Chapter 15 – Arwen's Last Dream, which, in fact, wasn't actually her last, or her first, or even one somewhere in the middle.

Aragorn tapped himself on the head to stop dreaming. His imagination was careering away from his grasp and the memory of the day's events was still lingering on his lips. Even a sigh could still burst free from his lips at the thought of Arwen, heaven in his arms, the cleansing sight of her, the delicious essence of her lips…

Aragorn racked himself on the head again. Shadows were thrown all about him so there was no one to see (and perhaps howl with laughter) although it was past midnight so someone would be slightly deluded anyway if they were still up in Elrond' house at that hour (well the elf-lord had taught Aragorn to think that way anyhow, even though Aragorn saw matters differently).

Yet even in the poor lighting with all the flame-torches cast into oblivion Aragorn still knew that he had come to face the door to… Arwen's bedchamber. His hand slipped automatically down to the handle and he quietly pushed open the door. The soft creak shivered in the still air and he immediately held his breath tightly, straining his eyes through the gloom to see where she lay. From this distance she was unclear, yet she made no movement at his entrance. Exhaling out with relief, he turned to shut the door, and gradually began to pad his way barefoot over the wooden floor to her bed.

As he came round, the moon peaked out from behind the hoary clouds, and it shone a white beam down through the window, sneaking in between a gap in the curtains. It fell upon Arwen's bed, illuminating where her body lay, and giving Aragorn the chance to stealthily tiptoe to her bedside.

Her chest was rising and falling steadily, although no sound of her slumber came to Aragorn's ears. The white embroidered sheets were wrapped tightly over her body, shining for a moment, before the moon vanished once more and sank behind its thick veil. The room descended into darkness again, nightshade pouring into every corner.

Very gently Aragorn sat down next to her, desperately attempting not to stir her dreaming snoozing. The mattress sank under his weight, but Arwen stayed as still as stone, unmoving in her sleep. Aragorn's eyes became accustomed to the dark and he focused upon her face.

Arwen's face. Aragorn had not the will power to hold back that deep aching moan that rushed out of his quivering lips. Her beauty imprinted itself into Aragorn's mind, fastening onto his soul, locking itself inside his heart. The sharp line of her eyebrows, the alluring curls of her long eyelashes, the smooth line of her nose, the shy appearance of her cheekbones, the calmness of her cheeks, and her lips…

Aragorn gulped and averted his eyes. Valar, he should no, he should not go there.

There was the most divine expression on Arwen's pure elven face, so dear and gentle, her beauty glimmering in the night's splendour like the very gems of Valinor. So still and motionless, yet so heart-wrenching and soul-teasing. Aragorn stood no chance of forging a dam against his passionate love. At the moment all he barred against it was something rather like a grain of sand, and unfortunately, he knew it too.

The love erupted within him and Aragorn's eyes slid up to her lips. No desire could be greater than his, in all of Middle-Earth and beyond, than to kiss such a seducing elf-maiden right then. Their gorgeous curves set a girdle of fire about Aragorn's heart, tightening his breathing, shortening his breaths. The hot magenta pink colour shone even through the blackness, searing into Aragorn's hungrily staring eyes, shamelessly pulling down his defences.

"Oh Valar," Aragorn cried feebly, forcing himself to lean down upon the bed beside her, and wind his body around her captivating figure. Every pigment in her bursting full lips was shining in the light of Aragorn's eyes. Every round curve was making his lips ache to all eternity. Every vision of such beautiful lips so attractive and openly ready to be kissed set the love in the chambers of his heart swelling at such a rate that by morning Aragorn would be the size of Arda.

"Please forgive me…" Aragorn gasped, before slowly closing his eyes and moving his dense breaths over Arwen's face, descending to brush his lips over hers. At that very first touch Aragorn sank into euphoric rapturous paradise and everything in his enthused heart induced him to go on.

Such tenderness had never come to Aragorn before, as he leant down into a deep kiss, moving his lips around hers and pressing down with sweet passion. His soul felt set free, his body felt such peace as was displayed in Arwen's complexion. The sense of undying love resonated through his mind, and the gorgeous feeling of her lips burning with passion against his was like bliss merged with fire. He could not do anymore except run his lips over hers, massaging them so gently he felt that with such contentment and happiness he might vanish altogether into thin air.

"Oh Valar," Aragorn moaned again, drawing away, but his eyes unable to budge from their stare on Arwen's flushing lips. "Oh Ilúvatar, oh save me…" Trembling, the electric emotion sparked off in him experimenting with his senses, he daringly brought forward his two forefingers and stroked them down her still cheek. The smooth touch as soft as elven silk seemed to have an even more immeasurable effect upon him.

"Arwen, tintallë en 'uren nín…" he breathed, (Arwen, kindler of my heart) and his swirling misty eyes washed his love never-endingly over her perfected beauty.

Suddenly her eyes flashed open and immediately fell into a tight lock with his with his. Aragorn's heart shocking flipped over half-a-dozen times, accidentally setting free a whole bouquet of love; but although the rest of Arwen's face remained still as before, he saw the secret love glimmering teasingly in her eyes. They shone a shocking colour in the night, cobalt blue as deep as the ocean, and yet, as she gazed into his grey eyes, Aragorn caught sight of the silver stars which had always stirred his heart, and now they glistened as if they had rained down from the velvety sky and settled in her eyes like crystals.

Then Arwen leant up on her elbows, a soft smile creeping up her face, and slowly she kissed him on the lips. The tenderness with which she did this stole away Aragorn's heart and love ached within him. Arwen must have sensed this, for when after a long moment she had drawn back, she lifted her twinkling eyes up to his and gave him the most heart touching smile.

Aragorn could not bring himself to splutter any words. He had been blown away temporarily, and would return in a few heart-simmering seconds.

Now smiling brilliantly Arwen said in a low voice, "I recognised your kiss…"

Aragorn's eyebrows flickered upwards. "My kiss?" he questioned, leaning forward to stroke her free waves of tumbling raven hair, with such care shooting through his fingers he never thought it possible in such a small action.

Arwen sparkled her eyes in recognition, shyly glancing down. Aragorn let a smile warm his lips, finding her somehow (and it was possible) even more mischievously attractive when she did that. The coy flashing of her long eyelashes and the sudden pink flushing of her cheeks did not fail to turn him right on. The answer why, however, or even finding out why, did not even dawn on Aragorn's dark horizon.

"Um, Estel?" she whispered, closing her eyes for a moment in harmony as he ran his fingertips gingerly over the point of her sensitive ear. "There is something you should know," she finished in a soft gasp.

Bending nearer he let his sighs dance upon her skin. She did not think he was listening.

"Aragorn," she said a tad impatiently. There was no reply. She gave him a prod. "Aragorn?" she hissed. There was a sleepy murmur of recognition at his name. After seeing that he was gazing to a vast extent appreciatively at her complexion, Arwen, smiling broadly, knew that he was listening at last. "Estel… I recognised you because… because…" she took a nervous glance up at him and hurriedly looked back down "because… every night I have dreamed of you. Every night you kissed me in my dreams…"

She swung her eyes up to his, and instantly had a balmy wave of adoration pour into her. Aragorn's face had melted to complete and utter nothingness apart from basking in love and his eyes were accordingly softened and kind.

"Arwen…" he panted, carefully moving to brush his nose against hers. She smiled at this sign of affection and together they rubbed noses, until Aragorn edged back.

"Arwen," he began again, "there is something that I should be telling you too." He looked at her quickly. "You- you have not been dreaming of me kissing you."

A deep frown fell on Arwen's face, and her eyes clouded over. "I did dream of that, Estel, I can remember every second as if it was real." A strange expression overcame Aragorn's face, and she was sure his eyebrows contracted in the quickest of flares, but in a snap it cracked and was gone.

He glanced down, to where his chest lay lightly on hers. "Arwen, you did not just dream of me kissing you." He took a cavernous breath. "Arwen, every night since I showed you to the waterfall garden I have come to your bedroom and pressed a kiss to your lips. Every time that you have slept since you fell asleep in the cave I have kissed you, because at that moment when you awoke, I saw in your- your- your eyes what you had dreamt."

During this confession white shock had filled Arwen's face. Her blue eyes had enlarged to twice their normal size and Aragorn was presently having difficulty in finding them dreadfully appealing while desperately trying to speak. "I- I, err…" he gave a cough, "Ahem, um, I… err… happened to kiss you when you, um, had fallen asleep, and I realised immediately afterwards that you had dreamt of it also. I feared that, um… from then on, if you slept and did not dream the same, you would be heartbroken, that I was not visiting your dreams… so every night I have come here… and I kissed you."

He warmly met her eyes and watched as they had become rounder and rounder. But there was something else which lay sparkling in hers.

"You- you-" Arwen stuttered, at a loss for words. "You- you came to me every night? You kissed me every night so that I did not get upset?"

Aragorn took a fleeting look down and smiled. "Yes," he whispered, trailing a finger ticklishly over the back of her hand.

"Estel…" she gasped. Slightly anxiously Aragorn swung his eyes up to hers. The view that met his eyes swept his heart into his mouth. The expression on Arwen's face put across just how much love she felt for him, and her blue eyes wider than the sea mirrored it with the depths of her thirsting soul, and he saw the aching within, the extent to which he had lovingly moved her.

Ever so slowly she moved forward to kiss him. From the moment she touched his lips, the way in which she kissed was so deep and heart-wrenching that Aragorn could not believe what was happening to his befuddled senses. He ardently kissed back, echoing the love he overflowed with while her soft lips moved over his. She then dared to slide her tongue into his mouth, her heart shooting fiery passion into him, massaging as if it was the last kiss they would ever share. She gasped as they broke for air, and then came back even hotter than before.

When Aragorn at last teased their lips apart, Arwen gave a funny little 'oh' noise.

"Arwen?" he asked, looking at her a bit strangely, trying to conceal the smile fiercely fighting against him to stay on his face.

"Oh…" Arwen said again, and through the darkness he saw her close her eyes. "Estel, does this mean that this is my last dream of you?"

The stubborn smile finally triumphed over Aragorn's face. "No," he replied.

"What?" Arwen said softly, opening her eyes upon him.

"No," Aragorn repeated, "This is not your last dream, nor is it your first, or anywhere in the middle. All the times," he murmured, leaning closer to her, "that I have kissed you," he brushed past her cheek, "have been real."

Aragorn began to kiss her sensitive jawbone, and Arwen let out another tiny 'oh' noise as he moved the heavenly sensations down her neck, and silently drew away the nightdress which coated her shoulders. She collapsed back onto the pillow, lying helpless as he caressed her in his arms, working his tickling kisses all over her collarbone and steadily winding his way back up her smooth neck.

"Estel…" Arwen managed to say, a warning note in her voice. Aragorn however only smiled and continued to keep kissing her. She felt the tender motion of his lips creep up her chin, and knew the inevitability of where they were destined to fall on next. She gave a blissful sigh and looked up at Aragorn, who paused and met her eyes. The mere way his eyes glistened and his hair tumbled down softly around her face made her beam with utmost pleasure, but as she saw the half-innocent half-cheekily-in-love smile sneak out upon his face, Arwen broke out into giggles.

And then he kissed her again, slowly massaging his lips over hers, not leaving any precious area untouched, before moving inwards and searching her mouth, dancing his tongue with hers and kissing with every ounce of love that lit up his brilliant-white soul.

"Oh… Arwen?" he whispered, some minutes later, after many kisses had sealed quite a bit more than their lips together.

"Mmmm?" she hmmmed, lazily reaching up a hand to weave her fingers through his silky curtain of hair. He noticed that she didn't even bother to open her eyes. The beautiful satisfaction that she felt was open to him, especially when she ran her other fingers down from their place on his cheekbone to his hard bronzed chest, revealed by the silky elven shirt tight to his manly body.

He felt the beginnings of her desire again and he could not resist. "Arwen," he whispered, lying down beside her and leaning dangerously close to her lips, "I think that now you may finally have genuine dreams."

"Really?" she mumbled, not seeming to be totally listening to what he was saying. "I think that now I may finally get to kiss you myself…" And she lifted her head up from the pillow, and by skilfully winding her arm around the back of Aragorn's neck managed to bring him down in a deep longing kiss.

It was Aragorn's turn to let out an 'oh'. He found that with the ecstatic affections he felt inside him, he found her lips irresistible. Arwen just giggled again and kissed him more lovingly and enticingly than she had ever dreamed.