Chloe awoke with a start o the sound of shouting, and of heavy running coming towards her. She sat bolt upright, still groggy from sleep, and barely had time to pull herself to her feet and register that she was in a forest wearing nothing but her pyjamas before she saw a large group of big, terrifying creatures getting closer and closer to where she stood, staring in shock. It was only when one of the things made eye contact with her, grinning evilly that she began to realise her predicament and back away from them before turning around and running full pelt through the alien landscape, fear coursing through her veins.
Without warning arrows started falling from all directions, felling many of the monsters chasing the girl, but any gratitude she may have felt evaporated when she suddenly felt an arrow pierce her stomach causing her to scream in pain and fall hard to her knees, clutching the bloody wound.
Swaying groggily, Chloe realised that silence had fallen over the woods, or maybe it was her ears playing tricks on her, she wasn't sure. Looking at the forest floor, Chloe jumped when a pair of feet clad in strange boots appeared in front of her. Peering up blearily, she found herself staring into the grey-blue eyes of a tall, stern-looking man with long blonde hair and an arrow pointed straight at her. Staring at the handsome male, Chloe belatedly realised the man's mouth was moving, and she opened her own mouth to tell him that she couldn't hear anything but a stab of pain caused her to wince and look down. Her hands clutched around the arrow half buried in her stomach were bright red, stained with her blood, and as if this were a trigger, the pain suddenly returned in full force. Chloe moaned in agony and held her trembling bloody hands out to the stranger, her eyes pleading for help before she fell forwards; the concerned face of the stranger the last thing she saw before darkness claimed her.
Haldir of Lothlorien was having a good day. His intelligence had warned him of the Orc group heading for his fair city long before the bulky creatures actually arrived at their borders, giving the March warden plenty of time to gather his men and prepare for combat. The battle was quick and the elves victorious with few casualties, their arrows killing many of the orcs before actual sword fighting was required. When there was no movement left in the forest, Haldir ordered his men to gather the corpses to a central point for burning, while he scoured the surrounding area to make sure there were none left alive. Moving stealthily through the brush, Haldir suddenly became aware of a loud, harsh breathing that was not his own. Notching an arrow, he moved silently forward and found a maiden on her knees in the middle of a clearing.
"What are you doing here?" Haldir barked. The girl slowly raised her head to look him at him with fear in her eyes.
"Why are you not in the city with the rest of the women?"
When he got no reply, he became angry, demanding that the maiden answer him, but then realised that she seemed to be starring at something past his shoulder. Looking behind him to check they were still indeed alone, he turned back around to see the girl look down then back at him with more than a little fear in her eyes this time. Bewildered, he began to again question her, when her hands suddenly came up towards him and he realised in horror that they were covered in blood from an arrow buried deep in her stomach. As the girl blacked out and started to fall forward, Haldir caught her before she could fall on the arrow and damage herself further, then easily swung her limp form into his arms as he shouted for a medic and began running back to the main camp.