A Little Push by Haeron

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Chapter 1

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Pink.

Lindir had never seen so much pink in his entire life. The cloth decorating the market stalls was pink, the baskets of herbs and fruits had pink bows on and the ribbons braided into all the ladies messy hair was pink. He tried to look at everything all at once with bright eyes dashing here and there. He could smell the perfume of the most exotic looking flowers he'd ever seen, he could see the shiny little sweets that were being passed hand to hand in exchange for coins and Lindir could see the absolute befuddlement on Glorfindel's face. He laughed at that, the warrior looking so out of place at a human market. Then he had to run a few paces to catch up, the Elda's stride was long.

"And they do this every year?" Glorfindel asked aloud with more than a hint of exasperation.

"Valentine's Day! How marvellous it must be to celebrate it year after year!" the elfling chimed, gaining an amused look from the balrog slayer. "You don't agree?"

Glorfindel smiled and looked from Lindir to the path ahead. It was full of excited mortal folk, not too bound up in their festivities to notice two of the undying were in their midst. "Marvellous enough," he began, "if you have someone to spend it with."

"Oh, don't be so grumpy!" Lindir teased, looking up to the blonde with a grin. "I want to go and learn more! Can I go?"

"Go?" Glorfindel raised a brow in a way that was all too reminiscent of Erestor. Lindir blinked a few times for dramatic effect. "Ai, very well then!"

Lindir gave a gleeful shout.

"But mind you don't go filling your head up with too much of this human nonsense!"

The young elf giggled as he sped away. Something very much like a plan was beginning to take shape in his mind.

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"... And just look at these little fluffy creatures! Aren't they sweet? And these stiff pieces of parchment are swapped, the prettier the picture on the front, the better! I bought four of them. Oh, they exchange these tiny candies too! You should try one Glorfindel! Then they have these huge bunches of flowers but the man laughed at me when I said I wanted one. Will you help me put all this in my pack?"

Glorfindel gaped, looking from Lindir to the pink and red souvenirs that he was pushing into his hands. The little harper laughed, a silvery sound.

"You should get something for Erestor." he said simply, stuffing the two cuddly bears and the handful of cards into his pack before slinging it onto his back. Glorfindel made a funny noise, Lindir tried to roll his eyes like he'd seen the grown-ups do, but it made him dizzy. "Everyone in the valley has seen you staring at him, you love him."

Glorfindel stared at the elfling, still gaping.

"You'll catch flies if you keep doing that." said Lindir, matter-of-factly. Glorfindel smiled brightly and straightened up. The pair passed into the throng of the crowd once again, lazily meandering through the tides of men and women and children, stopping whenever Lindir was drawn to something sparkly on a stall front.

"What would I even buy him?" Glorfindel asked, looking about rather desperately.

"Something to cheer him up?" Lindir offered in a distracted sort of way, he'd seen the most beautiful broach on a stall and was just tall enough to peep over the top. The kindly old lady-merchant grinned at him and said strange and merry words in a tongue he didn't understand, Lindir smiled back all the same. He felt Glorfindel put a hand on his shoulder so he turned, Glorfindel dropped to his level and fixed him with a stare.

"What do you mean, pen-neth? Is Erestor not happy?"

Lindir shook his head. "He's sad." said he, looking into Glorfindel's eyes and thinking they were very blue indeed. The warrior chewed his lip and stood up, looking at the stall with the broach. Lindir waved at the lady and she waved back ever so enthusiastically.

"And what's making him sad, I wonder." Glorfindel mused.

Lindir tugged on the elder's robe, pulling him over across the way and over the path, through the tumult of village folk. This stall was bigger and the merchant a man with a fine moustache, he bowed as they approached and swapped words with Glorfindel in the common tongue.

"What would make him happy again, that's a better question." said the elfling, standing on his toes to look at the shiny trinkets on offer.

"And why are you directing these questions at me?" Glorfindel half said, half laughed. He picked up a music box and showed it to Lindir who traced with a finger the outline of an elven maiden on its lid, inlaid in silver.

"You know him better than anyone, Elrond says so and I think he's right."

Glorfindel smiled again as he put the box back, but then his smile turned sad.

"I don't think anyone really knows Erestor."

Surely his Ada and Nana know him, Lindir thought to himself, but then he could not recall ever hearing Erestor talk about them. When Lindir came forth from his ponderings he saw Glorfindel looking at himself in a beautiful hand mirror, white it was with glittering gemstones that spun gold and silver shadows. There was a fey look on the warrior's face, as though he were lost in his own thoughts.

"Have you got an idea for a present?" Lindir asked.

Glorfindel beamed.

"Aye."

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Lindir pulled Glorfindel along the corridors of Imladris, running as fast as his little legs would allow. For Glorfindel it was nothing more than a brisk walk but the urgency radiating from the elfling was contagious. The young one did not notice the way the elves they passed chuckled and grinned at the sight - an elf Lord being dragged about by a child tiny in comparison.

They dashed past the Hall of Fire and along vacant corridors. Moonlight spilt in from the tall windows and the smell of impending spring was on the air though muted and distant. Lindir led them around a corner and almost ran straight past the large library door.

"He's in there! I'm sure!" Lindir said, trying not to seem out of breath. Glorfindel knelt.

"How do I look?" he asked. Lindir narrowed his eyes and had a good look.

It was always strange seeing Glorfindel out of armour and in such casual garb. He still looked like a soldier though, it was all in the way he carried himself. The pale blue he wore was very complimentary and his hair fell about his shoulders in a way only his could.

Yet there is something missing.

With his two pointing fingers he pushed a smile onto Glorfindel's face.

"Very dashing." said Lindir.

Glorfindel laughed and ruffled the elfling's hair as he rose to his feet. He looked to the library door to the mirror in his hand to Lindir and then back again.

He's being silly! Erestor isn't a warg! thought Lindir to himself with a slight pout, he gave Glorfindel a poke that turned to a push. "Go in!" he encouraged with wide eyed enthusiasm.

The balrog slayer matched the grin of the little harper and after prying the door open with a dull groan he disappeared behind it into the soft gloom of the archives, lit only with tapering candles. The door was open but a fraction yet it was enough. Lindir felt his heartbeat in his ears as he poked his head around it looking for the two grownups, what was it Elrond had called them? Lindir giggled, love birds, that was it.

His eyes scanned the dark for a moment before he found Glorfindel's tall form approaching one of the large chairs readers would lose themselves in. And there upon it was Erestor, Lindir squinted, there was an open book on his lap and his hand still held down the page, yet he seemed to be... asleep.

Glorfindel knelt at Erestor's side, much as he had done at Lindir's, and gently woke him with a soft touch to the shoulder. They swapped words Lindir could not make out, though he could hear the separate timbres of their voices well enough. He realised Glorfindel was probably getting a lecture on waking sleeping elves, the thought made Lindir want to laugh but he didn't, he hardly dared draw breath. It was very quiet.

He hoped Erestor would like the mirror, it was a very pretty thing after all.

Glorfindel was showing it to the Noldo and speaking softly, softer than Lindir had ever known him to. He tried to lean closer so that he might make out the words but when Erestor replied it was clear they were whispering, Lindir resigned himself to watching with a quiet huff.

He was showing Erestor something in the mirror, Glorfindel was holding it before his face and whispering. Lindir could just about make out Erestor's face in the candlelight, he looked at a loss for words as he stared into the reflection, seeing what Lindir could not. And then the advisor was holding the mirror in his own hands and looking, Glorfindel was smiling, he had moved closer.

Seeing them together, Lindir realised.

They were looking at their own reflections.

It wasn't about the mirror after all, he concluded. He watched them, Erestor was still looking into the mirror but Glorfindel's eyes were fixed on the counsellor's face. They do look good together, they do.

And they were happy, Lindir knew. Neither had a smile nor a smirk nor even a wry half-grin but still he knew. He could feel it, he could almost see it.

Then he did see. He saw Glorfindel reaching up to touch Erestor's face, he saw them draw close and he saw them kiss. Lindir blinked and pulled a face, scooting away from the door on his behind. He didn't need to see that much, soppy kisses, yuck!

He clambered to his feet and crept away down the corridor, enjoying the heart shaped sweets he'd stuffed into his pockets and the sudden contentment within his chest. Lindir giggled.

He'd have to meddle more often.