Title: Trust
Author: Karis
Type: FPS
Characters: Glorfindel/Erestor
Rating: R
Beta: Unbetaed (and my mother tongue is not English, so please forgive the mistakes)
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters and no profit is made by this.
Feedback: karisb@deejaymail.it, please
Author's Notes: Written for a person I've hurt; just to tell him I'm sorry and I love him.
My first fic, hope you enjoy.

Gondolin 510 F.A.
Tarnin Austa

Glorfindel hurried along the corridors of the House of the Golden Flower toward the quarters he shared with Erestor. He hoped his husband had overworked as usual and were not in their rooms yet: he did not want to have to tell him where he had been and reveal his secret.

He quickly passed through the great wooden door that lead to his quarters and looked around: Erestor was nowhere to be seen. He had just sighed with relief when a cold voice asked: "Where have you been, Glorfindel?", as the dark haired Noldo appeared on the door from the inner rooms.

Glorfindel hesitated: he would never lie to his husband, but that would mean reveling him his secret...

"Are you silent?" Erestor continued "It doesn't matter. I already know: you were at the House of the Fountain."

Glorfindel was surprised. "How do you know?"

"Someone has seen you. You have been there last week, then three days ago and now again. Why? What have you been doing there? Not meeting our friend Ecthelion: he did not even know you went there. So why?" Erestor voice sounded cold and sharp, but had Glorfindel not been too surprised to notice, he would have heard it trembling, as if Erestor was near to tears.

"'Twas just work, my love" he answered.

"And you expect me to believe you?" Erestor voice was now even colder.

Glorfindel was shocked. His voice was filled with sadness and disbelief. "Do- do you think I can lie to you? Do you not trust me?"

Erestor lowered his head, then fixed his gaze on Glorfindel again. His chocolate-brown eyes were gleamy with tears. "I don't know". His voice was now low and grieved.

The look of hurt and pain he saw in Glorfindel eyes pierced him like a frozen arrow. His heart crushed under the weight ot that pain together with his own. He started to cry openly.

"I- I'm sorry. " he sobbed "I want to... I - I need to trust you... you don't know how much... it's just I cannot... and it hurts, it hurts me so much... please forgive me... I love you... I love you" Erestor weeped, snatches of "I love you" amidst the tears.

Glorfindel stood petrified, fighting with the feeling of rejection and betrayal he felt. A part of him wanted to be angry, but all he could feel was hurt and sadness. Yet Erestor's pain moved him. Through everything he loved him.

He embraced the dark elf in front of him, and there they stood, crying, letting their love wash away all uncertainty.

Glorfindel was the first to regain some composure. He lifted Erestor's face and he kissed him deeply, showing him the depth of his love. "I love you" he said. Erestor smiled hesitantly, still weeping.

"There's something I want you to see" Glorfindel continued, drawing out a small wooden box and handing it to Erestor.

"Open it"

He did: inside there was a mithril hairclip. It was identical to the golden one Glorfindel had, a flower with a blue stone set in the middle.

"I thought of giving it to you for your begetting day, next week. That's why I went to the Fountain, they have the best goldsmiths."

Erestor was gazing at it open-mouthed, his face reddened with shame "It- it's beautiful, melmë. I- I have been a fool. Can you forgive me?"

"Already done, my love. Just learn to trust me"

Erestor did not reply: that was already done as well. He had learnt seeing the pain in his lover's eyes.

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

They stood there, embracing, for a very long time, oblivious of anything but their love, until they heard the sound of silver bells. That sound carried them back to reality: the celebrations were starting and they were horribly late.

They prepared quickly and hurried along the now empty streets of the city, while all the people of Gondolin were gathered on the eastern walls. waiting silently for the coming of dawn.

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

Erestor watched his husband as he arrayed for battle.

As they had stood upon the battlements, looking east for the first sign of dawn, another light began, far beyond the northward heights, and it waxed and reddened. Morgoth had finally fond Turgon's Hidden City, and now his hoards were at the very feet of Amon Gwareth. So every warrior of the Gondolithlim was preparing to fight to defend their city, Glorfindel and Erestor as well.

In spite of fear and worry, Erestor could not help but think of how beautiful his husband was: the golden-rimmed armour enhanced his strong form, his long hair shone like gold and his eyes were as blue as the inviolable realms of Manwë, though now filled with concern.

Glorfindel was in his turn watching Erestor as he put on his light leather armour and took his knives: Erestor made up for his lack of strength with a great agility. Yet he was a scholar and not a warrior, and Glorfindel knew he would not survive such a battle.

"Erestor" he said as they left their rooms "I want you to gather the women and the elflings of the House. Escort them to Idril's secret passageway. Stay with them, make sure they are safe."

"And you? What will yo do?"

"I'll go fighting at the northern gate with the others. We may still drive back the assault"

"I won't leave you!"

"You have to. It's our duty to protect our folk, yet I cannot spare a single warrior. I need you to do this." Glorfindel knew that play on Erestor's sense of duty was the only way to keep him away from battle.

"Trust me, melmë." He immediately regretted using those words, but Erestor just nodded.

"Just promise you'll come back" he said.

"I'll be back to you safe and whole, melmë. I love you Erestor."

"I love you too Glorfindel"

They kissed deeply, for a moment forgetting anything but their love. Then they broke the kiss and walked away in opposite directions.

TBC...

Elvish translations:
Melmëë (q): love

Lindon, Spring 1600 S.A.



Lírien followed the older chambermaid into the following room. She
had just started working in the King's Palace and, since she had not get to
know the place yet, she had been told to follow Mithwen and learn from her.

"This are Master Erestor's quarters" said Mithwen as they entered.

Líírien looked around: there were two big rooms and a privare
bathroom, all richly furnitured. She wasn't surprised: Master Erestor was Lord
Elrond's private secretary and an elf of great importance in the King's
household.

Two other things surprised her, instead: one was the main colours.
The few times she had seen Master Erestor he had seemed to her a very sombre
elf, always dressed in black; so she had imagined the main colour of his
room to be black or burgundy, which seemed her to fit better with the
opinion she had of the secretary's personality.

Yet the rooms were all in blue and gold.

The other thing was the duality of the rooms: there was two of
everything, a bed for two, two wardrobes, two bedtables, two desks, two armchair
near the fireplace.

"I didn't know Master Erestor lived with someone..." she said,
speaking with herself more than with her workmate.

"He doesn't." replied Mithwen, sharply.

Lírien looked around again, puzzled. Then she noticed: in each couple
of thing, one was untouched. Erestor was a very neat person, yet one
could see his things were used: half the bed was unmade, a few things laid
scattered on the desk, an empty teacup on the bedtable.

Instead, the others were perfectly clean and neat, as if someone has
put them there and then never touched them again. Lírien thought she
could see a sheen of dust cover them all, even though she knew it wasn't there,
since Mithwen cleaned the room everyday.

"He says he is waiting for his husband to come" continued Mithwen "I
think he has gone mad, but the King and his Herald trust him, so who am I to
contradict them?"

"Why do you think so? I don't think there's anything mad in waiting
for one's lover."

"There is, if said lover is dead, and Erestor's is. He was Glorfindel
of Gondolin, the famed Balrog-Slayer... or Balrog-slain, better said"
she added sarcastically.

Lírien felt a great pity for the small dark-haired scholar that was
still waiting for his long-dead lover, unable to accept that he would not
come back to him again. Her thought went to her own betrothed, and how
lost she would feel should he die. Had she not been working, she would have
run to him immediately, just to tell him she loved him. But she was working,
as so she just closed the door behind herself and hurried to follow Mithwen
that had already gone on to the following room.

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

Erestor sat on the strand near to Mithlond. He loved the Sea,
listening to the waves breaking on the pebbles, the wind, the wailing of the gulls,
though it filled him with melancholy.

That evening, however, he felt as he was waiting, though what for he
could not tell.

It was sunset: Arien was driving her flaming ship westward, toward the
Undying Lands, leaving Middle Earth till she would climb the eastern
sky again the morning after. Erestor's gaze followed her way

And thus he saw her. A ship was approaching.

It was a common thing: since the times of Tar-Aldárion many sailed
from Númenor to Middle Earth.

Yet this was no Númenorean ship. As she approached, Erestor saw she
was a grey ship, with a high prow shaped like a swan: she was an Elvish
ship, coming from the Blessed Realm.

Erestor's heart leapt, and he suddenly understood what he was waiting
for. He got up and ran to the Haven.

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

It was deep in the night when the ship docked at Mithlond. The Haven
was silent and dark, the only lights coming from the Moon, the Stars and
a few lamps. A gangway was brought down from the ship, and a lone figure
descended. It was tall and strong, with long blonde hair that looked
almost silvery in the cold light.

As he stood on the dock he hesitated, as if not sure of what to do
next. Yet he did not had to make a decision, since a dark clothed, dark haired
elf came out of the shadows to meet him. The smile on his face was as
bright as the full Moon over him.

The blond could not believe his eyes.

"Mae govannen, melmë. Welcome back" said Erestor.

Glorfindel run to his husband and kissed him deeply, pulling him from
his feet with his strong arms. They kissed for what seemed eternity, then
Erestor said, tears of joy in his eyes :"I missed you"

"I missed you too, my love. I- I was afraid I wouldn't find you. Were
you waiting for me? How do you know I was on that ship?

"I didn't. I just knew you would come back: you told me so and I
trust you."

END