Title: Elfpunzel
Author: Zhie
Beta: Ha!
Pairing: Erestor/Glorfindel
Rating: R
Disclaimer: Not mine, don't own them. Er, well, except for my self
insertation...
Warning: Very AU, but in a wonderfully silly way. Mild self-insert
(as in, woo, lookie there, I'm in a fanfic, mom!). Me, my muses,
and a fractured fairytale. Consider thyself warned. Also, I just
now realized, this is going to end up being an mpreg. Yup. You
heard me. Don't worry... it's only pretend...
Summary: Erestor is asked to tell a bedtime story.
Notes: Written for the Erestor Lovers
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Erestor_Lovers) Fairy Tale
Challenge. Thanks to Agie, Athos, Dark Dreamer and Eryn
for `dropping by' for the story, lol. I need another fic like I
need another hole in my head...



-1 -

"Erestor?"

"Yes?"

"Tell me a story."

"What?" The ellon put down the evening paper and regarded the
pouting brunette with a look much more like one Elrond might
use. "Tell *you* a story?"

"Yes, please." Snuggling up onto the couch between Erestor and
Glorfindel with a big mug of cocoa, Zhie gave Erestor a forlorn
puppyish look. "I do all of the storytelling around here. You,
with all of your vast knowledge, and wisdom, and long years-"

"Your flattery was working until you hit `long years'," replied
Erestor dryly.

Clearing her throat, Zhie said, "Well I suppose we could spend the
evening watching Thranduil play Tomb Raider again."

"Or... someone could tell us a story."

"Oh, sweet Eru, not you, too, Fin," scolded Erestor. Now he had two
pitifully puppy-eyed pouters staring at him, and he thrust his hands
towards the sky in a gesture of surrender. "Fine. One story, and
then, bedtime."

"Bedtime?" questioned Zhie, looking quite leery over the fact one of
her muses was demanding she go to sleep.

"Bedtime..." drawled Glorfindel, waggling his eyebrows at Erestor.

"I've an idea," spoke Thranduil from where he sat, still playing
video games with his back to them. "Why not all go to bed, and
leave me in peace?"

"Oh, come now, Thranduil," said Glorfindel. "Don't tell me you
wouldn't enjoy a good bedtime story."

"Is there a cliff, lots of fire, and a balrog in it?" he questioned,
still not looking away from the screen.

"No," huffed Glorfindel, getting a pat of reassurance on the
shoulder from Zhie.

"Not interested then," came Thranduil's response.

"Well, for those who are," said Erestor, waiting for Zhie to move to
the other side of him, so that he had her cuddled beside him on the
left and Glorfindel snuggled against him on the right, "allow me to
tell you the tale of Elfpunzel."

"The tale of Elfpunzel? How intriguing," Zhie said, winking around
him at Glorfindel.

Nuzzling close to Erestor, Glorfindel asked, "Does this story have a
happy ending?"

"I like to think so," Erestor replied.

"What about magic? I like stories with magic in them," said Zhie.

"There may be a little magic, yes," confirmed Erestor.

Glorfindel tugged on his sleeve. "What about pirates? Are there
any pirates?"

"Of course. Every fractured fairytale should have a pirate or two
in it. But see here," said Erestor as Glorfindel began to open his
mouth again, "am I telling the story or are you?"

Stealing on kiss from Erestor's cheek, Glorfindel smiled and cuddled
up beside him again. Zhie was already pulling her purple blankie
over from the side of the couch. Faintly, the sounds of Thranduil's
game could be heard until Erestor picked up the remote and hit the
mute button. "Now, this story," explained Erestor as Thranduil
tossed the controller aside and shut off the game before sitting on
the other sofa to listen, "begins just the way that most other fairy
stories do."

"In a cottage in the woods?" guessed Zhie.

"With a fairyerunana?" wondered Fin.

Erestor smirked. "No, not in a cottage, and not with a fairy. It
begins with..."

- 2 -

As Erestor was about to continue, a voice called out, "A
stepmother! An evil, wicked stepmother!"

"No," replied Erestor after a pause. "It does not begin with an
evil, wicked stepmother. Or any sort of stepmother for that
matter," he said as Agie and Athos entered the room, each of them
finding good spots on the floor to lounge and listen to the tale.
Athos fluffed up a pillow and cuddled up with a blanket while Agie
sat rather intently as one of the cats nestled into her
lap. "Anyone else?" he asked in exasperation as he patiently waited
for the rest of the members of his group to find a good spot to sit.

When no one else said anything, he smiled and said, "It begins
with `Once Upon a Time'." He stopped when he took note that Agie
was mouthing the words along with him. "I'm this close to letting
the rest of you do this without me," he said, but the outcry was for
him to stay. "Alright. No more interruptions," he warned in a
hushed voice. Glorfindel pantomimed zipping his mouth and throwing
away the key. "Honestly, he's worse than the twins were," muttered
Erestor as he tried once more to begin his tale.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Once upon a time, there was a young couple, a husband and wife, who
were about to have their second child. Only, it wasn't really their
second child, it was their first child over again, but that isn't
relevant to the story. This couple lived in the forest, on the
outskirts of Lothlorien, which was, as everyone knows, ruled by the
Wise and Just Celeborn, and his evil wife Galadriel, the Witch of
the Woods.

One day, when the young couple was sitting on their porch, the lady
noticed something in Galadriel's garden that made her mouth water.
Planted between the rows of nightshade and devil's snare were tiny,
delicate, yellow flowers. Golden flowers, one might almost call
them. The elleth pointed them out to her husband, and begged him to
find some for her, for they looked so delicious.

Alas, he husband searched high and low in the forest, and found
none. It would seem that they grew only in the garden of Galadriel,
wicked witch of the west. To appease his wife, the ellon snuck into
the garden after nightfall and carefully uprooted some of the yellow
flowers. He brought a few handfuls back to his wife, who promptly
made a salad of them and ate them right up. They were so delectably
delicious, that she demanded another dish of the delightful
daffodils. Hardly able to know what to do, her husband pleaded with
her not to send him back to the garden, but he would get no peace
until he returned and brought back twice as many as the first time.

Thinking he could easily sneak a few more, he waited until nightfall
of the next night to steal away the flowers. This time when he
entered the garden, however, he found himself surrounded by the
Galadhrim warriors, and standing in the garden was Lady Galadriel
herself. "How come you to be in my garden at so late an hour?" she
demanded, though, honestly, it seemed to him that she knew he was
coming and why, for she had already readied a satchel full of the
yellow blooms.

"Mercy!" he cried, and fell to his knees. "My wife so craves the
flowers of your garden, and no where else can they be found!
Please, give me what I have come for!"

Lady Galadriel walked to him haughtily, keeping the sack of flowers
just out of his reach. "Now you beg me, but the first time, you
stole. For that you should be punished. However, I am a fair and
kind queen," said she, though this was misleading for she was
perhaps fair in looks and kind in that she, too, was an elf, though
queen she ne'er was, "and in trade for these and all the flowers
your wife craves, I ask a small thing really."

The ellon agreed without knowing the terms, so eager was he to
receive what it was his wife wanted. The witch grinned and then
said, "Upon the birth of your child, you shall turn him over to me.
I shall claim him as my own, and love him as my son. You must
promise never to interfere, or you will never see him again," she
vowed.

Having already agreed, the ellon bowed his head and nodded. He took
the flowers home and from then on until the birth of their son,
there were always fresh golden flowers upon their doorstep in the
mornings.

When the day came that their son was reborn, Galadriel appeared
almost instantly to make her claim. The parents were heartbroken,
but what else could be done? The babe was handed over and was
raised as Galadriel's own. On the anniversary of his twelfth
begetting day, his parents, unable to take the grief any longer,
attempted to make contact with their son. Word reached Galadriel of
this before the plan could be carried out, and from that day
forward, young Glorfindel was kept in the tallest mallorn tree, on
the highest flet, with no doors and no stairs to reach him. It may
have seemed to some that he was doomed to spend all the years of his
long life there, but that was very soon about to change...

- 3 -

In all of Lothlorien, none had a sweeter voice than Glorfindel. His
singing could lure the birds, his only friends, to the tall tree
that was his prison. He never knew that anything was amiss, for it
seemed to him that Lady Galadriel kept him safe from others and
wanted only the best for him.

All were forbidden to climb the great tree, except the Lady
herself. Because there were no doors and no stairs, she had to
enter through a window, and she used Glorfindel's own hair to climb
up. Each time she wished to pay him a visit, she would bellow up
into the branches, "Glorfindel, Glorfindel, let down your hair, so
that I may climb without a stair!" She was quite proud of having
come up with that quaint little rhyme herself, but the truth of it
was, she shouldn't have been proud at all for what she was doing.

When Glorfindel heard her screeching below, he would loop his long
braid around a hook near the only window and toss his hair to the
ground like a rope of golden hithlain. Galadriel would then climb
up his plaited golden locks until she reached the top of the tree.
His hair was so long, it reached the ground and then some.

One day, while singing to the birds and brushing his beautiful
golden hair, Glorfindel heard the familiar call to him, but the
voice was much deeper. Thinking perhaps that Galadriel had a very
bad cold (for it was not the best for an elleth of her age to go
about climbing up people's braids into trees with no jacket on),
Glorfindel dutifully looped his braid over the hook and dropped it
to the ground. When the one who called came over the windowsill,
Glorfindel gasped! This was not his dear adoring Lady Galadriel,
but some strange creature indeed! He was ebon-tressed and lightly
muscled, a horse rider from the looks of him, and intelligent to
have learned the secret of getting into the tree. Glorfindel had
never seen such a thing before and said so.

"I am an ellon, like you," laughed the newcomer in a very friendly
way. "I have been in these woods three days as an emissary of Lord
Elrond in hopes of securing a trade agreement between our two
realms. I serve as his chief advisor and dog walker- but enough
about me. I have seen you in this towering cage from afar- what is
your name and why are you kept here under such dreadful conditions?"

"My name is Glorfindel," answered he, "and I do not think the
conditions so terrible. Lady Nana Galadriel brings me water and
lembas every day and places fresh straw in the corner for me. In
the summer, she even allows me to go about up here naked while I
sing to the birds."

The ellon's brow rose upon hearing such a tale, but no surprise did
he show at the name of Galadriel, witch of the woods. "Water and
lembas are the very basic of all foods, dear Glorfindel."

"Come again?" asked Glorfindel.

"I said, water and-"

Glorfindel shook his head. "No, the last part," he cooed, batting
his eyelashes prettily.

The ellon bit his lip. This poor ellon truly needed to get out
more, especially with other males. "Dear Glorfindel?" he said,
nearly as a guess. Glorfindel sighed.

"Please always call me that," spoke Glorfindel after his initial
swoon. "No one ever has been so nice before- oh, but Lady Nana
should return soon! How happy she will be when I introduce you to
her."

"No! That is..." The ellon smiled politely. "Glorfindel, do you
realize that you are a prisoner here?"

"A what? I don't know that word," he said with a frown.

"You are being kept here against your will. You are not allowed to
leave," explained the elf.

With a confused look, Glorfindel asked, "Why would I wish to leave?"

"Well... so that you may do whatever you would like to do," the
ellon said. "There are so many things to do and see, and so many
other foods besides lembas and water."

"Such as?" questioned Glorfindel with a furrowed brow.

"Such as... cheesecake," said the ellon, grasping for
something. "Cheesecake is a dessert- something you eat after you
eat a meal. But not after breakfast, though, cheesecake itself can
be breakfast under the right circumstances," he mused.

"What does cheesecake taste like?" Glorfindel was quite intrigued
now.

Giving thought to this, the ellon finally answered, "It's very soft
and smooth, and it melts in your mouth. It's creamy and sweet, but
not too sweet. It's like... sex as a dessert."

Glorfindel's head tilted to the other side. "Sex?" he questioned.

"Oh, you poor thing, she never told you about that..." Over the next
half-hour, the ellon elaborated, while Glorfindel's eyes grew wider
and wider.

"I want to try cheesecake," Glorfindel said decidedly. "And sex.
Do you think that Lady Nana would help me and let me try those
things?"

"No," answered the ellon without pause. A sad look crossed
Glorfindel's face. "But," continued the elf, "I would be more than
happy to let you try cheesecake. And sex."

"Really?" asked Glorfindel with excitement. "What are we waiting
for? Let's go!" He raced to the window, nearly tripping over his
braid, and winced. "I forgot. I've no way to get down!" he said,
and began to cry.

"There, there," comforted the ellon, embracing him gently and
rubbing his back. "I have an idea. I see a pile of yarn and
knitting needles in the corner, aye?"

"Yes, when Lady Nana visits, she sits and knits as she talks to me,"
confirmed Glorfindel with a sniffle.

The elf nodded. "Here is what I shall do. Each day of the
negotiations, I shall visit you and bring a skein of yarn. At
night, you will braid it together as you do with your hair. During
the day it can be hidden under her knitting when she visits in the
afternoon, and at dusk after she has left but before she comes to
tuck you in for bed, I shall come here to get it. Soon, we shall
have a rope long enough for you to climb down, too."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" said Glorfindel in delight, cuddling against
his rescuer. "But you must leave soon, for she is due to come," he
insisted, detangling himself from the dark-haired ellon. Before
securing his hair and dropping the braid to the ground, he
asked, "What is your name, m'lord, that I may call you my dear in
kind?"

With a contented smile, the ellon answered, "I am Erestor, dear
Glorfindel."


- 4 -

For many weeks, Erestor would finish the negotiations with Lord
Celeborn, then sneak away to meet with Glorfindel in his tree. Each
time, as promised, he brought a little more yarn with him. The
Galadhrim of the forest took note of the stranger who joined the
Lady's `pet elf' as they referred to Glorfindel, but said nothing.
For the most part, they were loyal to Celeborn and simply humored
the Lady when needed. She was a witch, you know, she could have
made their lives hell.

Sometimes the march wardens would be standing right near the base of
the tree when Erestor climbed up or down, on occasion they even
waved, but none of them turned him in. There was even a time when
Lord Celeborn passed by as Erestor struggled to climb with the heavy
load of yarn he had brought, and the Lorien Lord helped him get a
foot up. What it really came down to was not letting Galadriel know
what was going on.

As the days passed, the rope that Glorfindel wove became longer and
longer, for each night Erestor took the new piece back to the guest
tree he was in and tied it to the previous lengths. Glorfindel was
proud of his progress, and as something of a reward, Erestor would
always sneak him something new to try each night. The first day it
was simply an apple, which Glorfindel devoured after his first
dainty bite. Next was a bunch of carrots, which delighted
Glorfindel immensely. Cupcakes, cookies, smoked fish, roast duck,
and mushrooms all made it to the list. And then came the glorious
day that the cheesecake arrived.

Erestor presented it with a flourish, and Glorfindel's mouth watered
at the sight. Covered in plump, red strawberries and smelling
heavenly, Glorfindel frowned when he realized that there were no
plates and no forks for them to use.

With a wicked grin, Erestor dipped his finger into the cheesecake,
lifting up a dollop of the dessert. He brought it up to
Glorfindel's lips, and the golden-haired ellon innocently wrapped
his lips around Erestor's finger and sucked the decadent dessert
from it.

"Mmmm..." Glorfindel closed his eyes as his tongue darted out to
lick the few remaining crumbs from Erestor's digit, and then his
eyes flashed open. There was a tingling sensation inside of his
tummy, but he doubted it was from the cheesecake. Erestor must have
not noticed, for he was lifting one of the juicy strawberries from
the cake and offering it to Glorfindel.

"Oh... dear Erestor," groaned Glorfindel as he chewed the bit of
strawberry in his mouth, "this is simply... blissful."

"Is it?" Erestor dipped his finger back into the dessert, waiting
until Glorfindel had swallowed before pressing it past Glorfindel's
lips. "I hadn't noticed."

Glorfindel continued to suckle and lick the exquisite treat that
Erestor fed him until suddenly he had a funny look on his
face. "Dear Erestor, I must stop. My clothing has become quite
tight- I must have overindulged!" He gasped when he looked down to
find it was not his stomach that was bulging. "Sweet Eru, what is
happening to me?"

"Relax, dear Glorfindel," comforted Erestor, setting aside the
cheesecake. "It has happened not only to you, but to me as well,"
he said, taking Glorfindel's hand and placing it over his own
erection. "Remove your clothing," Erestor whispered, tracing his
tongue along Glorfindel's jawline.

With a gasp, Glorfindel shuddered and drew back a little. "But it
isn't summer!" he reminded Erestor.

"It doesn't need to be," growled Erestor, but it was a nice growl,
not the sort of growl that Lady Galadriel made when she was upset,
but a growl that Glorfindel wanted to hear again. A growl that made
whatever was in his pants try to jump, or so it seemed.

"Alright," stuttered Glorfindel, carefully removing his clothes. He
began to fold them neatly, but found himself suddenly pinned to the
floor. "Dear Erestor, I must- oh!" Glorfindel's eyes got wider as
Erestor pressed his own naked body close. "Oh!" Glorfindel gasped
as something delightfully hard rubbed against... well, what do you
know! He had one, too! Something was making him want to touch it,
but he also wanted Erestor to touch it, and there were other things
he wanted that he could not explain, but it seemed Erestor could
tell without him saying, so he rested on the floor as Erestor used
his hands and tongue and his really hard thing to work Glorfindel
into a panting frenzy.

"I hope I haven't frightened you," apologized Erestor between nips
and kisses to Glorfindel's throat.

"Lower," he moaned, and Erestor laughed warmly and complied to dear
Glorfindel's wishes. The blond curled his toes and clenched his
fists as he felt Erestor's tongue descend upon his own hardness and
cried out when he felt something slippery near his rear. "What...
what are you doing?" he frantically asked as he sat up.

Erestor kissed the tip of Glorfindel's erection and nuzzled his nose
against his thigh before kissing that as well. "I have to prepare
you, dear, sweet Glorfindel. If I am to make love to you, your
entrance must be stretched and oiled."

"Entrance? I always thought it was an exit," mused Glorfindel as
Erestor coated his fingers with more oil from a vial he had brought
with him (and had been bringing with him for some time in hopes of
this). Glorfindel saw the look of askance on Erestor's face, and he
nodded, trying to keep an eye on what was happening. This lasted
only until he was breached, for moments later, it was as if the
stars themselves were exploding all around him.

"More?" questioned Erestor.

"Yes!" Glorfindel writhed upon the floor until Erestor had deemed
him well-prepared.

Positioning himself over Glorfindel, Erestor asked, "Are you ready
for me?"

Panting a little and quite excited, Glorfindel nodded and
asked, "Now do we get to try the sex?"

"Yes," purred Erestor, leaning in to kiss Glorfindel. "I think now
would be the perfect time for that..."


- 5 -

That night, as Erestor was leaving, he heard a lonely sigh from
Glorfindel. "What is it, my love?" he asked, stroking Glorfindel's
cheek as the blond fastened his braid to the hook by the window.

"Only that, I wish you did not have to leave," mourned
Glorfindel. "Or rather, I wish I could go with you."

"I wish you could, too," answered Erestor. "Tomorrow the
negotiations should be over and the treaties should be signed- I
will come for you right after. The rope you have woven is nearly
long enough- and if you jump the rest of the distance, I shall catch
you," he said confidently.

"Dear Erestor, how will I bear the night without you?" Glorfindel
looked to be nearly on the verge of tears, but Erestor hushed him
with a kiss.

"Only one night more, my love, and we shall be together. Weave the
rest of the night, and tomorrow I shall bring the rope that I have
kept hidden in my tree. By this time tomorrow, we shall be riding
to Rivendell," promised Erestor, not knowing it was a promise he
could not keep.

Tearfully, Glorfindel nodded, and after another shared kiss, Erestor
started to climb down. "Oh, screw the negotiations," he said just
as he had climbed through the window. "I shall go and retrieve the
rope now. It should be nearly long enough."

"Nay, dear Erestor, please," winced Glorfindel. "The Lady will be
back any moment, and... and you're starting to tug a little hard on
my hair."

"Sorry," apologized Erestor, climbing down quickly as Glorfindel
mumbled something about no one having any consideration over the
fact it was always his hair that needed to be used to climb up the
tree. As soon as he was on the ground, Erestor called up, "Tomorrow
night, my love!" before hurrying away, lest he be caught by the
witch.

It was not long after that Glorfindel heard the customany
cry. "Glorfindel, Glorfindel, let down your hair, that I may climb
without a stair."

Sighing, Glorfindel wrapped his braid around the hook and tossed the
end out the window. As Galadriel clambered up, Glorfindel whined,
holding onto the end of the braid attached to his head. "Aiya, you
pull it more than Erestor does," he muttered as Galadriel climbed
into the room.

Immediately, the lady's eyes darkened and she glared at
Glorfindel. "What did you say?"

"Ah... I..." Glorfindel wrang his hands together, knowing he was
caught. In a panic, he attempted to change the subject. "You...
you're looking very lovely this evening, not at all as evil as
usual. Er..."

"You wretched child!" shouted Galadriel as she advanced upon the
cowering Glorfindel. "How dare you! I raised you and cared for
you, and this is the thanks I get!" She took a deep breath, her
rage growing. "Cheesecake? Is that... cheesecake? Answer me!" she
demanded, yanking Glorfindel to her by his braid. "Is that what I
smell?"

Yelping in pain, Glorfindel nodded. "Yes, yes, it is cheesecake-
well, either the cheesecake or the sex, I'm not sure, but-"

"What?!" Galadriel, so furious now to learn how she was deceived by
not only her precious Glorfindel, but also by Lord Elrond's advisor,
tightened her hold on Glorfindel's golden locks. From her belt she
withdrew a dagger and while Glorfindel weeped and begged her not to,
clinging to her arm, she hacked off the long golden braid.


- 6 -

That next day, the negotiations went very smoothly, and so quickly,
that Erestor would have been wary had he not had other thoughts on
his mind. Immediately following the signing of the treaties, he
hastily went back to his guest quarters to gather up all of the
things he had brought with him as well as some provisions that he
and Glorfindel would need. These he loaded into the saddlebags of
his trusty horse, Asfaloth, and then went to retrieve the rope that
Glorfindel had woven. It was very long, and much heavier than
Erestor had anticipated. Therefore, he had to leave his weapons
stowed in one of the saddlebags as he crept to the tree in the
twilight.

"Glorfindel, Glorfindel, let down your hair, that I may climb
without a stair!" he said as loud as needed and as quietly as he
could. With giddy delight, he watched the golden braid as it
spiraled down out of the tree, the end hitting the ground with a
thud.

Taking a deep breath, Erestor reached out and took hold of the
golden hair. He could sense his lover's worry and climbed quickly
in hopes that he could dispel his sweet Glorfindel's fears. No
candles were lit as he approached, which seemed odd to Erestor, and
only made him climb faster. "Glorfindel?" he called out as he
reached the window. Out of the shadows stepped... "You!"

"Yes, I could very well say the same to you," answered Galadriel in
a very bored voice. In one hand she held the end of the hewn braid,
and in the other she held a dagger that was smeared with blood.

"What have you done with him?" demanded Erestor, trying to get a
hold on the tree. He had no weapons to fight her, and had already
dropped the rope. Clawing at the tree, he threatened, "If you hurt
so much as a single hair on his head... well, figuratively speaking
of course..." he realized as he looked at the disconnected braid.

"He has been sent away, and I care not where he goes to live," she
sniffed. "He is a disgrace to me and to the rest of the realm. It
was I who protected him from a fate which he did not know," she
announced, sounding rather hurt.

Erestor snorted. "Somehow, I very much doubt your piety."

"Tis true," she replied, "for his mother ate the enchanted plants of
my garden as he slumbered in her womb. Ancient and sacred plants,
Flowers of Fertility. Dear Erestor," she said mockingly, "do you
know what the Flowers of Fertility have done to Glorfindel?"

"Of course I wouldn't know, I'm not an evil witch with an enchanted
garden," he countered.

Narrowing her eyes at him, Galadriel said, "I shouldn't even tell
you, except that it will cause you greater pain in knowing as you
wander aimlessly through the rest of your pitiful existence. The
Flowers of Fertility have made him fertile. Able to conceive. Able
to carry life. Able to give birth." With each additional footnote,
Erestor's eyes widened a little more. "He is with child; a child
you shall never see, nor shall you ever see him again, either!" With
these words, Galadriel let go of the braid, sending Erestor tumbling
to the ground.

His fall seemed fatal, for he was speeding toward the ground with
his back down. Letting go of the golden braid, Erestor twisted his
body and managed to land upon his hands and knees. A cluster of
bushes broke his fall, but did not leave him unharmed. The large
thorns of the bushes scraped and marred his beautiful skin, and
pierced his eyes, instantly blinding him.

"My poor, sweet, dear Glorfindel," he wept after whistling to his
horse, "I have failed you, my love. Be strong until I find you," he
whispered as he felt about for the reins and pulled himself blindly
upon the horse.

Unfortunately, Asfaloth was terrible with direction, and without a
rider to lead him, he indeed did wander as the witch said he would.
Out of Lothlorien they traveled, and from there into Fangorn Forest,
to the Morian Mines, and into the lands of the far East. Hope
seemed lost that the lovers would ever again find one another.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"This story sucks!" announced Thranduil, who of everyone, had been
listening most intently.

"Did I say it was over?" scolded Erestor. "Did I?"

"Well, it seems like it is, yes," replied Thranduil, who was looking
quite upset about the outcome and was snuggling a large stuffed
teddy bear someone had brought into the room. "And still, no
pirates. I think he lied about the pirates."

Erestor shook his head. "Fairytales all begin with `Once Upon a
Time' and they all end with-"

"The End?" guessed Glorfindel sleepily.

"Yes, very good," said Erestor.

"I hate to interrupt," spoke Zhie, "but you know, Erestor's
blindness and Glorfindel's cheesecake obsession... those sound
really familiar. Like, I read them in a fanfic familiar."

"The thing about storytelling and fairytales," explained
Erestor, "is that sometimes the storyteller changes the story a
little, or adds things from other stories. That's what keeps the
stories new and exciting. Besides, can I help it that I've been
influenced by other stories on MY list. It is my list, you know, I
do read the other stories on it."

"Well, don't just leave it there!" complained Dark Dreamer. "Get to
the end already."

"Yes, we need more!" declared Eryn.

Erestor raised his hand to hush the crowd. "I was just getting to
it. Now where were we... ah, yes..."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was many long years later that Erestor, growing weary of their
travels, came upon a pair of children playing in a river that
Asfaloth came to for water. Hearing their shouts of glee, and the
language they spoke, Erestor concluded that these were elflings.
From what they were saying, he could tell they were pretending to be
pirates. He called to them and asked where he was.

"Sir, this is Imladris that you are in," said the voice of a little
girl. "We have come to the border to play; our Nana says we must
not wander further."

"Your nana is wise," replied Erestor as he dismounted and knelt upon
the ground, scooping up the water and rubbing it against his
face. "I used to live here," he told them. "Do you know Lord
Elrond?"

"Oh, yes!" declared the little boy. "He is very kind and almost
like an Adar to us. He brings us nice things, like toys and
clothes, just like he gives to his own sons."

Erestor smiled. He had hoped that Elrond would find someone to
settle with, for the elflord had for some time wished for
children. "Would you be able to take me to Lord Elrond, my young
friends?" asked Erestor.

"Of course," said the little girl. "We will need to let our Nana
know where we are going, first," she said. "Come with us! We will
show you!"

Erestor had not the heart to tell the young children that he could
not see where they were going, and so followed closely by listening
to their footsteps and the sound of their voices. Asfaloth
curiously followed behind them, grazing here and there as he went.

"Nana lives in a little cottage near the big house," explained the
boy. "Stay here, we will be right back after we tell him."

"Uhm, alright." Erestor stood where he was told, wondering at the
boy's slip. But then, his ears picked up a sound he had not heard,
and never thought he would again. The sweet song of the birds came
through the trees and stopped suddenly as cries of "Nana! Nana! We
are going to the big house!" rose up from the house.

Straining to hear the singing again, the fading hope suddenly
sparked anew. If indeed the singing he heard was who he thought it
was-

"Nana says we can go!" announced the little girl, grabbing hold of
one of Erestor's hands. Her brother had a firm grip on his other
hand, but Erestor's feet were firmly planted. "Well, come on,
silly! We won't get there unless you walk there!"

Just as Erestor began to step forward, he stepped back. The song
began again, a song fit for birds, in a clear tenor voice. It was
beautiful, but filled with sorrow. His heart leapt and he gasp. He
knew the children were confused, and if he was wrong they would be
even more confused, but he had to try. He needed to
try. "Glorfindel?" he called out hopefully.

The song stopped. Erestor held his breath.

Racing to the door of the little cottage, Glorfindel looked out in
disbelief. His mouth was open in shock as he took in the sight of
his lover standing in the yard with his children- their children- on
either side of him. "Erestor? Erestor!" Running full speed,
Glorfindel practically knocked Erestor into the grass, careful to
avoid harming the twins. "Erestor, I thought I had lost you-
Erestor? What has happened to your eyes?" questioned the blond.

"Oh, dear Glorfindel, to hear your voice again- my sightless state
is worth having found you again," he said, wrapping his arms around
the elf who had knocked him to the ground. "Glorfindel, oh,
sweetheart, do not cry," he comforted, holding his lover to him.

"You... you are blind? How? Did she do it to you?" Tears fell
from Glorfindel's eyes, raining down upon Erestor's face.

"Do not cry, hush, darling, please," said Erestor in a soothing
voice. "A small sacrifice to have you in my arms." Hands traveled
up to rub Glorfindel's shoulders, and he smiled as his fingers
brushed against the wavy golden locks, which now reached midway down
Glorfindel's back. "You are so beautiful, just as I remember,"
sighed Erestor as the two curious children looked on.

"But you... how are you to see again?" Glorfindel continued to weep,
and as he did, his tears fell into Erestor's eyes. The magic within
him from the plants of the enchanted garden served to heal Erestor's
wounds so that when he blinked and opened his eyes again, he was
able to see.

Their joyful reunion was a first meeting of the children and their
father as well. Erestor was introduced to young Eredel and
Erestiel, whose smiles warmed his heart. Lord Elrond was indeed
happy to have his chief advisor and good friend returned to the
valley. Most of all, Glorfindel and Erestor were glad to be with
each other again, vowing never to part and to always have lots of...
cheesecake. LOTS of cheesecake. Tons of it. Every. Single.
Night. And they all lived happily ever after. Except for
Galadriel, who was stalked by a shifty-eyed dwarf named
Rumplegimlinskin. But that is a tale for another day.

The end.