A/N: It's been awhile...a long, long while. In my defence, my brother took two months to get this back to me. Well, I must congratulate anyone who is still reading this.

Game of Seduction- Chapter 9

Erestor strolled through the library towards her office, her mind a little more occupied than normal. It was all because of Lady Morglar. She was now considering whether her words to the elf-lady had been too harsh, not because of any offence caused, but rather the consequences. In hindsight, she was annoyed at herself; the consequences were obvious to see. Rumours of her words had spread, and though now greatly exaggerated, the essence remained the same. This itself had not bothered her much, but soon word had reached the young elf's father. She liked Lord Aglar, he was both intelligent and wise, and this was a grave embarrassment to him. Obviously, the elf-lord was upset, and had made it known to her.

Glorfindel had warned her that Morglar could be dangerous, which she was prepared to ignore, but Lindar seemed to agree with him. The minstrel had sought out Erestor in a quiet corner of the library, soon after the rumours had started. He had insisted on questioning her about the rumours. When she had told him what had happened, Lindar had looked worried.

"As much as I hate to admit it, I must agree with Glorfindel in this matter; you must be careful."

Erestor had given him a level look. "Lindar, I have chosen to share my burdens with you on this one occasion. This does not mean that it is your place to watch over me like a mother hen."

Lindar had not been put off, determined to get his point across. "She's more dangerous then you give her credit for. She won't strike now; she'll wait for the best moment. That may be many years from now, but she'll get her vengeance. How do you think she keeps her men quiet?"

"And why are you so concerned."

Lindar had smiled back at her. "Believe it or not, I like and respect you Erestor, more than I do Glorfindel and most certainly more than Morglar."

Erestor, seeing only genuine concern from Lindar, had gracefully accepted his advice. She did have to admit that she had never bothered paying close attention to the young elf-lady's activities.

She banished these thoughts from her head as she reached the office door. What was done was done. She had work to do today and it would serve no purpose to have such small matters cluttering her mind. With that decision, she entered the office.

The first thing that stuck her about her desk was that there was a rather large object occupying it. A slight frown crossed her face as she walked over. As she drew closer, she noticed that there was not only one object, but two. Seeing what the second object was made her smile widely; it was her book. Glorfindel had finally returned it. She had begun to worry that it would never find its way back to her. She had missed it.

She sat down at her desk, preparing to check through her book for damage, when the second object caught her eye again. It must have been twice the size of the book, both in height and width, and was wrapped in red silk. On top was a note in Glorfindel's hand.

Letting out a heavy breath that some might have called a sigh, she set aside her book to see what Glorfindel had to say for himself.

Erestor,

Thank you for the lone of the book, it was most insightful,

but remember; the best stories are the true ones.

Glorfindel

Shaking her head, she placed the note aside. Well it was obvious that the object would be a book. She was tempted to push it aside as well, but she found herself overcome by curiosity. What could Glorfindel own that he might think could possibly interest her? Well, it would do no harm to look.

Flicking aside the cloth, she gazed at the cover. Her eyes widened for a moment in surprise. Before her lay a large book, bound in white leather with gold edges and lettering. 'Luthien and Beren' was scrolled across the front cover. She opened the book, flicking through. The scribe was a master. The pages were flawless, with large heading letters, painstakingly illuminated borders and, every few pages, stunning illustrations. This wasn't a book; it was a work of art. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the pages, and soon found herself lost in the story. She had read, or at least seen, many books in her life, but few of this masterful quality. It was unbelievable that this book belonged to Glorfindel.

"Enjoying the book?"

Erestor jumped, jerking up her head, a gasp escaping from her. In front of her desk stood Glorfindel, his hands resting on the surface of the desk. A wicked grin spread across his face at the sight of a very shocked Erestor, hand resting on her heart.

Seeing that grin made her shake off her shock. "What are you doing here?"

"You never turned up for lunch, so I asked Andune if you had taken lunch in your office."

"What are you talking about?"

If possible Glorfindel's grin grew. "The mid-day meal … four hours ago."

Erestor merely gave him a cold disbelieving look. What he was saying was ridiculous. Clearly getting the message, the warrior strode over to the door and threw it open. "Andune!" he called.

Soon the librarian was standing in the doorway. Giving her a dazzling smile, he asked, "What time is it?"

She looked at him in confusion. "Around four hours past noon, My Lord." She looked between the two, her eyes resting longer on Erestor as she noticed her surprise.

"Thank you Andune, that will be all," Glorfindel dismissed her. Andune looked to Erestor, not bothering to hide her confusion. Andune wouldn't lie to her, certainly not for Glorfindel, which meant that she had been lost six hours.

"Thank you Andune, you may return to your work," Erestor said, smiling slightly to cover her true feelings.

The red-haired elf nodded slowly and turned. With one last glance at her employer, she left the room. Glorfindel smiled pleasantly at the she-elf and shut the door. He turned and walked back to his previous position.

"I see you enjoy my book then. I thought it would be to your tastes. Though I must admit that after my last gift, I was worried about the about its fate."

"It is beautiful," she reluctantly admitted, "but I now have work to do." She picked up the book and held it for him to take it back. She wiped her expression clear, making sure he didn't see how much it tore at her to give the masterpiece back to someone who would never appreciate it.

However Glorfindel did not move to take the book, instead he watched her closely. "Keep it."

"What!?" The word came out as a half gasp; he had to be joking. Really Glorfindel was surprising her far too much today.

"Keep the book," he said simply. He made it sound as if it were nothing, like lending her an old quill. How could he act so casually about it?

"I can't. It is too valuable, too beautiful." She forced herself to place the book down in front of him. It was too tempting to do as he said.

Glorfindel pushed the book back across the table. "I am sure you would appreciate it far more than me. I'd nearly forgotten that I owned it."

"I won't take it. I don't like you, so I can't accept it." However, she didn't push the book away again.

"Well then, you can borrow it, as a return favour for lending me your book, and if I happen to never get it back, we'll think nothing of it. I won't even remember that I'd once owned it." Before she could object, he had spun round and almost fled the room.

Erestor returned her attention back to the book in front of her, biting her lips lightly, a small war raging inside her.

She couldn't possibly accept the book.

Could she?

End of Chapter 9

A/N: Well, here you go. I hope it wasn't too disappointing. I can't promise that the next chapter will be soon (as I will probably be in Japan when most people read this), but I can promise that it won't be another year before I update.