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...
Wynne shuddered and the familiar nausea came over her. Just the other day she had thought about this, about what would have happened if the orc had forced himself on her that time. And here this woman had experienced exactly that! Twice, too. But why ever had she kept the monster's spawn?
The elves shifted their stance, aiming their bows at the orclings.
"No!" The woman took a quick step in front of them again. "Please don't hurt my children."
"Stand aside," Thranduil demanded. "We cannot allow such vile beings to live."
"They are only babies. They won't harm anyone. They never will. We teach them right and wrong." The woman's dark voice broke into a sob. "Please."
"We?"
"My husband and I."
"And where is your husband?"
"Away hunting. I expected him back any moment. But... With you here... He'll probably stay away."
Wynne got a horrible suspicion when she heard that, and apparently the elves did as well.
"Your 'husband'... Am I to presume he is, in fact, an orc? The sire of the orclings?"
"Yes." The defiant look was back in the woman's stance. "Half-orc, actually."
"Excuse me if I repeat myself, but just to make this absolutely clear... You are married to a half-orc and have given birth to his offspring?"
"I am and I have."
"And you did this voluntarily?"
"Yes. I love him. We love each other. He's not like normal orcs."
"Astounding. I never heard of anything like it." Thranduil turned to the others, looking bewildered. "We have to get rid of them anyway." But he didn't sound altogether sure. There almost was a question in his voice.
"Aye," the others agreed, but they too sounded hesitant.
"Then you must kill me first." New tears spilled from the woman's eyes.
Wynne was quite as confused as Thranduil. How could a woman be in love with an orc and mate with it of free will? Again she thought of Lug. To be forced to kiss those black lips, with the clutter of deformed teeth, and his gnarled hands touching her breast... Ugh! It was impossible to understand.
