literature

2.063 Summer

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Literature Text

I fixed it. :3

A/N: This was inspired by the fact that Elrond is the only elf in The Hobbit that is actually named.  We know Bilbo's side of the story, so this is my idea of what was happening behind-the-scenes in Rivendell as Gandalf, Bilbo and the dwarves were arriving. With slash, of course ;D

***

It was late at night when Elrond finalised the last of the plans for the upcoming midsummer festival and put them in piles to go to the relevant people in the morning. He wiped the ink off his hands and got up to close his window, smiling down at the elves that were already beginning their celebrations. He did not blame them, it was a nice night: clear, the air pleasantly warm, tempered by a soft breeze that teased hair and sleeves. He glanced out over his valley and caught the sound of unfamiliar voices on the other side of the river, and realised that Gandalf and his party must have arrived. About time too, old friend, he thought. I would say you're late, but I suppose this is precisely when you meant to arrive.

He inhaled the sweet-smelling summer air one last time, then pulled his window shut and headed down the stairs to the Hall of Fire, planning to have a quick glass of wine before he welcomed his guests.

***

Ereinion hummed quietly to himself, idly twirling the stem of his almost-empty wine glass between his long fingers. He had lost count of how many glasses he had consumed, and now floated in a pleasant haze where the stars seemed to dance and twirl over the inky-black sky. He was comfortably ensconced in the branches of an oak tree just off the main path into the valley, keeping his stepson and the other makeshift sentries company as they waited for Gandalf, Bilbo and the dwarves to arrive. He yawned and happened to look down just as Gandalf's hat appeared beneath the branches of his tree. He grinned down at them, not caring that they probably could not see him, and began to sing.

"O! What are you doing,
And where are you going?
Your ponies need shoeing!
The river is flowing!
O! tra-la-la-lally
Here down in the valley!"

He heard Elrohir laugh from his vantage point in the next tree, and the younger elf picked up the simple melody of the song and started to play along on his flute as Ereinion kept singing, making it up as he went.

"O! What are you seeking,
And where are you making?
The faggots are reeking,
The bannocks are baking!
O! tril-lil-lil-lolly
The valley is jolly,
Ha! ha!

"O! Where are you going
With beards all a-wagging?
No knowing, no knowing
What brings Mr Baggins
And Balin and Dwalin
Down into the valley
In June
Ha! ha!

"O! Will you be staying,
Or will you be flying?
Your ponies are straying!
The daylight is dying!
To fly would be folly
To stay would be jolly
And listen and hark
Till the end of the dark
To our tune
Ha! ha!"

It wasn't a bad effort, he thought, quite pleased with himself. A couple a little further down went off on a song of their own, but Elrohir had already put away his flute and now followed the progress of the party as they got closer to the city. They were off the path, and needed to be set right otherwise they would bypass the house completely and end up in the fields with the cows. Ereinion clumsily swung out of his own tree and headed off towards the river, thinking to let Elrond know that they had arrived. As he moved away he heard Elrohir greet the party and tell them which way to go to get back on the path, and when he arrived at the river and came upon Melhathion, Glorfindel and Cariel reclining on the bank. They had enjoyed the wine as much as Ereinion had, and he exchanged merry waves and smiles with them as he passed. The dwarves reached the bridge just as Ereinion stepped off the other side.

"Don't dip your beard in the foam, father!" he heard Glorfindel call to Thorin. "It is long enough without watering it."

Ereinion laughed to himself at that, and resolved to say that to Círdan when his foster father arrived for the midsummer festival. Cariel said something about Bilbo and cakes, and as the courtyard came into view Ereinion vaguely heard Gandalf telling the elves at the river off and bidding them goodnight, and the merry giggling that sounded in reply.

***

The first thing Elrond noticed when he entered the Hall of Fire was that Estel was still awake. The young human was playing a game of catch with his brother: Elladan was throwing grapes to Estel, who would endeavour to catch them in his mouth. Elrond sighed and approached them, causing the last fruit projectile to go wide as Elladan noticed him and failed to aim properly.

"Estel," Elrond chided, "it's eleven o'clock. You should be in bed!"

The young human winced and turned to face his father, trying to look as innocent as possible. "I know, Ada, but Elladan said I could stay up."

"Did he now?" Elrond raised his eyebrows at his oldest, who sheepishly looked away. "Last time I checked, he was not your father."

"I'm not little, I can stay up! I'm not even...tired," Estel countered, spoiling the vehemence of his statement by yawning around the last word. Elrond hid a smile and knelt down, taking him by the shoulders.

"You're only ten, Estel. You may not be little anymore, but it's still too late for you."

"But Ada, I wanted to see Gandalf and meet Bilbo and the dwarves."

"You still can," Elrond replied, holding up a hand when Estel's face brightened. "In the morning. When you have had a full night's sleep and they are not exhausted from the road. It's too late for you to be up, you know that. You're only allowed to stay up this late for Yestarë."

"I know," Estel replied quietly. "And I am a little bit tired," he added.

Elrond smiled and kissed the boy on the forehead. "I'm not surprised. Good night, Estel."

"Good night, Ada." Estel hugged his father, stifling a yawn as he stepped back. Elrond ordered Elladan to take his brother up to bed, and the younger half-elf nodded, sweeping the human into his arms with a flourish and carrying him from the room.

"No epic bedtime stories!" Elrond called after them. "Only quiet, restful ones!"

"Yes, Ada," his sons chorused back to him. Elrond passed a hand over his face, instinctively knowing that that order would not be obeyed. He found himself yawning and moved over to the drinks table, reaching for the decanter of vintage Dorwinion and pouring a generous amount into a glass. He downed half of it in one go and was just lifting the glass back up to his lips when he felt an arm go around his waist. He jumped, then relaxed when he recognised the scent of Ereinion's hair soap. "Hello, stranger."

Ereinion returned the greeting softly and leant down to press his lips to Elrond's jaw. "Snow White and the fourteen dwarves have arrived," he murmured against the smooth skin.

Elrond laughed, turning in the embrace and Ereinion straightened up, leaning around the shorter elf to place his empty wine glass on the table. Elrond watched this action and took note of the way the other elf's fingers fumbled when they tried to let go of the glass, catching around the stem and nearly toppling it. "I know," he replied, choosing to not correct Ereinion's mistake. "I heard them arrive when I closed the window in my study." He looked up at Ereinion's eyes, noting that his pupils were dilated even in the bright light of the Hall.

"I think you're drunk," he whispered.

Ereinion blinked slowly and nodded in agreement. "I think so too."

"I just sent Estel to bed, perhaps you should go as well."

"Mmm." Ereinion pulled Elrond closer, forcing the half-elf to hold his glass up and to the side to avoid spilling the wine. He kissed his husband softly. "Will you join me?"

Elrond placed the index finger of his free hand against Ereinion's lips as they approached his own again. "Later."

"No, now."

Elrond shook his head. "No, later," he repeated, taking his finger away. "I would be a bad host if I did not personally greet my guests."

Ereinion pouted, but did not protest further. Elrond kissed him once more, and touched their foreheads together when the kiss ended. "Go upstairs and have a cup of tea, and I'll meet you there soon," he said softly so that only Ereinion would hear. The former King nodded and dropped his embrace. "Don't go to sleep," Elrond added cheekily, downing the rest of his wine.

"I won't," Ereinion assured with a grin, and headed upstairs as Elrond went towards the entrance hall. He had just descended the stairs fifteen road-weary newcomers traipsed in through the front door, followed by Elrohir. Elrond greeted Gandalf with a friendly embrace and smiled at the little folk, formally welcoming them to his home with a small bow. Elrohir and a few other elves escorted Bilbo and the dwarves up to their guest rooms with the promise that a tray of Rivendell's famous cooking would be delivered to them momentarily. Gandalf lingered in the hall after his companions had gone upstairs and appraised Elrond with knowing eyes. The Istar was sure that the slight blush on the elf Lord's cheeks and the tips of his ears was caused by more than wine and the warm summer evening.

Elrond returned the wizard's open gaze with a raised eyebrow. "Is there something I can help you with, Mithrandir?"

"Hmm, perhaps," Gandalf replied, his blue eyes twinkling. "But I am sure it can wait until the morning. I suppose you have a certain someone waiting for you?"

Elrond's blush deepened slightly. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

"Ah." Gandalf took out his pipe and searched through his pockets for his matches. "You better return to him, then." His fingers closed around the elusive box and he took it out, then lit his pipe and deeply inhaled the smoke. "Would I be right in assuming that I am staying in my usual rooms?"

Elrond nodded, "Yes, and they are just as you left them. Do you think you can still find them, or is your memory fading in your old age?"

"Insolent youth!" Gandalf grumbled good-naturedly as Elrond grinned at him. "Of course I remember where they are. Be off with you now. If you need me, I will be in the Hall of Fire enjoying some peace and quiet. It is something I have sorely missed while travelling with that lot," he gestured up to the first floor landing where the dwarves had disappeared moments before.

Elrond chuckled and inclined his head. "Good night, Mithrandir."

"Good night." Gandalf watched with a small smile as Elrond ascended the stairs and headed up to his room. "Oh, those summer nights," he murmured to himself, then put his pipe in his mouth, took his hat off, and headed into the Hall of Fire.
I very much enjoy that no elves in The Hobbit are named. It means I can invoke lots of artistic license 8D

In the book, Gandalf accuses the elves of having 'over-merry tongues', and merry = drunk, and to me it makes more sense for them to sing nonsense songs and laugh at everything if they were drunk :XD: The song Ereinion sings and the teasing of the dwarves at the river is lifted straight out of the book, so all credit for those goes to Master Tolkien.

Ereinion in my head does not learn to speak Common until he and Elrond take Aragorn in, plus he's drunk, hence he doesn't really make the connection that Bilbo is not a dwarf. He knows they're not the same, of course, but he either can't remember the word for 'hobbit', or, (more likely) in his inebriated state he doesn't bother to make the differentiation.

Why yes, Gandalf's parting shot is a Grease reference :meow:

Standard AU, reborn Ereinion and all that. Aragorn's age is correct: he was born in TA 2931 and The events of The Hobbit take place in 2941, so he's ten years old.

Gandalf, Bilbo and the dwarves stay in Rivendell for two weeks so there might be more parts to this :D

Cariel and Melhathion © Me
Everyone else © Tolkien
© 2011 - 2024 iDance
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Anti-humanraceman01's avatar
I love!!!!!!!! Those are the only words that express how I feel. Soooo, question. When did Ereinion and Elrond hook up? Just wondering. And yes Snow White and the 14 dwarfs = hystarical laughter. :)