chapter 9

"This is my first interaction with a member of your race, I must confess. I have only heard the stories my brethren tell, even though I do not agree with them." She looked into his eyes, "your heart does not seem made of the stone that you so much love to shape. Tell me about you, master dwarf, tell me about your dreams."

He held her hand, following it with his as she stroked his long soft beard and full moustache. "My dreams, my beautiful elf maiden? My dreams are very undwarfish. They are of green things and blue skies. Of live and growing things and fair damsels in distress, or at least somewhat distressed by overlarge insects."

He groaned in pleasure as she relaxed over his front, the warm urgency of her, her knees pressing against his inner thighs, her soft full breasts now resting on the top of his belly, through the soft straining fabric brushing his own.

Her breath was sweet, her elven frame light against him, cloaked in its maiden softness. Her eyes were large, brilliantly colored and wide spread in intelligence. Her high cheekbones evident characteristics of her race as were her unusually long and pointed ears. Holding her head, he turned it gently and traced the whorls and swirls of flesh and cartilage within with his clever dwarfish tongue.

He felt her shiver against him. She was enjoying laying against him. He was so warm and soft and when he moved she could feel his hard corded muscles move under his padded skin. She still wasn't completely aware of how she felt, she was just reacting blindly to the most basic instincts of her mind and body.

Turning her face back to his she pressed her lips to his again, only this time of being brief, it was long and sweet. After what seemed like hours but was only a minute, she pulled away. She looked at him with a happy smile...

"I am alone as well dwarf warrior. My father wanted me to be wed long ago but I was never interested. As I have mentioned, elven males do not interest me.

"Instead I turned to training to be the best warrior I could be. Until certain growth spurts that is..."She glanced down with a frown. "After that my father said he was going to arrange a marriage since I had no interest in choosing a mate myself. Ever since my mother died in the fires he seems to have lost his love. My father believes a princess' place should be in the kingdom, learning to rule and producing heirs. It was then I decided to set of on my adventure."

Gamli nodded thoughtfully, remembering her sad look when she spoke of the darkness and evil imaging her home. He was about to speak when a key detail of her story suddenly stopped him. Princess? There was no way a princess of her people could be with a man of another race! It would not be allowed!

He froze, his tongue locked between his teeth. "By my mother's beard...you are a princess?" He gently, reluctantly but firmly attempted to push her away.

"By the ancient battle scarred axes of my ancestors I am a dead dwarf if your father should catch me with his daughter." He struggled under her, but the tree behind him firmly blocked his retreat.