Mistress of the Fellowship (LOTR)

* 24 * Lessons of Temptaion

Somehow sleep found the confused Alexzandron woman as she sat looking out the window but when she awoke she wanted to bang her head against the wall for she was back in the silk bed. How could she have done this? How could she be so foolish to even allow to fall asleep in this place? How could she allow herself to fall into such an alarming deep sleep?

She rubbed her face and saw a pitcher of clear water and a glass in which she examined before taking a sip and waiting a minute before taking a long drink.

The water was refreshing and seemed not to be poisoned so she finished the pitcher of water as she paced around the room trying to get her mind straight.

The fact of the matter was she was a prisoner. The door was locked, the balcony was too high with stones much too smooth to climb. A man resembling Legolas unraveled a hidden memory leaving her to ponder the notion that she was THE one which held the control over middle earth.

Today with the bit of sunshine she decided she would not deny the absurd thought. She was going to remain in control and not become a hysterical woman. She was an Alexzandron! Something she was proud of and she would uphold her family name. She would not bow down.

She set the glass down and quickly found herself annoyed as she saw the dress in which was laid out for her. It was a lacey white gown for a lady. She wanted to scoff at the thought, lady, her captor did not know her so well after all seeing as she was certainly not the lady type. She was a loner that had grown up with little manners and never had she wore an actual dress. She tolerated the sleeping gown but this was almost too much and so she went to the window and threw out the dress in defiance leaving her in the silk night gown.

A short time later the familiar man returned and a smirk crossed her lips as she saw the white dress in his arms. She noticed he seemed a bit cleaner now and he did not wear a scarf on his head.

He tossed the dress onto the end of the bed and said, "I believe this is yours."

"No." was her simple answer.

He went over and opened the balcony doors and let the sunshine wash into the room before answering her.

"I suggest you put something on that is not quite so thin and tempting."

She crossed her arms and repeated, "Tempting?"

He didn't look at her but answered, "You heard me correct. I said tempting. To share a little something about myself I will tell you that I have been at sea for quite some time and have been without the company of a woman for even longer."

She let out a shrewd cackle and said to him in a rather matter of fact tone, "If you try and merely touch me I will quickly change your mind. You don't know who you are toying with."

He turned around and smiled, "That sounds like a challenge milady. But a fair warning, something you should know all too well, there are ways of bringing down an Alexzandron warrior."

The words slammed into her like an ax and to hide the shock if his words the only thing she could do to keep her body under control was blink hard once.

When she looked back up at him she saw that he had noticed but rather than be cruel and rub it in he just stared at her in a manner that would appear to have pained him just a bit.

To regain control she reclaimed her courage and said, "There is one way and that is death."

He shook his head and smiled, "My dear girl is it time for a lesson?"

She smiled her sly smile and replied, "I don't know if I should pity you for your stupidity or be honored by your courage but I would gladly accept a lesson although I doubt you will be able to teach me anything."

He smiled, "Very well milady. Take your stance."

She just stood there and smiled at him and he smiled right back as he coolly stepped forward and was nearly greeted by a fist to the chin but he ducked down and the fighting began.

At first she just toyed with him until one of the times she went to kick him and instead of blocking her he reached back and grabbed a handful of her silk gown and flesh underneath it. He had just grabbed her derriere!

When he retreated it was clear it was intentional for the smile was all too great and with that she was done playing.

She unleashed a fury of fists, elbows, and knees on him and every one of them connected with him and she knew they were painful until she had him pinned on the floor with her foot over his throat. There was no denying he was a good fighter but once again Alexzandron blood conquered.

"Now would you like to schedule a date for that lesson?" she mocked.

He smiled up at her a smile that was a smile she was not used to. It was if he were flirting with her. "How about now.... Kordelia."

The name seemed to hit her like lightning and the bastard had the nerve to run his hand up her bare lower leg. Immediately he had ignited a rage inside of her that all turned her eyes red and immediately she threw a fist at his face and connected hard but the hit seemed to send a thousand knives into her shoulder where her wound was causing her to hesitate just a split second and before she could connect again with the man he grabbed her hand and twisted causing the pain to intensify a thousand times worse leading a gasp of pain to escape her lips as he pushed her back off of him until he got to his feet.

She could both feel and smell the blood coming from her now reopened wound and the air hitting it made her blood feel like acid.

He did not stop controlling her but she did manage to hit him with an elbow and a knee to kidney before he thrust her backward. She stumbled and the back of her legs hit the side of the bed and before she knew it she was being mashed into the mattress and silk linens. He was laying on top of her with her hands pinned above her head so she could not use her strength to break free, her legs were pinned under his and she was left with only her head to fight back.

He stayed just out of reach as he breathed heavy as she glared at him unyielding. When he had finally caught his breath he smiled and asked, "How was that lesson?"

"What lesson?" she spat at him.

"Exploiting your weakness but allowing you to reveal it first. Bravo."

"But if I had not been poisoned by a coward then you would be dead at my feet now."

"Like you I am not so easily defeated however before we have much more of a discussion I suggest you get dressed."

"I'd rather go naked." She hissed.

"Trust me, that would not be wise. Like I said, I have been without the company of a woman for a long time and the body I can see contorted against this thin silk is one I don't think I could resist." And he removed one hand and slowly let it caress her skin down her arm to the side of her chest, waist and thigh before moving it back up bringing the soft fabric up just a bit to toy with her until his hand was on her thin waist and the hem was just over her knee but she did not back down.

He brought his head down and whispered in her ear in a sultry voice that was to make her inside melt, "Consider this your last warning." And with that he placed a tender kiss just behind her ear.

The whisper and kiss infuriated the warrior woman and so she thrust her head up at him and connected with the side of his head near his eye.

He rolled off her with a groan and said, "We will continue our discussion over lunch."

She wanted to hiss at him like a wildcat but she just turned her back to him and ignored him as she went to the wash basin and began to clean her wound.

This was not over! She was going to find out who he was and how he knew her name. He was not going to make to her to be the fool!