Mary Goes to Mirkwood

Mary Goes to Mirkwood

Chapter Seven/?

Revised 2004 Edition

Co-authors: Mary A & Malinorne

Disclaimer: Just playing with Tolkien characters, for fun, and not profit, do not claim to have created them. Thaladir, the king's seneschal, is our creation.

Warning: Adult sexual situations/ some femslash/ some mild S&M/ LOTS of nudity.

Pairing: King Thranduil/OFCs

Summary: Mary and Mal take a bath, Thranduil joins them and promises are made.

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

~Mary~


When Mal entered the king's private bathing chamber I was so happy to see her I nearly leapt clear out of the water. She appeared even happier than I felt, almost relieved, to see me, too.

"Mal!" I cried. "You must get in here with me! There's lots of room, come on, the water is heaven!" I did not really need to convince her because she was undressing before I had even finished asking. I noticed she was wearing Thranduil's green robe, the one I had borrowed in Texas, but on her it looked a better fit.

Soon she was in the deep steaming pool with me, her fair hair floating about her shoulders as she closed her eyes and let the warmth of the water soak into her body. I had never seen Mal naked before, at least not this close up. What I did see did not make me feel any better about myself. Her flawless skin was all peaches and cream.

"Were you outside?" I asked. I could see little bits of tree bark in her hair. "Last night?" She just nodded with a dreamy look on her face, then took the washcloth from me, turned me away from her and started washing the part of my back I could not reach by myself. "C'mon, Mal, tell me, what were you doing outside last night?"

After some more coaxing, she told me a little about her meeting with Haldir, and sleeping in the beech tree. I was happy to learn that Galadriel was looking out for us in her mirror but sorry that Haldir had returned to Lorien. It would have been nice to say hello. I asked her why he had brought her back to Mirkwood and she told me she had wanted to come back, she was ready to accept her fate, she was no longer conflicted within herself. I had to wonder what made her change her mind.

She asked me about my behavior the night before, in the royal bedchamber. I quickly told her that I had read her story, it had upset me and, so, the king had thrown my lap-top in the fire. And, I also mentioned that I might have felt jealous, too, a little.

Mal was surprised to learn that Thranduil had not previously mentioned his visit with her to me. She said that it was a pity I had not had a chance to read the third chapter of her story. If I had, I would have at least known she had been invited. I agreed; that would have been helpful.

"But, Mal, why do you want to be his concubine? It seems so...so unlike you."

She told me more about the king's visit with her, from the chapter I had not read, and what he had done with his emerald ring, just enough to give me the picture, and what it actually meant to "kiss" the ring of royalty.

It was more than a little shocking to find out that it meant he had tricked us both, somehow, by binding us in to him in some mysterious way with his rings, but, I was not convinced. Her feelings for him may have grown stronger but mine had completely changed the moment she had walked into his bedchamber. As if she belonged there.

I felt I did not any more. I was not prepared to be bound to this monarch and I felt even less inclined, after my dip in his river, to spend more than the promised week with him. I was certainly not his concubine, at least, not willingly.

"Let's change the subject, Mal," I took the washcloth from her and turned her away from me so I could wash her back. "Tell me what happened after I kicked the king off of me last night." Her skin felt exquisite under my hands. No wonder he invited her here.

She reluctantly described her delaying tactics with Thranduil when I had made my silly escape attempt. I found her tale irritating. "While I was drowning in his river he just got right back into bed with you? Oh, that is so very nice to know."

Mal tried to reassure me but it did not really matter what she said. The king's behavior spoke louder than any of her words ever possibly could have. She was obviously his first choice; I was in the back seat now.

It did not bother me that Thranduil wanted Mal to be his concubine, well, not much. I just had thought that I was his only visitor for the time we had spent together and, now that I knew he had expected her to arrive on the same night I had, I felt robbed of the pleasure I had felt in his company. I wondered what kind of necklace he had chosen for her. Probably an emerald one. To match her eyes.

She clucked over the amount of the forest debris I still had tangled in my hair and insisted on shampooing it. She attacked the tangled twig and mud filled mess with a vengeance and, as I reveled in her massaging fingers on my scalp, I started to tell her about my great escape, and the icy river, but we were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Now this is a irresistible temptation..."


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

~Mal~


The room looked like a crazy combination of a romantic movie set in ancient Rome and a commercial for travels to Iceland. The natural cave roof had been preserved, so that it was an uneven surface of stone in different shades of grey, and the pools themselves must also have been shaped by nature, though with later adjustments, such as the stairs that led down into them.

There were three pools, and the water temperature in them seemed to be different. The one we were occupying must have been the warmest, it was steaming and the fine mist hovered over the water. The one beside had no mist, so it must have been cooler, and then there was a little larger one, which could perhaps be used for swimming.

The floor of the room, and our pool, was covered with stone mosaics, that lent it a Mediterranean touch, but the motifs were not Roman citizens in togas, but animals and plants from the woods. It was a true relaxation for both body and mind to be in this room and as I sank down in the water I hoped that I would be allowed to just rest for a while, floating, soaking in warmth. But that was not to be.

Mary began chatting and asked about my night outside, but I did not feel like telling her any details. This was my experience and I did not want to soil it by telling too much.

She had also spent a night with Haldir at her arrival, not to mention last summer. And he had taken her to his own talan, not to an anonymous beech tree. Though I liked the tree. And Haldir did not have a talan here. But he could have asked me to return to Lorien with him, would that not have been nice? Instead he delivered me right into the arms of Thranduil! I was also jealous, because it seemed to me that every time I fancied an elf, Mary was first and had likely already had them all!

But she did seem to be a little jealous, as well, when I let her understand that Haldir had returned to Lorien. Obviously he had not found her important enough to meet up with again. I did not say that last part, of course. No. I would not want to risk losing my only ally here.

I rubbed her back clean from mud, and instead of dwelling on Haldir, we talked about the king. I did not get too many answers about the weird episode with the chair in the king's bedroom, but then again, it did not seem to matter much anymore. More important was that she got to know that I was the king's concubine, and that this was his reason for inviting me to Mirkwood. Apparently, Mary had not known about that at all, so her shock at my appearance was not too difficult to understand.

But she did not quite seem to believe that she was also a royal concubine and was surprised that I wanted to be one. I did not feel I had much say here, it was not exactly that I wanted to be the king's concubine, but I felt that it did not trouble me anymore that I had not chosen that position myself. It was more about accepting that someone had chosen for me, and I felt that Haldir had helped me understand that my place was now in Mirkwood with the Elvenking.

Mary did not seem happy at all with my self-sacrificing actions to keep the king off her back during her escape, the ungrateful littinx!inx! It was she who had left the king, so why be upset when he chose to stay with me? But she seemed to have had a terrible night in the cold water before the king had found her, so I actually felt more sorry for her than irritated. I removed the twigs and wet leaves and muddy, unidentifiable things from her hair and washed it for her, massaging her scalp and then rinsing it carefully while she told of her adventure.

However, she did not get to tell it to the end, because Thranduil came jumping into the pool, snorting, jovial and quite eager to participate in the washing and some other things as well. I was startled; he seemed to come right through the wall, where there must have been some kind of secret door.


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

~Mary~


The king stepped into the bath with us; much to our surprise. With our backs turned to the entrance we neither of us would have known he was approaching, for he was silen aln all his movements, when he desired to remain undetected, but I had come to expect the unexpected while in Mirkwood. Mal squeaked, however, when he slipped into the water in between the two of us.

He was fully aroused and had obviously been watching uom hom his private entrance. If he was upset over our conversation he did not show it and seemed quite jolly for a change. I may not have fehe she same about the king in my heart, but, everywhere else, I responded exactly the same as before, whether I wanted to or not. I felt as if I were the victim of enchantment, but, it was not a bad way to feel. It felt good. I forgot why I was mad at him.

He fondled both of us playfully as we squealed and giggled while pretending to try to escape by jumping to the other side of the pool, as if we were not still easily within his reach no matter where we were.

Then, I grabbed a bar of soap, from a ledge by the bath, and, after lathering my hands with foam, began washing the king's chest and shoulders while Mal came behind me with the cloth to complete the cleansing.

I soaped his neck, face and elegant ears with just my fingertips; Mal delicately wiped the soap away, and the king seemed to enjoy our gentle ministrations. His wet silky skin was like copper-colored porcelain under the torchlight and it was delightful to e ane and slip over him afterwards, as we frolicked in the pool.

He finally caught both of us close to him and with one hand at Mal's breasts, and another between my legs, he convinced us to move our fun into the royal bedchamber. I was the first one out of the water.

'Last one in bed's a rotten egg!" I ran to the bedchamber shrieking with laughter as the king, carrying Mal, caught up and tied with me as we all three jumped onto the enormous bed together, wetting the bedspread with our freshly bathed bodies.

And, so, the king finally had his way after all, as kings often do, and the three of us continued our slippery frolic in his bed. The bedspread soon dried from the combined heat of our bodies and eventually was dampened again by our sweat.


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

~ Mal ~


The king surprised me by behaving like I imagined a young elf without a care in the world would; he was not at all his usual stern self, but jumped around playfully in the water, now and then catching one, or both, of us girls and fondling us before he let us slip out of his grip again.

Then he calmed down, and we washed his beautiful body, that was even more beautiful, glistening in the torchlight, and then we played and laughed some more in the pool, before we moved on to his bed.

Mary seemelittlittle distant at times, but it was her choice, and I did not think much about it when she disentangled her limbs from us and sat still at the edge of the bed; it only meant that the king and I could concentrate more on each other.

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

~ Mary ~


Thranduil enjoyed watching Mal and me pleasure each other in his bed, under his guidance. He touched and stroked us both while we made love to each other for him. It soon became difficult to distinguish who was kissing, caressing, licking or fondling whom as our three bodies seem to melt into each other's. It was as if Mal and I were under a spell that released all of our prior inhibitions. For the king knew our most hidden desires, and knew how to draw them out of us to display them, for his personal satisfaction, as well as our own.

And yet, through all of the moans and sighs, grunts and groans, murmurs and shouting, kisses and caresses, the heat, and the release, I felt, increasingly, like I was more of a reluctant spectator that a spell-bound participant.

I finally disengaged myself and scooted up to sit against the headboard and watch them dispassionately. I lifted the hair from the back of my hot neck and held it on top of my head. After a few moments I stopped watching them. I stared, instead, into the dying fire and felt so unnecessary, and out of place, that I decided to go explore the palace rooms.

Feeling the need for a friendly face, I thought maybe I would try to find Legolas. I looked around me for something to wear and remembered that the king's robe was in the bathing area where Mal had removed it. But, as I slowly slipped over the side of the bed, the iron hard grip of the king encircled my upper arm, stopping me halfway.

"Did I give you permission to leave?" asked the king.

"I'm surprised you even noticed," I said quietly as I pulled my feet back on the bed and faced him. "I just wanted to give you and Mal more elbow room." He released my arm. I knew he was trying to read my thoughts but all I gave him, in my mind, was the icy river, the pull of the current, and the helplessness of being a mortal in his enchanted realm. He sat up straight. I let him look right into me and all I had was the water's irresistible flow for him to view.

"Come here." He did not give me time to answer as he pulled me next to him, turning me towards him, so that I was cradled in his . ". "Do you doubt me?" He stroked my cheek with his knuckles but it felt like a trick.

"How can I doubt what I don't even know?" I whispered. I was uncomfortable with the idea of being overheard by Mal.

"She is asleep," said the king gently. "She will stay asleep." I was wary of his gentle tone, however, as I began to believe it more a device of his than a feeling he had toward me, like the cheek stroking. "You must never doubt me," he said, firmly.

I had no words to respond to him. I looked up at him and waited for what I am not sure. He is beautiful and the planes and angles of his face were lit from the dying flames of the fire across the room. The candles in the room had long ago sputtered and gone out. His eyes were dark in the fireglow and unreadable. I reached up to his chin and let my fingers travel across his lower lip, so tempting and kissable, then drew myd bad back and turned away from him slightly.

"I think I should just go home now," I said for I had nothing else to say. And it was so hard to say it, because he is so beautiful.

"I want you to stay here with me," he answered. "And I mean with me, not somewhere else as you have been this night, but with me, completely." It was hard to believe he had even noticed my detached state of mind. He had seemed oblivious to anything but the satisfaction of his own lust. I wished he would not tease me with his words.

"Why? What for? You have Mal here now. She seems so much better suited to your...," I let out a sigh as I sought the right words, "to your lordly needs than I" I" It did not hurt as much as I thought it would to admit out loud how inadequate I felt. "I don't think I make a very good concubine," I added. The king laughed.

"You and I agree on that," he said, amused. "You are not suited to be concubine to me or any other monarch within or without Middle Earth." His whole body continued to shake as he chuckled for a moment or two; then he grew serious again.

"No, that is not why I asked you to come to Mirkwood," he said softly. "To be my concubine." He took my hand, brought it back up to his lips, and kissed each separate fingertip before leaving it rest on his cheek with his hand holding it there against his face.

"It isn't?" Now I was really confused, not just by his words, but, by the way I could not stop myself from responding to the feel of his skin under my hand as I traced his lips with my fingers once more. "Why did you ask me to come here?"

"Do you remember what I said to you, the night we met at that party, when you came into the room where I was sitting?" I felt his strong jaw and recalled how much it had hurt my foot to kick him there, like kicking cast iron, while I thought about the night I had first met him. He wrapped his hand around mine and held it against his chin.

"That I was very quiet for a human?" I answered. He laughed again, even harder. Even I had to laugh remembering his initial impression of me.

Instead of answering he asked me another question, "Why do you think Malinorne is more jealous of you than you could ever possibly feel about her?" He turned his head, slightly, and kissed the inside of my palm while he watched me carefully from the corner of his eye.

"Get out! She is not jea...." I stopped, remembering Mal's story and what she had said about me. "Oh, you're right, she did say she was jealous of me," I marveled at it, her words. "So jealous that she...."

"Wanted to strangle you," the king finished. "Now, you tell me why." He continued to watch me from his cocked eye as he kissed my wrist, making it tingle where his lips pressed against the sensitive skin, then, after pulling my hand up further, began kissing the inside of my forearm until he reached the inside of my elbow.

I could not think of a single reason Mal would be jealous of me, because I could not think at all with his lips making my arm all tingly like that. He pulled my hand, and arm, behind his head and I stroked his hair as he faced me again while pulling me up even closer to him, so that my face was only inches from his. "Think," he whispered as he cradled my head in his hand, his fingers softly holding my hair.

"She said because I did what she had only dreamed about, but she never had the courage..." I stopped again, not thinking of Mal, or the king, but, suddenly, of Haldir, and something he had asked me while I was trying to decide if I should accept the king's invitation to visit Mirkwood. Something about courage.

The king smiled knowingly. He pushed me onto my back with his chest, adjusting himself so that he was lying beside me, as I stretched my legs out next to his. He hovered over me, with his hand still at the back of my head and his fragrant hair spilling over my chest and shoulders.

"Now, tell me what I said to you that night." I struggled to remember that night, in that back room at the muse-swapping party, like a dream that refused to come into focus, as I felt the king's fresh arousal pressing against my leg, intoxicating me as usual. "Tell me," he repeated.

"You said, um, you said that I had, oh dear, spent more time alone with you than any other female at the party?" The king nodded. His throbbing member caressed me as he shifted himself to press it against me closer.

"Good, now, tell me why you stayed in that room with me, knowing who I am and what I might do to so-called helpless mortal females."

"Oh, that's easy! I wanted to know more about you! Who you really were, and why people thought such horrible things about you. Horrible things that aren't true about you..."

It all came back in a rush, memories of that night, and the way he looked, the way his voice penetrated my soul and his eyes plundered my thoughts. His formidable presence and noble royal gestures. "I could never believe all those things people said, but, I had to find out for myself, what was true."

"Yes, good, very good."

"Like a moth drawn to the flame," I said.

"But who is the moth?" asked Thranduil. "And who is the flame?" He removed my arm from behind his head and put it on the pillow behind me, then lowered his head and kissed my neck and my shoulders, licking my collarbone in between, while I began to tremble suddenly, beneath him, seeing flames within my mind and feeling them heat me from inside. "You were an even more difficult temptation for me to resist," he said, "than I was for you, my dear."

"How can that be?" I giggled at the thought. "There are so many other women in my world..." He pulled up and away from me, his eyes were shining kindly into mine, so rare to see, so good to feel.

"How many mortal women do you think I have ever been with?" he asked. He moved his hand to my breast, cupping it while stroking his thumb over the nipple, making it rise and stiffen. "How many?" he asked, again, never taking his eyes from mine.

"Millions?" I answered. He shook his head, 'no.' I guessed again, "Thousands? Hundreds? Dozens?" Each answer prompting yet another negative head shake from the king. "I give up, how many?" I cringed inwardly not really wanting to know the answer.

"Two," he said. I was shocked. Only two? That could only mean one thing; even I can add that fast, Mal and I were the only human females the king had ever...

"Yes," said the king, " you you two. Before you, there have been no mortal maids who desired to consort with the villainous beast, Thranduil." He lowered his head to my breast and licked and nibbled the stiffened peak until I moaned. His words swirled in my head and competed with his mouth for my attention.

I finally managed to whisper, "But, you're not a villainous beast." He lifted his head and tugged up the corner of his mouth. "Well," I added, "not most of the time, anyway."

"You are not afraid of me." It was a statement, not a question, and it was the truth. I could only nod at him. "I want you to stay here with me, completely with me, will you stay?"

I felt like I was missing part of the conversation, nothing was fitting together to make sense of why the king had wanted me to come to him or stay with him. I was utterly mystified.

"Why? Because I am not frightened of you?"

"Because I need you," said the king. "I need you beside me, in the coming days, these last days, as the age of man ascends and the age of elves diminishes. And, yes, because you are not frightened of me."

His tone was suddenly so serious, and his words so riveting, that I was stunned. He smiled at me, then continued, "My kingdom grows safer each passing day as the legacy of the former darkness recedes." He stared off at some distant point as he continued, "It is time, or, so I am advised, to confront this new age and these men who will rule Middle Earth, these mortal kings and princes with their difficult decisions."

He looked back into my eyes, contcontinued, "The time has come for me to travel forth from my realm to meet them, show my respect to them, give them counsel and assistance as they take over control of this world we elves have helped create for them...that is not an easy thing for me to contemplate." I could not get over the fact that he was speaking to me of these things, these kingly things, as if I were his equal and not a silly plaything.

"What does that have to do with me, Thranduil?"

"I want you by my side, you are the bridge I need to meet these mortals. You know them, have spent time with them, understand them...I do not, nor have I ever desired to. But I will do so, now, with you beside me."

"Me? I don't know any kings besides you... "

"You have met King Eomer, Theoden's heir, you have met Faramir, son of Denethor, Prince of Ithilien, former Steward of Gondor, and his lady, Eowyn. You have met Arwen Undomiel, who is consort to King Elessar of Gondor, and you are reportedly well acquainted with my kin in Lorien, who I also must now make peace with. You know more than you give yourself credit for. Will you assist me in learning more about them?"

"Yes, of course I will, I would be honored to help you learn more about them." I thought about what I had just said and had one more question, "Does that mean I will be your counselor or liaison or what?"

"No, I want you to be at my side, not three steps behind me. Will you agree?" As he spoke he rearranged himself again, shifting himself so that he was on the other side of me and the arm that had been beneath me took my hand from the pillow and placed it with my other hand in a familiar grip around my wrists as he held both of my arms above my head. "There will be no turning back, once you agree, you will be forever bound to me, body and soul."

"Agree?" I trembled harder now, the heat rising to an even higher degree, as I felt his knee spread my legs apart and hold them there. "What are you going to do?" He held his previously hidden hand above me, his thumb was twisting at the base of his middle finger.

I gasped as he spread his hand wide and revealed a great, glittering diamond now there, a ring I had never seen him wear on his hand before this moment, he had turned the gemstone inward on his hand and it sparkled with its own living inner fire. "Wait!" I cried.

"No, you must answer now, the time for questions is over, will you agree?" His hand stroked slowly down my body, I could feel the massive jewel scrape softly over my belly as it traveled to that most sensitive part of me. His fingers were there first, parting the lips which were slick and swollen as fresh heat pulsed into them, making me ache with a sudden, unreasonable, uncontrollable desire to feel that excruciatingly sweet torture pressed against me, once again. "Say yes," his voice was deep and his tone was not to be contradicted, and then, surprisingly, "please."

"Yes," I whispered, as if I really had to say anything at all. "Oh, yes, lord," I greedily lifted myself to his hand, eager to please him, eager to be pleased, "yes." The great jewel descended and I gave myself in complete surrender to my king.

He turned me to my side and then his hardness was inside of me, from behind, filling me, as the diamond remained pressed against mnd wnd we arrived together, at that sweet moment of no return. I felt the licking flames from our mutual desire expend themselves in crashing waves into each other's body.

Afterwards, he held me until the shuddering stopped, wiping away my tears with his fingertips, smoothing the sweat-dampened hair away from my forehead, murmuring words of comfort and praise. Then, with a tenderness that filled my heart, he slipped his hand between my legs and withdrew the thumping pain he had caused with his ring. I drifted off to sleep in his arms, at peace for the first time since I had stepped off of the eagle in his courtyard.


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

~Mal~


I felt a bit dizzy when I woke up and did not quite understand where I was, but then I heard a voice speak softly to me and when I turned my head towards the sound of it I looked straight into the most spellbinding eyes I have ever seen. The Elvenking! It all came back to me, the feelings from our first meeting; the initial fear, then the pleasure, the anger, the surrender... and my hopeless love for him. Would I ever share more than his bed? And, if that was all he would let me share, would I always have to do that with Mary as well, who was soundly asleep at my other side?

I looked at him and trembled with anticipation when his hand caressed my cheek and then continued down over my neck and shoulders, and then started to trace circles ar one one nipple; not touching, not coming too close, but not being far away for me to relax either. Then he leaned over me and his mouth descended on my other nipple and I clutched his hair in a desperate attempt to make him continue.

He stopped, untangled my hands from his hair and held them down, one at either side of my head. Then he let go of my wrists and started drawing patterns on my belly instead, dragging his finger slowly around my navel, sometimes in wider circles, higher, but not high enough, sometimes lower, but not nearly low enough. This time I did not move my hands, but I could not be completely still, and when I lifted my hips slightly to come at least a little bit closer to that finger, he withdrew again.


I sighed and closed my eyes. What had I done to deserve this? I lay still and tried to sleep again, to get away, but then I felt his hair fall over my shoulders again, and heard him speak, close to my ear, in a low voice.

"Will you stay with me? Please?"

I did not believe my ears. What did he mean? I was here, at his command, already deprived of my free will. But what startled me most was the little word "please". Why would he be polite now, when he had long ago taken everything I could have wanted or not wanted to give him, without even asking?

"If you want to stay, you will have to bind yourself to me."

The king flexed his long fingers in a smooth motion, flashing his ring at me. I was surprised… wasn't I already under his power since the bedroom trick in my home?

Thranduil stood and began to pace back and forth before the bed, turning his ring while speaking.

"No. This has been a period of trial. I wanted to see how you would respond to me, in my realm, before I made the final offer. It is an offer that has to be accepted willingly and consciously to be binding - but it has been a pleasure to study your reactions, and I am most satisfied with the result."

"Will you agree to stay with me, here, for as long as I wish, under my protection, but also my command?" he asked. "I will not willingly force you to do anything that would be harmful or against your nature, but you will have to accept my power as king and obey me unconditionally. I do not only require your affection, but your counsel as well. You are valuable to me, not only for the sake of my desires. Now that you know me, will you stay?"

'Know you?!' I wanted to scream. I did not know him any better now than before!

I thought about what I had experienced with the king, from the stormy surprise visit to my home in September, through the intensive welcoming I had been subjected to here in Mirkwood, and the unnerving experience with Mary and the chair, and then the night with Haldir, and the king receiving me back.

All in all, judging objectively, Thranduil had not been too nice towards me, and still I knew that my feelings for him had only deepened. I was just as much in love with him as before, and not because of the carnal pleasures we had shared many times now. I wanted to be in his company all the time, to see him, or even just to know that he was somewhere nearby.

I realised that I was in love, and that it was foolish, for my feelings would never be returned by the king. Only in the great tales did elves and mortals share true love. And still I felt that even if the king would only offer me a place at his feet, on a leash, at his mercy, I would not be able to live with myself if I turned him down.

"Now answer me, will you stay?" The voice was demanding now. The king stood before me and was obviously tired of waiting for my warring mind and emotions to come to a decision. I sat up, looked at him and decided to jump out into the abyss.

"I will." I surprised myself with the firmness I heard in my own voice, a determination I certainly did not feel. But I had chosen now.

"Unconditionally." The king had crossed his arms over his chest and the jewel-adorned hand was tapping impatiently against his arm. His eyes were molten lava, his voice cold, hard, iron.

"Yes, my lord." What else could I say?

Then he came close, pulled me up into his embrace and kissed me, hungrily at first, but soon calming down, as if remembering that something else was needed to seal my promise. He let go of me and took a few steps towards the fireplace.

I was suddenly afraid he would change his mind. He could not do that now, could he? What if this was only a game for him? What if the Elvenking had wanted me to surrender to him, only to show his power by walking away from me? I had to be sure, I had to risk once more.

"My lord, may I stay with you, please?" My question did not startle him, but he seemed very pleased with it.

"I have no intention of giving you permission to leave, " he replied. "Where I go, you will follow. Come to me," he said, grinning, placing his jewel-adorned hand on his thigh. "Show me that you want this." I went to him, slowly but without hesitation. "My lord, I want to stay with you."

I whispered it, looking up into his eyes, and at the same time parting my legs and pressing myself against his hand. He was still, leaving me completely in control.

I pressed myself against Thranduil's hand and bit my lip when I came into contact with the ring. It was so hard, and it hurt, but I did not back away, instead I pressed even closer and wrapped my arms around the king's neck to steady myself as I stood on my toes and then sank back, again and again. I felt tears well into my eyes but I did not stop. I just pressed my cheek against the king's and whispered in his ear "Yes, my lord, I want this" repeating it over and over again as I continued my torturous movement. My tears wet the king's cheek as well, and he stilled me with a gentle touch on my back.

"Enough, Malinornë. Enough, now. I can see that you are willing to follow me and that you are sincere about your decision. Now, let me make it good for you."

With that, he moved his hand slightly to hook it around my knee and lift it, at the same time as his other hand took a firm grip around my behind. He backed me up against the wall and lifted me onto his sceptre. I gasped when he entered me and could not help wincing with every deep thrust that crushed my badly treated clitoris against hardhard body. The king had promised me it would feel good, and it did, but why did it have to hurt so?

The combination of pleasure and pain was overwhelming, and in the end pleasure prevailed, but I could not stop crying from all the emotions. The king kissed my eyes, licking away the salty liquid from my face with his warm tongue and then he carried me to his bed. He laid me down on my back and for a moment a shadow of worry darkened his handsome face when he parted my legs and inspected the damage I had inflicted upon myself.

"Ú-nauthannen I naeg dhaer hen" [I never meant to require that from you]," he whispered as the warmth from his hand took my pain away. Then he turned me onto my side and lay down behind me, with a hand cupping my breast, in a tender more than sexy way, and I fell asleep again to the calm rhythm of his breath against the nape of my neck.

And deep within me burned the faint, but steady, hope, that, one day, I would occupy not only Thranduil's bed, but also a tiny space in his iron heart.

to be continued..

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