A happy Ending for Eöl

Chapter 1: The Huntress

He felt the trespasser on his land - just like the dog smells the fox sneaking on its way to the hen house. He followed the bright red trail of unusual smells, broken grass, and hunger to the clearing where she was absorbed by her celebration - she was skinning a hare, careless of her surroundings and obviously unaware of her trespassing. Her blade slid under the fur of the animal with a fluidly controlled motion and gutted it - exposing its ruby red intestines as an offering to the midday sun. She caught the movement in the bushes and looked around, her blade ready for more blood. He measured her up - a petite human female, obviously skilled with bow and knife, desperate and hungry. Detached he registered her piercing green eyes, the colour of spring grass, her pale skin and tall and lithe frame, weighed down by her loose red-brown tresses. He stepped out of the bushes to inquire the reason for her trespassing but was not prepared for what transpired. The moment he met her gaze a blade was thrown in his direction with a precise move, and he avoided it thanks to his elven agility and in the blink of a mortal eye he had the trespasser pinned under the weight of his body, her wrists captured above her head, her brownish-red hair, the colour so uncommon among his people, spread around her chiselled features. She was helpless, for Eöl was a seasoned warrior with millennia of practice behind him, his physical strength forged by the ages spent in combat practice and at the anvil; yet she tried to fight him. He looked into her eyes amused, looking for fear and submission, and got caught off-guard as he found none. She was pretty for a human, though simple prettiness doesn't make up for the fleeting insignificance of her existence. The mortal was looking him directly in the eye without any trace of angst - he was surprised to find only curiosity there. Her emerald-green eyes locked with his stormy-grey ones and her breath hitched in awe, as she recognised that she had been held captive by an elf.

- State your business and your intensions, trespasser! - he demanded in low voice. The mortal woman, oblivious to her restrained state, looked him challenging in the eye and returned a question:
- Are you an elf? - she asked, her voice befitting her entire appearance - unfamiliar, vivid, full of curiosity and excitement.
- You are in no state to ask questions, trespasser - Eöl answered, unable to take his eyes off her full, luscious lips, begging to be defiled. The realisation that she is helpless in his arms, and he can do whatever he likes to her, backed up by the rightfulness of his own border law, surprisingly made his leggings feel tighter. She moved her enchanting lips, stating the obvious:
- You are an elf, indeed, I heard that some of your kin a living in the forest of Nan Elmoth...
Eöl was getting aware of the heat and the tension of her body beneath his - warmness unusual to his kind was emanating from her as the sparks of life burn more intense in the children of Men because of Ilúvatar's gift, all the fibres of her being were singing, talking, confusing him - he had never held a mortal so close before. This confusing chant stole his words and he was unable to do anything, but to listen and stare at her sensual lips, whispering incomprehensive nothings to him. Before he could realize what he was doing, he lowered his lips down to her mouth, capturing hers in a hungry, inquisitive kiss, releasing ages of loneliness. She gasped and it only allowed him more access, her body stiffened below him, her hands twitching, attempting to break free and grab a weapon - anything. Drawing sharply breath Eöl managed to reign his dark desires, fuelled by the alien charm of the human woman and the situation, and he pulled back, looking down at her. Now he saw fear as expected and smirked darkly - after all humans are utterly predictable, always fearing the unknown.
- Then you must be aware that you set foot in my domain and that you are poaching. - he said coldly, every bit of him the mysterious elven lord of the forest. She averted her eyes and the helpless squirming of her body seized.
- My people are hungry... The winter was long and harsh. Forgive me, my lord, I didn't mean to intrude or steal from you. - her voice sounded weak and desperate, and he looked at her caught off-guard, surprised again by the change. He released her, stood up and reached his hand to help her up, wondering at his reaction and the way she managed to soften his roughness. She looked up to him, her green eyes moist with shame and regret and she grabbed his outstretched hand.
- A crime is a crime, and you must face the consequences. - said he in a husky voice, for he had decided what to do with the intruder. He weighed his options - to leave her wandering around in the enchanted forest, until she meets her death by an orc blade, a wild animal or exhaustion. His mind painted these three situations vividly and he winced, unable to understand why.
Looming over her, he searched her thin body for more concealed weapons, then he looked her in the eye and said coldly, turning around and disappearing in the thick bushes:
- Follow me and don't think of running away. You are not able to find your way and escape my forest on your own. I am your only chance to survive these enchanted lands...
She looked around, hesitating, considering her options, then followed, grabbing the hare that got her into this mess. A decision had been made, shaping the fates of many.