THE FORGOTTEN
Lîn a Celu Urui
Pool and Hot Spring
Author's note: The chapter in which – Lothril pins Legolas against a wall and both of them fess up to a few things. …I wasn't entirely sure what to call this chapter, and partially because certain words just aren't in Sindarin. So I thought perhaps "Up Against a Wall" but then it translates as Am Dan Ram. I just… no. To Suess.
The day of the betrothal celebration with his family she and Legolas were now in her anteroom and he was teaching her the lute. She was working on an easy little song when Estelneth came in and politely interrupted.
"Lady Lothril, you have a visitor waiting for you in your bedchamber," Estelneth informed her.
"Visitor in my bedchamber?" Lothril repeated.
Estelneth gave her a knowing look and Legolas had a strong suspicion who it was, but Lothril seemed a bit flummoxed.
"Go," Legolas said. "I will wait for you here."
She thanked him and went into her bedroom, very much not certain who on earth would visit her and go straight to her bedroom if Legolas was sitting beside her in the anteroom. She quickly found out though when she saw Filegon standing there clad in a perfectly understated green and silver outfit.
He bowed. "Good afternoon, Lady Lothril," he greeted. "I hope you do not mind, but I finished this not twenty minutes ago and I am very eager to see how it looks on you." He reached over to behind her changing screen and pulled out an amethyst purple robe that looked almost like it could pass as a dress, and splayed it out for her so she could get a good look at it.
"It is a lovely robe," Lothril said, still not quite connecting the dots.
"It is what is inside that I am so eager to have you try on," Filegon said as opened up the robe to reveal a double hanger and what was unmistakably an amethyst purple and silver bikini.
Lothril reached for the hanger the robe and swim suit were hanging on and held it up to get a better look at it. Yup, this suit was definitely the love child of vintage pin-up and elven sexual aesthetic. Her mouth curled into an involuntary smile even as she stood there wondering if this wasn't a bit much for someone who was only betrothed…
She took it behind the screen and Estelneth helped her out of her dress while Filegon waited on the couch. Of course, once down to her underdress, Estelneth left the rest to her and Lothril quickly changed out of that and into that amethyst colored suit and gave herself a once over in the mirror. She was oh, so very tempted to feel self-conscious in it, and mostly thanks to those lace up the side shorts. It was slightly more string bikini than her old one had been, at least as far as the top was concerned, and even with her…ahem… limited assets up top, he still somehow managed to make her basically flat-self look sexy as heck without being too provocative or scandalous. Or at least, so she thought and hoped.
"What do you think, milady?" Filegon asked, getting a little impatient. He wanted to see his work of art!
Lothril quickly threw the robe over her shoulders and came out.
Filegon clicked his tongue at her. "Milady, how can I check the fit of the outfit if I cannot see three quarters of it? Off with the robe, if you please."
Lothril took off the robe and gave a slow turn.
"It looks like it fits you well, but are you comfortable in it?" he asked.
She nodded. "Everything seems to fit quite well and nothing is digging in or pulling."
"But are you comfortable in it?" he repeated.
"Well, yes. But I am still unsure if the prince will like it or not," she admitted.
Filegon smiled. "Trust me, milady, he will love it. He has been a bit more forthcoming with me about what he wants to see on you than you have been about what you want to see on him. Now, let us put that robe back on you and see how it fits and then I shall leave you to your business."
Estelneth helped her don the robe again and button it and she had to admit, it looked very nice and one wouldn't guess it was basically just a fancy swimsuit cover up. Satisfied with his work, Filegon bowed and left through the servants passage he came in through.
"Umm, Estelneth?" Lothril started. "I think I am going to see if the prince wants to take a swim. Can you see to it everything is laid out for me to quickly change for dinner?"
Estelneth bowed. "Of course, Lady Lothril. And have fun!"
Double checking that her robe was in fact securely fastened, she went back to the antechamber. "Hey Legolas, what do you say we leave this for a little while and go for a swim?" she asked, fingering the long purple sleeve.
"I take it your visitor was Filegon?" he returned, eyeing the lovely purple outfit she now wore.
She nodded.
"I would love nothing more than to swim with you. Shall I meet you back here in a few minutes?" he asked.
Her face involuntarily split into a grin. "Yes, please."
He gave her a quick kiss on the lips, knowing full well she could feel every inch of anticipation that was threatening to distract him and then he dashed off to his room, calling for his attendant as he blew through it, shedding his robe and tossing it on the bed before ducking behind his changing screen. The way she had grinned made him wonder what exactly that robe was concealing. He would find out soon enough... assuming he could get this ridiculous tunic off. Since when did he struggle to undo buttons?!
"I am here, your highness," the servant said from the other side of the screen.
"Perfect! Fetch my swimming clothes, please," Legolas said hastily.
The attendant had a hint of a smile tug at his lips. "Right away, my prince."
Legolas finally got the tunic and began tossing his remaining clothes over the top of the screen.
His swimming clothes appeared around the edge of the screen with the words, "Here you are, my prince."
"Thank you, Alphon."
"I thought you were planning your swimming date with Lady Lothril for next week," Alphon commented.
"Filegon finished early and she invited me just now. However, if we are quick we may yet execute my original plans," Legolas replied.
"If you escort her slowly, I will see that we run," Alphon replied.
"I knew I could count on you! Double check that there are towels, and in addition to things, see to a pitcher of water and cups, and some apples," Legolas answered as he hastily flung the robe over his shoulders and began fastening the inside buttons.
"Any plums?"
"Oh, yes! Definitely make sure there are some plums also, thank you. Where are my slippers?"
"Just outside the screen, sir."
"Thank you," Legolas said as he quickly came out from behind the screen and slid them on.
"Your highness – do not forget to remove your circlet," Alphon said and then gave a very quick bow and hurried to execute his orders.
Legolas hastened over to the nearest mirror and quickly took off his circlet and undid the braid in his hair, grabbed a comb and ran it through his hair, then forced himself to proceed calmly to Lothril's room to collect her. Alphon was quick, but he still needed time. He knocked and she answered the door herself, her hair now down and loose.
"Before we go, would you mind putting my hair in a long braid so it doesn't get tangled?" she asked.
"Not at all," he answered as he shut the door behind himself. Clearly she had anticipated him helping her as she had her brush, comb, and one of those elastic hair ties she had used in her old world sitting out on the low table in front of the couch. They went over to the couch and she sat down sideways and he sat behind her and carefully combed through her hair. He loved the fact she would let him braid her hair, for he loved playing with it. It was so lovely and soft and the way her dark tresses caught the light fascinated him to no end. As he was currently playing for time, he made sure her hair was brushed thoroughly and then proceeded to do a slightly more complicated braid that should leave her hair beautifully wavy if she let it dry in the braid… and he sincerely hoped to give it the opportunity to do so. "There you are," he said after he finished tying it off.
"Thank you, melethron," she said and turned around and gave him a kiss.
"You are very welcome, melethril," he replied and gave her one in return.
"Would you like me to braid yours before we go? Or at least tie it off?" Lothril offered.
Truthfully, he usually just swam with it down in the pool as there wasn't a current, but as she offered… "That would be very nice, thank you."
"Let me go get something to tie it off with," she said and jumped off the couch and whisked into her bedchamber with the violet skirt on her robe flowing out behind her. Watching her walk away in that robe was a treat unto itself. He hadn't had such a clear view of her figure since they had gone swimming last, and somehow the draping violet fabric made the figure he was already madly in love with look irresistible and drew his attention to lines and curves he had somehow failed to appreciate before. He began to suspect she was trying to tease him, which drove his curiosity to the point of maddening trying to figure out what the swimming clothes beneath might look like. Because if there was one thing that robe did not betray, it was the outfit it was concealing.
She reappeared after only being gone but half a minute and with all the innocence in the world she grinned as she held up a ribbon and another hair tie from her world while simultaneously driving him to distraction in that robe which was no less teasing from the front as it was the back. "Which would you rather I use?"
"The ribbon," Legolas said. "And just a short braid, mell nin."
"Will do," she answered as she settled down behind him. "Do you prefer a brush or a comb?" she asked.
"Either one is fine," Legolas answered.
"Alright," she said and picked up the brush and began using it to brush his hair back before she ran her fingers through his hair and said, "You have the prettiest blond hair! It just has the prettiest shine to it and it's sooo soft!"
He could help but smile. "So is yours meleth. It is every inch as soft as mine, if not more."
"Well, it is rather silky soft, I'll grant you, but yours has the prettiest sunshiny hue to it. Mine is just brown, like my eyes," she answered.
"I will forgive you for being so harsh on yourself because you can only see your reflection and it does not tell you a true tale," Legolas said. This elleth… beauty to rival Arwen and she says 'just brown' as if it were plain mud. "Your brown hair shimmers and shines in the light as if the light of the stars are caught in it and it bears hints and glints of dark honey gold after being in the summer sun and many other bewitching hues, but it is quite different from your eyes. Your eyes are like many faceted warm brown topazes. They may not hold another color, but they glitter and shine with a depth I cannot fathom when you are glad and burn with a fire unquenchable when you fight. Yes, they are brown, but they are the fairest and most enchanting examples of it."
While he spoke, she had only run her fingers through his hair and when he stopped she pulled his hair to one side and placed a kiss on his neck below his ear but said nothing as she resumed brushing it into place and then putting it in a short braid.
As far as he was concerned, that could be her reply to every compliment he gave her.
"There, all done," she said and wrapped her arms loosely around him and leaned in so she could just reach the corner of his mouth until he turned his head and kissed her. She sank back and slowly let her hands slide back over the top of his chest and shoulders before trailing down his back a few inches and she got up.
"You are such a little tease," he smiled as stood and took her hand and kissed it.
"Just wait," she replied with a little grin.
He arched a brow. Surely Alphon had enough time by now… "Shall we go?"
"I am certainly ready," she replied.
"Then we shall go." He led her at a leisurely pace, figuring buying Alphon a few extra minutes would not be a bad thing. That and walking beside her was a pleasure unto itself; the gently undulating amethyst violet robe notwithstanding.
In the two thousand some odd years they had lived here he had never really considered one way or the other the fact that the halls and stair leading to the pool were very much in the middle of the part of the palace that was off limits so there was no chance of incidentally running into anyone, but suddenly he was highly cognizant of that fact and borderline reveling in it. They were alone. They would be alone. They would be alone with no chance of being disturbed. It was slowly dawning on him just how much of this particular part of the palace was designed to accommodate his father and mother's love life. He was rapidly concluding that conversations would need to be had with his father before he got married and that he was definitely going to be taking advantage of the next five years before they left for Ithilien. Thoroughly taking advantage…
"One of these days I am going to get my bearings," Lothril said, breaking the comfortable silence between them.
"Are you lost again?" Legolas asked.
"A little. I was fine until we passed the game room but now I'm turned around," she answered.
"I am sorry to inform you, we have not passed the game room. We passed the drawing room, the art room, aaaand… now we have passed the game room," Legolas said.
"Oh. Well then!" Lothril said with a thoughtful little look on her face. "Do we go up next or down?" she asked as they reached the end of the hallway.
"Down for the pool, up for the badminton court," he answered as they began descending the stairs at the end of the hall.
It was just a few short steps down and then another hallway that was lined with paintings and carvings that were done largely by his father and mother with one or two of his own contributions. He felt Lothril slow a little to look at a couple of them so he gladly stopped to oblige her curiosity. She didn't say anything, but she did seem to be enjoying them. It was with no small measure of pride that she lingered longest on a relief carving of his that he had done centuries ago.
She pulled her attention back to Legolas and said, "Well, it's been a few weeks since I have had a swim and dying to see what cave swimming is like! Let's go!" She took his hand and leading him towards the door.
Surely, Alphon had had more than enough time by now… "Allow me to get the door," Legolas said, quickening his step so he could get a little ahead of her. He opened the door a little and peeked inside. Alphon had come through! He quickly opened it the rest of the way for her, and after she gave an amused 'thank you, my prince' she stepped inside and stopped dead, eyes wide, mouth agape.
"It was pretty when Thranduil showed it to me but… wow! Just wow!" she said as she looked about the room.
It was brighter now than it would have been that day because now all the windows were wide open and Alphon managed to get all the lights lit which meant the place was bathed in soft light. The crystalline pools with their glittering bottoms threw the light around their depths and reflected everything above them as if it were a mirror and the glittering polished walls only added to the feeling that one was inside a geode.
"Shall we go hang up our robes and take a swim?" Legolas asked, drawing her wide glittering brown topaz eyes back to him.
"Yes, but… I almost hate to disturb the scene… it's so… so… sparkly!"
He grinned with amusement at word choice. Sparkly… "It is at that, but if your swimming clothes are anything near the color of your robe, you shall not disturb it but rather add to it."
A series of thoughts flickered across her face, but she opted to voice none of them and instead asked, "Where should I hang my robe?"
"Over here," he said and gently led her down the cut stone stairs and over to the left where there was a natural alcove they had carved out to make it a little more even and smooth and silver hooks were put on the wall. There was also a table which they added that Alphon used to lay out the pitcher and cups, bread, cheese, apples, and plums.
"Alright, how did you pull it off?" Lothril asked with a grin.
He smiled, he couldn't help himself. "I had a swim date planned for next week but when you invited me today I simply asked my attendant Alphon to enact our plans right away."
"You are spoiling me!" she warned with an arched brow then a grin and gave him a kiss.
"Always," he agreed before kissing her again.
"Alright, I am getting impatient. Let's swim," she said after he broke the kiss and she immediately turned to one of the hooks and began undoing her robe with her back to him.
He turned with his back to her and took off his own green robe and hung it up on the hook. As he slid off his slippers he had a passing thought that their changing this was very nearly comical at this point as there was no possible way she could be wearing anything more revealing than what she wore back in-
She sauntered past him.
"Elo!" he breathed as his mind caught up with his eyes. It was the same color as her robe, sure enough, and made her look like parts of her were sculpted out of amethyst. He couldn't categorically say it was more revealing, but it was certainly more teasing. The band across the bottom was not so thick as her brown one, in fact, there was barely one at all and it tapered to string as it wrapped around her ribcage and tied in the back. It also tapered to quite thin as it traveled up towards her neck and did not tie there, but instead seemed to have some sort of silver clip or clasp instead so to leave as much as of her back exposed as possible.
"What do you think?" Lothril asked as she stood near the edge of the pool and made a series of overtly flirty, and he was certain she meant to be a little silly, poses at different angles so he could get a full view of it. "Oh, and I never thought I would say this, but I think I really like those shorter swim trunks on you. You've got the legs for it."
"Thank you," he answered, somewhat distracted as he noticed the shorts she wore were a little higher at the waist and just an inch longer in the leg than her brown ones, but these laced up the sides and did not quite lace shut, giving him his first glimpse of skin on her hips. In fact, he reckoned about a two inch gap being held together by thin silver ribbon. He wondered vaguely if she'd let him…
"Well? Well? What do you think?!" Lothril asked impatiently as she came back up to him. "Are you staring at me because you cannot believe how gorgeous I look? Or is it too much and you are trying to find a nice way of telling me I look indecent?"
"Indecent?! Certainly not! The list of things that could be considered indecent between us at this point is very small. And smaller than usual as both our fathers have granted us their blessing to do whatever we want beside wed," he answered as his eyes drifted from her face to that ridiculously thin little strap that was around her neck and how it traveled down from her neck and beautifully framed her…
"So what do you think? Do you like it?" Lothril pressed.
He tore his eyes away from her amethyst and silver suit back to her face and her glittering brown eyes which seemed to be pleased to no end at how distracted she was making him. "I adore it! I think it is beautiful and sexy and it is driving me to distraction."
"Well, I hope you are not too distracted to swim," she said as she suddenly pulled away from him and lightly bounced down the wide shallow stairs to gracefully surface dive beneath the clear still water, giving him a full view of her figure as the waves gently rippled out and away from her. One of the perpetual mysteries of life – how she could be so very well-toned and muscled and yet possess nothing but soft lines and curves and have parts of her bounce with her down the stairs. She surfaced and rolled onto her back and began lazily floating around the pool, giving only the odd gentle stroke to keep her barely gliding across the surface of the water.
Crystalline pool, shimmering lights reflecting crazily on the gently rippling water, and her clad in amethyst that had turned the most lovely darker shade now that it was wet, making the silver ribbons and trim stand out even more so than before and her staring up at him with those big, brown topaz eyes… As if she wasn't already a jewel amongst ellith…
He didn't walk down the stairs to join her, he flew and dove into the water and made a straight line towards her. He was in his depth here and he was going to take advantage of it. He immediately stood and put an arm under her shoulders before wrapping the other around her waist and pulled her upright into a kiss. He had to hold her up a little, but that was no chore. She was light in his arms anyway and in the water even less. Could she feel how utterly and insatiably he desired her? Loved her? Adored her? Surely! She seemed to pick up on the subtlest things with even their most chaste kisses and he was pouring himself into her. She seemed to be enjoying it though because her arms wrapped around him tighter until she was the most firmly pressed against him she had ever been. His breath hitched a little as he felt the skin of her exposed torso against his and then he felt her drift away ever so slightly and break their kiss.
"I'm sorry, was that too much?" she asked, her brow creased with concern. She wanted things, but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable in the process.
"No, no – not at all. It was-" amazing, wonderful, ecstatic, sensual, arousing, mavren, aglareb (desirable, glorious)… "very pleasurable. You simply caught me off guard, but please feel free to catch me off guard like that whenever you wish. I will tell you if something is too much, as I trust you to do with me."
She nodded and seemed reassured by that as her brow smoothed out and the grin returned to her lips. "Should I do it again right now then?"
"Only if you want to," he replied with a smile.
Ever since her little midnight chat with Thranduil she had been trying to figure out a good time to basically do what he suggested. They had been alone a couple times, but the timing hadn't… no, she knew she needed an excuse and couldn't just pin him against a wall out of the blue… at least in her head. This was it, the excuse she needed! She drew herself a little closer then paused and said with a coquettish grin, "About our rules – do we want them to apply to when we're swimming? Because if they do, you certainly have a lot more skin you can kiss and touch."
"So do you and for my part, you are welcome to it," he replied with an inviting little smile. "You knew what our rules were when you chose to create this teasing little thing, but whether or not they apply here is up to you," he said, carefully running a finger down one of the neck straps but stopping shy of reaching anything and not touching her skin at all.
Her mouth quirked into that thoughtful little frown of hers that he always wanted to kiss, so he did and she pretended not to notice and as soon as his lips left hers she said, "We can leave it. But you have to catch me first," And immediately she pulled away from him and dipped under the water and swam away.
"And so I shall!" Legolas said aloud before diving under the water after her. He wasn't about to let her get out of his arms that easily. She surfaced with a grin just a moment before Legolas did and as soon as he did, he began kissing her and let his hands stray down her back and slowly brought one hand to her stomach and traced her scar.
They kissed for a little while until suddenly she pulled away blushing profusely.
"What is it?" Legolas asked, noting her pink cheeks and ears.
"Couldn't you hear it?" she asked, wide eyed.
"Hear what?"
"Our kisses. They are echoing around in here," she replied.
His face immediately split into a roguish grin. "Let them!" He leaned in for another kiss.
"Wait, no! Isn't it indecent!"
"What is?"
"The sounds of kissing like that bouncing around in here!"
He looked at her with a raised brow. "Indecent? Melethril, we are alone. Very, very alone."
"No, I mean – what if the servants hear us?" she asked, looking very concerned. This was honestly a thought she had mulled over before, but suddenly realizing someone outside the door could conceivably hear them brought it back to mind.
"Lothril, I promise, they cannot," he repeated.
"I mean hypothetically – what if they or someone else who is not your father overheard us or caught us like this?" she asked, looking quite concerned.
He paused and studied her face. "What is driving this question?"
"Well, you are the prince. What will it do to your reputation and standing if we are caught together? If we were sailing in a year, I might not care as much, but you are going to be ruling some of our people in Ithilien soon and I want to do what I can to make sure your rule is not going to be jeopardized because we got carried away. I want to help you, Legolas and be an asset to your rule, not a detriment or a liability," she answered.
"You are worried about my rule?" he asked, almost sounding surprised.
She nodded.
"And you are not worried at all how you would look?" he asked.
Her brows knit and she replied, "Well, no, not really. I mean, I would prefer to be viewed favorably as an elleth that is respectable and whatnot, but you have said it yourself, I only have to be as involved as I want to be. If I wind up being viewed unfavorably, I can just lay low and stay behind the scenes until we sail. You cannot. You will have to be out in front. The last thing I want is for you to be diminished in the eyes of your subjects."
"Lothril, that is a very sweet and considerate thought and as prince I am grateful that you are thinking this way. However, do not worry about us getting caught. First of all, the servants have no reason to come in here unless instructed, so if one wandered in here and caught us, they would get in trouble for being where they had no business being. Second, and to the wider point of your query, as long as we are even mildly judicious about where we do things, we have nothing to worry about. The servants that attend us and our private rooms are carefully chosen and know to repeat nothing of what they see or hear. Now if we are caught in another part of the palace… some of them are likely to gossip at least with the other servants and if we are caught by a noble or courtier then we will definitely be subject of gossip. However, it will not harm me. Especially as it will be plain we are not married before the wedding feast. If we wed beforehand, then I shall be in some trouble for it would be viewed as contempt towards my father and our traditions. Anything shy of that though, the worst of it would be gossip, but none of them would dare make an issue of it. Especially now that Acharon is in the dungeons. He is the only one that might have. That and I am more than a little aware of plenty of injudicious and salacious activities of more than a few nobles and courtiers that I am certain they have no idea I know about and I am more than happy to spread around if any of them get any ideas."
"Oh? And how many centuries old is this gossip?" she asked.
"Some of it has been going on for centuries and is as recent as enderi," Legolas answered. "Certain members of the court get their wits easily clouded at celebrations and are not nearly as sneaky or woodcrafty as they suppose they are. It also helps that I am in command of the border patrol and even though I am on leave right now, reports still get brought to my desk and I glance over them. Every holiday always sees reports of which nobles sneaked off and what they were doing."
"But… why?"
"The patrol must report everything they see and without exception. They are also instructed to merely observe and remain hidden unless there is threat or danger or direct violation of law. A lord and his wife making love in the fallen leaves while drunk is not a threat, danger, or violation of law so it is merely noted and reported," he answered.
"So in other words, we are never sneaking away during a celebration to have drunk sex in the forest," she said definitively.
"Not unless we decide to be exhibitionists," he answered with a grin. "But I am far, far too jealous of you to allow that." He leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "Your body and the sounds of your pleasure are for me and me alone."
"Alright, but what about that new moon custom?" she asked with a raised brow.
"We will not be seen or heard," he said definitively.
"If you say so," she said skeptically.
He gave a mischievous smile. "I do say so. Now, where were we?" he asked before leaning in and kissing her again. He started at her mouth and worked his way to her neck. "Ah yes, right here," he muttered before he began kissing a certain little spot a little behind and below her ear that always made her shudder. He noticed she was blushing again, but as he was not met with any protest, he kept going.
After a minute though came a distracted sounding question, "Do you truly like hearing us kiss?"
"I do," he answered between kisses. "Do you not?"
"I don't know, to be honest," she answered, still sounding torn between self-conscious and distracted by his lips. "I suppose I am just not used to it. At least not so loud," she added.
"Give it some time," he replied before pulling her a little closer.
She shuddered as a smile involuntarily pulled up the corners of her mouth. She liked the closeness. She liked feeling him against her in the water and the space between them getting warmer from their shared body heat. She could deal with echoing kisses in exchange for this. Hmm… maybe echoing kisses weren't so bad after all if this is what they resulted in. They were just in her depth here so she decided to try using what purchase she had on the bottom of the pool into getting even closer to him and letting the hand that wasn't holding herself against him try to wander a bit more than usual.
He wasn't picking up on the hint, and she couldn't blame him. It was hard to aggressively pin someone against the wall or herself against him when in the middle of a pool. She was definitely being more assertive with her kisses, but that wasn't wholly unusual. Hmm… what to do? She began slowly drawing him towards the shallows. There were steps that went into the pool, but there was also a fairly smooth slope on either side of them. She might be able to make use of that to get her wants across… assuming she didn't float too much…
Once they were about waist deep, she pulled away and swam to the shallow edge of the pool and half sat on the incline with an inviting smile which he promptly accepted. As soon as he was close, she pulled him onto the bottom of the pool and she maneuvered herself on top, only floating ever so slightly in the shallow water, even as she managed to slide a knee between his to keep herself from drifting. Though, it only took half a second for her to suddenly appreciate just how arousing it was to feel their legs entwined like that. Even if it was only barely.
"My word, you are being aggressive today," he said with a smile even as she lifted his head out of water just enough to get to his neck.
The only reply was a muffled, "Mm-hmm!" before she took her free hand to try moving his hand on her back down a few inches, but as soon as he felt the waist band of her shorts he stopped and wouldn't let her move his hand anymore.
"That is against the rules. You know that," he reminded.
"I know," she said with a grin and gently tried pushing his hand down again. "I'm proposing a rule change."
He smiled, but it was a thanks, but no thanks sort of smile. "We can negotiate other aspects of them, but I am insistent this part stays."
Well this was frustrating, and apparently the frustration was tattooed all over her face because he frowned a little.
"I am sorry, meleth nin, but I truly must," he said apologetically.
"Well, I suppose I have zero room to complain or even feel how I do, all things considered, but I do want to ask why," she replied.
His face clouded over a little. "I do not want you regretting a decision made in the heat of the moment."
"Legolas, this decision has been several frustrating weeks in the making. I have been trying to figure out how to tell you and decided it was probably best I just show you. Trust me, this is not something I am looking to change on a spur of the moment impulse," she answered.
His face was still cloudy and a little set. "I do not doubt you are telling me the truth, but still, I must decline."
Well, she was disappointed her first attempt to actually express her sexual desires was being met by a gentle but firm rejection. But he did say they could negotiate other aspects. Fair enough. She really couldn't say much all things considered, but she was still very disappointed. "Alright, but I do want to know why."
She looked him in the eyes as she said that and she could see he was definitely thinking through how he wanted to respond.
"There are two reasons," he said at length. "One, there are certain pleasures I very much want to save for our wedding night, and exploring your backside is one of them. Two, I do not want to hurt you."
"The first one is fair enough, but I am afraid I do not understand the second," she replied.
"Do you not?"
"No… should I?"
He took a deep breath. "I do not want to hurt you."
She was now genuinely confused. "Umm, thank you, but Legolas of all the places on my body you might accidentally hurt me, my backside is the absolute last one. It's the only place on me that has a substantial amount of cushion."
"No, that is not what I mean. I do not want to hurt you like she did," he confessed, looking very earnest.
"Like she did? Oh, Legolas, trust me – I want more, but I am not ready for that much more just yet. I know I didn't go into gory detail about exactly what she did, but I can promise you, what I was asking for just now was not – no. Nowhere close. However, since you want to wait for our wedding night for that, I will not ask you to do it again." She paused. "Do you need me to tell you exactly what she did to me? Because if you need to hear it just for your own sake I will tell you. I just haven't yet because I haven't felt a particular need to, but if you need to hear specifics, I will tell you."
He looked thoughtful and said at length, "I do, but not just now." His thoughtful expression smoothed out into a decidedly more relaxed one, even if it did seem just a trifle forced and he changed the topic by saying, "Right now though, I would be curious to hear what part of our rules you want to renegotiate and how, why, and when you decided you wanted more."
She gave a self-conscious chuckle. "I have been sort of low key driving myself crazy and hating myself for setting our rules so strict ever since we reached Lothlórien, but I have been trying to figure out for weeks how to tell you what more I want. Then the night before the introductory dinner I decided to try figuring out what exactly was bothering me and why I set the rules so high and how to tell you what I want because really, I can't figure out how to word it for anything. So as I'm sitting upstairs in the drawing room and thinking so I don't disturb your sleep, your father waltzes in and we start talking and I wind up blabbing about how frustrated I am with myself for how I regressed so badly while I was back home and how I can't think of anything to say. So he pretty much looks at me and tells me I'm being ridiculous and that I'm wasting my time trying to figure out how to tell you when I should, his words, grab you by the collar, pin you up against the wall, and leave a trail of clothing that leads to one of our bedrooms."
Legolas laughed. "Oh, he would give that advice! So is this you pinning me against the wall?"
She blushed. "It's as good of an attempt as I could contrive."
"Doing it in a pool lacks the aggression pinning me against an actual wall would have, but it certainly conveys the idea," he replied. "What do you say you and I move from here over to the hot spring and we do a bit of renegotiating?"
"Sounds good!"
As she slowly eased herself into the steaming water, Legolas partially closed the doors to make the air in that chamber a little bit warmer and then he joined her. The pool itself had a bench carved in stone all the way around and were just the right height and slope to make lounging in there very comfortable, even if someone decided to do something like sit between the legs of someone else.
When Legolas invited her to do so, she got an immediately surge of something in her belly that was a crazy mix of she couldn't even identify what, except that she definitely knew she wanted to. It quickly gave way to raw giddy nervousness though as she settled down against him and then morphed into flat out giddiness as he put his hands on her shoulders and slid them down her arms.
"Now, about our rules – what would you like to change?" he asked quietly in her ear.
"Ugh, everything! I think I want you to touch me and kiss everywhere that is not covered by this swimsuit if we are not in front of others," she answered.
"Are you quite serious?" he asked.
"Quite and very. I mean, obviously we don't want everything all the time anyway but I think I want the freedom there. I think I need it," she answered.
"Only if you are certain. I believe you when you say you have been thinking over this for weeks, but I do not want you regretting it later or being hurt on accident as a result," he said.
"I am certain. But really Legolas, you really and truly needn't be so worried about hurting me. I promise. Ever since that kiss the morning after our betrothal I have not been worried at all about you doing something that will trigger memories of her and my past. I really haven't. I wish I knew how to explain it better, but you are different. Everything about you is different. You can't hurt me on accident, Legolas melethron nin. The only way you could is if you went out of your way to try. As for regrets – I honestly don't think I will. Not with you. Have you been worrying about accidentally hurting me this whole time?"
His hands found hers and held them. "I confess I have. It was one of the reasons I wanted you to set rules and tell me what you are comfortable with. I supposed you would be most comfortable if you knew there were lines I would not cross and you were the one that set them. I wanted you to have that control."
She smiled and leaned her head back onto his shoulder. "Dearest, sweetest, loveliest Legolas, that is a very sweet and wonderful and considerate thing you did and I cannot tell you how touched I am by it." She turned slightly and stretched back so she could kiss his neck then added, "However, you really, truly needn't worry about that. You are not going to remind me of her and you are not going to hurt me."
"How can you be certain of that?" he asked, his voice sounding a little sharp.
She shifted so she was sitting on his knee so she could look at him. "Let me explain to you how hurting someone like that works – you don't do it on accident. You do it on purpose. I mean, sure – you could bump into me and brush against part of me you didn't intend to, but that's not anything like it. You would have to decide you did not care about me, my will, my desires, my privacy, or my comfort and act against my will. You would have to go against every fiber of your being and decide you do not care about me and that your pleasure is more important than anything else and then forcibly take what you want from me either by slow coercion or just brutal force. Meleth nin, by virtue of the fact you are an elf, it is almost impossible for you to do such a thing. It isn't in your nature; not by birth, not by how you were raised. If you ever do harm me, it will probably be during a sparring match with a practice sword and give me a good ol' honest and innocent bruise."
He looked thoughtful at her words and said at length, "Still, I do not wish to hurt you or do anything that reminds you of that."
"Legolas, look at me – you can't. You just can't. Look, I am working through a few different mental exercises right now in hopes that I stop accidentally sharing shades of my moods with you. I have been debating for a while showing you my memories since you asked on Cerin Amroth, but I haven't because there really are a few things I do not want you to see accidentally, as I explained then. And I honestly hope my memories of it fade too because I really don't want those mental images forever. Give me some time to keep working on my ósanwe skills and if I reach a place where I think I can show you what happened, then I will show you exactly what happened so you can understand fully what happened and see for yourself why and how you cannot hurt me or remind me of that. And, if in a reasonable amount of time I decide I won't be able to show you those memories, I will tell you – in detail. Okay?"
He nodded. "Okay."
She smiled. She loved it when he borrowed words! "And in the meantime, do you promise to your best to trust and believe me and not to fret and worry about hurting me?"
"I will do my best," he pledged.
"Good!" she said and gave him a kiss. He felt… quite mixed. Trusting, willing, slightly apprehensive, a little worried, an incredible amount of love and a good deal of concern, thoughtful… the list went on. Well, she couldn't very well leave him in such a tumultuous state. "So, let us start with you – what are the lines you absolutely will not cross before we are married?"
"I will not touch or look at uncovered essentially everything covered by these swimming clothes. That is my one hard and fast rule. Everything else is negotiable," he said.
"So you would be okay with this?" she asked as she took his hand and placed it on her knee.
"Quite," he answered, a small smile teasing his mouth as he guessed where she was going with this.
"And what if I do this?" she asked, running her hands across his bare chest before pulling herself closer to him and kissing her way from his neck to his ear which she proceeded to nibble on lightly.
"Id nathren (very welcome)," he said, his voice sounding just a little gravelly.
"And what if I told you I would not mind if you shifted my clothes a little?" she whispered in his ear as she let her fingers trace little patterns on his chest.
"I will ask first," he answered.
Why did she find the idea of him asking arousing? "And what if I told you your lips are welcome anywhere your fingers are?"
He groaned and replied, "Then I may be forced to warn you that if you allow me to shift your clothes, my fingers and lips will both follow. And I will also feel duty bound to warn you that it makes me desire you all the more and want to pull you closer to myself. You are pulling logs out of the dam and risking a flood, you know. Tread carefully!"
"Your warnings are noted," she answered as she straddled his lap took one of his hands and placed it on her thigh and kissed him. The moment his hand started softly caressing her thigh in very small little circles she moaned into the kiss. Ah! This! This was what she wanted!
And sure enough, Thranduil was right. it might not have been pinning him against a wall exactly and there may not have been clothes enough to leave a trail to anywhere, but it worked.
After a time they were reclining on a long wooden chaise, Lothril sitting between his legs and resting against his chest with her eyes closed and a smile teasing her lips. He was quietly singing a song he had written for her while he rested one hand on her bare midriff and absentmindedly traced little circles on her thigh with the fingers of his other hand. It was song number four in a collection he was composing for her that was more or less his way of tracing their relationship from his point of view. This song was more or less centered on their betrothal and how he felt when he saw her in her dress and the joy he felt as their fathers blessed their union and they exchanged rings and so pledged their troth.
The song ended and she gave a happy little sigh. "I loved that one too."
He smiled. "I am glad."
"Can you sing it again?"
"Supper shall be soon," Legolas replied quietly.
"I suppose we ought to go eat at that," she replied quietly, sounding very uninclined to move. "Your family might be upset if we miss our betrothal dessert."
"Quite. They have been looking forward to this since spring," he answered. He felt her settle back against him instead of pulling herself upright and asked, "Do I need to carry you back to your room?" he teased.
"No, no… I shall manage on my own," she answered and with a great effort of will, got up from her extraordinarily comfortable seat that was her betrothed. "Worst part about this though – everything else seems cold afterwards!"
"Then stay here and I shall fetch your things for you," Legolas said, quickly getting up and hurrying to do what he said.
He returned momentarily in his robe with her robe over his arm and her shoes in one hand and a plum in the other. He set her slippers down before her and helped her into her robe and then handed her a plum to eat on the way back to the room.
The moment she entered her bedroom she saw Estelneth waiting for her with a smile on her face. All she said though was, "I have everything ready for you, except a bath. I supposed what with swimming that would not be needed."
"Thank you, Estelneth," Lothril said with a smile of her own. She had a feeling she was grinning like an idiot and would be for hours… and for once she honestly didn't care at all. She didn't exactly feel like butterflies and floating on clouds… more like… like… oh the heck with it! It felt amazing and she loved it!
The dress for the night was something more comfortable and still lovely, but not ostentatious at all. It was a nice deep blue dress with a silver cord belt and one of the pins for her hair Legolas had gotten for her in Minas Tirith. Her hair had somehow managed to mostly dry in the braid and Estelneth must have realized how her hair would look out of it, so instead of undoing her braid and brushing her hair, she took her out to the fireplace and set up a chair and set it with the back close to the flame and let her hair dry a little more before very carefully undoing the braid and letting it dry the rest of the way in beautiful silky waves before she carefully pinned a little of it back.
Lothril took a look at herself in the mirror and smiled wider. She liked what she saw – it was all very natural and simple and she just looked happy and light and carefree. She hadn't felt this way in… well, since Cerin Amroth. That was the closest. This was better.
Legolas came to fetch her as usual and commented how very happy she looked, and indeed, he looked pretty dang happy himself and she told him so. Her words and assurances had left him feeling lighter too, and of course finally indulging in a few things he had been patiently waiting to do helped too.
They were a little early for dinner, but one or two other relatives were there and one of them gestured he wanted to talk to Legolas and Thranduil held out his hand for Lothril to come join him over by the huge window which was displaying a very peaceful autumn sunset.
"You look very happy this evening," he commented casually as he took her hand.
"I am," she answered, her smile widening a little.
"Wall?" he asked in a very quiet voice.
She got a tiny little smile on her face and answered, "Hot spring."
He kept it subtle, but he looked impressed and said just loud enough for her to hear, "Bold. I am proud of you." He gave her temple a kiss and squeezed her hand.
"Lothril, we have a question for you," Legolas called.
Thranduil released her hand and watched her go join Legolas. That elleth… What an amusing, surprising, curious thing… no wonder Legolas was besotted with her.
Dinner was relaxed as usual and saw the two of them holding hands for most of it, dessert was in the drawing room and saw them being far more openly affectionate than usual with them even exchanging several kisses and her doing things like putting her arm around his waist. It wasn't that they were being anything but proper, but it was all warmer, closer, and more intimate feeling. There was that feel of familiarity to their touch that spoke of them knowing each other more than what they were showing. Thranduil knew, obviously, but he marked the new openness in front of others and couldn't help but smile.
-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-
Author's Note: I do love all the reviews I get and I try to reply to them. To those of you guests who are reading - I wish I could reply to you too, but it is a bit difficult. However, to the Guest who asked where I get all my Sindarin - I am a language nerd, so any Sindarin sentences used are 99.99% of the time original and translated by me. However, I have been leaning heavily on a handful of resources: sindarinlessons. weebly. com , elfdict .com , realelvish .net and are the three resources I have been using the most. So I'll go ahead and say my Sindarin might not be perfect, but I do spend a whole lot of time going over grammar, mutations, and conjugations as thoroughly as I can to make sure any sentences I create are as accurate as I can get them. And to reply to Cloaked Horse-Whisperer - Okay, first of all, kudos to you to being the first person to actually think about that and ask that question! Second, even though I don't address it in the story, I basically have her just forget about them entirely and they get left in the Woodland Realm. The contacts themselves just get dried out and tossed but the case and her glasses get cannibalized and repurposed or just melted down. Either way, they never leave the Woodland Realm and she never asks.