The sudden knocking at the door of the music room did not startle him for in truth, his labors had been but a half-hearted effort to distract him from the inevitable moment that was now at hand. Lindir calmy placed the quill on it's stand and capped the the ink well, before geting up to face the two, whose arrival he had been expecting. Although his stomach fluttered with fear, he refused to be cowed, for he knew that he had nothing to be ashamed for and so, his sea-green eyes reflected naught but serenity as he awaited whatever was to come.
Elladan and Elrohir quickly crossed the room, coming to stand before him and the minstrel had to supress the instinct to take a step back at their intimidating nearness. There was a moment of tense silence, then Elladan spoke.
" Forgive me, Lindir." He said, softly.
Lindir's eyes widened for those simple, yet sincere words of apology were the last thing he had expected to hear from the eldest twin. As he looked from one identical face to the other, seeing true remorse and.. approval.., his own expression became gentle.
" My Lord Elladan. I do so with a gladdened heart and with my deepest gratitude to you both for accepting this relantionship of comfort. Comfort, that Lord Elrond and I will share only until we can be reunited with our own beloved spouses." Lindir's voice was as warm as his eyes.
Elladan and Elrohir each placed a hand upon the minstrel's shoulders and suddently, the three elves were smiling at one another as they shared a silent moment of perfect understanding. Then the brothers took their leave of their Ada's lover, closing the door quietly behind them as a relieved Lindir turned back to his writing table, the notes of a new melody begining to dance within his now-untroubled mind.
Feeling their own sense of relief at having righted the wrong done earlier, the twins took the nearest exit leading to the gardens. Once outside, they headed towards the barracks to find the second elf they had to speak with this day. Dawning apprehension rapidly dispelled the light mood of only moments ago, forming tight knots in both of their stomachs as their trepidation grew with each step. Yet neither would stray from their course. They were no longer elflings, but seasoned warriors and as such, they would meet head on whatever reaction awaited them in the seneschal's office...
Glorfindel was elbow-deep in paperwork and grumbling ceaselessly about it. This was, without a doubt, the one part of his duties as seneschal that he detested. He was a warrior, through and through and as such, longed to be outdoors hefting the weapons of his calling, instead of stuck in his office holding the plumed tool of his lover's expertise. He watched, dismally, as yet another inkblot marred the parchment he was writting on and sighed, wishing his beloved were there. Melpomaen would have made short work of the stack on the desk and he would have done it with flawless penmanship.
{ Maybe I should see about stealing him from under Erestor's nose. After all, I could certaintly use an assistant. } He thought, disgruntedly.
Then, like a candle flaming to light over his head, the idea of just in how many ways he could, indeed, use the shy assistant within the office occurred to him, and he suddently forgot all about his intense dislike for paperwork as he ogled his cluttered desk with a wickedly speculative grin.
Off course they would never get any work done...
Right at that time, a knock at the door interrupted what was turning out to be a most pleasant daydream and Glorfindel shook his head slightly, bringing his focus back to the present.
" Enter!." He called.
The door opened to reveal the twins, who stepped inside almost reluctantly.
{ So... Elrond has spoken with them. }
" Elladan, Elrohir. What brings you to my dungeon on this fine day?." He asked, out loud.
The brothers had to smile. For their old tutor's dislike of his office and office-related duties, was as much of a running joke as his seemingly bottomless appetite.
" We were wondering if you can spare us a few moments of your time. There is a...matter... we need to speak to you about."
The twins exchanged a quick glance, before turning their startling grey eyes back to the Balrog Slayer. Glorfindel, realizing how difficult this was for them, smiled reassuringly as he gestured towards the sitting area of his large office.
" I think I can manage to tear myself away from all this fascinating paperwork, for long enough to have a talk." He joked.
His good humor did much to alleviate the brothers' unease, just as Glorfindel had intended. The two visibly relaxed as they sat across from him in the comfortable chairs. But still, neither seemed able to bring up the subject, so Glorfindel did it for them.
" You want to know how I feel about your mated bond. You want to know if I can accept it." He stated, bluntly.
And there it was. The very core of their deepest fear and their greatest hope.
" Yes." They whispered in unison, their voices ragged.
The Balrog Slayer looked at them for a long moment before giving his answer. He leaned forward and grasped one hand from each twin, bringing them toguether so that Elladan's lay atop Elrohir's. Then he once again reclined back into his own chair.
The brothers looked down at their newly-joined hands and slowly interlaced their fingers before raising eyes filled with so much raw emotion, that it was all Glorfindel could do not to cry as he beheld them. His voice was tender as he spoke next.
" The laws of our kind are clear. They will make no exception for your love and thus, you will always be forced to hide it. But not from me. And not from Melpomaen. Not anymore."
The twins tried to speak but found they could not, for their throats were constricted by such overwhelming feelings that once again, the two were at the mercy of their tears. Glorfindel too, found himself overcome and for the second time that morning three elves clung to one another, weeping...
A long while later, two figures emerged from the barracks. Elladan and Elrohir paused, turning their faces up to the clear mid-day sky as they let the warmth of Anor dry the very last tears from their eyes. When they resumed their steps, it was with a newfound lightness gifted by their joyfull hearts....
TBC...