~ 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.

Legolas had stripped his shirt this time and judging by the cheeky glances he sent her she figured it was for her benefit. And boy, did she benefit! He was beautiful. Even with the gruesome, scarring wound disfiguring his perfect torso he looked ever so handsome.

She would have loved to join him and slowly explore that smooth, flat chest, while turning her face up for one of those extraordinary kisses they had shared before. And then...

"Enjoying the view?" Sidra chuckled warmly right behind her.

Starting guiltily, Wynne's eyes darted to Thranduil, but thankfully his pointed ears had not caught the woman's words. He was still absorbed by his intense duel.

She gave her friend a meaningful look and nodded in his direction.

Sidra raised her eyebrows but didn't say anything.

"I will explain later," mumbled Wynne, and then said in a louder voice: "So, are you still planning to follow us to the Dead Marshes?"

"Yeah. Not gonna let Nugu go alone to a meeting with hostile humans, whatever Dad and your king says." She looked stubborn.

The healer had insisted that one of his people should be present as an emissary when the treaty was shown to the kings of Gondor and Rohan, to make sure their interest was properly accounted for and to act as living proof there really existed non violent uruk-hai. Since Nugu already knew the others of the company he was an easy choice, but that his wife and children wanted to come along was frowned upon by both leaders.

"But isn't it dangerous for the babies?" Wynne asked, somewhat distractedly. Legolas was rinsing his hair now and sparkling droplets trailed over the silky surface of his skin. Torture.

"Not in the company of five elves and an uruk-hai! Besides, my sons will be useful. They captured the hearts of you all and I'm sure the human kings will adore them as well. It will make them easier to convince."

"Maybe." She was still a little wary around the orclings. Somehow they seemed to always have grubby hands that they touched everything with, not to mention their perpetually runny noses. And yesterday one had pulled a handful of hair from her head.

But she did like the prospect of not being the only female in the company.

"Lovely day, ladies!" Legolas limped over to them and sat next to Sidra, a linen towel casually flung across his shoulders. He kept some distance to Wynne as usual but had cleverly managed to position himself where she got a good view.

That elf was growing way too confident. As if she would be affected by... oh sweet Vána... his gorgeous body glittering in the sun, a damp mass of golden strands spilling over his bare shoulders and those mesmerizing eyes teasingly challenging her not only to look, but touch as well...

Even Sidra seemed slightly uncomfortable.

"You should get dressed," muttered Wynne.

"I will, I will, just need to dry." He smiled cheekily.

"You could dry somewhere further away from my wife," Nugu suggested archly, but his smile took the edge of his words. The uruk-hai lay outstretched in the heather with two sleeping orclings curled up beside him.

When he smiled it was his turn to be an uncanny lookalike with the boy in the farm.

"I met your brother the other day," said Wynne. She was certainly not looking when Legolas slowly (somehow seductively) pulled on his shirt and began to redo his braids.

"Dvago. Yes." She had anticipated the uruk-hai to scowl but instead there was sadness in his brown eyes. "He doesn't want anything to do with me anymore."

"Why?"

"He blames me for our mother's death."

"Unfairly so," added Sidra.

"I don't know," said Nugu. He gazed at the cornflower sky. "Maybe he is right. But it's a long story."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm not a storyteller."

"No you aren't, but I am. I can tell it," offered Sidra.

When he curtly nodded his permission, his wife squared her shoulders and drew a breath, like she needed extra strength to begin.

"It was after Helm's Deep that my husband and a couple of his friends finally had the opportunity to desert the army. It was chaotic after they lost that battle, I understand. But instead of just leaving, they sneaked back to Isengard for Dad and Nanna. That's how they met me, on the way there. So I joined them, and we went down into the caves while Saruman had his attention elsewhere."

Sidra spoke fast, eyes distant, and Wynne suspected there really was a lot more to it. One does not simply walk into a wizard's abode; it must have been both dangerous and frightening.

"Dad and Nanna naturally insisted we take all the young children too, and we did," she continued. "But the women, you see, were a lot further down and well guarded so not any random orc could get to them and... cross Saruman's breeding schemes. So we had to leave them behind." Her dark voice faltered, sounding strained as she finished: "Then came the ents and destroyed the dam and the entire vale was flooded and all the women and the rest of the orcs drowned."

Wynne's stomach churned. She had suddenly remembered that Sidra's mother had been one of Saruman's captives. In all the recent, stressful events she had managed to forget it, and for that she felt deeply ashamed now. The abducted women had been given a face, Sidra's face, and somehow that made the knowledge of their suffering a lot harder to bear.

"You wanted to save them," said Nugu softly. "And I stopped you."

"You were right to. All of us would be dead if we had." She drew a deep breath. "There was nothing more we could have done, there really wasn't."

"Dvago was mad as fu– heck when he found out a while ago." Nugu muttered. "Said we could at least have tried to get them, that we were cowards."

"You are absolutely no coward. It took courage to desert the army when you had obeyed those masters your entire life. And then going back to free Nanna and Dad..." Sidra bent down to kiss him, a tender, comforting kiss. Her fingers smoothed out the furrows on his forehead. "It's Saruman he's angry with, really, but he takes it out on you. He doesn't understand."

"Yeah, he doesn't understand," agreed Nugu darkly. "I knew what the breeding den guards were like. One of them was my own sword master, for– heck's sake. Staying away from him was damn fucking basic survival instinct!"

"Nugu! Not the f-word, please! But yes, I agree. You must remember, though, that Dvago is young and naive, and he grew up in freedom." She turned to Wynne and Legolas. "He was no older than our Muzadi when we rescued him."

"Yes, naive. He has no idea what it's like to be a slave, to be lashed for not obeying. A few strokes and you learn to do what they say. Always. To fear them." His expression went stony and he turned away, pulling the babies closer.

Sidra silently lay down against his back and put an arm around his broad chest, enveloping him with her body.

Wynne met Legolas' grave gaze, wishing they could lie that close too. She really needed a hug right now.

He edged a few inches in her direction and stretched out his hand. Hidden by the heather from spying eyes, their fingers intertwined.

A/N:

In case anybody wondered about Wynne's ballad... Here is the melody:

https://youtu.be/vyvmSgX8s_s

*snigger* Sorry I just love Monty Python! :D

And a note about elves and the sun, since a reader mentioned it... Elves with their stronger physiques don't get sick like humans, so I imagine sunburn just doesn't happen to them and there is no need for them to tan. Hence their continued paleness despite being outdoors an entire spring and early summer.