~Thranduil tries to resist a very impatient Aerneth.~

oOo

Persuasion

During supper around a small table in the cabin, Thranduil was treated like one of the family, as if Falasiel had known him forever. By her many hints he realised that for her it felt that way; apparently Aerneth had spoken about him ever since her return from Doriath when she was little and her parents had also known about their distance relationship later. He could only silently pray she had not told of all they had done during those calls.

Falasiel seemed to think Thranduil had come to Eglarest to take Aerneth home with him – that their courtship was already over and they were ready for marriage. He did not know how to respond to that. His own father expected him to go by the book, this first journey was only to ask permission to begin courtship and then there would be a betrothal ceremony attended by both families. The wedding would not be held until at least a year had passed after their betrothal, probably more if he knew Oropher.

Thranduil settled for silence on the matter, allowing Falasiel to believe what she wanted for now, but his mind was working hard. Maybe he could send a pigeon with a message to his father, asking to have the betrothal ceremony sooner? If they were betrothed, Aerneth could come live with him in Menegroth until the wedding. Now that they were together again he did not want to leave her so soon, they had already proven being apart was bad for their relationship.

When they had eaten, Aerneth opted to follow Thranduil home to the guest house. Back in the city, she asked if he wanted to see where she worked, and to this Thranduil had no objections. The longer he could be with her, the better.

Aerneth worked in a bakery, making lembas to be used as fare for warriors during wartime as well as by fishermen and travellers. Inside was a large oven and several workbenches, and the air smelled heavenly of bread and spices. The room was empty now and the oven cold, the city's stores were full and no more batches were planned until later that year.

"Where do you get grains?" Thranduil asked, scratching his nose which had begun to itch from all the flour dust. Back home, Melian's farmers planted corn on top of the rocky hill that contained the caves of Menegroth.

"They grow it on the slopes of Brithombar, and the elves there collect the seeds twice a year and ship them to us." She opened a door to a second room. "Here is the mill where I grind the flour."

Thranduil peered inside and sneezed. "How can you stand working in this place?"

"I'm used to it, but it will be sad to leave nevertheless. I have taught my nana, and she makes tolerable lembas now. I hope she will manage without me."

With a twinge of unease, Thranduil realised that not only Falasiel was under the impression he had come to take Aerneth home with him. He did not look forward to having to explain the situation; Aerneth was not the most patient of ellith.

"Here." She picked up a piece of lembas. "Try it."

"I know what lembas tastes like."

She smiled secretively and held it to his mouth. "Open up!"

He obeyed, and as he tasted the bread his eyes widened in surprise. "What did you put in it?"

"Ginger and honey." She looked very pleased over his reaction.

"Brilliant." He reached out to take another piece but she slapped his fingers.

"You just had dinner. Greedy ellon."

He laughed and pulled her to him for a kiss. In here, her mother could not interrupt them. She responded eagerly, her fingers resuming the exploration they had begun in the cabin. They slipped in under the hem of his shirt, making him draw in a sharp breath.

"Maybe... maybe we should take things a bit slower," he murmured, still with her lips against his.

"I don't want to take it slow. I want you." Her palm touched his nipple.

She was irresistible! He let his own hands move to the softness of her round breasts on the outside of her dress.

"Shall I take it off?"

"Please, don't... I will not be able to hold back much longer."

"You don't have to hold back, Thranduil," she purred, pulling the garment up and tossing it on the dusty floor, standing before him in only her underpants. She was magnificent. Again, the water images had not made her beauty justice.

"Gorgeous," he gasped, blood rushing down through his body with every frantic beat of his heart. Her smooth skin against his palm felt indescribable good as he cupped her breast. He burrowed his nose into her hair and nuzzled her skin just above her collarbone, drawing in her mesmerising scent. How badly he wanted her. He could picture himself pushing her down on one of the workbenches, taking her against it. Why did they have to wait so long? It was torture.

With huge effort he pulled back, trying to calm his breath. "We can't... not like this..."

"We could go to your bedroom," she suggested.

"Nay. We must wait. Aerneth... My adar wants us to follow tradition. A betrothal ceremony, a formal wedding. All of that."

"Still you want me to wait? I thought you had come to marry me." Frowning, she picked up her dress and pulled it back on. It was sprinkled with flour.

"I know. I know..."

She jumped up to sit on one of the benches, dangling her sandaled feet. Thranduil felt his cheeks flush as he again pictured taking her against it. What was happening to him? His self-control used to be immaculate, he had always prided himself of his ability to resist the cravings of his body. But Aerneth had only to look at him with those large, blue eyes, and all his sense of decorum flew away like a seagull.

He sat beside her, taking her hand and kissing it. "I will send a message to my adar as soon as possible, asking to have the betrothal ceremony here, finishing it before my return. That way you can still come back with me as my bride-to-be."

"Why does your ada have to decide? Are you not an adult?"

"I respect and love him, and I want his blessing."

"Very well. But if he says no, we do it anyway."

"Aerneth..."

"What? You can make your polite request, but if he is being impossible and refusing what is so natural after all the years we have known each other, we must decide for ourselves."

oOo

Just after sunrise the next morning, Thranduil went to the city's pigeon coop to send a message with one of the Menegroth birds kept there. Every trade delegation brought birds with them, and similarly there was a coop in Doriath containing pigeons from Eglarest for the return mail. The clever fowls always found their way home, and they were fast too, usually it would take less than five hours for a bird to cover the distance between the two cities. Thranduil expected to have an answer from his father before supper.

The rest of the morning he spent with Aerneth, sightseeing in the city and the havens, even climbing up to enjoy the amazing view from the lookout tower. From there they could see Aman more clearly, but it was too far away to discern any of its cities.

They had lunch with Aerneth's parents, and this time it was only the four of them in the spacious room. Lord Círdan asked Thranduil many questions about his home, his family, his occupation as a march-warden. The answers seemed to satisfy him.

"My daughter, you have chosen well," he said. "Thranduil will make you a good husband."

"I know." She smiled smugly.

Thranduil said nothing. Tension was beginning to build up inside him, he worried that Oropher would say no, and what would he do then? Aerneth seemed intent on following him home, and in all honesty he dearly wanted her to. What would his father do if he was disobeyed? It might turn him against Aerneth, and unfortunately Oropher was not one to soon forget an offense.

Círdan served berry wine again, and Thranduil drank several glasses, knowing it would calm him. It helped a little.

After lunch, Aerneth made him temporarily forget his apprehension when she suggested they bath together. Wearing only their shifts, they swam and dived, enjoying themselves immensely. Aerneth showed off her water magic, singing forth a multitude of shapes similar to the clay artwork her mother created. Thranduil liked the water dolphins best, she made them jump and bounce in circles around them, hiding them from the view of bypassers. He used the diversion to steal several wet kisses. Aerneth's white dress had become slightly transparent and the sight was driving him nearly mad with desire, and under the influence of the wine he found it harder than ever to resist touching her.

Afterwards they sat in the sand, letting the wind and sun dry their clothes. Thranduil imagined Aerneth lying on the soft surface, naked, with himself on top.

"Can't we just skip the boring ceremonies and marry tonight? Only the two of us." Apparently her thoughts had lingered on similar topics.

"I want our parents to attend, and for them to bless the union. Besides, I did not bring any rings."

"Rings?"

"Aye, do you not use them? Silver rings for betrothal, and gold for marriage."

"We use plaiting of our hair here, one pattern for courtship, another for marriage, every couple chooses their own." She regarded his pale, moist strands. "I like your hair best without them though. But our pattern could be that; no braids."

"Fine by me." He knew her hair would look lovely whatever she did.

Aerneth began to undo the small braids that had held back part of her hair. "Anyway, if you think rings are important, we could get them when we come to Doriath. And we can have all sorts of celebrations there. My parents will not attend either way, I think, Ada is still weary of travel after the war in Hithlum and Nana never leaves the sea."

"You make it sound so easy." He sighed.

"It is easy. We undress. We pray to Eru. We do it."

He chuckled and stroked her cheek.

"Don't laugh." She punched his arm lightly.

"I'm not laughing."

"Liar."

oOo

Dear son. Answer is no. Return here, arrange betrothal, she comes with parents later. With love, Oropher

Dismayed, Thranduil read the short note over twice. But what had he expected? Of course Oropher would say no, he wanted a proper ceremony and had likely neither time, nor inclination to hurriedly travel to Eglarest.

Aerneth had read over his shoulder. "That was short and to the point," she remarked.

"Sorry," Thranduil mumbled.

"Don't be. Be an adult instead and make your own decisions. This is your life, your future. Our future."

He looked at the note in his hand again, slowly shaking his head. He could not do that, his father would not only be angry, he would be hurt. It was wrong.

"Come." Aerneth took his hand. "Nana is staying in the city tonight, so we can have the cabin to ourselves."

He met her gaze. Her eyes looked darker inside the pigeon coop, her large pupils turning them nearly black, and they sucked him in. She wanted to wed him like elves did when there was not time to observe customs, their physical joining alone sealing the bond. We can have the cabin to ourselves.

Silently he followed her, allowing her to lead him out of the city, his mind a turmoil of conflicting thoughts. Do it. Don't do it. He knew that with every step, turning back would be harder.

As they entered the cabin and Aerneth's room Thranduil felt the last of his resolve melt away. Her scent filled the confined space and he wanted her so much it hurt.

She sat on her narrow bed. "We pray first, and then we bond. Aye or nay?"

Defeated, he sat down next to her, taking her hands in his and closing his eyes. He hoped the Valar would not only bless their marriage, but also protect them from Oropher's wrath when they came before him as husband and wife.

"Aye," he whispered.

❈ ❦ ❈

A/N:

Oropher will not be happy about this...

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