Adult-FanFiction.org : Lord of the Rings

Summer Lightning	By : Celebdil Category: -Multi-Age > Slash - Male/Male Views: 718 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings (and associated) book series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 4
- 5
- 6
Celeborn woke slowly to deep, blessed darkness. As his mind surfaced from the blank depths of unconsciousness, he became aware he was in a tent, its sides moving with a soft sound in the wind. He lay on a thickly padded pallet, covered with soft furs. And he hurt, Valar he hurt! His shoulder was aflame, and sickening shocks of pain sliced through his chest. Instinctively he held himself still against it, trying to breathe slowly.
As awareness returned, he opened his eyes carefully, seeking a distraction from the agony. No lamp burned, and he was alone.
No, he corrected himself, not alone. There was someone stng ing in tree-shadow, just outside the door, faintly touched by an unearthly, beautiful light. Frowning, Celeborn squinted against a sudden pounding in his head. His vision blurred as he tried to lever himself up to one elbow. With a slight intake of breath, an impression of movement, - a shifting and melding of the shadows - the figure was gone, slipping away with barely a whisper of sound.
Painfully, around the dryness of his throatleboleborn murmured �Elu?� He knew no other who carried radiance with him, as though he were a fallen star. But there was no answer. If the figure in the shadows had been Elu Thingol, he had not heard Celeborn�s quiet plea. Or he had ignored it.
Defeated, Celeborn lay back. Perhaps it had not after all been his Lord. Why would it have been? Memory flooded him at the thought, sweeping away all in its path. His heart lurched as he recalled, in precious, vivid detail, the encounter in the forest. Oh, he closed his eyes,this will be hard to explain to my father. But the misgiving could not quench his smile. Absently, he raised a hand to his lips, traced the firm outline of a mouth his king had decisively claimed as his own. Beyond doubt, beyond anything he had dreamed.
Tiny shivers chased themselves down his spine as he relived every nuance of that kiss, every touch, every gasp, every hard caress of hands and lips. Never had he been so overwhelmed! If Elu had asked for all Ennor, had it been in his power, Celeborn would have given it gladly. As it was, for those precious few moments, Elu�s entire world had been Celeborn, of that the young elf was sure.
He remembered the almost frightening desire in Elu�s eyes, the uncompromising intent. How he had welcomed it. He needed it as much as he needed air. As much as Elu had needed him.
'Mmn...' he murmured, llinlling the feel of Elu�s hands tangled in his hair, holding his head still so that he could kiss Celeborn with desperate savagery. From no one else would he have accepted such aggression, such dominance. And, his smile turned feral with anticipation, it would be interesting to see how Elu reacted to receiving the same treatment in return. There was no place for power and precedence between lovers. Young he might be, and lesser, still Celeborn had a will to match his kinsman�s and they both knew it. Lovers, he repeated, hearing his thought, and marvelling. He is my lover,. The very word was a thrill of joy.
But then...then why had Elu left so abruptly, fled from discovery like a thief? Why did he not answer my call? Why is he not beside me? A frisson of doubt snaked down Celeborn�s spine, a flash of anxiety he could not explain. The king surely did not regret their encounter�did he?
No, Celeborn told himself, firmly, he could not. He had no reason. Oh, true, Celeborn�s father would be furious if he knew. What a storm that would be! He could picture it - Elu and Galadhon, both as silver as lightning, as loud as tempest - hurling words like thunderbolts. 'Seducer! Libertine! How could you use your position and influence to corrupt my innocent son?'
Celeborn almost snorted, held back from it only because it would hurt too much. Elu hardly seduced me, he thought. I taunted him into it. Admittedly, some of the courage which had enabled him to do so came from the draught the healer had persuaded him to drink and the fact that he was light-headed with blood loss and dizziness. And he had not expected his words to have such an, ah�effect. The memory made him lick his bruised lips and shiver with delight.
He savoured it for a moment before returning to the troubling thought of his father. Did it matter? Galadhon was not here. He rode with his wife's family, among Lenw�'s folk. And he did not need to know. We will be discreet and secret. If no one finds out, how is he to hear of it? Certainly not from me.
Hot and sweet, Celeborn�s body reminded him of the reason for this line of thinking, overrode the image of Galadhon with demanding ease. His skin tingled with the feel of Elu�s hands, against his back, his hips, pulling him closer - and oh! there had been too many clothes. Next time there would be flesh, skin, muscle to muscle, warm and hard. His fingers flexed, recalling Elu�s shout of astonished bliss as he had closed his hand around the king's desire. His mouth had gone dry again. He flicked his tongue across his lips and tried not to moan as the memory made him hard; achingly, uncomfortably hard. Pushing away the impulse to waste this desire on lonely fantasy, he decided to play out the dream for real, to find Elu and seek relief for them both in the ecstatic fire of eatherther�s touch.
Slowly and carefully, mindful of the agony of his shoulder, temporarily forgotten in the rush of sensation, Celeborn sat up. And that was what caused the problem the last time, he thought with a rueful smile as he threw the covers of his bed aside. Next time, will I remind my Lord to be a little more careful in his desire, lest I lose my life to this passion! Softly, he laughed in anticipation, waiting for the slight dizziness which came with rising to pass. He would find Eland and now that their mutual desire had been most definitely confirmed - they could fulfil it together.
He smiled, and then - as smiling was insufficient to express his happiness - he sang to himself under his breath, adjusted the sling which held his arm immobile, and walked out into the starlight.
All was quiet. He halted, listening, intending to go to the king�s tent. But it came to him, in a sudden knowing, that Elu was not there. Celeborn looked at the forest, at the shadows of the tree line. Instinct drove him. He stepped toward it.
***
There had been no happy awakening for Elu. He had run into camp, shouting for the healers loud enough to frighten the birds from the trees, and for hours afterwards he had hovered while they had tended the younger elf. The only thing which kept him from weeping in guilt was the desperation to know that his own selfish, mindless passion had not caused Celeborn�s death.
As he paced outside the tent, agony had possessed him. Oh, he had condemned his own actions before - a careless slip of the knife. But now! He had compounded that unforgivable act by giving in to his forbidden desire. Now he truly hated himself.
There was no justification, no escape from what had happened, and still, still, his vivid imaginings would not cease. Even as he paced, he could feel Celeborn�s lithe young body, trapped between his bigger frame and the tree, could hear the younger elf�s panting breaths, his gasps of pleasure at the feel of Elu�s mouth and touch. No!Elu�s hands went to his head as if he could grasp the offending visions and pull them out. What had he been thinking? Painful laughter escaped him. He had not been thinking; he had allowed himself to do the one thing he had sworn not to do, may the Valar help him.
It did not occur to Elu to include Celeborn in his condemnation. The boy was newly awakened to the spring of his youth, full of life, drunk on the excitement of the dance and drugged near senseless. If he had responded eagerly, it was because he was not in his right mind. How could he have resisted his King? Or the light of Aman, burning in Elu's eyes - a light which every good heart should desire?
He could not. And all his apparent desire was nothing more than delirium - a sickness of which his teacher, his guardian had shamefully taken advantage. It would not happen again. I will send him away, Elu thought, his chest aching at the thought. For his own protection, from me. He must return to his family, where he will be safe.
He was certainly not safe with his Lord. It tore gaping wounds in Elu's heart to think it, but what if Celeborn woke forgetting his pleasure, remembering only an assault. That was what it had been, after all. Would Elu have stopped, even if Celeborn had tried to push him away? He did not know. Sick with remorse and loathing he prayed Let me not have injured him more than the physical. Let me not have scarred his soul...
But still he could not force the memory away. Detestable though it was, he had no wish to do so. Never had he known such driven need. It had swept away his conscience until it was no more than a whispering, unheard, unheeded in a scalding cauldron of flame and silk and sensation. Though he condemned himself utterly for his actions, he would hold the memory in his heart as a treasure to be guarded, dragon-like, for eternity. It should not have happened. It would never happen again. But the lingering joy of it would never leave him; remaining a bittersweet memory, to be avoided where possible, and where not, to be taken out and examined like a precious jewel, pure and unsullied.
For there had been a purity to their passion, despite wronwrongness. When he had felt Celeborn�s response to his kiss, it seemed the world tilted on its axis. All questions of right or wrong dissolved in a sideways shift which left only a feeling of completion, of a happiness which felt entirely in keeping with the flow of the universe. Elu would never accept that they had a right to their secret encounter, but he had the unwilling feeling that somehow, Il�vatar himself did not condemn it. The thought held no comfort.
�Myd?� d?�
Elu opened his eyes to find the same healer he had spoke to earlier at his side. The elf�s gaze was on Elu�s tunic and Elu looked down at himself. He was covered in Celeborn�s blood. He suppressed the shudder and looked up at the healer.
�My Lord, have you taken hurt? Are you injured also?�
Amazed by the fact that his voice was as steady as ever, he shook his head, �I am uninjured. This blood is the Lord Celeborn�s from where I..carried him back.�
Elu berated himself for that slight hesitation, but the healer appeared not to notice, nodding in evident relief. �The prince will be well, my lord. I cannot imagine how he re-opened the wound - he must have fallen. And hard - for it to bleed so freely.� The healer frowned to himself for a moment, wondering, and Elu was silent, despising himself more.
�He will be unconscious for some time yet, the blood loss was severe. But he will recover swiftly enough if he does not tax it. Will you not come in and reassure yourself?�
He yearned to do so - to duck under the tent flap to see for himself that his actions had not caused irrevocable hurt to one he loved beyond the love of kin. But he knew he could not now allow himself the luxury of being anywhere near Celeborn. When Celeborn awoke he would come to the inevitable conclusion, that his king, his beloved and trusted idol had taken advantage of him, tried to force him. Celeborn would hate him, must hate him, for what he had done. It was unbearable, but no more than he deserved. A sudden urge to weep roughened Elu�s voice as he said, �I will come later, perhaps. For now I must return to my duties. We will remain here for a few days while he recovers. If he wakes and asks for me, I will be in my tent.�
***
In the depths of the night, Elu moved restlessly on his pallet, unable to rest. He stared at the roof of his tent, begging his mind to let him sleep, to stop flooding him with images of Celeborn crying out with pleasure, eager, seeking, drowning in kisses. Elu�s hands bunched in the furs of his bed, his jaw clenched as he recalled the taste of Celeborn�s skin, the salt of desire in his mouth as his lips had slid up the young throat. His body kindled at the memories, hot and tense. Shoving furs aside, he felt the coolness of the night air across his thighs, whispering ovis his hard flesh. He turned his head, breathing slowly, willing himself to think of anything but this, anything!
Please!� But no matter how Elu begged his own mind to release him, there was no escape. His breathing quickened with lust, became ragged, uneven. Do not, he warned himself, Do not compound the unforgivable by taking pleasure from it now. No! You will not!
Struggling to his knees, he knew he had to get out, away, it did not matter where. Unseen dangers lurked in the forest, but far worse seemed to him the monsters of his mind. He had to find some solace from this agony of guilt and desire before it drove him mad.
Retrieving his weapons, bow and stone knives, he pushed aside the tent flap and checked the camp. All was peaceful. The guards patrolled the limits of the camp, silent grey ghosts in the starlight, ever vigilant against the dark things which came suddenly out of the shadows. Melkor's creatures, doins bis bidding still, though their vile master was in chains.
Recklessly, Elu ignored the warning that nudged the edges of his mind. He would take his chances. And none had been taken for long months now, perhaps evil had withdrawn into whatever dark fastness it still inhabited. While his heart and mind were in agony, and his body on fire, he cared little. Nothing, not even Melkor's greatest servant - the Maia known as Gorthaur the Cruel - could cause him more pain than he caused himself.
But first, drawn as a moth to the flame which seared it, and despite his earlier resolve, Elu needed to see Celeborn. The younger elf would be unconscious for many hours. Not yet ready to wake and condemn him. He could at least look, before he walked away.
As he made his way through the camp, a sudden breeze lifted his steel-silver hair. The sky had darkened, clouds obscuring the glittering fire of the stars. He frowned. So, today's hazy warmth would end in storm and savagery. It seemed appropriate.
The prince's tent was dark, but the door was laced open so that healers could check on his sleep without coming within. There, just outside the entry, Elu balked, unable to go further.
Celeborn lay half on his side, his arm in a sling. Unconsciousness had passed into deep sleep. He breathed quietly, unburdened by shame or doubt. For a moment Elu envied his youth and innocence, wishing desperately for that same unsullied joy which lit the young man from within, enhancing his beauty, transforming him into the embodiment of light and life. Physical perfection was an Elvish trait. In Celeborn, there was something more; wisdom and a capacity for love which infused his every word and action. Young he was, but in future ages he would be counted among the great, Elu could feel it as a certainty.
For now, he slept peacefully and Elu envied him the rest, though he did not begrudge it. Instead, he yearned to curl his body around Celeborn�s, hold the younger elf gently, feeling Celeborn�s quiet breaths against him in the silence of the night.
And he wanted to watch him sleep, tracing every line of hair and face and body, knowing that Elvish recall would never allow the memory of it to fade. As he stood, unable to withdraw, yet unable to move closer, Elu felt the sharp ache of love and mingled desire beak over him like a wave. His eyes were drawn as ever to Celeborn�s mithril hair, spilling over his shoulder, the ends stirring a little in the breeze. It seemed to Elu that all the light in the tent seemed to coalesce in that bright length. It held a faint, ethereal glow. His breath caught in his throat, if he could touch that hair, just once�
Celeborn stirred, moving a little. Seeing him wince and grow still, eyes still closed, Elu froze. Could he make his escape before the boy was fully awake? He had to go, and now. But still he waited, barely breathing, and at last, Celeborn�s eyes opened. Disorientated, his gaze ran slowly around the tent, then sharpened. He looked straight at the king, frowning.
Swiftly, Thingol moved, slipping into shadow, no more than a breath of air as evidence of his passing. But Celeborn had seen him, and as he moved away, heading with swift strides for the forest, he heard the soft cry, �Elu?�
Tears pricked his eyes. He shook his head, and carried on walking.
Passing into the darkening night like a shadow of steel, Elu walked for a long time, listening to the sounds of the forest, the rustling of the trees. The wind continued to rise. Darkness deepened. A smell of rain was in the air and the crackle of energy which preceded lightning. Fiercely, the rising temper of the weather a match for his turbulent emotions, he grinned. He and the storm would spend their turmoil together. When it broke over the forest, elemental in its ferocity, he would observe its violent heart, watch as wind and rain and lightning raged over the trees. Perhaps in the wildness of the storm, his own emotions would be eclipsed, absorbed by the power of the night.
Eventually, he halted, leaning back against the trunk of a tall tree, watching as small animals hurried by, eager to reach nest and burrow before the storm hit. One or two noted his presence, glancing at him with bright eyes before hurrying on, rustling through leaves displaced by the high winds.
A stag paced slowly into the small clearing where Elu stood, refusing to be hurried by the storm. At the height of his power and strength, his delicate head was crowned by a magnificent rack of antlers. Dark eyes met dark as the two kings appraised each other. Then it lowered its antlered head in a slight bow. Touched by the regal calm of the animal he returned the salute. It watched him a moment more, wisdom and intelligence warming the solemn gaze in a way that reminded Elu forcibly of Celeborn, then it moved off, serene and proud.
Celeborn. It seemed he could look at nothing without being reminded. But this time, he dot tot try to push the emotions away. Instead he offered then up to the sky above him, turning his face to the night as the first trail of lightning arced across the sky. Thunder boomed and echoed overhead. Energy sizzled in the air, and Elu tipped his head back, beginning to smile. Excitement built, deep in his belly, as though the storm promised release from his torment, matching the emotions which twisted and writhed inside him, begging to be set free.
Here, he would let them finat fat freedom..
He pushed himself away from the tree. The first of the raindrops splattered on his neck as he bent, fingers moving to the lacings of his tunic. He loosened the ties at the neck, mind filling with the sight of another throat, bared to his touch, tipped back in gasping pleasure. Elu moaned, low in his throat, no longer fighting to deny the remembered sensations. He shrugged the tunic off his shoulders, let it fall to the forest floor. His light shirt flashed white in the next arc of lightning, darkened rapidly as the rain began to fall harder. As it slipped over his head, Elu felt his hair brush his naked back and hips. The shirt joined the tunic.
Lightning cracked across the sky, lighting the tress into stark white sentinels. Torrential rain whipped at him, thunder a match for the pounding of his heart. Closing his eyes against the blinding downpour, he opened his mouth, caught the sweet tasting droplets in his mouth, laughed in exultation, lifting his arms to the power of the night as the storm now unleashed its full ferocity on the forest and the half naked elf below it.
Behind his closed eyes, above the howling of the storm, Elu heard Celeborn�s soft groan as their hips pushed together tightly. His answer was lost in thunder. Arms lowered, he stilled, laughter fading, eyes closed, hair darkened by the pouring rain, feeling the warmth of firm muscle beneath his body.
Celeborn. Elu�s hands slipped to the waistband of his leggings. It did not matter any more, not here, not in the power and violence of this storm. Tomorrow there would be time for the addition of this guilt to the burden he already carried, but for now he gave himself up to the storm and to pleasure.
Deft fingers loosened the ties which held the soft material of his leggings closed. He opened the supple leather, slipped his hand inside. His fingers brushed the tip of his own hardness and he caught his breath, imagining another hand in place of his own. Lightning blazed, thunder almost immediate as he closed his fingers about himself. In his mind his arms were tight about the body he held trapped between the tree and himself. Rain lashed his face as he stroked, hips flexineekieeking the only comfort he could find, his breathing becoming ragged, hair soaked, water running over his skin. He choked a cry cry of desolation and pleasure as his fingers moved slowly, surely, over his hard, warm length, caressing the sensitive tip, sliding to his base, heart picking up the primitive rhythm of the storm.
Then another hand joined his, a firm body, stripped to the waist like his own, moulded itself to his back. Warm lips found the side of Elu�s neck.
Celeborn.
It was suddenly no surprise the youth was here, amidst this storm. It did not matter how he came to be here, with his injury, it did not matter why this was wrong. Elu's dreams had summoned him, perhaps, his yearning heart. It did not matter. All that counted was that he was here. Finally, wonderfully, wantonly here.
Gently but firmly, Celeborn removed Elu�s fingers, replacing them with his own without kingking the smooth rhythm the king had begun. Elu cried out at the touch. His head fell back, and he met Celeborn's gaze. The boy's smile was sweetly innocent, but the fingers moving so deftly around and over Elu�s length were anything but.
Elu reached back, fingers winding into the soft hair at Celeborn�s nape, pulling him close for a kiss. Celeborn moved into his body, his tongue meeting Elu�s with a forcefulness which surprised the Elven king.
The kiss was a struggle for dominance, a violent bliss which sent Elu�s mind on a spinning path of ecstasy. Then Celeborn made a frustrated sound against Elu�s mouth and his fingers slid away momentarily. Elu made a muffled pro at at the loss, but a moment later, he groaned loudly as Celeborn released the final ties of Elu�s leggings so that the king�s desire was open to the caress of the storm and Celeborn�s surprisingly knowing fingers.
Rain fell in torrents on heated skin as Elu writhed in Celeborn�s grip, the slide of Celeborn�s hand, the heat of his mouth, and the light touch of the rain on his body driving him wild. His hips thrust harder now, into Celeborn�s waiting grasp and he began to pant, small rhythmic cries escaping him. Lightning flashed and Elu opened his eyes as Celeborn�s demanding mouth slid from his to move along the line of his shoulder. Hard, nipping kisses tormented him with pleasure. Rain trickled down Celeborn�s face, ran into his water-dark hair, flowed over his bared skin. Elu arched his back, pushing even harder into Celeborn�s hand, mutely begging for him to increase the pace, wild desire threatening his very sanity. As he bucked helplessly forward and back, his buttocks thrust repeatedly against Celeborn�s own hardness, and Celeborn made a desperate sound against the skin of Elu�s shoulder, followed by a gasp of pain as Elu�s increasingly frenzied movements jostled his shoulder.
Elu tried to stop, horrified, to see how badly he had hurt the other elf, but Celeborn would not let him, �No,� he growled, �No Elu, please. Don't stop.� And his fingers slipped over the head of Elu�s erection, smoothing, caressing, so that Elu lost all coherent thought, his hips finding once more the frantic, driving rhythm they had established. Lightning, more thunder, Elu was panting frantically now, as Celeborn�s hand slid up and down his length, washed by rain and Elu�s own warm fluid, �Aaah, Celeborn, I��>
T>
Thought slipped away, Elu�s world narrowed to the warmth of the body cradling his, the feel of deep, demanding kisses, the pleasure in his groin, building as the storm reached its height. Elu shook from head to foot, his legs buckling, his hips thrusting frantically, �Ah, Celeborn, can�t�please�� Another flash, thunder directly overhead, crashing through their bodies, and Elu�s back arched. Straining, yelling in triumph, his body gave up its silver warmth to Celeborn�s hand, spilling over the younger elf�s fingers and to the ground beneath, feeding it. The storm shrieked in protest, the deafening noise a counterpoint to Elu�s shattering cry of completion.
He stilled and then watched, transfixed, as Celeborn brought his hand up slowly, fingers glistening with the rain and the gift of Elu�s body. For a moment, he held his hand high, offering the king�s seed to the spirits of the storm. A gift of love and of passion perhaps, but also something of a boast - a triumph of his own. Elu could not breathe, never had he seen a sight so breathtakingly erotic as that before him, the rain washing all into the earth at their feet. Celeborn lowered his arm, a smile lifting the lips he leaned to brush against his king�s. Elu smiled back at the sheer joy in that smile and rested against his kinsman's body, the rain cooling their heated skin.
Then reality intruded, with unwelcome force. Elu stiffened and his eyes went wide. What was he doing?! What had possessed him? He pushed Celeborn away - though carefully, not touching the bandaged shoulder - turned his back on the boy. With trembling fingers, he laced his leggings closed, keeping his back turned, shaking with the knowledge of what he had done. Guilt choked him - how was it possible to live and be this vile? - and its heavy fury drove him several steps away. Then he rounded on the prince, anger bursting from him like fire from the mountains.
�What are you doing here?!� he shouted. �How did you�?�
Celeborn blanched. Staggered. Concern overriding all other emotions, Elu ran forward, just in time to catch him as he stumbled. Lowering him gently to the ground, he looked anxiously at the soaked bandage. There was no blood on it. He sighed in relief as Celeborn looked up at him in hurt confusion.
�Why are you angry?� the boy whispered, his voice much too weak for Elu�s peace of mind.
Kneeling on the rain soaked ground, Elu settled Celeborn against the tree trunk and sighed. �We should not have done that. Do you not see how wrong this is?� Weariness had overcome his anger. He knew himself helpless to fight this, and he did not know what to do.
�Why?� the simple question, hurt, puzzled, nearly undid Elu.
�Because you are my kinsman� he said quietly, defeat making his voice soft, �Because you are too young. Because I took advantage of you. Because you cannot possibly know what you want��
Warm fingers across his lips stopped the flow of words. He looked up into green eyes which seemed suddenly to hold all the calm wisdom he could no longer find in himself.
�Elu, my king, my beloved lord.' Celeborn�s voice was laced with more than one kind of pain 'Yes, I am young, but you insult me by saying I do not know what I want. I know well what I want, and he is here before me.�
Elu made a quiet sign of protest and shook his head, �You should hate me, for what I did to you. Wounding you through my folly, almost killing you when I�� he faltered.
��did what we both wanted,� Celeborn�s smile was gentle, almost smug.
�No!� Elu wrenched himself away and stood looking down. �What we both wanted? I gave you no choice.�
�I goaded you into it,� was the calm reply.
�I injured you.�
�It was an accident. I should not have challenged you, knowing how we both felt.�
Elu tried again. �You could have bled to death!�
Celeborn�s smile was weak but wry, 'Would you believe I did not notice? I was�otherwise occupied.�
'T was was so much blood!�
Again the smile, 'Now that,� he said quietly, �I will give you. Did you think I had passed out from the force of your kiss, my king?
Elu almost laughed, before the seriousness of the situation reasserted itself. �And now�� he continued, You follow me out into a storm, barely able to stand, unarmed��
�I saw you. In my tent. I called you but you did not answer. You did hear, did you not?�
�I heard,� Elu�s voice was barely audible. He was not sure if he wanted to be heard, but perversely the storm chose that moment to quiet. The wind calmed, the rain eased, as the eye of the tempest sailed overhead, an island of uncanny peace.
�Why did you not answer?�
Finw�, Olw� and Elu himself had trained this young man to be a king's advisor - the voice of reason and calm among the storming and posturing of monarchs. It should be no surprise that he was so persuasive, that he made it sound so easy. Seething with confusion and guilt, Elu sighed, he had to stop this before he allowed himself to be talked around.
�I did not answer because I hoped you would not know it was I who stood there.�
Celeborn made to argue Elu Elu raised a hand. �No, you must listen. I came here because I could not condone what, we, what I, had done. This is impossible, Galadhonion, it cannot be, for all the reasons I have stated. Do you not see that?� The last was almost a plea, certainly not the command Elu had meant it to be.
�You did not seem to mind a few moments ago.�
Elu bowed his head in bitterness, �I am too weak. You were there and the storm was so fierce, and�I wanted you so badly. And look at you now,� he gestured to Celeborn, who had sagged against the tree, exhausted.
But Celeborn would not be cowed, �I am wet, not injured further. And now, I believe, it is my turn to speak and yours to listen. Hear me now Elu Thingol, my lord, my king.�
Elu�s head came up at that tone and he thought of the stag; a young stag challenging the old. He felt that, for a moment, he caught a glimpse of the future, and knew that the prince would one day become a king himself.
�Your arguments hold no truth, my Lord. I am young, yes, but I am come of age. I owe my father grude,ude, but I no longer owe him obedience. My path is my own to decide.'
Celeborn's smile twisted - too old and cynical an expression for so young a face. 'I do not ask to be the love of your life. You are King. You will wed and have heirs, and I would hope that you will adore her. May she bring you joy! One day I could wish to have the like myself. But for now...'
r alr all his sureness of speech he blushed, and Elu had to push away a fond, tolerant smile at the sight.
'For now I would have you teach me this, as you have taught me all else. I love you as my kinsman and my friend, and I yearn for you. Do not send me away to slake my yearning with those for whom I care nothing. Until desire fades and we become other than who we are now, why can we not share what pleasure we can?� Celeborn�s fingers brushed Elu�s strong jaw, his voice was calm, quietly determined, � Our journey is long, and it is hard. Let me share your burden Lor Lord. Let me give you what comfort I can.�
The simple plea was devastating in its effectiveness. Of a sudden, Elu�s heart lightened. His fear and guilt that he had somehow taken advantage of the younger elf had been alleviated; his terror that he had caused permanent damprovproved unfounded; his nephew's possible wrath was something which could be dealt with, if needed, and his duty to his people done - in time - without betrayal. Why had he been so afraid, so adamant that he could not have this? Was it only because he wanted it so much?
The seethe of shame and doubt lifted, thinned like a mist and was swept away. All that was left in its stead waace,ace, acceptance, profound and growing joy. And beneath it all, a desire so deep and overwhelming in its intensity, they both trembled to see it in each other.
Elu looked up, reaching to tangle his fingers in Celeborn�s hair. The night was again quiet. Celeborn�s gaze was full of happiness, strength and wisdom lighting the fairness of his face. For a while they merely looked at one other, absorbing the beauty and presence of the other. Celeborn turned his head to kiss the palm of the hand that combed through his mane of hair.
Elu closed his eyes, falling into content. It was then that he felt the shock go through Celeborn's whole body - the lips against his skin parting in a gasp of horror. He stiffened, catching the emotion, his eyes flying open - going first to the wounded shoulder. But the cut was well enough, and Celeborn's gaze was focussed far off, where the darkness under the trees moved in time with no wind, where shadow flowed across the earth like a living thing, too deep even for elvish sight to penetrate. Cold and dread went like a vapour before it.
Celeborn's hand clutched at Elu's wrist, as if to reassure himself by the pulse that his Lord still lived. He stared in utter shock and fear at the thing that moved towards them, winged, vast and black. �Aiya, Elbereth,� Elu heard him whisper in terror, �It is the Hunter.�
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Summer Lightning