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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~ Wynne enjoys the view, and learns more about Nugu's family. ~
38. The Ballad of the Ring
The aroma of heather was heavenly. Wynne sat comfortably among the purple flowers and busy bees, enjoying a lazy afternoon with Legolas not far away. Today was the first time he had managed the steep climb from the cave to this place.
Stelpa huffed nearby; she had stripped a young birch of almost all its leaves and was now munching peacefully. Seeing Legolas and her meet after their long time apart had been adorable. It was obvious the two had a strong bond.
Wynne hummed quietly to herself, trying to recall the lyrics of a ballad about the Fellowship's adventures. When Legolas mentioned Moria the other day it had made her curious about it. According to the song, Moria was one of the places they had passed through, but she couldn't quite remember what had happened there.
The first verse she knew well but it didn't explain very much: Bravely the Fellowship / departed Rivendell. / Grievous were the perils / upon the Nine befell. / The Dark Lord to defeat they went / the One Ring to expel."
And then followed the chorus, repeated after every verse: "Brave, brave, brave / Brave the Hobbit!"
But what happened in verse two? Something about a mountaintop, and... storm of snow? Were there not birds involved too? And a tentacled lake monster...
She wished she had a better memory for these things.That ballad was always part of the repertoire of the wandering musicians and minstrels back home; she should have known it by heart.
Dull thuds some way off indicated the sword exercise had begun. The other elves would spar with a few of the more daring uruk-hai, those who dared venture outside.
Most of the uruk-hai wouldn't leave the cave despite the treaty. What if the human kings refused a truce? They couldn't risk exposure until they knew they were safe.
The warriors had paired up elf against uruk-hai. They used wooden sticks instead of real swords but it still looked dangerous; the uruk-hai were so incredibly strong! Of course, the elves had their agility and much superior reflexes, and now that they had begun they really did seem pretty even. But it was clear from the winces when someone was hit that there would be bruises later.
A splash from the well drew Wynne's eye away from the exercise. Legolas was having his first real bath in ages and had just stepped down into the water, crutch and all.
She peered at Thranduil, who had just dodged a powerful sweep attack and sneaked in a fast, hard lick at his partner's exposed leg. Assured his attention was elsewhere occupied, she shifted her gaze back to the more intriguing scene by the pool.
