Many of the elves present, remarked among themselves that their Lord was acting in a way that none had seen since before the awful time of Lady Celebrian's attack. Glorfindel could not help but smile everytime he glanced over at his old friend, for he alone had deduced the reason behind Elrond's changed demeanor and he heartily approved of that change.
Not that the Lord of Imladris had suddently reverted into a loquatious elfling. Far from it, for Elrond was too stately a personage to ever give in to any form of extravagant display. It was more that his usually rigid posture had noticeably relaxed and that he smiled often, smiles that were fully reflected in his eyes. Subtle changes, to be sure, but ones that spoke volumes to the gathered elves about their Lord's well being.
One table over, another elf also seemed to be fully enjoying the evening. Lindir threw his head back and laughed as the elleth seated across from him finished her humorous anecdote. Once again, his table companions remarked upon his unusually high spirits. And once again, he told them that the cause was simply his happiness at how well the trying events of the past few days had turned out. A statement that was the very essense of the truth.
Through out the course of the meal, there were no fleeting glances between sea-green eyes and grey ones, no secret smiles exchanged. For what the two elves shared had nothing at all to do with blooming love. They were both perfectly content to continue in the course of their separate lives, wanting nothing more than to occassionally indulge in the pleasures of the flesh and most importantly, in the comfort that came from falling asleep within a warm embrace.
When the evening meal was over, Elrond and Glorfindel excused themselves, the seneschal bestowing an almost-indecent parting kiss upon his beloved, before heading for Elrond's study to enjoy a quiet after-dinner libation.
There, the two friends sat in the same comfortable chairs where, but a few days ago, Elrond had teased the Balrog Slayer about his disheveled appearance. They savored their drinks in companiable silence, knowing that this night would bring no alarming news or interruptions. Until, at length, Glorfindel spoke.
" You seem most...refreshed...mellon nin." The seneschal observed, with a knowing grin.
Elrond shifted a bit in his chair, then stared down at his drink, feeling discomfited by his friend's tone.
" Yes..Well.. With Elrohir recovering, your heart finally bonded and Erestor come at last fully to his nature, I have much reason for happiness."
" A new-found happiness that is perhaps further enhanced by a certain minstrel?..." The seneschal asked, cocking a mischievous eyebrow.
Elrond looked up from his glass and Glorfindel was taken aback by the vulnerability he saw in his friend's eyes. It was as if the sable-haired Lord expected to be condemmed for finally allowing himself this much-needed release. Glorfindel's own eyes softened in understanding and he reached over to place a hand upon Elrond's arm.
" No one would begrudge you this. Least of all Celebrian, who told me of her wish for this very thing to happen, before she departed."
" She told you?."
" Aye, she told me. And as long as there is no danger to Lindir's heart, why should you not seek such comfort?. You have denied yourself for far too long, meldiramin."
Elrond smiled at his old friend, thankfullness flooding his eyes.
" There is no danger to Lindir's heart. That I can assure you." He said.
The Lord then told the Balrog Slayer about Lasiel and of her own wish for the minstrel. Glorfindel listened, his eyes widening.
" Then your coming toguether is even more fitting!." He exclaimed. " Though I now wonder what took the two of you so long.."
" A question we pondered ourselves." Elrond replied, wryly.
With a shared chuckle, the elves setted back into their chairs once more and Elrond felt a wave of relief flood through his whole body. He had not realized just how much Glorfindel's acceptance meant to him, and how wonderful it was to know that he would not have to keep his relantionship with Lindir hidden from his longtime friend.
The glass in his hand began to tremble...
Tears suddently welled in Elrond's eyes, spilling over to run in trails down his face. Glorfindel, in the act of bringing his own glass up to his lips for another drink, froze as he caught sight of his friend's distress. Setting the glass down upon the table instead, the seneschal then pried the other glass from Elrond's fingers and set it down beside his own, before leaning over to capture the shaken Lord's hands.
" Elrond... Do not let grief and doubt rob you of this much-deserved measure of joy." He said earnestly, misunderstanding the cause of his friend's tears.
" Nay, mellon nin. That is not why I weep."
The Lord took a deep, steadying breath and made his decision.
" Do you recall on the night of Erestor and Ja-zel's departure, when you asked me what was wrong and I told you that my heart had found a hard-sought resolution?." He asked.
" Aye. You said we would speak of it at a later time." Glorfindel's brow creased in a silent question of his own.
" That time is now." Elrond affirmed.
Then he told him about the twins...
Much later, when evening had fully passed into night, the Balrog Slayer came at last to the door of his own chambers. After leaving Elrond's study, he had taken a long walk through the gardens. But it had done little to ease the conflict in his mind, as he tried to come to terms with what his old friend had confided.
The laws of their people demanded his repugnance and condemnation. But the events of the last few days had left an indelible change in his perceptions and he found himself feeling not repugnance towards the twins, but compassion.
As he crossed his large rooms, he spied Melpomaen and a tender smile curved his lips at the sight of his beloved, lost in deep and peaceful reverie. He went to stand by the bed and looked down at the beautiful young elf, pensively.
For centuries the young assistant had suffered in silence, keeping his love a secret for fear it would never be accepted. While Erestor had suffered in silence for millenia, compelled to hide his very nature, a nature that he did not understand, for fear of what would happen were it ever to become known.
{ How long have the twins suffered in silence, in secret, in fear?.. }
The thought brought tears to Glorfindel's eyes. He had always loved Elladan and Elrohir as if they were his own. He had watched with pride as they grew from mischievous elflings, to become remarkable adults. He had comforted them when they despaired after their beloved Naneth was viciously attacked. He had worried when they had embarked on their quest for vengeance and he had breathed a sigh of deep relief when their mad hatred had finally passed.
{ And what would Celebrian say of this? }
Somehow, Glorfindel knew that she would understand. Most likely, she had already known and had chosen to remain silent on the matter.
Celebrian...
She had been not only the Lady of Imladris, but over the course of the years, had become a close friend on her own right. She had heard his confidences and had confided to him in return. She had succored him within her maternal embrace, on those rare occassions that he had awoken screaming as his nightmares recalled his fiery death at the claws of the Balrog. She had comforted him with gentle words and uplifted him with her laughter when his heart sagged under the weight of his loneliness.
Could he now turn away from her sons?.
As he undressed and went to lay beside his beloved, Glorfindel knew that he could not.
TBC...