Perhaps Elrond did foresee something - after all, he took a while to make up his mind as to whether the lads should go with Glorfy in the first place! Also, there were other hints that Glorfindel did not stick to Elrond's orders; the route they took was remarked upon by Haldir and he gave the impression that Celeborn was expecting them to arrive in Lorien via a more direct course.

Prior to writing this tale I had read many fanfic stories about Glorfindel in which he was either heroic to the point of being boring, passionately in love with Erestor or Elrond, or irrationally stern with everyone - and sometimes all three! So I decided to depict him as a more complex and tortured soul - he was supposed to be a guardian and mentor to Estel & Legolas, but he was in fact a bit 'Byronic' - mad, bad and dangerous to know.

I may yet return at some stage to the adventures of Estel & Legolas in their stay with the Galadhrim.

Thank you for all your comments on this story.

I'm not being evil intentionally - honest! It's just how the story plays itself out at this point. My Haldir is a complete pragmatist - he doesn't take sides, he stays focused on the task in hand and he is not intimidated by Balrog Slayers.  Enough said?

I couldn't resist an evil cliffie - after all, we hadn't had one since Chapter 6!

Estel's mare is a real pain all the way through this story - although she did save his skin in Chapter 3 when she shied away from the attacking Dunlendings, so I suppose we ought to forgive her. And she gets her come-uppance in the end, as you will see. I'm glad you found the flirtatous interlude amusing - thanks for your comments.

Estel wants to understand Glorfindel - he wants to be able to follow his lead and respect him. Glorfindel acknowledges Estel's youthful potential, but he sees something else when he witnesses the close bond he has with Legolas. He can't help himself - he can't trust what he sees, and he can't bring himself to confide in the young man. In the closing exchange in this chapter, Estel looks to Glorfindel for re-assurance, some certainty as he struggles with his own uncertain fate. He thinks that Glorfindel must know something of death and what lies beyond, and he asks him to tell him what he has seen. But Glorfindel cannot tell him - and not just because the fate of the edain is unknown to the elves. The elf lord does not want to look too deeply into his own memories because they are too painful.

Thanks for your comments - I'm so pleased that you are sticking with the story. In this chapter I was trying to balance the emotions of a boy with the resolve of the man he will become. Glorfindel sees flashes of his potential, but he does too little to nuture them - he has his own agenda, although he cannot yet acknowledge that fact.

 There are some orcs in this story, but they appear a bit later on. And never mind the orcs and the cave troll - Glorfindel is much scarier!

 Re: your sidenote - Oh yes, a while before I wrote this story I penned a tale in which young Estel & Legolas went on a trip with Gandalf to Minas Tirith.  That whole story arc came out of the Aragorn's line to Boromir in FOTR "I have seen the White City... long ago." To my mind it sounded like he was in no hurry to return there, so I got thinking about what would provoke his sort of 'been there, done that' response to Boromir's romanticism.  Without wanting to sound too pretentious, it's a story with a theme of human morality - but of course it has humour and angst liberally sprinkled in.

Oh yes indeed, and Glorfindel's Thing is much bigger than anyone else's! 

Thank you so much for your generous comments. I am so glad that you enjoyed the story and I'm thrilled that you took the time and trouble to say so. I would like to write a sequel carrying on with the lads adventures in Lorien, but Im afraid I haven't got around to it yet.

In the meantime, I'm thinking that perhaps I ought to do something about the prequels to this story - they have been written, and they are set some summers previous to this one, when Estel is a bit younger. The first set of stories are overtly humorous, but with some serious moments. The second tale is really a 'road trip' story of a journey with Gandalf - to Minas Tirith. There's not as much peril in these stories, but plenty of adolescent angst for Estel as he goes through his teens. If there is enough interest I will consider dusting them off and posting them.

So you like Aragorn torture, eh? Well I thought I had given him plenty of that in this story - although I admit some of it is more like the mental torture of perpetual threat. I wanted to write Glorfindel as a bit more complex than he usually appears - most of the fics I've read about him just have him being basically heroic, slaying Balrogs and such like. I preferred him as a bit of a flawed hero. Galadriel will sort out Glorfy, I promise. But it's not going to be easy. 

Thanks for your comments. Oh yes, he is a very stubborn Balrog Slayer - he can't accept what he's doing or why he is dong it and it will take Lady Galadriel to make him see sense. Enough said for now - but give poor Estel a break, after what he's been through in this story, he deserves one! I'm so pleased that you liked my version of Celeborn! He's one of my personal favorites. I will post the last couple of chapters soon - I promise. 

Thanks so much for reviewing! This one was a long and dramatic chapter - hopefully by now you've seen that I've posted the next one, which is a bit quieter. And now the Lothlorien scenes...and the appearance of Lord Celeborn! If anyone can get onto Glorfindel's case and sort him out, it's our Lord C and Lady Galadriel.

Thank you so much. Okay, okay I get the hint!!! I have the whole thing written, but before I post an update I can't resist 'revising & polishing' - particularly the elvish, which takes me absolutely ages to figure out and get right (or what passes for right!). I promise I will post the next chapter as soon as I can, if not sooner!