All LOTR references, characters, places, etc. belong to their original creator, J.R.R. Tolkien. I only own my original characters and some additions I will be making to the story.


Chapter 1 - The Elven Warrior

In the shade of Fangorn, an elven warrior wandered through heavy brush, a hand settled comfortably on her bow. Deep though she was in the forest, she had already come across two parties of orcs. None of them had proven much of a challenge and while part of her thirsted for a better test of her skill, the wiser part merely thanked the Valar for such luck. Still, she knew well enough to stay on guard. Part of her good fortune was owed solely to the aid of the forest itself. During her time there, the young elleth had taken to listening to the trees. With time she was even able to whisper to a few trees touched most strongly by the elven power that had awoken them in the beginning. As she had in other days, she now sensed a disturbance that rippled through the mood of the forest. It carried with it a feeling of danger that sent her into the overhanging branches for cover. Her tunic and leggings matched the dim colors of the woods and hid her well from seeking eyes but it was wise to be cautious regardless. With her powerful senses on high alert, she pressed close to the foliage in hopes of spotting the source of the unease. A snap sounded like thunder through the wood and the elleth carefully readied her bow. The sound of crackling leaves and grunting drew closer and her stance grew tense with anticipation.

The first face to appear through the thicket was a gruesome looking Uruk-hai wearing hastily made armor, stamped with the white hand of Saruman. The pike in his hand was just as poorly made but quality wasn't needed for the damage it could cause. The coarsely shaped steel would slice through delicate flesh with ease. The elf carefully searched the creature, pinpointing the weak spots in its armor before looking back to the brush from which the Uruk-hai had appeared. Following the creature were several orcs, muttering amongst each other with uneasy eyes trained on the woods around them. The squadron was no more comfortable than the young elf but at least the trees knew enough not to harm her. They thirsted for orc blood and would not be stopped from taking their revenge on the foul creatures who cut their brothers down. In this place, these monsters stood no chance. Even now the ancient forest was whispering of its hatred. Time had taught them patience however, and they would not move so long as the elf stood among them, acting in their place.

Among the deep green leaves, it was impossible to notice similarly colored eyes peering down at the invaders and none of the orcs had the patience to remain completely on guard during their long trek. Without the constant threat of combat, orcs easily became complacent. The head of an arrow was effortlessly hidden from them amongst the leaves regardless.

Taking careful aim, the elleth let loose the arrow with a whispering of the wind muffling the twang of her bow. Her aim held true, striking the Uruk-hai right under his arm. Another arrow followed quickly and the creature was felled before the orcs even realized their superior had been shot. Mayhem followed as the orcs shouted and began searching for the invisible assassin. The flash of an elven blade caught one unfortunate orc's attention and he was the second to die by the elf's hand as she took to the ground. Once they realized the killer was among them – and that it was a female – the others turned and began circling her, taunting carelessly. One particularly gruesome creature snarled, "Look boys, seems lunch has found us today!" The elleth turned slowly, tracking their movements as they stepped closer. A second orc sneered as he spoke, licking his lips in anticipation. "Maybe we should have a little fun with her first, eh? No one to stop us."

Too foolish to notice the warrior's glint in the elf's eyes, the orc leapt forward, swinging his ax wildly. It only took a moment for her to evade the poorly aimed blow and with a flash of her blade the orc was beheaded. Again the stunted creatures simply stood in disbelief. Returning to her relaxed stance, the elf glowered at them. Her voice was cold as she addressed the whole unit, "Even for orcs you're disappointing. This will be far easier than I would have liked." With those words she leapt forward, carving through the group as they put up a last ditch effort to crowd her into submission.

A few meters away, a great miscalculation was about to change the course of her fate. The Uruk-hai moved slightly, a breath of life still left in him. Weakly, he reached for his horn and blew three sharp notes into it. The warrior spun around, her expression grim as she recognized the call for reinforcements. She cursed swiftly in Dwarfish, as there are no real curses in Elven, and quickly dispatched the last of the creatures. A roar echoed through the forest and the elf threw her bow over her shoulder hastily. She took to the north, using the natural speed of her heritage to put distance between herself and the host that had answered the Uruk-hai's last call. Weaving through the maze of trees, she shook them from her trail carefully, not wanting to lead the orcs to her destination. As the foliage grew thicker, she slowed. The noise had faded into nothingness and a safe clearing lay just ahead. It took only a moment to push through the last of the underbrush with her sword and she pressed onwards wearily. She had secured this clearing several weeks ago, laying traps to protect the spot in her absence. Seeing several untouched nearby, she settled comfortably against a log to rest a moment.

The calm did not last as she expected however, as a strange rustling caught her eye just to the left of the clearing several minutes later. She stepped forward to investigate the disturbance, but was caught unprepared as the branches of the bush suddenly exploded outwards. A wicked looking crossbow arrow shot towards her and the elleth heaved her sword up, knocking the steel rod aside with bare inches to spare. The dull thud of its landing sounded behind her but the elf had far greater priorities to focus on. Immediately following the arrow were burnished steel weapons of every kind in the hands of a great host of orcs. The elf's eyes widened in shock at the flood of enemies. The skill with which they had hidden their presence was unbelievable and the attack had caught her completely off guard. It was too great a mass for one fighter, but her options were limited. Her enemies rose from all sides and the thicket grew too crowded for her to slip away from behind. She swiftly took count of the mass, finding nearly three dozen on the attack. With no clear escape route, she had no choice but to fight her way through.

Her arrows took the first of the orcs to their deaths, making their comrades cautious as they approached. The bronze fletched weapons did not last long though. When the last of them slid from her fingertips, the elleth switched to her long sword. From her boot she also drew a narrow dagger that could slay just as easily with the right angle. If she was going to survive, she would have to make it back to the trees. There, she could take to the sky and vanish in the foliage. Shifting into a predatory crouch, she let loose a cry of her own and flew forward into the hoard. There was no fear, no hesitation now. Death would not take her here.


A/N: This fic has seen a lot of love since its creation, and now brand new wording gives it a shiny finish. I hope you enjoy the adjustments! If for some reason, you prefer the old version, feel free to leave me a love note about why. I'm absolutely open to comments, constructive criticism, and story predictions so please feel free to message me and leave a review! There's no formal posting schedule for this yet, but I will let you know as soon as I have it sorted.