Chapter 2:  Then comes Marriage (Celebrían)

Celebrían lifted her face to the dawn, breathing deeply of air sweetened by the rain as Anor’s light burned through the mists left by the previous night’s thunderstorms.   Heavy dew covered the grass and trees surrounding the Last Homely House, but soon that too would disappear.  She walked to the end of the balcony, where she was greeted by wonderful smells drifting up from the kitchens where feast preparations had already begun.  In only a few hours, Imladris would be prepared for the wedding of its lord. For her lord, she whispered to herself.

She had waited long for this day. She had fallen in love with Elrond Peredhel the day she met him, and she knew that he had loved her as well.  They had waited through uncertainty and war, and he had come home from that war cloaked in despair like a mountaintop lost in the clouds – it shrouded him and blocked his sight of all that was good and beautiful.   How she had longed to chase that shadow from him, to bring hope back into his life!  Her mother had counseled patience, and time had proven Galadriel right. Gradually the clouds had lifted and sun had reached the peak.

“Fair morning, daughter.”

Celebrían turned at the sound of her mother’s voice. Galadriel held a shimmering blue gown over her arm and this she held up now for Celebrían to see.

“Fair morning, naneth,” she replied, but her eyes were drawn to the dress that her mother had made. She hurried to meet her.  She fingered the silk gown, pulling the skirt out to admire the sheen and drape of the material. It was beautiful.

“Come try this on, so I might ensure the accuracy of my eye.”

Celebrían stepped back into the room and eagerly removed her nightclothes. She slipped into the dress and then allowed her mother to fasten the clasps, of which there were few.

“Naneth, this is beautiful. It is like a sunbeam caught in the waterfall,” she exclaimed as she looked at herself in the mirror against the wall.

Galadriel smiled as she checked the fit. “That was my intention.  You said you wished for the simple beauty of Imladris to grace this day, and so it shall.” She smoothed the material at Celebrían’s shoulders and stepped back.  “You are the fairest rose in Imladris.”

Celebrían turned and embraced her. “Thank you, Naneth.  This is a fine gift and I will treasure it. Where is Adar?  Has he seen it?”

“Your adar has seen it.  I believe he is off pretending to intimidate Elrond this morning, as part of some male ritual where the father seeks to ensure that the one marrying his daughter will love and care for her.”

Celebrían laughed at her mother’s tone. “Adar does so enjoy that!  I think Elrond knows he is teasing him.”

Galadriel lifted a brow at her. 

“Well, mostly teasing,” amended Celebrían.  “It is only fair that I should be receiving a similar lecture from Elrond’s naneth.  I am inclined to believe that Círdan will not fill that role.”

Celebrían had removed the dress and slipped back into her robe, while Galadriel hung the wedding dress from a hook on the wall.  She motioned for Celebrían to sit, then sat down beside her, Celebrían’s wedding headdress in hand.

“If you wish for that lecture, I will give it.”

Celebrían looked up in surprise, but quickly nodded.

“Today you become wife to Elrond Peredhel, who is mighty among both Elves and Men.  Despite any power he may hold, I tell you this: you will hold his heart in your hand. Do not ever abuse that power, nor trifle with his affection.  Today you also become the Lady of Imladris. You have been taught to run a House, and I have no doubts as to your ability.  Remember, however, that Imladris is full of competent elves able to fulfill those duties.  Your primary responsibility to Imladris is to love Elrond.”

“Thank you, Naneth,” answered Celebrían seriously.  Then she paused and smiled. “What is Adar telling Elrond this morning?”

Galadriel laughed. “I do not know.” She closed her eyes for a moment, then smiled. “I do know some of what my brother said to Celeborn.” When Celebrían beckoned for her to continue, she said, “My four brothers were in Doriath for the wedding. Finrod as eldest stood in place of Finarfin my father. Finrod was also most like Finarfin, gentle in spirit, as was Indis my grandmother.  She was of the Vanyar, as you know, and they are a gentle folk.

“The advice often given from a father to his new son is a reminder of how precious the daughter is and to love her well or else face the wrath of her kin, advice that is more tradition or play than it is necessary, for the Eldar wed for love yet seldom pass an opportunity for mirth.  My brother, however, was more serious.  He warned Celeborn that the fire of the Noldor ran hot in my blood, and not to cage me.”

Celebrían looked at her mother, at Galadriel, who was at the moment the picture of domestic tranquility, arranging her daughter’s wedding as was tradition among the Eldar, and tried to imagine her as a fiery Noldorin elleth ablaze behind a gilded cage door.

Galadriel glanced askew at her, her fingers nimbly arranging tiny white flowers in the headdress. “I was perhaps a bit tempestuous in my youth and not entirely undeserving of the description. I think Celeborn was more surprised that such words came from my gentle brother.  From Orodreth or Aegnor he could have imagined it, but hardly from Finrod!”

“Has Adar ever attempted to cage you?” asked Celebrían.

“Once or twice, perhaps,” answered Galadriel. She bit her lip, then smiled. “I am not too proud to admit he was right.”

“What were the circumstances?”

Galadriel laughed, then smoothed Celebrían’s hair down and set the headdress on her head. “They are now inconsequential.  He had merely to appeal to me as your naneth to knock sense into my head.” She turned Celebrían’s head from side to side, inspecting her work, then took the crown of flowers from her head.  “Your bath is waiting.  Go, while I check on other preparations.”

Celebrían watched her mother leave, then entered the bathing chamber, where indeed a bath had been prepared for her.  She thought for a moment on her mother’s words, casting back in her own memories as she tried to recall her parents at odds over her, but she could not remember such a time.  Her thoughts drifted to her own future, and she felt her heart skip as she considered what their wedding night would hold.  They would be bound in body and spirit. She shivered as she thought of the few times Elrond had shown her his passion, for tonight she would know it fully.  Her mind then wandered along paths of future hopes, of their life together, of children she would bear, of a daughter she would one day sit in conversation with as she did her own mother today

* * *

“You are beautiful.”

Celebrían looked into her father’s shining eyes and easily read his pride and love. He held one of her hands, and as she had done as a small child, she lifted his hand high above her and twirled below it.   He laughed. The sound lifted her spirits even higher than they already soared, and then he kissed her brow, careful not to muss her hair or the decorations Galadriel had woven among the tresses. “You will take his breath away.”

“Have you suitably scolded him this morning, adar?” she teased.

Celeborn grinned. “I tried, but your husband is serious enough already without me adding to it. He reminds me of Eärendil on his wedding day, but also Dior when he wed Nimloth, my niece.  There is no small amount of Gil-galad in him as well.”

Celebrían was silent as she considered Elrond’s lineage: heir to Gondolin and Doriath, were they not sleeping beneath the sea, and to the throne of the high king, if he had wished it. He had not wished it though. He was Elrond of Imladris, his own house. Withdrawing from her thoughts, she focused on her father’s quizzical expression and smiled. “Will you escort me outside, Adar?”

She took the arm her father offered her, and they walked down the long corridor to the stairs leading to the front porch.  The porch bustled with activity, though it came to an abrupt halt as all eyes turned to her.   Unused to being the center of attention, she had nonetheless watched her mother in such situations many a time. She moved among the elves, accepting their well wishes and greeting each in turn.

The buzz of joyous elves had resumed as they went about their work, when silence suddenly fell again.  Celebrían looked up to see the cause, and found all eyes upon her.   She looked around quickly, and felt her heart nearly stop as she saw the reason.  Standing in the main corridor off the atrium was the resplendent Lord of Imladris.

Celebrían reminded herself to breathe and then to swallow, before she choked. From his black leather boots to breeches and tunic of midnight blue trimmed in silver, from the flowing velvet cape, to the simple silver circlet on his brow, he was breathtaking.   She curtseyed before him; he bowed low before her.

“Ah, Lady Celebrían. Will you honor me with a walk in the garden?”

Celebrían had to tear her eyes away from her betrothed and force herself to smile at the bearded elf approaching her.  Círdan stepped in front of her, blocking her view of Elrond, and she heard what sounded like a low whimper and then clapped her hand over her mouth, mortified when she realized the sound had come from her.

Círdan roared with laughter, the sound echoed more sedately by all the witnesses. He took her arm from her father. “You have had her from birth and Elrond will have her for all eternity; surely you will spare her to me for a walk on this important day?”

Celeborn gave her up with a bemused laugh, but when Celebrían looked over her shoulder, it was not her father she saw, but Elrond. Glorfindel now stood at his side, one hand on his shoulder as he whispered something in Elrond’s ear.  Elrond’s eyes, though, had not left her, and they bore into her with a heat that made her feel faint.

“He does look rather well, does he not?” said Círdan, and Celebrían blushed at her rudeness to her escort. But Círdan laughed again, and she was suddenly back in Lindon, watching Elrond enter the ballroom before a gala. They had had eyes only for each other, and Círdan and Gil-galad had teased Elrond mercilessly as only a father or brother might. She looked up at Círdan and wondered how long it had been since he had laughed with such carefree abandon.

His eyes met hers and gentled, as did his smile.  “It has been a long time,” he admitted.  “Lift your skirt,” he instructed, then led her into the garden.  He laid his cloak over a bench and after she sat, he settled her skirt around her. “We do not want to face Galadriel’s wrath for mussing your dress before the ceremony.

“I will formally welcome you to Elrond’s family at the appropriate time, my dear, but I also wished to welcome you on my own behalf. You are right that it has been long since I have so laughed. Seeing Elrond happy brings me a pleasure that perhaps only a father can truly understand. Dark times will again come, Celebrían, and Elrond will have a part to play in the age we have begun.  Duty and service he knows; lore and healing he practices, but through you he will find what it means to love to the very core of his being.  Treasure him.” He paused, then the grave look upon his face gave way to a smile again. “Ai, you are the fairest rose of Imladris, Celebrían Celeborniel.  Elrond could not have chosen better.  May your life together be happy and blessed.”

Círdan pulled forth a small pouch and took out an item wrapped in silk. He shook the cloth loose and held a gleaming necklace up for Celebrían to see.  “The pearls belonged to Elwing, a gift to her upon her wedding day. I have added the sapphire; it once graced Idril’s headdress and survived the fall of Gondolin. Eärendil treasured it.  These are among the few treasures that survived the sack of Sirion and the fall of Beleriand. Long I have waited to bestow them upon Elrond’s bride.” He fastened the clasp around her neck.

He lifted her hand and kissed it, and she rose to kiss his brow. “They are beautiful, Círdan. Thank you. I am glad to wear them this day in honor of Elrond’s mother and father.”

She sat down next to him again, and as she did so, his beard brushed up against her bare arm. Unable to resist the moment, she stroked her hand down the long silky white hair and said, “It is as soft as Elrond says. He told me if I ever I had the opportunity to do that, to take it!”

Círdan laughed again and batted her hand playfully away, but at her request he told her of Elrond as a child and his fascination with his beard. “Gil-galad outgrew his fascination quickly and Elros did not care, but Elrond even as an adult was intrigued that an elf could grow a beard.” He eyed her suspiciously. “I expect if you have children you will teach them that the beard is not to be touched.”

“Oh, most certainly!” she agreed. “And as you have done with every child of the Eldar you have held on your knee, you will allow it and sputter your annoyance like Ossë crashing waves upon the shore, but secretly you do not mind for you love little ones.”

Círdan grunted.  “That obvious?”

Celebrían kissed him again.  “Yes.”

“Well, come and marry Elrond, then,” said Círdan, and he rose and gathered the trailing skirt and once she was ready, walked her back to the house.

Marriages in Imladris tended to be a whole House affair, with everyone attending, since few had large extended families with which to celebrate, as had been done traditionally.  In this case, a large contingent had arrived with Círdan from the Havens and Lindon, and King Valandil, who had grown up in Imladris during the war, had come from Annúminas with an entourage.  The cooks had produced a feast worthy of the King’s palace in Lindon, and rows of tables had been set out on the green. Canopies were arranged over many to block the mid-afternoon sun, while trees afforded shade for the others.  Lanterns were hung in preparation for the evening dance, and swaths of cloth, ribbons and bunting were hung in blue and silver. Imladris had never been more beautiful as it was that day, but Celebrían barely gave any of it more than a glance as her eyes searched out her betrothed.  Once she laid eyes on him, she saw nothing else.

Círdan walked her to him. She noted her parents’ gift hung around his neck; she had seen it before and had long known it would serve this purpose.  Elrond took her hand as she stepped near and she felt his finger at her neck, tracing along the pearls to the gem that hung from the middle.

“They are beautiful.  You are beautiful.” He kissed her hand, and she shivered in response.

Celebrían turned to Círdan, who was smiling at Elrond’s reaction, and she realized that Elrond had not seen the gift before. She felt a deepening gratitude to the elf for surprising him in this way.

Celeborn, Galadriel and Círdan announced the start of the feast and pronounced the blessing over it, and Celebrían realized this might be the only feast in Imladris in which Elrond did not perform those duties.   On this day Elrond was the guest of honor in his home, and he had graciously given up all responsibility for the festivities.  On this day, Celebrían would cease to be a guest in his house, and from this day forth she would take on responsibility for such events. 

That the food was wonderful she did not doubt, but she knew she would not be able to remember what exactly was served.   She was aware as never before of the heat of his body next to her, and how each little touch made her feel.   Toasts were made in their honor, and much wine was enjoyed, although neither she nor Elrond drank much.  Much laughter was heard, but though they both smiled and rejoiced at the sound, neither laughed very much.  She felt his hand seeking hers beneath the table, and she clasped it even though it sent a shock up her arm and into her spine.

Finally, when the steep cliffs of the valley had just begun to hide the setting sun from their view, her parents and Círdan rose and came for them, and escorted them to the wedding canopy.  Elrond and Celebrían faced each other, and Elrond began.  He removed the silver ring from her finger and tucked it into his pocket to be treasured, then spoke, “With Manwë as my witness, I wed thee, Celebrían, and take thee for my wife. I will love, honor, protect and serve thee until time ends.” He slipped a gold ring on to her finger.

Celebrían took his hand and slipped the silver ring from it and placed it in a fold of her dress specially designed for this purpose.  “With Varda as my witness, I wed thee, Elrond and take thee for my husband. I will love, honor, cherish and serve thee until time ends.” She slipped a gold band on to his finger.”

Their parents stepped closer, forming a circle with them, and Galadriel and Círdan spoke in turn.

“Before Eru our daughter has spoken. Let her be joined for eternity to Elrond, raise with loving care and joy any children that He entrusts to them, and live with her husband in honor and truth. Elrond becomes a son of our house from this day forward.”

“Before Eru our son has spoken. Let him be joined for eternity to Celebrían, raise with loving care and joy any children entrusted to them, and live with his wife in honor and truth. Celebrían becomes a daughter of our house from this day forward.”

“Before Eru we pronounce our children wed. They may now live together as husband and wife and consummate their bond,” finished Celeborn.

Celebrían’s gaze had not left Elrond’s through the blessings and pronouncement, nor had he looked away for even a moment.  When her father finished speaking, they kissed, and Celebrían felt the first change within her, a sense of other within herself.

Cheers and laughter finally invaded their consciousness and they pulled apart. Music began to play, and Elrond led her to the area set aside for dancing. He spun her into the dance and a few moments later they were surrounded.  They danced as a couple, moving as two people who at first seemed independent, but gradually becoming mirrors of each other, while their families and friends danced in an ever moving circle around them. The males moved clockwise, the females counterclockwise, switching partners as they made their way along the line. As the line moved faster in intricate steps, Elrond and Celebrían slowed, their bodies moving closer until they were pressed together, their movements no longer representing two people, but one.  The dance ended with Celebrían held against Elrond, but when he would have released her, she held tightly to him.  Sliding her hands under the dress cloak that hung so elegantly from his broad shoulders, she let them linger on his hips, holding him snugly against her.  She looked up into eyes darkened with desire and felt her breath catch at the intensity of the gaze that met hers.

All sound faded around them as Elrond lowered his head and captured her lips with his own. She savored the taste of him, and as he wrapped his arms around her, she reveled in the feel of hard muscles encircling her.  She nearly cried out when he released her, but he kept an arm about her waist and guided her away from the dancers.

No one stopped them as they walked to the house, though many a loving eye followed their retreating figures.  Elrond led her past the stairs to the rooms she had long occupied, instead guiding her down the long corridor to his chambers.  Celebrían stopped just inside the door, speechless, as she looked over the room.  What had been a masculine suite decorated in dark woods and deep colors was transformed into rooms that reflected feminine and masculine occupants, and Celebrían’s tastes as well as Elrond’s.

“Elrond, this is lovely!”

She glided around the chambers, peeking in the sitting area and bathing chambers, before returning to stand before Elrond.  He took her hands in his and kissed them. “My greatest contribution was vacating the premises while your mother and Erestor directed the work,” he admitted. “She showed me only this morning, and I was well pleased.”

Celebrían opened her mouth to speak, but words fled at the jolt she felt when Elrond stroked her cheek. Then he lowered his mouth to hers, and time stood still.  Elrond had exhibited extraordinary self-control since their betrothal, his touches seldom lingering too long and his kisses gentle. She had desired the passion they experienced that day, but he had smiled and said she was a temptation he had to wholly resist or they would end up bound long before their troth was to take place, and that was hardly a good example for the younger elves.  After that, she had been more careful not to tempt him, for she had learned the fire in his blood, while slow to kindle, was also hard to extinguish.

The fires had been kindling all day, and the touch that had made her shiver that morning now made her feel as if she were ablaze. His mouth was hard on hers, nearly bruising, and she was gasping for breath when he finally stopped.  She touched her lips in wonder. Concern filled her husband’s eyes, which she quickly dispelled by slipping a hand behind his head and drawing him back to her again.  She felt a rising urgency in both of their movements, and she unfastened the clasp at his throat, dropping the dark silk to the floor.   Intent on undoing all the fasteners on his long tunic, she was surprised when her gown fell to the floor and the cool night air brushed her bare skin. He managed to remove her chemise before she was halfway done with his tunic.  He was still fully clothed while she was naked, but when she lifted her face to playfully complain, she found his grey eyes black and a look of such adoration on his face that her words died on her lips.

Then he devoured her. She gasped as she felt his tongue tracing the point of her ear while his hands explored the curves of her body. Each place he touched tingled, until it felt like her whole body was aflame.  Sensations more powerful than anything she had experienced before nearly overwhelmed her, and she realized Elrond had opened his heart and soul to her.  She gave up attempting to disrobe him, and let herself be carried along with his passion.  He lifted her in his arms and carried her to their bed, but when he laid her down and would have joined her, she managed to hold up an arm. 

“Off,” she gasped.

He looked stunned and confused at her words, and she yanked hard on his breeches.  “Clothes off,” she clarified breathlessly.

The garments fell from him with seemingly no effort and she rose to her knees at the edge of the bed and placed her hands on his shoulders, holding him in place so she could admire what had long been hidden from her.  She traced the outline of the defined muscle of his chest, to a scar that ran down the length of his shoulder.  Laying her palms flat on the sides of his chest, she slid them toward each other, meeting at his breastbone, where a smattering of hair ran down to his abdomen. Her fingertips explored what her eye saw, smoothing over a firm stomach. At his navel the hair began again, and she ghosted her finger along it down to his groin, smiling when he shuddered

“Do I pass inspection, my wife?”

His voice was husky with desire, and she decided she would never grow tired of hearing him speak so.

“Oh yes,” she answered slowly. “Though I plan to learn every inch of you.”

She continued her explorations, her fingers dancing across the sensitive flesh of his lower abdomen to the crease of his thigh.  That touch made him shiver and shrink away from her. Thrilled, she repeated the movement, delighting when his hips thrust involuntarily forward and he moaned, the sound vibrating through her. That he desired her was without question, and she found her eye drawn to the hard flesh that would join them bodily.  Her heart sped up at the thought. She ghosted her finger up the length of him, smiling at the hiss that escaped him and the way he had to grab her shoulders to make himself stay still. She slid her hands around to his back and pressed herself against his body, and heard him blow out a long breath that told her how much self control he was using to allow her to explore.  Once she was in his arms, though, he took back control.  He lifted her hips, wrapping her legs about him, and then crawled on to the bed, laying her down on the pillows and covering her with his body.

His lips covered hers, his tongue probing her mouth again, and then he was pressing kisses down her jaw and neck.  She gasped and cried out as his hands covered her breasts, tweaking her nipples to hardness, then all sense fled as she felt his mouth on her, sucking the stiff peak and sending a shock all the way to her belly.  She wound her fingers through his dark hair, as if to anchor her to him when he would send her soaring. He sucked and kissed his way down her torso. Where her touch had required all of his control to stay still, he had to hold her hips in place when his mouth reached the sensitive flesh where abdomen met thigh.    Then he raised his head and she looked into his passion filled eyes, his dark hair tousled from her hands and falling loosely about his face. Held by his gaze, she was aware of his hands gently pushing her thighs farther apart, but his touch on her arousal was unexpected and she cried out, her upper body rising at the incredible sensations racing through her. Elrond was whispering love words to her, one hand on her breast while the other stroked her into a frenzy.  Sound and sight faded as she felt a growing tightness in her belly.  Just when she thought she would burst, Elrond stopped those ministrations and shifted her slightly, then entered her in one thrust. 

Pain blossomed for only a moment, then the tightness in her belly returned, growing with each thrust and she grasped at Elrond’s hips to hold him while she clenched her muscles around him.  Waves of contractions passed through her, each one making her gasp, and she cried out with the final one. Her contracting muscles pushed Elrond over the edge and she heard him call her name as he found his release inside her. He collapsed on top of her, and she clung to him as they caught their breath.

Elrond rolled to lie on his side next to her, and she nestled her head into the hollow of his shoulder. She could feel his breath warm against her cheek and utter contentment settled on her.  Her thoughts drifted as they regained control, their breathing finally slowing. She loved the feeling of him inside of her, of being physically joined with Elrond – her husband – and a shiver ran through her as she considered that what they had shared this night was a joy they would share over and over again. 

She turned on her side to face Elrond, then reached up to brush his hair back from his face.  Not only was he handsome, he was uniquely handsome, exotic in a way that other elves were not.   She trailed a finger along the curve of his ear to its tip, smiling when he shuddered in response, then moved down his jaw, amazed at the tightening she felt in her belly again when he captured her fingertip in his mouth and sucked on it. She traced his lips, then moved down his neck to broad shoulders and muscular upper arms.  He was broader in build than most elves and more heavily muscled.  She lightly pinched his nipple, watching as it hardened and grew erect, and she wondered how long a male needed before other parts of his flesh could again grow hard.

Not long at all, if you keep looking at me so lasciviously.

Celebrían jerked her head up in surprise, for she knew she had not spoken aloud. Suddenly she realized she had not heard him speak either.  Wonder filled her as she realized that she felt Elrond in her, not as she had the day of their betrothal, but clearer and more intertwined. She grinned at him, then pushed him on to his back and sat astride him.  Unsure entirely how the bond worked, she simply directed her thought at him,  What else am I thinking, melethron?

Elrond’s eyes darkened and took on a predatory gleam. He slid his hands under her and lifted her with ease, then shifted her down so that she straddled his groin.  You are wondering if this is possible.  Celebrían gasped as she felt the growing hardness between her thighs, and the pressure on her groin made her moan in desire for more.

But alas! I need a few more moments. You, however, do not.  Elrond pulled her down to his chest and rolled them over so he straddled her.  Their hands were clasped on either side of her head, and she felt a delicious vulnerability at being so conquered.   He gave her an appraising look, then pulled her arms above her head and held them with one of his.  His eyes never left hers as he again parted her thighs and began stroking her.  It took only moments for her to build to a climax, which seemed heightened by her inability to move. Intense waves of pleasure rolled through her, and she cried out in a series of short gasps.

She had barely calmed down when she felt a tug on her breast that went straight to her groin. Elrond sucked on one nipple, then the other, the cool wetness exhilarating. His hands moved in advance of his mouth, kissing and suckling down her belly as she writhed beneath him. Still sensitive from the pleasure that had just swept through her, she nearly screamed when he entered her again.  This time he moved slowly, stopping all movement for a moment as he pressed hard against her, until she begged him to move. He began to thrust in a slow and steady pattern, but if he hoped to prolong their pleasure, he was wrong, for she climaxed within moments and he followed her. She was spinning and falling, soaring and diving, her pleasure mixed with Elrond’s until she could not tell where she ended and he began.

She awakened as dawn broke, held securely in Elrond’s arms, and stretched like a contented cat.  She didn’t remember falling asleep; the last she recalled was riding a wave of pleasure so great that she lost herself.  She turned in his now loose hold to face him, and found him awake and watching her.

“Elrond,” she said, then added, “My husband.”

“Celebrían, my wife.” He reached to tuck an errant strand of hair behind her ear.

She pulled his head to hers, and kissed him. “Last night was wonderful. I flew from a cliff and swam to the bottom of the sea, and was rolled with the current to Valinor and back. The world exploded and I fainted, and then I remember no more.”

Elrond grinned. “You did faint. I will need to be more careful about how much I open my mind to you. It was very… intense.”

She looked at him questioningly, and he explained, “What we were feeling was intertwined: I felt your pleasure and you felt mine. It was wonderful, but perhaps a bit too much.”

“We will learn to accommodate it,” she answered with a yawn.

Elrond laughed then sat up, finding a cup and drinking of the water.  He offered it to her, and she propped herself up on one elbow to sip, but her attention was elsewhere. The angle he had put himself at put his breast near her face, and she could not help but lean forward and close her mouth over his nipple and suckle it.

“You are insatiable!  Wanton!” he teased her, grasping her head.

“I just want to know if that brought you the same pleasure you brought me.”

“Pleasure, yes; the same pleasure, I do not know.” He laughed.  “You are rather … sensitive.”

“I suppose I have time to learn what you find pleasurable,” she finally agreed as she sat up next to him.

“A worthy endeavor, that,” agreed Elrond. “I shall be equally solicitous.”

“Surely we have time for a little exploration right now.”

“We should bathe and appear for breakfast.”

Celebrían smiled. “Exploration in the bath is a very worthy endeavor.”

She learned how fast Elrond’s reflexes were a moment later as he swept her off the bed and carried her to the bathing chamber.

They did manage to appear in time for lunch.