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 tries to be useful, and gets to know Legolas better. ~
9. One of the Team
Wynne woke early the next morning. Nobody else was up, so after checking on the horses she decided to make breakfast to everyone. She was tired of lembas and figured it was her turn to provide for a change. Unpacking her pots and utensils, she cooked oatmeal porridge, made sweet mint tea and poured round crackers on a plate. Rohan hardtack was rougher and harder than lembas, but dunked in tea it wasn't too bad.
The smell of food got the elves moving. Pale and trembling they shuffled out of their tents.
"Ai Nodi, you had the last watch. How come you are not up?" Bronedir shook his brother who lay curled up behind their tent.
"Can you keep your voice down?" he whined, slowly pushing himself into a sitting position. "It was nearly morning anyway. I figured I could risk a brief rest."
"This will not do; we are on a serious mission." If Thranduil was hungover it didn't show. "No more drinking for now."
"But I never had a chance to try the sugar beet wine," Galion complained.
"Trust me, you are better off without it." Legolas had dark lines under his blue eyes, but strangely enough it didn't make him any less attractive.
Wynne served the simple breakfast, and despite their condition the elves ate with a fairly good appetite. She received many compliments on the pleasant variation in diet.
"I have not had tea in ages," said Legolas, blowing on his mug. "I met hobbits some years back and during our stay in Rivendell they would make it every afternoon. I do not think they used peppermint though, their variant was imported from Harad I believe."
"It's a Rohan speciality. It makes your breath nice." Wynne had missed having tea yesterday; it was such an integrated part of her morning ritual.
"If you drink fire water often I suppose you need it." He grinned.
Wynne returned it, but then her smile waned as his words caught up with her. "Did you say hobbit? You mean that hobbit?"
"Frodo Baggins, aye." He glanced at his father, looking a bit apologetic. "I was in the Fellowship of the Ring."
Hugely impressed, Wynne sidled closer. "What was Frodo like? Tell me everything." Everybody had heard the songs and tales of the hobbit; that small, brave creature who carried Sauron's evil Ring and destroyed it in the fires of Mordor. The Fellowship had escorted him part of the way – and apparently this teasing elf had been part of it? Amazing.
"He was kind and polite, and most of the time very serious. The One Ring burdened him heavily. It tortured him." Legolas' beautiful face had darkened considerably, all traces of mirth gone. Wynne had never seen him that somber before.
