The Music in My Heart
folder
Lord of the Rings Movies › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
75
Views:
3,771
Reviews:
11
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Lord of the Rings Movies › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
75
Views:
3,771
Reviews:
11
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Lord of the Rings book series and movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 19 A Live Dragon
Title: The Music in My Heart, Chapter 19 (betaed)
Author: Sorsha
Fandom/Pairing: Elrond/OFC, Glorfindel/Haldir, Elladan/OFC, Elrohir/Legolas, others implied
Rating:.NC-17 for future chapters
Warning: AU --- Story set 770 years after ROTK; Some slash but, mostly het
Feedback: This is my first fanfic, so constructive feedback appreciated.
Archive:
Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Alex Cat for her help in betaing this fic. Thanks also to Lady Victoria for her comments and support.
Disclaimer: Any of the residents of Middle-earth and Aman that you recognize belong to Prof. Tolkien’s estate. The same is true about Middle-earth and Aman. I’m only visiting and admiring the “views”.
Summary: Sauron may be gone, but his legacy of evil still lingers. As Middle-earth faces the threat of another dark lord, a party of elves departs Aman on a mission for the Valar, a mission of mercy long delayed.
Chapter 19 --- A Live Dragon
“It will not do to leave a live dragon out of your plans if you live near one.”
J.R.R. Tolkien
*****
Seere had retreated to her chambers after the afternoon meeting concluded; it had lasted for only a few minutes. The remaining issues were quickly resolved and Elrond had given the order to proceed. The first stage of the plan had begun within minutes of the meeting’s end.
Trying to relax, the elleth ran a hot bath and added her favorite scented oils. Sighing, she lay back in the fragrant water and let the heat seep into her pores. Shifting to try to find a more comfortable place to rest her head, she smoothed her long hair back from her face and let it trail around her. The new position proved no more comfortable than her first and she shifted once again.
After ten minutes, Seere admitted defeat. Her nerves were strung too tight to allow her to relax and enjoy a bath. /My ‘what ifs’ are making me crazy! What if one of the five panics when he realizes he has been drugged? What if the potion Elrond and I concocted does not work or causes an unexpected reaction? What if the other refugees see what we are doing and want to defend the five from the elves? What if one of them is able to resist and someone is hurt? What if…Ai! It has only begun and I am ready for this to be over! I wish I knew how many of our five were at the early meal and how many will attend either of the other two seatings. Second seating should be starting soon./
Reaching for her shampoo, she began to wash her hair while all the things that could go wrong plagued her thoughts. She quickly finished her bath and rose from the tub. All too soon, she found herself finished with her hair and dress for the evening. Wondering around her chambers looking for a distraction, none of the books lying about caught her fancy and her mind was too distracted to focus on a report she was preparing for her father. /Waiting here is only making me more anxious. Maybe being around others might help./
Closing the door to her rooms behind her, Seere moved along the corridor toward the door that separated the family wing from the communal living spaces serving the second floor guest rooms. The main sitting room had become the preferred gathering place for the visiting elven delegations, as wine and liqueurs were served there prior to the evening meal. This event had proven quite popular with their guests and created a nice starting point for the evening meal and entertainments. It also kept confusion with the earlier dinner seatings to a minimum, as the delegates were comfortably occupied while the earlier meals ended and the kitchen staff readied the dining hall for the last group.
She paused with her hand on the knob, suddenly unnerved by the thought of joining a social event while her thoughts were so distracted. /I do not feel capable of making polite conversation not knowing what is happening in the dining hall! I do not care to debate whether the wines of Mirkwood are better than those from Imladris or the merits of Noldorin poetry vs. Sindarin! I only want to know if the five have been taken without incident and that no suspicious activities have been observed elsewhere!/
Sighing, she pivoted away from the door and let her back rest against the wall. A nervous hand reached up to massage the tight muscles of her neck. Counting slowly to one hundred, she resolved to stop stalling and go about her duties once she reached the century mark.
“I see I am not the only one disinclined to join the milling throng this evening.”
Looking up, she saw Elrond watching her from the other end of the corridor. A teasing smile graced his handsome face as he walked toward her. Reaching her side, he stood grinning down at her. “Do you think they would notice if we made a dash across the sitting room for my study? I for one, do not feel equal to the task of making polite conversation. My mind is elsewhere and the wonders of Mirkwood wine or elven poetry are not adequate diversions tonight.”
Seere stared at him in shock. “What…. how…. That was uncanny!”
“What was?”
“What you just said was almost exactly what I was thinking! Can you read minds, my lord?”
A deep, genuine laugh erupted from Elrond’s throat. Leaning down, he whispered into her ear, “Only those of beautiful elleths.” Seeing a blush spread across her throat and cheeks, he added, “It helps if the beautiful elleth happens to be projecting her thoughts at the top of her inner voice!” A second laugh followed the first as he enjoyed the stunned… then embarrassed looks passing over Seere’s face.
Rather than moving away, he lingered, enjoying the fresh scent of her hair and the subtle touch of lavender from her perfume. “Since maintaining secrecy is vital, making a run for my study until we hear might be best. Otherwise, everyone that comes near you will know something is brewing.”
Giving her no time to respond, he placed a hand on the small of her back and turned her back toward the door. Opening it, he nodded to acknowledge the greetings of the elves present. Whispering to her to smile, he propelled them quickly across the floor to the opposite corridor, which lead to his study. Breaking free of gathering, he maneuvered them into the hallway and was closing the door to his study behind them before she could form a reply. Leaned back against it, he treated her to the sight of an impish grin lighting his features. “Want to speculate about the gossip we just started?”
A shocked giggle quickly evolved into a hardy laugh as she studied her partner in crime. “I can not believe you did that …or more importantly, that you got away with it!”
Moving away from the door, he walked to the table situated between two wing chairs flanking the large arched windows that overlooked the gardens. Lifting the stopper from the decanter of miruvor, he poured two glasses of the Imladrian liqueur. Elrond glanced back at the grinning elleth as he poured, a self-satisfied smirk still lighting his features. “The secret is to keep moving and to not, under any circumstance, make eye contact with anyone. If you do, you are lost.”
Picking up the two glasses, he motioned for her to take a seat in one of the wing chairs. Once she was seated, he handed her one of the glasses and stood for a moment looking down into her eyes. A smile still tugged at his lips as he again leaned down to whisper in her ear, his lips faintly brushing the outer rim. “Of course, it does help to be the lord of the realm with a notorious reputation for having a nasty temper if displeased.”
Slowly straightening up, he held her gaze for the space of several heartbeats before turning to move to the other chair. Seated, he took a sip of his miruvor and let himself enjoy the sight before him, savoring the beauty of her blush stained cheeks and sparkling golden eyes. His hungry gaze did not miss her slightly parted lips or the tip of a pink tongue that appeared briefly to lick said lips. He replayed the sound of her breath catching in her throat as he had leaned down to whisper in her ear.
/Pulse rate up, breathing a little heavy, eyes dilated. Both hers and mine if truth be told! How long has it been since I felt so alive? Too long! I wonder what she looks like when she has been kissed… thoroughly? That is a question to which I would dearly like to know the answer and from my own personal experience!/
Watching her take a sip of the liqueur, he began to speak when the glass in her hand dropped to the floor shattering, the liqueur spreading a dark stain on the pale carpet. A frightened look overtook her features and a garbled gasp choked her throat. Within seconds, he had discarded his own glass was kneeling in front of her. Taking her hands in his, he was immediately pulled into a powerful vision.
*****
A dark figure was hiding in the cover of an unlit alcove. Elrohir and Roitar, a guardian and old friend of Glorfindel, were walking down the corridor toward the lurking form, lost in the shadows of the dark passageway. Between the two elves was the slumping figure of a seemingly inebriated man. As they passed the alcove, the hidden figure drew deeper into the shadows to avoid being seen. The man made the watcher’s task of remaining unseen easier, as his uncoordinated movements and off-key singing were making it difficult for the elves to keep him upright. They were barely past the alcove when the figure slipped from the shadows and plunged a knife into the man’s back slicing through his heart with a single thrust.
Caught off guard, the two elves had scant time to reach for their weapons to defend themselves from the next assault by their unknown assailant. Roitar was dead before he could pull his sword from its sheave.
Elrohir, tangled in the limbs of the dead man, managed to raise his sword to block the first blow aimed at this head. Struggling to break free of the lifeless form, a second blow from the killer’s blade began its decent.
Looking up from his attack, the figure turned quickly toward a sudden movement in the hall to his left, his sword raised to deliver the second strike. Briefly, the light from a torch lit his features; it was a face familiar to both Elrond and Seere.
*****
A strangled cry rocked Elrond back on his heels and awareness returned as quickly as it had left. His anguished eyes were locked with the shocked ones of Seere. In a flash, his reeling thoughts caught on two facts as it struggled to avoid accepting the third. He recognized the location of the corridor in the vision and his son was in danger… if he was not already too late to save him.
Leaping to his feet, he wrenched an ancient, but still lethal sword displayed on his wall from its hooks and ran out the door of his study. Frantic with the need to defend his son, he did not notice the elleth copying his actions and following him out the door. Heedless of his guests, Elrond plunged through the milling crowd running toward a seldom used rear staircase that led down to the lowest levels of the Last Homely House.
The few that attempted to stop him to see what the problem was were roughly shoved aside. The way cleared by the enraged elf lord, Seere followed with an equally grim look on her face. Both knew where they were going and could only hope they were in time to avert a tragedy… nay, a second tragedy for one of their own was likely already lost to the dark, a kinslayer.
*****
Elladan and his companion had just emerged from the detention area where they had left their charge securely tied to a cot under the watchful eyes of five experienced guards. Theirs had been the fourth. As soon as Elrohir arrived with the last one, the five would be safely in custody.
An immense feeling of relief began to wash over him as the strains of the day began to ease now that their operation was almost complete. /I cannot wait to take a bath and relax before dinner. It will be a pleasure to be able to sleep tonight without worry of the five./
His musing was broken by the sound of running feet descending the back stairs. Catching the eye of the guard with him, he drew his sword and prepared to defend against an assault on the detention cells.
It took several seconds to comprehend that the running feet belonged to his father and Seere. It took another moment for him to realize they had not turned in his direction, but had run down the corridor in the directions of the kitchens, swords clinched in their hands. /Swords?!/
Trading a worried look with the guard, they bolted after the running pair anxious to know what had happened. Stifling an impulse to call out and ask for an explanation, he followed his instincts and kept quite. /I have never seen Ada behave like this. This can not be good!/
Rounding a corner, he looked to his right and saw that they were indeed headed toward the lower entrance to the kitchens, down the corridor his brother would be traveling with the last prisoner. A tight band formed around his heart as the implication of this hit. /Elrohir!/
In the dim light of the corridor, he could see a flash of metal and heard the clash of swords. He saw his father shove Elrohir hard to the right as Elrond swung his sword to the left to block a lethal blow that would have split his twin’s chest. Elrohir had been knocked to the ground by their father’s shove and was struggling to push a body aside so he could regain his feet.
/Body? There is a body? Ada, hold on for another few seconds and we will both be able to defend my brother. Who is this assailant? He is skilled and intent on killing them both!/
Seeing his father fend off two more vicious blows in rapid succession, Elladan was reminded that his father was a skilled, battle-hardened warrior. /Tis easy to forget he was the High King’s Herald and commanded forces for Gil-Galad’s army. My father is a legend in all of Arda, but I forget because he is my Ada./
The assailant threw himself forward attempting to knock the elf lord off his feet, but Elrohir had gained his feet again and immediately countercharged the struggling pair. The assailant stumbled backwards and his face became visible in the light of a torch. Elladan felt his heart freeze as he recognized the features. /Why?!/
Before the killer could make another move, a body threw itself at his legs cutting them out from under him. Seere rolled to her feet as his father rammed the hilt of his sword into his foe’s face knocking him to the ground. Elrohir quickly joined Seere in pinning the struggling figure to the stone floor.
Elladan and his shocked companion skidded to a halt next to his father. Elrond was standing on the hand clutching the hilt of its sword, brutally grinding it into the stone floor as he waiting for it to release its grip. Hearing a clank as it dropped to the floor, Elladan bent to retrieve the weapon.
Celeborn and Erestor appeared from the other end of the corridor followed by five guardians. Glorfindel, trailed by another warrior, arrived from the detention area having heard the sounds of a sword fight. Their prisoner was quickly restrained hand and foot before the heartbroken group stepped back to stare at the elf at their feet.
Elrohir spoke for them all when he asked in a chocked voice, “Ermehtar, why?”
*****
Author: Sorsha
Fandom/Pairing: Elrond/OFC, Glorfindel/Haldir, Elladan/OFC, Elrohir/Legolas, others implied
Rating:.NC-17 for future chapters
Warning: AU --- Story set 770 years after ROTK; Some slash but, mostly het
Feedback: This is my first fanfic, so constructive feedback appreciated.
Archive:
Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Alex Cat for her help in betaing this fic. Thanks also to Lady Victoria for her comments and support.
Disclaimer: Any of the residents of Middle-earth and Aman that you recognize belong to Prof. Tolkien’s estate. The same is true about Middle-earth and Aman. I’m only visiting and admiring the “views”.
Summary: Sauron may be gone, but his legacy of evil still lingers. As Middle-earth faces the threat of another dark lord, a party of elves departs Aman on a mission for the Valar, a mission of mercy long delayed.
Chapter 19 --- A Live Dragon
“It will not do to leave a live dragon out of your plans if you live near one.”
J.R.R. Tolkien
*****
Seere had retreated to her chambers after the afternoon meeting concluded; it had lasted for only a few minutes. The remaining issues were quickly resolved and Elrond had given the order to proceed. The first stage of the plan had begun within minutes of the meeting’s end.
Trying to relax, the elleth ran a hot bath and added her favorite scented oils. Sighing, she lay back in the fragrant water and let the heat seep into her pores. Shifting to try to find a more comfortable place to rest her head, she smoothed her long hair back from her face and let it trail around her. The new position proved no more comfortable than her first and she shifted once again.
After ten minutes, Seere admitted defeat. Her nerves were strung too tight to allow her to relax and enjoy a bath. /My ‘what ifs’ are making me crazy! What if one of the five panics when he realizes he has been drugged? What if the potion Elrond and I concocted does not work or causes an unexpected reaction? What if the other refugees see what we are doing and want to defend the five from the elves? What if one of them is able to resist and someone is hurt? What if…Ai! It has only begun and I am ready for this to be over! I wish I knew how many of our five were at the early meal and how many will attend either of the other two seatings. Second seating should be starting soon./
Reaching for her shampoo, she began to wash her hair while all the things that could go wrong plagued her thoughts. She quickly finished her bath and rose from the tub. All too soon, she found herself finished with her hair and dress for the evening. Wondering around her chambers looking for a distraction, none of the books lying about caught her fancy and her mind was too distracted to focus on a report she was preparing for her father. /Waiting here is only making me more anxious. Maybe being around others might help./
Closing the door to her rooms behind her, Seere moved along the corridor toward the door that separated the family wing from the communal living spaces serving the second floor guest rooms. The main sitting room had become the preferred gathering place for the visiting elven delegations, as wine and liqueurs were served there prior to the evening meal. This event had proven quite popular with their guests and created a nice starting point for the evening meal and entertainments. It also kept confusion with the earlier dinner seatings to a minimum, as the delegates were comfortably occupied while the earlier meals ended and the kitchen staff readied the dining hall for the last group.
She paused with her hand on the knob, suddenly unnerved by the thought of joining a social event while her thoughts were so distracted. /I do not feel capable of making polite conversation not knowing what is happening in the dining hall! I do not care to debate whether the wines of Mirkwood are better than those from Imladris or the merits of Noldorin poetry vs. Sindarin! I only want to know if the five have been taken without incident and that no suspicious activities have been observed elsewhere!/
Sighing, she pivoted away from the door and let her back rest against the wall. A nervous hand reached up to massage the tight muscles of her neck. Counting slowly to one hundred, she resolved to stop stalling and go about her duties once she reached the century mark.
“I see I am not the only one disinclined to join the milling throng this evening.”
Looking up, she saw Elrond watching her from the other end of the corridor. A teasing smile graced his handsome face as he walked toward her. Reaching her side, he stood grinning down at her. “Do you think they would notice if we made a dash across the sitting room for my study? I for one, do not feel equal to the task of making polite conversation. My mind is elsewhere and the wonders of Mirkwood wine or elven poetry are not adequate diversions tonight.”
Seere stared at him in shock. “What…. how…. That was uncanny!”
“What was?”
“What you just said was almost exactly what I was thinking! Can you read minds, my lord?”
A deep, genuine laugh erupted from Elrond’s throat. Leaning down, he whispered into her ear, “Only those of beautiful elleths.” Seeing a blush spread across her throat and cheeks, he added, “It helps if the beautiful elleth happens to be projecting her thoughts at the top of her inner voice!” A second laugh followed the first as he enjoyed the stunned… then embarrassed looks passing over Seere’s face.
Rather than moving away, he lingered, enjoying the fresh scent of her hair and the subtle touch of lavender from her perfume. “Since maintaining secrecy is vital, making a run for my study until we hear might be best. Otherwise, everyone that comes near you will know something is brewing.”
Giving her no time to respond, he placed a hand on the small of her back and turned her back toward the door. Opening it, he nodded to acknowledge the greetings of the elves present. Whispering to her to smile, he propelled them quickly across the floor to the opposite corridor, which lead to his study. Breaking free of gathering, he maneuvered them into the hallway and was closing the door to his study behind them before she could form a reply. Leaned back against it, he treated her to the sight of an impish grin lighting his features. “Want to speculate about the gossip we just started?”
A shocked giggle quickly evolved into a hardy laugh as she studied her partner in crime. “I can not believe you did that …or more importantly, that you got away with it!”
Moving away from the door, he walked to the table situated between two wing chairs flanking the large arched windows that overlooked the gardens. Lifting the stopper from the decanter of miruvor, he poured two glasses of the Imladrian liqueur. Elrond glanced back at the grinning elleth as he poured, a self-satisfied smirk still lighting his features. “The secret is to keep moving and to not, under any circumstance, make eye contact with anyone. If you do, you are lost.”
Picking up the two glasses, he motioned for her to take a seat in one of the wing chairs. Once she was seated, he handed her one of the glasses and stood for a moment looking down into her eyes. A smile still tugged at his lips as he again leaned down to whisper in her ear, his lips faintly brushing the outer rim. “Of course, it does help to be the lord of the realm with a notorious reputation for having a nasty temper if displeased.”
Slowly straightening up, he held her gaze for the space of several heartbeats before turning to move to the other chair. Seated, he took a sip of his miruvor and let himself enjoy the sight before him, savoring the beauty of her blush stained cheeks and sparkling golden eyes. His hungry gaze did not miss her slightly parted lips or the tip of a pink tongue that appeared briefly to lick said lips. He replayed the sound of her breath catching in her throat as he had leaned down to whisper in her ear.
/Pulse rate up, breathing a little heavy, eyes dilated. Both hers and mine if truth be told! How long has it been since I felt so alive? Too long! I wonder what she looks like when she has been kissed… thoroughly? That is a question to which I would dearly like to know the answer and from my own personal experience!/
Watching her take a sip of the liqueur, he began to speak when the glass in her hand dropped to the floor shattering, the liqueur spreading a dark stain on the pale carpet. A frightened look overtook her features and a garbled gasp choked her throat. Within seconds, he had discarded his own glass was kneeling in front of her. Taking her hands in his, he was immediately pulled into a powerful vision.
*****
A dark figure was hiding in the cover of an unlit alcove. Elrohir and Roitar, a guardian and old friend of Glorfindel, were walking down the corridor toward the lurking form, lost in the shadows of the dark passageway. Between the two elves was the slumping figure of a seemingly inebriated man. As they passed the alcove, the hidden figure drew deeper into the shadows to avoid being seen. The man made the watcher’s task of remaining unseen easier, as his uncoordinated movements and off-key singing were making it difficult for the elves to keep him upright. They were barely past the alcove when the figure slipped from the shadows and plunged a knife into the man’s back slicing through his heart with a single thrust.
Caught off guard, the two elves had scant time to reach for their weapons to defend themselves from the next assault by their unknown assailant. Roitar was dead before he could pull his sword from its sheave.
Elrohir, tangled in the limbs of the dead man, managed to raise his sword to block the first blow aimed at this head. Struggling to break free of the lifeless form, a second blow from the killer’s blade began its decent.
Looking up from his attack, the figure turned quickly toward a sudden movement in the hall to his left, his sword raised to deliver the second strike. Briefly, the light from a torch lit his features; it was a face familiar to both Elrond and Seere.
*****
A strangled cry rocked Elrond back on his heels and awareness returned as quickly as it had left. His anguished eyes were locked with the shocked ones of Seere. In a flash, his reeling thoughts caught on two facts as it struggled to avoid accepting the third. He recognized the location of the corridor in the vision and his son was in danger… if he was not already too late to save him.
Leaping to his feet, he wrenched an ancient, but still lethal sword displayed on his wall from its hooks and ran out the door of his study. Frantic with the need to defend his son, he did not notice the elleth copying his actions and following him out the door. Heedless of his guests, Elrond plunged through the milling crowd running toward a seldom used rear staircase that led down to the lowest levels of the Last Homely House.
The few that attempted to stop him to see what the problem was were roughly shoved aside. The way cleared by the enraged elf lord, Seere followed with an equally grim look on her face. Both knew where they were going and could only hope they were in time to avert a tragedy… nay, a second tragedy for one of their own was likely already lost to the dark, a kinslayer.
*****
Elladan and his companion had just emerged from the detention area where they had left their charge securely tied to a cot under the watchful eyes of five experienced guards. Theirs had been the fourth. As soon as Elrohir arrived with the last one, the five would be safely in custody.
An immense feeling of relief began to wash over him as the strains of the day began to ease now that their operation was almost complete. /I cannot wait to take a bath and relax before dinner. It will be a pleasure to be able to sleep tonight without worry of the five./
His musing was broken by the sound of running feet descending the back stairs. Catching the eye of the guard with him, he drew his sword and prepared to defend against an assault on the detention cells.
It took several seconds to comprehend that the running feet belonged to his father and Seere. It took another moment for him to realize they had not turned in his direction, but had run down the corridor in the directions of the kitchens, swords clinched in their hands. /Swords?!/
Trading a worried look with the guard, they bolted after the running pair anxious to know what had happened. Stifling an impulse to call out and ask for an explanation, he followed his instincts and kept quite. /I have never seen Ada behave like this. This can not be good!/
Rounding a corner, he looked to his right and saw that they were indeed headed toward the lower entrance to the kitchens, down the corridor his brother would be traveling with the last prisoner. A tight band formed around his heart as the implication of this hit. /Elrohir!/
In the dim light of the corridor, he could see a flash of metal and heard the clash of swords. He saw his father shove Elrohir hard to the right as Elrond swung his sword to the left to block a lethal blow that would have split his twin’s chest. Elrohir had been knocked to the ground by their father’s shove and was struggling to push a body aside so he could regain his feet.
/Body? There is a body? Ada, hold on for another few seconds and we will both be able to defend my brother. Who is this assailant? He is skilled and intent on killing them both!/
Seeing his father fend off two more vicious blows in rapid succession, Elladan was reminded that his father was a skilled, battle-hardened warrior. /Tis easy to forget he was the High King’s Herald and commanded forces for Gil-Galad’s army. My father is a legend in all of Arda, but I forget because he is my Ada./
The assailant threw himself forward attempting to knock the elf lord off his feet, but Elrohir had gained his feet again and immediately countercharged the struggling pair. The assailant stumbled backwards and his face became visible in the light of a torch. Elladan felt his heart freeze as he recognized the features. /Why?!/
Before the killer could make another move, a body threw itself at his legs cutting them out from under him. Seere rolled to her feet as his father rammed the hilt of his sword into his foe’s face knocking him to the ground. Elrohir quickly joined Seere in pinning the struggling figure to the stone floor.
Elladan and his shocked companion skidded to a halt next to his father. Elrond was standing on the hand clutching the hilt of its sword, brutally grinding it into the stone floor as he waiting for it to release its grip. Hearing a clank as it dropped to the floor, Elladan bent to retrieve the weapon.
Celeborn and Erestor appeared from the other end of the corridor followed by five guardians. Glorfindel, trailed by another warrior, arrived from the detention area having heard the sounds of a sword fight. Their prisoner was quickly restrained hand and foot before the heartbroken group stepped back to stare at the elf at their feet.
Elrohir spoke for them all when he asked in a chocked voice, “Ermehtar, why?”
*****