A small woman bustled about the tiny kitchen putting dishes in the wooden cabinets. Her long black hair fell well below her waist, held back by a simple leather thong. Nadezda finished cleaning up the breakfast dishes that her sons had left all over the table. She smiled as she thought of how they had hurried out, eager to begin the day's training. They were growing up so fast. It seemed like only yesterday when Niklos, her youngest... Nadezda shook her head. Every time she thought of her children, she was reminded of the baby that she just lost. She had been bed bound for the past week by the village mid-wife. They had feared for her, the birth had been a difficult one. On top of twelve hours of labor, the loss of what would have been another son was extremely hard on her. Damek, her husband, had not been able to stay, having been called away by those filthy orcs. A band of orcs had entered the village the day after the death of their child, demanding a group of men to join them on their raid of the elves.
As the head of the council in the village, Damek was required to go, collecting with him somewhere around thirty other men. They rode out of the village as they had so many other times. Orcs came about once every two months demanding men for various raids. There were murmurs that the Dark Lord was gathering his forces, but they were nothing more than murmurs.
Nadezda had just finished cleaning up the kitchen when her eldest son, Dimas burst into the small house followed closely by his brother, Niklos. The boys were four years apart, Dimus was sixteen and Niklos was twelve. Both of the boys shared their mother's black hair, but had the eyes of their father. Strong green eyes, a most unusual combination but fitting for both of energetic young men.
"Da's home! They've been spotted by the sentry, but they're not alone. A band of orcs or maybe Uruk-hai are following them. Da should be here in a few minuets!" Dimas quickly told his mother. He had been worried about her since their father had left. Something wasn't quite right...he couldn't explain it, but he knew his father would be able to help her.
"Well if your father's coming you two had best get changed out of those ratty clothes!" Nadezda laughed and shooed her boys upstairs. "Be sure to wash your faces and hands! I'll not have your Da thinking I can't keep two boys somewhat clean!"
The boys laughed as they hurried up the ladder like stairs to do their mothers bidding. Glancing down at his clothing, Niklos laughed.
"Hey Di," using his nickname for his older brother, "I think Mam's right, look!" His clothes were splattered in mud and dirt and his pants were torn in a few places.
"Well your clothes are nothing to your hair Nik." Reaching over, Dimas ruffled his brother's hair. It was crusty with dirt and sweat. "We probably shouldn't have wrestled earlier... you've got a few sticks in your hair." Laughing, he pulled a small one out to prove his point.
"You're not much better. At least I don't smell like a horse, Di."
Their friendly banter was interrupted by the sound of horses entering the gaits of the village.
"You boys better hurry up; your father just came into the village!" Nadezda called up.
They had ridden hard and fast, covering the miles between the place where they had set up camp in a small stand of trees and the village nestled deep in the foothills of the Iron Mountains. Damek led the band of weary warriors into the center of the village where many had gathered.
There were cries of joy and many happy reunions, but there were also the heart wrenching cries of mothers unable to see their sons and wives unable to find their husbands. What should have been a joyous return was soured by the fact that they had lost half of their men in battle, the largest number of casualties yet. Damek stayed astride Ilya as he watched his men rejoin their families. He already knew which families he would need to help, the grown men in their families now gone.
Legolas sat atop Ilya with Damek, holding his hands over his ears, trying to block out the sound of the mourning women. He had heard such keening maybe once or twice before and he knew that someone had died, but the combine voices of four or five women crying as their hearts broke was more than he had ever heard. He snuggled back against Damek, hoping the man could do something about the noise.
Damek, noticing his foster son's discomfort, wrapped a strong arm around him, holding him close. Looking about a smile lit his face as he saw his sons racing across the square to meet him. His wife followed not too far behind at a more subdued pace.
Quickly dismounting, Damek swept his youngest son up into an enormous bear hug, swinging him around as they laughed.
"Da! You're back! We weren't expecting you till next week!" Niklos laughed. As his father set him down he stepped aside to make room for his older brother. Diamus stepped up to his father and hugged him hard.
"It's good to have you home, da! Mam missed you." Diamus whispered the last part into his father's ear before he broke the embrace. Damek nodded in acknowledgement of the comment then turned to his wife.
"Nadezda..." Gathering her close to him, Damek swiftly kissed his wife, relishing in the feel of her small body. He had left so abruptly that he hardly had had time to say goodbye. He hated leaving her is such a fragile condition, but there was no way he could refuse to go.
Nadezda hugged her husband tightly, closing her eyes as a few tears trickled down her cheeks. It felt so good to have him wrap his arms about her once more. She was about to pull away when a small voice surprised and startled her.
"Da!"
Wide-eyed, Nadezda pulled away from her husband and looked about for the small child who had called out for their father. Damek, having just remembered that the small elf was still sitting patiently atop Ilya, reached up and brought down the elfling, settling him on his hip.
"Da!" Legolas said again, clearly wanting attention he snuggled in close to Damek, peeking out from behind his golden hair at the women who stood in shock before him.
Seeing his wife's wide eyes, Damek quickly tried to explain.
"Nadezda, I found him, all alone. The others would have killed him if I had left him there... I figured that we could..." Before Damek could finish his sentence, Niklos interrupted him.
"Do we get to keep him da? Is he gonna be our brother?" Niklos had always wanted a younger sibling, not liking being the baby of the family. Diamus quickly hit his younger brother in the back of the head.
"Ouch! What was that for?"
"When are you going to learn to keep you mouth shut you big dummy?" Diamus replied. While he was talking a small giggle came from blonde haired child on their father's shoulder.
"Was that him?" Niklos asked. He moved so he could see Legolas's face.
"Hi" he said quietly, not wanting to scare the young boy. Legolas's only reply was to giggle again and turn his face into Damek's shoulder.
Diamus quickly hit his brother over the head again.
"Knock it off you oaf! Leave the poor kid alone."
Grumbling, Niklos rubbed the back of his head with one hand while he glared at his brother.
"Boys! Stop both of you. Go and take care of Ilya, both of you... I need to talk to your father." Nadezda quickly put a stop to her son's antics, sending them off to the village stable with the weary stallion.
Diamus and Niklos looked back and forth between their parents before Diamus took up Ilya's reins. Petting the stallion on the nose, he quickly sidestepped the flash of teeth, intended to bit his shoulder.
"Come on Nik; let's get this old man cleaned up." Pulling his brother along, Diamus led the tired stallion towards the stables. He kept a safe distance between himself and the grouchy stallion.
Watching his sons lead Ilya off, Damek smiled. It was so good to be home. Hearing his wife sigh, he turned back to her. Legolas tightened his arms around Damek's neck, peering curiously at Nadezda.
Without a word to her husband, Nadezda turned and headed back to the house.
What was he thinking? How could he possibly bring one of them back to the village?! What will our neighbors say? What will we do? He can't possibly expect me to care for that cute, sweet adorable... No! I will not have an elf live under my roof, not after all the grief they have caused me.... If it wasn't for them my brother and father would still be...
Her thoughts were interrupted when Damek reached out and gently touched her arm. They were standing on the small front porch of their house. Damek had set Legolas down and he now, very cautiously began to explore the clay pots and baskets sitting outside the door.
"Nadezda..." Damek began.
"Don't. I don't know what you were thinking, Damek! How could you bring one of them here? What in the world was going on in your head when you picked up that elven child?" Nadezda stormed into the house and began to prepare dinner. It seemed that she would have two more mouths to feed for dinner.
Damek glanced back at Legolas who was very content to peer through the baskets and jugs that held a variety of things from un-carded wool to rain water. Deciding that he would be alright for a few minuets, Damek followed is wife into the house.
"Nadezda, what would you have me do? If I hadn't stopped him, Alek would have killed him. He was alone and scared. Would you rather I left him there to fall under Alek's blade?" Damek came to stand behind his wife who was chopping up potatoes and carrots to add to the large pot hanging over the hearth. Wrapping his arms around her small waist, he stilled her hands, gently prying the sharp cutting knife from her fingers.
"Of course not, Damek. But did you have to bring him back with you? Surely he has family who will be looking for him, missing him. Isn't he better off with his own people?"
Before Damek could answer her, a loud screech and definite sobs came from outside. Legolas was on the steps, tears streaming down his face as he tugged at his leg, sobs escaping from his small lips. His foot was caught where the board had rotted away, making a hole just big enough for a small elfling's foot to fall through. He clearly was trying to make his way down the stairs when his foot was caught, throwing him off balance. Damek knelt carefully by his foster son, not wanting to cause him more pain as he bent to examine the situation.
"I'll be right back. I need to get some tools from my shed." With that, he hurried off around the back of the house.
Nadezda stood there for a few minuets looking at the crying elf before her heart won over her mind. Quickly she moved closer to the elf, gathering him into her arms. She whispered comforting words to him while stroking his long soft hair.
Legolas clung to the woman, whimpering in pain and fear. He babbled in elvish as tears rolled down his cheeks. The jagged edges of the broken step were digging into his leg. As Nadezda held him, she was reminded of the many times when her own children had fallen or hurt themselves. Niklos had gotten his ankle trapped between two large rocks only a few years before and it had been two days until they had found him. Her son was cold and shivering, and very frightened. Gently she held the small elf as they waited for Damek to return.
"There, there, Little One. It will be alright. He'll be right back. You must hold very still now, don't move. Everything will be aright." She rubbed his back holding him tightly. Looking up at the sound of footsteps approaching, Damek came up to kneel on the step below where Legolas had gotten his foot caught. Damek produced a small saw setting on the step next to Legolas's leg.
"Nadezda, you need to hold his leg very still." Damek then proceeded to gently prod the wood around Legolas's leg, breaking away some of the rotted wood. There were many small cuts and splinters marring his creamy soft skin. Legolas whimpered when Damek's fingers brushed against the more painful of the cuts.
"It's alright Little One. It will be over soon. I need you to hold very still for me Megalan." Damek carefully made enough room around the young elf's leg for the saw to safely pass by. Carefully he cut through the step, so that when he was finished, Legolas had a ring of wood around his ankle. Very gently, Damek broke the remaining wood from around the pale ankle.
Nadezda held the small elf gently while Damek worked. She had been whispering words of comfort in his ear when she suddenly tensed.
Megalan, that's what Damek had called him...
"There we are little one, all done." Damek smiled down at the small elf, who still had his head buried in his wife's shoulder. He was surprised to see tears in his wife's eyes. "Nadezda..."
Before her husband could finish, she quickly scooped Legolas up and carried him into the house. Holding him close, Nadezda set him gently on the table. Carefully untangling his arms from around her neck she talked quietly to him.
"Everything will be alright Little One. You need to let go now so I can fix up your ankle... Come now Megalan..." Having gently unwound his arms from about her neck, Nadezda turned to the wash bucket, wetting a corner of a clean rag. Coming back to the she gently took his ankle in her hand. Dabbing at the cuts, she cleaned them as best she could, and then turned her attention to the splinters that covered the circumference of his small leg. She looked closely at the splinters, and then gently set his leg back on the table. Reaching behind him, Nadezda picked up a sweet cake and handed it to the child.
Legolas sniffed and looked at the sweet offered to him. He looked from the cake to the woman who had been yelling at his "da". Warily he took the cake, sniffing it. A slow smile spread across his face as he recognized the smell of sugar. Nibbling at the cake, he began to smile and look around.
"Stay right there, Megalan, I'll be right back. Don't move ok?" Satisfied that the cake would keep him busy, Nadezda quickly hurried to a small stillroom in the back of the house. Upon entering the small room, she was hit with the many smells of the drying herbs hanging from the ceiling. Quickly she made her way to the small desk against one of the walls, opening the top drawer. Nadezda removed a small healer kit and returned to kitchen. She smiled upon seeing the small child sitting quietly where she had left him. He was munching on the cake contentedly as he looked wide-eyed around at the house. He turned his head to watch her approach, smiling sweetly at her with the trust of a young child.
Smiling in what she hoped was an encouraging way; Nadezda came around to stand in front of him. On the table beside the elf she spread out the healer's kit. Legolas looked down at the leather pouch with curiously until he recognized a few of the items that his sister had used to remove splinters from his finger. Quickly he began to squirm. Noticing his distress, Nadezda quickly uncorked one of the small vials and rubbed some of the liquid onto his ankle. It was a unique blend of herbs that acted as a numbing agent, quickly soothing away the pain and effetely numbing the area where the worst of the splinters were located.
Legolas's eyes widened in surprise as the small twinges of pain quickly disappeared. His sister had never used anything like that; she had simply poked and prodded at the splinters with a small needle until they had come out.
Nadezda smiled at his expression then took his ankle in her hand. Using a small needle and a pair of tweezers, she daftly removed the splinters, dabbing up the small amounts of blood with the corner of the dampened towel. She was almost finished when Damek returned from outdoors, having put his tools away and gone to fetch his sons.
Dimas and Niklos hurried into the house all smiles as they chattered away to their father. Damek followed his sons at a slightly slower pace, his saddle bags slung over his shoulders. Setting the bags down inside the door, he quickly rooted through them and produced a few of the carved wooden animals. Brining them over, he handed the horse and deer to Legolas. Comforted by the familiar animals, Legolas sat still long enough for Nadezda to quickly wrap a bandage around his ankle.
Niklos came up to stand next to his father, looking at the elven child sitting on their table.
"Is he gonna stay Mam?"
Before the words were out of his mouth, Niklos ducked the blow coming from his older brother. Dimas grinned as he younger brother quickly moved around so that he was on the opposite side of the table.
"You're getting fast Nik."
Legolas watched the two brothers interact, a small smile spreading over his face as the two older boys laughed.
"Here now, you two knock it off." Nadezda scolded the boys.
Damek laughed at his sons' antics. He walked back over to the door, bringing the saddle bags back with him. Unpacking them, he made three separate piles, setting the empty bags on the floor.
"Here now, come see what I've brought you."
"Take that off my table, I've dinner to finish if you want to eat tonight." Nadezda gathered Legolas up in her arms, quickly settling him on her hip. She turned back to the potatoes and carrots that she had been chopping before Legolas had fallen.
Dimas and Damek shared a knowing glance and scooped up two of the piles, carrying them over to the few chairs in front of the large hearth. Niklos quickly carried the last pile over to where his father and brother were spreading out the other two piles.
"Alright Dimas, that one's yours, and Niklos this one is for you." Damek pointed to the appropriate piles, watching his sons faces light up. He loved to bring them small tokens made by the elves when he went away. It made the separation easier.
Dimas slowly began to go through his pile, unwrapping it from the strange material. What had, at first appeared to be just a bit of old cloth turned out to be a beautiful elven cloak. The dark green material matched his eyes and was heavy enough that he would be very warm over the harsh winters that they experienced in the foothills.
Niklos was unwrapping his, also admiring the cloak that wrapped his presents.
"It's beautiful Da! Where'd you find it?"
"Yea Da, It's not like they would leave these things lying about."
Damek smiled at his sons. They were very curious about the elven race, having never seen a real elf until he brought Megalan home.
"Here now, you two know better than to question where presents come from!" Nadezda scolded from the kitchen.
"I swear she's got elf ears..." mumbled Niklos.
"I heard that!"
Damek and Dimas broke out in laugher at Nadezda's comment.
"Some day, little brother, you'll learn to keep your big mouth shut!" laughed Dimas.
Still laughing, Dimas began to go through the rest of the small pile that his father had set in front of him. He carefully set aside a few of the vials, knowing they contained special elven medicines that his father was always sure to pick up when ever they went on a raid. At the bottom of the pile rested a leather sheath. Slowly, Dimas picked it up, inspecting it closely. The leather was decorated with an intricate leaf and nature patter that matched the hilt of the knife. Carefully he removed the knife from its sheath. The blade was a little over a foot long, and about an inch wide. It was slightly curved, with elvish ruins etched into the blade. Dimas silently admired the beautiful blade.
"Wow, Da. I don't know what to say."
"Take good care of that blade Dimas, and I don't want to hear of you flaunting or showing it off, that is to be used for protection purposes only. If, for some reason, you lose you sword, or unable to use it, that knife is to be a last resort."
Dimas nodded solemnly, knowing that his father wasn't joking. He knew that they weren't really supposed to take things from the elves, but when the weaponry was so poor in the mannish villages, such finely crafted knifes and swords could hardly be passed up.
Niklos looked over at his brother's new dagger enviously, but as he sorted through the pile of things that his father had brought back for him he noticed something long and curved wrapped in an old cloth. Standing, he slowly began to remove the protective wrapping.
Damek turned his attention to his younger son, smiling as the boy unwrapped his gift. He knew that Niklos would love the gift. He had searched high and low as quickly as possible to try and find one that would possibly fit his young son without having the ever growing boy grow out of it too quickly.
Niklos's eyes widened as he saw that the gift was a bow. He removed the cloth even faster in anticipation and excitement. Once the bow was completely unwrapped, Niklos stared at it in his hands. His fingers gently traced the leaves that decorated it. Quickly he knelt down to his pile, searching for the coiled string he knew would be there. Finding the string, oiled and wrapped, he proceeded to string the bow. A huge smile spread across his face as he was barely able to string it.
"It's wonderful Da!"
"I thought it was about time you had a proper bow."
Nadezda smiled as she watched her husband and sons. She swayed gently as she hummed a quiet tune, rocking the elfling to sleep. His head was gently pillowed on her shoulder and his small fists clung tightly to her dress. As much as she disliked the elven race... this would work. She would make it work. Still humming she made her way to the nursery that had been set up for her own child, intending to put the young one to bed.
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