Winning Love
By Amber
Rating: NC-17
Pairing: Melpomaen/OFC
Disclaimer: All characters except Gwennen belong to Tolkien; I am just
borrowing them.
Summary: Melpomaen wins love on his majority.
Request: Requested Pairing = Erestor/Galadriel or Melpomaen/Writer's
Choice (canon female or
OFC, doesn't matter, would just like him to get the girl, y'know?).
Items/Rating Requested =
Rating is up to the author; actually, everything is up to the author
pretty much… something
wintry would be nice, though. Please DO NOT include = no character
death, no slash.
As Melpomaen leaned against his balcony welcoming the morning sun,
his heart sang with great joy. Last night he had managed to accomplish
what everyone else said was impossible. He had claimed the most elusive
ellyth in all of Arda as his own, and unknown to most, he had managed to
bond with her for all eternity. Now he had everything he had always
dreamed of and was very happy. He could not wait till they emerged from
his rooms and everyone realized what had happened. He let the rising sun
warm his skin as he thought back over all that had happened over the
last year.
One year earlier:
"Erestor, call my ward in please. We need to discuss his majority
celebration and all that entails," Elrond said as he conferred with
his General, Glorfindel.
"Are you sure he is ready for that Elrond," Erestor
countered.
"It matters not if he is ready," Glorfindel injected.
"He will reach his majority in a year and must be introduced to the
Arts. Besides, we survived the twins going through this; we can survive
one shy, quiet elfling."
"It is the quiet ones you have to watch out for. Isn't that
right Elrond?" Celebrían teased as she carried in a tray
containing drinks and snacks for them all. Elrond just turned a bright
shade of red which brought amused laughter from his friends.
"Go," he ordered as he tried to regain control of his
emotions and compose himself.
A few minutes later, Melpomaen knocked shyly at the study door.
"Enter child," Celebrían said as she rose and poured
another glass of the lemonade she had brought. Pushing him into a chair
near the desk, she tried to calm him. "Here have a glass."
"Melpomaen, you will celebrate your majority in one year,"
Elrond stated. "We must prepare for all that entails and would like
your input. Have you given this any thought?"
"I do not want a big celebration; can we not just let the day
pass quietly?" Melpomaen said as he squirmed in his chair.
"Nonsense child," Celebrían injected. "There are not
many elflings anymore and when one of them survives to reach their
majority it is a reason to celebrate. Besides, you are a foster child of
Lord Elrond and we will not neglect our duties to you. Now stop
fidgeting and accept that this is going to happen."
Nodding in agreement, Melpomaen looked to his foster father Elrond.
"You are of mixed Sindarin and Noldor descent so we will mix the
celebration to reflect both of your heritages. You will need to think
about it and prepare menus for the whole day for the as well as for the
feast," Elrond began.
"Do not forget the post fast meal and its dictates, Mel"
Glorfindel reminded him. "You may have chosen the life of a scribe
but you are a trained warrior and as such will need to go through the
stripping and cleansing initiation."
Nodding his head in understanding, Melpomaen turned to Celebrían as
she began talking about the outfits he would need for the various parts
of his day. He knew that he would have to spend several days at the
tailors to satisfy her. Erestor then addressed the issue of what his
birth parents had left behind. It was with great surprise that he
learned that his parents had left a nice inheritance for him to live on.
He would not be starting off his adulthood dependant on his
foster-parents. It was Elrond who address the remaining issue.
"Mel, it is the custom of the Sindar to initiate those who reach
their majority in the Arts of Love. The ritual calls for the youngling
to spend a night with an elder learning the ways of Love. You are of
mixed ancestry like me, but will still be required to go through this.
Normally your family would pick these elder but I feel that it might be
more comfortable for you if you have some input in this. Do you have any
preferences for someone you want or don't want?" Elrond asked. He
had tried to put the boy at ease remembering how he had felt when told
about this particular part of reaching his majority. He remembered
thinking that he would not have minded so much if he had been also a
choice in whom.
"Do I have to go through this?" Melpomaen asked in
embarrassment.
"We all have been through it youngling, well except for
Glorfindel. You must remember he was raised a heathen whose parents let
him loose in the world untrained," Erestor told him in an effort to
ease him.
"I am afraid you must," Elrond told him. "The only way
to avoid any of this is if you have already developed a strong sense of
knowing you will not ever bond. Then you may request to forego
this."
"I do not think I am meant to be a bachelor." Mel said in
confusion.
"You had better do this then," can Celebrían's reply.
"It is not as bad as all of that, so calm yourself. Do you have any
ideas on who you want?"
After a moment's hesitation, Melpomaen answered.
"I wish to have Gwennen of Lórien teach me."
After staring at his foster-son for a minute, Elrond looked at his
wife. She was no help as he could see the amusement in her eyes.
"You do know that she has refused all requests tendered in the
last two ages don't you?" Elrond asked. "Why her?"
"I fell in love with her the first time I saw her," came
the quiet response. Elrond just looked into his eyes for a minute before
nodding his head.
"I will do the best I can," he said. Looking to the others,
he continued.
"This may take some work on all of our parts. You are dismissed,
Mel."
After he had left, Elrond rose to refill all of the glasses. As he
was replacing the pitcher, he was seized with a vision. Noticing her
husband's sudden condition Celebrían rescued the pitcher as Glorfindel
prepared a glass of wine. When Elrond finally came out of the vision
several minutes later, he was helped to a seat. Erestor noticed the
gleam in Elrond's eyes and had to ask.
"What did you see my friend?" he said.
"I believe our little bookworm is about to upset the entire male
population of Arda Marred with his conquest of the elusive Gwennen,"
he replied. "We will have much to do if we are to help the child
pull this off."
After an initial moment of surprise, all broke out in smiles and
started to laugh.
Melpomaen spent most of the next year gently wooing Gwennen from
afar. Elrond explained to all of them that his plan included not sending
a request for the initiation to the Lady. He told them it would be
better to surprise her with a private request from Mel after a year of
gentle wooing. Celebrían's parents helped from their end as much as
they could for the Lady Galadriel had also had a vision.
Flowers, candies, poems, and gentle music compositions were sent to
the Gwennen from a young admirer. At first she laughed at the gifts
thinking it was just another young suitor thinking to put another
feather in his cap and loudly proclaim to all his achievement. Then as
the year continued, she began to look forward to the little gifts.
Secretly, she had harbored in her heart a yearning for a gentle one who
would treasure her but let her be herself. She began to see in the
selection of gifts that maybe her wait had come to an end. But still,
she did not know who her gentle suitor was. All she knew was that he was
from Imladris.
As the date of his majority drew near, Melpomaen prepared himself for
everything. He had sat down with Elrond and discussed what he wanted to
do in regards to the Lady and received permission to change the timing
on some events. The Lórien delegation of which Gwennen was a part would
arrive three days before the celebration.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gwennen arrived several days later. He had stepped up his courtship
from afar with his family's help. The twins had suggested that he use a
simple little blue flower as his symbol to let Gwennen know who the
gifts had come from and he had taken their advice. Then had come his
fast and its stripping and cleansing ritual. He was surprised at how the
warriors of the valley had welcomed him into adulthood despite his
choice to pursue life as a scribe and counselor.
Melpomaen then prepared for the feast in his honor. Celebrían had
become aware of the twins suggestion and incorporated it into his
clothing for the night making it his symbol of adulthood. Tonight his
identity would be revealed to his secret love, and his heart would be
either lifted and enhanced or broken beyond repair. Sighing in
apprehension, he followed the twins as they escorted him to the spot of
honor at the high table
All stood as the twins led their younger foster brother into the
feast. Only a few heard the sharp intake of breath from Gwennen as the
identity of her secret admirer was revealed. She was quiet all through
the meal as she tried to make sense of her thoughts and emotions.
Finally she just accepted the knowledge and decided to see what would
happen next. After the feast, all retired to the Hall of Fire for
dancing and celebration.
Finally, after several hours of revelry, Lord Elrond called for
everyone's attention.
"Melpomaen, tonight we salute you as you enter into your life as
an adult. We are glad to welcome you as such but you have left one part
of your initiation unfinished. So, now you must choose which ellyth will
have the honor of teaching you the Arts tonight," he said before
everyone.
Hesitating only a minute, Melpomaen followed through on all of his
plans. Going down on one knee before Gwennen, he looked into her eyes
and asked.
"I have admired you from afar for a long time. Would you please
do me the honor of teaching me tonight? He asked quietly.
Everyone held there breath as they all waited for her to say no as
her feelings in the matter of teaching the Arts were well known. Finally
she answered.
"Yes, young one. I will teach you," came the reply.
Silence reined as Melpomaen leaned forward and kissed her hands. Then
Glorfindel broke the surprise with a gently toast to the lady. Soon all
had returned to their revelry and to talk of the event. Melpomaen and
Gwennen stayed for a while longer then she slipped off silently to
prepare herself. It was as Melpomaen left to follow her that Elrond
pressed a small cloth bag into his hand and wished him luck. Stopping
outside of the hall to see what was in the bag, he could only smile when
he tipped gold rings out of the bag onto his palm. Smiling, he made
further plans on his way to his rooms.
Melpomaen was again driving into Gwennen's body as she grasped his
back and hips. They had made love three times already but it never
seemed to be enough for either of them. Looking deeply into her eyes,
Melpomaen slipped the gold ring onto her finger as he recited the oath
of binding. There was no hesitation on Gwennen's part as she took the
other ring from Melpomaen and slipped it onto his finger and recited her
oath. Suddenly, they were taken simultaneously by a strong organism as
their fëa joined together. Shuddering in ecstasy, they held each other
close as their fëa spent the next several hours melding. They finally
fell into a light sleep.
Melpomaen watched as the sunlight crept across the floor and onto the
bed to give him a better view of the beauty lying there. He watched as
she opened her eyes and stretched. Turning to him, she beckoned with a
wicked smile that went right to his groin. Smiling in return,
Melpomaen last thought before sinking into his wife's arms was that
the others could wait to learn the truth. He had a woman to please.
