A/N: Welcome, welcome all! I am BACK and while I was putting the finishing touches on my newest story, Never Realizing, I thought I would write a bit of a prequel to it just to tease you! This little one shot sets the scene for Never Realizing, and I cannot wait for you all to see what is ahead.

In this story, we meet the principle character of Never Realizing, Fanya and Legolas' younger son Elfaer. You may remember him from the epilogue of Not Knowing? This is the tale of Elfaer and Virana. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Tolkien's world, not mine. I own Virana, Lena, and Elfaer... and any other names you don't recognize.

Understanding Elemental

"Virana! Where are you going?" Virana, one foot out the door, turned and folded her arms across her chest, ready to face her mother's sister head on.

"Try and stop me."

"I will tell your mother-"

"I dare you to! Perhaps she'll remember she has another daughter. Who isn't betrothed to the son of a lord."

"Oh, Virana… please. Just do as you're told for once." Lena begged. She really had come to the end of her tether with this girl…

"You know better than that, Lena, I do what I am told all the time. Tonight, I will have my fun."

"Virana!"

But Virana had already disappeared. She paused, once outside the door, heard Lena mutter "Uncontrollable child…" under her breath before she grinned widely and disappeared into the dark forest beyond. After several minutes of flitting through the forest on silent elven feet, she could see the fire through the silhouetted trees in the distance. She paused for a moment, to collect her wits. She could feel the earth beneath her bare feet and closed her eyes for a moment to feel her heart pound, before she took the final plunge and walked calmly to the edge of the forest circle.

Finally of age, Virana felt exhilaration sweep her away into the scene before her. The forest circles were a tradition of Mirkwood, one which she had been denied entrance until this point. Upon crossing Belegaer, the elves of Mirkwood had held no desire to abandon their traditions, and upon clear nights with a large moon they lit the fires deep in the forest and worshipped the earth with song and dance.

Virana hesitated once she found herself within the light of the fire. It was piled high and illuminated the elves with the passionate flames. There were around two dozen elves sitting, drinking, or dancing around the fire, and Virana found the prospect of dancing suddenly intimidating.

She stood there for a while, wondering what she should do. An elf appeared at her side, and pressed a cup into her hands. "Drink, my good lady!" he encouraged. "Anon, you will be much merrier!" Virana smiled, and tasted the drink with hesitation. The dark, rich wine was heady and pleasant, [sounds like Dorwinion to me. Thrandy's been about ;)] and she took one long drought of it, before she pressed the cup back into the hands of the elf that had presented it to her.

The wine made her arms and legs tingle warmly and she took several further steps into the circle. Another elf, or perhaps it was the same elf, pressed another cup of wine into her hands, and she did not hesitate to drink from this cup this time. The wine rushing through her veins increasingly strengthening her will, she joined the dancing elves right by the fire.

This dance was no choreographed dance that was taught in lessons, she observed as she spun and swayed with the other elves in the heat of the fire, this was a dance that one knew in the soul… and it took circumstances such as this to realize that one even knew it at all. It was like taking a lover, she realized. She found a male elf in front of her, and she focused her attentions on him, until turning again, and finding someone else. Taking a lover was engaging in a primal sort of dance of give and take. When presented with the circumstances, one just knew how to react.

Someone took her hand, and she spun into them. They pushed her and she spun out again, her skirts caught the wind and the lifted up as she spun. She laughed as she danced with the elf, and finally let go of all her inhibitions.

Tonight, she realized, was not for the rebellion against her mother's strict rules of yesteryear. Tonight was for her.

She danced for a while, laughing and changing partners like a butterfly flitting between flowers. She stepped out of the circle, her cheeks flushed and her eyes alight, and she stood at the edge of the light for mere moments before another elf approached her with a cup of wine. Laughingly, she took a long drink. Her whole body felt warm and tingly and a whole lot alive. She lowered the cup to find that she was looking into the most intense blue gaze. She drew a short breath in as the elf turned the cup to his lips and sipped from the exact spot her lips had just occupied. [Now, that's sexy…]

As a challenge, she took the cup back and did the same, and watched his reaction over the rim. His blue eyes flashed and she handed the cup to someone without even looking at who she passed it to. She took his hand and led him into the firelight.

The elf with the intense blue gaze was beautiful. He had pin-straight blonde hair, a strong jaw line, and the lithe body of an archer from birth. His image, she knew, was that of his father; for here stood the son of the Prince of Mirkwood.

He was no novice at the art of seduction, she noted as he drew her into his arms and danced under the full moon, illuminated by the fire. After savoring the feel of an elf's arms around her, she turned and danced away. He stepped surely toward her. She continued to step away until they had left the circle, coaxing him away gradually from the glowing trees. She took his hand and drew him farther into the forest. They stepped lightly and quickly through the trees, the mounting sense of anticipation growing between them.

He stopped. She turned and asked, "What?" She sensed his hesitation.

"I would know your name, my lady, before I kiss you. That is all," he said with a smile, his tall frame shadowing her even more in the darkness of the moonlit forest.

Virana's throat escaped a sigh. She moved in close to him, "My name," she breathed against his lips, "is Virana."

"Elfaer," he mumbled before he claimed her lips. He tasted of wine and youth, she thought as she kissed him. She snaked her arms around his neck and lifted herself up into his embrace. He couldn't be much older than her, she realized, and probably was only marginally more experienced than her in the art of love. But, experienced he was, as he backed her up against a tree and kissed her fiercely. Virana reacted surely and hoisted herself up and locked her legs around his waist, which drew her skirt up around her hips. The combination of the rough bark against her back, pressing through the thin fabric of her dress and the steely heat of her chosen lover were absolutely erotic and she was thrilled by her choice.

Elfaer kissed in the same manner as he danced: giving and taking with equal force. It was a seduction that drove her wild, and they kissed until Elfaer pulled back and broke the tight embrace. Virana opened her eyes and said heatedly, "Why stop? I was enjoying myself."

"Come with me," he said. He took her hand and they raced through the forest, hand in hand, as only youth can. He led her to the cliff side and took her into his arms there, kissing her once again. But this was not the frantic kiss of the forest circle; it was slow, tantalizing, seductive. In that moment, he was every inch seduction, and Virana surrendered to it. High above the waves crashing at the foot of the cliffs, Elfaer took her as his lover and made love to her with the sounds of water and salty wind roaring in their ears.

He wrapped her in his arms and held her for most of the night, clothing shed and the dewy grass as their bed. When the dawn came, they made their way down to the water and waded in. They watched it rise to crown the water below them with sunbeams while they frolicked in the waves. As the sun broke free of the water, Elfaer gathered Virana in his arms once more and kissed her senseless.

'Ah yes,' Virana realized while kissing him. 'The night was mine, indeed.'

A/N: So what do you think? Who loves Elfaer already? (I know I do... he's one of my favorite characters.) Keep a lookout for Never Realizing, cause it is coming soon to your inbox, and is in the editing stages as we speak. (I type?) Thanks bunches to Shivvers, my ever-diligent beta and friend who sometimes causes my big writer ego to inflate a little too much.

If you liked it, let me know! Don't just sit there and grin at the computer, tell me!

-Ivy

11/19/08