Once out of the gardens Glorfindel moved briskly up the slope, through the trees and clearings. Suddenly he felt a burning desire to be out of Imladris, away from its lush forests and bubbling streams. It was only late in the morning, as the trees thinned to be replaced by shrubs and coarse grass, that he began to relax. It was good to have escaped. More than escaped. In some ways it was coming home. For if he did not look too closely, the tufted grass and herbs that grew among the rocks and scree slopes on the upper reaches of the mountain, could have belonged to a different mountain - or realm - or even age.

Eventually a sudden sharp gust of wind in his face as he scrambled over a crag signalled his arrival at the peak. It was disconcerting after a morning spent running to suddenly find yourself at your destination, and the blond elf spent many minutes wandering about, a lonely figure on the skyline, before sitting down on a large smooth boulder overlooking the valley. Spring had come early to Imladris, but the wind that whipped across the summit was icy, lashing loose blond hair across his face and cutting easily through his shirt and tunic.

Not that he minded.

It reminded him of another day.

~*~

High on a mountaintop overlooking the Hidden City two elves sat on a craggy outcrop surrounded by rough grass scattered with the reds and lilacs and golds of wild flowers. The taller of the two, a young male who had reached his majority but still retained the easy joyfulness of youth, leant back resting his hands on the rock. Neither spoke, merely admiring the beauty of the view and enjoying the warmth of the sun and the rough blustery wind. Ever so often they would turn slightly and their eyes would meet. The pretty colour was high in the cheeks of the shorter of the two, a young girl - barely come of age - her dark curls blowing in the wind.

"Here!" Glorfindel sprang to his feet and as lightly as one walking on the clouds collected some of the small golden blooms. "This - it is for you."

And she had smiled shyly, warmth reaching her eyes and her left cheek dimpling. He had lent over, gently weaving the delicate stalks into her hair to create a crown of golden flowers. The roughness of his hand brushed against her soft cheek as he had stepped back and admired his work.

"Aye. That is beautiful."

She reached to tenderly touch her hair, blushing when she realised that her companion was looking at her rather than his handiwork.

Carefully he slid a supporting hand around her back and moved closer, allowing him to feel the warmth of her body and hear the rapid beating of her heart. Looking up she smiled, their sudden shared happiness filling their world. Bending slightly and brushing a few loose curls away from her face the blond elf allowed his lips to brush hers.

She relaxed into his body, slowly moving her hand across his muscular back and up to gently massage his shoulder. Turning her head to the right to facilitate proceedings she tentatively gave him a light kiss. He responded and for a long time they held each other, enjoying the closeness of their bodies.

Eventually they broke apart, the taller elf stepping back and chewing his lip slightly for a few moments before smiling with a happiness he had not known since childhood.

"I would spend the rest of my life with you." The rich melodic tone he had inherited from his father held a new note of nervousness. "Will you pledge yourself to me?"

And with a smile that he would hold in his memory for ever after she had replied "I will."

And they both had laughed with joy and relief.

And then in his happiest hour they had been interrupted. Attack was imminent and danger loomed on the horizon. The people of Gondolin were leaving, desperate to escape before it was too late. He was needed back in the city. Needed to lead his people.

He had held her hand in his until he could no longer reach, only reluctantly allowing his outstretched fingers to separate from hers. They would have to take separate roads, not knowing when they would meet again. Not trusting himself to speak he turned and ran down the mountain, his golden hair shining in the sun.

"Promise me you will wait for me!" He turned just before the path disappeared around an outcrop, his voice raised in a boyish shout that echoed against the valley walls.

"I promise! Until all the stars fade from the sky!"

The higher pitch of her voice had joined with the echoes of the deeper shout in an eerie melody, and she had watched him leave until he was no more than a golden speck on a far distant path.

~*~

He never had gone back up there. Not that it had been his choice. But nobody had seemed to have asked his opinion on that.

He believed that she had escaped, had survived, was now living in Valinor. Maybe wished rather than hoped. For the histories contained no record of those deemed insignificant in their bloodline. She was just a name, a memory, passed from all knowledge.

His mother had warned him that he would suffer if he married below his status. And his mother being his mother, a rather formidable woman, had been right. As usual. Centuries of uncertainty and eventually frustration as an entire library failed to reveal any trace of her fate. He had spurned the library after that, although it had taken a while to placate his friend after certain choice comments. Elrond, being Elrond, took criticism of the library personally.

He felt he would know - that something would tell him inside - if she had fallen on that forsaken path. But there was no real way of knowing. Not without leaving these shores - and his duties here were not yet done.

But he would wait. And wait.

~*~

"Glor!" A certain Lord of Imladris appeared red-faced over the mountaintop. He had climbed its rocky heights far too quickly for even elven legs, and hoped to quickly locate his friend. Or at least someone who had been his friend this morning. Or, as Gil-galad had pointed out in their 'conversation' that had felt much like one of his old 'interviews' after misbehaving, his ex-friend who was rightfully aggrieved and probably was in mind to owe him a few good punches.

"Glor?" The half-elf eventually caught sight of his friend sitting motionless, some distance away on a large rock. There was no response and cursing his aching legs Elrond picked his way over the stones and heather to sit down at the blond elf's side.

Blue eyes quickly flicked to meet his, and shot back to stare at the shadows the late afternoon sun was casting over the valley. Grimacing, Elrond grated one side of his boot along a sharp rock while he tried to think of something to say. Anything to say. This process took longer than he had expected, and the sun was setting in broad beams of orange light before he had come up with anything more inspiring than 'Uh. . . Glor?'"

Glorfindel's sudden stirring at his side after hours of stillness spurred him into action. What sort of leader was he if he could not think up a way of apologising? More importantly what sort of friend?

"Uh. . . Glor?" Elrond came up with the old classic.

Glorfindel turned to him, and then to Elrond's surprise patted his hand.

"Say nothing. I know."

Elrond stared at his friend dumbfounded. He had argued with the blond elf before and it hadn't struck him that Glorfindel was one to not bear grudges.

"Uh. . . Glor?"

"Come Elrond!" Glorfindel spoke with impatience as he heaved his friend to his feet. Since one of Elrond's feet was still hooked under the stone this resulted in a rapid close-up inspection of the ground and its covering of sharp pebbles. Looking back the Lord of Imladris could not be entirely sure that this was accidental. "We have a dance to attend!"