Warnings: AU. Slashy goodness! MPREG.

Disclaimer: Uh... anything you recognize, I don't own. Merrick's mine though. -smiles warmly-

A/N: I have reupholstered this story and decided to just post the complete thing in two parts. Enjoy.

Lovers and Kings

Prologue

"You are submerged in darkness."

The man snorted indignantly. "You destined me for this darkness the last time I visited you." He snapped, dismally impatient.

She showed no sign of hearing him. "Love brightens the darkest caverns." She declared airily, her voice seeming to echo in his mind though he could obviously see her lips moving in speech.

"What do you mean by that?" He demanded.

"Your destiny awaits in Gondor."

"Gondor?! The Land of Men?"

"Travel to Gondor, or lose your destiny."

"What does that mean? What will happen if I don't go to Gondor?" He hissed, not liking the idea of his life being planned out for him by these 'higher powers'. What did they know of what he wanted?

"Your heart will forever be empty if this pilgrimage is overlooked and your lover is forsaken."

Her image began to fade. "Wait! There are so many people there! How am I supposed to find her?!" He asked quickly, being slightly more polite.

"Open your eyes to the unusual. Pull from your mind the ways plastered to your senses and let your mind be free to see with eyes unclouded by outside influences." She waved her arm in front of herself and a sprinkle of magic dust glittered down from her pedestal to sparkle around the man.

"A caravan, Ada?" Ellisarian, the prince of Gondor, questioned hifs parent with a raised brow.

"Yes." Legolas nodded as he went over a parcel of paperwork concerning trade through his native land of Mirkwood, his new home Gondor, and the brother land of Gondor: Rohan.

"What kind of caravan?" Ellisarian queried, interested. He had been trying to get his Ada to dump all this work on an advisor and come to walk with him in the gardens, seemingly for eternity.

"Distracting me from my work will only prove to delay that walk you so dearly want me to accompany you on, my child." Legolas replied without looking up. "Ask your father." He suggested dully.

"You haven't come to the gardens in ages!" The teenager whined.

He would reach adulthood –according to humans- in less than a week and his celebration would take place in less time than that. Ellisarian was mostly elf and only part human, though his human traits seemed to dominate over his others. In appearance, one would call him human without knowing his lineage or knowing anything else about him. His flawless skin, startling eyes, and grace could be looked over as human qualities, but his speed, his growing archery skills, his communion with the forest, and his musical singing voice were only a few of the things that made him otherworldly. Ellisarian, however, was quite small for nearly being an adult in human years, and that was thanks to his Elvin heritage; because he was mostly Elvin, he would grow slower and live much longer than any normal human –but these things could be overlooked and called a delay in puberty. Even his ears were normal causing him to appear completely human if you were not sensitive to these types of subtleties.

"Don't bother your Ada while he works." Aragorn warned as he strode into the room, his forehead bathed in sweat. He went through a pile of papers on a different desk than Legolas sat diligently at.

Ellisarian gave up on Legolas when he did not even look up to his husband as he entered.

"Doila lle, amin mela." Legolas called out in Elvish. (Thank you, my love.)

Aragorn was at his side in an instant. He danced a peach in his hand in front of Legolas, causing the elf's eyes to come alight.

Finally, Legolas looked away from his work and gasped at the succulent morsel his lover dangled in front of him.

"You're wonderful." He chirped happily opening his hands to receive the treat.

"Only for a kiss." Aragorn bargained with a smirk.

Legolas smiled and quickly brought their mouths together before he snatched the fruit. "Thank you, love." He took a bite of it –savoring the taste slowly- before he continued looking through the papers and scratching notes on them with a random quill from the table.

Aragorn stood with the papers he had come to retrieve in hand. He glanced at his son, Ellisarian, who looked frantic with boredom, then turned back to his lover to whisper in his ear.

"Perhaps you could indulge our son before he tears apart the castle in boredom?"

"Of course, but not now." He told his husband, smiling bemusedly.

"Good." Aragorn kissed Legolas' smooth forehead gently, then walked back around the desk, swirling his arm around his son's shoulder and dragging him away from Legolas' den. "Leave your Ada alone for a time and I'm sure he'll join you for a walk more willingly."

Ellisarian sighed extravagantly. "Finally." He groaned. "What about this caravan of travelers I hear talk of?"

"They are a wealthy group of wanderers from the North, coming here to find someone special." Aragorn answered as he looked through the papers he carried.

"There is talk from the servants that this 'special person' will become betrothed to the caravan leader Angelus and share in his magical power." He paused for suspenseful reasons. "Supposedly he has traveled across Middle Earth dozens of times and gone to darker depths than even you, Father." He teased.

Aragorn smiled. "The image you have of me must be very great for even as a Ranger I have not been to all corners of Middle Earth, nor beyond, like this Angelus character supposedly has."

"I wonder if he is some old man with tired old stories to match his wrinkles." Ellisarian chuckled playfully.

"We shall soon see. They arrive today." Aragorn announced and Ellisarian stopped in his tracks.

He gasped, excited. "Really?"

"I would not lie about such a thing." He smirked. "I am looking forward to interrogating him myself. Such journeys and legends of this Angelus have been floating around since I was a child."

"You were once a child?" Ellisarian quipped and earned himself a smack upside his head. He laughed along with his father. "I hear this Angelus baited the stars into loaning him the magic of their eternal light. He is said to have once been as fair as any elf." He chuckled at the absurdity of it. "As if a human could be so fair."

"I would not doubt it." Aragorn replied dangerously. "It has never been clearly stated what kind of man this Angelus fellow is. Only that he is a man. He could be elf, or human, or any mix of races." He smiled.

"I hear tale of…"

"You seem to hear a lot for someone that is so bored." Aragorn interrupted and Ellisarian blushed.

"Word gets around when you know where to listen." He merely replied. "What have you heard?"

"Only that he has no equal and has never taken a lover." Aragorn answered. "Aside from all the exaggerated tales of his escapades."

"Really?" Ellisarian's mouth dropped slightly. "How can that be? Such a famous man with so many talents and magics has never bedded another?" He scoffed. "I don't believe it."

"They're here!" A woman cried out. The same servant turned into that corridor, arms flailing and a blush darkening her cheeks upon catching sight of them and realizing her folly. She calmed down everything except her blush when she saw the king and prince staring at her. "My apologies, Lord." She walked past them demurely, bowing obediently, but as soon as she was past them and around another corner, they could hear her running and shouting again. "Angelina! That man is here! He's gorgeous! Come and see!" They could hear her dashing down that corridor as fast as her skirts would allow.

Aragorn and Ellisarian exchanged a hysterical smile and continued walking.

"I suppose he's here." Aragorn stated a few paces later and Ellisarian lost his composure, bursting into laughs.

"Let's go see, too! Indulge, Father! Run with me!"

"You go." Aragorn laughed. "It would not be proper."

"Throw away your propriety for once and run with me." He grabbed his father's arm and they ran down the corridor, turned the corner and ran down another until they passed the veranda, open to the elements. They could clearly see the gates open from there and the caravan was unmistakable from their view. They were being stopped by practically the entire Land of Gondor. Even the guards were distracted by the entry of the caravan.

"Let's go meet them!" Aragorn laughed as he began walking toward the entrance hall of the castle.

"Will they even come up here?" Ellisarian wondered vaguely as he walked more excitedly beside his father.

"It would be rude not to." He told his son as they walked into the entry hall and found a flurry of people already there, surrounding a group of ten foreigners. "What is this?" Aragorn demanded, his voice commanding attention, but the group only glared at him sidelong.

All the servants and guards backed away from the foreigners so as not to anger their Lord.

"How did they get up here so quickly? The caravan is still stuck at the gate, barely inside." Ellisarian wondered into the dead silence of the room. Even though he had whispered it to his father, the caravan wanderers answered.

"I would have hoped that the document I sent ahead would have sufficiently alerted you to our coming, without announcing it to the entire city." A tall man ground out grumpily. He stood in the center of the little circle. His long brown hair was flaked with grays, splitting, and covered by a red bandana. He was covered in dirt and grease as he held Aragorn's gaze disobediently.

All glee had flown from Aragorn's eyes the moment this man had spoken. The king was about to invoke his wrath onto these people and especially this man –who he assumed was their leader- when another entered the room in a flurry.

The guards were alert immediately, but also confused at what they should do. Dozens of cries of admiring women flew in behind this black-haired man, as he slammed the door shut on them. He put his weight against the door and pushed. After a great effort at this he turned to the nearest ogling guards.

"Don't bloody stare! Help me, damn you! They're rampant!" He cried out and Ellisarian couldn't help but smile at this man's predicament.

Two guards immediately obliged and tried pushing on the door, but as soon as the good-looking man let go, the weight seemed to be too much for the guards and more had to come to help and lower a beam in it's holders to keep the doors closed.

Cries could still be heard from the other side of the doors. "Take me!" "I'll be your wife!" "He's gorgeous!" "Come back! We won't bite!" "Come here handsome! I'll take good care of you!" "I love you!" "Come to us again! Please!" "Just a little feel!" "I want you, my love!"

The young man snorted in disgust.

The older man in the middle of the caravan group seemed about to chide this younger man, but he was immediately ignored. The young man walked gracefully over to Aragorn and bowed his head respectfully.

It was impossibly simple to see why so many women would be chasing after this man. His features were defined in his slim figure, with the hint of muscles under all those clothes, and his dominating attitude.

Aragorn would have expected this man to bow to one knee, but this was obviously a very proud man for he only bowed briefly at the waist before beginning to speak.

"I would like to apologize for any pigheaded remarks my men have offered you before I could intervene. They –by no means- speak as the voice of my caravan." He glared at the man that had spoken out to Aragorn so rudely. "Especially abstain from listening to him." He jutted his thumb at said man. "My name is Merrick and I thank you for allowing us here, though…" He frowned now, which still couldn't ruin his beauty. "I would've been more appreciative if the entire city hadn't been alerted to our arrival. It does make it quite difficult to blend in and travel."

"I believe you would have had a slight problem with that anyway." Ellisarian commented with bemusement.

Merrick merely looked down on him, as if just noticing he was there. He smiled briefly, then turned back to Aragorn.

"I do apologize for that." Aragorn told him sincerely. "It is hard to keep something so amazing from getting out, though."

"Understandable." Merrick nodded several times, then considered his next words. "I hope you don't mind… we jumped your walls after we noticed the cough cough problem with the front gate."

Ellisarian fought very hard to keep his laughs hidden, but with only moderate success.

"Of course." Aragorn chuckled himself. "I am Aragorn, Son of Arathorn, King of Gondor. This is my son Prince Ellisarian. I'm afraid my husband Legolas, is detained by a rather lethal stack of offending parchment, however."

Merrick laughed an erotic, ringing laughter, causing a ripple of pleasure to shoot through those present.

Merrick's hair was long, weaving, and blackened. It was tamed only by the strong black bandana that tried very hard to keep his hair back. Even with the cloth, it crept down his shoulders in braids of all kinds, with odd beads and ties littering it. A few tattoos of dense colors decorated his hands and face, but the rest of him was covered in what appeared to be pirate banter. He was by no means as young as Ellisarian. He was closer to Aragorn's age most likely, but his good looks didn't give any of his age away; it was the way he carried himself and spoke with knowledge of many things by only speaking a few phrases that made him seem wizened.

"Are you a pirate, Sir?" Ellisarian asked offhandedly as he gave this Merrick a once over. He regretted the words at once.

"Yes, of course. Want to hand me in for it?" He wondered proudly.

All eyes immediately turned to Aragorn.

"Are you really a pirate?" He asked, suddenly serious.

"I can not, nor will I, lie to the King of Gondor or any other for that matter. I am what I am and proud to be so; nothing will change that. I am Merrick, Captain of the Santeria, Leader of the Angelus Clan, and commander of the damn-near best pirates East of the oceans. If it makes any difference to you, my crew and I have yet to steal from Middle Earth, Sir." He saluted Aragorn rather lazily.

All the men standing behind Merrick were in complete faith of their captain apparently because not one of them batted an eye after he openly admitted to all above proclamations.

"You are from the Angelus Clan?" Aragorn asked sternly.

"Last of a dying clan, yes, Sir." Merrick nodded smiling. His teeth were much whiter than some of the other occupants of that room and it caught Ellisarian's attention immediately.

So handsome. He thought.

"You just said…" Aragorn began.

"I am one of the last pure Angelus Clan members, I'm afraid to say." He answered, stern-faced.

"Have you been around the world like the stories say? The stories made the leader out to be only one person not a clan of people. One person called Angelus." Ellisarian interrupted. He didn't want his father to prosecute these pirates like he did other pirates. At least not this one in front of him.

"It is only one person. The Clan was named after Angelus who did travel the entire world and even under the seas and oceans and had more stories and scars to share than any man could know what to do with, and that man began to form his own little group of followers, but he wouldn't accept just anyone. Only the strongest of the best of the best would do. Soon it developed into a Clan and when he finally died a few short years ago, they named the Clan after him."

"And our young Lord Merrick is the only offspring of Master Angelus. He is to carry on the clan!" The first speaker piped in proudly.

Merrick's face fell as he turned to his onlookers with a sigh. He gestured for them to quiet down, then spoke fluently in a foreign language Ellisarian had never heard before, and he had been schooled in eight different languages himself.

"What language is that?" Ellisarian asked, quite interestedly, but Aragorn glared at him for interrupting so much and he stepped back into silence.

"My real father knew thirty languages before he died. I only know twelve if you include the common tongue." He smiled briefly. "I, however, can not name all of them. Perhaps I'll have an answer for you next time I come to Gondor, young Prince." He turned back to the king.

"Lle quena I'lambe tel' Eldalie?" (Do you speak Elvish?) Ellisarian spoke up again quickly. He wanted to test this man, but his heart was also beating more quickly by the moment as he looked more heatedly into this pirate's eyes. This meeting was exhilarating.

Children always think their fathers are the best at everything and a lot of children grow up wanting to be just like their fathers, so when those same children meet the person even their father looks up to, it makes one quite curious and excited.

"Mani uma lle quena?" (What did you say?) Merrick replied cunningly in Elvish without hesitation. He only looked at Ellisarian once more to playfully warn him to be good, then he looked back to Aragorn who had also paused to glare at his son. "Would it be too much of an inconvenience if I asked you to help locate some kind of tavern my men could house in for a few weeks."

"That can be arranged." Aragorn nodded as he gestured someone to do that for him.

Ellisarian was thrilled his father was allowing the subject of them being pirates to pass by this time.

"Would you like to stay in the castle?" He asked Merrick kindly.

Merrick was taken aback for a moment, but smiled and shook his head. "I respectfully decline. I sleep with my men. I consider myself no higher in the rankings than they are, no matter what they might say."

"Would it be rude to inquire as to why you've stopped in Gondor?" Aragorn wondered, letting his own curiosity get the better of him.

"I'd love to flatter you with talk of how I've heard of your rulings clear across the world, which I have, but the only reason I've come here is because a prophet told me that I would meet my future-betrothed here, so… who am I to disobey fate? According to her if I didn't come here, then my spouse would die. I, obviously, couldn't let that happen, so here I am."

This was shocking news to Ellisarian.

The Leader of the Angelus Clan is looking for his mate. He mused with a smile. I wonder who the lucky devil could be? I don't think I would be terribly discouraged if it were me. This kind of thing is predestined, right? Ada and Father were predestined, maybe… maybe he and I are meant to be as well. Will my charm work on him, or will he be attracted to me nonetheless? If I don't try, will I lose him? He made a conscious decision to obey what that prophet said, perhaps if he had decided differently, then I never would have met him… or known love. Is this love? This feeling I have? It can't be. I've barely just met him. This feeling is wonderful though. I want more of it and the more I see him smile the more I feel it. Every time I make him smile it brings happiness to me. I feel proud to have his attention on me.

"The castle will host a celebration for my son within two moons and you are more than welcome to join us. It might make it easier to find that special someone when practically everyone will be gathered at the party." Aragorn suggested. Merrick thought about the problems that could accompany opening himself at this party, but Aragorn interrupted his thoughts. "It will be a costume party." He stated and Merrick's eyes lit up with options.

Ellisarian's heart stirred into a speedier pace. Yes, come! I want to speak with you more. I am already yearning for a closeness with him. Who knew? Love at first sight? He smiled at the warm feeling he got when Merrick's smirk washed over him.

"Certainly. It sounds like fun. See ya, kid!" Merrick chuckled as he turned to leave with his men.

Ellisarian turned to his father as Merrick walked to the barricaded door.

"What does 'kid' mean?" He asked softly. Aragorn shrugged his shoulders.

"Part of another language." He guessed.

Ellisarian watched Merrick's retreating back as his men surrounded him in conference. They all wanted to state their opinions of what had happened and Ellisarian's sharper ears could hear snippets of what they thought of the king and prince.

The prince wanted desperately to know what Merrick had meant by 'kid'. Maybe it was some compliment. Maybe it was the equivalent of 'love'. That was hoping for too much though. No, it couldn't be. It was just a goodbye.

Merrick and two others lifted the tabernacle away and the doors flew open. Ellisarian could see the tension mount in Merrick as he stepped out into the wave of admirers unwillingly.

He doesn't like all the attention. Maybe he'll desire my attention like I desire his? He began to crave the sight of this new pirate, Merrick, who had stood before him only moments before. This would be a long few days before he could see him again. That is unless Merrick dropped by the castle to see him. No, he won't come. That would be too suspicious. He's much more intelligent than to be so obvious. How could he assume all these things after talking to this man for less than twenty minutes? Stop assuming and find out for sure! Find out what he's really like instead of what you want him to be like!

The day of the party…

Ellisarian had barely been able to wait for the party after he'd met Merrick. He wanted to find him and interrogate him on everything he'd ever done, but Legolas made sure he had plenty of lessons planned to keep him busy after he'd bothered him so much a few days before.

After his archery and riding lessons were through, he willingly sat in a language class, trying to learn all he could. This new Merrick man knew more languages than he did. Nearly twice as many. That didn't sit well with him. He wanted to know what 'kid' meant too, but his tutor didn't have the slightest clue; his tutor did suggest, though, that perhaps, the term 'kid' was slang for something, which would make it nearly impossible to figure out its origin. This angered Ellisarian.

His teacher was supposed to be a master of all languages, but he didn't even know from which one 'kid' originated.

All his teachers and even his parents began to notice an obsession developing. The young elf would charge around the castle asking anyone and everyone if they knew anything about Merrick and, of course, there were still the legends he heard everywhere he went, but no indication if they were at all exaggerated. The ones pertaining to his beauty were obviously not over-spoken-for, but what about the others?

After he was set free from his lessons he rushed off to his chambers to ready himself for the party.

He spent an hour soaking in his bathing tub to engrain the smell of herbal soap on his skin, and then reluctantly exited the tub to dress.

He dressed in his best silken leggings and a green embroidered frock coat with short white gloves and his mask, of course, with feathers of different colors and two holes for his eyes.

He brushed his silky blonde hair before pulling it back into a ribbon, then the mask went on. He had braids in his hair his Ada had braided for him and told him they meant he was a training prince. He was proud of the braids, but there was no one to admire them or even acknowledge them except for his Ada and father.

He wanted a companion dearly, but there was no one in the kingdom that didn't know he was the Prince and act like it. They would play him for his kindness and not really be his friends. He wanted a friend so badly, but his heart told him he wanted something more from someone.

Ellisarian saw all the caravan dwellers at the party. All of them except…

"Father?" Ellisarian asked as he finally found his father sitting with his Ada on their thrones.

"Yes." Aragorn replied under a mask of all red and brown feathers that sparkled madly. His golden circlet sparkling from around his deep brown hair, speckled with only a few aging hairs. He wore all white aside from that and a blue cloak.

Legolas wore all green –it being his favorite color- as he also looked at their son.

"Have you seen Merrick yet?" He asked desperately.

"No." Aragorn replied, a bit sad to see his son in such distress. It was becoming more and more frequent.

"Merrick?" Legolas spoke. "Is that the man you were telling me about? The pirate?" He inquired.

"Yes." Aragorn nodded.

"What pirate?" A grumpy voice snapped, causing all three men to turn and see a man staring up at them with a frown engraved in his face.

He wore all black over his slim body, but what was startling about this man was that behind his plain black mask was a luscious spill of ebony curls that shined in the candle light beautifully.

Ellisarian's breath was caught in his throat as he gazed down at this man. He wore a black waist coat and breeches along with black knee-high boots, a black hat with a long black quill shooting back, a plain black mask, and black leather gloves. His face was a golden tan –of what they could see- and looked unbearably smooth. He screamed nobility and Ellisarian was worried for a moment that they had given away Merrick's piracy secret to someone that might insist something be done about it. This man had an air about him though that told Ellisarian it was alright, and he always trusted his instincts. He suddenly wondered if it was just his coming of age that was making him attracted to these men. First Merrick, now this enchanting fellow… who next?

"What is your name, stranger?" Legolas demanded after he looked this man over with a frown.

Too much black. Legolas thought.

"Ah, you must be the King's Consort." He pulled the mask down to reveal bright green eyes.

"Merrick?!" Both Aragorn and Ellisarian collectively gasped and Legolas glanced at them, then back at this man. He looked nothing like the description he had received from his husband, but judging by the shocked looks on his husband and son's faces, Merrick obviously hadn't looked like this before.

Merrick put a gloved finger to his pursed pink and slightly chapped lips, and shushed them softly with a gentle smile so as not to offend the royal family.

"My Lord, please, the party has been calm so far and I would like to keep it as such." He half-begged with a laugh.

Aragorn couldn't keep the shock from his eyes and Ellisarian was extremely pleased about the change from pirate to nobility. No more braids of beads, or ragged clothing. Ellisarian was quite relieved he wasn't becoming attracted to everything that moved… just Merrick, no matter how disguised he was.

"You clean up very nicely." Aragorn commented with approval.

"Thank you, my Lord." Merrick nodded his thanks, then turned to Ellisarian. "Merry birth day, young Prince and congratulations!" He clapped a few times gently, but when people started to look over to him and begin to stare he raised his mask again and bowed once, a farewell.

"Tampa!" (Wait!) Ellisarian exclaimed, then composed himself as Merrick turned back to him for explanation. "Lle merna salk khila amin?!" (Do you wish to dance with me?!) Ellisarian asked and instantly a dozen other admirers looked on from his outburst. Some understanding his Elvish question. Others were merely curious of their prince.

Legolas and Aragorn's eyes widened as their bold son asked this. They exchanged a glance and immediately began to suspect their son was developing a great fondness for this man he hardly knew.

Merrick didn't look at the king and his consort for acceptance, he merely gazed into Ellisarian's eyes for a long time, then nodded and spun his cloak over his shoulder as he extended his hand to Ellisarian.

Ellisarian's blood rose slightly to his face, but he reached out and took the hand of this man happily.

Looks of jealousy followed the couple as Merrick pulled Ellisarian closer, guiding him farther from the throne. There was a slight pause near the band then the music changed to a lively step.

The party visitors all had watched Ellisarian grow up, more or less and noted his beauty as a great one, but this newcomer was a more exotic beauty, which caused them to all become jealous when both of the most beautiful –and available- bachelors in Gondor were occupied only with each other.

Ellisarian could not ask for a better dance partner. Merrick freely led the dance to the middle of the room and everyone watched as they spun and countered each other's movements perfectly. It seemed the great hall had fallen into complete silence while the two danced and Ellisarian couldn't have cared less.

"You dance beautifully." Merrick commented and he dipped Ellisarian back cautiously –not knowing if the prince would object, but then again he had asked for the dance and allowed him to lead.

"Thank you, but you're the one leading, not me." He stated with a smirk. "Have you taken lessons?"

"You tend to learn all types of dances on Islandur." He chuckled at the memory, their clothes swishing this way and that as they moved at a provocative pace.

"Where's that?" Ellisarian asked, suddenly intrigued.

"On the far side of the ocean. It's a floating land that tends to move quite often. It can only be found by those that already know of its presence and patterns –rarely by any other. My father took me there when I was younger. I've just recently returned for a visit and found quite the array of dancers to learn all sorts of things from." He chuckled.

"Your father?" Ellisarian repeated. "May I speak without you becoming upset?"

Merrick pondered that thoughtfully. "I promise to hold my temper." He replied and Ellisarian blurted out what he'd been thinking of ever since his conversation with his father.

"I've heard tale that your father had never bedded another. How… whom did he conceive you with?" He looked worriedly into Merrick's eyes as the dance came to a close. Merrick's eyes were clouded and unreadable.

"An elf." He growled softly and Ellisarian felt his heart chill with the cold and hateful way Merrick spoke those words about the race of elves.

"What…?" He didn't get to ask why Merrick seemed to hate elves so much, because the dance was done and now Merrick released him from the warm embrace they'd been in.

"Thank you for the dance, Prince." He bowed his head respectfully. "I hope you enjoy your adulthood." He was about to turn away, but Ellisarian grabbed his arm and tugged him much closer until he was kissing his cheek.

"No, thank you." He remained close to Merrick gazing into his mesmerizing emerald-green eyes. Those eyes soften upon looking directly back into Ellisarian's.

"Perhaps you shouldn't have done that." Merrick told him with a small frown.

Ellisarian felt his heart break. "I… um…" He released Merrick stiffly.

Merrick leaned closer for a moment while casually slipping something into his hand.

"Act casual." He murmured, barely moving his lips at all.

Ellisarian's hopes leapt to his throat in a knot as Merrick turned away, his cloak swirling behind him in a great flurry.

As he left and the music continued at a calmer rate, though not many moved. Had their prince just been rejected by the most famous man currently in Middle Earth?

Ellisarian turned and walked from the room before anyone could follow him. He left in a different direction than Merrick with a blank look upon his face.

Aragorn was about to rise and go after his son, but Legolas gently pushed him back down and left after their son instead.

As soon as Ellisarian was through the huge wooden doors he gasped with glee and opened the note immediately. He pulled the mask from his face to be able to see the scrawling handwriting more clearly.

It simply said: Meet me on the garden balcony, my Prince.

Had he concocted this note before the ball had even begun? Or was this some grand form of magic? He didn't know, but he wanted to find out so he ran as fast as his Elvin legs would carry him to the corridor exposed to the garden.

Legolas smiled as he watched his son run along the hall. He hadn't even heard Legolas call out his name.

This man must be of great importance if his instincts would rather be tantalized by this pirate and he can not feel me come up behind him. He turned away, a bit uneasily. He did not wish to merely turn away now, and leave his son and this pirate alone wherever it was they were meeting.

"We shall see what becomes of this." He told himself, while forcefully restraining his person from dashing off to protect his only son. "He is a man now. He can make decisions for himself."

We shall soon see whether those decisions are smart ones or otherwise.

He seemed to hate elves? Is that just his mother or is it all elves? Do I even have a chance with him or am I running after his shadow? Is he just going to tell me off more politely out here or…?

His breath caught in his throat mid-thought as he came to the corridor and saw Merrick in all his beauty. He had removed the hat, mask, cloak, and waist coat, and now just stood there gazing out into the garden. The moon's milky beauty gleamed down onto Merrick's head, creating a halo of light.

A dark angel. The prince imagined. Merrick leaned on the banister, his sleek body bent at the waist. A white silk shirt covered his abdomen –a few ties loosened to allow air into his shirt. His raven curls swirled over his shoulders as he ran his fingers through his hair and sighed with relief. Finally, he turned to Ellisarian and smiled.

"It's impolite to stare." He stated with a tease in his voice and Ellisarian came to his senses and shut his mouth quickly.

"You're amazing." He whispered, more to himself than to Merrick.

"Thank you." He gazed out at the moon. "The sky is bright tonight. Perhaps the angels heard of your party and decided to have a closer look." He quipped and the young prince laughed.

"Yes, I suppose." He paused. "Can you hear the stars? Do they speak to you?"

"The stars only speak to the insane ones." Merrick replied coolly.

"And you're not insane?"

"I never said that." Merrick told him seriously. "I'm certifiably annoying and with some of the cockamamie plans I cook up, most of my men don't doubt my insanity, but they follow me nonetheless. I'm not all that special. If you had traveled as much as I, then you would be just as special because no other from Middle Earth has taken the initiative without a map and distinct definition of what's out there. My father and I are only famous because he's an old coot who was so insane, all he needed was a few other people as insane as he was to crew a ship and he took off. I've seen things no human would ever want to see." He smiled keenly. "Certainly not the Prince of Men."

Ellisarian felt that knot rising in his chest again.

"Why did you speak so cruelly of your mother before?" He asked with a quiver in his voice.

Merrick scowled. "I detest elves." He snapped and turned away from the garden to lean his back against the banister.

"But you are part elf. Do you hate yourself?" Ellisarian asked, with a weak laugh.

"Yes." Merrick growled truthfully, his gaze on his boots, his brow furrowed.

"Don't hate yourself!" Ellisarian cried out desperately and without thought.

"Is there something more you wanted to say to me?" Merrick asked without looking the prince in the eyes.

"Would you care to come to an archery practice here tomorrow? I have no one who can match my skills." He joked with a smile, trying to lighten the mood and bring those treacherous and powerful eyes back to his once again.

"I'm not the best with a bow, I'm afraid." Merrick told him with a glare as a warning. Ellisarian ignored it.

"Come anyway. I'd enjoy the company." He laughed.

"Only if we can sword fight afterward." He countered, the ends of his mouth curving into a grin.

"Done."

They both smiled and Merrick gathered his things and placed his hat firmly on his head before leaving with a smile and a small bow.

It seemed the pirate would much rather the lack of engrossing clothes rather than the opposite. Though the entire costume had adorned Merrick well, Ellisarian could plainly tell that the pirate was more at ease and more beautiful in his lack of formal dress.

He smiled at the thoughts that ran through his head of Merrick in a few less articles of clothing than he was currently wearing, but he shook his head free of those things and returned to his celebration.

The following day was boring until the afternoon when Merrick finally showed up. He had of course decided to come over the wall instead of using a door, but Ellisarian only laughed when he saw him jump down into the courtyard.

"You don't appear to appreciate the true use of a door." He quipped and Merrick snickered but said nothing.

Ellisarian abruptly noticed the fine bow he had slung over his back and the long raggedy scabbard at his waist.

"Archery first, eh?" The prince asked.

"Can you shoot perched on a horse?" Merrick asked calmly.

"I've only tried a few times, but my aim isn't very far off from when I stand still on ground." He answered.

"Very good. Let's see then." He crossed his arms and stood back to see the target that was set up about fifty feet from the prince. The first shot was less than an inch off being dead center.

"Impressive." Merrick smiled and watched as Ellisarian littered the center of the target with several more arrows before he started to hit his old arrows.

Before Ellisarian could retrieve his arrows, however, Merrick put a hand to his shoulder.

"Allow me to fill in the gaps as best I can." He smiled warmly and Ellisarian backed up, obviously doubting Merrick could hit any more targets with the small amount of space he had left him. He wasn't quite sure that even if there were no arrows there, that Merrick could even get a bull's eye.

Merrick pulled his bow string taut with a black feathered arrow. What caught the youth's interest first was the style of arrows Merrick used. A small extremely sharp arrowhead was placed on the end, but it was not a normal stone, nor normal carving of stone. It looked like black granite that had been polished smooth. It was definitely a skill very few people had the ability to master. Did Merrick make all of his own arrows? And his hide-quiver was full too. No, he looks rich. He could have had those made for him easily with all his travels, but what does he do when he runs out of arrows? Is he just using these foreign-made arrows to impress me? It was working.

Before Merrick could continue Ellisarian interrupted with is wonders. Merrick answered easily.

"I make my own arrows." He stated with a smile and Ellisarian immediately believed him. It was possible. "My father insisted I learn how to make my own arrows and they must be of our homeland. A much harder task, considering the time it takes to find the right stones for the arrowheads." He smirked at Ellisarian's awed expression. "You're awfully easy to impress, Prince. Can't you make your own arrows?"

"Of course I can, but nothing so beautiful or impressive." He admitted.

"Who taught you to make your own arrows?"

"My…" He was about to say 'Ada', but stopped himself. "My father." He answered, telling a half-truth.

A half-truth is a whole lie. He reminded himself begrudgingly.

Merrick nodded knowingly. He knew Ellisarian was lying, but it didn't really matter, did it? It nagged at him that this very nice youth would lie to him after he seemed to worship him so much, but… oh well.

How could Merrick be bad at archery when he makes his own arrows? Ellisarian thought idly.

Merrick pulled the arrow taut again and felt the soreness in his arms jump back to his muscles as he did so. That battle they'd joined in on before arriving had taken a lot out of him. He had been tackled from behind with a staff that had dug into his arm, but thankfully it hadn't been his fighting arm. It had been a band of thieving scavengers that they had disbanded with a slight difficulty considering their weariness.

Ellisarian couldn't help himself from watching Merrick's stance. His shirt was quite a bit more fitting than the night before and he could see Merrick's muscles ripple and shiver as he pulled the arrow.

Beautiful. He thought, then the arrow snapped from Merrick's hand and found a home tightly between two of Ellisarian's in the eye of the target. Ellisarian's mouth dropped. He could never have hit that mark on his first try. It had been the one he had last missed.

"I thought you said you weren't very good at archery." Ellisarian commented dryly after Merrick had filled in seven other gaps in the same manner.

"I'm not." Merrick smirked sidelong at Ellisarian as he pulled another arrow taut. "But you put the target so close." He whined playfully and Ellisarian laughed heartily as yet another arrow found a home between three of his. There was no space left for the target and they had each run out of arrows in their quivers. "Now, swords." He laughed as they both approached the target to get their arrows back.

"Lle naa curucuar." (You are a skillful Bowman.) Merrick told the youth with a small smile.

"Doila lle." (Thank you.) Ellisarian laughed happily at the compliment. He felt a slight blush begin to sting his cheeks.

"We shall soon see if you fare as well with a sword." Merrick stated with a smirk.

"You intend to use that old thing?" Ellisarian wondered. He referred to the old scabbard that still clung to Merrick's thin waistline.

"Yes, of course."

Ellisarian went to pull one of Merrick's arrows out first, but it wouldn't come. When Merrick finally put a hand on his shoulder to stop his attempts, the prince stepped reluctantly back. Merrick grabbed the neck of the arrow with his fist and yanked abruptly and harshly. A chunk of the target and several other arrows came out with the arrow and Merrick picked it clean, then dropped it back into his quiver.

"The arrows are designed to go in smoothly and come not come out without taking a piece of the enemy with it."

"Savage." Ellisarian spoke without thinking about how Merrick might react, but he just smiled.

"That's how I was taught to behave and fight. It's who I am, I'm afraid." His smile was warm. "Now, how about that sword play you promised?"

"We have better swords you could use." Ellisarian offered –referring to the tattered state Merrick's quiver was in- after his arrows were back in his quiver.

"I'll be fine." Merrick lowered his ivory colored bow to the ground along with his quiver and drew his long sword, but it wasn't old and weathered as Ellisarian had originally perceived. It shined like the sun with silver. Designs of a dragon danced up the length of it and the hilt was long enough for only one hand, but comfortably so. It was the sword of a king.

Ellisarian felt embarrassed to have been offering this man swords that in no way equaled up in quality to the one he owned.

"Where did you get that sword?" Ellisarian asked stepping closer to inspect it. It was definitely not Elvin made, but it looked beautiful.

"It was my father's." Merrick scowled, speaking simply as if to close the discussion at that.

Ellisarian nodded and pulled out his own sword which was decorated with leaves and vines. He had received it as a gift of adulthood from his father the previous night, and even though he loved the new weapon, he envied Merrick. He would not inherit his own father's sword until he was ready to be king, but Merrick was no king. He was a freelanced leader and a damn good one according to everyone in Middle Earth.

He, himself, would be bound to his duties to produce an heir and be king until that heir was ready to succeed the throne. He felt depressed for a moment, that he could not be anything or truly be himself until his sentence as king was through and his life along with it.

"How long have you had that?" Merrick asked inspecting the sword as well. He took the tip between his finger and thumb, and turned it over to see both sides, then flicked it roughly with his finger nail and rubbed his finger along the edge. It cut his finger and Ellisarian became worried, but Merrick just sucked at his thumb adorably and the bleeding stopped quickly.

"A day." He answered hoarsely. His eyes were transfixed on Merrick's thumb in his mouth.

"Would you like to use a different sword? Can you handle that one?"

"I can handle any sword." Ellisarian replied curtly.

"I didn't mean to wound your pride, Prince. I merely wanted you to be comfortable with your weapon. I have no doubt your skills are excellent."

The compliment sent shivers up his spine. "Thank you." He replied with a blush. "I'll do fine with this though."

Merrick looked skeptical. The prince held the sword with a tighter grip as if it were heavier than any he'd had before. He would need practice with it for a few days before being a formidable opponent.

"A compromise." Merrick reasoned.

"What compromise?"

"If I put you in check first, then you have to change swords."

"What is check?" Ellisarian wondered and before he could blink Merrick had knocked his sword out of his hand and Merrick's sword lay across his throat, ready to kill him, but without touching his skin.

"This is check." Merrick told him, his breath doing wonders for Ellisarian's body response. "You accept?"

Ellisarian didn't trust his voice not to quiver with anticipation. He nodded. It would probably be a smarter idea to use a lighter sword he was used to rather than use one he hadn't ever used, that weighed twice as much. He picked up his sword and bowed his head respectfully to Merrick. His opponent copied his motion, then charged him with unimaginable grace.

The prince threw up his sword to block the onslaught, but Merrick dodged it all together and went under the blow to again draw his sword to Ellisarian's throat, effectively stopping his every movement altogether.

"Check."

"How do you expect this to last very long?" The prince wondered once his surprise had filtered away.

"Would you expect me to show anything less than all I have? That would be cheating you the experience and knowledge of how to counter a person like me. I deliver quick and fatal blows. I don't strike to wound, I strike to kill and you might have to do the same some day. Learn to counter me. Now, I've put you in check. Throw down your sword."

Ellisarian complied.

"Pick up another."

Again, the young prince complied, then walked back in front of Merrick. This sword was for a regular soldier. Shorter, plain metal, and a wrapped handle. The edge was far from being sharp, but they weren't aiming to kill each other so it didn't matter.

"Delaying in the kill or waiting while you question your enemy can be dangerous. It gives them time to think of any dirty trick they can, to get out from under your power and hurt you; sometimes fatally. I have a scar for every mistake I've made and intend to never make another. Learn from my mishaps."

Ellisarian nodded in understanding. He didn't want to have to kill anyone, but he understood Merrick's reasoning.

"Come at me."

The prince debated how he would do this before he attacked. Merrick was obviously the better swordsman here, so he had to think of something that Merrick wouldn't think of.

He went for a full frontal assault followed by a fake and a leaping overhead swing. He was relying heavily on his Elvin speed to enhance his accuracy and illusion or at least stun Merrick for the moment he needed.

Merrick casually watched him try and fake him out. It was like searching for a child and finding a giggling bulge behind a curtain that had been the child's attempt at hiding. Simple. Foreseeable. Easily detectable.

For such a prized prince he has little skill with a sword. I've heard of King Aragorn being a spectacular swordsman. He must get this weakness from his mother. He sighed, seeing Ellisarian's intent rather quickly, pivoting his foot, and blocking it without needing to reinforce his sword with a second hand. He preferred to be a one-handed swordsman, but if necessary he would use both.

"Have you been schooled by a teacher or did your father teach you to use a sword?" He asked.

"My father taught me, but he doesn't have enough free time to practice much with me so he has the guards practice with me."

"Tactless." Merrick growled and stepped away.

"What?" Ellisarian snapped grumpily. Is he implying anything?

"Don't take this the wrong way, but guards are tactless mostly. You need a proper teacher." Merrick sighed and scratched his scalp, then ran his fingers through his hair to smooth it away from his eyes. "I suppose I could teach you some sword tactics, but it will be of my land, not yours. Others will not recognize how you fight and… perhaps I shouldn't." He interrupted himself after a moment of thought. "I doubt your kingdom would appreciate a future king who fights mercilessly, and that's how I fight."

Ellisarian was still wrapped up in the part where Merrick wanted to teach him. They would be around each other constantly and in… close contact.

"I want you to teach me." He stated abruptly and with conviction.

"Very well." Merrick nodded after a while and looked up to the sky. "I must be off now, but I'll return sometime tomorrow to set up a schedule with you for when we can work together." He paused with a sigh. "Perhaps next time we train with our bows you could move the target back another ten yards." He laughed and smiled, causing Ellisarian to do the same.

"That's fine." Ellisarian told him excitedly.

"Tomorrow then." Merrick nodded smiling.

Ellisarian wanted to say more to Merrick, but he seemed to be very preoccupied with some important priority. He gathered his bow and sheathed his sword, then scaled the courtyard walls as if he were flying up them.

When Merrick was out of sight Ellisarian let his body go slack, leaning against a nearby oak. He moved around the tree so he was out of sight of any watchers and started smiling maniacally. "He's coming back tomorrow." He stated softly and felt his heart give a gentle flutter against the bones that held it in place.

Upon composing himself again and gathering his bow and sword to him, he entered the castle. Though he could store his bow and sword with the others, he chose to keep them close to himself in his rooms.

He entered the castle and promptly ran into Legolas.

"Ho, Ellisarian!" Legolas greeted smiling happily. "How was your practice?"

"Merrick joined me for my practice and he's coming back tomorrow so he can set up a schedule with me to train me in tactics for fighting." His smile went from ear to ear.

"You sound proud of this." Legolas replied frowning at his son. Their gaze was level in height so he couldn't look down to him like he did when his son was younger.

"I am." Ellisarian replied with a worrying frown. "Why shouldn't I be?"

"I watched him fight with you for a short time." Legolas stated, still with a frown. "He fights ruthlessly." Legolas told him. "I don't want him teaching you to fight like that. You should fight with mercy and care."

"Will you teach me, Ada?" Ellisarian asked angrily. "You and Father are always busy with the kingdom, or with foreign affairs! You're always busy with everything and everyone except for your son! I have to learn from someone and the guards are obviously no challenge to me, but if you watched us fight very long you must have realized –because it was so obvious- that he is far better at fighting than any of our guards!" He shouted.

"Drop your voice, Ellisarian!" Legolas warned in a hushed voice and glared at his son. "I am not trying to deprive you the opportunity to train with someone so… advanced, but he is a killer. It is apparent! The way he moves and acts…! He is a born killer and I don't want him teaching you how…"

"TAMPA!" (Stop!) Ellisarian hollered, his fists clenched. Legolas' voice dropped to silence. "You accuse him of being a killer, but what do you think you were, Ada? You and Father fought in the battle of Helm's Deep against the Uruk-hai and he was a Ranger before he even had anything to do with the Ring! You've both killed before and you call Merrick a killer! You're being hypocritical! How can you be so sure he hasn't killed for just as good of reasons as you and Father have?!"

"And how can you be so sure he has?!" Legolas snapped coldly, his eyes narrowed in fury.

"What is going on here?!" Aragorn demanded, with a scowl as he approached the two blondes from behind Legolas. The corridors were filled with curious servants and peeping heads from behind doors that were too afraid to come out.

Ellisarian glared at his Ada, but said nothing.

Legolas' eyes found the floor instead of his husband's.

"You were both so loud I heard your argument from three corridors over. Now tell me what is going on?" He asked more calmly.

"Merrick promised to teach me swordsman techniques and Ada is furious that I agreed. He doesn't want Merrick to teach me because he thinks Merrick has killed before, so I loudly pointed out that both of you have killed before as well so why is he making such a fuss about it?" Ellisarian repeated with a great force of anger behind it.

"Calm yourself, Ellisarian." Aragorn soothed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I will converse with Legolas then come and get you when we've come up with a solution to this problem." He smiled at his son and the young prince glared at his Ada once more with scorn before storming off in the direction of his chambers again.

Aragorn gently guided Legolas to their rooms after demanding everyone get back to work.

They walked in silence. The only action they made other than their walking was an unconscious act by Aragorn –his thumb gently stroking the bend of his husband's neck as they walked, as if to soothe his fury without words, but it did not mean he was not angry himself –only that he wanted Legolas to be more tranquil.

When they finally entered their chambers Legolas growled and turned to Aragorn who frowned thoughtfully.

"You did not see that man fight as I did!" Legolas defended immediately; frustration erupting into an agitated outburst.

"Hush! Calm, my love!" Aragorn embraced him softly and held him tight. "I am not against you, but Ellisarian has a point. What can it harm to have him learn from this man of many travels?"

"He could teach him all the wrong things. We want our son to grow up a certain way and with morals!"

"Hush!" Aragorn soothed his hair and kissed his lips briefly. "Now, this really isn't the issue, is it?" He smiled warmly down on his husband. "Now tell me what's really bothering you about this warrior."

Legolas finally broke down and began to let out his frustrations. "You must realize our son has developed a fondness for this man!"

Aragorn laughed at this. "Of course." He answered laughing still. "Is that what is getting under your skin? He's falling in love and you're getting flustered." He smiled a big white smile.

"He's too young!" Legolas declared.

"Perhaps to you he is too young for such things because you were far older when you met me, but humans tend to find love quickly. Have faith, my love! I would never let anything happen to our son. I am keeping my eye on him. Fear not." He smiled reassuringly and Legolas couldn't disagree with that big smirk.

"Alright. I trust you." He stated and leaned into Aragorn's warmth against his chest. "That does not mean I have to be happy about it."

"I can't believe Ada would say such things!" He yelled as soon as his door was closed. "I know he's wrong about Merrick… and I'll prove it." He glared at his window. "I will find Merrick and his caravan and ask for a private conference to find out for sure so Ada can surprise me with nothing and I can make a good defense for Merrick."

After he'd already grabbed his cloak and made it to his balcony, he realized he didn't know if Merrick had actually gone back to the Prowling Wolf. (The tavern he'd found out the caravan was staying.)

He looked to the sky.

"It's still early, but he'll have to make it back there eventually. I'll be quick about this." For a moment he debated whether he should leave a note describing where he was going. Would he get in more trouble if his Ada knew where he was and could come after him, or would it be worse to leave without writing a note?

He decided to just leave so he couldn't be interrupted. The jump from his room to the ground wasn't too bad. His elf blood made it easy for him to climb the trees without any problems, but he never realized what a drop it was on the other side of the courtyard wall. After gulping down he made the jump.

"Oh! Merrick!"

Good Lord! Why do they always hone in on me? He groaned audibly as yet another bimbo grabbed onto his arm and sat in his lap as he tried vainly to play a card game in the tavern they stayed in.

"My sister and I were wondering if you wanted any company in your bed tonight?" She played with his shirt ties as she spoke in what she assumed was a sexy drawl.

He glanced up at her only to be disappointed again. No spark.

She was a redhead with dark blue eyes and large plump breasts. He scowled folding up his cards and throwing them down as he covered his face with his hands.

The five other men he played with saw his predicament and stood.

His right-hand man Astrolle grabbed the woman roughly by her arm, drawing a loud cry from her and dragging her out the door with a quick shove, then shutting the door with a bang and locking it.

He dusted his hands off and went to sit on Merrick's left again.

"Thank you, Astrolle." Merrick sighed exasperatedly.

"Don't you even want to try it with them?" Paud asked from across the table. "There are plenty of gorgeous women here, Merrick!" He cried out leaning forward and tossing his cards onto the table as well.

"Watch your mouth!" Astrolle yelled, scowling at one of his lieutenants.

Paud bowed his head, still frowning. "Permission to speak freely, Lord Merrick?" He asked.

Merrick growled and ran his fingers through his hair. "Granted."

"Why? Just tell us what you want and we can help you find it… her… him… anyone! We just want to see you happy, Sir!" Paud shouted and the rest of the table kept their eyes on Merrick's weary form.

"How am I supposed to know what I want, Paud?! Tell me if you know something I don't! I'd love the information, but I am just as blind with this as you all! I was told by an old hag of a prophet that I am supposed to go to Gondor and find my 'true love' before that person dies! If you have something to share with the rest of us, please, speak, but otherwise deal the damn cards and leave me to my toils."

Paud pulled all the cards to him sadly and dealt them out again.

Merrick leaned back in the chair and relaxed his arm leisurely over the back of the chair as he scanned the room for any more future attacks by more whores.

When he looked by the window he saw the prince walk by promptly and his eyebrows rose. It had started raining ages ago, what was the prince doing out in this?

A knock came to the door and Astrolle was about to go over and tell whomever it was off, but Merrick gently put a hand on his shoulder to stay him as he got up, surprising them all.

He silently walked to the door and opened it before the barkeep could do so.

Ellisarian appeared frightened and startled to see him standing there, but also relieved. He was soaked to the bone. Merrick's eyes softened as he watched the youth slouch.

"I've found you." He murmured and fell forward onto Merrick who caught him easily. He lifted the youth off the ground and found him surprisingly light.

"Who's that?" Astrolle demanded worriedly.

"What's going on?" Paud asked quickly as they all surveyed the young man in their Lord's arms.

"The prince." Merrick whispered into the ear of his second in command. Astrolle was astonished, his eyes wide, but he regained his composure. He ordered his men to stay put as he walked in front of Merrick to his room. He opened the door and allowed Merrick to enter first with the youth. After the door was shut, Astrolle spoke.

"What's he doing here?" Astrolle demanded, his voice full of anxiety.

Merrick laid him on his bed and began to pull off his sopping wet clothes.

"I have no idea. All he said was 'I've found you'. Why he needed to find me, I haven't the faintest." He sighed. "Find some of my clothes for him." He ordered and Astrolle complied easily.

As Merrick undressed the prince he felt something spark inside of himself.

No! It can't be him. I felt it before too, but… No! It can't be the Prince of Men, can it? So smooth, so pale. He thought as Ellisarian's chest presented itself, then he noticed a necklace around the prince's neck. He held it in his hand. This was made by an elf. He noticed and looked back into Ellisarian's face. Perhaps he likes Elvin made things. He compromised and took a towel to his hair. Braids too? This was becoming suspicious. Was there an elf in the castle Ellisarian had taken a liking to and now wanted to become? Was this just in celebration of his birth day?

He continued to dry the rest of the prince, then with Astrolle's help he dressed him in his breeches and wool shirt.

As he pulled the covers over the youth, Merrick felt something tug at his shirt sleeve and found it was the fair hand of the prince. His eyes were slightly open and fixed on Merrick who was now standing up straight.

"What did you come here for?" Merrick demanded flatly.

"I had to talk to you." Ellisarian coughed abruptly and smiled adorably up at Merrick, which melted his icy exterior.

"Leave us." Merrick ordered and Astrolle bowed his head and left silently. "What is it you wanted of me?"

"My parents… said you were a killer." He admitted softly, a frown worrying his face.

"I am." Merrick affirmed with a nod and sat in a chair beside the bed.

This only seemed to worry the prince more. "But… why? Why did you kill people?"

He breathed in and sighed heavily. "War, bandits, assassins, random battles…" He listed. "I told you before I let you agree to our training sessions that I always went in for the kill and you expressed that you understood this." He stated leaning back and Ellisarian nodded.

"True. I then told my parents and… one of them wasn't pleased. My father's trying to calm him now." He whispered sadly.

"They don't know you're here, do they?" Merrick asked in a growl and the youth shook his head. "Blast! They're going to blame me!" He yelled frustrated.

"Don't be angry!" Ellisarian begged as he grabbed blindly for Merrick's hand and held it tight. "I'm sorry." He murmured with tears in his eyes and Merrick rumpled up his own hair roughly, then sighed all his fury away.

"I'm not." He groaned. "Go back to sleep." He whispered and Ellisarian smiled and nodded.

The young prince's temperature caused trouble to his dreams as he tossed and turned fearfully. What would have happened if he had been honest with Merrick that night when they were both on the balcony overlooking the gardens?

Out on a corridor exposed to the garden…

"Looks shouldn't base a persons' opinion of me." Merrick drawled. "I suspected you only had an interest in me for such reasons, that's why I tried not to take an interest in you, but…" He looked Ellisarian over. "Don't be one of them. Don't be one of the ones that thinks I'm perfect because of my long black hair and green eyes." He leaned back and cracked his back with a sigh of relief. "I don't even know why I'm having this conversation. I don't like men." He growled wiping his brow.

Ellisarian's eyes narrowed with sadness, but he wouldn't let his emotions control himself. "Why do you hate elves?" He asked sternly.

"Why does it matter?" Merrick snapped angrily and turned away quickly, then turned back as if he had just realized something. "You're hiding something from me!" He paused leaning closer to Ellisarian. "Tell me." Merrick whispered into his ear. Ellisarian felt an inner struggle burning his inside up. "Tell me!" He urged. "Come on." It was too much. He wanted to say it, but he… "TELL ME!"

"I have an Ada!" He regretted the words as soon as they had left his lips. He had opened up his body to the daggers of Merrick's sharp tongue. Merrick, who hated all elves for whatever reason.

Merrick's gaze shot to his. "The King's Consort… is blood related to you? He's… an elf though…"

"I have more elf blood in me than human." Ellisarian admitted. "My father, the king, is half elf. What did you think I was?"

"I thought your father had conceived a child with a woman, then married Legolas." He replied quickly and a frown formed across his face. "Apparently I was mistaken." He picked up his hat and put it on, before grabbing all his other belongings and throwing them over his arm as he bowed his head slightly to the prince. "Merry birth day, Prince." He ground out before striding away.

Ellisarian didn't know what to say. His mouth gaped open as Merrick strode past him. His heart broke with each step that man took to further the distance between them and soon the steps became great strides.

"Come back." He murmured feebly to himself after he could no longer see Merrick. He felt a painful pang in his heart for the man of his fate to return.

"Oh, Ellisarian." A voice whispered gently and Ellisarian looked up in pure horror to see his Ada standing there.

"You listened?!" He demanded angrily. His pride and the pain of being rejected enforced his voice to be much crueler than he intended. "What right have you?!" He shouted with tears flowing down his cheeks.

"You don't want to consort with his type!" Legolas warned gravely. "It would be a huge error. He is a racist pig. Let it go. What ever you were feeling shouldn't be felt for a man such as that." He was so cold in his words. Ellisarian had never heard his Ada be so cold. The thought of that word 'Ada' brought back more pains to him and he felt as if he would topple over any moment now.

Ellisarian fell to the floor in tears. His heart breaking open and killing him slowly.

"What have I done…?" He asked himself weakly.

When Ellisarian awoke next he was in his own bed and rooms, and sat up abruptly. His head pain was gone and his body was pleasantly warm. He looked around and saw his Ada leaning onto the bed at his side.

It was just a night terror. He told himself, to calm his racing heart. Then his thoughts turned to the argument he'd had with his Ada the night before… or perhaps many nights before. How long had he been asleep? At least he's not still angry with me. Ellisarian reasoned and smiled.

"Good morrow." A voice greeted charmingly.

Ellisarian turned his head quickly and saw his father standing in the doorway with Merrick. His heart gently fluttered with anticipation at seeing this man again.

"You've awoken." Legolas stated happily from beside him, and Ellisarian smiled at his Ada, then began to worry that his dream might come true right then and there if Merrick got the wrong impression… or the right one.

"Mayhap I should depart…" Merrick suggested. Ellisarian was about to call out to him, but his father did it for him.

"No!" He said smiling warmly. "I think Ellisarian would enjoy having the company of his savior instead of…"

"Father!" Ellisarian opened his arms to his father smiling too gleefully. Aragorn acted casually as he glared at Ellisarian –in a warning way that he would have to explain this later. He embraced his son and kissed his forehead gently, then glanced at Legolas who was the picture of calm.

He extended his hand to his husband and they left after making sure Ellisarian wasn't in any pain.

Merrick still stood in the threshold between Ellisarian's bedroom and the Sitting Room.

"Thank you for taking care of me." Ellisarian smiled up at Merrick, locking their eyes together. "I appreciate it. I know it must have been odd to just have me appear like that. How long have I been asleep?"

"Half the day." Merrick answered somewhat coldly.

"What's the matter? Is it about me showing up like that? I apologize…"

"No." Merrick told him sharply. "Tell me about your mother." He ordered directly.

Ellisarian made sure to keep his face steady. "Why do you want to know?"

"I just do." He answered shortly.

"When you tell me about your matriarch then I'll tell you about mine." Ellisarian replied sternly.

Merrick glared daggers at Ellisarian, but the young prince didn't flinch in his words, though inside he toiled about whether they should have been spoken. Was he ready to answer this, or even hear an answer?

Just when Ellisarian was convinced Merrick wouldn't speak, the pirate finally gave in. "My mother was a man… an elf. He and my father conceived of me during a great war between two of the greatest Clans ever formed: The Angelus Clan and the Bartula Clan. The primary reason for the war was because my father had mated with an elf. It is not unheard of, but it is considered below a royal family member to mate with an elf. The Clans are like brotherhoods and the stronger Clans look out for the weaker ones. The Bartula Clan disagreed with my father's decision and sought to fix it. They believed the elf was unreliable and could not be trusted with the responsibilities that came along with being the consort of the most powerful clan leader for centuries."

"This prejudice against elves came about before you were born?" Ellisarian asked.

"Not to all members of all clans. Angelus is a fairly freelance clan that bases its entire government around trust, loyalty, and respect for your superiors, but mostly trust. If you are let into the Clan or consort with a Clan member then you must be loyal to the Clan or you will be killed." He stated solemnly. "The Bartula Clan captured one of my other father's brothers and held him hostage. They lured my father into a trap and forced that blasted elf to chose between my father or his own brother. One of them would die and that elf picked his brother to live. Not even a moment of indecision." Merrick's hard glare found the ground. "I hate him." He growled hatefully and full of despise. "I hate all elves."

Ellisarian suddenly found Merrick's deep emerald eyes connected to his.

"That isn't a proper reason to hate all elves." Ellisarian told him thoughtfully, his voice full of sympathy.

"He chose his family over his lover and son! He betrayed the entire Clan in that one act!" Merrick shouted full of fury, then released his anger and sighed. "Allow me my hate." He murmured resignedly. "It's all I have left aside from the Clan my father left behind."

"You can't…" Ellisarian began sadly, his eyes beginning to sting.

"Why?! Why can't I? Tell me." He demanded.

"Merrick." Ellisarian whispered, his hair covering his eyes from view. "I want to tell you something about myself, but I don't want you to hate me for it. I've hidden this… but I want to tell you because… I… I think I'm developing feelings for you." He whispered softly.

Merrick just watched him quietly.

"The King's Consort is my actual Ada. I was not conceived by a woman." He looked up to Merrick's level unforgiving gaze. "I am part elf and part human." Merrick's gaze did not soften as he watched Ellisarian cry. "I… I can't say it would ever be possible for me to choose between the life of a lover or the life of my parents though. I think I'd die before actually deciding and I'm sorry your father died for the mistake of another elf, but not all elves are like that." Ellisarian explained trying to make Merrick see the truth.

He cried more when Merrick just glared at him instead of saying something.

"My father wasn't killed." Merrick said finally. "He escaped from the trap with me and the elves were killed… for being treacherous. It was a test and he failed! Even the Bartula Clan had more of a sense for loyalties than those elves did."

"They killed the elves as a gesture to your father?" Ellisarian asked disbelievingly.

"Yes." Merrick nodded. "And though my father would not have put anyone in such a position as to have to decide something so harsh like that, if he had and the same result had come about –no matter what the race of the creature- my father would have killed them just the same." He answered tonelessly. "That's the way of the Clans. You must treasure trust when it is bestowed upon you by one of our Clan."

"You can't despise all elves for the mistake of one, Merrick. Not all humans are trustworthy, but will you hate all humans for the mistake of one?" Ellisarian told him softly and tried to smile. "Please understand?"

Merrick turned away and walked out of the room.

Ellisarian cried out for him, but Merrick did not return. He leapt up from the bed and ran into the Sitting Room. Merrick sat on the floor in the corner against the wall, hugging his knees loosely. The young prince walked over to him slowly.

"Do you hate me?"

"No." Merrick replied grumpily. "I've just… I've never told anyone of that before. I'm not even sure if my Clan knows the complete truth." He sighed and ruffled up his hair in irritation.

"You don't really hate all elves, do you?"

"I'm cautious of them."

"You're cautious of everyone." Ellisarian replied with a bit of a smile.

"True." Merrick nodded, then wiped Ellisarian's tears away with the back of his hand. "You have a crush on me, huh?" He restated what Ellisarian had told him before.

"Yes." Ellisarian nodded shamelessly.

Merrick kissed a single fallen tear away from Ellisarian's cheek and the young prince gasped, sitting back fearfully, but at the same time a shiver shot up his spine and he wanted to purr with pleasure.

"Thank you."

Merrick nodded once, then stood. "I'll be back in a week to begin training with you."

"Why not sooner?" Ellisarian asked worriedly.

"I am the leader of a clan and Captain of a fine ship, I don't have enough time to spare on you every moment of the moon cycle." He stated calmly and the youth smiled. Ellisarian could tell that even though Merrick was being mean, it was a defense mechanism for not knowing what to say.

"You will come to spend time with me though, won't you?"

Merrick's mouth curved in amusement. "I suppose." He purred.

"Do you think…? Do you think the prophet spoke of me when she spoke to you?"

Merrick debated this with a frown, as if going through some old memories.

"It's very possible." Merrick nodded without smiling. "We'll just have to see if we fall in love."

"If not?"

"Then it was not meant to be."

"If so?"

"We'll see." He answered.

"A guess?"

"Then we'll leave here and sail on my boat and live together happily. You'll stay by my side for as long as we can stand each other." He shrugged. "Anything is possible, but don't get your hopes up just yet. I don't see as it would be possible to tear you away from this kingdom for a good many years, seeing as you are destined to be the future king and your parents seem to already have a disliking for me, or at least one of them, anyway." He sighed and smiled. "Don't plan as if it is positive yet. We must fall in love first. This is only a feeling. It must mold itself and grow into something more before I will make plans for the future."

Ellisarian nodded.

They stood together.

"I hope to see you soon." Ellisarian whispered seductively.

"Mayhap a week from now." Merrick murmured and walked toward the balcony pulling his cloak from the lounge and tying it before leaping onto the banister. He glared back at the prince. "Be cautious, my Prince." He warned and Ellisarian remembered the prophet's words. If he was indeed Merrick's future husband, his life was in danger over something.

He nodded reassuringly and Merrick felt safe enough with this that he could leave. He leapt off the banister to the ground and left the castle to the Prowling Wolf.

"He feels the same things I do." Ellisarian whispered giddily. He began to jump up and down with glee. "Yeah!" He shouted and covered his mouth still smiling like the Cheshire cat.

"Are you in a mood to talk about why you interrupted me, yet?" A voice asked from his door and Ellisarian spun, still with the smile on his face to see his father. He ran up to him and into a tight embrace.

"He feels the same, Father! He wants to get to know me better! He cares for me! He wants us to try and become something more! I'm so happy!" He held him tighter.

"Well, that was quick."

"Nay, it was painfully slow and we both cried and spoke of our pasts. That's why I went out last night. I had to talk to him and discuss why he hated elves so much, then he told me of his past and it was understandable and I convinced him not all elves were bad and he agreed finally and we both cried more and…"

"Breathe!" Aragorn urged abruptly.

Ellisarian did so as he continued to smile up into his father's mirthful eyes. "Things are right with the world." He whispered and kissed his father's cheek. "He doesn't hate all elves anymore and he wants to get to know me. I'm sorry for interrupting you earlier, but I didn't want you to reveal that I had an Ada before I had had the chance to interrogate him and tell him what I had to. He would have thought I was untrustworthy and I would have never gotten his trust back. You understand, don't you?"

"I was young once too, Ellisarian. Of course I understand." He smiled reassuringly. "I want you and Merrick to go slow with this relationship though. It will take Legolas a great deal of time to adjust to his son falling in love so quickly. He was quite old when he first fell in love so you understand it is quite peculiar to him."

Ellisarian nodded. "Thank you for understanding, Father."

The young prince could hardly bear the separation from one whom he was supposed to be coming closer to. The entire week was agony to get through without the object of his affection even remotely close.

Upon the seventh day, he paced the courtyard incessantly, causing others to worry even more for him.

When midday finally came and went, Aragorn and Legolas were summoned to help their son. They gazed down on him from the balcony and were about to call out to him, when a ringing laughter echoed off the walls of the courtyard, causing everyone to look up into a great oak tree where Merrick sat, leaning against the trunk of the tree, his cloak covering most of him as he looked down onto the pacing prince.

"Merrick!" Ellisarian cried out, thrilled.

Said pirate leapt down from the tree and could barely right himself before his arms were full of Ellisarian.

"You were pacing! All this time? Did you even sleep whilst I was absent?" He quipped, but gasped painfully after Ellisarian held him more tightly around his middle.

"Ah! Merrick, what's wrong? Are you wounded?" The prince cried out worriedly and the royal couple approached their son swiftly.

"Hello, Merrick." Aragorn greeted. "What has befallen you? You look remarkably pale."

"Ah, well…" Merrick was about to deny it, but instead released his breath in defeat. "I've been in a few fights since last we met and the most recent has left me rather bruised is all." He confessed with a smile.

"Lord Merrick!" They all looked up the wall to see Astrolle jumping over.

Aragorn growled grumpily. "Do you think we should have the wall raised another few yards?" He asked his husband and Legolas laughed lightly.

Astrolle bowed in apology to the king and walked closer to his Lord.

Ellisarian stepped back slightly as he watched the two men.

Merrick glared at Astrolle angrily as if he was about to yell, but Astrolle quickly stepped in beside him, so their bodies were touching and whispered hurried things into his ear.

Ellisarian felt a sting of jealousy run through him as he saw Merrick's first-mate speak so closely to him, but he was distracted by the emotions running across Merrick's features as he absorbed what Astrolle had to say.

"Damn." Merrick growled as they finally separated and Astrolle stepped back a respectful distance to allow Merrick his space.

Merrick tumbled these words over and over in his head and finally stood straight to speak to his lieutenant.

"We move out before the sun rises." He ordered.

"My Lord…" Astrolle seemed quite distressed for his leader.

"Do as I say, Astrolle! Make it so." He demanded and Astrolle reluctantly bowed his head in compliance. "Leave me."

Astrolle chose to leave through the castle this time. He bowed a goodbye to the king as he went, but kept his eyes downcast in thought.

The royal family, however, kept their gazes firmly on Merrick who took a moment to compose himself before turning back to Ellisarian.

"What's going on?" Ellisarian asked.

"I will not deceive you." Merrick whispered as he stepped closer to Ellisarian and grasped his arms gently. "These fights I've engaged in have much to do with the relationship I have been trying to conduct with you, but… do you remember the Bartula Clan I spoke to you of?" His eyes were full of concern and worry.

"Yes." Ellisarian nodded, then reality seemed to dawn on him. "They…"

"They have discovered my feelings of you through some loose-lipped bar tenders." He growled for a moment, then released his anger. "They are impressing upon me the actions of the last elf that was accepted into the Angelus Clan and are threatening war on us again. I had a confrontation with Florian, their leader and… for your safety my crew and I must leave Gondor." He finished bluntly.

"No!" Ellisarian cried out. "We haven't even found out if we truly love each other! How dare this Florian do this to you?!"

"He will not come under harm." Aragorn assured Merrick, who stood rather stiffly, unable to stop his own sorrow. "You have nothing to fear." He said confidently.

Merrick smiled warmly and shook his head. "I mean not to offend you, my Lord, but your husband can tell you of how I fight and what I am for he has seen it in me as any elf can. I am a killer and Florian's Clan is no exception to the way we all are. We are born killers. Assassins. Trained to destroy all targets and I would not put the life of one I care about at risk. If I were the one going after your prince, then I know I could accomplish it and if I can, then I wouldn't put it past Florian, for he is a very skilled fighter."

With a grimace, Merrick pulled away his cloak and opened shirt, to show them a scar –long since healed- that adorned his chest.

Ellisarian immediately became protective of his pirate. He wanted to tear this bastard Florian apart for marking his Merrick.

After a moment to let them examine the severity of the scar, Merrick covered himself with his cloak again. "I was far too careless and though I know you've been trained as a swordsman, my prince, you have not been trained as a killer and you can, therefore, not even defend yourself against Florian."

Ellisarian could not argue with his pirate's reason, for it was quite logical. "Please." He murmured in defeat. "Stay with me on your last day."

"The crew…" Merrick began to protest, but Ellisarian wrapped his arms around Merrick's neck and he was silenced.

Legolas watched his son being tortured and frightened, but he could bear no more.

"I order you to stay here until early morning, Merrick of the pirate clan Angelus. You are not allowed to leave until my son says you may." He spoke authoritatively.

Merrick smiled wearily at the King's Consort and Legolas' façade melted slightly.

"I concur!" Aragorn nodded once and put his arm around his husband's waist.

"As do I." Merrick whispered. He lifted Ellisarian's chin until it leveled their eyes. "You have me until morning, my Prince." He murmured.

Ellisarian shut his bedroom door and shut out the worries of his fathers' with it. He slowly turned to Merrick, worried.

"Will you ever come back?" The prince asked, trying to keep from sounding hysterical and managing somehow.

"I hope to." Merrick answered quietly. His position on the couch allowed him to easily see Ellisarian. "Come to me." He whispered suddenly.

Ellisarian slowly complied, and was drawn onto Merrick's lap quite abruptly once he was close enough. He felt his hard chest and strong legs and felt his own body melt happily at being so close to him, even as the atmosphere of the room remained gloomy.

"I realized as I fought with Florian, that I wasn't just fighting with him because there was a slim chance you might be the one." He told him. "I realized that my teachings to you, my words of my past and all else was relinquished to you because I felt a great connection to you that enraptures my whole body with enormous pleasure. I noticed your jewelry and Elvin braids, which caused me to question you, and I knew once I became so emotional over our conference together that… this had become more than personal. This whole week I've grown to love you in your absence and I thought it absurd at first that absence had caused my heart to grow fonder of you, but it is true. I think by the way you were pacing when I arrived that it was the same with you."

"Oh, it was!" Ellisarian cried out and placed his hands on Merrick's chest and shoulder, just to feel him, to get closer than possible, to memorize all of him. The urge was too great for him. He had spent too long thinking of this; thinking of just being able to touch the flesh under these clothes, just to touch. The thought of touching him had brought pleasure to Ellisarian. "I can not tell you the agony I suffered of not being able to see you and indulge in you every moment of the days. I've wanted to hear the sound of your voice, your laughter. I've wondered of things only lovers know. What does your heart sound like against your chest? How would it feel against my chest? Is the flesh under your clothes as colored as your face? Do you have the scars of a warrior, and where? Does your hair feel as soft as it looks? Do your eyes change color when you're angry or sad… or in passion?" He stopped there, his breath having quickened greatly, but he could feel Merrick's heart rate hadn't picked up in the least and he lowered his passion-filled eyes. "Above all else…" He continued bravely, though his voice quivered. "I've wanted your companionship, just to be near you. Please stay close to me?"

Merrick didn't speak for an unbearable amount of time and it almost caused Ellisarian to get up and walk away, but he remembered that Merrick had been the one to pull him down in the first place, so he stayed.

"I… I wish nothing more than to explore the same pleasures you desire… Ellisarian." The pirate whispered intimately and the prince's breath hitched in his chest. He met Merrick's gaze.

"You've never spoken my name to me before." He whispered in a lustful voice.

"I know. I thought it improper before, but… if we are to be lovers it would be rather peculiar for me to continue to call you 'prince'."

"I like you saying my name. It sends shivers through me." He murmured leaning closer. "May I…?"

"These are the last moments we will have with each other for a long while, do as you wish, Ellisarian."

Ellisarian leaned closer, their lips a small measure of space apart. Merrick leaned the rest of the distance forward. Tingles ran through both men, enflaming their loins and causing both to become more aggressive. The kiss turned passionate as Merrick's tongue entered Ellisarian's mouth and the young man enjoyed a thrill he'd never had before from anyone.

A simple kiss.

How it brought more pleasure-filled ideas into Ellisarian's mind.

He slipped his hand under Merrick's silken shirt, feeling the scar for a moment, then just the skin of his lover's chest.

Their mouths moved apart as they both looked to where Ellisarian's hand still stroked Merrick. Merrick's head fell back in pleasure, as his breathing picked up slightly.

Ellisarian watched this with fascination. He untied the cloak that still clung to Merrick's shoulders and threw it aside. Next he pulled Merrick's shirt from his pants and over his head tentatively. When he saw Merrick's broad shoulders, and well-muscled chest and stomach, he felt himself harden in anticipation.

First he let his hands roam over the chest displayed before him, then he bravely straddled Merrick's waist and leaned down to his lover's chest.

His eyes darted to Merrick's eyes before he went any further however. He wouldn't continue touching Merrick without permission and after the firm nod was given he allowed his lips to descend over Merrick's throat in a sweet chaste kiss. In an excruciatingly slow line he danced over Merrick's upper body with his kisses. When he found his mouth over Merrick's nipple, he tried using his tongue to taste it daringly and when he heard his lover gasp he sat back in worry, but at the sight of pure ecstasy on Merrick's face, he smirked and continued his ministrations.

Merrick's skin tasted salty and smelled of the sea, which was no great surprise, but quite beguiling to discover.

Merrick cried out then growled gutturally after his lover had brushed his teeth over Merrick's nipple teasingly. This cry of passion was a great pleasure onto Ellisarian and he was excited himself by the sound that he had caused to come from Merrick.

Ellisarian was overwhelmed suddenly by Merrick's arms under him, lifting him off the couch and carrying him easily to the bed room and onto the bed.

However, instead of continuing to be in charge of the situation, Ellisarian found Merrick pulling off his clothing and tasting his own flesh. The pleasure accompanied by these motions was unfathomable.

"Merrick!" He cried out passionately. How has he learned how to do such things with his tongue? Ellisarian wondered as Merrick's tongue licked under his ear. Oh, how sensitive he was right there! How had he never realized this about himself? Merrick nipped playfully at his ear and the prince thought he would die from the pleasure. "You're torturing me!" He cried out and Merrick snickered.

"Then I am achieving my goal." Merrick replied seductively. The way Merrick spoke made Ellisarian shiver. Merrick lowered his mouth over the prince's and all thoughts left their minds as they indulged in the simple pleasure of a kiss.

Ellisarian wrapped his arms around his lover and found the skin on skin contact quite indescribable. Merrick didn't have a hairy back as most men his age would, and the youth was positive it was only because of his Elvin heritage.

As Merrick began to divulge them of the rest of their clothes, Ellisarian started to worry. Will it hurt? How should I prepare? Am I ready for this? What do I do? Is he… is he going to do it? As he felt the cooler air of the room reach his lower belly, he tensed and realized Merrick had stopped.

Ellisarian opened his eyes again slowly, to see Merrick sitting back as he straddled him. His eyes were half-mast and patient as they gazed onto Ellisarian.

"Merrick… I…" Ellisarian stuttered.

"Are you afraid?" He asked simply.

"Yes." His voice cracked and he looked away from Merrick.

"Look at me."

Ellisarian complied.

"Do you want to do it to me?" He asked sternly.

Ellisarian's mouth dropped as he watched his lover. "I, uh…" He waited for Merrick to interrupt, but his lover was ever the patient man, "I'm afraid."

"That's okay." He whispered in reply.

"I don't know how." He admitted.

"Are you making excuses or do you just not want to?" He asked and Ellisarian was unsure of how to respond to Merrick's sedate demeanor.

"I want you inside of me." He answered finally.

Merrick smiled warmly as if he wouldn't have minded either way, but he had wanted it to be Ellisarian's decision. "It is a great pleasure, not only to have your lover inside of you, but also to be inside your lover and feel their body contract around you." He began kissing the youth's neck tenderly as his hands roamed over the flesh open to him. "If you should want me to stop or slow down, just tell me so." He whispered lovingly and Ellisarian knew right then that he would never want this man to ever stop loving him.

Ellisarian woke from a warm dream of kisses and love. His dream was only a recreation of the love he'd shared with Merrick a few hours before. He felt a breeze flow into the room through a window they hadn't bothered to get up and close. He turned over hoping to wrap himself up in his lover's warm arms, but instead found an empty bed. He sat up abruptly and called out his lover's name.

He heard only a shuffle from the next room in response, so he leapt up from the bed and ran into the Sitting Room. There his lover stood, tightening a belt around his slim waist, over his tunic.

"Merrick…" he paused, "what are you doing?"

Merrick turned to him slowly and smiled. He pulled his cloak up from the lounge chair and strolled over to Ellisarian. As he came closer he spun the cloak over his lover's shoulders to cover his bare body from the cool winds that swept through the room. He then lowered his mouth over Ellisarian's in a gentle chaste kiss. When they separated, Ellisarian met Merrick's hard gaze with a teary one of his own.

"Where are you going?" He asked innocently.

"I must leave you now." He answered lovingly. "You know it must be like this, my love."

'My love.' Ellisarian repeated to himself. Oh, please don't leave me! We shared so much only hours ago! You can't leave me now! Stay! Protect me by staying here! Don't distract the danger from me and call it to you! I want to share this with you. I want to share eternity with you. A tear fell from his eye as he continued to stare into his lover's eyes.

"My love." He repeated out loud. "My love. You can't leave me now." He murmured, clinging to the cloak that smelled of his beau.

Merrick caressed his cheeks with gentle hands and kissed each temple. "I gave all of myself to you as you did as well. Does that not show my devotion to you?"

"It does, and your devotion is grand, but your body is what I want and I want it here, beside mine." He blinked rapidly to keep the other tears from falling. "I know it's selfish, but you're doing this for me… to protect me and I don't want you to go!"

"I can't properly protect you and love you at the same time, my love. You are an elf. You can not stay cooped up in this castle until I've managed to drive Florian away. Besides the fact, he would manage to find a way to poison your food or get an assassin close enough to kill you. I can't take that risk." He held the youth's shoulder's tightly in his grasp.

"When will you be back?" He asked, forcing himself not to break down into sobs right then and there.

Seeing Ellisarian so close to losing his composure, Merrick knew he wouldn't be able to leave like he had to if he kept looking. Merrick's face hardened slightly and he turned his eyes away for the first time since their conversation had begun.

This action caused Ellisarian to bow his head under Merrick's chin, against his chest. He held tight to Merrick's tunic as if to will him not to move, but Merrick took his hands and pulled them away from himself. He stepped out of Ellisarian's reach and stalked over to the door and the young prince broke down into a fit of tears and loud sobs.

Merrick opened the door to his room and shut it was a small snap. Ellisarian ran to the door and banged on it a few times, still sobbing and crying out for Merrick to not leave, but his strength soon dwindled and he fell to the ground leaning against the heavy wooden door. He tried vainly to force his heavy panting into a calmer breathing pattern, but it seemed no matter how much air he took in, it would never be enough.

Unknown to him, on the other side of the door, Merrick had sunk down in much the same fashion, his back against the door, his elbow resting on his knee as his hand grabbed his hair and fought the very same urge to cry out in despair. So very close, yet so very far from his lover.

He waited there a moment longer, then rose and straightened himself before continuing down the hall silently, so as not to alert Ellisarian that he was still close by.

He stopped at the end of the hall and turned back to glance at the door. "I love you." He whispered gently, then turned and left at a run. He had to leave this place, as fast as his legs would carry him, or he might turn back. It was still dark out. He could make it in the cover of darkness easily. His men waited for him on the Santeria.

They had been worrying about him lately. None worried more than Astrolle, however, for he was the only one that saw the pain he suffered over leaving this elf behind.

Legolas came out of the shadows as Merrick ran past the corridor he had hidden in whilst he watched the whole spectacle. Aragorn approached behind him and encircled him in a loving embrace.

"This is horrible." He murmured as Aragorn's embrace tightened.

"I know." Aragorn whispered gently.

"He is so brave. I see you in his eyes, my love." He voiced and looked deeply into his eyes. "Their love is different, however, because both you and I were royalty before we married. We were each somewhat bound by these royal rights, but Merrick is a freelancer. He travels where he wishes and to remain still in this castle to be by Ellisarian's side would destroy his soul."

"He is also bound, my love." Aragorn corrected gently. "He leads the pirates, commands a crew, and through all that, he is also his father's son. The son of a man that was known to all of Middle Earth as the grandest of travelers and fighters. Bedtime stories were told of his father. Prophets deemed that he would become the greatest ruler the Eastern world had ever seen. He is from much farther away than you, my love. For him to return home it would take far more than a fortnight just to reach his land."

"He is so strong." Legolas stated as he looked around the corner at his son's door, where he could still faintly hear him sobbing with his Elvin ears. "But Ellisarian can not live without him." He turned back to his husband. "Do you think Merrick could do it? Give up his piracy position forever and live here beside our son?"

Aragorn didn't answer.

"Should we go and comfort Ellisarian?" He wondered, his heart aching for his son.

"No." Aragorn replied sternly. "Not just yet. Nothing we say will make this pain disappear. We would only be lying to say that Merrick will return soon and we can't be sure if he will return unharmed. Anything we say now will only make him cry more. When he needs comfort, he will seek us out."

Legolas nodded slowly, unsure.

They returned to their rooms together and laid in their bed, holding each other, both with the same thoughts.

My poor baby boy. There has to be something I can do.

Aragorn thought of what he could do as a king to help this, but they had no proof of this Florian person having done anything wrong yet, so he could not put him on trial, or prison.

Legolas could only think of how to comfort his son, but he knew if Aragorn were the one that had left, there would be no words that could ever comfort him unless they were his husband's words from his own mouth.

"I love you." Legolas stated suddenly and Aragorn held him more tightly.

"As do I." Aragorn answered passionately and kissed his pointed ear.

Ellisarian was a ghost for far more than a month. He ignored his lessons and scarcely ate more than he needed to. The only comfort he indulged in was to lay in the bed he'd shared with Merrick and inhale deeply. The smell of Merrick remained. Oh, the smell of the sea would not disappear. He slept on that pillow every night to absorb his lover as much as he could. He traveled aimlessly around Gondor at times, with guards of course.

For the first few days he could still feel a soreness where Merrick had entered him and he loved that pain. It was a reminder that Merrick wasn't something he had imagined. It was real and grand. He had a lover that was right now fighting to protect his life. He had a grand fighter for a lover.

His sex ached at times as he thought of Merrick. His lover. His companion. His protector. His warrior.

No matter how he tried to please himself he found he couldn't and just waited for the aching to leave.

The cloak was another comfort.

The cloak his lover had wrapped him in that smelled even more like Merrick than the pillow did. It was his after all. He wore it wherever he traveled as the weather got horribly cold throughout the whole month. It was thick, obviously made to repel worse weather than this on the deck of the Santeria. Oh, his Merrick. He wanted him back desperately.

Finally, Legolas could watch his son suffer no longer. He spoke with Aragorn worriedly and his husband came up with a fantastic idea.

"Take him to the harbor. He can smell the sea and be comforted by that, hopefully." Aragorn suggested wiping sweat from his brow. The fire in his den was harsh as he'd wanted, but now it was almost overwhelming. Legolas jumped into his arms.

"You are so wise, my love." He declared. "Come with us!"

"No." Aragorn whispered sadly. "I must receive newcomers today and I have so much to do with these new laws. Please forgive me. Take our son and make him happy again. Give him back some of the spark he had with Merrick at his side and in his mind."

Legolas agreed and just before he left to get his son he opened the window for Aragorn to have some relief and his mate flashed him a grateful smile.

Aragorn had his duties to tend to, but Legolas was perfectly free to take his son on a little trip.

Heavily guarded –just in case- they set out in a carriage and Legolas refused to tell Ellisarian where they were going until they arrived.

As Ellisarian stepped out of the carriage in his lover's thick cloak, he was hit with a distinct smell. It was Merrick's smell. Not completely, but it was the smell of the sea. He opened his eyes to see the harbor.

He felt the sting of tears at the back of his eyes as he looked at it, but he decided he would enjoy this. His Ada had gone to such lengths to give him some comfort and here it was.

He smiled for his Ada and hugged him softly.

"Thank you." He whispered and began to walk closer to the docks.

As he approached he felt more of the cold of the sea encircle him. This was the cold that his lover suffered through, and he did it without his cloak so that Ellisarian might have some piece of him until his return.

A ship sat in the large harbor. It was the only one aside from a few dinky unattended sailing boats. This one was a large wooden beauty. As Ellisarian approached to see the ship's name he squinted his eyes to make out the broken letters.

"AN ERA." He read and frowned. "What kind of a name of a ship is that?" He wondered vaguely.

"It says…! SANTERIA!" A crew member shouted from above angrily, a grease bucket in his hand. "What the 'ell ya want, boyo?!" The rude man demanded.

Ellisarian's heart filled with joy as he stared at the name again and realized… yes, the letters were only covered in spilled black grease. They blended in with the ship making it impossible to see them.

"Oh, my…" He murmured happily. "Where is your captain?!" He shouted to the crew member.

"Why shud I tell ya?" He demanded with an accent.

Legolas came up behind his son and put a hand on his shoulder. "I am the King's Consort! You are porting in our harbor! I demand you tell me where your captain is!" He ordered sharply.

"Oh." The man groaned, relenting. "What the 'ell is ya doing 'ere? The Cap'in went ashore to the castle. Idn't 'e lookin' for ya?"

Ellisarian spun to face his Ada, who smiled broadly. "Let's go."

They ran off back to the carriage and hurried home quickly.

By the time them reached the castle Ellisarian wasn't sure if his legs would carry him, what with his lack of doing anything lately in the way of eating or exercise, but he was determined.

Where would Merrick be? In his room!

He tested his legs, then took off to his rooms quickly.

"Go, Ellisarian!" Legolas cried out after him, but he was too tired to run like Ellisarian. Besides the fact that his son would hone in on Merrick easily without his help.

Ellisarian burst through the door and looked everywhere, but Merrick wasn't in the bed chambers, bath, or sitting room. He growled. Where else?

His father would surely know. He ran to his father's study, stumbling a few times on the way, but found he wasn't there.

"Where are you, Father?" Ellisarian asked aloud, then demanded the same information of a passing servant.

"In the Hall, my Prince. He is receiving a guest." The servant replied and left him quickly.

Ellisarian ran off to the Hall. This was becoming tiring of his already weak limbs. He barely made it to the Hall when he thought he would keel over.

He pushed open one door and when he saw his father he smiled momentarily.

"Father! I need to ask you…" His breath caught in his throat and he thought he would never breathe again. There, before his father, stood Merrick in all his glory. Black hair curling around his shoulders, stormy dark eyes staring right into his, tall beautiful body poised and missing only a cloak to make him perfect. "Oh, gods!" He cried out and wondered if he could run to his lover. He attempted it anyway and tripped mere feet from him.

Merrick caught him easily, lifting him off his feet and into his arms. Ellisarian wrapped his legs around Merrick's middle, holding to him tight. They kissed for a long moment, Ellisarian's arms wrapped around Merrick lovingly.

When they parted, Merrick was frowning.

"You're so light." He complained. "You haven't been eating, have you?"

Ellisarian laughed and wrapped his arms around Merrick's neck tighter. "You're alright!" He stated firmly and kissed every part of his lover's face he could. One of his hands spun through Merrick's hair to feel its softness and know that Merrick was really there. "Oh, you're alive. I have you again. You aren't leaving me, are you?" He asked suddenly quite afraid.

"No." Merrick whispered into his sensitive ear and he playfully licked it. "Not for a long while anyway."

"Merrick!" Legolas cried out happily. "Thank the gods." He murmured as he strode toward his husband.

They approached their son together.

Merrick lowered Ellisarian onto his feet easily and kissed his forehead as Ellisarian clung to him relentlessly.

"It's good to have you back, Merrick." Legolas told the pirate captain.

"Thank you." Merrick bowed his head slightly.

"How did you fare against Florian?" Aragorn asked with a gentle smile.

Merrick scowled and looked away. "I'd prefer not to talk about it." He turned back to Ellisarian and smiled. "The outcome is that he will leave us alone, though." He kissed Ellisarian's lips chastely and locked their eyes together.

"Was there a fight?" Ellisarian asked quickly.

"Yes."

"Were you a part of it?"

"I did not have to battle Florian if that's what you're getting at." He answered with a frown.

"I'd like to speak with you later, Merrick." Aragorn whispered to the captain.

"Yes, Sir." Merrick nodded once seriously.

"Now, go off." Aragorn told them smiling. "Please come down to midday meal if you can manage it, though."

Merrick smirked and nodded. "I'll remember that."

Ellisarian and Merrick left quickly, headed back to their rooms. On the way up though, Merrick stopped a servant and asked that several food platters be brought up to the prince's rooms.

The servant obeyed immediately and no sooner had they reached the room, than a platter of fruits and drinks was brought to them.

They sat in the Sitting Room. Merrick on one side of the eating table and Ellisarian on the other. Merrick sat with his legs open as he watched Ellisarian eat slowly.

"I'm alive, my love. No need to starve yourself." He told the prince, who blushed and ate a bit faster. Merrick poured him a goblet of wine and handed it to him silently. His lover accepted with a nod of thanks and kissed the hand that offered it to him.

"I'm not hungry anymore." The prince declared after a while and Merrick smirked.

"You'll not get any touches from me until I'm satisfied with how much you've eaten." He replied leaning a bit closer. He picked a grape from the tray and held it close to his lips as his tongue caressed the skin of the fruit, then he pushed it to his lips and bit half of it as his eyes locked with Ellisarian's all the while.

Ellisarian sat entranced as he watched Merrick work wonders around this grape. He wanted that mouth over his body, licking him not the fruit. Merrick popped the rest of the grape into his mouth, then seductively licked each finger from that hand, then he sucked his forefinger and released it with a pop from his mouth.

His gaze seduced Ellisarian for a moment longer, then he stood and pulled his tunic off. He stretched and walked over to the hearth to start a fire.

"Eat!" He demanded from across the room.

Ellisarian groaned with pleasure. "You tease." He growled murderously.

Merrick's gaze spun to his with a devious smirk. "I live only to seduce you, my love." He smiled. "Now eat, or I'll go to your father now."

Ellisarian immediately picked up a kiwi and began working at it. "So mean." He murmured as he dug out the fruit from the inside.

By the time Merrick had the fire stoked to its fullest Ellisarian had eaten all he could possibly eat and Merrick was satisfied finally.

"Now?" Ellisarian begged gesturing to the bedroom.

Merrick glanced up at it and frowned. He looked around, then smirked.

"Not quite yet." He replied. "I need a bath." He turned to the bathing room and Ellisarian's mouth dropped in a grumpy manner and he growled with impatient anticipation.

After Merrick reached the door and opened it, he turned seductively back to his lover.

"You're, of course, welcome to join me." He whispered and Ellisarian's eyes lit up with realization.

"Oh!" He cried out happily and jumped up to stand.

Merrick shut the door so it was open just a crack and started the water running.

Ellisarian began undressing before he reached the room. The cloak he threw onto the chaise lounge, his boots he tossed carelessly to the side, and his shirt he threw back, careless of where it landed. He pushed open the bathroom door to see his lover completely naked, his back to him.

"So beautiful." He whispered.

"You flatter me, my Prince." Merrick teased.

"Oh, gods, just come to me." He whispered heatedly.

"You're still half dressed." Merrick murmured as he approached, dipping his hips erotically as he walked over. "Allow me to help you." He knelt before the prince and pulled at the string holding his lover together. As he lowered the breeches he kissed his lover.

Ellisarian cried out as that mouth landed on the tip of the sin itself, while the devil's hands massaged his thighs rhythmically.

"Oh, Merrick!" His hands fell into the spill of black curls that was Merrick's hair. Merrick needed no more urging to take all of Ellisarian into himself. His lover gasped loudly and moaned the air back out.

He sucked on his lover's thick sex and nipped it playfully. After copious working from that talented mouth, Ellisarian came in a rush into his boyfriend's mouth.

Merrick swallowed all of him and released Ellisarian's weakened member, then kissed his navel lovingly. "Did you miss me so deeply that merely a taste of foreplay will make you break?"

"It is more than I have had in nearly two months!" Ellisarian collapsed into his lover's arms sated. "The things you do, my love." Ellisarian murmured against Merrick's throat. His eyes closed blissfully.

"The sounds you make, my love." Merrick quipped with a chuckle. "I've never heard anyone make so many different noises and so loud."

"Hiraetha." (Sorry.) Ellisarian whispered worriedly.

Merrick burst out laughing. "Oh, no, my love, that's nothing to apologize for. It makes me hard hearing your pleasure." He kissed his cheek, then mouth passionately.

Ellisarian realized suddenly that Merrick was still hard against him and he worried he had done something wrong, but Merrick was smiling peacefully. As if reading his thoughts, Merrick spoke:

"Don't worry, my love. This is a time for both of us." He lifted Ellisarian off the floor and placed him back down in the hot bath. He joined him a moment later –the water doing wonders for his screaming muscles- and they embraced each other with love. Merrick relaxed all of his muscles against Ellisarian's body and kissed his neck tenderly. "I love you." He whispered softly and Ellisarian almost missed it.

"Oh, gods, have I ever not loved you?" He asked the air rhetorically and wrapped his arms around Merrick. "I love you, oh, I love you so much!" He murmured and kissed Merrick's forehead lovingly. "Fill me!" He begged. "I need you inside of me! Take me!" He demanded and Merrick smiled warmly.

Without a word his hand snaked down behind Ellisarian's body to his opening.

"Open your legs for me." He whispered tenderly.

Ellisarian obliged and Merrick entered him with his fingers. Two stretched him in preparation, then a third… He hadn't felt this in so long. So many nights without his lover. After that first night they had been bonded together in a sense, and the parting had been so harsh for him.

"Was our parting painful for you, my love?" Ellisarian had to know. He wanted his feelings to be confirmed by the man he loved more than the world.

"I leaned back against your door." He murmured into Ellisarian's collarbone and his lover knew what he meant by those words – remembering the early morrow clearly. "I wanted to open the door and hold you in my arms again. I wanted to believe that my staying would keep you safe, when I knew it wouldn't. It is only by remarkable luck and great sacrifice that I made it back to you at all." He kissed his lover's collarbone, then licked the scented skin. The hot water was doing wonders for his body's responsiveness.

"I thank the gods that you did. All the way back from the harbor I was praying to every god I could think of that you were well and suffered of no ailment. I thanked every god I could imagine that you were alive and now back with me." He kissed Merrick's luscious black hair. "I love you. I love you." He murmured over and over again, as Merrick removed his fingers and pushed fully into him.

Nothing more than their breathing and gasps filled the next few moments as Merrick moved as slowly as possible through his lover.

Every now and again they called out each others names as they kissed and touched one another.

Merrick's hand clasped Ellisarian's member as he began to pump him in time with his motions in and out of his lover. Ellisarian kissed Merrick's mouth, diving his tongue into his lover's mouth and memorizing every angle with each erotic swipe.

After their kiss broke, Merrick quickened his pace and slipped his mouth over Ellisarian's nipple, sucking feverishly.

Ellisarian cried out as Merrick hit his sweet spot again and again with each push. The prince tightened all his muscles around Merrick, causing him to still himself, but not in pain. They both came with one more powerful thrust.

"Oh, Merrick!!"

"Ellisarian!"

They both relaxed, staying connected as they released. Ellisarian's hand began to play with Merrick's silk smooth hair as the water slipped back and forth in the bath like waves from the motions of their love making. It lapped at his nipples as he leaned against the lip of the tub, Merrick pulled tightly to his breast.

"We should get down to the dining hall." Merrick stated after a long while of silence. Ellisarian had thought he was asleep. He squeezed Merrick tightly between his legs.

"Don't go yet." He whispered lovingly.

"You're coming with me, love." Merrick replied laughing, but he didn't move to leave Ellisarian's warmth. "If we don't go now, your father will come here to get us." He voiced finally and Ellisarian couldn't decide which was worse, having his father find him and his lover together naked, or having Merrick pull out of him and feeling that separation that he'd been feeling for over a month.

"Don't leave me." He said though his voice cracked and Merrick met his gaze worriedly.

"My love, I'm not going anywhere. Together. Together we're going to go eat." He pressed his hand over Ellisarian's stomach. "Food. We'll come right back here and get into that bed you're so fond of." He promised sensually.

Ellisarian looked into his companion's eyes and smiled. "Alright." He agreed, but feeling Merrick pull back from him was still saddening. Merrick lifted him out of the water and brought him over to a dais where he dried them both off.

After that it was to the bed room where two wardrobes stood on either side of the bed.

"Already moving me in, are you?" Merrick chuckled deeply. The prince pointed to the one that was Merrick's with a blush.

"I only had a few things brought here for such occasions as this." Merrick went to one and Ellisarian went to the other –every now and then looking back at his lover and watching him dress.

They each wore black breeches. The prince wore a silk shirt and long tunic, but Merrick wore a loose cotton top and an emerald waistcoat. When Ellisarian saw him in this sultry waistcoat, it made him want to ravish his lover all over again.

They walked hand in hand down to the dining hall and when they entered all present looked up, shocked and entranced. The couple was a stunning image to all.

Five long tables made up the dining hall for all executive people in the castle and all guests to the castle. The central table of the five was the royal table for only the most important.

Aragorn and Legolas sat in the middle of the table surrounded by important advisors, guests, the captains of the guard, etc.

As Ellisarian's parents looked up they both beamed with pride at their son and his lover. Two seats were reserved. One on either side of the king and his consort.

They walked into the mostly silent room and over to their seats. Merrick bowed his head to the royal members of the table and sat beside Aragorn as per his request. Legolas smiled as his son sat beside him.

"Are you alright?" He wondered.

"Yes." Ellisarian answered plainly. "I just… I don't like being apart from him." He admitted.

"It's understandable." Legolas consoled. "I perceive your depression at being even this far from him." He whispered as Ellisarian put a few things on his plate. He looked over to Merrick and saw him glaring daggers at him. He sighed and pulled more food onto his plate. Legolas and Aragorn smiled as they watched this exchange.

Merrick, however, didn't put much food onto his own plate. Some meat and a fruit.

"Not hungry?" Aragorn wondered as the talk in the room picked up again.

"I was well fed on my ship." He answered calmly. "I only came down because he should be eating." He sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes.

"Are you ill?" Aragorn pondered, with slight worry in his voice for the pirate.

"Tired." Merrick answered honestly. "Weak from the journey." He explained.

"Where'd you travel to?"

"The New Land, called 'No Man's Land' by most. It's where the clans meet during battles." He replied, leaning his head back against the chair's high back.

"Who fought if you did not?"

"My Second in Command." He answered sadly.

"He died?"

"Both." Merrick murmured cautiously so no one could hear but them.

Aragorn leaned casually closer. "Both?"

"Yes. My best man and Florian's best man fought together and they killed each other. Florian's man used a poisoned blade and Astrolle didn't. Florian's man cut Astrolle across his chest. Astrolle impaled the other man and he died, but Astrolle began to quickly become ill and we didn't have the medicine to save him. Florian was honorable about it. He hadn't been any the wiser of the poison and I could tell it. He promised to leave my lover be in exchange for Astrolle's lost life."

Aragorn felt terrible suddenly. "I'm sorry." He whispered to Merrick. "I had no idea."

"Obviously not. Who would suspect such a thing? Astrolle promised his life to me a long time ago." He stated in a reminiscing way. "And before the battle was fought he told me he would die to make sure I had what my father never had… happiness. He asked me if I thought Ellisarian would bring me happiness." He stopped there and Aragorn became anxious.

"And?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Merrick replied turning to the king sadly. "I told Astrolle that the light of the universe collected in Ellisarian's eyes. I told him my heart belonged to him and I would never be whole if I could never see him again. If I died before going back to him, then I would spend eternity as an unsatisfied ghost until Ellisarian finally died and we could be together again."

Aragorn reached out and grasped Merrick's arm tightly. "You're very brave." He told him sternly.

"Thank you… I think. I doubt I'm brave at all though. I can't stand to watch Ellisarian cry. I break down when he is unhappy. My insides ache at the mere prospect of a night spent alone away from him. I've pined for him for fifty days and losing Astrolle only made my pain worse. I wasn't made to be the strong one."

"You're doing a very good job at something you weren't made to do." Aragorn commented. "You must continue to do it too."

"I will, yes. I could never imagine leaving the burden to Ellisarian. I must protect him and keep him safe."

"Can you do it?" Aragorn demanded quickly, with a frown of worry.

"The love we share makes me strong. It keeps me alive." He replied earnestly. "I will never fail as long as our love survives. If he ever stops loving me…" He stared off into space. "I don't know what I would do. My father was… empty. He didn't care for anything. He became a deadly killer. He never showed emotion or became tender unless he was looking into my eyes." Merrick turned and glared into Aragorn's eyes deeply with a powerful gaze. "I mean really look into my eyes. A piercing gaze that seemed to fill me and rape my mind of all thought. He divulged every particle of my soul with this one stare. He didn't do it often, but it almost seemed as if he could see my… my Ada in my eyes."

This news took Aragorn by surprise somewhat, but he smiled after a moment. "It's good that you have this… You have your father's glare, I think. You have his strength and I believe you will protect my son well. I have faith in you. Do not disappoint me, Merrick." He warned.

"Never." Merrick snapped seriously, and as one they returned to their meals.

As Merrick and Aragorn talked heatedly together, Legolas and Ellisarian talked much more gently on gentler topics after Ellisarian's fear had subsided.

"What do you think of children?" Legolas wondered.

"Can I bear children?" Ellisarian asked, shock lacing his voice along with fear and hope.

"You are made of powerful Elvin blood. It's very possible. I've never thought to test you though. I guess I always assumed you to be the more dominating type. You always seemed to like females more." He chuckled.

"Fate has odd ways of falling together perfectly with perfect people. I do not feel the urge to dominate Merrick. It feels right for me to lie on his chest and let him be my support and I try to be his when he needs it, but he never seems to need that and… I do." He shrugged and glanced over at his lover. He saw him pale suddenly and weak-looking, and worried for him, but Legolas had his attention again.

"How was it?" He asked sweetly.

"How was what?" Ellisarian asked, startled.

"I couldn't ask you before because you were so upset, but now he's here to be with you and you have no reason to be sad. How was your night with him?" He asked excitedly. Ellisarian immediately blushed under his Ada's words.

"Ada!" He cried out, his face going crimson. "You shouldn't be allowed to ask that of your son!" He added, urgent yet hushed. He looked around, worried that someone else might have heard him.

"Oh, calm down and stop evading the question." Legolas snapped good-naturedly and Ellisarian's gaze found his food plate.

"Let's talk about something else."

"Did he hurt you?"

Ellisarian's eyes widened and shot to his Ada's. "No." He shook his head several times. "Not at all. Oh, he was so gentle." Ellisarian's eyes closed and he could feel his lover's touch again through his memories. "Oh, not at all." He moaned happily and Legolas' touch startled him out of his daydreams. He realized several people were looking at him oddly and his face went crimson again.

Legolas smiled, blushing himself as he kissed his son's temple.

A little later, Ellisarian looked up to find his lover, but saw him asleep and began to worry.

"Father!" Ellisarian called out distressed, but not too loudly. His father glanced at him, then looked to his left to see Merrick sleeping. He smiled.

"Calm yourself, Ellisarian." His father urged. "He's just tired. He even said so to me. I'll carry him to your room. Stay and finish eating."

Ellisarian was about to object a thousand didn't ways, but Merrick had awoken and put his own word into the situation.

"All of you stay put. I can walk myself to bed." He stood unsteadily and walked away as they watched him go.

Ellisarian was about to jump up after him, but Merrick stopped at his chair on his way to the door.

"Stay. Please, just let me sleep." He begged softly and Ellisarian nodded determinedly. He would do as his lover wanted no matter how it went against his instincts.

Dinner was agony to finish. He wanted to excuse himself, but his lover's plea rung horribly in his ears. Would he disobey the one thing Merrick ever really asked of him? And such a simple request as well?

He fought to keep from running to the entrance when people did finally begin to leave. He kissed his Ada and Father on the cheek once each and bid them farewell.

What was even more of a challenge was to keep from dashing down the corridors that seemed so long before him. He could run them easily as he'd done countless times before, but he fought to remain in control of his body.

When Ellisarian finally reached his room again, he burst through his door and ran to the bed chambers to see Merrick sound asleep on his pillows and under his blankets.

He's fine. Ellisarian smiled relieved. He was just tired. He pulled off his clothes easily and slipped under the covers to hold his lover tight for sleep. And why shouldn't he be after being out to sea for nearly two months and fighting that horrible bastard Florian?

When morning finally arose, Ellisarian woke up to an empty bed. He nearly cried out in fear that the day before had been a dream and his lover was really gone, but then he smelt it. His Merrick's smell. It was freshly on the pillows that had before dulled of this smell. He pressed his face into the pillows and inhaled deeply.

Ah! What a gorgeous scent! He thought idly.

"You've awoken!"

Ellisarian's head shot up to see his lover standing in the doorway to the bed chambers. Merrick was smiling warmly. "Oh, come now. Can I not enter a room any longer without you breaking down into tears?" He teased. Ellisarian hadn't even realized his eyes had begun to water, but he wiped the moisture away and laughed at himself.

"I awoke and you weren't… you weren't beside me. I thought for a moment that…" He sniffled, then jumped up and at a running jump flew into his lover's arms happily.

"Whoa!" Merrick yelped as he caught the prince and placed him gently on his feet.

"It doesn't matter! You're with me now!" He took in Merrick's fully dressed appearance and noticed they were all his old pirate clothes only slightly cleaner than before. "Where are you going?" Ellisarian asked worriedly.

"A trip to the harbor to see my crew." He answered easily. "I had a servant wash my clothes as best she could before putting them back on, so do not fear." He chuckled as he went to find his cloak.

"Oh, but you can't leave me yet!" Ellisarian begged standing still.

"Oh, Ellisarian, my love." Merrick grabbed his face with rough hands and kissed his pouting mouth. "I will not be gone very long. It will perhaps take a few hours to get my crew in order and my supply lists for them. I must secure a place for my boat in the harbor for however long it will be in port and do a maintenance check from our long voyage. These matters can not be ignored, my love. Forgive me." Merrick spun his cloak over his shoulders and smiled back at Ellisarian.

"May I come?" He wondered eagerly.

Merrick debated the idea carefully, then took in Ellisarian in a judging manner.

"What?" Ellisarian demanded as he looked himself over as well.

"I… uh, if you really must come… I suppose it would be fine."

"What troubles you about my request?" Ellisarian asked, his brow furrowed. He felt a bit putout by Merrick's reluctance.

"It is only that my men… well, not all of them are…" He seemed to be searching for a word, but came up with nothing and instead bluntly stated his point. "I do not believe you would be comfortable in their presence."

"Would I be in danger?" Ellisarian asked, already quite knowledgeable of the answer.

"No, but…"

"Then I will be coming along. You don't mind waiting, do you?" He didn't wait for a reply as he went off to change.

Merrick sighed heavily in defeat –slightly annoyed, but enjoying Ellisarian's persistence. "I must send word to your father of our plans. I will only be gone a moment." He stalked over to the door and called the closest servant to him.

After returning he sat down to brood how badly the day would go from there.

When Ellisarian came out happily and saw his mate in such a mood, his jovial mood simmered to a stop.

"Does it trouble you that I wish to accompany you?" He asked sadly.

"No." Merrick answered then looked up to his lover. "Sit." He whispered to him gently.

Ellisarian obeyed, sitting in the opposite chair as Merrick. "What troubles you then?"

Merrick thought on his words before looking Ellisarian in the eyes. He explained the events of what happened while he was in New Land. Ellisarian was speechless after it was through, but he realized Merrick was waiting for him to say something.

"This is horrible, Merrick." He murmured horrified. "I can not help but feel somehow guilty."

Merrick snorted. "I knew you would. That is why I delayed in telling you. I am trying to cope with these things myself, feeling equally as guilty for this. It was neither of us that poisoned that blade though. Astrolle was acting as it was in his nature to act. He was being the brave warrior that I met in my younger years and fought with. He did not expect a poisoned blade from a Clan member. It was another small betrayal and not only to my clan, but to Florian's as well. Once word has spread, little faith will be placed in Florian's midst and he will suffer greatly for this." He paused and ran his hand through his hair nervously. "Astrolle is usually the one to run all these maintenance checks and he usually makes up the supply lists for me to approve and be ordered, but now… now I must take this on and I am deeply sorry for this, my love, for I know how you wish me to be by your side when you awaken, but… not at the moment."

"I understand, Merrick. This is a great hardship unto you and I am willing to share you with your crew while you work through this. I am the intruder upon your world, my love. It is not the other way around."

"No." Merrick shook his head. "You are my world now, my love. My ship is my duty." He stood and extended his hand to Ellisarian. "Will you still come with me?"

"If you wish me to come I will be at your side always."

"I have no quarrel with you coming. I merely felt the urge to explain myself before I took you on such a journey at such a time. It was, however, not now that I would have chosen to tell you such sorrow-filled news, but… I suppose it must be spoken eventually."

Ellisarian took Merrick's hand and they walked out the main entrance to the castle where one horse stood proudly waiting.

The prince had never seen such a fine horse before. A fine black silk coat and piercing golden eyes.

Merrick strolled up to the horse that bore no saddle and he pulled the reins on the horse to keep him from moving away from Ellisarian. The horse affectionately nipped at Merrick's shoulder as he turned to Ellisarian.

"I do apologize, Ellisarian, but Dar will let no elf near him. Do you have a horse?"

Ellisarian nodded, a bit disappointed. He had looked forward to sitting in a carriage, but upon seeing the singular horse awaiting them, he had hoped on even closer contact to ride behind his lover. Now he could not even have that. He wondered vaguely if the horse would let no elf near him for the same reason as Merrick had aforementioned for hating elves.

He gestured to the stables and they started at a walk toward them.

Merrick awaited his lover outside the stables after feeling Dar's reluctance to near the building.

Ellisarian came into view on a large white mare that obediently followed her master's directions to Merrick's position. Before the mare approached too closely, Merrick mounted his stallion with a swinging jump and Ellisarian awed at how gracefully his lover did this, but he was part elf after all. They took off toward the main gate of the city to get to the harbor.

Three hours later they had finally arrived after a long steady gallop.

Ellisarian dismounted and felt slightly sore from the long ride. He hadn't ridden Felecia in so long, using those riding muscles again was a bit stressful.

Merrick however seemed to adapt to riding quite easily.

"Do you ride often?" Ellisarian wondered vaguely as he leaned on his lover a distance from Dar.

"Dar doesn't appreciate being ignored for long periods of time so whenever we port someplace he cries out until he is given plenty of attention. Quite the spoiled horse, he is."

They heard Dar nay aggressively from behind them and Merrick laughed.

"You know it's true!" He yelled back and the horse had no objections to that statement.

"Ah! D'at you, Cap'in?!" That same pirate from before demanded from the ship.

Suddenly the whole ship came to life with dozens of unshaven, grubby –old and young alike- men jumping around on the ship, cheering their captain's name. Some yelled it from the crow's nest or from the ropes they hung from lazily.

"Ho, Captain!" They all shouted to him as he approached with a powerful gait. Ellisarian had never seen him demand such attention yet wear such an easy grin.

"Ho!" He replied casually.

"Who be de blonde?!" A man in the crow's nest shouted hungrily.

"Blonde, where?!" Another hollered and soon all were gawking at Ellisarian greedily.

"Look at that!" Another yelled.

Merrick stood firmly on the dock glaring up at his crew, his feet spread.

Ellisarian had been scowling up the crew all the while of their taunts and whistles, but as Merrick had done nothing to object to their words, he had remained silent. He understood now what Merrick had meant about his crew's behavior.

Now the crew went silent at seeing their captain pissed.

"You will address my lover as Prince, or Sir, but never 'blonde', or 'sweetie', and if any of you talk to or of him in a derogative manner I will personally throw you overboard to the sea monsters!" He yelled this loud enough for all to hear over the deadly quiet and Ellisarian found that none were looking at him anymore. They solemnly looked at their captain for orders now. "Well?" He snapped.

"Ai, Sir!" They all shouted in unison.

"Repairs?" Merrick asked more casually as he walked up the plank onto to the ship with Ellisarian following him close behind. He took long leisurely looks at everything around the ship. The finely swabbed deck, the straight and sleek mast, the large gold-trimmed wheel at the helm where he assumed Merrick would usually be standing. "And that damned leak in the galley?" He hissed. "Gibbs! You be gettin' rid of the rotted food?"

Ellisarian became enthralled with the way Merrick slipped from sophisticated words into pirate blather and less and less manners of talk. He stayed silently by his lover's side all the while. It was quite chilly by the seaside. He was glad that he had brought two warmer cloaks as Merrick had suggested. Merrick spent the better part of an hour talking back and forth to these men, slipping at times, into different languages some of the men were more familiar with.

After Merrick assigned jobs all around to his men, he turned mostly to an older man with a scruffy beard, one finger missing from his left hand, and fifty pounds too much around his waistline alone.

"Go through the kitchen supplies with Gibbs an' judge what we be needin' for eats for the rest of the season. If I come back an' find you ordered six kegs o' brandy an' rum I'll let Brutis 'ave you for a plaything." He warned and many around them gulped.

Ellisarian tugged gently on Merrick's cloak as he was about to speak and Merrick lowered his hand and turned to his lover calmly. "Yes?" He asked sweetly, changing his speech a bit yet again.

"Who is Brutis?"

"A wild beast we keep on board to kill the rats. It once was a cat, I'm assuming, but now it attacks pretty much everything that moves aside from Gibbs who feeds him scraps when there not be enough rats and pesky crew members." He raised his voice on his last few words as he looked around to his men. They laughed somewhat believing it was true and somewhat cautious. "I call it a he because we don't know –no man here is willing to check either- and if you call the cat an "it" he gets offended and attacks, so… that's just what we call 'im." He smiled and rubbed Ellisarian's arm to give him a bit more warmth before continuing with his men.

"Sir?" The man from the nest asked boldly and Merrick turned his sharp eyes onto the man.

"Robins." He replied coolly.

"Fire wood, Sir? For the heatin' stoves? Might it be… 'kay to buy bit more this time 'round? It be gettin' real cold, Sir."

"Yeah." Merrick nodded sadly. "I 'spect we be in port a while. Make all repairs an' stock the ship for departure. Leave guards at all time 'round the ship. No thieves be gettin' on board to steal our supplies. Haggard, Corona, Hays, and Komb take first watch for a sevenight, then switch off. Inform me of all disturbances. Any corrections that need to be made to be sure we have no more dealings with thieves will be taken. The rest of you scalawags, go ashore and find lodgings! Send all supply lists to the castle addressed to me. Be quick about makin' the lists and I'll be orderin' them myself." He turned to the chubby man again and pulled out a small purse of coins that he jingled once before nodding and handing them to the pudgy pirate. He leaned in secretively close. "Make sure this gets to the blasted Harbor Keeper. Bastard chewed me out last time I anchored here without his knowing. Tell 'im there's more for him if he shuts up and leaves us be." He winked and the fat man nodded.

"Ai! Sir." He saluted him briefly, then took off.

Merrick's crew agreed to his orders of guarding the ship and with a great calamity of begging and over exaggerated pleads to stay they laughed Merrick away. Ellisarian couldn't help but notice the huge smile across Merrick's face as they left to their horses. He seemed so pleased at the way things had gone and pride emanated from him. He obviously prized his crew and they seemed more than willing to get his mind off Astrolle's death with jokes and humor.

"Bastards." Merrick muttered as they entered the castle again nearly four hours later. They had spent the whole day at harbor and it was nearly dark now. Merrick had coerced Dar into a stall beside Felecia's stall so at least he wouldn't be out in the cold and they were finally both ready for relaxation.

"What?" Ellisarian replied, awestruck by Merrick's outburst.

"They are trying to be brave for me." He chuckled. "What a grand crew." He whispered softly. Back to his elegant voice.

"Yes." Ellisarian nodded. "I think they hold you in a very high respect."

"I would hope as much." Merrick chuckled. "I was picking my crew before I was ever captain of that ship." Merrick added with a warm, loving glance to Ellisarian. "That ship is not my father's ship nor did he help me to procure it. Every detail of my life aside from my fighting skills and even some of those were all learned and obtained on my own. My father offered me a ship. I turned away his offer and built my own."

"You built that ship?!" Ellisarian gasped, startled. "You speak this honestly?!"

"Not that ship." Merrick laughed heartily. "No. The ship I built was attacked, lit afire, and now sits in the bottom of the Great Sea, or what is left of my old ship anyhow. This one that I sail now was built by several of my most trusted companions and myself. It was just before the first war of our clans. I would accept no help from my father. It was something I was pushed to do by myself, but no person pushed me to do it. It was simply arrogance on my part. I wanted no help from my father. I wanted to be away from him and on my own. Though I regret wishing my father away from me, it was good that I became independent so early in my life for I would surely be dead now if I had not started such tasks as young as I did."

"How old were you when your ship was finished?" Ellisarian asked intently.

"By my eighteenth birth year celebration I was sailing away on my ship with a small crew… with as small a crew as could manage the ship we'd built anyway. There were perhaps ten of us doing twice as much work as we were capable of. Our journeys were short for these reasons, but we enjoyed every moment of it. We were free from our clans and families and independent. That was most important to all of us." He paused in thought and interrupted his lover as he was about to ask another question. "What's your favorite time of year?" He asked passionately.

Ellisarian was taken aback. He hadn't expected the sudden change in topic. "Are you changing the topic on purpose?" He wondered with a light frown.

"I merely desired to know more about the young prince I was bedding and you seemed about to delve deep into a conversation that might take us a while to finish. Consider this a way of evening the balance." He reasoned. "I will answer your questions easily after." The pirate promised with a pretty smile.

Merrick watched his young love as he watched him in much the same searching fashion, but he knew the youth would see he was being truthful.

He took this opportunity to take in Ellisarian completely yet again. He had enjoyed watching his lover sleep that morning. It had been like watching an angel. The gentle warmth that had emanated from him, his peaceful smile as he dreamt sweet dreams, his pale tender skin that radiated with the dull light from the open window that could not compare. The soft pale hair that shaped his oval face.

His face still held that childish nature that one carried with them while they were young and still innocent of death. His lover's face was not yet marred with the lines of worry and sorrow from watching one too many comrades fall in battle, or slowly lose their sanity. That was always the worst after all –losing a comrade to their own mind was something you couldn't prevent. It was an unseen evil. No. Ellisarian was ignorant of all those things. He had fresh eyes to see the world as a wondrous place for adventure, mystery, and love. Oh, and what beautiful eyes he had. Merrick wished he could gaze into those eyes for all eternity without frightening his lover, but when he stared into people's eyes they had the tendency to get uncomfortable and look away and not want to look him in the eye again. No. He wanted to stare into those eyes always.

"Winter Solstice." The prince answered finally. "The way the snow blankets the forest is beautiful. There is something about the crisp whiteness of snow with the bright sun shining down on it that intrigues me. What would your favorite time of year be, my dearest pirate?"

"Winter, actually." Merrick told him with a small smile. "Why do you like Winter?"

"The lands are so peaceful during the Winter days, it's almost as if the entire world has gone silent for a few months." He shrugged. "Why do you like the Winter months? I would think you would like the warmer days so that your days on the sea would be more bearable."

"This is true." Merrick nodded a few times. "I, however, enjoy the later part of the year because there is less rain. Rain I do not like. Snow is beautiful and the cold it bearable for that reason. Spring showers are fine, but the muggy rain of the later months is hideous when on the seas." The pirate smiled as his lover nodded in understanding to him. He began to think of other questions to ask his lover about himself as the prince stared deeply into his eyes. "What was your first word?"

A look of query and amusement crossed Ellisarian's face. "Tree." He answered with a slight blush.

Merrick smiled –of course an elf's first word would be tree. "There must be a story behind your first. Come now. Let me hear it."

After a pause for debating whether to tell the story, Ellisarian shrugged and began explaining everything necessary to understand the tale:

Ellisarian laughed gaily in the arms of his grandfather. Though, technically, Elrond could not be deemed a grandfather to Ellisarian, it always seemed so to Aragorn and Legolas since he was always their ever watchful father figure when they had been youths.

Aragorn and Legolas watched Elrond play with their one-year-old toddler, as he tickled little Ellisarian gently, but without mercy.

Legolas smiled warmly as he watched Lord Elrond play with their son.

It was so rare that elves bore children that every Elvin pregnancy was looked at as a miracle. That's what Ellisarian was. A miracle. Their miracle.

Unbeknownst to Aragorn when he had been courting Legolas, he later discovered that his lover could bare children. It was quite the surprise to him –to say the least. In all his years living in the House of Elrond, he had never been privy to this information; then again, he had never thought to ask such a question. It wasn't really something he had been pondering between his hunting trips –once he was old enough- and general misbehavior. He had been more concerned with having adventures and breaking the rules that prohibited his choices for fun activities.

The news that they would indeed be able to have a child together was more than pleasing to Aragorn, and so they married and planned their first child.

Now, it was less than three years later and here they were, with Aragorn's step-father Elrond visiting for the holidays. At the moment, little Ellisarian had toddled over to Elrond away from his nurse, to greet him for the second time ever. It seemed, despite the fact that he had only seen Elrond once before, the Lord had made a great impression upon their son.

"Is this celebration intended to include the entire kingdom?" Elrond posed his question to the fathers of the adorable youth in his arms that now nuzzled his neck and smelled him. The Lord tried to keep his face straight and calm, but the tike was drooling, and tickling him with his gentle breaths. He burst out laughing for a moment as he pulled Ellisarian away from his neck and tapped his nose, with a tender smile across his lips. The child looked at him innocently, with wide pale eyes, his hand in a tiny fist over his mouth to try and stop the slobber.

Elrond merely laughed as Legolas did. Aragorn merely looked proudly down at his son and wrapped his arm around his lover's waist possessively. Legolas chuckled and leaned into his husband.

"Yes, it will involve the whole of the kingdom." Aragorn responded to his 'father'. "Why should it not?" He laughed genuinely again.

"Three years as king." Legolas smiled; reminiscing, as he looked deeply into his lover's eyes.

"I am surprised I made it this far." Aragorn quipped, looking only into his lover's eyes as he got lost in their depths. They leaned together and kissed briefly before remembering they had company, as well as a gurgling child that was ever-observant of their actions, still with his fist half in his mouth and drool falling down his cheek.

The table they sat at was a small meeting table in Aragorn's study. All of them sat in comfortable chairs with cushions to comfort their tired bodies –Elrond most of all, for he had just arrived a few hours prior.

"Have you decided on a separate celebration, for just yourselves?" Elrond wondered idly as he stroked his grandson's cheek, making him coo aloud with delight as his face flushed happily.

"Well, I was just wondering if I was going to get the opportunity to baby-sit little Ellisarian that night?" Elrond queried slyly, with a leer toward the married youths. Aragorn took Legolas' hand into his as they both flushed a slightly darker shade of red.

"That would be lovely, Ada." Aragorn told his father.

"Marvelous." Elrond commented with a smile of indifference and knowing. "Is this to be another ball?" Elrond asked with a smile.

"Yes." Legolas answered hurriedly. He had been planning the whole escapade with Aragorn's occasional opinion and plenty of help from the visitors of Gondor who each celebrated different occasions differently.

Seeing how excited Legolas was about his creation, Elrond glanced at Aragorn. He could easily guess that Legolas had gone over the plans for the celebration a thousand times with his husband. Nonetheless, Aragorn smiled –only slightly wearily- at his husband for his joviality.

"What have you planned?" Elrond wondered, and Aragorn's eyes widened slightly, as if questioning his father's sanity of asking such a question. Legolas immediate dove into a full explanation of everything that would be going on that night and every decoration and guest to attend imaginable.

"This one fellow I was talking to that had come from the North explained of how they had decorated trees in the coldest time of the year…" Legolas began to explain, after nearly an hour of aimless talk of other lords and ladies that were attending.

"Trees?" Elrond repeated inquisitively.

"Yes!" Legolas responded eagerly. "Strange, is it not?" He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders as he laughed.

"Any trees?" Elrond continued. This topic was more interesting than of the color banners to represent Gondor without discriminating other counties' representing colors.

"No, not bare ones. They decorate the trees that remain green all year long. Quite peculiar, don't you think?" He chuckled. "I would love to do that here, but why should we cut down a tree that lives all year long, just to place it inside like they do, and decorate it. It is disgracing the image of the tree to cut it down when one is celebrating its symbolism of life even in the worst months of the year."

That made sense.

A/N: This story is too long to have one continuous chapter, so I have divided the story up into two parts. This memory will continue in the next part. Sorry for any confusion.

Summary:Aragorn and Legolas are happily married and jointly ruling Gondor. Together they had a son eighteen years ago and now he's ready to grow up from childhood and become more independent. His first attempt at this starts when a rather handsome pirate strolls into Gondor under the suggestion of a withering profit. Is our neighborhood-friendly pirate good enough for the son of Aragorn and Legolas?