Season's Greetings from Mirkwood

~ Season's Greetings from Mirkwood ~

Chapter One/Two

By: Mary A and Malinorne

Summary: Mary and Mal celebrate Yuletide with the elves during their first winter as subjects in Mirkwood.

Warning: Adult sexual situations, nudity including wet naked elf flesh, naughty sword play, threesome sex.

Timeline: After the War of the Rings

Genre: Based loosely on the works of JRR Tolkien.

Disclaimer: This is a work of not for profit amateur fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended on any of the works by JRR Tolkien.

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A/N: In our current story, Mirkwood and Beyond, the season is late summer and winter is nowhere in sight. In order to feel more in keeping with the holidays, Mal and I would like to share a former winter tale with our readers. This ficlet was first posted as a stand alone in Christmas 2003 and reprised in parts of our story Mary Goes to Mirkwood in March of 2004. We will be posting chapter 2 next week. We wish all of our readers a very happy Yule!

AFF has messed up MGM's chapters, if you want to read the whole thing, it can be found at thranduil.net. Look for Mary and Mal's Thranduil fanfiction.

Did the elves recognize Yule? Mal and I are supposing they did, based on a passage in The Hobbit that describes Gandalf and Bilbo's spending Yule with Beorn after returning from Laketown and the Battle of the Five Armies. Whether or not the elves celebrated Yule is anyone's guess.


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~ Mary ~

The cold winter temperatures had frozen both of the Mirkwood rivers solid, which meant no boat travel until spring. The road was still passable by horse, however, and one frosty morning, while I stood outside beside the king to wave farewell, the royal sleigh flew out of the great gates of Thranduil's realm and bounded off toward Esgaroth. Riding within, buried under soft wool blankets and warm wolf-fur pelts, was Malinorne. Beside her, holding the reins, sat Thaladir.

With permission from the king, they were off on an overnight shopping trip to buy the supplies that we two mortals felt were necessary to have on hand for the coming Yule festivities. I felt sorry for Mal that she had to spend time alone with that grouchy old elf. I was happy, however, that Thranduil had so kindly consented to allow his concubine out of the palace for this little venture.

I certainly was not going to go anywhere overnight with the seneschal and neither Mal nor I trusted him to purchase our much needed personal items for us by himself. At least not in the sufficient quantity or quality that we felt necessary.

When the little sleigh had disappeared into the distance, the king put his hand at my shoulder and guided me back toward the interior of the torch-lit halls.

"Where are we going?" I asked, already knowing exactly where we were going. And Thranduil knew that I knew.

"I want to show you something," was his answer.

"You always say you're going to show me something," I said, "but it always turns out to be the same exact thing." I was not complaining at all, or hardly at all.

"This time will be different," countered the king.

"Yes, that's exactly what you said the last time," I replied. "And the time before that and the time before that and the... "

"I mean it this time," he interrupted. "It will be completely different."

"You said that the last time, too, as I recall..." I paused when I realized the direction Thranduil had been steadily heading me toward. "Wait, hold it!" I cried. "Are we going to your study? No, no, no." I stopped dead in my tracks.

"With Thaladir gone, you can hardly have any objections," the king pointed out.

"Oh! But you're so wrong. Feeling his disapproval just outside the door is half the fun. Delicious, in fact."

"How about," he said, "if I promise you will not be disappointed." Not interested in waiting for me to answer, he picked me up and carried me into his study.

"Well, I am never disappointed," I answered as the door slowly closed behind us, "never, but you did say that exact same thing the last time, too..."


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~ Mal ~

It hadn't been very difficult at all to convince the king to allow me outside his realm, perhaps because the Long Lake wasn't really that far. I had of course preferred to make the trip together with him, and Mary, but as he would neither leave his kingdom nor be deprived of the company of both his mortal ladies, if even for just one night, this was the best solution. Mary had declared that after her adventure in Rivendell, she didn't need more travel in the nearest months, and after seeing how the king looked at her hungrily the whole morning, I was sure that she wouldn't regret remaining at home.

I was happy that the seneschal accompanied me on this trip, despite his less than sunny disposition, and I tried to show my appreciation by not talking more than necessary. I felt safe in his company, and I knew that he would be able to handle any situation that might occur in the town. I was less sure about our relationship, which during the past weeks had been exclusively platonic in nature, and it was hard not to think about intimacies when being so close to him, and wonder if he missed our "lessons". But the king trusted him and that was all I needed to know.

Thaladir looked different today, dressed in dark-grey breeches and a short tunic, instead of his usual brown robes. His thick woolen cloak hid the sword at his side, revealing it only when he sat in the sleigh, and it made me look twice. I had not seen him armed before, not even with a hunting bow, and now this. And before we left, he was brought a bow and a full quiver as well. I just hoped he wouldn't have to use them.

The sleigh-ride was uneventful, and I felt wonderfully at peace sitting under the furs, looking at the trees above our heads, occasionally ducking from the snow that fell from the branches as our little carriage passed by. It was not too cold, but with the added effect from the breeze I was surprised to see that the seneschal wore neither gloves nor a hat.

The two grey horses seemed to like their job and snorted playfully now and then. It was like in a fairy-tale. The only thing missing were the bells that should have jingled all the way to Esgaroth, but Thaladir had frowned disapprovingly when I mentioned that, saying that we made too much noise as it was.

It was nearly dark by the time we approached the town, so I didn't see much of it. I could only make out the contours of the wooden houses as we travelled along the poorly lit main street. We stopped outside a fairly large building that Thaladir explained was an inn, the one the Mirkwood elves always stayed at when compelled to visit this town of Men. He said that the people here were less influenced by the ridiculous and distasteful rumours about elves that flourished in Esgaroth now when the Battle of Five Armies was already forgotten by many.

The seneschal got out of the sleigh, knocked on the door and talked to someone. After a short while, a man, who I assume was a stable hand, came out and took care of the horses. Thaladir carried our small luggage and left me at the far end of one of the long tables in the main hall while he went to leave our belongings. He was back after just a minute or so, and seemed to be satisfied. I hoped it meant that the rooms were decent and not infested with lice or something, as I had already discovered that the humans of this world weren't nearly as cleanly as the elves.

There weren't many other guests in the common room and we were served quickly. It was a simple, but very tasty meat and potato stew, served with thick slices of dark bread. The wine was a bit sour, not at all like the one served in the Mirkwood halls, and I presumed that a large part of the best vintage was taken up the river to embellish the Elvenking's table.


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~ Mary ~

It was a treat to dine alone with Thranduil without the seneschal sniffing disdainfully at my table manners or Mal showing off her Elvish speaking skills. After dinner, the king took me to the bathing-pool chamber where we washed each other lazily but thoroughly. I think I may have ended up a bit cleaner than he did; as it was harder for me to remain focused.

The hot water made me feel drowsy, so after Thranduil was done with me, I laid my head on his shoulder and ran my hand over his chest. The smooth texture of his shiny wet skin gleamed in the torchlight; it was impossible to resist touching him.

I sighed, "Poor Mal, having to spend two whole days with that grou..., I mean, with His Excellency, Thaladir." The king had his eyes closed and his head tipped back against the curved tile surface of the pool's edge. He grunted slightly in response to me but otherwise seemed unconcerned. I continued, "She is going to need lots of cuddles to make up for it, don't you think? I know I would."

Thranduil opened one eye and looked at me sideways for a moment before responding.

"I do not believe that Malinorne suffers as much in the company of my seneschal as you seem to do." he said. "I would not worry too much for her, if I were you," he added before closing his eye back up with a satisfied sigh. What he said was true. For some reason, Mal and Thaladir seemed to have grown closer while I was away off in Rivendell. When I had asked her about it she could not give me a straight answer but her cheeks turned pinker.

At first she had denied, almost heatedly, that the seneschal treated her different than he did any of the other subjects in his master's realm but she had to admit, finally, that he was more pleasant to her than he was to me. I think she was trying to spare my feelings, but it was obvious to me that the ever-dutiful Thaladir found her more fitting and suitable for display alongside His Majesty the king, than he did me.

Despite my own best efforts, I still had not managed to crack through the crusty exterior of the king's seneschal. I felt withered by his disapproving demeanor whenever I had to be in the same room with him. I had avoided our Elvish lessons for a few weeks using one excuse after another as Mal and I got ready for the holidays. But as soon as the festivities were over I was doomed to be locked up with him in Thranduil's stuffy study and that time was rapidly approaching. Thinking about the study brought something else, closer at hand, to my mind.

"When exactly will they get back tomorrow?" I asked. My hand traveled over the glistening surface of Thranduil's chest muscles and then down, under the water, over the sleek surface of his firm abdomen, and then lower. The king chuckled as I grasped him but sobered quickly when I began slowly moving my hand. "I like what you showed me in your study today," I whispered. "Do you want to show me some more of that?"

"I thought you were sleepy," he said softly. His lips traveled freely over me from my neck and collarbone to tease my breasts as he lifted me up while pulling me over on top of him. His hands made their own journey from my waist to cup my bottom as he assisted me into place.

"Mmmm," I purred as we shifted our slippery wet bodies even more to better accommodate the situation. "I guess I am never too sleepy for this, besides, as soon as they return I will have to go back to sharing you, so right now I want to make the most of having you to myself." And I did.


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~ Mal ~

After the meal, Thaladir led the way up the stairs to the second floor, where the rooms were located. He stopped outside a rustic door, opened it and, with a chivalrous bow, bade me enter. It was a fairly small room, with just a bed, a small table and a chair, but it looked rather cosy in the dim light from the candle on the table. But I was surprised to see the seneschal's bow next to my basket in the corner and even more surprised when he closed the door behind him and began to remove his cloak.

"Thaladir, isn't this my room?" I asked him quickly; unable to decide whether I was thrilled or appalled by the prospect of sharing a room with him.

"These quarters are intended for both of us," he responded calmly, while continuing to undress.

"There's only one bed here, you can't mean that I'm supposed to share it with you!" I was irritated now, not because I had anything against the seneschal, but it was quite preposterous of him to just assume that I'd sleep with him in the same bed after so long and not say anything about it. And it annoyed me even more that I wanted to do just that. Very much, in fact.

"His Majesty specifically commanded that you are not left unattended in the land of Men. Furthermore, this arrangement mitigates his expenditure somewhat, which leaves more for you to transfer to the merchants on the morrow."

At this point, Thaladir had removed all clothing but his undertunic and he sat on the chair, demonstratively turned from me, and suggested that I undress as well, unless I wished to crumple my dress further. I had a good mind to do just that, only because he said it, but going to bed fully clothed wasn't really a good idea, so I sighed heavily and divested, slowly. I left my undershift on and climbed into bed, under the thick blanket. It was not too warm in the room, but after the long sleigh-ride it was nice to lie still and I closed my eyes for a moment. I wondered how I could manage to keep my hands to myself once he would lie down beside me.

When I looked up, I saw a ghastly sight in the moonlight. The seneschal was standing next to the bed, holding his drawn sword and looking like a madman elf, and a very severe and determined one. I thought for a second that he wanted to kill me, but I was too scared to scream.

Without a word, he placed the naked blade on the sheet in the middle of the bed, and then lay down on the other side of it, pulling his cloak over him. When the shock was gone, I became aware that I had hogged the blanket, and I reached over the sword to let him have at least a corner of it.

"I wish you a pleasant night, my lady." He spoke softly, but there was a hint of bitterness in his voice that I didn't understand.

I lay still and tried to sleep, but every time I dozed off, I seemed to wake up again. I listened to Thaladir's soft, even breaths and I regretted being angry with him. He was courteous and loyal, and I felt safe with him. But I wanted more and I missed the Elvenking already.

If you've tried lying in a bed with an elf beside you, you know that it is very difficult to keep one's hands to oneself. Even if that elf happens to be a very uncuddly specimen, like Thranduil's seneschal. I couldn't do it. I guess I didn't even try very hard. I just had to
touch his hair, a little, feel his soft skin under my fingers, a little, and snuggle up closer, too. But, as this elf was Thaladir, I decided to take it easy despite everything we had shared some weeks ago.

With due caution, I reached out a hand and touched him, careful not to get too close to that sharp-edged sword. A quiet hiss was heard from the seneschal, but he did not speak. I ran my hand over the muscles of his arm and whispered to him: "Thaladir?"

I was answered by a sigh. Not much, but at least he was awake, so I continued. "Would you not think you could find a better place for that sword?" I almost had to giggle, suddenly reminded of a less literal sword that the king had shown me months earlier. And he had found a very good place for it too. The memory of that night still made me aroused when I thought of it. And Thaladir had been involved too...

"While I would not find it the least troublesome to acquiesce to what I interpret as a wish to have the weapon removed from our lair, it would hardly be acceptable from the point of seemliness." The seneschal's promptly delivered answer made me smile. Seemliness, indeed! As if it was very seemly that we were here together in the first place.

"But these are not royal halls, and nobody is observing our behaviour," I said pleadingly, continuing to run my fingers over his arm. "Please put it into the scabbard."

"Absence of observers does not justify deviation from correct manners." Thaladir's voice was crisp, and perhaps just a little strained.

"I don't believe Thranduil would make us share a room but forbid you to touch me." Of course, I believed him very capable of doing so, but I didn't feel I had to tell Thaladir at that particular moment. Especially as it was the king who had initiated, or at least facilitated, all previous touching between his concubine and his seneschal.

"Indeed, His Majesty did not see fit to leave such instructions. This is however, a matter of personal honour."

"Please? I only ask you to remove that weapon so that I can sleep without risking to cut myself!" It was a blatant lie, of course, but I couldn't care less if he believed me or not, as long as he would get rid of the sword.

He caught my wrist in a firm grip, stilling it before he replied. "My doing so would result in certain consequences, of which I believe you are fully aware." He chuckled, but it was not a happy chuckle, and his voice was serious when he continued. "It would also depend upon your willingness to accept these consequences without complaint, my lady. You will not sleep."

"I am willing." I really was, I wanted him badly now and it was not an egoistic desire only. That bitterness in his voice had told me that had he missed our trysts and I was quite desperate to make him as happy as possible under the circumstances.

Hearing my words, the seneschal stood from the bed and reached for the sword. He lifted the weapon carefully and slid it into its scabbard, leaving it on the floor, still within reach from the bed.

"Then be it as you request."

Thaladir wasted no time. Having gotten into bed again, he immediately lay down over me, resting on his elbows, and his legs, which were already between mine. He took my face between his hands and kissed me, at the same time pressing his hips against mine, letting me feel that the strong back under my hands wasn't the only part of him that was hard.

My undershift was pushed up to my belly and as the seneschal continued to kiss me fervently, his hand between my thighs moved skillfully to make sure that I was wet enough to fully enjoy his further advances. Before long, he had me moaning and writhing under him. I took great pleasure in the arms of the seneschal and slept soundly until first daylight.


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~ Mary ~

As Thranduil and I ate lunch the next day, I cautiously brought up the idea of gift-giving to celebrate the holiday. I needed the king's help with getting Mal the present I wanted to give her. I could not very well have asked her to purchase something for herself in Esgaroth. Gift giving had not been mentioned yet as part of the typical Yule traditions in Mirkwood.

"Once a year," I explained, "some of us humans celebrate the winter holidays by giving presents to everyone we know. Sort of like hobbits do for their birthdays? Only we all do it at the same time, on the same day. And we wrap the smaller ones in pretty paper so they are a surprise for the person who gets it." Thranduil thought about that for some time while he continued to eat his meal.

"I suppose," he answered finally, "that you are expecting a present, then?"

"No, well, maybe I do. But it's more fun to give them than to get them." I could hardly ask the king to give me one more thing. He fulfilled every wish I ever had before I even knew I had wished it, so far. "And," I added, "I do need your help with Mal's present. I can't go out and buy one and I don't know how else to get one."

"What could my concubine possibly need that I have not already given her?" Thranduil leaned back in his seat for a moment and waited for my response.

"She needs a chair in her room, a nice soft chair," I said. "All she has is that big pile of pillows on the floor and I guess I know what they're for." The king smirked. "I don't need to be reminded," I told him. He put a hand over one of mine and squeezed it.

"You are jealous of Mal's pillows," he pronounced. I took in a deep breath and collected myself. This conversation was not going in the direction I had intended it to go. I exhaled.

"Okay, yes I am jealous, a little," I admitted, "but that doesn't mean Mal shouldn't have something better to sit on. Every girl needs a chair to sit on every once in a while. All she has is her bed." The king leaned toward me. He had a very familiar look in his eyes. I started to feel warm from the inside out.

"I thought you said you did not like the floor," he reminded me with a raised eyebrow for emphasis.

"Well, not your floor!" I cried, "It's as hard and cold as, as, well, as a rock! It is rock! Who wants to be messing around on rocks?" The king smirked and moved his hand from on top of mine to under the table. "Oh," I said as I felt his hand caress my thigh. "You do. I keep forgetting."

"Do you want some pillows for your floor, too?"

"No." I did. But even though his hand on my leg was distracting, I was determined not to let him change the subject and so I continued. "I want to give Mal a chair. This isn't about what I want you to give me." The king chuckled. It is not possible to fool him. "Okay," I surrendered. "I would maybe like a big pillow or two to lounge around on in front of my fireplace sometime, but, right now, can we talk about Mal's chair?"

I described exactly the kind I thought would be nice for her room, and suggested she should have two of them so I could sit somewhere when I visited with her. He graciously consented to my idea and suggested I help pick out the fabric to cover the seat cushions that I had insisted on including.

"But, we will do that later," he said, "right now let's go somewhere else and discuss something different." He stood and drew me up with him.

"Wait," I said, "don't tell me. Let me guess. You want to show me something, right?"

"You are becoming quite skilled at reading my mind," answered the king as he led me from the dining hall.


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~ Mal ~

Thaladir surprised me by bringing a breakfast tray and I ate and dressed quickly, eager to get started with the shopping. I had a list of items that Mary and I had discussed, and some things that she didn't know about yet. Like the coffee. I so hoped that I would be able to find some, imported from southern Harad or beyond, along with the spices I needed for my traditional cookies.

The weather was sunny and not too cold, and the streets were crowded already. Thaladir had told me on the way that the people of Long Lake had a winter festival at the same time as the elves celebrated the turn of seasons, and it was apparent that it involved as much cooking and eating and giving of gifts as our Christmas. There were people everywhere, and though there were shops here and there, the true marketplace seemed to be out in the street.

Almost at once, we ran into Haryl, the Town Master's treasurer, who swept off his fur hat in a deep, courteous bow, and after receiving permission from "lord Thaladir," he took me by the elbow and steered us toward a stall with steaming frying pans. "Roasted almonds, as good as nuts," he said. And he bought me a whole screw of them, the sweet young man, and insisted I try one immediately. He watched me chew it and smiled when he saw that I liked the treat.

I noticed something different about him, and when he handed me the almonds, I noticed a ring on his middle finger. Not the kind of pompous signet Master Darek wore to show his station, but a thin band of two entwined silver threads. It looked delicate, almost feminine, and when I raised my eyes to his face, his blushing cheeks confirmed my suspicions. He was engaged, or, rather betrothed, to the Town Master's daughter; he told me shyly when he understood that I wouldn't let him go without saying anything about it. The nuptials would take place in spring, during the festivities that would be held at the time of new season's moon.

The almonds were delicious, roasted in sugar, and I decided to at least try to save some for Mary. I thanked Haryl and was going to ask him about his fiancé and how the winter festival was celebrated here, but he excused himself and said that regrettable as it was, he was prevented from partaking in further conversation.

He hoped that I would return another season 'to see the marvellous fir trees outside the Town Hall' and I said that I would be happy to do that, and added, as he was so interested in greenery, that I hoped the next negotiation with Mirkwood could be held when the beech trees opened their new leaves.

I found my spices almost at once, in a stall tended by a sturdy matron. It was only the saffron and clove I needed to buy, as cardamom, ginger and cinnamon were used in the mulled wine and the king's kitchen had a good supply of them. Thaladir winced when I paid; apparently the price of saffron was as scandalous here as in the world I had left.

The sewing things were easy, too. I managed to buy both soft lamb wool knitting yarn in green and red, and decorative silk thread in gold and silver. The shopkeeper selling them insisted on showing his rich assortment of 'trinkets' as he called them and after seeing lots of ribbons and needle cushions and handkerchiefs in all possible colours, with laces and without, I was grateful when Thaladir cleared his throat and stared at the man, frowning. The poor vendor quickly scrambled together his merchandise, and I left with no more than what I intended to buy in the first place.

The coffee proved to be a problem. Black tea leaves were sold everywhere, but no coffee beans. I had almost given up, when a small freckled boy tugged at my sleeve. He declared that he knew of a blue man who sold wondrous things unheard of by most, and that he could show the way, for a small gratification, of course. This one wasn't shy for sure! The boy led us through narrow alleys to a tiny shop, where I finally found my coffee. The shopkeeper was a slender dark-skinned man, his face so black that it almost had a bluish tone. Thaladir gave the boy a small coin and the rascal dashed off in the twinkling of an eye.

We bought a whole bag of coffee, and a coffee-mill too, and a small bag of brown sugar, and made our way back to the market area. The seneschal was quite loaded now, the basket he carried full to the brim, but he did not complain, though he didn't look particularly happy either. To think about it, he looked exactly like the men forced to escort their wives on shopping rounds around Christmas. Only he was immensely more proud, handsome and stoic than any mortal man.

I had enjoyed walking around the small town with its crowded streets and grey wooden houses, but was happy when the last item, a roll of paper and some ribbon for gift-wrapping, had been bought and we could go back to the inn. We ate a light meal, soup this time, while the horses were made ready, and then prepared to leave.

On our way through the main hall to the exit, I caught sight of something furry in a large, open basket, and I promised Thaladir that I would follow in a minute. I heard a merchant complain to the innkeeper that the local simpletons here failed to appreciate the refinement of long-haired cats. He sighed dejectedly. Seeing me draw closer, he smiled, encouraged when I approached to have a better look at the furry creatures.

They were kittens, five incredibly cute kittens with silky fur and sour little faces, much like Persian cats. The cutest of them all was a white, blue-eyed one, and when I wanted to put my hand into the basket to pet it, the kitten opened its pink little mouth and hissed at me helplessly. It reminded me of Helca and I bought it on the spot.

Thaladir shook his head when he saw my latest purchase, but stoically went out to the sleigh and came back with a small basket, into which he lifted the white kitten. It looked as sullen as before, but remained silent, as if it didn't dare hiss at the king's seneschal. Just like Helca. The kitten would be a fitting companion for her and a peace offering I hoped would not be without result.

Then we finally got out of the inn and climbed into the sleigh. Thaladir tucked the blankets and furs around me and the kitten, then, as the horses set off in a steady trot, I leaned against his shoulder and drifted into sleep. It felt good to be on the way home.

Home to Mirkwood, and the Elvenking, and Mary.

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