~ Wynne and the elves struggle to set her free but the orcs are more clever than they thought. ~

14. Elves to the Aid

After some time had passed Wynne began to feel very tired. She had no idea how it could be possible in such a scary and dangerous situation as this one, but somehow she felt her eyelids get heavy and she even drowsed off a few times.

A frantic pounding made her wide awake. Someone was beating on the door she had come in through.

She heard a loud, very angry voice yelling imperiously: "Open up! Open the door this instant or I shall tear it to pieces!"

It was Legolas!

A flood of warmth surged through her. He had found her! In some mysterious way the elves had managed to track her captors all the way here.

The orcs jumped to their feet and growled ugly words in their language, perhaps curses. Lug pulled Wynne up while Burz opened a door behind the sacks and crates that she had not noticed before.

They dragged her into another low passage, similar to the one they had entered through. Meanwhile the pounding increased behind them and loud thuds indicated that the entrance door was being worked on with something heavy.

The passage ended at another round door, very much like the first one. Outside she saw the open grasslands again.

The orcs hauled her out and ran together with her for a few yards, crouching in fear of arrows. But their precaution was unnecessary; the hill was empty when they turned around. The elves must still be at the other side, unaware there was a back door.

It was frustrating to know that help was so close, yet so far away.

Then Wynne noticed the horses nearby and felt a glimmer of new hope. If she could call Vatna to her, she might be able to escape on horseback. But before she could try, strong orc hands grabbed her again.

They didn't lose any time. Lug threw her onto his shoulder and started to run and she had no way of stopping him, not with her hands still tied behind her back.

She got another idea. The elves were near and they had exceptional hearing. "Help! HELP!" she yelled on top of her lungs.

Lug stopped with another curse (presumably) and shook Wynne roughly. "Quiet, woman! I shall..." But he never had time to finish telling her what he would do, for now five elves jumped up from behind the hill, two with swords raised and the other three with drawn bows, metal-tipped arrows pointing straight at the orcs.

"Release her." Thranduil's voice was low and frostier than ice.

Lug and Burz quickly moved close together, hiding behind Wynne like a human shield.

She felt the sharp point of a blade prick her neck. "Back off, or it's bye-bye to the lady," growled Lug.

"Yeah, we got knives and we ain't afraid to use 'em," said Burz. "Frickin' elves," he added, and spat.

Everything came to a standstill. Only a few yards separated Wynne from her friends but it might as well have been a deep abyss. Neither of them could make a move or she would get killed.

Her plan to call to the elves for help had amounted to nothing.

Wynne saw frustration and anger in her friends' faces. Legolas, especially, looked like he was boiling over; she had never seen him that furious before. Galion, Nodir and Bronedir trembled with pent up energy and Thranduil's dark eyebrows were drawn so tightly together his eyes were almost invisible.

What could they do?

Nothing, that was the dreary answer. The elves would be forced to let the orcs escape, and they would naturally take Wynne with them to guarantee their safety. This was exactly what she had feared all along.

Unless... Her mind raced. What if she could somehow cause a distraction, something to make them look away? Only a brief moment would be enough.

The horses! They must still be around.

She whistled her special signal and immediately the flock came galloping with pounding hooves.

The orcs turned toward them, startled, and that was all Wynne needed to jump aside and roll away in the grass.

Arrows zinged and the orcs howled. Then it was quiet.

She lay with her eyes closed, panting heavily, still not sure it was really over.

Then she felt someone cut her bonds and cover her with a blanket. She gratefully huddled under it, shivering like in a fever, while the elves cleared the corpses away and made camp right there on the spot.

As soon as her tent was up, Wynne rose and hurried into it, still wrapped in the blanket. She was desperate to put on new clothes.

She knew the elves would have questions about what had happened but she really didn't want to talk about it, or even face them. They had seen her with a ripped tunic and chemise, exposed and humiliated. She had proven how useless she was, how vulnerable and easy to catch.

When she unpacked her other chemise, Wynne's hands trembled so bad she almost dropped it. Tears poured from her eyes. She wiped them off, but new ones replaced them.

It took ages to dress, and all the while she cried so much that the new clothes were almost soaked when she was finished.

Then she sat on the bedroll, a thick cloak tightly wrapped around her, burying her face in her knees. She was safe now, then why did she feel like this?

Another example of her disgusting weakness.

"May I come in?" Legolas' voice was husky and full of concern.

Wynne did not want him to see her in such a state, but also didn't want to be alone.

He had understood her fear before, that time after the first orc fight. Maybe he would understand her now as well.

"Yes." The word came out as a pathetic squeak.

He closed the tent flap behind him and sat close to her. "I am so, so sorry." He sounded devastated, anguished even.

Wynne looked up in surprise, peering at him through swollen eyes. "You are sorry? But I..."

"We should never have left you alone. So careless! So stupid! Because of our inattention they... they... hurt you." His eyes were nearly black with fury. "I wish I could have killed those accursed monsters twice. Nay, thrice!"

It dawned on Wynne he must think they had done things to her. That Lug really had finished what he began and forced himself on her.

"They didn't really hurt me." She sniffed. "The ropes chafed a bit but apart from that I'm fine. I don't know why I keep blubbering like this."

"They did not?" He sounded doubtful.

"No. The big one tried, but... changed his mind." Wynne preferred not to explain the reason for Lug's hesitation. "And then you came."

Legolas visibly relaxed and without warning he hugged her tightly, almost painfully. She clung to him in return and finally felt the trembling subside.

"I am still sorry," he mumbled into her hair. "We put you in danger and let the orcs scare you. You have every right to despise us."

"You shouldn't feel you have to protect me. Like I need a guard. I'd be a burden."

"Never. Your aid in this quest is invaluable. The way you manage the horses... the way you used them today to escape. It was impressive."

He sounded sincere and his words warmed her.

It had grown dark in the tent and a pleasant scent of stew reached Wynne's nostrils. Her stomach growled.

"Are you feeling well enough to get out?" Legolas asked kindly. "If not, I can bring you dinner here. You need to eat."

"Thank you. But I think I'd like to go out. I haven't thanked you all for saving me."

"No need for gratitude. You managed well on your own. Had we not come you would have found a way to flee on your Vatna, I am sure. But I am glad you did not, for it gave me the opportunity to put an arrow in each of those filths' heads." Legolas' smile was grim.

Wynne didn't think she would have managed to escape; she remembered all too well the strange apathy that had overcome her, but she liked that he believed it. It was flattering that he seemed to think so highly of her ability to fend for herself.

For her part, she was sure it was only because the elves had come she had woken up from her frozen state. Seeing them standing there on the hill, weapons drawn, had given her courage.

Then she thought of something.

"By the way, how did you find me? The orcs seemed so careful not to leave tracks."

"Do you really want to know?"

"Of course."

"Well... at first we followed their footsteps but when we came to harder ground we nearly lost our way. Until we found this trail of... hrm. Vomit."

His grin went very wide at the wry face she made.

A/N:

I'm not fond of the "damsel in distress" trope, but I also don't like unrealistic strength and bravery in female characters (unless they are trained soldiers, cops or something). This, I hope, was a good compromise.

In real life, abducted women often become passive (google "frozen fright") and nobody is to blame for not fighting back. It's a natural reaction to danger.

Thanks for comments and votes! You are the best. :)

Image Credits:

Public domain (Wikimedia commons), source: https://pt.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficheiro:Pferde_im_Galopp.jpg