"You're home late."
"Yes, because I stayed at work late."
Elodien rolled her eyes. "Really, you think?" she mumbled as Haldir walked past her and dropped down onto the couch. His boots were kicked off onto the floor over the side of the couch and he fluffed a pillow for himself before lounging with one knee bent and the other leg propped up over the arm of the sofa.
"Please, love, I'm tired," he complained, throwing an arm over his eyes, though there was little more than a soft glow lighting the room.
Closing the door with a sigh, Elodien walked into the parlor and sat herself in a chair, crossing her arms and glaring at her husband with more than mild annoyance. "You worked in the Golden Woods how many hundreds and hundreds of years, and now you have the chance to rest. Instead, what do you do? Wear yourself out so that you do little more than eat and sleep when you come home."
"Setting up a library is not something that happens in a day. As soon as Erestor has enough others helping, I promise you, I will be home more."
"You aren't going to quite the job entirely, are you?"
"Old habits die hard," he finally answered. "I like working, it gives me a sense of accomplishment, that I'm doing something for the greater good." Sensing her irritability, he asked, "So, how was your day?"
"Fine."
Half-growling, half-sighing, he tried again. "What did you do today?"
"What makes you think I did anything?"
"Fine." Haldir waited to see if she would answer, and then said, "I really want to know what you did today."
"Are you sure you won't fall asleep right in the middle of me telling you as you did last night?" prodded Elodien.
"Dear one, I only have so much strength at the end of the night when I return," he sighed. "Do you understand, I really want to listen to everything you tell me, but sometimes I am too tired to keep my eyes open."
"You don't have to keep your eyes open," Elodien assured him. "You just have to stay awake."
"Instead of discussing the prospect of discussing your day, why don't we just discuss your day?"
"Let's see…after I awoke this morning, I got dressed, and then, I brushed my hair before eating breakfast…" Elodien's lips curled into a smile as she heard the exhausted groan come from her husband. "Well, if it's boring you-"
"No, no, love, just-" He paused here to yawn, more a bit of acting than truly due to fatigue, and added, "-just tell me the things you did that you don't normally do." Usually, he would enjoy these games back and forth with her, but over the last few weeks, since offering to help Erestor to set up the new library, he came home nearly drained. "Did anyone come to call today?"
"Yes, Glorfindel did, and I often wonder why it is he is not being put to work on this project."
"Libraries operate better when you can actually find the books," Haldir said dryly.
"Well, there was Glorfindel, he came by for tea, and we talked. Actually, I asked questions, and he did most of the talking, but I like it that way," admitted Elodien.
Haldir smirked. "Considering the fact that Glorfindel likes to talk, I think you both must have enjoyed yourselves. What else did you do?"
"Nothing really. Wait, Legolas did give me another lesson in Elvish."
"Sindarin or Quenya?"
"I don't know," Elodien answered. "A little bit of both, I think."
"Does he even bother to tell you what he's teaching you?"
"Of course he does," snorted Elodien indignantly. "Do you want me to say some of it?"
"Sure."
Drumming her fingers now on the arm of her chair, she said, "You don't sound all that thrilled."
"Go ahead."
"I get the feeling you aren't very interested," she accused.
"That isn't it. It's just…it's nice to hear you say words in Quenya and Sindarin, however, until you can speak more fluently, it is frustrating that we cannot carry on conversations. Go ahead, please, tell me what you have learned today."
The fingers continued to drum until finally, Elodien said, "A helta ar caita caimanna."
"Mana quentelyë?" Haldir was upright on the couch in a matter of seconds. He realized after a moment that her limited vocabulary likely enteented her from knowing what he had asked, and repeated in Westron, "What did you say?"
"A helta ar caita caimanna." Elodien grinned. "It's Quenya," she added happily.
Nearly having to lift his jaw from the ground, Haldir managed to ask, "Legolas taught you that?"
"And also, ribo chemmaid lín a caetho na chaust. Which is Sindarin," she said, accenting each syllable of the last word.
"I know bloody well what language you're speaking in!" Haldir's eyes were wide and he was gripping the nearest arm of the sofa with not one, but both hands. "What else has Legolas been teaching you?"
"Oh, I don't think I should really go through all of that right now," she said with a sly grin. "What with how tired you are…and really, you only have so much strength…" Her lips were in a pout now, and she batted her lashes at him.
Growling predatorily, Haldir began to stand as he said, "I'm getting a second wind. Now, what other phrases has dear Legolas taught you?"
"A helta ar caita caimanna."
"Yes, I know you know that already, very good, but what else?" purred Haldir as he closed in, but Elodien shook her head and pointed to the door that led to the bedroom.
"A helta ar caita caimanna."
Stopping suddenly, Haldir slowly looked to the bedroom and then back to Elodien in realization. Just to be sure, he put a hand upon his breast and Elodien nodded with a wicked glint in her eye. Elodien stood up and circled Haldir once, twice, then stood behind him and leaned over to speak into his ear.
"If I can hold conversation with you for the rest of the evening without uttering a single word in Westron, you will send word that the rest of the week I have you to myself. I think you will find that agreeing to this will be to your advantage," she whispered, running her tongue along the curve of his ear for good measure, just in case he had any idea of going back to the couch to fall asleep.
Elodien took the shiver that ran through his body to mean that he agreed with her terms, and took advantage of his bout of passivity. Closing her eyes, she wrapped her hands over his shoulders, kneading the powerful muscles, before sliding her palms down his arms, wishing he had followed her command already, that there would be no cloth to hinder her exploration of his body. Kissing the back of his neck, she smirked as her fingers were jbarebarely able to sneak their way under the waist of the back of his breeches, glad that he preferred those that laced to anything with a belt.
Pulling her hands away suddenly, she was not caught off her guard as Haldir spun around and made an attempt to grab hold of her wrists. Though by her count it had been long since her days as a ranger, for an elf she was far from out of practice. She easily defended the attack before launching her own, and in the end, the pair stood facing one another with fingers entwined.
So often, Elodien reflected, she was the timid one in such encounters, and enjoyed Haldir's bold nature. Lately, he had found other projects to entertain himself with, and though she knew time was not something of great relevance, she had also heard that the majority of elves tended to lose interest in love making after a certain span of time. Initially she had worried, but finally decided that this was not likely the case - did Gal Galadriel and Celeborn provide a certain tangible proof to all of Valinor that not all elves came to know this fate?
Even more importantly, was not Haldir Celeborn's son? Was it not said that children strive to exceed the fortune and abilities of their parents? Try as she might, Elodien was unable to suppress a delightful look as her gaze perused the handsome, and unfortunately, fully clothed elf before her.
"What are you smiling about?" questioned Haldir, grinning back as Elodien whetted her lips. Fingers still interlaced, he closed the distance between them and sealed his lips over her inviting mouth. He was incapable of gasping as she somehow managed to pull his tongue into her mouth and suckle it, sending an unquestionable message to the rest of his body, especially the chief decision maker in such cases, which happened to reside due south.
Releasing him, Elodien found Haldir's grip on her hands had loosened considerably. Turning her back on her stunned husband, Elodien smiled to herself as she walked away from him to the bedroom door. As she glanced over her shoulder, it was not a smirk he was given, but an invitingly sensual stare. Looking him over once more, she said, "Aphado nin."
Continued...
- - -
Translations:
(Q) A helta ar caita caimanna
Take off your clothes and lie down on the bed.
(S) Ribo chemmaid lín a caetho na chaust
Fling your clothing and lie down on the bed
(Q) Mana quentelyë?
What did you say?
(S) Aphado nin.
Follow me.
