"Our lack of population growth is an issue that must be dealt with." Turgon addressed the council of his trusted lords and their advisors. "We must push for marriages, and children must come from them."
Erestor exchanged a look with Glorfindel. Everyone present knew where this was going, having heard it about twenty seven times before. Turgon would go on about the necessity of marriage, suggest outlandish incentives for marriage, and ignore reasonable suggestions; Such as creating parks for light courting that would also serve to make Gondolin an environment that people wanted to bring children into.
"It is important that our people see good relationships. If they were to see, perhaps, Glorfindel," At Turgon's mention of Glorfindel's name, the blonde's face dropped and he watched Turgon warily. Turgon, ignoring this, continued, "Court a young maiden of reasonable pedigree, and she brought him children, then people would be inspired to marry and have children of their own."
Glorfindel sat still, tense and waiting for Turgon's next words.
"My daughter, Idril, as you know, is reaching her majority very soon. It would please me greatly, Lord Glorfindel, if you were to take an interest in her. As a father, I would be comforted knowing that my daughter is in the hands of someone I trust, and an alliance with my house could be useful to your budding house." Turgon addressed a slack jawed Glorfindel directly.
"I-I would have to consider this, my lord." From Glorfindel, whose usual answers consisted of an eager 'yes'or an easy going 'yeah sure,' this was a polite 'no, but I don't know how it's best to refuse you.'
"Of course, though I imagine there will be many suitors who also wish for a chance to court my daughter, so it would be beneficial to you to begin building a friendship now." Turgon continued. Erestor could tell he wasn't the only one who was annoyed. Rog looked insulted that his time was being wasted over THIS, and even Salgant didn't seem to find any humor in the situation, and was instead turned towards his personal advisor and engaging in an entirely different conversation. Glorfindel himself looked terrified, and sent a panicked look to Ecthelion. When this did not garner a reaction, Glorfindel instead turned towards Erestor.
Erestor shrugged, though he was nervous as well. It was hard to get an idea out of Turgon's head, and Glorfindel looked positively terrified.
"If there is nothing else of great importance, your highness, might I retire to my home to consider this?" Glorfindel proposed.
"Of course. Let me know if you have any questions." Turgon smiled kindly at the lord, likely taking Glorfindel's apprehension as nervousness regarding Idril. Glorfindel stood quickly, leaving the room without hesitation. His papers were left behind him, and his personal advisor scurried forward to shuffle them into a pile.
Erestor exited the council room, planning to get some tea and snacks to bring to Glorfindel. Throughout the past decade of their friendship, Erestor's feelings had bloomed far beyond what was appropriate. Glorfindel's endlessly patient and kind demeanor could attract even the gruffest of elves. Glorfindel was always respectful of different cultures, and endeavored to listen to criticism and learn from his mistakes. Plus, he was Erestor's best source of easy going companionship that also offered fairly intelligent conversation.
Erestor's favorite times were when they would end up in Glorfindel's chambers after a private dinner, and they would sit together on the couch. They would drift closer together, often slipping into reverie with one of their heads on the other's shoulder. Erestor's favorite waking had been when he had found himself lying flat across Glorfindel's chest on a fur rug next to the fire, Glorfindel's hand resting heavily on Erestor's waist.
That had been two years ago, and Erestor had taken care not to be caught in such a compromising position again. Now, Erestor could hear frantic pacing as he used one hand to push open the door to Glorfindel's chambers, a tray of tea and biscuits balanced in the other hand. "Mellon-nin? I have brought tea."
There was no verbal response, but the pacing stopped. Erestor continued into the chamber, pausing to kick the door closed behind him. When Erestor looked up, he was met with the sight of a frantic looking Glorfindel. "He wants me to marry her!"
"Yes." Erestor confirmed, walking past his friend to set the tray down on a coffee table. Mentally, he prepared himself to not feel like a youth around a crush, in order to help Glorfindel sort through whatever his own feelings.
"She's a child!" Glorfindel protested.
"She will soon be of age." Erestor countered blankly, arranging the pillows on the couch until they were how he preferred them.
"That does not make her any older!" Glorfindel still sounded upset, but he had crept closer to Erestor, likely smelling his favorite tea.
"No, it does not." Erestor agreed. He sat down on the couch, back against one of the armrests. Erestor spread his legs and patted the space between them. "Come here."
Glorfindel huffed, but sat in the indicated space without hesitation, his back to Erestor. Erestor reached forward to run his fingers through his friend's hair. Glorfindel took the prompt to start talking. "I just don't understand why THIS is Turgon's approach! It's not like there's anything wrong with Idril, but... she's still a child! It just doesn't feel right!"
"I think you would be surprised, she is quite intelligent. She is often in my library searching for obscure books, and seems to learn new things with ease." Erestor offered. "Plus, if you really did look at her, you can see she is not so young anymore. But I understand if you cannot. You are, after all, older than our city." Here Erestor squeezed Glorfindel's shoulder in a teasing manner.
Glorfindel sighed. "She is perfectly nice. My feelings towards her, or lack thereof, are not due to any failings of her own. I'm sure she will find a perfectly fine ellon to marry, but I simply cannot be a lover to her."
"Is there anyone you are interested in? Perhaps courting another lady would appease our king." Erestor suggested.
"No, no ladies have caught my eye. They are all wonderful, but I cannot imagine marrying any of them." Glorfindel leaned his head back further into his friend's talented hands.
Erestor rubbed Glorfindel's scalp, considering. "Perhaps an ellon, then? It would not to appease our king, but if that is what would bring you happiness..." Erestor trailed off, noticing how tense Glorfindel had become.
"No." Glorfindel said quietly, still frozen.
"Come now, it is perfectly natural. Nothing to be ashamed of." Erestor ran his fingernails gently across the back of Glorfindel's neck, causing Glorfindel to inhale sharply.
"No Erestor, I simply cannot."
"Why?" Erestor pressed. Either Glorfindel was homophobic, in which case a little conversation on the topic should fix the issue, or Glorfindel was queer himself and uncomfortable with the possibility of taking a lover. Though Erester did not dare to hope his interest would be returned by Glorfindel, the least Erestor could do was make sure that Glorfindel was not stifling himself.
"That is not it... no." Glorfindel paused, tense and nervous. "I'm simply older than most of the women here."
"Of course." Erestor said dubiously.
"I am telling the truth, Erestor." Glorfindel stated firmly, shoulders still tense.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night. Regardless, I have another meeting to attend to." Erestor patted Glorfindel's hip and the blond stood up obediently. In truth, Erestor did not have a meeting, but he needed time to analyze Glorfindel's words and figure out if he should bring up the topic again. They exchanged their goodbyes, and Erestor departed.
The sun was beginning to set when Erestor arose from his meditation. He had been sitting deep within the gardens, and by the time he made it back to the building where both he and Glorfindel's rooms were, it was dark. Erestor had decided he would drop the topic with Glorfindel for now, instead remaining a safe place for Glorfindel to speak of his feelings. If Turgon continued to push Glorfindel to marry, then Erestor would consider a different course of action.
Erestor would have simply gone to his rooms and started his nightly routine, if not for the flickering light from the window that connected to Glorfindel's office. Glorfindel rarely entered his office, instead distributing tasks regarding paperwork to Erestor and other members of the house. When Glorfindel did paperwork himself, it was always rushed while he was eating breakfast or dinner. After pausing to watch the dim light in the window, Erestor decided he would take a look in the office. It was his job, after all, to make sure that Lord Glorfindel's house was kept in order.
Erestor didn't bother to knock on the office door, not wanting to give whoever was inside any warning. He expected to see someone snooping, maybe a youth, a lesser advisor or even a member of a different house. The sight that met Erestor, however, was quite different. A single candle on the desk by the window illuminated the room, and between the couch against one wall and the bookshelf on the other wall, there was a tall lump of blankets on the floor. Upon hearing the opening of the door, the lump of blankets shifted, and a hole appeared, which exposed two tearful eyes, level with Erestor's waist. They were vibrantly colorful, and it took Erestor a moment to realize that he knew those eyes.
"Glorfindel?" Erestor murmured with concern, immediately striding forward and leaning down so that he was eye to eye with his friend. A pitiful sniffle answered Erestor, then a crunch and the sound of chewing. Erestor frowned. "What are you doing?"
There was still no verbal response, but Glorfindel opened the blankets to reveal that he was seated in a wine barrel, and the space around his body was filled with popcorn.
Erestor, shocked, huffed a laugh. "You know, when I said 'Whatever helps you sleep at night,' this is not what I meant."
Glorfindel chuckled, sloppily wiping his cheeks with one hand and stuffing another handful of popcorn in his mouth with the other. He smiled for a moment, enjoying the humor of his location, before his misery overtook him once more. Tears began to flow silently down his cheeks, and Glorfindel turned his head so that he wasn't making eye contact with Erestor.
"Come here..." Erestor wrapped his arms around Glorfindel's shoulders, as much as possible with Glorfindel being in the wine barrel. "It's alright, let it all out."
Once Glorfindel's sobs had begun to subside, Erestor coaxed him to climb out of the wine barrel. They lay on the couch, Glorfindel's head on Erestor's chest. "Do you want to talk about it?" Erestor asked gently, trying not to get distracted by GLorfindel's proximity.
"No." Glorfindel murmured, burrowing his nose into Erestor's collar bone. Glorfindel drew in a breath, and relaxed. "You smell good. Like magnolia trees."
Erestor gulped, overly aware of Glorfindel's warmth against his skin. "Y-yeah," Erestor carefully exhaled, "I was in the gardens."
"Hmm." Glorfindel hummed sleepily, shifting forward to drape himself over Erestor's lap. "Thought you had a meeting?"
Erestor gulped, willing his body to remain calm and his heart to stop racing. "Gardens were nicer."
Glorfindel snorted, resting his head fully on Erestor's shoulder. Erestor lifted his arms to wrap around Glorfindel's waist, gently pulling the blond closer.
They rested as such for a while, before Glorfindel shifted his hips. "Erestor?"
"Mhm hmm?"
"I have to pee." Glorfindel whispered.
Erestor chuckled. "Of course you do. Let's get you back to your room, and you can head to sleep."
Glorfindel smiled softly, leaning heavily on Erestor as they stood up. Erestor wrapped his arm around his sleepy friend, happy to lead Glorfindel to his rooms and away from his popcorn barrel. What was up with that anyway? Erestor sent the odd item a glare as they left the room.
Glorfindel truly must have been tired, since when Erestor sat the lord down on his bed he merely smiled contentedly and dropped gently onto his side. Erestor huffed, leaning down to pull off Glorfindel's boots. Next, Erestor attempted to remove Glorfindel's stiff outer robe. He undid the ties over Glorfindel's chest, before rolling the blond over to pull the robe out from under him. Glorfindel made no move to stop this, eyes already glazed in reverie. Once this task was completed, Erestor pulled the blankets out from under Glorfindel, and then pulled them over Glorfindel.
Once his work was complete, Erestor stepped back to admire his lord. Glorfindel's hair framed his face angelically and his jaw was relaxed, making him the picture of peace. A wave of longing hit Erestor, and he yearned to climb in bed beside Glorfindel. Erestor took a step forward, reaching out a hand to smooth the covers over Glorfindel's shoulders.
"Ah mellon-nin," Erestor murmured. "If only... you deserve a good partner. I would court you myself if I thought it would bring you happiness." Erestor sighed, bowing his head. "You do not know how, even now, I long for you. Good night my friend, may your dreams bring you peace."
Erestor blew out the candles in the room before making his way into the hallway, unaware Glorfindel's eyes had widened in surprise the moment Erestor's back was turned.
When Erestor awoke first he noticed that the room was warm with sunlight, then that the aroma of freshly baked goods was filling the air, and finally that the birds were chirping. Not the early morning birds. The late morning, almost noon birds. Erestor shot up in bed. He had overslept! Quickly, he jumped out of bed, running over to the closet. Luckily, he did not have any important appointments until that evening, but he still could not afford to sleep in! Erestor stripped off his sleeping clothes as quickly as possible, throwing them to the side carelessly. As he considered what clothing to wear, the door to his private room opened without warning.
"Oh, good morning Erestor!" Glorfindel greeted his friend after noticing Erestor was no longer in bed. Erestor's hands shot downwards to cover himself, and Glorfindel gasped. "I'm so sorry, I should have knocked!" Glorfindel backed out of the room immediately, hand covering his eyes.
"Yeah, you should have." Erestor muttered to himself. "Not that I wouldn't have allowed you to come in anyways."
When Erestor had dressed and run a brush through his hair, he exited his room. Glorfindel was waiting right outside, and Erestor nearly ran over him.
"I'm so sorry I overslept-" Erestor began.
"I'm sorry I should have knocked-" Glorfindel spoke at the same time.
Both paused, and Glorfindel chuckled. Erestor sighed. "Come on, amusing as circumstances may be, I really must get started-"
Glorfindel placed a gentle hand on Erestor's arm, making him pause. Glorfindel smiled gently at Erestor. "I have cleared both our mornings and early afternoons, and I would appreciate it if you would accompany me to breakfast."
"Of course?" Erestor frowned. "Why have you cleared our schedules? Do we not usually dine together?"
Glorfindel smiled, looping his arm through Erestor's so that they were connected by their elbows. "You shall see, my dear friend."
Erestor's traitorous heart thudded with the hope of spending private time with Glorfindel, as if the greedy organ wasn't already blessed with the amount of time Erestor was granted in the presence of his golden lord. Glorfindel led Erestor through the gardens, to a secluded spot near the artificial stream that was fed by the city's fountains. Underneath a willow tree, a large blanket was spread upon the ground along with several throw pillows and a picnic basket. Erestor was struck by how romantic it seemed, but shut the thought down as soon as he was aware of it.
"I thought... we might enjoy breakfast somewhere special today?" Glorfindel proposed in a somewhat shy manner.
Erestor blinked. "Of course, whatever you wish." If only Glorfindel knew the lengths Erestor was willing to go to for him.
Glorfindel seemed to square his shoulders before taking Erestor's hand and leading him over to the blanket. "I have had several cold breakfast foods prepared, but if you would like something hot I can run up to the kitchens."
Erestor smiled, vaguely curious as to why Glorfindel was acting so nervously. "I trust your judgment, my dear friend."
Glorfindel nodded, giving Erestor an assessing look before sitting down, pulling Erestor to sit down next to him. They shared cakes, dried fruits and dried meats side by side, conversation flowing easily between them. Conversation died down comfortably as their meal came to a close. Erestor rested on his back, content, but Glorfindel sat up next to him, tense.
"Erestor?" Glorfindel asked, his tone unsure.
"Yes?" Erestor, sensing his friend had something important to say, reluctantly sat up.
"I- well I wanted to explain about yesterday... and ask you something, but explain first." Glorfindel ducked his head. "So, I'm gay... yeah. I was worried you would judge me, which is unreasonable, given how kind you have always been. A lot of people around me when I was growing up were less open to the idea, but I harbor no internal reservations, nor judgements to others, due to gender or sexuality." Glorfindel produced both a rose and a book from behind his back. "And, I heard what you said last night, and um, if you are interested, I would like to court you?"
Erestor had gone from smiling gently upon Glorfindel's admittance of his sexuality, to frozen. Glorfindel had heard him? And Glorfindel was now asking to court him? Erestor's mind instantly filled with a multitude of anxieties, from Turgon and Idril's displeasure, to Glorfindel wanting children Erestor wouldn't be able to give him.
The fearful look on Glorfindel's face brought Erestor down to earth once more. Glorfindel spoke again. "I have felt this way for sometime, and I had not truly allowed myself to consider the possibility of a relationship until you brought up sexuality yesterday. I have been longing for something more in our friendship. I understand if this isn't what you are looking for-"
Erestor grabbed Glorfindel by the collar and pulled Glorfindel forward until their foreheads rested together.
"I would love to see where this takes us, my dearest friend... or more than friend, I suppose." Erestor pulled back and winked.
"I also wanted to give you these..." Glorfindel trailed off sheepishly, flushing red as he handed Erestor the book and flower. Erestor took the offerings, focusing first on the book. "Ah, it was written by King Finarfin on social and economic trends... perhaps a bit outdated, but I have several similar books if you are interested..."
"This is perfect." Erestor decided, "And I would love to see your other books."
"The rose is," Glorfindel shifted forward to reach for the flower, "candy... see?"
Glorfindel looked up, realizing he was nose to nose with Erestor. Glorfindel sat back, looking away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to invade your space like that."
"Oh, it was quite a welcome invasion." Erestor decided to go out on a limb, and try something he had read about once when he was bored. Fitting the rose between his teeth, he crawled forward until he was seated in Glorfindel's lap, straddling him. Erestor took the rose out of his mouth slowly, enjoying how Glorfindel's breath hitched. Glorfindel had one hand supporting himself, and Erestor guided the other hand to rest on his waist. "Candy, you say?"
"Yeah..." Glorfindel murmured, pupils blown wide and locked on Erestor's lips. "Elya's Candy Shop.'
"Hmm, perhaps we should try it, then?" Erestor pulled away slightly, and Glorfindel shifted forward to chase Erestor, before catching himself.
Erestor broke a sugary petal off the flower, and pressed it between Glorfindel's obediently open lips.