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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Poppies.
~ The elves decide to trust the orc healer but he doesn't work for free. The price is high, and will it help? ~
29. Orc Medicine
At the other side of the door was a huge, airy room, a lot different from the murky pathway they had come through. Here the walls were smooth and neatly whitewashed, making the place a lot brighter, and the paved floor was dry. White pillars reached a vaulted ceiling several yards up and between them stood long tables covered in linen tablecloths. An enormous chandelier hung on a chain in the center, and in the farthest end was an unlit fireplace. It reminded Wynne a little of a Rohirrim lord's great hall.
Nanna limped into a corridor on one side. In passing, Wynne noticed there were many such corridors branching out from the hall.
The corridor was dark and deserted, still the only source of light was the oil lamp the orc lady carried.
She stopped before another round door, which had an oval sign made of a thin slice of birch, and some sort of runes burnt into it.
"Black Speech. The foul language of Sauron." Thranduil frowned at the runes.
"That's how we talk and no need to be rude about it," Nanna scolded him. "Many of us were taught none other."
Inside was a small, well lit chamber with two stone bunks that had thick mattresses on top. Legolas was put down on one of them, stretcher and all.
Another elderly orc joined them, a male one judging by his long, white beard. "Welcome, strangers. Nugu tells me you need a healer. What happened?" His voice was accented like all orc's, but unusually refined.
"He was pierced by a spear, through the stomach and out on the back," said Galion.
"Can you heal him?" asked Thranduil eagerly.
"Maybe. But not for free."
"Dad," Nugu exclaimed from the door. "Don't do this."
"Sorry lad, but this is the chance we've been waiting for. We have to take it. You brought them here. You exposed us."
"What do you want? Treasure? I can assure you, your help shall be rewarded handsomely. If you succeed." His cold voice was full of contempt.
His majestic air was back and Wynne felt relieved by that, calmed even. His odd confusion before had been unnerving.
"You must have confused us with greedy dwarves. We don't hoard shiny trinkets." The orc narrowed his amber eyes. "What use have we for that sort of thing, cut off from the world as we are down here? No, Mister King, what we want is something far more important. Don't look surprised," he added. "Nugu told me who you are."
