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Your outing with Glorfindel was supposed to be an uneventful one. You were accompanying him on a quick sweep of the border. The area was usually quiet and neither of you had reason to suspect you would find anything unusual. Your horse followed Asfaloth through the forest as she'd done countless times before while you chatted easily with Glorfindel. He seemed just as relaxed and easygoing as ever. Being around him always put you in a good mood and you enjoyed getting to spend this time with him even if it was on duty. You had been harboring quite the crush on him for years, always too afraid to tell him of your feelings and risk ruining your friendship. The time you spent together eased the ache in your heart even as it caused it to grow stronger when you were apart.
"I think it's time we head back. Everything seems as it should," Glorfindel called from up ahead of you.
"It will take us a couple hours to get back anyway. I think you're right," you answered. You brought your horse alongside his, letting them walk leisurely side by side.
A little over half an hour into your return journey you started to feel a growing sense of unease. The forest was quiet. You hadn't heard a bird in twenty minutes where before there had been a near constant chirping. Clouds were starting to build and you hoped it wouldn't rain, not enjoying the idea of being drenched for the remainder of your ride. You didn't give the clouds much thought; you couldn't control the weather of the world. It was a few minutes later that you heard a rustling in the thickets on the hillside. You assumed it was just an animal but your horse was antsy and nervous, shifting around and snorting as you tried to reassure her.
"Something's wrong," you said to Glorfindel.
He nodded, his attention focused on the hillside. Though your eyesight was sharp, it didn't allow you to see through the earth. Both of you sat as still as you could, drawing your swords and waiting. The air was heavy with tension.
The harsh screams of orcs met your ears as three of them leapt from the brush and launched themselves toward you. One fired a crossbow in your direction, the bolt whizzing past your horse's ear, narrowly missing both of you and causing her to bolt suddenly. You managed to stay mounted as she took off but moments later you were on the ground, your vision whiting out for a moment with blinding pain. You pressed a hand to the side of your head, eyes widening in fear when you pulled away and found it covered in blood.
You heard your horse running off into the forest and looked up to see an orc standing over you, its face twisted into something approximating a cruel smile. You'd heard some orcs liked to play with their prey before putting them out of their misery. You were not about to let that be your fate. There was no other option but to scramble to your feet though you felt lightheaded from losing so much blood. As you reached for your sword you found it was not in its sheath at your side. You saw it lying a few feet away and knew you'd have to be fast to grab it. As soon as you moved to grab it, however, the orc brought a blunt club down against the side of your knee. You heard a horrible cracking sound and screamed in agony as your knee buckled under your weight and you fell to the ground. Adrenaline flooded your veins and you managed to reach out for your sword, the blade arcing over your head and directly into the orc's neck sending its head rolling across the ground.
The sword fell from your hands to the forest floor with a dull thud. With no more immediate danger, your focus turned to your leg. Tears streamed down your cheeks as you tried to maneuver yourself into a more comfortable position. All you could seem to do was gasp for shallow little breaths as you struggled. The only thing you could truly concentrate on was the pain throbbing in your knee but distantly you heard Glorfindel calling your name.
"I'm here!" you called out weakly. You knew he'd hear you anyway. Sure enough, Asfaloth's hoofbeats steadily grew louder until the two of them came upon you lying there on the ground.
Glorfindel hurriedly dismounted and was at your side in an instant. His arm wrapped around your back to support you. You could feel his gaze on your ruined knee which only caused more tears to fall. You hated looking weak in front of him. He pushed your hair aside gently to examine the cut on the side of your head. It was still oozing blood though not as badly as before.
"We need to get you back to Imladris. Your wounds are...you need a healer," he said, his voice sounding strained.
You nodded, completely daunted by the task of getting off the ground, let alone getting back to Imladris. Your horse had run off, not that you thought you could ride anyway. And you certainly couldn't walk.
Your vision was greying at the edges but you were dimly aware that Glorfindel was still talking. "...something to brace it with. We have to prevent it from bending."
His hands were at your hip and you stared with confusion as he removed your sheath. Gently, he slipped it under your leg and strapped it on as best he could, using it as a makeshift splint. You bit your lip, trying to hold back your little whimpers of pain.
"I'm sorry," he murmured, his hand rubbing gently at your shoulder in an effort to soothe you.
"I can't do this," you said, fear creeping into your voice.
"Yes you can," he said, his hands cupping your cheeks so you were forced to keep eye contact with him, blurred as your vision was by the blood dripping into your eye. "You have to. I'm not leaving you here."
Glorfindel whistled to Asfaloth and the horse walked over. He patted the horse's muscular shoulder and Asfaloth knelt down. Vaguely you wondered when Glorfindel had been teaching his horse tricks but you quickly lost focus on that as he started to lift you. You let out a pained whine as the weight of your own leg tugged at your injured knee. Glorfindel set you on Asfaloth's back and you gripped his grey mane tightly to stabilize yourself as he stood once more. Glorfindel swung himself into the saddle behind you, bracketing you with his arms so you wouldn't fall. You leaned into his chest and tucked your head to his shoulder as exhaustion took over and your eyes slipped shut.
When you woke up you were crossing the bridge to Imladris. You closed your eyes again when you realized where you were, trying to focus on anything other than how much pain you were in. You worked on breathing in and out slowly. With each inhale, you couldn’t help but notice how calm Glorfindel’s warm, comforting scent made you feel.
"We're almost there, sweetheart," he whispered into your hair. His voice was so soft you almost didn't hear it as your mind slipped back toward unconsciousness. Your heart skipped a beat at the endearment. He'd never called you anything like that before. Part of you was hopeful but another, stronger part of you reasoned that he was just trying to be comforting and gentle with you given your present state. It worked all the same and you slipped back into the darkness of sleep.
The next time you came to it was in incredible pain. Elrond and a couple other healers were standing over you and tending to your injuries. Though your head throbbed dully, the pain of it was nothing compared to your leg. You could feel the bones being set through the magic they were using and it was agony. You grit your teeth, trying your hardest not to cry out but you couldn't help it. Tears rolled down your cheeks and sweat soaked through the thin tunic you wore. Someone squeezed your hand gently and you gripped onto them for dear life.
After several minutes, the pain subsided into a dull ache. Your breathing was shallow and shaky as you tried to relax now that the worst was over. As you tipped your head to the side, you saw the person holding your hand was Glorfindel and your face flooded with heat. You quickly looked away, embarrassed to be seen making such a fuss over the pain. He let go of your hand, seeming to think you didn't want him to continue holding it and you silently mourned the loss of his warm hand around your own.
"Your leg will heal fully, but it will take a few weeks. You will have to stay here in the healing wards for a few days. It seems you have a concussion as well and you need to rest," Elrond said from your other side.
You nodded. "Thank you," you murmured.
"Get some rest. You've been through a lot. You're quite lucky Glorfindel thought to keep your leg braced. It would have been much more painful had he not."
You turned your head back to Glorfindel a little too quickly, the motion causing the room to spin and your stomach to churn. The nausea must have been plain on your face because he reached for a bucket and held it for you while you dry heaved, your already empty stomach having nothing to rid itself of but bile. Tears rolled down your cheeks. Your nose and throat burned. Glorfindel removed the bucket and pressed a glass of water into your hands.
"Small sips," he said, smoothing your hair back from your sweaty forehead. You unconsciously leaned into his touch, completely missing the small smile on his face as you did so.
The water was refreshing and cool and you drank it slowly as Glorfindel had said to, enjoying the way it cooled your burning throat.
"You should get some rest," he said as you handed him the half empty glass.
"Will you stay until I'm asleep?" you asked, feeling slightly foolish for asking that of him but his presence had always made you feel safe and you didn't want him to leave.
"Of course," he whispered.
Satisfied, you closed your eyes. You reached for Glorfindel's hand which rested next to you. He gave your hand a gentle squeeze and a soft smile found its way to your lips. Sleep came for you quickly, your body exhausted from the long day. True to his word, Glorfindel stayed until you were asleep. You stirred slightly when he slipped his hand from your grasp but didn't open your eyes.
You must have been dreaming when you felt a featherlight kiss being placed on the top of your head and heard Glorfindel whisper softly to you "sleep well, meleth nín." If it was a dream, at least it was a good dream.
Sunlight filtered through the windows of the healing ward. You blinked your eyes open, squinting with discomfort at the bright morning light. The room seemed to be empty until you rolled over and found Glorfindel sitting in a chair next to your bed, his head pillowed on his folded arms which rested on the bed next to your legs. Guilt flooded you. The position didn’t look comfortable and you knew he’d only stayed because you’d asked him to though you wondered why he hadn’t left after you’d gone to sleep. You shook his shoulder gently to wake him. Tired blue eyes met your own. His golden hair was slightly messy from sleeping in such an awkward position.
“You’re awake,” he said, smiling at you.
You nodded but said nothing. You remembered the kiss and the sweet words you’d heard in Glorfindel’s voice. You were quiet for a moment before you spoke. “I had a dream last night.”
“Oh? A good one, I hope?” he asked.
“You...were in it. Or at least I heard your voice,” you said slowly.
“Dreaming about me, huh? How very scandalous,” he teased.
“You called me ‘meleth nín.’” Your voice was barely a whisper, your gaze resting on your hands which were folded in your lap. It really had been a nice dream; the feelings you had for him were finally returned. You looked at Glorfindel. His face was flushed all the way to the tips of his pointed ears.
“So you uh...you heard that?” he sounded nervous, something you had never heard in his voice even after centuries of being his friend.
Your eyes went wide as your concussed brain caught up to what he was saying. “You mean that actually happened ?”
He clearly took your surprise for something closer to dismay. He ducked his head, gold waves falling around his reddened face as he started to apologize.
Seeing him look so unsure and disappointed was like a knife to the heart. You reached out to cup his cheek in your hand.
"Glorfindel," you whispered as his eyes met yours. "Did you mean it?"
"Yes." He sounded so sure of this. There was no doubt in his mind that he loved you.
You leaned forward to hug him, arms around his neck, breathing in his comforting scent and tangling a hand in his soft hair. He wrapped his arms around your back, gently at first but then squeezing a little tighter once he realized he wouldn't hurt you. You tucked your head into the crook of his neck and one of his hands moved to cradle the back of your head, keeping you pressed close to him.
After a few moments he leaned back. You swayed forward to follow him but he kept the same distance between you. He stroked your face softly, his thumb gliding over your cheekbone. You thought you might drown in his ocean blue eyes but his touch was a lifeline keeping you afloat.
"Can I kiss you?" he whispered. "I've wanted to for so long."
You nodded, hardly believing this was happening. "Me too."
He leaned forward slowly, nudging your nose gently with his own and kissed you, taking his time, his hand lightly resting on the side of your neck to keep you close. Your eyes fluttered closed as you kissed him, your hands finding their way into his golden hair. When he broke the kiss, he didn't go far. His forehead rested against your own as he gently traced his fingers along your cheek.
"Meleth nín," he said softly against your lips, a smile creeping across his face.
You hugged him again, grinning against his shoulder. In your effort to get closer to him, you shifted your knee in the wrong direction and cried out in pain. Glorfindel immediately withdrew, checking you over even after you reassured him you were okay. After he was convinced you were alright, he settled back into his chair.
"You could...it's a rather roomy bed," you said hesitantly. He raised an eyebrow at you and you scooted over to make room for him to sit. He toed off his shoes and settled on the bed next to you, putting his arm around your shoulders. You leaned into his side, laying your head on his chest. A warm cheek rested against the top of your head, a few locks of gold hair slipping over his shoulder.
"Can I ask you something?" you said. Even through the fogginess of your concussion, your mind had been trying to work out the answer. You had been friends for centuries and you had shared so much with each other. It only felt right that you would share your love too. "Why now?"
Glorfindel was silent for a moment. "I could have lost you yesterday," he said. "I spent so long believing I could just wait for the right time, the right moment. But then I almost ran out of moments and I couldn't afford to waste any more."
You moved to look at him and he raised his head to gaze down on you with an expression so fond and full of love that your breath hitched slightly in your throat. He cupped your jaw with the hand that wasn't wrapped around your shoulders, his fingers so soft against your face. "I couldn't stand the thought of not telling you, but you were so delicate I didn't want you to have to contend with matters of the heart while you were in such pain. I thought you were asleep when I called you what I had wanted to call you for years. I wanted to tell you properly once you were healed."
Tears were welling in your eyes as he spoke. The love and care he had for you were plain in both his words and the expression on his fair face. "I was just too afraid to tell you," you whispered. "I didn't want to lose you in my life."
"You wouldn't have. You won't," he reassured you. The tears spilled over, silently running down your cheeks. "Don't cry, sweetheart," he said, tenderly kissing the tears from your face.
"I'm sorry, I'm just - " you sucked in a shaky breath and continued, "it's overwhelming and my head is throbbing and I can't think straight and - " you choked out a sob.
"Shhh, meleth, I've got you," he said gently, pulling you back to his chest and stroking your hair. His heart ached seeing you cry. You clung to him, hands fisted in the front of his tunic as you cried. "I should have waited to tell you all of that. Goheno nin," he whispered.
After a few minutes you calmed down enough to catch your breath, feeling thoroughly exhausted. "I'm glad you told me. It's just a lot to take in when my head feels this foggy. But I'm happy," you said, smiling up at him, still sniffling slightly. "I have all I've ever wanted."
"So do I," he said before leaning in to kiss you soft and slow, with all his love.