THE GRIFFON'S TEARS
Chapter 14 ~ "Day of Play"
"It's a rope," Alede said, staring at the object Legolas had placed in her hands.
"Aye, that it is," he agreed, a broad grin of mischief on his face. "And?"
Alede looked up at him in bewilderment. He had dragged her from her bed as soon as the sun was up, refused to let her dress, loaded her onto Aransûl's back and brought her to a small cliff overlooking a deep pool of clear water and then pressed a rope into her hands.
She tugged experimentally on the rope and then followed it with her eyes until its other end disappeared into the leafy canopy high over their heads. Alede fervently hoped Legolas did not expect her to climb it.
Clearing her throat, she tried again. "It is a rope. Tied to a tree. A very large tree."
Legolas' grin broadened and he began unbuttoning his tunic. Alede eyed him with both suspicion and extreme interest.
"What am I supposed to do with it?" Alede asked about the rope, though her eyes had not strayed from watching Legolas' tunic part, revealing flawless pale skin beneath. She was always astonished by how muscular Elves were, though they looked so slender.
"I will show you," he said. "But you must remove your nightdress first."
Alede gave a short puzzled laugh, but after a moment's hesitation, she untied the ribbons on the front of her nightdress. Pulling it over her head was a little more difficult matter though. She was uncomfortably nervous. They had nearly made love once, but that had been a moment of passion and high emotions. To be so calmly removing their clothing in the middle of a forest, with bright sunlight shining upon them, made Alede very self-conscious and his song gave her no indication of his plans. It was such a mixture of joy and mischief, love and arousal that she could not sort it out.
Legolas looked at her, still wearing the mischievous grin as he tossed his tunic to the ground. He stood upon one foot, then the other, easily toeing his boots off.
Alede felt a moment of envy as she watched him. If she tried to remove her boots while standing up, she would fall on her face. But Elves had no trouble with balance. Since Legolas had yanked her out of her bedchambers without even her slippers, Alede had nothing else to take off.
Except the nightdress.
As Legolas began smoothly untying the lacings on the front of his leggings, Alede cleared her throat nervously and began wadding up the hem of her nightdress, inching it up her thighs. Closing her eyes, she held her breath and then pulled it off over her head.
"Mmm."
Legolas' softly murmured sound snapped her eyes open, but he had already grasped her hand, pulling her close and then she had something more to worry about than his eyes upon her naked body.
"Uhm . . . Legolas . . ." she began as her skin touched the warmth of his. His arm snaked around her waist, pulling them even closer together and Alede felt her heart pounding in her chest like a galloping horse.
"Put your arms around my shoulders," Legolas instructed.
Alede did so, hardly aware that he was grasping the rope, but intensely conscious of the depth of his twilight colored eyes. Alede felt entranced. The forest around them disappeared. She leaned forward and . . .
Felt her feet leave the ground.
Suddenly they were swinging out into open space over the pond. Alede could not help but let out a squeal. She did not mind heights when she was upon her spell horse or on a solid platform, but with her feet dangling over nothing but air, the sensation was terrifying. She felt as if her stomach had been left behind on the cliff.
"Here we go!" Legolas shouted. And then the feeling of swinging suddenly seemed safe and secure as Legolas let go of the rope and they plunged down into the pond.
Alede screamed until she hit the water and then had the presence of mind to close her mouth. When she surfaced, Legolas was already treading water, bobbing around like a cork.
"You could have warned me!" Alede sputtered.
"And missed that scream?" Legolas asked, gasping with laughter. "Oh, Alede that was brilliant!" he cried, still laughing so hard she didn't know how he stayed afloat.
"Brilliant!" she muttered irritably, swimming over to him briskly. Legolas made a mock face of terror and gave an exaggerated rendition of her scream before diving into the water and swimming away from her like a fish.
Alede made an exasperated noise and followed him. She finally caught up with him near the far side and managed to dunk his head under. Legolas grabbed her underwater and nipped the tender flesh of her belly before he surfaced. Alede laughed and splashed him. He tried to dive away from her again, but she caught him as he turned and wrapped her arms over his shoulders and her legs around his waist.
Legolas had only a moment to enjoy the feeling of her breasts pressed against his back, before she began tickling his ribs.
"Unfair!" he cried, laughing and trying to swim away from her, but Alede hung on tightly. Their playful struggles brought them to the opposite shore and when Legolas' feet hit sand, he grasped Alede's thighs and stood up with her still upon his back.
Alede giggled, thinking that this was the second Elf who had carried her piggyback. She hung on tighter as he bounced her up and down a few times. Playfully, she bit his shoulder.
"Ai!" Legolas cried as he waded out of the water. "I seem to have been accosted by an oversized leach! Perhaps if I scrape it off against this tree . . ." he turned, pretending to get close enough to a rough barked tree to brush her off. Alede squeaked and then tugged his hair.
"And now the vicious leach pulls at my hair," Legolas declared, trudging up the hill to the top of the cliff again. "Perhaps it is a bat instead. I think I will toss it out over the pond and see if it flies."
Alede giggled and held on tighter until they reached their starting point, where Legolas let go of her thighs and Alede dropped lightly to the ground. Turning quickly, he caught her in his arms and pulled her in close for a long and very wet kiss.
"Well," he asked as he kissed the water droplets from each of her closed eyelids and soaked in the feel of her pressed so intimately to his body. "What do you think?"
Alede was panting slightly as she opened her eyes, though she had not been the one to climb the cliff.
"I think," she said slowly, melding her body a little closer to his and feeling the heat of arousal between them, "I think it is no wonder that you are called a 'wood' Elf."
Legolas threw back his head and laughed as he caught her joke. Alede laughed too, but blushed clear to her toes.
Legolas shook his head in wonder, still chuckling. His hand moved to cup the side of her face. "My dear, sweet Alede. Have you any idea how charming you are?" he asked fondly. She grinned up at him.
"I ask you about this paradise and you give me ribald jokes instead," he teased. "I had better be in the best of health for our wedding night, for I am sure that you will exhaust me, being the wanton that you are."
"Legolas!"
He grinned, caught the rope and swung them out over the pond. Alede screamed again, but when they hit the water this time, she did not let him get away.
~ ~ ~
"Alede?"
"Hmm?"
They lay still naked in the lush grass in an open glade beneath the dappled canopy of leaves near the pond. Bees hummed drowsily nearby and the breeze was warm as it rustled the treetops. Sunlight spattered across their skin in shifting patterns.
Legolas lay on his side, his head propped upon his elbow. His hand drifted lazily over Alede's back as she lay with her chin upon her hands. His fingers traced the hollow of her spine down until they could drift over the soft swell of her buttocks and down onto the backs of her thighs. Then his hand would begin its journey all over again, soothing her, arousing her, and joining them in a slow dance of love.
The moment should have been charged with erotic energy, but it was not. Their passion was kindled and their songs were closely entwined. But there was none of the frantic urgency that Legolas had known with other lovers. This was something soft and sensual, but more of the spirit than of the body, a kind of emotional foreplay that Legolas had no intention of rushing. There was a purity in this moment that he wished to pay homage too. That Alede obviously felt it too, made it all that much more hallowed.
"Have you thought about how many children you would like to have?" he asked quietly.
Alede turned her face toward him, smiling contentedly. "As many as you will give me."
He grinned. "I am very fond of children . . ."
"As I have observed," Alede interrupted, remembering Legolas with his niece and nephew.
"I would like to have several, but I realize it will be difficult for you . . ."
Alede rolled over on her side, curious about the look of concern upon his face.
"I do not know what childbirth is like for your people," he continued, "but I was present when Eowyn bore her second child." He blanched a little. "Her screams could be heard outside in the courtyard . . ."
Alede smiled, understanding his concern finally. "That is normal. Birth is a time of pain and rejoicing evenly mixed. Do not be concerned."
"It is just that I do not wish to be the cause of pain for you."
Alede snuggled close to him, so that their bodies touched. She lifted her hand and slid her fingers through the silk of his hair.
"The pain of child birth will be an easy price to pay to someday hold one of your children in my arms," she said.
"Or perhaps seven or eight children?" he asked with a little smile.
"As long as it is not seven or eight all at once," Alede said laughing, and then she pulled him down on top of her and it was a long time before they left the sunny glade and made their way back to the city.
~ ~ ~
A/N: And no, for those of you wondering - they did NOT do "it". lol!!! But we're getting close . . . ehem! The big day is approaching in chapter 15 "Wedding Day" coming soon. :)
Also, find out what Thranduil and Romiël are up to in my new story, "Heart of a King" beginning today. :)
*** Original Character List ***
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed.
Mändel - Legolas' steward. He originally served under Thranduil in Mirkwood in a lesser position.
Galomir - Ithilien's healer.
Girwyn - A general in Legolas' army. He is in charge of Ithilien's security.
Nimhith - A she-Elf of Eryn Culhallas, assigned by Legolas to be Alede's lady's maid.
Romiël - A she-Elf captured 700 years ago by Sauron as her people were making their way to the Gray Havens.
Romion - Romiel's brother and also a captive of Sauron for 700 years.
Chapter 14 ~ "Day of Play"
"It's a rope," Alede said, staring at the object Legolas had placed in her hands.
"Aye, that it is," he agreed, a broad grin of mischief on his face. "And?"
Alede looked up at him in bewilderment. He had dragged her from her bed as soon as the sun was up, refused to let her dress, loaded her onto Aransûl's back and brought her to a small cliff overlooking a deep pool of clear water and then pressed a rope into her hands.
She tugged experimentally on the rope and then followed it with her eyes until its other end disappeared into the leafy canopy high over their heads. Alede fervently hoped Legolas did not expect her to climb it.
Clearing her throat, she tried again. "It is a rope. Tied to a tree. A very large tree."
Legolas' grin broadened and he began unbuttoning his tunic. Alede eyed him with both suspicion and extreme interest.
"What am I supposed to do with it?" Alede asked about the rope, though her eyes had not strayed from watching Legolas' tunic part, revealing flawless pale skin beneath. She was always astonished by how muscular Elves were, though they looked so slender.
"I will show you," he said. "But you must remove your nightdress first."
Alede gave a short puzzled laugh, but after a moment's hesitation, she untied the ribbons on the front of her nightdress. Pulling it over her head was a little more difficult matter though. She was uncomfortably nervous. They had nearly made love once, but that had been a moment of passion and high emotions. To be so calmly removing their clothing in the middle of a forest, with bright sunlight shining upon them, made Alede very self-conscious and his song gave her no indication of his plans. It was such a mixture of joy and mischief, love and arousal that she could not sort it out.
Legolas looked at her, still wearing the mischievous grin as he tossed his tunic to the ground. He stood upon one foot, then the other, easily toeing his boots off.
Alede felt a moment of envy as she watched him. If she tried to remove her boots while standing up, she would fall on her face. But Elves had no trouble with balance. Since Legolas had yanked her out of her bedchambers without even her slippers, Alede had nothing else to take off.
Except the nightdress.
As Legolas began smoothly untying the lacings on the front of his leggings, Alede cleared her throat nervously and began wadding up the hem of her nightdress, inching it up her thighs. Closing her eyes, she held her breath and then pulled it off over her head.
"Mmm."
Legolas' softly murmured sound snapped her eyes open, but he had already grasped her hand, pulling her close and then she had something more to worry about than his eyes upon her naked body.
"Uhm . . . Legolas . . ." she began as her skin touched the warmth of his. His arm snaked around her waist, pulling them even closer together and Alede felt her heart pounding in her chest like a galloping horse.
"Put your arms around my shoulders," Legolas instructed.
Alede did so, hardly aware that he was grasping the rope, but intensely conscious of the depth of his twilight colored eyes. Alede felt entranced. The forest around them disappeared. She leaned forward and . . .
Felt her feet leave the ground.
Suddenly they were swinging out into open space over the pond. Alede could not help but let out a squeal. She did not mind heights when she was upon her spell horse or on a solid platform, but with her feet dangling over nothing but air, the sensation was terrifying. She felt as if her stomach had been left behind on the cliff.
"Here we go!" Legolas shouted. And then the feeling of swinging suddenly seemed safe and secure as Legolas let go of the rope and they plunged down into the pond.
Alede screamed until she hit the water and then had the presence of mind to close her mouth. When she surfaced, Legolas was already treading water, bobbing around like a cork.
"You could have warned me!" Alede sputtered.
"And missed that scream?" Legolas asked, gasping with laughter. "Oh, Alede that was brilliant!" he cried, still laughing so hard she didn't know how he stayed afloat.
"Brilliant!" she muttered irritably, swimming over to him briskly. Legolas made a mock face of terror and gave an exaggerated rendition of her scream before diving into the water and swimming away from her like a fish.
Alede made an exasperated noise and followed him. She finally caught up with him near the far side and managed to dunk his head under. Legolas grabbed her underwater and nipped the tender flesh of her belly before he surfaced. Alede laughed and splashed him. He tried to dive away from her again, but she caught him as he turned and wrapped her arms over his shoulders and her legs around his waist.
Legolas had only a moment to enjoy the feeling of her breasts pressed against his back, before she began tickling his ribs.
"Unfair!" he cried, laughing and trying to swim away from her, but Alede hung on tightly. Their playful struggles brought them to the opposite shore and when Legolas' feet hit sand, he grasped Alede's thighs and stood up with her still upon his back.
Alede giggled, thinking that this was the second Elf who had carried her piggyback. She hung on tighter as he bounced her up and down a few times. Playfully, she bit his shoulder.
"Ai!" Legolas cried as he waded out of the water. "I seem to have been accosted by an oversized leach! Perhaps if I scrape it off against this tree . . ." he turned, pretending to get close enough to a rough barked tree to brush her off. Alede squeaked and then tugged his hair.
"And now the vicious leach pulls at my hair," Legolas declared, trudging up the hill to the top of the cliff again. "Perhaps it is a bat instead. I think I will toss it out over the pond and see if it flies."
Alede giggled and held on tighter until they reached their starting point, where Legolas let go of her thighs and Alede dropped lightly to the ground. Turning quickly, he caught her in his arms and pulled her in close for a long and very wet kiss.
"Well," he asked as he kissed the water droplets from each of her closed eyelids and soaked in the feel of her pressed so intimately to his body. "What do you think?"
Alede was panting slightly as she opened her eyes, though she had not been the one to climb the cliff.
"I think," she said slowly, melding her body a little closer to his and feeling the heat of arousal between them, "I think it is no wonder that you are called a 'wood' Elf."
Legolas threw back his head and laughed as he caught her joke. Alede laughed too, but blushed clear to her toes.
Legolas shook his head in wonder, still chuckling. His hand moved to cup the side of her face. "My dear, sweet Alede. Have you any idea how charming you are?" he asked fondly. She grinned up at him.
"I ask you about this paradise and you give me ribald jokes instead," he teased. "I had better be in the best of health for our wedding night, for I am sure that you will exhaust me, being the wanton that you are."
"Legolas!"
He grinned, caught the rope and swung them out over the pond. Alede screamed again, but when they hit the water this time, she did not let him get away.
~ ~ ~
"Alede?"
"Hmm?"
They lay still naked in the lush grass in an open glade beneath the dappled canopy of leaves near the pond. Bees hummed drowsily nearby and the breeze was warm as it rustled the treetops. Sunlight spattered across their skin in shifting patterns.
Legolas lay on his side, his head propped upon his elbow. His hand drifted lazily over Alede's back as she lay with her chin upon her hands. His fingers traced the hollow of her spine down until they could drift over the soft swell of her buttocks and down onto the backs of her thighs. Then his hand would begin its journey all over again, soothing her, arousing her, and joining them in a slow dance of love.
The moment should have been charged with erotic energy, but it was not. Their passion was kindled and their songs were closely entwined. But there was none of the frantic urgency that Legolas had known with other lovers. This was something soft and sensual, but more of the spirit than of the body, a kind of emotional foreplay that Legolas had no intention of rushing. There was a purity in this moment that he wished to pay homage too. That Alede obviously felt it too, made it all that much more hallowed.
"Have you thought about how many children you would like to have?" he asked quietly.
Alede turned her face toward him, smiling contentedly. "As many as you will give me."
He grinned. "I am very fond of children . . ."
"As I have observed," Alede interrupted, remembering Legolas with his niece and nephew.
"I would like to have several, but I realize it will be difficult for you . . ."
Alede rolled over on her side, curious about the look of concern upon his face.
"I do not know what childbirth is like for your people," he continued, "but I was present when Eowyn bore her second child." He blanched a little. "Her screams could be heard outside in the courtyard . . ."
Alede smiled, understanding his concern finally. "That is normal. Birth is a time of pain and rejoicing evenly mixed. Do not be concerned."
"It is just that I do not wish to be the cause of pain for you."
Alede snuggled close to him, so that their bodies touched. She lifted her hand and slid her fingers through the silk of his hair.
"The pain of child birth will be an easy price to pay to someday hold one of your children in my arms," she said.
"Or perhaps seven or eight children?" he asked with a little smile.
"As long as it is not seven or eight all at once," Alede said laughing, and then she pulled him down on top of her and it was a long time before they left the sunny glade and made their way back to the city.
~ ~ ~
A/N: And no, for those of you wondering - they did NOT do "it". lol!!! But we're getting close . . . ehem! The big day is approaching in chapter 15 "Wedding Day" coming soon. :)
Also, find out what Thranduil and Romiël are up to in my new story, "Heart of a King" beginning today. :)
*** Original Character List ***
Alede the Green - Witch, healer and wizard. She is daughter of Radagast the Brown. After the death of her mother, she was raised in Rivendell for a while and learned healing skills from Elrond. She also developed a terrible crush on Elrohir, which he has gently teased her about for centuries. She also spent some time learning the wizarding craft at Orthanc under the tutelage of Saruman. Because she felt her healer's calling was more important, and because she considered herself a poor wizardess, Alede never completed her training at Orthanc.
Cyrus the Blue - The forth Maia to be sent to Middle Earth and friend to Radagast the Brown
Lomomir - Brother to King Thranduil of Mirkwood and a healer. He has spent the last many years in Rivendell studying with Alede and reading from Elrond's many books and journals.
Maladok the Red - The fifth Maia sent to Middle Earth. After a disastrous encounter with Saruman, Maladok has become a bit of a "black sheep" in the wizarding world.
Zarraweth - A young human witch with more plans and beauty than is good for her.
Malina - A healer and witch of the Angmar Mountains. She was married to Radagast the Brown and was Alede's mother. She was killed by a mob of religious fanatics who thought her witchcraft had brought plague to a village when instead she had been trying to cure it. Alede was only sixteen when Malina was killed.
Mändel - Legolas' steward. He originally served under Thranduil in Mirkwood in a lesser position.
Galomir - Ithilien's healer.
Girwyn - A general in Legolas' army. He is in charge of Ithilien's security.
Nimhith - A she-Elf of Eryn Culhallas, assigned by Legolas to be Alede's lady's maid.
Romiël - A she-Elf captured 700 years ago by Sauron as her people were making their way to the Gray Havens.
Romion - Romiel's brother and also a captive of Sauron for 700 years.
