Swinging on a Star is the second part to The Clever Wind series. This series is mainly about Elrond and Aragorn but also has a big helping of Elrond and Glorfindel. This means slash. You have been warned.

This part takes place after 'The Human's Child' at the dinner that everyone had to change for. Tarion just means Sunday.

The Elvish chant is of my poor creation, it probably isn't even right. I used two sources for the Elvish because one didn't have the words I needed. The downloadable dictionaries at Sindarin Dictionary Project at and the other I forget. The song that Elrond's sings is my own. Very proud.

Ada, in case you don't know, just means 'Dad' or 'Daddy'. I try and avoid using lots of Elvish words but using the English 'Father' was too formal sounding and 'Dad' or 'Daddy' was just too silly sounding. It's a common enough word that you should all be familiar with it.

Mantle = a loose, sleeveless coat worn over outer garments; a cloak. Just so you don't get confused. Elrond was wearing one when he talked with Gandalf and Legolas was wearing a brown one at the Council of Elrond.

Imglín, the reappearing she-Elf character that is usually tending to Elrond in some way, was created from the ' create a name database' at the Barrow Downs website at . I just put in my friend Jamie's name and took what they gave me.

Also, for those who do not know, Elrond's father is Eärendil. He was a half-Elf that was placed on a ship to sail the stars forever. It was a reward / punishment for defying / beseeching the Valar in his attempt to save the other Elves from Morgoth.

Valar = Elvish Gods

A big thank you to silverwyvern for beta reading this.

Reona

Swinging on a Star

Wing Dancers, dancers with long cuts of cloth on their arms that they swung in sweeping patterns, danced in a circle in the middle of the Hall of Fire. The roaring fires lit to keep the evening chill away threw red shadows over the white dancers and the Elves in attendance clapped along with the beat of the drums and the call of the lutes. Elrond Peredhil, lord and master of Rivendell, sat in his high-backed chair near the main fire, watching the activities with a smile on his face. Around him, the other Elves took up a simple chant that praised summer and danced lightly around the room.

I elenath vee' celair
I gwelu ta me'a
Ikotane lye estel sina ta a' aronoded lû uin laer.


The stars are bright
The air is light
So we hope this is an endless time of summer.


Elrond wore a silver mantle with a long tunic of dark blue; upon his head shone his mithril crown and colored glass beads were woven into his dark hair. The sparkling ring Vilya shone on his finger, reflecting its master's contentment. The inhabitants of Rivendell were celebrating the end of the week, Tarion, a time of relaxation after the week's long toil. Elrond smiled as Imglín stopped next to him with a tray of chocolate treats and chose a small piece of cake. The she-Elf cocked an eyebrow at her lord but Elrond just waved her on with a chuckle; he didn't want anything else.

Elrond's keen eyes sought out his children and he quickly found Elrohir with Aragorn. The half-Elf was swinging the human around in his arms, the child laughing brightly. Elladan was in the far corner talking quietly with a young she-Elf, a smile on his face. Elrond rolled his eyes, shaking his head. After a moment, he noticed the shadows that grew dark beyond the windows. Elrond carefully stood and made his way around the edges of the Hall, slipping out onto the large balcony and down some curving stairs to the gardens below. Walking across the green grass, the lord of Rivendell escaped into the cool night.

Elrond left the noise of the celebration behind as he crossed the gardens to a large tree from which a wooden swing hung. He checked the sky for clouds and found the heavens to be clear. Smiling, Elrond sat upon the swing and turned his eyes toward the night sky, one bright star holding his attention. The sounds of laugher drifted on the breeze, reaching Elrond's hearing and making him smile. The wind tugged lightly on the Elf lord's braids, whispering gently through the tree above him.

"I thought I'd find you out here." said an amused voice. Elrond lowered his gaze to see Glorfindel standing next to the tree trunk, arms crossed over chest and a smile on his face. "You're always out here looking at his star." Glorfindel walked forward and moved behind Elrond, gripping the rope of the swing above Elrond's hands. "Eärendil was a mariner…" he muttered to Elrond.

Elrond laughed and shook his head. "Please, not that awful lay." he begged.

Glorfindel chuckled as well. "Bilbo meant well enough with the song." Glorfindel winced and shook his head. "But Hobbits can not sing."

"Yes, but we will keep that between ourselves least we hurt poor Bilbo's feelings." said Elrond softly, as if sharing a secret. The garden was bathed in silver light from the bright moon, shifting over the two Elves. The stars seemed to dwell inside Elrond's dark eyes, being reflected many times over. The night blooming flowers of the garden released fragrant scents into the serene air. Elrond turned his head to the side to find Glorfindel's face rather close. "How goes things in the Hall…?" He trailed off as Glorfindel continued to stare at him, their eyes locked together. Glorfindel slid his hands down to cover Elrond's on the rope swing, wrapping his fingers around the other's hands. The blond Elf lowered his face a little, pausing before his lips reached Elrond's, a question in his gaze. Elrond stared at Glorfindel for a long moment before tipping his chin just slightly, his grey eyes half lidded. Glorfindel's lips traveled the last bit of space between them, just barely touching Elrond's own with gentle pressure.

The loud snap of a noisemaker in the Hall of Fire startled both and they jerked away in surprise. Elrond quickly turned his face away, least the other Elf see the red stain across his cheeks. Glorfindel removed his hands from where they were covering Elrond's, emotions flying through his blue eyes. Awkwardly, he stood behind Elrond for a moment. Then he reached out to the swing and grabbed it near the bottom, pulling it back. "What…?" asked Elrond in surprise. Glorfindel released his grip and the swing moved forward. Elrond chuckled as he felt Glorfindel's gentle push against his back on his return sway. "Glorfindel, I'm much too old for you to be pushing me on a swing." he said.

"Oh?" teased Glorfindel. "Who told you such a thing? I've certainly never heard of it."

"Glorfindel, what will people think if they saw me right now?" demanded Elrond with mirth.

Glorfindel pushed the other higher. "I know exactly what they are going to think, my lord."

Elrond chuckled. "And what would that be, since it seems that you know so many people's minds?" he asked.

"They will think; 'Good, I'm glad that Lord Elrond is having fun. He spends way too much time in his Study doing paper work.' That is what they will think." answered Glorfindel.

Elrond laughed. "They will not! They'll think I've lost my mind!" he exclaimed.

Glorfindel laughed as well. "And what will they think of me? The one who is pushing you on the swing? I'm even older!"

"People think you lost your mind long ago, this won't change their opinions." replied Elrond.

"Hey!" cried Glorfindel. Elrond laughed even harder as a strong wind blew his dark hair against his face.

"Ada? Glorfindel?" asked a surprised voice. Elrond and Glorfindel looked up to find the twins and Aragorn standing in the garden, all three staring at the pair at the swing.

"What are you doing? Have you lost your minds?" asked Elladan. That sent both Elrond and Glorfindel into gales of laugher again. Elladan and Elrohir glanced at each other, confused. Glorfindel grabbed onto the rope of the swing and quickly slowed it down so Elrond could get off, both still chuckling madly.

Elrond tried to stop laughing long enough for his speech to be understood. "Yes? What do you need?" he managed. Glorfindel was busy wiping tears from his eyes, one arm curled across his stomach. Elrond brushed some wetness from his cheeks as well.

"Aragorn is tired, Ada, and he wants you to put him to bed." answered Elrohir.

"Yes, of course." said Elrond, walking forward and taking Aragorn from his younger son's arms. "Did you enjoy the celebration, Aragorn?" the Elf lord asked as he walked toward the house. The child wrapped his arms around Elrond's neck and nodded, his tired voice drifting back as he told the Elf lord about what fun he had.

The twins started at the remaining Elf lord. The blond Elf grinned at them. "What?" he asked.

Elladan turned sharply on his heel, hurrying away. "I suddenly don't want to know." he muttered. Elrohir followed his brother, a bemused look on his face.



Elrond placed the tired Aragorn on a stool, grabbing a bowl of cool water and a clean cloth. He began to clean off the child's mouth and hands while listening to his talk. "And Elrohir gave me two pieces of cake. It was really good, the best I ever had." praised Aragorn.

"I'll be sure and give the kitchen staff your approval." said Elrond as he swiped the cloth over Aragorn's cheeks. [I'm going to have to talk with Elrohir. It is well that Aragorn is so tired from the celebration or we would be dealing with a child with too many sweets in him.] thought the lord of Rivendell.

"Do you have parties like that every day?" asked Aragorn, a gleam in his eyes.

[Valar help me.] pleaded Elrond in his mind. "No, not every day. If you enjoyed tonight then you will really enjoy Faradome, our celebration for the Summer Solstice. It is even bigger than the one tonight."

"Bigger?" asked Aragorn, yawning as Elrond pulled off his shoes and clothes

"Indeed, especially this year. Normally all the Elven realms have their own Faradome celebrations but this year we are having the Elves from Lothlórien coming to join us. Also, several other Elves from Mirkwood are coming to visit relatives here and visitors from the surrounding villages often join us for a time." replied Elrond. He pulled a sleeping shirt over the child's head and picked him up.

"That is a lot of people!" exclaimed Aragorn. He frowned as they sat on his bed. "Can Rivendell hold all of them?"

Elrond chuckled lightly as he pulled back the blankets. "I think we'll be able to find places for them." He placed the child on the bed and pulled the blankets over him. Leaning forward, Elrond kissed Aragorn's forehead. "Is there anything else you need?" he asked the tired human. Aragorn seemed to hesitate a little before shaking his head. Elrond frowned. "You know that you only need to ask, Aragorn. What is it that you would like?"

Aragorn fidgeted on the bed for a moment before speaking, "Can you sing me a song?"

Elrond smiled in surprise. "A song?" he echoed.

Aragorn hurried to explain. "Yes, I always hear one of the other Elves singing but I never just get to listen and I was hoping that…" Elrond lay one finger over the child's lips to silence him.

"I think a song would be wonderful right now." Elrond said. Aragorn relaxed into the soft bed sheets. "Is there any song that you would wish to hear?"

"Umm, I don't know. What's your favorite?" asked Aragorn.

Elrond paused, thinking back, and then smiled sadly. "I know the perfect song." he said. Elrond brushed two fingers down Aragorn's cheek as he spoke. "It was a song that my own mother used to sing to me long ago." He looked up and out of the window, smiling sadly again when he saw that the star his father was said to travel upon hung in the opening, a soft breeze drifting into the room. Very softly, Elrond's voice floated out of the window and into the night, singing in the Common Speech.

It is nothing but a passing dream,
Though one you wish you'd never seen.
But when you wake to the dawn's light
You question what was lost during the night.

You must travel toward the light,
Even when it wonders out of sight.
And at the end of the weary trail,
You hope that your actions were to some avail.

For as the winds of change blow,
Pulling us to and fro,
We must have faith that we will find our place
And will forever dwell in that space.

Elrond's bright eyes looked down at Aragorn to find the child fast asleep, a peaceful look on his face. Elrond smoothed the bedclothes as he stood and moved silently about the room snuffing out the candles. Leaving one lamp flame down low on a table, least the child try to get up in the dark, Elrond exited the room and softly closed the door behind himself.

In the hallway, Elrond leaned his forehead against wall next to the door, his fingers pressing into the cool marble. For a moment, he hummed the tune of the song he had just sung to himself, memories flying through his head. At the end, he stood silently before straightening and turning away from the wall. His hands swiped quickly at his face as he walked down the hall and away from Aragorn's room.
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