In which Aragorn is needy, but Legolas has already taken care of business. Teehee. Enjoy!

Warning: Brief mention of bondage. I hope it doesn't offend anybody!

The Game Continues

The whisper of gentle footfalls on marble floor roused a spark of life from a sleeping Frodo, and he leapt to unsteady feet with a shudder. His keen ears perked up and listened carefully to the sound, trying to riddle out who it was, and from where they came.

"You mustn't keep secrets from me," a silken voice was whining. "Tell me where we're going!"

"I wouldn't dare spoil the surprise," another, slightly huskier voice, responded. "You love surprises."

In a panic as Legolas and Aragorn drew closer, Frodo gathered himself up and scurried to hide behind a nearby pillar. He pressed himself up again the cool stone and watched from the corner of his eye as the elf and the king fluttered down the corridor in a fit of giggles and turned, whilst huddling close together, onto the stairwell.

Smirking gleefully at the ease of spying, the hobbit shimmied down the hall after them, crouching close to the ground.

"Give me a clue then," the elf begged. "The suspense is killing me."

"Sure," Aragorn shrugged thoughtfully. "I'm taking you to the one place in the palace that glows even in the dark of night. Think on that."

Legolas didn't seem to recall such a place, however, Frodo certainly did. The royal gardens boasted a spectacular glass exterior, and they rested in the opportune location to catch the moonlight at night. The Halfling quickly weighed his odds, and decided momentarily that if he wound around the castle the long way at a dead run, he could find a proper hiding place in the garden before they arrived. Sprinting into the shadows, Frodo let the light envelope his form and vanished into the hallowed halls of Minas Tirith.

The pale of the moon dripped through the sky light in shimmering pools, grazing their illuminating fingers over the gardens. Flowers tilted shyly towards the light, their petals winking in the nighttime draft. It was toasty warm inside the room encased by glass, and Legolas was warm tucked under Aragorn's arm as they strolled inside.

"The garden," Legolas breathed, a smile playing at his full lips. "Of course, it is your favorite place in the palace. You know, I did advise against the gardens when we began this game."

"You said it was forbidden because it is always crowded in the day time hours. However it's ideal for love making at night, mellon nin. Look around? Secluded, check," Aragorn stated smugly, "Comfortable, check."

"Comfortable?" Legolas quirked an eyebrow. He scuffled his boots against the tile path that laced the flower beds. "I see no comfort in this dirt and stone. Unless you want to crush all of your flowers—"

Aragorn hushed his lover with an index finger pressed against elfin lips, and the king ushered Mirkwood's prince deep into the maze of daffodils where a cloud of pillows and blankets was mashed together and ringed by lit candles.

Legolas sighed, breathless, "You did all this?"

"And don't think it was easy, either," Aragorn whispered. "Getting all of this down here without anybody seeing me. It was all for you."

Legolas relaxed into Aragorn's soothing grip, "You didn't have to do all this for me."

"Don't worry about a thing," Aragorn grinned before he took the tie to Legolas's cloak between his teeth and made to undo it. "It's going to be worth it."

But just before Legolas moaned quietly in content, he was force to swallow it with a start as a sneeze sounded behind them. Aragorn stiffened as he withdrew, one hand instinctively settling on his hip as though he were reaching for the hilt of his sword.

"Did you hear that?" he hissed.

Legolas nodded, grimacing disappointedly, "I heard it."

Aragorn moved with catlike grace towards the source of the sound as another sneeze floated to their ears. With a fiery anger in his eyes, the king tore away the trespasser's cover, which happened to be a berry bush, and stared down at Frodo Baggins.

"Oh, Aragorn!" Frodo blushed just before he sneezed again. "Fancy seeing you down here at this time of night!"

"Yes," Aragorn growled. "What brings you to the garden at this hour?"

Frodo raised his eyebrows innocently, "Can't a hobbit enjoy the beauty of flowers at nighttime?"

"Exactly what we were thinking, my friend," Legolas piped up, looking to Aragorn for aid. "Why not relish in the beauty of nature at such a late hour?"

"Why not?" repeated Frodo as they both laughed uncomfortably. The hobbit rose from his crouch and looked suspiciously at Aragorn's lavish spread of bedding and candles nearby.

"What is all of this, though?" he inquired. "Rather romantic. Have either you…met somebody?"

Aragorn and Legolas erupted into protests and awkward excuses, gesturing wildly with their hands.

"Met somebody? Ha!" Aragorn scoffed.

"Like who? What decent bedfellows are there to be had?" shrugged Legolas.

"All of the worthwhile ones have been taken, am I right?"

"Right you are. And who needs a partner anyway?"

"Nobody, my good man! We're both independent, and we enjoy it!"

"A lover would completely destroy my routine."

"We have no time to deviate from routine!"

"They would rob us of our freedom!"

"Our manhood!"

"Our youth!"

"Our identities!"

"I say, I'm never taking a lover!"

"Indeed, me neither!"

Out of breath and nonsense to utter, they both stood still and waited for Frodo to react.

"Alright," Frodo cocked his head, recognizing bullshit when he heard it. "Then what's with the candles?"

After a brief pause, Legolas and Aragorn peered at each other before they hurried to explain the meaning of aforementioned candles.

"Well, I've taken a lover," Aragorn replied, and Legolas gaped at him like a fool. "She's a visiting noblewoman."

"Yes," Legolas finally found the words to say. "He's the one with the lover."

Frodo swallowed the urge to call them on their bluff, and shrugged, "Well, why didn't you say so?"

"He didn't…" Legolas faltered. "He didn't want anybody to know yet."

"It's discreet," Aragorn confessed.

"She's married?" Frodo winked knowingly, although the other two had no idea just how much he knew.

"She's—unavailable," Aragorn said.

"You're a lucky man," Frodo grinned, and the other two had to return the gesture. "Which one is it? Lady Jessalyn?"

"No, not her."

"Lady Grace?"

"Oh no, not her."

"Lady Hazel?"

"Yes, that's the one," Aragorn finally gave in, and Legolas clapped him on the back.

"She's very beautiful, my friend friend," the elf nodded.

"Lady Hazel is the rather—well, large one. Isn't she?" Frodo winced.

The king and the elf both wished for a fleeting moment that they would drop dead and be buried with their shame.

"She's not large," Legolas tried to say. "She's…rounded."

"Rounded," Aragorn repeated dignifiedly. "Yes."

"Anyway, Aragorn is meeting her here later, and he asked me to come and approve of his romantic gesture," Legolas said softly. He went on in complete honestly, "And I did. It's very beautiful, and thoughtful. She's going to really enjoy it."

"Thank you, Legolas," Aragorn said sadly. "Now, I believe it's high time we all go our separate ways."

"If you don't mind, my friends," Legolas murmured. "I'll just slip out the back. I'd like some fresh air."

"I'll join you," Aragorn offered.

"No, no," Legolas declined with a wave of his hand. "I think I've had enough socializing for one day. I need to spend some time alone. And you, Aragorn, need rest."

Legolas floated to the glass door which opened into the fields.

"Gentlemen," he nodded. Then he headed on his way.

Aragorn watched him go longingly, his eyes momentarily finding their way to the stunning make shift bed which he had envisioned making love to Legolas upon all day.

A rush of fury at the horrible coincidence which had befallen the two lovers surging through his veins, Aragorn grit his teeth, bid good night to Frodo and stormed towards his chamber.

The hobbit, left alone in the quiet, stomped his foot against the marble, irritated. He had almost been too close for comfort, standing between the elf, the man, the bed which was so evidently constructed for Legolas to be fucked upon. The truth had been within his grasp! Then he knew that his chances of catching them that night were null.

If only he hadn't been allergic to the berry bushes.

The following day, the king of Gondor held a council meeting over breakfast consisting of his most trusted advisors and generals. Legolas, best friend of the saffron, was expected to be present. So it was not unusual when the elf showed up precisely on the hour and took his place at Aragorn's right hand. However, the obvious tensions which stretched taut between them did not go unnoticed.

"Of course, my lord, we need to send more patrols to the southern territory where the nomads prove to be the greatest threat," remarked the chief general.

"I agree; the south is entirely unsafe" Aragorn nodded. The sentence that formed on his throat dissolved in the next moment; however, as from the corner of his eye, he spotted Legolas, his perfect rosy lips wrapped around a strawberry.

"Uhm," the king struggled to speak as the elf's eyes met his, and Legolas's tongue swirled scrumptiously along the most seductive fruit known to civilization. The tip of the prince's pink tongue barely flicked along the edge of the strawberry, and Aragorn winced as Legolas dipped the fruit in it's entirely back into the depths of his hot, wet mouth. "I also think that—erm—the western battalions are probably in need of respite. They've—uhm—they've been on duty for too long and they…deserve to—uh—come home."

"You alright there, Aragorn?" Gimli chuckled. "You seem to have forgotten how to speak."

The men around the table chuckled, and even the corners of Legolas's lips turned up around the strawberry they were sucking.

"I'm fine," Aragorn grunted, blushing. "What say you to this proposal, general?"

The general droned on about sparing his soldiers as Aragorn focused his every ounce of attention on not watching his elfin lover, and not imagining that it was his own tongue, instead of the strawberry, between Legolas's lips.

"I can't just replace an entire legion of men with another, perfectly suitable one," the general was saying. "The west is valuable territory, therefore, the best men are guarding it. We don't have enough soldiers to supplant them as it is. Don't you see my point, sire?"

"I see your point general. But the men in the west are…they are…" Aragorn lost all willpower as Legolas bit off a generous chunk of strawberry and licked his lips alluring. "So fucking delicious."

There was a stunned chorus of gasps around the table, and they all leaned forward and stared as if they had misheard him.

"My lord?" the general raised an eyebrow, red in the face. "They are…what?"

Legolas's expression was completely neutral as the elf struggled with how to react, and Aragorn stuttered, "Tired. I said they're…so fucking tired. They need relief. As soon as possible. I don't care who you send. Just bring those men home to their families. Council adjourned. You're all dismissed."

The men around the table, were still, baffled by what they had heard, and Aragorn had to exclaim, "Are you all deaf? I said dismissed!"

There was a clatter as every man hurried from the chamber, hasty to escape the king's rage. All except for a certain elf who predictably stayed behind.

"You're driving me insane, mellon nin," Aragorn rasped, leaning heavily against the table as he stood up.

"I'm at my wit's end as well," Legolas admitted, resting against the round table beside his lover.

"What are we going to do?" Aragorn snarled. "One of us has to end this game. Immediately."

"I'm aware," Legolas nodded. "Which is why whilst I was walking last night, I was searching for a place which we could take refuge in."

"And?" Aragorn pleaded with his eyes for good news.

"And I found one," Legolas stated in a sultry voice.

A grin slowly overtook Aragorn's weary features, and he laughed low in his throat, "Where is it?"

"It's a surprise," Legolas winked.

The elf turned to leave the room before Aragorn grabbed his wrist and pulled him back in.

"Why don't you tell where it is," the king said. "Then I'll take you there, and I can win."

"Why would I ever do that?" Legolas dared with an eye roll.

"You'd like it much better if I won," Aragorn promised. "I'm better at being in charge."

"You are the king," Legolas consented.

"Do you want to hear what I would do to you if I won?"

"Not particularly."

"I'm going to tell you anyway," Aragorn licked the shell of Legolas's ear. "I would bind your hands to the nearest feasible object while I fucked you."

Legolas purred as his lover continued, "We both know how much you like that."

"Not as much as you like it when I ride you," Legolas whispered. "And I'd blind fold you as well, so you'll be forced to see with your hands…"

The elf allowed his hand to ghost over Aragorn's erection, causing the king to shudder. "…and with this."

Aragorn finally sighed, "Maybe it would be alright if you won."

Legolas giggled as he withdrew, reminding Aragorn that they had promised to keep their hands off of each other until the end of the game.

"Tonight," Legolas hummed as he sauntered slowly towards the door. "At midnight. Meet me at the pavilion. We'll walk from there."

Aragorn's eyes followed the firm curves of Legolas's ass as the elf pranced away, and the king groaned, "This is torture, Legolas. How do you do it?"

"I have elfin stamina," Legolas shrugged with a smirk.

"Surely elves are just as sexually driven as men," Aragorn shook his head.

"Of course we are," nodded the prince.

"Then how do you do it?" Aragorn repeated.

"Well, whilst I was on my walk last night, I missed you," Legolas started shamelessly. "So I resorted to pleasuring myself."

"Cheating," Aragorn yelped. "I've been saving myself for you!"

"I was thinking of you when I did it," Legolas offered.

"You better have been," Aragorn grimaced.

"Don't worry," Legolas stated. "Elves do have remarkable stamina. I could pleasure myself a thousand times, and it wouldn't at all inhibit my ability to pleasure you."

"It won't be as good for you," Aragorn warned.

"It will," Legolas's voice dropped to a seductive whisper as he responded, "I always cum harder when I'm making love with you."

Aragorn nearly fainted.

(A/N): The next chapter will be up tomorrow (I pinky swear) and *SPOILER ALERT* in the next chapter, the game will end! Interpret that as you will! AND THERE WILL BE ACTUAL SEX! LEMONS! Bye friends!