf from the waist down, the skin of their hips now in full contact. 
Legolas beamed at the clear improvement in their positions and leaned 
forwards to kiss Glorfindel once again, bringing one hand up to cradle the 
base of his skull and allowing the other to drift southwards whereupon he 
took the blond Elven-lord in hand and began to gently stroke him in time 
to the rhythm of his kiss.
 
Glorfindel gasped into the Prince's mouth at this and his hips bucked 
instinctively against Legolas' fingers, forcing his hand forwards so that 
both hot, hard columns of flesh grazed past each other. This now educed a 
gasp from Legolas; Glorfindel smiled against the Prince's lips and pulled 
back a little, smirking as he did so, before proceeding to slowly and 
deliberately rotate his hips against the other's and grind their erections 
together. Both Elves groaned, and Legolas' hands flew to Glorfindel's 
waist in an attempt to still the motion.
 
Sapphire orbs met sapphire orbs, each peering into the others from under 
long, thick, dark eyelashes, and the elder Elf raised both hands to cup the 
Prince's cheeks. "I want you inside of me," he breathed huskily, small 
droplets of sweat now appearing on his forehead and plastering errant 
strands of spun golden silk to his fair face.
 
Legolas looked back at him through his own half-closed eyes, admiring 
the beautiful image of a Firstborn aroused in his lap. "I was hoping you 
would say that!" he purred happily, and slipped one hand backwards from 
its position on Glorfindel's hip to lie lightly atop his buttock as he gently 
caressed the cleft between the smooth cream flesh. A small jar on the 
nightstand next to the bed caught his attention and he extended his other 
hand to snatch it up; swiftly unscrewing the top and after inserting three 
long fingers, which emerged slick and oily, he slipped that hand around 
the Eldar's waist to join the other in caressing his opening.
 
Glorfindel now rose up onto his knees to allow Legolas better access as he 
felt the young Prince hesitantly press one finger against the tight ring of 
muscles, and nodded at him reassuringly before slowly sitting down a 
little. He gasped slightly at the sudden intrusion, although the feeling was 
neither unpleasant nor new to him, and wriggled a little before the Prince 
added a second finger, soon followed by a third.
 
Legolas gently stretched and prepared the Elven-lord in much the same 
manner that he had been previously, taking careful note of the way in 
which the stiff muscles around his fingers relaxed, when he suddenly 
remembered something. Changing the angle of his fingers a little, he 
probed even deeper until he found the small spot that he had been 
searching for and delicately brushed one fingertip oven it.
 
Glorfindel's hands flew up to Legolas' shoulders and he moaned loudly 
and instinctively sat down fully onto the Prince's hand; Legolas swiftly 
silenced his moan with a forceful kiss, swallowing any further sounds into 
his own mouth as he both continued running his fingertips gently over the 
sweet spot deep inside the Eldar and took him in hand at the same time, 
stroking in time. Glorfindel rocked his hips helplessly against the young 
Prince's ministrations as he was swiftly reduced to a trembling mass of 
nerves in his lap from the triple assault on his body, the threat of release 
leaving heavy beads of sweat to trickle down his flushed face and neck.
 
Upon seeing the state that he had reduced the older Elf to, Legolas decided 
that it would be nothing short of cruel to leave him thus any longer. He 
withdrew his hands again and fumbled for the jar, his own weeping desire 
pressing prominently against Glorfindel's thigh. The Eldar whimpered in 
frustration and the pained, desperate sound reached Legolas' heart, for he 
swiftly coated his throbbing erection with the oil and placed his hands 
upon Glorfindel's slim hips so that he could position him.
 
"Lift up," he breathed throatily, helping the Elven-lord to raise himself to 
his knees once more. Glorfindel shakily did as he was asked and allowed 
Legolas to guide his hips into position; he then felt the younger Elf's hot 
hardness pressing against his carefully prepared opening and, unable to 
restrain himself any longer, sat down forcefully and sheathed the Prince 
fully in one swift motion.
 
Both Elves cried out at this and Legolas gripped the Eldar's hips, fingers 
digging in so hard that they were certain to leave bruises the next day. 
Glorfindel had somehow managed to recover his sense a little, although 
how he had done so was beyond him, for he raised himself back up onto 
his knees and sat back down again. Legolas rotated his hips against the 
Eldar and changed the angle of his hardness, so that the next time 
Glorfindel sat back down his prostate was lowered directly onto the 
Prince's burning hardness inside him. New waves of ecstasy spiralled up 
around him and he cried out again, flinging his head back and arching his 
back so that the smooth column of alabaster throat was revealed, which 
Legolas immediately set about licking and sucking whilst slipping a hand 
between their hot, lithe bodies and stroking the Eldar to distraction.
 
It was not long before Glorfindel was undone, tormented as he had been 
before the Prince had even entered him, and Legolas felt his inner muscles 
clamp down around him at the same time as a molten heat spread itself 
across both their stomachs; the sight of the Elven-lord at the point of his 
release, flooded by the deluge of euphoric sensations and accompanied by 
his cries and moans was also Legolas' undoing, and he swiftly shot his 
essence deep inside the Eldar.
 
Glorfindel collapsed, shivering, onto Legolas' chest as the Prince was 
climaxing, and Legolas soon fell bonelessly backwards onto the bed, 
having become limp from the potent force of his release and also being 
pushed down by the weight of the Elven-lord upon his chest. He encircled 
Glorfindel's slim, supple waist with his long arms, pulling him close; they 
lay like that for uncountable long minutes, the elder Elf atop the younger, 
each elated from their powerful orgasm and savouring the warmth that 
was radiated from the other's strong body.
 
Eventually Glorfindel recovered enough to slip from on top of Legolas so 
that he was lying by his side instead, and placed his golden head on the 
strong shoulder as he nuzzled the crook of his neck. The Prince chuckled 
at the unexpectedly submissive motion from the wickedly playful Eldar 
and pulled him closer, relishing the feeling of dominance after being 
treated so childishly since his arrival. Glorfindel turned his half-vacant 
sapphire eyes up to the fair young Elf's face and blinked sleepily in 
question.
 
"Nothing, nothing, vanimaer," he smiled, releasing the Eldar's waist with 
one hand so that he could sweep away a few strands of loose golden silk 
that still clung to his stunning face before lovingly kissing his forehead. 
"Go to sleep, you must be exhausted!"
 
Glorfindel muttered something under his breath, but was too drained to do 
anything else so instead did as he was told, falling asleep to the pleasant 
sensation of the Crown Prince of Greenwood gently unbraiding his hair 
and combing through it with his fingers. Legolas looked down at the Eldar 
as he succumbed to slumber and smirked to himself, remembering their 
conversation when he had first awoken after being drugged, and pulled the 
blankets up over them both as he also settled down to sleep with 
Glorfindel in his arms.
 
It was mere moments before his eyes went vacant, too, and he drifted into 
the land of dreams. Both blond Elves slept through the entire night and 
well into the next morning, exhausted as they were from their actions the 
night before, and only awakened the next day by an outraged cry from at 
the doorway.
 
TBC
 
N/B: vanimaer - beautiful one
 


***************
 
CHAPTER 7
 
***************
 
Dazed and Confused
 
"What in Elbereth's name is going on here?!" exclaimed the Lord of 
Imladris, loud enough to wake both sleeping blond Elves with a start. 
Glorfindel's eyes went wide and he bolted upright in the bed, twisting out 
of Legolas' arms as he did so; the younger Elf, who was furthest from the 
door, looked over to where the enraged half-Elf was standing. On catching 
sight of him, he also sat bolt upright and shifted closer to Glorfindel, his 
hand finding the other's below the covers and gripping it tightly.
 
"Elrond...I...er...we..." stammered the blond Eldar, lost for words for the 
first time in a very long while. Elrond raised one eyebrow scathingly as he 
replied, his voice dripping with disdain. 
 
"I beg your pardon, that was a stupid question; its is perfectly clear what is 
going on here. You have bedded another male Elf - the Crown Prince of 
Greenwood, no less - under my very roof, and after you had the nerve to 
forcibly drug him, too! I do realise that I said that you were not permitted 
the use of any ropes or drugs if you were to keep him here, but this is not 
exactly what I had in mind, either. I am afraid that your actions are going 
to have serious consequences."
 
Glorfindel nodded sombrely in acceptance, knowing full well what the 
extent of his Lord's wrath could be, but Legolas was hard-pushed to stifle 
a cry of outrage. Elrond turned his attention to the younger Elf.
 
"I should remain silent if I were you, neth ernil," he shot, carelessly 
adopting the derogatory remark that Glorfindel himself had used up until 
only a few hours earlier. Legolas bit his tongue. "You have been the cause 
for much disorder in this house already; I should keep your nose out."
 
"You can hardly place all the blame on Glorfindel, Lord Elrond," 
responded the young Prince. His voice was quiet so as not to threaten the 
already incensed half-Elf, but there were definitely menacing undertones 
to the softly musical words.
 
The blond Eldar in question squeezed his hand tightly. "Legolas, don't..." 
he murmured, though never taking his eyes from Elrond. His words went 
unheeded as Legolas continued speaking.
 
"I agreed to everything; he did not force himself upon me in any way. If 
anything /I/ encouraged /him/. There is no way that he can accept all of the 
consequences himself."
 
Elrond's eyes narrowed. "So you are saying that you wish to be punished, 
too; is that it?"
 
Glorfindel gulped as he recognised the ominous signs emitted from the 
raven-haired Elven-lord and tried to intervene again. "No, my Lord, 
please..."
 
"I was asking Legolas!" shouted Elrond, whose already dark eyes were 
becoming blacker and blacker in his fury. Glorfindel averted his own 
glittering sapphire orbs from them, defeated. 
 
Elrond continued speaking. The volume of his words had dropped right 
down and his tone was exceedingly calm, which unnerved both blond 
Elves more than just a little. "So you are saying that you wish for me to 
expel the /both/ of you from Imladris?"
 
Glorfindel paled, and it was now his turn to clutch at Legolas' hand for 
security. "Please, my Lord," he begged, turning his bright blue eyes 
imploringly up at the half-Elf. "You may do as you wish with me, but do 
not take this out on Legolas. I was fully responsible for anything that has 
happened and I accept that responsibility, but he was too young to know 
any better."
 
Legolas once again refrained from commenting on this, knowing that the 
older Elf was merely trying to defend him and that he would only make 
matters worse for him, but Elrond turned his cold regard towards him and 
he clutched the Prince's hand even tighter. 
 
"You say that as if you think I would care, Glorfindel," he answered, his 
words drenched in sarcasm. "There is no way that I can condone this sort 
of behaviour in my household, Crown Prince and ancient Eldar or no; you 
seem to forget that I have my wife and young daughter to consider."
 
Glorfindel stood up, taking one of the bed sheets to wrap around his waist 
in a belated attempt at self-preservation, and bravely faced the irate Elven-
lord with eyes gone wide in confusion. "Begging your pardon, my Lord, 
but I do not see the problem... surely...why...?"
 
"The problem, Glorfindel, is that you - and not only you, I might add, for 
it would seem that our little Princeling has also had a hand in the matter - 
have been indulging in behaviour unbefitting Elves of your status, in a 
place where the Lord has strong views and objections on the subject. This 
matter is not open for discussion; I wish for the both of you to have left 
here by sun-down."
 
Having now made his point crystal-clear, the raven-haired Elven-lord 
turned and exited the room. Glorfindel made to follow him, apprehending 
him in the corridor. "But my Lord, where are we to go?" he beseeched, 
trying in vain to get through to Elrond's heart and conscience. "And what 
of Legolas? He is meant to be here under our protection."
 
Elrond spun on his heel to face the blond Eldar, absolutely seething by this 
point. "I have told you, I do not care!" he spat, alerting the attention of 
several nearby servants. "I thought that I had made myself clear; I want 
you both out by sun-down!" He stormed off down the corridor leaving 
Glorfindel standing, dazed and confused, in the middle of it, long golden 
hair tumbling unbrushed and unbraided around his shoulders and wearing 
nothing but a sheet wrapped around his slender hips.
 
He sighed heavily and closed his eyes momentarily, ignoring the stares of 
the servants in varying positions along the passageway, and looked up to 
where Legolas was now standing in the doorway, similarly attired to the 
Eldar. "I suppose we had better do as he says," he declared in a defeated 
tone, his shoulders slumping as he made his way over to the young Prince. 
"Although I know not where we are to go."
 
Legolas drew him into the room and closed the door against the eyes of 
the servants before he enfolded the Eldar comfortingly into his arms and 
whispered into his ear. "Do not worry, vanimaer; we shall make our way 
to Greenwood and speak to my father. I am sure that he will not react so 
strongly." 
 
Glorfindel melted into the embrace, deciding that he liked the feeling of 
being comforted like this, and laid his golden head on the Prince's 
deceptively slim shoulder. He kissed the cream skin covering a collarbone 
and nuzzled the crook of his neck, his warm breath ghosting past the soft 
flesh as he responded.
 
"I am sorry, lirimaer," he murmured. "I have no clue as to why he reacted 
like that, but I certainly had no intention of getting you banished from 
Imladris."
 
"Hush, do not talk such nonsense!" soothed the Prince, placing a tender 
kiss of his own on the flaxen crown below his chin. "You were not to 
know that he would respond as violently as that. And I was as much to 
blame as you were; do not beat yourself up over it."
 
Glorfindel sighed again and wrapped his long arms around Legolas' waist, 
pulling him closer. They stood for a few moments in each other's arms, 
savouring the feel of bare skin against bare skin, until the elder Elf lifted 
his head from the shoulder of the younger and looked straight into his 
bright sapphire eyes.
 
"We had better get going, then; it is almost lunch-time already, and we 
should leave soon if we are to cover any ground before nightfall. It is 
several days' ride to Greenwood."
 
Legolas refrained from telling the Eldar that he well knew that fact, 
smiling at him indulgently in lieu before placing a sweet, brief kiss on his 
flawless lips. "Very well," he conceded, once he had pulled back. 
"Although may I suggest that we get cleaned up beforehand..."
 
Both blonds smiled wryly at this comment, each silently regarding the 
state that the other was in. "Come, then," insisted Glorfindel after another 
few moments. "You can wash in my chambers, just across the 
passageway, before we leave." He set about gathering up his discarded 
clothes before leading Legolas into his own room, where they began to 
ready themselves for their departure.
 
TBC
 
A/N to Lady of Legolas: Did you get my emails? I had forwarded 
messages from the Melethryn archive and sent you post, but you still 
appeared to be having trouble...
 
 
A/N: Just so everyone knows, I think that I've actually fulfilled my 
challenge now; all the person who set it specified was a pairing with 
Legolas and Glorfindel. Anyone else agree that she got that?! Lol, now it's 
my own wicked plot bunnies that are keeping me going...and there's still 
plenty more surprises where that last one came from!


A/N: Just so everyone knows, I think that I've actually fulfilled my 
challenge now; all the person who set it specified was a pairing with 
Legolas and Glorfindel. Anyone else agree that she got that?! Lol, now it's 
my own wicked plot bunnies that are keeping me going...and there's still 
plenty more surprises where that last one came from!
 
***************
 
CHAPTER 8
 
***************
 
Careless Talk
 
The two identical figures rode out of Imladris at a steady trot shortly after 
lunchtime, both similarly attired in long, dark cloaks with the hoods pulled 
up over their distinctive blond hair and each riding side by side upon their 
own white horse. They had readied themselves for their departure in 
silence; Glorfindel had been exceptionally quiet and subdued, and whilst 
Legolas was more or less unfazed by his expulsion from the city he had 
understood that the Eldar did not want to discuss what had just happened 
for the time being.
 
After they had travelled for a short distance in silence, Legolas glanced 
over to Glorfindel. The blond Eldar's shoulders were slumped and his face 
held a downcast expression, and his usually bright sapphire eyes had 
darkened to a dull cerulean as they gazed, unfocused, into the distance. 
The Prince moved his horse closer to the Eldar's and reached out to place a 
hand comfortingly on his shoulder; Glorfindel started at this, then turned 
his head to look at the younger Elf.
 
Legolas' own bright blue eyes were filled with compassion to accompany 
that in his voice as he spoke to the Eldar. "Come, vanimaer, do not fret so. 
Surely he will relent sooner or later?"
 
Glorfindel sighed. "Yes, I am sure he will, but I know not how long it will 
be before he does so. I had no idea that he would react so violently, I am 
so sorry..."
 
"I have told you before; don't be!" cut in Legolas insistently, although his 
voice was still gentle. "You seem to forget that I did not want to be there 
in the first place - although I was going to admit that I thought I might 
have found a reason to remain there. Nay, 'tis you who have been banished 
from your own home, and if anyone is to blame then it is me, not you." He 
paused for a moment to consider something, before he continued. "And I 
am sure that my father will not react in such a way; I feel that once all is 
explained you will be welcome to stay in Greenwood for as long as it 
takes."
 
This brought a small smile to the fair Elven-lord's face, although a shadow 
still remained across it, and he took one hand from the reins and crossed it 
over his body so that it covered the Prince's on his shoulder. "Thank you, 
lirimaer, that is very kind of you," he muttered softly. "I do no know 
where I should stay otherwise..."
 
He tailed off, although the emotion in his voice meant that the words left 
unsaid were not needed; Legolas' hand tightened on his shoulder before he 
allowed it to fall back to his side. "It is the least I can do."
 
~~~
 
Very few unnecessary words were exchanged between the pair over the 
next few days, the better part of their travelling being passed in 
companiable silence, and the journey to Greenwood was uneventful. 
Eventually the first trees of the forest were within their sight, and they 
spurred their horses into a canter so that they could reach it all the faster.
 
As they drew closer to the Eastern Gates that would admit them to the path 
through the forest and to the Halls of Thranduil they could see that the 
gates were closed and guarded by several Elven-warriors, but neither paid 
any heed to this since they were well aware of the troubles that were 
occurring in the forest at the time. Once they were within speaking 
distance of the guards they halted, but before Legolas could say anything 
one of the guards spoke.
 
"I am sorry, but access to the forest is prohibited. Please leave."
 
Legolas sniggered and urged his horse closer to the warrior, pulling the 
hood of his cloak back from his head so that his face and distinctive 
golden hair were clearly visible. "I apologise; you must not recognise me. 
Now please let me into my home."
 
The guard shook his head. "I know perfectly well who you are, Prince 
Legolas, but this is out of my hands. We have had orders from King 
Thranduil specifically instructing that, should you and another fair Elf 
arrive at the gates, you are to be turned away immediately."
 
Legolas paled and glanced back at Glorfindel, who was watching the 
scene with a dejected interest. "Have you any other information?" he 
asked the warrior brusquely.
 
"No, your highness," replied the other Elf. "Merely that we received these 
instructions only a few hours ago, shortly after the arrival of a messenger 
from Imladris."
 
Legolas' knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists in anger, and he 
pressed his lips tightly together in an attempt to contain it. Glorfindel 
merely raised an eyebrow knowingly and urged his horse forwards so that 
he, too, could speak with the guard.
 
"Would you allow the Prince to enter if I were not with him?" he asked, 
pain clearly showing in his quiet voice. The guard's brow creased and he 
turned away for a moment to consult one of the others, before turning back 
and nodding his head.
 
"Our instructions said only that he could not enter should there be another 
fair Elf accompanying him; I see no reason for him not to enter if he is 
alone."
 
Glorfindel nodded at the warrior and looked across at Legolas. "Enter, 
then, lirimaer," he said softly. "Far be it from me to keep you from 
entering your home."
 
"No! I will do no such thing!" cried the Prince in protest, determination 
springing into his eyes where the light of rage had previously flamed. "It is 
my fault that you are here to begin with; I will not abandon you at the 
gates of my home."
 
The blond Eldar frowned at him from beneath his hood. "I will manage," 
he insisted. "Remember what we have talked of before. I have been 
through far worse than this; I will be able to cope."
 
"No." Legolas was adamant. "I refuse to abandon you here. There is no 
point in our arguing; you are most certainly not going to be allowed into 
Greenwood - " he glanced over his shoulder "much to my disgust, I might 
add," he shot at the soldier before continuing, "and I will follow you 
wherever you will go."
 
Glorfindel sighed. "Very well, very well," he conceded, feigning 
reluctance, but in actual fact was rather hard pushed to conceal a small 
smile. "Come, then; we had better find somewhere to sleep tonight, for it 
is almost dark."
 
Legolas smiled grimly and pulled his hood up over his head once more, 
but said nothing, instead turning his horse away with one last blood-
chilling glare towards the guard at the gates and setting off in the other 
direction. Glorfindel urged his horse forwards so that they were riding side 
by side once more, and caught the Prince's eye. Legolas looked round into 
the Eldar's eyes, and was surprised to see that they had lightened a shade 
and were glittering brightly with gratitude, despite the fact that the Prince 
had been unable to keep his promise.
 
"Thank you, Legolas," he said simply, and the younger Elf raised an 
eyebrow.
 
"Say nothing more on the matter. I am ashamed to call him my father." He 
took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, regaining his hold on his temper, 
and then looked up, smiling. "Now, where are we going?"
 
"I thought that we should make our way to Lothlórien," began Glorfindel, 
speaking so quietly as he contemplated his ideas that it could almost have 
been to himself. "Perhaps the Lady of the Wood will accept our situation, 
or at least provide sanctuary until Elrond has relented a little."
 
The Prince nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I feel that that would be the best 
plan," he agreed. "We have plenty of lembas to last the journey. Let us 
find somewhere to sleep."
 
Glorfindel agreed in silence, and together they set off in a Southward 
direction, searching for a suitable resting place.
 
TBC
 
 


***************  
CHAPTER 9  
*************** 

Upwards and Onwards 

There was a distinct lack of suitable resting places in the area immediately 
surrounding Greenwood, and in the end the two blond Elves felt 
compelled to spend the night in the branches of a tree. The horses were 
untacked and allowed to roam the vicinity, their tack having been hidden 
in the foliage of a nearby bush, and the Prince and the Eldar had deftly 
scaled the trunk and hidden themselves amongst the leaves. 

Glorfindel extracted a small parcel from his pack and unwrapped the 
waxed paper, revealing wafers of lembas inside. He handed some to 
Legolas, who took it gratefully, before taking some for himself and re-
wrapping the waybread; for a while both ate in silence, sitting on their 
own branch with long legs stretched out in front of them and backs leaning 
against the trunk. 

When Legolas had finished eating he glanced over at the Eldar. Glorfindel 
had pulled his knees up to his chest and was resting his chin on them with 
his arms wrapped around his shins; a shadow had fallen across his fair 
face once again and his darkened blue eyes were gazing, unfocused, into 
nothingness before him. Legolas frowned to himself and stood up, gliding 
gracefully over to the branch on which the Elven-lord was sitting. 

Surprisingly, this movement did not catch Glorfindel's distracted eye, and 
the Prince had to place a hand on his shoulder to gain his attention; the 
elder Elf looked up. No words were exchanged, Legolas easing his lithe 
body between the trunk and Glorfindel's back instead, and encircling his 
slim waist with both strong arms, allowing his legs to dangle on either side 
of the branch. Glorfindel sighed softly and leaned back into the embrace 
as he stretched his long legs out on the branch in front of him again, and 
laid his head on the Prince's shoulder and covered the hands resting across 
his abdomen with his own. 

Legolas placed a comforting kiss on the Eldar's flawless cream cheek 
before he spoke. "I will keep watch tonight," he said simply, not adding 
that he thought that, in this state, Glorfindel may well fail to notice any 
unwanted attention until it was too late. 

Glorfindel looked up at him inquiringly. "Are you certain? I do not 
mind..." 

"No, 'tis fine," insisted the Prince, gazing into the deep blue eyes that 
peered up at him. "You get some sleep." 

"I am not certain that I will be able to sleep," sighed the Eldar wearily, 
who allowed his head to loll against the Prince's neck. "I just cannot 
believe that this is happening...I..." 

"Don't you dare apologise again," hissed Legolas, mindful of the fact that 
he really should keep his voice down if he did not wish to attract unwanted 
attention. "I am telling you for the last time; this is not your fault. Elbereth 
only knows why my father has acted thus." 

Glorfindel sighed again and gently pressed his lips to the column of 
creamy flesh next to his cheek. "There is something suspicious about the 
whole affair, I must admit," he murmured softly; the Prince felt the warm, 
comforting dampness of his breath ghost over his throat and he smiled 
thoughtfully, tightening his grip around the Eldar's middle as he continued 
talking. "It seems a most peculiar thing indeed, for your father to send you 
to Imladris for your own protection and then force you to roam the lands 
outside when he discovers that you have bedded another male. Try as I 
may, I just cannot fathom it; something unusual has happened." 

"Ai, it will do us no good, sitting here and worrying over it," remarked 
Legolas wistfully. "You try and get some sleep, vanimaer; I shall be all 
right." 

Glorfindel nodded against the younger Elf's shoulder. "Very well, if you 
are sure," he conceded finally, earning himself an affectionate kiss on the 
tip of his pointed ear from his lover, which sent a brief shudder running 
down his spine. 

"Lanta kaima!" hissed Legolas softly, smirking down playfully at the 
Eldar; it evoked a small smile from Glorfindel, which he was glad to see. 

"Wake me when you get tired," he muttered drowsily, laying his head 
back on the Prince's strong shoulder and shifting slightly in his warm 
embrace. Despite what he had said about being unable to sleep, his 
sapphire eyes soon glazed over and his breathing became fast and shallow 
as slumber claimed him, leaving Legolas alone with his thoughts for the 
night and to savour the comforting sense of not being alone. 

~~~ 

The sun rose the next morning, its brilliant golden rays gently coaxing 
Glorfindel to consciousness as he rested, enveloped, in Legolas' arms. 
The young Prince smiled down at the Eldar when he stirred against him, 
admiring the way in which the dappled morning light that penetrated the 
foliage danced on and reflected off the spun-gold hair, and shortly found 
himself looking into a pair of rather bleary sapphire eyes. 

"Morning, vanimaer," he murmured softly, placing a chaste kiss on 
Glorfindel's perfect lips, which were still enticingly parted and pouting 
from slumber. "You slept well, I see." 

The beautiful blond Eldar chuckled quietly as he awakened and his mind 
cleared, and stretched his long arms out to either side before getting up on 
his knees and turning so that he was now facing Legolas. The younger Elf 
released his hold on the other's waist as he did this, and soon found 
himself being pulled forwards by a pair of strong hands around his middle 
and his lips being covered by those that had been in similar contact to 
them only moments earlier as he was pulled into a sweet, tender kiss. 

Tongues danced and breath intermingled until Glorfindel presently broke 
the kiss, although his lips lingered tantalisingly against Legolas' before he 
relinquished all contact. "Aye, surprisingly," he said in way of a reply to 
the previous question. "It must have been the company." 

Legolas licked his lips and grinned, glad to see that the elder Elf had 
cheered up since yesterday. "I do not doubt that for a moment!" he 
quipped, reaching up with one hand to tuck a stray lock of golden hair 
behind Glorfindel's ear and deliberately brushing the sensitive pointed tip 
as he did so. The Eldar's eyes fluttered shut and he gasped softly, leaning 
into the contact in hope of further pursuit, but the Prince leapt smartly to 
his feet and descended from the tree. 

"Tease!" hissed Glorfindel, who was left sitting alone on the branch. 

Legolas looked up into the leaves and smirked wickedly. "We should 
leave as soon as possible if we are to reach ‘Lórien ere Lord Elrond sends 
another letter to the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn," he stated simply, 
drawing a sigh from Glorfindel. 

"Very well, you are right," he acquiesced as he began to climb down the 
rough bark of the trunk to the ground. "Elbereth only knows what would 
happen, should ‘Lórien refuse to receive us." 

"Have a little faith!" insisted Legolas, stepping up to the trunk to catch 
Glorfindel in his arms as he neared the ground. The Eldar found himself 
being lifted by his waist and turned around so that he was now standing 
facing the fair Prince, who placed a pale, slender hand on his shoulder and 
squeezed it tightly. "Sometimes, all you have is all you need." 

Glorfindel smiled at him wistfully. "And it appears that faith is not all I 
have at the moment," he replied, gratitude shining in his eyes. 

"You would be right there!" laughed Legolas, giving Glorfindel's shoulder 
one last squeeze ere making his way to the bushes where the horses' tack 
had been concealed and summoning their mounts with a whistle. "Come, 
we really should be setting out for ‘Lórien; 'tis several further days' ride, 
after all, and I am starting to wonder if Lord Elrond really would send a 
letter to the Lord and Lady." 

The Eldar agreed. "Again, you are correct," he stated as he tacked up his 
horse. "You really are acting incredibly maturely, neth ernil. I am not 
certain that I like you like this; perhaps I have taught you too well?" 
Legolas, who had already mounted his horse, raised an eyebrow. "In that 
case maybe it is time I gave you a lesson, hmm?" 

Glorfindel laughed loudly and sprang up into the saddle. "Perhaps. But 
you will have to catch me first!" 

With that he leaned forwards and spurred his horse from halt into canter 
before Legolas could even consider a witty retort, leaving him standing 
alone under the tree for several moments until he had registered what had 
happened and gave chase to the Eldar. 

TBC 

N/B: Lanta kaima - go to sleep 


**************  
CHAPTER 10  
*************** 

Forthcoming Events 

The days of the journey to ‘Lórien passed slower than those of the journey 
to Greenwood. Legolas was thankful for the fact that no evil had made its 
presence known, for Glorfindel's spirits had sunk again despite the 
promising lift on the first morning. Most of their ride was passed in a 
companionable silence; it was easy and comfortable, and descended so 
naturally upon the pair of blond Elves that they almost felt compelled not 
to break it. 

On the last night they hid the tack, loosed the horses, and climbed into a 
tree as they had done every night since they had left Greenwood. Dinner 
once again comprised of a small wafer of lembas, and both Elves ate in 
silence as they sat on their own branch. 

When he had finished eating, Legolas glanced over to Glorfindel, who, 
again, was sitting with his knees drawn up to his chest, his round, sapphire 
eyes focusing on an intangible object in the middle-distance. The Prince 
sighed again and slipped over to the branch on which the Eldar was sitting, 
so that he could enfold him in his arms as had almost become a custom 
since that first night; this time, however, Glorfindel looked up as he 
moved, and sat back so that he was flush with the bark of the trunk and 
opened his arms in an invitation to Legolas. 

"I believe it is my turn to take watch tonight, irimaer," he said simply. 
Legolas frowned at the lack of emotion in his voice as he otherwise 
graciously accepted the invitation, and easily settled himself into his 
lover's arms. 

"We should reach ‘Lórien tomorrow," he murmured back, and somehow it 
seemed like an answer, despite being an unrelated statement following 
what was not really a question. "And thank Elbereth," he continued after a 
thoughtful pause, "for we have just enough lembas left for the morning, 
and that is then the last of our food." 

Glorfindel sighed in response, and laid his chin on Legolas' shoulder and 
closed his eyes, whilst squeezing the Prince tightly to him. 

"Do...do you think they will receive us in ‘Lórien?" he asked softly, with 
notes of anxiety clearly depictable in his usually musically cheerful voice. 

Legolas turned his head within the embrace and comfortingly pressed his 
lips to his flawless cream cheek. He was relieved to notice that his voice 
was steady when he replied, despite the unease that the Eldar's uncertainty 
had evoked inside his heart. 

"I cannot tell. Ordinarily I would say yes, but now, after the surprises that 
have been sprung upon me all week, I cannot be so sure," came the 
tentative answer. Glorfindel sighed again. 

"I suspected as much. I see no reason for the Lord and Lady to refuse us, 
but then again I saw no reason for your father not to receive us, or indeed 
for Lord Elrond to banish us. Ai, this situation! 'Tis very strange indeed...I 
- " 

"Well worrying over it will do no good whatsoever!" cut in Legolas 
sharply. Glorfindel's disquiet was definitely starting to affect him now, 
and he was starting to feel a little agitated. "There is nothing we can do; 
either they will receive us, or they will not, it is as simple as that. We shall 
just have to wait until tomorrow to see, but until then..."
 
This time it was the Prince who was interrupted mid-sentence, but it was 
not by Glorfindel. At that moment an eerie, keening howl cut through the 
thin night air, slicing it like a knife and leaving a terrified hush in its wake. 
Legolas stiffened in the Eldar's arms, who instinctively pulled him closer 
to his body and drew back hard against the tree trunk behind him. 

"Draugor!" hissed Legolas, pulling his knees up to his chest as an 
answering howl pierced the deathly stillness again. 

"No, those are not wolves," whispered Glorfindel. "They are Wargs." 
Legolas' bright blue eyes widened at this, and he wriggled back even 
closer into Glorfindel's chest. "The horses..." 

"There is nothing we can do. They will take care of themselves. This is the 
safest place that we can be right now; let us just hope that they pass by 
quickly." 

A disturbed silence then sank down upon the pair huddled, hidden, in the 
foliage of the tree, straining their acute Elven hearing for signs of the fell 
creatures. Needless to say, neither slept that night. 

~~~ 

Both blond Elves waited, at Glorfindel's suggestion, until the Sun had 
been fully up for at least half an hour before they cautiously descended 
from the tree. Legolas went instantly to where the tack had been concealed 
and let out a low whistle to summon the horses, whilst Glorfindel studied 
the immediate area for signs of the Wargs. 

After a few minutes of searching he returned to the Prince's side. "I can 
see no signs of the beasts here; let us hope that they have moved on." 
Legolas nodded distractedly, whilst still looking around him and peering 
through the trees. "Yes, but where are the horses? They have not 
returned." 

The fair Eldar's brow creased at this. "You have whistled, I presume?" he 
asked with concern, then quickly apologised when the Prince shot him a 
look to kill. "Sorry, just checking. Why don't you try again? They may not 
have heard you the first time." 

Legolas' glare turned to a sceptical glance, but nonetheless he repeated the 
low sound that he had made earlier. Both Elves waited in trepidation, 
straining their sharp ears, but still no sign of the horses could be found. 

After a few more moments, Legolas turned, wide-eyed, to the Eldar. "Now 
what?" he murmured anxiously, taking a few steps closer to Glorfindel for 
comfort. The Eldar looked at him briefly, noticing for the first time that 
the Prince was actually scared. Fear was glistening in his round, azure 
eyes and he was worrying at his bottom lip anxiously; his face had paled 
and he was fidgeting, and the whole air about him suggested something 
incredibly child-like to the blond Elven-lord. I forget how young he really 
is, he sighed to himself, shaking his head a little. That is how we got into 
this mess in the first place. 

He drew Legolas towards him, with the intent of holding him close to 
settle his nerves as best he could, but at that instant a sudden noise in the 
bushes behind him made them both start and spin so that they were facing 
whatever approached. Glorfindel unsheathed his sword, and Legolas 
slowly removed his bow from across his body and plucked an arrow from 
his quiver before fitting it to the string and drawing it back towards his 
ear; they then waited, standing poised and ready for whatever should 
appear. 

But silence ensued. After a few endlessly long moments, which could 
have been seconds and could have been hours, Glorfindel relaxed. Just as 
Legolas was about to follow suit and drop his bow from chin height, 
however, the noise came again, now behind them. They spun around with 
their weapons ready once more, again standing, waiting, as this time the 
rustling came closer and closer towards them. Leaves could be seen 
moving and branches cracked as the creature approached through the trees 
and bushes; two hearts beat as one as whatever approached rounded the 
final tree-trunk, and the blonds prepared themselves for a fight. 

*** 

N/B: draugor - wolves 


***************  
CHAPTER 11  
*************** 

Breakfast 

Legolas was as taught as his drawn bowstring as he trained his arrow on 
the gap between the two trees that he anticipated the approaching creature 
would emerge from; Glorfindel stood ready at his side with his sword 
raised in a defensive position; and, again, the two Elves waited. 

Another stick cracked under the weight of the creature and the leaves 
rustled again, and finally it rounded the corner and came into full view... 

Glorfindel heaved a sigh of relief as he freed the breath he had forgotten 
he was holding and lowered his sword, and Legolas released the 
bowstring, shooting the arrow into the ground. It was the horses. 

"Thank Elbereth," breathed the Eldar, closing his eyes momentarily, and 
then picked up his tack and made his way over to his horse. "Come, 
Legolas, let us get going before the Wargs really do find us." 

The Prince nodded, and wasted no time in following Glorfindel's example 
once he had collected his arrow from the floor. Just as he was placing his 
saddle on his horse's back, however, another, louder, more sudden sound 
came from within the trees, somewhere nearby. Glorfindel, who was 
already mounted, drew his sword once again, and spun his own horse 
round to face the direction of the disturbance. 

"Hurry up!" he hissed to Legolas, whose mount was fidgeting due to the 
noise and making it difficult for him to do up the girth. "We have to get 
out of here now!" 

"I am coming!" replied the Prince, finally managing to grab the girth and 
bring it underneath the horse's belly, but at that moment a low growl, 
shortly followed by a sharp bark and more snarling, emanated from the 
woods. Legolas cursed under his breath and fumbled, but retained his hold 
on the girth and eventually succeeded in buckling it up. 

He had no time to check the tightness, however, because just then another 
growl came from between the trees. He glanced over his shoulder, to see 
three Wargs standing at the edge of the clearing, ready to strike their prey. 

"Legolas! Hurry!" cried Glorfindel urgently, pushing his unwilling mount 
between the Prince's and the steadily advancing Wargs and flashing his 
sword in warning. The younger Elf leapt up into the saddle desperately, 
although it slipped to one side as he did so, but he paid no heed and did 
not even bother to take his stirrups, instead spurring his horse into a gallop 
and following the Eldar out of the clearing just as the Wargs pounced. 

Once they had left the cover of the trees and were out into more open 
countryside, Glorfindel glanced anxiously over one shoulder. Legolas was 
following him at a short distance and fortunately had managed to take his 
stirrups, even if his saddle was still dangerously over to one side; however, 
only a few hundred meters behind the younger Elf came the three fell 
beasts, and gaining ground, too, or so it seemed. 

"Legolas! Behind you! Hurry!" cried the Eldar, but his words were torn 
right from his mouth by the speed at which they were galloping and failed 
to reach the ears of the intended Elf. 

The Prince saw Glorfindel glance over his shoulder, and although his 
mouth moved no words reached his ears. At this he stole a fleeting glance 
over his own shoulder, even though he knew very well what was behind 
him; nevertheless he gasped when he discovered exactly how close the 
Wargs were to his horse's tail. 

He spurred his mount forwards, at the same time placing weight in his 
right stirrup in a vain attempt to slide his saddle into a central position; he 
soon gave up on this however, because at the breathtaking pace that he 
was moving the horse became unbalanced and stumbled to the right, 
despite his light weight. 

The beasts took note of this and accelerated, and the horse's momentary 
loss of footing was enough to allow them to draw almost level; Legolas 
could almost hear them snarling and snapping at the heels of his mount 
and kicked on, but still the Wargs remained by his side. Glorfindel looked 
back once more and saw the desperate situation that the Prince was in. He 
steadied his own horse slightly so that Legolas could catch up, but panic 
began to rise in his throat, for his trained eyes saw that the beasts were 
now preparing to strike their prey, and, sure enough, one of them lunged at 
the horse's heels a few moments later. 

The horse jumped and kicked out violently when the needle-sharp fangs of 
the Warg grazed his right hind-leg, throwing both himself and the blond 
Elf atop his back off-balance. Another beast then made its attack, this time 
from the other side, and succeeded in catching the horse's flank; this 
caused the horse stumble to the left, being pulled over by the weight of the 
other animal. 

Legolas had already been unseated by his horse's first attempt at defending 
itself, not to mention the fact that his saddle was still sitting dangerously 
over to the left hand side; even the best Elvish rider would have been 
unable to sit still to the second stumble in such a situation, and the Prince 
slipped so that he was leaning over the left side of the horse, hanging 
precariously close to the snapping, snarling jaws of the Wargs below him. 

Glorfindel pulled his horse up dead, and was unable to do anything but 
watch in horror as the last Warg made its attack. It leapt up into the air and 
caught the horse in the soft flesh of the underside of its neck, then fell 
back down again without releasing its hold. The poor animal was already 
exhausted from both the extended gallop and the stress of the desperate 
situation, and the weight of this last beast was enough to pull it down to 
the ground. 

Legolas fell to the ground along with his mount, and Glorfindel, being on 
the other side of the animal, was unable to see if he had been thrown clear 
or whether the horse had landed on him. He spurred his own horse back 
into canter and drew his sword as the Wargs immediately surrounded the 
fallen, their stiff, grey, wiry coats bristling in order to intimidate their prey 
and strings of saliva suspended from their bared fangs in anticipation of 
their breakfast. 

TBC 




A/N: A bit of blood and guts ahead...consider yourselves warned! 

***************  
CHAPTER 12  

*************** 

Behind You! 

Glorfindel took the first Warg by surprise, for it had its back to him, and, 
at the speed that he was galloping, it took nothing more than a carefully 
aimed swing to sever its head from its neck; the remaining two, however, 
would not be so easy to deal with. 

Both of the remaining fell beasts whipped around when the dangerous 
glint of the Eldar's sword in the bright morning sun and the scarlet drops 
of their companion's blood that had spotted their coats caught their 
attention, and they now began to advance on Glorfindel. The elder Elf cast 
a swift, sidelong glance in the direction of the fallen; the horse was 
panting heavily, taking short, shallow breaths, and moving slightly on the 
ground but without making any effort to get up. Blood streamed from a 
gaping wound in his neck and crimson bubbles rose from deep within, 
flowing on the ruby-red torrents towards the green grass, the breath of life 
seeping out of his very veins and being borne away into the earth. 

The tortured body of the dying animal still hid Legolas from view and 
Glorfindel cursed, but had no more time to ponder on the fate of his lover 
for the Wargs were now within a foot of his own horse's hooves. They 
crouched, ready to spring again, and he raised his blood-smeared sword 
defensively as his mount backed off a few steps, dark eyes wide in fear 
and snorting through his nostrils. 

The larger of the two beasts snarled at him and followed; by this point it 
was so close that Glorfindel could see its dreadful yellowed fangs, coated 
in saliva as it drooled in the expectation of its next meal. He was, 
however, reluctant to strike at it unless it leapt for him, since it would 
mean leaning down and unbalancing himself and possibly throwing him 
into the same situation as Legolas. Ai, Valar, let Legolas be safe, he 
prayed as the hackles on the scruff of the nearest beast's neck rose 
alarmingly, and it prepared to spring. His heart beat in his mouth as he 
stared it bravely in the depths of its glinting amber eyes. 

It had just left the ground, however, when it fell back down with a 
whimper. Glorfindel looked up, sapphire eyes wide in the surprise of not 
being attacked, and saw Legolas standing behind the body of his now-dead 
mount, bow still raised and eyes narrowed from aiming. The arrow was 
protruding from the Warg's side, and it was now lying on the ground, teeth 
bared in pain and breathing laboured. The Eldar silently thanked the Valar 
for heeding his prayers, before taking one brief glance at the remaining 
Warg and spurring his horse into a gallop, catching it off-guard. 

He sped around the edge of where the previous attack had taken place, and 
was nearing Legolas before the beast registered what had happened and 
sprang into action. The lone blond figure calculated the timing between 
the two and did not draw an arrow; instead he began to run away from the 
Warg and in the direction that Glorfindel was riding. The Warg increased 
its speed and was drawing distressingly close to the Prince, covering the 
ground immensely quickly with its long, bounding strides; it could only 
have been little more that a foot away from Legolas, when Glorfindel 
swept up behind him and slipped his right arm under the Prince's, round 
and over his chest and grasped him firmly under the left, lifting him 
through the air and helping him to swing himself up and into the saddle 
behind him. 

The battle was not yet won, however, but Legolas soon dealt with that; he 
now drew that arrow from his quiver and nocked it, before taking careful 
aim and releasing it so that it embedded itself into the throat of the last 
beast. The animal fell to the ground with a whimper, and the chase was 
finally over. 

Glorfindel sheathed his sword and the Prince slid his bow back over his 
head and shoulders so that it lay across his body, before slumping 
forwards onto Glorfindel's back and winding his arms tightly around the 
slender waist in front of him for security as they cantered towards 
Lothlórien. 

"Did nobody ever tell you not to look a dog in the eye?" he chided 
Glorfindel, laying his golden head on the strong shoulder in relief. "It 
makes them more inclined to attack, you know." 

The Eldar sighed wearily. "Lirimaer, I think that they would have attacked 
even if I had offered them a room and board for the night!" The joke was 
weak and probably poorly timed, but it helped to lift their depressed spirits 
somewhat. 

"Still," he continued, "at least we are alive; that is something to be 
thankful for." 

"Yes, you are right," murmured the younger Elf into his ear, his words 
softened by the wind rushing past at speed. "Although I shall have to find 
another horse, now." 

One of the Eldar's hands left the reins, which were both momentarily 
placed into one, and comfortingly covered those of the Prince's that were 
clasped across his abdomen. No more words were said, but none were 
needed; instead they cantered towards ‘Lórien for perhaps another hour, 
before they reached the first mallorn trees of the Golden Wood and slowed 
to a trot, then to a walk. 

The horse was understandably tired, especially after having to bear double 
his usual burden, and his breathing was laboured, but after a while of 
walking on the increasingly soft grass and delicate elanor flowers that 
were left undamaged by his hooves his step became lighter, and both 
Elves atop his back began to feel somewhat less weary. 

The light grew dimmer as the trees grew larger and more dense, and soon 
the atmosphere became one of semi-darkness interspersed with small, 
spotted dapples of sunlight that still managed to penetrate the golden 
leaves. However, with the fading light came a slight unease that settled 
heavily on Legolas' shoulders; it was as if he were being watched from all 
angles, but when he glanced around he could see nothing, even with his 
sharp Elven eyesight. 

The sounds within the forest also grew more noticeable as the travelled 
deeper into the Wood, namely the growing roar of a river that could be 
heard in the distance. The slight discomfort did not leave Legolas, rather 
grew stronger, and suddenly a sudden movement up in the leaves behind 
him caught his attention. His head snapped round and he expertly scanned 
the branches for any signs, but none could be seen. 

He pressed his chest closer to Glorfindel's back and brought his mouth 
close to the elder Elf's ear to whisper into it. "We are being watched; there 
is someone up in the trees." 

Glorfindel seemed unfazed by this. "Yes, I know," he murmured back 
soothingly. "They are the Guardians of the Wood. They will stop us 
shortly, before we reach the river that you can hear. Do not be alarmed if 
they draw their weapons on you." 

Legolas nodded mutely against the elder Elf's back; sure enough, a few 
moments later, he discovered that they were inexplicably surrounded by a 
foray of perhaps six Elves, all identically dressed in green and gold and all 
aiming arrows directly at the two mounted Elves. Glorfindel halted the 
horse. 

"Halt!" hissed one of the taller of the uniformed Elves, stepping forwards 
a short way. "Who are you, and what business do you have here in 
Lothlórien?" 

Glorfindel drew his hood back from his face, revealing his stunning 
features and distinctive golden hair. " 'Tis I, Haldir," he said calmly, 
knowing that the other Elf would recognise him; sure enough a smile 
crossed the face of the silver-haired Elf, and he motioned for the other 
warriors to lower their weapons. 

"Welcome back, Lord Glorfindel," he said in way of salutation, bowing 
courteously to the ancient Eldar. "But so soon? What can we do for you; is 
something amiss? And who is your companion?" 

Legolas now swept his own hood back from his face, noting with a 
contained, weary amusement the surprise that crossed the faces of the 
other Elves when they saw the uncanny likeness between him and the 
Eldar; however, before he could speak, Glorfindel had nudged him 
meaningfully in the ribs and spoken up once again. 

"This is Legolas Thranduilion, Crown Prince of Greenwood. And yes, 
something is amiss; we should like to speak to the Lord and Lady, if that is 
possible." The reply was terse and spoken in an abrupt tone, suggesting to 
Legolas that Glorfindel wished to give away as little as possible regarding 
their situation. 

Haldir raised an eyebrow but did not pursue the subject further. "Yes, of 
course - if you would follow me." He dismissed the other uniformed Elves 
with a wave of his hand, who vanished as swiftly and as silently as they 
had appeared; the silver-haired Elf then took up a position by the horse's 
shoulder, and proceeded to guide them into the heart of the Wood. 
 


***************  
CHAPTER 13  
*************** 

Closer Than You May Think 

After a long while of walking with Haldir by their side, the travellers 
eventually came to a white bridge leading up to the gates of what Legolas 
could only assume to be Caras Galadhon. He gazed at the city in awe from 
his position behind Glorfindel; although he had heard much about the 
Golden Wood, the tales could not compare to the very real beauty spread 
before him at this instant. The walls of the city were tall, and surrounded a 
green hill in a huge circle; the hill itself was covered with mallorn trees, 
taller than any he had seen previously, and their golden leaves gleamed in 
the midday sun, lending a strangely ethereal glow to the city despite the 
broad daylight. 

Haldir entered the gates, escaping being questioned by the guards, and led 
the two blonds through the city; they had not travelled far, however, 
before the guardian stopped, causing the horse to follow suit. 

"If you would care to dismount, someone will take care of your horse and 
I shall show you to the Lord and Lady," he offered as he stepped aside so 
that the riders could leap gracefully to the ground, and then gave a low 
whistle. Another Elf of similar appearance to Haldir appeared instantly, 
with long silver hair, well muscled and of a slightly heavier build than 
Legolas and Glorfindel. 

"Ah, Melroch - please could you see to this horse?" asked Haldir, gently 
but in a voice that naturally commanded respect nonetheless. The other Elf 
bowed courteously to the other three, and then led the animal away 
between the trees with a gentle word. Haldir then turned to continue into 
the city, trusting that the Prince and the Eldar would follow him. 

Eventually it seemed that they had reached their destination, for Haldir 
stopped in a small clearing at the foot of an enormous tree. A wide 
staircase ascended into the spreading branches, spiralling up the smooth 
trunk; thousands of tiny candles illuminated the banister, merging into one 
long line of light that showed the track of the ladder amidst the half-light 
that existed beneath the canopy of the golden leaves. Three guards were 
seated at the bottom of the staircase, dressed in grey mail and long white 
cloaks; they sprang to their feet when they caught sight of Haldir, and one 
blew a clear note on a small horn. It was answered three times from above, 
and Haldir moved to the foot of the stairs. 

"Come, follow me," he said, turning back to Legolas and Glorfindel before 
proceeding to lead them up the long spiral staircase. They did as they were 
instructed, winding their way up and around the trunk of the tree until they 
reached a wide platform nestled in the branches, which Legolas presumed 
to be a talan. On this platform was built a large house, which Haldir now 
led them into, and the young Prince found himself inside an oval chamber, 
constructed around the trunk of the tree which created a pillar through the 
centre of the dwelling. 

The chamber was softly lit and decorated in the green and silver colours of 
Lothlórien. Many chairs were positioned throughout the room, a few of 
which were occupied; however, commanding the attention of the 
newcomer were two thrones, side-by-side, in the most prominent place 
beneath a bough that sprouted from the living pillar in the middle of the 
room were two thrones, in which two fair Elves were seated. 
Both the Lady and the Lord stood up to greet their visitors with a flourish 
of white; even amongst the Elves the pair were beautiful, Legolas 
perceived, and followed both Glorfindel and Haldir's suit as they got down 
to one knee and bowed their heads courteously, the guardian announcing 
their presence as he did so. 

"My Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn, I bring before you Lord 
Glorfindel from Imladris, and Prince Legolas Thranduilion from 
Greenwood the Great." 

Galadriel bowed her head in return and motioned for the three of them to 
stand. "I thank you, Haldir," she said with a smile to her faithful guardian. 
"If there is no other reason for you to stay, then you may return to your 
duties." 

Haldir nodded dutifully, and left the chamber as stealthily as he had first 
appeared to them. Galadriel then turned her attentions towards the Eldar 
and the Prince, and fixed her ageless amber eyes upon them both; Legolas 
felt himself strangely drawn into the crystal-clear tawny depths, filled with 
the evidence of so much wisdom, as she began to address them. 

"Welcome to Lothlórien, Prince Thranduilion - I do believe I am correct in 
my assumptions that this is the first time you have set foot here. It is too 
seldom that our kin journey here from the North. And Lord Glorfindel, I 
do believe that it has been a mere few weeks since you were here last; 
what can we do for you both?" 

Glorfindel cleared his throat nervously before he spoke. He did not seem 
intimidated by the Lady or Lord, for it was clear to Legolas that he had 
met with them previously; however he was well aware of the controversial 
subject that he was about to broach, not to mention the embarrassment of 
the entire situation that seemed to be affecting even this outgoing Elf-lord. 

"We have both been banished from our homes, my Lady," he began, 
somewhat tentatively, but starting as he meant to go on, "and we had 
nowhere else to turn." 

He paused then and took a deep breath, momentarily focusing himself, 
before he continued. Legolas had never seen him thus and would never 
have imagined him to be short of words, and his eyes flicked over to him, 
giving silent encouragement. 

"I...I bedded Prince Legolas, my Lady, and Lord Elrond reacted rather 
violently when he discovered this. He banished us both from Imladris, so 
we made our way to Greenwood at Legolas' suggestion. Unfortunately we 
arrived too late, for it seemed that a messenger had come before us bearing 
a letter from Lord Elrond that, somehow, led King Thranduil to prevent us 
from entering together. Since Legolas refused to enter without me we 
decided that our only remaining option was to travel to Lothlórien, and 
seek advice and temporary shelter from you, should you choose to give it." 

Galadriel absorbed his words pensively, never taking her amber regard 
from his face; once he had finished speaking with a relieved slump of his 
shoulders she focused her attentions on Legolas and addressed him 
instead. 

"And yet you arrived on one horse; how so?" 

Legolas looked up at her, but soon found that he could hold her gaze for 
no more that a few moments before he felt strangely compelled to avert 
his eyes. "We were attacked by Wargs this morning, my Lady," he said, 
lifting his chin as he spoke to compensate for being unable to look into her 
face and thanking the Valar for the fact that his voice held steady, neither 
cracking nor wavering. "My own horse was pulled to the floor and killed, 
and I was forced to share Lord Glorfindel's mount." 

The Lady seemed to accept this, for she turned to Glorfindel as Celeborn 
now gave voice to his own thoughts. Legolas felt himself relax a little, but 
then his sapphire eyes went wide as he heard Galadriel's voice once more, 
though when he looked to her she was saying nothing. 

"That was a brave and selfless act that you committed, Legolas. Glorfindel 
is more grateful for it than he may lead you to believe. Fear not, for you 
have proven yourself loyal and worthy, and your efforts shall not go 
unrewarded." 

Legolas forced himself to look up and into the amber orbs one last time at 
this; they were not being banished from ‘Lórien? He felt his heart lighten 
in delight when he caught the last few words of Celeborn's speech 
confirming his suspicions, and it was all that he could do to prevent a wide 
grin from breaking across his face. 

Galadriel then spoke again, now addressing Legolas and Glorfindel 
together once more. "I shall summon both Lord Elrond and King 
Thranduil, for I wish to further discuss this matter with them. Until then 
you may stay here in Lothlórien, with the same freedom permitted to any 
member of the Galadhrim; go now, and rest, for you have had an arduous 
journey. We shall talk again later." 

Legolas noticed that Glorfindel was smiling widely at the Lady and Lord 
and now permitted himself to do the same, bowing deeply at the same time 
to show his gratitude. Celeborn motioned to one of the Elves who was 
seated in the oval chamber, beckoning her over to him. "Voronda, please 
could you show the Lord and the Prince to a talan? See to it that they have 
all they need." 

The she-Elf bowed courteously to her Lord, and then exited the chamber 
with Glorfindel and Legolas in tow. They descended the tree, and she led 
them a short distance away to another, smaller tree with a rope ladder in 
lieu of a staircase and an understandably less extravagant talan in the 
branches. 

"Everything that you may need is up there," supplemented Voronda, 
signalling with a nod of her head. "Food will be provided for you in the 
dining hall. Rest well." She then bowed to them both and vanished, 
leaving them to scale the rope ladder. Legolas followed Glorfindel 
gracefully up the rungs and into the hut positioned on the talan, his natural 
Elven grace not affected in the slightest by his weariness, only to find 
himself enveloped in the most enormous bear hug he had ever experienced 
when he finally entered the room. 

"Ai, thank the Valar you are safe, lirimaer," murmured the Eldar into his 
ear, squeezing the young Prince tightly to his chest. "I was so worried 
when you did not get up - I could not see, I thought --" 

"Shhh, do not think such thoughts!" soothed Legolas, melting into the 
embrace at the same time and wrapping his own long arms around the 
elder Elf's slim waist. "I am safe - we are safe, and at the moment that is 
all that matters." 

Glorfindel nodded against him and no more words were exchanged; 
instead they stood there for several long minutes, savouring the sensation 
of holding and being held and thankful that the Valar had taken pity upon 
them. Eventually, though, each pulled away at the same instant to gaze 
into sapphire depths. 

"What do you wish to do now then, vanimaer?" questioned Legolas softly, 
touching his lips briefly to the Eldar's as he spoke. This educed a smile 
from him, the sight of which lifted the Prince's heart. 

"Perhaps we could rest for a while?" he suggested, returning the favour by 
pressing his own lips to the other's nose. Legolas grinned and moved over 
to a bed standing in the corner; there were two in the room, but he ignored 
that fact, instead tugging Glorfindel over to the one in which he planned to 
sleep. 

"Yes, that sounds like an attractive proposition!" he agreed, removing his 
boots, tunic, shirt and weapons and carelessly slinging them to the floor. 

"It will be nice to sleep in a proper bed again." 

Glorfindel nodded wholeheartedly and did as Legolas had done, and soon 
joined him beneath the warm, soft blankets. They enfolded each other in 
their arms and Legolas laid his golden head upon Glorfindel's chest; their 
breathing soon evened out and their eyes became vacant as slumber 
overtook them, and they rested the best they had in nigh over a week. 
  
A/N: The description of the talan is taken (indirectly, not word-for-word) 
from FotR, "The Mirror of Galadriel". 



***************  
CHAPTER 14  
*************** 

Further Education 

The sun was low in the sky when Glorfindel awoke again, signalling that 
he had slept away most of the afternoon. But it was worth it, he thought as 
he turned his head to look down upon Legolas, who still slumbered 
peacefully against his chest. He was beautiful in the afternoon sunlight 
that streamed through the window and onto the bed, illuminating his 
golden hair and pale skin, making him glow with the light of a thousand 
candles. You could have died back there, and it would have been all my 
fault. But you did not; you are here now instead, safe, and...and... 

Legolas stirred a little as Glorfindel hugged him closer to him at that 
thought, and his pink tongue instinctively flicked out to lick his slightly 
parted lips, leaving them shiny and wet and utterly kissable... 

...ai, Elbereth, and I can think of a thousand and one things that I would 
rather do with you! 

He raised one hand to gently stroke the Prince's perfect cheek, smirking to 
himself as a few of those thousand and one things made their presence 
clearly known inside his head. As his fingers came into contact with the 
creamy skin, Legolas' vacant blue eyes focused on him and he smiled up 
at the Eldar. 
Glorfindel quickly wiped the smirk from his face. "Ah, so we have 
awakened, lirimaer," he murmured, still caressing the Prince's face. 
Legolas beamed and leaned into the touch, before he caught the Eldar's 
slender hand in his own and turned it over so he could kiss the open palm. 

"It would appear that way, yes," he breathed, his lips just millimetres from 
Glorfindel's palm, and the elder blond felt a shiver run through him from 
the sensation of the warm, damp breath ghosting across his skin. "And I 
don't know about you, but I am feeling very well rested." 

At this he slid out of the Eldar's embrace and slipped one leg over his hips 
so that he was sitting in his lap; he then wound his arms around the other's 
neck and pulled him up into a breathtaking kiss. If Glorfindel was rather 
surprised at the Prince's forwardness then he did not show it, responding 
instead with equal fervour. Tongues danced wildly and two breaths fused 
into one, until it had been passed back and forth between each pair of 
lungs so many times that the mouths were forced to part, leaving both 
blonds panting. 

Glorfindel's eyes glinted like sapphire jewels set in the chalky background 
of his angular, perfectly sculpted face, and he cocked his head cheekily. 
"My my, you are eager today, neth ernil," he grinned wickedly, earning 
himself a mock-outraged cry from the Prince and a dig in the ribs from 
long, elegant fingers. "Would you like another lesson?" 

Legolas returned the grin and allowed his hands to slide down to the 
Eldar's hips as he replied, leaning forwards and bringing his lips close to 
his lover's so that his breath brushed tantalisingly over them to emphasise 
his point. "Yes, I feel I could do with brushing up on my technique a little. 
What say you?" 

Glorfindel could almost taste his delicious words, which shot straight to 
his groin, and he could feel the evidence of his desire growing and 
pressing against the now too tight leggings that he had slept in. "I would 
say that practice makes perfect!" he purred, seizing Legolas around his 
willowy waist and rolling over so that the younger blond was caught 
below him, then proceeded to kiss him forcefully. The Prince responded 
just as passionately by grasping Glorfindel's buttocks and pulling them 
down so that he was now lying completely on top of the younger Elf; each 
groaned into the other's mouth when Glorfindel started to move his hips 
against the Prince's and their erections grazed each other beneath the thick 
cloth of their leggings. 

The Eldar's hands now reached out so that he could run his fingers through 
Legolas' hair, entwining them in the long strands of gold silk and pulling 
their mouths closer together in the heightening fervour of the kiss. 
Meanwhile, Legolas had slid his hands round to the front of Glorfindel's 
leggings and was now untying the laces, educing the occasional delectable 
moan from him whenever his fingers encountered a particularly sensitive 
area. The cloth parted and was slid down slim hips, and as Glorfindel 
broke the kiss and stood momentarily to remove them completely, Legolas 
smirked. 

"It would seem that I no longer need practice in that respect, then!" 

Glorfindel rounded on him and pounced, covering the younger Elf with his 
now naked body at the same time as he caught the slender wrists in one 
hand and pinned them on the pillow above the golden head. 

"Who, then, have you been practising on?" he questioned fiercely, his face 
a mask of suspicion although the wicked glint in his eyes belied that fact. 

"No one...no...ai...none, I am yours!" came the gasped reply, the owner 
struggling beneath him as Glorfindel used his free hand to gently tickle his 
ribs, wiping that smirk off his pretty face. The Eldar grinned in turn at this 
and released the Prince, but the grin instantly returned to his face as the 
latter then added, "Well, for tonight, anyway!" 

Glorfindel gasped in mock horror and growled from deep down in his 
throat. "In that case I shall just have to claim you for my own, won't I?" 
He seized Legolas' hands and fastened them above his head with one of 
his own once again, and proceeded to kiss and lick a languid track from 
his ear, down his jaw line and the smooth, white column of flesh of his 
throat, until he reached the strong shoulder. He paused there momentarily 
and then, with no further hesitation, bit swiftly down and sucked hard on 
the creamy flesh, soothing Legolas' short cry of pain unexpected with his 
tongue and bathing the intentional hurt. 

Once he was satisfied with this he looked up, cocking his head as he 
addressed the Prince and raising one delicate flaxen eyebrow cheekily. 

"Shall I continue?" 

All Legolas could do in way of a reply was to gasp audibly, quickly 
followed by a moan, for the Eldar's free hand had slipped inside the 
waistband of his leggings and taken a firm hold on his caged desire that 
still burned fiercely. "Ai, yes...please...take me, I am yours tonight!" 

Glorfindel smirked as he slid down Legolas' body to unlace his leggings, 
without even removing his hand from inside them. "By the time I am done 
with you, lirimaer, you shall be mine every night!" The leggings were 
swiftly disposed of, tossed aside with a much-practiced flick of the wrist, 
leaving the Prince lying, naked and prostrate, upon the bed, vulnerable to 
whatever Glorfindel chose to do with him. 

He did not have chance to even consider this fact, however, for what 
Glorfindel did choose to do with him was to lower his head and swallow 
his burning member to the hilt. Legolas cried out at the sudden ecstasy that 
instantly swept him up, and he threw his head back and twisted his hands 
in the sheets, moaning softly and arching upwards, as the Eldar started to 
suck and run his tongue around the base of his swollen shaft. 

Glorfindel was watching Legolas' reactions the entire time as he continued 
to torture him with his precise ministrations. All of a sudden he had a 
strange wish to see his face, so he paused his motions and waited; sure 
enough the Prince lifted his head and gazed down at him imploringly. 
Legolas' face was perhaps the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen, 
decided the Eldar, as his azure regard met the other's indigo, his eyes 
darkened to the deepest blue by lust and half-lidded, the paint of arousal 
staining his smooth cheeks, and his lips damp and swollen from their 
kisses, slightly parted. His flaxen hair was breaking loose from its braids 
and sticking to the thin sheen of sweat that covered his skin, and he was 
panting slightly; the very sight of him made the Eldar want to beam from 
ear to ear. 

Legolas, for his part, wished to permanently engrave in his mind the image 
of Glorfindel between his legs with his mouth and part of his throat wholly 
occupied with his erection; he looked utterly wanton and lustful and 
shameless, even more so as his parted lips twitched upwards into a faint 
smile, lighting up his fair features. But then all coherent thought fled his 
mind, for the Eldar either laughed or growled - he could not be sure which, 
but it mattered not - and the most fantastic vibrations rippled through his 
Elfhood; he had to twist his head so he bit down upon the pillow to 
prevent himself from crying out so loudly that they attracted attentions 
from down below. 

This only served to amuse Glorfindel more, apparently, for he laughed 
again. This time Legolas did cry out, even though his teeth were firmly 
embedded in the pillow, and he was eventually left a mass of seething 
nerves, writhing upon the bed. He bucked helplessly into the Eldar's 
mouth, provoked beyond the realm of rational thought and articulate 
speech to instinctive movements and unintelligible moaning and 
mutterings. The one who tortured him persisted with his sucking and the 
swirling of his tongue at the same time as he raised one hand to fondle the 
twin sacs below where his chin rested. This was Legolas' undoing, for he 
felt his sacs tighten as another wave of exquisite pleasure jolted through 
his frame; he may have cried out or he may not have, but either way he 
was unable to remember anything for several moments following the 
potent orgasm as he collapsed back down onto the bed, shaking like a 
golden autumn leaf in the breeze that swept it up and encased it within its 
own form. 

Glorfindel shushed and soothed him until he quieted, stroking the tangled 
flaxen hair and cradling him to his chest. When the tremors had finally 
subsided he laid Legolas back down on the bed; the Prince's eyelids were 
still firmly drawn across the bright blue orbs within and he wore the traces 
of a brilliant smile upon his fair features. When the Eldar moved away 
from him he opened his eyes and regarded him expectantly but wordlessly. 
Glorfindel grinned. 

"The best is yet to come, lirimaer, do not worry!" he reassured him, 
sliding back down his body with a trail of delicate kisses that once more 
had the Prince writhing upon the bed and his member, spent once already 
that day, stirring again. "Did I not say that by the end of today you would 
want to be mine every night?" 

The delectable moan in response suggested that he was probably correct, 
and he gently spread the younger Elf's legs with a smile, self-satisfied at 
having brought such bliss to this beautiful creature already. He then 
paused; something was missing. A swift glance around the talan proposed 
that he was unlikely to find it there, so, at a loss for any other method, he 
lowered his head to Legolas' hips once more. 

The Prince cried out again when he felt something wet at his tight 
opening; he had anticipated what was to follow, but was that Glorfindel's 
/tongue/?! The warm wetness sliding around the firm ring of muscles at 
the entrance to his body, and the fact that both hands were pressing into 
his hips to keep them still, made him believe that it was, but there was no 
time to ponder on this for a wet finger then pushed inside him, replacing 
the supple flesh that had been there before, and tenderly circled the 
muscles within before another was soon added. 

Legolas whimpered in the grand expectation of things to follow and 
rocked his hips helplessly against Glorfindel's fingers. "Please, vanimaer, 
please, now, I need this, I need you...ai!" The fingers brushed his prostate 
gland, "Take me, I am yours!" 

He was swiftly rewarded, for the fingers were withdrawn and now 
replaced by a blunt, immovable heat as the Eldar's body covered his own, 
and he found a pair of lips whispering into his ear. 

"Now? Are you sure? I have not --" 

He was cut off by a frustrated, needy whimper from the Prince, who 
arched up against him in his desperation for more skin contact. 

"I do not care, please..." 

Glorfindel quieted him with a kiss as his hands moved back down to hold 
slim hips still, and in one fluid movement he thrust inside Legolas' tight 
opening. The younger Elf choked on the next breath that he took, a noise 
that sounded suspiciously like a suppressed sob, and Glorfindel drew his 
head back anxiously to inspect his face despite the carnal instincts 
washing over his own body, urging him to start moving inside him. 

The Prince's eyes were screwed shut and he was biting his lower lip in 
pain and discomfort. Guilt flooded his heart and he immediately slipped 
one hand between their hot, damp bodies to stroke Legolas' second 
erection, smoothing out the hurt that filled him until his face relaxed and 
he opened his eyes, and brought his arms up to wind around the Eldar's 
neck, urging him to continue. 

Glorfindel now started to withdraw and push back in, slowly and gently at 
first, but the strokes soon became harder and deeper as he found Legolas' 
sweet spot far inside the darkness that made him cry out in bliss. The 
Eldar smiled to himself, regulating his rhythm with age-old self-discipline 
so that he brought as much pleasure to the Prince as he could take; 
however it appeared that this would be comparatively little tonight, for 
Legolas already looked fit to burst beneath him. Heavy beads of sweat had 
settled all over his delicate skin, which was tinted scarlet across his 
impossibly high cheekbones and spreading below to curtain of his damp 
golden hair to taint the tips of his pointed ears the same colour. His head 
was thrown back onto the pillow, his eyes closed once more, lips a little 
parted with the occasional sigh or moan of elation escaping them. 
Glorfindel could feel the weeping evidence of his second arousal rubbing 
against his stomach even as he moved back and forth along his body, and 
despite his best efforts to prolong the ecstasy the inevitable tightening of 
the Prince's inner muscles around his own throbbing erection was also his 
undoing, and they both cried out in unison as they climaxed. 

Glorfindel slumped forwards onto the Prince, too drained for that moment 
to even withdraw from him for that moment, and both blonds lay 
motionless for several minutes simply basking in the warmth of the other 
until the worst of the tremors had subsided. Eventually Glorfindel rolled to 
one side of Legolas, withdrawing his now flaccid member gently as he did 
so, and raised himself on one elbow to look into the younger Elf's face. He 
was clearly not asleep, for his eyes were still closed, but he was breathing 
heavily and appeared to be utterly exhausted. The elder Elf tenderly 
pressed his own lips to the younger's sweet, kiss-bruised pair and 
smoothed a few stray strands of golden silk from his face, before he rolled 
him gently onto one side so that he was facing away and spooning himself 
up against the slender, inert body. Blankets were drawn up tightly around 
them, enveloping the lovers, who soon succumbed to a satiated slumber 
once more. 
 


***************  
CHAPTER 15  
***************
 
Study Period 

Legolas was slowly awoken by the nagging, empty feeling inside his belly 
that could only be identified as hunger. His eyes became alert and he 
shifted a little, only to find a pair of strong arms around his middle, 
holding him close to the owner's chest. They tightened around him and he 
smiled, snuggling back against the warmth of his lover's body. 

They lay together for several moments without saying a word, until the 
peaceful silence was broken by a loud growl emanating from the Prince's 
stomach. He grinned sheepishly, and Glorfindel's chest vibrated behind 
him as he chuckled softly, before Legolas found a pair of lips by his ear, 
whispering into it. 

"Hungry, lirimaer? I cannot say I am surprised; we barely ate yesterday. 
Shall we go and see about some food?" 

Legolas rolled over inside the circle of the Eldar's arms and placed a 
chaste kiss on his lips ere he replied. "Yes, come on then!" He got to his 
knees on the mattress and climbed over Glorfindel's body to get to the 
floor, for the bed was pushed up against a wall, letting his legs linger 
tantalisingly over the Eldar's hips as he did so. Once he had stood up, 
Glorfindel raised himself on one elbow so that he could watch his lover 
put his leggings on, and yawned. 

"What is the time?" 

Legolas glanced at the clock. "Ten to three, in the morning, I presume." A 
well-aimed toss of Glorfindel's leggings meant that they hit him in the 
face, and the Eldar smirked at the Prince sarcastically as he swept back the 
sheets to sit on the edge of the bed. 

"Really? I thought that it was always dark at ten to three in the afternoon," 
he replied dryly and earning himself a scowl from Legolas, who was 
pulling on his shirt. 

"Did nobody ever tell you that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, melme?" 

"Ah, but did nobody ever tell you that it's also the highest form of 
intelligence?" retorted Glorfindel, his trademark wicked grin returning to 
his face for the first time in over a week. This, combined with amusement 
at the Eldar's self-satisfaction, brought a brilliant smile to Legolas' own 
features, and he playfully tossed Glorfindel's shirt in the same direction as 
his leggings. 

"Get dressed and let's go!" he laughed, the silvery music provoked by the 
Eldar's mock-indignant expression at having his clothes thrown at him in 
such a manner. His stomach growled again, as if to prove the point, and 
Glorfindel rolled his eyes. 

"Very well, very well, I am coming!" he consented, feigning annoyance as 
he got to his feet and put on his shirt, then made his way over to where 
Legolas was standing at the entrance to the talan. The Prince raised an 
eyebrow and poked him playfully in the ribs before he hastily exited their 
sleeping quarters and descended from the tree. 

"What in Arda are you moaning about? This was your idea!" he called 
airily as he climbed gracefully down the rope ladder. Glorfindel snorted 
and followed, answering as he went, "Yes, I know, the things that I do for 
you!" 

He dropped neatly down from the last few rungs of the ladder and looked 
around him for Legolas, but the younger Elf was nowhere to be seen. He 
frowned inwardly, suspicion creeping over him; what was that Princeling 
up to no