With a secret mission to marry an elf, Wynne must join Legolas' and Elvenking Thranduil's new quest as a horsekeeper. She begins an adventurous journey, encountering orcs and monsters, friendly uruk-hai, a lady dwarf and many Fellowship heroes - but...
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~ The quest is on! The Elvenking is not very happy with his choice of horse. ~
3. Choosing Horses
The remaining elves joined the party by the horses and introduced themselves. Galion was a sword fighter with a huge, double-handed sword, hence he looked a lot stronger than the other elves with bulging biceps under his brown tunic. Unlike Wynne he had no freckles, as one would expect with that red mane of hair, but his skin did have the pale, almost translucent hue that Wynne had noticed on ginger humans.
The final two, Nodir and Bronedir, were bowmen like Legolas, with long daggers in their belts as a backup. They were brothers, and their mother came from a settlement far in the south which explained their brown skin. Not that Wynne would have known; she had no idea what elves usually looked like.
After the short presentation the elves began to take down their tents and pack their belongings in a speedy, efficient way. When they were done it was almost impossible to see where the camp had been, so carefully did they restore everything.
Their respect for nature made Wynne slightly less apprehensive of them. A creature who cared for the living things in their surroundings couldn't be altogether bad.
They didn't carry much and their luggage fit well into the saddlebags Wynne had brought. The horses not chosen for riding would carry their packs, including her own bags. If need be, they could ride the pack horses; they were all equally suited for riding and alternating horses was a good way to spare their strength.
Wynne let the elves pick mounts among all the horses, except her own Vatna, watching them carefully as they did so. She was curious which ones they would choose.
The king went first, daring the others to precede him with a stern look. Wynne had to hide a smile when he was done; the stallion he chose was the most headstrong of them all. He would have a handful with that one.
Galion was next up. He seemed to have singled out a huge gelding beforehand and Wynne nodded appreciatively. It was a good choice. Hlaupari was strong and fast and wouldn't tire even with such a muscular warrior on his back.
The elf brothers seemed to care less what rides they got and soon picked two similar looking bays, both mares. One was a lot more active than the other, Wynne knew, but they would notice that themselves before long.
Legolas took his time before he made his decision. He walked slowly among the horses, stroking their heads, looking them in the eyes and blowing softly on their noses. Finally he picked a slender, young mare in a pretty chestnut color. She had answered his exhale with a puff of air of her own, and then commenced to nuzzle his shoulder in a friendly way. It was clear they had both taken a liking to each other.
Legolas was the only elf wishing to know what the name of his horse meant, which raised him even further in Wynne's eyes.
"Her name is Stelpa. It means 'girl' in Old Rohanese," she translated.
