Love from the House of the Golden Flower

Chapter 2: Confusing Discussions

Rivendell, T.A. 605

A few months later…

“Come in,” Glorfindel called when he heard someone knocking on the door of his chambers.

“Glorfindel?” Harry whispered uncertainly after he slipped into the room. “I…”

The green-eyed Elfling trailed off unsurely, twisting his hands together.

Glorfindel looked up from the maps he was going over to see tear tracks on that beautiful pale face.

“Harry,” he started, standing up. “Is something wrong? Are you hurt? What is the matter?”

He strode over to the youth, gently brushing the tears from his beautiful green eyes.

Harry laughed nervously, and then still more tears fell.

“What have I done wrong to make you not like me anymore?” he asked in a small voice, looking up at
Glorfindel with those innocent emerald eyes.

“You have done nothing wrong, and I like you just fine,” Glorfindel reassured, pulling that small body into a hug, not wanting to see the sadness on those beautiful features.

And it was the truth. Harry had not done anything wrong. The problem was that Glorfindel more than liked him.

He loved him.

“Then why are you avoiding me?” Harry mumbled into that broad chest, wrapping his arms tightly around the older Elf. “I am always so alone.”

“I have just been very busy,” the golden-haired Elf answered guiltily, knowing that he had purposefully taken more work upon himself so he would not have to deal with his feelings for the gorgeous Elfling. “And you are not alone.”

“Yes, I am!” the youth replied, pulling away from the embrace and turning his back on Glorfindel. “You are always busy. And ada and naneth are always busy. Elladan and Elrohir are away being Rangers, and Arwen only wants me hanging around so much. The only person who will talk to me these days is Erestor, and I do not understand half the things that come out of his mouth.”
Glorfindel’s heart dropped at the pain and loneliness he heard in his little love’s voice. Pain and loneliness that he had caused, because he was too selfish to be near Harry without ruining that precious innocence.

“I love you, my petite,” Glorfindel admitted, the words just slipping out.

Harry turned and threw his arms around his neck with a breathtaking smile.

“Oh, I love you too!” the Elfling replied. “You are my very best friend. I have missed you so much these past few months.”

Glorfindel’s heart, which had warmed when Harry had reciprocated his love, fell heavily to his stomach.

What had he expected? He knew Harry was innocent in all matters of the heart. Of course the little Elfling would assume that Glorfindel loved him as a friend, rather than a lover.

“I have missed you as well,” the golden-haired Elf managed to get out through his pain.

It was the truth, after all. He missed Harry even when Harry was in the room with him.

Harry pulled back from where his head was nuzzling into Glorfindel’s chest to give him a beaming smile.

“Can we sit together and talk?” Harry asked. “I mean…if you are not too busy?”

“I am never too busy for you, my petite,” Glorfindel answered, breaking their embrace once again to sit on his lounge. “Did you want to talk about something in particular or just spend some time
together?”

“S-something in particular,” the Elfling admitted before sitting on Glorfindel’s lap, wrapping him in another warm embrace.

And Glorfindel was once again reminded why it was so hard to spend time with Harry. The little Elfling was so innocent and so tactile, always hugging and kissing and rubbing, and Glorfindel had to constantly push back his not-so-innocent responses.

“Naracion is my tutor,” Harry began.

Glorfindel knew this, so he simply nodded, running one hand through that silky raven hair. Sometimes it took a while for Harry to get to what he really wished to talk about, and the blond Elf learned just to wait him out.

“He…he told me that he was to tutor me in…everything,” Harry continued.

“Yes,” Glorfindel nodded. “Naracion is responsible for teaching you all the basic subjects.”

Harry twisted his fingers in Glorfindel’s tunic. He was holding on so tightly that his fingers were going white.

“I…you must listen to me before you do anything,” Harry stated. “Promise me.”

Glorfindel had a feeling that he would not like whatever Harry was saying.

“I promise, my petite,” he stated simply, because he knew the little Elfling in his lap would not continue else wise.

“Elladan told me once that I was very pretty, and that I was to tell him if anyone ever tried to touch me in a way that made me uncomfortable. He said he would…castate them?” Harry asked uncertainly. “He sounded very angry.”

“Castrate,” Glorfindel corrected, not liking where this was going.

“We were working on making salves today, and I spilled a lot down my front and needed to take a bath,” Harry stated. “Naracion…he came into the bathing chambers. He did not touch me, but he…he looked at me strangely.”

“Strangely?” Glorfindel prompted, pushing his rage down. Maybe he had misunderstood…

“Like…like Elladan and Elrohir look at food after they return from Ranger duties after a long time. I asked him to leave, and he told me that he was to teach me everything. He started walking towards where I was in the bath, but one of the servants came in with towels and he left quickly,” the little Elfling said quickly, refusing to look Glorfindel in the eye.

“Harry,” the blonde Elf started, and he gently tilted those eyes up to meet his own when Harry still did not look at him. “I am very glad that you told me this. Naracion was out of bounds, and he will be removed as your tutor.”

“But…he did not do anything,” the little Elfling replied uncertainly. “I…am sure I am just being silly.”

“It is not silly if anyone ever makes you uncomfortable in any way,” Glorfindel growled, and then calmed himself when he saw Harry upset at his anger. “He is lucky that I do not kill him.”

“But…” Harry began, and then cut himself off.

“But...?” Glorfindel prompted.

“You…you look at me like that, sometimes… but better,” Harry whispered with a blush. “It…does not make me uncomfortable when you do it because I trust you. It just…makes me feel warm.”

Glorfindel closed his eyes. Harry did not know what he was saying. Naracion’s vile lust had confused him.

“I would never touch you in an inappropriate manner,” he told the Elfling seriously.

“But what if I want you to touch me?” Harry asked. “I like it when we hug or when you smell my hair when you think I will not notice.”

“That is not what I am talking about, my petite,” Glorfindel sighed. “Has your ada not explained..?”

“Oh,” the little Elfling blushed. “There was this talk about stallions and mares and where the foals come from, but I was a bit confused. Ada said that when I love someone very much, that I will marry them like he married naneth, and we will live together and have children made from our love.”

“That is true,” Glorfindel stated, inwardly cursing Lord Elrond for not explaining better. “But you cannot make love until you are married. It is inappropriate.”

“But…I love you and we touch. That is not making love?” Harry asked curiously.

“No…” the blonde Elf contradicted. “Making love is a much different kind of touching.”

Harry hummed in acknowledgment, visibly thinking about what he just learned.

“So if we got married it would be appropriate to do this different kind of touching because we love each other? And I would get to live with you?” Harry questioned.

“Harry…” Glorfindel sighed. “You do not know what you are asking.”

“I am not a child!” Harry pouted petulantly. “And if we were married you would always be here, and you could not ignore me, and I would not have to be alone all the time.”

“I will always be here for you,” the older Elf replied. “And I will make more time for you in the future. You can always come to me if you are feeling alone.”

“But…you want to marry me so you can touch me and it will be appropriate?” Harry asked innocently, those big emerald eyes drawing him in.

Glorfindel was not sure how to answer.

He decided to tell the truth.

“I want to marry you because I love you like your ada and naneth love each other,” the elf-lord answered.

“I love you, too,” Harry smiled. “And I want you to have whatever you want. So we should get married!”

“Oh, Harry,” Glorfindel whispered, burying his face in that silky hair. “You need to want it, too. You will understand when you are a bit older.”

“I want to understand now,” his love pleaded. “And I want you to be happy.”

Glorfindel pulled back to tell Harry that he made him happy just by being near him, but his words were cut off by smooth, warm lips.

Harry pulled back from the chaste peck with a confused frown, and then he leaned up to touch his lips to Glorfindel’s again. The blonde Elf groaned and opened his mouth, unable to resist the innocent, unknowing kisses.

When Glorfindel swept his tongue across the seam of Harry’s closed lips, the Elfling pulled back with a scrunched up face.

“Wet,” he murmured in a slightly disgusted tone.

That snapped Glorfindel out of his haze. Harry truly had no idea what he was doing to him.

“I love you, my petite,” Glorfindel whispered, standing up and gently setting Harry on his feet. “And this is why I am saying that we cannot do this. You are too young, and you do not understand quite how much I want this. I will take care of Naracion, and I will always be your friend, but no more talk of marriage or attempts at kissing until you understand what you are doing.”

Harry looked up at him seriously, and nodded.

Glorfindel sighed, lips still tingling from those innocent kisses. He was grateful that his little petite did not push him – he did not know if he had the will to resist.

Glorfindel went over to pull out his chess set. That was a nice, innocent pastime that would allow him to put some space between himself and Harry, while still spending time with the lonely Elfling.

As his back was facing Harry, he missed the look of determination that passed over those pretty features.

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Author’s Note: Please let me know what you think…*puppy dog eyes*