Underneath It All

Rating: R for now. Will become NC-17.
Pairing(s): Aragorn/Legolas, Aragorn/Boromir (nothing explicit)
Disclaimer: Everyone you recognize belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien. I am not him.
Summary: The wedding day has come; Legolas has his doubts.

‘thoughts’


Legolas brushed his long, fair hair until it shone in the afternoon light. He sighed deeply and put the brush on the table. ‘Today is my wedding day’, he thought miserably. ‘I am getting married to a total stranger.’

Swiftly the young Elf braided his slightly damp hair into two delicate little braids on the temples, leaving the rest of his blond mane flow freely. Tiríon had told him to weave flowers in his hair but the Prince had firmly declined. ‘I am not a maiden, and will not dress as one. I am male and males do not wear flowers in their hair’, Legolas thought and smoothed his hair on the top and tucked the slender braids behind his pointed ears. ‘If this is not good enough for Tiríon or King Elessar that is their problem, not mine. They can always try and find a young, meek maiden for the King to marry.’

Even as he thought so Legolas felt he was being a bit unfair to Aragorn. The King had never insinuated that he wanted a woman-like spouse, or that he should decorate his hair on the day of their wedding. ‘And yet he still wants to use me for breeding’, Legolas thought and smiled bitterly. He had seen Aragorn only fleetingly during the past two days, and was in fact quite relieved for it. He had had time to think over the kiss he had witnessed and the feelings they provoked in him, and had come to the conclusion that he was upset only because he hadn’t expected to see such a thing in his own chambers. That was it. Next time he would be prepared and wouldn’t be so easily thrown off-balance.

There was a knock on the door and the Prince lifted his gaze from his own reflection and turned around to face the door. “You may enter, the door is unlocked”, he said, straightening the collar of his white tunic.

“Good morning, Prince”, Tiríon said, bowing slightly. “I see that you are getting ready for the ceremony; that is good. But where are the servants? Should they not be here helping you with your hair and your clothing?”

Legolas rolled his eyes in exasperation. “I am very capable of grooming myself without servants running around, thank you. And before you ask me about those dreadful flowers I can tell you that there is no way in Arda you can make me weave them in my hair. Or wear that long, dress-like tunic. I will not be made to look like a maiden! I will wear this tunic”, Legolas said and gestured to the simple yet elegant white tunic he was wearing, “and these leggings, and nothing else.” He was wearing dark blue leggings that clung to his figure and accentuated his slender legs and hips.

Tiríon looked at his clothing with a disapproving scowl but didn’t say anything. He knew his young charge well enough to know that if he refused to do something there was nothing you could do to make him change his mind. “That is fine. You are going to wear your circlet, though. That is a direct order from your father and you will obey it”, he said and his tone made it clear that he wouldn’t suffer any counter arguments.

“Fine”, Legolas said sullenly and turned back to the mirror. Tiríon took the circlet from another table and gently placed it on the Prince’s brow. It was slender and quite light since it was made of mithril, and to Legolas’ relief there was nothing girlish about it.

“Now you look like a proper Prince of Mirkwood”, the advisor said proudly and put his hands on the younger Elf’s shoulders, looking at their reflection in the mirror. “Today is a significant day for you, Legolas. Today you leave your childhood behind and start a new life as King Elessar’s consort. No longer are you known as Legolas of Mirkwood, but as Legolas of Gondor. I do not wish to see a sad face today, Prince. I hope to see you laugh and smile and make merry with your kin and your new husband.”

Legolas shrugged his hands off in annoyance and stood up, turning to face the elder Elf. “How can I make merry when I know that today is the day when I lose my freedom? Once I get pregnant with Elessar’s child I will be confined to these chambers in order not to endanger the heir to the throne”, he snapped angrily. “Nay, this is not a happy day for me, and if you see me smile once during this day, know that ‘tis a fake smile!”

Tiríon, who was used to Legolas temper tantrums merely sighed. “Legolas, you are being overly dramatic, again. You will not be treated like a prisoner, but like a Prince you are, and once you are pregnant it will only heighten their approval of you. Now, shed this sorrowful attitude, it only serves you ill. King Elessar is a good man and you should be happy to join with him.”

The Prince pouted and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He knew that his father’s advisor was right; dwelling on unpleasant thoughts would only make this day harder to bear. He wasn’t going to admit it to the elder Elf, though. “Is that all or should we leave to the Hall?”

“Actually, there was something else I wanted to talk to you about”, Tiríon admitted and took a small vial from one of the pockets of his robe. “You must drink this. It may taste foul but ‘tis not dangerous.”

Legolas’ eyebrow twitched curiously. “What is it?” He asked and accepted the vial that was handed to him, opening it and sniffing it delicately. “Uh, it smells like Orc piss!” The Prince exclaimed in distaste as the disgusting smell invaded his sensitive nostrils and quickly put it away.

Tiríon smiled calmly, knowing that the odour indeed was unpleasant. “I brought it from Mirkwood; that potion was brewed by our Healer. As you know, young Elves are very fertile and conceive easily. However, Thranduil King and myself thought that since it is extremely important that you become with child as soon as possible, it would be a good idea to ensure the quick conception with this liquid. It enhances your fertility and increases the possibility that King Elessar impregnates you tonight.”

Legolas’ cheeks burned in embarrassment. He still wasn’t comfortable with discussing such intimate matters with other people; indeed, he wasn’t comfortable with even thinking about it. Of course he had known all the time that the King would claim his innocence on the night of their wedding, but he had tried not to think about it too closely. From what he had heard about it from young Elves in Mirkwood he knew that it would be painful, in the beginning at least, and also messy and sweaty. Now, Legolas admitted that King Elessar was comely and kind, but the idea of bedding the King made him shiver. Not in distaste but in dread; the Man was so much heavier than him, all solid muscles and broad shoulders. ‘He will probably crush me under his weight’, Legolas thought and blushed anew.

“So I should just drink this?” The young Elf asked almost shyly and took the phial. Tiríon nodded encouragingly and watched as the Prince lifted the vial to his lips, pinching his nostrils closed with the fingers of his other hand, and emptied the small bottle in one swig. He made a face at the dreadful taste and scowled as the other Elf smiled at him.

“It tasted like Orc piss, too”, Legolas said glumly and readily accepted a goblet of fresh water Tiríon handed to him, drinking the refreshing liquid. “Anything else?”

“One more thing, Legolas.” This time the advisor’s voice sounded a bit awkward, almost as he was embarrassed to breach the subject. “About your wedding night. I am not certain if you know what will happen once you are alone with Elessar in your bedchamber this eve.”

“Uh, well, I am under the impression that he will… take me”, Legolas stuttered. How this taking would happen he did not know, other than that it involved both of them being naked. A part of him was relieved that Tiríon brought this up, since he was too embarrassed to even think about it, let alone ask.

“Yes, he will take you. I know that you are inexperienced in the matters of physical pleasure, but I assume that King Elessar is not. You must trust him to take care of you through the taking”, Tiríon explained. “Have you ever pleasured yourself, Legolas?”

The Prince was beyond mortification and could only nod. “Aye… I do not do it often. But I have done it.”

“Then you know that when you are aroused your manhood will fill with blood and become rigid. That is how it happens with Men, also. King Elessar must be aroused to be able to take you, Legolas; once his member is erect he will put it inside you. At this point you must have oil at hand; otherwise it will be unnecessarily painful for you, pen-neth.”

Legolas frowned. “Where does he put it? And what does oil have to do with any of this?”

Tiríon took the Prince’s hand and guided him to sit on the edge of his bed. “He will put it inside your opening, Legolas. And he must use oil to slick his member, and to stretch your opening so that the friction decreases and your tissues won’t be damaged.”

“Inside my opening? But… it will never fit”, the Prince almost squealed, his blue eyes wide and shocked. “He cannot put it there… I will not let him!”

“Yes you will”, Tiríon said, sternly but kindly. “’Tis the only way to get you pregnant. It will hurt at first, but the pain will lessen if Elessar has the patience to go slow with you, as I am certain that he does. If he at any point does anything that feels painful, you must inform him; you will have to expect to feel a little uncomfort, but if you feel that something is damaged you must tell him to stop.”

“But how does him putting his member inside me result in me getting pregnant?” Legolas asked, trying to understand what he was being told.

“He will at some point spill his seed inside you”, Tiríon said curtly. “And when that happens you are very likely to conceive.”

Legolas had fallen silent and looked at the advisor with an uncertain look in his blue eyes. “I don’t think I can do that. It sounds so… messy. I am not sure if I can let him touch me in that way.”

This time Tiríon’s smile was quite amused. “’Tis not as bad as it sounds, my Prince. The first time rarely is pleasurable for the receiving partner, but in time it well get better, I promise.”

Legolas nodded and squeezed his hand in gratitude. “Thank you for explaining this to me”, he said, still looking a bit flushed. After all, it wasn’t every day you discussed such intimate matters with a friend of your father’s. “I don’t know what I will do after you leave. I have no-one to talk to, no-one to confide in.”

“You will survive, I am certain of it. There is much strength in you, and also courage, even if you do not feel like that right now”, the elder Elf said kindly and squeezed the Prince’s hand in return. “But I am afraid we should go now. ‘Tis not kind to make the King wait for his husband-to-be.”

Legolas nodded and smoothed his hair with his palms self-consciously. ‘Am I ready to face Aragorn?’ He asked himself, but he didn’t have an answer to that.


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


“How do I look?” Aragorn asked, running his fingers through his dark shoulder-length hair. He felt oddly anxious and it irritated him. He was the King of Gondor, for Valar’s sake! Why should he feel anxious about marrying some inexperienced little Princeling from some far-away Woodland realm? That was nonsense. It still didn’t keep from asking about his appearance, though.

“You look handsome, as always”, Boromir answered with a sad smile. Today was the day when all of his dreams would die. He would never be acknowledged as Aragorn’s closest man; no, he would always be the Steward of Gondor who only got to watch as his lover married another. “If you only stopped fidgeting you would look even more regal”, he couldn’t help adding and grinned as Aragorn turned to look at him and scowled.

Boromir wasn’t a young and foolish boy and therefore he had never entertained any ideas about getting married to Aragorn. He had always known that the King would marry someone else, but still he was unprepared for the pain that came with this day. He was very careful not to let it show. Aragorn was enough nervous as it was; Boromir didn’t want to add to his troubles.

“I know this isn’t easy for you, either.” Aragorn’s voice broke through his musings. He had turned to look at his long-time lover with a sympathetic look on his face. “But this is the only way to ensure Gondor’s future. I need an heir, and I need someone to produce me one. You know this.”

“Aye, this I know”, Boromir admitted and managed to smile. “I heard that Faramir has returned this morning from Ithilien, I have not spoken with my brother in many moons”, he said, just to change the subject.

Aragorn nodded thoughtfully, taking his sword and sheathing it in its scabbard that clung from his waist. “Indeed, your brother has been in the wild for a long time. I am glad to hear that he has returned in time for my wedding.” He then looked at the other man with a gentle look. “Boromir, I would not judge you if you were to take another lover to your bed this eve. If you need comfort from another you have my permission to seek it wherever you wish.”

Boromir stiffened in anger. “Why do you speak to me thusly?”

“I meant no offence”, Aragorn said mildly, turning to the mirror once more to check his appearance. “I merely meant that if you wish to seek pleasure this evening I will not get angry at you. There will be many strapping young soldiers and willowy maidens for you to choose from.”

“Thank you”, Boromir said stiffly. He just as well might bed another this eve, since Aragorn would be busy entertaining his new husband.

“Now, let us go to the Grand Hall”, King Elessar said and clasped his Steward’s shoulder. “’Tis time for me to get married.”


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


To Legolas’ intense disliking the ceremony was to take place inside the castle, in the Grand Hall. The weather outside was warm and sunny, the breeze mild and refreshing. The Prince had visited the gardens earlier that morning, and thought that it would be a perfect place for the wedding. However, he knew that it was only wishful thinking, since it was an old tradition for the King of Gondor to wed in the Grand Hall.

There wouldn’t be many people witnessing the ceremony; only the highest noblemen of Elessar’s court along with Thranduil’s advisor Tiríon and a couple of other Mirkwood Elves. After the ceremony a grand feast would take place in the Dining Hall, and Legolas knew that a large number of people had been invited to celebrate their ruler’s marriage.

Finally they reached the heavy doors of the Grand Hall. Legolas turned to look at Tiríon and was thankful when the elder Elf took his hand in his and placed it on his arm. “I am not certain if I can do this”, he whispered.

“You can. Have courage, young Prince”, Tiríon whispered back. “I will walk with you all the way. Do not be afraid.”

Legolas inhaled deeply and closed his eyes for a moment. He then opened them and smiled at the other Elf. “Let us go, then. I would not have Elessar think me impolite.”

The advisor nodded at the guards who proceeded to open the heavy wooden doors. Legolas’ grip of Tiríon’s arm tightened as he saw the people who had gathered in the other end of the room. They all looked at him curiously, murmuring lowly as they saw the young and beautiful Prince for the first time. Legolas’ gaze searched King Elessar, but couldn’t see him from the crowd and dropped his gaze to the stone floor. The crowd parted as the two Elves reached them and that was when Legolas saw his future husband.

He had to bite his lip to keep from gasping aloud. Legolas hadn’t even known that the human could look so handsome; he was wearing all black, and there was a white tree embroided in the front of his tunic. The simple but classical outfit flattered the King’s lean but muscular frame, bringing out his broad shoulders and his slim hips. The man’s slightly wavy dark brown hair shone slightly in the sunlight that came from one of the windows. Legolas’ gaze finally reached the man’s eyes and he smiled shyly as he saw that the King was looking at him the same way that he was looking at the man.

Finally he reached the King’s side and felt his cheeks warm as Tiríon took his hand from his arm and placed it on the larger hand of the King. The advisor bowed deep to the man and stepped aside. The Elf Prince had been explained before that the ceremony in itself was very simple. They would exchange vows in front of witnesses, and Legolas would receive a wedding band from the King.

Aragorn waited until the murmurs had died down and everyone’s attention was in the couple. He looked at the almost shivering Prince and smiled at him kindly. ‘So young and so sweet’, he thought. ‘I will have to be careful with this one; I do not want to hurt him in any way.’

He cleared his throat, wanting his voice to be even and firm. “I, Aragorn son of Arathorn, King Elessar of Gondor and Arnor, take thee, Prince Legolas of the Woodland realm, son of King Thranduil, to be my husband, to love and protect, to defend and keep from all harm, to respect and honour, from this day forward for as long as I shall live.” His voice never faltered, and as he gazed in the trusting eyes of the Prince he felt a small spark in his heart.

Legolas closed his eyes for a second and then opened them, looking at Aragorn’s kind, grey eyes. “I, Prince Legolas of the Woodland realm, son of King Thranduil, take thee, Aragorn son of Arathorn, King of Gondor and Arnor, to be my King, my husband and the sire of my children, to love and obey, to cherish and protect, to respect and honour, from this day forward for as long as I shall live.”

Legolas’ voice was barely above a whisper, and the gathered guests had to strain their hearing to make out the words. Aragorn heard them perfectly well, and smiled at his new husband. Boromir handed him the ring and Elessar held it up for all to see. “This ring is an heirloom of my father’s line; with this ring my sire wedded my mother, and with this ring I wed thee, Prince Legolas. May Ilúvatar himself bless our union”, he said loudly and placed the ring on Legolas’ finger. Then he leaned in and the Elf closed his eyes.

‘He is going to kiss me. He is going to kiss me in front of all these people!’ He thought frantically. Legolas had never been kissed before and did not know what to expect; the only kiss he had ever seen was the kiss between Aragorn and Boromir, and the thought of being kissed in such a fashion in front of everyone made him want to escape.

The Prince was therefore surprised when he felt the King’s lips press gently against his, undemandingly and softly. He sighed quietly when his newly wed husband wrapped an arm around his shoulders and pressed him around his chest. ‘His lips are much softer than they look’, Legolas observed faintly, ‘and his taste is not that unpleasant.’ Then his thoughts came to a sudden halt as he felt the King’s tongue try and enter his mouth. The Prince jerked back in shock and gazed at the King with wide eyes. Aragorn grinned and turned to face the guests. The crowd applauded at their King and the King’s new husband, as was the custom, some more enthusiastically than others. The Steward was the first to speak.

“Congratulations, my King”, Boromir said and bowed to the couple. “May your marriage be blessed with happiness and joy. And heir to the throne”, he added as an afterthought. He couldn’t help looking at Aragorn’s husband with no small amount of envy and resentment, even if he knew that it was not of Legolas’ choosing that this wedding took place. The Elf averted his gaze, choosing to look at the floor instead of the man’s intense eyes.

“Thank you, Steward”, Aragorn said and clasped his shoulder briefly.

“Let us celebrate the King’s marriage in the Dining Hall”, Boromir said loudly. “A grand feast is waiting for us. After you, my King.”

King Elessar linked his arm with Legolas’ and led the people from the Grand Hall. The Elf had hard time trying to keep up with his husband’s longer strides. Aragorn looked at him kindly and smiled as he saw the Elf blush under his scrutiny. Legolas quickly looked away to hide his emotional turmoil. ‘I cannot believe I am married’, he thought and shook his head to clear his whirling thoughts. ‘I belong to Aragorn now.’


TBC...

A/N: I hope you liked, please review. :)