Dost thou think that I do not know? Is he not my brother dearly loved? Aegnor: Aikanár, the Sharp-flame, swift and eager.
And not long are the years since you first met, and your hands touched in this darkness.
Athrabeth Finrod ah Andreth ~
The elf prince let his fingers linger on her own as he reached out to hold one of the new born pups. Their eyes did not meet as they rose to their feet in the dying firelight. The litter of hounds squirmed by their mother on the mat of bear hide near the hearth.
Andreth reached out tentatively, rubbing the sleeping pup behind the ear where it lay in the sure, muscular hands of the elf. She swallowed, struggling to keep composure but unable to raise her eyes to his face. However, she could feel his penetrating gaze studying her features as though he were touching her face.
"How many were there?" Aegnor, the Sharp-flame, asked gently.
"There were six but the smallest died soon after birth." Andreth replied, taking her hand away.
"I am sorry."
Andreth shrugged slightly, her dark eyes flickering up momentarily. She wished she hadn't looked.
The blinding, masculine beauty of the Noldorin Lord left her dizzy. It was more than his high cheekbones, piercing blue eyes and the quiet smile he wore as he looked with wonder upon her; it was the light that seemed to radiate from his countenance. He was as awe inspiring to her as the lost Trees of the Valinor had been to his kin in the Undying lands.
She felt so very small, clumsy and ugly in his presence. Andreth put her hands behind her back and let her gaze drop to the floor.
"You may keep one if you wish, my Lord." She managed to murmur, her throat feeling as if it would close up, "The mother is my own hound. I may give the pups to whom I will."
"You honor me with your generosity, my lady. These are well bred and will grow to be fine hounds for the hunt. I couldn't accept such a rich gift."
The pup squirmed, its eyes struggling to open in the weak light. Aegnor held it out gently towards Andreth. She reached out and took the pup back, her eyes on the floor.
"It would be an honor to my house if a Prince of the Noldor as yourself possessed one of our hounds." Andreth brought the whimpering animal to the breast of her dark red gown, smoothing its ears back, "I couldn't imagine a greater boon you could bestow on a lowly mortal as myself."
"There is nothing lowly about you, Andreth." He nearly whispered, reaching out and lifting her chin with a knuckle.
He gave a short breathy chuckle as though he were as overcome as she felt in his presence. His coarse, fire bright golden hair created a halo around his head before falling over his thick shoulders. The elf was made for warfare; his body broad and powerful.
"How could you say such a thing?" Andreth managed to whisper back, her heart pounding so that the fabric of her dress trembled, "You, who have seen the glory of the Gods, the Valar. I am just a daughter of men, born for darkness and death."
"You are so much more, Andreth, Wise-Heart."
Aegnor had given up trying to check himself in her presence.
He let his fingers slide across the fair skin of her neck, a freckle at the hollow of her throat catching his gaze. Burying his fingers in her dark hair at the nape of her neck, something he had wanted to do since first laying eyes on her, he let his thumb rest over the freckle like a touch stone. He could feel the blood rush though her veins beneath his touch.
"You are both fire and sea winds to me." He admitted huskily, despite his better judgment.
Her deep, grey eyes widened in wonder and she gasped lightly. Aegnor couldn't help carefully resting a hand at her slim waist. He felt his heart jump to his throat as she unwittingly wet her lips, her berry red mouth parting slightly. The impulse to take her mouth with his shot through his brain like a thunder strike.
Heart pounding, he let her loose and took a step back before he lost control of his senses. This was nothing he could ever have expected upon setting foot in this strange land. Andreth and the unbridled passion for her that stirred in his breast had caught him completely by surprise.
"I must go, I beg your pardon, my lady." He managed.
He stumbled from the dimly lit room and out into the clear evening air. The stars reeled wildly over his spinning head. He wondered if the Valar or even Eru Ilúvatar had ever considered the possibility of such a thing occurring between men and elves. Perhaps such feelings would be perceived as wrong; unnatural in the eyes of both their kin. But how could the most pure and beautiful love he had ever felt for another in his long life be evil?
He had tried to suppress his heart but now he felt his resolve leave him. He had fallen irrevocably in love with the mortal, Andreth.
In his spirit, Aegnor knew there would be no recovery for either of them