Title: Four Calling Birds, Two Lovers.
Rating: NC-17 FPS
Author: jenolas
Disclaimer: LOTR belongs to the creative genius of JRR Tolkien, not me.
Summary: Glorfindel declares his love for Erestor with a gift of
special meaning.
A/N: written for the 12 Days of Christmas anthology on
the 'godsthemselves' group.

Four Calling Birds,Two Lovers.


As he did every night when he was not away on patrol, Glorfindel
ended his day by scouting the passageways of the Last Homely House,
his senses alert for anything out of the ordinary, any hint of
danger to the family he was charged by the Valar to protect.

As usual, all was quiet and as it should be and he breathed a small
sigh of relief to know that not only Elrond and his family were
safe, but so was the one his heart cherished above all others. Had
anyone chosen that moment to look into Glorfindel's eyes, they would
have seen the soul deep love light that shone from them as he
thought of the beautiful advisor.

Many a time over the years he had seen Erestor firmly reject
unwanted advances in a manner that earned him a reputation of having
a cold heart and ice water in his veins when in fact it was fear and
sometimes longing that Glorfindel saw in his friend's eyes. He
sensed that Erestor wanted to be loved, but was afraid to open his
heart, just as Glorfindel had been until he finally realised that,
for his part, friendship had turned to love.

Glorfindel shook his head with disgust at his own cowardice, for
although he had no doubt he could easily face another Balrog, he had
not yet found the nerve to admit his feelings to the owner of his
heart. He and Erestor shared a close friendship born of mutual
respect and affection and Glorfindel knew it was not the advisor he
feared to face, but the possibility that his love would be rejected.

As usual, the last chamber he inspected was the library where he
took extra time to walk around the vast chamber, ensuring all the
candles were extinguished and the fire in the hearth had burned
itself out. Even to a warrior, who read mostly historical accounts
of battles, the loss of Elrond's irreplaceable collection of books
and scrolls and maps would be a terrible shame, but to his lord and
the advisor, it would be devastating.

Glorfindel noticed the flickering of a lone candle in one of the
alcoves, and had moved to put it out before he realised Erestor was
using it to read by.

"Please leave it alight, Glorfindel," Erestor asked, stepping back
through one of the archways that lead to the balcony. He had
obviously been outside admiring the light snowfall, for crystals of
ice glittered in his black hair, reminding Glorfindel of stars
shining brightly on a warm summer night. What a romantic notion, he
thought as his bright eyes met dark ones that were smiling at his
friend's startled expression.

"I am sorry, Erestor, I did not realise anyone was in here,"
Glorfindel said, relaxing and returning the smile. "I will leave you
to your book. I know I need not remind you, of all people, to douse
the candle before you leave," he said making a move towards the door.

"Wait, Glorfindel." The soft plea made his heart ache and his feet
unwilling to take another step

"I know you have finished seeing to our safety for the evening.
Will you not stay and share the last of this wine with me?" Erestor
asked, indicating the half empty bottle.

"Aye, I believe I will," Glorfindel replied, taking a seat next to
the advisor after he had accepted the cup of wine and downed a large
mouthful to try and calm the thunder in his chest." What are you
reading?" he asked, not particularly interested in the book, but
very interested in hearing the sound of his friend's melodious
voice. Erestor was surprised at Glorfindel's sudden interest in what
he was reading, and a flush of warmth coloured his cheeks as he saw
the look in his friend's eyes that spoke of feelings deeper than
simple affection.

"An account of the customs of Men. Did you know that gift giving is
traditional for some at this time of year?"

The seneschal noticed the blush and his hopes that his love might be
returned began to grow along with a certain part of his anatomy.
Pulling his tunic over the telltale bulge, Glorfindel noticed for
the first time that Erestor wore only a loose shirt and leggings.
His feet were bare because his house slippers rested beneath the
black robe that was draped over a nearby chair. Normally the modest
advisor would have quickly covered his casual attire, but showed no
sign of doing so, or of embarrassment for his state of undress.

This small act of intimacy meant a great deal to Glorfindel who
realised that it was only in his company that Erestor felt so
comfortable. Only when they were alone together did the delightfully
witty and charming advisor emerge from the aloof faççade Erestor
presented. He had never been so with Glorfindel, and although open
displays of affection were rare, the smile he always favoured the
seneschal with was as none others had ever seen. The signs were
definitely there and the feeling of kissing those soft lips in
passion for the first time was almost painful in its imagined
beauty. Not even the too short tunic could hide the now fully erect
penis, but Glorfindel tried nonetheless to convince his body to
ignore the ache of unfulfilled need.

"Is that so? What kind of gifts?" Glorfindel asked, now with genuine
curiosity, hoping to keep Erestor from learning of his so called
friend's sudden and almost overwhelming desire to ravish him.

"Well, there are many different traditions, but the one I find most
appealing occurs around Yule. It is said to be a very special time
and each day, for twelve days in total, there is a specific gift to
be given to one's true love." Erestor explained as he opened the
book at the marked page and handed it to Glorfindel. Erestor had
noticed his friend's aroused state, and another flush, this time of
pleasure and embarrassment at his own growing hardness coloured his
cheeks as he moved to sit on the arm of the chair.

"Yule has just passed, and according to this, tomorrow is day four,"
the seneschal said as he studied the picture depicting four calling
birds, just the sort of gift the nature loving Erestor would
appreciate. Perhaps this was the means he could use to tell Erestor
of his love, for with the advisor's astute perceptive ability, such
a gift would speak to him of the message that Glorfindel found
difficult to voice.

Placing an arm around the strong shoulders for balance, he leaned
forward to take a closer look at the picture in question. A few
wisps of black silk tickled Glorfindel's cheek, and without
thinking, he reached up to brush the unruly strands away from
Erestor's face, his fingers brushing the soft skin of the warm cheek
as he did so. Erestor gasped sharply and closed his eyes at the
exquisite sensation. It was the most intimate contact between them
that either had ever dared and he instinctively quickly moved away.

"I am sorry, Erestor. Please forgive me. I did not mean to take such
a liberty," Glorfindel apologised, cursing himself for his lack of
control. For once Erestor's perception failed him and he
misinterpreted the frown of concern on Glorfindel's handsome face as
one of regret for his actions.

"Of course you did not," Erestor said, masterfully hiding his
disappointment. He wanted nothing more than for Glorfindel to touch
him like that. Aye, to touch him like a lover, if he was to be
totally honest. Apparently Glorfindel did not feel the same way.

Assuming they would never be this close again, Erestor decided to
throw caution to the wind and walked back over to where Glorfindel
was sitting. Taking the warrior's hands in his, he showed a
surprising strength as he pulled the Glorfindel to his feet. Without
a word, he drew him into a close embrace and took his lips in the
sweetest and most tenderly erotic kiss the warrior had ever
experienced.

"Good night, Glorfindel," Erestor whispered sadly as he turned and
left the library before the stunned Balrog slayer realised what had
happened. Not only had Erestor kissed him, but there was no
mistaking the love in that tender touch, or the anguish in his eyes
that spoke of rejection.

When his pride was hurt, Erestor was the most stubborn Elf
Glorfindel had ever met and he knew that only a firm declaration of
his love would be sufficient to ease his pain. He also knew that the
advisor would not be in a receptive mood at present and rather than
further damage any chance he had of making Eretor his own,
Glorfindel wisely decided to leave him be for the moment. Besides
unless he found the right words, Glorfindel knew that any
conversation would likely end in angry words not mean to be spoken,
and an attempt at a physical display of affection was out of the
question. How was to accomplish the daunting, and undeniably
rewarding task of winning Erestor's heart?

There was no logical reason for what Glorfindel did next.

Perhaps this really was a magical time of year, or perhaps the Valar
approved highly of a match between their favourite reborn elf lord
and the exotic advisor, or perhaps it was merely time for the lovers
to face their destiny, he knew not which was true, all he knew was
that he was compelled to leave the Last Homely House in search of
four, no doubt very elusive at this time of year, calling birds.

As was the way of all elves, he felt neither the cold of night, nor
did his feet leave more than the barest impression on the soft,
powdery snow, yet he somehow managed to stumble across a very old
man who seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"I beg your pardon. I did not see you," he said as he helped the
ancient one to his feet.

"That comes as no surprise since your eyes were trained on the
treetops. What is it you seek?" the old man asked as he set about
making a small fire in a place that Glorfindel deemed to wet to
support a flame until the small flicker of yellow light burst forth.

"Who are you? One of the Istar?" he asked, assuming this was no
ordinary man, despite the grey hair, wrinkles and very long beard.

"My name is of no importance, but I would hear the answer to my
question," he replied as he warmed his hands near the fire.

"A token of my love to give to the one who unknowingly owns my
heart," Glorfindel replied, feeling foolish in his admission as he
sat beside the old man who was nodding as if in agreement with some
unspoken wisdom.

"Something like this?" he asked as he took a cloth wrapped bundle
from a bag Glorfindel had not noticed before.

"Are you one of the Valar?" The totally confused and very suspicious
Balrog slayer asked.

"I am one who delights in the giving of gifts," The stranger replied
enigmatically as he watched Glorfindel unwrap the cloth to reveal a
pair of bookends, each a carving of two birds facing one another,
their beaks touching as if in a kiss.

"These are beautiful, but how did you know what I needed to find?"

As astonishing as Glorfindel found it to be that all four birds were
exact replicas of those in the picture in Erestor's book, it was
the way their dark glass eyes glittered in the firelight making them
seem almost alive that convinced him he was merely dreaming. Such a
coincidence was unbelievable.

"A little bird told me," he chuckled, his eyes alight with merriment
as Glorfindel groaned at the poor humour. "Give them to Erestor at
first light tomorrow, and you will have all your heart desires."

Glorfindel looked up sharply at the mention of his beloved's name,
meaning to ask how the stranger knew so much, but found that he was
now alone. After making a quick but thorough search of the area,
calling for the stranger to return, the experienced warrior realised
it was a lost cause when he could not find any tracks to follow. He
wrapped the calling birds back in the cloth and noticing that the
first pale light of dawn was already on the horizon, he made haste
to Erestor's chambers.

"Are you awake, Erestor?" Glorfindel called softly as he opened the
unlocked door and entered his beloved's bedchamber. Hearing no
answer, he frowned at the empty bed that had obviously not been
slept in, but as he looked around, he was relieved to see that
Erestor was fast asleep by the fire. Moving quietly so as not to
disturb him, Glorfindel placed the gift on the table beside the
armchair in which Erestor slept and was unable to resist placing a
soft kiss on the lips that had parted with a sorrowful sigh.

"Glorfindel? Is that you? " Erestor asked as his eyes slowly
focussed.

"Aye, I did not mean to wake you," the seneschal stated as he knelt
beside the chair and took one of Erestor's hands in his own.

"Did you just kiss me, or was I dreaming?" The half asleep advisor
was so charmingly innocent that Glorfindel could not resist acting
on his feelings and kissed the sweet lips once more.

"What do you think?" he asked Erestor, who was now fully awake.

"I think you should do it again, only this time with a little more
of that passion I know you possess," Erestor whispered in a voice
that could only be described as sultry. Glorfindel need no further
encouragement and this time their lips met within the ardent manner
of lovers eager to taste each other to the full. The kiss lasted
until they were forced apart, both gasping for breath.

"What are you doing here?" Erestor asked once he regained his
composure.

"I brought my true love a gift," Glorfindel replied with a smile,
indicating the cloth.

"Four calling birds, just like in the book. Wherever did you find
them?" Erestor asked as he studied the beautiful bookends.

"Where they came from is not important, but the reason I chose to
give you this gift today is. Do you understand what I am trying to
tell you?" Glorfindel asked as he held Erestor's eyes with his own.
The advisor nodded.

"Say the words," a strange voice, that both mistakenly thought the
other could not hear, whispered in the still morning air. Without a
second thought they did as commanded by the unseen owner of the
voice.

"I love you," they said in unison, sealing their declaration with a
searing kiss, the heat of which set their desire aflame.

Needing to be as close as possible, clothes were quickly discarded,
and hands at first gentle in their exploration of naked flesh, soon
moved to those parts that screamed for more erotic caresses.
Hardened nipples were alternatively squeezed and suckled until
bodies writhed wantonly at every touch. Tongues lapped their way
towards already weeping cocks, each taking delight in the sweet
taste of the other before the moist flesh dipped into openings
invitingly revealed by parted legs.

"Take me, Glorfindel! Hard and fast!" Erestor panted, wanting to
give his lover the gift he yearned for. Glorfindel's reply was an
incoherent moan of lust as he sheathed himself fully in a single
thrust, grazing Erestor's prostrate as he did so and causing his
lover to arch his back and beg for more.

So intense was the coupling of both their bodies and their fear that
it took only a few hard, deep thrusts before their voices and the
songs in their hearts cried out in ecstatic completion. The sweet
melody lingered as, now fully sated, the lovers lay entwined in each
other's arms, panting breathlessly until coherency returned. Just
before they drifted into blissful reverie, the sound of singing
still echoed through the chamber, and the astonished elves exchanged
a look of disbelief at the source.

On the rail at the end of their bed, black eyes glittered in the
morning sun as four calling birds serenaded the new lovers.

END