101: Old Acquaintances

Glorfindel woke a few hours later to find Eärendil and Mánatamir sitting in chairs beside him, apparently watching him breathe in and out, much to his annoyance. There was no sign of Elwing or Cundu. He struggled to sit up and Mánatamir was instantly there to aid him, plumping some pillows for him.

"How are you feeling, Glorfindel?" the Maia asked solicitously.

"My whole body aches," he answered. "I thought you were keeping the pain at bay."

"I was," Mánatamir said as he settled back in his seat, giving him a slight smile, "but I cannot keep it at bay forever, not even for you, my friend. I promise you, though, that the worst of the pain is gone. While you slept I helped your body heal a bit more."

"You couldn’t have just healed me completely?" Glorfindel groused, not in the mood to be polite. He felt weak and while the pain was not as bad as he had feared, it was bad enough, especially his shoulder.

"I could," the Maia admitted, "but I am not allowed to." He gave Glorfindel an amused look. "There are rules even for us."

Eärendil, meanwhile, had risen and gone to a sideboard, coming back with a goblet of watered wine. "Healer’s orders," he said with a wide grin when Glorfindel took a swallow and grimaced. "Nothing stronger than what one would give an elfling for another day or three until you are well on the way to being healed."

Glorfindel sighed. "How long this time?" he asked in a resigned voice.

"You should be healed inside a week," the Maia replied, "though you will need to do some exercises to strengthen the muscles. But then, you know this."

The golden-haired ellon nodded. "Yes, I do, but it does not mean I have to like it." He took another swallow of the wine and leaned back against the pillows, giving Mánatamir a considering look. "So, you’re a Maia. I should have known the Valar wouldn’t let me go off on my own without them tagging along even by proxy."

Mánatamir’s expression was unreadable and Eärendil gave Glorfindel a surprised look. "I do not recall you ever sounding so bitter, mellon nîn."

Glorfindel shrugged. "My dealings with the Valar have been less than cordial of late," he replied. "So, what were your orders, Mánatamir? Were you there to see me safely here or to make sure I never arrived?"

Eärendil gasped but Mánatamir held up a hand to keep the peredhel from speaking, never taking his eyes off Glorfindel. "The fact that you are here, child, answers your question."

Glorfindel, however, just shook his head. "The fact that I am here proves nothing," he countered. "You could have stopped those alatyauli at any time but you did not. I could well have been killed. One swipe of those claws was all that it would have taken."

"I had my orders, Glorfindel," Mánatamir said. "I was not to interfere until and unless your life was directly threatened. As soon as those creatures leapt at you, I would have incinerated them, but you were already attacking them and so I had to wait or you would have been caught in the backlash of my powers and I assure you that you would not have been the only one facing the Lord of Mandos at that moment."

"So you were sent to keep me from finding Eärendil?" Glorfindel asked, deciding to ignore the implications of what the Maia had just said for the moment.

"Before I answer that," Mánatamir said, "there are some people you should meet first. Then I think your questions will be answered."

Glorfindel sighed. "Do I get to wash up first?" he asked, looking at Eärendil and ignoring the Maia for the moment.

Eärendil smiled. "These people will not care what you look like, Glorfindel," he said. "In fact, they have been waiting rather impatiently for you to awaken so they can greet you."

Glorfindel could not imagine who else would be here whom he knew, but he remembered the well-tended farmland and orchards surrounding the tower so he knew that there had to be others living there.

"I still would like to freshen up a bit, though," he said.

"Then that is what you will do," Eärendil said. "Mánatamir will assist you while I go tell the others that they must wait just a little longer before they see you."

With that he gave the Maia a nod and strode out of the room, closing the door behind him. For a moment there was silence between ellon and Maia and then Mánatamir smiled. "Let me help you up," he said and Glorfindel nodded.

****

Fifteen minutes later, feeling marginally better now that he had visited the privy and had had a quick wash, Glorfindel was back in the sitting room and back on the same couch with Mánatamir standing nearby. The door opened and Eärendil peeked around it, giving him a mischievous smile. "Ready for visitors?" he asked and when Glorfindel nodded he opened the door wider and Glorfindel could see some others behind him. However, it was only when they were fully in the room that he saw who they were and he started at the sight of them, causing him to hiss in pain at the sudden movement. Mánatamir was there in an instant, easing the pain somewhat so that the blackness at the edge of Glorfindel’s vision dissipated.

"Ah, so you remember your old friends, do you, mellon nîn?" Galdor, once Lord of the House of the Tree asked, giving Glorfindel a bright smile as he bent down to give him a warrior’s embrace, though carefully so as not to bring him any more pain. Beside him stood one of his ablest captains, Legolas, who was also beaming at him. The third was Hendor, who had been Eärendil’s devoted servant when he was a child.

"Of course I remember you, you sorry excuse for an orcmeal," Glorfindel exclaimed. "I remember you owe me three bottles of Turgon’s best wines."

They all laughed at that as they took chairs. "Trust you to remember that if nothing else," Galdor retorted, but his smile belied his words and it was obvious that these two were good friends. "Never expected to see us again, did you?" the Gondolin lord asked, somewhat more soberly.

Glorfindel shook his head. "Nay, I knew someday we might meet, but so much has happened to me...." He trailed off and the others nodded as if they understood. "Why are you here, though?" he asked after a slight pause. "Why do you not dwell on Tol Eressëa?"

"We all started out living there," Galdor explained, "but one by one we felt this need to leave and seek for Eärendil and Elwing."

"Oh?" Glorfindel gave them a considering look and the three ellyn nodded.

"Not just us, either," Legolas said, "but others as well, both from Gondolin and Doriath."

"A restlessness fell upon us and we knew not what it meant, but ever we looked to see Gil-Estel in the skies and it seemed as if it beckoned to us," Galdor went on to say. "Eventually, we decided to go in search of the prince. We learned that both Eärendil and Elwing had come to Alqualondë when they first came to Valinor and that was our first stop."

"Did you travel by ship or on land to get here?" Glorfindel asked.

"By land," Hendor said with a guffaw. "I hate boats of any kind or size and I refused to travel on one. Doing so once was enough."

Galdor chuckled. "We tried to convince him it would be quicker by sea but he was adamant so we came by land, much as you did."

"And somewhere along the way, we met up with Mánatamir," Legolas said, giving the Maia a nod.

Glorfindel raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Mánatamir, who was looking a bit embarrassed for some reason.

"Oh, we didn’t know he was a Maia, of course," Galdor said. "Pretended to be a Noldo who was suffering from wanderlust with only his hound as a companion. He also said he knew where Elwing’s Tower was and offered to guide us there."

"And did you?" Glorfindel asked the Maia.

"Yes, I did," Mánatamir answered, "as I have guided everyone who has come looking for this place out of a deep need to find it, just as you did."

Glorfindel frowned. "I’m not sure I follow."

Mánatamir smiled. "I have been charged by Lord Manwë to see that any who come seeking find what they are looking for. This cove is... hm... shielded in a way. It cannot be easily found. Early on there were a few who came looking out of curiosity rather than out of a genuine need to be here. Those people I made sure returned to their homes disappointed. But there have been others whom the Valar have inspired to come seeking Eärendil and Elwing and those I have guided here."

"And here we are happy to stay," Galdor said. "It is a fair place and we have done well by it. None of us have any real desire to return to Tol Eressëa."

"And me?" Glorfindel asked. "What about me?"

"You, too, have felt a need to seek answers to your questions, have you not?" Mánatamir asked and Glorfindel nodded. "Lord Manwë was aware of this and to ensure that you came here safely...." — Glorfindel snorted and everyone else chuckled — "... safely, the Elder King sent me, as he has always done. You might say I am the guardian of this place."

For a moment Glorfindel did not speak, mulling over in his mind all that he had been told. "So the alatyauli...."

"They were following you," Mánatamir said. "They sensed your power and were attracted to it."

"Is that typical?" Galdor asked. "I do not recall even seeing any such creatures as you described when we came this way."

Mánatamir shook his head. "They actually range further north and west but, as I said, they sensed Glorfindel’s light and were attracted to it." He turned to Glorfindel. "That is why there was no game. It had been frightened away by the cats."

"Did you know they were following us?" Glorfindel asked.

"Yes," the Maia answered. "I knew even before you found the tracks but could not identify them."

"And you said nothing."

"I had my orders, Glorfindel," the Maia repeated. "Very specific orders."

Glorfindel nodded. "I understand, truly I do, but now the question still remains: why am I here?"

"Are you not glad to see us?" Hendor asked, looking somewhat upset.

"Oh yes," Glorfindel replied with great feeling, reaching out with his good hand to clasp Hendor’s hand. "More than words can describe. And if it was just that, I would rejoice, but more is going on than the meeting of old friends." He gave Eärendil a grave look. "Did you know that when I was being re-embodied the Valar placed barriers on my mind to prevent me from remembering you, to forget even hearing your name being mentioned by others? And I could not see your star, still cannot."

Eärendil and the other elves looked surprised and not a little concerned. "No, I did not know that," the Mariner said softly, glancing at Mánatamir.

"There were reasons why it was done at the time," the Maia said. "In truth, Glorfindel was not meant to come here for some years yet, but circumstances have changed."

"Obviously," Eärendil said with a quirk of his lips. "I find it rather disturbing that so great a hero as Glorfindel would be treated so by the Valar."

"I’m not that great," Glorfindel muttered. "Just because I killed a balrog...."

"Precisely, my friend," Galdor said with a laugh.

"But I am not the only one," Glorfindel protested. "Ecthelion killed Gothmog. No one ever seems to remember that or praise him for it."

"When he is finally released from Mandos, we will praise him, never fear," Legolas replied, his expression solemn. "But for now, it is you we wish to praise, for your sacrifice made it possible for the rest of us to survive and for that I thank you." He stood and gave Glorfindel a profound bow. Galdor and Hendor did the same, much to Glorfindel’s embarrassment.

"Well, putting that aside," he said after a moment, "what am I doing here? Why have I been drawn here? You say you have no desire to return to Tol Eressëa, but I have people relying on me. I cannot abandon them and remain here for all the ages of Arda."

"No one is asking you to, Glorfindel," Mánatamir said, "but there is no reason why you cannot stay for a while. You yourself said you need not be back for twelve years. Surely you can spend some little time here."

"And do what?" Glorfindel insisted. "I have no desire to take up farming or fishing. I was training with your fellow Maiar before I went with Finrod and Arafinwë and Olwë to Tol Eressëa to see for ourselves what is happening there."

"And you can continue training with them," Mánatamir said, "once you are sufficiently healed. Also, you have these ellyn and several others who will join you in your training, for you are correct. You are not here to take up farming or fishing. None of you are, although I know Galdor and Legolas have been tending the orchards."

"We needed something to do while waiting for Glorfindel to arrive," Galdor said, sounding apologetic.

"I don’t understand," Glorfindel said, giving them a confused look. "Why were you all waiting for me to arrive?"

"Have you wondered why the Maiar have been training you as they have?" Mánatamir asked.

Glorfindel gave them a wry look. "I imagine it was a way of keeping me out of trouble and out of certain people’s hair for a while."

"Sounds familiar," Galdor said with a wink to Legolas and Hendor and the three started laughing.

"Hey! I wasn’t that bad," Glorfindel protested, "and you’re forgetting Ecthelion. He was worse than I." He frowned and then sighed. "I wish he were here as well." And there were sober nods all around.

"He will be, someday," the Maia said solicitously. "But in answer to the question, one reason for your training has been the reason many ellyn are keeping up their training even though the War of Wrath is long over and peace reigns here in Valinor."

"The Dagor Dagorath," Glorfindel said with a grim expression on his face.

"Yes," Mánatamir said. "Many of those who have found their way here are proven warriors of Gondolin and Doriath. They have been brought here for a specific purpose, to hone their warrior skills to the fullest in preparation for the Dagor Dagorath."

"So why did you have to wait for me?" Glorfindel persisted. "Have you not been training all along?"

"Oh, yes," Galdor said. "To a certain degree, but we were told that our training would not begin in earnest until you came, you or Ecthelion, actually."

Glorfindel shook his head, trying to understand.

"Glorfindel," Eärendil said with a sly smile. "Think about it. How many people do you know who have slain a balrog?"

Glorfindel gave Eärendil a look of disbelief while everyone else chuckled. He was about to comment when a gong sounded and Eärendil stood up. "Ah, the dinner bell. Galdor, will you help Glorfindel?"

Galdor nodded and before Glorfindel could utter a protest, he was being gently prodded to rise and then they were all heading out the door. Glorfindel glanced back to see Mánatamir standing there with an amused smile on his face before fading from his sight, leaving behind the scent of lemongrass mixed with rosemary.