I M P O R T A N T N O T E to all my readers: This chapter contains explicit sexual material. And in an effort to avoid offending anyone, I want to make a few things clear. 1) Haldir is NOT going to be watching Ellie bathe. 2) There is nothing tawdry about Ellie and Jamie bathing in a large pool together. In many cultures around the world and throughout history, it has been perfectly acceptable--and indeed customary--for entire families to bathe together. And 3) this is the one I consider the most important note of all--Jamie HAS NOT and WILL NOT at any point in this story witness any inappropriate behavior between Legolas and Ellie, beyond a few quick kisses and hugs.
I thank all of my wonderful reviewers and my beta/collaborator Kris. Once again, this chapter is part of a collaboration effort. Please read and review! I need to know that you like what I am writing so far. If you have suggestions for subplots that you would like to see and recommendations for changes in what I have already written, please pass those along too! MANY THANKS!
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: THE TIES THAT BIND
Ellie was still not used to being the object of a man's--or rather, Elf's--affection and desire. She had no experience in dealing with the feelings of insecurity, jealousy and possessiveness inherent in all affairs of the heart, particularly when nothing was yet settled between the would-be lovers. Consequently, she had been unprepared for Legolas' outrageous behavior that evening. She had not seen it coming, and she did not understand it.
And so, she was angry. Angrier than she had ever been in her entire life. Legolas--the dolt--had ruined her bath with his wild accusations and unjustified fit of temper. Ellie snorted in disbelief as she made her way back to the hunting talan. Who would have thought that an Elf of his stature--Prince of Mirkwood, indeed--could sink so low? Could utter such filth? Sure Legolas had had a terrible day, but hers had been much worse. As far as Ellie was concerned, his verbal attack against her tonight had been completely unwarranted. It is no wonder, she fumed, that Ilissans never marry! Grown males--whether human or Elf--were no better than savage beasts. In fact, she was convinced that that was exactly what they were, hiding beneath their thin guise of chivalry and refinement.
Even Boromir with his noble intentions was not blameless. As she left the path behind her, Ellie acknowledged that the man's attitude toward Legolas was at least partly to blame for what had happened at the bathing pool. Boromir had spent the better part of the day glaring at the Elf, making no attempt whatsoever to hide his hostility. She might be more naïve than most, but Ellie had finally recognized that she herself had been the cause for that hostility. Still, the girl could not excuse Legolas' boorish behavior. While the man had acted only out of genuine concern for her, the Elf had attacked her judgment--her very intelligence--as well as her principles. In short, he had insulted her.
Ellie was so upset, that she rushed by Boromir as he sat beneath the ancient mallorn and did not notice him. It was just as well, for she was in no mood to speak to the man--or to anyone else, for that matter. She wanted Jamie, and Jamie alone. The boy should have finished eating by now, and Ellie meant to take him back with her to the bathing pool. She was counting on his happy chatter and his boyish enthusiasm to lift her spirits.
As she started to climb the winding stairs that led up to the hunting talan, Jamie's innocent laughter drifted down to her. The sound acted like a balm on her battered heart, and her mood instantly lightened. Then she chuckled and shook her head. "Gods! To think that he is going to grow up to be one of them someday", she muttered under her breath.
By the time she reached the first platform, where the hobbits were still supping with Jamie looking on, much of Ellie's good humor had been restored. She was still furious with Legolas, but she had shoved her anger to a far corner and was once again looking forward to the bath--and the beautiful Elven dress--that awaited her.
"Ellie!" Jamie cried as he ran up to hug her. Then he stepped back and cocked his head to one side. "You don't look like you've taken a bath," he observed, wrinkling his nose. "And you don't smell like it either!" The boy could still smell the Orc blood on her clothes and body from the battle in Balin's tomb.
Ellie laughed and pulled on his ear lobe. "I decided to wait for you to join me."
The boy frowned. "I don't want to go in no tub…"
"It's a proper swimming hole, Jamie. With vines for swinging and bugs for catching." No self-respecting boy could refuse that and Ellie knew it.
Jamie immediately grabbed hold of her hand and looked up at her, his eyes sparkling with excitement. "What are we waiting for, then?"
"How…about…me?" Pippin replied, swallowing a mouthful of venison. "I love swimming holes too!"
"You can wait your turn!" Ellie laughed again. Yes, she had done the right thing in coming back for Jamie.
As she turned to lead him toward the stairs, the boy lifted his hand to her messy hair. "What's wrong with it, Ellie? It looks so…bushy!"
"Just like hobbit hair," Pippin piped up again. Ellie glanced back and caught the other hobbits' smirks. That is when she knew that she must truly look hideous. And her traitorous heart bemoaned the fact that Legolas had seen her this way…
Much to her annoyance, they ran into him a short time later. As the girl and the boy approached the tree where Boromir had sat, they saw the man and the Elf engaged in conversation. In the next instant, Legolas turned and started to walk in their direction. Ellie refused to meet his eyes. And just as Jamie shouted a greeting, she grabbed the boy's arm, and firmly said, "Not now!" Then she ran, dragging the boy behind her, until the Elf was no longer in sight.
"What's going on, Ellie?" Jamie wanted to know as soon as they slowed down. "Are you running away from Legolas? He's not going to hurt you again, is he?" Jamie had not seen the Elf cut Ellie's throat--for his face had been pressed to Aragorn's chest--but he had seen the blood splattered on her neck and dress and on Legolas' jerkin. It had frightened and confused him at first. Then Aragorn had explained to the boy that Legolas had needed to cut Ellie because the Orcs were going to hurt her much, much worse before killing her. Young as he was, Jamie had understood. As a prince himself, the boy knew all about chivalry and sacrifice. But, they were in Lothlorien now, and therefore, safe. Legolas no longer needed to hurt her, did he?
"Oh, dear heart, no! Of course not!" Ellie was horrified. She hugged Jamie fiercely, and chided herself for her stupidity. Because the boy had said nothing about the events in the Great Hall, Ellie had assumed that he had not known that Legolas had tried to kill her. "Listen to me, Jamie. Legolas cares for me. He never wanted to hurt me. He had no choice."
"I know that, Ellie," the boy replied, squirming. She was squeezing him rather hard. "But why did you run now?"
"Because I'm mad at him!" she admitted. "And don't ask me why. Grown ups argue all the time for silly reasons. Just know that Legolas is not going to hurt me again, okay?"
The boy nodded. He didn't think the Elf would either. And in truth, he was rather hoping Legolas would stay with them in Lothlorien. Because…well, because Jamie liked him a lot and he knew that Ellie did too, even though she wasn't supposed to.
As they started down the path, Ellie asked Jamie where all the Lorien Elves had gone. She had seen Aragorn and Gimli sleeping on another platform in the talan, but of Haldir and his archers there had been no sign. Ellie wondered when her father would reveal himself to her. So far he had said nothing about their blood relationship, although his eyes had said plenty.
"The leader…that Harold fellow…left right after you," Jamie informed her. "And then Boromir left right after him. And then Legolas left right after Boromir. And then the rest of the Elves left. And then we ate."
Ellie nodded thoughtfully and looked around. She couldn't help but wonder who else might be lurking in the shadows of the trees.
As a matter of fact, Haldir was. After Ellie and Legolas had left the bathing pavilion, the Lorien Elf had stayed in his shady copse, quietly reflecting on the events of the past few hours. And just as he was about to go back to the talan, he heard her and the boy coming down the path. The hour had grown late, and Haldir knew that they had had an exhausting day. They will not take long, he surmised, and decided to wait a while longer. He was impatient to speak with his daughter. He had missed nearly 300 years of her life and he did not want to have to wait another day…
The water was delightfully cool and fragrant. All along its edge it was covered with white and pale pink petals that rained down from the nearest trees. As Ellie dropped into the pool from the open pavilion, the delicate petals clung to her upper body and hair, caressing her like so many soft fingers. Their sweet fragrance masked the faint odor of Orc that still remained on her skin. The Elven soap was made of the same floral scent and as she settled down to bathe, Ellie instantly felt renewed in spirit and body. Jamie had jumped into the pool, splashing and laughing, just before her, and was now chasing the fireflies that hovered over the water on the other side. She watched him with an indulgent smile, as she worked the soap into a rich lather and washed herself. She was happy and relaxed, almost blissful, and remained that way for a long while--until she turned and reached up once again for the soap bottle, to begin washing her hair.
The bottle stood at the edge of the wooden pavilion and as Ellie's hand wrapped around its handle she noticed two naked feet standing behind it. Moving her eyes upward, she recognized Legolas' close-fitting breeches that clearly outlined his long legs and slender hips, and still further up, his torn long shirt that hugged his torso like a second skin--or a lover. She lifted her gaze even higher to his face. The tension and anger that had marred its beauty were now gone. The corners of his mouth were turned upward, as if he was about to smile, and his pale blue eyes glittered in the moonlight. He was breathtaking to behold. Ellie met his gaze and gulped, but neither of them spoke.
"Hi, Legolas! Are you coming to join us?" Jamie called from the far end of the pool.
"Yes!" the Elf replied, his eyes never leaving Ellie's face. She gulped again.
Ellie watched with rapt attention as Legolas unfastened his shirt and let it fall to the ground. She took in the sight of his flawless skin and tensing muscles, and recognized the whipcord strength within them. She remembered all too well the feel of his archers' arms as they had held her against the rock wall on the mountain, his hard body as it had crushed her to the cold granite. For a moment, Ellie forgot to breathe.
But then she scolded herself. Stop it, Ellie! You're angry with him, remember? And when Legolas began unfastening the ties of his breeches, she grabbed the soap bottle, turned her back to him, and waded deeper into the pool. After all, she reasoned, why should she torture herself by openly gawking at the part of him she so desperately wanted, the part he continued to deny her? And after his brutish behavior earlier, she was not about to give him the satisfaction of watching her appreciate his perfect body. No, she may have lost her heart, but her dignity and self-control were--at present--firmly intact. Nevertheless she was aware of every sound he made, as she fumbled with the bottle. She heard him enter the water, and held her breath again as he moved to stand directly behind her.
Legolas had hoped to slowly undress for Ellie as a means of distracting her. Unbalancing and softening her a bit so that she would be open to what he had to say--that he was more sorry than she could ever imagine. Others before her had watched with unmitigated want as he seductively revealed himself to them. This effortless performance on his part had always resulted in a swift build-up of passion in his lovers and he delighted in their frenzied, urgent need to touch him and take him while he himself remained in control. He realized, as he watched her turn and resume her bathing, that he was most definitely not in control this time.
Not that he had expected to be taken by Ellie--nor would he have allowed it--but Legolas was nevertheless surprised by her resistance. Deciding that there were still other ways of regaining her interest, he approached her, just as her clumsy fingers managed to extract some soap from the bottle and she prepared to wash her hair.
"Wait. Allow me, please?" asked Legolas.
Ellie turned and stared wide-eyed at the Elf. Legolas used her momentary hesitation to his advantage and took the bottle from her hand. "It would be my pleasure, Ellie," he said.
And he meant it, although the pleasure would be torturous. Already he was having a difficult time controlling his body's reaction to her nudity. Her skin was as fair as his, and like all Elven beings, it shone with an inner glow akin to moonlight. Washed clean and freed from her tattered dress, it beckoned to be touched. And although the dark water fairly concealed her body, he could make out the dusky peaks of her small breasts just beneath the surface. Legolas wanted to caress Ellie--any and every part of her.
Jamie's voice instantly brought the Elf out of his reverie. The boy had noticed the bottle in Legolas' hand and now shouted from across the pool, "Legolas! Maybe you can do something to fix Ellie's hair!"
Ellie sputtered in mock outrage. "Maybe I can," Legolas agreed with an amused smile, as he grabbed her shoulder with his free hand and turned her away from him.
He poured a generous amount of soap into his palm and began working the liquid into her hair. Starting with the curls along her forehead, over to her temples and eventually to the base of her neck, Legolas massaged and kneaded her scalp with infinite tenderness and care. So lulled was Ellie by the sensual feel of his skilled hands, that she did not notice how close their bodies had become until she felt his warm breath on her shoulder.
Ellie made to pull away when a firm hand wrapped around her upper arm. "No," he said quietly, "I have not finished."
He now buried his hands into the thick fall of her hair that had been floating on the water behind her and tickling his chest. The long, wet strands entangled themselves around his wrists and arms, imprisoning him. How apt, the Elf thought. Legolas took a deep breath and began to speak.
"Ellie," he said, "I spoke with Boromir…"
Spoke with or castrated? Ellie wondered. "And?" she prompted.
"And he told me he desires nothing more than your happiness--your friendship."
"Did I not tell you the same?" she asked, with a hint of reproach in her voice. Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "Boromir is a good man, Legolas. He is thoughtful and kind and a fine warrior who puts the needs of those he cares for above…"
"Rinse," he interrupted, effectively putting an end to her seemingly endless list of Boromir's attributes. Although he was grateful that the human had the best intentions where Ellie was concerned, he did not plan to spend this time with her singing the praises of a man he had only recently found tolerable.
Ellie ducked under the water, rinsing her hair of soap, and surfaced to find Legolas standing in front of her.
"You must know," he began, closing the distance between them so as to not be overheard by the boy, "that I am truly sorry for my treatment of you earlier."
The girl nodded as she absorbed the words the Elf spoke.
"But you must understand something, Ellie," he continued, "I keep what is mine. Do you understand?" He was being unreasonable, and he knew it. After all, he had no intentions of laying with her unless she agreed to stay with him. But he was not about to allow anyone else to have her either.
And understand she did. For no matter how illogical their feelings were, no matter how disastrous their relationship might end up being, she was his. Ellie was suddenly overcome with the desire to throw herself into the Elf's arms, but given Jamie's presence and their state of undress, she thought better of it.
"May I wash your hair now?" she asked instead, smiling shyly at him.
It was a peace offering. He had been forgiven. And it occurred to Legolas that even if they did not consummate their love, there was no reason why they could not give pleasure to one another. He smiled seductively and lowered his mouth to her ear. "There are other parts that are in far greater need of your attention. Care to wash those first?"
Ellie gaped at him for a moment. Did I hear him correctly? And then she boldly asked, "Like what?"
Legolas' seductive smile turned predatory and Ellie's heart skipped a beat, as he bent over and grabbed her waist, pulling her towards him. But just as the tip of his stiffened member made contact with Ellie's stomach beneath the water's surface--drawing a shocked gasp from her--Jamie came splashing toward them.
"Legolas…Jamie," she warned.
The Elf instantly let go of her and stood. "Very well, my hair it will be," he muttered, before turning his attention to the boy.
"I've caught a frog!" Jamie cried all excited as he reached them. Ellie grimaced in distaste--for she detested the slimy creatures--and was about to ask the boy to take it away when the frog slipped out of his hands and into the water next to her. The girl squealed and, without giving it a second thought, rammed into Legolas' back, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
Jamie smirked and rolled his eyes upward, mumbling, "Girls…" under his breath.
Legolas laughed and agreed. "Girls, indeed." Ellie was plastered naked against his back, her wet skin scorching him and making his insides feel like molten lava. The Elf seriously considered thanking the boy for the interruption.
Jamie walked right up to him, his eyes agog. He was studying Legolas' bare chest and arms with a mixture of unabashed curiosity and disgust. "Legolas, you don't have any hair on your body!"
"That is right, Jamie. Elves have no body hair," Legolas confirmed. Ellie stepped back from him then and walked around to stand next to Jamie. She extended a hand to Legolas' chest and slid her fingers across his smooth skin to his arm, her eyes wide with wonder. No hair! she mused. Not even on his arms! His body was completely devoid of hair. No wonder his skin felt as soft as Jamie's! And Ellie could not help but think that Aragorn's and Boromir's bodies would feel much different--and not as pleasant.
"No hair? Really?" Jamie's words mirrored Ellie's thoughts. But then the boy blurted, "Why, even Ellie has hair in her armpits!" And the girl instantly dropped her raised arm.
"So I have noticed," the Elf replied with a chuckle, his amused eyes colliding with hers. Ellie's jaw dropped, as blood rushed to her face suffusing it with bright red color. She felt mortified--not to mention, hairy and unattractive--and wanted to escape. Just as she started to turn, however, Legolas grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards him.
"I would not change a single hair on your head, Ellie…or on your body," he told her, as he stepped closer and lifted her chin so that she would meet his eyes. Beneath the water's surface and out of sight, his erection teased her stomach once again, stirring the butterflies inside. And then, because he could not help himself, he kissed her tenderly. In front of Jamie.
It was a quick kiss, and the boy certainly didn't mind it. In fact, Jamie smiled in a rather satisfied way as he thought to himself, Legolas may yet stay with us! Then he went back to chasing fireflies at the far end of the pool.
As they stepped back from each other, Legolas and Ellie silently watched the boy's antics for a few moments. Then the Elf spoke. "He sees much more than you give him credit for, Ellie. He knows we have feelings for one another."
"Yes, I know," she said, her voice cracking. Then she cleared her throat and smiled at the Elf. "I had better wash that hair of yours." It was so beautiful, like the rest of him, and she was dying to bury her hands in it.
Ellie fetched the bottle and as she poured the rich soap into her hands, Legolas unbound his three braids, and sank lower in the water so that she could easily reach the top of his head. But when she started to move behind him, he stopped her. "Wash it from the front."
"But it makes more sense for me to…"
"Just do it."
Puzzled by his insistence, Ellie reached up with soap-filled hands, unaware that her breasts were now entirely exposed above the water until Legolas' hands gently cupped them. She gasped and looked at him in shock, then shifted panicky eyes toward Jamie, only to find that the boy had gone exploring among the vines and low hanging branches on the opposite shore. He was no longer in sight, but they could hear him.
Legolas moved them then, so that his larger body blocked Ellie from view, should the boy reappear. "He will not see us," he assured her, and proceeded to caress her nipples with his thumbs, ever so softly. Ellie could not stifle a moan, as her hands dropped to her sides.
She was flabbergasted. Was this the same Elf who, until this very afternoon, was still refusing to lay with her? Had he changed his mind? Legolas' touch delighted her, but much as she wanted to, she was not about to couple with the Elf while Jamie was in the pool! "Legolas, what are you doing? Do you actually mean for us to…"
"Of course not," he answered swiftly. "I simply want to touch you while you wash my hair." And when she continued to frown at him, he added, "Trust me, Ellie," as he took hold of her soapy hands and raised them to his head once more.
She stared at him for a long moment before nodding. Then she began to massage his scalp in the same tender manner he had shown her. His hair was very different from hers--so silky and straight. Even wet, it looked pale. "Like starlight," she whispered and Legolas smiled.
As she lost herself in her ministrations, the Elf's hands returned to her body. This time he grasped her slender hips, and raised her onto his lap, spreading her legs to either side. He was crouched low, his knees slightly apart, and Ellie's private parts instantly came into contact with his hardened member floating beneath the water. Her body stiffened slightly, and her hands paused in their task, but she did not protest. Legolas' smile deepened. She quickly peaked around his shoulder to check on Jamie, who was thankfully still out of sight, before turning her attention back to the Elf. He was looking intently at her, his eyes burning with dark emotions.
"Oh, gods," she mumbled, staring wide-eyed into his face.
"The gods have nothing to do with this, Ellie. This is strictly between you and me. Between an Elf and his lover." And his hands lowered to her buttocks, stroking them gently up and down, and up and down, his long fingers reaching into the crevice between the two and down to tease her womanhood. Each intimate touch of a fingertip sent a wave of pleasure surging through her body. And when he finally moved a hand down to cup her, Ellie's insides turned to liquid fire, and her body began to quiver and throb with an almost desperate need.
His skilled fingers now parted her tender folds and began to explore the secrets hidden within. He rubbed and stroked her, dipped his fingers inside of her, all the while pressing the tip of his member against her hot flesh with the heel of his palm. Ellie feverishly rocked against his hardness, moaning and whimpering without even realizing it. Her skin was flushed, her eyes wild and unfocused. Legolas' sensed her release was near, marveling at how fast and how easily he had brought her there.
She forgot all about Jamie. She forgot all about washing Legolas' hair. Her hands now clutched and tugged at his long blond locks as a drowning person would a lifeline. And that is exactly how she felt--as if she were drowning in a vortex of need and desire and raw emotion, her heart and lungs bursting--until the world exploded around her.
Legolas was close to exploding himself. As Ellie's body continued to shudder in the aftermath of her release, the Elf gently eased her off his lap, and quickly and discreetly took care of his own need, his eyes never leaving her dazed face.
For a long time neither of them spoke. Then Ellie sought his hand under the water and squeezed it. "It was just like that other time on the mountain," she whispered in wonder. "I felt all the same…wild, unbridled feelings."
Legolas smiled. "You are a very passionate person, Ellie." And he raised his other hand to caress her face.
"But it was you that made me that way," Ellie acknowledged. "I had never felt that way before. And I don't think I could ever feel that way with anyone else."
He was not about to disavow her of that notion.
Legolas wanted to bind Ellie to him for all time. And he was willing to do whatever it took. But mostly he wanted to bury himself deep inside of her, cover every inch of her body with his, skin pressed against skin, until there was nothing--even a breath of air--separating them.
"Ellie, there are ways to prevent pregnancy," he told her suddenly, surrendering to his need to possess her completely. "You and I could lay…"
But Ellie raised her hand to his lips and shook her head regretfully. "With your seed inside of me, Legolas, waiting for my body to create a daughter, it would be akin to murder." The Elf could hear the unwavering conviction in her voice.
What could he possibly say to that? And so he said nothing.
As the silence stretched between them, they once again became aware of the nighttime sounds of the forest all around them. They heard the splashing of water from Jamie's end of the pool and the boy's occasional laughter. For a while, it had seemed that they had left the world behind them. But the world--and reality--had intruded back into their lives. Ellie was determined to keep the sadness that suddenly threatened her at bay.
"Legolas…"
"Yes?"
"You really need to rinse your hair. It's a mess." Ellie said, giving him a crooked smile.
Legolas chuckled. "After you got through pulling it, I did not think I had any hair left!"
A short while later, Jamie rejoined them. Almost immediately, the boy began to nod off in the water, and for the first time, Ellie realized just how late it was.
"He should have been sleeping ages ago," she told Legolas guiltily.
"Awww, Ellie, I'm not that tired," Jamie protested, with a big yawn, as the Elf climbed out of the pool with the boy in his arms.
Ellie stayed behind, modestly averting her eyes for Jamie's sake, as Legolas quickly donned his breeches and boots. He had left his new shirt and towel behind in the talan and was dripping wet. Jamie dried himself with Ellie's towel, then handed it to Legolas, who did not use it. And while the boy dressed, the Elf reached down and pulled Ellie out of the water, wrapping the damp towel protectively around her small body.
"Legolas, you are still wet!" the girl exclaimed. "Why don't you use my towel too?" she suggested, lifting a corner of the linen cloth toward his bare chest.
But the Elf shook his head. "Take care of your needs, Ellie. I will take the boy back."
Legolas used his torn shirt to dry his wet skin as Jamie shuffled sleepily to him and raised his arms. He was such a tiny little thing, so fragile looking, the Elf thought, when he lifted him. Just like Ellie. Indeed, he could pass for her son, so similar were their appearances.
Legolas suddenly realized that any daughter of Ellie's would more than likely look like Jamie. Even a daughter begotten by an Elf. Now I know what it would feel like to hold our child, he thought wistfully.
"Good night, Ellie," the boy mumbled as the Elf carried him out of the pavilion. Then he buried his face in Legolas' neck.
But Jamie did not go to sleep. "Legolas?"
"Yes, little one?"
"Are you going to stay with Ellie and me in Lothlorien?" The boy fervently hoped the Elf would say yes.
"This is not my home, Jamie."
The boy lifted his head back and looked solemnly into Legolas' eyes. "Are you going to take Ellie away?" he asked, suddenly afraid that Legolas would take her and leave him behind.
The Elf could feel Jamie stiffen in his arms and he felt a sympathetic pang in his heart. The child had lost so much--everything and everyone, in fact--except for Ellie.
"I would never take her and leave you behind," Legolas said, addressing the boy's unspoken fear. "But Ellie is not going to go anywhere else with me. She is not supposed to be with any man or Elf, Jamie. With a husband."
"She's not supposed to be with her father either. But now that we live in Lothlorien, she is. So why can't she be with you too?" the boy countered.
Why not indeed? "What you say makes sense to me, Jamie. But Ellie does not necessarily see it that way."
"Maybe between you and me we can convince her." The boy pressed his face to Legolas' neck again and yawned. "And then we could be a family."
"I would like that, Jamie. I would like that very much…"
