The King Goes To Gehenna

It was the morning of the 4th day after Serethiel’s accident a messenger arrived. He had one of the fastest horses alive and even so practically ran her to death in the process. For this reason alone Conleth preferred messengers to be women of small stature. He knew well that a lighter weight was much less a burden on a fast horse. It was brought to Elessar straight away and she bowed to him before she turned and left him there. Nauriel was tending their son Elfwine and he turned over the rolled scroll to view the wax seal. It was gold colored wax with the image of a wolf’s head as it howled over a crescent moon. He knew it well for it was the seal of Lord Conleth Phelan of Gehenna.

King Elessar,
I regret to inform you that Lady Serethiel has been gravely injured in a wolf attack. She still lives but her arm and shoulder have been rendered almost completely useless. The attack was brutal and her recovery is due to be long and painful.

Lord Conleth Phelan of Gehenna

Elessar rubbed his brow with his hand after reading the letter. Calene, who was sitting near him saw his troubled expression and worry covered her face. She stood and moved up to him.

“Father...what has happened?” She asked, a hint of fear and worry in her voice. After he showed her the missive Calene agreed to remain incase someone came for an audience as Elessar quickly stepped away and headed back into their apartments. Nauriel would suddenly feel a tremor of sorrow and worry through the bond from the King.

Nauriel was in their apartments tending to Elfwine. They estimated that he was three weeks old and decided that his birthday would be the day they decided to adopt him. Nauriel knew from past experience that taking care of a child was difficult, but her happiness overcame any concerns she might have had. She cared for him as if she had given birth to him herself.

She was rocking him gently in her arms as she sang to him softly in elvish when suddenly she felt a tremor through the bond. She could feel Elessar drawing closer and the fact that she felt fear and worry from him caused fear to grip her as well. She was still holding Elfwine in her arms when he walked in. Something was wrong...very wrong.

“What’s the matter?”

“Here,” he said as he offered her the scroll. “I’ll trade you,” he added as he held out his arms to her to take the baby from her. He was awake and it was a simple maneuver to exchange the scroll for the babe. Elessar held him cradled in his arm and tickled his nose as Nauriel read. Elessar had tried to keep his facial expression level. He didn’t want to upset the babe nor Nauriel but he knew the letter would disturb her. He waited and rocked Elfwine up and down a bit as he looked down at Nauriel.

“I’m...sorry, Nauriel…” was all he could really say. He knew how close to her parents she was but it was unclear to him who she’d be more upset for. Conleth or Serethiel.

Nauriel carefully handed Elfwine over to her husband and took the scroll from him. She unrolled it and began to read. Elessar would see her visibly start to tense and her eyes teared up. She put the scroll down and walked over to look out one of the windows. She wiped the tears from her eyes and was quiet for a while before speaking.

“I must return home...They’ll need me….I should be there…”

She was a Queen he saw. The bond was reeling but outwardly she held herself up regally. He admired and loved her right then. “This time you will not be going alone. I will leave Calene at court and the rest of us will accompany you,” he said plainly. He would not let her go alone this time. “It will be an official visit. Besides, I have yet to see our grandson and I have missed our daughter.” He looked down at Elfwine and saw that he had closed his eyes. He stepped up to Nauriel then leaned forward to kiss her cheek. “She is the mother of my queen, if she would come here and stay with us I would have it but you now she will not. So we will go to her and show her how much she means to us,” he added in a soft tone. And then he kissed her again but this time it was of the more passionate sort and on her lips. He tasted the salt of her tears but continued to kiss her to let her know how much she really meant to him.

At her husband’s words new tears filled Nauriel’s eyes. How she loved this man so. She loved him so much at times she thought her heart might burst because of it. Every day when she thought he could do no more to surprise her and increase her love for him he did. How did she get so lucky in finding him? Or rather he her. Why, when he could have married anyone he wished, did he choose her? There were times when she truly doubted her worthiness of such passionate, undying love. What had she done to deserve him?

As he kissed her she closed her eyes and kissed him back. She could feel the passion behind it and a flame of desire grew within her. Even after all these years they still made love like it was their first time together. She wanted him...needed him...She pulled back slightly from the kiss and looked up into his eyes before glancing slightly at Elfwine.

Elessar knew that look and felt the pounding of her heart through her chest. “You close the door, I’ll put Elfwine in his crib,” he said in a soft raspy voice he often took when desire filled his body. He made passionate love to her right there in the nursery and he held nothing back…

Later that day the entire palace was a buzz of activity. A number of soldiers, he had decided on an honor guard of 25 would be sufficient, had been hand picked to accompany them. Because of the baby they’d all ride in two Royal coaches this time together. Each coach would be led by six horses though he brought his and Nauriel’s horses which would run with the supply carts and camp followers that made up their retinue.

“I’m...I do want to go mother,” Calene said in a pouty voice. She loved her grandmother no less than anyone else but her father had spoken and that would be that. She didn’t have to like it though! She helped Nauriel pack. Elfwine was being fussy so she held him while her mother decided what all to bring. It was unclear how long they’d remain there so packing was quite the quandary. “You won’t all be gone long, will you?” She asked and she couldn’t keep the simper out of her tone which came out as a whine more than anything else.

Despite their love making session, Nauriel was still quite on edge. While Elessar got care of picking the honor guard and making sure everything administratively was in order, she packed. With Elfwine being so young they were bringing quite a bit extra. Thankfully, Aviana was still breastfeeding Aslan so she would be able to breastfeed Elfwine as well while they were there. In the meantime, bottles had been prepared for the journey. Arlina and Kressara were going as well, leaving Calene to hold court on her own. She had done it before, but Nauriel could tell she would much rather be going to Gehenna.

“I don’t know how long we will be gone,” Nauriel replied as she packed things for Elessar. “This isn’t a social visit Calene...as much as I wish it were. If Arlina and Kressara were a little older I would leave them here as well.” She looked over at Calene and walked over and gently placed her hands on her shoulders. “You are truly helping your father and I out by doing this. If anything should happen...well...you will be sent for.” She hated saying something like that to her, but based on what she had read from the letter it didn’t sound like her mother was doing well.

Calene sighed and nodded but wouldn’t meet her mother's eyes. She had tried to squeeze out of what her father had asked her to do so she could go with the family but then he began to compare her to Eldarion. ‘Eldarion would not have waited to be told, he would have volunteered himself so that your mother I would be free to go.’ She loved her brother but did not like it at all when she was compared to him. Thinking about her father’s words made her sulky. “I don’t like it when he compares me to Eldarion mother,” she said, unable to keep that sulkiness out of her voice. Eldarion had made a serious mistake with Calista but he transcended that and now it was like it never happened...most of the time. The other issue was that Calene was of marrying age now. Unfortunately she hadn’t really fell for anyone that had stepped forward to court her. Arlina had a way with the boys. Calene was actually better looking but Arlina exhibited something that drew them to her and that had made Calene jealous of her. She was jealous of Eldarion, jealous of Arlina and unhappy that she had to remain when the rest of the family went to see to her grandmother. “It’s just not fair…” she said softly. She had not meant to say that outloud but now that she had it made her seem even more childish she knew which in turn made her feel even more sulkier.

Nauriel sighed as she listened to Calene. She folded up one of Elessar’s shirts and shook her head as she listened to her daughter. Right now Nauriel was dealing with a lot and having her whine was not helping.

“Calene, I cannot deal with this right now,” she said in a voice that was close to snapping. “My mother may be dying and I’m not there to help my father. So please, I need you to buck up and be an adult and help me and your father. Do you understand?”

OOC-I'm assuming Lindariel and Eomer have also been contacted

The irritation in Nauriel’s voice was plain. Calene’s eyes grew larger and she blushed at being set down like that. In a huff she left the room not bothering to curtsy or even ask to take her leave. Elessar had spoken to his advisors and put Calista’s father as the military commander of Gondor’s forces temporarily. They did not like the haste of it all but what had to be had to be.

Serethiel hadn’t complained about having to stay in bed but Conleth would not allow her to exert herself. They had had to do several minor surgeries since the first one that saved her life so her shoulder had not been able to really heal as of yet. Conleth knew full well having someone else help you use the bathroom and other things besides was quite undignified and embarrassing but what had to be had to be he quoted. It didn’t help much either that it was herself he was quoting. He fed her himself and besides the few hours of sleep he managed to get he hadn’t slept much. She was his entire life and sleeping alone in their bed was not easy at all.

“I’m told you will not need any more surgeries my love,” he said as he scooped up another spoonful of applesauce. He knew full well she wanted to feed herself. He knew what the bond knew and more than once she had gotten so angry at him she could have thumped him. However she wasn’t really angry at him and he knew that as well. He presented the filled spoon again near her mouth. “The stronger you get, the faster you’ll be allowed out of bed. Besides, i’ve sent a message to the king about what happened. If I know our daughter she’ll likely be on her way here already,” he said. “You can either greet her on your feet or not,” he told her and she could make out of that what she wanted.

ooc: yes

Nauriel hated speaking to Calene like that, but she did not have the energy nor the focus to talk to her about these small things at the moment and her whining did not help either. This was an extremely trying time for her and she just wanted to get to Gehenna as quickly as possible.

Once everything was packed she made sure Arlina and Kressara put on their cloaks and then wrapped Elfwine up in a blanket. They had a small bassinet to put him in once in the carriage. He was sleepy and yawned and closed his eyes as he settled against her. She lightly stroked his head as she waited for Elessar to arrive so they could head to the carriages.

Serethiel was slowly healing, although her strength had not yet returned. Moving her shoulder even slightly was excruciating, which meant she had to rely on Conleth for almost everything. She desired to get up and move around, but was under strict orders not to do so until more of her strength had recovered. She had gotten angry at Conleth for not letting her do anything on her own, but she ultimately wasn’t angry at him. She was still very upset and extremely frustrated and she had unfortunately taken it out on him. Afterwards, she had cried for yelling at him, but never once did he waiver in his care for her.

She was currently sitting up partially in bed while he fed her some applesauce. She looked weak and was tired. Sleeping was difficult without him in bed with her and painful with her shoulder. She could see how exhausted he was as well. She doubted he had slept much at all since the attack. She ate a spoonful of the applesauce and looked at him.

“I know you haven’t been sleeping...I can see it in your face...but please tell me you’ve at least been eating…”

A soldier, Nauriel did not know his name approached her and saluted to her hand to heart. “My queen, the King has said he will meet you at the carriages and we are to escort you there,” the young man said His eyes flickered a moment to Arlina who was looking at him and her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. He looked back at the queen in anticipation for her assent but she also noticed that his cheeks were a bit flush as well. Kressara only snickered.

The procession was not small and many citizens turned out to see them all off. The carriages were massive, gaudy things gilt in gold and lacquered white and green. The King stood near the front most one waiting for them. At their approach he moved toward the rear one and then gave each girl a hug and kiss on the cheek before they entered their coach. Regally he took the queen's hand and led her to theirs where the footman held the door for her. Inside most of the material was a green, padded satin. The cushions were actually fairly comfortable but ofcourse they had not begun to move yet and as the hours drew on she knew full well her bottom would not be so agreeable the further they went. There were refreshments for them. Sliced fruit, cheese, raisin bread, nuts and wine. She saw Elessar look up at the fabric and frown. It was obvious he would rather have just ridden as well.

“You would make a swan weep in that dress my love,” he said in a complimenting tone. He could tell how worried she was but also how much she loved him as well. That emotion made the bond swell as his own love for her also fed into it and the warmth of it made him smile at her even though there was little at the moment to smile about. “If you do not cheer up Nauriel, I will have to do something indecent to cheer you up,” he said in that soft, raspy voice he used when he thought of doing something sexual to her. She wouldn’t need the bond to know that he would. There had been a time long ago that it was raining and he had told her that very same thing then carried out his threat. It was indecent but he had lifted her mood and made her shudder with pleasure besides.

Nauriel stood as the soldier approached them. She did not know his name, but he was young...although several years older than Arlina, whom she noticed him looking at. A quick glance at Arlina told her that she had been looking at him as well and she made a mental note to get information about him from her husband. She said nothing about the exchange, but followed him out to where Elessar was waiting by the carriages. She warned the girls to behave themselves before letting them go enter their carriage. Then, still holding Elfwine in her arms, she approached her husband who took her hand. She stepped up into the carriage carefully and after she was seated she gently placed Elfwine into the small bassinette. He barely stirred from his slumber. She adjusted his blankets and lightly caressed his forehead as Elessar joined her.

Normally she did not ride in a carriage, but with Elfwine it would have been impossible to ride. She glanced around the carriage and sighed a little. At Elessar's sudden playful threat she looked over at him a little.

"I snapped at Calene today," she admitted. "She was whining about being compared to Eldarion and I just couldn't take it."

Elessar didn’t wince but there was a flutter in the bond. As close as they were, as close as they sat at court, they could feel one another clearly. “I snapped at her as well...I’m afraid, as she tried to get me to relent and allow her to join us,” She felt guilt from him for that but also something more. A kind of nervousness...because he had put alot of responsibility upon her? And also a state of relaxation. He hadn’t taken a break in a very long time while she had left court several times. Elessar bent over and picked up one of the open bottles of wine. He tipped it back unceremoniously and took a long swallow. Glasses or mugs would only have the wine spill on them in the coach. “I had punch set out for the girls,” he said reassuringly as he leaned back and let out a long sigh then unbuttoned his coat.  “I’ll never get tired of watching you mothering our babes,” he said spontaneously as he looked at her with warm eyes. ‘Far better than watching you best an orc...or a troll,” he said as if those deeds paled in comparison to how she took care of Elfwine.

Nauriel sighed a little when she learned that Elessar had snapped at Calene as well. However, they were both under a lot of stress. She promised herself that once everything had settled down then she and Elessar would sit down and speak with her about her concerns. She watched as her husband unbuttoned his coat and leaned back to relax. Nearly the entire time she had known him he rarely took time to relax. He was always working...always thinking. It was good to see him relax, even for a little while. She looked at the gray that was starting to come in around his temples. She thought it made him even more handsome and regal. She took the bottle of wine from him and took a sip herself. She looked over at him and into his eyes as he spoke about watching her mother their children and how he liked that better than watching her fight an orc or troll.

"Only because I was far better than you at killing them," she said playfully with a devilish grin.

He stifled a real laugh at that, he did not wish to wake the baby. “And I’m truly thankful that you are,” he said as he remembered those two Trolls. He had been stunned and rolling about on the ground as he tried to get his wits about him as Nauriel fought them. He loved looking into her eyes. He saw the love in them she carried for him. A man could lose himself completely if he looked to long. The years had been extremely kind to Nauriel. He thought her just as beautiful now as when they first met. “Do you recall what I said about distraction?” He said as he blew softly in her ear and, at the same time put his warm hand on her thigh. He kissed her deeply and as she kissed him back he drew up her dress so he could get to the flesh that was underneath it. He leaned to the side and began kissing her neck as his hand fished into her undergarments and found the warm, softness between her legs. So much for decency he thought briefly….very briefly when he heard her gasp. He could not remember a time when she had denied him. He was certain she had but he could not summon the memory of it. He felt her take another drink of wine as his fingers gently caressed the delicate folds that were now quite moist for his touch. His mouth came back to her jawline then back to her lips and he tasted the wine on her tongue. “Does my queen wish her King to stop what he’s doing to her?” he asked in a breathy voice in between kisses.

She smiled as she looked back into his eyes. She could feel the desire building quickly between them. Her heart began to beat a little quicker when he mentioned the 'distraction' once again. She felt his hand on her thigh as he kissed her deeply. That man knew how to kiss her in such a way that her knees would go weak. She was beginning to tremble with desire as she felt him draw up her dress. She closed her eyes and moaned softly as he began to kiss her neck and then gasped as she felt his fingers slip into her undergarment. She still had the wine bottle in her hand and she took another sip as he caressed her. She closed her eyes again as he kissed her jawline and then up to her lips. They kissed quite heavily for a moment before he broke the kiss with smaller ones.

"No...please don't stop..."

And so he didn’t stop. He wanted to help her relax and needed to himself. It was such a rarity that they both could get away from the city together. They had alot of love in their lives, they made love to one another often but he felt they were in danger of running into that time in their relationship when everything moved as if it all were of its own accord and spontaneity no longer existed for them. The baby though...it set off a chain of events that brought that back into their lives. For some reason he found it so very difficult to keep his hands off of her. When he returned to the moment at hand he had her undergarments removed and he had her laid back on the bench. He was inside of her grinding himself in and out. One of her legs on the floor the other up onto his left shoulder. She still held the bottle of wine in her left hand and her eyes were like pools of blue fire daring him to fill her up with his desire. Something about the movement of the coach had allowed the baby to sleep quite soundly. Something Elessar was thankful for at the moment.

Nauriel wished the bench were a little wider, but she and he had done far more with far less before. Something about his slight aggressiveness reminded her of being back out in the wilderness together. The threat of war and constant possibility of death had rendered their love making quite intense. While they still made love several times a week it had become less intense and more gentle in a way. However, today something seemed to have gotten into him and she was taken back to those warm nights out on the ground or, if they were lucky, a room at an inn.

"Aragorn..."she moaned, using his old name...something she hadn't done in a very long time.

He kept on going like that until he felt her stiffen and shudder. He paused with himself inside of her so she could enjoy the feeling without the distraction of him moving. She had gripped his wrist with her hand and her grip was not weak as she all but lost herself in the throes of her orgasm. He drew back after a few moments longer and began to button up his pants. He would not orgasm there. They had no means to clean themselves up. This coupling was for her and her alone and he had no doubts she’d return the favor eventually. She always did if the balance leaned even remotely in his favor. As she righted her garments he finished off the first bottle of wine. He set it into the box and drew out the next immediately. He brushed his hair with his fingers and checked to make sure the buttons of his coat were aligned. She took a bit longer than he to fix her appearance. Her face and cheeks were still quite red from the shock of her orgasm. Not all were very strong but by how loud she had been and how red her skin was this one was one of the stronger ones so he considered that a mission accomplished. The coach continued to bounce along, they were much slower than horses but considering all that they had to bring they were the ideal choice for this trip.

“I must make a confession, Eldarion wrote me days ago. They had stopped in Gehenna to resupply. He and Calista were attacked by a homesteader. Three were killed including a daughter but he and Calista were unharmed. They brought 2 young girls with them to Gehenna and a couple there took them as their own. He mentioned that he and Calista were not exactly getting along but they were working through their problems, though slowly. This all was prior to your mother’s accident ofcourse and I am not even sure where he will end up to send him a missive. Apparently the gold we had collected was not so helpful as the purchasing of supplies were from Gehenna...Calista’s idea he had mentioned...as they prepared to head westward toward Rohan.”

Nauriel’s back arched and her head was thrown back as she felt her body stiffen and shudder. Waves of intense pleasure washed over her and she moaned loudly. At the moment she didn’t care if the baby awoke, or if anyone heard her. She hadn’t realized until that moment just how much she had needed this. She noticed that Elessar stopped and knew then that he didn’t plan to continue. She would ensure his own release later on. She relaxed back on the cushion for a long moment before slowly sitting up and fixing herself. She smoothed out her dress and her hair, but there was little she could do for the redness in her cheeks. She took a sip from the new bottle of wine and listened as he confessed that he had received a letter from Eldarion several days prior. She was visibly shocked by what he told her, but was glad that he and Calista were alright.

“Well, I am certain that Father would have written to Lindariel as well about mother’s condition,” she replied. “If they were in Rohan when Lindariel received the letter they may return to Gehenna.”

Elessar nodded to her in agreement. Eldarion had a closer relationship with his grandparents than the girls had. And Calista more than everyone else. He’d turn back for her alone if she asked him. Of that he was certain. The confidence Eldarion held in him was that of what was said between a son and his father. He had never spoken to Nauriel about what they had talked about. Nor would he break that confidence. When it came down to it they were the only 2 males, save for his new son Elfwine and he was afraid Nauriel might not understand how he felt about things. More likely she’d have thumped him but good if she did know and more besides.

“I’ve...missed her,” he said almost mournfully and she knew what ‘her’ he meant. Aviana, formerly Laenaya was their first daughter. He had put alot of work in her incase of Eldarion’s absence or death. Nearly as much as Eldarion himself. What had happened was not at all his preference and if he could he’d put a blade through this Cole and bring her and their Grandson back home with them. He had received several missives and messengers from the Rhovanion people. The first was a grave apology for her ‘presumed’ death and others were about the continuation of peaceful relations and trade. Now they dealt with Rohan directly and Gondor was well and good out of it.

So much for ‘relaxation’ he thought. It appeared that he could not really set it all aside. He had been King so long he didn’t know how to just be a husband and father anymore. “I...I don’t know how you’ve done it all these years,” he said spontaneously. When she looked at him wanting more he continued. “You can just be a woman or a wife or a mother. I find it difficult to put the King aside and just be a man,” he said honestly.