Shelley was furious at his father, Lord Thranduil, and though this was nothing new between the pair, he stormed up and down his private chamber, unable to sleep. As he had grown, Shelley had become more and more rebellious and the fights between king and prince, more and more serious. After being severely scolded for his reckless actions with Orlando, Shelley had been sent to his chamber and guard set at his door, more to keep the prince in, than others out. The only high point of all of this for Shelley was that so long as he was under this punishment, the maids in waiting that were constantly at his feet, were also forbade to see him. Shelley stepped out onto his balcony, head resting on his hands as he looked out over Mirkwood.
This night the moon was high over the trees and all were silently asleep or quietly slipping like silver shadows through the green. The prince's anger came to a head and with one glance back at the door to which the guards were stalking the other side, Shelley stepped to his wine cabinets, pulled out two bottles of Kithmark, the King's own personal wine to which Shelley was consistently raiding the supply of, and went back to the balcony. He would not be denied at least saying good-bye to his long time friend and with practiced skill, he slipped over the side of the stone balcony and swung over to the tree that grew but a few yards away from Elven rope that he had fixed there for such purposes. He had to hide from guards twice on the way down to the guard's keep, but finally he was at Orlando's door and pressed his palm against it. "Orlando..."
The door opened soundlessly and a very surprised Orlando stood in its light. Shock turned to joy, than knowing that having the prince in his chambers at this hour was strictly forbidden, he looked around furtively and quickly drew him in. "Shelley, what are you doing here?!" he demanded, but at the same time flung his arms around the younger elf and held him close. The prince laughed, sounding more than just a little gittish, and clapped his arms around his friend and embraced him hard. "Father was not about to keep me from this, Orlando. It will be hard enough tomorrow when you leave through the gates and I cannot embrace you. Tonight, I want to remember."
A light heat pinked Orlando's cheeks at the words, words he felt sure Shelley didn't mean the same way he wished to take them. The Captain knew he might not return from this mission alive, might never see his beloved prince again. Orlando didn't want to die with any regrets, but he was afraid to tell the young elf how he felt and so he willed his body to pretend the embrace was as brotherly as one such shared embraces had once been between you. "I am glad you have come. You know that I will miss you more than I can say, but this must be taken care of. Too many lives have already been lost and if the raids move closer, our people are at stake."
" I know what you say is truth brother, and there are no finer in all of these lands than you and those under your command. Still..these halls will be lonely." But Shelley hadn't meant to come here and make the mood somber so with a smile pushed on his sad lips, he pulled from under his tunic, the bottles of very expensive elven wine. "Fathers.. I thought it was the least he could do."
Orlando broke out into a grin. "I say, you are damned well right." Orlando pulled forth two goblets. "Were you not the King's son, I would have you put under me... ah... my command... so that you could ride with me day and night." He stopped, his words were acquiring meanings he hadn't meant them to have and the bottle wasn't even open yet. "You're the finest shot in Mirkwood, Shelley. Except for me, of course."
"Thats only because you taught me when the arms master nearly broke my arm trying...." Shelley placed the first bottle between his thighs and pried at the cork, within moments had the bottle open and poured. Handing one of the goblets to Orlando, he raised his own in toast. "To eternal friendship and a safe and QUICK return of my best."
Orlando clinked his glass against the prince's and swallowed half of the contents quickly down. He felt miserable when he thought of leaving, scenes from their lives passing before his eyes. Riding with him as children, wrestling in the autumn leaves, playing pranks on milkmaids and stealing horses which they had had to later return after acquiring a whipping apiece for doing so.."I won't let the orcs kill me," he swore, "If only so we may drink together again. "
"You had better not Orlando.. don't even talk of such things!" His brow darkened and Shelley fought back the tears that threatened. He felt this way about no one else, not even his own real brothers .. Orlando struck something deep in the young prince that he would not recognize for a very long time. He sipped his wine and let the flavor linger on is lips, moaning as it trickled down. "Best wine in all the kingdom.. you know he will kill me for drinking his private stock."
"It would take a lot more than this before he would kill you, "Orlando said, finishing off his glass and refilling it, and Shelley's as well. "The worst you will find is that he will make you stomp the grapes with the Hobbits he hires at the next season for winemaking." Orlando could hold his drink well, but he felt the vintage hit him hard. It was no wonder the King kept it for himself. Shelley however, was a lightweight and only a half a glass in, he had forgotten all about his father and a silly half cocked grin came over his face. He finished up the remainder of that glass much too quickly and reached for the bottle to refill. "Better hobbits than orcs. You better make sure you bath before you come home to me Orlando."
"Ohh, the stench of orcs!", moaned Orlando at the thought. "They will reek worse than you that time you slept in the stable for three weeks straight, waiting for your mare to give birth. This is how we will find them -- the stench. Damn me, Shelley, this bottle is too close to empty." he said, quickly emptied it the rest of the way.
"Orlandoooo! You pig. " Shelley laughed and threw the cork at the other elf, hitting him on the nose. "Ha! Even drunk I can get you between the eyes!" As he said this, he leaned forward, lost his balance and fell to the floor. "Oofff!"
"Ohh, I am wounded! Your cork will be the end of me, little boy," he moaned. "But you see, this is why you should be sent off to war with the men and not kept captive here in the castle like some sort of damsel in distress... " Orlando knelt on the floor beside his friend. Dropping to his knees caused his head to spin and he swayed slightly, "Just think, you could stay drunk the entire time." Laughing, he bent his head down over the prince, his long blond hair sweeping unintentionally over Shelley's face.
"Is that how you intend to fight the orcs? Drunk on the horse piss you will have with you?" Shelley laughed and closed his eyes, the golden strands of hair tickling his cheeks and eyelids. He moaned softly, and stretched out like a cat. "I wish I was coming with you.. I feel so useless here. I want to see the world.. Father won't even let me go past the Fallen Elm ..he says there are centaurs and Satyr there.."
"Satyrs are marvelous creatures," Orlando said with some admiration. And they can be kind, when treated with respect. I fear your father is shortsighted. Forgive me for speaking ill of him, for he is the greatest king our kind has ever known, but he should let you be free to live and make your own choices." As Orlando spoke he kept leaning further and further over Shelley, his mouth closer and closer to the younger elf's.
Shelley was suddenly feeling incredibly warm and though he blamed it on the wine, but it seemed more to be radiating from the other elf. He had little time to worry about that as Orlando's lips brushed over his. Startled, he began to resist, his large blue eyes wide but looking right into the purple ones. "Orli.." The Captain looked surprised and fell backwards, away from Shelley.
"I'm sorry, I fell on your mouth." he said, but even to him it sounded false. His mouth was burning with the slight brush of flesh against flesh...what would Shelley have done if Orlando had truly kissed him? Shelley seemed to have already forgotten it as he sat up, best as he could, and crawled his way over to were his friend had curled himself away from the Prince. "Do you remember. when I caught you making love to Dreli's daughter? You turned so red! " He got close.. so close he was resting his elbows on the older elf's lap.
Orlando was terrified that Shelley was going to find something telling in his lap and was turning red, even at the thought. "Ohh, and she's hated me ever since. I cried out someone else's name while I was with her." Shelley's. "And not just when you walked in."he chuckled nervously.
"Your too good for that pompous cow, Orlando.. But I remember standing there, watching you kiss her. I wished I could kiss like that. " He looked up at Orlando with dreamlike drunk eyes ..watching the way the color played over his cheeks. "You promised to teach me, but you never had the chance."
"Do you know your father suggested I ought to marry her? She let word be known up and down the castle that she had bagged the Head of the King's Guard.." he trailed off as he realized the rest of what Shelley had said. "I'll teach you now..."
The Prince laughed at the thought of Orlando married to that woman, who was now mothering a pod of little elflings that she had created with some other poor chap. His eyes sparked and he paused at the last words.. ".....okay." He didn't wait for the reaction. Just leaning forward and pushing his wine soaked lips against the other elf. He slid his arms around Shelley with a deliberate slowness, not about to waste this opportunity, no matter what had brought it around. His hands roamed over the younger elf's back as he had longed to do for so long, a tender, passionate gesture, more than a brotherly one...his tongue darted over Shelley's lips, tasting wine. Orlando sought entrance into Shelley's mouth and once he had it, his tongue slowly brushed over Shelley's, a low groan was mounting in his throat.
This kissing was certainly more than the young prince had anticipated and to say it took his breath away was not even close. Timidly, he moved closer, pulling his body onto Orlando's lap and never breaking the kiss. Shelley forced himself to slow his kissing to matched the other, truly learning what to do even as Orlando forgot he was supposed to be teaching. This was kissing from his heart for the lavender eyed Captain of the Guard. He was so desperately in love with Shelley, and he had waited so long for this moment...Nothing would break him from this now.