Title: Knight Takes Rook
Author: Zhie
Rating: PG13
Pairing: Glorfindel/Erestor
Summary: See title for summary.
Disclaimer:: Not mine, no money made
Note: Written for LOTRAS daily drabble prompt for November 23, 2007 - Chess

"I think that covers everything," said Elrond as he crossed the last
item off of his list. Erestor nodded and began to stand, but there
was a knock on the door and Elrond beckoned in the page, who delivered
the morning messages from the rangers they had on patrol. Erestor sat
down again, and waited to Elrond to skim through them in case there
was something else that needed to be discussed. "Shortage of deer in
the western pass... rogue skunk causing difficulties for the southern
border..." Both of them smirked at this bit of news.

As Erestor tidied up the notes he had taken during their meeting, he
abandoned hope that there would be any message from him. Of course,
there was only one soldier who would send anything to him personally,
but then, he could not always expect to hear from----

"Glorfindel sends greetings, salutations, and a number of other
sincere hellos," said Elrond, chuckling as he read the lengthy note
that basically told him everything in the north was better than
normal. "He also has a message for you," he said, handing a second
folded sheet to his chief counselor.

Erestor took the paper and nodded. "The next move for our chess
game," he explained, opening the page. He frowned, but it was a
rueful, happy sort of frown, one not often displayed by him. "Knight
takes rook. Thanks a lot, Findel." Erestor folded the paper and
smiled. "He has been sore over my taking his queen last week."

"Mmm." Elrond smiled politely, and nodded as Erestor excused himself
from their meeting. After the door shut, Elrond shook his head. For
many years, his counselor would not bother to even give the time of
day to the reborn Lord of Gondolin turned expert tracker of Imladris.
Then, after returning from a trip Glorfindel took into Harad, things
changed. The blond elf had presented Erestor with a gift -- a game
played among the sultans of the Haradrim tribes. It was simple
strategy, and many elves would have pawned it off as an elfling's
plaything.

The counselor, however, whom Elrond had long suspected had no friends
outside of those he worked with, had also never been given anything of
any sort by anyone. Erestor scoffed at begetting days and refused to
partake in Yuletide, which made gift giving difficult indeed. Yet,
when Glorfindel had handed the wooden box of pieces and checkered
cloth to him, Erestor was nearly ecstatic -- for Erestor.

Of course, Erestor did not know much beyond the fact that Glorfindel
was being friendly to him. Since Glorfindel had to teach him to play,
and therefore was the only other in Imladris who knew how, all of the
games had been between them. When Glorfindel was on patrol, he
corresponded his moves via the daily messages. Sometimes this meant a
delay of weeks, but Erestor always waited, and as far as Elrond had
seen, kept and treasured every single ragged slip of paper that was
sent.

Unfortunately, knowing Erestor, he was never going to actually tell
this to Glorfindel. He would just go on acting as if they were just
playing a game and nothing more. Starved for companionship, it was
obvious that he was afraid to venture beyond that, and risk losing
what he had in order to gain something more.

When Elrond had pointed out these observations to Glorfindel, the
ellyn had just smiled, and nodded, and said he had a plan in mind.
That had been yestereve, when Glorfindel had returned from his patrol.
Unbeknownst to Erestor, the latest move had been sent to him not from
the borders, but from the desk in Glorfindel's room.

As Erestor hurried down the hallway, he missed the fact that he was
being followed by someone hiding in the shadows. He made it to his
room without any detours, and dumped everything except the paper from
Glorfindel onto his bed. At the far end of his chambers, positioned
next to the window, were two chairs and a small table. On the table
was the chess set, with the cloth board stretched out and the polished
pieces gleaming in the sunlight.

One side was ivory, and the other ebony. Erestor unfolded the sheet
and reread it, his hand hovering over the white side. His eyes
searched each piece on the board, and his hand dropped back down to
his side. "Knight takes... where are the knights...?" He slid open
the single drawer on the table, and saw among the discarded pieces two
carved horse heads, both made of oliphant tusk.

"Perhaps it was rook takes knight," he mumbled. Erestor closed the
drawer and looked over the arrangement again. There were no rooks in
position to take one of his knights, and in fact, he found no pieces
on Glorfindel's side, with the exception of pawns, that could take
another of his pieces.

"There must be a mistake." Erestor had his hands on either side of
the board, drumming his fingers. "Knight takes rook... makes no
sense..."

As he pondered, he missed the faint sound of his door being opened,
and of someone closing it behind them and walking towards him.
Erestor was shaking his head at the puzzle when he felt someone place
their hands upon his shoulders. "It makes perfect sense," whispered a
voice in his ear.

"Glorfindel... I thought you were on patrol," said Erestor, trying to
turn around, but Glorfindel's hands were firm on his shoulders. "I...
I do not understand this message."

"I tried to make it as simple as possible," he answered, still
speaking low, his breath brushing past Erestor's ear. "Knight...
takes rook." He kissed behind Erestor's ear, and the counselor
stiffened. "It was the only move I could think to make. In fact, it
is the only move I have left. Unless you want to stop playing this
game."

Erestor turned his head slightly in order to see Glorfindel. "Check."

"Mate," replied Glorfindel as he seized Erestor in his arms and kissed him.