"Rúmil! What a delightful surprise! Of course I have time for you,
silly Elf, come on in!"

Laughing at the exuberant response, Rúmil moved his body fully into
the room, as Glorfindel quickly crossed the room and swept him into a
crushing embrace. He returned the hug, smiling warmly at his old
friend. "It is good to see you again, Glorfindel," he said, as the
golden Elf led him to a chair. "It has been far too long!"

Pouring tea from the still warm pot on a side-table, Glorfindel
nodded. "Aye, it has indeed!" he agreed. "I was most concerned when I
heard of the troubles in Lórien." He handed Rúmil his tea and took a
seat opposite him, awaiting the guardian's response.

"It has not been easy," Rúmil admitted. "I cannot recall much of the
past years, other that fighting and resting when I could. Haldir and
Orophin did not fare much better. Orophin was injured about thirty
years ago - nothing more serious than an arrow in his leg, but it
kept him from the fight for almost three weeks - I was actually
jealous!"

Glorfindel smiled and sipped his tea. "I am glad it is over now," he
said. Though I am not surprised. The warriors of the Golden Wood are
formidable indeed!

"Well, those of Imladris are quite impressive too!" R´umil
returned. "But enough about me, how have you been, my friend?"

Glorfindel paused, considering his answer before he replied. "I am
well. Our own borders have been quiet of late and I have been
devoting my time to training some of the new recruits."

"You must enjoy that," Rúmil said. "I know you said last time you
wished you could take more of an active role in the training."

"I do enjoy it." Glorfindel agreed, though somewhat hesitantly. "It
is satisfying to watch the skills of another grow and know you had a
hand in it."

"Aye, I am sure!" the Galadhel responded. "And the lovely Erestor;
how is he?"

Glorfindel's hand tightened imperceptibly on his tea cup as he
answered. "He is well - so far as I know. We are - no longer
together."

Rúmil was shocked at hearing this, the last time he had visited, the
two had been very much in love and Rúmil had thought it only matter
of time until they announced their bonding.

Catching his shocked gaze, Glorfindel smiled sadly. "Aye, we were so
close once. But it was my participation in the training program that
drove us apart... Erestor became jealous and thought I was
getting 'too close' to the trainees." He shook his head, staring into
his cup. "I tried to explain that it was just professional, that I
would never betray him... but it was not enough. He asked me to give
up the training. When I refused, he left me. That was twenty years
ago."

Reaching out, Rúmil squeezed Glorfindel's shoulder comfortingly. "I
am sorry, my friend."

Looking up, the golden Elf forced a smile. "Forget about it, Rúmil -
these things happen. All we can do is pick ourselves up and move on."

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

Some hours later, long after he had excused himself from Glorfindel's
company, those words were still on Rúmil's mind. He genuinely felt
bad for Glorfindel, but he had also long harboured a crush on the
Balrog-slayer. Maybe now, he actually had a chance.

Staring out of the window of his room, Rúmil could see Erestor in the
courtyard below, standing by a fountain as he spoke with Elrond. He
would never have expected the councillor to be the jealous type, but
then, he did not know him all that well. Still, Erestor's loss may
very well be his gain.

Mind you, he thought, it wouldn't hurt to talk to Erestor first.
Rúmil didn't want to be the cause of any bad feelings in Imladris.

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

A week passed.

Rúmil carefully set the candle in the centre of the table, which was
laid for two. It was the final touch to a perfect set-up; everything
was ready now for a quiet, romantic evening. The food had arrived
just a minute ago and now sat on a trolley nearby, kept warm by
candle-heaters. The only thing missing was dessert, which should
arrive shortly.

All he needed now was company.

His request was granted a few minutes later, when he heard a knock on
the door. Smoothing down his tunic, he hurried to open the door,
grinning widely as he greeted the Elf standing there. "Glorfindel,
come on in, you're right on time!" he said cheerfully, standing aside
to let the golden Elf enter. "Let me get you some wine!"

"Thank you, Rúmil," Glorfindel replied, stepping over the
threshold. "That sounds lovely." Glorfindel had to admit to himself
that he was rather nervous; this was his first date since his split
with Erestor and it felt like a very big step.

He watched as Rúmil poured a generous glassful and handed it to him
with a smile.

"That smells wonderful," he said conversationally, pointing to the
food. "I did not have lunch today; I was caught up on the training
fields."

"We will eat soon," Rúmil promised. "I am just waiting for dessert to
arrive - I do not wish to have dinner interrupted. I hope you will
not be disappointed!"

"There is very little chance of that!" Glorfindel replied,
laughing. "I am so hungry I would even eat Haldir's cooking!"

Rúmil raised an incredulous eyebrow at this last statement. "I did
not think such a level of hunger was even possible," he remarked, his
eyes sparkling with mirth. It was no secret that Haldir was the most
appalling cook - Rúmil had never quite forgiven him for ruining his
hundredth begetting day by giving most of the guests food poisoning.

"Well, maybe I'm not quite *that* hungry," Glorfindel admitted,
winking playfully.

A knock at the door cut off Rúmil's reply, but he smiled
anyway. "That must be the dessert. Would you mind getting that,
Glorfindel, while I set out the first course?"

Nodding assent, Glorfindel moved to the door and pulled it open,
expecting to see a house servant with cakes and pastries.

What he saw instead was the Elf he had not seen outside a formal
capacity for twenty years. "Erestor!" he said, startled. "What are
you doing here?"

The councillor met his gaze with a calmness that he did not truly
feel. "I could ask you the same question. I was invited to what I
assumed to be a private dinner with Rúmil."

"You must be mistaken," Glorfindel replied, shaking his head. "Rúmil
invited me to dinner."

Having heard the exchange between the ex-lovers, Rúmil decided he had better intervene before things got too ugly. "Erestor, come in,
please!" he said cheerfully as he rounded the corner and swiftly
ushered the bemused councillor into the room. "Would you like some
wine?"

Before Erestor could answer though, Glorfindel spoke up. "Rúmil, what
is going on? You invited me to a private dinner with you!"

"You said the same thing to me," Erestor added, taking a step away
from Glorfindel, who was entirely too close.

"Actually," Rúmil replied, "I asked you to attend a private dinner in
my rooms. I never said I would be the only other in attendance." By
the looks that Erestor and Glorfindel gave him in response to this
statement, neither was very impressed. "I wonder where the dessert
has got to," Rúmil said quickly, and before either Glorfindel or
Erestor could stop him, he was out of the door.

Glorfindel cried out and raced after him but, as he reached the door,
there was a telltale 'click' from the other side. With a mixture of
horror and anger, Glorfindel realised that Rúmil had locked them in.

He pounded on the door, but it did not budge, his strength no match
for the Elven craftsmanship that had made the door. "Rúmil o Lórien
you let me out of here!" he bellowed. "If you ever want to see the
Golden Wood again, you had better do as I say!"

The only response, however, was light laughter as Rúmil ran down the
corridor.

With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, Glorfindel turned
to face Erestor.

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

Not until he was down the hall and round the corner did Rúmil stop.
He had done all he could; it was up to them now. He certainly hoped
it would work - it had not been easy to put aside his own dreams and
he would be crushed if he had thrown his chance with Glorfindel away
for nothing. For if this didn't work Glorfindel would certainly never
give him another chance at being his lover.

But he had to do this - his talk with Glorfindel and his subsequent
conversation with Erestor had convinced him that, as much as he might
wish otherwise, the two belonged together.

He just hoped it wouldn't be the death of him. Mind you, he thought,
there were more shameful ways to go than being killed by a Balrog-
slayer.

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

There was no way out. The door was solid and Rúmil's room was on the
top floor of the house, so the window was out of the question. Not
even an Elf would survive that drop.

"I am going to kill that Elf," Glorfindel vowed as he walked back
into the main room and sat down at the table.

"What are you doing?" Erestor asked as Glorfindel reached for the
wine. "We need to find a way out of here!"

"I am having dinner," Glorfindel replied. "There is no way out, at
least until Rúmil unlocks the door, and I missed lunch. Join me if
you wish."

With that, he reached for the first course and tucked in, determined
not to be intimidated by Erestor and concentrating instead on all the
things he was going to do to Rúmil when he got hold of him.

Erestor watched for a moment as Glorfindel ate, then sighed softly
and sat down opposite him. He was hungry too and after all, they
still worked together. There was no reason they could not be civil.

The first course passed in silence, Glorfindel's eyes never leaving
his plate.

Erestor however, watched Glorfindel's every move. It had been twenty
years since they had been this close - and alone.

When both their plates were empty, Glorfindel rose, moving them to
the trolley and replacing them with the main course. Nodding his
thanks wordlessly, Erestor accepted the food and began to eat, yet he
hardly tasted it. He was confused suddenly, he had thought he had put
any romantic feelings towards Glorfindel behind him long ago, but now
he found they were resurfacing. Had he been wrong to leave? But it
had hurt so much to watch his lover working so closely with the young
recruits, and when Glorfindel had refused to give up training them he
had seen it as the confirmation of his fears - that his lover
preferred their company to his. So he had left, vowing never to look
back.

But he had looked back. Almost daily, he would find some reminder of
what he'd given up. More than once he'd questioned his decision to
leave; though had never expected to have the chance to try to make
amends. Yet thanks to Rúmil's trickery, he now had that chance. Even
if they never recaptured what they'd lost, maybe they could at least
put the past to rest.

"I have missed you." Those were not the words he'd intended to say,
but they were the words that came out nonetheless. He bit his lip as
Glorfindel paused, laid down his fork and looked up at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked softly in reply.

"I mean exactly that," Erestor returned. "I have missed your company,
your presence in my life."

"It was not I who decided to give it up," Glorfindel said, his voice
almost too calm as he spoke.

Erestor visibly winced; the truth hurt indeed. "I know," he replied
quietly. "It was of my doing. I know that this probably comes much
too late - but I am sorry for the way things turned out."

Glorfindel sighed. He just wanted to forget the messy past he and
Erestor shared, but it seemed as if fate and a sneaky Galadhel were
conspiring against him. "Why are you telling me this now, after two
decades?" he asked, not sure he really wanted the answer.

"I have wanted to tell you before, many times," Erestor
confessed. "But there never seemed to be a good moment - until now."

Staring at the half-finished dinner before him, Glorfindel battled
with his emotions. Questions that had been ignored for twenty years
surfaced again and this time, he voiced them. "Why, Erestor? Why did
you not trust me? I had eyes only for you. The trainees were just
that - soldiers under my command, that I had a duty to. Aye, some of
them were attractive, but I was not interested. I had you. They
understood that, Erestor. More than once I was approached, I do not
deny it, but each time I said no, and told them why. Each time the
soldier in question apologised and backed off. They understood my
loyalty. But you did not."

His speech over, Glorfindel fell silent, staring again at his plate
and wondering if Erestor had any reply, any answers. At least he'd
said what had been on his mind for so long - it felt good to get it
off his chest.

For a long moment, Erestor simply absorbed Glorfindel's words and the
emotions behind them - pain, anger and regret. Each word he knew to
be true and it cut into his heart. He had acted badly, like a spoiled
Elfling denied a treat. But what could he say? What words could ever
undo the hurt he had caused Glorfindel?

"For what it is worth," he said quietly, "I did love you. I - still
love you."

At this proclamation, Glorfindel's head shot up. "Damn it all,
Erestor, just what do you expect me to do with that piece of
information? Tell you that it's all right, that I forgive you and we
can just start over again, that we can just forget the past twenty
years?"

Erestor turned red with shame, Glorfindel's words burning his ears
and his heart. "No, I just meant." he stopped then, frowning
slightly. A moment later an odd look of determination settled over
his features and he looked up, meeting Glorfindel's gaze
squarely. "Actually, yes," he said, almost proudly. "That is exactly
what I want. I admit it; twenty years ago I allowed my jealousy to
get the better of me. I made a terrible mistake because of that - the
worst mistake of my life. But I *do* still love you and, whether you
like it or not, I know you still love me. I can see it in your eyes.
I'm sorry, Glorfindel, truly I am. But I beg you - give me a second
chance - please. We are meant to be - even R´umil, despite his own
crush on you, could see it."

It was not the most eloquent of apologies, or requests. But it came
from the heart and to Glorfindel, no formal speech could have said
better the words he had longed to hear. In fact, had it been more
formal, he might have doubted Erestor's sincerity.

"You really think so?" he asked quietly as he looked at
Erestor. "Truly?"

Erestor merely nodded in reply, looking at Glorfindel with eyes that
begged for another chance at the love he'd thrown away.

The Balrog-slayer sighed, looking at Erestor silently for a long
moment. Loath as he was to admit it, he did still have feelings for
the councillor. Could he put aside the heartache Erestor had caused
him and try again? More importantly, did he want to?

His heart warred with his mind, one urging caution, the other
pleading with him to reach out and take what he still wanted.

Yet it was a battle lost before it was even truly started, for
Glorfindel had always been ruled by his heart in both of his lives.
In the end, he could not deny the pull on his heartstrings or
Erestor's desperate plea.

He rose from his seat and walked over to where Erestor still sat at
the other side of the table. With slow and deliberate movements, he
stood by Erestor's chair and offered the councillor his hand.

Reaching out, Erestor took it and rose, until he was face-to-face
with Glorfindel. He stood as still as a statue, waiting for the
Balrog-slayer to act.

Suddenly, with a move so fast Erestor almost missed it, Glorfindel's
other hand shot out, pulling the councillor in for a crushing kiss.

Erestor gasped as he suddenly found himself pressed against
Glorfindel, but quickly relaxed as he realised that his prayers had
indeed been answered, he had been given a second chance. Leaning in
closer to return the kiss, he vowed that this time he would not throw
it away.

It did not take long for the kisses to increase in intensity and soon
kisses were no longer enough, as twenty years of repressed passion
was unleashed between them. Clothes flew as they swiftly undressed
each other, tumbling into Rúmil's bed almost without thinking.

Afterwards, as Glorfindel held the sleeping Erestor in his arms, he
thought about the strange turn of events that had brought them to
this and had to smile at how good it felt. Maybe he wouldn't need to
kill Rúmil after all.

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

It was many hours later when Rúmil finally returned. He paused
outside the door, listening for any sounds from within. When he did
not hear any, he slipped the key from his pocket and quietly unlocked
the door. When this also caused no reaction, he stepped into his
room, finding it dark. Lighting a candle he looked around, seeing the
empty plates, but no Elves.

Walking further into the room, he grinned as he saw the discarded
clothes near the bedroom door. Peeking into the bedroom, his grin
became a soft smile as he saw the couple curled up on his bed, stark
naked and fast asleep.

Yet even as he smiled, a pang of sadness hit his heart - he would
never claim the Balrog-slayer now, by his own actions he had
sacrificed that chance. Still, looking at how they held each other,
he knew that he would never have truly held Glorfindel's heart. Even
though it hurt now, he knew he had done the right thing.

Stopping only long enough to grab a spare blanket for himself, he
left his room again. It looked like he would be sleeping under the stars that night.

Lost in thought as he wandered along the darkened hallways, he almost
collided with an Elf going in the opposite direction, his arms full
of papers. They both stepped aside just in time, but the sudden
movement caused some of the papers to escape the arms of the other
Elf, who could not go after them without losing the others.

In an instant Rúmil had caught them, and was handing them back to the other Elf, who looked up and smiled in gratitude. Rúmil smiled too
and then gasped as he saw the most incredible pair of green eyes
looking at him. "Thank you," the Elf replied softly, attempting to
stuff the papers back in with the others.

"It was no trouble," Rúmil said absently, captivated by those eyes.
He went to move away, but suddenly changed his mind. "May I help you
with those? It is a lot for one Elf to carry!"

"Thank you, that would be lovely," the other returned, handing some
of the papers to Rúmil. "My name is Lindir."

"I am Rúmil, from Lórien," he introduced himself with a slight
bow. "Please, lead the way."

Lindir nodded, his eyes sparkling happily, and moved towards his
office, with Rúmil just a step behind, smiling as his heart thudded
madly in his chest. It looked as if things were working out for the
best after all.

THE END