6: So Which One of These Is Rudolph?

When Daeron heard about the archery, he was rather put out. “We’re supposed to not call attention to ourselves,” he hissed at Glorfindel and the Twins as they made their way down the cafeteria line. “Why allow yourselves the temptation?”

Glorfindel gave the Sinda a cool stare. “I think you’re overstating the case, mellon nîn,” he said softly in Sindarin. “They were impressed by our abilities but not to the point of suspicion. Mr. Gordon has even offered us positions as T.A.’s.”

“All three of you?” Daeron asked in disbelief. The Twins nodded as one.

“Ah, thank you,” Glorfindel said graciously as he took the plate of spaghetti from the server, giving her a smile, which flustered her somewhat so that she ended up pouring the sauce for the next plate onto the floor. With a startled yelp she hurried off to find a mop while Glorfindel and Daeron continued their conversation.

“Yes, all three of us,” Glorfindel answered. “We’ll get a partial refund on our tuition and a small stipend to pay for expenses, so our financial burden will be even less than before. Mr. Gordon assured me that our duties will not interfere with our classes.”

“It was still a stupid risk to take,” Daeron said. “I hope the ellith were more circumspect.”

When they joined Mithrellas and Nimrodel at the table, Daeron asked them how the volleyball went.

“My team won,” Nimrodel said with a laugh.

“With your help?” Daeron asked and the tone he used alerted the two ellith that there was more behind the question than the surface meaning.

“Actually, no,” Nimrodel said. “I purposely flubbed a couple of serves.”

“That must have endeared you to your teammates,” Glorfindel said with a smile.

“In fact, it did,” Nimrodel replied with an arch look, “because I was not the only one to do so and the others just put it down to my clumsiness or inexperience. There were no hard feelings at all.”

“A much safer strategy than our intrepid Imladrin heroes chose,” Daeron said with a sigh.

When Nimrodel gave Glorfindel an enquiring look he explained what happened. Before either ellith could comment, several students approached their table. “That was excellent shooting, man,” one of them said. “You ever think of trying out for the Olympics? You would get the gold hands down.”

Glorfindel smiled. “I’m not that competitive,” he said ingenuously. Elladan gave him a disbelieving look while Elrohir choked on the water he was drinking and Daeron had to pound him on the back even as he was giving Glorfindel a disapproving look. The two ellith snickered.

“Well, I’m pretty good,” said another student, “but I ain’t seen nothin’ like what we saw today. That was, like, totally wicked cool.”

The other students all agreed. “I hope I can shoot half as well as you three did before the end of the term,” a third student said.

“We’ll be helping to teach the class, so I am sure everyone will improve on their shooting skill,” Glorfindel said. After another minute or two the students left. The Mortals at the table gave Glorfindel and the Twins measuring looks.

“Maybe I’ll sign up for archery next time,” Jud said diffidently, “just to see what all the fuss is about.”

Some of the other Mortals nodded. “Now see what you’ve done,” Daeron muttered softly in Sindarin so only the other Elves could hear. Glorfindel did not deign to respond, but secretly he was beginning to wonder if he and the Twins had made a mistake in revealing their archery abilities. Daeron was correct. It was too much of a temptation, yet, Elrohir had spoken truly as well. It was becoming tiresome to have to hide their identities behind Mortal masks. In previous centuries and millennia it had not been a problem, for many people in those times still believed in the existence of Faerie and Elves, even if they confused them with either demons or angels, depending on their cultural and religious mindset. But in the last couple of centuries, especially since the misnamed Age of Enlightenment, Elves had been reduced to being Santa’s helpers or flitting about with wings. He realized as he sat there buttering his Italian bread, that he missed just being himself, not Loren DelaFiore, but Glorfindel of the House of the Golden Flower, Captain of Imladris’ Guards and friend to Maiar and Valar alike. He wondered, of a sudden, what his gwador Finrod would have done and an intense longing to see his truest friend and heart-brother once again assailed him and he had to close his eyes against the emotional pain that pierced his very fëa.

Daeron, ever the most perceptive of them all, must have sensed something of his grief, for he reached over and put a hand on Glorfindel’s arm, squeezing it gently. Glorfindel opened his eyes and stared at the Sindarin minstrel. “Goheno nîn,” Daeron said softly.

Glorfindel shook his head. “U-voe an ngohenad,” he said and the matter was dropped.

****

The next day after breakfast, they were all herded onto buses, for they would be spending the morning visiting one of the resorts and then, after lunch, touring one of the safari companies. The bus that the Elves were on was going to the Rainbow Lake Holiday Resort and then on to Lightfoot Reindeer Safaris. The resort was several miles north of Wiseman in the foothills below Mt. Horace, one of the taller peaks in the area. After about thirty minutes on the James Dalton Highway, the bus driver took a side road that wound through a deeply forested area. Glorfindel noticed that the other Elves were staring out the windows with hungry looks on their faces, especially the two ellith. He had to admit that the sight of the forest evoked deep emotions in him as well.

The road was unpaved and twisted through the woods. It took another twenty minutes before they reached their destination. Around a bend in the road they came upon a lodge situated beside a small lake with Mt. Horace rising precipitously behind it and there were murmurs of delight and awe from the students. Most of them came from the larger cities in the southern part of the state or elsewhere and had little contact with the wilderness that made up a goodly portion of Alaska. Once the bus was stopped, they all filed out to find themselves being greeted by a young woman with chestnut brown eyes and golden-brown hair that swept her shoulders. She was perhaps a few years older than most of the students. She smiled at them brightly.

“Welcome to Rainbow Lake Holiday Resort,” she said. “My name is Charlene Davidson, the Welcome Manager for the resort. I’ll be your guide today. Everyone here? Good. Now, Rainbow Lake Holiday Resort was built in the early nineties and catered mostly to hunters and fishermen and the like, but when the internet became available, the owners saw the potential for expanding their business. Teaming up with the other hotels and resorts in the area, as well as the newly formed safari companies, they created family-oriented holiday packages which, naturally, include a visit to Santa Claus. In the last five years the number of tourists coming into this area has nearly tripled and there are not enough tour guides to handle the load, which is where you all come in. Given the hostile climate during the winter months, we focus on activities which children would enjoy, such as snow-shoe walks, husky sledding, reindeer sleigh rides and snowmobile trips. Each of these activities needs a guide, or in your case, an elf.” She paused and there were a few chuckles among the group. “Any questions so far?”

One of the students raised her hand. “How many of us will be working at the resorts?” she asked.

“Well, each resort is different,” Charlene answered. “Rainbow Lake, for instance, anticipates a need for about twenty elves to help out in addition to our regular staff, but that number may go up or down depending on the number of families who come. Most of them, especially those from in-state will come just for the day, staying one night. Others will stay longer, perhaps through a weekend. Families from out-of-state, and we are getting more and more of these, will stay longer so as to get their money’s worth.”

“So, we’ll only be working up to Christmas, then?” another student asked.

“Actually, we are hoping that most of you will be willing to work through to the New Year,” Charlene said. “While we stress family-oriented holiday packages between Thanksgiving and Christmas, for obvious reasons, we are also pushing adult-only packages designed to attract the more adventurous travelers. We have a few Christmas to New Year’s holiday get-away packages designed specifically for them. This is true for the other resorts, as well. So now, if you would follow me, I will show you our facilities. The lodge was rebuilt about three years ago to make it handicapped accessible and we have small cabins scattered about the grounds for our patrons. Most of them sleep up to eight people and....”

****

“A nice place,” Daeron said quietly to Glorfindel as they wandered along the lake shore while they waited for lunch. The resort was catering it as part of the program. As soon as they were free to wander on their own after the tour, Elladan and Elrohir took off into the woods without saying a word to anyone else. Glorfindel hoped they would at least return to catch the bus even if they decided to skip lunch. The ellith were sitting on the front porch along with some of the other students enjoying the view.

Glorfindel nodded. “Indeed. When we turned the bend I had a sudden vision of Imladris, though this place looks nothing like it.”

Daeron smiled. “I know what you mean. I was suddenly reminded of a certain place in Doriath where I was wont to go. Odd how memories work. I haven’t thought of Doriath in ages, literally.”

Glorfindel looked about him, taking in the view. No, it was nothing like Imladris, and yet there was something about it that called to him. “What will you do if you’re asked to stay longer, I mean, if someone wants to hire you on a permanent basis?”

Daeron gave the ellon a considering look. “We were going to set up our own academy in Finland,” he said. “That’s the plan.”

“I know, but plans change,” Glorfindel said. “Truly, I wouldn’t mind remaining here for a time. Finland isn’t going anywhere.”

“Yet, if not all of us are asked to stay on....”

“Then, naturally, I would decline the offer,” Glorfindel assured him. “I would not separate us. We’ve been together for too long. Still, if by chance we are all offered jobs with a resort or safari company or other tourist agency here, I wouldn’t necessarily say no to it.”

“We wouldn’t be making much money though,” Daeron pointed out.

Glorfindel shrugged. “We would make enough to get by and we will be together. In the end, that’s all that really matters.”

“You’re right, of course,” Daeron admitted, looking rueful. “I guess I’ve allowed myself to think more like a Mortal, always looking for more.”

“A nasty habit of which we must break you,” Glorfindel said with a wicked smile and Daeron stuck his tongue out at him as they headed back to the lodge where lunch was about to be served.

****

The Twins did indeed return from their foray in time to catch the bus. There was a look about them that the other Elves recognized. Sitting together in the back of the bus they conversed softly in Sindarin.

“What did you learn?” Glorfindel asked them.

“The trees are asleep,” Elladan said, “at least for the most part, but there is an awareness there, especially with the oldest ones. With a little effort, some of them could be woken.”

“Wildlife is abundant,” Elrohir added. “Mostly small animals that normally haunt such woods. Most are wary but we befriended a few. Of predators I could not sense any nearby. I suspect they avoid the human habitations and are further into the mountains.”

“Do you think it is the same in other areas?” Nimrodel asked.

“Possibly,” Elladan said. “If so, we can try to waken the trees around each resort so wherever we happen to be working, we’ll have allies in the woods.”

“Good enough,” Glorfindel said. “Charlene did mention that the weather is unpredictable in the winter and people have been caught in blizzards without warning. Having some of the trees awake will make our job of keeping our charges safe easier.”

The others nodded and then sat back to enjoy the scenery. They were headed towards Chandalar, further east from Wiseman, where Lightfoot Reindeer Safaris was located. It was an appropriately named company, as they discovered, for the owners, Max and Lucy Lightfoot ran a reindeer farm just outside the town. That is where the bus took them.

“We have a small office in town,” Max explained as the students gathered around him, “but most of our business is conducted here on the farm.” He was about thirty-five with features that suggested some Inuit or Eskimo blood. Lucy was about thirty, and a vivacious blond. She was also visibly pregnant.

Glorfindel, standing next to Mithrellas, noticed the wistful look on her face when she saw the young Mortal in the late stages of pregnancy and felt pity for the elleth who had given up husband and children for the sake of her mistress. He leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Your children thrived and your son founded a great dynasty. Some of their descendants still walk the earth. Take comfort in that.”

“How can I take comfort in the knowledge that I will never see them again?” she whispered back.

“You do not know that,” Glorfindel replied. “I do not think Eru would deny either you or them that happiness, for how can it be complete until you are together again as a family? You will be reunited someday. Have faith that it will be so.”

Mithrellas gave him a tremulous smile. “Thank you,” she said and Glorfindel just nodded, turning his attention back to Max.

“Now, part of the program we have set up for our patrons is reindeer sleigh rides,” Max said. “To that end, we will be giving each of you lessons on how to handle the reindeer as well as the sleigh. I believe other safari companies will be instructing you on husky sledding and snowmobiles and such. In any case, one of the attractions is offering to teach people to drive a reindeer sleigh, so it is necessary that you all become proficient in it.”

“You let children drive a sleigh?” Matt asked.

Max shook his head. “They have to be at least sixteen and already have their driver’s permit. It’s mainly the parents we offer to teach. It allows them to participate in the activities in a more active way than simply escorting their kiddies hither and yon.” There were nods of understanding all around. “So, just follow me and I’ll introduce you to our reindeer,” Max said with a smile and they all trooped after him.

“Do you tell the children that these are Santa’s reindeer?” Lily asked Max as they made their way around the barn to the paddock where the reindeer were.

Max smiled. “We tell them that some of the reindeer Santa uses come from this farm, but not all. Most of them want to know about Rudolph.”

The students chuckled in amusement. “Can anyone name the eight reindeer Santa is traditionally supposed to have?” Lucy asked.

“Well, let’s see,” someone said. “There’s... er... Donner and Blitzen and Cupid and... and....”

“Dancer and Prancer and... um...uh...” another student supplied.

“Sheldon, Murray and Leonard,” Shane added with a mischievous grin.

“Huh?” Lily asked in bemusement.

“Hey, why not?” Shane countered. “They’re as good as any other names.”

“Where did you g-g-get those names, anyway?” Zach asked.

“My uncles,” she answered with a smirk. “My mom calls them the Three Wise Guys.”

There was laughter all around. “Hey! If we’re renaming Santa’s reindeer,” Jen said, “I think it’s time the girls got equal billing. How about Felicity?”

“Lorelei,” someone supplied.

“Buffy!” another girl yelled out and the laughter continued as more and more ludicrous names were put forth by the students.

Glorfindel could hear Elladan and Elrohir taking the lines from The Night Before Christmas where Santa calls out the names of the reindeer and substituting their own names, the two of them giggling like elflings.

“On Fingon, on Finrod, on Thingol and Amrod,” Elladan whispered and then Elrohir picked up the next line: “Now Haldir, now Lindir, now Glorfi and Angrod.”

“All right you two, knock it off,” Glorfindel said with a low growl, but his eyes were bright with laughter and the Twins just gave him saucy grins.

The other Elves smiled in amusement and then Nimrodel was softly singing: “Glorfi, the bright-haired ellon, had a mass of golden locks, and if you ever saw them you might even say they rock.”

“Oh, I get the next verse,” Mithrellas exclaimed in an excited voice. “But all the other Eldar used to laugh and call him names. They never let poor Glorfi join in any of their games.”

“Enough already!” Glorfindel protested but he was having a hard time trying not to laugh himself. Mithrellas stuck her tongue out at him and the Twins were nearly falling over each other trying not to laugh and bring attention to them all, even though they were now at the back of the group and no one was paying them any mind.

Nimrodel simply started on the next verse: “Then one foggy Yuletide eve, Eärendil came to say, Glorfi with your hair so bright, won’t you guide my ship tonight?”

Then Daeron got into the act. “Then how the Eldar loved him and they shouted out with glee. Glorfi the bright-haired ellon, you’ll go down in history.”

Glorfindel threw his hands up in defeat as the other Elves stifled their laughter. Daeron gave the ellith a thumbs-up and they sketched him curtsies.

By now they had reached the paddock and the levity among them all died as they saw the majestic animals before them. “Uh... they’re a lot bigger than I thought they would be,” Shane said, looking a little pale. She wasn’t the only one and one or two students stepped hurriedly back from the fence when one of the reindeer came up to investigate them.

Glorfindel eyed the animals with interest. “I met their ancestors on the march North to the Helcaraxë,” he said quietly to Daeron.

“Did you domesticate them, like the Lapplanders have?” Daeron asked.

Glorfindel shook his head, giving him a sardonic look. “We usually just ate them, when we could catch them, that is.”

Daeron snorted. Elrohir, standing just behind Glorfindel, leaned over and in feigned shock exclaimed in a whisper, “You ate Rudolph!?”

Glorfindel turned his head and gave him a withering look but the ellon was totally unrepentant and just grinned at him.

“So, any of you ever handle horses?” Max asked as they gathered around the fence to view the reindeer. All six Elves raised their hands, but none of the Mortals did; they just shook their heads.

Max nodded, and motioned for the Elves to approach. He handed Daeron a red leather halter stitched with the name ‘Sigurd’ in white. “They’ve been trained to the halter,” he said, “but care still needs to be taken when approaching them. That’s Sigurd over there.” Max pointed to one of the reindeer. “We’ve taken to giving them names out of Icelandic and Scandinavian legends,” he explained and Daeron nodded as he went inside the paddock to stand before Sigurd.

For a moment, he did not move or speak, but merely stared into the eyes of the creature before him. Sigurd pawed the ground but otherwise made no other move. Then Daeron started crooning something in Sindarin, a song which the other Elves recognized, though the Mortals obviously would not. Even as he continued crooning he slowly lifted the halter and slipped it over the reindeer’s muzzle, bringing the long strap over its head and behind its ears before buckling it. Then he patted the creature’s head and without bothering to take a hold of the halter he turned to walk towards the fence, Sigurd meekly following.

Max and Lucy had stunned expressions on their faces. “Well, I’ll be,” Max said with a low whistle. “That is definitely a first.” He turned to the other Elves. “Who wants to go next?”

Glorfindel indicated that he would go and Max handed him another red leather halter with the name ‘Fjalar’ stitched on it. “That’s Fjalar there,” Max said, pointing to one of the animals on the other side of the paddock. Glorfindel nodded and stepped through the gate that Lucy held open for him, walking confidently towards Fjalar, neatly avoiding the other reindeer milling about. Unlike Daeron, though, he did not sing. Instead, he stood about three feet from the animal and began speaking in a sing-song voice: “Tolo, Fjalar. Tolo enni. Tolo, Fjalar, mellon vain nîn.”

At first, nothing happened. “What’s the matter, Loren, afraid?” Jud asked with a sneer and some of the students snickered.

Glorfindel ignored the jibe, continuing his sing-song words and then, Fjalar began walking towards him, stopping a bare six inches from the ellon, giving a reindeerish snort and a shake of his head. Glorfindel reached out and stroked the creature between the eyes and then slipped the halter over him, all the while praising the animal in Sindarin. Once the halter was secured he leaned over and whispered in the creature’s ear, “Le hannon, Fjalar. Aphado nîn ae telithal.” Then he straightened and walked back to the gate. Fjalar gave another snort and then followed along.

The disbelief and bemusement on the Mortals’ faces was almost funny, Glorfindel thought, as he reached the gate and stepped outside. Fjalar joined Sigurd and the two reindeer stood quietly together as if awaiting their next command. Glorfindel gave Jud, who stood there with his mouth gaping in surprise, a cool stare. “I have never been afraid of any animal,” he said, “but I know how to treat them with respect.”

Jud just nodded, his eyes wide with something that bordered on awe. Max cleared his throat. “Ah... er... a most interesting display. Um... who’s next?” He looked about rather helplessly.

The Twins raised their hands almost together. “Twins, huh?” Max said. “Well, it just so happens we have our own twins.” He pointed to two somewhat smaller reindeer with similar coloring. “Tuoni is the one on the left, and Tapio is the one on the right,” he added, handing them the halters.

The Twins stared first at the halters to see what name was stitched on them, then at the reindeer and then at each other. “Why do you get to have the Lord of Forests?” Elladan complained.

Elrohir smirked. “You’re not afraid of the Lord of the Dead are you?”

“Of course not!” Elladan protested. “But I don’t fancy having to put a halter on him.”

Glorfindel sighed. “Just do it, Dan. Unlike another Lord of the Dead of my acquaintance, this one is not likely to pass judgment on you.”

As if to belie the Elf’s words, there was a sudden sound of one of the reindeer breaking wind and then there was embarrassed laughter all around. Elladan sighed and went towards Tuoni while Elrohir followed, smirking. Then, to the surprise of the Mortals, Elladan stopped about a foot away from the reindeer and gave the animal a respectful bow.

“Mae govannen, Hîr Tuoni. Im estannen Elladan Elrondion. Gerin dâf lîn am meniad hen am le?” He said softly, holding out the halter. The reindeer nodded his head and then came directly up to the Elf, who gently slipped the halter on him. Then he took a step back and gave the animal another bow. “Le hannon, hîr nîn, an nóviel hen.”

It escaped no one’s notice that Elrohir was performing a similar ritual. When both reindeer had their halters on, the Twins began walking back towards the gate, but rather than following behind, the two reindeer walked beside the Elves. Elrohir placed a hand on Tapio’s neck and stroked it and Elladan did the same with Tuoni.

There was absolute silence among the students. Glorfindel saw Max and Lucy exchange nervous looks and sighed. It seemed that no matter how hard they tried not to be Elves, the world conspired against them and they found themselves in situations such as this where their natural tendencies took over. It had ever been the way of the Firstborn to seek communion with the animals around them. It was as natural as breathing for them and to deny it was something none of them could do.

Nimrodel went up to Max, giving him a slightly worried expression. “You don’t have any does do you? I was never good with stallions. I doubt I’ll be any better with the bucks.”

Glorfindel was not the only Elf to raise his eyebrows at that bit of sophistry, but he recognized what she was doing and nodded in approval when she happened to glance his way. Max and Lucy seemed to relax and Lucy smiled. “As it happens, we do have does, but they tend not to like pulling sleighs.”

“You see,” Cassie turned to Matt with a smirk. “Women are smarter than men.” The laughter was loud and long at the quip and the tension that had been building within the group began to dissipate.

“Here,” Max said, handing her a halter. “This is Gandalf’s.” Glorfindel, Elladan and Elrohir started at the name and gave one another considering looks. Max, unaware of the significance of the name, continued speaking. “He’s been gelded, so he’s unlikely to give you any trouble.”

Now Glorfindel and the Twins were struggling to hold back their laughter as certain images passed before their eyes and they refused to look at anyone. Nimrodel gave Max a slight smile and thanked him, going inside the paddock towards the reindeer Max had indicated. She acted somewhat nervously, but did not overdo it.

“Nice Gandalf,” they heard her say. “Here’s your halter.” She tentatively held it out and when the animal did nothing threatening, she inched a little closer and slipped it on, giving everyone a triumphant smile as if she’d done something amazing. Glorfindel and Daeron rolled their eyes at one another and hid grins at the elleth’s performance.

Mithrellas glanced at Max. “Why don’t we let the other students have a go?” she asked. “I prefer just to watch.”

“Well, as it happens,” Max said, “there aren’t enough reindeer for everyone to practice with, so we’re going to have to team up and take turns removing and putting on the halters before we go to the next stage. Why don’t you take Freyr’s halter?” He handed her the halter, pointing out the reindeer in question. “Let’s see how you handle him and then we’ll divide the rest of the group into sixes.”

Mithrellas shrugged and took the halter, going towards Freyr who stood there eyeing her with some suspicion, or so it appeared to the onlookers. She approached him with an air of indifference. “All right, Freyr, let’s get this over with,” she said in a no nonsense tone that had the others snickering. Freyr gave her a snort, but allowed her to pat him on the forehead and put the halter on without too much fuss. Then she took hold of the halter and with a soft click of her tongue urged him forward to where the other haltered reindeer stood, Nimrodel having brought Gandalf along in the meantime.

“So now,” Max said brightly. “We have six reindeer. Let’s divide up and each of you can take turns putting on and taking off the halters.” He nodded to the Elves who obliged him by removing the halters and handing them to one of the other students. Some were more daunted by the creatures than others and the Elves stood carefully by in case either the student or the reindeer did something stupid. However, there were no major incidents and in a short while even the most timorous student was happily petting the creatures.

The rest of the afternoon went quickly enough as Max and Lucy led everyone, including the six reindeer, into a large arena which was refrigerated to below freezing, much like a meat locker. Artificial snow was laid out on the ground and students started to shiver, putting on sweaters and jackets which they had been warned earlier to bring with them. None of the Elves even bothered. There were three sleighs in the arena and Max and Lucy spent a great deal of time showing them how to team-hitch the reindeer to the sleighs. Then came the tricky part of learning to drive the sleighs. The Elves caught on quickly and when Max realized this he asked them to take turns sitting beside the other students as they learned to drive the sleighs. There were a few mishaps as students suddenly would lose control of the reins and start to panic, but the Elves would calmly take over until the student and the reindeer had calmed down. Thus, by the end of the afternoon, most of the students had at least some competence in hitching up the reindeer and driving the sleighs, though few could be said to be confident in doing either.

“Don’t worry,” Max told them. “You’ll be returning here or going to one of the other reindeer farms over the next four months for more practice. Believe me, in no time at all, you’ll all be experts and will wonder what the fuss was all about. Once the snow comes, you’ll have the chance to try your hand at driving the sleighs on the actual trails we’ve set up. It’s a whole different experience from driving them around the arena.” Max then thanked them for coming and Lucy wished them luck with their studies.

Then, it was time to return to the college and everyone headed for the bus. As the Elves settled into their seats, Glorfindel smiled in satisfaction, listening to the excited chattering of the other students as the bus pulled away from the farm. “A most interesting day all around,” he said softly, “especially the reindeer.”

“I still can’t believe you actually ate Rudolph though,” Elrohir quipped and laughingly avoided Glorfindel’s half-hearted swipe.

Elladan gave Glorfindel a horrified look that the others could tell was feigned. “You ate Rudolph!?” he exclaimed.

Glorfindel groaned. “No, I did not,” he said firmly.

“Just his ancestors,” Daeron added with a wink at Glorfindel who sighed.

“What do you expect from a Noldo, anyway?” Nimrodel put in, laughing and sticking her tongue out at Glorfindel. “They’re a strange bunch.” Daeron and Mithrellas nodded facetiously. Elladan and Elrohir just rolled their eyes.

“Hey! We’re part Noldorin,” Elladan protested.

“My point exactly,” Nimrodel retorted with a smirk.

Glorfindel wanted to say something biting just then but decided it wasn’t worth it, knowing that they were merely teasing. Instead, he ignored them as they continued with their banter and watched the scenery go by, a satisfied smile on his face.

****

All words are Sindarin unless otherwise noted.

Mellon nîn: My friend.

Fëa: (Quenya) Spirit, soul.

Goheno nîn: ‘Forgive me’ (with person forgiven as object).

U-voe an ngohenad: ‘There is nothing to forgive’, literally ‘It is not necessary for forgiving’.

Tolo, Fjalar. Tolo enni. Tolo, Fjalar, mellon vain nîn: ‘Come, Fjalar. Come to me. Come, Fjalar, my beautiful friend’.

Le hannon, Fjalar. Aphado nîn, ae telithal: ‘I thank thee, Fjalar. Follow me if thou wilt come’.

Mae govannen, Hîr Tuoni. Im estannen Elladan Elrondion. Gerin dâf lîn am meniad hen am le?: ‘Well met, Lord Tuoni. I am called Elladan son of Elrond. Have I thy permission to set this upon thee?’

Le hannon, hîr nîn, an nóviel hen: ‘I thank thee, my lord, for having allowed this.’

Note on the reindeer names: Sigurd is the Norse hero who kills the dragon Fafnir. Fjalar is the name of a Dwarf mentioned in the Dvertagal or 'Reckoning of Dwarves', which is found in the Icelandic Poetic or Elder Edda, the same ‘Dwarf list’ from which Tolkien drew the names of his Dwarves for The Hobbit. Gandalf, of course, comes from the same list. Tuoni (Lord of the Dead) and Tapio (Lord of Forests) are from the Finnish Kalevala. Freyr is the name of one of the Norse gods.