#oooof Elenna maybe calm down with the die trying attitude

[tallshipsandtallkings]

Elenna watched, as if time had slowed down, the moment Gil-Galad turned to her, and his eyes went wide. She even caught a glimpse of Aranel's retreating back as her husband shut the door behind him, and the exact moment his expression turned from warm to distant, his fears clouding his face like stormclouds covering the moon in an otherwise clear night.

"It is not too early, I feel fine," she protested, but she knew before the words left her mouth that it would be of no use. As it had been the last five, ten times she had tried to entice him.

A small part of her understood his reluctance and his fears. Miscarriages like the one she had suffered had been unheard of in Númenor. A dúnadaneth like her either carried her child to full term, or discreetely ended the pregnancy before it could show. The childbirth deaths that plagued mothers all over Middle Earth had not touched them in their hallowed island. But when her sister in law had gone through a strenuous labor to bring her daughter into the world, they all knew something had changed.

Not to mention their differing natures. Perhaps, as the old text said, the gulf between Elves and Men was too wide to be fully conquered, not even in marriage, regardless of the few exceptions. No records existed of any mortal woman who had given birth to a half elven child. The only one besides herself who had ever loved an Elf had never born any children. It may be that this was their Doom, that no child would ever be born of their union.

Elenna resisted this thought as she shook her head, away from her husband's tender hand. Was she not a descendant of those few exceptions? Did the blood of Lúthien, of Elwing, not run through her veins? She would not be deterred by a minor inconvenience. The real required an heir, as Gil-Galad's advisors had been fond of repeating incessantly since the early days of their courtship. This was her main task now, and she would give them one, or die trying.

"You made a vow to me," she said, sitting up and reaching for her cloak, feeling vulnerable and exposed in this ridiculous outfit. "To stand by me in joy and in sorrow. In illness and health. Did you forget that?"

🎁 Obviously not for Isildur

Send me 🎁 to catch my muse in lingerie.

It was an odd concept, what Elves considered to be lingerie. Although knowing what she knew about them, it was certainly not unexpected. Elenna had asked Bairdan for advice on the matter, and she had recommended a tailor in the lower town. Elenna had had to dress as a commoner, and covered her face in a hood in order to avoid recognition; the tailor had guaranteed ‘maximun discretion’ to the Queen.

It was a beautiful set, there was no doubt about it, although Elenna was unsure whether it could be classified as lingerie or jewelry. Strings of pearls and glass beads formed most of it, and seemed to serve merely as decoration rather than cover anything. The pieces that were in contact with the most sensitive parts of her body were made of soft linen, and for that she was grateful. She did have a similar garment to be worn under her light summer dresses; but that one offered considerably more coverage.

Once Elenna had figured out how to put it on, following a very specific set of instructions from the tailor, she noticed a few extra strands of pearls, hanging from her shoulders and waist, with small hooks at the end. The instructions included a helpful diagram, and finally she understood she was supposed to attach her own hair to the… lingerie. She snorted, but followed the instructions.

It was a good thing she had decided to grow out her hair, Elenna though as she climbed to Gil-galad’s desk. He had been away from his office all afternoon, in some meeting or another she had declined to attend. Whatever matters of state he was discussing, she was sure they were less important for the realm than producing an heir. Instead she had commissioned and purchased this… Whatever it was, in the hopes of enticing her husband. It had already been five months since she had fully recovered from the miscarriage, and he still refused to have any sort of intimate contact. Elenna hoped this would help change his mind.

The door creaked open. Elenna leaned hastily on the desk, a coy smile on her lips.