Caras Galadhon, 3019 TA, January 20
The Fellowship was resting under the umber-brown, ancient forest. It reeked of age. Its woody incense was from centuries of branches with golden leaves that were dropping to the forest's floor. Every sprawling tree they had passed under reminded them of a watchful guardian, a silent sentinel of the groves. The golden Mallorn trees shone brighter than they have in a long time. She had to close her eyes for a little while to adjust to the light. There were several Elves in the area. 'Was that place so crowded every day?' The fellowship was within walking distance. Aragorn, Gimli, and Boromir seemed to be having a serious debate. The hobbits were discussing meals they had missed and food. And Pippin had just returned after a long trek in search of more food.
"Merry, were you aware of Elvish wine?" Pippin abruptly inquired, capturing everyone's attention "Mirkwood Wine, I've heard, is a very powerful wine. Is that correct, Strider?"
When Aragorn heard Pippin talk about the Elvish wine, he interrupted the argument and raised his eyes to him. "How did you learn about Mirkwood's wine?" He was fully aware of the strength of the woodland realm's wine. It was indeed so potent that it may have harmed even the Elvenking.
"However, is it true?" Pippin persisted in discovering the truth while staring intently at Aragorn.
He was well aware that Pippin would raise trouble again, yet even in that scenario, he chose to warn them about the wine of Mirkwood. He rose and moved over to the Pippin, where he sat. He noted that everyone, even the human, appeared intrigued by what he was going to reveal.
"You are probably familiar with Ale, which is consumed by Hobbits, Dunlendings, Men of Gondor and Rohan, and a variety of others. It may be found in a wide range of buildings, from Shire and Dunland pubs to Gondorian fortifications and Ranger camps." Aragorn said, and Pippin nodded in agreement "Ale is a wheat-based, low-alcohol beverage. A weak ale has 0.75 percent alcohol, while a robust brew contains 9 percent, making it the least alcoholic non-magical beverage alcoholic."
"We are familiar with Ale; in the Shire, we have our own brew," Pippin told him. "How about the elfish wine?"
"Are you even of drinking age?" inquired Xena her tone softening with amazement. He realised that the most had smiled, but she maintained a serious look in the presence of Aragorn's calm gaze.
"Dorwinion is situated on the northwestern coasts of the Sea of Rhûn, bounded on three sides by the River Running. Dorwinion produces a heady wine that is potent enough to induce intoxication and sleep in even Elves. What is known is that many Elves have roamed or resided in the barren plains between the Iron Hills, the Greenwood, and the Inland Sea since the First Age. Among these is Elvenking's own concoction, which is the most potent elfish wine known. Only the Elvenking and a handful of the Elven Lords he sent as a gift have access to his wine." Aragorn said as he skipped beside Pippin, bending to talk with him. "Now, Pippin, how did you learn of Mirkwood's wine?"
Pippin groaned, aware that telling the truth would land him in hot water. "Aeariel, an Elf maiden, invited Legolas to her chambers for a drink and a lengthy talk. Legolas seemed to be following out of duty, and I was intrigued by the Mirkwood wine. I attempted to enquire of Legolas, but he advised me to ask of you!"
"Aeariel, sister of Galadriel? How long ago did you see them, Pippin?" Aragorn questioned worriedly as he sprang to his feet.
"I don't recall, but it was a while ago," he said, attempting to recollect precisely when he crossed paths with them.
Aragorn did not hesitate to sprint in the direction the Hobbit had come before. Xena supported herself and followed him, perplexed as to why he would be concerned. "Are you concerned about Legolas?" she said. "Isn't he of an age to care for himself?"
"Aeariel is a High Elf; she is not to be trifled with," Aragorn reminded her as they both strolled in search of Aeariel's apartments. "Legolas and she had been acquainted for a long time, and she was always attempting to lure Legolas. It was a difficult game, but Legolas knows how to win. However, a..."
"But you worry a drunk Legolas would not?" Xena asked, her eyes widening.
Aragorn gave a nod. "Two cups will suffice," he informed her. "And I cannot simply enter an elf maiden's private chamber!" He sighed, attempting to conceive of a method to enter without attracting attention.
"You cannot," Xena stated emphatically, "but I can!"
And, as intended, they found Haldir along the way, and Aragorn recounted what had happened to him. Xena noted that even the marchwarden expressed concern when Aragorn informed him about the incident. He promptly brought them to Aeariel's quarters. After a few long minutes and a great deal of running, the trio found themselves outside her doorstep. However, neither Aragorn nor Haldir dared enter.
Xena rolled her eyes; she had always known that males were useless. She approached the threshold, opened it without knocking, and materialised between Aeariel and her prey. Xena took a step closer to Legolas, who was seated on her enormous bed, as her murderous stare fell on her. She couldn't tell whether he was intoxicated, despite the fact that he was zoning out and seemed to be indifferent to her.
Aeariel began to protest and attempted to draw Xena's attention away from Legolas, but she ignored her. She examined his peaceful face and saw him half-sleeping, while Legolas smiled at her. It was an odd grin, one she couldn't place. "Legolas, awake yourself," she gently shook his shoulder and attempted to lift him to a sitting posture. "Legolas, we are leaving!"
"How did you get access to my wards?" The elf maiden was enraged, reaching for Xena's wrist only to be pulled away.
Xena stared at her as she picked up a jug of wine from beside the bed and aimed it at her. "Was this the gift you gave him?" Xena inquired as to her demeanour, which was more lethal than Aeariel had ever seen her. "Have you offered him any Mirkwood wine?" she inquired once again.
"Wine from the land of Gwinion," Aeariel smirked as she attempted to wrap her arm around Legolas and balance him against her to assist him in the stand. "He is too drunk to walk," she attempted to explain but was cut off when Legolas slipped from her arms and fell against the bed like a sack of soil, hitting his head in the corner of the bed.
Legolas gasped in pain from the blow to the head, and Xena muttered under her breath. She attempted once again while calling Legolas. He seemed to open his eyes briefly, and she pushed with all her might only to hear the elf maiden laughing.
"He is inebriated," she said. "He is double his weight; it will be hard to take him out of here!"
Xena pursed her lips, bent forward, and put both her arms around him, pulling him up. "Do not dare to follow," she muttered, feeling Legolas's weight on her. "I will not harm you this time," she said, "but if you continue to play this game, I will end up hurting you."
Following that, Aeariel saw her pull Legolas out of her apartment, causing him to collide with walls and furniture along the way. The prince of Mirkwood would gasp each time he was smashed mercilessly against a surface. Leaving the room, Aragorn and Haldir saw her escorting a very inebriated Legolas outside. Aragorn requested that Xena take him outdoors and attempt to sober him.
She rolled her eyes but pulled the noisy elf behind a dark nook of a golden Mallorn tree, grasping the jug of wine in her left hand. She sat with him, supporting him against the tree. She shook him gently once again, her eyes riveted on him. His breathing changed and he moved slightly, his eyes hazily staring up at her.
Xena sighed and leaned against the tree as well, inhaling deeply and sipping from the jug of wine oblivious to the fact that it was much too powerful for her. Though she was taken aback by its flavour, it was both familiar and foreign at the same time. It possessed the flavour of Nectar, the heavenly wine of the Olympian gods. The flavour was one-of-a-kind, as was the disorientation it created.
Xena found herself taking a couple of further swallows of the wine she was intended to use to sober up Legolas. ' Best of luck,' a new voice said within her head, and she began to taste odours, hear noises, and sense colours. She felt a tingling sensation at the back of her throat and all the way down her stomach as a result of the wine. It felt as though she was somehow intoxicating.
"Do you like it?" she heard someone ask abruptly, and as she turned around, she saw the elf had awakened, his eyes pressed against her. "It is the wine of my homeland," Legolas added softly, causing her skin to burn.
"It's different," Xena said, blinking her eyes slowly as she began to feel strange and dizzy. It was as if time had stood still and she saw the world in slow motion. The colours converged to form butterflies that evolved into elfish songs that fell like golden leaves against the golden silver ground. She drew her eyes closed and leaned against the tree.
Legolas seemed comfortable, but she was concerned by his lost gaze. He reached for the jug and took a couple of further sips. It was as if his brain had been turned off and his mind had been taken over by a fool. He was in a dreamlike condition, dependent on the poison provided by his own father. He raised his eyes to the golden hues that fell on them like magnificent stars.
While leaning against him, Xena attempted to pry the jug from his grasp. "You are drunk," he stated bluntly, her words now slurred. "You cannot have any more," she said, attempting to concentrate her sight on him.
"No," he murmured, bending closer and reaching for the jug with his right hand.
"You are," Xena said quietly, her gaze resting on his. Awkward breezes, the aroma of moist ground mixed with old fallen leaves. She inhaled deeply, reviving and automatically settling her spirit. Such a distinct aroma. Perhaps it came from the forest, yet it seemed suspiciously near. Could it possibly be the forest!? Undoubtedly, the varied and complex odours of forest and woods add to her intoxication against his fragrance.
He stopped arguing and let his grey eyes get buried inside hers. He stepped out of the tree cautiously and leaned against her. Unable to maintain his balance, he fell and knocked her back into the tree, with him on top of her. The jug had long since vanished, rolling down into the grass as his hand extended over her shoulders. He grinned at her as he watched and studied her movements.
The elf was completely lost in his own realm at this point. He began murmuring elfish phrases beneath his breath as if luring her in with a piece of enticing music. His lips were close to her ear, and his fingers brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Xena flushed, her cheeks flaming with the intensity of a teenager's. He leaned in even closer, gradually trapping her between the tree's branches. And an instantaneous knot formed deep inside her gut.
He clutched her, and she saw her breathing become more rapid. He spoke to her once more in elfish, and she fell down the rabbit hole into his wonderland. His body crushed into her, and his hands quickly discovered the robe's string. He untied each knot gently and without looking at them. His lips came into contact with hers, and he pressed them softly on hers.
She was lost, completely seduced by his aroma. His fingers never cease removing her long robe off her, his lips probing hers. Everything was taking place so slowly that she wasn't sure whether she was dreaming or imagining it. Her own arms encircled him. Her fingers carefully work their way through his long hair, unbraiding and liberating it. It wasn't long before the kiss turned a little more frantic, and her finger made its way to the top of his pointy ears.
Legolas came to a halt and took a few deep breaths. Xena believed he flushed an odd pink hue. He murmured something sinister about it being a terrible idea to touch his ears. And suddenly his hands grabbed her head, his lips slamming into her with unnatural force. His tongue made contact with hers and began probing every inch of her mouth, while her hands had already stripped her naked. His hands continued to explore all exposed flesh he came across, leaving the human breathless.
She had discovered her robe had fallen against the tree's branches, and she was now just wearing a pair of white underpants. She felt vulnerable and nearly subjugated by the powerful elf kissing her against the tree. She chose to buck the current and ended up leaning forward and getting into his lap. Now that Xena was on top of him, the kiss remained passionate and wild.
She released the kiss and locked her eyes on Legolas. Her hands were entangled in his silver robe and pulled it open with a single motion. Xena smirked, and the elf reciprocated with the same deadly grin. He drew up his frame and let her strip him naked, leaving him half-naked. Then he pressed into her and rolled her into the golden leafy ground.
His warm body against hers, his fingertips brushing over every inch of her body, making her shudder. His lips came into contact with hers, and he kissed the air from her lungs. She was out of breath; she had never been kissed in this manner before. Perhaps it was the wine or their intoxicating selves that created such a wonderful atmosphere and sound.
Following that, both lost track of time and location, and they kissed for as long as they can remember, until they were too exhausted to continue. Legolas eventually grew tired of her lips and mouth and liberated the unfortunate human. He leaned back and drew her into his arms. Along the way, he draped her robe over both of them. That night, they slept among the golden hues of beautiful trees. They were too inebriated to care what had occurred.
They fell peacefully slumber, absorbed in their own dream and ignorant of what they had just done. For the time being, all that mattered was that each felt comfortable in the embrace of the other, regardless of reason or reasoning. Naturally, when they returned to reality and the Mirkwood wine's charm wore off, they would encounter the worst shock of their lives.
((Upcoming Chapter Forty-Three))
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