"I must get help!" Arwen shouted as loudly as she could. But her  throat constricted horribly on the last word. Help. They were the only ones around for many miles. It was a small blessing, as this way no obstacle should be formed by orcs or other enemies. Only mother nature was a sturdy barrier.

            She knelt beside the two fallen- one elf, one man. She had laid them on a soft patch of  grass in the forest. Legolas stirred slightly.

            "Legolas- awaken!" she whispered fervently. Accomplished as she was, Arwen doubted her skills- she had not come across a situation like this in all her years. Legolas's eyes snapped open.

            "Arwen," the word was heavy on his lips.

            "You're awake," she breathed. She hadn't expected him to be awake so soon. "Where are you hurt?" she asked, getting down to business. If an orc's arrow had pierced him, its poison would have already started seeping into his bloodstream. He pointed to the bloody gash on his thigh.

            "Their swords are sharper than I thought," Legolas smiled slightly.

            "Wait here," Arwen whispered and took a last sad look at the unconscious Aragorn. She fled to the nearby spring. Filling up her jar with pure spring water, she rushed back to the clearing. Tripping over her dress, she treated the forest to a string of Elvish curses. Why hadn't she changed before leaving?

            "I've never heard you say such a thing," remarked Legolas wryly, who was sitting propped against a tree.

            "The sight of you two unconscious can do things to an Elf," replied Arwen. "Now let me fix that nasty cut of yours." She began pouring water gently over the wound. Legolas winced. "I'm sorry," she said, back to her normal state of calm. "I must do this." She cleansed the wound of any dirt or foreign material, murmuring Elvish healing words to make sure the wound was completely clean. She dug into Legolas's pack for a fresh change of his clothes to find all were dirty.

            "Shouldn't you wash these?" she scolded him, trying to hold back a laugh.

            "I haven't time," he said defensively.

            "It's alright," she soothed him. She spoke an ancient word in Elvish and the clothes were clean. She handed them to the staring Legolas. "You have Elvish magic?" he asked. She nodded.

            "Only a little. It's not much."

            "But it is there," he replied firmly. His eyes started to droop. "Your presence..." he murmured, drifting off to sleep, "... is comforting." His eyes closed all the way, and for a second Arwen saw in him the shadow of the young boy he had once been. Now, he was an Elf in his prime, but had already seen sights she wouldn't wish upon her worst enemy. But the child in him, visible to Arwen for a moment, was untouched and pure. It was then she realized how innocent he was.

            She glanced at Aragorn, he was still unconscious. Suddenly, she heard the unmistakable trampling of  far off orcs. She unsheathed her dagger and notched an arrow in her bow. They shouldn't arrive for an hour or so, she thought. But she was wrong. The noise was getting steadily louder. She saw movement in the trees. She let her arrow fly. The orc it hit squealed and landed on the forest floor with a thud. She pressed her ear quickly to the ground. Twelve more were coming. The odds weren't good. How was she supposed to kill a dozen orcs and defend her two unconscious charges?

            Magic, something in the forest whispered to her. She whirled around to face that something, but only the trees greeted her. Use your magic, it breathed.

            Arwen obeyed. Walking quickly around Legolas and Aragorn, she muttered Elvish words fiercely. Legolas and Aragorn were now hidden from the view of the orcs. She finished and turned around just in time to spot a dozen orcs come thrashing through the forest. She let five arrows fly, one after another, and they all hit their targets. Seven were still running. She hit five more, but the last two were getting closer. She held her dagger tightly, preparing to strike, but the orcs were dead before they reached her. Razor sharp blades were embedded in their backs. They were not hers. Suddenly, the clip-clopping of a horse's hooves startled her. The aura surrounding this horse and its rider was not dark and shadowed like the Ring Wraiths. It was light and hopeful. There was movement in the trees. She caught sight of long blonde hair flying back, it was definitely human. But still, she raised her bow. "Do you come as friend or foe?" she called out.

            "Do you take me as an enemy?" a soft female voice replied. It was someone she didn't expect to find in the forests of Mirkwood.