Adult-FanFiction.org : Lord of the Rings

Liquid Diamonds	By : redkiwi Category: +Second Age > Slash - Male/Male Views: 1748 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Tolkien's world (Silmarillion/Lord of the Rings/Hobbit), nor the characters from it. No money is made from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 12
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- 14
Glorfindel awoke with a startle, as one who was not aware that they had somehow drifted to sleep at some point in the night. Somehow he had fallen into slumber during the long progression of the night, and he blinked his eyes, trying to gauge just what time it was. Anor had not yet strengthened to soften the strong hold of the dark mantles of the lingering night. He rose quickly and without delay, dressing with an absentminded numbness as he finished the readying for his departure.
When he left his rooms, he was greeted by Galion who handed him a bag of provisions for the long journey back to his home. The halls they passed through were still in this early morning, void of any eyes to see him off. And to Glorfindel, the rushed departure he now made was almost like he was being ushered out as quickly as possible, as if he were a dark secret that had never happened. It made him feel like he was a presence that had never haunted the Greenwood. He moved down the grand halls, taking this strange citadel in just one more time. He wondered if he would ever be back, but he doubted he would.
He stepped into the forest, still so cool in the dark before the rise of the dawn, and he saw that his horse was already waiting for him. Galion kept his silence as he secured the items on his horse and only gave instructions when he had finished with his task. Galion told him a guide would lead him through the forest, until he would find the road that cut through the glades to the west. Again, Galion's words were cold, and his distant demeanor was not lost on Glorfindel. He had no allies here. This was all too evident to him now. Oropher and Thranduil were not here to even see him off. Glorfindel couldn't help but frown in his lamenting of this whole situation.
"The forest is either your friend or foe….."
Galion's words from days ago filtered back. Friend or foe. There was no in-between. No grey area. It was definitely time to leave. He took the reigns of his horse, ready to lead the animal through the forest. The guide politely nodded to Glorfindel who also returned the gesture of greeting.
"Safe travels to you." Galion politely called his valediction to Glorfindel. His bright brown-amber eyes seemed less hard now, gentle in his concern for Glorfindel's safe journey home.
Glorfindel smiled to Galion, and his heart uplifted with hearing the enigmatic Galion speak one last time to him.
"Thank you, Galion. My eternal gratitude for the hospitality that you have shown me while I was a guest here. You are a bright leaf, a treasure of the Greenwood that I feel privileged to have met."
At hearing the words that Glorfindel spoke, Galion's eyes softened and he let a smile cross his face. He could certainly understand Thranduil's infatuation with Glorfindel. He was as enchanting as he was handsome, glorious even. He nodded his head respectfully to Glorfindel, and he was a little less angry at the one who had stolen Thranduil's heart.
Just as Glorfindel readied his horse for departure, Thranduil finally came to stand by Galion on the steps of the citadel. His jaded eyes watched Glorfindel turn to follow the guide. He almost choked a little, catching his breath as if he wanted to call out to Glorfindel. Galion knew that Glorfindel had sensed Thranduil's arrival to see him depart, but he only just walked away all the same, as if deciding that their goodbyes be said in silence. Galion wondered if perhaps they had already said their words of parting the night before.
Thranduil kept his silence, watching under veiled eyes as Glorfindel disappeared into the forest city around the citadel. There really was nothing more to say, a fact they had both agreed on the night before. Yet his heart still broke as though all of the words that he wished he could say to Glorfindel were weeping from his heart. But his legs would not give chase, even though a part of his heart headed out of the forest, disappearing with Glorfindel into the dark arms of the trees and the thick of the coppice.
Thranduil continued to stand on the steps, even though Glorfindel had long ago vanished into the arms of the Greenwood. Glorfindel would now simply be another spirit to haunt his mind, and to tug his soul into the weary yearning of an unrequited torment.
When finally Thranduil returned back into the citadel, Oropher stood waiting for him, as if he had been watching and waiting those long passing minutes. Thranduil regarded him with indifference, showing neither discourtesy, anger nor friendliness.
Oropher seemed little to regard Thranduil's mood, choosing instead to delve into the matter that had caused him to seek Thranduil out.
"We will continue our council, for much we need to prepare. I have great need of your assistance now, Thranduil. Do not let Glorfindel distract you form the work we must do now. Do not let your thoughts dwell on the call for alliance. That path is not ours. You would do best to set your mind on only the Greenwood."
Oropher's face was grim and his steady gaze held Thranduil's intrigue. "I am calling forth the tripling of our guard, for I will have a great army at my call should Sauron send his armies hither to us."
Thranduil nodded, pleased with what he heard. He still had not yet given up that somehow the alliance might yet come to pass, moved still by Glorfindel's challenge to him.
"And what is to be my part in your plans?" Thranduil asked curious. "Do I have your leave to join the guard on the outer realm?"
Oropher shook his head. "No, I need you at my side. You are a lord of this forest, and your responsibilities will be as such. You will assist with the creation and overseeing of the armies that we will build more to prepare for Sauron's assualt."
Thranduil nodded, accepting Oropher's words and command. "As is your will, my lord, I will see it done."
"We have much to do." Oropher stated absentmindedly, and not really to Thranduil. He stopped speaking, as if his thoughts traveled onto another topic as he contemplated all that they needed to do. Oropher's deep green eyes seemed contemplative. But then he softly shook his head and spoke to Thranduil once more.
"Do not let your heart fall into doubt, for your dreams are not certain. The people here are strong and we will prevail. The only enemy that can defeat you is the lack of faith that you have with our own might. If you continue to doubt, you will destroy yourself from within. I do not doubt our ability to defeat Sauron's forces, and you should take faith too."
Thranduil took a deep breath, too wrapped within his melancholy to argue his disagreement with that of his father's logic. He watched Oropher walk away with the understanding that he would be called on later in the day for some sort of meeting. At any rate, it was evident from Oropher's eyes that something was on the horizon. But Thranduil did not care to dwell on the cryptic clues his father exhibited. The deep and haunting longing he felt for Glorfindel was like a giant wave that had pulled him under. And he was floating on the surface now of a great and empty void, that was cold to him and as it was endless.
Silently, like one of the shadows in his heart, Thranduil moved through his home towards the forest that he loved dearly. Quickly and without pause, he dashed through the city around the citadel and into the forest. Glorfindel had long since passed through this area, but the trees still whispered of his presence here. Thranduil stopped, as if the weight in his heart had pulled him down. He seated himself down onto the forest floor and leaned his frame against a broad and smooth barked tree.
For how long he sat in numbness, Thranduil did not know. But the countless shadows had shifted, and they had grown long and wider around him. Why was it that the passing of heartache came to him in the solace of isolation? Especially when it was isolation that he feared and had argued against. Thranduil let his eyes drop to his hands, not caring to ponder the question he had poised to himself. At any rate, he wasn't alone now, and he felt the ever familiar and soothing presence of Galion once more.
"I am glad that you have come to me, my friend." Thranduil's rich voice pulled Galion to him, and he smiled his greeting to his friend. "How blessed am I who has a friend that can chase the shadows away. Do you come with a message from Oropher? Am I needed?"
"No." Galion replied, and he seated himself by Thranduil. "I have come of my own accord for the worry of one whom I hold dear."
"Worry not just yet, Galion, because still peace would find us. Numbered are those days, and I fear, they will pass us but in the blink of an eye."
"The dissonance between you and Oropher can be mended, I hope." Galion said, concerned eyes locking into Thranduil's.
Thranduil's warm and caring smile tried to chase away the worry and doubt that Galion had. And Thranduil felt his heart grow warmer, glad that Galion had come to him in this hour. The cold that had filled his soul had lessened, although it lingered ever still. But he felt it less and his mood began to clear.
"I would say have heart, Galion. My loyalty to our King is resolute. I will continue to give him counsel as long as he will take it. He has his own subtle wisdom and he cares for us all. I have no doubt that in the end, he will do what is necessary to preserve our peace."
"And I will do what I can do to give you strength in your council to Oropher."
"Lucky indeed am I, to count you as a friend Galion. Friend you are, and yet, you almost are more than a friend. I feel like you have touched a piece of my soul that few others have….." Thranduil stopped speaking, as his thoughts drifted back to Glorfindel.
Galion sighed, as he could tell that the shift of Thranduil's thoughts had brought him back to thinking of Glorfindel. If only he were more bold and not bound to his sense of duty, he would have long ago professed his attraction to Thranduil. But no, this was not what Thranduil needed. He was not what Thranduil even wanted. Pushing back his heart's desire, Galion rose, intent to move Thranduil's thoughts away from Glorfindel.
"A day has come and gone and you have not yet broken bread. Come with me and and let us eat together. You are still healing, and strength you need. And I would want your company."
Thranduil rose, accepting the offer of his friend to pass the remaining hours of the day in merry company. Glorfindel was gone, and there was nothing he could do to prolong their time together. Their affair was over, and soon the love he felt for Glorfindel would diminish like the stars in the awaking morning sky. There was no use to dwell on someone who had slipped beyond his reach.
He could either lock himself within his mind until his broken heart withered away, or he could throw himself into the protection of his home. He knew that Glorfindel would chose not to weep in silent longing for something that could never be, and he as well should.
But even as he smiled to Galion who had stopped to see if he would come, his heart little could be convinced what his mind was trying to tell him.
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It was with a heavy heart that Glorfindel traveled through the Greenwood. The forest was ever as beautiful and mysterious as he had remembered it to be from his first walk though it. The guide who led him through was silent and offered no interest in conversation, and Glorfindel even wondered if this one spoke Sindarin. And Glorfindel frowned within, wanting anything to distract his forlorn thoughts and aching heart.
Glorfindel's journey out of the forest moved more quickly in comparison to his journey into it. Void in this quick pace through the forest was the companionship of Thranduil that he had cherished throughout his stay. The forest was just as beautiful as it had ever been. But still, it all seemed less. His mood was rather downcast and more so as he saw that the trees grew more sparse and the wide glades of the fields opened up to him. Politely he thanked his guide and whispered to his horse to bear him home with haste. And then he rode off from the forest, caring not even to look back to the forest that had caused him so much joy and grief.
His journey home led him along the same path that he had taken so many weeks before. What was once blooming in early summer was now lush with thick grasses that blew lazily in the summer wind. The warm sun beat down onto him and gentle breezes whispered through the tall grasses. And as the days began and ended while he traveled, the grasslands turned to rocky paths that led him ever closer to the soaring mountains.
The mountain trails transformed the warm summer day with the breath of cool breezes, and Glorfindel breathed with an easy mind and heart, as if for the first time since he had left the Greenwood, the beauty of the lands around him finally penetrated to his perception
When finally he had returned to the valley of Imladris, the weariness of the road lay heavy on him like the mantle of an oppressive and dark night that shrouded the gentle silver lights of the stars. He let his horse be taken for tending, and he hurried without further pause to find Elrond. Knowing the hour of his arrival, he made a guess as to where to find his lord, and he entered into the Hall of Fire. He wasn't surprised to see that Elrond and Erestor were present, but he had not expected for Gil-galad to be standing there as well. Glorfindel understood that the call for alliance had already been sounded, and the different armies were already coming together to begin the plans.
By chance or by word of his arrival it was just the three of them, and Glorfindel greeted them, wondering at what news they had.
"Was my request for alliance answered?" Gil-galad asked, face placid, even though he stared intently for a response.
"Lord Oropher will not march under your command, and will only aid the alliance by defense of the Greenwood. He will not send his archers to aid our alliance, nor will he allow the marching of his people to fight Sauron when the time for battle comes. Oropher and his armies will remain in the Greenwood, and will only fight if Sauron is to send his forces on them."
Glorfindel watched as Gil-galad's face contorted into a frown, and his emotions were bare in his mulling of the news.
"This is ill news indeed." Gil-galad said. "King Elendil has called for the gathering of an alliance, and I assured him that a mighty host of elves will march with him. I made no mention of the actual number or of the full make of our army however. We will still answer his call for alliance, although with a heavy heart, I will lead our armies with numbers less than what I had coveted."
Glorfindel noticed that Elrond's expression seemed to reflect that he had already suspected this news. And Glorfindel wondered if he had been shown in one of his visions the outcome of his debate with Oropher. But the words that Elrond now spoke little reflected his expression however.
"I still have hope in our alliance." Elrond turned to Glorfindel, and his clear eyes smiled to him. "Glorfindel has done what we have requested, and I would like to express my gratitude, for I can sense that your trials were many."
Glorfindel smiled, glad to be back to his home, and he felt the slight stirrings of joy in his soul at the hearing of Elrond's kind and caring words. "I feel that I did not do enough, for I have failed in convincing Oropher. But," He paused and he moved his gaze from Elrond and over to Gil-galad. "Where I failed with Oropher, I succeeded with Thranduil. Thranduil is in favor of alliance and would have followed me here with the might of the Greenwood's archers, if he had but just Oropher's blessing."
"Having Thranduil's approval is of little comfort, for what I know of Thranduil, he would never defy his father's will." Gil-galad said, shaking his head. "Do not trust or look to Thranduil to persuade Lord Oropher to align with us and march to war under my command."
"I beg to differ." Glorfindel responded, drawing curious expressions from both Elrond and Gil-galad at his words. "Thranduil has a strength in him that is equal to Lord Oropher's. He has been granted a warning from the Valar that will move him to persuasion. Despite Oropher's obstinance, Oropher respects and takes council to Thranduil's advice. I will not lose faith that Thranduil will prevail."
"I do not hold that faith, as much as I would like to take solace in your words. Thranduil is too free a spirit to ever care enough to challenge Oropher. No." Gil-galad sighed as if to personify that he had given up on alliance with the Greenwood for good. "We will just commence to precede with the acceptance that the Silvan archers will not be ours in this war. Certainly this weakens our might."
Gil-galad's voice trailed off as if he seemed lost in his thoughts. He then looked curiously at Elrond who looked like he was still contemplating Glorfindel's words. "Do you wish to add your thoughts, Elrond?"
Brought from his thoughts, Elrond sighed. "You doubt the Greenwood would ever answer to alliance, and even if your thoughts do come to pass, hope is not yet abandoned us. I have to hold you to adopt this mindset now. The time has moved from the ifs of war, to the time of war. But even in these uncertain times, I still have hope. Something deep within my heart would have me believe that Glorfindel's words are true. Yes Thranduil is like the changing of the winds, but something tells me that Glorfindel did indeed succeed in this mission."
"How is this so when Lord Oropher has rejected our call? Unless I am mistaken, it is the Lord Oropher, and not Thranduil who rules the Greenwood. He may have the admiration of the people, but from what I know, it is Oropher they follow and not Thranduil."
"I agree. Thranduil would never lead his people in open rebellion against his father. The wood- elves will remain isolated, and subject alone to their own fates." Erestor added, ever quick to the reason of doubt instead of delusions of the miraculous.
"That is still not certain." Elrond said, brows creased with the depths of his concern. "The future of the Greenwood is still not known to me, and all that is shown to me is but a foggy picture of an unknown future. I do agree with Glorfindel however. And while we should precede now to plan with the resources that we do know that we have, let us also keep that uncertain possibility in the back of our minds that Greenwood may still answer our call. Until the hour of war is on us, anything is possible."
Gil-galad's strong and caring eyes drifted to Elrond and within their depths, his eyes smiled at him. "Ever would I hold your council close to me Elrond, for your reason is the advice that can always steer me so correctly."
Gil-galad turned to Glorfindel. "You have traveled far, my friend, and now is not the time for us to further debate. Take your leave now and rest your mind and body. The days of strife are just on the horizon, and they will greet us soon enough."
Glorfindel took his leave, moving silently through the halls of his home, and even though he was far from Thranduil, he couldn't help but wonder what the other was up to. He carried a pensive look on his face, and he breathed deeper, as if to personify his troubled mind. Silently, he entered the corridor that would lead him to his chambers, but he passed by his door, even though he was weary. But the weight of his thoughts were stronger however, motivating him to seek out the gardens. He stepped outside into the lush summer gardens, and he seated himself on a bench, as if he hoped the tranquil setting would ease his heart.
After some passing of time, a presence made itself known to him, and Glorfindel saw that Erestor approach. Erestor's deep grey eyes looked troubled and he realized the very astute counsellor must have picked up on some subtle clue. Glorfindel smiled a little, surprised that the elusive Erestor cared enough to seek him out.
"I hope my presence does not disturb you." Erestor stated, seating himself without invitation by Glorfindel. He was fueled by his curiosity regarding Glorfindel's earlier words and the emotions that drove what he said.
"Not at all, counsellor."
Content that Glorfindel was receptive to his questions, Erestor continued. "My mind will just not rest until I know what makes you believe that Oropher and the Greenwood will join us in alliance. What moves you to put such faith in Thranduil?" Erestor asked, noticing the discord on Glorfindel's face and the slight glimmer in his eyes when he spoke the name of Thranduil. It was evident that something had indeed occurred, and Erestor was not sure why this bothered him so. But it did, like a tiny singe of jealousy. He quickly dispelled the feeling, and soon the fleeting emotion was gone.
Glorfindel raised a curious eyebrow, wondering why Erestor cared. But, he was the chief of Elrond's counsellors, and thoroughly understudying an issue or occurrence was his business.
"I just have faith that Thranduil can reach through to Oropher."
Erestor shook his head, far from convinced. "Oropher is a complex character, and Thranduil would never challenge him."
At hearing his words on Oropher, Glorfindel burst out into laughter. "Your statement is true, and yet does not even come close to scratching the surface of what Oropher is."
"Well, tell me this, what causes you to put such faith in Thranduil? At one point, I would too have believed him to aid us. I remember a Thranduil who was friendly and caring, but also much like an enigma and distant sometimes. He could make me laugh one second, only to irritate me the next. When he passed into the wilds with Oropher, did he not also show his bias and dislike for the Noldor? When he followed his father, I came to conclude that deep within, Thranduil must harbor the same feelings as Oropher."
Glorfindel smiled, suddenly remembering the conversation that he had had with Thranduil about Erestor. He cared no further to discuss his reasoning with his trust of Thranduil, but instead was interested in finally learning who had won that chess game. "Thranduil told me me that he once played a chess game with you, but he could not tell me who was the victor. He indicated that I should ask you."
On hearing what Glorfindel had to say, Erestor smiled, much to Glorfindel's surprise. Erestor rarely smiled, but before his mind could linger on that unusual behavior, Erestor responded.
"I remember that night like it was just yesterday." His deep grey eyes grew unreadable, but the smile remained on his face. "I can say with honesty that we never finished that game. There was no winner that night." Erestor's face grew more serious now, and he shook his head, as if annoyed that Glorfindel knew. He cursed Thranduil within his mind, and once again, he could feel his anger boil over because of Thranduil.
"Well, you fared better than I did, for he beat me." And Glorfindel suddenly stopped speaking, as if he realized just what he had truly revealed to Erestor.
Erestor smiled more now at Glorfindel's revelation, and he rose, ready to leave. "Gil-galad is correct. The weariness of your travels is imprinted on your face and eyes, and you carry the distance of the road on your clothes. Go now, and refresh. Gil-galad will soon hold the pre-war councils while we await for King Elendil's arrival."
Glorfindel watched Erestor depart, wondering just what game Thranduil and Erestor had really played back in Lindon so many years ago. Clearing his mind from that thought, he rose, and headed back to his rooms for much needed solitude. He knew that Erestor and Gil-galad were right. He needed his rest now. Soon the hard and important work would find him, and he would be asked to provide his input on the war councils.
The dice had been cast. The alliance had been called for. Soon they would debate the plan to free Middle-Earth from the threat of Sauron's shadow for good. Glorfindel felt a bolt like lightning strike through his core, pushing the longing he had for Thranduil deep within the crevices of his heart.
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Not Beta read. Sorry for the mistakes
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Liquid Diamonds