Thranduil and Lindomiel endured the teasing of friends and the well-wishing of their subjects for several hours after the ceremony. Then, with a silent look to one another, they quietly slipped away from the revelers that would undoubtedly still be celebrating when the sun rose. Hand-in-hand, they walked to the flets that housed the Royal Chambers.

These flets had been her home for nearly a year and a half now, but Lindomiel had never entered Thranduil's personal chambers. As he guided her through the door now, she felt her heart racing. Nervous anticipation, excitement, yearning desire—all contributed to drive her to near breathlessness as Thranduil closed the door and turned to look at her. She felt what little air there was in her lungs rush out abruptly under his gaze. It was loving and tender and feral all at once. A slight smile turned up the corners of her mouth. Yes, now she would see Thranduil unleashed. She drew a deep breath as the smile reached her eyes. They lit up in anticipation as he continued studying her.

Thranduil simply took a moment to enjoy looking at Lindomiel in private—the first such moment he had all night. Under the eyes of his family and certainly his subjects he did not feel free to truly loose himself in the sensations that claimed him at the sight of her. Now he did. The intensity with which he loved the elleth before him was overwhelming.

After a moment, he reached for her, pulling her slowly into an embrace that enveloped her in powerful arms flush against his broad chest. He lowered his lips to hers in a kiss that was deceptively slow and thorough. The time he took exploring the contours of her mouth belayed the urgent need he now felt building within him. As the kiss deepened, Thranduil realized that a good deal more control would be required than he had originally expected if he was even going to make it the few steps to his bedchamber with her.

He broke the kiss with a deep breath and feathered a few more across her cheeks and jaw. "I love you, Lindomiel," he whispered knowing the inadequacy of the words.

She smiled up at him.

He knew at that moment that she would always get anything she asked for with nothing more than that smile.

"And I love you, Thranduil," she whispered, tracing her fingers softly from his lips downward and along his jaw. Then her sweet smile grew mischievous. "But I am thoroughly done waiting for you." With that, her hands slipped to the fastenings on his tunic. Thranduil laughed lightly in reaction until his eyes fell upon her fingers as they nimbly worked the fastenings. Somehow the sight was fascinating. He watched her first open the tunic then unbutton the silk shirt under it. The completely unaccustomed sensation of her hands on his bare chest as she pushed both articles of clothing off his shoulders, letting them fall to the floor, made Thranduil draw a surprised breath. He looked down at her with wide eyes, amazed by the thrill that ran through him at that simple touch.

He stood before her, unclothed save for his trousers and boots and Lindomiel smiled again, involuntarily. He was...enticing. Her hands moved caress him, palms flat, moving from the center of his chest, outward. Her fingertips traced his collarbone. Reaching his shoulders, her hands swept down his muscular arms. His skin was soft and smooth like the silk fabric of his shirt but his muscles were hard. She stepped closer to move her hand to his back.

As she pressed her body against him and placed soft kisses along his collarbone to his shoulder, Thranduil took a deep breath, closing his eyes and losing himself in the sensation caused by the contact. He wanted to crush her to him. Instead, his hands lightly traced down her arms to her hips. He pulled her closer as his hands ran up from the small of her back to her shoulders. As they did, he encountered the lacings of her dress.

Lindomiel felt him tense as his fingers tangled in the lacings. Reaching behind her with one hand, she slipped the knot that tied them.

Thranduil realized what Lindomiel was doing and his breathing stopped. Automatically he took her hands in his and stopped her. He wanted to do this himself. After a moment's pause, he turned her around and moved her hair to the side so he could see the lacings of the dress. Kissing the back of her neck, he slowly loosened them until the gown fell to a silken pool at her feet. Now she stood clothed in the thin white shift that she had worn under the gown. He continued to place kisses down the length of her neck and across her now bare shoulder while his hands embraced her from behind, running across her abdomen. They slid up her stomach to the tiny buttons of the shift. Lindomiel held her breath unconsciously as he opened the shift enough to slip it off her shoulders as well. As it whispered to the ground, his hands slid softly over bare skin that he had never known. When she arched her back to press harder into his hands, it was his undoing.

He lifted her and carried her to the bed. Laying her on it, he covered her body with his. For a moment they both delighted in the way it felt to be thusly pressed together. The sensation of body pressed passionately to body, as yet unknown to both of them, was intoxicating.

He struggled to breath feeling her soft warmth beneath him. The feeling filled him with a desire to consume her...to simply devour every inch of her body with his hands and mouth. Propped up on his elbows, hands on either side of her upper body, he lowered his lips to hers claiming another slow kiss.

Lindomiel loosed a contented sigh as Thranduil moved to kiss her. The weight of his body on hers made her ache for him, awakening a feeling in her that she had never known. She ran her hands softly up his arms and to his back. His muscles were hard as he hovered over her. Hands between his shoulder blades, she insistently pulled him flush with her and as his chest crushed against hers, as his mouth claimed hers in a passionate kiss, Lindomiel moaned softly.

That sound kindled his own desire. Thranduil's hands moved softly over her again and his lips followed. As he kissed her neck, he was very aware of the sensation cause by her bare body pressed against his chest. He paused briefly at the curve of her throat before traveling downward. He had allowed his hands to roam over her body before as he held her and kissed her. But never to these places and, moreover, now there was no barrier between them. Lindomiel gasped out loud when his hand softly brushed her breast. He touched her, softly and tentatively, caressing more firmly as she responded with clear desire.

Thranduil's heart was racing and his hands were shaking. He remembered clearly the nerves he experienced on the eve of his first battle and he was certain that he must have been steadier then. His hand cupped her tenderly in his palm. He drew one taut peak into his mouth as his thumb brushed lightly over the other, delighting in her obvious pleasure.

Lindomiel had never felt sensations like the ones Thranduil's lips and mouth were producing. Her skin tingled under his touch. The feelings that had been born in her when he first lay on top of her were growing. Her hands played recklessly over his back and through his hair, pulling him closer. His hips fell across her legs as his mouth slid down her body and she could feel his desire for her, hard against her thigh. The thought of it made her ache to touch him. Somewhat timidly, Lindomiel allowed her hands to slip from his back, down his slender waist and over the fabric of his trousers. Thranduil drew a sharp breath. He looked at her for moment and then, while claiming another kiss, he lifted himself up slightly, loosed the lacings of his trousers and pulled them off.

As their explorations grew more intimate, Thranduil felt a heightened awareness of not only his own arousal, but Lindomiel's as well. The song of her fea, always a soft presence that he had treasured when they were together, grew ever closer and stronger. As he continued to touch her, the melodies of their songs slowly united fully. The intimate caresses produced a rhythm that increased in pace, building to a crescendo as their bodies united. When they did, Thranduil and Lindomiel both grew still for the slightest moment, savoring the first taste of the true union of fear that only elves can share—a new connection felt in their heart and mind and soul that could never be severed...that would always be with them. When Thranduil began to move over her again they both soon collapsed in moans and soft gasps.

For the moment satiated, Lindomiel lay in Thranduil's arms, curled against him, head pillowed on his chest. She traced her fingers lightly across his abdomen. He enjoyed the sensation produced by her hair across his chest as he traced a lazy pattern on the bare skin over her ribs. In a place deep inside himself, Thranduil felt the soft hum of his wife's song forever with him.