DISCLAIMER – I don't own any of Tolkien's characters or Middle Earth place names etc

'Ylfronir!'

Nathradril's tone held pleasure and disapproval in equal measure,

'What are you doing here? You shouldn't be standing on that leg yet…'

'I'm completely capable, thank you,' he replied stiffly, trying not to wince from the still fairly significant pain from his wound, 'and did you really expect me to miss Aragorn's coronation?'

Nathradril tried to maintain her angry expression, but broke into a grin within seconds, and,

'I'm glad you made it,' she said. Ylfronir just smiled, and moved to stand beside her.

'Got any leaflets, then?'

'Plenty,' she pressed a pile into his hand. He looked down to see that she had stencilled

'A new age – a new order!' onto each piece of parchment, above the usual explanation of what Mirkwood Elves for a New Democracy were trying to achieve.

'Not your usual style,' said Ylfronir, 'I was expecting something more along the lines of 'The Return of the King The Return of the Parasite-dictator'…? '

'Well…' said Nathradril, embarrassed, 'I thought that might seem a little ungracious… But if you fancy drawing up a few more?'

'These are fine,' he grinned, and started to try and attract the attention of passers by.

'Well! I didn't expect to see you two here!' exclaimed a familiar voice

Ylfronir felt himself reddening as he looked up to see Legolas, resplendent in the regalia of the royal house of Mirkwood, smiling quizzically at him and Nathradril.

'Surely a coronation is the pinnacle of all that you despise?'

'That's where you're wrong,' said Nathradril, 'it's a prime time for campaigning. And while we're on that subject, do you reckon you could persuade Aragorn to abdicate?'

The elf prince laughed. Ylfronir scowled at him, but Nathradril just gazed coolly back.

'I'm deadly serious,' she said, and even though her tone was light, Legolas stopped laughing.

'Some day you'll see we're right,' she continued.

Ylfronir reached for her hand, took it, and squeezed it tightly.

'Maybe,' replied Legolas.

There was a moment when no one spoke. Then Legolas turned to Ylfronir,

'Good to see you're up and about. We'll see you back in Mirkwood before long, I hope?'

'I…Yes. Yes, I think so,' said Ylfronir, surprising himself even as he spoke. Nathradril squeezed his hand even tighter in reply.

Legolas nodded, in a satisfied manner.

'Well, I'd better be off,' he said, jerking his head to indicate the dais where the coronation was about to take place, but having the decency to look a bit awkward about it. 'I'll see you soon.'

He moved off, the gold and silver threads in his tunic flashing in the sun.

Ylfronir turned to Nathradril. He took a breath to speak, but was interrupted by a voice hissing insistently

'Pssst! Ylfronir!'

Something in that voice seemed familiar.

'Ylfronir Don't make a scene, but come here!'

He pinpointed the location of the voice – behind a pillar, over to his left.

'I'll be back in a moment,' he said quickly to Nathradril, and began to limp over to where the voice was coming from. It couldn't possibly be him…could it?

'Druluk!'

'Quiet, quiet, quiet!' the orc hushed him. Druluk looked, if it were possible, even more haggard than Ylfronir remembered him, but there was a certain peace in his eyes which lent his face a much gentler expression.

'What the hell are you doing here?' whispered Ylfronir, crouching down beside him, and gasping involuntarily as he accidently put pressure on his injured leg.

'I came to check if you were alright,' said the orc, simply.

'I…well…I'm fine…But I thought you had surely perished when the ground opened up!'

'No. Quite a lot of us escaped. You see, we had a plan, and…'

'You saved my life, Druluk…'

'Huh?'

'The knight who carried me from the battlefield told me how you stood over me, how you made sure he took me to safety. I never thought I'd get the chance to thank you…'

'Thank me? Ylfronir, if it wasn't for me you'd never have been caught up in any of this! I've seen Jorrig, you know…'

'…Jorrig's alive?'

'Yes, all the Orc Republic are alive and well…they actually got a bit lost on the way to Mordor and never made it to the battle…We met them as we fled…But anyway, Jorrig told me about the Nazgul, how the hell did you manage to escape that?'

'Oh, Nathradril commandeered an eagle, never mind about that,'

'An eagle? Jorrig sends his apologies by the way, and said to apologise to the other elf too, I forget his name…'

'Celidel. Hah, I'm sure he'll really appreciate it…'

They sat for a moment in silence, leaning their backs against the pillar, relishing the fact that, despite everything, against all the odds, things seemed to have…somehow…worked out.

'Where are you living?' asked Ylfronir,

'We – that is, me and the orcs who fled with me – are planning to re colonise Mordor.'

'Re colonise Mordor? I'm not sure what Aragorn's going to have to say about that…'

'Well, he'll just have to get used to it. The Orc Republic of Mordor.'

'So you're not going back to Moria?'

'Oh no. Mordor it is. We're going to have a proper democracy and everything…'

'Really!'

'Definitely.'

Ylfronir looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, jokingly, he asked

'Do you think you'll have room for an elf ambassador?'

'There will always be room for an elf ambassador,' grinned Druluk. 'Maybe even two elf ambassadors,' he added, innocently, with a glance at Nathradril. Ylfronir laughed, forgetting the fear of being overheard.

He clasped Druluk's shoulder with his hand

'A new beginning.'

'A new beginning,' repeated the orc.

A cheer went up from the crowd watching the coronation.

Ylfronir met Druluk's eye and smiled.