Chapter 15- Mithlond: Pleasant Farewells
"What are we going to do?" she asked, glancing at him.
Elladan wanted to come up with and answer, like he always did, but after being so deep into the throes of accomplishing what he wanted most, his mind was in a heavy fog and he was barely able to think straight. He took in a deep breath, seeing a robe of hers lying across a chair. He walked over and grabbed it quickly to place around her shoulders, "Go answer the door, and I will jump down to the balcony below. Meet me in my chambers."
Silaerín nodded her head silently, quickly tying the robe about her waist. She walked to the door, but was pulled back by Elladan. He smiled slightly and placed a lasting kiss on her lips before pushing her back toward the door. Her mind was befuddled enough for one evening, but to then have to deal with this new interruption was going to hard. With a deep breath, she opened the door to her antechamber and glided across the room to the other door to see who was waiting to make her life miserable. She pulled the heavy wood back to find Celin standing there, his hands upon his hips as though he were severely enraged that she would lock him out.
"Celin! You sounded just like Adar," she said, though very happy that it was her brother and not her father.
"Why are you worried that it would be Adar?" he asked, raising a curious brow and pushing past her into the room. She watched him look around the room, but he did not continue back into her sleeping chambers. At least he was slightly more respectful of her privacy than her father was. However she sighed and walked past him into the room to sit at her dressing table to carefully comb out her hair. Celin followed her in and looked around the room again before saying, "Adar wishes to know why you have left your guests so early into the evening."
"Grandfather said I could take my leave. I was weary," she replied, and looked down at herself. "And that is why I am preparing for bed."
Celin looked over her for a moment, and then let his eyes wander again. She turned to watch at him, following his eyes' path and froze in horror at the place his gaze had stopped. There, upon a lounge, was Elladan's circlet looking as though it had been tossed haphazardly aside in the midst of a rushed undressing. He walked over to the lounge, and picked up the circlet, examining it for a few moments before walking over to her and holding it out on one finger for her.
"Preparing for bed with a certain peredhel?" he questioned amusedly. "Ada would be most pleased to hear about this, but I must say that you have done a fantastic job of hiding him."
"That is because he is not here," she replied, taking the circlet from him.
Celin smiled wickedly, "You think I do not know what was going on? I saw the glances you two have been sending each other all night, and overheard a conversation between his brother and his beautiful sister."
Silaerín met his eyes and clenched her jaw, "Celin, I beg you... please do not tell Adar."
He regarded her for a moment, eyeing the door as though he were trying to decide what he should do; he was embroiled in a bitter battle of his conscience and she could not quite ascertain if the good or bad side was winning until he sighed in a defeatist manner. "I do not like this idea of my sister sneaking about to meet up with Elves, much less half-Elves."
"It is only Elladan whom I would ever sneak around with, Celin," she replied, still in complete surprise that he had given in so easily. Actually it was too easily, as a matter of fact. "You are not lying to me, are you? You will not go tell Adar even though you said you would not?"
"I promise to you, Silaerín, that I will not," he said.
She looked at his blue eyes, "Why are you so agreeable all of a sudden?"
"I was spying on you this afternoon. Well, I was following Arwen and Elrohir about, just so I could gaze upon the beauty that is that elleth, but when they stopped to spy on you, so did I. And I waited at the stables until you two came back," he said. "I wanted to rip him to pieces when I saw the way he was touching you at the practice field, but then I heard what you two were saying to each other. And then, to my great surprise, my little sister reaches back and completely cripples the mighty peredhel with a slight touch of his ear. I realized that you were capable of making decisions for yourself, as well as protecting yourself."
Silaerín laughed and blushed, "I am so embarrassed, Celin."
Her brother smiled warmly, the first time she could ever remember him smiling that way at her. "Later when you two came back from your ride, I realized for the first time that perhaps it was wrong to step in and try to break you two apart, even though Ada has tried to make me believe Elladan and his entire family are the spawns of Sauron himself. I was worried that all Elladan wanted was to use you and then dispose of you. And I was wrong. I will admit that now."
"What loving spirit has entered your body and possessed you? You are not the Celin I know," she questioned. This was too huge a change for her brother to have made in only a few hours.
"I know there are hundreds of years of pain I caused you, Silaerín, that I will have to atone for, but I am sorry. What you said about me made me realize that even though I have been cruel to you in the past, you could still see a good side of me," he replied.
Silaerín smiled and stood up, placing her hand on his shoulder, "As I said, I must think that, or I would never be able to go on living with you and Adar. I am just glad there is really a good side with good intentions somewhere in that cold stone heart you have."
Celin chuckled lightly, "It has been hidden all of my life, I will admit. But I realized most of what I practiced was what Adar taught me, and not what I truly believed."
"Does this mean you will be an ally now, rather than a foe that I must hide from?" she questioned.
"I would prefer ally, but it is something I do not expect of you after my years of transgressions," he said. "And especially alerting Adar about what I saw you and Elladan doing out in the storm."
Silaerín sighed, "It is good to have you on my side, muindor."
Celin smiled, "But please note that I will not hesitate to kill him should he hurt you and you do nothing about it. It is still my duty to be the overbearing brother when I wish."
"I would expect it," she said.
Celin chuckled and leaned over to place a kiss on her brow, "Now go to your beloved, I have kept you for too long."
Silaerín was not one to wait around when she was given an opportunity like this one, but she had a plan that she needed Celin out of her room for. She still was not sure if she should believe her brother or not, but it was nice to know that perhaps he was beginning to come around. And no matter how much Celin seemed to be her worst enemy, she had never known him to outright lie about anything and then go back on it. It just was not something he did... he was an Elf of his word.
When he was finally gone, and the door was closed, she slipped her robe off, following that with her shift. Replacing the robe about her body, she walked to her bathing chambers, and to the secret room she knew was there, but had somehow failed to remember every single time she had been faced with hiding Elladan. But then if she had tried to tell him, then that would have taken too long and caused more problems than it was worth.
Pulling the floor length tapestry back, she pushed along the wall, looking for the mechanism that would release the lock in the door. After a bit, it gave way and opened to her. Stepping in, she lit the candles in the smaller room, illuminating it in the soft glow. With a smile to herself, glad that everything was still where she had left it, since the last use of this room, she walked to the other side of the room and searched for the door to lead out to the secret corridor that snaked it's way around the many floors and room of the dwelling.
Silaerín walked quickly along the path, the single candle she carried with her flickering at her swift movements. Soon she came upon the door that led to the room that connected Elladan and Elrohir's rooms. She stepped out into the silent room, to find Elladan lying on a chaise, his eyes closed, and for a moment she thought him sleeping until he smiled.
"I knew there had to be a secret passage you were not informing me of," he said. "You would rather see me scale the wall of stone than give me a simple escape route."
She scoffed, and held the circlet over him, "Forget something?"
"Oh..." he mouthed but did not say aloud, taking the circlet from her.
"Come with me," she said, pulling him up from the chaise.
They walked for a long while before he spoke, "So who as at the door?"
"Celin," she said, glancing back at him, "but I do not want to talk about that now."
"Fine by me," he replied, coming closer to her, placing a soft kiss to her ear tip.
Silaerín giggled, but kept them on course to the door of her room. She opened the door and motioned him to enter, and she followed him in, closing the door tightly. She smiled, "I come in here when I wish to disappear from everything. I do not even think my father knows of this chamber's existence."
"Why did you not tell me of this before?" he questioned.
"Because I did not think of it," she said, watching him look over the books on a far table. Silaerín sighed and walked over to open the side window to let in the fresh air.
He wrapped his arms about her from behind, and placed a soft kiss upon her neck, trailing his lips up to her ear, "The moonlight becomes you, my lady."
Silaerín smiled, "You think so?"
"I do," he replied, his hands finding the ties of her robe and untying it. When his fingers first touched her bare flesh, she sucked in a deep breath and he chuckled lowly, whispering into her ear, "I do like how you think, my lady."
He propped himself up on a pillow and elbow, looking down at his bedmate. It could not have been possible what had just happened a few hours earlier. The sensations that drove them over the edge, the ease at which they discovered each other's bodies, and the emotions they shared that made this an episode of making love, not gratuitous coupling, all did not seem possible to him. He feared that if he closed his eyes again, the paradise they had built only in a handful of days would crumble away and he would once again wake up alone and only come to find that it was just one very realistic dream.
It was so simple, yet so complicated- simple to love this beautiful elleth, but almost too complicated for any mind, he was sure even beyond that of the Valar's minds, to grasp and understand it all. For the first time he understood the verses of songs and lines of poems that said life was nothing without a true love. He understood why Beren would die for Lúthien, if just to have and hold her for a short while. He would journey across all the plains of Arda and walk across millions of miles of hot coals just so he could be with her.
Elladan sighed and placed a hand on her hip, now only covered by a thin sheet of homespun. He had not realized just how fragile and small she was compared to him until he was there atop her and held her within his arms. Pushing a piece of pale corn silk hair from her face, he admired her peaceful, innocent features. Her high and well-defined cheekbones, reddened still from their exertions only a short while ago. The black eyelashes that seemed to be so long and lush. Her skin a pale and glowing ivory, so perfect and unblemished. The small and poignant nose, daintily placed in the center of her face. The smooth jaw lines that sloped downward to meet her sculpted chin. Her pale pink lips, so full and firm, that he was again longing to kiss, but did not want to risk waking her from the blissful slumber. The long swan-like neck that sloped to smooth shoulders and wonderfully rounded breasts that fit perfectly in his hands and the sway of her hips, perfect for bearing children or resting easily atop him...
There was no denying it now. He was completely... absolutely... in love with her.
And now to have to leave her here, would be one of the hardest things he would ever have to endure. Carefully, he removed himself from the small bed that was really a lounge of some type, and walked over to dress himself to head back to his chambers. Already he was sure that his father was angry that he had stayed so long with Silaerín and had not been prepared to set out on the journey back at day break.
He secured the last fastening on his tunic and sighed to himself as he gazed back at the sleeping elleth. With a small smile to himself, he went back to the bed and leaned over her, resting his arms on either side of her to place a soft kiss to her cheek. She began to stir beneath him almost immediately, her eyelids opening to reveal clear blue, rivaling that of the Sea, and she let a warm smile cross her features. She said lazily, "Chen ad?"
He could not help but laugh at her, "I can sense I have worn out my welcome."
Silaerín giggled and turned over so that she was lying upon her back rather than her side. She sat up slightly and placed her lips to his, "I shall miss you more than you know, melethron."
"Oh, pen velui, I have a very good idea, for I will have to suffer the separation as well," he said quietly.
"But you may have chances for other diversions," she replied.
Elladan paused and looked deep into her eyes, for the first time really sensing the ability of a connection with her that allowed him to sense what she was thinking. He had felt it the previous evening, but there had been so many other things going on, he had not had time to recognize what was happening between him and Silaerín. But now he knew what she was thinking, and it was unsettling to know that she would think such a thing of him, "Silaerín, there may be others who throw themselves at me, but there will only be one elleth or woman who could possibly make me weak."
Silaerín reached her hands up to touch and caress his cheeks, "I know you are honorable, and would never intend to do anything with another, but it may happen."
"It will not. It can not," he said quietly, meeting her eyes again. He felt the connection again, relaying to her what he could not verbalize and she beamed with a bright smile. Elladan smiled and kissed her again, "There shall never be another that could ever fill the hole leaving you behind will create."
She sighed, "Then let us hope, beyond all hopes, that we shall meet again sooner rather than later so neither of us grows desperate for the company of the other."
Elladan chuckled, "I will hope that, but now I must go."
Silaerín nodded and kissed him deeply, "Elladan, I love you."
"And I, you," he said.
"Do not go looking for trouble, it will find you," she said.
He felt the worry she had for him going off, and having to face the foes of he world as a warrior. "Anyone or thing that dares challenge me will quickly find themselves slain. You need not worry."
Elladan removed himself form the bed and straightened his clothing. She sighed, "It is not good to be so full of yourself, melethron."
"I know it is not, but I am only doing it to aggravate you," he replied, and quickly leaned over to kiss her again.
"Well, stop aggravating me, and tell me that I need not to worry too much because you will take care of yourself and Elrohir," she laughed.
"You have my word, meleth," he said, kissing her shortly.
Silaerín kissed him back and pushed him away. "Your adar is probably waiting for you."
"I know, but he will understand why I have taken so long," he smiled and walked to the door. "Farewell, my lady."
She did not reply as he left the room and shut the door behind him, but he did not need a reply from her. He knew exactly that he was cared for and loved. But as he started walking, he felt a slight sensation of tingling on his lips and he paused. It felt like a kiss. And then he heard her, just faintly conveying a thought to him, "I love you."
Adar- father
Ada-Dad
Muindor- brother
Chen ad- You again?
Melethron- male lover.
Pen velui- beautiful one
Meleth- love