**************************************...******************************************
**************************************...******************************************
Fire and water
"Did I scare you?" Thorin's smile was reserved, but his eyes were deeply affectionate.
She closed her eyes in relief, "Bloody hell, I aged fifty years already….".
He laughed and Dwalin shook his head, "She aged me another fifty. What the hell are you doing lurking in the shadows for Mahal's beard? Trying to give us a heart attack?"
"I just came from the gathering. They pointed me over to this silent side of the river for you two", he said casually.
"Thought you wouldn't come", her face blossomed and her smile widened.
"I try to keep my promises", he smiled back at her.
"Did you decide to join the living?", his friend said and brushed shoulders with him.
"Yes".
Dwalin waved him off, "Good, now don't make too much noise back here. I'll keep everyone away", he said and left them as quietly as he had arrived.
Eilin felt suddenly bursting with anticipation and nervousness. She bit her lower lip and looked at her bare feet, but the smile never left her face, "I am so happy you came", she whispered.
"Sorry I was late", he said quietly.
She wanted to reach out and bring him closer, but her embarrassment was keeping her still, even though not long ago they were snogging like mad at the dark alcove outside the kitchens, "I was about to come find you".
"I overheard that part of your conversation", he said and took two steps closer.
She felt the heat that radiated from his body and instantly craved it, "How much of it?" She looked up.
His hand came up and cupped her cold cheek. He drew her gently in, "Only the last few words. Should I have heard more?"
She shook her head and her hands rested on his velvet vest, "I didn't know you were down at the burial vaults. Do you want us to return there together?", she asked gently.
His thumb caressed under her jawline and she got a brief glimpse of the deep sadness that abounded inside him, "I stayed with him as long as I could".
"You know that I would stay with you down at the vaults, for as long as you wished, don't you? You didn't have to come just to humour my stupid need to partake in some pleasant social gathering. I only wanted to be with you no matter the place. I just thought that this night with your friends would cheer you up. That was the only reason I agreed to come".
"I am going through some rough times Eilin and some days are more difficult than others", he said and his eyes seared into hers.
"Let me alleviate these rough days for you then", her finger ran above the seam of his lips, that opened up for her.
"Aren't you doing so now?" He smiled.
"Not yet…your beautiful eyes look so ailed still".
"My lovely Eilin….", she felt his breath warm on her face, "Just being here makes me feel much better already".
"Without any ale this time?" She teased.
His eyes bore seriously into hers, "Without any", then he pulled back and looked at her body, "Now on a more playful note. Young lady, you are too underdressed to be in the company of other men".
"Is this jealousy that I am witnessing?" she smiled.
"Oh, yes and I am not embarrassed to admit it".
"You don't have to be jealous. I have eyes only for you. Also the rest of my clothes are right there under the tree and I took them off just to dive in", she cupped his cheek.
His hand drew her in by the waist, "You were courageous enough to dare a swim in these waters?"
She pressed her lips regretfully, "unfortunately so. I was hoping to do it with you, but…." She flicked her shoulder.
A lopsided smile formed on his lips, "Is it too late to try one more time?"
She cringed, "I am too cold to take another dive".
"Are you sure? You might find the waters warmer the second time over", he raised his brow.
She gave him a butterfly kiss and their lips lingered hot above each other. Their smiles melted into tense anticipation that started up a warm throb in the pit of her stomach, "Quite sure…I won't go in a second time", she whispered and her forefinger caressed the ridges of his bottom lip, savouring in it's softness. Not realising that he was manipulating her closer to the edge slowly, or that with his free hand he was taking off his velvet vest.
"Maybe I can change your mind?" He said and his vest fell to the ground. Next came one of his boots.
"No way!" She frowned and looked down to see what he was doing, but his thumb raised her face up and he captured her bottom lip with his, making her close her eyes. Her small yelp was buried into his mouth as she stepped on a stone and almost slipped. His strong arms drew her in and she found herself flushed against him, but only for a moment, because the next one she was shoved unceremoniously into the river again.
He stood at the rocks above her, with his hands resting on his thighs and his chest rumbling with laughter.
She came up to the surface and inhaled sharply "What the hell!?" Then she cleaned her face and looked at him with such disbelief that his stomach bubbled up again.
"Look at you...", he laughed.
"I don't believe you just threw me in, right when I was enjoying your kiss!" She cried and thwacked the waters.
"I couldn't resist really, I am sorry. You had such a serious expression", he snorted and then more laughter came as she swam to the shore angrily.
"I want to curse you so bad right now!" she splashed water at him needing to see his laughter becoming anger. She wanted to piss him off like he had pissed her off.
"What's keeping you?" He said and bit his lower lip expectantly.
"You're the bloody Mountain King!" She cried and splashed more water at him.
"Do your best, the King is asleep right now back in his chambers. There is only me here", he provoked.
She tightened her teeth and threw him a deadly glare, "You pompous idiot! I am freezing in here and you are out there dry and warm!"
"Oh, that's why you are trying to get me wet. An act of revenge…" he humphed.
"That's unfair!" She felt her eyes welling.
He pretended pitty, "are you going to cry on me now?"
"Thorin enough!" She grumbled and got madder.
"Hey pretty one?" He thrust his chin at her.
She lingered with a distrustful frown, "What?"
"Want me in there with you?" He winked at her.
Her lips pouted, "No!"
"I can warm you up," his brow rose coyly.
"No!" she spat.
He straightened and sighed, "very well then", he said casually and turned around to wear his boots.
"Thorin don't you dare leave me alone in here now! I'll never forgive you!" She cried angrily.
He laughed and turned around, "Not a chance in a million", he said and ran towards the shore so suddenly that she screeched and tried to pull aside as he took the most gracefully perfect dive she had seen in her life. As the waters enveloped him, she remembered his sister's words about that ten meter dive he had taken as a youth in this river that almost cost him his life. Oh, she certainly saw the diver in him at that moment.
She looked around her to see him coming up for air, but saw nothing. Within seconds her heart turned from admiration, to worry, to nervousness and to near panic, when suddenly she felt something stirring around her legs. She had no chance of crying out in fear though as he came up right in front of her and pulled her wordlessly for a soft kiss that came out of nowhere and everywhere at the same time. Instantly her arms wrapped around his neck and she exhaled on his lips, "That was an amazing presentation of skill", she whispered.
"Glad you enjoyed it because I don't have any stitches and I might have just emptied half the contents of my stomach in the bottom of the river just to impress you…" he looked at her face with admiration.
She frowned worried and her hand came down to his tunic, which she lifted and searched for his bandage, "Don't make me pull you out to see if your wound is okay. Tell me that you are just joking".
"Are you worried about me?" His forehead touched hers and his arm secured her onto his body keeping her easily above the water.
"Constantly".
"I feel good enough to act like a teenager", he caressed her cheek with his and kissed her close to her earlobe.
Goosebumps broke on her skin and her mouth opened up slightly, "You scared the shit out of me and I am also very mad at you!"
"Do you want to slap me for throwing you in?" he asked and leaned close to her mouth. Waiting for her to pick up were he had stopped, but she had other plans.
"No, but I certainly want to do this", she said and pinched his side so hard he groaned in surprise and pulled away from her.
"That will leave a bruise", he chastised.
"Good, and this will wipe that self assured smile off your bloody lips!" She said and splashed his face with ample water, making him swallow most of it.
"hey…!" He tried to speak only to end drinking some more as she continued her revenge. He swam away from her towards the shore, but she didn't stop. So ferocious she was at her task that he actually got blinded enough to lose his footing and fall down. He tried to open his eyes to call her out in order to get a breather, but she fell on him so hard that he lost most of the air in his lungs. Then before he had the chance to figure things out, she straddled him and enraptured his mouth with hers. Her kiss this time didn't feel as sloppy and wet as the first time, nor as fiery and consuming as this morning at the alcove. This time it's tenderness made his heart come alive after a long time of being comatose.
He couldn't fight against the imprudent thoughts that overflowed his mind and his arms came up to enfold her on his body. He allowed her the time to explore him with a reserved and timid manner that only helped fuel his fire. He gave her ample control of the kiss and allowed his mind to draw a blank on what happened back at the throne room and in the burial vaults. When he pulled back for air her hands took firm hold of his face keeping him close, "where do you think you are going? I am not finished with you", she announced.
"First you almost drown me and then you decide to kiss me to death?" He whispered.
"After what you did to me, your comeuppance was relatively easy", she muttered and her forefinger traced his upper lip gently.
"Okay, you win. Now what? You'll keep me pinned down until we both freeze to death?" he teased.
"No, now I will do this", she leaned over and nibbled on his neck softly enough to send goosebumps all over his body.
His eyelids fell close and his mouth opened up.
"And this", she untied a scarf around her waist, which she threw behind his neck. Then she pulled him up and kissed him hotly near his earlobe.
His inhalation was broken and his fingers tightened on her spine.
"Also this", her hips undulated on him as her breath came in hot puffs at the side of his mouth.
"For heaven's sake..." he muttered and one hand twisted in her long mane and pulled her back. His eyes bore into hers, "that's not taking things slowly young lady".
"It's part of the dwarven courting for the dam to make all the first moves, isn't it?" she whispered.
"Yes", he frowned.
"So that's what I am doing. I am giving you all the signals. Now take over please", she bit her lower lip and rocked against him again, enjoying the way his fingers were pulling on her hair.
"Eilin, this is getting out of control again. I think we should pull back and take a breather". He caressed her jawline.
Her fingers got buried deep into his mane, pulling him to her with a want that fired him up, "I don't want to stop. I want you to help me quiet down this gnawing need, before I go crazy…take over please..." she whispered and captured his lips between her teeth, offering him pain with a promise of pleasure. Then she pushed her tongue into his mouth, but with such consuming passion that he groaned openly and flipped them over quickly. She found herself laying down at the wet grass with his hand cradling her head and his knee opening up her legs.
"What about propriety Eilin, this is going too fast", he murmured.
She caressed his hair gently "No Thorin…no propriety tonight between us please. Propriety was thrown out the window the moment I met you. From that moment I ached for you. I am not a lady and don't expect to be treated as such…."
He hissed and looked up deeply troubled by her words, but her eyes where there waiting for him openly doting, "this is not some half forgotten dwarven courting, but a man and a woman wanting each other. Don't stand on courtesy and make me lose something that is just a dream for me. We might not have this tomorrow. Let me be happy for once…please", she begged and her eyes filled with tears.
He wanted to kiss those tears away and tell her words of comfort. Tell her that she was wrong, but he found that he was unable to form anything else than her name. "Eilin", each letter was spoken on her mouth with a deep richness that made her body drip with excitement.
Her try to control the kiss this time was met by his gentle resistance. He pulled back and smiled down at her. His fingers twisted through her hair, caressing her until she closed her eyes. Her leg climbed up his thigh and tightened around him like a vice and his appreciation was whispered into her ear. When her small cold hands managed to borrow their way under his tunic, their firm caress send his mind into a whirl of hazy thoughts about propriety, that meant less and less with each bold touch.
An exhalation of impatience left his mouth and entered hers as his exploration became deeper. When his hand navigated on her stomach above the thin material of her undergarments she mewled in pleasure. When it rested just under her breast the vibration of her first groan, send a jolt of pleasure straight onto his loins. "I won't do anything you don't want me to do", he reassured her.
"Then don't stop", she whispered and led his hand with certainty on her.
He was able to hold his reactions against the physical pain that a sword could cause, but not against the fullness of her breast as his hand squeezed gently. When his palms felt her peaks pressing onto his skin under the linen, his body woke up violently. He pulled back to admire her for a brief moment before his hands resumed the work of untying the strings of her undertunic. Each string pulled away was accompanied by a hot kiss on her exposed throat...and each kiss was accompanied by her rocking against his thigh. When his fingers pulled back her tunic to reveal her firm breasts with their peaks already taut under the moonlight, his mouth planted hot breathless tracks on her cheek.
A soft moan escaped from her throat, which turned into a deep lustful exclamation when his fingers run softly around both mounts. He traced around them slowly on purpose to see the goosebumps on her skin hardening her peaks and his mouth watered. "You are perfect", he whispered and palmed their fullness. She held her breath as he moulded them with his rough palms and her core responded by throbbing in need. Her hands clawed at his sides, trying to encourage him to do more and he didn't hesitate. His mouth opened up hungrily to take in as much of her as he could and she arched up against him with an exhalation of relief.
"Oh, hell…", she gasped and a fresh outflow of wetness stained her at this new explosive sensation that tore through her.
Her reactions awoke a rich groan from him, that vibrated through her body, and her internal muscles clenched greedily. Her trapped feminine scent filled his nostrils and he drank her aroma with visceral need. After so many ages of dryness his arousal felt painfully unbearable. As he moved to her other breast, longing to taste every single inch of her, his free hand went south on it's own free will. He should have hesitated to untie the few strings of her thin underpants, but instead he did it with a steady hand. He should have pulled back to take a breather, but instead he almost tore them to pieces. A desperate moan mingled with a broken laugh of defeat came from him. "Stop me", his deep voice echoed through her torso.
"No…" her body arched against his.
His fingers ran slow torturous circles a few inches above the red curls of her revealed sex. "Please stop me…" he whispered, but his instincts overpowered his logic. His fingers burrowed their way under the soft material of her underpants with a self certainty he didn't know he possessed after so many years of abstinence.
"I won't Thorin", her voice was steady.
His large palm cupped her sex and his fingers grazed against her closed folds. She backed up intuitively against his palm and her folds opened up letting him feel the flow of creamy juices spreading on his skin. His eyelids dropped heavy and his breathing came hot at the side of her mouth, "You are fire..."
A smile of relief came on her red lips and she closed her eyes. As his fingers spread her open, her hand got buried into his mane ferociously, keeping him close. She rocked against his hand again, which he drew back slightly, still feeling uncertain. Her groan was that of ultimate frustration as she grabbed his wrist. Her eyes seared into his and she pushed on him vigorously. "Touch me…put out the fire that you started…"
Knowing that it was too late to back up now, he leaned his forehead against her temple as his middle finger passed through her folds and into her scorching tunnel. Her feral cry was muted by his mouth and his spine tensed beyond belief at the way she was unfolding under him with no hesitations. His arousal twitched with the need to do the same as he began thrusting his finger in her, using the heel of his palm to rub against the sensitive bundle of nerves that controlled all her pleasure. She arched up to him, already knowing that this was a lost game for her before he even began his torture.
Her mind was reduced to a single point of pleasure that he seemed to know very well how to ignite and sustain. His finger didn't feel like a intruder, but more like a part of herself that's been missing for so long. Filling out her emptiness and making her whole body throb. She jerked her mouth free from his and a deep long drawn moan echoed into the forest around them. He cupped her mouth shut and with a low hiss of domination he crushed his lips on her ear 'be quiet!', came the barely controlled command.
At the tail end of her long exhalation the word 'sorry…' was barely discernible as she was unable to form any words to express the pleasure that he was winding up in her core with his hand. Her nails broke through his skin as she tried to get a grip on the sensations that seem to run amok on her body. Sensations that she had felt on her own many times, but felt so much more enhanced now under this man's perfect handling. Not feeling embarrassed she grabbed him like a barnacle, wanting to swallow his scent as her nose buried into his long hair. Then her fading voice prayed for more... and more... and more if possible right into his ear.
His lips become soft once again on the side of her throat and his fingers twirled around her nipples slowly making the painful need awoken by his other hand between her legs become waves of creamy frustration. The fierceness with which she claimed his neck left him breathless. Her hot mouth planted wet kisses all along his skin and up to the line of his beard and he muffled his throaty exhalation inside her curly mane. One palm remained on her breast moulding it gently whilst his other hand assisted her way up quickly.
Her legs opened up and her toes curled downwards, in a race against time. She was climbing up the rough road to freedom with his lead and he longed to see her unraveling for him. Her lips freed his neck and searched for his mouth hungrily and then she begged '...please' and her rocking on the tune he had set for her, became almost desperate.
"I am here", he whispered with a gentle peck that was the complete juxtaposition of the heat that was emanating from the rest of her body and her hips gave a sharp thankful jerk.
She muffled her cry inside his open mouth and her body galloped towards the edge of the world with a speed that made her heart thumb hard in her ears. He cradled her into his arms protectively, making her feel safe enough to empty everything onto him, free of any restraints of the past….bereft of any fears….of any pain….of any embarrassment as she got engulfed only in ultimate pleasure and then she was there...
...touching freedom.
When her body convulsed once she yelped in surprise and her mouth dropped open. She remained trembling just at the edge of the precipice and his heart raced alongside hers. His mouth opened up and bit down on her throat, cherishing her unhindered ecstasy like treasure. Then he buried a second finger as deeply in her as possible, wanting to feel every flexing of her inner muscles.
His second intrusion along with a few flicks of his thumb on her swollen nub was enough to push her violently over the edge. His hand got buried into her hair and brought her onto his chest, just in time to mute the cry that tore through her vocal chords, as her body exploded under him. Her nails drew fresh scratches on his neck and her teeth left bite marks on his upper chest above the tunic. He kept on holding her tight as she rode down her orgasm. His eyes were locked tight from the effort to remain still, as the fire that had left her was now pooling into him more intense than ever. He didn't know who was panting harder, her that had just unravelled, or him that was still ravelling tighter and tighter with each fading quiver of her muscles around his poor fingers. Keeping his hot exhalations buried into her wild curls, he caressed through them until he felt all her tight limbs becoming boneless. Then he removed his fingers and her muscles desperately tried to keep him locked there. He prayed silently for his body to calm down alongside hers, even though it never got the release it so much craved. Her head rolled back at the wet grass and if it wasn't for the blissful smile on her lips, he would have believed that she had fainted.
"Are you alright men hofukinh*?" He asked.
She grabbed the front of his tunic onto her tight fists and pulled him down to her greedily, "Alright? If humping your hand feels like flying up in heaven then I don't ever want to come down again".
He bit the inside of his lip and snorted, "Your awkwardness is adorable".
She smiled brightly at him, "You've found the most precious way to undo that cursed coil that was abounding in the pit of my stomach, eating me up for two days straight! It almost drove me mad!"
He chuckled and kissed her temple gently, "I am glad you feel much better".
She nodded, "If this is what it feels like with you, then I don't ever want us to stop…"
He caressed the top of her forehead, trying to bring himself back in focus. His arousal was aching, but his need to respect her sated state won over, as the battle between what was appropriate and what his instincts told him to do, raged on. Still his body was more tense than it had been in years. "That's a small part of what it can feel like…"
She huffed and pulled him down to give him a kiss on his forehead. Then she rubbed her cheek on his and her elbow locked behind his nape keeping him in place, "That was truly amazing….I feel boneless and breathless…"
He smiled "Amazing was, seeing you unfolding in pleasure".
She caressed his sweaty temple and captured a grey lock between her fingers, "What about you then?"
His thumb traced gently the side of her mouth, "Me?"
"Don't you need to…uhm…you know", her cheeks blushed.
He laughed then and felt his body slowly settling down. All those years of military discipline were coming very useful in front of this beauty that had so openly come undone by his hand. "This was far too much for one night".
"Yet…" she bit her lower lip, "I don't want to leave you like this".
"Like what?" He gave a soft peck on her well kissed lips.
"Unsatisfied", her voice was diminished when she said that word. He could tell how difficult it was for her to speak about such things.
"I will be fine. Eilin, tell me something…" he said and his eyes seared into hers.
"Anything…ask me anything", she beamed up to him. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips puffed up. Her lower neck bore a rather visible nibble. Her hair was a wild mess around her beautiful face and his heart opened up to her.
He caressed her temple and smiled widely, "First time you enjoyed it with a partner?"
She inhaled sharply and covered her eyes with her palm, "was it that obvious?" She tittered.
He pulled her hand away, "Yes".
She looked at him with those intensely beautiful green eyes and a deep redness spread on her cheeks.
"It was my honour to be the first one to offer you pleasure, even though 'tis far from the real deal", he smiled down at her and caressed those cheeks, clearing several red locks that were entangled around her face.
"When can I feel more then?", she bit her lower lip playfully.
He drew his lips hot and wanting on her mouth, feeling the heat still lingering in the pit of his stomach, "You are insatiable, and you need to learn patience..."
"I'll do my best", her lips turned up proudly.
"Good", he awarded her with a soft kiss.
"Did my body pleasure you?" She asked timidly when he drew back.
He frowned down at her, "Was there ever any doubt about that?"
"I don't know", she muttered.
His large palms cupped her breasts fully in a knee-jerk reaction he was unable to stop and squeezed appreciatively. The well-remembered heat reignited instantly in his core and he hissed angrily at his inability to cool down as easily as he would have wanted. "I am biting down my need to claim every inch of your perfect body right now my lady. That's how mad you are driving me", he looked up and his eyes burned through her as his thumbs rolled her nipples against his forefingers silkily. The musky scent of her sex was coming from the hand that had been buried in her, and his mouth watered with the need to bury his face down there next and eat her up. Taste everything she had to give him.
Her body arched and she bit down the inside of her lip hard enough to draw blood, "Don't arouse me again, unless you intend to do something about it afterwards. This is a warning!"
It took him every single inch of willpower to release her breasts and then close up her undertunic respectfully, "I won't. I shall simply dress you up", he said and began tying up the strings of her clothing with slightly shaking hands.
She offered him the most precious smile he had ever seen in years and her hand caressed the locks at his temple tenderly as he redressed her, "Is this part of the dwarven courting?"
"Taking care of you, is part of it", his azure eyes smiled down at her.
"I don't want this night to end. You've made me so happy", she frowned.
He smiled sweetly at her, "Me neither, but we both need to get back to the gathering". When he finished he pulled her up into a warm embrace she reciprocated.
"When can I see you again?" She whispered.
"This day has been very long and we haven't even parted for the night yet. What did we just say about patience?"
"I am sorry", she whispered.
He smiled and silently caressed her long hair, until she decided to speak again, "Where you down at the burial vaults ever since noon?" She asked gently.
He nodded, "Aye".
She felt regret and guilt, gripping her guts at how ardently she asked for pleasure out of a man that was still mourning the loss of his kin. Only now that she was thoroughly satisfied did she feel the need to chastise herself. She should have been down at the vaults comforting him, not out here by the river shore clawing him bloody and biting out her orgasm onto his skin, "I should have been down there with you", she rubbed her face onto his chest.
He frowned and ran his fingers through her hair, "You don't have to be down at the vaults to help me. This, here, now, is helping me more than you can think possible".
"Don't try to sound gentle. Me getting pleasure out of your hand is not the same as holding it while you grieve", she said and wrapped her arms around his body.
He tried to look down at her, "No, not another guilt trip so soon after seeing you so happy".
She shook her head and pressed him, "Tell me, please. Would you ever allow me to hold your hand while you grieve?"
She felt him tensing and his hand searched for hers. When he found it, he stippled his fingers with hers, "You are doing it right now, for I have never stopped grieving…" he whispered and she felt his warm breath in her hair.
A shudder broke through her body and her eyes welled, "I am so sorry you are going through this. I cannot even come close to knowing your pain. I have never lost anyone, although I have left behind a good friend when her health was in dire condition. Rhiannon is probably dead now..."
She felt his body releasing slightly, "Were you two close?"
"As close as one can be inside these dreadful living conditions. I've known her for almost fifteen years. We grew up together. I was two years older than her. She was taken in as another orphan at the age of ten".
"Was she a dam?"
"No, human. An amazing girl of long black hair, much like your own and chocolate brown eyes. Tall and slim with an airy elegance in her gait. She could have become a true beauty and as for her mind it was brilliant. She could work calculations with enviable ease and she already knew how to read and write the common speech when she came to the tavern. She was also very handy with tools and she could fix almost anything made out of wood. She repaired everything in the place, from broken bed posts, to window sills and doors, but she could also carve statues of small animals and flowers. She was very good at gardening and she was the one that taught me so many things about plants and herbs".
"You admire her", he deducted and caressed her temple gently.
"I looked up to her even though I was older. She had a knowledge of the world that I didn't have. I was taken in since birth, but she had travelled far and wide before ending up in the tavern. She had met elves and your kin, and she had so many stories to tell me. We used to sit down at the dirty floor of our room, with me gawking like an idiot as she unravelled all her travels in Middle Earth. I knew that half of them were fairytales of her overactive imagination, but inside the darkness of our abode, these words were my way out".
"You escaped through them..."
She nodded fiercely and pressed him, "Yes! I used to create images out of her stories. It was through her that I first learned about the great elven realms and the unprecedented dwarven cities. Of the mighty Kings of old and of the legends that roam these lands still. Actually, I think I first heard your name from her".
He smiled upon her head.
"Add to that all these bard songs that spoke of the magical world outside my mouldy, deteriorating walls that were full of dirt and degradation and there you had it. I lived for these worlds, not for my real life", her jawline tightened.
"I am sorry…" he started saying but she huffed.
"Hey, did I tell you that she used to draw?"
He shook his head even though she didn't see him.
"Amazing talent she had. Beautiful scenes she drew of strange trees that spoke and moved..."
"Ents?" he smiled.
"Yes, Ents she called them! I've never seen them and thought they were a figment of her imagination".
"They are real", he assured her.
She shook her head, "She drew endless rivers and rows upon rows of mountains tall as the sun. Of dark lakes that abounded in front of old dwarven strongholds envied by orcs, elves and men alike."
"Mirrormere?" He smiled down at her and felt soothed beyond words by her narrations.
She nodded, "Mirromere, yes…She made me want to see everything and experience it first hand, but what hope did I have of achieving all that? Reality is, that it was mere luck that brought me here and I feel guilty for being the one given this amazing chance in life, and not her".
"What are you talking about?" His eyes darkened.
"This girl seemed to have an almost magical understanding of our world. Something that took me many years to come to terms with. I am still having a difficulty. She knew how the world worked. Both the bright side and the dark…especially the dark," he voice dropped.
"That sounds ominous", he frowned.
"Remember that I told you how beautiful she was?"
He nodded.
"The way we lived corrupted her so much that she slowly lost all the brightness in her. All her stories slowly died down until she could barely tell me goodnight. Her hand stopped painting and worked only to fix the window sills. All her small wooden animal carvings were eaten up by termites. Her smile faded and her lips were constantly turned down. That left two distinct lines of sadness at the side of her mouth. Her long luscious black hair became dirty and so tangled that she was obliged to cut it off very short. Her teeth deteriorated and her eyes lost their spark. Slowly she was diminishing until she was almost gone", she felt her eyes welling.
His thumb caressed her cheek.
"It could have happened to me. I don't know if she's dead now, but what I left behind was a young soul trapped in a body that had seen too much darkness", she whispered.
He frowned and felt his mouth drying out. He wanted to ask the girl's profession, as many things were clear in his mind from Eilin's bleak descriptions, but he didn't dare stain her memories. "Allow me the privilege to thank Vala Aule for saving you in her stead, so I can have you in my arms tonight", he spoke softly.
Her hand tightened around his, "I was supposed to be the one holding your hand while you grieve and we just did the opposite didn't we?"
He smiled and nodded.
"I hope Rhiannon is still alive", she whispered and snuggled her face where his neck met his shoulder. Her lips kissed him there with a tenderness that clenched his heart.
"As do I", he murmured and they settled in silence. Enjoying the warmth of their bodies and the gentle murmur of the river they comforted each other.
"Eilin, did you realise that in this story of this precious part of your life you also revealed to me your age?"
She looked up, "Did I freak you out with it?"
"Twenty seven?"
She cringed and nodded, "twenty six!"
He cleared some red locks from her porcelain skin and brooded over her silently for several moments before his mouth broke into a thoughtful smile, "You are a little more than a child. What am I doing all over you?"
She smacked his hand and raised her finger austerely, "In human years I am an adult!"
He shook his head, "That damned number of your age grips my guts like a vice, but what I see before me makes my heart beat faster. I don't know what to do with you…"
She gave him an open lip kiss on his neck, "maybe you could possibly repeat what you did back there…a thousandfold? Thank you very much", she whispered.
He chuckled and pulled her in for a kiss that she reciprocated with growing confidence, "I am older than many trees you see around you. If you were a dam I would have never approached you age wise. Doesn't that scare you?"
She sobered up quickly, "the only thing that scares me is that something will happen and this dream between us is going to blow away, like dust in the wind. I am afraid that I will never be able to return back to life as it was, before you came along. That's the only that scares me Thorin. Not your age, nor your heritage", she obviously hesitated, "No that's a lie. Your heritage scares me bad", she smiled.
His lips turned down.
"Nor am I scared by your huge body and your piercing gaze…which can thwart even the most courageous woman, just so you'd know", she raised her finger teasingly.
He took it and gave it a small kiss, "Don't think that your shot at humour can blind me out of what is important in these words Eilin. I heard what you said in the heat of passion. Know that I am not a man that easily beds a woman, even though it might seem so, after all that happened…"
Her finger closed his mouth and she smiled up to him, "what is this? Regrets for not courting me more? That we didn't exchange flower crows and beads or all that silliness? Maybe that dwarven customs suggest that we should have been at least engaged before we ended up rolling on the river shore like this?"
His eyes gained a sad tone that made her heart catch, "It's guilt that befalls on my shoulders, for your deserve better…"
"But you couldn't control yourself," she smirked at him.
He frowned and opened up his mouth, but no words came out.
"Good, me neither", she encouraged him with a bright smile.
"Eilin…be a little more serious about this", he chastised.
She frowned, "Fine, I will then. So I deserve better right? Better than being in your arms after my body exploded in ways I'd never thought possible, by the only man I've ever wanted in my few years of life? Our ranks are making this impossible Thorin, don't you see? You spoke about our difference in age, yet now you are not thinking as wisely as your age should have allowed you to do. You are King under the Mountain. The man that the seven families are going to swear their allegiance to. As for me? I was, am and will always be a service girl who will be unable to stand by your side officially. You know that, I know that…"
He opened his mouth to speak but she hushed him again.
"Let me speak for your required me to do so! I ached for you from the moment I saw you lying in bed trying to wake up from the dead. I don't know if I wanted you even before, like so many ladies, just from your fame alone…Don't smile for you know that's true!" She warned and then continued more heavily, "most people would have thought that I am trying to solidify my position in Erebor amongst the Longbeards through you, but that's not true. I saw in you the man and I longed for him, but this man has a name that scares me. I am not out here to demand a place by your side as a dwarven-lady, nor as your fiancee or your wife…" she laughed and averted her eyes at that, "…I am here because I am trying to see the man behind the King, as you have urged me to do so many times, hoping that you can see the woman behind the servant. Just for that…for as long as you want me, for as long as this poor dream lasts….and after that…well…" her voice diminished.
He drew her in with such vigour that she lost her breath. His lips crushed on the top of her head, "You are speaking with wisdom beyond your years, yet things are not as clear as you are trying to present them. There are many blurry lines between your words my beautiful Eilin. I cannot deny that our situation is rather complicated, but I for one, am not willing to predetermine the future based on those lines".
She exhaled and her shoulders slouched, "Now who's the wiser of the two? I spoke endlessly to convince you of the truth, and you eradicated my well thought sentences with only a few words, my ancient dwarf-lord".
He sighed and looked at the river, "Good".
They remained like that for several minutes, her almost dozing off under the soft caress of his fingers, before he spoke again. "We need to get back and keep up the pretence, alright?"
She nodded and nuzzled against him, "Alright".
When he pulled back she caressed his cheek softly, "Now you go back there first. I will join in later so we won't raise any suspicions".
She frowned, "When will I see you again?"
"Oh, you'll grow tired of seeing me. Now go!" He said and pushed her away, "you are bloody frozen. Go find the warmth of the fire and I will be there soon".
She bit her lower lip and then ran over and embraced him tightly. Her lips crushed on his neckline with an all consuming urge that made him heave and then she planted a sloppy kiss on his cheek for good measure before waving at him and running towards the gathering.
He backed up to a tree and rested on his heels, trying to settle down his heart and his scattered thoughts for a long time before deciding to join his brethren. He remained out there not minding the frozen air on his wet skin as his mind replayed not only their fiery encounter at the shore, that would probably consume his poor mind for days to come, but also their heavy conversation and the broodiness returned on his previously calm features.
When he returned to the gathering the first one he approached was Dwalin that was sitting on a log enjoying a large bone of meat. A cup of mead was next to him. Thorin climbed above the log, took the cup in his hand, sat down and emptied it in one go. Then his eyes found her once more as she was discussing animatedly with two women across the fire and his heart smiled.
Dwalin offered him a brief look of annoyance, "Hey, that was mine!"
"Was indeed", he raised his brow and gave back the empty cup.
Dwalin took a big mouthful of meat, "Hungry?"
Thorin shook his head, "No".
"You look way too tense and also bruised beyond recognition. What did she do to you back there? Eat you alive?" Dwalin pointed where collarbone met his neck.
He looked at the dried blood of her claw marks and winced. Then he pulled up his wet over tunic and tightened the strings on it.
"She also left some pretty hard bite marks there", Dwalin pointed at his upper chest above the linen that was bloody.
Thorin's face flustered and he wore his velvet vest quickly in order to hide it.
Dwalin snorted as he chewed unbothered, "Damn, she is fierce".
"Enough already," Thorin chastised and looked up at Bombur that brought him a plate of food.
"This is for you Thorin. You cannot afford to get thin…your muscle system needs to be sustained", Bombur said with a wide smile.
Thorin looked at it and instead of taking the plate he took a large bone full of meat and offered Bombur a thankful smile, "Fine".
Bombur left with a smug walk and yelled, "I got him to eat something. Now those who bet against, give me your pouches!"
Thorin snorted with his mouth full, "Will you stop betting on everything I do? Incompetent trolls…".
Eilin turned her attention at him and their eyes locked for a moment where her mouth upturned in an adoring smile.
"Nope", Dwalin said and grabbed the pouch that was thrown to him. Then he offered a nonchalant look at Thorin, "I bet for, as always when it comes to you".
Thorin humphed, "great for trusting in me".
Dwalin elbowed him and tilted his head on Eilin's direction that was being drawn to the middle of the circle by the two women, "She's a good girl".
Thorin raised his brow.
"And pretty damn honest towards Bofur before you came along tonight," he explained as Thorin's silence questioned him heavily.
"She explained to him that any romantic advances on his behalf won't be acceptable by her. That's why he is over there pretending to look at anyone but her", Dwalin threw the bone at the fire and crossed his arms.
Thorin smiled coyly towards her back and nodded, "Glad you got to witness the good in her".
A thunderous burp escaped him and he gave Bombur the thumbs up, "Perfect cooking!"
Bombur reciprocated, "That wild boar that Thorin brought in was indeed amazing".
Eilin looked up at that and snickered under her hand after giving him a foxy look that made him bite the inside of his lip.
"Stop looking at her like that, unless you are ready to stand up and admit to everyone that you two are involved", Dwalin advised.
Thorin threw his own finished bone into the fire and licked his fingers for the first time truly appreciative for the taste of food, "I am not amidst my court right now Dwalin, but amongst friends or am I mistaken?"
Dwalin's lips twisted in agreement, "That's true alright".
"Then let me be for a moment please".
"No one here is going to judge you, apart maybe from Bofur, but there are two ladies from Erebor here also, or haven't you noticed?"
Thorin frowned.
"You haven't noticed, because you have eyes only for her", his friend teased, but his words were nothing less than the truth.
Thorin's brow darkened.
Dwalin sighed, "I've never seen you approach another woman before…and you've had many candidates after Siv. Dams, common women and even a couple of she-elves", Dwalin frowned thoughtfully.
"What's the point?"
"That you refused every single one of them. Didn't you have the need to touch a woman then?"
Thorin's eyes gave him an almost murdering look that didn't ruffle his feathers, "Of course you did, and yet you chose not to. So what's so different this time with this lowly servant girl tell me? Her appearance is exceptionally different, even though I must admit she is truly beautiful. I'll give you that one…"
Thorin's brow rose testily.
"But only that. What is it that made you accept her advances and not the other women that came into your life? Hell, did she even try an advance towards you, because she's one of the most timid creatures I have ever seen, or did you do all the work yourself?"
Thorin shook his head to drive away Dwalin's insistence, "It was mutual".
Dwalin squeezed his shoulder, "What's so exceptional about her then?"
A small cloud of indecision passed from his forehead, "Her loyalty was the first thing that drew me closer, her ability to make me feel that I don't need to put on a show is what won me over…." He looked up at his friend and his annoyance melted away into a sad smile, "only Siv had managed that with me Dwalin. Only she had been able to drive away all the hard facade that my father made me structure carefully around me. Only with her was I able to be truly myself".
Dwalin's face sobered up.
"Now you are getting it," Thorin nodded at his expression, "Whenever I am with her, I can be myself".
Dwalin crossed his arms and looked at his boots.
Thorin's head shook sadly, "So allow me a moment of peace brother and don't stir the pot".
Dwalin sighed and settled back, "You answered all my questions. I'll leave you alone".
Thorin pointed at Dwalin's cup, "Pass it over".
"Alcohol won't put out the fire she obviously ignited in you", Dwalin said.
"You are right. An axe and a mace might. I need to engage you in battle lest I go crazy", he whispered.
Dwalin laughed then and shook his head, "That would be a bloody pleasure, but will Oin allow you?" Then in an afterthought he turned to their deaf medical genius, "Oin …hey!"
He placed the cone in his ear and turned at them, "Yeah, what?"
"Is he allowed to fight?" Dwalin pointed at Thorin whose eyes settled on Eilin.
Oin flicked his shoulders, "Take it easy on that. He's fresh off the stitches".
"Mace sounds easy?" Dwalin winked at the older dwarf.
Oin frowned, "it hell is not and I am not in the mood to patch him up again!"
"Hey Thorin, forget new stitches! I am not trying to keep you down again. My hernia is killing me after that accursed day!" Dori said with a frown and raised his cup as a salutation.
"Oh, no no no no", Ori shook his head with a livid face, "me neither. I've never been so scared in my life and that includes our whole journey and the ending battle".
Dwalin laughed then, "You are a bunch of elvish sissies! Come on where is your nerve?"
Eilin's flirty look at him as the men picked up their flutes to start the music was reciprocated by him. He hadn't heard anything of what Dwalin and the others were saying until his friend elbowed him once more, "Oin says no maces for you".
"Who cares what the old corpse is saying"
Eilin approached them with a happy sway on her shapely hips and a bright smile painted on her puffed lips. His eyes looked down at her throat and saw that she had closed up the tunic, so nothing was visible, but knowing that his hungry mouth had left a bruise on her skin there, stirred him once more. She smiled teasingly at him and rested her hands on her knees, "Shall I dare ask you for a dance?" She whispered.
Thorin's lips upturned in an attractive smile that made her stomach burst with butterflies, "Not unless you want everyone to figure out what's happening".
"Besides, he never dances. A rule of centuries," Dwalin said and when they both looked at him he flicked his shoulders.
"Whom shall I ask then?" Her lips pressed regretfully.
"Anyone but Bofur", he tilted his head warningly at her and she beamed down at him when she felt his possessiveness through these words.
Her lips scourged in a small half hidden kiss, before she turned around and hopscotched back to the others. Thorin exhaled through his nose and his hand tightened around his knee. When she approached Dori and he accepted her offer Thorin's lips pressed testily. When the flute began playing an airy dance in which the man had to stand still in the middle and hold the woman's hand, while she twirled around him, he straightened his body against the need to stand up, push Dori out of the way and take his place. He observed her silently as the dance progressed, how elegant her moves around Dori were, how well balanced and smooth. She seemed to be floating around him, not stepping on ground.
It was the first time he noticed that her long wavy hair was pulled back from the temples, allowing everyone a good look of her beautiful face. Her eyes were catching the light of the fire in them as she took hold of Dori's hand and executed several complicated steps, before swirling a couple of times more. His eyes drew hungrily down her figure, only to linger on the curve of her hips that were perfectly traced under those brown breeches that had his sigil on one knee. The memory of these delicious hips rocking against him made him tense. In every twist her eyes sought him out. In every turn her smile was for him even though she was holding Dori's hand. In every swirl she intentionally waved her hair around her body and offered him an amorous look above her shoulder only for a brief second. Just enough to make his breath hitch and his stomach to heat up once more with an ease that made him sweat. He didn't see that everyone's eyes seemed to be on her. Neither did he notice Bofur's face closing up as he averted his eyes from that alluring dance. When the other women stopped as their partners were too drawn in by Eilin's enchanting moves, he didn't even notice. Everyone was keeping up the beat with their heavy boots stomping the ground and their hands clapping. When Nori, Bifur and Gloin began a series of battle cries, goosebumps broke on his skin. When the dance was blessedly over and Dori bowed for her amazing performance, Thorin rubbed his forehead, "She will drive me crazy for certain", he whispered.
Dwalin was looking mesmerised also, "Didn't know she could dance so well. That other time with Bofur had been alright, but nothing compared to this impressive show, which was no doubt meant only for you. We just happened to be side recipients. Everybody is looking at her…".
"I am well aware", he winced.
"Above all poor Bofur", Dwalin cringed and shook his head.
"Grab your axe and let's go", Thorin said and stood up abruptly.
The need to hack something was so imminent that he felt sweat breaking on his forehead. Her dance had re-ignited the gnawing arousal that he had managed to settle down before, now a thousandfold. Either he was going to find a way to corner her against a tree to finish the job, or he was going to find another conduit for his frustrations. He picked up the first mace he found lying about and didn't stop to see if Dwalin was following him. They found a quiet spot a little ways off and indeed they trained very hard. Harder than Dwalin had ever anticipated, or Thorin expected to accomplish with his wound still raw and rather annoying. Their clashing and hammering thundered the ground, branded tree barks and brought down several smaller bushes, but left both of them unharmed and sweaty in the end. Thorin felt all his sexual tension melting to the ground in testosterone filled aggressiveness towards the only man that could handle his ferocity and when they stopped he leaned his hands above his thighs panting, but thankful that he felt almost cleansed. It was Dwalin's exhausted voice that made him look up, "Did you get it out of your system?"
Thorin harked and nodded, "Pretty much".
Dwalin rested on his heels and wiped away the sweat from his head, "If you go back there and she dances for you like that again, I suggest you take a break, go to your rooms and relieve yourself, because another such session will probably kill you. You are not well enough to train like this yet. Oin is right".
Thorin winced and straightened, "I know".
Dwalin raised his brow, "We've known each other since we were a gleam in the eyes of our fathers. Your blood is boiling for her. You need to settle it down in some manner before it undoes you".
Thorin's lips pursed.
Dwalin raised his finger, "Don't ask me how…" he warned.
Thorin chuckled, "I won't. Now let's go back and drink. Let's be merry tonight my friend, because tomorrow I need to go back to being King Oakenshield and I am not in a hurry to do that".
Dwalin's eyes dropped, "Aye", he said and followed his friend back at the gathering.
There indeed they drank and ate plenty and were merry. Songs of bravery were sung by his deep baritone voice as Eilin's eyes were mooning on him from afar. Jokes were received and given and laughter echoed inside the forest. Eilin's small forgotten scarf was abandoned near the rocks at the spot they found each other so passionately….and Thorin felt at peace with the world for the first time in many years. With his friends around him and that beautiful woman looking at him with such devotion.
When they broke camp it was almost dawn and half of them were asleep already in the forest bed. They escorted the women back to the city and when she left for her rooms he smiled at her discreetly. Letting his eyes promise her a new meeting soon. The only one that escorted him back to his rooms was Dwalin who reminded him that a good sexual relief would make a new man out of him in the morning.
When Thorin closed his door, he fell in bed not only comforted beyond reason, but also with butterflies bubbling up his stomach and a sweet smile printed on his lips. That's how he slept, but for very few hours… as Erebor was slowly waking up and the golden bell was striking the dawning of a new day….as for the fire of their gathering it had died down long ago, leaving his sleeping comrades unprotected from the cold till the first rays of the sun broke through the trees. When the same rays touched the river shore, the small forgotten scarf of Eilin was blown by the wind into the river and began a journey of its own into the unknown.
Much like it's mistress had done the night before.
A/N:
* my lady of joy
**************************************...******************************************
**************************************...******************************************