Consumed

Consumed

Chapter 2
Author: Frosty

*

Aragorn arrived late for his meeting with Elrond. "I apologize," he said as he closed the door behind him, "I was delayed."

Elrond didn't bother getting up from his chair. He instead pursed his lips in mild annoyance and motioned for the human to join him at the table. "We have a problem, Aragorn," he said, "And I think you know what it is."

His eyes took on a look of defiance. "They are my people, Elrond. I will not betray them to the enemy."

The elf shook his head. "That is not the problem I speak of. I have already given my word that I will protect the humans, and I will remain true to that. No, this problem is possibly more severe."

A light went off in Aragorn's eyes, and he sighed heavily. "Ur'andrann," he breathed, licking his lips. "How long?"

Elrond raised his eyebrows. "Depends. A week for some. Earlier for others." He looked up at the human with a bitter expression, "It will be up to you to keep Gondor out of this."

Aragorn's eyes widened. "They will know something is wrong. What would you have me say?"

"I would have you say whatever it would take to keep them from knowing the truth. This is a very sensitive issue, Aragorn, and I won't have it become part of the knowledge of Men." Elrond kept his voice steady, but even he was nervous. He knew there was more at stake than just Ur'andrann being discovered.

The human shook his head. "Will there be any problems," he asked, "with the women?"

Elrond stiffened. "Possibly," he said, and Aragorn sighed, "They will be your responsibility."

"I understand," he replied, knowing full-well he would have to protect the humans. "If you will excuse me, then," he said, standing, "I will retire for the evening. I believe I may have an early morning."

Elrnoddnodded to Aragorn, and let out a deeply held breath when the human left. The next few days would be very difficult, not only for Aragorn, but for the elves as well. The arrival of Boromir's company had not come at a worse time. Elrond shifted in his seat and clasped his hands tightly. Time was wearing thin.

*

The next morning arrived quickly, and Airabeth groaned into her pillow. Her body still ached, even moreso now that she had been sleeping for ten hours. Stretching carefully, she sat up in bed and took a deep breath. The birds were singing, the sun was shining, and it all seemed so surreal. Every morning she woke in Gondor, all she was greeted with was the dull, gray sky and the promise of either rain or wind. The only animals were the mangy dogs roaming the streets and howling at all hours of the night. The green outside her window was indeed an unusual sight.

She padded to the bathroom and took her time getting ready. It was nice to have nowhere to be, no one to slaughter. She looked forward to having the day to herself, and she promised herself she'd avoid Boromir like the plague.

Brushing her teeth, she made snarky faces in the mirror as she mocked his attitude from the night before. He was just so not worth it anymore.

Airabeth emerged from the bathroom feeling quite good, and a little excited. Sure, she was surrounded by elves, and that didn't exactly fill her with joy, but she was somewhere new, someplace warm and green, and there were new people.

Smiling despite herself, Airabeth shook her head of those thoughts and walked out into the hall and towards the garden. The last thing she needed was another crush. She snorted when she thought of what her last crush had turned into. "Stupid men," she mumbled, smirking.

"Talking to yourself again?" came a familiar voice, and Airabeth grinned when Faramir joined her in the garden. "I thought Boromir told you that was an unattractive quality."

Airabeth laughed, "Yeah, he did. But when did I ever listen to your brother?" She winked and nudged him with her elbow, and he smiled good-naturedly.

"You seem a little happier today," he said as they walked into the dining hall, "Did you have a good night?"

Airabeth paused for a second. "No, not really," she said, "I mean, it wasn't bad, but nothing extraordinary happened." She shrugged her shoulders as they sat down. "I guess I'm just deciding that vacation can be a good thing."

"Glad to hear it," he said, "I'm actually getting used to the idea, too. And, to tell you the truth," he leaned in a lowered his voice, "Some of these elven women are quite attractive."

Airabeth laughed, and Faramir joined her as he sat back. "Yeah," she said, looking around, "I suppose."

"Not too keen on them, are you?" he smirked, noticing her dubious expression.

She shrugged again. "I don't know. This is the first time I've been around them. At least you've met elves before."

Faramir nodded. "They're not so bad. Just prideful. Kind of like us."

Airabeth smiled and was about to reply, but was immediately disted ted by two people coming through the dining hall door. The room contained only a few elves and men, so the duo immediately spotted her and headed towards the table.

She smiled at the approaching man. "Aragorn," she said, "Please, join us." She noticed the person behind him, an elf, but he didn't look too thrilled to be in the vicinity of humans.

"Thank you," said Aragorn, sitting down and introducing himself to Faramir. "And this is Legolas." He motioned to the blonde elf, who was sitting at the table looking as though he rather be surrounded by orcs.

A quiet conversation started up, but Airabeth found herself very distracted. Legolas, sitting across from her, had fixed her with a stare she could only describe as vindictive. His blue eyes barely wavered from her, and as much as she tried to ignore it, she couldn't deny how uncomfortable it made her.

She licked her lips, incrediselfself-aware and wanting nothing more than to reach across the table and slap the elf out of his stupor. She didn't know what his problem was, if was humans in general or her specifically, but she didn't really care. She turned and leaned more towards Aragorn as he spoke to Faramir, hoping maybe he would notice her discomfort and do something about it.

After nearly a minute, though, she could stand no more. Turning towards the elf, she crossed her arms and glared at him with one eyebrow raised. Airabeth figured this would at least let him know that she wasn't impressed. She became angry and a little creeped out when a smirk played at his lips.

"Legolas," said Aragorn, and the elf's blue eyes immediately went to the human's. Airabeth didn't know if Aragorn had noticed what had been going on, but if he did he didn't show it. "Would you be able to show Faramir where we keep their horses? He wishes to see them."

The eookeooked momentarily offended to be asked to do something so tedious, but he relented and nodded his head. "Of course," he said, getting up from his seat, "If you'll follow me."

Legolas didn't meet Airabeth's eyes again as he walked away, Faramir trailing him. She licked her lips and watched them till they were gone, then exhaled deeply. She wondered if all elves were like that.

"Forgive him," said Aragorn softly, and she turned to look at him. His expression was one of uncertainty. "He is not usually so...forward."

Airabeth bit her lip and sighed. "Does he have a problem with me?" she asked.

He shook his head, "No, he is...," he paused and looked conflicted, then continued, "He is not himself. Forgive him, and please, don't worry yourself over it."

He smiled, and Airabeth returned it, hoping he was right. Legolas had definitely given her a bad feeling. Mentally shaking herself off, she decided to give her full attention to the man beside her. "So," she said, searching for something to say, "You've lived with elves all your life?"

Aragorn laughed softly. "I have," he said, "Is this your first time around them?"

Airabeth smiled sheepishly. "Yeah. That easy to tell?"

"You seem a little...uncomfortable." He touched her arm then, and Airabeth tensed. "I promise you, they're harmless."

She smiled when he grinned, and was about to ask him another question, when a dark shadow loomed over them. They both looked up, and Airabeth's face fell. "Boromir," she said, a little more brightly than she had wanted. He didn't look happy.

Aragorn stood up, obviously understanding Boromir's anger. "I should be leaving," he said, nodding to the other man, "Thank you for a lovely morning, Airabeth."

She furrowed her brow in disappointment, but before she could speak Aragorn had walked past Boromir and out the door. She stared after him, frowning.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Boromir, sitting down beside her.

Airabeth scowled, then turned to face him. "Excuse me?" she asked, glaring, "Since when do I have to answer to you?"

He smirked and leaned back in his chair, eyeing her. "I am your superior officer. You are consorting with the enemy. That's my business, so I think I deserve an answer."

Airabeth snorted. "He's not the enemy, he's human. You're pathetic."

He nudged her leg with his foot, and she slapped it down, annoyed. He seemed to enjoy bothering her. "I could force it out of you," he said, not taking his dark eyes off her.

"Go fuck yourself. I'm not in the mood." Pushing away his foot again, she got up and stormed out of the hall, not bothering to look back. Once out in the garden, though, she knew he was following her.

Airabeth spun on her heel and came face-to-face with a glowering Boromir. She raised her eyebrows, waiting patiently for his outburst.

"I'm getting sick and tired of your games," he growled, leaning in, "Even in Gondor you were nothing but trouble. And now you're flirting with the enemy. Traitors are sentenced to hanging, you know."

She shook her head slowly. "Don't you threaten me. I learned a long time ago not to pay any attention to your sick ramblings. I've had enough. This is over."

She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her arm and swung her back to him. She winced and tried prying his fingers from her, but his grip was tight. "You should know better than to walk away from me," he said, shaking her for effect.

"Let go," she growled, pushing at him with her free arm. He only held tighter, glaring into her eyes with a seriousness that never ceased to frighten her, just a little.

"Is there a problem here?" Airabeth turned at the voice, hoping someone had come to help, but she frowned when Legolas stepped forward, darting his glance between the two of them.

"No problem," said Boromir, glancing at the elf for just seconds before turning his attentions back to Airabeth. She hesitated, not wanting to ask Legolas for help, considering how he had acted towards her beforehand. When he raised an eyebrow and shrugged, then turned to leave, though, she couldn't stop herself from calling to him.

"Wait," she said, and he turned back, his expression waiting, "There is a problem." Boromir's grip tightened, but she only shot him a dirty look. "He's psychotic. Help me get away from him."

Legolas walked back to them, a small smile playing at his lips. "I believe you heard the lady," he said, clasping his hands behind his back and looking at Boromir. "Please don't make me do anything drastic."

Airabeth could tell Boromir was on the edge of his control, but he only pursed his lips and continued staring at her. After several long moments, he pushed her away. "Fine," he said, still not looking at the elf, "This isn't over."

Airabeth rubbed her arm as he turned and stalked away. "It fucking sure as hell is!" she yelled, but he ignored her, and when he was gone she glanced at the elf, who was once again looking at her. "Thank you," she mumbled, moving her eyes from his when his stare made her uncomfortable.

"You are quite welcome," he replied, and she realized that that was the first time he had actually spoken to her directly. She looked up at him and tried to smile sincerely, but she was sure it came out quite weak.

"I better be going then," she said, motioning in the direction of her quarters. She watched him and began walking away, but he didn't say anything. When she was a few feet away she turned and moved as swiftly as she could out of the garden. She shuddered, thinking that hanging around that elf was almost as bad as hanging around Boromir.

She rounded the corner of her the hall where her quarters were and promptly ran into Faramir. "Hey," he said, steadying her when she stumbled back, "Sorry. You okay? I've been looking for you."

Airabeth frowned. "No, I'm not okay. Why are you looking for me?" She swept past him and continued to her room, hearing Faramir following. She barged into her room, and heard him close the door quietly behind him.

"What's wrong?" he asked as she plopped down in a chair, crossing her arms. "Is it Boromir again?"

She rolled her eyes at his name. "That brother of yours," she said, shaking her head, "I've had enough of him."

Faramir sat down on the edge of the bed and sighed. This wasn't the first time he had encountered Airabeth after she had a fight with his brother. "You always say that," he said, smiling, "And you always go back."

She laughed darkly. "Oh, not this time," she said, clenching her jaw, "It's over. No more. I'm tired of his petty jealousy and stupid threats."

Faramir only raised his eyebrows, knowing nothing he said would really be heard when she was in a mood like this. Airabeth noticed his silence, and glanced up at him. Boromir had taken a lot from her during the time they'd been together, and she never really did anything to cause him pain. She always planned to, but she never went through with it.

He would hate it if she had sex with his brother.

Licking her lips, she got up from her chair and crossed the room to where Faramir sat. He looked up at her, expecting to hear more rants, but was surprised when she looked down at him with a grin.

He shook his head. "You sure are moody," he said, smiling, "What's the grin for?"

Airabeth sat down next to him and tickled her finger up along his shoulder. "Oh, you know, just feeling a little frisky." She bit her lip demurely and looked up at him from under her eyelashes. He looked quite stunned.

"Okay there, hon," he said, taking her hand and pulling it from his shoulder, "I know what you're doing, and I really don't think it's a good idea."

She frowned, then sighed. "Come on, Faramir. Stop being the obedient brother for once and live a little. I'm not asking for marriage. I just want some sex."

His blue eyes travelled over her face, and she saw interest clearly written on his face. She always thought he had a bit of a thing for her, but had been too stuck in his loyalty to ever act on it.

Airabeth pulled her legs up and sat over Faramir, straddling him and running her hands up his chest. He did nothing to stop her, but didn't encourage her, either. "Boromir and I are over," she said, leaning down and dusting soft kisses along his jaw, "If that's what you're worried about."

He licked his lips and rested his hands on her thighs. Airabeth rolled lightly into his pelvis, and she smiled as his breath caught. Raising up to look into his face, she smiled at his hungry stare. "What do you say, Captain?" she asked suggestively.

He gripped her hips and jerked her forward over his now apparent hardness. Airabeth inhaled sharply and grinned. "I say take your clothes off," he replied, and she bit her lip as Faramir watched her pull her shirt up over her head and toss it aside.

Faramir's warm hands fingered her braless chest, and she arched into his touch. He watched her closely, rubbing at her sensitive centres, then squeezing softly, and smiled at her strained moans. When he let go and sent his mouth to her collarbone, Airabeth gripped his hair and pressed herself further over him, igniting a heat between their bodies.

Faramir pulled his mouth from her skin and stood her up, backing her against the wall as his lips met hers in a passionate and hungry kiss. His mouth was smooth and hot, and much less forceful than Boromir's. She smiled at that, thinking about how he'd react if he knew what was going on right now.

Airabeth felt hands working at her pants, and within moments they dropped to the floor. Not wanting to be the only one naked, she jerked Faramir's shirt up and over his head, and scraped her fingernails down his chest. He growled low at that, nipping at her lips with his mouth and then sending his tongue in for a long and breathless kiss.

Fumbling with numb fingers, Airabeth managed to open Faramir's pants and drop them to the floor, along with his underwear. She grinned against his mouth as his hands ran up and down her sides, then gasped in surprise when his palm ran roughly down her pelvis and to her heat.

She leaned her head back as he began sucking at her neck and thrusting his fingers into her, alternating the movements to see what best made her whimper. His body pressed against hers as he slid another finger in, and Airabeth moaned in ecstasy, holding Faramir's shoulders in an iron grip.

Airabeth hissed in a breath and squeezed her thighs tight around his hand. Feeling her coming close, Faramir stopped his movements and withdrew his hand, much to the disatisfaction of Airabeth. She groaned, in pleasure and disappointment, but smiled when Faramir ran his hand down her thigh to the back of her knee, and pulled her leg up against his hip. With their eyes on each other, he thrust hard into her, winning a deep moan.

"God," she breathed, wrapping her arms around his neck as he began a steady and sharp pace. He kissed her, sending his hot tongue into her mouth and sucking hard. Airabeth ran her hands up into his hair and darted her tongue around in his, matching the movements of their bodies.

Faramir's grip on her leg became tense as he groaned out and leaned against her neck, thrusting quickly into her. Airabeth could feel herself coming close, so she closed her eyes and let her head fall back against the wall. She could hear his free hand hit the wall to brace himself as his movements became irratic. Soon Airabeth's senses reeled and she swore softly as she came, hugging herself against his body. She felt him meet his climax, too, and slowly stop moving within her. He dropped her leg and panted against her neck, his body vibrating from the release.

Airabeth held onto his shoulders, then slowly pushed him off her. He stepped back and looked at her and she smiled, then retrieved a robe and wrapped it around her body.

He pulled up his pants as she plopped down on the bed and stared at him with a grin on her face. "Not bad, sweetheart," she said, biting her lip, "We should have done that months ago."

He licked his lips and smirked. "I suppose I can expect to hear about this from my brother tomorrow?" He paused to pull his shirt over his head, then smiled at Airabeth's innocent expression. "I think I can understand now why he keeps saying you're more trouble than you're worth."

He winked, but Airabeth stuck her tongue out at him anyways. "You do nice things with that tongue, darlin'," he said, grinning, "We might have to try out a few other things a little later."

Airabeth raised an eyebrow at him. "Later? Who said anything about doing this again? Hmmmm?" Crossing her arms and wiggling her toes, she took a deep breath and smiled warmly. "I'm a little tired, honey. Do you mind leaving?"

Faramir shook his head. "Not at all, love," he said, tossing her one last suggestive look before exiting her room. Airabeth pursed her lips and sighed, fingering the fabric of the bed. She really didn't know how she kepttingting into these things.

*

Legolas knocked at the large wooden door to Elrond's quarters. He tapped his foot impatiently until he heard a faint response, then opened the doors and stepped through.

Elrond was seated at the familiar table by the window, looking perfectly calm and serene. Legolas sighed heavily and pursed his lips, preparing himself.

"Can I help you, Legolas?" asked Elrond, placing the pen he was using down on the table. The noise echoed sharply in the blonde elf's ears and he blinked uncomfortably.

"It's begun," he said simply, chewing on the inside of his mouth. He clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing the room, concentrating on the floor below him.

Elrond sighed. "It's begun for all of us," he said, sitting back, "This isn't the first time, and it shan't be the last. I fail to see why you are so concerned."

Legolas stopped and glared. "It is not the discomfort that is affecting me. The problem is the humans." He started pacing again. "One human in particular," he added, his voice low and seething with anger.

The elder elf raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" he asked, suspicious.

"The girl," spat Legolas, approaching the table, his eyes blazing, "I am focusing on the girl!" He exhaled in disgust and resumed pacing. "Never did I think a human would affect me. It's...dishonourable."

"Are you sure you're not overreacting?" asked Elrond, and Legolas tossed him a dirty stare. "The Ur'andrann has never been rational, nor is it subtle. There is no dishonour in what you're feeling for the human girl, but I must warn you on acting on those urges. No good can come of it."

Legolas shook his head and sat down across from Elrond. "What am I supposed to do?" he said through gritted teeth, leaning forward, "You know what this does to us. I will not have control!"

"Then perhaps you need to notify Aragorn of this. I have put him in charge of keeping the humans safe, and unalarmed. He may be able to help."

The blonde elf's eyes widened. "I would not be so weak," he hissed, "as to have a babysitter. I will deal with this myself."

"I certainly hope you can. You will be held responsible for what you do," replied Elrond seriously. He sighed inwardly, though, knowing the havoc Ur'andrann could cause. Legolas would have no control over their actions. None of them would.

*

TBC