The Hobbit / LOTR -oneshots

Mend 2 - Elrond

You sat by the side of his bed as he slowly opened his eyes. He cleared his throat and licked his lips, trying to get the dryness of his mouth to pass so he could talk to you. You offered him the glass of water from the table next to him, and he took it, grateful, and emptied it in a matter of moments.
"T-Thank you." His voice was still hoarse and rough, and you frowned, grasping his hand. You didn't care that it was covered in soot, you just wanted to touch a part of him, to convince yourself that he was there, that he was real.
"What happened?" You asked carefully. You saw him tense and tightened your hold on his hand.
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." You hurried to add. He shook his head feebly.
"N-No, no, I-" He was cut off by a hacking cough which made his entire body convulse. You just squeezed his hand tighter as the cough refused to let go.

When it finally subsided, he fell to the bed, closing his eyes. You ran your thumb against the skin of his hand and moved his hair out of his forehead, where it was sticking due to the sheen of sweat that covered his skin.
"It was raiders." Your head shot up at his words, a frown appearing on your face.
"They came in the night, burst through the door, demanding money." He shook his head, couching again. You waited patiently for him to continue, your heart pounding in your chest.
"When they found out I didn't have any, they-they left but not-not before setting my house on fire." Tears brimmed in your eyes as he finished, his tone now fallen to a whisper.
"I barely got out." A tear escaped his eye, and it traced down his cheek, leaving a clean streak on his dirty, soot-covered skin.
"I'm so sorry." You apologized, and he turned his eyes to you.
"It's not your fault." He assured you and you nodded, pressing a hand to his cheek.
"I know, but I feel like you still deserve one. From someone." A smile spread to his lips and he closed his eyes as your thumb drew patterns on his cheekbone. You started humming, and you could see another tear escape his eye.

Relief filled Elrond's body. After traveling for months and months, he was finally safe. With your soft voice, humming a song, and the gentle patterns you traced on his skin, it was easy for him to fall asleep. The last thing he felt was your lips pressing onto his skin, first onto his forehead and then to his cheek.

- - -

You continued visiting him every night, no matter how hard your father tried to stop you. No matter how many meetings or responsibilities he scheduled for the evenings to stop you from going, you always managed to get out of them in time to meet him before he fell asleep, aided by the herbs the healers had ordered him to take. He insisted that you didn't have to keep visiting him, that he would be out of the kingdom the moment he was well enough to travel, but you disagreed strongly. Firstly, you didn't mind visiting him at all. It usually was the highlight of your day. And secondly, if he honestly thought you were going to allow him to leave the kingdom when he was healed, he had another thing coming. You had already talked with the head healer, and he was beyond impressed with the things you had told him about Elrond's skills with herbs.

It had been two weeks, and the healer was allowing Elrond to get out of bed for short periods of time. They highly recommended that he left the castle and got some fresh air. You had taken it as your duty to take him for a short walk every evening when the sun had set and the air wasn't as heavy to breathe as it was during the day. The smoke had caused severe damage inside his lungs, but the herbs were working and the healers and Elrond himself had convinced you that he was recovering well.

You walked slowly next to Elrond as he took in greedy lungfuls, the cool air soothing the occasional pain that flared in his chest. You gave him a worried glance when his steps stilled, but he gently ran his fingers across the petal of one of the roses in the bush. You thought he was just smelling it, but in reality, there was a battle raging inside his head. A part of him wanted nothing more than to pick up the rose and present it to you, but another part was insistent that it would be too forward.

Elrond's breath began to wheeze slightly, and you noticed, even if he tried to hide it from you. You made your way to a bench, and Elrond sunk to sit next to you, trying to hide the relieved look that threatened to take over his face. The garden you had made your way to today was quiet, with only a few birds singing in the trees. It was just the two of you, a silence settling between the two of you. Unbeknownst to either one of you, the other was just as stressed about coming up with something to talk about.

When both of you did come up with something to say, you opened your mouths at the exactly same time.
"I was wondering-
"Did you-" You stopped when you realized the other was talking too and hurried to give them a chance to talk first.
"What were you saying?"
"Please, you first." It ended in a short spout of silence that was broken by your giggle, which soon blossomed into a full laugh. Elrond joined you after a while, his lungs aching slightly but at the moment, he didn't care. You looked so beautiful, the setting sun illuminating you with its soft yellow hue, and your laughter rang bright in the garden.

You managed to calm yourself down and were surprised by the look Elrond was giving you. It was so gentle, the warmth in his eyes when they met yours was undeniable. The world seemed to be still as you looked into each other's eyes, and neither of you realized you had leaned forward until your lips met in a gentle kiss. It was cautious but filled with emotion, gentle blooms of love flowing through it. Your mind was empty as you shifted closer to the bench, setting your hand down blindly. It landed on him, and it quickly became encased in his long fingers as he pulled you closer to him.

"Y/N HAROLDSDOTTIR!" A voice boomed, and you jumped apart, searching for the source of the voice. The garden was still empty, but when you looked up, you could see your father leaning out of his window. Even if he was on the higher levels of the castle, you could still almost feel the heat of his fury.
"YOU HAVE SOME EXPLAINING TO DO, YOUNG LADY!" The window slammed closed, and Elrond jumped up from the bench, walking back to put distance between the two of you.
"I- We- We shouldn't have." You cut him off.
"Now you listen to me. Do you want to be with me?" You asked, gently, trying to keep the hurry out of your voice. You stood and tried to step closer to him, only to have him back away.
"Yes, of course, I do, but-" You cut him off, your tone now firmer but your eyes still holding the love-filled look.
"Then there is nothing my father can do to tear us apart because I want to be with you too.
"He can throw me out..." Elrond trailed off, and you grasped his hands into yours.
"If he throws you out, I will leave with you before he can command the gates to be closed." You stated simply and tried stepping closer again. This time he didn't back away, and you were able to step so you were chest to chest. You slowly leaned in and closed the gap between you, your lips meeting in a kiss. There was more heat behind this one, the feelings you had been growing for the past months finally set free. Your hands found his shoulders as he pulled you closer, his arms wrapped around the small of your back. The fact that your father knew felt so distant and neither of you couldn't be bothered to care.

Whoo, this was soooooooooo much fun to write!
I am a little torn on part three, I don't know if this story has enough material for that... What do you think? It would probably be in the second book ;)

Part 189.