The King Goes To Gehenna

Nauriel knew that Elessar missed Aviana, as she was now called. The two of them had shared a special relationship and she could just as easily run Gondor as Eldarion. Her marriage to Cole, as he was now known, had been extremely difficult for him. She knew that he wished things could be different. He felt guilt ridden for letting her go through with it for the sake of peace. However, from what Nauriel could see Aviana had actually fallen in love with Cole. She wasn't sure if Elessar would ever have a close relationship with his son-in-law, but she hoped that he would at least respect him for Aviana's sake.

As Elessar commented about how he found it difficult to put aside the 'King' side of himself and just be a man, Nauriel moved closer to him and took his hand into her own.

"I can imagine it would be," she responded. She was quiet a long moment before speaking again. "After we return from Gehenna I think you should take a few weeks to go off and be by yourself. Go hunting, fishing...just take time to relax."

Elessar laughed, “Wish that I could do that. It is not that I think you can not lead in my stead wife. Never that,” he said reassuringly. He took up a small wrapped bundle from the box and unwrapped it. He popped a piece of candied fruit in his mouth but had not really looked closely to what it was. It tasted sweet and like plums. It was easy for Nauriel to throw on a cloak and go undercover to Gehenna or most anywhere she wanted to go when he was on the throne. However if the roles were reversed...he doubted that it would be so simple. People would worry and wonder.

They didn’t stop until it was near time for supper. Their tents were neatly erected and set up in a line. The large dining table was covered by a canopy and servants waited on them just like they had never left the city. Kressara and Arlina seemed...out of sorts toward one another as they were served the soup. A tomato bisque he thought by the richness of it. Each time Kressara looked at her sister Arlina gave her a scowl and he assumed that something untoward must have happened while they were in the coach. They were known to fight and argue but it was very poor manners to continue during their meal and he hoped Nauriel hadn’t noticed them, she had alot on her plate right then. More important things to worry about other than two girls who held a childish grudge against one another. He also noticed thatArlina turned to her right to look at...what, the mountains? The tents or the soldiers? He wasn’t certain. Then he noticed two soldiers, one appeared quite young that stood guard nearby. He couldn’t remember his name. And he leaned toward Nauriel.

“Do you know the name of those two over there?” he asked. One was an older man with a brown mustache and a small scar on his left cheek. She knew him as Donnell, the other was that same young man that Arlina had gotten so flushed over. It was then she caught the girls whispering rudely to one another. Her ears picked up on unkind words that had to do with keeping something a secret...or else.

After a while Elfwine woke up and needed to be fed. She used one of the bottles to feed him and then just held him in her arms for a while. She even sang a little, for both him and Elessar. She was glad when they finally stopped. She hated being cooped up in that carriage. She needed to stretch her legs. She was surprised by how fast the tents were erected. She smiled a little at Elessar as she watched the table being set up and started to smell the food.

"And to think, we used to sleep on the ground in the mud and eat whatever we could find."

She was too busy tending to Elfwine to notice the girls. It wasn't until Elessar spoke to her softly that she looked up. She glanced over at the soldiers and immediately noticed that one was the young man she had caught Arlina exchanging looks with earlier that day.

"Donnell is the older one," she replied. "But I do not know the name of the younger one. However, earlier today I caught a look between them. I intended to ask you about him. He's young...but still older than Arlina."

OOC-Ok, so I had kinda a weird idea tonight for Nauriel. I was thinking that maybe one day sometime in the future she is going through some things back at the palace when she stumbles upon a box of items she and Elessar brought back from the Troll's cave. She starts going through it and maybe she finds a necklace with a crystal pendant or something and has a strange desire to put it on and when she does she pretty much becomes possessed by some evil spirit and causes a little havoc. I was thinking about Nauriel specifically because she could potentially be very dangerous because of all of her training. I know it's kinda a weird idea, but I thought something like it might be a little different.

Ooc- my issue with they is that she might be looked at badly and people wouldn't understand. I get the sense you like playing characters that are somewhat... Dark, we could do a thread where you play a dark, powerful character and I play a normal male counterpart somewhat be holding to her whims, what do you think? We could do this in a similiar fantasy aetting

Ooc or a more modern setting

Ooc- like maybe you play a recently awakened vampire or other creature and I could play a male character with real life issues, trying to eek out an existence. She could spare killing him and decide she is interested in him to a degree

OOC-You are probably right about Nauriel. I'll have to think about it in regards to doing another board. The idea isn't necessarily for her to be evil, but to be temporarily possessed by something dark and evil.

OOC-That vampire idea could possibly be interesting.

Well I could definAtely play into the part of being the weak make human against the powerful predator of your female character.

OOC-I'll think about it.

OOC-We can continue on this board though.

Occ- ofcourse today I'm cleaning the basement....

Elessar raised an eyebrow concernedly as he shot the young man a weighing look. “I’ll have to keep an eye on that one I think,” he said suspiciously. He didn’t think he liked men looking at their daughter like that. This entire thing with Laenaya had never quite healed in him. He doubted he’d ever come to like Cole. Regardless of how much it might mean to her and Nauriel. He didn't notice that he was chewing with a scowl upon his face as he looked at the men. They were not looking their way but he couldn’t remove the look from his face consciously. 

“I wish to hold Elfwine...for a while,” he said as his face seemed to settle into a more neutral expression. He dropped his fork and stood then waited for Nauriel to relinquish him. 

Ooc-maybe just seclude this dark thread to a Halloween special kind of thing for us. Been watching a Netflix series Stranger Things and it's pretty good. Not to scary. I'm on vacation starting Wednesday night until Tuesday night. I'm going to Manistique North in the Upper Penninsula.

Nauriel hoped that by holding Elfwine that Elessar would calm some. He suddenly seemed very tense. She had known from the very moment Laenaya was born that he was going to be very protective when it came to his daughters. She wasn't sure how she felt about this soldier looking at her daughter that way either. She stood and carefully handed Elfwine over to him so he would remain cradled and have his head supported.

Meanwhile, Arina continued to glance over at the soldier and smile at him some as she ate. She had been allowed to bring her dog with her and she slipped the small dog bits of food when her parents weren't looking.

OOC-Not sure if you wanted Arina to already know the soldier or if this is something that has only just happened. I also don't mind trying the vampire board as long as we can continue on with this one as well.

ooc: How do you want this thing with the soldier to go? I was going to have her sneak out at night to see him. And ofcourse, Nauriel being Nauriel will catch her and saw them kissing quite passionately. Parents have a unwritten right to be Hypocritical whenever they want, lol. Not to mention she'd know if Aragorn found out, that Soldier would be stationed someplace far away forever, lol, which would break Arlina's heart most likely!

As far as this other thread goes, I do not want to stop our Middle Earth threads...ever if I had my way. Now this doesn't mean we don't have room for this other thing but it might not be as back and forth as these are.

What I would like though is for you to make your character. (I have one for myself already. You can select her age and what genre of Vampire (and if you even mention twilight I will be embarrassed to know you) you wish to play. Since this is a Halloween thing, you can make her as fiendish and cruel as you want. Possibly she was raped or abused by men as a young girl, before she was 'made'. Which makes her go after mean men mostly if not exclusively. As far as powers, I was thinking she could select something she can turn into, like a wolf at will, also, super human speed, agility, strength, flight, empathy, the ability to read thoughts through tasting a victims blood, sensitivity to sunlight and fire, NOT sensitive to silver or garlic or stakes in the heart though. She could be old, possibly a thousand years old or more if you desire it. My character will have an old world name and not necessarily be a 'nice' guy but when she tastes his blood she will come to know all of the torment he had received as a child by his father and take an interest in him.

OOC-So, Arina and this soldier have already been flirting for a while now and this is just the first time that her parents have noticed it?

OMG No to anything Twilight! Never read the books or saw the movies and thank God it's all over with at this point. No, I much prefer Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles.

ooc: I knew there was a reason I liked you! Lol. Very good, I've read all her books and have several even on Audio.

Yes, apparently they've known one another for a time.

OOC-Ok, sounds good. I'll try to come up with a profile for this vampire within the next day or two hopefully.

Now Arina is only about 16 years old. I'm assuming this soldier would have to be at least 18 or 19 to be a soldier.

BTW-One of my favorite characters of all time is Louis and I love Brad Pitt playing him...although I don't like Brad Pitt now lol

Holding the baby did seem to calm him. Elessar smiled and played with the infant for a time and allowed himself to forget about Arlina and the soldier. Dinner was whisked away by servants and he eventually returned the babe to Nauriel. Fires were made and one of the camp followers played his stringed instrument while the family lounged for a time near the fires. The two soldiers that had been watching over them have since been replaced by others she actually knew. Good men who would defend them with their lives if it was necessary. The respect they carried for her and Elessar was high.

“You have taken to being a mother again well wife,” he said in Elvish. With their youngest being a teenager there was little mothering that happened with them. It was more playing arbitrator, referee, teacher and taskmaster than really being a mother to the girls now. If it wasn’t Arlina complaining about Kressara or Calene it was the other two complaining about her. Elessar left that mostly to Nauriel unless they bickered or show poor manners or character at table or at court. All ‘he’ had to do was give them that stern, disappointed stare. Nauriel had to take them aside and give them a talking to if she wanted any peace. A few years ago it was Eldarion that played the role of peacemaker and confidant between them. Now, with his wife Calista though he was always busy, away from the family.

Elfwine grinned and cooed at her as she held him. He loved to see her face and normally wouldn’t cry unless he needed to be fed or changed. Only sometimes did he make a fuss to be held but most of that was that he was held alot by his older sisters or Nauriel. Kressara liked to care for him. She had a mothering way about her which Arlina did not. For Elessar he felt her emotions swell when she held the babe. His coming a bandage on the wound that would never heal that came from losing a child.

Nauriel smiled as she watched Elessar with Elfwine. It always amazed her when she watched him hold one of their children. He could be so strong and deadly and yet so gentle and loving. She often found that watching him hold one of their children was more of a turn on than watching him slay an orc. Watching him with Elfwine now one never would have guessed that this infant wasn't truly theirs. Elessar cared for him as he did any of his other children, and that made Nauriel's love for him grow even more.

After dinner, Nauriel took Elfwine back as they sat down around the fire together. She smiled over at her husband a little when he mentioned how well she had taken to being a mother to a young child again. Slowly her smile faded into a more serious look and she looked into Elessar's eyes.

"I don't want you to ever think that I'm trying to...replace what we lost...Nothing could ever replace...him."

OOC-Oh and I double checked how I originally spelled her name (because I had forgotten) and it's actually 'Arina'

“Nauriel,” he said in a soft tone, what he was going to tell her would not please her. His eyes had softened as well to what she had said. To what she said and how she looked as she held their son. “”Our son will live in our hearts for the rest of our days. All of our children will. None could ever be replaced. I know you know that. Elfwine has brought that bright light to your eyes that I have not seen in years. Do not disparage that there is any kind of betrayal for caring for him. Or loving him as a mother would lover her own son. He is our son as if you birthed him from your own womb. This was so the moment that you picked him up I think and so it was for me the moment that you brought him to me. He will know no other family and he will own the unconditional love that we have for all of our children. However he does not have our blood and that distinction will need to be maintained throughout his life in name only. Do you understand?” He hoped that she would. He would stand in line, last among even their daughters who if they had male children that those children would stand before Elfwine in the line of succession in the manner of bloodlines and kings.

Tears filled Nauriel's eyes as she listened to her husband. His words lifted a giant weight from her shoulders. She felt as if she were ten pounds lighter. He would see the stress and worry vanish from her eyes. She nodded in understanding.

"Of course M'love," she replied gently. "I am just happy to know that he will be safe and warm and, most importantly, loved with us."

The rest of the evening was quiet and pleasant. There wasn’t much wind and the girls turned in early it seemed. Their tent was fairly large. There pallet was quite large as pallets went. Built in halves on a wooden frame and the mattress was goose down and heavily laden with cotton and wool blankets. There were many pillows in different shapes and colors but honestly Elessar could have made do with just a simple bedroll on the ground. He could remember many days where he didn’t even have that. And others where Nauriel slept upon him the entire night. Before they had become...romantic, she seemed content to snuggle up upon him. It felt awkward at first when she did that. But later he actually came to like it. Now, with all of their comforts they had become...soft he thought. Carriages and servants and large tents and beds. He still only slept in his small clothes though or nothing at all.

Elfwine was in his cradle just cooing away in a deep sleep. The traveling had exhausted him it seemed but it wasn’t he that woke Nauriel from her perch upon her husband’s large, hairy chest. Her elven senses had heard a muffled voice and knew whose it was. Arina was whispering and another voice, a man’s voice she thought she recognized whispered back.