Love Across the Ages

Translations of Sindarin:
Melathamin = "My Love"
Meleth - "Love"
Melethrilamin - "My Lover"
hervess nin - "My Wife"

Chapter 5

Joanna felt the cry of anguish falling from her lips as she stumbled, returned to her world. The gate closed, mending as if the tear in time had never occurred. Her arms were outstretched, her eyes blind to all else as her mind was filled with the terrible image of Glorfindel receding from her, the orc sword raised above his head as he turned to her, the look in his eyes as she was torn from him. It was her fault! She had caused this and now he was dead, and then she had distracted him, and he was DEAD! She felt a keen loss, a wailing deep in her mind as something shattered and her heart turned to dull ice. It filled her and she almost sank, ready to die from the grief that was white-hot agony within her. But then, she saw Richard.

Richard's face was white as he staggered back, his mouth gaping like a fish to see Joanna standing before him. She felt a savage surge of triumph that melded with her grief, causing her mind to explode with hatred, rage and a deep pain. She grinned at him with feral menace. Here was someone/something she could hurt. She could not defend her love from death, for she had truly lost him. She had nothing to live for, she needed revenge and here was the man she could exact it upon. She did not care if she faced the death penalty, it was preferable to knowing that her love was dead, and there would be no return. To live forever, without him was not an option. She hoisted her elvish blade, baring her teeth. She knew she looked outlandish, dressed in her hunting gear, with her hair braided elvish fashion. She didn't care. It was enough to see the bewildered shock on his face. Only the Valar knew what he was thinking at that moment, to have seen her disappear and then reappear as she now was, in the split second when he had knocked her down.

"Try that again Richard, you sodding bastard." She hissed, "This blade isn't dulled, and I am not going to let you bully me ever again you pathetic wimp. Just because I refused to go out with you? You are a coward. But I am ready to face you. No more will you abuse me. I know what love is, and now I have lost it. There is nothing to live for but to see you dead on the end of my sword!"

His face went flat with rage. "Then face it, because I have only been playing with you Joanna. Nobody damn well fucks with me, and you made one big mistake when you said no. This time I am not going to hold back. Love? You have no meaning of it."

"You have no idea Richard. How could you, human filth? I think it was not a mistake, but what the fates decree slime. So bring it on." Her eyes blazed. She had a heritage that far surpassed this worm. She hissed and held her blade en-guard, watching him alertly and circling his position.

He snarled and suddenly he was on her, his blade moving faster than she had ever seen or even thought him capable of. She was able to block many of his strikes, though some glanced through her manoeuvres to land hard bruises upon her limbs, and one particularly hard knock numbed her thumb so that she felt her wrist weaken. She gritted her teeth though, managing to get one or two of her own strikes in at him, but they were negligible at best. She was at a disadvantage, and even her rage and grief was not enough to carry her against this attack. Then so be it! She would die by his sword and join her lover in death, but god, Richard would pay as he killed her. She was losing this fight, and from his feral grin, he knew it.

Yet still, despite her resolve, fear filled her. He was serious and this time, she knew he would kill her. There was a wild look in his eyes and as her rage died, as grief slowly took over that rage, she sobbed, stumbling backwards as he slammed his full body weight into her. Her sword went skidding across the mat to fall in a clatter upon the wooden floor at its edge. She was unable to prevent overbalancing, though she managed to break her fall, rolling to the side barely in time to avoid the down swing slash of his blade. She heard the heavy thump of the edge of it into the mat. Her fear and the beginnings of panic gripped her but she knew if she gated, she would only see her lover dead, his beautiful eyes staring up at the sky as the orcs violated his corpse, the light within him extinguished forever, and it was her fault.

Richard was not going to stop; he was honestly trying to kill her. She welcomed the thought of death.

Yet still, something within her rebelled that she would give up so easily, let this bastard win. In her mind, he was no better than those beasts, so what if he were human? He was a monster. She moved to pull herself up, but she also knew that she would not be quick enough to avoid his next strike, she had severely strained her elbow in the fall and her hand had now gone completely numb. Her breath caught in her throat, she could feel her pulse hammer as she turned to try to block the next, down swinging slash of his blade with her arm. But then the sound of metal on metal rang through the room and she looked up with a rush of relief that ended in a sob that turned into disbelief and a dizzying, paralysing joy.

Glorfindel stood there, his sword raised, blocking Richard's blade and moving lazily in circles, leading the man's blade away from Joanna. Yet the grace of him belied the dazzling speed of his movements. Joanna crawled away from the combatants watching in a daze as Glorfindel circled Richard like a cat with his prey. Against the beautiful blond warrior, Richard looked like a squat, swarthy mongrel.

He was alive!

This time it was Richard who had fear in his eyes; his mouth was slack and his face ashen in the face of this stranger.

Joanna felt a sudden surge of triumph and exultation as she watched, her fear draining from her to be replaced by savage satisfaction, mixed with her wonder and elation that her love was alive.

"Methinks that milady does not deserve such treatment, human dog." Glorfindel's voice was beautiful, soft, and menacing, with an edge of coldness that lapped the dojo with ice. Joanna shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, but watched avidly, her aching body forgotten in the face of this tableau.

Oh god, her love was alive! She felt warmth return to her body, melting the ice that encased her heart. Her Glorfindel was alive!

"Lady?" Richard sneered.

Glorfindel just smiled then said again, softly, but who would have known that such a beautiful voice could carry so much danger? Joanna felt the love suffocate her. "Care to pit yourself against a master, rather than one whom is not equal in skill? How good are you truly?"

Joanna could not contain a hysterical laugh as Glorfindel allowed light to leak from him in a gentle glow and he flicked his hair back over his shoulder, blatantly revealing his sharp, pointed ears. But it was his stance, the grace of his movements and his confidence that screamed warrior far more than his strange appearance that showed itself to the man before him. "You will not harm melathamin. Such filth as you are not fit to lay one hand upon my melethrilamin."

"Freak!" Richard hissed and leapt at him, his sword arching in fast, complex patterns. Glorfindel blocked them effortlessly looking almost bored as he danced on his feet. Beside him, Richard was clumsy, his movements slow. Then, quick as lightning the elf moved in and with a few thrusts and sharp parries, had Richard against the wall of the dojo and disarmed, and his sword pressed against the man's throat. Joanna saw the tiniest trickle of blood from where the edge pressed. Richard's eyes widened and rolled in sudden fear, his face paling even further.

"You are not even a challenge. Yrch fight better than you." Glorfindel said in disgust and stepped away. He grabbed Richard's arm, throwing him hard across the mat. For a slender body he had much strength and Richard slammed into the opposite wall to slide down to the ground, groaning and reaching up to finger the tiny nick on his neck.

"Touch Jehanna again human and I will make sure you will not live to see another day." Glorfindel said calmly and this time made no attempt to hide his glow, letting it shine forth in all its glory.

Richard stood up slowly, his eyes turning to Joanna in hatred and then to Glorfindel with a twisted leer on his lips, though his face was sickly in the golden light of the elf.

"I heard she likes freaks. What better one than you? What happened to your ears? Mother crop them as a baby? Or were you just born deformed? What's with the Halloween glow?" Richard laughed harshly, though Joanna heard the faintest of trembles in it. He said harshly. "I am well rid of the stuck up bitch anyway." He spat on the floor and left the dojo quickly. Despite his show of bravado, Joanna could see that his shoulders were tense, and his jaw was clenched, in what she knew was fear.

The door slammed behind the man and Joanna sagged onto a bench feeling reaction set in and felt the peculiar heave of her chest in aftershock. She lifted a trembling hand to her face and winced, as pain shot through her arm. She tried to flex her fingers and groaned.

And then a familiar presence was kneeling before her and Glorfindel had taken her arm and was murmuring softly, light glowing from his fingertips. She felt the pain ebb and gave a sob of relief, raising her eyes to meet the elf's. Looking at him, she allowed her love to show, the admission that she wanted him with all her body and soul.

"Glorfindel… but how? Oh god, my love, my love!" She could not contain her hands as they wrapped around him and she covered his face in kisses. "Oh god, you are alive! I saw the orc; I saw his sword above you and you were looking at me. Oh god my darling. I thought I had killed you! I was ready to die. Oh god I wanted to give up my life to escape the pain…" Her breath came in ragged sobs as she clung to him.

"I heard you melamin. I heard your last words and he was the first to die upon my sword. As you can see, I am alive."

"Oh God." She could not stop her trembling.

"It is not my time to die Jehanna, it was not then, and it is not now. I knew I would be with you in the end, I did not know how, but I knew, though to see you taken from me, almost caused me to break."

And when Joanna had calmed, and she lay in his arms, feeling again the comfort and essence of his love she was finally able to ask the question that came to her. A question asked in wonder, joy and trepidation. "Does this mean you are now mortal?" She held her breath in fear of the answer.

Glorfindel smiled. "No Jehanna. I am not mortal."

"Then how? I… but I chose to stay, to come back. I am mortal, aren't I! How can you be here for me? Only to watch me grow old and die?"

"The Valar are allowing you your choice again. I did not ask why they granted my request, but am simply grateful that you have been given the opportunity. For it was not your choice to be sent back in time, to be sent to Middle Earth. And thus also, you were taken from me before your choice, remember my love? You were on the verge of saying it when we were attacked, and then the vortex opened and you were pulled back. It is only fair that you be allowed to choose now. And also, in my mind, the normal laws of Elrond's children does not apply to you. You were neither here, nor there, for your fate belonged in this world and time. And yet, you were also exposed to our magic in Rivendell which had made you grow, and brought out your abilities as an elf, thus allowing you the choice whilst Elrond yet dwelled there. You are simply, unique my Jehanna. Personally I think the Valar just did not know what to do, and got sick of my doggedness, and so they allowed you the choice."

"I don't understand, but how… what are you doing here? I mean… how?"

"I waited for you melamin."

"You…" Joanna felt her mouth drop open in shock as she whispered. "You waited? You waited thousands of years for me? Here?"

"For you to be born, for this moment in time, yes Jehanna. I returned from the West for you. To bring you home with me, and if you will not, then I will reside here. I must say it has proven interesting. I returned on the eve of your birth and have watched you since." He smiled. "The world is not as dark as you had described. There is much beauty still in this world, and in humanity."

"But…" Joanna stared at him unable to absorb what he was saying.

"Do not try to understand it my Jehanna, for I have not done so, only that it has happened, and I am now here, with you. And the Valar have granted my request to allow you the choice of returning with me."

"But why… oh god Glorfindel. So long for you!"

"What is time to an elf?" He said simply, though she could see the memory of pain and grief in his gaze, the endless sorrow he had felt, as he had to wait. It arrowed through her and she sobbed, impulsively wrapping her arms around his neck and letting her tears soak into his shoulder.

"Oh god Glorfindel. I will go anywhere with you. I would go with you into the West. I would go with you to hell rather than lose you again."

"Jehanna." Glorfindel's voice was vibrant with joy. "Hell is not a pleasant place, I have been there. Melathamin, now we are complete."

"Forever my Glorfy."

"And forever it will be my Jehanna."