Chapter four: In wrath and in love….

Aytha didn't understand, in fact she understood next to nothing. The two humans hauled her off like a sack of flour and she tried to kick and scream and wriggle but she was too tightly bound and the gag muffled her cries almost completely. She sort of understood what these two males wanted though, and it caused her great confusion and also fear. It was apparent in their eyes and the way they touched her and she struggled with the very idea of what they were doing. She had only once heard of a male forcing a female into doing something of a sexual nature and that one male had been thrown off a cliff. Were these humans insane? Perhaps this was normal among them? She had no idea and she was dragged off into a small canyon which was rather hidden. A river had run through it once but it was gone now and dense bushes covered the ground.

At a turn someone had built a sort of shed, it had probably been used as a simple shelter for the guards when Imladris was being built but now it was more or less forgotten. It was still standing but that was simply because the roof was good and the walls of the canyon sort of leaned outwards and protected it from the rain and wind. The two had to have found it by sheer coincidence and they had cleared out the old leaves and moss on the floor. It was still just a shed but it was dry, and not too close to collapse. Aytha was tied to a hook in the wall and she felt her heart thundering in her chest, someone had to discover that she was missing, she needed help and she needed it now. The two men stood there and they were arguing, it was rather obvious. They were gesturing towards her and shouting and then they just left. Aytha was trembling, she was cold and wet and still very afraid and she had no idea of what these humans were planning to do next.

She was left there alone for a long time, she struggled to break free from her bonds but the ropes were solid and the knots good too and she just couldn't gather her strength in an efficient manner. She sobbed, nobody had ever treated her thus, her mind had problems coping with it for it was simply too alien a concept for her to understand. She missed Dilloth and Meril and Elrond too, she wanted his protection and his gentle care now and felt like a child once more. A couple of hours went by before the men returned and when they did they brought yet another prisoner. Aytha was just staring in absolute shock, it was another elleth but this one was just a child, perhaps at the mere start of puberty and still rather small and thin. She felt sick, her stomach dropped and she just couldn't believe it. They couldn't hurt a child? No, this had to be some sort of misunderstanding, it just couldn't be real? Nobody would harm someone that young?

The two men had brought a jar of something and they did drink from it, grinning and laughing and their voices got slurred and their eyes had that creepy expression yet again. Aytha saw that the other elleth was tied up just like herself and gagged and the poor thing was crying. She was a dark haired one with large grey eyes and those eyes were filled with an expression of disbelief and fear. She had a few bruises on her face and Aytha wanted to comfort her, to take her away from these creeps but how? She was helpless and she just hoped that help would come. Someone would surely discover that she and this little one were missing. Aytha closed her eyes and hoped that the men would become so drunk they didn't manage to harm the child or herself, that was the one hope she had now.

Dilloth had discovered that Aytha was missing when she came to the pond and saw that her clothes were there. At first she had just assumed that the somewhat wild elleth had run off in the nude since it was rather warm but then she saw footprints and drag marks and panicked. She ran to the city and rushed into Elrond's office so fast she almost collided with Erestor who was on his way out with his arms full of scrolls. The tall noldo almost reared back and raised an eyebrow and Dilloth bowed swiftly. " I apologize, but this is important"

Elrond looked up from behind his desk and he immediately knew that something was very wrong indeed, Dilloth looked like a sheet of paper and her eyes were huge and dark. "What is it?"

The elleth gasped for air. "Aytha is missing, I went to find her and found only her dress and small clothes by the pond, and I saw signs of a struggle"

Elrond felt cold all over, like he had walked into an ice cold shower. He got up so fast he almost hit his knees on the desk. "What?! What sort of a struggle?"

Dilloth leaned onto the doorframe, she was short of breath for she had ran so fast she barely had time to breathe. "She had been dragged off, I saw two sets of footprints, human boots"

Elrond swallowed hard, his eyes turned dark and Erestor hadn't seen his lord look thus since the battles of the last alliance. "The two scoundrels, it is them. Oh Eru!"

He ran over to the dresser and opened it, pulled out a sword and some boots. "Erestor, gather the city guard, we have to find her, fast! Those bastards could be…"

He didn't manage to say the words and Erestor nodded "I know, I am off, right now"

He turned and ran off and grasped a horn which hung on the outside of Elrond's office door, it was only used in a time of emergency and would gather all the guards by the main square right away. He blew it while running and elves stopped and stared at him with huge eyes, hearing that sound they all knew that something was terribly wrong.

It didn't take long before all the guards placed within the city limits came running and with them Glorfindel, he had been at the practice field and wore armour and two swords. He did look confused. "Erestor, what is wrong? Orcs?"

The librarian shook his head. "Two of the humans the dunedain brought in have been acting like true scum and now they have kidnapped Aytha, the elleth Elrond rescued"

Glorfindel just stared for a few seconds before he managed to understand what Erestor just had said. "What?! The redhead? But…"

Then he realized why they had taken the elleth and his eyes suddenly shot blue lightening. "Swine, where did they get her?"

Erestor told him and Glorfindel made a gesture, "Five of the guards, yes, you over there, follow me to the pond. We may be able to track them. The soil is hard and dry now but they have left some clues for sure, we are talking about humans here"

The five guards came over and Glorfindel was about to run off when they heard some commotion and a small group of ellith came running. One was crying and she held a shawl in her hands, it was blood on it. "My daughter, please, she was sitting in the garden embroidering and now she isn't there, I just found this"

Elrond came running now and he stopped dead in his tracks and went pale. "Eru no, not another one."

Glorfindel sneered. "I am gonna get them, oh by Morgoth's rotten teeth, I will kill them"

Elrond looked almost tired. "Then go, do it, get them. Please save the girl and Aytha, she…she is very precious to me"

The other guards just stared as Glorfindel ran off and Elrond gathered his thoughts and tried to look calm. "The rest of you, get out there and make sure that nobody leaves the valley, those bastards will not get away"

The Ellyn all nodded and took off and Elrond swallowed hard. The idea of a human trying to violate an elleth just made him sick, and the fact that it was someone he cared for made it even worse. He managed to stay strong but it took a lot of willpower. Erestor touched his shoulder, gently. "Glorfindel will find her, worry not. He knows this valley like the back of his hand, every rock and every tree"

Elrond nodded but his mind was reeling. Aytha probably had no idea of what abuse or rape was, if someone indeed went that far and committed such atrocious crimes against her he feared that her mind would break. And he had no idea of whether or not an elf of her race would fade from such violations, the way elves usually does. He wanted to go out there and look for her but knew he couldn't, he was the leader and had to stay there to keep an eye on everything, keep things organized. But he would much rather run off, and try to find her than sit there and just wait, possibly for the worst news imaginable.

The two humans had been drinking what was left in the jar, and now they were kneeling next to the young elleth, tearing her clothes off. Aytha heard her scream through the gag and she tried to free herself but wasn't strong enough for it. She fought well, but two strong men was too much for her and Aytha felt nauseous. Those two were fondling the young one in a manner she never had seen before, like she was a piece of meat and Aytha couldn't believe that someone could treat a female with such a lack of respect. One of the men got his pants down and the other held the dark haired elleth as his friend got on top of her and Aytha turned her head the other way, she couldn't watch. She just heard the other elleth's terrified screams and felt how the fear and the agony the young one was forced into made her tremble with fear for herself. The human let out a roar and the both of them laughed, the other one took his place and the elleth was just making these awful sounds now. Aytha knew she would be next and the only positive thing was that she wasn't a virgin, she knew what this was all about. But what these humans were doing was wrong, it was just incomprehensible to her. She couldn't wrap her head around that sort of behaviour, she just couldn't. She dared to turn her head and see, the other elleth just laid there now, not moving and quiet and her eyes were open and they were sort of empty, just staring into nothing. Aytha realized that she was dying and her own panic grew to a whole new level.

The two men repeated the foul deed a couple of times and the young one appeared to be unconscious, she was completely limp and didn't respond to anything and so the two got bored and started eying Aytha. She was already naked so there were no clothes to remove and they started to grope her and she growled and tried to head butt one of them as he bent down to try and kiss her neck. The human tried to pry her legs apart but she resisted with all her strength and she was strong, way stronger than the young one had been. She was well muscled and used to hard work and now it paid off. She managed to kick one of them in the gut and both swore and the other one hit her in the face, so hard she was seeing stars. They flipped her over and she realized that they tried to take her from behind so she did her outmost to keep her legs tightly locked together and her hips low. The two were so frustrated they were yelling at her and kept hitting her but she refused to give in, she would rather die than suffer the same fate as the other elleth and she would have bitten if she had managed to get rid of the gag. One of them smacked her across her rear and she shrieked and tried to squirm her way out of the ropes again.

That was when the wall of the hut seemed to almost disintegrate and Aytha looked up and saw a very tall male elf with long golden hair and striking blue eyes and he did look absolutely stunning but also frightening. He held two swords and his teeth were bared in a sneer. Behind him she did see several more elves and she let out a yell of relief, she was saved. The two men grabbed for their knives but a knife is little use against well armed elven warriors. Both were knocked to the ground and Aytha saw that the Ellyn noticed the young elleth and all looked stricken. The tall golden haired one walked over and knelt down, felt her neck and he closed his eyes with an expression of grief and agony on his face. Aytha understood that the young one was dead and she felt tears running down her face, it was horrible. One of the Ellyn cut the ropes holding her and wrapped his cloak around her and she stared at the tall golden one. She felt her heart skip some beats, by the ancestors, this was him. This was the one she was waiting for, she just knew it. Everybody knew that feeling, there was no way you could misinterpret it and she just sat there on the floor, gaping. She had found him, it was a miracle.

Glorfindel had been absolutely shocked by the fact that these humans had dared to lay their dirty hands on one of the elves, and tracking them had been rather easy whence they came to the pond and found the first footprints left by them, Glorfindel knew of this small canyon and he did also know of the hut and so he and the others had ran straight for it but they were too late to save the little one.

The sight of the dead elleth, with her empty eyes and bruises and the blood on her thighs almost made him lose it completely. He had seen too many dead elves in his life, and this reminded him of the attack on Gondolin. The two humans were held down and he saw that the other elleth, the one Elrond obviously fancied stared at him with an expression of awe on her face. He was used to that, many did look rather slack jawed when they realized who he was but she was reacting in a very odd manner. He had to look at her again, she was very exotic and very beautiful but that didn't affect him at all. Yet he had an odd sensation at the back of his head, like he did know her, he just didn't understand how? It was an annoying and nagging sensation, like trying to walk with a pebble in your boot and he shrugged and chose to ignore it. There were more important tasks at hand than staring at some elleth, no matter how pretty she was. But the feeling was pretty dang strong, oh he bet it was the shock talking, seeing a dead young one could really warp ones emotions for sure.

Aytha blinked, feeling confused, she stared at him as he went towards the two humans. Everybody knew how to react when they met a true mate? Nobody ever hesitated, it was unheard of? She felt it very strongly, that incredible urge which rushed through her entire being, the need to bond so that a new life could be conceived. She was almost panting with the sheer force of this primeval drive and he had to feel it too, so why didn't he come to her and take her hand, show the world that he accepted her and that he indeed was ready to be her mate? Could it be that he was busy and wanted to wait until things calmed down? Yes, of course, there it was. She smiled to herself, she was silly. He seemed to be a male of extremely high status and he probably had duties to perform before he could come to her. She relaxed, things were done differently here than back home, she had to understand this.

Glorfindel stared straight at the two humans, both had the audacity to swear at him and he stared straight at them, sneering. "You have violated one of our females, and she wasn't even come of age yet. She was a child damn it, and now she is dead because of you two monsters"

One of the men just shrugged. "She was probably older than us both"

Glorfindel knew that he had Elrond's trust and that he could act on behalf of the lord of Imladris when he needed to. "I shouldn't have to tell you this but the penalty for causing the death of one of us is death. "

The men paled. "Listen, it isn't our fault she couldn't take a little cock, she just passed out on us."

Glorfindel felt how white hot rage threatened to overwhelm him. "Elves do die if raped, a life which should have lasted all the ages of Arda has been cut short because of your filthy lusts. I am gonna enjoy sending you both to Namo, he will probably find a very suitable punishment for you. If there is justice in this world you will be reborn as the swine you are"

The two looked shocked. "It's just a woman, what does it matter?"

Glorfindel could hardly believe what he heard. "Just a woman? She is someone's daughter damn it, the sister of one of our best guards. We do not treat females like crap you son of an orc."

He waved his hand at one of the guards. "Take them outside, I want them to suffer before they die!"

Both men let out shrieks of protest and fear and struggled but they were dragged out of the hut and tied to a tree each. Aytha walked out of the hut on her own legs but she was wobbling and felt dizzy. The horror overwhelmed her, two guards wrapped the dead elleth in their cloaks and Aytha felt warm tears flowing down her cheeks still. It was just too horrible to describe and she felt an ice cold rage when she looked at the two men. They would have done the same to her as they did to the poor young one and she was both relieved she got away and horrified that this happened in the first place.

Glorfindel stood in front of the two, he used the tips of his swords to cut their pants so they fell off and both men stood there squirming and sweating, begging for mercy. The Ellyn present all looked as if they were carved from stone, their training prevented them from showing any emotions but Glorfindel felt them. All of them were furious and shocked and stricken with grief and disgust. He spun his blades in his hands, this day he had chosen two rather short swords, not much larger than the blades the wood elves preferred. They were incredibly sharp and he took a deep breath. "You robbed an innocent child of her life and her virtue. It is only just that you lose your manhood before you die!"

He did a swift move with one of the knives and the first man let out a piercing cry of agony and shock and stared down, blood was gushing from the wound where his genitalia had been and Glorfindel made a grimace and repeated the action on the other one. Both were screaming like stuck pigs and the golden haired warrior spat at them both. "You are nothing but scum, filth, lowlier than orcs. I loathe the ground you have stepped upon."

Both were fading fast due to the blood loss and the shock and he made a swift move yet again and decapitated them both. It felt good, like having removed a festering boil from an injured comrade. He put his blades back into their sheaths and nodded at the guards. "Cut the bodies down but leave them here, let the birds and the maggots feast"

He went over and lifted the covered body, carried it off with respect and one of the other Ellyn grasped Aytha and carried her. She kept staring at Glorfindel, why didn't he come to her? Why didn't he say her name, touch her, show everybody that she was his? She had never been so confused in all of her life and grief and shock mixed with the emotion and made her almost paralyzed, she just hung onto the one carrying her and she thought that if the shaman had lied to her it had been the most horribly wicked lie ever.

Elrond had been waiting with his nerves aching and his heart beating too fast, he was pacing back and forth and Erestor had rarely seen him so distraught before. He let out a yelp when he saw that Glorfindel entered the square carrying a covered body. He felt a sickening mixture of grief, shock and relief when he realized that it wasn't Aytha and then he felt guilty for the relief for it meant that an innocent young one had lost her life and it was just awful. He ran forth and saw that Aytha was being carried by one of the other guards, she did look very pale and her eyes were just too large and the expression within them one of pain. Glorfindel swallowed, his eyes were full of tears. "They raped her, those sons of bitches just…They are dead Elrond, I killed them"

Elrond nodded, he couldn't have cared less about the two men, they deserved it. He lifted the cloak from the dead elleth's face and had to groan and turn around, the expression of shock and fear in the eyes was still enough to make anyone cringe and he tried to stop himself from crying but couldn't. "Put her…put her in the infirmary. Erestor, please…inform her family..,"

Erestor nodded and went off and Elrond walked over to Aytha, she seemed completely passive and Glorfindel tried to smile. "We came just in the nick of time, they hadn't started…uh…using her yet"

Elrond let out a sigh of relief but there was no doubt that she was in shock and that the experience had been a horrible one and she had a peculiar expression on her face he just couldn't understand, it looked almost like disbelief. He lifted her out of the arms of the guard and carried her, Glorfindel dismissed the guards and told them to spread the news and Elrond ran to the infirmary. He had to check that she was okay, and he felt her heart beat too fast and tears ran down her face. She was cold and trembling and he couldn't lose her, no, that was not an option. Not now, not after all she had been through. She clung onto him like a burr, like a child seeking comfort from a parent and he whispered soothing words to her as they almost ran. Her scent was in his nose and he felt her warmth and had to fight the urge to hold her even tighter. She kept staring at Glorfindel though, and her expression was one of hopeless longing and he felt his heart sink within his chest. How many females hadn't fallen for the golden haired captain? Or males for that matter? They all ended up being heartbroken and he closed his eyes in sorrow. Please, don't fall in love with him, his inner voice was pleading with her even though she couldn't hear him. It would break him to see her tormented thus, pining for someone who wouldn't even look at her. That would be just cruel , the valar couldn't be that wicked now could they?

They rushed into the infirmary and Glorfindel went to a room where they kept corpses, someone would come to wash and prepare the deceased one before the family was allowed to see the body and Elrond carried Aytha to the examination room. She was still passive, trembling and sobbing and he stroked her hair and wished to Eru that he could have spoken to her, and made her understand. He put her down on a bench and she didn't protest as he removed the cloak she was wrapped in, She had some marks from the ropes, some bruises and cuts but nothing serious and he let out a sigh of relief when he understood that the two humans indeed had been stopped before they had time to violate her. He gave her a cup of wine with some sedative in it and then he just crossed his fingers and hoped that she would be able to put it behind her.

Aytha kept staring at the door where the golden haired one had disappeared, she almost whimpered. Where was he? He had to feel it too, there was no way he didn't feel the pull! It couldn't be fought, everybody knew that. She did know of a few who had tried since they just didn't like each other but that didn't end well. Usually both ended up getting physically ill and she had heard horror stories since she was a child. When you met someone who was a true mate you had to do what the urge bid you to do. And to her people that was a joyous thing, a thing most wonderful and what they all longed for. A terrible thought entered her mind, what if these elves didn't feel it at all? What if they were too different? She almost wailed and rocked back and forth, what if he thought she was ugly? The mere idea made her feel chilled to the bone, the shaman hadn't mentioned her meeting anyone else capable of being a true mate to her, this was her one chance.

Elrond saw that she was very upset for some reason and he tried to comfort her but she kept sobbing and crying and he wished he knew why. Was it the kidnapping which had caused it? Glorfindel returned, he did look very sad and Elrond knew that this had had quite an impact on him. Imladris had been safe for ages, and now this… It was a terrible shock to them all and he feared that the captain would blame himself for not having recognized the danger earlier. Elrond saw that Aytha was staring at Glorfindel yet again, her eyes huge with some sort of hope and longing mixed into one and he sighed. Glorfindel on the other hand ignored her but he too had a peculiar expression on his face, and he seemed to look at her whenever she looked away. The captain turned his back to the elleth and made a grimace. "We left the bodies to rot, they don't deserve better. The family of the young one is coming soon, they are apparently in shock. I fear they may leave for the havens rather soon"

Elrond nodded and he heard Aytha sob again. Glorfindel made a small gesture. "How is she doing?"

Elrond grimaced. "Not too good, I don't think her race even has a word for what almost happened to her, violating someone like that is unheard of I bet."

Glorfindel frowned. "But she knows death right, and sorrow too. She'll overcome it for sure"

Elrond sighed and frowned. "Tell me friend, how do you explain evil to someone who has no idea of what that is? She has encountered death yes, horrible deaths too but never deliberate wickedness. To her the act of wilfully hurting someone has to be completely alien. I fear the shock of witnessing what happened to poor Lauriel may become a mental trauma"

Glorfindel shrugged and turned to leave. "You can fix her, I have faith in you. I have to debrief the troops now, good luck with the little one's family"

Elrond felt how his mood took a dive for the worse and Aytha let out a small wail as Glorfindel left, she stared after him with an expression of utter disbelief, as if she had expected him to stay there. Elrond found a dressing gown and put her into it, she just let herself be dressed like a doll and then he carried her back to her rooms. She seemed so terribly sad and he wished that he could understand her better.

He put her to bed and stayed until she did fall asleep, then he returned to the infirmary just in time to comfort a group of sobbing and wailing elves and trying to explain to them why this had happened to their beloved one was hard. Elves have no feeling of desire directed towards those so young, to be attracted to someone not yet mature is simply unthinkable and Elrond knew that they still didn't understand, even after his explanation. But Glorfindel was right, most of the family would leave as soon as possible and Elrond could do nothing to stop them. He did tidy up the infirmary before he went to his office to write down a report of the incident. Afterwards he was going to return to his own chambers but he decided to drop by Aytha first, to see how she was faring. She was in bed as he had left her and asleep and he stood there, staring at her. He had to be careful, so so careful. His heart was in jeopardy here and his reaction to her capture told him that he already was way too emotionally involved. But what could he do, he had to help her adapt and she seemed to trust him. Did he have the self-discipline needed to stay calm and cool and at a distance? He had no idea, and by Eru, he didn't really want to find out.

Glorfindel also went to his own chambers when he had finished his duties, he found some food and wine and sat down to eat but his appetite sort of waned away. He kept seeing that dead elfling and it made his stomach churn. He had never thought that he would see another death like that again, ever! He had never had any true opinions when it came to humans, some were noble and others not so much so but now he had seen a side of them he just loathed. He managed to finish his meal and emptied a half full bottle of wine, then he laid down. He missed Belegorno who was out on patrol, he would have felt better with the familiar warmth of his lover next to him. But that other ellith. Aytha, her face sort of hung in his thoughts all the time and he had this weird sensation still. It was actually very annoying and he kept squirming for more than an hour. What was it with that female? Yes, she was what the others would define as attractive but he was not attracted to females, he surely had tried to sleep with ellith but it hadn't really been that good. He was afraid he would harm them since he was rather passionate whence aroused and he found the muscular bodies of his fellow warriors to be much more attractive. But she wouldn't leave his mind and he remembered what he had seen in the hut.

He swore and cracked open another bottle of wine, drained it and laid down again, he had this peculiar ache within his body, and he felt as if there was something he ought to do, but what? And why? What had she done to him? He had never felt thus before, it had something to do with that redhead for sure. He remembered the expression in her eyes when she saw him and wondered why in Eru's name she had looked so thrilled, did she know something he didn't? He did finally fall asleep, feeling as if he had been fighting a hard battle.

Aytha had a horrible night, she was seeing nightmare visions of the horrible deed done to the young one and she was back in the hut again, tied up and helpless. Then she saw how the ice had ruined her entire world and she wailed with sorrow and despair. She saw that tall golden haired one and felt his indifference as he turned his back on her, it hurt. It hurt more than she could have imagined that something ever would and she sobbed and wept. If he didn't feel it she was forced to endure this with no relief, there had been no case of this ever, someone feeling the pull and the other part of the couple being oblivious to it. It was impossible, or was it? These elves could be completely different from her people and she let out a long wail of sorrow, she should have died, it would have been better. If he didn't feel it she would just have to suffer, and she had no idea of for how long.

Perhaps she simply was too different from the elves here? Her body was not as that of the females of this tribe, that was for sure. She had been so proud of her womanly figure but here it was obviously seen as odd. She wept herself to sleep yet again, the ache in her heart relentless and piercing. She could have been so good to him, and their cubs would be so lovely and strong, she was sure of it.

Elrond got up late, he was feeling tired and strangely out of focus, there was something tearing into his mind but he didn't quite know what. He got dressed and had some tea, Erestor came by to deliver some reports and he told that the dunedain had been shocked by the thing the two men had done. They had known that the two had been of dubious moral but they hadn't imagined that they would go that far. The dead elleth would be burned that evening and the family would leave within the end of the week, Elrond couldn't blame them for that, it was understandable. He walked to the infirmary, his mood a dark one. Elladan and Elrohir had ridden off to inspect the guards by the main entrance to the valley so they were not going to pester him that day, and it was a good thing. He entered and found Aytha sitting on the floor in a corner, her eyes red and her cheeks streaked by tears. His anger dissipated right away, he knelt down and offered her a hand. She looked like a wounded soul, and his empathy and compassion made him forget his own misery.

Aytha sniffled and took his hand, she whimpered and her face was so sad, so terribly so. He reached out and pulled back some lose locks of bright auburn hair and she let out a small gasp. "I wish you could have told me what the problem is little one, what is ailing you?"

She tilted her head and sighed, her expression told of great despair and he embraced her gently. "If you only could speak our language young one, I wish I could help you"

Aytha sort of understood what he was saying, but she had no way of answering it. She leaned her head against his shoulder and tried to at least say something. "Ugly?!"

The voice was so sad and he frowned, the word was not one he recognized and she tried again, it sounded like a cats meow as usual and he had to really twist his brain to understand what she was trying to say. "Ugly? No, you are not ugly Aytha, what makes you think that?"

She closed her eyes and sighed, he didn't see the problem now did he? Her true mate had rejected her, why? What was wrong with her? Elrond did understand that something had upset her and that it was rather serious, had she developed a crush on Glorfindel? Valar forbid, that would only bring misery. He tried to gently push her back towards the bed, she ought to eat and he wondered if he ought to give her some herbs known to help against depression. Aytha suddenly did a quick move and put her arms up around his neck and held him like that, obvious in need of comfort and he tried to turn them around but tripped on the carpet and they both ended up on the bed in a heap. Aytha landed on top of him and she giggled and blushed and Elrond squeaked, having her laying on top of him wasn't unpleasant but she was so warm and soft and he realized that he was tempted like few times before. She was wearing just a dressing gown and it had opened up so he had her chest resting uncovered against his own and he stared down and had to swallow hard.

He had seen her breasts before, as a healer would. But he was unable to enter that state now, in this moment he was flesh and blood and nothing more and he let out a gasp, he was at the end of his self-control. Aytha looked down, she saw that his eyes had turned dark and she could smell that his thoughts had changed too, she ground her hips against his just to test it out and she let out a gasp as she felt him harden against her. A rush of sheer delight filled her, she wasn't unattractive after all! When such a high ranking male wanted her there was still hope. Elrond tried to lift her off him but that had an unwelcome side effect, she sort of slid forwards and he got her charms pressed against his face as she tried to sit up. He had never even looked at other females after Celebrian left, he had always been proud of his self-discipline. But now that was crumbling like a rotten wall for a cave troll, he let out a thin grunt and then he leaned forward, nuzzled the temptations straight in front of him.

Aytha gasped and closed her eyes in sheer bliss, yes! She was strong again, more than ready for a male and she had missed being intimate with someone. This was nothing like the things she had seen the day before and she just gave into her need. She pulled him up so she sat straddling his hips and Elrond surrendered. He grasped onto her, the robe went flying and he started to kiss and lick her nipples. Aytha gasped and arched into the touch, her eyes dark with need and she started to tear at his clothes.

Elrond knew it was wrong, by every one of the valar it was wrong but he couldn't resist, his hands were caressing warm skin and he helped her getting his clothes out of the way, He was almost mad with impatience, the onslaught of sheer lust too strong to be fought back and he flipped them over and got her under him. He kissed her, and she answered it with just as much hunger as him and the sensation was simply indescribable, Eru it was too good, it simply took his breath away. He pushed a hand down between her legs and found her wet and ready and from that second his mind simply went blank. He had no control anymore, no conscious thoughts. She wrapped her legs around him with surprising strength and he slid into her with a hoarse roar. Aytha squealed, arching back, eyes closed with relief and joy and she followed his rhythm perfectly. Her hands grasped onto his butt, as if she wanted him to go even deeper and harder and it was so good he thought he could just die from it. Celebrian had never been this unrestrained, this free.

Aytha knew she had been right when she assumed that he would be amazing in bed, he was. He gave her sensations she never had felt before and before long she felt her climax burst through her body, making her tremble all over. She would have screamed if he hadn't kissed her to muffle the sound, and she heard him groan and almost growl as he followed her into absolute ecstasy. She let out a final wail of pleasure and relaxed, almost giddy with happiness. Surely this was all the proof she needed, there had to be some other reason why the golden one hadn't come to her. Perhaps he had some partner who would refuse to accept it if he followed the urge? It would be alright, she was sure it would sort itself out. She had been bedded by the male with the highest status within this valley, that ought to make her extremely sought after by the others, and she would probably be claimed by her true mate rather soon. She closed her eyes and dozed off, satisfied and happy.

Elrond laid there and tried to gather his thoughts, he felt both elated and terrible at the same time. He had cheated on Celebrian, and he had become intimate with a patient, both things were horrible in his mind. But at the same time it had felt so right, so terribly so and he couldn't regret it, not completely. He hadn't felt such pleasure for centuries and he sort of felt that he belonged with her, but by Eru, how was he to explain this to everybody else? And what did she think of it? The risk was that she saw this as just a moment of pleasure and naught more, after all her people had no idea of what monogamy was, and that would leave him with a lot of heartache. He already knew he was in love with her, whether or not he did love her for real was too early to say but he feared that he was trying to fool himself if he tried to pretend that this was a mere crush.

He saw that she had fallen asleep and he covered her gently with blankets and got redressed. His body still hummed with the aftermath of his pleasure and his legs felt weak and wobbly and yet he felt physically better than in a long time. He combed through his hair, smeared some ointment onto the scratches she had given him and felt a surge of pride. He had really managed to satisfy her and that was nothing to just ignore. He sprayed some perfume onto his robes, he still smelled of sex and had no time for a bath. He almost ran to the office and was stopped at the door by Lindir who held an envelope in his hand. The sweet minstrel smiled. "This letter just arrived, it is from Lothlorien"

Elrond felt a sting of worry, could something be wrong with his daughter? He opened it and read it and then he went pale and had to lean against the wall. He had gone from the ashes and into the fire, Galadriel was coming, following Arwen back home. And his former mother in law would know of this, as sure as the water was wet! He closed his eyes and groaned, Eru, he had truly messed things up royally now. How was he to explain this to the lady of the golden forest? He was a dead ellon for sure!

Sorry it has been so long since the last update, I am working on a novel and have a deadline and so I have had to prioritize that but as soon as it is finished I will update my stories more often.

I have gotten the idea for the "pull" and true mates from Elfquest, I guess it works a bit like recognition in that comic series. Fighting it is futile.