Winter and Yule Drabbles

Winter and Yule Drabbles

Posted: December 22, 2006
Title: Winter and Yule Drabbles
Author: Athos
Type: FCGen, FCHet, FCS
Characters: Various
Rating: G to NC-17
Disclaimer: The characters and setting belong to Tolkien; the plot is mine.
Beta: Minuial Nuwing
Warnings: if one needs be warned, I'll tell you at each drabble.
Author's Note—these ficlets are unconnected. For example, some have the twins as small Elflings, in others, they're drinking each other under the table.

*****

Title: A Cozy Rest
Author: Athos
Type: FCGen
Characters: Erestor, Tinnu
Rating: G

Summary: Tinnu goes exploring. Thanks to Agie for letting me borrow Tinnu!

*****

Great boughs of fir and pine had been gladly given by the trees around Imladris for the elves' celebration. They were heaped around the house, waiting to be artfully distributed.

One pile sat outside the library doors, and Tinnu nearly walked into it on his way to visit Erestor. He sniffed suspiciously at the dark green needles before remembering them from last year. The scent was warm and comforting, and very novel for such a pampered, indoor cat.

He reached out an inquisitive paw to delicately probe the branches, finding them to be very soft. The black cat climbed on top of the mounded greenery. Circling several times, he kneaded the soft needles around until he had a nice, round basket, then curled up, inhaling the lovely scent and drifting off to sleep.

A few minutes later, Erestor looked out the doors of the Library, searching for Tinnu, who usually joined him this time of day. Seeing no sign of his friend, the advisor had just turned to continue his work when he noticed a black bundle asleep on the pile of fragrant pine boughs.

Erestor smiled, making a mental note to have a bundle of the branches brought to their chambers.

*****

Title: A Painful Tradition
Author: Athos
Type: FCGen
Characters: Elladan, Elrohir, Elrond
Rating: G
Warnings: May bring back uncomfortable memories for some of you. *wink*

Summary: The twins overeat. Dedicated to Lady Hawk's Shadow for her choice of food. Nienna got second place, so secondary dedication to her!

*****

"I can't believe we ate the whole thing."

Elrohir answered with a pained groan.

"Every last spoonful."

Another groan.

" Ada will not be pleased."

To this, Elrohir sighed ruefully.

"I can't sit up."

"Me, either."

"What were we thinking?"

Elrohir belched loudly.

Elladan raised his eyebrows, wanting to laugh, but worried that his stomach would hurt even more if he did. "Feel better?"

"Immeasurably."

"Valar, but that was good. Even better than last year."

"Mm-hmm."

"What do you think she did differently?"

"'Dan, I haven't the faintest idea. All I know is that I enjoyed myself completely, am stuffed to the gills now, and that your rambling is *not* aiding my digestion."

"My rambling!"

"Yes, rambling. Now hush."

"If I were in any fit state to move, I'd smack you for that."

"Yes, well, you aren't." Elrohir sighed again. "Maybe if we're lucky, we'll be able to roll ourselves out of here before Ada comes back and—"

"Elladan! Elrohir!" Elrond exclaimed, coming into the room.

"Oh, no."

"Now we're in for it."

Elrond stomped over to where his two sons lay helplessly on the floor, a large, empty glass pan between them. Identical prostrate twins with identical overstuffed tummies left little question to what had happened.

"You ate Hawk's entire sweet potato crunch? Again?!"

"We saved some of the marshmallow topping for you," Elrohir offered, lamely holding out a spoon with a browned sugary blob on it.

"Besides, it's tradition."

"Tradition, eh?" Elrond leaned down and poked each twin in the belly, eliciting groans and muffled curses. As an afterthought, he took the pitiful spoonful that was left of Hawk's contribution and ate it. "Mmm…. she quite outdid herself with the marshmallows this year. Maybe eventually I'll even be able to try the rest of it." He ended this pointed remark with a glare at both twins, and left.

"Well, that wasn't so bad."

"'Dan…"

"Yeah?"

"I think we might have a problem."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I just saw what Nienna brought."

Silence. Then, as though he couldn't believe it, Elladan whispered, "She made baklava?"

Elrohir nodded. "Can you reach it?"

Elladan reached out, grunting. "No. Can you?"

"No."

"Dammit. Any ideas?"

The twins looked at each other. Then, in unison, "ARWEN!"

*****

Title: Ada Needs a Hat
Author: Athos
Type: FCGen
Characters: Elladan, Elrohir, Celebrían, Elrond
Rating: G
Warnings: Gentle mocking of Elrond.

Summary: The twins give their father fashion advice. Or is that health advice?

*****

"But Nana…" Elrohir whined.

"No 'but's, 'Roh. You must wear a hat, or you'll freeze your head off out there, playing in the snow! I know how rough you two play." Celebrían pushed the knitted hat down on her son's head, then turned to his twin.

"But… why don't you needa hat?" Elladan asked.

Celebrían laughed, smoothing down her thick hair. "Because I have plenty of hair."

* * *

" Ada! Ada! You can't go out and play yet!"

Elrond looked at his youngest in surprise. "Why ever not?"

"You needa hat!"

"What?"

"Nana doesn't needa hat to play in the snow, 'cuz she has hair. But you'll freeze your head off!"

Elrond froze in shock, looking at his sons. He turned at the light sound of his wife's laughter, raising an eyebrow at her. She came forward, armed with a woolly hat with a red puffball of yarn at the top.

"You must be joking," Elrond said flatly as she pulled it over his head, covering his receding hairline and ears.

Celebrían chuckled again, kissed him on the cheek, and said, "Now you're ready to play in the snow."

*****

Title: Anticipation
Author: Athos
Type: FCGen
Characters: An elf and his horse.
Rating: G

Summary: An elf and his horse looking forward to returning home.

*****

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

An elf and his horse walked side by side atop the fresh snow, memory guiding both of them along the trail home to Imladris. Their breaths frosted in the icy air, but both were in high spirits, glad to have made such good time back from Lórien.

The elf was particularly merry. His lover was waiting, and did not expect him back until after Yule. He recalled with a fond smile how crestfallen his lovely mate had been, hearing that they'd spend their first Yule apart. This would be the perfect Yule surprise. If they made it to Imladris by nightfall, he could surprise his lover by sneaking into bed… where hopefully he would be welcomed back with warm kisses, sweet sighs, and the pleasure that only one's beloved could bring.

The horse was just looking forward to his warm stable.

*****

Title: Minty Music (what? You come up with a better one.)
Author: Athos
Type: FCS
Characters: Lindir, Melpomaen
Rating: PG-13 for strong innuendo and suggestion.

Summary: Mel spices things up.

*****

Lindir held the cool, damp cloth against the tender pads of his fingers, acknowledging his admirers with a nod. As the applause died, he laid aside his compress and left his harp and the other musicians. Gratefully accepting a mug of hot cocoa, he wove his way through the throngs of elves in the Hall of Fire, finally reaching his lover's side.

"Delightful, as always, my love," Melpomaen said, kissing the harpist on the cheek.

"Are you referring to me or to my playing?" Lindir asked archly, taking a sip of the sweet, hot drink.

"Both, of course."

Lindir snickered. "Good answer."

"Yes, I rather thought so. Here, try this in your cocoa," Melpomaen suggested, pulling a narrow white and red swirled stick out of his own mug and setting it in Lindir's. Seeing Lindir's eyebrow inquisitively raised, Mel explained, "It's a peppermint stick. I don't know where Elrond got them, but I have to find out, because no way I'm waiting another year before having these again."

"Peppermint and chocolate?" Lindir took a tentative sip, and made an appreciative noise. "Oh, yes. This is good."

Melpomaen beamed. His smile faltered somewhat when Lindir paused thoughtfully and removed the melting stick from his cup.

Deliberately looking his lover in the eye, Lindir barely opened his mouth and took the peppermint stick deep into it, closing his rosy lips around the sweetness and sucking, movements in his cheeks perceptible as his tongue moved within his mouth. Mel watched, all attention on his mate, and Lindir, apparently satisfied, slowly withdrew the stick from his mouth.

The minstrel took a deep breath and sighed contentedly, his sweetly minty breath washing over the stunned Melpomaen. "Yes," he purred, "I do like that."

Regaining control of himself, Melpomaen grinned and said, "You know…. much as I loved your performance tonight, you did neglect to perform my very favorite piece."

"Oh? And what is that?"

Drawing close to the white-haired elf, Mel ran one hand up Lindir's back to cradle the back of his head and whispered into the delicately pointed ear, "That song you sing when I'm thrusting into you, and you cry out over and over, breathless, needy and wanting, crying out for release, and when you reach your peak… music to my ears."

Lindir felt his cheeks flush; it was so like Mel to tease him in public. Feigning indignation, he took Mel's hand and urged his lover toward the exit, "Why, Melpomaen!" he exclaimed. "I'm shocked at you. You're aware that as it is the holiday season, I was only performing traditional Yule songs tonight. And since I've been performing *those* sorts of songs for you every night and most mornings since three springs ago, I'd say that they aren't seasonal."

"Oh, but why let your voice and creativity be stifled, my beautiful songbird? There are some… songs that we can enjoy year round, don't you agree?"

Lindir snickered, and said, "Alright, you can stop now! Really. Some metaphors can only be taken so far. Besides, those songs aren't meant for public appreciation."

Melpomaen stifled his laugh, not wanting to draw attention to the fact that he and his lover were leaving the celebration conspicuously early. Too late--Erestor had noticed, and was smirking at them. Oh, well. He'd get a ribbing from the advisor in the library tomorrow.

'Definitely worth it,' Melpomaen thought, pulling his sweet songbird through the halls after him.

*****

Title: Not Your Traditional Carols….
Author: Athos
Type: FCGen
Characters: Elves
Rating: G
Warnings: irreverence to various holiday carols.
Author's note: Glorfindel's first song it to the tune of "Frosty the Snowman". His second is to "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer".

Summary: Drunken singing in Imladris

*****

"See, Lindir, 'Dan and I have been thinking about what sorts of carols you should be playing….the old ones are great, but this is the Fourth Age!"

"Yeah," Elladan slurred, leaning heavily on Lindir's shoulder, snorting with barely repressed laughter. "Like 'Sauron got ran over by a Warg'!"

"And 'All I Want for Yule is a Ring of Power'!"

"No, you don't," Elrond and Galadriel chorused.

Glorfindel hiccupped.

Arwen chimed in, singing "I'm dreaming of a calm Yu-uuuule…. Without Elladan or 'Rohir…" Her voice was sweet and melodious, contrasting starkly with the drink-roughened warbling of her twin brothers.

Glorfindel then decided that he had to join in. He bellowed, "Glorfindel, the Balrog Slayer, had a fight with a balrog!"

Erestor turned to Lindir. "That's a bit redundant, isn’t it?"

"He-ee fought quite well, but then he fell, but the Valar returned him… um… Yay!!"

Then Glorfindel the Balrog Slayer fell again. Fortunately into a chair, and not into the bowels of the earth.

"Oooh! Oooh! The Little Harper Elf! Plink, Plinky-plink-plink!!" Elladan collapsed in giggles.

"Plink?!" Lindir exclaimed indignantly. "Why you little…"

"Little harper elf?" Elrohir asked Elladan in amazement.

"Yes, an elfling."

"But the harp is bigger than an elfling."

"Elrohir! They have smaller harps."

"Glorfindel the Balrog-Slayer! Had a very mighty sword! And if you ever saw it, you would say, 'Oh, take me, Lord'!" Glorfindel called drunkenly from his chair.

"Is that really what you said?" Elrond asked Erestor, who answered him with a withering look.

"All of the other Balrog Slayers…Hey, I'm the only one, right?"

"One's more than enough." Erestor sighed. "You are all crazy, you know," he declared.

"Ninety-nine wineskins of Miruvor on the wall… Ninety-nine wineskins of Miruvor…" Elladan and Elrohir chorused.

"Or drunk," amended Erestor.

"Did someone spike the eggnog?" Elrond asked belatedly, looking suspiciously at his mug.

"Oh!" Glorfindel looked up from his chair. "You wanted eggnog with your rum?"

Erestor and Elrond looked at each other.

Glorfindel burped.

*****

Title: Reminiscing
Author: Athos
Characters: Thranduil, Legolas, Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir, Arwen
Type: FCGen
Rating: G
Warnings: tissues may be appreciated.

Summary: Two rulers make a toast.

*****

Late one night, Thranduil sat on a comfortable couch, sipping warm mulled wine in front of a crackling fire, cradling his sleeping young son in his lap and gazing at the portrait of his late wife hanging over the mantle, utterly lost in memory.

* *

Many leagues away, Elrond sat sipping spiced cider on a similar couch, in front of a similar crackling fire, his sons on either side of him, his daughter close beside his eldest, gazing at the portrait of his wife, likewise lost in memory.

* *

As one, they raised their mugs in a toast to their absent loves.

*****

Title: There's Something In Your Hair…
Author: Athos
Type: FCGen
Characters: Haldir, Celeborn
Rating: PG-13

Summary: Haldir has something caught in his hair. Written for Zhie's revamped Nov/Dec (2005) Yule drabble challenge.

*****

"Haldir?"

"My Lord?"

"Why were all those elves kissing you on your way here?"

"Uh…I don't know, my Lord."

"Really?"

"Really."

"You seemed in a hurry to get here and make your report. You didn't even take time to wash yourself… or comb your hair. You're covered in leaves."

"Oh! Apologies, my Lord. I didn't want to miss the Yule feast…" Haldir reached up self-consciously and pulled out a handful of leaves and, to his surprise, a sprig of mistletoe. "Oh."

"Put it back."

"Why, my Lord?"

"So I finally have an excuse to do this."

And Celeborn kissed him.

*****

Title: Walking Through Woods
Author: Athos
Type: FCGen
Characters: Erestor, small, furry woodland creatures
Rating: G

Summary: Erestor goes for a quiet stroll.

*****

The snow muffled the sounds of his footsteps as he trod through the evergreen forest, soaking in the peace and quiet so radically absent in the Halls this time of year. Elflings running and playing, almost tripping adults who half-heartedly scolded them with rueful smiles on their faces, recalling their own youthful antics. Gaudily colored ribbon and wrapping paper everywhere. The strong scent of fir and pine, garlands decorating every flat surface in the House, everything illuminated with candles specially enchanted by Mithrandir so that they would not burn out or catch anything on fire. The minstrels sang and played song after song, and elves danced and ate and made merry, everyone enjoying the friendship and joy of the season. Much as he enjoyed the festivities and the happiness of his friends, he would venture out into the woods occasionally, seeking escape.

Alone, Erestor stopped amidst the trees and snow and closed his eyes, tilting his head up and savoring the chill and silence around him.

Animated chattering from above broke the stillness and he opened his eyes to see a rapidly descending pouf of white coming his way. The fallen snow landed with a quiet, almost apologetic burst on Erestor's face.

Quite surprised, Erestor shook his head and cleared the ice crystals from his eyes and mouth. Raising an eyebrow, he looked up seeking the cause of this indignity, and saw two young squirrels frozen mid-wrestle on a pine branch now free of its blanket of snow. Their eyes were wide as they peered down at the ruffled elf standing beneath them.

Erestor stared at the two animals. There was another faint rustle, and the branch above the squirrels shifted and covered them in snow.

The elf's delighted laughter rang through the forest as the disheveled squirrels resumed their chase.

*****

Title: Warming Up Erestor
Author: Athos
Type: FCS
Characters: Erestor, Glorfindel
Rating: R
Warnings: oral

Summary: Erestor is cold…..I wonder who will warm him up? (because the method of warming is obvious.)

*****

Erestor shivered, returning to the House, his breath hanging behind him on the frosty air. 'I should have worn a cloak with a hood,' he thought ruefully, shivering. Finally in the blessedly warm halls, he walked to his quarters, stopping short in front of a mirror. He smiled at his reflection. His short walk to the training yard in search of Glorfindel had given him a rosy pink nose, cheeks and… He turned his head… Yes, his ear tips were red, too.

He sighed, regretting that he'd not been able to find his lover. He supposed he'd just have to warm himself up.

That thought was dashed from his head as he entered his rooms. He stared, barely retaining the presence of mind to shut and bolt the door behind him.

Glorfindel lay naked on Erestor's bed, his golden skin gleaming with oil. He reclined, stroking his erect shaft absently, a predatory stare focused on his lover.

"You look cold," the Elda purred, rising to all fours and moving down the bed towards Erestor, who dumbly removed his own cloak and kicked off his boots. "Why don't you let me arm you up?"

By this time Erestor was stripped to the waist, and with a growl he pounced on Glorfindel, who flipped them over so that he was covering Erestor's chilled body with his own.

"Your cheeks are pink," Glorfindel observed in a soft, rumbling voice, kissing Erestor's cheeks. "And your nose." Another kiss, right on the tip of Erestor's cute, pert nose. "And what's this?" Glorfindel combed his large fingers through Erestor's inky black hair, revealing the still-pink ear tips. Suddenly grasping Erestor's hair to keep his head still, Glorfindel enveloped one icy ear in his hot mouth, sucking and laving it with his tongue.

Erestor moaned, thrusting his hips up. When Glorfindel switched to the other ear, he kicked off his leggings and wrapped his legs around the Elda's waist, bringing his lover's oiled shaft to rest between his buttocks.

Glorfindel yelped. Erestor grinned.

Releasing Erestor's hair, Glorfindel grasped his lover's ass in both hands and asked, "How did *this* get so cold?"

"I fell in a snowdrift," Erestor confessed with a smile.

"Why did you do that?"

"So that you'd warm it up, of course."

Glorfindel laughed. "My clever advisor…"

*****

THE END

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