Hello again! It is so nice to see you all again! I hope you enjoy this new story I have, which I think (personally) will be much better than the other fic I am currently writing. (If you want to check it out though, it's called My Heart's Choices) This first chapter is kind just to let you know what's happening, so it is kind of a backstory. Please enjoy!

Eliauna awoke to a blood curdling scream. She hesitated before sitting up in pure terror as she realized that it came from her sister's room. As another scream came from their servant's quarters downstairs, she tensed with panic.

"Elriauna!" she screamed, and relaxed with a shaky sigh as her twin sister came into the room. Elriauna closed and locked the door behind her, dropped the bag and weapons she was carrying by the door, and ran to her sister and hugged her tightly.

"We must leave at once. A messenger came and said that the clan has been overcome by the defiler. We must run." Eliauna had never before seen her twin sister so afraid and unsure before. She quietly got up and grabbed the bag full of clothes that she had packed weeks before. The entire clan knew this attack was coming, so they had fortified the perimeter and prepared for the worst. Every child old enough to fight had been trained and armed with various weapons which they were to hide in their rooms. Their younger brother had been upset when he was told that he could not fight. They coming of age for males was 54, and he had just turned 51. For girls it was 60, and the twins were 75. Elianna tensed again as dozens of screams erupted from inside the clan stronghold.

"What happened? Did the messenger say?" she asked quietly. Her sister stood to help collect Eliauna's weapons from under the floorboards.

"He did. They were holding them back well enough, but then the blockade broke somewhere along the wall and they orcs got in. he said that Azog came in on his white warg and yelled several orders in black speech. He then yelled one louder than the rest, but that time in our language." Eliauna replaced the floorboards after pulling out her weapons and sat back down on the bed.

"What did he say?" she asked timidly, not wanting to sound too afraid. Elriauna rejoined her sister on the bed, and tried to control her fear as she said the next words.

"Azog said- he, he said- 'Kill the leader and his family, but leave only the twins alive and bring them to me.'" Eliauna went pale and turned to look at her sister. As the twins locked eyes, they sent each other a message telepathically. They knew very well the reason Azog wanted them. The both had very rare powers that only some were ever blessed with. The one thing that was different about them, was that they not only had powers but were also twins. If their father had not been the leader of the clan, they would have been killed for their powers. Luckily though, no one but the family, Lord Elrond, King Thranduil, and two of the five Istari wizards knew. That was until now.

"Do you think he knows? What if he just wants to take us captive?" Eliauna asked fearfully. Elriauna shook her head and looked out the window, where the houses were being lit on fire.

"I think he found out somehow. I'm not absolutely sure, but we don't have time to think about it. We need to leave before they get to us." There was a sudden loud knocking on the door, and they both turned their heads to look at it. They waited in uneasy silence before relaxing when they heard the familiar voice of their older brother.

"Elli? Is Elriauna with you?" He sounded slightly panicked, and Eliauna quickly got up, unlocked her door and opened it. When he saw that both of his sister were safe, he relaxed and pulled them into a tight hug. "We need to get you two out of here." He pulled away and smiled sadly at them. "Do you have everything?" They nodded and picked up their stuff. He nodded too, and began to lead them downstairs.

"Where are mom and Eliestar? Are they safe?" Elriauna asked quietly. He nodded and stopped momentarily to lean down and lift up a rug on the floor. There were loose floor boards underneath, and he pulled them up to reveal a secret passage.

"They are down in the underground caves. I will join them once you ae safely out." The girls nodded, and Eliauna quickly dropped a good bye note down to the bottom.

"Eloitar? Could you give that to mom when you see her?" He nodded before closing the passage and replacing the mat. The three continued down and out of the house. They quickly ran to the edge of the clan, and then stopped.

"I'm afraid this is goodbye." Eliotar was trying hard to be strong. He embraced his sisters, but pulled back quickly when a twig snapped nearby. A low growl came from their right, and then another from their left. Elianna stepped back just as an arrow was fired, nearly missing her. As the sound of more arrows being drawn, Eliotar's hand went to his sword. "Run," he said quietly, trying to hide his fear. Both twins took one step back, but didn't go any farther. When he heard moving in the bush next to them, he stepped forward and pushed them out of the way just as an orc jumped from the bush. He slashed at it, then plunged his sword into its heart. "Run!" He yelled again desperately. When they still didn't move, and just watched as he struck down orc after orc, he yelled without thinking, "Go, now! Quickly, before I lose you too!" The twins froze as his words sank in.

"What do you mean- wait, do you mean that-"Eliauna choked as she realized what he meant. Elriauna shook her head, trying hard not to cry.

"How can, how can he be- dead? Our- our father is- dead?" She heard an orcish scream come from behind her brother and watched in horror as three black arrows plunged into his back all at once.

"NOOOOO!" she yelled in horror as he cried out. She tried running to him, but was stopped by Eliauna.

"Run! Please, run. Go to Hobbiton! The orcs don't know where that is. Try to find a hobbit named Bilbo, he will help you! Just tell him you're from the firemoon clan, and he will help you!" He was on the verge of tears as he felt his consciousness slowly slipping away. As he looked up one last time, he was relieved to see that his sisters were running away from the fight. Somehow, he had killed all of the orcs, and he fell to the ground. The last thing he saw was his sisters turning back to look at him.

As Eliauna saw her brother's eyes close, and heard him take his last breath, she couldn't hold it in any longer. She burst into tears, and her sister ran over to embrace her.

"Come, we must get to Hobbiton before the orcs find us." Eliauna nodded as she slowly stopped crying. Elriauna turned and began to run in the direction of a very familiar place. Eliauna took one last look at her dead brother before turning and running after her sister, leaving her family behind.