Author's Note: Try as I might, I couldn't get this chapter to work out the way I wanted it to. First, there are diction problems that irk me to Mandos. Second, trying to mesh my style and Paladin's just didn't work very well this time around, so every other paragraph is in one style or the other rather than a melding of both. And third, I could not separate the plot from the sex this time. It couldn't be done. So, consider this chapter stamped with a very strong R-rating. (Most movies with an R-rating could qualify as soft porn in places anyway; at least I try to do it tastefully.) Please censor yourselves; if you'd rather just have a summary, email me at lord-of-lindon@juno.com and I'll gladly tell you what happens in this chapter. ~Ereinion
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Chapter Three:
By the time Elrond joined his love for afternoon meal, it could nearly be called an early dinner. He took a seat at the table, his expression weary though he smiled. "I apologize for my long absence. There were issues to resolve."
Ereinion poured his love a glass of wine, which he had rescued from the bedroom, where it had remained unopened. "I trust if it had something to do with this morning, you'd tell me so I could break the appropriate necks."
The twilight-haired elf relaxed and smiled. He took a long drink before addressing his lover again, his grey eyes bright despite the lord's trying day. "No, Havan was not the problem today. It is imperative that I prevent the younger citizens of Imladris from chasing evil too far. It is not enough for them, or for our distant neighbors, that my borders are safe to travel through."
"The younglings want a taste of adventure, do they?" Despite the seriousness of the situation, his eyes sparkled.
Elrond looked into the dark liquid of his glass. "Many of them have not seen war as we have. They do not know of its horrors, only that there is evil to vanquish still."
"Noble. Romantic, but noble." He considered his next words carefully. "Perhaps if they were properly schooled in combat and warfare, they could be sent out to patrol the Great East Road. It is dangerous during the night, despite being well-traveled. Most of them would be satisfied, and the road would be cleared of orcs and wargs."
Elrond shook his head. "No, evil will come near Imladris again one day. I'll not send them out to find it." The idea troubled him. Naturally, he could not protect them all or prevent them from such a course, but that did not mean he had to encourage their errantry.
"Elrond," Ereinion said softly, "some of them are going to go anyway. Will you let them go unprepared?"
The grey eyes lifted to meet his lover's. "Of course not."
Ereinion reached over and held his lover's hand. "You can make it clear to them that you don't agree with what they're doing. But at least give them the skills to stand a chance. We were lucky, you and I. We lived. A lot of good friends didn't."
Elrond smiled weakly. "There are others who are more than willing to teach such skills. Of course, I may intervene or instruct from time to time." His smile broadened. "And if you are ever to bless this world with a child, you can count on my skills being taught to them."
Ereinion smiled back. "And when you sire your own children, I'll be here to turn them into proper elf-lords."
Elrond squeezed his hand. "Unlikely, but I will keep that in mind."
Ereinion decided this situation required a little levity. "From what I've observed, my dear, you could sire plenty of children if only we found a female for you."
The blush rose swiftly, and the grey eyes darted about them as if to prove they were alone. "I... It is still..." Once again, Elrond was at a loss for words.
Ereinion squeezed the hand he held and leaned over the small table to kiss Elrond gently on the mouth. "It is still going to be quite some time before we find said female, so you can relax. I'm not quite ready to let go of you just yet, anyway."
Elrond closed his eyes. "Promise me you would never turn away from me, that you would not simply walk away for what you believe to be the best or the better good."
He sighed. "Elrond. I'm the High King of our people. I have to act for the good of all, and sometimes that means personal sacrifice." He sighed. "But I promise I'll try everything else before I do that."
Elrond's fingers caressed his lover's hand slowly. It was all Ereinion could offer now, and he had no choice but to accept it, so he nodded and took a deep breath and spoke. "I know your stay will be temporary, but if there is anything that I can do to make your visit more comfortable, please tell me. My room is suited to my tastes, not yours, but I would have no qualms in changing them a bit."
Ereinion smiled softly. "Don't worry, I already have. Not very drastically. I think you'll like it."
Elrond smiled back weakly. "I should have known. Shall we eat then?"
"That is the traditionally accepted purpose of a meal, yes."
Verbally, Elrond ignored his king's light jest; visibly, he continued to smile as he ate proper, bite-sized pieces of lunch.
Ereinion was glad that Elrond was feeling better, and proud of himself for being able to help him be so without having first making him feel too much worse than he already was.
"You know," Elrond began quietly, "we have been together for sometime now ... and there is still much we have not done together." He chased a pea around his plate, his eyes focused yet clearly not targeted on the little green morsel.
"I have to agree with you. However, during the majority of our time together we've either been in a war, miles and miles apart, or busy rebuilding society. That's not the best atmosphere for a well-rounded relationship, you must admit."
Elrond nodded in instant agreement. "I do. Would you be... I mean, if you are inclined to... Perhaps you might like..." No matter how he started the sentence, the lord of Rivendell was finding difficulty finishing the question. By now, his food was practically falling of his plate since his fork was pushing the pea around carelessly.
Ereinion chuckled. "Spit it out, Elrond." He gently stopped Elrond's hand from doing more damage to the food.
Elrond's cheeks colored profusely, and not only with embarrassment but with shame as well. At his age, and after all this time, he still could not speak of something so natural with his lover. Finally, he shook his head. "It is nothing."
"It is something, or else you wouldn't be so nervous." He leaned over and kissed his lover. "Tell me, please."
Elrond melted into the warm gesture, drawing strength from the kiss. "I was wondering if you would like to try a few new things..."
"Such as?" he prodded, though he was pretty sure he had a general idea.
The dark haired elf cleared his throat. "There are other positions ... and styles ... and locations..." His voice became low enough where it was difficult for him to hear himself. "Different moods to set..."
"Yes, Elrond, I'd love to try new things with you..." He kissed again, sealing the statement.
Elrond allowed himself to be drawn into the kiss, his fingers leaving his fork altogether and entangling themselves in his lover's hair as he returned the sentiment. "Are you sure? I am happy with how we are," he assured.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained. We could be missing out on something we had no idea we were missing out on."
"You may be right. I do not have a great deal of experience in these matters, but I am certain we can ... improvise."
"We can start simply enough. I want you to take me."
Elrond froze. That had not been what he had in mind, but his lover was right, it was simple enough after all. "You are ... the king," he whispered. And then he could have kicked himself. After all, they were Elves, not Humans.
Ereinion kissed him gently once more. "I have two arguments to counter with. First, I don't give a damn if I'm king. Politics and protocol, in the vast majority of cases, do not extend to the bedroom. Second, if you'd rather feel justified in doing it, I can order you. I'd rather not, because of the first argument, but I can if it would make you feel more comfortable."
Elrond laughed softly. "No, no of course not. I am just ... surprised, is all."
"I have to admit," Ereinion purred, "I'm curious to know how it feels. You always look so fulfilled when I take you."
The elven lord turned his lover's hand and gently kissed the wrist. "I am most fulfilled."
Ereinion smiled. "Finish your meal, love. Then I'll show you what I've done to your room."
Elrond shook his head. "No, my love, for I cannot eat with my heart beating this quickly. Please, show me now."
Ereinion nodded and stood, not breaking his hold on Elrond's hand. He led Elrond back to the bedroom, which, contrary to popular belief, he had not destroyed. The furniture had been moved around so that the 'sleep' side of the room and the 'study' side of the room were now clearly delineated, and a thick curtain (which Ereinion nearly broke his neck putting up) now hung separating the two. The whole room had a different mood. It felt more peaceful than previously, when, to Ereinion, it just felt like well-controlled chaos.
Elrond smiled slowly, his fingers running through the curtains. "It is lovely, melethron."
"I think maybe you'll sleep better too. Only rule is that books, scrolls, paperwork, and other such stuff stay on that side of the curtain. The bed is for sleep and sex, not mundane work."
He smiled. "I like to read in bed by candlelight, though I suppose I will not be doing much of that while you are here."
"That is permitted, just so long as you don't do scholarly research in bed." He approached his lover from behind and wrapped his arms around his waist, purring into his ear. "Unless, of course, it's a scholarly pursuit of advanced sexual technique, in which case I'll be reading books right along beside you."
Elrond, of course, blushed, but he nodded sheepishly. Then he turned and kissed his lover's neck gently. "We don't talk much do we?"
"No, we don't," he replied softly, letting his disappointment at that fact color his voice. "We should remedy that."
Elrond took a seat on the bed, drawing his lover down with him. "Then this will be a day of enlightenment in more ways than one. You have already met Havan, who is a rather constant outsider in my life."
"I will attempt to refrain from growling at him every time I see him," Ereinion promised.
"Don't be silly; whatever unwholesome deeds he has committed, they have not been against anyone in Rivendell." His fingers began to ease his lover's garments down and free the body beneath. "My lord, you should know you will not be the first I have taken." His cool lips then pressed small kisses from shoulder to shoulder.
"I suspected as much," he responded. "But you will be the first person who has taken me."
Elrond paused and gazed into his lover's eyes. "You should not gift me with such an honor... Your first time should still be with someone more experienced..." He suddenly felt guilty for sharing his own admittance, which he had meant to be somehow seductive.
"I want you. If I wanted experience, I could've hired someone."
Elrond continued to remove Ereinion's clothing, folding them in a neat pile near them. He could not resist the urge to question his lord on such a matter. "Have you then ... purchased such services before?"
Ereinion smiled softly. "No. But not for want of an offer."
He lifted his lover's legs, pulling the pants loose and kissing the knees leisurely. "Sometimes I forget you have years of experience I do not. I do not suppose this person survived the encounter?" He smiled lightly at the thought.
"He was politely turned down and sent away, that's all. He was cute, though." He smiled softly, indicating that he didn't mean that to be taken seriously.
Elrond looked at his naked lord with no small amount of satisfaction. He kneeled down, resting his cheek on a strong thigh. "I sometimes wonder what it would be like, to be with someone who sees not you but only your body, who seeks only pleasure. It may be the reason I attract such men as Havan..."
"Perhaps. Would I be correct in assuming that some of Havan's trade is in flesh?"
Elrond looked up at his lover. "Why would you think that?"
"Something he said. Something you said too. He said that he'd sent the caravan ahead of him, because the goods were too difficult to take through a place like Rivendell. No trader worth his salts would pass up an opportunity to sell his wares, unless those wares were such that wouldn't be accepted in a given area. You also said he was a dealer in profit and didn't have many qualms about how he got it. He also said he had some questionable customers."
Elrond pondered his lover's words briefly. "I do not know, for I have not suspected such a possibility. Maybe some of his items were stolen. But my thoughts were that he did business in Mordor. The rest never occurred to me."
Ereinion stroked his love's hair, toying with the short end that had been cut earlier. "That's why you need me around, to consider what you don't. And we're cutting your hair again. Call me paranoid, but it would put me at ease if we did."
Elrond stood, allowing himself a moment to relish the gentle caress before doing so. He then began to remove his robes, also piling them neatly nearby. "Of course I need you, and I assure you I would allow no such practice here in Rivendell." In his mind, he played with Havan's words over the years, trying to figure out if the merchant had offered him more than his personal attentions in the past. "And if you wish me to cut my hair further, then I will."
"Thank you," Ereinion answered genuinely.
Elrond stood and moved over to his dresser, pulling out a small jar placed there earlier and returning to the bed. "The Lord of Rivendell is a truly a fool if Havan is as foul as you suggest."
"I would not slander him, nor charge him without proof. For all I know, he's a perfectly honest merchant. But this is the first time I've met him, and my perceptions are different than yours would be, who have met him many times."
Elrond relaxed and nodded as he stroked his lover's inner thighs meaningfully. "He has come to realize my tastes and appears more frequently than before. Perhaps I was careless with my acquaintance."
Ereinion immediately thought of the tapestry Elrond purchased that morning, but didn't ask about it at the moment, as he was becoming quite pleasantly distracted. "What does he usually sell you?"
"Little things, though far too few come all this way so he must have business elsewhere and close." His lips pressed in between the thigh and groin, his fingers lingering over the sensitive skin beneath the knee. "I enjoy art in many forms. Vases, paintings, tapestries and the more difficult ones to find: scrolls."
Ereinion purred as Elrond touched him. "I noticed all the artwork in the house...."
The long cool fingers wrapped around Ereinion's member firmly as he kissed along the length to the tip. "It fascinates me."
Ereinion moaned and had to think for a couple moments before he could put the correct words in the appropriate order. "I should send you some of the tapestries from the Hall..."
Elrond shook his head, standing as he pushed his lover back on the bed so his body was pressing on Ereinion's. "Nay, when the day comes that I can visit there, I will need distraction while the advisors and servants have you at their mercy," he murmured quietly, pressing his hardness against his lover's meaningfully.
Ereinion moaned again and wrapped his arms around his lover. "I suppose I'll have to perfect the fine art of delegation before you visit...."
Elrond moved his lips to his lover's, capturing the tender flesh gently. "I do not wish to hurt you," he murmured in between kisses as his fingers grasped the jar nearby.
He nodded. "I trust you."
Elrond sighed heavily. How many times had he heard those exact words during council and events turned out well. Only now, he was dealing with his lover and the words did not maintain their weight. He amply coated his front fingers and pressed gently against the tight opening, his lips moving down the fine chin to the tiny nubs below, encircling the tightening flesh with his tongue.
Ereinion gasped and arched, more from the unfamiliar sensation than pain or pleasure. He focused on relaxing and processing the new feelings. It was the truth, he realized belatedly. He hadn't told Elrond that he trusted him to make him feel at ease, or because it had become customary between them. He'd said it because he truly meant it. He would willingly trust Elrond with his body and soul, and indeed had trusted him with his life on more than one occasion.
Elrond paused with each twitch and arch his lover made, and then proceeded, pressing his one finger in deeply, feeling the inner walls close around his digit tightly. "Relax," he whispered.
Ereinion closed his eyes and consciously relaxed his body. Love and trust, he told himself softly. Love and trust.
The anticipation was making the elven lord nervous. Elrond added another finger, easing into the warmth and then another, watching his lover's every reaction. "Breathe slowly, my lord," he murmured as he began small thrusting motions.
Ereinion's breathing hitched once at the new feelings, uncomfortable and pleasurable all at once, but he focused on his breathing and did as he was advised.
Elrond smiled, his lips kissing the straightening hard flesh before him as he moved his fingers deep inside his lover's body, easing the entrance a bit wider before he continued.
Ereinion was beginning to understand why total mindlessness was a side effect of so many sexual acts. As he grew accustomed to the sensations of being filled and stretched, he could feel pleasure in the rhythmic motions themselves, not just what they were doing to his body.
Elrond withdrew, pressing his hips close as he grasped his own hard length and pressed the tip against his lover's slick entrance. "This will still hurt," he whispered as he grasped his lover's lips with his own, his tongue playing in the sweet mouth. The elven lord pressed the silky tip of his member in a bit, nudging his way in.
Ereinion's eyes fluttered more tightly closed as Elrond entered him. It did hurt a bit, but he forced himself to stay calm and breathe deeply. Tensing up would only make the pain worse, he reasoned.
The elven lord smiled sympathetically at his lover as his lips moved to the pointed ears and kissed the sweet lobe. Then, he impaled Ereinion firmly, with one deep thrust, feeling the intense heat race through his own veins and release waves of pleasure. Still, he did not move further, allowing his lover to adjust to the sudden intrusion.
Ereinion gasped loudly, not, as he immediately assumed, from pain, but from sensation. The pain was still there; he couldn't deny that. But what had so intensely caught him off-guard was how it felt, and more accurately, how good it felt.
Elrond smiled lightly, whispering soft encouraging words in Ereinion's ear as he began slow deep thrusting motions, his fingers grasping the strong hips for support.
Ereinion soon found himself incoherent with the new feelings, willingly overcome by them, his lover's name a whispered mantra on his lips.
The elven lord's pace steadily quickened, his hips rotating a bit to reach that hidden spot deep with in his lover's body. Meanwhile, his fingers caressed the hips they held firmly, tiny circular motions while his lips nipped gently at the light skin of Ereinion's neck.
Ereinion cried out in shocked, pleasured surprise the first time Elrond touched his prostate. He'd never felt that before, he thought dazedly as light flashed behind his eyelids. He found himself caught between total shock and spiritual revelation. So, that's what he'd been doing to Elrond for all this time....
Elrond laughed softly, marveling at the wondrous expression and sounds that came forth from his lover who experienced such a union for the first time. He himself felt the build of pressure, the pleasure easing into his system though he would not allow it to claim all thought for he aimed to be careful for the entirety of the experience.
He stepped a bit closer, inching that much further into the hot body, his sacs bumping against his lover's rump as he thrust faster. The grey eyes closed a bit, a soft moan escaping Elrond's lips.
Ereinion could feel the heat and pressure
building in him, and he couldn't hope to stop it. He didn't want to. He
felt it as Elrond moved deeper still within him, and that only caused the
rising climax to build more energy.
Elrond grunted quietly, not a throaty deep sound, but one that could almost be called low music. His fingers grasped his lover's hips tightly, the firm grip he grasped on rationality slipping as he felt the inner muscles clamping around his engorged rod. "Soon," he whispered.
He was close. So close he could taste it. So close he was already shaking with the force of it. "Please...." he managed to whimper.
Elrond barely heard the whispered plea above his own roar of pleasure. He thrust faster, short jabbing motions as the wave of release began its journey. His fingers released the body that rocked with his efforts, and grasped the hard member posed between them, stroking the hard, silk flesh lovingly. Then, Lord Elrond came with a faint cry, his hot seed racing forth from the tiny opening and spilling into the tight haven.
Ereinion's own climax hit him hard and he arched nearly off the bed as he came, spurting his own seed forcefully from him.
Elrond watched his lover ride his climax as he finished his own, withdrawing his softening member from the wet entrance. He leaned over and kissed his lover gently. "Mmm, we have made yet another mess," he voiced with a smile. "Tell me, Melethron... how was your experience?"
Ereinion found he could only purr contentedly.
Elrond toweled his lover dry a moment and climbed up beside him, placing his cheek on his lord's chest, and listening to the heart beat slowly. "My lord," he murmured lovingly, his fingers caressing the strong chest.
Ereinion wrapped his arms around Elrond. "I love you..." he murmured, still somewhat dazed.
"And you possess my heart, my body, the warmth of my soul," came the whispered response, the breath warm against the king's ear.
"Mmmmm...." Ereinion smiled satedly. He chuckled softly, suddenly. "I can't think of a single word more expressive than 'wow'."
"It was my pleasure to introduce you to such an experience." Elrond grabbed a nearby pillow and let his cheek press against the silky softness. "It is early still, yet I tire. If you do not mind, I will turn in for the evening, my lord."
Ereinion snuggled with Elrond. "I think I will do the same," he said, "as long as I can use you for a pillow."
Elrond sighed softly, half asleep already as he spoke. "Use me however you like," he muttered. This night, he doubted he would dream of much else than Havan and the merchant's possible dealings.
Ereinion curled up with Elrond and rested, letting his eyes unfocus but setting his mental alarm to go off about an hour after sundown. He intended to find out more about Havan...