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It was easily past midnight as the harsh winter winds howled and rattled against the windows of the Lindon library. The harsh outside weather conditions only added to the feeling of restlessness that Galadriel felt that evening. She had retired hours ago, feeling the aches of her joints after a very lengthy day of training with the army recruits. But rest would not come easily to her, and she was unsure why or what she needed her body to do and have in order to get some sleep.
Galadriel had first thought that a cup of chamomile tea might soothe her restless mind and body and had headed down to the dark kitchens to brew herself a cup. When she had made herself a cup, she decided to head to the library with her beverage and get cosy by the fire, perhaps with a book which may help her to relax a little.
But when she had arrived at the library, her eyes had widened when she found Elrond sitting in one of the large, comfortable armchairs directly in front of the fireplace. His legs were crossed and stretched out in front of him, a thick woollen blanket covering him. His eyes were focused on the book he held in front of his face, his curly hair framing his tired face.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” Galadriel asked.
Elrond looked up from his book and gave her a tired smile, shaking his head lightly.
“No. I thought some nighttime reading may help.” Elrond replied softly.
Galadriel nodded as she set her tea down on a side table before pacing around the bookshelves without looking properly at the tomes and scrolls that were neatly organised alphabetically on the shelves. Without even realising, her foot tapped on the floor as her eyes quickly scanned the tiny labels of writing, her fingers twitching as she went to pull a book from the shelf.
“Galadriel, why don’t you join me? I’ll read you a short story from this new tome that was given to us by passing men on the way to treat with King Thranduil.” Elrond offered.
Galadriel sighed and paced impatiently back to the fireplace, seeing that Elrond had moved over in the armchair and had pulled back the blanket, gesturing with his free hand for her to take a seat next to him. She flushed slightly as she walked over to him, sitting next to him in the armchair as she tried to ignore just how closely they sat together. Elrond gave her a warm smile as he tucked the blanket around them both.
As she rested her head on Elrond’s shoulder, her tired eyes looking over the written text in the book, Elrond cleared his throat and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“There was once a young married couple with very little money to their name. Whilst they lived a comfortable yet simple life, each owned one prized possession. The husband owned a magnificently crafted sword without a scabbard, handed to him by his father and his father before him. The wife had inherited an expensive necklace adorned with rubies and diamonds, a family heirloom said to have belonged to her great-grandmother.” Elrond began.
Galadriel hummed as she listened to the soothing tone of his voice, her eyes fluttering as she read the text that Elrond had just read aloud. His arm tightened around her slightly, his fingers tangling into her hair to stroke the ends.
“For their first Yuletide as a married couple, each decided they wanted to get the other a special gift to celebrate and mark the occasion. The wife decided to speak to a crafter, to make her husband a personalised scabbard for his sword at long last-“
“That sounds like a lovely and thoughtful gift.” Galadriel mused.
Elrond nodded his head against hers, clearing his throat once more.
“The wife went to the crafter whilst her husband was out tending to their crops and enquired about the pricing of the scabbard. Knowing that she has little money to spend, the crafter laughed and gave her a price that she knows that she cannot afford.”
“I-“
“Don’t interrupt, just listen.” Elrond instructed.
Galadriel rolled her eyes but noddded her agreement as she shuffled closer into his side, closing her eyes as she felt Elrond’s gentle hands playing with the ends of her hair, his fingertips lightly brushing the side of her neck that she shivered slightly.
“The husband, however, was not out tending to their crops. Instead, he had gone to a local jeweller to enquire about a replacement ruby for his wife’s necklace. For he had noticed that his wife’s family heirloom had lost one of the original jewels, and a cheap copy had been fixed in its place.” Elrond continued.
The wind outside the library windows had seemed to quieten as the fire crackled and Elrond continued to read. Galadriel hummed softly, her fingers playing with the soft wool of the blanket.
“The husband knew he could not afford the replacement jewel and the only thing of value that he had was his grandfather’s sword, efficiently crafted. But his wife’s happiness was the one thing he truly wanted to see at the gift giving of Yule, so he sold his sword.”
“That’s-“
Elrond tapped her shoulder, stroking gently through the sleeve of her nightgown to help settle her restless mind. Galadriel remained silent, breathing deeply as her eyes started to droop at the sound of his quiet voice, his rhythm almost like a soothing lullaby.
“The wife agreed to sell her family necklace to give her husband’s sword a proper sheath to protect it from the elements, knowing that one day her husband would want to pass the sword on to their own son and continue the family tradition of wielding that weapon.”
Elrond moved his arm slightly, his hand now resting at her waist as her own wraps around his midsection. With a slight contented hum, she closed her eyes as she continued to listen to the story.
“But as Yuletide came and the married couple gathered in front of their hearth with their wrapped gifts, neither jumped for joy at the realisation of what their spouse had bought them for the Yuletide gift giving. The husband tells his wife that he had sold his prized possession because he wanted to see her smile, and the wife reflects his sentiment, and both realise that the true gift of Yuletide is the love that they share.” Elrond finished.
Galadriel watched sleepily as Elrond closed the book and placed it on the side table next to the armchair. His eyes met hers as she gave him a sleepy smile.
“That was such a beautiful story, thank you for reading it to me.” She whispered with a yawn.
Elrond tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Sometimes, the most precious gift is not a material object. It is simple knowing that you are loved dearly. And gestures can show that better than any gift can.” Elrond stated softly.
Galadriel nodded her agreement and closed her eyes. The last thing she remembered was the feel of Elrond’s fingers tracing soft circles on her arm, the sound of his heart thumping against his chest and the feel of warmth of the crackling fire in front of them.
When she woke the next day, she couldn’t remember how she had gotten back to her bed. But as she sat up to stretch her arms out wide, her body and mind now well rested, her eyes fixed on the little book of stories and a tiny note from Elrond telling her to enjoy them some more.