Chapter One:

Elrond sat outside on the balcony of his private chambers, reading over long-forgotten scrolls as he thoughtfully sipped lemon tea.  It was traditionally a quiet hour in Rivendell, and yet the cool evening air was charged as if in anticipation.  Nothing seemed amiss to the half-elven lord.  The valley was filled with the sounds of water and birds and soft elfsong.  The air smelled of the last blooms of the summer flowers, which would soon give way to the wintertime buds of silverstar and aeglos.  Only the subtle edge to the naturally flowing energies in the Noldorin princedom of Imladris gave any hint of something extraordinary.

A servant knocked at the door to the lord's chamber.  At Elrond's distracted word, she announced that an Elf giving only the name 'Erei' was here to see him.  The tension in the air broke then, and Elrond stood suddenly, his grey eyes alit with disbelief.  Surely it was not so.  He was here?  Here right now?  Placing his glass on the small table, the Prince of Imladris ventured forth from his chambers and down the quiet halls.  He knew he was hardly dressed for company, wearing only a loose blue robe and trousers, but he did not care to delay his guest.

Ereinion was leaning against the wall of the main hall, grinning as Elrond approached.  "I assure you, this is a purely a pleasure trip," he said warmly, jokingly.  "Me and Myself decided that I needed a vacation—but the three of us didn't tell anyone else, so my guards will be here looking for me in a couple days."

Elrond's heart skipped a beat. "My Lord," he whispered softly, moving swiftly to the other elf and throwing his arms around his lover tightly.  "You have come," he finally managed.

Ereinion held Elrond close in his arms, relishing this first contact.  "I have come," he replied softly, his voice tinged with emotion.

Elrond breathed in deeply, pushing back a little to get a good look at his lover, a smile displayed across usually calm features.  "I should be furious," he said warmly.  "Again you have come without your guard.  You place yourself in danger in doing so ... and yet how could you have come here otherwise?"

Ereinion pulled his lover into another hug.  "Once again I remind you, meleth-nin, that I am more than capable of taking care of myself.  I have endured war, treachery, deceit, boredom, frustration and Meneldil.  I think I'm perfectly able to ride from Lindon Hall to Imladris on my own."  It was an old argument, one that wasn't really worth arguing anymore, but he put up a token defense out of tradition.

"Come, let us venture someplace private and not make a further spectacle of ourselves."  Elrond lead them back to the master suite, sitting Ereinion down on the comfortable couch in the anteroom only to be pulled down into his arms.  He smiled readily, his grey eyes turning to elder elf.  "I'm so happy to see you," he murmured, wrapping his arms around the king's neck.

"I have missed you, greatly. Life's not the same when we're so far apart."

"I am needed in Rivendell, and Rivendell is needed here."  His soft, strong fingers clasped Ereinion's and brought them to his lips, kissing the knuckles gently.  "Though, to the heart, it is not so distant," he murmured softly.

Ereinion brushed his thumb across Elrond's lips.  "I suppose, if the cities cannot move, and you cannot move, then I must continue to aggravate my bodyguards and find a way here every so often."

Elrond smiled sympathetically.  "I am certain I will be able to slip away myself someday.  There are many here capable of continuing in my absence, though if they were to discover the reason for my absence..."  He laughed softly.  "I am not known here as a very passionate individual."

"Then you are not known very well, because I know that you are indeed very passionate."  Then he closed the distance between them, and kissed Elrond sweetly on the mouth.

Elrond moaned quietly, relishing the contact as his fingers moved to his beloved's hair.  "We can go to the bedroom, if it pleases you to do so..." he whispered.

"It would please me greatly..."

Elrond dreaded breaking their close proximity, but finally willed himself to stand.  He took Ereinion's hand firmly in his, and led him to the next room.  "I... I...."  He found himself stammering, which brought a light blush to his cheeks. "There is wine available, if you will allow me to get it for us."

Ereinion smiled another soft smile.  "Are you nervous, Elrond?"

Elrond glanced at his amused friend for a brief moment before moving about the room silently, lighting a number of candles and gathering the scrolls from his bed and nearby chairs and placing them unceremoniously in a chest.  "I believe you're fairly aware of your effect on me."

"Oh, I am very aware," Ereinion said, moving closer and taking Elrond's hand in his own. "But that was not the question."

There was conflict brewing in the grey eyes as he looked at the warm hands grasping his, the familiar contact both wanted and refreshing.  Elrond could deny his love nothing, not even an obvious answer.  "Yes, I am."

"Why?"  They were simple questions, and Ereinion knew that simple questions were often the hardest to answer, because they were closest to the heart.

Elrond hesitated, and he would've backed away had his hands not remained in his king's possession.  He wondered if that was the purpose of the clasp, to prevent him from seeking shelter to consider the questions rather than just answer them.  "I do not wish to disappoint you, even though I know I must, for our encounters are never frequent enough anymore."  He drew a breath before continuing.  "And ... and because no one person is worthy of your attentions."

"You were never a disappointment to me, Elrond.  Not since the first time we met have you ever disappointed me."  He squeezed Elrond's hands gently.  "And you are more than worthy of my attentions.  You always were."

Elrond returned the squeeze firmly.  "It is not my unworthiness I reflect, but your shine."  He smiled then, a mischievous glint in his eyes.  "And if I am so worthy of your attentions, then I would have them now."

Ereinion didn't need a second invitation.  He pulled his lover close and kissed him, still holding his hands firmly in his own.

Elrond moaned, pressing firmly against him as he returned the kiss with equal passion.  "I need my hands to undress ... or to undress you," he hinted with warm humor.  Ereinion chuckled softly into the kiss and released one of Elrond's hands, keeping the other to hold.

The newly freed fingers moved up to Ereinion's neck and traced the elder elf's collar before trailing down to the ties and clasps of his shirt.  Leisurely, he loosened and freed the strong body of its garments, his lips leaving Ereinion's to press against the exposed neck and shoulders as he pushed the fine clothing to the floor.

Ereinion moaned softly, his free arm sliding around Elrond's waist, holding the peredhel close to him.  Ereinion closed his eyes momentarily against a wave of delicious dizziness as Elrond kissed his way down his chest, circling one nipple with his tongue.  He released Elrond's other hand to better undress the elf-lord, fingers lingering over his lover's soft skin.

Elrond used his newfound freedom to lower the last of his lover's garments swiftly. He lowered to his knees, his lips never moving from the warm skin before him, traveling over the tight abdomen as his fingers squeezed the tight muscles of his lover's rear.  The grey eyes lifted to look upon Ereinion's face momentarily, before he dipped his head down and continued his teasing.

Ereinion purred lowly in his throat and let his fingers dance across Elrond's face, looking down at him lovingly.  "Come here, love.  I would please you also."  With that, he helped Elrond back to his feet and stepped backwards toward the bed.

The still-clothed Prince of Imladris moved with his lover to the bed.  He was apprehensive but found himself calmed by the warm love that radiated from his lord and king.  "It is my pleasure to attend you, my..."  His voice trailed off, for he wanted to call Ereinion his lord, but he knew it unnerved Ereinion to hear that title used in their bedchamber. Yet he could not trust his voice to remain steady enough to say the other, more intimate title. Not after such a stressful separation.

Ereinion sensed his lover's unease, and he kissed Elrond again as he began to undress him.  He let his hands slide across the other's skin, relishing the contact.  And though it was unkingly, he wanted to give Elrond the same pleasure he'd given to him.

Elrond's fingers wrapped around Ereinion's wrist, pausing his efforts.  "I've not yet given you release..."  he murmured against their joined lips.

"We have all night for that," Ereinion whispered in reply.

Elrond's lips pressed gently against Ereinion's, his fingers playing along the fine fabrics of his own remaining clothes.  "Did you want that wine...?"  The grey eyes did not look upon the king as he made a rather pathetic attempt to delay his disrobing.

Ereinion chuckled softly.  "There you go again, trying to change the subject..." he chided gently.

Elrond shivered at the implications of the simple statement, unable to suppress a rising moan, and he pressed his lip along the fine crevices of Ereinion's shoulder, his fingers caressing the strong elf's thighs and hips.  "I don't know what it is I want, but I am afraid of wanting ... melethron."  He managed to smile, quietly proud of himself for having the courage to call Ereinion his lover once more, and lifted his fingers to the king's cheek.  "There is so much, and it has been so long..."

Ereinion understood his lover's demurring now.  He was uncertain about his place.  It had been over a year since they'd seen one another, and while that was by no means a long time for an elf, neither had had the luxury to write to the other more than once or twice, and the transition from wartime to peacetime was a stressful event in any case.  Things had changed a great deal in the world, and Elrond was uncertain if things had changed between he and his lover also.  "Don't be afraid," Ereinion said simply, then slid the fabric from Elrond's shoulders, letting it fall to the floor.


The half-elf moved closer, allowing his body to be warmed by the presence of the other as his fingers pressed gently against Ereinion's chest.  "I can deny you nothing, and I wish to offer you everything."

Ereinion held his lover close.  "Then when we're together, let's not be king and herald.  Let's not even be lord and lord.  Let's just be Ereinion and Elrond."

Elrond nodded slowly, pulling away as he crawled onto the bed and lay down gracefully, his grey eyes peering at his lover through half-closed lids.  "I do not even wish to be Elrond when we are together as we are now."  His thin fingers moved down his uncovered abdomen.  "Treat me as you would another.  I wish to know you as I have not known you before ... the passion unbridled."  Ereinion crawled over beside Elrond, stretching out beside him and caressing his chest and abdomen.  He whispered into his lover's ear, "You will know me as no others have known me..."  Then, he was kissing his way down Elrond's neck, nibbling at the juncture of neck and shoulder.

Elrond closed his eyes, moaning quietly as incredible heat formed wherever the welcomed fingers lingered.  He tilted his head to the side, trembling slightly as his lover's lips played with his light skin.  He shifted his body slightly, as the evidence of his own desire swelled between his thighs.  "Please," came a quiet utter.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ereinion didn't know how long he was mindless with the aftermath of orgasm, but when he could remember how to speak coherently he asked, "How do you feel, melethron?"

Elrond blushed after a moment, finding his own voice not so sure, so steady. He took Ereinion's fingers and gently sucked the tips. "Loved, wanted," he whispered. "Possessed."

Ereinion sighed at the feeling, running his thumb across Elrond's lips.  "You are mine, Elrond, and I am yours.  We belong to each other, just as we always have."

The Prince of Rivendell smiled warmly.  "You belong to our people, our shining light, or valiant leader."  Elrond closed his eyes again, with a soft sigh, a happy sound.  "Your heart, I would gladly possess for as long as you desire it for mine, and all that I have to offer is yours."

Ereinion snuggled. "At this moment, your presence and a warm blanket is all I need."

Elrond chuckled warmly.  "It appears that we are in the perfect location for such a small request."  He turned back the bed, pulling Ereinion with him as he slid under the covers.

"You are a saint and a treasure, Elrond," the king murmured.

The dark-haired peredhel laid his head gently on his lover's shoulder, his fingers resting on his chest as he pressed against the king tenderly.  "Only in your eyes, my lord, and yet it matters so much to me."

Ereinion wrapped an arm around Elrond, and smiled to himself to find that it felt perfectly right. "You are a treasure to us all, Elrond."

Elrond smiled weakly, his bare body pressed against his lover firmly, finding the hardness of the king's body reassuring as well as worthwhile.  "Considering our recent activities, one would suggest your view to be biased..." he teased quietly, his tone neutral as if present at a council of important matters.  It was then that something seemed to occur to him, and he hesitated a moment before he sat up, looking at his lover's peaceful expression. "How long will you stay?"

Ereinion sighed.  He knew this had been coming; it always did.  And it always broke his heart.  "As long as I can.  Probably not more than a couple of weeks.  I left Lindon Hall thirteen days ago, tonight.  Araton probably didn't realize I was missing until the night after that, or perhaps the following morn.  In any case, I doubt he and his guard are keeping the pace I did."

Elrond could not hide his disappointment and already-growing dread. "I see..."

Ereinion reached up and hugged Elrond close to him, stroking his hair.  "I will stay until a letter arrives from Cirdan, begging my return.  That should give us a little more time."  He sighed.  "I know you know why things are how they are.  I wish they were different.  I'm sorry."

Elrond shook his head quickly.  "Do not be.  We both chose our own paths.  It is fortunate that we have time at all."  He looked at the flickering candlelight with a growing sadness.  Then, wordlessly, he stood and moved to his closet, pulling on a fine robe.  "I believe I will fetch us some of that wine now.  Did you require anything else?"  His voice was quiet again, calm and controlled though still housing that friendly tint as it had when they met earlier.

"Yes.  I require that when you get back, you quit treating me like a houseguest or your king, but your friend and lover."

The grey eyes did not turn from the door.  "How can you say such a thing to me after what we just..."  He could not finish the statement, did not have the heart to do so.  "It is who I am.  I thought that is what you wanted -- me."


Ereinion slid out of bed and crossed the room, hugging Elrond close.  "Yes, I do want you.  Forgive me, my love; I didn't mean to offend you.  I just wish you weren't so politic at times."

Elrond thought of pulling away, of denying those comforting words but gave into his greater desire, his fingers stroking the arms that embraced him.  "I do not mean to sound impersonal to you..."  He tried to explain.  "One day, sooner or later, there will be distance between us again, and it will be the politics that I embrace when there are no others around to do so."

Ereinion nodded, kissing Elrond's neck.  "I know, my love.  But there's not distance now.  There won't be for a little while.  The Valar give us these little pockets of time now and again to just be elves, not governors of our race.  Let's try not to waste them arguing.  There's plenty of time to do that over the bargaining table."

Elrond smiled despite himself.  "I would be a poor choice to bargain against you, Ereinion.  There is nothing that I will not give you if it is in my power to do so."  He tilted his neck to the side a little, shivering as the warm lips pressed against his cool skin.  "Does this mean that again you've no desire for wine?"

"If you have so great a desire to get it for me," he responded fondly, "then I can come up with the desire to drink some."

Elrond turned and pressed his lips against his lover's.  "I've been a poor host to offer my guest my body but no wine.  Please, allow me to amend this folly," he murmured into the elder elf's mouth.

Ereinion hugged him securely for a long moment as he kissed back.  "Very well."

Elrond departed from the room after giving Ereinion a warm smile.  He moved down the hallway, holding his robe closed by hand; in his hurry he forgot the novelty of a tie.  The supply of wine was easy to fine though he found difficulty in choosing one.  For the sake of simplicity, he grabbed one aged bottle on ice and two clean crystal goblets and returned down the hall hurriedly, avoiding any who also moved about this evening, for he would not be able to conceal his otherwise unclothed body.  He paused a moment, to straighten himself before entering his chambers again.

Ereinion had curled back up on the bed, eyes closed for the moment, resting.

Elrond watched Ereinion fondly, placing his newly acquired items nearby as he kneeled before the elven king, kissing his temples lightly.  "You should rest," he whispered.

He smiled a soft smile.  "I am resting.  See?  Me, resting."  He didn't open his eyes.

Elrond nodded and climbed in beside him, peering outside his window to the stars.

"I love you, Elerondo..." Ereinion murmured softly as he snuggled closer, letting the Quenya form of his lover's name roll off his tongue like a prayer.

He smiled a moment, his fingers gliding through his lover's hair. "I brought the wine."

"I know. I heard the ice in the bucket when you moved across the room."  He melted into Elrond's touch.  "Lay down; let's rest together.  We can have the wine in a little while..."  He found himself positively languid.  The combined satedness of lovemaking and exhaustion of travel had finally begun to take their toll on him.

"As you wish," he murmured and moved closer to his companion.  "Rest in peace.  Let this place be your sanctuary."

Ereinion smiled and hugged Elrond close, and was asleep before he could respond.

Elrond relaxed and listened to the comforting sounds of his home before finding rest himself, a light smile pulling at the corner of his lips even while in the gentle embrace of sleep.