Second Chances

Part 4

By Morgana

       

“Lindir? Would you please make sure my entire household is assembled in the Hall of Fire before dinner? I have an announcement to make and I want everyone present.” Elrond noticed the puzzled expression on Lindir’s face, now that the white-haired Elf was staring at Elros. He sympathized with Lindir, knowing Elros’ presence raised many questions, but he wanted to explain his twin’s return to his household once only. “And please locate my daughter. I need to speak with her.”

Lindir nodded; he would carry out these instructions, realizing his Lord would explain in time. “I will locate Arwen first and then instruct the staff.” He left the half-Elf’s study, still wondering about the identical Elf who had been sitting on Elrond’s bed.

“I think I scared him,” said Elros thoughtfully. “I saw the way he looked at me.”

“That is because he doesn’t know how to explain your presence here. Once they know the Valar returned you to me, he will be as delighted as I am.” Elrond gave his twin a stunning smile.

Elros however, noticed something about the way Elrond continued to phrase that. /Returned to *me*. Not to Arda, or his family. No, I was returned to *him*./ He actually loved hearing the possessiveness in his twin’s voice. Millennia ago he had hoped to hear it, but back then Elrond had distanced himself, probably uncertain about the attraction Elros felt for him, but that seemed to have changed. “Tell me more about your daughter, now that I am going to meet her.”

“She is the last gift Celebrian left me. She inherited my dark looks, but her features are Celebrian’s. I love her dearly and already regret having to give her hand in marriage to Estel one day.” He had seen the future and knew what would come to pass. His heart grew saddened, knowing Arwen would choose a mortal life as Elros had.

Elros didn’t know who Estel was and why this pained his twin, but he felt Elrond’s anguish as if it were his own. “Each of us needs to walk their own path, gwenneth. You cannot stand in the way of destiny.”

“But she will choose a mortal life, like you did,” said Elrond, hoping his twin would understand. “I will lose her.”

Elros leaned in closer and placed the palm of his right hand against Elrond’s chest, covering the area beneath which his brother’s heart was beating. “You cannot lose someone when they live on in your heart. I know you felt like you had lost me, but I was always with you – here.” He gently rubbed Elrond’s chest through the fabric of the robes.

Swallowing hard, Elrond stared into his twin’s gray eyes. “You did leave me, but you are right. You remained alive in my heart.” He folded his arms around his brother and hugged him close. “When you told me you had chosen mortality my world collapsed. Why did you do it?”

“I didn’t have a choice,” whispered Elros in his twin’s ear. “I knew my destiny lay in the world of Man. That I had things to accomplish and certain events to set into motion.”

“Was that it? Or was there another reason?” Elrond lifted swimming eyes to meet his brother’s gaze. “You made your choice after you kissed me.”

Elros shivered, dreading this topic. He had to steer Elrond away from it. “Let us forget that ever happened. You made it very clear that your heart didn’t lie with me and I always respected that.”

Elrond cringed; that was not the answer he had wanted to hear. Looking into Elros’ eyes, he still saw lingering hurt there. His reaction millennia ago had greatly pained his twin. “I am sorry I hurt you. That was never my intention, but I was shocked.”

“Don’t worry about something that happened in the past. There is nothing we can do to change that now. I cannot take back that kiss or my admission and you cannot take back your reaction. I was wrong, not you. I should never have kissed you, let alone tell you I loved you.”

Elrond felt at the brink of a revelation and he just had to ask – had to know. “Do you still love me?”

Elros involuntarily sucked in his breath. “Don’t ask me that.” For he couldn’t lie to his twin.

“Ada?” Arwen walked into the room, and then froze in her tracks – stunned. She placed one hand against the wall to ground herself. Staring at the two identical Elves, a strange sensation swept through her. She was hard-pressed to find any differences between them, but in the end she focused on the eyes. Smiling, she identified her father, reading the love in Elrond’s gray orbs. Walking toward Elrond, she cocked her head questioningly. “I reckon there is something you need to tell me?” She had known something was amiss when Lindir had urged her to join her father as quickly as possible.

“Arwen, I want you to meet my twin, Elros.” Elrond’s heart thundered nervously, wondering how his daughter would react to this revelation. He loosened the hold he had on his twin and gathered Elros’ hand in his. “Manwe allowed him to return to Arda.”

Staring at Elros in curious surprise, Arwen searched her uncle’s face. “Is it really you?” Seeing Elros nod, her heart rejoiced. Her father had seldom mentioned Elros, but when he had, his voice had always carried a tone of regret and pain. She smiled at Elros, approaching him to give him a hug. “Welcome back, uncle.”

Accepting her embrace, he blinked at Elrond, relieved this introduction had gone so well. Arwen felt warm and soft in his arms, but that didn’t fool him, having seen determination and a strong spirit in her eyes. “Thank you, pen-neth. Finding my brother has fathered such kind children warms my heart.”

Elrond beamed with pride, hearing his twin’s approval. Joining in the hug, he wrapped his arms around his daughter and brother. But in the back of his head, he replayed Elros’ answer to the question of whether his twin still loved him, realizing his brother had never answered that question. /If only Arwen had arrived a few minutes later./ Now he had to wait for an appropriate moment to bring up the question again.

       

Studying his staff, Elrond realized the news had traveled fast. All eyes were directed at Elros, who stood beside him, and murmurs traveled through the Hall of Fire. “This is my twin, Elros, who has returned to Middle-Earth with the blessing of Manwe himself. He will live here – with us.”

Elros’ eyes briefly narrowed; he couldn’t remember discussion his plans with his twin. Elrond had automatically assumed he would stay here. And that was what he wanted – really wanted – but could he bear the ever present pain of being so close to the one he loved, knowing Elrond didn’t love him back in that way? How long would he last? Elrond’s rejection had driven them apart in the first place.

“As my brother, he will hold a place of respect in this household.” Elrond saw most of his servants nod, easily accepting Elros as part of their household. Raising a hand, he signaled for his staff to follow him to the set tables so they could eat dinner.

“Please sit beside me,” whispered Elrond, gesturing for Elros to sit to his right, whilst Arwen took her place at his left. Realizing Elladan wasn’t present yet, he wondered what was keeping his oldest son.

       

Elros felt at peace, eating dinner and watching his twin and Arwen. It was amazing how much Elladan and she had taken after their father. Even though Celebrian had left her family, they had obviously remained a tight unit, as the love the half-Elves bore each other was palpable, and he rejoiced at the fact that they had accepted and welcomed him into their family as well.

If only he could keep Elrond from asking more questions about that kiss and his admission. He had committed that foolish act millennia ago and thought Elrond had dealt with it. But apparently his twin hadn’t, as Elrond had inquired about his feelings earlier. He hoped that he could keep his love hidden from his twin – not wanting to confront his brother with his inappropriate feelings. If he really wanted to be happy here – and keep Elrond happy as well – he had to bury his feelings forever.

       

“Elrohir, you are not going to believe this!” Elladan marched into the rooms they shared, watching his younger twin slip into clean clothes now that Elrohir had been able to wash up. Elrohir had been on patrol these last few days and seemed relieved to be home again. Sitting down on the bed, Elladan caught his brother’s glance, hoping he had piqued his twin’s curiosity.

“Pray tell me what has happened then,” said Elrohir in a fatigued tone. Although everyone was getting ready for dinner, he just wanted to catch some sleep. But his father always appreciated it when he joined them for dinner, so he would make a brief appearance tonight. He saw the mischievous spark in his brother’s eyes and wondered about it, but he also knew Elladan would tell him shortly. His twin was bad at keeping secrets; Elladan always had been.

“Imladris has a new inhabitant,” hinted Elladan wickedly. “And he bears a perfect resemblance to our dear father. His name is Elros.”

Elrohir frowned deeply, wondering why his twin was acting this irrationally. “Elrohir, Elros died. He was mortal.”

“That is true, but Manwe sent him back!” Elladan rose from the bed and advanced on his brother, grabbing hold of his shoulders. “You will understand when you see him at our father’s side.”

The deep frown remained on Elrohir’s face. “Elladan, this cannot be.”

“Glorfindel was allowed to return to Arda, why not Elros?”

“Because Glorfindel belonged to the Firstborn and Elros was mortal.” Elrohir calmly held his brother’s gaze. “This Elf is an imposter.”

“Ada doesn’t believe so.”

“Ada never truly recovered from the grief of losing Elros! He would gladly accept his twin’s return, even if it is only an imposter!”

“You are wrong, trust me. You will understand when you see them together. There is a deep connection between them, one we never quite managed.” Elladan moistened his lips, hoping to convince his twin. “Promise me you won’t step into the Hall of Fire filled with suspicion and hostility. Give Elros a chance to prove himself to you.” Elladan gently rubbed his twin’s fingers. “Do it for me.”

Elladan had never been able to deny his twin and nodded his head. “I will try.”

“Good, that is all I am asking for.” Elladan held his twin’s stare for one more moment and then nodded contentedly. Elrohir would keep his promise and seeing Elrond and Elros together would take away his twin’s doubts.

       

Elros looked up from his plate, feeling wary eyes probe his form. The twins stood in the doorway. He easily identified Elladan by the smile on his face, but the younger twin’s lips formed a narrow line, obviously displeased. He could understand though. Both twins struck him as protective of their father and they would make sure Elrond wouldn’t be emotionally hurt.

Elrond had noticed their arrival as well and signaled for them to take their seats. Elrond easily caught the expression in his oldest son’s eyes and wondered what to do – what to say. After clearing his throat, Elrond said, “Elrohir, I gather your brother already told you about my twin?”

“He did.” Elrohir’s eyes narrowed. “Are you really Elros?”

Elros understood Elrohir’s need for confirmation and said, “Yes, I am. I realize this is hard to accept, but I really am Elros. The Valar gave me a second chance and your father has invited me to stay.”

Elrohir focused on Elros, trying to find out if the Elf was being sincere. When his father placed a hand on Elros’ arm, he thought he saw something

-- a soft glow, originating from their point of contact. Instinctively he sensed their connection, a deep link that bound them. Elladan had been right then; this really was Elros.

His gaze shifted from Elros’ face to his father’s and Elrohir searched the gray eyes, which were definitely radiant with happiness and bliss. /I cannot imagine the pain Ada must have gone through when Elros chose mortality. It is amazing that he didn’t fade back then. If Elladan ever left me…/ But they had already discussed their future and had agreed to belong to the Firstborn when their time came. Elladan and he would never be separated. He couldn’t help but wonder though why Elros had chosen to go a separate way from his twin.

Elrond was growing worried now that Elrohir remained silent. “He speaks the truth. Our bond came alive again the moment he entered my life.”

“You are happy to have him back,” said Elrohir thoughtfully.

“Very happy. I am finally reunited with the other half of my soul. You have no idea how empty I felt without him.” Elrond’s eyes sought out his twin’s.

“I am sorry my decision hurt you,” said Elros sincerely, “But I didn’t have a choice. My destiny lay elsewhere and you survived without me. You married Celebrian and sired these lovely children, who do you much credit. What else could you have wished for?”

“I wanted you in my life,” said Elrond in a trembling voice. “I wanted you close.”

Realizing his younger twin was growing emotional, Elros reassuringly squeezed Elrond’s fingers. “You have me now. I am close.”

Elrond swallowed convulsively, plagued by the question if Elros was mortal or not. Elros seemed ethereal to him, wholly Elven, but could he be sure? “Promise you won’t ever leave me again.”

“Not willingly,” promised Elros, wishing he could kiss his brother in another way than just press a chaste kiss onto his twin’s brow. Even after all these millennia, he still wanted to taste Elrond’s lips again and to press his brother’s body against his. /But I cannot have him. Never./ And he locked his feelings away again, making sure they weren’t palpable on his face.

But one person caught that look of desire and need on Elros’ face. Elladan, already wondering about the tight connection which Elrond and Elros shared, now wondered what else bound the elder twins. Was it more than brotherly love? /And if it is, how do I feel about it?/ The suspicion that there was a mutual attraction between his father and Elros had occurred to him before, but he hadn’t allowed it to fully register with him… until now.

       

Elros was rather relieved when dinner was over. The twins had been staring at him for most of the evening, whilst Arwen and Elrond had tried to fill any awkward silences with pleasant chatter. But now the time had come to retire for the night and he was curious to find out if he would be given guest quarters or if Elrond expected him to move into his rooms. Not that he would mind, and his younger twin still had a rather tight hold on his hand.

It was apparent that Elrond still expected him to vanish and, being honest, so did Elros himself. It was definitely odd to be alive again and now that he had been reunited with his twin, he didn’t ever want to leave Elrond again. But was that what the Valar had intended when they had restored him to life?

Elrond rose to his feet next to him and Elros followed because of his twin’s tight grip. Several pairs of curious eyes fixed on them, but his twin ignored them, announcing they were leaving.

Arwen and the twins also rose from their chairs. Studying Arwen, Elros found she was genuinely pleased and interested in learning more about him. The same applied to Elrohir, who had apparently let go of his suspicions during the evening. Now it was Elladan who was eying him questioningly, but he detected no malice in the half-Elf’s gaze, just a deep curiosity and wondering. He decided to address it once he got a moment alone with Elladan and let it go for now, feeling Elrond’s hand settle at the small of his back.

Elrond was touching him a lot more than he had before he had died. Especially those last few centuries had been pure torment with his younger brother keeping any physical contact between them to an absolute minimum. Elrond had acted like even the smallest touch would trigger an amorous reaction on Elros’ part. /I accepted that you don’t love me in that way, gwenneth. Distancing yourself from me wasn’t necessary./ Had his younger brother finally realized that? He probably had, considering the fact that Elrond constantly instigated a touch or a caress.

Leaning into the touch, he fell into step beside his younger brother, curious to find out what Elrond’s next step would be.

       

Elrond faced a dilemma. As a host, he knew it was only proper to offer Elros his own quarters, but he was hesitant to let his brother out of his sight. He wanted – no, needed – Elros close constantly. After nervously clearing his throat, he said, “I don’t think Lindir prepared any guest rooms for you yet. Would you mind staying in my chambers tonight?” Not so subtle, but it would get his point across. When Elros’ eyes met his, he read understanding in them. Elros knew about his feelings, and his needs, for which he was grateful.

“I will keep you company tonight, gwenneth, if you don’t mind sharing your bed with me, for I refuse to sleep on the floor! Now that I am back on Arda I want to sleep in a proper bed!”

Elrond laughed warmly. “My bed is big enough for the two of us.” A moment later he sobered slightly, realizing how close to him Elros would sleep. The last time they had slept that way had been before Elros’ admission. He wondered what tonight would be like.

       

“Stop moving about so much, gwenneth! I cannot sleep!” Elros had rolled onto his right side and was now staring at Elrond’s back. His younger brother had been right; the bed *was* big enough, but the constant tossing and turning on Elrond’s part was making it hard for him to fall asleep.

“It just feels… odd,” mumbled Elrond, slowly turning onto his other side so he was facing his twin. “I haven’t shared my bed with anyone for so long. I must have gotten used to sleeping alone.”

The sadness that colored Elrond’s words made Elros reach out. Gently, he stroked his brother’s brow and then let his fingers run through the loose mane. “I loved my wife, and my children,” volunteered Elros in a shaky tone, “But each night when I went to sleep, I missed having you close, gwenneth.”

Elrond gave his twin a shaky smile. “I am still afraid you will be gone when I open my eyes in the morning.” His hand found Elros’ and he interlinked their fingers. “I cannot help myself. I need to touch you.”

Elros smiled reassuringly and gently squeezed his twin’s fingers. He was somewhat hesitant to offer to hold his brother like he had when they had been Elflings and wondered about Elrond’s possible reactions to such an offer. The last thing he wanted was for Elrond to retreat behind a wall again, shutting him out. Should he take the risk? Or not?

Their tight connection gave Elrond a brief glimpse at his twin’s thoughts, sensing Elros’ hesitance to take the initiative in this. “Maybe you could hold me? I would love to sleep that way again. It seems a life time ago.”

“For me, a life time did pass by,” mumbled Elros absentmindedly. He freed his hand of Elrond’s hold, opened his arms and invited his brother to move into them, which Elrond promptly did. However, he wasn’t prepared for the sensory overload that now hit him. Elrond’s scent invaded his nostrils. Strands of hair teased against his face and Elrond’s warm body pressed back against his, settling down in the embrace. Spooned behind Elrond, he embraced his younger brother tightly. “I will still be here when you wake up. I cannot possibly leave without you noticing me get up.”

Elrond grinned, being reminded of the fact that Elros had always acted as his ‘big’ brother, who had to protect and reassure him. Even though Elros was only a few minutes older, his twin took his responsibility and duties extremely seriously. It also made him wonder if Elladan felt the same way where Elrohir was concerned.

One thing he could definitely rule out where his sons were concerned was the possibility of them being in love with each other. Elladan had displayed a great interest in Rumil the last time Celeborn had visited and he had definitely seen Elrohir making eyes at Orophin. It would be fortunate if the two brothers returned their feelings, but he hadn’t made any inquiries yet, knowing his sons would tell him when the time was right.

Elros simply enjoyed holding his twin close. The familiar sensation almost overwhelmed him, causing tears to form in his eyes and he felt grateful that Elrond was facing away from him. Instinctively, he placed a chaste kiss on the top of his brother’s head.

Elrond smiled, pleased, when a kiss was bestowed onto his hair and he snuggled closer, pulling his twin’s arms as tightly as possible around his frame. “May Elbereth grant you sweet dreams tonight, gweniaur.”

“And may yours be equally sweet,” whispered Elros in a shaky tone. Holding each other close, both half-Elves finally managed to fall asleep.

       

A hungry growl, originating from Erestor’s stomach, immediately drew Glorfindel’s attention. His charge had slept peacefully for most of the night, but now seemed to be waking up, judging by his eyes beginning to blink. He was eager to find out if Erestor had already regained some mobility. It had to frustrate the chief advisor to be unable to move and be confined to bed. Leaving his chair, he walked over to the bed and carefully sat down on the side. “How do you fare this morning?” He closely monitored Erestor’s reaction, reading confusion and puzzlement in the large, dark eyes.

“What are *you* doing in my rooms?” Upon awakening, his mind was still blank and he managed to slightly move away from Glorfindel, not fully realizing he was actually moving again.

Glorfindel frowned at the words, but was relieved to see Erestor pushing away from him. Some mobility had been returned to the dark-haired Elf then! Good! But why was Erestor moving away from him? “You had an accident, remember? And I am taking care of you because it was my fault. Please don’t tell me you have amnesia now as well.”

Erestor blinked one more time; his memories slowly returning to him. “You ran into me.” Glorfindel had caused him to bang his head against the sharp end of a table, leaving him nearly paralyzed. Yes, he remembered now. He also remembered that they had been getting along the last time they had talked and that he had been trying not to be sarcastic when the blond was close. “I remember. I have no amnesia, Glorfindel.”

The frown on his brow deepened. Erestor had never before spoken his name in such a companionable tone and he replied softly in return. “I am glad for that. Forgetting parts of your life is frustrating.”

That statement caught Erestor’s attention. Now that he remembered that Glorfindel only wanted to help, he relaxed and even gave in to his curiosity. “You speak as one who knows from personal experience.”

Suddenly feeling nervous, Glorfindel cleared his throat. “I would rather not talk about this.”

But Erestor wouldn’t have it. “Did you suffer from amnesia once?”

Sighing, the blond gave in. “I still suffer from it.” He wasn’t sure if he wanted the advisor to know, but it looked like Erestor wasn’t giving him a choice. Seeing the dark eyes grow large, he shrugged his shoulders once. “After my rebirth some memories never returned to me.”

Erestor raised an eyebrow. “Tell me more.” Although he had trained himself not to act compassionately around the one he secretly loved, he failed to keep the concern out of his voice, something that Glorfindel distinctly noticed, judging by the surprised expression in his azure eyes.

Glorfindel felt awkward, seeing the genuine interest and concern in Erestor’s eyes. It took him aback, and he had to glance down for a moment. He cleared his throat to cover up his surprise at seeing it. “That is why I was so delighted to hear you had been in Gondolin. My life there only exists in shards of memories. I remember Turgon and Ecthelion – and that bloody Balrog of course – but so many things faded from my memory! Knowing I lived through some events, but being unable to remember them is frustrating.” His gaze darted over to the books and scrolls on Gondolin. “When I saw those I wanted to read them all and I did make a start in doing so, but…” His eyes hesitantly searched Erestor’s, “You have been there. You could talk to me about the city and its inhabitants, maybe trigger more memories.”

Erestor swallowed hard; had Glorfindel really forgotten about him completely? The fact that they had known each other in Gondolin? That he had embarrassed himself by expressing his wish to court Glorfindel in order to find out if they were suited for each other? Hoping they would bind in the end? /Glorfindel laughed at me, telling me I wasn’t his type and that such a union would be ill-fated./ Being rejected in such a manner had hurt tremendously and he had suffered from heartbreak since, but he had quickly realized that Glorfindel would never fall for an advisor. The blond had spent his days in Ecthelion’s company and that of his men. He had never been able to compete with them, being one of Turgon’s trusted advisors just wasn’t good enough for Glorfindel to even consider him in that way.

Having been rejected was the very reason why he had given Glorfindel the cold shoulder since that very first day the blond had arrived to train the twins. When he had looked into Glorfindel’s blue eyes that day, his heart had ached, realizing the Valar had restored the blond to his old form. Those were the eyes he had fallen in love with millennia ago. Those were the high cheekbones and the golden tresses, which he had wanted to caress, but Glorfindel had made it very clear that he wasn’t interested in him. So he had retaliated with cold indifference. He always acted politely in Glorfindel’s presence, but never touched the blond, never said a kind word. His heart had been hurt too deeply to forgive the Elda for it now.

Oh, he still remembered the day Gondolin had been attacked. He had seen Ecthelion being burned and the mayhem and chaos erupting all over the city. Once he had realized it was everyone for themselves, he had tried to find Glorfindel, hoping they could make an escape together. But he should have known better. When he finally found Glorfindel, the blond was breaking off from the escort of the refugees to battle a Balrog, single handedly, in order to keep the creature from harming the refugees and to give them time to flee. He had witnessed Glorfindel’s final battle and had watched his love fall toward his death, taking the Balrog with him. Horrified at witnessing these events, he had stumbled along to join the few Elves that had managed to escape the burning city, but his heart had frozen, seeing Glorfindel die.

“Erestor? Erestor!” Glorfindel had grown worried, seeing the distant and pained expression in the dark eyes. He had no idea what was going on with his charge, but he deemed it best to act now, before Erestor slipped deeper under the spell he was in.

“Sorry,” whispered Erestor, still shaken by his memories. He looked at Glorfindel to reassure himself and actually smiled, finding the blond this close and looking at him in a concerned way. “I was remembering some unpleasant events.”

“Then don’t,” said Glorfindel, frowning. “You are still recovering and shouldn’t allow yourself to be dragged under by such memories.”

/Did you really forget about me?/ wondered Erestor. /Did you forget my declaration of love, which I delivered in a shaky voice, hoping you felt the same way? Did you forget laughing in my face and dismissing me like I was still an Elfling? I am older than you and originate from an even more renowned House. Did you truly forget me?/

“You are doing it again,” said Glorfindel displeased. Maybe it was because he had brought up Gondolin? Maybe Erestor didn’t have any fond memories of that place? “I apologize if it was something I said.” He was completely stunned, seeing the warm and welcoming smile on Erestor’s face, which was directed at him. Erestor never smiled at him! He quickly looked over his shoulder to see who was standing behind him, but there was no one. Erestor *was* smiling at him!

Erestor wasn’t sure what to say. His feelings for Glorfindel had never gone away and he still loved the blond from the bottom of his heart, but was he really going to set himself up for more heartbreak? Glorfindel had rejected him millennia ago – even though the Elda might not remember it – so it was most likely Glorfindel would do it again. And he didn’t know *for certain* that Glorfindel had really lost *those* memories. It was safest not to warm up to the blond and he should keep his guard up instead. But what if he had a chance to win Glorfindel’s heart this time?

“Erestor? You are worrying me.” The way Erestor was staring at him made Glorfindel wonder. “Is anything amiss? Do I need to fetch Elladan?”

Erestor composed himself. “No, that won’t be necessary.” At the same time his stomach growled again. “But I would be most thankful if you would fetch me something to eat from the kitchens.” It was early morning and the cooks were probably preparing breakfast. “You must be hungry too.”

Glorfindel nodded; yes, he was hungry and Erestor’s suggestion suited him just fine. “I will be back in a few minutes.” He rose from the bed and walked toward the doorway. However, hearing Erestor’s voice again, he stopped and looked over his shoulder at the dark-haired advisor.

“Glorfindel? I was thinking… Maybe we can talk about Gondolin some time? And you are always welcome to borrow any books you want to read.” Erestor fought down the blush that threatened to spread over his face at taking this first step. How would Glorfindel react to his offer? The smile that spread over the blond’s face was warm, yet showed surprise. Erestor relaxed, realizing his offer had been accepted.

“I would like that. Thank you… Erestor.” It felt odd, speaking the other’s name without the usual sneering tone attached to it. Feeling awkward, he shuffled his feet and then left the room, heading for the kitchens.

Erestor, also smiling, hoped they could put the sneers behind them and start building a friendship. He regretted that it would never be more than that, but having Glorfindel as a friend was more than he had dared hope for.

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