Chapter 9: Race Resolved

Disclaimer: Don’t own recognizable characters (why do I even bother writing these?)

Violet’s grandmother, like Violet, would not give out her hideous orc-name. She took for herself the name Lily and gave the boy the name Jay, for she had some knowledge of flowers and birds. Eventually, the four travelers reached Minas Tirith and were brought with Violet before King Elessar.

"So, Lily, you are Violet’s grandmother?" the king asked.

"Yes, sir, and this is her brother." she replied nervously.

Elessar smiled. "Do not be frightened, my people are not as treacherous as you may have heard."

"From what I have seen, this seems to be true, but only time will tell."

Aragorn did not seem at all offended, but merely nodded. "You may join Violet as a seamstress. You should have a flexible enough schedule that one of you should always be able to watch Jay. I would advise against telling anyone of your true heritage unless you know them well enough to know they will not take it poorly. After several years of useful employment and civilized life here in Minas Tirith, we can perhaps reveal it to others; by then you three should have proved that you are not like other Orcs."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

A/N: I realize that one probably wouldn’t refer to a king as merely "sir" on a regular basis, but remember that these are Orcs and are in fact more knowledgeable of etiquette than most of their kind.

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12 years later

Jay whistled as he walked to the Citadel to visit his sister and grandmother. He had no idea that he was, in fact, an orc. He thought that he and his family had some sort of disorder that caused them to look rather different from other citizens of Gondor. Good hygiene had insured that he did not really look like an Orc.

He no longer lived at the Citadel himself, as he was apprenticed to a silversmith on the third level. Sometimes Gimli the dwarf would visit and teach him even more about the shaping of silver. Jay had no idea why the legendary dwarf would take such an interest in commoners like him and his family, but he was grateful.

As he hurried up the stairs in the servants’ quarters to his family’s apartment, he saw that Gimli and his friend Legolas were visiting. He stopped to greet them.

"Legolas, Gimli, it is wonderful to see you!" he called, for they had long ago put aside formalities.

"How is your apprenticeship?" Gimli asked, giving the boy a rough slap on the shoulder.

"It is good. My master is a patient man." he replied

"Patience is a virtue in all races," a new, dark-haired elf said in a smooth, melodic voice.

"Elladan and Elrohir, this is Jay. Jay, this is Elrohir," Legolas said, pointing to the elf (or, more accurately, half-elf) who had just spoken, "and this is Elladan, his brother."

"At your service, my lords." Jay bowed.

"At yours and your families, and you may call us by our given names." the brothers bowed back in unison.

"Jay, it is so good to have you home again. Come in, we will go down to supper in a few minutes." Lily said, and then noticed the elves and dwarf."

"It is an honor to see you all again," she said, for she and Violet had met the twins on a previous occasion."

"It is an honor to see you again, as well." Elladan said for them all.

"This must be the grandson you spoke of. He seems to be a good lad."

"From all reports, he is, but we must go down to dinner." Aragorn said joining the scene and waving off the bow and curtsies the three orcs were about to give.

So they all went down to dinner, the dwarf and elves and the king’s table and the orcs away at one of the servants’ tables.

Afterwards, the elves, dwarf and man, as well as the Queen Arwen went to the King’s chambers to talk.

"What do you think of that little family?" Aragorn asked his wife and foster brothers/brothers-in-law.

"The women are fine seamstresses, and the boy seems cheerful and friendly," Arwen said.

"They seem to have some sort of physical disorder, but when you are talking with them, you cease to notice," Elrohir added.

"From my brief meetings with them, they seem to be good people, although the custom of taking names from birds and flowers seems more hobbitish than Gondorian. Why are you asking?" Elladan finished, echoing what they all thought.

Gimli, Legolas, and Aragorn smiled at each other knowingly. The orcs had passed the test of time, and they thought this would go well.

"What if I told you they came from a family of ill repute?" Aragorn asked.

"If that is so, they are not much like their family. I can see the goodness in their eyes and the way they act, and they themselves have not committed crime, so it is not really fair to blame their family’s actions on them." Elrohir said.

"Yes, Faramir said the same thing." Aragorn replied. "To be quite blunt, they are from a family of orcs."

"Estel don’t exaggerate." Elladan said.

"I am not exaggerating. They are literally Orcs from a family of Orcs, although Jay does not know that. Do you remember twelve years ago, when I asked you about a ‘hypothetical’ scenario in which an orc became a productive citizen?" he asked.

The twins nodded, for elves (or even half-elves) do not forget such conversations like Men did. Then they and Arwen burst into laughter.

"Estel, don’t be ridiculous. We know better than to think those three are Orcs. They may have some kind of physical defect, but that does not change their race. They act, dress, and smell completely unlike Orcs. They are clearly just ordinary dark-skinned people with some minor disorder." Elladan said, and the others agreed.

"I agree that they are not like Orcs, but that is their descent. Look into my eyes and see that I am telling the truth."

They did, and grew sober. Elrohir spoke first. "I suppose we were wrong to discriminate against an entire race. We are sorry. They may be descended from Orcs, but they are not Orcs. Do not tell Jay of his heritage, it would only burden him. Let him live a normal life as a silversmith, marry, and have children. Any remaining Orcish blood will thin out in a few generations and the ‘disorder’ will disappear, I would suppose."

Violet and Lily were told that the children of Elrond knew and accepted them, and they rejoiced. If half-elves whose mother was killed by Orcs and a king whose father was also murdered by Orcs said that they were not Orcs, then they were not Orcs. Sometimes, they realized, bloodline is irrelevant.

The End