Here is the last one shot in the series! I had a lot of fun writing this one, much different to the last.

Warnings: NONE

Title: Making New Friends: Part III

Prompt: "get out!"

Elros leapt on top of the barrel that Lethuin had used to get inside of the building. He looked up at the ledge and primed himself to jump. It was a daunting distance upwards to the sill of the window, but Elros consoled himself with the knowledge that if Lethuin could do it then he could do it as well… albeit with a slightly higher degree of difficulty because of his shorter height. Elros realised this when his fingers scarcely caught the ledge. The jump had been the problem and subsequently pulling himself up was much easier than he had imagined. Elros hefted himself into the room, careful not to make any noise.

The room he had entered was dark, not being lit by the moon's silver hue and containing no lit torches or candles. It felt crowded, perhaps being used as some sort of storage area or a common room. While his eyes slowly acclimated, he noticed the outline of many stacked boxes and tables filling the area. Indeed, there was a plethora of objects within the room… He caught sight of movement to his left.

Lethuin gave a soft whisper. "This way, Elros," he said leading a path through the maze of darkened shapes within the room.

Elros nodded, forgetting that Lethuin could not see him, and moved to follow the ellon. He weaved cautiously and quietly to the doorway. The two crept out of the room.

They found themselves in a slightly lighter hallway. A slender shaft of milky twilight extended down from a small round window set near the ceiling. They stepped down the hallway to the next room, cringing every time the rough boards beneath their feet creaked under their boots.

Lethuin signed for Elros to check one of the doors coming off of the hall. Elros gave another nod and moved to the door while Lethuin moved further along the quiet hallway, closer to the narrow stairwell.

Elros steeled himself with a deep breath before opening that door. His hand hovered over the brass latch for a second while he willed himself to remain clam. As long as he remained calm everything would be fine… That and as long as he didn't stub his toe. He reminded himself to not stub his toe. That would suck.

Sensing that he was tranquil enough not to horribly screw up, the elf lifted the latch and swiftly entered the room lest too much light enter the dark bedroom and possibly wake up an inhabitant. He blew out a low breath and straightened up from his crouch when he was certain that his presence was unnoticed. Good, he gave an internal sigh of relief. Now he merely needed to rummage through their drawers and find their jewellery box.

It should be somewhere on a dresser or something… He thought as he soundlessly stepped up to the large shadow that he was assuming was the dresser.

His sharp ears suddenly caught the sound of heavy breathing coming from what was obviously the canopied bed. Elros' back stiffened and he felt his heartrate increase exponentially. The surge of panic only lasted for a moment once he realised it originated from a sleeping human. He took a deep breath and centred his thoughts once again, resisting the urge to crinkle his nose at the sound of snoring.

With all that sound, he should be okay to do a little bit of searching at least. It would do nicely to cover his own noises. His ghosting fingers found a small square box, immediately calling to mind the image of exactly what Elros was looking for. He gripped it and sure enough the small carved wood chest was heavy. It rattled slightly as if it were filled only sparsely. Elros cradled it to his chest with one hand and groped in the dark for anything else that was suspicious.

Nothing else could be found. Elros glanced back at the bed behind him. The breathing still sounded regular. He probably had enough time to dig for the necklace. He looked around the room and found the curtained window. Cracking the fabric open slightly Elros placed the box on the window sill and opened it.

The wooden chest was, indeed, filled poorly. However, there was a necklace. It was a beautiful necklace that shimmered as it caught the gentle rays of the moon. It was captivating to Elros.

The gems set within the silver metal were firmly set, exquisitely crafted by a hand that could never be mistaken for the craft of men. This had to be the necklace they had come on this mission for. Elros greedily snatched the beauty out of the box and shoved it into his trousers' pockets. He removed the cheaper replica that Lethuin had given him just before they had left on this excursion from his pocket and placed it in the original place. The man who owned the necklace (or more likely his wife, Elros thought) would not notice… hopefully not.

Elros placed the jewellery box back where he had found it and made a silent retreat from the room. He chuckled as soon as the door was closed. The man would have hell to pay if his wife found out it wasn't real… This mission was going pretty well.

Elros must have thought too soon because not a second after that observation had manifested in Elros' mind a loud, gruff bark sounded from the bottom floor.

Several things happened at once after Elros registered that panic-inducing sound. Lethuin scrambled up the narrow stairway eyes bulging and definitely not being quiet anymore. Another bark cut through the formerly still atmosphere. A bright orange light bloomed from the bottom of the stairs and a man downstairs yelled out an unintelligible order.

It took a second for all this to cause a reaction but Elros came back to himself and turned to bang out as quickly as he could. He turned on his heel and hastily retraced his steps to the room from which they had come from.

Elros was vaguely aware of Lethuin following him. The auburn-haired ellon slammed the door shut behind him and hurriedly flipped one of the tables against the wooden door, sending paraphernalia scattering over the floor. Elros pushed through the many boxes in the room and finally reached the window.

The sound of men's boots and the barking filled the house. They pounded on the door, threatening to break it down. Elros didn't waste any time looking back to see if they were able to get through it. He jumped out of the window and landed nimbly atop the barrel. Thank the Valar it did not bust under the sudden weight placed on it. He leapt onto the ground level, noting the sound of Lethuin landing behind him. All Elros wanted to do was run away. Panic rushed through his body, but he couldn't let his adrenaline make him do something stupid. Luckily, Lethuin was near at hand to offer instant guidance.

"Back to the boat. Galion will be there," Lethuin hissed as he broke into a swift run in the direction of their boat.

Elros followed his leader, acutely aware that the entire district was alighting in torches at the raising of the alarm by the homeowners. The two elves ducked and moved through the crowded corridors of the city. It was easy to get lost in the city and Elros was now struggling to keep his bearings straight amid the disorder. He quickly jumped over a barrel that had been knocked over by Lethuin.

The sound of rushing footsteps was closing in on them, pounding against the bare wooden docks. Elros caught sight through a slim space between two squished houses of silver armour sparkling in the night. They were going to get caught-

Lethuin made a sudden turn, startling Elros. The younger ellon was not fast enough to have followed the other and would have had to skid to a halt if Lethuin had not called out hoarsely. "Keep going!" He called.

Elros ground his jaw and determinedly continued on his run. Of course. He was always being left alone to finish the mission by himself. A shout and flailing arms trying to grab him flew out from behind a corner. Elros was barely able to miss the grip of the man with a timely twist. His hands found a loose board hanging off the roof of a house. Elros slammed the plank into the tall plumed helmet of the guard. It was enough of a hit to cause the man to crumple.

Elros wasn't out of it yet. The delay had allowed the other chasers to gain on him. He quickly picked up his speed once again, feeling himself grin with the adrenaline coursing through his body.

These men were fast and had the advantage of knowing their city but they did not have elven agility. Elros vaulted over a rickety bridge in his path, landing lightly. That would keep them. He ducked behind a building having lost his pursuers for now. The elf very quickly made his way back the direction where the boat was.

Finally, he caught sight of Galion waiting apprehensively in the shadows. "Where is Lethuin?" Elros asked through heavy breaths as he jogged to the side of his companion.

Galion shrugged. "I did not see him. I am sure he is fine." The butler stepped carefully into the boat. "We won't wait for him… unless he was able to find the necklace?" Galion asked hopefully.

Elros shook his head. "I have it," he said scanning the area. This area of the city was abuzz and they would not be able to go unnoticed here for much longer. He hoped Lethuin would get here soon. He will, he told himself. Lethuin was more experienced at getting out of tight situations then either of them.

Galion took the oars. "Then get in. We cannot risk the mission-" He started but his words were cut off by the commotion of a chase breaking around the corner.

Both ellyn whirled around to face the disturbance.

Lethuin was dashing towards them at full tilt. His face was one of controlled panic… If that was possible.

Elros immediately obeyed Galion's previous orders and hastily climbed into the small boat.

It was fractions of seconds later when Lethuin danced over the swaying planks making up the dock and slipped into the vessel as well. The men chasing him turned the corner at that moment, but Galion pushed away from the dock with strong arms. Elros lifted a paddle out of the bottom of the boat and guided the vessel through the water in accompaniment to Galion.

"We are going to need cover fire to cross under the boardwalk," Lethuin ordered giving Galion a sharp look.

The butler nodded curtly, handing over command of the oars to Lethuin. Elros dropped his paddle and took the quiver and bow that Lethuin had stashed in the boat for himself. Elros was not used to using this type of bow but he would have to make it work. He silently cursed himself for only bringing is sword.

Elros nocked an arrow even as Galion's own bow sang, sending an arrow flying over the rippling water.

Elros took aim at the group of men that were now dispersing, planning on splitting up and taking shots from various other points along the waterway. The elf made certain not to actually hit any of the men but kept up the fire. He needed to keep the men at bay until the trio reached open water. He doubted even then they would be able to take it easy. These men were water farers and damn good ones at that. Elros predicted the guards on the lake had been notified of them and were probably already waiting for the three thieves. Elros took another shot, not hearing his own arrow's path over the sound of the men's shouting.

Galion himself was shooting forward at the fast-approaching boardwalk. There were already about fifteen men with bows and crossbows stationed along the wooden walkway.

The guards took blind shots at the water, not seeing the grey boat against the brilliant moon beams reflecting off the lake's face. Galion nocked another arrow and sent it sailing satisfyingly into the post right beside one the guards. The man startled and almost fell into the water. Galion smirked. This wasn't that bad.

The butler's smile left him quickly when one of the men noted their position and let an arrow loose. It sailed far to close, nearly snapping the right oar from Lethuin's hands. Galion sent an answering shot that hit flesh, piercing the man in the shoulder and procuring a loud scream.

Behind him, Galion heard a sharp intake of breath issue from Lethuin. "Sorry," Galion whispered apathetically.

The death of one their own seemed to make the men hesitate, a hesitation which was quickly taken advantage of by the ellyn. Galion let loose a few more shots until they passed under the boardwalk. He knew that the other side would be the most difficult. The guards would have to be stupid not to know where the trio would be emerging.

Galion was right. He hated being right about these things. The shower of arrows came down and each elf counted himself lucky that none found a living mark. The boat, however, was suddenly arrayed with a dozen arrows sticking up from various places like the spike adorning a hedgehog's back. Elros aimed his bow and took a few more shots but the open water was much easier for Lethuin to navigate and, soon, the boat was out of crossbow range.

The leader of the trio drove the oars through the water, carving little waves into the once tranquil water until they were safely out of the reach of Laketown's archer's sight.

Galion shot one last arrow over Elros' shoulder. It snagged a soldier on the prim plume of his helmet. A sudden hush fell over the three, punctuated only by the sound of Lethuin's thrusts and the ellyn's harsh breathing.

The men of the Laketown did not appear to be following them any longer. Elros had thought that they would have sent boats out… "I thought they would have sent boats out," Elros said quietly, breaking the silence.

Lethuin did not take his eyes off wat was in front of him. He remained silent.

"I am glad they didn't," Galion said. "I suppose we are someone else's problem now."

Elros let his head drop in a sudden mix of tiredness and relief. He smiled then snorted. "That reminds me of our king," he said, lifting his head and letting the smile turn into a grin.

Galion laughed a hearty laugh. "It really does."

Lethuin turned to cut brusquely into the two's conversation. "Elros, did you get the necklace by chance?" He asked, hoping that this mission had not been an utter failure.

Elros dug into his pocket and produced the beautiful treasure with a triumphant sparkle in his dark eyes. "Mission accomplished, Lethuin," he pronounced.

Lethuin almost sagged as relief washed over him, but he was able to restrain himself. He wasn't able to supress the smile that crossed his face no matter how hard he tried. "So it seems." Lethuin faced the shore again, delight filling his soul. This was wonderful. "Looks like drinks are on King Thranduil tonight!" He said enthusiastically through white teeth.

Elros hooted and Galion threw a fist at the velvet, star-studded sky.