Chapter Three: To Dol Guldur
The following morning, Míriel awoke to find Aerandir standing beside her bed. There was a strange expression on his face, which vanished when he saw Míriel awake.
"Meleth nín." he said, with a smile.
Míriel saw him lean down to kiss her forehead, one arm on a post of her bed. As quick as lightning, due to her rigorous training in fighting, Míriel's hand shot upwards and knocked Aerandir's arm. The captain, startled, lost his balance. He fell with a small cry next to Míriel. She instantly placed her hands on his chest.
"Lost your balance?" she asked innocently.
Aerandir pressed her against him.
"How do you know?" he replied, in mock surprise.
Míriel lay on Aerandir. She traced his face slowly with her fingertips, gazing into his eyes. As her fingers came near his lips, he caught them quickly between his teeth and bit them gently.
"I missed you." Míriel murmured.
Aerandir rolled so that Míriel was beneath him. He glanced down at her. Her chest rose and fell with each breath she took. Her cleavage was clearly visible. Her sweet scent he breathed in thirstily.
'Eru, I wish to remain with her.' he prayed.
"I missed you too." he whispered to her.
Aerandir then removed his tunic.
"Let us see how far we can go." he said.
Míriel nodded.
"If you cannot go further than wherever we may be, then I will stop." Aerandir added.
He wrapped Míriel's arms around his neck. He began kissing her, starting at her forehead and making his way down. When he reached Míriel's neck, he nuzzled her. She moaned softly. Aerandir smiled to himself. He ran his tongue across her neck. Míriel's back arched.
"Good, Míriel." he said.
"Are we going to go further?" Míriel asked.
"We will try." Aerandir said quietly.
"I will not fail you, Aerandir."
The captain of southern Mirkwood looked into his beloved's eyes. She spoke with such earnest that Aerandir could not let her down.
"If you cannot go further, I will understand." he said.
"Gweston, Aerandir." she replied.
With trembling hands, Aerandir began to remove Míriel's corset. She watched him silently, fearing what would happen. She saw his face as he bent to caress her breasts. A cold spasm of horror washed over her. Instead of Aerandir, she found herself with Him, in His dwelling. His
cold, pale hands reached out towards her. She screamed.
"Míriel!" Aerandir cried.
The Princess was trembling beneath Aerandir. Her eyes were wide with fright, and she covered them with her hands.
"I broke my promise!" she wept. "I saw him!"
Aerandir calmed her, stroking her hair.
"It is not your fault, meleth nín. You vastly improved. Your promise is not broken." he said soothingly.
Míriel uncovered her face.
"I told myself I would not let the past get to me, but I failed. What makes it harder on me is that he resembles you." Míriel said.
Aerandir turned his face to one side.
"It pains me to hear that, and it pains me what he did." he whispered. "Why, Falathar?"
Míriel, who replaced her corset, rose and sat next to Aerandir. She turned his face towards her and wiped his silent tears.
"I am sorry. How heartless I am!" she cried.
"Ú-moe edvad. You are everything opposite of heartless. When I found you and knew it was him who wronged you, my anger knew no limits. It still does not. I feel like a betrayer." Aerandir said.
"Do not say that!" Míriel said. "You are not!"
Aerandir smiled weakly at her. Míriel was heaving, wiping her face. They embraced lovingly. The Princess buried her face in Aerandir's silky, dark hair. She found his ear and bit it at the top, where it was pointed, very gently. When they let go of each other, Míriel was the first to put her mouth on his. They drank each other in thirstily.
"Gerich veleth nín." Aerandir told her.
"Always?" Míriel said, caressing his chest.
"Always."
Aerandir rose from Míriel's bed and replaced his tunic. He turned his back while Míriel dressed, heart full of pain. After what happened, he could not inform her of what he learned the previous night.
'Aran Gil-celeb should be informed immediately. I will tell him.' he thought to himself.
He forced a smile upon his face when Míriel placed her white hand on his arm. He sensed her searching his eyes.
"Something troubles you." she declared.
"Naught troubles me but your troubles, my dear." Aerandir replied.
"I am fine. Ú-'osto. Estelio nin." Míriel told him softly.
They left her chamber as the morning-meal bell rang, joining the many other Elves who were on their way to the dining hall. Inside, they found King Gil-celeb, King Thranduil, and the Lord and Lady of the Golden Wood already seated.
"Maer aur." they said to them warmly.
Thranduil smiled in return.
"I see your spirits are high." Gil-celeb said.
"You forget, adar, that my wedding day draws near?" Míriel said.
"Ai! I have forgotten! In two days' time you wed."
Míriel beamed broadly.
"To whom will you cleave?" Celeborn asked.
"To Aerandir. We have been betrothed for too long." Míriel replied.
Thranduil looked at Aerandir silently.
"My well wishes. You are blessed." he said.
Aerandir, startled, blinked in surprise.
"Le hannon." he answered.
From the glances Gil-celeb shared with the Lórien rulers, Aerandir understood why Thranduil emphasized his statement.
'He loves Míriel!' he thought.
After the meal, he drew Míriel aside.
"Míriel, do you love me?" he asked her.
"Of course! Why-" she replied.
Thranduil passed at that exact moment.
"Oh, I see!" she laughed. "I have no love for Thranduil."
Aerandir sighed in relief.
"I am relieved. But if you love him, then I release you." he said.
"Releasing me will kill me." Míriel told him.
Aerandir replied by kissing her passionately.
'Not releasing me may do the same.' she thought.
Aerandir and Míriel spent the afternoon with Thranduil and Lothlórien's Lord and Lady. All noted Míriel's warmer demeanor, and save for Thranduil, none knew the reason. Míriel highly suspected that the Lady Galadriel knew.
Gil-celeb, who was dealing with an important matter, appeared late in the afternoon. Aerandir excused himself and asked the others leave to speak privately with his King.
"Hîr nín, there is something I wish to tell you." Aerandir began.
"I know of Falathar and his doing. I returned from judging the traitor." the King said. "We gleaned as much information from him as we could before slaying him."
Aerandir sighed.
"I do not wish for Míriel to know. I fear what she may do." he said worriedly.
"So do I. I want to move on Dol Guldur now, before he can escape." Gil-celeb said.
"Do you think he knows we slew his spy?"
"I know not, and hope not."
Gil-celeb laid an arm on Aerandir's shoulder.
"Remain with Míriel." he ordered.
"I cannot, aran nín!" Aerandir replied. "I wish to slay him myself, for he shames me! I feel like him, a traitor and evil!"
"Aerandir!" Elvenking Gil-celeb said sharply. "I will not allow you to say that again! If I felt you are like him, I would have ordered you to death centuries ago, and you would not be cleaving to yourself Míriel!"
"I must go!" Aerandir pleaded. "For her as well!"
Gil-celeb nodded.
"So be it. Prepare to leave." he said.
With grim faces, the two elven-men returned to the sitting room to the others. Lady Galadriel watched them expectantly.
"I think our time has come to attack Dol Guldur. A…messenger… just informed me." Gil-celeb said sternly.
Lord Celeborn and Thranduil rose quickly.
"Our armies are ready." they said.
Aerandir turned to Míriel.
"I must go now, meleth nín." he said.
"I will come!" she cried, fearing the answer.
"You are to stay, as you know well and fear. Not by my command alone, but by your sire's as well. I will avenge your pain!" Aerandir said.
Míriel bowed her head. Aerandir placed his fair hand under her chin and lifted her head. He looked intently into her teary eyes.
"I do not wish to lose you!" she wept.
Gil-celeb left, along with the others.
"You will not. I will return." Aerandir whispered.
"You swear?" Míriel urged.
"Gweston."
Then Míriel felt Aerandir's tongue swirling around hers. She kissed him in return fiercely, so it seemed that they were eating one another. Her arms were about his neck, his hands on the sides of her face. Their eyes were closed.
At last, Aerandir pulled away from her. He gazed intently into her face, memorizing each every detail. Her eyes, which he loved dearly, were gray-blue in color. They stared back at him, full of love, lust, and desire. He nuzzled her face. Míriel bent back, allowing Aerandir better access to her neck. She felt his strong arms supporting her back gently.
"Aerandir…" she whispered.
He reached her cleavage. Her breasts were exposed now, the neck of her gown being wide. Aerandir nuzzled them gently. Míriel straightened her back and pressed herself strongly against him. She ran her tongue over the hollow space beneath his neck. He groaned.
"I must go now." Aerandir said quietly.
"Stay with me. Stay." Míriel whispered.
Aerandir held her at arm's length.
"I must go now." he repeated.
Míriel knew he meant it. She watched him leave the room with
despair in her heart. Then she went from the palace to the gates, where the three armies (northern Mirkwood, Lórien, and her sire's) were gathering together. She made her way to where her sire stood astride a gleaming brown horse.
"Where is Aerandir?" he asked.
"Here."
Aerandir reined his horse beside Gil-celeb.
"I am ready." he said quietly.
"Very well." Gil-celeb said.
His herald blew his horn. It was answered by the other two armies' horns. Míriel held her sire's hand in hers.
"I will wait for you." she said.
"We shall return, Míriel. Prepare for your wedding, and on the evening of the second day, we shall come." Gil-celeb replied.
And with that, the elven armies rode out.
Sindarin Translations:
Meleth nín: my love
Gweston: I swear
Ú-moe edvad: there is nothing to forgive
Ú-'osto: fear not
Estelio nin: trust me
Maer aur: good morning
Adar: father
Aran nín: my king