Prelude~

The early afternoon sunlight splayed through the trees of the forest behind a row of houses, dancing over the figure of a young woman with amber red hair holding a wooden sword in one hand and wooden shield in the other. Her back was to a tree as she was waiting for her younger brother to come across her since they were once again mock fighting, this time though they were in Middle-Earth and he was the Orc and she was an Elf. The snapping of a twig alerted her to the fact he was coming and so slowing her breath leaned her head back against the tree and closed her eyes letting her hearing take over for her. His footsteps were coming ever closer and the crunch of the forest bed under his feet echoed in her mind's eye. Suddenly he stopped and called out,

"I'm going to get you Anna!" she smiled at this and jumping out before him catching him by surprise causing him to drop his wooden sword. Laughing Anna thrust the wooden sword under his arm and acting as if she had actually stabbed him while he groaned and moaned before hobbling around and falling down supposedly dead. He instantly began to giggle and sitting up took the sword from under his arm and threw it back to her saying,

"Good one Anna!"

"Well I am the Elf here, not you." she replied grinning and catching the sword with one hand. As her brother got up she went over to help him but he refused her help saying,

"An Orc needs no help." this caused her to laugh and he quickly joined her. Swinging one arm over his shoulder, Anna said,

"Come on kid time to head back." he began to complain but she silenced him with the promise of watching the Lord of the Rings movies when they got back home. He instantly brightened up and they headed off, Anna's wooden sword and shield in her hands, her brother's sword in his. As they walked they followed the same worn out path they always used in and out of the forest never once noticing that it was leading them away from the tree line instead of towards it. They walked for a little while longer before they realized something was way off, they should have made it to the tree line by now but instead it looked as if they were heading further away from it. Both turned to look behind them to find nothing familiar about the area and looking to one another it was Anna's brother who said,

"We're lost." shaking her head, Anna frowned and turned back around saying,

"No, we should be heading in the right direction."

"But we're not, look around silly I don't recognize this part of the woods and we've been all over it!" her brother said waving his arms around dramatically to prove his point.

"Ok smarty pants then what do we do?" she asked him hands on hips and leaning to one side. Her brother thought a moment before saying,

"Climb a tree, see if we can see our houses from the top." and so they both picked a sturdy looking tree and began to climb, the fake weapons at the base of the tree. As they climbed Anna kept saying,

"This is ridiculous." over and over again but when they got as high as they could go without breaking the branches or falling they looked around to see no sign of home.

"Great, we really are lost." Anna said her eyes scanning the forests for anything that looked familiar. Suddenly her eyes caught sight of tree movement and hearing a horn turned to look at her brother whose face was white.

"Someone's coming!" she said and together they raced back down the tree only to get the shock of their lives, the fake weapons they had made from old wood were now one hundred present real. The blades of both swords were sharp and deadly looking, the shield sturdy and solid and as Anna picked up her sword she found it light enough that she actually could.

"What the hell?" she asked looking at both the sword and shield with wonder. She had no time to ponder on these things when an arrow slammed into the tree right beside her head and looking up both Anna and her brother caught sight of several large creatures running towards them. Hunched over, their skin was dark and oily looking, their eyes bright yellow and sickly, their teeth sharp and pointed.

"Oh my goodness." her brother said under his breath for both recognized them as Orcs from Lord of the Rings, but that was impossible right? Taking a fighting stance, Anna slapped her brother's shoulder saying,

"Get ready."

"For what? We can't fight them!" he replied his voice filled with fright. At his words he felt a weight on his arm and looking down saw a horn hanging from it. The horn was pure white and perfectly carved and without even thinking he put it to his lips and blew a single sharp note. At that moment the Orcs barreled down on them and Anna had to start using what she had learned in her fencing lessons. She swung with all her might, fighting them off as best she could as her brother continue to blow on the horn from behind her. Suddenly the sound of the horn stopped and turning around Anna saw that two Orcs had picked him up and were running away with him.

"ROGER!" she screamed and began fighting her way towards him but the onslaught was too much for her and she was only one person.

"ANNA!" cried Roger as he was carried away from her fighting form. As Anna fought the Orcs trying to reach her brother she noticed movement coming towards her and prayed that there weren't more. But an arrow to one of the Orcs neck before her made her realize that the things coming weren't Orcs but,

"Elves!" she said in relief as the Elves fired a volley of arrows into the bodies of the Orcs severally wounding them and causing several to fall. As she swung against one Orc she heard Elvish commands being given and recognize the voice as belonging to Haldir from Lothlorien. With his bow aimed at one Orc right beside her, he was dressed just like in the movies only much more frightening.

"Haldir!" she cried but her voice was cut off when an Orc slammed his sword down upon her right shoulder. Instantly she fell onto her knees screaming in agony. Her sword left her hand as did her shield and she was sure for a moment she was dead, but the sound of an arrow whizzing by her head and the gasping sound of the Orc behind her made her know that someone had taken him out before he could finish her off. The thudding sound behind her confirmed her suspicions and as she grabbed at her wound she noticed several Elves surrounding her, Haldir coming to stand before her.

"What are you doing in the Lady's woods alongside these Orcs?" he asked her in Elvish but seeing as if she didn't understand him she said the one word she knew in Elvish,

"Don't." he looked confused for a moment before he realized that she didn't understand him.

"Why are you in the woods along with these Orcs?" he asked again but this time in the Common Tongue. That she understood and so with heavy breaths said,

"Me and my brother were walking home, we got lost and then we were attacked." as she spoke her vision began to swim and noticing her honey colored eyes glazing over Haldir sighed and rolled his eyes knowing she was going to faint. Just as he predicted she did, falling over onto her side with the hand that had been holding her shoulder falling limp beside her.

"What do we do brother?" asked Rumil who stood beside his brother with a look of worry on his face. It was Orophin who knelt beside the now unconscious woman and quickly inspecting her wound turned to say,

"If she doesn't see a healer she will die." rubbing his forehead with his hand, Haldir sighed deeply before speaking again,

"Take her to the city then, I shall go on ahead and alert the Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel." nodding, Rumil scooped up Anna into his arms mindful of the wound on her shoulder and they headed towards the city with Haldir running on ahead. By the time he reached the city the sun was setting sending a golden glow over the city. Rushing to the Lord and Lady's talan he knocked several times.

"Enter Marchwarden." came the voice of the Lady and opening the door to the talan Haldir found them standing just beyond the doorway. He was about to speak when the Lady rose her slender hand saying,

"No need Marchwarden, I have already seen what you have and know of her coming."

"We will need a healer." he added and she merely nodded before saying,

"Come." and so he followed her towards the Healing Hall.