The Music in My Heart

Title: The Music in My Heart, Chapter 66 (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; Slash and het.)
Feedback: This is my first fanfic, so constructive feedback appreciated.
Archive: AFF; FF
Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Alex Cat for her help in betaing this.
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 66 --- A Promised Sunrise

“Then you rose into my life like a promised sunrise.
Brightening my days with the light in our eyes.
I've never been so strong. Now I'm where I belong.”
Yevgeny Yevtushenko

*****

Elrond raised his head and looked through the opening to the cave, attempting to judge how long it would be until dawn. Seeing a few faint stripes of pale pink and yellow teasing the distant horizon, he knew the sun would appear within the hour.

Sighing, he settled back against the elleth sleeping in his arms. Glad to have a few minutes to himself to think, he tried to make sense of what had happened. /How long have we been oblivious to the world, aware only of each other?/

Having no idea of how long their bonding had blinded them to all else, he moved on to what he did know. They had been exceedingly lucky that the enemy had not found them while they were so vulnerable. He knew he had been totally oblivious to everything save the beautiful elleth in his arms. /My bonded by the will and grace of our creator!/

A rueful smile curled his lips as he thought about the supreme irony of this occurring here and now. /I have been praying to the Valar since I was barely past my majority, almost 7000 years I would reckon, to be granted the gift of a bonded mate to share my life and fill the hole in my spirit left by losing so many I loved. Now, in the middle of a campaign commissioned by the Valar themselves… while hiding in the marginal safety of a cliffside cave with a wounded elleth almost 6000 years my junior… the daughter of my dearest friend no less… and pursued by the worst monsters of this world, NOW the Valar decide to grant this gift. And not just the normal bonding of life mates, but a life altering, forget the rest of the world exists, this must be consummated now joining ---the rarest of all gifts, a total bonding of souls!/ he smirked. /I will never again suggest that the Valar do not have a sense of humor!/

/Then, there is the matter of this compulsion to consummate the bond… with an innocent maiden recovering from a deep gash to her shoulder, stitched up no less, and a wounded knee that cannot be moved without causing her pain! Not to mention we are on the floor of a damp, chilly cave… the Yrch, the mission … her faithful protectors… Erestor./ He started to chuckle, trying hard to contain his mirth, still mindful of the need to give no sign of their presence to the outside world.

Shaking with his amusement, he buried his face in the curve of Seere’s neck to muffle the noise he was making. Breathing in the scent of her body only had the effect of reminding his senses of their aborted attempt at making love from the night before. /We cannot complete the bond without making love and we cannot make love because she is injured... or until we are in a place of at least marginal safety! What a mess!/

Gaining control of himself once again, he raised sparkling eyes to meet the now alert eyes of his new wife. /Well, almost wife! Still the matter of our ‘unfinished business’ and I have no doubt Erestor will demand a formal wedding ceremony before he acknowledges our marriage; indeed, before most of our family will. Elvish tradition must be followed, Eru’s gift and the blessing of the Valar not withstanding!/

“May I ask what you find so amusing so early in the day, melme? You are not normally so lively in the morning,” Seere noted, a smile coloring her words even if she managed to keep a straight face. (love)

“You find no humor in our present situation, pen vuil? I thought it might be more productive to laugh rather than grind my teeth in utter frustration.” Seeing the blush that colored her cheeks from the innuendo in his last statement, he grinned and bent to capture her lips in a brief kiss. (dear one)

“Humm? I trust you mean humor as in the ‘time and place’ rather than the ‘who’?” she asked, trying hard to sound amused, but her doubts made her voice quiver slightly.

Hearing the question within the question, Elrond smiled gently, saying, “The ‘who’ is all I could ever have hoped she would be and so much more. I love you, my Seere and will spend the rest of my days thanking the Valar and Eru Ilúvatar for the gift of you as my wife.” Leaning in for a second kiss, he whispered, “I hope you have no regrets as to the ‘who’ to which you find yourself bonded? Are you happy with the gift of your husband?”

Sliding her arms around his neck, she whispered, “I find my new husband to be so much more than I ever dared hope I would find in a mate. I, too, shall be spending a lot of time giving thanks for my gift.” Seeing his satisfied smile, she pulled him down for a deeper kiss.

A few minutes later, a highly aroused elf broke the embrace and rolled to his side breathing heavily. “By the Valar, Seere! I have been struggling with my desire for you for months now, but our bonding has turned heady desire into an overwhelming compulsion. How I am supposed to control this need until you are recovered, I do not know.”

Breathing heavily, he turned his head to stare into her heated eyes. “Ai! Please do not look at me like that!”

Rolling to his feet, he started toward the cave entrance, hoping the cool air would help him gain some measure of control over his aroused body. /I am so hard now, it is painful!/ He had only taken a step away from their bedroll when he felt the now familiar sharp pain grip his chest.

Gasping, he dropped back to her side and pulled her up into his arms. “How are we to endure this if we cannot bear to be apart?”

*****

Stroking his back in soothing circular motion, Seere began, “Elrond, my love? It will be all right. I know you to be gentle. We could…”

Soft fingers brushed over her lips to stay her words. “Nay love, for the chance of your being hurt, if not injured further is too great for the moment. Your knee is very vulnerable right now. No matter how gentle I try to be, your leg would shift. That kind of shifting would be painful at the very least.” Taking a deep breath, he said, “Nay, we will wait. Besides, this dank cave is hardly a suitable place for your first time… our first time. Add to that the possibility of Uruk hearing us… tis best we wait.”

“By wait, do you propose we wait until we rejoin our army? Humm, my father, your son, Celeborn, Glorfindel …. not to mention the warriors! Yes, a bedroll in their midst does sound so much more romantic than this cave!” she observed, a slight smirk playing over her features.

“By the Valar! I will be insane before I can claim you, anna nin!” He groaned and shifted his head back onto their temporary pillow. Her muffled laughter was the only response he received. (my gift)

“You find this far too amusing for my comfort, by the way. A little more support and understanding would not go amiss, ind nîn.” Elrond sighed, his forearm thrown dramatically over his eyes for effect. (my heart)

“Are you asking that I lend a ‘helping hand’, meleth nîn?” she teased. (my beloved)

Rolling to his side, Elrond grinned down at his new mate. “That, my dear one, had way too much emphasis to be an innocent comment! And here I thought I was married to a sheltered, inexperienced maiden.”

“Inexperienced, aye, that I am. Sheltered? Maybe. But do not forget I was raised in the company of none but males --- your sons, Legolas, the guardians of Imladris, and one rather outspoken dwarf. I have overheard much… more than Ada and Celeborn… or you, for that matter, would have appreciated. I, therefore, know more than my limited practical experience should indicate.”

Cutting her eyes to the side to watch his reaction, she added, “Then there is the matter of my dreams involving a certain former king. Some of those were quite ‘educational’… not to mention embarrassing!”

“If they are Erenion Gil-Galad’s memories… or dreams coming to you otherwise, you should be embarrassed! They would embarrass me, I would suspect,” he joked.

Growing serious, he asked, “Do you wish to discuss the matter of Ereinion? We have not yet had the opportunity.”

*****

Slowly, she turned her head fully to meet his gaze. He could feel her cascading thoughts tumbling along the connection they shared as a result of their new bond. Sighing deeply, she asked, “How much did you see from our bonding?”

Studying her pensive face for a moment before answering, he replied, “Quite a lot I think, though much of what I saw is still confusing. We shared a lot in a short time.”

Frowning, he went on, “I have no idea how long we were tied in the intense initial bond. A least one day, it would seem, though it may have been longer.”

“As for Ereinion, he was there, but how he was I do not yet know.” Looking into her eyes once more, he asked, “Will you tell me what you think?”

Stalling giving an answer, she moved to sit up. Elrond shifted over and they relocated themselves so they were sitting with their back to the stone wall, shoulders pressed together. “Do we have any water left in the skin?”

Smiling his understanding of her desire to delay her answer, he nodded. “We can wait to have this conversation if you prefer.”

Reaching to his side, he lifted the water skin and handed it to her. While she took a drink, he reached for the saddlebag that contained all of their food. Her question about the water had reminded him that he was hungry, as well as, thirsty. /I wonder how long we were in that bonding trance?/

Taking an apple from the bag, he retrieved a small knife and began to peel the apple before sectioning it in two. Handing Seere one of the halves, he returned the knife to its place on the inside of the saddlebag and pulled out a loaf of flat bread. Breaking off half of the loaf, he rewrapped the rest and put it back with their meager supply of food. He divided the remaining bread with Seere before beginning to eat.

Suddenly aware of how hungry she was, the elleth made short work of her breakfast. Elrond, seeing this, reached back into the saddlebag and removed a small cloth pouch. Opening the drawstring top, he leaned over and shook a small handful of dried nuts into her hand. Smiling at the indulgent look on his face, Seere settled back to enjoy her treat, feeding him a few choice pecans.

For a time, they were quiet as they nibbled on the last of their meal. The water skin was passed between them as they began to lean more intimately into each other’s space.

“I do not know if my fëa was once the spirit of Ereinion Gil-Galad. My dreams feel like memories, but how do I know?” she sighed.

“If I am Erenion rehoused, it should have been revealed to me when I came of age. A rehoused fëa is never told before then so the person has a chance to mature before they must face the confusion and pain of remembering. Ereinion was male and I am clearly not. Gender does not change for a rehoused fëa, does it? That is not the way of Mandos, is it? My parents are not family to Ereinion, so that is wrong, as well.”

Seeing his confirming nod, she continued, “And yet, how can I be dreaming and know such personal details of his life. I know how he felt, his fears, who he lov…” Uncomfortable with the direction of her thoughts, she changed direction. “I had dreams of you as well and I clearly am not you rehoused!”

Elrond smiled at this, “While you now hold sway over my heart and spirit, we are still two people.”

He opened his mouth to speak, then hesitated. /Should I ask her of Erenion’s feelings for me, or do I truly want to know? If he loved me as I suspect, do I want to hear that answer from the elleth I love… my bonded?/

Sensing the conflict this topic brought to his spirit, Seere continued hoping to give him time to resolve his feelings. “My dreams of you are different than those of Ereinion. They show you… as though I am seeing you… and are not… through your eyes. Also, I have none that predate your meeting with Ereinion as an elfling when you were freed by Maglor, so my dreams of you are memories too.” She sighed. “I had hoped you had seen something in my fëa as we bonded that would answer these questions.”

“Worry not, meleth nîn. We will figure this out, given time. Or at least as much as you need to be at peace with the matter,” he said, he gently shifted her to sit in his lap. The need to touch her still overwhelmed him. “Now, I seem to remember you mentioned offering a ‘helping hand’?” (my love)

Grinning in relief at the sudden change in topic, she twisted her body to lie more fully against his chest. Twining her arms around his neck, she pulled him down for a lingering kiss.

Taking advantage of this new position, Elrond tilted her head to allow him to deepen the contact so that he could slip his tongue between her lips and gently, thoroughly explore her mouth. As her tongue moved to caress his, he pulled her tighter against him and let his right hand slide down to stroke her side just below her left breast.

With teasing circles of his fingers, he let his hand slowly drift upward over her flat stomach, before sliding up to tease the underside of her breast. Using just the tips of his fingers, his touch ghosted over the sensitive skin, coming close to, but never quite touching her taut nipple.

Hearing her moan of pleasure and frustration, he moved his lips along her cheek toward her ear, shifting aside her thick hair with a nudge of his nose. Once her hair was out of his way, Elrond began a sensual assault on the small, pointy tipped shell. Nibbling at the lobe, he let his tongue flick forward to taunt the sensitized flesh behind her ear. Feeling her shiver in response, his tongue began to flutter along the outer rim of her ear to the delicate pointed tip. There his teeth decided to rejoin the assault, as he nipped at the peek. Before drawing the tip into his mouth to be sucked gently, his tongue took its time caressing the tingling skin behind the tip.

Distracted as she was by the attack on her ear, she had not noticed his hand working open the lacings holding her tunic closed. That clever hand had returned to her quivering stomach and was easing her undershirt and camisole up enough to let his hand slide underneath.

Again, using just fingertips, he left a trail of burning, tingling flesh in his wake as his hand once again drifted up to cover her now bare breast. His lips quickly moved back to capture hers and swallow the loud moan that left her throat as his hand finally settled over her aching flesh. Catching the hard nub between thumb and forefinger, he gently rolled and lightly squeezed her hard, pebbled nipple.

Shifting their bodies to allow him to lay her back on the blanket, Elrond slipped the layered garments up enough to free both breasts to his gaze. For a moment, he allowed himself the pleasure of admiring the lush beauty of her body. Unlike most full-blooded elleth, Seere’s breasts were full and rounded and her hips possessed a gentle flare that aroused the desires of the peredhel’s own mixed blood.

Caught in a wave of pure masculine possessiveness, he moaned “Mine!” as he pressed a kiss to the soft skin below her right breast. Extending his tongue, he allowed the tip to barely touch her skin as he ran a wet, meandering line up to the puckered bud of her right breast. Letting it linger just long enough to leave the taut skin wet, he pulled back slightly and gently let a slow puff of air drift across the swollen, wet tip.

Smirking as she moaned and reached out to grasp his head, dragging his mouth down to her breast, he relented and began to suckle and nip the pulsing bit of flesh. Lifting his head slightly, the nub still caught between his lips, he looked deeply into her eyes, enjoying her reaction to his seduction of her body.

Satisfied with the state of the right nipple, he moved to her left and began to flick the tip with his tongue. Feeling her squirm and moan in response to this, he suddenly dropped his head and drew the nipple into this mouth to be sucked and nipped.

His left hand slide down her trembling stomach and settled on the lacing of her leggings. Once they were loosened, his hand began to… /What the..?/

Jerking upright, he met her passion-glazed eyes with an expression of shock and no small amount of horror.

*****
A/N - Would begging for feedback help??