Hakon's peace

The Northmen procession into the city was one of wide eyed surprise and more than a little dismay. As a sign of good will they brought back many of those they had captured and took for slaves but most of the women had long since been defiled and some even were pregnant. Hakon along with his Clan Leaders rode in on huge palfrey warhorses dressed in chain barding. Hakon himself had 2 chained women who he had the other end of in his fist. They were unclothed and unkempt, along with all the others who kept their heads down as they were towed in. Behind him and the leaders were the noble women of their clans, all on horses of different types wearing hardened leather armor and shields but no helms. They sneered or growled at the people who gawked at their passing. The bulk of their army was on foot but all carried wicked looking axes, spears, massive swords and were wearing full armor. His son, Gulbrandt was just to his right and just behind him. He had a beard but it wasn’t terribly long and long, dark hair that curled as it hung down below his shoulders. He wore no helm but he did have 2 short blades criss crossed behind his back.

Gondorian soldiers came up and took the chains from them and moved the women away. Some tried to struggle against being led away but the soldiers only grappled those and dragged them if they had to. The meeting place was on the bottom level of the city, there was a large courtyard there and they were led there. Elessar looked on with a grim expression. The queen was beside him and behind them were their children and Narisa, all dressed in their finest suits and dresses and Eldarion whispered into Laenaya’s ear. “Stop craning your neck, you look like a stork in a dress. When the time comes we will get a look at this...man, be patient,” he told her and gave her hand a squeeze. The Northmen dismounted, surprisingly the women dismounted first then helped the men. Eldarion raised his brows at that but kept the cringe he felt inside. Narisa seemed to be interested in those big horses and the other girls looked...nervous?

Hakon removed his help to reveal, not an unhandsome face, just one hidden behind a long, thick, black beard and one eye was an odd shade of brown that looked red if the sun hit it just right. He did not bow he only looked on at them all as others came up to a line with him. He idly took off his gauntlets and stuffed them into his helm. A woman, his wife? Came and took it from him though she said nothing. Hakon took a step forward.

“So as we were invited...so we have come King Elessar of the Dunedein,” he said almost respectfully. He gave a slight nod to him and then to Nauriel though he did not address her. “You allow your women to step beside you...as you can see...we do not,” he said blandly far less respectful now. “I am weary of travel, let us drink to this meeting and we shall be about this peace,” he said though he just stood there.

Nauriel stood calmly next to her husband, though he would be able to sense her uneasiness and worry though their bond. She and Elessar had spoken to Laenaya about everything, but had told her that no matter what this would be her choice and no one else's. Behind her, Laenaya was both anxious and nervous. She had heard about the Northmen, but had never seen them. She had hoped that what she had heard would not be true, but her first impressions were not good. It immediately became clear to her that the women were considered below the men. They almost seemed to be servants. Laenaya was a strong woman, very much like her mother and grandmother. She wanted a man who would treat her as an equal, like her father did to her mother. Her eyes scanned the group and fell upon the one that must be Gulbrandt. It was not love at first sight. She found him to be scruffy looking and his hair was unkempt and greasy looking. She looked over at her brother slightly and it would be clear to him that she was not happy.

Nauriel's eyes narrowed at Hakon's comment. He had not been here a minute and already he had been extremely rude and insulted her. Elessar would feel her anger growing. She bit her tongue though...for now at least.

Elessar took a step forward and nauriel would definately feel a growing rage within Elessar. Seeing those helpless women had affected him and now he insults his family. “Hakon...you come at your own request and yet you insult our ways. You will accept that we are a different people, accept our way, or you can go back into your hole in the snow,” he said in a grim but loud voice as he put his hand on the hilt of his sword. Nauriel knew their was a hair's breadth of holding him from drawing and slicing the man’s head off. But Hakon did not seem to hardly notice, he seemed to have something in his teeth and picked it out and fingered it away. The action was so obtuse that Elessar was taken aback and inadvertently calmed to a degree which was for the better.

“Very well, we will retreat into the dining hall...if you would follow me,” he said coldly., almost a raspy growl. Eldarion calmed the girls as they had began to get fearful. All save Laenaya though who watched this young Northman like a hawk trying to decided what another animal was. A grunt from Eldarion flinched her away. And he took her hand though she tried to avoid it. “You will stop that, first impressions are not as important as people say they are,” he whispered and pulled her with the others though it looked to him as if she did not want anything more to do with this.

Nauriel held her breath as Elessar grew more and more angry. When he put his hand on his sword she nearly took a step back, but did not. She remained where she was and waited for Hakon's response. But he seemed unaffected, which surprised Nauriel. She breathed out a slight sigh of relief as Elessar began to relax.

As the group began to move inside Laenaya kept her eyes on the one she believed to be Gulbrandt. She watched him closely until her brother grunted to get her attention. She looked at him slightly before moving inside with everyone else. She could hear her sisters and cousin whispering about the Northmenvand their behavior, but tried to ignore them. She felt slightly ill to her stomach though.

Inside the dining hall Hakon, his top men and a few of the women, his wife among them sat at the table closest to where Elessar and Nauriel sat. the dining hall was a massive room made out of the same, light stone as the rest of Minas Tirith. The tables though were of a light wood and thick and long to hold many people. The walls were lightly gilded in silver with a few painting of nature scenes and important men and women long since gone. Across from them however were some of Gondor’s top advisors and their wive as well as Eldarion and his sisters. Naturally he made her sit across from the one called Gulbrandt and he could tell she wished she was anywhere else but here. The lunch consisted of cutlets of pork, petite potatoes and greens lightly charred and spiced. The Northmen did not touch the greens nor their eating utensils. They ate with their hands and licked their fingers. If that wasn’t enough they wiped their hands on their clothes. Gulbrandt was no different and he had been looking at all of the girls, not just Laenaya. The one he seemed to look the most at was not her but her cousin Narisa and her sister, Calene.

“Uh, why is, uh, that man, looking at me and Narisa like...uh, like that Laenaya,” she asked in a fearful squeak. Narisa was so nervous now she only looked down at her plate.

One of the chiefs leaned in toward Gulbrandt. “If these...girls, are nervous now, wait until they get a look at your cock, eh Brandt?” He said then clapped him hard on the shoulder. Laenara couldn’t be certain but for a moment Brandt seemed...well the only thing she could think of was embarrassed. He did smile but she could tell it was forced. And he didn’t know who was who, that much was clear now. He didn’t know and he was worried when he looked at Narisa and Calene. It was then she might be able to tell that he was no older than they were. He looked rough and tumble like any other Northman but he was young, and nervous. And then he had to go and ruin it by eating a piece of pork with his hands. He had very warm brown eyes though. Very warm when they shifted down to her breasts. His cheeks were pink either by the heat of wearing all those furs or what just looking did to him.

Laenaya followed her parents into the dining hall, accompanied by her siblings and cousin. She noticed that her brother made sure she was positioned in front of Gulbrandt. She thanked the servant who put her plate before her and put her napkin in her lap before picking up her utensils. She normally did not each much anyhow, but today she was nervous and ate even less. She cut her food into small bites and ate delicately with her mouth closed. She sipped her water and lightly dabbed her napkin at the corners of her mouth. She couldn’t help but notice that all of the Northmen, Gulbrandt included, were eating with their hands. They were stuffing the food into their mouths and most of it was getting into their beards and falling onto the floor. She couldn’t even imagine what her mother was thinking. Her mother had been all around Middle Earth and seen and met many people. She tolerated quite a bit, but she knew that this would be seriously pushing it for her.

She expected Gulbrandt to speak to her, or to at least say something, but he didn’t. He didn’t even really look at her. He seemed to be looking at her sister, Calene and her cousin, Narisa. She couldn’t help but overhear what what one of the chief’s said to him and she couldn’t stop her face from becoming red. She hated this and wanted to leave...to flee. However, she forced herself to stay. As she glanced at Gulbrandt again she noticed he seemed...confused as he looked between herself and her sister and cousin. It was evident he didn’t know which one she was. It wasn’t proper for her to introduce herself to a male (nor was she sure she wanted to at this point) and so she remained quiet. However, she did notice he was suddenly looking at her breasts. He seemed...quite taken with them and it started to make her uncomfortable the way he was looking at her. Glancing over at her parents, they didn’t seem to be enjoying the lunch either. Her mother remained quiet, which was unusual for her, while her father said little. They both seemed quite appalled at everything that was going on.

"You are the one known as Laena-ya?" He said awkwardly. His dark eyes scanned over her face and form again. "You eat like a bird, with these...things," he said and picked up a fork as if it was alien to him. "You seem to like to remove yourself from the intimacy of what you consume," he said in a kind voice of his speech was far less sophisticated than she would be used to. He set the fork down. "My mother has asked me to try to get to know you, is there a bath-house in this...place?" He said as he looked around the room again. "We could arrange to see one another if that is what you wish. I doubt we will have opportunity to share a kill or to hunt in tandem. What else can you do?" He asked and he wasn't blushing this time. Her sisters were though and Eldarion was red faced for another reason, anger. His words offended him because they were offensive to most decent people. But he was away from his home and everything that he knew. Eldarion held his tongue for that reason alone but he wasn't how much more of this he could stomach, nor his sisters.

Elessar wanted to put an end to everything but for some reason he had not. Tolerance would win the day here he decided. Tolerance and understanding. These people never had walls to hide behind. Their battles were always fought toe to toe. A hard life for a hard people.

Elessar stood and he hoped Nauriel would forgive him for what he was about to do. He raised his cup to them. "Hakon and the mighty Northmen!" He bellowed and the talk around the table ceased. "And so on this day we break bread and drink together in common purpose, I offer you entertainment...my wife, Nauriel, Queen of Gondor will sing us a song," he said and toasted them and took a drink. Though she stared bloody murder at him it was out now. She could refuse but it would cost him face to these men. He nodded to her as she rose up out of her chair.

Laenaya looked across the table at Gulbrandt and slowly nodded in answer to his question. She listened to him as he spoke and was quiet mortified by what he said. Normally, she could think of something to say, but he had left her completely speechless by his inappropriate comments and suggestions. Did he really think she was going to expose herself to him, or let him expose himself to her? Judging by the serious look on his face she guessed so. She heard his question, but was still reeling from his other comments that she said nothing. It was then that her father suddenly stood to toast the Northmen. Nauriel lifted her glass slightly, but only because it would be impolite not to. She had just set her glass down and was expecting her husband to sit back down when he went on to tell everyone that she would sing a song for them. She couldn't believe he had done that! He knew she hated being put on the spot and having no choice in something. He would feel anger unlike any he had felt in a very long time course through her body. She had no option though. To refuse would be an insult and she knew he knew that she knew that. Slowly, she stood. She rarely sang in public. She preferred to sing privately for her children or her husband (though at this point she wasn't sure she was going to ever be singing for him again!). She began to sing a song in the common tongue. She had mostly sang in elvish, but she knew that they didn't know elvish and would likely become offended. She had a truly beautiful and powerful voice and for the first time since everyone sat down to eat, the room became completely quiet and very still.

The Northmen were absolutely silent once she began to sing. Their eyes were of obvious surprise at how well she did sing. They listened and seemed to appreciate the song and how well she sang it. Apparently music was important to them. For the first time many do them smiled as if delighted at her song including Gulbrandt. For a people who rarely smiled she would see it was pleasant to see it on him and his brethren. After the song ended the room was silent for a moment and then every one of them pounded on the table in praise for her song. After the pounding stopped Hakon rose from his seat. In a surprise move he turned to face Nauriel then tilted forward in a bow with hand to heart.

After a moment longer he turned to face those that had come with him. He listed hand and then began to sing.

His voice was low and he had only begun with a harmony. The reasoning was soon made clear though, everyone else started in with him, several voices bellowing low as if humming above others who had the deep voices of the harmony. One of the younger women, a flaxen haired lithe beauty with curvaceous hips began to dance in front of Elessar as Gulbrandt sighed and rose from his seat though it was clear he did not wish to. His voice rang out strong and clear, deep and yet not as deep as the others. It was a song of battle, and of many against few. A song of strength against the shadow and of their perseverance to survive in a land of ice and snow. The dining hall resounded to the one, the walls moving the low tones of his voice to everyone. The dancer moved about the room and intied her shawl which exposed a modest but healthy amount of cleavage. She danced behind Eldarion who actually smiled and then blushed that he had smiled as she passed by him. It was a sultry dance but tasteful to a degree. A dance to quicken the blood of the men in the room and it appeared to be working. As she undulated her hips the song came faster and faster and then they began to pound on the tables as she flung her hair and her body as she became lost to the dance. It ended with her prostrate before Elessar and he stifled a smile at her, especially when Nauriel was looking at him. The last drum and shout from Brandt resounding through the hall.

Soon after Elessar stood and then as he began to clap, everyone did and he nodded a bow to The King and Queen and then toward Laenaya as it he had meant it for her. He was not a bad singer and he had a very powerful voice.

Nauriel was surprised by the Northmen's reaction to her song as they began to smile and pound on the table. However, she was even more surprised when Hakon rose and bowed to her with his hand on his heart. She took her seat as he then began to sing. She watched as one of the younger women then began to get up and dance. Nauriel was still upset at her husband for putting her on the spot with the song, but when the woman began to swing her hips seductively in front of him and he appeared to enjoy it quite a bit she became even angrier. Laenaya watched the dancer. She had never seen anyone dance like that before and it caused her some embarrassment, especially when she began to dance behind her brother. She glanced over at Gulbrandt as he sang with his father and the others. He actually had a pleasant voice, though the image of him shoveling food barehanded into his mouth was still stuck in her head.

As the song ended everyone clapped, including Nauriel, though Elessar would be able to sense how angry she still was. Laenaya was rather surprised and caught off guard when Hakon bowed towards her. She nodded her head respectfully however.

The rest of the evening went on without to much incident but it was still obvious the two peoples were torn from much different cloths. Elessar had set aside an entire complex for the visitors as their was plenty of room in the white city for them.

Elessar still detected anger from Nauriel and he knew he would have to make it up to her though he hadn't a clue how right now. He watched her getting ready for bed but she did not sing as she always used to. Tonight she was stiff-lipped silence.

"Most men would approve of their wives to be silent...I am not one of those wife and I do not wish to enter into a bed with an angry wife, I apologize for what so did but it just felt right," he said and his instincts had brought them a bit closer though he had been very rude to his own wife in doing it. He stepped up behind her and planted a deep kiss on her neck.

Nauriel had a lot on her mind that evening. Despite the fact that Elessar had managed to calm things down between their peoples during the meal, they still had insulted her upon their arrival and had been very rude to her daughter. She also had not liked that young blonde woman dancing so seductively in front of her husband. Then, there was the threat of war that remained. Her daughter had looked so unhappy during the meal. She wished there was another way to avoid war, but there did not appear to be.

That evening she prepared silently for bed. Normally, she would sing or at least talk to her husband, but tonight she was very quiet. When he finally broke the silence she glanced over at him slightly, but said nothing at first. He then got up and walked behind her and kissed her neck in such a way that she nearly dropped brush in her hand. She pulled away from him though and looked at him.

"He insults me upon arrival and then you command that I sing for him to entertain him. And then on top of it all that...woman was practically in your lap dancing and you were enjoying every minute of it."

His eyes were calm and yet it was obvious that he wanted her. That dance had his blood boiling and he needed his wife to simmer it down.

"We can feel distaste for their ways my love and dislike their lack of respect and rudeness but we will not change them. We can be tolerant and find a common ground in their short-comings if we try," he said in that soft alluring voice he spoke with when she wasn't happy. "I did enjoy the dance but it is not that woman who I was thinking of when I felt my blood wanting to boil over. I was thinking of the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen and of making up to her what I can if she would invite me into her bed," he told her with those hard gray eyes that promised her everything he had said.

"As far as Larnaya, nothing has changed but I still expect her to seek this Gulbrandt out and learn what he is about before he joins the rest
of her suitors. I see much of you in her and it will take a strong man indeed to take her heart. Do not count this Gulbrandt out yet, I observed him tonight and he is not like his father in every respect," he said as he came down to his knees before her. He put his large hand on the back of her neck and lightly rubbed at the back of her earlobe as his eyes gazed brightly at her.

Nauriel could try to stay mad at Elessar, but it never worked. There was something about him that when he looked at her or kissed her just made her forget why she was mad at him in the first place. She felt a shiver of desire go through her when she imagined what he might do to 'make it up to her'. She looked back into his eyes and he would see her anger just melting away.

"You know it infuriates me that I cannot stay angry at you for more than few hours."

He did not ask her to like these people or even not to hate them, he only asked for her to be tolerant. He scooped her up into his arms and stood, her feet dangling off of the floor. With one hand he lifted her shift off of her back and then he planted her down upon his hardness. He felt her legs go around his waist as he assaulted her breasts with his mouth and tongue. He felt her grind herself down upon him and she bent forward to bite his ear...hard. He tossed her down upon the large bed then pinned her as he pulled her arms up over her head. He pushed his longness into her over and over and as he let go of her she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him deeply, breathing her gasps into his mouth.

Nauriel gasped as Elessar picked her up and then pushed her down onto him. She wrapped her legs and arms around him and moaned loudly as he began to suck and nibble on her breasts. His aggressiveness wore off onto her and she leaned forward and bit his earlobe. That seemed to send him over the edge. He tossed her onto their very large bed and pinned her arms above her head. She writhed underneath him and struggled to get her arms free from his grasp. She gasped and moaned at nearly the same time as he pushed himself back into her. She was trembling now and she felt her mind go numb from the pleasure she was feeling. She then rolled them both over so she was on top. She ground herself down upon him, shifting her body to achieve maximum pleasure for them both. She moved slowly at first to tease him, but then, as if on it's own, her body began to move faster and harder. He would feel her swell up around him as she tossed her head back and yelled out as she climaxed.

Nauriel had turned into a dervish upon him as she bucked nearly crazily atop him until she came. He felt the warm, wet pressure of her and pressing her down upon him he could not hold back. He added his own wetness into her and he leaned up to her to take her into his arms. "I love you Nauriel," he said softly as he looked up at her then kissed her passionately.

Narisa brushed Laenaya's hair as they all got ready for bed. She enjoyed doing it when she was here and Laenaya let her. "He has a nice voice but...but I never realized they were so different. Father always taught us to embrace the differences that separate us but...that's a lot of different I think," she said idly as she brushed out her cousins long, luscious hair. She had always been jealous of her hair. "How...young do you think he is?" She asked and Laenaya might wonder why Narisa was asking all these questions.

Ever so slowly her body began to relax. Her body glistened with beads of sweat from their amorous activity. She looked down at him as leaned up to take her into his arms. He kissed her passionately and she kissed him back. She pulled back slightly and looked into his eyes.

"I love you too...I always will."

She then kissed him again and they collapsed back onto their bed in a loving, intimate embrace.

Laenaya was still thinking about everything that had happened that day. It was all rather overwhelming. She was trying to sort things out in her mind as she let her cousin brush out her hair. Strangely, she continued to think about Gulbrandt. Despite his many flaws, there was something about him that intrigued her. His eyes were what she thought about the most.

"I would imagine he is about our age...maybe a little older. Why do you ask?"

OOC-Are you thinking you'd rather have him get together with Narisa?

Ooc- no, Narisa is young but also worried about her people. She has it in her head that if Laenaya won't marry him, she would even though she is terrified of it...and of other things. Up to now she was just a girl allowed to do what she wanted, now though, she is thinking more as a princess and might consider marrying him regardless. I feel bad though if it goes that route, Poor Lindariel.

OOC-No, Laenaya will marry him. She won't be in love with him when she does, but that will happen eventually.

She shrugged not wanting to say more. She was afraid for her people. Until she had seen the farm house burned out and all the farm hands killed she hadn't had to be concerned about much of anything. Now though she wasn't sure it was fair for Laenaya to do what she should be doing. The main issue was that the Northmen wanted a daughter of Elessar specifically.

"I guess the more we can all learn about them, the easier it will be...uh, to a, you know, get along with them," she said awkwardly and she blushed slightly trying to dig her way out of what she didn't want to reveal.

Laenaya knew that her cousin was not saying everything that was on her mind. She turned and took the brush from her and put it down. She looked at her.

"Narisa, you are like another sister to me. We have spent a lot of time together over these years and I have come to know you well and I know you aren't saying everything you want to say. You can say it to me," she said as she reached out and took her hands into her own.

Laenaya's words hit Narisa and the dam broke. She fell into her arms and began to sob. "They're killing us Laenaya...I hate them! I HATE them!" She cried vehemently. "If war comes...I think Rohan will be washed away. Mother...father...and my brother...they'll all die. If they would accept me...I would marry to save them," she said now feeling ashamed. She continued to cry though for a while. All the feelings she had kept bottled up flowed out of her right then.

Laenaya was surprised by her cousin's strong reaction, but she understood. She hugged her tightly and comforted her as a few tears slipped down her own cheeks as she thought about what the future might hold if war did break out. It broke her heart to hear her cousin say that she would marry Gulbrandt just to stop it. But she knew that that was not what Hakon wanted. He wanted her...and only her to marry his son. She knew in that moment what her decision was. She hadn't spoken at all to Gulbrandt, but she would marry him.

"It's alright Narisa," she said as she stroked her hair. "It's going to be alright. I am going to make sure that war never happens."

Unfortunately that only made things worse for Narisa. Her cousin, no, her sister and friend was going to sacrifice her future for her and her family. She shook as her sobs wracked her but eventually she had no more tears.

"then..then maybe there is something we can do...I mean, about his, uh manners? My mother always says men, like dogs can be taught...maybe he likes you to and is worried you'll say no? Well, I bet Eldarion could talk to him," she said knowing he'd likely not take advice from a woman.