"Celeborn!" The second Celeborn's head appeared above the surface of the
still water in the cavern, Galadriel was on her feet. He exited the water
and hurried towards her. He didn't have to hurry at all; she was already
very near him anyway. Galadriel threw her arms around the sopping wet,
handsome elf she had been waiting to see again for what seemed like an
eternity. He held her and she buried her face into his wet tunic and
inhaled deeply. Celeborn laughed.
"What are you doing?" He asked. She looked up at him, her eyes full of joy. He didn't wait for an answer. He loosened his arms from around her, and she kissed him as though he had just come back from a war and narrowly escaped death. He returned the kiss and then broke it off.
"Why are you always the first one to move away?" She asked, sounding somewhat disappointed. Celeborn laughed.
"Oh Galadriel, let me put down the package of Lembas, my robe and my bow, then I will kiss you for as long as you like." She laughed. He took out the cloak and laid it on the stone floor. By this time, Galadriel was standing against the wall. He stood up and made his way slowly to her. She gave him a seductive look and moved farther away. Celeborn grinned.
"All right, if you insist!" He broke into a run and cornered her as quick as a flash. He held her around the waist and looked at her lovely face. "I'm sorry Milady, I think you are trapped in my arms," He said playfully. She did not smile.
"Do you think I mind?" She was serious. He stopped smiling as well. Galadriel put her arms around his neck and pressed herself up to him. He held her for a while, but tilted her face to his, concerned, when he noticed that she seemed to be crying.
"Galadriel, what is it?" The tears spilled down her face.
"Orodreth told me that he is not going to allow me to be with you..that's why I ran away." She closed her eyes and sobbed into his shoulder. He stroked her hair before answering.
"Well, I would not be here if Orodreth hadn't allowed me to be." She looked up, surprised.
"What did you say to him?" She asked. Her tears had ceased falling. Celeborn chuckled.
"I said nothing to Orodreth. I talked to Melian and she talked to Orodreth, and he said he would consider it. But then, the search party came back without you. And he told me that he would allow it. And if I found you, I was to take you back and we would stand in front of your four brothers, and 'Argue our case'. They will decide about us." She grinned.
"Then it is alright! I know they will allow it!" She exclaimed, kissing him on the cheek. He smiled and kissed her neck, then below her ear, then her cheek, again and again, gradually moving to her mouth. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, licking his lower lip. When his mouth opened, their tongues seemed to have lives of their own as they twirled around each other. It was Galadriel who pulled away first. She sighed gently and played with his near-dry hair. When she finished, she moved in for another kiss, but he stopped her.
"What will happen when you leave? And your brothers may not approve. You know this may not work." She kissed him softly and quickly. He breathed into her ear.
"It will work. It has to. We can make it work." She murmured to his hair. He smiled and his hands reached down to play with the embroidery on the waist of her dress.
~*~
"Did you bring a comb by any chance? I seem to have misplaced mine." She asked him after changing into a fresh outfit. Celeborn held one up.
"Yes, I did bring one. Would you like to brush your own hair or shall I?" He asked, walking over to her. She grinned.
"You can do it." She replied. She turned her back to him and stood still, feeling the gentle tugs on her hair as Celeborn pulled the comb through. When he finished, he pecked her on the cheek before lifting the comb to his own hair. Galadriel stopped his hand and took the comb out of it. She turned him around and smoothed his hair a little before starting to brush it. Celeborn stood, frozen. He had brushed Luthien's hair before, but no- one had ever brushed his hair except him. He soon loosened up, however. The feeling was so calming.
After they had a short swim and meal of Lembas, Celeborn was lying on his cloak, spread out on the stone. Galadriel had been dangling her feet in the water. When his eyes were closed, she stood up and walked over to Celeborn. She stroked his face and kissed his bare chest. He opened his eyes and grabbed her, much to her delight. He pulled her on top of him. She lay there quietly for a few minutes.
"Why is there a tradtion?" She asked. Celeborn looked puzzled.
"What tradition?"
"The tradition that says elves should be laid for the first time on their wedding night or after."
"It makes perfect sense. The first time is said to be special. The couple need to be in love, and marriage is a way of confirming that. With marriage, you can be sure about who you will share the gift of love with, and there is rarely a mistake made." He said. Her head jerked up.
"What makes you think that you won't be the one?" She asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. He looked back at her, his grey eyes soft.
"I'm hoping I will be." He replied. She rolled her eyes.
"You will be. I love you. I will have no other." She looked at him. He laughed.
"How can you be so sure? This may not work, no matter how much we want it to." He replied.
"How can you be so negative?" She retorted. Celeborn shifted, but he did not let go of Galadriel.
"I am not being negative. I am being rational. You are being hopeful." He said. She sighed.
"You are right, again. But it cannot hurt to hope, can it?" She asked. He blinked and pulled her closer.
"No. It cannot." The lovers closed their eyes.
~*~
Galadriel awoke during the night. She did not know what had woken her up. She had obviously fallen asleep before Celeborn, because she did not recall him lie down and cover them with his cloak. She had her legs wrapped around Celeborn's waist, and his arms were holding her to him. She sighed. She wished that they didn't have to hide their love from the world. She snuggled closer to Celeborn and tried to fall asleep again.
~*~
"So when are we planning to leave?" Celeborn asked. Galadriel looked horrified.
"Not today!" She wailed. Celeborn grinned.
"No, I wasn't planning on today, Milady." He said calmly. He simply looked at her, his face serious. She looked back at him, and they had an uncalled for staring contest. Galadriel would've won, if she had not laughed in the last few moments. Celeborn heaved a sigh. Then he let out the laugh that Galadriel loved so much.
"Catch me if you can, Cele!" She called, turning around and jumping into the water. Celeborn grinned. No problem. He pulled off his robe and dived in after her. He looked around and spied the white tail of Galadriel's dress floating behind a boulder. He swam past, pretending to be looking for her. He sensed movement behind him and spun around. Her eyes widened in surprise as he grabbed her and swam with his arm around her waist.
iYou don't have to hold me you know. I am perfectly able to hold onto you./i
Celeborn started slightly. He hadn't expected her to have a mind- conversation, as he called it. And as far as he knew, only lovers and family members could communicate in that way. iWait a minute. We are lovers. And we may even be distantly related../i
He spoke back.iI doubt it.
Are you challenging me?/i She questioned.
iMaybe./i He replied. She grinned widely.
iFine. Watch me./i He slowed his pace a little while slackening his grip on her. She put her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist. He raised his eyebrows.
iNot bad, Milady./i
iBut?/i She pressed.
iBut I believe that I should hold you as well. You know, just to be on the safe side. Not because I want to or anything, but I do not want you to fall../ihe trailed off. Galadriel simply smiled and tightened her arms. Celeborn's arm crept around her waist. He looked at his arm as though it was acting of its own will. Galadriel laughed, emitting bubbles. Celeborn kicked off from the lake floor and swam in the direction of the cave. As he swam, Galadriel's hands travelled from around his neck to his face. She leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips, enticing him to deepen it. He did so, and Galadriel wished it would never end.
They reached the surface of the water and, deepening the kiss further, Celeborn used one hand to hold onto the stone near the water's edge. Galadriel's legs were still firmly around Celeborn's waist, and she lost herself in the kiss quite quickly. Once their mouths parted, Celeborn hoisted Galadriel up onto the stone and followed.
"Galadriel?" Celeborn began. She looked up at him.
"Yes?" She said softly.
"I was thinking, maybe it would be better to head back tomorrow." Galadriel's head snapped up again.
"Tomorrow? Why? I want to stay here with you!" She said, her eyes searching his for an answer.
"Why are you looking into my eyes for an answer? I would never bring something like this up and not give you a reason." Galadriel looked away. Celeborn moved closer to her. He tilted her head up.
"I guess the reason is that I do not want to have to wait another day without telling everyone how I feel about you.and I want to be able to marry you one day and the more we wait here, the longer it will be to wait for a wedding. I do not know if you feel the same way about me, but those are my feelings." He concluded. Galadriel was glad that he had ended there, as she could feel tears threatening to well up in her eyes.
"Of course I would like to marry you, Celeborn! I love you. I told you last night and I will say it again."
bI will have no other./b Celeborn smiled.
bThat makes the two of us./b He replied.
Their foreheads connected and Galadriel's eyelashes fluttered against his soft cheek, which still had a few drops of water.
"We will leave tomorrow, then." She sighed.
"I hope Orodreth has loosened up a bit." Celeborn replied. Galadriel giggled.
"I am sure he has, after all, he has been worried sick about us!" She laughed.
"About you." Celeborn corrected her.
"Hmm?" Galadriel asked, confused.
"He would not worry about me. Not yet anyway." Galadriel groaned.
"He will worry, if I have anything to do with it. I fall in love with a handsome, intelligent elf prince, and my brothers develop a grudge against him for no reason!" She exclaimed exasperatedly. Celeborn laughed.
"Come, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow we will see our family and friends again." Celeborn suggested.
"Only sleep?" Galadriel asked innocently.
"Only sleep." Celeborn repeated firmly. He chuckled. "Why, were you hoping for something else?" Galadriel kissed his cheek.
"Of course I was." She said rather boldly. "But it can wait." She put her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes. Celeborn smiled to himself.
~*~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A/N: OK, another chapter. I have had a lot more time to write as it is now the holidays! Wheee..Anyway, I wrote a point in the Author's note which is the chapter before this- the one which has an entire chapter to itself- asking for help. I wanted to know how to make the words appear bold or italic. LOL, I'll bet no one read it, so I sent out an email about half a week later to most of the reviewers who had left a signed review, asking them that. bMarnie/b replied pretty much straight away *smiles gratefully at Marnie*, so I am now able to post this chapter! Woohoo! I hope you liked it, and if not...too bad? I don't know how much more I have of this story, but there's still definitely 2 or three chapters more. I don't know exactly how much at the moment. Anyway, I'll try and update tomorrow. See ya!
*Waves Buh-bye*
"What are you doing?" He asked. She looked up at him, her eyes full of joy. He didn't wait for an answer. He loosened his arms from around her, and she kissed him as though he had just come back from a war and narrowly escaped death. He returned the kiss and then broke it off.
"Why are you always the first one to move away?" She asked, sounding somewhat disappointed. Celeborn laughed.
"Oh Galadriel, let me put down the package of Lembas, my robe and my bow, then I will kiss you for as long as you like." She laughed. He took out the cloak and laid it on the stone floor. By this time, Galadriel was standing against the wall. He stood up and made his way slowly to her. She gave him a seductive look and moved farther away. Celeborn grinned.
"All right, if you insist!" He broke into a run and cornered her as quick as a flash. He held her around the waist and looked at her lovely face. "I'm sorry Milady, I think you are trapped in my arms," He said playfully. She did not smile.
"Do you think I mind?" She was serious. He stopped smiling as well. Galadriel put her arms around his neck and pressed herself up to him. He held her for a while, but tilted her face to his, concerned, when he noticed that she seemed to be crying.
"Galadriel, what is it?" The tears spilled down her face.
"Orodreth told me that he is not going to allow me to be with you..that's why I ran away." She closed her eyes and sobbed into his shoulder. He stroked her hair before answering.
"Well, I would not be here if Orodreth hadn't allowed me to be." She looked up, surprised.
"What did you say to him?" She asked. Her tears had ceased falling. Celeborn chuckled.
"I said nothing to Orodreth. I talked to Melian and she talked to Orodreth, and he said he would consider it. But then, the search party came back without you. And he told me that he would allow it. And if I found you, I was to take you back and we would stand in front of your four brothers, and 'Argue our case'. They will decide about us." She grinned.
"Then it is alright! I know they will allow it!" She exclaimed, kissing him on the cheek. He smiled and kissed her neck, then below her ear, then her cheek, again and again, gradually moving to her mouth. She closed her eyes and kissed him back, licking his lower lip. When his mouth opened, their tongues seemed to have lives of their own as they twirled around each other. It was Galadriel who pulled away first. She sighed gently and played with his near-dry hair. When she finished, she moved in for another kiss, but he stopped her.
"What will happen when you leave? And your brothers may not approve. You know this may not work." She kissed him softly and quickly. He breathed into her ear.
"It will work. It has to. We can make it work." She murmured to his hair. He smiled and his hands reached down to play with the embroidery on the waist of her dress.
~*~
"Did you bring a comb by any chance? I seem to have misplaced mine." She asked him after changing into a fresh outfit. Celeborn held one up.
"Yes, I did bring one. Would you like to brush your own hair or shall I?" He asked, walking over to her. She grinned.
"You can do it." She replied. She turned her back to him and stood still, feeling the gentle tugs on her hair as Celeborn pulled the comb through. When he finished, he pecked her on the cheek before lifting the comb to his own hair. Galadriel stopped his hand and took the comb out of it. She turned him around and smoothed his hair a little before starting to brush it. Celeborn stood, frozen. He had brushed Luthien's hair before, but no- one had ever brushed his hair except him. He soon loosened up, however. The feeling was so calming.
After they had a short swim and meal of Lembas, Celeborn was lying on his cloak, spread out on the stone. Galadriel had been dangling her feet in the water. When his eyes were closed, she stood up and walked over to Celeborn. She stroked his face and kissed his bare chest. He opened his eyes and grabbed her, much to her delight. He pulled her on top of him. She lay there quietly for a few minutes.
"Why is there a tradtion?" She asked. Celeborn looked puzzled.
"What tradition?"
"The tradition that says elves should be laid for the first time on their wedding night or after."
"It makes perfect sense. The first time is said to be special. The couple need to be in love, and marriage is a way of confirming that. With marriage, you can be sure about who you will share the gift of love with, and there is rarely a mistake made." He said. Her head jerked up.
"What makes you think that you won't be the one?" She asked, narrowing her eyes slightly. He looked back at her, his grey eyes soft.
"I'm hoping I will be." He replied. She rolled her eyes.
"You will be. I love you. I will have no other." She looked at him. He laughed.
"How can you be so sure? This may not work, no matter how much we want it to." He replied.
"How can you be so negative?" She retorted. Celeborn shifted, but he did not let go of Galadriel.
"I am not being negative. I am being rational. You are being hopeful." He said. She sighed.
"You are right, again. But it cannot hurt to hope, can it?" She asked. He blinked and pulled her closer.
"No. It cannot." The lovers closed their eyes.
~*~
Galadriel awoke during the night. She did not know what had woken her up. She had obviously fallen asleep before Celeborn, because she did not recall him lie down and cover them with his cloak. She had her legs wrapped around Celeborn's waist, and his arms were holding her to him. She sighed. She wished that they didn't have to hide their love from the world. She snuggled closer to Celeborn and tried to fall asleep again.
~*~
"So when are we planning to leave?" Celeborn asked. Galadriel looked horrified.
"Not today!" She wailed. Celeborn grinned.
"No, I wasn't planning on today, Milady." He said calmly. He simply looked at her, his face serious. She looked back at him, and they had an uncalled for staring contest. Galadriel would've won, if she had not laughed in the last few moments. Celeborn heaved a sigh. Then he let out the laugh that Galadriel loved so much.
"Catch me if you can, Cele!" She called, turning around and jumping into the water. Celeborn grinned. No problem. He pulled off his robe and dived in after her. He looked around and spied the white tail of Galadriel's dress floating behind a boulder. He swam past, pretending to be looking for her. He sensed movement behind him and spun around. Her eyes widened in surprise as he grabbed her and swam with his arm around her waist.
iYou don't have to hold me you know. I am perfectly able to hold onto you./i
Celeborn started slightly. He hadn't expected her to have a mind- conversation, as he called it. And as far as he knew, only lovers and family members could communicate in that way. iWait a minute. We are lovers. And we may even be distantly related../i
He spoke back.iI doubt it.
Are you challenging me?/i She questioned.
iMaybe./i He replied. She grinned widely.
iFine. Watch me./i He slowed his pace a little while slackening his grip on her. She put her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist. He raised his eyebrows.
iNot bad, Milady./i
iBut?/i She pressed.
iBut I believe that I should hold you as well. You know, just to be on the safe side. Not because I want to or anything, but I do not want you to fall../ihe trailed off. Galadriel simply smiled and tightened her arms. Celeborn's arm crept around her waist. He looked at his arm as though it was acting of its own will. Galadriel laughed, emitting bubbles. Celeborn kicked off from the lake floor and swam in the direction of the cave. As he swam, Galadriel's hands travelled from around his neck to his face. She leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips, enticing him to deepen it. He did so, and Galadriel wished it would never end.
They reached the surface of the water and, deepening the kiss further, Celeborn used one hand to hold onto the stone near the water's edge. Galadriel's legs were still firmly around Celeborn's waist, and she lost herself in the kiss quite quickly. Once their mouths parted, Celeborn hoisted Galadriel up onto the stone and followed.
"Galadriel?" Celeborn began. She looked up at him.
"Yes?" She said softly.
"I was thinking, maybe it would be better to head back tomorrow." Galadriel's head snapped up again.
"Tomorrow? Why? I want to stay here with you!" She said, her eyes searching his for an answer.
"Why are you looking into my eyes for an answer? I would never bring something like this up and not give you a reason." Galadriel looked away. Celeborn moved closer to her. He tilted her head up.
"I guess the reason is that I do not want to have to wait another day without telling everyone how I feel about you.and I want to be able to marry you one day and the more we wait here, the longer it will be to wait for a wedding. I do not know if you feel the same way about me, but those are my feelings." He concluded. Galadriel was glad that he had ended there, as she could feel tears threatening to well up in her eyes.
"Of course I would like to marry you, Celeborn! I love you. I told you last night and I will say it again."
bI will have no other./b Celeborn smiled.
bThat makes the two of us./b He replied.
Their foreheads connected and Galadriel's eyelashes fluttered against his soft cheek, which still had a few drops of water.
"We will leave tomorrow, then." She sighed.
"I hope Orodreth has loosened up a bit." Celeborn replied. Galadriel giggled.
"I am sure he has, after all, he has been worried sick about us!" She laughed.
"About you." Celeborn corrected her.
"Hmm?" Galadriel asked, confused.
"He would not worry about me. Not yet anyway." Galadriel groaned.
"He will worry, if I have anything to do with it. I fall in love with a handsome, intelligent elf prince, and my brothers develop a grudge against him for no reason!" She exclaimed exasperatedly. Celeborn laughed.
"Come, let's get some sleep. Tomorrow we will see our family and friends again." Celeborn suggested.
"Only sleep?" Galadriel asked innocently.
"Only sleep." Celeborn repeated firmly. He chuckled. "Why, were you hoping for something else?" Galadriel kissed his cheek.
"Of course I was." She said rather boldly. "But it can wait." She put her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes. Celeborn smiled to himself.
~*~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~A/N: OK, another chapter. I have had a lot more time to write as it is now the holidays! Wheee..Anyway, I wrote a point in the Author's note which is the chapter before this- the one which has an entire chapter to itself- asking for help. I wanted to know how to make the words appear bold or italic. LOL, I'll bet no one read it, so I sent out an email about half a week later to most of the reviewers who had left a signed review, asking them that. bMarnie/b replied pretty much straight away *smiles gratefully at Marnie*, so I am now able to post this chapter! Woohoo! I hope you liked it, and if not...too bad? I don't know how much more I have of this story, but there's still definitely 2 or three chapters more. I don't know exactly how much at the moment. Anyway, I'll try and update tomorrow. See ya!
*Waves Buh-bye*