The Blacksmith

Pinned against the door, Halbrand eagerly began to ravish you. Your face in both his hands, his tongue gliding over your own, his body covering you completely. He was making you weak at the knees, and if you weren't equally as hungry for him, you would probably let your arms fall to their sides, standing hopelessly as he devoured you. But your arms were on his back, holding him against you, so thankful to finally have him all to yourself. Halbrand spun you around, then kissed his way down your body, worshipping you, stopping at your ankles. Placing his hands on your boots, he began to unlace them, and you lifted your feet so he could take them off. He then ran his hands up your calves, your thighs, before cupping your ass, squeezing your cheeks, making you sigh. The next sensation you felt was his fingernails dragging down the skin of your legs, sending a delicious chill up your body, causing you to gasp. As soon as his hands reached the hem of your dress, he took hold of it, rising up off the floor to lift it off you, exposing your body to him fully.

You turned to face him then, his eyes lit up with lust as he took in the glorious sight of your naked form. Standing there breathless, you watched as he quickly removed his charcoal tunic, boots, and black trousers, tossing them aside, not concerned with where they landed. Halbrand's eyes were only on you. The sparse candlelight and flickering flames that heated the water nearby provided a stunning soft amber glow that covered you both. Luckily, the room was not occupied, a fact that didn't even register in your mind until now. You were so consumed by him. Stepping towards your love, you embraced, all skin upon skin, lips upon lips.

Without warning, Halbrand lifted you up off the floor into his arms, causing a small fit of laughter to escape you. He lowered you into the tub closest to you, before proceeding to grab pitchers of warm water, which he poured over you as you gazed up at him. The liquid felt so calming, so soothing as it cascaded over you, steam dancing up into the air from the water’s surface. Halbrand's eyes were transfixed, studying every inch of your body, the way it reacted to the water, the way it made your body glisten. He was very content, crouching beside you, pouring pitcher after pitcher into the tub. Eventually, you reached out to him, gliding your hand along his forearm. "Aren't you going to join me...?"
"Of course." he replied, "I'm just finding it hard to deny myself of this view... you are so... magnificent..."
You smiled, blushing. "Get in here."

"With pleasure, my queen." he obliged you, taking his place at the other end of the bath. You watched as he scooped some water into his hands, pouring it over his head. His hair and face dripping, his craving for you clear in his expression, Halbrand pulled you towards him closely, your legs now wrapped around each other. You raised a hand to his face, feeling his moistened skin. He turned to catch your flesh with his mouth, nipping at you, until eventually your thumb fell between his lips, his tongue on your skin causing you to gasp. As you gazed at him with desire, you gradually moved your face closer to his, your lips parted, breathing heavily. He gave your thumb one last little tug with his teeth before releasing it. Then you moved that same hand slowly along his jawline, past his ear, resting it at the back of his head, your fingers twisted in his damp hair.

Halbrand mimicked you, his hand on the back of your skull, holding you against him, your foreheads now resting together, your noses touching lightly. Letting your free hand wander beneath the water, you took his hard length in your hand, stroking it at a deliberate slow pace. Your love gasped exquisitely, immediately reciprocating with his fingers gliding between your folds, and you joined him in vocally expressing your pleasure. But it was the sweet torture of your lips grazing that threatened to undo you both. Your mouths hovered over each other, denying your tongues of contact, delaying the kiss that would inevitably happen. Your movements on each other beneath the surface increased, as did your moaning, yet despite the time that had passed with your lips barely touching, there still was no kiss. You were taken over by your pleasure, panting into each other, only able to focus on the giving and receiving of bliss with your hands. It was almost a game to see who might cave first.

Unable to resist him any longer, you moved to complete the kiss finally, but Halbrand denied you, snickering between his moans. The agony of not having his tongue wrapped around your own only caused you to pull on him faster, and harder. Perhaps you had to earn it. The sound of splashing water echoed through the washroom as your hands moved furiously upon each other. Halbrand's fingers entered you then, and unable to stop it, your tongue darted out, entering his mouth just enough to break him. He finally kissed you, and as your tongues collided, your moans became their loudest as your orgasm abruptly washed over you. The sweet friction and depth of his fingers combined with the desperate relief of his mouth finally devouring you was all too intense, your climax reached before you could stop it. Yet it was so glorious you did not care.

Still kissing you, Halbrand guided your body to lay back down, your head resting against the end of the tub. Sated, your lips moved languidly now against his as he floated above you, and you felt his erection gently against your entrance. This made you twitch, causing Halbrand to chuckle into your mouth. "Had enough, my love?" he asked breathlessly.
You laughed. "One could never.... have enough of you..."
"I was hoping you'd say that..." he spoke, before slowly entering your womanhood. Your eyes went wide, and gasping loudly, you clutched onto him as he teasingly began to move in and out of you. You could barely breath the sensation was so overwhelming. You felt your body sliding down, your face closer to the surface of the water. Halbrand soon quickened his pace, his hands white knuckling as he held tightly onto the lip of the tub. Your body moved in the water with every thrust, the splashing sound filling the air once more. As good as this felt, it was watching Halbrand's face as he approached his ecstasy that you enjoyed the most.

With only your eyes, nose, and mouth above the surface now, your love came undone, and these thrusts caused your head to sink beneath the water completely. Hearing his muffled screams through the liquid that covered you, he kept up his thrusts until he was done. The lack of air combined with the constant striking of your clit and deepest spot suddenly had you feeling euphoric once more, the water bubbling with your cries, your hips bucking up into him to meet his final thrusts as both your orgasms came to a close.

Once he stopped, you lifted yourself back above the water, taking air back into your lungs, and Halbrand's lips upon yours. He removed himself from you and the two of you sat up at opposite ends of the bath, both trying to catch your breath, living in your blissful daze. He stared at you, grinning, a chuckle escaping him. "Oh my love... how is it... that you... consistently... make me feel... this... good..."
Smiling at him dreamily you replied, "I was... going to... ask... you the same... thing..."
You both laughed and Halbrand shook his head in disbelief, unable to wipe the grin from his face. "You are... truly... everything..."
Humming happily in response, you found what little strength you had left and glided over to him, kissing him lovingly before letting your head come to a rest over his heart. Your favourite spot to lay.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

"Oi! You know there are other patrons in this establishment!? Who also need to bathe!?" came a rather unimpressed voice from the other side of the door. The two of you couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Sorry, good sir. We shall take our leave momentarily!" Halbrand called out, only getting a loud "Humph" followed by some indistinct mumbling from behind the wood. "Must this moment end?" you asked, not of Halbrand specifically, more of the universe itself.
"Come on, its getting late, we should probably head to bed anyway. I can hold you there, we can make new moments..." he spoke, kissing the top of your head.

The two of you carefully got out of the tub, drying yourselves to the sounds of more thuds on the wood. Dressing quickly, Halbrand unlocked the door, and before he could open it a very large and unseemly man barged through, half naked ready for his wash. "Have you no regard for others?" he growled.
"My apologies," offered Halbrand, attempting to pass the man.
"Pathetic, greedy, good for nothing dogs!" spat the man, a vile tone in his voice. You grabbed tightly to the hand of your love, fearing he might go astray. An anger did start to brew within his hazel eyes, but instead he took a deep breath, wished the awful man a pleasant bath, and pushed past him with you in tow. The door slammed behind you, but you both kept walking until you were secured away from the washroom and on your bed.

Garion, Olwenna, and Padrig were already in your quarters, readying themselves for sleep. "Everything alright?" asked Garion, noticing Halbrand's slightly tense demeanour. "I heard some shouting."
"It's nothing. Just some fool trying to get a rise out of us." admitted Halbrand, squeezing your hand. Garion nodded, hesitant, then smiled in spite of the uncertainty in his eyes.
"Did you... enjoy your bath at least?" pondered Olwenna, tactfully trying to lighten the mood, smirking at you.
"Aunt Olwenna, please don't!" Padrig implored, not wishing to hear any mushy talk of any kind. This made Garion laugh, and you blushed again. Halbrand just turned his face to you, answering, "Yes. Yes we did." before placing a loving and lingering kiss on your lips. You could hear Padrig retching and Olwenna joined Garion's booming laughter. Halbrand also giggled into you then, breaking the kiss so he could let the joy escape him fully, happy for the release of his tension.

"Alright, time for some shut eye. Sleep well, all." spoke Garion, moving to snuff out the lamplight. A man of his word, he took his place on the floor and Padrig climbed reluctantly into bed beside his aunt. Halbrand pulled his tunic back off, leaving his trousers on, and you snuggled up into him as he pulled the soft covers over you both, his arms wrapping around you. Gazing into his eyes, moonbeams shining through the window illuminated them beautifully. You smiled at him, sighing, content, and mouthed the words "I love you."
"I love you more." he mouthed back, wearing an identical look of happiness. And with one final tender kiss, slumber was upon you.

The fires around you were almost as bright as the sun's rays that cascaded down from on high, the smoke only now starting to gather in thickness. Chaos surrounded you both, the bloodied and beaten corpses of your people stained the earth, the monsters of this massacre no where to be found, long gone it seemed, on to pillage the next village. Your king stood to your right, clutching a sword, dark liquid dripping from hilt to tip. You couldn't make out it's colour. It was then you decided to stare down at your own hands, and they were wet with it also, your dagger gleaming. Halbrand turned to you, his face lightly splattered in it, yet you couldn't help but notice his eyes. They were his eyes, not Sauron's. Your joy at this realisation was tinged with confusion. What was going on?

It was then that she came into view. Both your heads turned simultaneously towards her as she slowly moved in your direction. The she-elf was wearing the same silver Númenórean armour you admired so, her unequalled long blonde locks flowing behind her in the wind. The same wind that somehow seemed to be blowing the fires closer to where you and Halbrand were standing. With each step Galadriel took, the heat around you increased, and you felt as if your sweat might ignite. Her expression was steel, her piercing blue eyes a weapon all their own. Yet when she finally reached you, and you felt like your body was already aflame, Galadriel's face altered, giving off a different kind of warmth, and you felt the fire around you begin to quell. You glanced at Halbrand, who was smiling at her, welcoming her presence.

Turning your gaze back to the she-elf, a feeling of peace overcame your senses. Galadriel glowed softly before you, becoming a moon in the middle of the day. Taking a single pace towards you, closing the distance between your bodies, you felt her light surround you. Part of you wanted to look at Halbrand, but another part of you wanted to forget all about him. This was an all new sensation coursing through you now, and it felt so right. Galadriel smiled at you softly, before letting her lips touch your own. There was no trace of lust or love in this gesture. It felt like something greater, an emotion without a name, something not yet invented. You kissed her back, hoping to give her in return a modicum of the sensation she had bestowed upon you.

When eventually her lips did part from yours, her eyes opened slowly, and she whispered to you in her native tongue. "Namárië, melda tári." Suddenly, all breath fled from you, and gazing down, you could only see the hilt Galadriel held in her hand, that was now drenched in your blood. You could feel the foreign object inside you, burning like the fires that had now begun to creep back in. Your eyes darted to your love, a silent plea, though there was nothing he could do, for the fire had consumed him. Halbrand stood motionless as the flames engulfed him, wearing a desolate face, accepting your fates. Galadriel raised a hand to your cheek, wiping away the tears that were falling. Her touch was soft and caring, and did not align with her violent act. Weakened by the pain, you collapsed to the ground, and as your head collided with the earth, your eyes noticed another glowing figure in the distance that could only be one being. Your mother said nothing, only raised her arm, pointing southward. Reaching out for her, her name the last thing you would ever say, as death pulled you into the black.

You woke abruptly, gasping for air, terrified at what you had just witnessed, at what you had just felt. It had been so real, so tangible, as if sleeping had transported you to a real time and place. You clutched at your gut, swearing you could still feel Galadriel's blade inside of you. This was a warning. She was getting close.

Halbrand startled awake, quickly followed by the other residents of the room, with Padrig the last to rouse, wiping his eyes slowly, yawning. Your love called out your name, taking hold of you. "What is it? Are you alright?" He was panicked. "What can I do?"
"We have to leave. Now." your tone was resolute. Halbrand searched your eyes, his face becoming stern, realising you wouldn't suggest such a thing unless it was absolutely necessary. "Galadriel." he spoke quietly, and you nodded quickly in reply.

"Galadriel? Who's Galadriel?" pondered Garion, his voice raspy from slumber. Neither you nor Halbrand acknowledged his question, only making to secure a swift exit from this inn. "You're leaving?" spoke Olwenna, yawning. "Why? It's still night? Why the need for haste?" Again you both ignored this interrogation, Halbrand grabbing your bags from the wardrobe whilst you laced up your boots. "Is this about the confrontation earlier?" Garion prodded further, not giving it up.

"Garion." You rose to your feet, standing over him where he still lay on the floor. "I meant it when I said our business is our own. Please."
"But... will you be okay?"
"They'll be fine, Olwenna." her husband interjected, starting to seem eager to let you go. "You've seen what Hal can do."
"That's not what I meant." she retorted, deeply concerned for you. You were going to miss Olwenna, you had been glad for your brief friendship.
"We will see each other again." you promised her.
"Thank you for letting us ride with you these past days." said Halbrand, offering Garion his hand. "I won't forget it."
"Nor will we you, Hal." he responded, clasping the arm of your love. You quickly both left the room, treading lightly so as not to cause any attention. In seconds you were both outside the inn, striding towards your horse, readying yourselves to continue your passage south. "Do you think our boy has had enough rest to ride at speed?" you asked.

"It has been a few days now since his last gallop. I have every confidence." replied Halbrand, giving your hand a comforting touch as you wrapped your arms around his waist. Taking off, it took you a few moments to get accustomed to the fast pace again. And as the distance started to shrink between you and the place of your hope, the darkness of the night began to give way to the dawn. Though as you rode, the light of the sun approaching, you couldn't help but feel as if this light might be coming from something else entirely.