Half a year later

„I will drop it." a gruff voice grouched.

„Not it. Her." a younger man's voice corrected. „And you won't."

"I will."

"You won't."

"Oh, for Eru's sake!" an exasperated female voice chimed in.

A beautiful, blonde woman stepped to the larger male and simply put a squirming little bundle into the crook of his uncertain arms.

A black face went slack with surprise when the tiny girl stopped fussing instantly and melted into his chest. In that chest a heart – even darker than his face – skipped a beat.

Éomer smirked, Lothíriel smiled as a seven feet Uruk-hai was cradling their daughter for the first time.

Her 1st birthday

Elfleda was whimpering, her face scrunched up in discomfort. She was held by her wet nurse. The moment the little girl saw the Uruk enter the room, her impatient arms reached for him.

"What's the matter, runt?" Uglúk asked as he laid her on his shoulder. His palms were engulfing her slender body entirely.

"Her tummy's aching. She must have eaten too much." the nurse reported without looking at him.

Ugluk started to pace. His lumbering steps seemed to calm Elfleda somewhat. His large palm was petting her back carefully. Her soft, little fingers tangled into his hair and held tight.

"Ukk" she whined her version of his name. "Ukk"

He bounced a little and suddenly her fragile body heaved, and she threw up. Bile and half-digested milk soaked his shoulder, but Uglúk didn't mind.

"There you go, runt." he murmured.

The nurse wiped the infant's face with a damp cloth but didn't bother to try to clean him. Elfleda burrowed her head in Uglúk's neck and promptly fell asleep. Her shallow, puffing breaths were caressing the Uruk's skin.

Uglúk stopped in his tracks not to wake her. In fact, he stood stock still during her four-hour nap. The pungent odor of her slowly drying vomit filled his nose, the mistrustful gaze of the wet nurse pricked the back of his head, but he didn't care.

All was well as long as Elfleda was healthy and safe.

Her 5th birthday

"Faster! Faster"

Elfleda was squealing in delight as the Uruk was running at full speed with her perched on his shoulders. He held onto her legs securely. She was clinging tightly to his mane, yanking at the roots with every step.

They were sprinting down the steep path along the stables. Her giggles and laugh spurred Uglúk on. When they encountered a group of stable boys, idling outside in the sun, he slowed down a little, but it was too late.

Suddenly a pitchfork fell in front of him, catching his running feet and tripping him.

With a choked gasp Uglúk barreled forward, his momentum unstoppable. With inhuman reflexes he yanked the little girl down, clutching her to his chest. He could turn only halfway to his side when they crashed to the rocky ground.

Uglúk almost bit his tongue in half as his three-hundred-pound body touched down on his shoulder. Then he rolled over his head in a grotesque somersault, his neck painfully cracking.

He heard ruckus laughter but didn't care. The sole thing he cared for was the screaming child held tightly in his arms. His bruised hands cradled her head to his chest, and he was hoping fervently she didn't suffer any injuries.

When they finally stopped a few yards further down, Uglúk just lay sprawled on his back for a moment. He swallowed the blood pooling in his mouth and asked the trembling child curled up on his chest:

"You alright?"

Elfleda just nodded. The Uruk nodded back.

He released Elfleda from his death grip – she could stand on her own – and got to his feet. As the panic over her wellbeing abated the Uruk saw red.

As the growling giant stepped up to them the stable boys weren't laughing any more. The stench of their fear (especially of a redhead) spiked and Uglúk was fairly trembling with bloodlust.

"You could have killed her!" he snarled with bared fangs. "A little girl. The daughter of your fucking king!"

The lads were cowering before his towering rage, the redhead stammered:

"W… we didn't want…"

"No, you just wanted to kill me!"

At his roar the boys tagged tail and ran.

The ruthless stare of a predator followed them.

-/-

Later that night, when Elfleda was tucked in her bed, dreaming of prancing ponies, a dark shadow entered the stables.

The horses became nervous at the beast's approach, their snorts and the beating of their hooves masked his already silent steps.

The Uruk's nose led him to his prey unerringly.

The red-haired stable boy didn't even have time to squeak when a calloused palm clamped over his mouth. He was tossed to the wall like a ragdoll, silenced and trapped between the Uruk's huge body and the wood. The Uruk took the boy's hand and lifted it to his mouth.

A crack of fine bones and a gurgling shriek could be heard.

The boy wetted himself and pressed his maimed hand to his chest. He stared in abject terror at Uglúk, who was lazily munching on his pinky finger.

The Uruk bent down and growled into the boy's ear with a mouth full:

"When asked, you say a dog bit you." – he grinned at the thought – "If you don't, or you endanger her again, I'll come back. And eat… you… whole."

With an amused grunt he was gone.

Her 10th birthday

Uglúk shuffled his feet a little to alleviate the pain in his soles. He was getting too old for this shit.

It was her tenth birthday. A lot of visitors – all noble lords and ladies – had arrived to pay tribute to the King's daughter. The Uruk was standing guard in the secluded garden where Elfleda was playing with her cousins. She and three other girls her age laughed and exchanged stories for hours now. Fascinating. Uglúk was bored to tears.

His ears twitched when he heard his name.

"He is Uglúk. He is father's guard, and mine too."

Uglúk almost smiled.

"Ew. But he is ugly…"

"No!"

"…and old…"

"But…"

"…and a monster."

After that there was no answer from her.

The Uruk-hai blinked. He desperately willed his ears to pick up a protest from his little princess, even a miniscule one, but there was none.

Something bitter crawled up from his gut.

Her 15th birthday

Well, on her fifteenth birthday everything changed.