Lim Aear

Author’s Note: Thank you once more for your wonderful reviews! I’m glad you enjoyed the last chapter! I would also like to thank my amazing BETA Marisa!!


Disclaimer: See Prologue.


Italics: thoughts


[translations]


Chapter 20


The feeling of absence pulled her back to consciousness. Still in her daze of sleep she panicked; had last night been a dream? But the soreness in her muscles betrayed the reality of what had happened the previous night and her heart’s beat slowed once more; a lazy, satisfied smile spread on her lips.

However, the smile disappeared upon reaching the empty space beside her, the cold texture of the silken sheets under her fingers a sharp contrast to the blazing fire of the previous night. She snapped her eyes open and sat up on the bed, blinking a few times at the bright light coming from the balcony. Once her eyesight cleared, her heart rejoiced to see Legolas sitting leisurely on the armchair she had occupied the previous night, a glass of wine held in his long fingers. He smiled playfully.

“I thought you were gone…” she admitted, embarrassed at how she had grown to need him so much.

“There is nowhere else for me to go, except by your side,” was his soft reply, but did not move from the chair.

“Why are you up so early?” she asked him biting down the urge to get up and crawl in his arms.

“Early?” he chuckled raising his dark eyebrows. “’Tis past midday!”

Elaine turned to look at the bright light coming from outside their talan, realizing he was right. But it didn’t really come as a surprise to her. She was exhausted from the lack of sleep the previous days and last nights’ activities did not let her rest either.

She blushed crimson as the memories of last night’s love-making came to her mind. How many times they had made love, she had lost count. How loud she had been, she could not remember, but knowing herself and the sensitive hearing of the elves, she was sure they would be the talk of the city. She had woken up in the middle of the night from the soft kisses on her shoulder and had turned around to find herself in Legolas’ arms; they had made love then. And another time after that. And another, but she could have dreamt that last one. She bit her lip at the recollection of Legolas buried deep inside her… his touches… his kisses… his whispers… She almost chuckled; he was certainly too skilled for a virgin, but then again, was there something elves were not naturally good at??

Legolas watched her with a smile on his face. Partly contented, partly amused. She was magnificent, with her hair in wild abandon around her, her cheeks still rosy from sleep… Or maybe it’s not from sleep? he thought with amusement. His eyes traveled on her bare shoulders and he felt frustrated at the sheet she held on her chest. He wanted to see all of her. But then again, the concealment excited him, making him want to crawl underneath the sheet or rip it in two, or slowly slide it away, seeing the silk caressing her skin in a whisper, a whisper that was only his to understand… he could not pick which scenario best fitted his plans at the moment.

He shook his head. What was this animalistic desire within him when it came to Elaine? He was never like that. Never so impatient. Never so in need of physical contact. But whenever she was around him, all he wanted was to bury himself in her essence; crawl under her skin and breathe in her soul, get lost in the majestic sensations she evoked from him. All that from a mortal. A mere child. If seen by his rational self, surely not perfect. Surely childish. Surely rush. Surely impatient. Surely insecure. But his rational self had left him the first time he set eyes on her and his soul recognized its mate. Which, he realized now, was when he had first saw her as a child. That was why he still remembered her so vividly; it was not the forest of his past he had seen in her eyes, but the forest of his future, a forest they would rule together. Such a change coming from an elf, whose only concern so far had been his duty and his people. Always the Prince. Always the warrior. Always the protector of values he thought he understood, but realized he could understand them only now. Only after meeting her. Only after falling in love. Only after sharing his soul with another. Suddenly, his long life on Earth had a purpose; he had finally reached the destination of such a long journey of loneliness, bitterness and boredom that he kept to himself. But the close friends who had perceived it, had rejoiced in the change. And he knew they would welcome the decision he had taken no matter what.

“Why didn’t you stay with me in bed?”

The soft voice brought him back from his reverie. His eyes focused on the being in front of him. She seemed to glow, even in her mortal shell. For him, she was a goddess. And for her, he was nothing less than a god.

“I wanted to watch you sleep. It brings me peace,” he answered in an equally soft tone and left the glass of wine on the table next to him. He sighed inaudibly and leaned his chin on his palm, still watching her with that penetrating gaze that both unnerved and thrilled her.

“Well… couldn’t you watch me in bed?” she persisted, feeling foolish for blushing like an infatuated teenager.

His lips slowly broke into another one of his killer smiles and her breath caught in her chest. He was a magnificent being. Even among his own kind.

“I had to visit the healer.”

Elaine’s eyes showed her alarm at the sentence.

“Do not worry, ‘twas only the stitches that broke from our previous night’s… activities…”

He added the last word with a sly smile and Elaine blushed again, even in her concern for his health. What was wrong with her?? Her eyes then moved to his arm, unable to hold his intense gaze any longer and she noticed it was freshly bandaged. She brought her hand up to push a stray strand of hair behind her ear but jumped back from it at the sight of dried blood on her skin. She looked around her to notice that the sheets were also bloodied at some parts and raised her eyes in alarm to Legolas.

“I lost my virginity last night,” he said with a sheepish grin and shrugged.

Elaine looked at him with incredulity for some seconds, then burst out in a hearty laugh at his remark. Legolas shook his head with silent mirth and got up to finally join her on the bed. Elaine’s laughter finally died down and she looked up at him, now sitting beside her on the bed, and shuddered at his close proximity. Would she ever get used to the feelings he awoke when he was beside her? Would all this excitement fade out when the time passed and these occurrences would become a habit?

One look in his blue shining eyes was enough for her to answer. No. Never with Legolas. Never with this otherworldly being.

“Was it bleeding so bad?” she asked nodding to the bandaged arm.

Legolas turned to look at it and shook his head, strands of silvery blond dancing playfully around him.

“Not really. I never noticed it until I felt the sheet get damp. And I must confess, I very reluctantly pulled away from your arms for such a trivial matter.” He added the last sentence looking pointedly at Elaine who just clutched the sheet tighter on her chest, suddenly feeling too exposed under his burning gaze.

“Trivial matter?” she laughed nervously. “You had twelve stitches!”

“Ah, minor detail! Let’s not dwell upon it when there are so many important… affairs… to take care of…”

His silky voice played that seductive tune again and she gave in to its caress, watching hypnotized as he slowly unfolded her fingers from holding the sheet and tugged gently on it to expose her. The dark red stains on the sheet brought her abruptly back to reality and she grabbed the sheet before it could slide down further, bringing it back to her chest.

Legolas’ eyes looked up again at her move and he barely suppressed a groan of irritation at the girl’s persistence. He furrowed his brows in confusion at the stern look on Elaine’s face.

“We are not doing anything until your arm is healed. I won’t risk breaking the stitches again!” she said in a determined voice and Legolas’ features softened.

His sweet caring Elaine. Always so thoughtful and unselfish. Always so much fun to tease, more because of that.

“Ah, such a pity then. I was hoping to feel your skin against mine once more before I meet Lord Celeborn…” He kissed her cheek. “…taste your desire for me until you are begging me to stop…” Another kiss on her jaw. “Bury myself inside you again and again until you scream my name…” A shudder ran through her as his whisper brushed across her neck and his lips placed a tender kiss on the awoken skin.

“How much time do we have?” whispered the trembling mass beneath him and he smiled against her skin in satisfaction, lowering her on the bed.

“Enough”, was the soft reply, before he devoured her lips hungrily, famished from not having kissed her for… was it only a few hours?

*****************************************************************************

Legolas lead Elaine through the net of interconnecting stairs and talans in a leisurely pace, both bowing their greetings to the elves they passed by. Elaine was gripping his arm almost painfully, looking around her uncomfortably as she met the amused stares of the elves. A deep crimson color covered her cheeks, realizing that they were INDEED loud last night and that they were not pointing a finger at her only out of courtesy! She looked up at Legolas who only smiled gently and took her hand from the crook of his arm to place a soft kiss on the back of it. She almost screamed in frustration; didn’t he see the stares?? Or the smiles?? My God, I swear he’s either too dense or too bold!! she thought irritated and decided that it was the most embarrassing day of her life!

Little did she know that the amused stares and smiles were not addressed to her, but to the elven Prince beside her, who couldn’t have cared less in the world. It was a radical change to be witnessed by the elves in the Golden Wood and Legolas could not keep his feelings from showing behind his usual elven mask… I don’t care, he realized in amusement. For the first time in his immortal life he didn’t care about his status or the consensus or the elven mentality or anything! The feelings inside him were too massive to be trapped in his body’s frame and he didn’t care to even try and control them. A subtle smile appeared on his lips at the strange feeling of freedom that enveloped him. All his life he had served his beliefs, his values, his friends and his people, locking his own feelings and needs away. And then a young mortal girl, managed to unlock his heart and set him free. Free. The world was suddenly a better place and his duties did not seem such a burden. His own life did not look like such a burden. He turned his face to look down at the young woman smiling.

The Valar sure have a strange will, he mused not wiping away his smile; unbeknownst to him, the thought was echoed in the minds of the elves around them. The Prince of Lim Aear was literally beaming; he looked as if he had swallowed the sun and stolen its radiance. The aura of peacefulness and contentment emanating from him was so powerful, that the people of the Golden Wood could not help but feel like singing and praising the power of love; elves were joyful creatures and the celebration of everything that reminded them of life’s nature was a comforting relief amidst a long life of bitterness and never-ending repetition. They suddenly felt old in front of the young love blooming in front of them, so pure and innocent in its strength that they found themselves back at those times; when the endless sky was above them and the bitterness of experience had not settled in their veins. They had truly forgotten how rejuvenating the presence of humans had always been.

Elaine smiled when she saw Belwen approach them, feeling the relief of friendly environment disperse the previous uncomfortable state.

“Le suilannon,” she said in her melodic voice and bowed to Legolas as was custom. Legolas inclined his head and Elaine furrowed her brows trying to place the words in the limited Elvish vocabulary she had learned. [I give greetings to you.]

“Hír nín, Adanoth le dartha,” she spoke once more and motioned towards the talan of the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien with her hand. [My lord, Adanoth is waiting for you.]

“Le hannon, Belwen,” he replied and turned to Elaine, who was standing once more mesmerized by the beautiful language spoken with his velvety voice. “I have to go now, ël tithen nín. I will be back before dinner.” [Thank you, Belwen.] [my little star]

He leaned in and captured her lips in a gentle kiss, Elaine blushing once more for his public display of affection. Brushing the just-kissed lips with his thumb, his face broke to another dazzling smile as he turned around and walked away. Elaine could only stare at his retreating back. Damn this elf and his kisses! She really needed to stop swooning every time he kissed her or she would end up being the laughing stock of Lim Aear. Or maybe having an accident; a very possible scenario with all those talans and stairs several feet above the ground.

She shook her head and turned back to Belwen who was standing with her hands folded in front of her as usual and wore a happy smile.

“I assume everything is settled between you?” she asked raising her eyebrows amused.

“Yes… I think so…” Elaine replied, her embarrassment returning as she assumed Belwen was referring to their joining as well.

“Good. I am very happy to know this.” She entwined her arm with hers and pulled her off towards the dining hall. “I’m sure you must be hungry. Lunch is being served now, since most of the warriors that returned needed some rest and have risen late.”

Elaine realized the empty state of her stomach at the mention of food. She had hardly eaten the past days and the simple meal she had had last night was only burnt calories from their nightly exercise. An amused smile appeared on her face for the sore muscles of her legs that could barely hold her weight. It would be a lie to say she hadn’t had sex recently to justify her soreness. I guess Legolas is a very… passionate lover, she thought, a sigh escaping her lips as his image appeared in her mind.

“You must have had a good night,” Belwen remarked and Elaine cursed herself inwardly once more for showing her hopeless infatuation. “You are beaming with happiness. That much is evident.”

The young woman blushed, not knowing what to say and looked down at her feet appearing and disappearing under her dress as she walked.

“You should not be embarrassed,” the elleth continued and gave her a gentle smile as Elaine looked back at her. “It is a sacred thing among our kind.”

“I am not embarrassed exactly… It’s just…” She sighed. “I don’t know.”

“You do. Let it go Elaine and cherish the love you were so lucky to find with no inhibitions. There is no shame in that.”

Elaine stopped walking at that and turned around to fully face the elf. She is right, she thought tilting her head to the side. She was finally happy. Finally free of her guilt. And yet, she wouldn’t let herself free to enjoy their love. Such a nasty thing is habit! Having to guard her true feelings and pretend for so long, she had grown used to it… So used to it, that even now she unconsciously held herself back and felt guilty for what? For loving Legolas? And for him loving her back? What could be more beautiful, pure and just than that? So much heartache and I’m still wearing my ridiculous mask, she realized sadly. What was she afraid of?

“You are right,” she finally said in a soft voice. “You are right, I need to live this. And live it with all my being.”

Belwen nodded and smiled gently.

“Does this mean you will take your place by the Prince’s side officially at tomorrow’s celebration?”

“What celebration?” Elaine asked confused.

“Oh, his highness forgot to tell you then!” Belwen exclaimed, looking as if it was the end of the world.

More like he didn’t have the time to, Elaine thought amused. Legolas had more important matters to ‘discuss’ last night than celebrations.

“There is a celebration tomorrow night for our victory! Thankfully I have packed a dress just for the occasion!” Belwen laughed excitedly and pulled Elaine once more towards the dining hall.

Celebration? Elaine thought raising her eyebrows. Officially?? Like… what…. His wife?? It was a relief when her heart started beating again and she realized she had once more narrowly escaped a heart-attack! That was too much for such a short time! Just when she decided to act more bravely and take risks, facing whatever came her way… this situation was just… too demanding for a 20-year-old girl! Legolas seemed to forget sometimes that she was just a young woman and, although not purposefully, laid responsibility after responsibility on her shoulders. How many more such decisions would she have to take in only a matter of few days? She felt her surroundings spinning around and invisible walls closing in around her. She couldn’t breath!

Yet, suddenly, it all stopped in a moment of clarity. She was pretending again! She was pretending she actually had a choice, when her path had been laid before her long before she was born! Why fight it and think about everything so much? Why did she always have to react so violently to everything? She kept seeing life like an enemy who only laid obstacles in her way, when minutes before she had decided to let herself free.

Always stressing and trying to keep control over everything, she thought sadly and sighed. Maybe it was time to lay back and let the powers above play their game. She would just sit back and enjoy. No more stressing, no more worrying about consequences.

“Belwen”, she called the elf beside her just before they reached the talan where they would have their lunch.

“Yes?”

“Am I gonna have to dance?”

“Dance?”

“At the feast… you know…” Elaine shrugged.

“You cannot dance?” Belwen seemed genuinely surprised at that.

“Well, it depends on the dance! Do you elves waltz or… I dunno!”

“I think his Highness would be most willing to show you how to dance. I am sure he has been in more dances than anyone else!” The elf laughed softly and then paused, as if pondering on something. “So, you will officially be presented as the Princess of Lim Aear?”

And just when Elaine thought her heart was finally safe, the abrupt halt of its beating came again. Princess?? Was there anything else she had forgotten to think about?? Well… it’s up to me to make them accept me for who I am, rather than an elf I will never be… she thought as she made up her mind about the next night’s feast.

“I guess so…” she replied in a hesitant tone and Belwen smiled at her encouragingly.

“Fear not, Lady Elaine. I am sure you will do just fine. Oh, I almost forgot!”

Elaine paled at the object Belwen produced from the folds of her dress and held in front of her, her eyes twinkling with silent mirth.

“An elleth found this in the morning and gave it to me. She assumed it was yours, since it seemed to have fallen from your talan.”

Elaine snatched the black lacy underwear from her hands and stuffed it hurriedly in the hidden pocket of her dress, he face red with embarrassment.

Maybe going to the feast the following night was not such a good idea.

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