Title & Chapter Number: Wish Upon The Stars (Part 2 of the 'Pilgrim' story arc) 1/?
Author(s): - Author's Index
Website: The Woodland Chronicles
Fandom: Tolkien
Rating: NC-17
Disclaimer: Middle-earth and all its inhabitants are Tolkien's, not mine. I don't mean to steal them; I'm just borrowing them for my enjoyment.
Warnings: Lots of character development, not much sex. Sap and angst. Twincest
Betas: Jilly. Still the best.
Cast: Haldir, Legolas, Rúmil, Orophin, Celeborn, Galadriel, the entire Lothlórien bunch. Elladan/Thranduil/Elrohir are the only ones getting it on for now, though. There might be new pairings as the story develops.
Timeline: Third Age, approx. 440 years prior to the Fellowship.
Spoilers: Nope.
Summary: Legolas arrives in Lórien to begin his training as a warrior under Haldir's supervision. In the process, he discovers things about himself he'd never dreamed of. Haldir, in the meantime, finds that even one immortal is never too old to learn.
Notes: Yes, Tolkien said something about Elves sleeping with their eyes open... But for this story, I changed the rules a bit. In my perception, Elves only sleep with their eyes open when they're out in the open, when they have to be alert. However, when they're safely in their beds, like Thranduil at the beginning of this chapter, they close their eyes just like humans do.
A/N 2: About the title of this chapter, 'cause I feel like I have to explain that. While to Mr. Dylan this well-known phrase had a literal meaning, to me it's figurative. What I mean to express with it, is that the morning described in this chapter has good notes to it as well as some bad... if you follow me. Oh, never mind...
Chapter 1 - Jingle Jangle Morning
Mirkwood
When the Sun first started to rise over Mirkwood that morning, bathing the royal palace in a soft-golden light as she did so, she was surprised to find the Elven King still fast asleep in his bed; usually he was already awake and out of bed by the time dawn's light touched his windows. It was not so this time. And something else had changed, as well; for Thranduil was not alone this morning. The Sun peered inside, curious to see who Thranduil's company was, blushing slightly when she saw there were two; exceptionally fair Elves both of them. Creamy-skinned and long-limbed, their long dark locks contrasting with the white of Thranduil's sheets. One of them was sleeping peacefully; the other, she realized, was awake and gazing back at her with puckered eyes. She quickly continued her ascension of the sky, pretending she hadn't seen.
A whisper awoke Elrohir that morning. "Ro."
"Hmh." Elrohir did not bother to open his eyes.
"Ro," came it again, more insistently.
"Yeah. What?" Elrohir mumbled, still not opening his eyes. Even through closed eyelids, Elrohir could see that it was still horribly early. The Sun could barely have risen above the horizon. What was wrong with Elladan, for Elbereth's sake?
"I think I shall die," Elladan replied. "Right here, right now."
"Yeah? Why so?" Elrohir said, unmoved.
"Look."
Elrohir reluctantly opened his eyes, only to find his brother lying beside him, looking as healthy as ever.
"What is it, then?" he groaned.
Ellladan only gave a nod towards his chest. Elrohir slowly followed his gaze. Then, everything started to come back to him. Thranduil. Legolas. The Prince's rather emotional departure for Lórien. Thranduil's confession the night before. He and Elladan; loving Thranduil in his bed, and the magnificent Mirkwood King letting them do it. Asking them for it. Oh, yes. He remembered that clearly now. He felt more awake suddenly.
But he also understood now why Elladan had announced his untimely death. For the Mirkwood King presented an image capable of breaking one's heart. He lay on his side, his calm breathing speaking of a peaceful sleep. His closed eyelids hid the aquamarine depths of his eyes, his long lashes were dark and twitching slightly against the soft skin of his chiseled cheekbones. His head rested on Elladan's chest, his cheek directly over Elladan's heart. His thick, unbound hair flowed over his broad shoulders and Elladan's collarbones; the early sunlight seemed to stroke it with affection, make it shine softly like the purest gold imaginable. In his sleep, one arm had draped itself securely over Elladan's body, and one of his long legs had done the same, now lying gracefully entwined with Elladan's legs and with the sheets, which had slipped down to below his knees. Now that Elrohir came to think of it... Thranduil's entire body seemed to attract the light, as if the Sun could not resist the temptation of kissing him good morning. Every perfect, naked inch of him...
"Ro," Elladan said again, almost begging now.
"I know," Elrohir said softly. "I know..." He sat up and reached out a hesitating hand to run his fingertips from Thranduil's shoulder to his hip in a slow, soft caress. Thranduil's skin was flawless, and incredibly smooth... But then again, Elrohir already knew that. He'd felt it the night before. *Tasted* it, the night before; when Thranduil had allowed them to share his bed with him. They'd been longing for that almost from the moment they first saw him; and although their affection for the kind, enchanting ruler was genuine, the hunt *had* been a sort of game. But things had gone a little differently; and this was no longer a game. They both knew that as they gazed at the King, looking so vulnerable and young as he slept closely against Elladan; as if he had been seeking the comforting warmth of the eldest twin's body in his sleep.
"What are we to do?" Elladan said, softly as not to wake Thranduil.
"I don't know," Elrohir replied just as softly as he continued to stroke the King gently. "But I know one thing, we can't leave Mirkwood now."
"If he wants us to stay, that is," Elladan said, nodding at Thranduil.
"Yes... And in that case we'll have to write to father."
"Indeed we do. Although I think he doesn't need to know the whole truth."
Elrohir smiled softly. "No; I can only imagine how he would react to that." He looked down at the King as he lay in repose. "I feel for him, you know," he said pensively. "He will soon wake up and remember that the one he loves most, is on his way to Lórien right now, and that he won't be seeing him for two years. He will remember what made him decide to send Legolas away in the first place... How can we ever take such pain away?"
"I don't think we can," Elladan replied. "We can only try to ease it for him. I know, it doesn't feel enough, but what other option do we have? We can help him, but in the end, he needs to do it on his own, Ro; what he said to Legolas, goes for him just as much."
Elrohir nodded. "He will remember last night, as well," he said slowly. "What do you think he will say?"
"I don't know," Elladan said truthfully. "We'll just have to wait and see..."
Elrohir gave his brother a lingering kiss, then changed position and lay down behind Thranduil, connecting his chest with the King's muscular back and embracing him from behind. And so the twins lay dozing silently for a little while, Thranduil safely between them.
It took at least another thirty minutes before Thranduil began to stir. The first thing he became aware of, was the warm sunlight on him; a pleasant sensation, and while he was still in a no-man's land between sleeping and waking, he basked in it for a brief moment without opening his eyes. Then, suddenly became aware of a strong heartbeat below his ear, arms embracing him, naked skin against his own. Suddenly completely awake, he bolted upright, giving in to the first reflex and startling the twins as he did so. Bewildered, Thranduil's eyes searched the room; it was his own bedroom. Nothing unfamiliar about it, except...
"Thranduil? My Lord?"
Two sets of grey eyes resting on him worriedly. Then he remembered, the images coming back to him. How he had told the brothers of his mistakes. How they had comforted him; first with words... then, with their bodies. A shiver ran through his body as it remembered the feeling of caresses and touches, so sorely missed in the past few decades. Now, he instantly felt self-conscious as he sat there naked in the new day's light; but then, seeing the affection in the twins' eyes, he decided not to care.
Elladan reached out and took his hand. "It's all right," he said. "It's just us." He gave a little smile.
"Forgive me," Thranduil said. "I did not mean to startle you."
"That's quite all right," Elrohir said. "I believe you startled yourself even more."
"Yes... it was rather awkward," Thranduil said, quickly passing a hand over his eyes. "It still is," he confessed then.
The twins smiled. "Unpleasantly awkward, my Lord?" Elrohir said.
"No..." A slightly nervous smile appeared on Thranduil's face. "No, not unpleasant." He felt his hair; it was loose, all of it. Also a rather unfamiliar sensation, for he usually wore braids in his hair, even at night. But now he remembered that they had hindered him last night. He remembered reaching for them with trembling fingers, then a murmur by his ear, "Let me do it..." Not much later, the full weight of his hair falling on his shoulders. A hand gently brushing it aside, lips kissing the nape of his neck, then moving upwards to his ear, following his hairline. Elladan, Elrohir, he could not remember. He'd stopped labelling them with names at one point. A whisper, "You are so beautiful." A clever tongue finding the sensitive spot behind his ear, making him utter a soft cry in surprise. He'd forgotten about that spot.
Thranduil remembered all of this as he gazed at the twins now, and although it'd been a long time, he recognized the heat of a blush when he felt it.
But the twins seemed undisturbed, unbothered by this. This time, Elrohir took his hand. "Come," he invited gently, indicating the still-empty spot between him and Elladan. "Let's just lie here for another moment or two. The day will be long enough as it is."
Finding no reason to protest, Thranduil conceded slowly, allowing his body to rest in that double embrace again. A warm breath against his shoulder, a hand interlacing its fingers with his. Other hands stroking him tenderly. Still awkward. But it also felt good. It had been such a long time, and Thranduil found himself relaxing under the caresses, welcoming them like a contented kitten. He could have felt young again in this moment, carefree again, had it not been for the memory of the past few days that had come back to him almost immediately after waking. Legolas...
Thranduil sighed. "I shouldn't be doing this, really," he said. "I should tell you to stop this."
"Why?" Elrohir asked.
"Because I don't belong here, lying between the two of you. Because I shouldn't be trying to ease the pain over Legolas's departure with physical satiation..."
Elladan sealed Thranduil's lips with a finger. "Why not, my Lord? Was it not effective?" he asked softly. "Did we not ease your pain last night?"
"Yes, you did... But the pain is returning." Thranduil reached a hand for his heart.
"Then perhaps we should try to ease it again," Elladan said with a little smile.
"This is not a time for jokes, Elladan," Thranduil said, but he, too, was smiling. "I am serious; I am grateful to you... but I can't ask this of you a second time. The comfort you offer me is pleasant, I admit... but it does not heal my soul in the long run. It does not take the pain away, only eases it for a short while. And my conscience forbids me to use you for short-term pleasures."
Elladan and Elrohir exchanged a wordless glance, each understanding what the other was thinking. Still the King refused to tend to his own grief, his own needs. Still he attached greater importance to the well-being of others than that of his own. Still he was hesitant to accept even the slightest form of comfort when it was offered to him. Still...
"If that is what you wish, my Lord, then it shall be so," Elladan said. "But may we ask one favor of you?"
"Yes..." Thranduil said. "You may..."
Elladan and Elrohir exchanged another glance. "Let us get dressed," Elladan said then, "and go downstairs. There is something we want you to show us."
~*~*~*~
To Thranduil's surprise, the twins asked him to lead them to the stables. It was a grand complex, as it housed all the horses owned by the Mirkwood Elves. They stood sleepily in their boxes when the three Elves entered.
"Now show us your horse, my Lord," Elladan said to an even more bewildered Thranduil.
Thranduil's mount was a friendly-looking, red chestnut mare with flames in her shiny fur. For a mare, she was of a rather impressive height, and her build was slender, but powerful. The King patted her affectionately and she greeted him back by pushing her nose against his chest. The box next to hers was empty; it was where Legolas's horse had stood, and the twins saw Thranduil's eyes linger on it for the briefest of moments.
"You wonder if your decision to send Legolas to Lórien was a wise one," Elladan began.
Thranduil did not look up. "It seemed right in the beginning," he said. "Now, I'm not so sure. And yet I told Legolas that it was best. Perhaps it was a lie after all."
"Did you not visit other elven realms yourself, when you were younger?"
"Yes," Thranduil said. "Both Imladris and Lórien... but the circumstances were different. I went out of my own free will." His eyes still remained on his horse in front of him, but Elladan gently cupped the King's chin and turned his face towards Elrohir and him.
"We see your greatest fear," Elladan said softly. "You fear the loss of your son's love, more than anything. You feel responsible for Legolas's unhappiness. You feel guilty for sending him away now that he needs you most. You are worried that his stay in Lórien may not have the desired effect. And you fear that Legolas will hold your decisions against you. Is it not so?"
Thranduil nodded slowly, his eyes held by Elladan's intense gaze. "Yes," he whispered, "it is true."
Elladan removed his hand from Thranduil's face and looked at the mare. "Is she a swift horse?"
Puzzled, Thranduil nodded again. "Many a stallion has difficulty equalling her speed in gallop," he said.
"Saddle her then. She knows the hidden paths of Mirkwood, she is a swift runner and you are a fast rider. The Lórien Elves ride at a foot-pace. You will have caught up with them before the Sun sets again."
Thranduil said nothing. Now that the possibility was actually laid out before him, his heart grew less weak. He remembered Legolas's dreamy eyes as he spoke of Lórien. He remembered how intrigued Legolas had been by the twins and their stories when they first arrived; how mesmerizedly he had gaped at the Lórien Elves. How comfortable he had been in Haldir's presence, and vice versa: how easily Legolas could bring a smile to the lips of the usually reserved guardian, make him laugh; make him look like a younger, merrier Elf. They were alike those two...
"No," he said then and started to smile softly. "I will do no such thing. Legolas will go to Lórien. That was my decision and it still is."
The twins smiled, as well. "It was a brave thing to do, my Lord," Elrohir said. "We admire you for it."
Thranduil turned to them. "You do?"
"Yes. Trust your instinct; it was a good decision. He is the light of your life; yet you let him go. Do you know what that tells us about you?"
"No..." Thranduil said.
"Something we knew from the very beginning," Elladan said. "That you are a good father."
"Legolas knows this, as well," Elrohir said. "He always speaks of you with so much affection and trust."
"And that will never change," Elladan continued. "We never saw even the slightest trace of accusation, or anger in his eyes after you'd made your decision known. He accepted it, because in his heart, he knows it is wise."
"You say that you've made mistakes," Elrohir said. "And you have a right to regret them. But do not let that regret take over your life, Thranduil; it is unwise to linger on what lies behind you. Look at the future, and the hope and beauty that lies within."
"And do not forget that, apart from those mistakes you mention, you have done so many good things; for Legolas, and for your people," Elladan concluded.
Thranduil stood silently, moved. Then, asked softly, "Why do I deserve such kindness from you?"
Simultaneously, the twins stepped forward and took the King's hands. They were trembling slightly, the brothers noticed. "Has it been so long, my Lord?" Elrohir said softly. "So long since someone other than your son told you, you are worthwile?"
"Have you been associating with fools?" Elladan added.
Thranduil smiled faintly. "No. I just didn't let them come close to me."
"You have let us come close," Elladan said. "Do you regret it still?"
"I never said I regretted it. I merely said I couldn't let it happen again."
"What are you afraid of?" Elladan asked.
A sigh escaped Thranduil. "I'm afraid I will get used to it. Get used to you."
Elrohir smiled. "While regret shouldn't control your life, fear isn't a good counsellor either. From what we've heard, you weren't always this careful." He leaned slightly forward, close enough to feel the change in the King's breathing. Witness the birth of emerald sparks in the azure-blue irises. Emerald green was the color of Thranduil's lust...
"That young Thranduil," Elrohir said, "... is he gone forever?"
"That young Thranduil," the King said with a soft smile, "was a slave to his passion. He had no idea what life really was about."
"Perhaps not," Elrohir said thoughtfully. "But was he unhappy?"
"No," Thranduil said. "Unhappy he was not..."
Elrohir crossed the last inches separating them and moved his lips slowly across Thranduil's, softly, so that it barely could be called a touch. They were so soft, Thranduil's lips, perfect and sensual... and they were the gateway to pure bliss, for Thranduil had a mouth sweeter than miruvor and more addictive than the best elven wine. And Thranduil liked to kiss. Last night, while Elladan had him, Thranduil had unexpectedly pulled Elrohir close and kissed him deeply and long. Ah, yes; Thranduil had definitely mastered the art of kissing to perfection. Inflamed by Elladan's rhythmical movements, Thranduil had claimed Elrohir's lips, his mouth, with an intensity that made Elrohir feel slightly drunk and eventually left him gasping for breath - in a pleasant way.
Thranduil's surrender had been intoxicating. He was agrieved and the twins would comfort him; therefore, it was to be expected that he let them have dominance. But the passion with which he had done so... the memory of it made Elrohir's breath hitch in his throat. Thranduil was of a tall, strong build, but he was lithe; and to see the glorious King bent beneath Elladan, on his back with his spread knees almost to his chest and his head thrown back in abandon, made Elrohir burn with want. He craved to have what his brother had had...
If only Thranduil would let him. For the King was not the kind of Elf whom one could choose as a bed partner, and then have him; Thranduil chose his own partners, and Elrohir knew that if Thranduil had not wanted them himself, they might just as well have been courting a rock of stone.
"What are you thinking of, young Elrohir?"
Elrohir's mind cleared as he suddenly became aware of the King's eyes gazing into his. So very close. And a hint of teasing in his voice. Ah, so the roles had been switched back then; Thranduil the older Elf again, the one in control... and now it was Elrohir's turn to blush. His eyes sought Elladan's. His brother stood close by, watching with interest.
"Well?" Thranduil was still teasing, a smile tugging at his lips. It made him look so appealing that Elrohir, who'd quickly regained his composure, leaned in again and kissed Thranduil's soft mouth, his heart fluttering when the King's smile did not wane beneath Elrohir's caressing lips.
"I was distracted by thoughts of last night," he confessed. "I find myself envious of my brother, for having had something I have not."
"We always share everything," Elladan explained with a grin. "That is our motto."
Thranduil arched a slender eyebrow. "Truly? So you also shared Anyriand, then?"
The twins now both turned crimson, and Thranduil gave a low, warm chuckle. "I should have known... Now I understand why Elrond was so worried about your behaviour. No, don't worry - I won't tell him. After all, such is the nature of Elves..."
"Not all Elves," Elladan said. "This is not our custom. But ever since we're here in Mirkwood, strange things have been happening." He shrugged, grinning at Elrohir. "Must be something in the water..."
"Probably..." Thranduil turned back to the mare and patted her again. Then, as if he hadn't heard Elrohir's confession at all, smiled warmly at the twins. "Thank you for bringing me here. Several things have become clear to me, and I admit I feel better than I have in days."
Elladan and Elrohir smiled.
"Now," Thranduil continued with an unwavering smile, "I must say I'm beginning to feel hungry. Shall we go back and indulge in one of my kitchen staff's elaborate breakfasts?"
As they followed the King outside, Elladan leaned over to Elrohir and murmured, "Pity, Ro; better luck next time." He couldn't hide the smirk that took a hold of his lips. Seeing his brother's unhappy expression, he poked him in the ribs and said, "Oh, come on - he's just teasing you. At least he's more cheerful than he was."
Elrohir smiled weakly. But it was as he had realized earlier; Thranduil was in charge, and he would decide to let Elrohir have him - or not. Still, he'd read Thranduil's eyes. He had lit a fire of lust there - he only hadn't succeeded in keeping it going. But Elladan was right; it was good to see Thranduil smile again. What happened next, was in the King's hands.
The other Elves of the court were surprised to see Thranduil so lively again that morning. Also surprising was the fact that Elladan, usually the more silent one of the brothers, now chattered joyfully, while Elrohir merely listened with a dreamy expression.
But what the cause of these changes was, not one Elf of Thranduil's court could guess.
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