They began to gather what salvageable materials they could use from the houses they were not going to repair. Edric and Osmond led two teams of men that had at least some experience in construction in carefully dismantling stone walls and tile roofs. Bard and Percy led the effort in moving the usable material into a staging area. One building yielded enough material to repair two or three other buildings. Percy sidled up to Bard and muttered out of the side of his mouth, "Have we tried asking the dwarves for help? I mean, they are known for working with stone."
"Messages between us and Erebor have been short and terse. I get the feeling they don't want to be bothered," Bard quietly replied. "We negotiate in a month, all three of us, and I mean to have them helping with the towers and walls but I don't think we'll get a favourable response now." Percy sighed but nodded. Elves soon joined them. Dressed in tunics and leggings, they'd taken off their armour to help haul stone from one place to another. Feren and Celeron appeared, talking with Edric and Osmond and directing their elves to the places needed most. It almost shocked Bard when he saw Queen Aredhel setting a group of teenagers to cleaning, collecting bits of broken debris from the streets and doing their best to sweep away the dirt and scrubbing the dried blood.
The Queen turned as the sound of a flute and laughter reached her. She walked back up the road to the courtyard in front of the great hall. Some children were gathered in the courtyard while a brown haired elf played a lively tune on his flute. They were dancing in a circle, singing an old song involving a clever otter outwitting a mean and selfish heron that was stealing the otter's fish. The otter and the heron, both represented by children, hopped in and out of the circle while the others called questions to the otter and hollered insults at the heron. They had attracted a number of smiling spectators.
Tilda was part of the circle and, somehow, she had gotten her to join her. Aredhel grinned as she saw the tall elf turning in a circle with the other children, copying their taunts at the heron. Thranduil had traded his long outer robe for a more simple cloak, pinned at his throat with a clasp of silver leaves. He must have felt Aredhel's eyes because he looked up and found the elleth watching them. Thranduil's lips quirked in amusement and then he followed the group in jumping in and then out before reversing the direction of the spinning circle. Aredhel laughed as Tilda hauled the her husband about as she leaned against a wall to watch the whole performance. The end of the dance included a drop to the ground and when the children landed on their butts with giggles, a surprised Elvenking was forced to his knees by Tilda and another child holding his hands. "See?" squealed Tilda as Thranduil hid a wince. "I told you it was fun!"
"It was," agreed Thranduil. The play must have made the children bold because they then crowded around the elf. The little girls all wanted to touch his hair and Thranduil bent his head so they could. His eyes closed and a smile played along his lips as the girls cooed over the colour and how soft his hair was. The Elvenking settled on his heels and remained still, answering a few curious questions. Tilda boasted about her own braids that Thranduil had done that morning, to the jealousy of her peers.
The boys wanted to see the long knife belted at his waist. Thranduil showed them the finely tooled sheath and the silver blade, careful to keep them from touching the sharp weapon. They asked about the battles the Elven king had been in and Thranduil softened his answers for his young audience, mouth slightly pinched. Questions about the Woodland Realm eased his expression and he described the deep caverns and graceful lines of his palace home. "If you keep staring, you'll start to drool.." Aredhel heard a voice from beside. She turned to come face to face with Bard. Aredhel shrugged him off. "Bah! Enough of that. What is it?" Her friend laughed. "We're ready to move that big stone that fell from the bell tower out of the street. You want to come help anytime soon, my Queen?"
"Oh stop!" growled Aredhel, shoving him away. "Get on! We've got enough work to do without you messing around." Bard laughed as they walked back up the street. Neither of them noticed Thranduil watch them go, icy blue eyes fixed on his wife. The morning was spent at work but Aredhel ordered a stop for lunch. She wasn't going to run anyone into the ground in these early days. They all headed for the food hall and she caught sight of Bain, muddied up to his knees. "What happened to you?" she asked. "Gathering clay to the north of the city. I'm not even the dirtiest. Harlow fell down the slope and had to be retrieved by the elves." He gestured to a surly faced teenager covered in mud from shoulders down who was limping toward the great hall. Aredhel asked if Harlow was ok and Bain shrugged. "He says he is. More embarrassed than anything, I think. Can we eat? I'm starving"
"Go on. I'll fetch your sisters." Bain darted off and Aredhel headed to the medical tent, there she found Sigrid at a small table in the medical tent with the elven healer Alimalé, the pair leaning over a book and spare paper. Alimalé was slowly sketching the bones of the leg while naming them. The Queen smiled at Sigrid looked up. "Got time enough to eat some lunch with your old friend and siblings?" she asked. "Hi, Aredhel," greeted Sigrid, getting up to hug her.
"A break for a meal is a fine idea, dear Queen Aredhel," Alimalé said, rising from the table in a pale green dress. "We may continue your lesson after you eat, Lady Sigrid."
"Thank you so much, Mistress Alimalé," Sigrid replied and Aredhel smiled at her healer. "Where's Da..?" Sigrid asked as they left the healing tent. "Your dad's a fine man, he's still out there helping."
"Have you seen your sister?" she asked. Sigrid chuckled. "She's wherever your husband is."
"Oh boy. That bad, huh?" Sigrid chuckled loudly but stopped as they got stares. "I don't know who is more smitten, Til or your husband." They both paused as they turned into the courtyard, surprise spreading over their faces. Aredhel barked out a laugh. "Well, I'll be!" Like a clutch of little ducklings after their mother, Thranduil was leading the children across the courtyard to the food hall. Each girl had her hair braided neatly and each boy had a short stick thrust through their belts, no doubt representing future swords. Thranduil's own pale hair was still in a haphazard braid, tossed over one shoulder. There was a haughty tilt to the Elven king's chin and each child that followed behind him had their nose stuck up in the air in imitation. "Queen Aredhel.. er I mean Aredhel..?"
"Yes, dear?"
Sigrid tucked a strand of her behind her ear. "I've just heard some rumours... that you are pregnant.. and I-I chose not to believe them because I wanted to hear them from you, before I got excited." Aredhel smiled and she pulled Sigrid closer. "I am." she whispered so only the teenager could hear.
YOU ARE READING
Heart Like Yours
Hayran KurguOf the thousand who left, two hundred returned. She was gone. But what happens when a mysterious elf appears in the wood not knowing who she is and how she got there?
