The vows spoken, the feast eaten, the king and queen had disappeared long ago. The party was raucous now; too much wine had flowed. Elrohir swirled his glass. The rich, red wine of the south stored the heat of summer and it burned through his veins. He leaned back against a wall, grateful for the chill of the stone. Elladan made his unsteady way towards him, glass refilled, and stopped to help him prop the wall.
“At least we need no longer wonder about our sister and Aragorn. They have been gone for a very long time.”
Elrohir grinned into his glass. “Perhaps he is having difficulties. Shall we go to his assistance?”
Elladan gave a low chuckle. “It is more likely that they are indulging several times.”
“Several…” The wine and Elrohir’s desires conspired. “Have you ever been tempted?”
Elladan considered the question. His gaze roved around the room. “Gondor boasts very beautiful women. There. The one in blue.”
The lady caught Elrohir’s eye. Her tongue peeped out and its tip made a languorous circle around her lips. She smiled and inclined her head in invitation.
Elladan leaned over and said softly in his ear. “She has ‘come hither’ eyes.”
Her finger traced the neckline of her bodice and disappeared into the mysterious dark of her cleavage. Elrohir gulped the last of the wine in his glass. The potent liquid spread its warmth in his stomach, and the heat flowed down, then surged back up. He could feel his ears glow. “There could be no harm in talking with her.”
Beside him, Elladan’s arm trembled. “Or touching.”
Elrohir pushed himself off the wall and faced his brother. “Both of us?”
Elladan laughed. He took his brother’s arm and steered him towards the woman. “We have done everything else together.”