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She had received the letter a few days prior. The message had been heavy on her mind all that time. She kept the letter on her at all times.
During the day it was secure in her pocket, where she twisted a corner while nursing. And even at night she had placed it securely under her pillow where neither of the twins could reach it on accident. Elros and Elrond were moving around on their own by now, though they were still in the process of learning to walk.
Eärendil had only just left to search out Valinor; the new year's decorations were still hanging in the streets. And the letter had arrived three days after his departure.
The letter was quite simple really. A letter by Maedhros Fëanorian asking her to meet with him to discuss the Silmaril. There were no threats. Just an assurance that he would come alone and unarmed.
Elwing was not sure why she even considered the offer. Why she somehow believed that the words of assurance were not lies and this was not a trap.
She should consider it a trap. She knew the history of the sons of Fëanor well. And what they had done to her family when they did not want to hand over the Silmaril in their posession. There was no reason to think that this might end differently.
But something was shattered in her. Her feelings and her logic were cased in ice inside her. There, but also distant and inaccessible.
She felt restless. The departure of Eärendil had only increased the uneasiness that had accompanied her since the birth of her children. She felt like screaming only she did not know how.
She felt stuck.
There was a fragile peace in Sirion. The survivors of the Second Kinslaying and of the Fall of Gondolin were building up their life again. There had been no bad news in some time and the lands around Sirion were free of orcs and other creatures of the enemy. No one had heard anything of significance about the Fëanorians in a few years. The society in Sirion was becoming civilized and their leadership defined. There were elflings being born. Hope for a better future was springing up in people's hearts.
Her own children had not really been planned. The elvish blood in both their heritage had not been strong enough to do that. And so she was now taking care of two half-elven boys.
She loved them just as strongly as she loved Eärendil. She knew that but at times it was hard to feel anything. So she did the best she could. She spent time with the two of them. Watched, how Elrond swung around torn-off flowers and helped Elros explore along the beach.
And still she felt caged. Eärendil was allowed to seek the Valar and Valinor, and maybe help their people in this way. Not that she envied him, she did not well on ships.
But she was stuck, looking after a Silmaril and raising her dear boys.
And so she went to meet Maedhros Fëanorion.
=====
He had not expected her to come. And especially not alone.
Maedhros was still not sure why he had even sent the invitation. Was it instinct, or desperation, or the oath?
It had been foolish in any case. And most likely it would lead to nothing.
None of his brothers knew where he had travelled and why. He had told them a story about needing some time alone, and they had let him leave in the assumption Maedhros was out to seek distraction in the wilderness.
When he had heard that Eärendil was planning to seek Valinor, something like a plan had formed in his mind. Maybe a meeting one-on-one with Elwing, who held one of the Silmarils, could achieve what all the political games and the brutal kinslaying had not.
Maedhros felt the itch of the oath. They all did. The four which were left. And so he had sent the letter.
The meeting place was a cave up the coast of Sirion, two hours by horse. When the tide was low, it could be reached following the rocky beach below the cliff. But there also was an entrance on top of the cliffs as well. The walk upwards was intricate and took half an hour.
It seemed Elwing was a quiet traveler because he had only started to hear her coming five minutes before she stepped through the cave entrance.
He mustered her where she stood straight. She had a dagger buckled on her hip, but it appeared she gave him the benefit of the doubt because it was still in its sheath.
Elwing was young by Elvish standards and even by Mannish ones. Had she been full-elven, she would have been a young adolescent but Maedhros could see that this was not the case. Elwing looked young but grown up. Her figure was full and her breasts round. He knew she had recently given birth. When he looked into her eyes though there was something in them which was old and worn. It fit her but he had not expected it.
"So it is not a trap, then?", she said. "That seemed the most obvious reason to set up this meeting. Is your motivation really just wanting to talk?"
She seemed slightly curious, but it was muted by a sense of expectation.
Maedhros was curious as well because he had at least expected a guard to accompany her, but it seemed she came alone.
"You were very trusting to come here, and alone apparently. But that makes both of us fools then.", he replied.
"Would you like something to drink?", he offered. She nodded.
"Take a seat by the fire if you will. I will bring it to you."
He grabbed two wooden cups and went to the side of the cave, where a small spring was, to fill them. He handed Elwing one cup and sat on the log next to her.
The fire was low, so when they looked out of the mouth of the cave, they saw the stars in the sky over the water. Maedhros felt like he had entered an alternative dimension ever since Elwing had appeared. Some kind of calm had come over him when she had come. And all the things around them seemed to mirror it.
The sea was quiet, only disturbed by the wind which made it ripple slightly. The fire only crackling slightly. The water from the spring dripped pleasantly. And Elwing was breathing easy next to him.
He took a sip of water.
Something inside him had quieted as well. It felt unreal. Never had he felt peace like that in Beleriand. And he did not want to disturb it by talking about the Silmarils.
And so he just did not.
And Elwing did not either.
=====
But after a time she turned to him and said: "You are not what I expected. This is not what I expected, but I have not breathed so free in a long time."
Her gaze on him was very sincere, and he felt his heart beat faster.
"Me neither. In longer than you can imagine. Never on these shores."
She looked at him very openly, and though some sadness entered her eyes, and he felt it, too, the peace of the moment was more profound than the hurt.
"It is good.", he added.
She laid her hand on his stumped arm. "It is indeed.", she agreed.
And Maedhros laid his hand on hers, caressing it.
He was an old elf. Very old, compared to Elwing at his side. He had done innumerable bad things, and just as much bad had been done to him. But he had also had experienced an uncountable amount of joy. He had known love, deep love from his parents, his brothers and one cousin in particular.
And this was nothing of that but something unfathomable he had not expected to experience. Especially not at this point in his life where the bad was outweighing the good a hundred times.
But Elwing did not seem to care about any of it.
=====
Elwing felt Maedhros fingers stroking across the back of her hand, and it suited everything that this night was.
When she had entered the cave, and felt the peace overcome her, and had felt her restlessness settle, all thoughts of negotiation had left her head.
She had taken a good look at the tall elf with scars across his face and a missing hand and beautiful russet hair that did not grow everywhere it once had. He had not been the monster of the stories, she had been told, but just another Elf like so many she knew, marked by the life in Beleriand.
He did not care that she was married (nor did she think it mattered here), nor that she was only 29 years old.
It only mattered, that they were here and that they wanted the same thing.
To touch and be touched. To experience a moment like no other.
She settled on his knees, her thick thighs spread over his. His stump came around her back to hold her close.
She inched forward until her groin was touching his. One hand settled on his shoulder and the other came up to caress his face and trace his scars.
He had lowered his eyelids, but Elwing watched his face closely while she touched him. Fingers through his hair and then along one ear. He was breathing audibly through his mouth.
His own hand had come up to her neck and was just caressing her there. She felt herself getting wet, and her nipples ached a bit.
She brought her face closer to his and started press soft kisses against his cheek going over to his ear. Her hips were grinding on his lap, and she could indistinctly feel him press against her.
Maedhros' hand had moved down across one of her breasts and was softly squeezing it. It was quite big, so that his hand could barely cover it.
Elwing moved her head back and then started to undo the buttons on her shirt. She wore a thin camisole below it. Her nipples were hard by now and easily visible through the fabric. Maedhros' head dropped down to suck one between his lips, wetting the fabric. The sensation turned her on even more.
When Maedhros had left two wet spots on her camisole, he lifted his head and started to kiss her. His right arm had moved lower on her back and she knew that he would have be squeezing her butt if he still had the hand to do so.
Elwing was focused on opening Maedhros' belt and removing his clothes. His shirt came off easily.
For a moment, they both left off the other to strip their remaining garments, and then they were standing only a foot apart.
Maedhros' body was a mixture of wiry muscles and silvery scars. His skin resembled a 60-year-old man which had to be a consequence of his time hanging on the side of Thangorodrim. Elves usually never lost their youthful looks. But Elwing did not care. Her body had always worked more like a human one even though she had three quarters elvish blood. It did not seem like Maedhros was turned off by it by the way his erection still stood tall.
"My bedroll is over there", he said with a raspy voice and pointed over to the side of the cave. So she took his hand and led him there.
First, both laid down on their sides, kissing and caressing each other. Her fingers around his hard cock and his fingers getting wet between her legs. But soon, it was not enough and Elwing moved over Maedhros to guide his cock between her nether lips. Straddling him she sank down until he filled her vagina completely. She took a moment to enjoy the stretch, and then she started to move.
Neither was in a hurry, and so they moved together. Sometimes Maedhros guided her hips, and sometimes he was touching her breasts. Elwing enjoyed the back and forth and how she felt Maedhros glide inside her. She saw the muscles play on Maedhros' body and when she felt like it, she leaned down to kiss him. The stimulation on her clitoris was not quite enough, so she just enjoyed the physicality of the act.
Maedhros seemed to enjoy it, too. He was not very vocal, more breathing hard, but sometimes a moan left his lips.
After some time Elwing felt her body tire, so she suggested they switch their positions.
Once Maedhros was on top and started to thrust into her, his pelvis kept hitting her clitoris perfectly, so that Elwing was slowly climbing up to an orgasm.
As if Maedhros knew where she was heading, he sought her eyes with his. While their lower parts were still moving, they kept staring at each other in suspense. One after the other each went over the edge, releasing the tension and reflecting the energy of the place they had found themselves in.
Something deep inside Elwing was shaking then and in short time she was crying. Then she felt Maedhros shake and felt wetness on her shoulder where his face was hidden. He was still inside her.
She was caressing his marked back and pressing kisses to his shoulder whilst she was crying. It felt completely right, this odd catharsis they had reached together.
Both their sobs died down after a while and the rushing of the sea could be heard again. They held each other tight all through the night.