As they sat down to eat, Glorfindel decided to skip any preliminaries and got right to the point.
" You know something." He stated, looking at Elrond.
" Have you tried this raspberry jam?. It is glorious."
" Elrond..."
" I have a strong suspicion." Elrond sighed, looking back at his seneschal. " But we must wait until we speak with Lady Ja-zel this evening to confirm it. You know I can say nothing more. I am still bound by my oath."
Melpomaen looked from one Lord to the other.
{ Suspicion?...Oath? }
He suddently felt completely out of place in the study. As if he was an elfling, eavesdropping on a conversation whose subject he was not meant to understand. Clearing his throat, he began to rise from the table.
" My Lords. I...I have no business being here... I would return to my duties, by your leave."
Glorfindel reached out and grabbed his arm, gently tugging until the assistant sat back down again, before moving his hand to entwine their fingers. Elrond's eyebrow arched sharply as he observed the gesture, recalling the passionate cries he had heard come from the seneschal's room earlier.
" You have every business being here." Glorfindel said, firmly. " You are the only one aside from Elrond and I who knows of the creatu...of Lady Ja-zel's identity. It was you, after all, who found out what she is and where she hails from."
" Aye." Elrond agreed. " And there is much to be done today to inform the whole of Imladris of the Lady's presence, and also to aquaint all with the aspects of her other...form. Your assistance in this matter would be invaluable, Melpomaen."
The young elf blushed, pleased beyond measure by his Lord's words.
" Besides...I do not think that our esteemed seneschal is of any mind to let you go." He finished, looking pointedly at the joined hands.
Melpomaen's blush deepened fetchingly as Glorfindel laughed.
" You have the right of it, mellon nin. Now that I have found him, I will never let him go."
Both of Elrond's inimitable eyebrows shot up in surprise. So...this was far more than a strong infatuation. It seemed his dear friend had found love, at long last. And with someone so unexpected... A brief vision of his sons touched his mind and the Lord pushed it away, not wanting to marr the present moment of happiness. His face broke into a smile.
" Well, this is indeed turning out to be a day for surprises. I am so very pleased for you both!."
Elrond reached out to place his hand atop theirs, his eyes meeting the Balrog Slayer's.
" I have long hoped for love to grace your heart, meldiramin." He then looked at Melpomaen. " And you..You have come so far from that lost little elfling I first beheld in this very study. You have grown into an admirable elf, with one of the kindest spirits ever bestowed upon our kind."
" My Lord!...I...thank you!." Melpomaen exclaimed, his eyes welling.
Glorfindel and Elrond too, were momentarily overcome. Then Glorfindel's irrepresible nature reaserted itself.
" Now, what were you saying about glorious raspberry jam?."
All three elves laughed, for Glorfindel's prodigious appetite was well known, then began to enjoy the contents of the breakfast tray with gusto as they planned the day's strategy.
Melpomaen set the scribes to work on making copies of the document he had prepared concerning the nature of Lady Ja-zel. When finished, they would be borne by messengers to all the elven households within Imladris' borders, but far from the vicinity of the Last Homely House.
He then sat down and penned a carefully-worded letter, to be sent to the leader of the human settlement along their western border. He knew that unlike the elves, who were familiar with the extraordinary and who would quickly overcome their shock with friendly curiosity, the human's reaction would be fraught with fear and superstition and thus, they would need reassurance. The Lords and Melpomaen had agreed that an invitation should be extended to the Mayor, his councillor and the captain in charge of the large village's defences, so they could meet with Ja-zel and see for themselves that there was no need for concern, for she would cause no harm to their people.
This, the Lord of Imladris could vouch with unerring certainty.
The Lady Ja-zel, in both of her forms, exuded a gentleness that bellied her feral appearance. She also seemed possesed of a subtle sense of humor and a streak mischievousness that served to further enhance her appeal. Melpomaen, after thinking through their encounter of that morning, found that he liked the Lady very much. The tender smile that had graced her features when she had looked at the sleeping Lord Erestor had touched his heart deeply. Melpomaen did not yet fully understand what was happening, but he found himself hoping that whatever the reason for Lady Ja-zel's presence in the advisor's quarters, it would finally bring some happiness to the somber Lord.
Glorfindel had dismissed the guard he had posted to Elrond's rooms and replaced the one assigned to the twin's chambers. He could not resist taking a peek inside and saw, with a smile, that the two still slumbered peacefully. Their special bond and utter devotion to each other had always been a marvel to the seneschal, who never had any siblings of his own. After quietly closing their door, he managed to resist the temptation to go look in on Erestor, adonishing to himself that they had promised to leave the Lady Ja-zel in peace until the evening meal.
As he crossed the courtyard to dismiss the guards he had posted at the entrance of the walled garden, he saw one of them running frantically towards him. He could no supress a grin at knowing what the guard would report. Though in retrospect, he knew he would find it far from amusing without this knowledge. He calmed the guard and sent him to retrieve his companions, for a meeting was about to be held in the barrack's yard.
The next hours saw the seneschal imparting the news of Elrohir's injury and his expectant full recovery, which elicited a rousing chorus of cheers. Then appraising them of the creature and it's duality as Lady Ja-zel, which elicited a long moment of stunned silence, followed by a barrage of questions. Glorfindel answered them all, but ommited the somewhat embarrasing fact of the Lady's unclothed state and the fact that she was in Erestor's rooms. He did tell them, as unrelated news, that the advisor's condition was stable. An announcement that was greeted by a more muted, but no less heartfelt response.
The seneschal then dispatched runners to convey all that he had said to those of his forces still out on sentry duty, before turning his attention to privately reassuring the guilt-ridden guards assigned to the walled garden that they had not commited an unpardonable failure to their duties.
At last, Glorfindel made it to the privacy of his office, where he began going through the day's paperwork even as he wondered how the meeting being held in Elrond's study was turning out..
TBC...