Part 6

Posted: November 2003
Author: Larien Elengasse

*~*

Third Age, October 8th, 2952, Last Homely House, Imladris

Elladan was placing the final braid in his hair when he heard the sharp rap of his twin's knuckles upon his door. "Come…" he called, turning to face Elrohir as he entered.

"He is here. What am I supposed to do now?" Elrohir's face was a mask of worry, and Elladan bit back a chuckle.

"Calm down, Elrohir. I am sure that once the Prince sees you are with Haldir, there will be no problem." He placed a clip in his hair, and chuckled; he could not help but smile at his brother.

"Pretend you are me, gwanur, and I will pretend to be you. I cannot risk upsetting Haldir." Elrohir glanced toward the door as if he expected Legolas to come through it at any moment.

Elladan laughed aloud. "Do not be ridiculous, Elrohir. I will do no such thing. You made this mess, you deal with it. I am sure Haldir will understand, just be honest with him."

Elrohir flopped upon the bed, covering his face with his hands. "Ai, what am I to do now? All I did was kiss him; it was a harmless flirtation."

Elladan shook his head and sat beside his brother. "How do you know he is still interested in you? Perhaps he has found another to focus his attentions on."

Elrohir sighed. "By Elbereth, I hope so. Haldir will not take kindly to competition."

Elladan patted his brother on the thigh. "It is only competition if you entertain the Prince's affections, gwanur. You need to tell Haldir what passed between you and the Prince, do not let him find out from someone else."

Elrohir nodded and sat up, looking at his brother. "You are right, I am being foolish. I will speak with him."

Elladan smiled. "Come, gwanur, we must greet our guests."

They rose from his bed and left the room to attend to their official duties.

* * * *

Aragorn fidgeted nervously as the welcoming party gathered. It was the first time Lord Elrond had asked him to participate in official duties and he did not want to disappoint his foster-father. He smoothed the folds in his robe as he waited for instructions on where to stand and what to do. He felt his lover's hand come to rest upon his shoulder and heard his deep voice float into his ear.

"You look very handsome, a'maelamin."

He turned and faced Elladan, smiling at him and nervously clasping his hand. "I am nervous. Adar has never asked me to participate in greeting dignitaries before."

Elladan smiled gently and answered, "It is a sign of your coming of age, meleth nín. You should be proud and happy that Adar has seen fit to include you, it shows his confidence in you and that he recognizes you are becoming a man."

Aragorn smiled and looked at the floor. "I am happy and proud, but I am also nervous. I do not want to fail or disappoint him, gwador."

Elladan smiled and placed a quick kiss upon his forehead. "You will not fail him nor will you disappoint him, Estel. Do not worry so."

Aragorn nodded and turned as he heard his foster father enter the hall.

Lord Elrond approached his foster son with a stern expression, looking him over before nodding to Elladan and Elrohir. The corner of his mouth turned up in a smile as he watched the Dúnadan shift his weight nervously as he stared at the floor. He reached out and placed his fingers under Aragorn's chin, lifting his head so that their eyes met. "You dressed yourself?" he asked.

Aragorn swallowed. "Yes, my Lord."

Elrond smiled and leaned forward. "You did well, Estel. You look every bit the dignitary. It is important you take these proceedings seriously, as one day you will be King. The impression you make now will factor into your relationships in time. These same folk may one day be approaching you as you sit upon your throne."

Aragorn nodded. "Yes, my Lord."

Elrond smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Take your place beside my sons in the line, you are part of this household and you will stand beside your foster brothers. They will instruct you as to what to do."

Aragorn smiled. "Yes, my Lord. Thank you."

Elladan smiled and bowed his head at his father, as did Elrohir, and they made for their places in the line. He leaned over and whispered to his lover, "See, did I not tell you he would approve? As the guests come in, shake their hands like this…" He clasped one of Aragorn's hands in both of his and bowed his head. "Then say, ‘Welcome to Imladris'. It is as simple as that."

"Welcome to Imladris…" Aragorn repeated. "Alright, I can do this."

Elladan leaned over, his lips brushing his lover's ear as he whispered, "Of course you can, a'maelamin. Remember, you are the future King of Men, Aragorn, Son of Arathorn."

Aragorn nodded and smiled shyly. He found it a great comfort having his lover by his side.

He heard a flourish of activity coming from down the hall and looked up to see Glorfindel and Erestor enter, followed by their guests. He stood tall, squared his shoulders, and looked toward their guests. There were some ten, all told, in the delegation from Mirkwood; the first to enter was Legolas.

Aragorn's breath caught in his throat as he looked upon the Prince of Mirkwood. Elladan had not exaggerated; the Prince was a vision to behold. Lord Elrond was first to greet him, giving him a warm smile. Next came Elrohir, and Aragorn tried to hide his smirk as he watched the younger twin shake his hand and avert his eyes. Then came Elladan, who smiled graciously and clasped his hand, his deep voice speaking words of welcome to the Prince.

Finally, the Prince stood in front of him and he reached out and clasped his hand gently. The Prince's hands were warm and soft, like Elladan's only more so, yet they were still strong from thousands of years spent firing a bow. He gazed into the Prince's seemingly bottomless sapphire eyes and his voice was barely above a whisper as he spoke, "Welcome to Imladris, my Lord."

Legolas cocked his head, a gentle smile playing across his lips. "So, this is the Son of Arathorn, heir to the throne of Gondor. I have long wanted to meet you, Aragorn. I find I am not disappointed."

Aragorn smiled shyly and answered, "Nor am I, my Lord. It is indeed an honor to meet you."

Legolas leaned forward, breathing in the man's musky scent, smiling at the texture of his skin as he continued to hold his hand. He did not often find himself in the presence of men, though once or twice in his life he had introduced a young soldier of the Rohirrim to the pleasures of the flesh. He found he liked their earthy scent, the rough texture of their skin, the unique sensation of the hair upon their bodies. Aragorn was indeed handsome, the most handsome man he had ever seen in fact. His hair was a rich auburn and he had sparkling gray eyes. His build was powerful for one of his age; his countenance was most definitely that of a Númenórean. As he gazed upon the future King of Men he found himself imaging what it would be like to hold him in his arms, to kiss his lips, to taste the salty essence of his skin. He broke from his reverie and answered, "The honor and pleasure is all mine, Son of Arathorn. I hope to have the opportunity to speak with you later. Perhaps we can discuss future alliances and talk of our respective childhoods."

Aragorn bowed again, still holding the Prince's hand. "I would like that very much, my Lord."

Legolas smiled and lifted the man's chin with his other hand. "As would I, Aragorn. I will find you as soon as duty permits."

Aragorn reluctantly released the Prince's hand and bowed again as Legolas made his way further down the line.

Elladan sighed as Elrohir leaned in and whispered, "See? I told you, it is not I. I swear he is bewitching. Perhaps the stories of Thranduil's magic are not exaggerated. I would swear upon my honor he weaves a spell on his victims." Elladan watched the Prince as his father joined him, guiding Legolas to his study.

Aragorn watched the Prince leave, and found that his heart was racing in his chest. He heard his lover's voice in his ear, "You did very well, a'maelamin, very well indeed. It seems you have made quite the impression on our friend the Prince. He seems to have forgotten Elrohir entirely."

Aragorn turned and looked at his lover, his face flushed with guilt and embarrassment. "I did naught to encourage him, Elladan."

The corners of Elladan's mouth turned up in a grin. "No? That had to have been the longest handshake I have seen at one of these affairs. You seemed reluctant to release the Prince's hand."

Aragorn stammered, "I… I… I did not know what was proper. Have I made an error?"

Elladan wrapped his arms around his lover and laughed softly. "I do but tease you, a'maelamin. You did fine; you did exactly as you should have done. Do not worry, meleth nín."

Aragorn let out a sigh of relief and playfully nipped his lover on the earlobe. "You should not jest with me that way, melethron," he whispered. "You frightened the wits out of me."

Elladan chuckled and placed a quick kiss to his neck. "Come, let us find a place we can discuss this further. I think you need more instruction on the ways of diplomacy."

Aragorn softly growled, "Indeed…"

* * * *

"So the Prince has arrived, yes?"

Elrohir spun around to come face to face with his lover. He playfully whacked him on the arm. "Haldir, do not sneak up on me like that."

Haldir furrowed his brow. "I did not ‘sneak', Elrohir. It is my habit to be quiet, lest you forget my occupation."

Elrohir shook his head and let out a sigh. "Of course not, a'maelamin. I am sorry, I suppose I am a bit tense."

Haldir raised an eyebrow. "You suppose? Elrohir, I can practically see the tension in your body. I must wonder if the arrival of the Prince of Mirkwood is the cause of this tension." He tucked an errant braid behind Elrohir's ear. "Is there something you need to tell me, meleth?"

Elrohir flushed guiltily and looked at the ground. "Aye, Haldir, there is." He reached out and took him by the hand. "Come, let us find somewhere where we may talk in private."

Haldir nodded and allowed Elrohir to lead him from the hall to their quarters, his heart racing in his chest as they walked.

*****

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