Chapter Nine: Aerandir's Desire Fulfilled
The following day, as they lay in bed singing softly together, there was the blast of the royal army's horns. Aerandir rose and looked towards the sound. Dol Guldur was about to be destroyed.
"Aerandir?" Míriel called fearfully. "Are you going to join? If you are, then I will come, for nothing can part us now."
"It is not to battle they go, but to destruction. They march to destroy Dol Guldur, meleth nín. And I will not join." Aerandir replied.
He stood beside their four-poster bed, looking down upon his beautiful wife. She was firm and strong because of her skill as a warrior. When he was made a captain, and Míriel recognized him, she asked her sire if she could join the army. Reluctantly he agreed, and Aerandir then spent several years training her in the arts of archery and knife-wielding until she became a captain like him.
Though Míriel was a strong and skilled fighter, she was still a woman, and remained weaker than men. After her imprisonment in Dol Guldur, Míriel became wholly changed. She became distrustful of remaining indoors, thus spending the vast majority of her time outdoors. Her personality, once sweet and warm, turned bitter and cold. Revenge on Falathar in Dol Guldur was all she wanted. Aerandir feared for her whenever she went alone, being assured of her safety when she returned.
"Was not Dol Guldur defeated? What of Falathar?" Míriel asked.
"The army was defeated. As for Falathar, we know naught of him." Aerandir told her.
Míriel, who feared Falathar alone, grew a little pale. The memories of her torment were still fresh in her mind. Aerandir lay beside her.
"Míriel, avo 'osto. My heart is glad that you have returned to your old self, the warm Míriel. My heart ached when you were cold." he said.
"But never to you, nor to my sire." she replied.
"True, but you were cold to the people, and they despised you. They did not know of your torture in Dol Guldur, so they understood not the change in your demeanor. You hurt them."
"I knew not."
Aerandir nuzzled her face.
"They have forgotten, and forgave you." he said.
Míriel ran her hand through his hair. She felt Aerandir begin to kiss her body, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. The flesh between his legs erected, and she felt it quiver against her. Aerandir stared into her eyes.
"Míriel…" he whispered.
Still he had not entered her, despite the passionate lovemaking they had done the previous evening. Aerandir noticed, however, that when Míriel was relaxed, he was able to get closer.
Míriel shook her head.
"Not now. Whenever we mention his name, I become frightened. Later, I promise." she said.
Aerandir persisted.
"Aerandir, I cannot." she told him, becoming slightly panicked.
She tried to push him off of her gently, but he refused. Míriel, now frightened, unwrapped her legs. She was about to slide out from underneath him when he held her down by her shoulders. Míriel screamed, and Aerandir jolted to his senses. He almost did what Falathar had done. Blinded by his desire, he almost turned into his brother.
Quickly he rolled off of her. Míriel was staring at him with wide eyes, tears making them misty.
"Míriel, goheno nin!" Aerandir said apologetically.
"You were like Falathar. You turned into him." she whispered.
Enraged, Aerandir raised his hand. Before he knew it, he slapped Míriel across her cheek. She stared at him. He lowered his hand.
"Míriel…" he said shakily. "I meant it not."
The Princess rose from the bed. She opened her wardrobe and chose a gown, then dressed herself hurriedly. When she faced Aerandir, tears ran down her cheeks.
"Aerandir, I need to be alone." she said.
Then she left the chamber.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gil-celeb was walking through the palace when he saw Míriel. His joy turned to worry as he saw grief and fear in her eyes. Thinking the worst had happened, Gil-celeb said:
"Where is Aerandir?"
"In our quarters." Míriel replied coolly.
"What is wrong?"
Míriel dragged her sire to her old bedchamber where she told him what had occurred. Gil-celeb listened intently. Would they be parted now, as Lady Galadriel foretold?
"So, you see, he was like Falathar. He almost did what Falathar did to me! Why cannot he wait a little while until I get over my fear? We have forever to live." she wept when she finished.
"Perhaps not." Gil-celeb said to himself.
"Man pennich?"
"Nothing, my dear. Now, listen to me. Do you still love Aerandir?"
Míriel shied away in embarrassment.
"Very well. Rest here, and when all of your anger is gone, go back to him. For I know very well how lovers pine for each other, and more so when they are upset." Gil-celeb said, rising.
"Adar, le hannon. You are very dear to me, and Aerandir as well!" Míriel cried, embracing her sire.
"As are you." the King said in a strange voice.
He went away from his daughter's chamber mixed emotionally.
'I pray this is not the reason they part. Did not the Lady tell Aerandir they would not be wedded long?' he thought to himself.
He decided to go to the cooking-chamber and see if there was any sweet cake left from the New Year celebration when he saw Aerandir. The captain was looking dejected as he walked along slowly. His eyes were misty, a sign he had been weeping.
"Aerandir!" Gil-celeb called warmly.
The captain froze.
"Tolo hí." Elvenking Gil-celeb said.
Aerandir followed him into the cooking-chamber, where the King took a plate of sweet cake pieces and a vessel of milk. Then he led his captain to his private sitting chamber.
"Míriel told me everything, Aerandir." Gil-celeb began, as the pair took their seats.
"I did not mean it. I only wanted what every husband does to his wife. I did not intend to force her." Aerandir said quickly.
The King laughed.
"I brought you here not for you to confess, but to tell you that Míriel forgave you." he said.
Aerandir choked on his piece of cake.
"Are you sure?" he said unbelievingly.
"Quite." Gil-celeb answered.
"Where is she?"
"In her room."
Aerandir jumped to his feet.
"Daro! Wait until the evening, when temperatures and temperaments cool down." Gil-celeb smiled.
Aerandir nodded.
"As you wish, hîr nín."
Aerandir spent the remainder of the day milling around the palace. He ate the evening-meal in the dining hall with the rest of the Elves, and though he kept a careful watch, he did not see Míriel. When he finished, he went to her bedchamber.
"Pardon me."
Aerandir turned to find a handmaiden standing behind him, a tray of food in her hands.
"I will take that." Aerandir said.
"Ú-chenion." the maiden said.
"I am her husband."
"Very well, hîr nín."
Aerandir thanked her before taking the tray and rapping sharply on Míriel's bedchamber door.
"Come in." came his wife's reply.
He opened the door while balancing the tray on one hand. He sighed with relief; his greatest fear was that the tray would fall and he would be discovered. Luck was with him; he thanked the Valar profusely.
"Amorith, put the tray on my bedside table."
Aerandir was relieved that Míriel's bedchamber was dark. She had not lit her lamps, and the stars were not yet in the sky to send their light through her windows. He put the tray down silently.
"You may go."
Aerandir started to leave. As he reached the door, Míriel called.
"You are quiet. Tell me, what troubles you?" she said.
Aerandir froze.
"Come, Amorith, havo dad."
He saw Míriel's silhouette in the dim darkness as she rose from her bed to light a nearby lamp. Aerandir reached her side just as she turned.
"There-" she said warmly.
She stopped when she saw Aerandir.
"Aerandir?" she breathed.
She stared at him a moment before burying herself in his arms. Her warm tears dampened his tunic. Aerandir kissed the top of her head.
"Oh, meleth nín, I know not how such madness took me. Míriel, forgive-" he said into her hair.
She placed her fingers over his mouth.
"Avo pedo. Ú-moe edvad." Míriel whispered.
Aerandir rose and went towards the door.
"Come back!" Míriel cried after him desperately.
"I only locked the door." he said quietly.
"And I only bared my body." she said seductively. "Aerandir…"
He rose onto his knees in front of her on her bed. She unbuttoned his tunic, then threw it onto the floor. Next, she loosened his belt, which was thrown unceremoniously, landing on his tunic. His leggings slid off on their own accord, and Aerandir watched in delight as Míriel pulled them off his feet. Míriel and Aerandir faced each other unclad.
Their desire and lust for each other gave way, so that Míriel found herself on top of Aerandir in the blink of an eye. She decided to surrender herself to him until she had a chance to catch him off guard. Míriel had thought of a surprise for him.
Aerandir ran his hands over his wife's body, caressing her gently. She had given in to him this night, for her arms were around his neck. The only responses he received were her soft moans of pleasure, and her gently nips on his ears and shoulders. At times, if he hurt her unintentionally, she would squeeze his neck.
The night was halfway through, and still their desires were not fulfilled. Aerandir was now cupping her breasts in his hands. Míriel moved for the first time, though Aerandir did not know until he found that he was underneath her, and her arms were no longer around his neck. He looked at her curiously.
"Have you tired?" he asked.
Míriel only smiled. She then lay on top of him, positioning herself precisely. Aerandir felt something brush against his legs. Then he knew.
A new feeling came over him as the flesh between his legs erected once more. This time, however, he reached his goal. Carefully he thrust three times. With the first thrust, Míriel uttered a strange cry. The strength in her seemed to wash away, but a beautiful smile was upon her face. With the last two thrusts she lay panting on his chest. No words were spoken for some time.
"Now I tired." Míriel breathed at last.
Aerandir lay her beside him. They were both very wet with perspiration, and their long hair hung damply about their shoulders. Míriel was exhausted like never before.
"You were wonderful." Aerandir told her. "Míriel?"
But she had slipped into elven rest, her gray-blue eyes glossy. Aerandir kissed her forehead tenderly.
"Elei velui, Míriel, meleth nín." he whispered.
Sindarin Translations:
Avo 'osto: don't worry
Man pennich: what did you say?
Tolo hí: follow me
Daro: stop
Ú-chenion: I do not understand
Havo dad: sit down
Avo pedo: silence
Elei velui: sweet dreams