~ Thranduil is a spoilsport as usual and Wynne realizes her secret is not so secret. ~

34. Perhaps Not So Secret After All

A polite knock on the door made Wynne spring up and quickly jump to the other bed.

When Nodir entered she smiled innocently. "Hello Nodi!"

"Good evening. Thranduil sent me to relieve you." His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked from one to the other. "Why do you two smile like that?"

"Legolas said something funny," she said quickly. "About lembas."

"Aye, about how much I like it. One might say I am a Lembas Lover."

Still chuckling, Wynne went to the door, feeling Nodir's eyes on her.

She wondered what Legolas would say to him. Would he reveal their secret relationship? She doubted Nodir could be trusted not to inform his king and hoped Legolas would stay silent for now.

Passing through the corridor, she had an urge to skip and bounce like a colt. She felt alive and full of pent up energy.

Legolas found her beautiful! And liked her legs! And they had kissed three times!

Outside the hall she forced the smile off her face with some effort, but Thranduil's stern look when she entered helped a lot to keep her features in check.

Luckily he didn't say anything; she didn't think she could manage a potential interrogation without revealing everything.

The party was still in full swing and now Wynne's appetite had returned. She filled another plate and went back to Sidra and Nugu, who sat with Nanna and the orc healer. Galion was there too, bouncing an orcling in time with the beat of the music.

Orc music was very different from human or elvish music, she noted. They had several different-sized drums and long horn instruments that produced deep hoots.

The current piece was sung without words. One uruk-hai intoned the melody and several others held continuous notes that combined to a sonorous droning chord.

The uptempo rhythm fitted well with Wynne's present agitated mood.

"Well. You look cheerful." Of course Sidra didn't miss a thing; there was no fooling that woman.

"Legolas felt much better," she said, sticking with part of the truth.

"You were gone for quite a while." Her eyes were penetrating but the hint of a mischievous smile touched her lips.

"I kept him company when he ate," she replied innocently, and to evade further questions she promptly turned to Goltur. "When can he eat normal food? He is off the poppy now, right, so it should be no problem? And go for walks, when can he do that? He is very confined in there you know, only ever walking to the privy."

"Yes, I think he could start trying his legs a little more tomorrow. A short tour only, mind you. As for food, nothing too solid yet; the poppy effect can linger for some days."

She nodded pleasedly, returning his kind smile. How could she ever have thought orcs ugly and scary?

A wave of gratitude unexpectedly surged through her, making her eyes burn like she would cry. "Thank you so, so much for healing him." She reached out and pressed his small hand.

"It's what I do." There was a knowing look in his intelligent eyes. As if he too understood why Legolas' health meant so much to her.

oOo

In the morning Wynne expectantly met up with Goltur, Thranduil, and the rest of the elves to follow Legolas on his first walk. He would be going to the hall and take his breakfast there.

Goltur had provided his patient with a wooden crutch and he leaned heavily on it, as well as on his father's arm, when he tentatively lurched through the corridor, wincing with every step but making no sound. He set his jaw stubbornly and his gaze was intent on the doorway he was heading toward.

It was a bit unsettling to see how exhausted the short walk made him, but also wonderful to see him up, wearing normal clothes and getting something else to look at than the small healer's room and adjoining lavatory.

It took a while, but finally Legolas was seated at one of the tables where he curiously looked around at the many amiably chatting uruk-hai. The atmosphere in the big room was cheerful, with everyone presumably still excited about the treaty. No alcoholic beverages had been served the evening before so there was none of that bleary eyed peevishness Wynne associated with the morning after a party.

It was nice to sit together, their company complete for the first time in almost a week. Legolas was quiet at first, perhaps dismayed to realize how weak he still was, but soon he warmed up and talked and laughed almost like his normal self, while finishing his sorry bowl of gruel.

On more than one occasion Wynne managed to catch his eye and get a tiny smile in reward, filling her with sweet warmth. The happiness from yesterday still lingered pleasantly and she couldn't wait until she would be able to steal another moment alone with him. Perhaps even get a fourth kiss?

Sadly she was not that fortunate. If from suspicion or just bad luck, Thranduil kept near his son almost the entire day, and the few times he was away someone else was sure to take his place.

Wynne stayed in the sickroom as long as she dared, but after a while Thranduil began to eye her suspiciously and she had to leave or the secret would be out.

Feeling bored and restless, she seeked out Sidra. The woman and her family lived in another corridor, where they had their own apartment and even a separate kitchen and bathroom. The water had to be brought from the public well, which was an underground stream, but there was an abundance of coal available for everyone so they could easily heat their stone tub whenever they wanted a warm bath.

Wynne had already made good use of their bath that morning, wanting to be clean and smell good in case there were more kissing and snuggling coming up, but with Legolas' guarding dragon of a father there clearly wouldn't be any today.

Sidra opened directly at her knock, a huge basket of soiled linen in her arms. "Oh hello! I am doing laundry today. Sorry about the smell, it's baby Rohi's diapers."

"I need to wash my things too. Is there some public laundry place?"

"You can use my tub, no worries."

Glad to have something to do, Wynne returned to her room. She decided to offer to do the others' laundry as well and had soon gathered an armload from Nodir, Bronedir and Galion.

In the healer's room Thranduil collected some more garments from himself and his son. When he picked up the blood soaked tunic and shirt Legolas had worn as he was speared by the troll, they both paled visibly.

"Those are ruined, throw them away," said Legolas with a shudder.

"No I can mend them," Wynne insisted. "I like that tunic, it suits you so well."

"I cannot imagine ever wanting to wear it again. But if you wish to take the trouble you are welcome to it." He looked gloomy.

Back at Sidra's tub, Wynne began working. It took a long time to get the stains out of Legolas' clothes. One hour of soaking them in salty, cold water was followed by an hour in nearly boiling temperature and lots of vigorously rubbing with plenty of soap before they were finally spotless again. Now she just had to sew up the holes and they were as good as new.

She wasn't quite sure why she so dearly had wanted to restore his garments. Perhaps it was a way for her to handle the memory of his hurt and broken body, as if she could make him whole again too in the process of mending his tunic.

The laundry drying area was shared by the whole community and was located near the public privy and baths in Wynne's corridor. It was a large, empty room with a fireplace and many rows of thin ropes under the ceiling.

Sidra filled several yards of rope with identical diapers while Wynne hung her friends' laundry on a separate one.

"So, I take it that things go well between you and Legolas?" Sidra said conversationally.

Wynne froze and almost dropped Galion's hose. "W-what?"

"Last night you left the party looking tired and dull like an overloaded oliphaunt and then you returned nearly bouncing, all rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes. I can add up the numbers, you know." She smiled smugly. "Did he kiss you? No you don't have to say, I can see he did."

"It's a secret," Wynne mumbled. "You can't tell anyone! Especially not Thranduil."

"Of course not." She abandoned the diapers to give Wynne a warm hug. "I'm happy for you. I noticed the sparks between the two of you from the start." She pulled back, grinning conspiratorially. "Now, tell me everything about that kiss..."

oOo

The next day Wynne brought the now dry clothes into Legolas' room to mend them, using the better light in it as a passable excuse to be there.

He had eaten breakfast in the hall again but it was obvious he still felt a lot of pain when walking. Now he was listlessly stretched out on top of his bed, looking unusually morose.

Like yesterday, Thranduil kept his son company, this time occupied with a book on healing Goltur had lent him. He too claimed he needed the light in the healer's room to read.

Wynne had begun to strongly suspect he was chaperoning them again, and now when he actually had reason to, she had to admit it was only fair. But she could be cunning too. He had to go eventually, if only to the privy, and she didn't think it would take long to kiss away the peevish look from Legolas' handsome face.

She had just finished sewing up the last hole when Goltur came in to check Legolas' stitches and bring him his willow bark tea. It was nearly time for lunch.

"Want to try another walk?" he asked.

"Of course he wants to, he needs to get his strength back." Thranduil put down his book.

"I guess I had better," Legolas muttered.

During the meal – soup for Legolas and a fish stew for the rest of them – Goltur invited Thranduil to take a tour around the cave with him that afternoon. "I'd like to show you our workshops. We might have some items and contraptions we could tempt you or the humans with. For trading deals."

"What items?"

"We have a young man who is very good with machines. He built one that can be powered by oil and steam and perform hard work such as driving a grindstone."

"Interesting. Perhaps nothing for us elves, but I am certain the humans and the dwarves would like such a device. Let us all go and see it. Except you of course, my son, you should get some rest." He gave Legolas a comforting smile that was met with sullen silence and a deep frown.

Wynne made a sour face too. She didn't want to look at machines; she wanted to be alone with her elf. Something which the shrewd king obviously had anticipated.

They followed Legolas back to his room, again a slow struggle with the crutch, but this time he refused his father's aid. With another dark look he almost slammed the door behind him.

Wynne felt a pang of sympathy and promised herself she would try her best to sneak away from the tour at first opportunity. Legolas needed a cheer-up, and she was the right woman to provide it.

A/N:

Legolas is not happy, it would seem. Next chapter won't be very flattering for that poor elf... But I guess we all have those days.