30: The Scene from Glorfindel’s Perspective

Glorfindel was floating in the dark.

He wasn’t sure where he was and didn’t particularly care. It was pleasant and there was no pain. Briefly, he considered that, wondering why the thought of pain should disturb him. He vaguely remembered that there had been pain… once… a long time ago…but no more and that suited him just fine. He would just sit here or lie here or whatever and float. Floating was good.

For a time that could have been measured in nanoseconds or centuries — Glorfindel could not decide which — he just floated, not really thinking, but then he began to detect other presences in this floating world. He was unsure who or what they were. He could hear people speaking, but the voices were soft and indistinct and he could make out no words, so, in the end, he ignored them, or tried to.

Now the voices were louder, almost as if they were shouting, though the words were still indistinct and he could not hear what was being said; he could, however, parse the emotions behind the shouting: fear and anger seemed prevalent. His curiosity piqued, he wondered if he could get any closer to the voices and perhaps actually hear what was going on.

There was, however, a slight problem: he couldn’t move.

When he attempted to go to the voices, he discovered that something or someone was holding him down, and rather insistently. He tried pushing against it, whatever it was, but to no avail and after a while he resigned himself to being unable to move and settled back into the darkness and floated. The pressure lifted slightly, but he wasn’t fooled. He knew, without knowing how he knew, that if he attempted to leave where he was the something or someone would prevent him, so he sat there or lay there (he wasn’t really sure what his position was) and became more and more bored.

And a bored Reborn is a dangerous Reborn.

He chuckled at that thought, though no sound issued from him. The voices, so achingly familiar, though he could put no names to them, became more strident and, he thought, louder, but still he could make out nothing except the emotions. But he wasn’t going anywhere so he tried to ignore them. But then, there was the most infinitesimal shift of focus from whatever or whoever was holding him in place and without even thinking about it, he took advantage of the situation and willed himself to move, all the while expecting to be held back, but he wasn’t and for a second or two he reveled in the triumph of escaping. The joy of victory, however, was brief and then someone was there with him, willing him back to wherever he’d been previously.

He ignored the Presence, for he had something more interesting to occupy his attention. He was looking down on a scene of chaos. Someone was lying on a bed all hooked up to machines and quite frankly, to Glorfindel’s mind, looking like death warmed over. He felt a momentary pang of sorrow and compassion for the poor fellow, thinking he looked vaguely familiar but, as he could put no name to him, he turned his attention to the other people huddled around the bed doing strange and arcane things that made no sense to him.

The Presence kept insisting he should return to where he had been, but Glorfindel, now that he was ‘out’ — though he was unsure just what that meant to him — was curious and wondered if there was anything else to see in this strange place. (And all the while, it never occurred to him to ask himself just where he was and how he had gotten there.) The very wish to be elsewhere seemed to be enough, for he suddenly found himself in a hall, brightly lit, or seemingly so in comparison to where he’d been. There were three people standing in the hall and Glorfindel thought he recognized them but no names came to him. Two were male and as like as two peas in a pod and the third was female. All three looked both worried and angry and to Glorfindel’s everlasting delight, he could actually hear what they were saying.

“… should be in there,” one of the twins said, sounding anxious and upset.

“He told us to wait here,” the other replied. He was equally anxious but tried to hide it under a veneer of calm. He wasn’t all that successful as far as Glorfindel was concerned. “There are too many people in there as it is. We’d just get in the way.”

Hello, Glorfindel said, smiling at the trio. Can you tell me where I am and what’s going on?

But the three ignored him, as if they did not see or hear him.

“I’m through with waiting,” the first twin said. “I have half a mind to just leave.”

“We need to stay and find out if Loren’s okay,” his brother responded, still trying to sound reasonable.

“Roy’s right, Dan,” the girl chimed in. “I hope he’s okay. I did not think we could get heart attacks. That’s so… Mortal.”

“If one’s body is stressed enough, anyone can suffer cardiac arrest, Sarah,” the one whom Glorfindel knew had to be Roy said. The names meant nothing to him. “It has to have been the diuretic Mir administered.”

“Or possibly the effect of the lung injury,” Dan said. “You know the fatality rate is as high as twenty-five percent of patients who suffer from it. But I have no desire to stay and find out if Loren lives or dies. Whatever the outcome, it’s out of our hands entirely.”

So the poor fellow’s name is Loren, is it? Glorfindel asked. Again the name itself meant nothing to him. He didn’t look too good, I can tell you. I don’t think his chances of surviving are very high.

Neither the twins nor Sarah commented or even looked his way. Glorfindel waved his arms and then made funny faces, giving them a raspberry, but nothing. They ignored him completely and now he was feeling peeved, unused to being ignored by anyone.

Hello! I’m right here in front of you, he practically shouted, but still they ignored him.

“Sarah, how long would it take you to pack?” Dan was asking.

“I never got a chance to unpack,” she replied. “Why?”

But instead of answering her, he turned to Roy. “You want to split?”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Fairbanks.”

“Fairbanks?! Why Fairbanks?”

“Why not?” Dan shot back. “Look, right now, I’m in no mood to hang around to see if we were right or not. You know we were right in our diagnosis and I think Kyle will agree with us but so what? Mir and Ernie are the hotshots, pure-blooded and all-knowing. No matter what, we’ll always be peredhil, we’ll always be less in their eyes, theirs and everyone else’s.”

“Not in mine,” Sarah said, squeezing Roy with a hug. “I’m a pure-blood, but I think your mixed heritage is actually an advantage, not a detriment. That’s why I fell in love with you.”

“Oh?” Roy said, giving her an amused look. “So you didn’t fall in love with me because of my good looks and charm, my scintillating conversation and razor-sharp wit?”

“Well, yes, those too,” Sarah allowed with a smile, “but really, it was the fact that you had Mortal and Maiarin blood that made you so exotic. I like exotic.” She nuzzled his neck and Glorfindel grinned at her antics.

Girl, you have it bad, don’t you? he commented, now convinced that for some reason they wouldn’t hear him anyway. And running away never solved anything, boys, he added, but, as usual, the twins ignored him.

“Well, you can discuss this some other time,” Dan said, rolling his eyes. “Are you two in?”

“I can’t just leave without explanation, though,” Sarah said, becoming more business-like in her demeanor. “I won’t do that to my parents. They don’t deserve it.”

“Fine, leave a note,” Dan said. “Don’t tell them we’re going to Fairbanks, though. Just say that you and Roy felt you needed to get away for a few days or a few weeks and you’d stay in touch.”

“I guess I can do that,” Sarah admitted, looking a bit dubious. “Nana won’t be pleased, though. I’m supposed to be getting fitted for my wedding dress next week.”

“Can’t be helped, unless you plan to stay behind,” Dan said.

Ah, weddings! Glorfindel commented with a smile. I do so enjoy them. I like to see what can go wrong with them and then bring it up in conversation to the newlyweds six months later and watch them get all red in embarrassment. It’s such fun.

“Do you mean to stay away forever, then?” Sarah demanded of Roy.

“Don’t look at me, dearest, it’s Dan’s idea to split, but I agree with him, I think we need to get out of here, go somewhere else for a while until things cool down. If Loren recovers, we’ll come back. If he doesn’t, well, I guess we’ll cross that bridge when and if we come to it.”

“We’d better go now if we’re going,” Dan said. “I don’t want to have to explain to anyone what we’re about. Roy, take Sarah to pick up her luggage. I’ll go home and throw together some clothes for us and you can pick me up. We’ll just take your car.” Even as he was saying this, the three moved away, heading for the elevators

You’re making a big mistake, my children, Glorfindel called out to them, attempting to follow, but for some reason he found he could not, which was very frustrating. Running away is not the answer, even running away temporarily. You’d be better off staying here and dealing with whatever is going on.

They can’t hear you, my friend.

Glorfindel turned around to see someone standing there smiling. Do I know you? he asked curiously.

I’m a friend. Now you’ve been out for too long and it’s time to go back inside.

Inside where? And why should I? You make it sound as if I were three and you want me to come in for a nap or something.

The stranger laughed. No. I don’t want you to take a nap. I want you to go back inside where you belong. You cannot linger out here, child. It simply won’t do.

What if I don’t want to? Glorfindel protested, feeling suddenly mulish for some reason. What if I decide to follow Roy and Dan and Sarah instead? They’re making a mistake, you know. They really shouldn’t run away.

Whether they are or are not is not your concern at the moment, Glorfindel, and I will not let you leave here. You need to return to where you were for all our sakes.

Who are you again? Glorfindel demanded.

My name is Olórin. Now, please, come.

Glorfindel hesitated, not sure he wanted to obey. At the mention of Olórin’s name, he had felt a spark of recognition, but it was fleeting and he could not hold on to it. He thought he should know this person, but the memory slipped away. He turned to look down the hall and saw that Dan, Roy and Sarah were gone and he felt immeasurably sad for some reason.

I need to go after them, he said. I need to get them to stay. I don’t know why that’s so important, but it is. He turned to look at Olórin. I have to help them.

You can only help them if you return to your own place, Olórin said.

And where’s that?

Come. I will show you.

And suddenly, Glorfindel found himself back in the room he’d been in before and the people in there were still huddled around the poor fellow in the bed.

Why are we here? he asked. And who’s that? He pointed to the patient in the bed. One of the doctors was applying paddles to his chest and the body arched. At the same moment, Glorfindel felt an electric shock pass through him. He gasped in surprise. What was that? What’s happening? He could feel himself panicking but not knowing why and the need to flee rose within him, but he found he could not move and that frightened him even more.

What’s happening? Why do I feel so strange?

Stay calm, Glorfindel. It’s all right. You’re going to be all right, Olórin said soothingly, but Glorfindel was too agitated to listen.

No. No. Leave me alone. I don’t like it here. What’s happening?

Glorfindel, please! Olórin attempted to hold him, perhaps to give him comfort, perhaps just to keep him still, but Glorfindel resisted.

NO! He tried to flee, wanted desperately to be anywhere but where he was, but he couldn’t and now he was screaming as he struggled to escape. And then, another Presence was there. This one felt calmer, deeper, more powerful than Olórin and somehow it wrapped itself around Glorfindel like a blanket and all the fight went out of him and he collapsed, weeping.

The Presence held him, even rocked him a bit as if he were a little one in need of comfort and slowly, ever so slowly, Glorfindel calmed and became completely quiescent, slipping into sleep or unconsciousness, so he never knew that Námo, once Glorfindel was still, pushed him back into his body even as Kyle applied the paddles a third time and Glorfindel’s heart started beating again.

**** 

That was close, Olórin said and if he had been in fana, Námo was sure the Maia would have wiped his brow and whistled his relief.

Too close, Námo said as he watched dispassionately while Kyle Stoner reamed out Vardamir and Eärnur. How did he manage to slip his leash?

Olórin’s normal orange-yellow aura darkened towards red in embarrassment. Sorry, my lord. I fear I allowed myself to be distracted.

Hmm… well, see that it doesn’t happen again, will you? I’ve got better things to do than run after Glorfindel all the time.

Yes, lord, Olórin said contritely. What about the Elrondionath and Serindë?

Oh, don’t worry about them, Námo said, his violet-white aura brightening toward blue with amusement. We have plans for them.

And Olórin was wise enough to know better than to ask what those plans might be even as Námo thought himself away, leaving the Maia alone with Glorfindel, sleeping dreamlessly, while Kyle and the two Elves stepped outside to find that Elladan, Elrohir and Serindë were gone.

****

Elrondionath: (Sindarin) Sons of Elrond. As there are only two, the collective plural can be used.