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Love’s Healing Flame	By : Argleena Category: -Fourth Age to Modern times and beyond > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 947 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: The following work is based on the fantasy world and characters created by J.R.R. Tolkien and I do not own them or profit from this piece of work.

Chapter List
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Now, Erestor was an old elf, born in the beginning of the first age. He has been around Arda for a long time and has been maturing for ages. Through the long years of his life, he certainly has learned a thing or two about patience and forbearance, but of late he has been feeling like he was reaching the end of his rope. It seemed as though it was one task or disaster after another popping up for Erestor to have to manage. Then coupled with the whispers of his fellow elves and the “pranks” directed toward him by the children of his Lord and their cohorts, Erestor felt close to losing every last bit of his hard earned patience. It was taking a toll on him physically, mentally and emotionally as well. He was always tired and had dark circles under his eyes. He tended to get short tempered and snappy more often at those who crossed his way. Where once he had long, beautiful, silky onyx hair, the color of a moonless night sky, the ends have turned brittle, the shine has dulled and he felt as if he lost a handful every time he ran his comb through it. Not to mention that he knows he found a grey hair on his head the other day. Now any elf would tell you that this is impossible. He is a full elf and full elves don’t age much at all once they hit their majority and they certainly don’t have hair that turns grey with age such as mere mortal men do! He was just so overstressed and overworked and over everything he was losing and greying his hair. He swore he could also see wrinkles forming on his forehead and beneath his eyes that were never there before. At this rate, Erestor would be transforming into an elderly human man rather than the luminous, immortal being instilled with the intelligence, beauty and grace that he was born as. Give it a century or two, he would probably be unrecognizable if he kept down the path he was currently traversing.
It all began three fortnights ago. With the coming of the Lavas season and the harvest being ready to gather, there was much more commotion and hustle and bustle taking place around Imladris than usual. First, there were the elves themselves preparing for this harvest season and for the upcoming Rhîw . There were food and provisions to be gathered and stored, wood to be chopped and stacked to fill the numerous fireplaces for 4-5 long months of blustery Rhîw weather and negotiations to be had with traders and neighboring territories. The main house as well as outlying structures and dwellings had to be secured and made ready for the harsh temperatures and weather that were to come. Snow, ice, wind and the cold can cause a number of problems and issues for the elves, as well as their guests, if they were not prepared for it. On top of all of that, Imladris was especially full of visitors and passers-by during this time of year. Being the harvest season, elves, men, dwarves and other beings from across Middle Earth were looking to trade, buy, sell and stock up on supplies for the long, cold Rhîw. Many were simply there to turn a profit as well. Erestor and his staff had to make sure all their visitors received accommodations, meals, and whatever else they required while they were lodging there. Erestor was also in charge of overseeing the trade requests and negotiations, ensuring fair terms of trade with the groups that passed through their realm. This was easier said than done when one considers the sheer volume and variety of individuals passing through on a daily basis and then all of their diverse needs and preferences added to that. Erestor never wanted to have another incident occur again like when a training member of staff unwittingly roomed a foul mouthed company of dwarves right next to a group of noble (and uptight) diplomats from Thraduil’s realm. Erestor swore to Eru that he had prevented a small war from breaking out between the two realms on at least three occasions during that week-long stay of misery.
On top of the influx of visitors and activity, Elrond had also just acquired some very ancient and top secret texts that needed to be translated, transcribed and their original copies restored. Usually Erestor could have one or more of his underlings dedicated to these tasks, but not only was everyone especially busy and backlogged with work this season, these particular documents were very precious and valuable to Elrond, having belonged to his great grandparents. They contained sensitive material and “secret information” as well, that was not appropriate for just anyone to access. Erestor trusted no one to the task but himself. So now he found himself taking on this task after his normal working hours were over, often working late into the night to ensure it was completed with both swiftness and accuracy.
Erestor also had numerous other tasks on his plate to complete, including official correspondence with the other elven realms and kingdoms of men. He had his regular office and transcription work to be completed daily, he also managed the expansive library and it’s staff, as well as ran weekly council meetings. He was responsible for approving budgets and spending, processing a variety of reports and paperwork, from applications for new recruits for their guard to requests for aid or building permits to be filed, and much much more. If Erestor were to list all his duties and the things he oversaw as Chief Advisor to Elrond, it would take several sheaves of paper or multiple scrolls to detail all his duties and responsibilities. While Erestor did have many elves working under him, ultimately he or Elrond (so he) was responsible for the final authorization of all things, such as paperwork and laws and for managing and maintaining the work force and vitality of Imladris. It was essential that he ensure all were contributing their part. He managed thousands of records to ensure provisions were well stocke as well as settled disputes among the people dwelling or visiting in the borders. Beyond those duties he was charged with keeping up with hundreds of other various tasks and roles he had taken on over the years. It was a big responsibility, but Erestor managed all the inner workings of the elven city.
There was one part of the realm that Erestor did not have to oversee or worry so much about managing (although he certainly was still involved in some matters, especially where it crossed over to involve matters that were in the scope of his duties). That was the area of security and military matters, including building, training, maintaining and leading the Imaldrian guard and warriors. That all fell under Glorfindel's scope of authority. He handled his responsibilities very well and was an excellent role model for the warriors. It was quite a hefty responsibility, especially with the rising of Morgoth foul evil that was rapidly spreading throughout the lands of Middle Earth, brought forth by the twisted misdeeds of Sauron. Erestor was glad they had a noble elf such as Glorfindel to take charge in those areas. While Erestor was no stranger to a sword and had fought in many wars/conflicts, military strength, strategy and battle were not his strongest points. He was glad Glorfindel had returned from Mandos and had chosen to follow Elrond to Imladris. He was a strong,wise and dependable leader.
Now, none of this being said in regards to all Erestor and Glorfindel do is to diminish the role that Elrond plays as Lord of the realm. He has his own duties and responsibilities that come with being the face and leader of the realm and he depends on Glorfindel and Erestor to support and assist him in front and behind the scenes, in all that he does to keep the people of Imladris safe and thriving. He too often overworked himself, just as Erestor and Glorfindel often did as well. He could be found toiling from dusk till dawn and beyond that. It’s just that while Elrond was at the forefront, leading the people of the realm and healing the sick and injured with his Eru given gift of healing, Erestor was the one that worked behind the scenes keeping every little piece moving and functioning smoothly, so that Elrond could focus of doing the most important jobs and focusing his energy on the most vital of issues and leading and healing. He was also amazing at providing guidance to all, even Erestor, who many thought already knew all there was to know! Erestor truly was proud to serve his Lord and work with Elrond and the people of the realm to create a safe and smooth running community.
Over the years, however (and largely unbeknownst to Elrond) Erestor seemed to take on more and more responsibilities. One of his faults was that he sometimes struggled with loosening control and delegating simpler tasks to others. Many did not or just could not work up to and produce the standard and quality of work that Erestor could after 4,500+ years of experience. He held high standards for all of those he worked closely with and he expected staff to be at the top of their game. It was well known across Imladris and in fact far and wide across Middle Earth, that if you had a conundrum or question or needed a certain piece of information or help solving a problem, or just to get a job done, Erestor was the one to go to. He usually had a solution right off the top of his head. For issues he was not fully knowledgeable or certain about, he would work to find a solution, no matter how much investigating, researching and discussion it took.
At the slowest of times, like on a lazy summer day where most elves were lounging about, swimming and enjoying the blessings of the Valar, or on freezing wintry day where most were shut up inside, cozied around a nice and toasty fire with a cup of tea in hand, Erestor could always be found to be busily working away, as was his usual. This was the best and slowest of times. At the busiest and worst of times, when everything seemed to be going wrong or breaking down and every elf was scrambling to assist in the situation, Erestor would gather a Vala like strength and fortitude and would often run himself to the brink of exhaustion trying to manage, mediate and mend everything that was going on. Like the changing of the seasons or the transition from day to night is an ever moving process, Erestor never stopped or slowed down. Well, he never stopped, that is, until Elrond forced him to take a break. Really, it wasn’t that much trouble, Erestor thought. He only collapsed from exhaustion 12 times this past decade. That was a record low! One particularly difficult spring about a century ago, when Imladris had been dealing with massive flooding and issues that the raging waters had caused, Erestor managed to pass out every day for a week straight, until Elrond locked him in a room with nothing but a bed, some food and water and a bathing chamber for three days and forced him to get some rest. Elrond would have left him to rest for longer, however, he really did need Erestor’s help and for him to come back to work again.

Translations:
Lavas- Autumn
Rhîw- Winter
Eru- the elven “God,” The creator of all, the entity who the Valar serves under
Valar- the “Powers of Arda” who shaped and ruled, created by Eru. These beings were highly venerated by the elves. If Eru was the “God of Creation” the Valar were the minor Gods that worked under him and more directly with the elves
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Love’s Healing Flame