I'm really excited about writing this story, so if I get something wrong please send me a personal message so that I can go back and fix it. I really want this story to be done right, especially with all the big Lord of the Rings fans out there. Oh, and this will mostly be following the movies (director cut edition), possibly with some small references to the books.

Also, I'm going to attempt the impossible by using the Elvish language in my story (again, please tell me if I do something wrong). This is how it will work: "Pelin pedi i lam edhellen. ~I can speak the Elvish language. ~" So Elvish, followed by the English translation. So have fun reading :)

~MisticLight

~.~.~.~.

Running.

I can't really explain the comforting feeling that takes over me as I sprint alongside my fellow marchwardens. It's like the shadows of the world suddenly fades away for a brief moment. But that feeling stops once Haldir commands us to take our positions behind a tree. I always hated that part. Nothing ever exciting happens until our enemies begin moving again.

My job, or rather the sentinels of Lórien's duty, is to patrol the northern borders of Lothlórien. We must defend the splendid city from orcs, goblins, and whatever other dark creature crosses out path. It doesn't really matter what it is. Either way we're going to have to kill it.

To my greatest joy, we're actually hunting instead of patrolling today. We're currently tracking a decently-sized group of passing orcs. Everyone has their bows out and ready to fire as soon as a signal from Haldir is given. There's only one problem: the orcs have a greater number. So we must be careful with our timing as even the swiftest of warriors can fall if they do not pay attention.

"Daro. ~Halt. ~" Haldir suddenly commanded our small group in a hushed tone before positioning himself behind a tree. I took my place near one of the tall gray trees closest to him. Even with our light elf feet, orcs know when they are being followed.

They'll randomly stop in their tracks and form a tight clump with their weapons drawn. Some would sniff the air while others scanned the forest around them. I don't know if they could smell us, but our shadowy-gray cloaks we wore blended into the trees. This made it nearly impossible to spot us unless we suddenly moved; and we elves are pretty good at standing still for long periods of time.

"Gwe nuitha-maethad? ~We are not to fight? ~" I questioned, crinkling my nose with irritation. An orc instantly turned his head in our direction. I tucked my head further behind the tree and faced Haldir. With the slightest of movements he placed his finger over his lips and shook his head. I rolled my eyes at him and looked past the tree once more.

We can take them. I told myself as I looked upon the still searching enemy. What's the point in protecting Lothlórien if we're not shedding any blood? My mother, Gavina, always said that my impatience would be an issue when joining the marchwardens. But I never did listen to her.

Slinging my bow across my back, I took a step away from the smooth tree and analyzed its branches. I could feel everyone's questioning glance, but easily ignored them. I bent my knees—the branch was quite the distance above the ground—and leapt onto the closest branch. It wasn't the most graceful of landings—the branch shook from the unexpected weight that had been placed upon it—but the orcs didn't seem to notice. They were too concentrated on finding the source of the whisper I had uttered a few moments before.

Satisfied with their disregarded of me, I hoisted myself onto the branch a short distance above me. Luckily the gentle wind of Lórien covered up the rustling leaves that erupted from my movement. Once up, I crawled towards the edge of the branch so I would remain hidden yet still have proper aim on the orcs below.

I drew my bow once more and placed an arrow upon the string. But before I did anything too drastic, I looked back down at Haldir and the others. Haldir must have told everyone to prepare for my rash actions because all the elves had readied bows and spread out around the forest to create a better assault formation. All eyes were on the orcs….well all except Haldir. Although an arrow was pointed at the enemy before him, his eyes told otherwise. The heat behind them seemed to draw an arrow through myself rather than the orcs. Instead of staring him down with my green eyes, I looked down at the orcs and released the tension from my bow.

The arrow pierced the searching orc right through his ugly neck. He released a brutal death cry and fell to his knees, causing the other orcs to focus their attention to the trees. While all of this happened, I jumped towards the adjacent tree so none would know my location. Apparently I can't judge distances very well because I missed my intended branch and ended up sliding down the trunk. I didn't want to hurt the tree with my blade, so I wrapped my hands around the narrow trunk and pushed my feet at an angle. This way I was able to rotate my body to the side and plop onto a different branch a few yards down.

A sigh escaped my lips, but I couldn't let the relief stay within me for too long. I had started a battle. Judging by the scene below me, I'd say it was going to be the best one we've had in a while. With a smirk filled with too much excitement, I redrew my bow and fiercely launched arrow after arrow down into the massive group of surprised orcs.

I killed off the orcs before anyone could point me out, but I still found myself having to duck out of the way of an arrow. Guess I'm not as secretive as I thought...

The arrow wedged itself into the magnificent tree that protected me. "Gwaur orch. ~Dirty orch.~" I cursed while pulling the arrow out of the tree. My glare never left the sneering orcs eyes, even if he couldn't find my own. I strung my bow and jumped into the cover of the forest with my fellow kin, we always use the element of surprise and coverage unless otherwise needed.

Throughout the fall, I kept my gaze on the orc so that when my feet reached the ground I'd be leveled with his head. The fall shot some pain through my shins, but my desire to kill this foul orc easily covered it up. I released my hand and watched with satisfaction as the arrow the orc had just launched ran clean through his head. I then grabbed another arrow and located a new target to feel my wrath.

With our surprise advantage, the orcs were killed much faster than what I had thought. They never were the brightest of creatures. I thought with a roll of my eyes. I gathered another one of our elvish arrows and placed it into the casing on my back. I'd rather reuse an arrow than have precious resources wasted for new ones. As long as the balance was the same, it really didn't matter what kind of arrows I used.

"Niaril! What were you thinking?" The angered voice of Haldir boomed throughout the quiet forest. My head instantly snapped up to him, although I shouldn't be too surprised since he scolds me often. Not only did Haldir use my full name, but he was speaking Westron so no one else could understand what we said.

Not very many of the Silvan elves knew the language because no one really sets foot out of Lothlórien. I had taken some trips with my father, Neirin, when he went to collect news from the outside world, so I knew most of the language. Haldir had furthered my teachings when my parents sailed to the West.

"Haldir, you must be quiet. What if there are more orcs around here? Orcs can pursue foes for many leagues to avenge the death of a comrade." I hurried over to him so that he wouldn't have to yell as loud the next time he spoke.

"And you mustn't forget who taught you that." Haldir nearly glared at me. He paused for a few moments before adding onto his tirade. "You, Nia, are fortunate that none suffered from the poisoned blade of an orc. Many were scraped with arrows, but none with a blade."

"Good. Then my actions were only beneficial." I beamed up at him in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"That is not the point!" Haldir lifted a hand to his face as if he were trying to explain something to a child. And who was that 'child'? ….Me. My smile instantly changed into a frown. "Things could have been far worse because of you. Before your boldness consumed you, we had the possibility of only suffering few damages."

"But everything turned out fine. You're over-"

"We don't have time for this!" Haldir silenced me once he noticed the ever-growing eyes watching our conversation. He took a few deep breaths to calm his voice. "... It's nearly nightfall." Haldir then directed his attentions towards the crowd around us, although his angered eyes lingered on me. "Nan Talan. ~To the platforms. ~" His command was instantly followed. Two lines of elves clad in gray cloaks were soon formed. I lifted my hood over my typical blonde hair and took my place in the front alongside Haldir. But this was not to be. "To the back, Nia."

I hated being in the back, and he knew that. When you are in the rear, you reach the destination after everyone else has already had the chance to experience it. Their actions can tell you if something terrible was approaching. Or if the most splendid of surprises cam your way. It's just not as adventurous as choosing the journey for everyone else to follow. Although I detested Haldir's command, I knew when to not act out. He was still the leader of this small band of elves.

I crossed my arms and, with a most unladylike grunt, marched towards the back of the line. My mouth rejected any words from reaching elvish ears, but my eyes expressed much revulsion. I'm sure everyone got a good chuckle out of my punishment, even if they hadn't exactly known what Haldir said to me. The march towards our sleeping quarters started as soon I planted my feet at the end of the line.

The more the darkness surrounded us, the faster I wanted to reach the Talan. Darkness wasn't exactly my favorite thing in the world. So the faster we got there, the faster I could shut it out and let my mind take control. I just hope my dreams aren't filled with these dark shadows.