Adult-FanFiction.org : Lord of the Rings

Mary Goes to Mirkwood	By : aseltym Category: Lord of the Rings Movies > Het - Male/Female Views: 3180 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings book series and movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 23
- 24
- 25
Mary Goes to Mirkwood

Chapter 25/36

Authors: Mary A, Malinorne and Sheraiah

Warning: adult sexual situations/nudity

Disclaimer: We are pla playing with Tolkien's characters for fun, not profit. We do not claim to have created any of them. Thaladir, the king's seneschal, is our creation.

Summary: The king shows Mary something, Mal goes astray, Sheraiah's secret is revealed.
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mary ~

"Be still," the king had said. I was stretched out on my back next to him on the bed. He had pulled my arms up to lie above my head on my pillow, but did not hold them down or force me to leave them that way. I kept them like that, happily. I was looking forward to whatever he had planned. "Attend to me," he commanded, but gently.

"Okay." I focused on his eyes while staying as still and quiet as I knew how, even though I was very excited. I waited eagerly for what the king had in mind to show me this time. But I did not move at all.

"I said, bell."ll."

"I am being still." I clasped my hands together and put them under my head.

"Here," he explained while tapping my forehead with his finger. "Stop anticipating. You need to develop more self control."

"I have plenty of self control," I shot back.

"You have no self control," he said calmly. I started to protest but he put his finger to my lips. I quenched the urge to argue with him. He was always right. He removed his finger.

"Why is it so important all of a sudden for me to have more self control?"

"Be still," he repeated patiently. "And I will show you." I imitated a statue.

"Do not hold your breath," he cautioned with a chuckle. I sighed out an exhalation. But, amazingly, I finally felt relaxed enough to lie there, unmoving, as his hand began to glide slowly over my body. He held my eyes with his own calm, unwavering gaze while his fingers barely moved now, light as a feather, down my neck, over my collar bone to between my breasts. And then I gasped.

"What was that?" I asked. Directly under his fingertips, I think, I had felt the oddest sensation, and my skin tingled where he had touched me, or it seemed as if it should. "Do that again."

"Shhh," said the king. "Do not anticipate," he reminded me as his hands continued their meandering. His eyes remained fixed on mine. It took me a few moments to calm down again. Then I felt it one more time, on my hip. Right beneath his ? Or? Or my hand? What was it?

"Is that you?" I asked. Or is that me I'm feeling?" It was as if, for a split second, I had felt my own skin beneath my fingers. But, that was not possible because my hands were under my head.

"Was that your hand?" I asked. "What...? What was that?" It was so hard not to move. I wanted to touch myself where he had just touched me. The king chuckled.

"Do that again."

"Be still."

After I had finally adjusted to the unusual sensations from Thranduil's caresses, a process which seemed to have taken hours, he had told me it was time to clos eye eyes, and, as his hands moved over me, I slowly, but finally, realized what was happening, although it did not seem possible. I was actually feeling what my own skin felt like beneath his fingers as if I was feeling my own self through him.

And, I could feel how it affected him. Physically. I could feel everything he was feeling.

I was experiencing the pleasure he felt from touching me, the pleasure he took from my reaction, as well as the pleasure I had from being touched by him, all at the same time. As I continued to lie still, his magical hand moved lower, over my tummy to between my legs, which I parted to allow him to play at will. I moaned as his caresses became more demanding.

The mounting currents of lust-filled heat that Thranduil experienced in his groin, while he explored the slick pulsating surfaces of my nether lips, seemed to pound all through my now nearly overloaded nervous system. But, when he gently slipped his fingershin hin me, my own body's immediate reaction to his touch, along with feeling his urgent response to it, was electrifying. The potent reverberating combination sent what felt like a rush of heated blood sweeping without warning from between my legs, up over my entire body, and straight to my head.

This last overwhelmingly thrilling wave of mutual pleasure caused a momentary sensory overload and I suddenly felt as if I were drowning. I sat up straight in bed, threw his hand away from me and drew in ragged breaths of air, as if I had just surfaced from deep under water, boiling hot water at that.

"Wait!" I managed to gasp out as I trembled all over. "Give me a minute, I can't breathe..."

He remained lying there beside me as I sat, stroking my hair and speaking softly, using words that made no sense but sounded kind. Then he took my face into his hands to draw me back down to his mouth. His kiss was tender, a rare moment of affection that made me feel calmer instantly. And after I had caught my breath, we continued.

Thranduil's exciting new lovemaking technique was more thrilling than anything I had ever experienced with him before, and energy surges began to run through me like currents of electricity. And then, there came a time when I could no longer tell where the king began and I ended, our mutual pleasure seemed to echo each other's endlessly.

When morning came, and the king left to go hunting, I was exhausted, but not able to sleep. I lay in bed for a while and thought about what he had shown me, it all seemed so impossible on recollection. It was impossible to sleep, I had to talk about it to someone, and that someone was Mal. Poor Mal.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Sheraiah ~

Elrond knelt in front of my chair, cupping my chin in his hand to gain and then maintain eye contact with me. His eyes grew distant as he concentrated on assessing my state of being. After a minute or so his eyes refocused and he gave me a slight smile.

"That one was unexpected, was it not?" I nodded and he lightly stroked my cheek. "Do not fret; you could not have predicted it. Drink another mug of juice, have something to eat, and keep your activities light for the remainder of the day. I am certain that your companions will think of something to keep you amused."

He turned his gaze to his sons, Legolas, Haldir, and the newly arrived and visibly distressed Gimli. "She will be fine. This was not as bad as it could have been. It was wise of you, Sheraiah," said the Elf-lord, turning his attention back to me, "to have told my sons what to watch for and how to react to it. I do think, however, that the other three would benefit from similar instruction. Now, young lady," he admonished, tapping the end of my nose with his index finger, "you will eat what Elrohir has brought you and drink the rest of your juice. I can tell that you are not yet fully recovered."

"Yes, Lord Elrond," I replied meekly, taking the refilled mug of juice that he handed me. I dutifully took the bread and cheese that was pressed into my hand and began to munch on it. Elrond gave a nod of satisfaction and stood up. Legolas chose that moment to speak up.

"Lord Elrond, I would greatly appreciate it if you would explain whas has happened." I could tell from his voice that his patience was running thin, but he would not be discourteous to his host by letting his emotions rule him to the point that he would commit a breach of diplomacy.

"Aye, I would like to know, too. Especially if it's something that's liable to come up again," Gimli put in, as much, it seemed to me, to back Legolas up as anything else, and even though I could tell that he sincerely meant what he said.

"And I as well," Haldir requested softly, a hint of steel in his tone. Coming as he did from Lorien, the March warden had less to worry about as far as diplomacy was concerned than Legolas did. I winced, knowing that I would very likely be facing a multi-person lecture once I was feeling better. Lord Elrond studied me for a moment and then nodded his acquiescence.

"Come with me and I will explain as best I can. Sheraiah will be in good hands with my sons in the interim." He ushered them out and I slumped miserably into the chair. I wasn't looking forward to the afternoon.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mal ~

I had gotten used to sharing the king with Mary, and had no problem sleeping alone in my room, as I knew that he would spend the following night with me. I found that it suited me very well to have this kind of schedule, as it took out a lot of the anxious waiting, wondering, and worrying if he would choose her over me. Instead I could use the nights on my own for reading, or just relaxing, perhaps planning and fantasising about my next visit to the royal bedchamber.

The breakfasts were harder to get used to. The three of us always had our morning meal together in the king's private dining room, not seldom joined by his seneschal. The only exception would be when he was out hunting, and that was when it could become tiresome.

No matter how many times Thranduil assured us that he had equal feelings for both, though he rather talked of it as "need" and our "being valuable" to him, it still made me very jealous to hear Mary bragging about her sexual escapades with him. I just couldn't take it, and this morning was no different.

Even though we were the best of friends, I was truly happy that she was so tired that she didn't want to accompany me on our usual riding trip through the forest. That would save me some of the finer points of what the king had "showed" her the night before, things I knew well enough from personal experience to imagine in a perfect, painful wealth of details.

So, this day it was Anarion who accompanied me, and for some reason Ithilwen had declared that she would be absolutely delighted for the chance to spend the afternoon with us. After a while I began to suspect that it was Anarion she wanted to be near, so I began to urge Gwilwileth to trot a little faster, just to see if the elves would come along. They did not, and when I returned to them they looked a little guilty, that is, when they could take their eyes off each other.

I told them that I wouldn't really mind continuing on my own, and Ithilwen was very helpful in silencing the guard's mild protests that it wouldn't be right to leave the lady on her own. I assured him that I would follow the king's command of not leaving the road, and in any case I wouldn't be out all day.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mary ~

Even though Mal was all alone at the breakfast table, at first I thought that I was too tired to explain anything. Maybe I would save it all for later. Memories from the night with Thranduil keep intruding on my thoughts and I wanted to go to my room, crawl into my own bed, and allow them free rein.

"I don't think I am going riding today, Mal," I told her, instead of what I thought I was going to say. "I think I need to go back to bed and lie down for a while, and get some sleep." I slumped in my chair because now that I had said so out ; I ; I realized how tired I was.

"Me, too." Her voice was brisk between sips of tea. "I mean, I think you need to go lie down, too." Then, feeling some inner urge to explain every single thing she says, she added, "Because you look terrible."

"Thanks, Mal," I said back. "I love you, too." I found it hard to concentrate enough to feel truly offended, but still.

"You, yourself, just said you needed to go lie down," she correctly pointed out. "What is it? What's wrong? Are you ill?"

"No, Mal." I really did not think I could explain it, but I wanted to try. "Something weird happened last night with Thranduil, but I don't know if it really happened, or if I dreamed it happened," I said. The events from the night before seemed vaporous and without substance in the dining room with her. "Or," I added, "maybe I was hypnotized? Because I am pretty sure I was wide awake and not dreaming."

"Hypnotized people are not wide awake," Mal pointed out.

"You're right." I sat up straight.

"Mary, what happened?"

"The king showed me something last night," I said.

"I should have known! When will I ever learn?" Mal hated to be reminded that she shared the king with me. "Must you always brag?" she asked. "Or do you enjoy hurting my feelings?"

"No, Mal," I said. "You don't understand. This time, it was different."

"That's exactly what you said the last time," she replied.

"But, I really mean it this time," I protested.

"And the time before that," she continued. "And the time before that, and the time before that, and the..."

"You're right," I said, realizing this was a mistake. "Forget I said anything." It would have been impossible to explain anyway. And I did not want to talk about Thranduil anymore, or try to talk about anything. My body screamed for sleep, and I listened to it. "I need to go back to bed," I told her as I rose and left the table. "Just pretend like none of this ever happened."

She said she was already planning on doing just that.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Sheraiah ~

Elladan and Elrohir were draped over the chairs in front of the fireplace in my room. I had retreated to the bed and was curled up and in full brood mode. I was tired, my faulty blood condition rearing its ugly head always did tire me out, but I could not sleep. I knew that Legolas would not be happy with me for withholding this information, and I was very worried about his reaction, and to a lesser degree, Gimli's and Haldir's as well.

I never willingly told anyone that I didn't have to, mainly because I hated being coddled because of it. I very rarely had problems, keeping my blood sugar levels under control with my diet, unless I was severely stressed. I had had an episode, a bad one, right after my arrival in Rivendell, which was why Lord Elrond had asked his sons to keep such a close watch on me.

He didn't coddle me, however, nor did the twins and I was grateful for that. I could only hope that the others would decide to deal with me in the same manner. I caught a hint of movement out of the corner of my eye and looked up to see Elladan approaching me.

"You should rest, sweetling. You still are not quite recovered." He stroked my hair back, and I relaxed a bit under his touch. I had been forgiven, at least by them, and they would help me with the rest.

"I know. But, I can't sleep. I really have been trying to, but I can't," I replied, leaning into him gratefully. He smiled and settled me into a comforting embrace. Elrohir sat down on the opposite side of me, dropping a kiss onto the crown of my head and wrapping an arm around me.

"You worry what Legolas will do, correct?" he asked, drawing a fingertip down my cheek. I nodded. "Sweetling, we have known him for centuries. He would not abandon a friend over so little a thing as this. If he were so petty, he and Aragorn would not have the comradeship that they do, nor would he and Gimli, I expect. Relax dearling. Sleep and all will be well, you will see."

My eyes suddenly felt too heavy to keep open and I realized that he had sleep-spelled me. I tried to fight it for about a second, and then gave up, but promised myself that I would formulate my revenge later.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mary ~

After leaving Mal behind in the dining room, I meant to go to my own room but, too sleepy to think straight, I had somehow ended up in the king's bedchamber. His silent guards had not tried to stop me as I passed between them, and I did not realize my error until I stood beside the bed. By then, it was too late, my body was not going to go backward, it insisted on crawling right into the king's bed even though I knew I should have gone back to my own.

As soon as I pulled the covers over myself, I was enveloped with Thranduil's scent. When I closed my eyes, I was transported back into his arms. More clearly than a normal dream, I could feel his breath in my hair, his hands on my skin, and the pressure and weight of his body near mine.

"This is just the beginning," he whispered, his voice pouring over me like warm honey. "There is more to come. Much more. Do you think you are ready now?"

"Yes," I answered, suddenly eager to try again. "Show me more. Show me everything."

He took hold of one of my shoulders, and started shaking it, gingerly at first, while saying, "My lady." It confused me.

"What are you doing?"

He shook my shoulder a little harder, while repeating, "My lady...my lady." It was very irritating.

"Stop it," I said. And I the more awake I became, the more I recognized that voice; it was not the king's.

"My lady," the familiar voice was saying, "your presence at this location is most inconvenient."

I opened my eyes to find, hovering just above me, not my fascinating glittery-eyed lover, but his grim-faced seneschal. "This is a breach of protocol of the highest degree," he informed me as soon as he saw I was awake. He was lucky that I knew better than to punch him right in the nose.

Before getting up, I stared down at his hand on my shoulder and he withdrew it swiftly. Over his other arm he held the gown which I had left on the floor. Behind him, other elves were busy about the royal chambers, replacing spent candles, laying a fire in the hearth, or dusting non-existent cobwebs from the corners, all the while casting curious glances over at the two of us.

"Where is the king?" I asked after I sat up and looked next to me as if Thranduil should have been there. But of course he was not, and had been gone for many hours, as the grouchy old elf pointed out with bitter satisfaction. Although it felt like I had only just closed my eyes, I must have slept for a while. Thaladir was right, it was not my turn in the royal bedchamber any more, and I had to leave.

As I snatched my gown off of his arm, I told him to please not talk to me anymore. I would not be able to respond pleasantly. I did not bother to try fastening my gown, after I had pulled it over me before getting up from bed, but silently turned my back to Thaladir for him to either take it upon himself to do so for me, or allow me to wander about half-undressed in the halls.

Before I left the room, I warned the seneschal to stay away from me for the rest of the day, and not to expect to see me for language lessons. As I trudged off down the corridor, I passed the quiet elleth Mirime, who was coming with an armload of fresh linens.

"I'm so sorry I got you into this," I muttered, but I do not think she heard me. However, no one was to blame for my bad mood. Besides more sleep, there was only one thing that I wanted, and desperately wanted, at that moment. But when Thranduil returned from his hunting trip, he was taken for the rest of the day, and night.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mal ~

As soon as Anarion and Ithilwen had disappeared around a bend in the road, I patted Gwilwileth on her withers and told her that I had finally decided to try galloping. I didn't think even an elven-trained horse would understand English, but she was definitely quick in getting the message when I nudged her with my heels. Her steps were steady even at this speed, and I felt a bit stupid for not having dared to do it before, and not even wanting to try in front of an audience of friendly elves. I couldn't even fool myself by blaming Thaladir's poor heart.

My triumph came to an abrupt end when I heard a muffled 'thump!' that sent Gwilwileth jumping, causing me to land quite ungraciously in a deep snowdrift. I was more than a bit shaken, but unharmed, and suddenly very happy not to have any witnesses. My sweet mare came back as soon as I called, but she continued to eye the fallen oak branch that had frightened her, with suspicion.

I was quite stuck in the deep snow, and after a failed attempt to drag myself onto the horse, somewhat like Aragorn in the movie, I realised that the best I coul wou would be to remain calm and wait for the rescue party I knew would be sent out as soon as my horse would return without me. I could easily imagine the thorough lecture I would be given by the seneschal if he found out, not to mention the guilty glances from my love-struck elves-in-waiting that would likely haunt me for months after.

After a while I began to look around me, admiring the ancient trees and their snow-covered branches, but that also reminded me of the infamous Mirkwood spiders. I had yet to see one, and in any case they wouldn't come out on the road, and it was winter, but still I couldn't help thinking about them. My snowdrift was technically off the road, if even by less than six feet, and who was to know if the hairy creatures hadn't fur enough to venture for food even at this time of the year?

I hoped they would rather be enjoying hibernation, a whole underground nest of icky long-legged things in each other's hairy embraces, and though that meant that they wouldn't disturb me, it wasn't a very pleasant thought. But actually quite funny. As long as they wouldn't be anywhere near me, of course, like, maybe, right under where I was sitting.

Then I heard a sound that made me remember some other inhabitants of these woods. The blood-chilling howl could only belong to relatives of the wolves that had sacrificed their fur for the warm cover I had enjoyed during the sleigh-ride to Esgaroth with Thaladir. Suddenly the prospect of a lecture, however long and dull, sitting on a chair, however hard, in the king's study, seemed quite tempting.

Another howl, and one more, and some more thoughts of spiders gave me enough energy to finally crawl my way out of the snowdrift and onto the road. I was tired, and sore, and cold, but determined not to remain where I was. I began walking towards the hill, thankful that the moon that had replaced the setting sun made it easy to find my way.

But it was much longer than I had imagined, and I was shivering, and tired, and needed just a little bit of rest before I could go any further. I sat down in the snow for a while, and then continued walking, and then rested again, and walked, until I no longer cared about wolves or spiders and just wanted to lie down. A little. It suddenly felt warm and cosy and very much like my own bed, and I would soon get up and go on, but not just now.

When I heard a distant thudding noise I was annoyed to be disturbed from my rest, but as soon as I had opened my eyes to look at the disturber of the peace, I couldn't close them again. The noise was the rhythmic hoof-beat from the king's stallion, Amarth [Doom], and the black horse for sure looked worthy of his name when storming through the trees, wild-eyed and snorting menacingly enough to scare off anything in his way.

His rider looked like vengeance personified, a thunderstorm threatening to devastate any and all left standing. Thranduil shouted a command, and his steed stopped immediately, causing the snow to blow around them like smoke or fine mist. He cautiously let his glance penetrate the shadows, as if commanding them to surrender whatever secrets they might have. Amarth sniffed in the air, making an excellent companion to his watchful master.

Finally convinced that I was the only living, though barely, thing around, the king lowered his gaze to me. "Erio," [Rise] he said. I didn't even need to try to know that I couldn't. "Le harn?" [Are you injured?] he asked in a slightly softer voice, a hint of worry in his eyes. I wanted to shake my head, but it apparently had no wish to be shaken. As Thanduil continued to just watch me, I began to feel more and more stupid sitting in the snow. And annoyed too. If this was a rescue mission, they why didn't he do something?!

At last he got down from the horse, in a smooth, flowing movement, and hunched down at my side. He brought a hand to my face, and I followed it with my eyes, which seemed to relieve him. Then he touched my cheek and asked again if I was harmed in any way, and I tried to tell him with my thoughts what had happened. That seemed to be what he had waited for, because now he lifted me up on Amarth, who was suddenly meek as a pony.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mary ~

When Miriel was finally able to rouse me enough to sit up and act alive, it was dinnertime. She bore a tray and swiftly set up a light meal for me, as usual on the evenings when Thranduil was with Mal, but she had a noticeably anxious demeanor. I instantly felt guilty and wondered if she had suffered through a lecture from the seneschal.

It was not her fault I had ended up in the king's chambers by mistake. But after I got into my own bed, I had slept the rest of the day away, without dreaming, and had not been around to defend her from the seneschal, who had been highly disturbed by my improper placement the last time I saw him.

"Is everything alright?" I asked her. She assured me that everything was fine, now. Normally, neither of the ellith who so gracefully flitted about Mal and I, like a pair of tall, long-haired, butterflies, were prone to gossiping about anything having to do with members of the royal house. But I could tell Miriel was dying to talk about something. I also knew she would answer a direct question if I could figure out what to ask.

"You didn't get in trouble with Thaladir after he found me in the wrong bed today?" I asked to test the waters. With a tinkling laugh she assured me that she had not. And she reassured me that I had not committed a crime, it was so obvious that I was exhausted. No one blamed her for my mistake; or me either, for that matter.

"In any case, His Excellency forgot all about that, of course," she blithely reported. "When the lady Malinorne disappeared."

"Malinorne has disappeared?" That was all I needed. Without much effort I managed to unleash the normally reticent elleth's tongue. I was soon riveted by her tale as she proceeded to recount to in great detail me the heroic efforts of Thranduil, king and protector of Mirkwood, and his valiant rescue of his concubine from certain death.

"The royal concubine's horse returned without her to the gates," explained Miriel. "And neither Ithilwen, nor Anarion, who had ridden out with her as escort, could be found in or around the palace grounds." Accordingly, the seneschal had instantly ordered a search party, with himself in the lead. But before the group of hastily rounded-up elves could leave in search of the missing riders, the king had galloped up on Amarth, with his own hunting party following wearily behind.

Immediately upon hearing about the concubine's empty horse, and the missing mortal, Thranduil had turned his mighty steed on its heels, and had thundered off towards the forest, nearly trampling his own party of hunters, who were coming over the bridge, burdened with that day's quarry. I was at the edge of my seat as the elleth related how tenderly the king had carried Malinorne, wrapped in his cloak, into the palace, after he finally returned with her astride his horse.

"She was as white as the snow, and her lips were nearly blue," whispered Miriel, her voice horrified at the memory of how a half-frozen mortal looks up close. I was relieved to hear that Mal had warmed up and recovered quickly. I actually did not need to hear that she had apparently recuperated enough to spend the evening with Thranduil, performing her normal duties as chief concubine.

Anarion and Ithilwen, it turned out, had been just as frantically searching for Mal in the moon-lit forest. They had returned, bedraggled, defeated, and in despair, at around the same time as the king had entered the gates with his concubine in his arms. They rejoiced along with everyone to see her alive. She had somehow tricked them into letting her be alone, declared Miriel knowingly. I could not get over the amount of information that flowed so freely from the otherwise discreet elf-maid.

By keeping my topics mostly about the heroic, or gracious, behavior of His Majesty, I found a way to ask the talkative elleth questions that had been on my mind since I had first entered the gates of Mirkwood. Things that I had seen or heard, and wondered about. Miriel did not tell me everything she knew, I think. But she so enjoyed discussing the king, that I did learn a lot more about some things I had only been able to guess at before.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Mal ~

I don't remember much of how we got back to the Elvenking's halls, except that it felt good to be near him, circled by his arms and covered by his mantle. Thaladir was waiting at the gates, and the way he nervously wrung his hands made me want to smile despite the numbness in my limbs. "E ring, dan alcharn," [She is cold, but unharmed] the king told him. The anxiousness in the tall elf's glance gave way to determination as he went off hastily, as if in reaction to a command he had perceived in the king's laconic utterance.

I was taken to the king's bedchamber, and unceremoniously undressed and then covered with a thick blanket. That was expected, but I was surprised to see the king undress himself and join me. As he held my cold body close to his, a self-sacrificing act for which I loved him, the sense of feeling began to return to my hands and feet, and it was not a pleasant experience. I had twinges of pain all over, and his soft skin seemed to burn me, but he did not let go of me, only soothed me with his voice.

"Thank you," I said when I could speak at last. "I am sorry and will not try to ride alone anymore, just don't blame Anarion and Ithilwen, please!" The king frowned in a stern expression, but I could see in his eyes that he wasn't angry.

"You seem to have learnt your lesson," he replied. "I will not dwell upon this issue further then." Something sly came into his gaze and he didn't even try to stifle the smirk when he continued, "My seneschal, however, is of another opinion and I believe you have some educational conversation in store for you." I groaned.

"Not just now?" I asked, looking at him hopefully. I caressed his arm slowly, which softened his features further.

"Certainly not now. There are other matters that require both our full attention." Having said that, he rose from the bed, picked me up, and, before I could protest, he was already in the passage leading to the bath chamber. There was nobody else in the room, and I was thankful for that, as I couldn't help yelping when he dropped me in the warm water. At first it felt much too hot to be comfortable, but after a while I had got accustomed to it and could enjoy being immersed in warmth. Thranduil did his best to make the experience pleasurable as well, and his kisses and touches were soon too gentle for my taste.

"Do you feel warm now?" he asked when I had been wriggling to get even closer to him for quite a while. "Yes," I whispered in his ear while running my hands all over his body to show him exactly how hot I felt.

"Excellent." Again, I got a demonstration of the swiftness of Elf-kings, as he got up from the water, with me clinging to him, and then jumped into the small pool coo cooler water. I gasped from the shock, but Thranduil just smiled and continued to caress me. I could have sworn he did it only to see my nipples pucker up nicely without him having to make an effort. He snorted.

"It is all for your best, Mal," he replied. "I need to make sure that my concubine's heart beats like it should." Sure, I thought. Good for you that I have a strong heart! The king chuckled heartily. "Excellent," he said again. "A perfectly healthy reaction. You have recovered."

I was happy to move back to the warm pool with him again, and this time he did not play games, but let his own excitement build together with mine. I straddled his lap, facing away from him, and revelled in the feeling of his hands on my front, his fingers playing with my nipples. I leaned my head on his shoulder and met his mouth in a hungry kiss that told me that we were both very ready for more.

He dropped his hands to my waist and guided me onto his royal sceptre, holding me still until I wanted to scream with frustration, and then he placed a fingertip on the exact spot between my legs, which made me scream for real. With my feet against the side of the pool I could rock back and forth, at the same time as he lifted me slightly with an arm around my waist, and the feeling of that was heavenly, and even more so in the combination with his fingers that continued to put the most delicious pressure on my clitoris.

"You are not a bad galloper after all," the king grunted, without missing a thrust.

"Only if you hold me so I don't fall," I panted back. And then we exploded in pleasure, and I was indeed happy the king was holding me, or I would have fallen face down into the water.

We sat there a little while, and then the king declared that I would need some refreshments after my ordeal. It turned out that the only available food or drink in his room was his strong Dorwinion wine, which tasted even better when slightly heated in the fireplace. I drank a glass of it, and then another one, and everything felt just great until I realized that I was falling asleep in Thranduil's arms. Which meant that I had wasted my night with the king. At least there would be more.

"Many more," he whispered huskily.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~

~ Sheraiah ~

"Why did you not tell me?" Legolas's tone held no reproach, and I could tell that he was giving me the benefit of the doubt.

"Because I didn't want you to think that I really was the hothouse flower that you called me when the weather turned cold. You know how independent I am." It did sound a bit lame, but that was the truth. He nodded, obviously thinking hard.

"I can understand that. Rai, I will make you a promise, but I wish one from you in return. I promise that I will not treat you any differently than I have in the past, and in return I expect you to be honest with me and tell me what I need to know about this. Lord Elrond told us a good bit of it, but I wish to know from you what to watch for and what to do if this happens again." He met my eyes squarely and I felt the relief wash over me like an incoming tide.

"Agreed. And I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." I smiled tentatively at him, and he responded with that sunlight smile of his.

"Actually, I can understand why you did not, at least at first. We were still getting to know one another then. But I do think that I have earned the right to your trust now, have I not?" He smiled, satisfied, when I nodded. "Now, tell me what I need to know."

Later, Haldir and Gimli did not react as kindly as Legolas had. Haldir glowered at me from under his eyebrows and lectured me in a tone that likely had the warriors under his command quaking in their shoes. He relented, though, when he saw tears welling up in my eyes, and let it drop after I promised never to withhold information of such importance again.

Gimli, on the other hand, had blustered at me, actually shaking me like an errant child, before enveloping me in a fierce bear hug and swearing that I had scared the liver out of him. He also had demanded to know what to look for and how to react, as Legolas had, and also had made me promise not to keep such things from him ever again.

I had to admit that I was well contented in being the pampered darling of the four elves and one dwarf that I affectionately called 'my guys'. Not that any of them coddled me beyond what would normally be courtly behavior, but they definitely went above and beyond to make certain that I had every possible comfort.

They also saw it as their personal mission to entertain me, and I derived great amusement out of the pranks they played on each other for my benefit. Even proud Haldir got in on the act, pulling some ingenious stunts on the twins, his favorite targets. Gimli, for his part, stuck almost exclusively to pranking Legolas, and what he lacked in stealth, he more than made up in ingenuity and design. The prince, for his part, was an equal opportunity prankster, preying on anyone who caught his attention, even Lord Elrond on one occasion. I was the sole exception; none of them would so much as lift a finger against me. For that reason, I remained a spectator and kept my lips shut about who I saw doing what. Fair was fair, after all.

Legolas also made certain that other needs of mine were thoroughly met. He maintained his disinclination to share me with anyone, and in truth, I preferred things that way. The only time I had had more than one bed partner at one time was with the twins, and they came as a package deal anyway.

The prince had also taken to spending his nights in my room. I never occupied my bed alone after the day of my episode. It was almost as if he felt the need to watch over my nights, even though I knew he did rest while he was with me. He never specifically admitted to it, and I felt it wiser not to ask him. All in all, I was very content with the turn things had taken, rough though the road had been.

t b c
- 23
- 24
- 25
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Mary Goes to Mirkwood