Family and Such

After much journeying, the famous Elf and Dwarf found the cave Violet had described. Using the stealth they had practiced on the Quest, their Lorien cloaks, and the fact that the Orcs were in chaos after Sauron’s fall, they sneaked inside.

For several days they spied, gleaning information on the customs and habits of Orcs. They found that most Orcs fought with each other constantly, and that the older they got, the more hateful they became. Their was no loyalty, integrity, or love. They found that young Orcs were taught bitter lies about the "evils" of the free peoples of Middle Earth, and were even encouraged to practice torturing each other!

Upon closer examination, they found one old seamstress Orc who they thought must be Violet’s grandmother, for she had some measure of integrity and a great sense of duty.

Finally, they caught her alone and chose to reveal themselves. She was shocked, and Legolas had to quickly put a hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming.

"We mean you no harm," Legolas said, "but we wish to know if you are the grandmother of a girl who calls herself Violet."

The old orc’s eyes got even wider. "What have you done with my granddaughter!" she demanded. "Where did you meet her? I had hoped she had more sense of loyalty to kin than to run off like that."

Legolas smiled gently. "Violet wished to escape the constant anger and hatred of your kin, and appealed to Gondor for help. She told us something of her youth, and now works as a seamstress for my good friend, the king of Gondor."

"That’s a lie! I know better than to believe that "free" people would ever show kindness to an Orc. Only one traveller did I ever meet who was ever kind to an Orc, and that was probably just so he could entice Violet into releasing him. True my people have their problems, but at least we care enough to educate our youth so they know that Men, Elves, and Dwarfs are even worse to us and to each other, and only seem to cooperate so they can escape from the noble Orcs!"

Gimli and Legolas exchanged glances. Did all Orcs believe this indoctrination?

"Truly, ma’am, that is not so. There are corrupt ones who are like that, but you should not judge us all by them any more than I should judge you or Violet by what I have observed of your people."

"Are you insulting my people?" the old orc asked, indignantly.

"I only speak from what I have observed. Many of my comrades were killed by Orcs, and, except for you and Violet, I have never met an Orc who seemed kind or honorable at all."

She considered this for a moment. "Perhaps you are right, but I need more proof before I will believe that this isn’t a cruel-spirited trick."

"If you come with us, we can show you all the proof you need, but of course that would require you to trust us. Otherwise, I can think of no proof we can offer you."

She sighed. "I still suspect this may be a trap, but Violet really was kiinder than most of Orcs. I am proud of her, and out of my duty to her as my kin I will go with you. Wait one moment please."

She left and then returned, holding a baby Orc in her arms. "This is Violet’s younger brother, whom she never met because she ran off. This is a gamble, but if their truly is a world with less cruelty, I would give him a chance at it, for he has not been indoctrinated yet. Orcs are harder on males than females, so I don’t suppose your people could be any worse to him than mine."

That being said, the Orcs, Elf, and Dwarf set out towards Gondor, taking great care to not be caught.