She, sorry they, will be back

Eleanor's POV

The only sort of recovery we make from the most pure undiluted shock possible is to get closer to the four.

Ginny is standing in Adindel's arms totally unresisting, almost certainly because she is as shocked as the rest of us.

He carries on totally oblivious to anything else around him, including the impending threat of death from one very jealous High King.

Once his has finished pillaging her mouth, which had dropped open in surprise at some point, his lips begin to migrate over her face and neck.

He seems to be trying to kiss every bit of exposed skin like it is the only chance he will ever have.

If Gil-galad's expression is anything to go by then he might be right there.

As we get closer we begin to hear that every moment he is not kissing her skin, he is murmuring away in Sindarin.

Listening to what he is saying we get that, approximately, he thinks he is hallucinating and that he will take what he can get while it lasts because soon it will be gone and he will go back to being lonely.

'It' I am pretty sure is Ginny and any form of affection or whatever you want to call it that he can get from her.

Then he kisses the point of the ear without the piercing and Ginny's body shudders slightly and I think her legs give way. I am guessing she has just discovered how sensitive elfin ears are when kissed.

Gil-galad can obviously take no more and coughs significantly and takes Adindel's shoulder in a firm grasp.

The Sindar Prince pulls back as Gil-galad lets him see past his illusion to who is really standing beside Ginny, incredibly possessively.

We all converge in the hopes of stopping another Kinslaying.

It takes Ginny a few seconds to come back to her senses and get to her feet again before pulling away from Adindel.

"Brother?" Thanduil asks softly, obviously shocked to the core, just like the rest of us.

"I think I am going mad, Thanduil, for she died millennia ago at the dawn of the Age of Men yet she is here, young as when I first saw her, not like she was at the end. How can it be?" He sounds absolutely devastated, I never realised that his affection went beyond desire, I think only Thanduil ever found that out.

"Eleanor convinced the Valar to give her immortality and change her into an elf. Look at her, and then you will see it is Ginny in the form of our kind."

The gaze Adindel then turns on his brother is tortured.

"But how could she return from Valinor? Surely she wouldn't have chosen our fate to walk among Men and guard the last lines of the elves' blood when she had lived in the splendour of the Undying Lands."

Now that is an interesting statement, one to be explored at a later date though.

"Despite previous assumptions, brother mine, we have not been barred from Valinor for not coming for so long. Actually, the Valar have sent fifteen elves of Valinor to 'go fetch'."

Adindel raises one eyebrow perfectly.

"Go fetch?"

"Manwλ's words not mine," I but in.

He then looks around, all of us now being near and having lifted the illusions which concealed our identities.

The expression on his face when he looks on Myrwen is amusing.

I suspect it has something to do with the fact that she has obviously seen his rather emphatic greeting of Ginny and he is embarrassed, considering the fact he once courted Myrwen, but lost out to his brother.

The entire conversation went on in Sindarin and this leaves the Duke of Rohan looking at the rest of us rather blankly.

I decide it is an idea to take the Frenchman aside and give him an explanation, albeit an edited one.

"Right, Alistair over there has loved Ginny for donkeys years, but last time they were near each other, he tried to hide by acting like a bit of a prick because he had previously tried to get Myrwen to marry him as she was his first love, but married his brother. He has been separated from Ginny for some time now and thought she was dead for various reasons, the same applies to Myrwen. The last two people he had expected here would be those two and once he finished showing Ginny how he really felt about her, or more precisely was stopped, we had to explain to him what the hell was going on."

The Duke gives me an arch look.

"That sounds like part of the plot of a bad romance novel, Belle Dame."

I grin,

"You haven't heard half of it yet. There is a lot more that sounds even more like the plot line to a bad romance novel bar the fact that my presence means that I deliberately took some of the romance factor out and brought the whole thing back to earth again. There are several romances that have happened in the story, many with trials, tribulations, and politics involved, not to mention running away, explosive reunions, and arguments with the in-laws."

"Does that stuff actually happen?"

"It does in my family at least." I answer.

He laughs.

A few hours later we are sitting in the main sitting room of the house trying to explain things to the still shell-shocked Adindel.

Miriel and I soon pick up our own version of Leggy and Gimli's count-the-Orc-kill game – count-the-longing-looks.

We are also playing count-the-jealous-looks as well.

No prizes for guessing which elf each game is pointed at.

Once Adindel is suitably over his shock, he asks Ginny to go somewhere private for them to talk.

If looks could kill then Adindel would be getting to Valinor through the Halls of Mandos.

After a few minutes of silence during which Miriel and I are looking at Gil-galad and trying not to burst out laughing, we fail.

We don't stop laughing until our ribs are aching, goodness, males are so funny.

While Ginny and Adindel are off talking, we are all taking the opportunity to express our surprise at this turn of events.

I mean, we had all by now worked out that he had a thing for her, but that was not what any of us expected to happen.

A little while later, in the evening, the two return and both immediately went to the drinks cabinet.

Ginny got herself a Baileys and Adindel helped himself to a large whiskey.

Ginny does not usually drink and definitely not strong stuff in any serious quantities, but she downed that Baileys like a seasoned drinker.

I am not nearly so surprised at how Adindel manages to down what must have been a triple shot in five seconds flat.

Both avoid looking at each other, I think that might have been an awkward conversation.

Now I understand why Elves don't have anything like Mills and Boon.

They don't need it, they can just look at real life.

Ginny's POV

Adindel carries on kissing me like there's no tomorrow. Due to the fact that I'm temporarily stunned with shock as well as being clutched firmly to Adindel's chest, I let him carry on without any resistance on my part – never mind the fact that I'm not doing anything to encourage him.

When he finally releases my mouth, I take deep breaths in order to steady and calm myself; not that there was much point in this as Adindel begins to trail kisses all over my face, neck, and top of my chest.

My dress is yet again tastefully low-cut so there is plenty of bare skin for him to kiss.

Adindel is also gently stroking the exposed skin on my back.

Not only is Adindel kissing every bit of skin he can find, he's also murmuring away to himself. I can tell the language he's using is his native Sindarin, but I have absolutely no idea what is being said as I'm still stunned with shock.

Hell, he could have been singing 'Nessun Dorma' and I still probably wouldn't have heard any of the words.

Adindel then suddenly begins trailing kisses up the side of my neck. I have a pretty good idea at where he's headed – how many times had I seen Ellie and Miriel be kissed in the same way?

My friends had tried their best to describe what it feels like to be kissed on the point of the ear, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING, prepares you for the rush of the pleasurable, tingling sensation that washes all over your body.

So unexpected is it that I shudder and my legs give way. Luckily, I'm leaning against Adindel and he manages to hold me up with his strong arms.

I breathe more deeply than ever, trying to compose myself; it is significantly easier this time as Adindel's lips are no longer in contact with my body.

It is only now that I notice that we have an audience and that Gil-galad is staring into Adindel's eyes with an expression I can only describe as jealous hatred.

It is this that makes me really wake up and pull myself out of Adindel's arms. I back away a few paces and jump about a foot in the air when Ada puts his arms protectively around me.

'Paternal distrust' doesn't even cover what is currently flashing across his face, but he is stayed from any action when we all hear the anguish in Adindel's voice.

I look at both Thanduil and Adindel – the former is wearing a look of brotherly concern, the latter inconsolable pain. Adindel almost seems to be pleading with his brother that what he is being told cannot be true.

I catch Adindel's eye when he looks at me – his expression tells me everything.

The rest of the afternoon is awkward to say the least, not least because Adindel evidently wants to talk to me, but was always prevented from coming too near me, namely by Thanduil who seemed to have super-glued himself to his brother's side.

Elladan did try to make light of the situation by saying that Adindel obviously had something else on his mind other than talking, but he was quelled at once by a look from his sister-in-law.

Adindel gets his chance to talk to me later in the day back at the Chateau.

It had been suggested that Adindel really deserved a fuller explanation of events, and that is what we have been doing for the past couple of hours.

Luckily, either Ellie or Miriel fill in on the bits concerning me seeing as it was clear that I was in no fit state to do so myself. I just sit in one of the Duke's antique chairs, not speaking, and not looking anybody in the eye.

The whole conversation is made ten times worse by my guilt over some of our actions – one of which is bound to arise between Adindel and me at some point in the future.

As the conversation draws to a close, Adindel gets to his feet and comes over to me,

"Is there somewhere private we can go to talk?"

I lead him up to my room.

I was considering going outside and wandering around the gardens, but I was afraid Adindel would take it the wrong the way.

I automatically sit on the sofa when we enter my room; Adindel sits next to me before I can stop him. I would have got up to sit somewhere else, but I was too embarrassed to do so.

The smell of Adindel's deodorant fills my nostrils and I try not to breathe in too deeply.

Before you ask, it's very weird to smell modern deodorant on an Elf I last saw dressed in robes in Middle Earth.

We actually sit in complete silence for quite a while, both too self-conscious to talk.

"You look beautiful, Ginny."

I don't react to the use of my nickname – even in later years, Adindel and I had always been very formal with each other; I think this is the first time I've ever heard him call me 'Ginny'.

I also realise that I'm still using my illusion and this prompts a question,

"How did you recognise me at the fair? I mean I wasn't facing you and my transformation did change my features slightly."

Adindel looks at me before answering slowly,

"I don't know; I was looking around for my brother and then I noticed your little group. I couldn't be sure at first, but something in my heart told me it was you."

I have to smile and laugh slightly at this – looking at Adindel I can see his brother and, by extension, his nephew in him. Adindel looks confused at my reaction so I explain,

"What you just said sounded like something Legolas would say to Ellie; she told me once that Legolas said her image had burnt itself into his heart. You never really struck me as the overly romantic type."

"Well, my behaviour towards you was never as it should have been, especially given what has happened since we last saw each other."

Adindel's hand suddenly makes a jerky motion as though he was about to reach out to touch my cheek, but thought better of it. Being an Elf, I'm able to sense the slightest movement and react to it with virtually the speed of light; I react by pulling back ever so slightly. The movement would be barely noticeable to a human, but Adindel notices it. His eyes flicker. Feeling guilty, I drop my gaze.

"I wouldn't do that to you, Ginny." Even to an Elf, Adindel's voice is barely audible.

Another awkward silence ensues during which I consider what Ellie would do to lighten the situation.

I eventually decide that needling is the best tactic.

I put my head on one side and say teasingly,

"You know you did a damn fine impression of hating my guts. I was most surprised to find out the truth; Ellie will enjoy telling you I went into virtual apoplexy."

"It wasn't so much your guts that I hated; it was your humanity which I took offense to."

I sit up straighter and purse my lips, staring at Adindel with as much contempt that can be put into one look.

Adindel pales and tries to make instant reparation by launching into this big speech about his Sindar upbringing and about million other similar excuses, but, bless him, he keeps tripping up over his own words. He also manages to let slip one or two insults about humans, insults which he really shouldn't be uttering at this juncture if he wants to have any chance with me at all – Elf I may be, but I'm still enormously protective over my upbringing and roots.

Adindel goes on in this manner for over ten minutes, stopping only when I lean back against the cushions, cross my arms, and say resignedly,

"Men!"

I, of course, say it automatically, but Adindel just looks aghast and launches into a similar tirade, only this time, it has even more insults against humanity.

That's right, Adindel, forget the spade and go for the JCB instead.

It is rather amusing and actually rather endearing to watch.

Suddenly – I have absolutely no idea where this came from – I lean over and hug Adindel, who stops in mid-flow.

I think he is just as surprised as I was when he kissed me earlier – probably due to the fact that this is the most amount of affection I've ever willingly shown him.

Slowly, ever so gently, Adindel's arms fold themselves around me.

I think it was the sensation of his soft hands upon my back that wakes me up. I stiffen, as does Adindel, but he doesn't let go, it is me who has to break the clasp.

Pulling back, I feel myself going red, but the room has luckily darkened during our conversation, so Adindel can't see.

We again sit in awkward silence, not looking at each other and looking away instantly when we do.

Eventually, Adindel gets to his feet and begins nervously pacing up and down. He's also muttering away to himself, but I'm not really paying attention.

My ears only prick up when Adindel stops and says,

"I could kill for a whiskey right now."