Intervention by hennethgalad

Chapter l

Intervention.-

  Glorfindel woke alone, he sat up swiftly and looked wildly about him, there were guards on both doors; he sagged, he had always known this day would come, that they would take away his beloved for their own ambitious schemes. He snarled to himself, of course he knew that defeating the Enemy was the only hope, but he wanted Finrod for himself...

   He rose and spoke to the guard 'Where is he ?'

   The guard looked coldly at him 'What do you care ? We all saw the state he was in when they took him away.' The guard snorted contemptuously and sneered at Glorfindel 'You look almost as bad yourself. The fault is entirely yours, you have brought this upon yourself. ' 

   Glorfindel blinked and looked down at himself, he was looking a little thin, and bones were showing that he had not been used to seeing... Perhaps they did forget to eat rather too often, or sleep... 'Where is he ?' he insisted.

  The guard shook his head 'Do you really think anyone will ever again tell you where he is ?' 

   Glorfindel felt his heart stop for an instant, the light receded and he saw only darkness; he staggered, the guard reached out and helped him to a bench, then poured some miruvor. Glorfindel took it in a trembling hand; already...

   They had already taken him, there would not even be a farewell. He dropped the glass and began to scream. 

   Turgon strode into the room and shouted 'Stand to attention soldier !' and Glorfindel's old habits raised him sharply to his feet. He looked with fury at Turgon.

   Turgon nodded and sighed 'I am sorry. You will feel that I am to blame once more, for keeping you apart. But this order is from Fingolfin himself, and I regret very much that I was sent to carry out this awful task. He is gone, you will not be told where. You yourself are ordered back to Vinyamar to rejoin your troop, though you are promoted to captain, and given leave to found a house and bear colours of your own device.' 

   Glorfindel snorted softly. All his wishes granted, and it meant nothing to him now, less than nothing, the pain in his chest seemed to be larger than his body, to be filling the space around him; he was surprised that Turgon was not feeling it himself. But his pain blinded him to the lesser pain Turgon was feeling, breaking two hearts he himself was very fond of was a torment to him, but the necessity was plain. There had been no dissenting voice, all were agreed that Finrod must be rescued from Glorfindel, who was destroying him. However willingly Finrod participated in his own destruction, his kin and kingdom would not stand by and do nothing to prevent it. 

   Turgon looked down at Glorfindel; no longer the magnificent athlete, he was pale, bone and sinew showing under gaunt grey shadows, plainly exhausted, as though from loss of blood and severe injury. Yet, thought Turgon, head on one side, the Light in him glowed through like none he had ever seen before, even in his pain. Poor Finrod looked as dim as an empty lamp, but Glorfindel seemed to have soaked up all the Light of both of them. Turgon wondered wildly what Glorfindel would do with all that power. But it was Light, and though Glorfindel had shamefully neglected both Finrod and himself, he was a good person as well as a good soldier, and Turgon was confident that when Glorfindel was more like his old self, all would be well. After all, they had barely been together for a hundred years; although their love was already a matter of song and tale, and paintings, he thought, and plays, and hundreds of coarse jokes... 

  Glorfindel sat suddenly, trembling, then began to weep silently, mouth closed, tears flowing unchecked from unseeing eyes. The long empty millenia stretched ahead, devoid of Finrod, devoid of purpose. He had no notion of how to fill this one day today, let alone the empty aeons ahead. Grief filled him, like a scaffolding of pain that does not support the building but undermines it instead. He writhed inside, there was no hope, Finrod could be anywhere, he himself would be followed wherever he went by better scouts than he could ever hope to be. There could be no finding Finrod. He was gone, gone forever, unless they both should return from Mandos in some unguessable future. Glorfindel groaned in agony. Despair rose in him like choking black mud, darkness filled his heart and his eyes. 

   Again Turgon shouted 'Stand to attention soldier !' and once more Glorfindel found himself upon his feet. He looked at Turgon as at a stranger, one standing a long way off, that had not been recognized.

  Turgon frowned at him 'You have been negligent, soldier, you will cease this behaviour at once, you will return to your regiment immediately and report for duty. Clearly you are unfit for active service but light duties will be found while you recover your former strength. Dismissed.' 

   There was a long silence. Turgon stood as still as he could, Glorfindel stood like stone, not breathing, Turgon swallowed nervously; Glorfindel might be a gaunt relic of his usual self, but even like this he was still the most dangerous elf known to Turgon. Furthermore, thought Turgon, all that sinew still looks perfectly capable of breaking a neck...

    But Glorfindel blinked tiredly, then saluted, and marched smartly out of the room. Turgon shuddered and sighed with relief, but the anguished scream stayed thereafter in his mind, and he never quite recovered from the awful sound of such grievous loss.

Chapter End Notes

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