~ Wynne gets a nice hairdo and Legolas jokes about lembas as usual. ~

10. Braided by an Elf

Wynne left the dishes to dry and seated herself in front of Legolas.

She loved to have her hair done. Back home, it usually was Mother or Grandmama who did it. Mother handled her hair briskly and it hurt when she untangled knots, but Wynne still liked it. Grandmama was more careful and made the nicer hairdos.

Legolas' touch was completely different from theirs, however. He used a bone comb instead of a softer brush but despite that it didn't hurt at all. He worked through her hair with gentle strokes, unwinding each tangle. Wynne closed her eyes with pleasure.

When he began gathering the hair on the sides to braid it, a tingling sensation spread through her, a flutter she couldn't define – like she was nervous, for some reason.

Despite the growing darkness and her fatigue from the long day on horseback she felt far from sleepy.

It was over much too soon and she stifled a sigh when she rose. Touching the sides of her head she felt three thin fishtail braids on each side and wondered what it looked like. It was too dark to use the river as a mirror.

"It suits you."

"How can you tell? It's pitch black here."

"Elves' eyes do not need much light to function."

"You remind me of cats. Agile and graceful, and with night vision. Do you eat mice as well?"

"Is this your way of thanking me for my effort? By mocking my race?" There was laughter in his voice. "Besides, you know what we eat. It is lembas. Only lembas."

Wynne laughed too. "I knew you would say that."

oOo

Except for Thranduil who had the first watch, nobody stayed up long that evening. The elves were more tired than usual after the improvised party yesterday and Wynne was exhausted from the previous night's sleeplessness.

She had no problem at all falling asleep this time; the hair massage must have relaxed her enough to forget her troubles.

She woke up well rested and with an almost hopeful feeling for the first time since she left her home. The worries that had hovered over her seemed more possible to overcome, as if Mother's demands didn't reach this far. In addition, her resolution to cease the role-playing and be herself among the elves was hugely relieving.

It was a warm, sunny morning, so Wynne went to the river for a refreshing swim.

Her wound prickled when the water reached her thighs and she decided to remove the bandage and examine it. It was sore and slightly swollen but the stitches had held and she saw no signs of infection.

She swam a few paces before returning to the tents. The elves had gathered around the campfire and a lovely smell of roasting meat spread in the air.

"Legolas felled three large hares on his watch tonight." Galion moved over, making space for Wynne.

"Or you can have lembas", suggested Legolas. "Ouch!" Wynne had given him a kick with her bare foot.

"That lembas joke has become older than Thranduil," said Bronedir.

"Ancient," Nodir agreed.

"Do you call me ancient?" Thranduil's voluminous eyebrows drew together.

"Not to your face, sire." Nodir made a mocking bow.

Wynne still wore her wet chemise. She had considered changing clothes before breakfast but decided to let the morning sun dry it instead. It was better to save her only clean shift for a day when they were farther away from the river.

She sat down and gratefully accepted a filled plate from Galion.

He glanced at her exposed knees and quickly looked away. "Hrm, I do not think I will ever get used to the human way of dressing. Or not dressing, as it were."

Her cheeks heated up. This was not the human way at all and she hated that she had made the elves believe that, but now that she had begun the pretense it would be weird to suddenly become modest. Besides, it was easier this way; they lived so close together it was hard to get much privacy.

"It's just legs. You guys have them too." She tried to sound casual.

"We do. But... Well. It is not quite the same." His pale face had become a bit flushed.

"Do not be a prude, Gale." Nodir grinned. "Humans are very modern, you know."

"Aye, you heard her. It is only legs," Bronedir agreed. "Hers are much prettier than yours, though."

They laughed.

Mortified, Wynne pulled at the hem of her chemise, trying to cover her knees.

"That was not funny." Legolas frowned at the brothers, perhaps annoyed at them for stealing his role as jokester.

"Aye, no more of this." Thranduil gave them a stern look. "You embarrass the lady."

Of course, that comment made it much worse and Wynne excused herself soon afterwards, hurrying over to her tent to get dressed.

Perhaps a little modesty wasn't so bad after all.

The elves silenced quickly when she returned; it was obvious they had been talking about her.

Bronedir and Nodir rose. "Our apologies," said the elder. "You have the right to dress any way you wish and we should not make inappropriate comments about it."

"I am sorry I looked at your legs and said they were pretty," said Bronedir, which earned him a shove from his brother.

"That apology was terrible."

"I just meant we must not force her to cover up among us to avoid unwanted attention. I should have averted my gaze."

It was relieving to know that they had not meant to make her uneasy, but as for looking... It was only fair they could do it too. After all, she had been scrutinizing Bronedir's and Thranduil's bare chests when they had had their wounds treated after the orc fight. The memory made her stomach flutter.

"It's fine. No harm in looking," she managed, certain she must be blushing hotly.

oOo

They broke camp not long afterwards for another day's journey east.

Wynne enjoyed how the new braids kept her hair out of the way when she rode. They had held well during the night, and perhaps Legolas could remake them if they became undone later. She almost hoped they wouldn't hold long; she had enjoyed it so much when he plaited them.

Around noon the elves spotted something unusual. The grass had become trampled in a certain way, an indication that someone had camped there recently.

They dismounted, examining the ground closely for clues.

"Looks like wargs." Galion picked up a few strands of coarse, gray hair.

"And orcs." Bronedir cleared what was left of a fireplace covered with dirt.

"Well then. This time we shall be the hunters and hopefully take them by surprise," said Thranduil. "Come, let us follow their trail."

"Aye!" agreed the others in unison.

Wynne felt a twinge of apprehension. It was time to face orcs again and she could only hope she would manage it better this time.

A/N:

This will not be one of those fics where the main character learns to fight. Wynne has other talents and will be important to the others on her own merit. :)

Thank you everybody who voted and commented so far. I love feedback!

Image Credits:

Public domain, source: https://www.pikist.com/free-photo-spaye