Spirits of Light

Spirits of Light

Chapter 3
Author: Frosty the Singing Ferret
Codes: Elrond, Arwen, Elros, OC, AU, M/F, Oral.
Rated: NC-17
Summary: A young elf studies under Elrond and falls for more than she realizes. Takes place pre-FOTR.

THANK YOU EVERYONE SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS! The Blue Moon and Seraphina, thank you. New reviewers are always loved. :D Seraphina, if you're interested in other Elrond/OFC stories, click on our username. There are lots more there. ;)

Sorry, Freya, no Boromir here, either. I do appreciate you sticking around to read, though, of course. ;) *steals Boromir while Freya preens*

Beth - THANK YOU for the ideas. I'm always very interested to hear others' preferences on things. And if your ideas are not utilized in this story, they may be used in another one. As for your questions: Yes, I write for Elven and Elven writes for me, with the exceptions of Solicitude and Winter's Heart. Every time we finish a story we ask what the other would like to see next. The fact that you said that sometimes you can't tell our styles apart is a big compliment - I think Elven is an amazing writer and I work hard to keep my writing up to snuff with hers. So thank you. And to answer your questions, my favourites characters, in order, are Boromir, Legolas or Faramir, and Haldir or Aragorn, and Elven's are Elrond, Legolas, Aragorn, Boromir, Faramir. That's why I often write Elrond stories and she often writes Boromir stories. ;)


*

He could feel her chest rising under him as he plundered her mouth, meshing his tongue against hers in a heated embrace. Her skin was warm and slick with sweat as he ran his hands along her bare waist and rested them at her hips. She arched, accomodating his mouth as he pressed kisses down her jaw and neck, moving deliberately towards her chest. A low moan escaped her lips as he ran his tongue over nipple, then encased it in a strong suck. In time his hands moved upwards, molding to her supple flesh and squeezing until she gasped out in pained pleasure. His teeth raked the sensitive skin, teasing it to a point. He could feel her hand at the back of his head, encouraging him forth. It was intoxicating.

"Elrond," she groaned, and he could feel himself grow in need. Her voice was melodic to him, always catching his attention. To hear her moan his name was exhilarating.

His bare skin slid along hers as he moved back to her mouth, sweeping her into a deep, measured kiss. She tasted as sweet as the berries of the earth. His voice caught as he breathed her name in response. "Cala."

Her dark eyes met his as she ran a foot along his warm calf, urging him forward. "I need you," she whispered.

Nothing held him back now. She parted her legs as he guided himself into her heat, slowly entering the wetness that he was responsible for. There were no words for how good and how right it felt. Their eyes locked as he lowered himself into her.

Her body trembled beneath him. At that moment Elrond wanted nothing more than to make her scream in pleasure, but he held himself back. He started the thrusts slow, watching as her breath caught when his hardness penetrated her deep. It made him feel strong and powerful and wanted. The lust and stirring bliss in her eyes was matched by the feelings within himself.

Cala arched back as he jerked forward, sliding in until their hips met. She groaned out his name again, something he never tired of hearing. Her arms wrapped around him, pulling him close as he began thrusting into her even faster. Her gasps and surprised groans only encourage him to accelerate his movements, and he did so until she looked up at him with a needful fire in her eyes. When her arms slid above her head, grasping the rails of the headboard, Elrond grinned and braced his hand on either side of her, then started a forceful and hard pace.

She met his movements, rolling up into him as he continued to strive for their pleasure. Their moistened bodies made the action fluid and swift, and soon the only thing Elrond could concentrate on was the need for release.

When her body shuddered beneath him, and she called out his name, he thrust heavily into her. Her pleasure was long and he held his back until her cries pushed him over the edge. Groaning loudly, he emptied into her body and collapsed, smothering her warm body with his own.

Their eyes met.

Elrond woke up. He inhaled sharply and blinked in the darkness, adjusting to the feeling in his body. It tingled as though aroused, but with some difficulty he managed to quell that feeling. The dream had been vivid and, to his chagrin, alluring. It spoke of things he tried desperately to bury.

Angry, he sat up and threw the covers off his too-warm body. He rubbed his face slowly, trying to ignore the memories both real and imagined. He didn't want to have these feelings. After Celebrian's passing, he had consciously chosen to live the rest of his life without a female's companionship. It wasn't something he wanted to change.

With a heavy breath he thought back to the visit he had had with his daughter the evening past. She had wanted to ask about Aragorn, but had slipped in a question about Cala. Arwen had asked if he liked his new student, and he had wondered what would cause her to ask such a thing. It wasn't until then that he realized he had been pushing Cala away, something he didn't usually do. He didn't want her around.

Guilt swept over him. He sighed and laid back down, staring up at the dark ceiling. Closing his eyes, he tried to find sleep again.

It wasn't easy.

*

Arwen seemed withdrawn. Cala frowned, watching her friend hold the cooling cup of tea in her hands, never taking a drink. She had barely spoken a word since they met in the gardens, but had insisted that she was fine. Pursing her lips, Cala sat back and narrowed her eyes, regarding her friend with suspicion. "You've said naught a word for long minutes, Arwen. What is on your mind?"

The young elf's deep blue eyes looked up, and Cala couldn't help but think how similar those eyes were to Elrond's. "I spoke with my father last night," she said, looking troubled, "He tries to protect me from the world. He doesn't understand that it still affects me, even if he attempts to keep me safe."

"He wouldn't tell you where Aragorn has gone?" When Arwen shook her head, Cala sighed. "I'm sure your father has the best intentions at heart. Perhaps it's too important for him to tell you just now."

That didn't help. "Too important?" she replied, somewhat alarmed, "If that's the case, then it must be very dangerous." As quickly as she had become excited, though, her anxiety seemed to die down. "My father doesn't understand the relationship Aragorn and I have. I know he worries what kind of life I will have with him."

"Have you spoken to him about it?" she asked.

Arwen nodded. "Aragorn has as well. He says nothing against it, but I don't think he approves."

Cala tilted her head, asking, "Do you need his approval?"

That brought a smile to her lips. "No, I suppose not. Though it would be nice."

She looked to the wooden table, tracing the carved lines with her finger. "Love is a difficult thing. It affects more than just the two having the affair." She took a deep breath and looked up to her companion. "And it's not always met with approval."

A soft smirk touched Arwen's face. "You speak as though you have experience in such matters."

Returning the smile, she said, "Not experience. Not quite."

"Cala, have you something on your mind you'd like to share?" Arwen asked, leaning forward conspiratorially.

The elf shook her head softly. "No, nothing at all."

Disappointed, Arwen raised an eyebrow and sat back. "I share my thoughts with you but you won't share with me? That's hardly fair."

"You're right. It's not fair." Cala raised her tea to her lips and breathed, "But it's what you're getting." Arwen laughed, a sound that made Cala smile. It never failed to make her feel good when she could make her friends happy. "Don't despair about your father or Aragorn. If I find out anything during my lessons with your father, I will be sure to inform you. Not that anything of the sort will happen, of course." She winked good-naturedly.

"He doesn't dislike you, Cala," she sighed, "I asked him outright, and he denied it."

Knitting her brows in surprise, she said, "You asked him? Why?"

"I was curious," she answered simply, "The point is, he doesn't hate you so you can stop worrying about it."

Vaguely irritated, Cala shook her head. "I never thought he hated me."

"Yes you did," she replied.

Raising an eyebrow, she folded her arms and eyed the elf across from her. "No. I didn't." Before Arwen could respond, Cala stood up and said, "I should go to my lesson now. Hopefully your father hasn't gotten it into his mind that I go around complaining about his treatment of me."

Arwen laughed at her friend's attempt to show her irritation. "If that has happened, let me know and I will speak to him."

Cala glared and said not a word as she left the table, smiling only when she could no longer hear Arwen's laughter. Her footsteps padded gently along the stone ground as she made her way to the greenhouses. The closer she got, the more her smile faded. It bothered her slightly that Arwen had spoken about her to Elrond. She hoped he wouldn't take offense.

She opened the glass door of the large room that housed the medicinal plants. It was warm and humid and smelled of orchids and life. A much better alternative to what she had experienced yesterday.

Elrond was near the middle of the room, taking cuttings from a chamomile plant. He looked up as she approached. "Good day."

"Good afternoon," she replied. He didn't hold a question in his eyes, nor did he look at her in amusement. She hoped what Arwen had said had passed from his mind.

"I spoke with Arwen last night."

Cala closed her eyes and nearly groaned in discomposure. Taking a deep breath, she answered softly, "Did you?"

He looked up then, but there was no smile on his face. Instead, he was somewhat serious. "She mentioned something that made me think about the way I've been treating you. She asked if I liked you." He paused, then moved back to his cuttings, taking each leaf off the plant with great care and placing it on the counter before him. "After some thought, I realized my daughter was right to ask. I may have inadvertantly been treating you differently than I have my other students." Setting the small knife down, he sighed and looked up at her. "I apologize, Cala. I never meant for you to think that I took any issue with you."

Instead of feeling uplifted, embarrassment weighed her down. "It is I who must apologize, my lord. I never meant for anything I said to your daughter to make you feel like you haven't treated me well. My experience has been just the opposite, I assure you."

He nodded. "In any case, you should know that you're a very good student. It's been a pleasure working with you."

Cala bit her lip and smiled, taking acute notice of how he maintained eye contact. It was unusual for him, as he more often kept his eyes on the work in front of him. "Thank you," she replied, and for the first time since she could remember he smiled at her.

He kept his eyes on her for several seconds before looking back to the plant. "For the next few days I would like to go over what each of the plants here have to offer us in the way of medicine. Today we will take samples from the smaller flowering varieties." He pointed to a counter that held several dozen small glass containers. "The leaves and petals can be placed in the storage dishes. Close and label each of them."

Nodding, Cala picked up one of the small knives and followed Elrond as he moved to one of the flowering orchids. "This is the Hyacinth Orchid," he said, fingering the petals of the wine-coloured flower, "The plant is used for tending to cuts and abrasions."

She stepped up to it, eyeing the delicate flowers. "It's beautiful." She sniffed the petals softly, smiling at the scent. When she looked up, she noticed Elrond regarding her with an unreadable expression. A warm tingle came over her body. Pushing it aside, she stood back up and wondered what had possessed Elrond to act so differently towards her.

Not that she minded the change.

"Take three leaf cuttings," he said, turning back to the plant.

Cala snipped the leaves gently, then placed them into the container and labelled it. Together, she and Elrond moved to the next plant. This one had small magenta flowers. "This is Malva, isn't it?" she asked.

He looked up, impressed. "Yes it is. Do you know what it's used in the treatment of?"

Biting her lip and thinking back on her books, she answered, "It's an astringent. It's good for the skin, and can be used for chest and other internal ailments." Grinning, she met his eyes and awaited her praise.

He returned the smile. "Correct."

As he looked back at the plant and separated the flowers from the bunch they had grown into, Cala knit her brow. "Is that all?" she asked, her tone light and her eyebrow raised. Elrond looked up, confused. "Do I not deserve more than a simple word of approval?"

She could tell by the glint in his eye that she had amused him. "Were you expecting a prize for each answer you give?"

Cala tried, with much difficulty, to keep a smile from pulling at her lips. "Only the correct ones."

Elrond nodded and pursed his lips, stifling his own smile. "And what kind of prize were you hoping for?"

She looked down at her fingers as they traced over the rim of a plant pot. "I thought I'd leave that to your imagination." As soon as she said it, she knew she had crossed a potential line. Taking a slow breath, she looked up at Elrond. He seemed to be weighing his response. After a few quiet moments, though, Cala became uncomfortable and coughed softly. "Should I take clippings from the Malva?" she asked, desperate for the tension to dissolve.

"Please," he answered softly.

Biting the inside of her cheek, she mentally chastised herself as she carefully cut leaves and parts of the stem from the plant. The last thing she wanted was to offend Elrond. He was being friendly towards her, and she had gone and turned it into something more. Shaking her head imperceptibly, she labelled a new container and placed the cuttings inside.

When she turned back to Elrond, he had gone to the other side of the room. Slowly she approached, unsure. Cala frowned when he pulled a leather-bound book from a small shelf. "This has been passed down through many generations," she said, turning as though knowing she would be there. He handed her the dusty book. "It spells out the history of the elves' relationship with nature and gives some very basic information about plants available in Fangorn Forest. We've come far since it was first written, but its teachings remain true."

She rubbed the cover gently with her thumb. "Why are you giving this to me?" she asked quietly.

Elrond smiled. "It's your prize." With a raised eyebrow, he brushed past her saying, "But I did not say you could keep it."

Keeping her face hidden, Cala felt herself blush softly. Smiling, she took a deep breath, tucked the book under her arm, and followed him back to the plants.

*

TBC