Love in The Woods by chrissystriped

Love in The Woods

Read Love in The Woods

“When will you let me take you out properly?”, Thranduil asked, looking up into the crown of the tree where the woman he hoped to marry sat on a thick branch. 

Luiloth laughed and jumped down elegantly. “I have nothing to wear for your fancy places, Elvenprince”, she said and kissed him for a greeting. 

“You know I’d dress you in the finest velvet and give you the most beautiful jewellery, if you let me”, he answered before kissing her back. 

“Flowers and feathers are the only jewellery I need and leather feels soft on my skin”, she answered. “Come”, she took him by the hand and led him towards her tent. 

Thranduil followed willingly. He knew nothing would come of his requests, it never did. Luiloth was a Nando, one of the people who’d already lived here when his father had come with his people from the destruction of Doriath, to resettle somewhere where they could live in peace. Many of the Nandor had congregated around Oropher and become more like the Sindar over the centuries, but not all. There were still some families who lived on their own, wandering the forest like they’d done for time unknown. Luiloth was one of them. 

He might never have met her, if they hadn’t chosen the same prey to hunt one day. She’d been furious, when he’d ‘stolen’ her kill. It had been a magnificent stag, the antlers adorned his hall now and he thought of her whenever he looked at them. Thranduil nodded at a few elves who sat outside their own tents in the camp of Luiloth’s family, mending clothes and carving wood and doing a thousand little things necessary for survival. Thranduil knew they thought him soft for living in a palace underground, where the chill of winter was banished by large fires and the earth around them. He ducked through the opening in the tent and sat down on the soft fur that lay on the floor. 

“Wait a moment, I’ll get us food”, Luiloth said before vanishing. 

Thranduil leaned back on his arms with a sigh. He always felt a little out of his depth here, with her. Her and her family’s life was so different from his own. How should he ever convince her to accept his hand in marriage? Follow him home to the earthen walls of his palace and the life of a courtier? She didn’t even want to spend an evening there with him!

 

“Your princeling is back, then?”, her mother asked as Luiloth filled two bowls with stew. 

“He’s not mine.” Luiloth answered, a blush creeping up her neck. “He’ll grow tired of me and move on.” 

That’s why she didn’t agree to his pleas of letting him show her the palace, court her properly. He was notorious for taking lovers, male and female alike, never staying with anyone for long. She did not wish to become too entangled… and she knew, the longer she stayed elusive, the longer she’d be interesting. If she wanted to keep him close, she had to be mysterious. Her mother laughed. 

“Have you seen how he looks at you? No, child, he won’t grow tired of you. If you don’t want him, don’t be cruel.” 

Luiloth hesitated. “Do you wish me to accept his courtship? He’s the prince, I’d have to move into that palace of his.” 

She shivered. The thought of living underground frightened her. Her mother stood up and kissed her cheek. 

“I wish you to follow your heart. What is it saying?” 

Luiloth shook her head. “I don’t know. I have to go, he’s waiting.” 

She hurried back, her heart thundering in her chest. She liked Thranduil. She knew that much. (She also liked the intimacy. His experience in these things certainly came in handy and had given her a lot of pleasure already.) She hadn’t allowed herself to think further, yet, she was well aware of Thranduil’s line of conquests. He smiled at her and thanked her for the food, when she offered him the bowl. Luiloth scrutinised his face covertly. 

‘Have you seen how he looks at you?’, her mother had said. 

She couldn’t say, she had. But her mother wouldn’t push her in that way, if she weren’t sure about this. 

‘Don’t be cruel.’ 

Luiloth watched Thranduil eat in that dainty way of his. She liked him. Oh, she liked him very much! But… she did not wish him to break her heart, if… when he grew tired of her. 

“How many lovers have you had?”, she asked. 

Thranduil stopped eating, the spoon halfway to his mouth. 

“I… don’t really know”, he said, a blush flooding over his face. It surprised Luiloth. He was never embarrassed about anything to do with sex. “I mean, I don’t keep count.” He bit his lip and met her eyes earnestly. “No one”, he said firmly. “No one since I met you. I can only think of you. I desire no one else.” 

Luiloth forced herself to laugh and take it lightly. “I bet, you tell that to all your conquests.” 

“No!” Thranduil put his bowl aside and gripped her hands. “Everyone knows I keep many lovers. You clearly do, too. I never lie to anyone about the kind of relationship I have with them. You are different. With you… I can imagine spending eternity with you.” 

Luiloth gulped and looked down at their hands. This was suddenly much more serious than she’d thought it would ever be with him — and she realised she wanted it to be that way. But she was still scared. If she opened her heart, she might be hurt — and if she accepted his advances, she would have to leave and move into the underground palace. 

“Tell me of your palace”, she said finally. “Describe it to me.” 

He gave her a surprised look, but he didn’t comment at the seemingly random change of topic. 

“Gladly! It is not as big nor as beautiful as Menegroth was, of course, but it is no dark hole. We have plants inside, ferns and mosses and mirrors that lead the light downwards. At night the great hall is aglow with lights encased in crystal.” 

It sounded nice. Luiloth found herself wishing to see this. How much things changed, once you allowed yourself to let your heart be involved. 

“Maybe I’d like to see that, after all”, she said slowly and Thranduil beamed at her. “But not today. Let’s go hunting?” 

They’d finished eating and she wanted to spend time with him away from the prying eyes of her family. They’d had sex in her tent before, but today, now that she was allowing for the possibility that this was indeed serious for Thranduil, she wanted to be truly alone with him. 

“As you wish”, he said and patted his bow. “I brought my things.”

 

Thranduil couldn’t concentrate on the hunt. He tried to hide it, because Luiloth would get annoyed with him — she was dependent on hunting her food and thus took it very seriously —, but he wasn’t sure how well he succeeded. He felt the constant grin on his face. She had not reacted to his confession of love, but her agreement to visit the palace felt like she had. He was already envisioning showing her his bedroom. The light of the crystal lamps, the bed made of oak, its bedpost carved like branches and holding green curtains shot with gold, the soft linen sheets. He was sure she’d never seen anything like it and yes, he wanted to impress her! He wanted to make love to her on a real bed. 

Maybe he had been too tangled in his fantasies of her spread out on his bed, but the next thing he knew he was sliding down a slope, the leaf-covered ground made slippery and muddy by the recent rain. He heard Luiloth cry out in surprise and saw her reach for his hand but he was already losing his balance and falling head over heels down the incline. He came to rest in a particularly wet patch of forest ground, mud seeping through his clothes. His quiver was digging painfully into his back and Thranduil loosened the straps that held it with a groan. He’d lost his bow on his tumble down. He heard quick steps coming towards him and then Luiloth looked down at him. 

“Thranduil! Are you alright?” She sounded worried and Thranduil sat up slowly. 

“Just a bit bruised”, he mumbled. Particularly his pride. 

Luiloth crouched down beside him and looked intently into his eyes. “Did you hit your head? Are you sure that you’re fine?” 

“Yes”, he said and, because he wanted her to stop fussing over him, he reached for her and pulled her down beside him. 

She squeaked, her hands sinking deeply into the mud as she stopped herself from falling face first into it. 

“Scoundrel!” 

The mud made a slurping sound as she pulled her hand out of it. Thranduil had no time to evade her before she planted her hand on his face, the mud cold and wet. 

“Ew!”, he tried to grab her but his hands were slippery too. 

Luiloth lost her balance, falling over him. 

“This is silly”, she said, but her voice trembled with suppressed laughter.  “Rolling around like children in the mud.” 

Thranduil wrapped an arm around her waist and tried to sit up, bracing himself on the other, but his arm slid away on the slippery ground and he ended up on his back again. 

“The gracefulness of the Quendi”, he said laughing and Luiloth dissolved into giggles. 

He held her, feeling their laughter flow through their bodies, becoming one. He did not mind the cold wetness seeping through his clothes, her warmth on top of him was everything. Her soft breasts pressed into his chest. He felt his body react. 

Luiloth lifted her head, her eyes still danced with mirth, but her voice was stern when she said: “You can’t be serious! This is not the moment for sex!” 

“Why not?” Thranduil smirked mischievously and lifted a dirty hand to stroke her cheek. 

“Because we are dirty and wet, but mostly dirty.” Luiloth scrunched up her nose. “I’m not having sex with you in a mud puddle.” 

“We could go to the palace and wash”, Thranduil said with a wink.

 “We have water at home”, Luiloth said and huffed. 

“But it’s cold. You could bathe in a tub full of hot water and sweet smelling oil. And then we could have sex on a soft mattress.” 

“Seducer. Trying to entice me away from the ways of my people!” She sat up on top of him, then: “Alright. Hot water sounds fantastic. Let’s go.” 

Thranduil almost couldn’t believe his ears, but he didn’t risk changing her mind by asking again.

 

The mud was already drying on their skin and flaking off it when they came close to the palace. Luiloth hesitated. She hadn’t planned this. What was she doing here? 

“Can we sneak in?”, she asked. 

She didn’t want to meet anyone who knew Thranduil or — mother of forests forbid — his father like this, covered in mud and with sticks and leaves in her hair. 

“Of course.” 

He led her around the palace hill and up to a large boulder overgrown with ivy. Thranduil stroked the vines, whispering softly to them and they parted for him, revealing a door. Thranduil slipped a necklace over his head and used the key on it to unlock it. 

“Enter, my lady”, he said, bowing to her. “Into the hall of the King of Greenwood the Great.” 

It could have sounded mocking, but when Luiloth looked into his eyes, there was just a deep happiness. She smiled at him. Thranduil locked the door again and led her a short way through complete darkness. His hand was warm and gentle around hers and Luiloth found herself leaning against him as the knowledge that she was under the earth settled around her. 

“It’s not going to be dark for long”, Thranduil said softly. “You can already see the light ahead.” 

Luiloth stared into the darkness, and true, there was a weak light, like the sun shining through clouds. She relaxed when they walked out of the tunnel into a wider hallway. Thranduil had not lied, sunlight was flooding in and being spread by little mirrors and crystals set between plants growing up the walls. Luiloth forgot that she was inside a hill, that tons of earth and rock were lying above her and might fall down on her at any moment. 

“It’s beautiful.” 

“I’m glad you like it.” Thranduil wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “The main hallways are even prettier, but for now you’ll have to contend yourself with the servants’ passages.” 

“That’s alright. I really don’t want to meet anyone, caked in mud.” 

Luiloth looked down at herself and sighed at the thought of how much work it would be to get the mud out of her clothes. 

“I can’t spare you from meeting someone in the baths”, Thranduil said as he led her on, first up, then down stairs hewn in rock and into a cave filled with the heat of fire and steam. 

Luiloth hung back when Thranduil walked up to the elves who tended the fire and ordered their baths to be drawn. They did not seem surprised to see him with a woman and they barely batted an eye at their muddy state, but Luiloth still felt uncomfortable. She only relaxed after their baths had been filled and they’d been left alone behind a screen painted with a pond landscape. Luiloth sighed happily and sank as deeply as possible into the steaming hot water. 

“I could get used to this”, she mumbled and Thranduil laughed. 

“You could have it as often as you want, if you’d agree to marry me”, he said lightly. 

“I have not even agreed to let you court me as far as I know”, Luiloth answered but smiled at him. “I might, though.” 

She heard Thranduil suck in his breath. 

“Will you?”, he asked and she thought she heard a hitch in his voice. “Will you let me court you?” 

Luiloth bit her lip. Her mother was right, she shouldn’t play with him. And if he meant it… 

“Yes”, she answered. “I give you permission to court me, Thranduil.” 

‘Don’t break my heart’, she thought. She was afraid of that. To commit to him only to find out that he indeed lost interest, when he was sure of her. Thranduil rose half out of his tub and leaned over to kiss her cheek. 

“Thank you. You make me very happy, Luiloth.”

Thranduil might have dried himself more slowly and shown more skin in the process than was strictly necessary. He heard Luiloth chuckle as he flexed his muscles and threw a wink at her. She’d already wrapped herself in the soft bathrobe that had been provided — their muddy clothes discreetly taken away to be washed. 

“Now, my prince”, she said with mirth colouring her voice. “What do you intend to do with me, now that you have lured me into your lair and sneaked away my clothes.” 

“That depends entirely on you, my dearest flower”, he said as he put on his own bathrobe. “Will you let me show you my bedchamber?” 

Luiloth fluttered her lids. “A proper lady would say no. You are lucky that I am not one.” 

“You’re lucky yourself”, Thranduil grinned at her. “You’d miss something, if you were a proper lady.” 

“So full of yourself.” Luiloth tutted, but winked at him. 

Thranduil took her hand and led her to his rooms, still grinning. He loved that he could tease her and be teased back. She never took offence and if he annoyed her, she told him outright. There were no guessing games with her, she was very straightforward. The only thing he hadn’t been sure about, had been what she thought of him and their relationship. But now it looked as if she was ready to take the next step and his heart beat quicker at the thought. Luiloth took a deep breath as they entered his bedroom through the back door. 

“It’s beautiful!”, she exclaimed, staring at the bed. 

There were windows in this room, made of many small tiles of glass that formed a pattern of leaves. The sunlight shone on the deep green bed curtains and made the gold thread woven in glitter. The bedposts looked like tree trunks, branching out to form the rails of the curtains. 

“It’s also very comfortable”, Thranduil answered. “Would you like to test it?” 

Luiloth sat down on the mattress and threw him a passionate look. Thranduil moved forward and bowed down to kiss her, his hand slid into the bathrobe and squeezed her small, firm breast. Her nipple hardened as he circled it with a thumb and she moved into him with a sigh. Thranduil pushed her on her back and she slid up until lying completely on the bed. 

“Let me worship you, my lady”, Thranduil said, opening the belt of her bathrobe. 

“The bed is very comfortable”, she answered. “I can agree to this.” 

Thranduil began by kissing slowly down her neck and chest before sucking one of her nipples into his mouth. He kneaded her other breast lazily while letting his tongue play with the hardening nub. Luiloth arched into him, her breath sighing and he moved his mouth to her other nipple while sliding his hand down her lean, muscular body, finally dipping his fingers between her legs. She was already wet and a moan fell from her lips when he stroked her folds with a fingertip. He circled her clit with teasingly light touch before dipping his finger into her, thrusting slowly while he let her wet nipple pop out of his mouth and kissed down her belly. 

His cock was hard, the sensitive skin rubbing against the silky material of his bathrobe. He wanted her, he wanted her so much, but he also enjoyed watching her come undone. He halted above her sex and Luiloth shivered, her muscles tensing around his finger, as his breath tickled her. Thranduil added a second finger, crooking them in just the right way, at the same time as he bowed down and licked her clit. Luiloth bucked her hips and entangled her fingers in his hair, shivering between his mouth and fingers. 

Thranduil looked up as he continued to lick and suck at her clit, her taste heady on his tongue. Her chest was heaving, sweat beading on her skin, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes bright as she met his gaze. He wrapped his free hand around his cock and stroked himself as he licked her into her first orgasm. He was ready, pleasure tingling up his spine, but he could wait a little longer.

 

Luiloth lay twitching, her fingers still gripping Thranduil’s hair as she came down from her high. She was satisfied but not sated, feeling empty after Thranduil had pulled out his fingers. She looked at him, kneeling between her spread legs, stroking himself slowly as he watched her with pleasure-dark eyes. 

“Come to me”, she husked. “I want you inside me.” 

“Oh?”, he said and bowed over her, breaching her with the head of his cock. “You want this?” 

She could hear he meant it to be teasing, but he was breathless and as eager as her, she could see that. 

“Yes!”, she moaned, bucking her hips. 

“As you wish, my lady.” 

He kissed her as he pushed into her, his tongue mirroring his thrusts. He’d held himself back, she realised that as he immediately settled into a fast rhythm, fucking her into the (truly very soft and comfortable) mattress. Luiloth moaned into his mouth. She wrapped one arm around his shoulders, digging in her nails, her other hand travelled down, rubbing herself. She came a second time, crying out, at the same time Thranduil found his release inside her. 

They lay panting, sweaty skin sticking together. Luiloth let her fingertips wander up and down Thranduil’s spine, enjoying the closeness. Enjoying to feel their breaths slow and in sync, their hearts beating as one. Maybe, she thought, maybe she could really be his lady. His princess. Her heart wanted it and right now her sense did not try to talk her out of it. She could see the love Thranduil felt for her and for the first time she could believe it would last.