Dear Readers,

Thank you so much for all of your support so far! I think that as far as the question of whether or not there will be smut in this chapter goes, it was nice to hear about what you all thought! This chapter DOES contain light smut that is not graphic or extremely explicit that it would deter from anything happening in the story.

Thanks again for all of your support, I love you all very much and am gracious to all the help and assistance you have given!

XOXO Ally Layne

***FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DO NOT CARE TO READ, IT IS X-RATED AFTER PERSIE SAYS "SHOW ME," SO SKIM THE FEW PARAGRAPHS AFTER THAT AND THEN CONTINUE TO READ***

Do Not Go Gentle

Chapter 47: When Pieces Come Together

"Persephone?"

Hm?

"Nemir, please come back to us-"

Glorfindel? I haven't gone anywhere-

"Neneth, wake up-"

Don't you call me Neneth-

"Can you open your eyes?"

What are eyes? Oh, yes, now I know. I can try.

Connections between my mind and my body started to be created once more, like a game of Tetris. Or Jenga. There were missing pieces, but it had to be stable and put together well enough to stand. To function.

My eyelids snaked open, just enough for my eyes to see two noses, one for each eye. How odd.

I breathed, then look up to see a world of eyes staring down at me.

One hand was on my cheek. It was warm.

My mouth moved. "How long have I-"

Bright blue eyes, red around the edges, looked down at me under a curtain of golden hair. "Two minutes. Long enough for us to worry, for me to worry."

I blinked. Glorfindel, the one I loved, was holding my cheek in the palm of his hand as if I were a crystal vase that was worth more than the palace itself. I felt my hand sneak up to caress his own cheek, and nearly gasped when I felt the wetness that still remained from tears he must've shed.

"I'm sorry, Goldilocks," I spoke, rubbing my thumb underneath his eye. His head nestled into my palm, just like a purring cat begging for more of my touch.

"Do you need some water?" Aldarian's voice asked, coming from one of my sides. I blinked. I had totally forgotten that Glorfindel and I weren't the only people in the room- or, really, in this world.

I looked over to smile softly at my friend, at the desire to help me wrapped within his eyes. "Yeah, that'd be nice."

My eyes wheeled around to see that Elrond was doing another check of my wounds and working on healing the new stab wound that I got from my would-be murderer. I let out a quaint sigh when I felt the tingling feeling of my skin slowly stitching back together as Elrond used water to assist his healing, and closed my eyes again.

It was a nice little bed. Way too comfortable to stay awake. I wonder who picked me up off the floor? They deserve a high five.

"Do not go to sleep, Nemir," Glorfindel scolded, patting my cheek lightly with the hand that still remained. "You still need to get your head checked."

I blinked. "And what about-"

"Her? She's here, I knocked her out and Elrohir and Elladan are working on bringing her back to consciousness so we can question her."

"I can't believe it wasn't Mirwen," I admitted, letting my hand drop from Glorfindel's perfect features while I sulked at my mistake. "I was so sure…"

Goldilocks's eyes narrowed. "She still has done horrible things to you as well as other Ladies of the court and should still be punished."

I rolled my head over to stare at Elrond expectantly. "What do you have to say for that, Lord of Imladris?"

Elrond placed a pack of ice on my healing wound before looking up. "You should not have suffered through what you did. Lord Glorfindel pointed out what has happened to you at Lady Mirwen's hands, and that is enough to force her out. I should have stepped in earlier, and I am sorry."

I reached out to pat his hand kindly. "You did the right thing. If you'd had stepped in, I think things would've gotten worse."

Aldarian returned holding a glass of water, which I quickly downed like a champ, and handed back to the stunned blond elf. "Care to get me a refill?"

He mockingly bowed, making me let out a giggle that ended up hurting my head. "Anything for you, my fair Lady."

I grinned. "Goldilocks, you've got some competition."

He ran his fingers through my dark hair, which had been properly washed and combed through by Arwen just hours before. "I do not think Lord Aldarian would dare cross me for your hand, Persephone."

The purr of my name that came from his lips made my body all tingly inside. Some places more than others. "Okay, you win."

Glorfindel leaned down and placed a light kiss upon my forehead. "Normally it takes much longer to hear those words, Nemir. Perhaps your head is hurt far more than we thought."

I rolled my eyes, already feeling the effects of both the water and Lord Elrond's healing. By morning I doubted I would even feel a thing. "I'm fine, Goldfish. Stop antagonizing me."

He leaned back with a tinge of hurt in his eyes. You'd have to know him well enough to see it, but it was there. "Forgive me you have finally returned after being kidnapped and nearly beaten to death by Slave Traders, and only coming to find that once you return you are nearly killed again by the one who sought to get rid of you in the first place!"

I winced. "Perhaps you should lower your voice, I'm still concussed."

His hands flung up in the air. "Exactly!"

The sound of the door to the healing halls opening made my gaze snap to see Geoffry walking in with Estel at his side. I smiled as they walked over to my bed, and Geoffry quickly paid his condolences for my condition.

"It will take a lot more than this to get rid of me, Geoffry," I told him, making his own smile widen.

Estel smirked. "That would not surprise me. You are quite a tough young woman, and I have a feeling I have only witnessed a small part of your strength."

I fluttered my eyes up at the Ranger, making the big goldenrod next to me groan. "Why, Estel, you never fail to flatter me."

Much to trying to get a rise out of the Ranger- he remained unchanged. "I try, Lady Persephone."

"The Lady's mother is being escorted to the halls, Lord Elrond. She will be here for the questioning," Geoffry quickly updated.

My eyes flitted over to where the Lady in question was being woken up and noticed her breathing pick up. "She's waking," I warned them, and quickly placed my hand on Glorfindel's. "Don't do anything stupid."

He looked down at me with his bright eyes full of anger, pain, and… was that love? "I will not be leaving your side, Nemir. Lord Elrond is taking control of her questioning."

One of my eyebrows raised in inquiry.

He sighed. "Apparently I am too close to the subject matter and should let my Lord handle things."

I choked out a laugh. "That sounds more like it."

We turned to see what was going on on the other side of the halls where she was kept. When her eyes opened, I felt my stomach drop, and my hand clenched onto Glorfindel's. The pain of the dagger slicing through my shoulder was enough to make me want to pelt her with all the water from the falls and let her drown.

Glorfindel squeezed my hand back, taking me out of the violent thoughts that probably weren't too far from his own.

"Why is my daughter being restrained!"

"Lady Hel-"

"There is no reason why she should be-"

"My Lady-"

"She has done nothing wrong!"

Lady Heliel stalked into the room, leading a group of guards who were jogging to keep up with her pace. Immediately, her beady eyes narrowed in on me. "Her! She is the one who ruined everything!"

I scoffed. "What, your plan to marry your daughter to this hot stuff?" I gestured to Glorfindel at my side, who merely chose to ignore the comment and kept glaring at the Lady in front of us. "Your plan to kill me off and launch your daughter at him when he was weak?"

He let out a huff. "Not that weak," he muttered at my side.

I reached out to smack his arm. "Now's not the time, Goldilocks."

The guards quickly restrained Lady Heliel, who I now noticed had her hands in shackles, when she tried to lunge at me. "You should not even be here! You half-breed bitch! You do not deserve him!"

"Nana, shut up!"

Everyone looked over at Lady Calen, my would-be murderer, who was sitting on her bed with tears streaking down her face. Her dark eyes quickly moved to meet mine, and I shifted uncomfortably at the amount of hate that lay within them.

"You! Persephone, the perfect Persephone! I have put up with Mirwen's shit for years, and then when you walk in, he was completely subdued by your… your… wicked spells! Your powers are disgusting and have placed Lord Glorfindel to do your bidding! He was supposed to be mine!"

I blinked. "Lady, with all due respect, you're completely fucked in the head."

I vaguely noticed Lady Heliel lunging at me from the corner of my eye, and completely ignored that lack of threat. They're both completely insane. Bonkers. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree in their family, it seems.

"I hate you!" Calen screeched, fighting the restraints, and I raised a brow when a faint groan coming from the wicker bed could be heard. "YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't think it was me that ruined everything, you psychotic bitch."

"So you admit to telling the Slavers about Persephone Jackson?" Lord Elrond asked, glaring down at the elleth. "You admit to having my son nearly murdered for the sake of another male?"

"Of course I did! I had no other choice!" Calen glared up at Elrond darkly. "You are no better than that half breed dog over there." She nodded her head in my direction. "You should have never brought her here. She belongs in a grave. She needs to die!"

Glorfindel placed a hand on my uninjured shoulder, gripping it tightly. I looked over at him to see that he was paler than normal and was gritting his teeth in anger. My hand immediately moved to the top of his, trying to give him any comfort he needed.

"I'm okay," I wanted to tell him. "I'm here. I'm alive."

"Everyone acknowledges that she confesses to her crimes?" Elrond spoke out, receiving nods from his sons, Aldarian, Geoffry, and Glorfindel. "Good. Lady Calen, you are under arrest for not only treasonous words spoken to me and treasonous actions against my ward but for attempted murder three times over."

Her glare darkened. "You will get what is coming to you. All of you!"

The room immediately became shrouded in darkness.

Glorfindel jumped over the bed and used his inner light to shine through the darkness of the room, making both Lady Heliel and Calen screech. I had to cover my ears from the ringing of the sound, and nearly jumped when I saw the two coming my way, restraints gone, with blood in their eyes.

I screamed, shooting out my hands and breaking the pitchers of water and sending everything I had in their direction. It blasted them harshly into the wall behind them with a horrific thunk that sent everyone quiet.

I used what was left of the water to latch them to the wall like shackles only I could control.

"Where is this coming from?" Glorfindel called out as he was still fighting against the darkness that targetted the two of us.

The others were stuck on the outside of whatever invisible forcefield that darkness was able to create, and I couldn't hear anything from the outside. It was like a soundproof barrier meant to keep us in. And to feed.

My eyes snapped over to where the two ellyth were still struggling against their restraints. "It's them," I muttered. "It's coming from them! Focus on them!"

Glorfindel heard me from the roaring and screams of the darkness surrounding us and moved his power to direct itself toward Calen and Heliel, who were weakening greatly against their bonds.

"It's getting weaker!" I exclaimed, watching as he used his light to encompass them and drive every bit of darkness out. It was fluid and vitalizing, bringing color back to the skin of the ellyth who had looked so ill.

Without a tether, the darkness fled.

And in moments, the barrier broke, the darkness was gone, leaving two passed out ellyth restrained against the wall, with Glorfindel and I leaning heavily against each other, gasping for breath.

"Well, that was interesting," I said with a yawn. "Let's never do this again."

I let the two ellyth drop from the wall and slump on the ground. "That sounds like a good strategy to me, Nemir," Glorfindel spoke, mostly into my ear.

I shivered and started to make myself comfortable as the others moved and started to go and restrain the two ellyth, trying to make sense of the mess. Elrond and Glorfindel shared a look.

Immediately, Glorfindel's arms wrapped around me and jolted me into his arms as he stood from his position at my side, and started to walk toward the door. "I will bring her back to her chambers," he spoke. "I will see to it that she is safe this night."

The twinkle in Lord Elrond's eye told me that everything was over. I was safe once more.

On the way to my room, Glorfindel spoke to me in a low voice, "I thought you were dead when they found the charred body."

I let out a hum in acknowledgment as I played with the ends of his hair.

"I realized then that I never said the words to you I have been meaning to speak for so long."

My eyes looked up to meet his. "What?"

A sigh escaped his perfectly sculpted lips. "I do not want you to feel as though you have any obligation to me-"

"I love you."

The hand that was fiddling with his hair immediately flew to cover my mouth, but the words were out and there was no taking it back. But for some reason, I found myself not really wanting to ever take them back.

His bright blue eyes blinked. "Wait…" Those blue orbs widened as his nervous smile turned into a large, open grin that lit up the passage. "Are… are you serious?"

I let out a laugh. "I love you, Lord Glorfindel of the House of the Golden Flower. Even though it's a really weird name for a house-"

His laugh echoed through the canyons as he sat me down on my feet and took me properly into his arms. I let myself drape my own arms around his neck, pulling him even closer. "You ridiculous woman. I am so in love with you, and we have barely even begun," he voiced, leaning his forehead against mine.

"This is a new chapter just waiting to start," I told him, eyes twinkling as I remembered the woman who had given me life.

He chuckled, eyeing my lips that moved closer to his. "No," he shook his head against mine, smile as wide and bright as the moon. "This is an entirely new book, Nemir."

And then he kissed me.

It was as if I had never been kissed before.

His lips tingled heavenly against mine, urging me to fall into his arms, allowing him to hold me up. His tongue briefly fluttered against the crevice of my lips, and I opened them at the invitation.

His taste was magnificent. He was magnificent.

Our bodies seemed to battle against each other, pushing and pulling as we stumbled our way to my room, where he opened the door and we fell in. Completely and utterly surrounded by bliss, it was only when I nearly tripped over the chair in my sitting area that we pulled apart.

I looked up at him, he looked down at me.

His hands glazed my arms, running up from my hands to my shoulders, then back down. I let out a small moan of contentment and found myself leaning into his chest.

"Thank the Valar you came to me," he muttered against the top of my head.

I looked up, chin against his chest, to see the glittering promise of a wonderful future in his eyes. "Thank the Valar they led me to you."

With that, I took his shoulders and pulled him down once more to meet my lips with his own, and my heart sang. I quickly pulled him away, realizing just exactly was bound to happen if we could continue the way we were going.

To be honest, I found myself perfectly okay with it.

"Do you want…" my question trailed off, as I looked up to see a smirk placed upon his lips.

"Do you want this?"

I bit my lip at his question.

Then nodded.

He smiled, moving closer to me and carefully taking my hands in his. "Have you done this before?"

I looked up at him sheepishly. "Am I that obvious?"

Glorfindel chuckled, one hand running his fingers through my hair, the other fingering the bottom of my tunic. "No, I just think I know you rather well, meleth nin."

I tilted my head. "I've never heard that one before."

He let out a low hum, placing his forehead back against mine. "Good."

I giggled before leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. "What does it mean?"

His eyes looked into mine, staring deep into the farthest depths my mind has to offer. "In Westron it would mean, love of mine," he crooned, brushing a kiss against the lobe of my ear, sending shivers down my spine and I felt my eyes shut from the sweet sensation.

I took a deep, shaky breath. Then, I met his eyes. "Show me."

Clothes quickly scattered around the floor, and we burned between the sheets.

I gave him all of me.

He gave me all of him.

With every purifying thrust I met him with my own, holding onto his shoulders and running my hands through his golden locks. His hands ran across my skin, leaving little sparks that ignited the flame inside of my chest.

I never burned so brightly, I never felt so… whole. A missing piece inside of me was filled, and I never wanted to let him go.

I finished before he did. I remember learning in a distant world that women don't always get to find completion with their lovers. But Glorfindel had thousands of years to perfect this art, yet he made me feel more than just another girl in his long immortal life.

When he rolled off, still catering to my needs as we cleaned up after ourselves, my body never lingered far from his touch. Whatever the feeling I was experiencing, I knew he was feeling it too.

This was just so… perfect. I never thought I could feel this way. And from these sickening cliche thoughts, I just wanted to go punch a few orcs to get my groove back.

But I suppose that can wait for tomorrow.

"How do you feel?" He asked as he curled up next to me. Glorfindel had helped me slip on a nightdress that fell just past my knees. He had put his trousers back on. I was silently grateful- I hadn't had too many encounters with naked men to know what to do with myself.

"Like I should be praying to the Valar and thanking them for bringing me to you," I spoke into his shoulder, laying kisses on the glowing skin.

His chuckle made my heart skip a beat, as I curled closer into him. I hoped I would never stop feeling this way. I hoped this feeling never got old, waxed, or waned. I wanted to keep this moment and make it last forever.

If only Time was that kind.

"I am glad you enjoyed it," he told me before turning to place a chaste kiss on my lips. "I do not think I will ever get enough of you, meleth nin."

I looked deeply into his eyes. "I've never felt so loved."

He smiled softly and carefully caressed my cheek. "You deserve every bit of it, Nemir."

And I believed him, as my eyes fluttered closed and a dreamless sleep overtook me.

That night, I had no nightmares.

I had put myself back together again.

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-End of Part 1-

Part 2's Journey Begins August 1st, 2020

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See you soon.