A/N: Three months... I feel like I can only apologize for being this slow, but the update is here. To at least try and explain myself, I have finally taken some measures to deal with things that had been bothering me probably since before I put the pen to paper for the first time and untangling this mess is kind of... difficult. Oh yes and there is also that LARP I'm going to attend in September, keeping me busy and stuff. But here it is - a brand new update I hope you will enjoy.

And here we are... It's honestly quite hard to believe that I have reached this point with this story, but I am certain that It would not have happened at all if it wasn't for the wonderful support I received from you. I don't think I can properly put in words how much it means to me, but I can promise you that what you see here is only a beginning. I hope you will stick around for the rest of the ride.

Thank you for every kudo, comment, review and ask on tumblr. Spite is as good a fuel as any, but it was your support that made all the difference!

Chapter 26

The Ambush

It wasn't until three nights later, that they came to the feet of Amon Hen, their final stop before parting ways. The following evening, Lithien was bound to return home while the rest of them would continue onward into the dangerous lands of Mordor.

The river was spilling wide, much wider than it has previously been, into the broad basin cradled between the tall, rocky hills. The lake was still and smooth under the night sky, reflecting stars and the wisps of clouds chased along by the gentle gusts of wind.

As they looked southward across the stretch of water, they could see two, tall rocks, jutting into the sky like pillars and marking the spot from which the river continued onward. Heavy vapors rose into the air there and even from their spot at the opposite edge of the lake they could hear the thunderous rumbling as the great masses of water tumbled into the valley below.

The Falls of Rauros. Lithien was tempted take a look at the great waterfall during the day, when it could be properly admired. And maybe she would; she wasn't in a hurry to return and once she will be alone, it will be an easy task to remain undetected, especially in the thick forests that sprawled across the hills on the western side of the lake.

Aragorn led them there now and they guided their boats along the banks of the lake, to the point where the gentle slopes fell into the water.

'The fields of Parth Galen' the ranger's voice carried over the water. 'It was a very fair place in the days of old. We shall rest here tonight.'

One after another, the boats turned towards the shallows. The hobbits left the vessels first, making their way towards the stretch of the meadow, while the rest of them worked to tether them to the shore.

When Lithien attempted to pull her boat further onto the gravel, a pair of hands reached out as well, helping her until the tip of the vessel was securely stuck in the wet stones. She glanced up to see Boromir, standing next to her. He had the same distant look in his eyes she had been seeing for a past few days. It unnerved her now.

When he wanted to step away, Lithien reached and caught him by the shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. For a second she thought that he will push her away, but just as quickly he relaxed, waiting for her to speak. The elleth regarded his worn features carefully, looking for anything amiss.

'Are you well?' she asked, holding his gaze.

'Just weary' he answered with a smile that could assure no one. 'Don't worry about it' he gently pulled her fingers away and turned around, throwing his shield across his back. Lithien followed him with her eyes, an uneasy feeling nestled somewhere low in her stomach.

If it was her decision to make, she wouldn't have taken him any further. Boromir was clearly struggling with something and they were a small group heading into the land of the enemy. In this case, it might be safer for them to go without another warrior, than with one that could not be fully trusted.

Maybe, if she would talk with Aragorn, he would see that too. And if need be, she could hold Boromir's attention long enough to ensure their safe passage to the other side of the lake.

At least then, she would not have made it all this way for nothing.

'Who is in trouble this time?' the question made her flinch and twist sharply, facing Legolas and Gimli who were only now pulling their boat ashore.

'My, aren't you jumpy lass?' Gimli's beard shook with a suppressed laugh. 'One could think you are up to something.'

'That's because most often she actually is' Legolas replied, just before he glanced up to see the elleth's strained expression. 'What's wrong?'

Lithien's smile turned wider and more genuine.

'That is a broad question, don't you think?' she sighed. 'I need to talk with Aragorn. Maybe afterwards we could go and try to find us something decent for supper? You are going to be relying solely on lembas bread soon enough.'

'Good idea' the ellon nodded, though he still didn't look convinced. 'I'll find you once we will set up the space for tonight' with that he turned to help Gimli pull the boat further out of the water.

Lithien left them to it and quietly slipped away.

Aragorn was already busy building a fire when she found him. She knew, that he was aware of her presence and yet he did nothing to acknowledge it.

It would be a lie if she said she expected to be treated with such coldness. Though maybe, she deserved it.

When the first small flames started to lick the wood, she sighed and cleared her throat.

'We need to talk.'

'Can't we do that later? We still need to set up a camp…'

'And we are running out of time. They can manage without you for a short while.'

'Lithien please…' the ranger pushed himself to his feet and faced her.

'I am not going to…' the elleth shook her head. 'It is pertaining to your further journey…' she glanced up, catching the sight of the hobbits and Boromir, all within the hearing distance. 'Would you walk with me?' she asked, switching to sindarin.

Aragorn's brow creased in confusion, before he nodded and turned, leading her away from the clearing and deeper between the trees.

The evening laid quiet and gentle about the forest, but she could tell by the chirping of the birds that sunrise was not too far away. They could possibly still cross the lake under the cover of darkness, but they wouldn't have enough time to find a suitable place to hide. And she had no doubts that the eastern shore was closely watched ever since Legolas took out the winged beast.

'What do you want to talk about?' Aragorn's voice interrupted the silence, forcing her to stop and turn to face him.

'Boromir' she replied. Cutting the chase was probably the best thing she could do, but her friend gave no outward reaction to her words.

'I am worried' she continued carefully. 'He has been acting strangely ever since we left the Woods…'

Aragorn looked up, but he didn't quite met her eyes.

'Something happened between the two of you' the elleth guessed. 'And you didn't think about telling me?'

The ranger sighed and shook his head.

'A mere difference of opinions… Gimli interfered, before it could turn into anything else. And you seem to draw the right conclusions on your own.'

'But you think, that I am reading too much into it?'

'I…' Aragorn hesitated. 'I think we all went through a lot already. With what awaits us after we cross the lake, I don't think we have the time to wage war amongst ourselves.'

Lithien tilted her head to the side and frowned as she regarded her friend in disbelief.

'Don't you see? This is already happening. You hardly speak with each other anymore… You are losing faith even before you stepped into Mordor and some already seek to challenge your leadership. You cannot pretend that you do not see any of it, because I surely can't…'

'Then maybe you should just leave' he cut her off, a strange edge creeping into his voice. 'We don't need any more disagreements among us.'

Lithien felt her throat constricting as she tried to come up with a response. Aragorn's expression hardened in a way that was never directed at her before.

'What do you mean?' she finally managed to squeeze out, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

Aragorn wasn't even looking at her. Between the offence at his reaction and hurt that felt like a stab of a knife, the hurt was quickly taking root. She had expected to hear those words at some point, but not from him.

Never from him.

'As you wish' she said stiffly, biting back the retort, waiting to spill past her lips. Aragorn wasn't like her bother. Loud arguments never bothered him as much as the quiet, cold quips did.

'I shall remove myself from your company, as I can clearly see that my presence here is nothing more than a burden.'

Something cracked in the ranger's expression. The elleth forced herself to ignore that, then bowed her head and turned away from him, before she could start to regret her words.

She already did; she hurt herself with those words as much as she had hurt him. But neither of them spoke and the silence between them stretched, heavy and awkward.

'I still think you should tell at least Merry and Pipping to return with me' Lithien finally spoke, stopping a few steps away from him. 'There is no need for them to be there and to risk their lives…'

Behind her, Aragorn released a tired sigh. Lithien couldn't decide if he sounded more annoyed or relived.

'Lithien, they are not children. I cannot make them do my bidding…'

'Sometimes, if you are leading people, it is your duty to make them do the right thing. Against their wishes if need be.'

Aragorn flinched, despite his best efforts to hide the reaction to her words.

'Is that what a good ruler should do in your opinion?'

Lithien smiled, though she felt no joy.

'I wouldn't know' she said, glancing at him over her shoulder. 'I lead no one, but myself. But I know that it is something Galaren would do.'

With that, she faced forward again and disappeared between the trees swiftly, leaving Aragorn alone with his thoughts.

Legolas was surprised and a little bit alarmed when Aragorn appeared at the edge of the clearing again. He saw him and Lithien slipping down that path no more than an hour ago.

The ellon patted Gimli's shoulder to get the dwarf's attention and crossed the campsite to join his friend.

Aragorn waited for him to approach, clearly keen on speaking away from the others. That, at least, put some of his worries at ease. If something truly dire had happened, he would have wanted everyone to know.

The longer Legolas looked at the ranger's face though, the more he realized that he might not be true in those assumptions. Aragorn was clearly distressed over something; even if he was trying his best to hide it behind the neutral expression, he could not quite chase the emotion out of his eyes.

'It didn't end well, I take it?' the ellon asked, when he came to stand next to his friend.

'If we are about to continue the conversation in a similar manner we might as well drop it right now' Aragorn glanced at him briefly before turning back to look at the camp.

'I would have to have the slightest idea as to what she had wanted to talk to you about' Legolas replied, folding his arms across his chest. 'Which I don't. But I wasn't about to make the mistake of asking, if you are well.'

His words earned him a chuckle.

'Where is she now, anyway?' the ellon ventured after a moment of silence.

'She offered to check the perimeter… and mentioned finding something for supper…'

Over all the years they knew each other, Aragorn has definitely improved his skills as a liar though not to the point of being unreadable. Legolas had no idea what would have justified not telling him the truth now and as much as he wanted to know, he wasn't going to rub at the spot that was so obviously raw.

'When do you plan on leaving?' the ellon continued at length. 'It's not wise to stay in one place for too long…'

'Agreed' the ranger nodded. 'But the orcs are patrolling the eastern shore and we will be easy to spot on the water. We have to wait for nightfall… And we are as safe here as we can possibly be…' he muttered, looking at their small camp surrounded by rocks and dense trees.

'Possibly' Legolas nodded. 'The orcs over there are not the problem now, however. Lithien has surely told you that we have some concerns…'

Aragorn's brow furrowed as he glanced back at his friend.

'Aye that she did…'

'Whatever she said' the ellon turned to look at his friend. 'She did so, because she is worried. And it pains her that she cannot accompany us any further. She did not mean to argue…'

'Strider!' a call cut through the silence of the early morning, and they both glanced towards the voice, watching as Sam scrambled up the slope in haste. 'Have you seen Frodo? I cannot find him anywhere…'

Legolas could see his friend restrain himself from reacting to that revelation, even though Sam was far too distressed to notice their worry.

'Maybe he went to relieve himself?' the ellon inquired, placing his hand or Aragorn's shoulder. 'He might still be nearby…'

The hobbit shook his head.

'I would've went with him. And he was still sitting beside me just a moment ago. Then I went to check up on breakfast and when I turned back around he was not there! I tried to call for him, but I am too afraid to shout…'

'Don't worry Sam we will find him' Aragorn assured, already walking back towards the camp. 'Have you asked others if they had seen him?'

'Merry saw him walking into the forest… We tried to look for him nearby, but he disappeared…'

'And we shall find him' Aragorn assured, pushing the sinking realization out of his mind. 'We will not allow any harm to come to Frodo…' the ranger sighed. 'We need to spread out. Move away from the camp in every possible direction. Whoever finds Frodo or any traces from him should come back here and wait for the rest. We cannot risk staying out alone for too long.'

'We will need everyone for the search' Legolas cut in. 'Lithien couldn't go far as well. I'll find her and once I do, we will search for Frodo together. The two of us had the best chance of tracking anything in this forest while remaining undetected.'

'Lithien knows what she is doing and how to handle herself' Aragorn didn't seem convinced. 'If she finds Frodo, I am sure that she will escort him back to the camp.'

'First, she would need to know, that we are looking for him… Whatever the two of you have argued over, this is not the time to act out on it, don't you think?'

Aragorn hesitated briefly, before he nodded.

'You are right… We will need anyone to help with the search… Just be careful out there…'

'Aren't we always?' Legolas grinned. 'We are not the ones you should be worried about' he sqeezed his friend's shoulder firmly. 'Finding Frodo is the most important thing right now…'

'We might have another problem' Gimli interrupted as he approached them, his axe already resting over his shoulder. 'Boromir is gone as well. He told me he is going to gather some firewood, but he should be back already…'

Legolas could feel the flinch that rippled along his friend's back.

'He was watching mister Frodo before!' Sam exclaimed in alarm. 'We can't leave them in the forest alone! Mister Frodo!' the hobbit bolted forward, swiftly disappearing between the trees.

Merry and Pippin were right behind him, calling their friend's name.

'Wait!' Aragorn called, but the hobbits ignored him. 'Wait all of you!' his voice descended into the string of curses. 'I'll go after them. Legolas, find Lithien. Gimli, I think you should stay here, in case Frodo turns up…'

'I don't think so laddie' the dwarf shook his head. 'You can't keep an eye on the three of them alone… I'm coming with you.'

'Don't even try' Legolas cut in when, Aragorn was opening his mouth to argue further. 'You cannot win this one. Let us go. We need to find them as soon as possible.'

'At least you are talking with sense laddie' Gimli said with a grin. 'Come now Aragorn!' the dwarf called over his shoulder as he sprinted towards the trees.

Aragorn and Legolas followed closely behind.

The water tumbled over the edge of the cliff, its roar so loud it rang in Lithien's ears. From the place where she sat, on top of a large stone near the edge of the scarp, she not only had a clear view of the massive waterfall, but she could also feel the mist seeping into her clothes and clinging to her skin.

The Falls of Rauros were truly something marvelous to look at. But even that could do nothing to bring some semblance of peace to her thoughts.

Her worries were coming into existence right in front of her.

She doubted that Aragorn would be willing to listen to her again or if there was even a sliver of possibility to convince someone else to her ways. And in just a few hours they will be all out of her reach and all she will be able to do would be returning home, defeated.

That single thought had never sat well with her.

Lithien sighed, stood up and jumped off the rock, swiftly sinking back into the forest. The ground was steep here, the trees clinging to the mountainside the falls had cut in half, but she had no trouble with climbing up and reaching the woods surrounding the lake again.

Maybe it was a mistake all along. Maybe she shouldn't have gone with them at all. The decision seemed pointless now, regardless of the support Galaren gave her. The hobbits were too loyal to abandon Frodo on their own and she wasn't able to gain the support of any of her friends.

Whatever hope they were still clinging to has certainly worked in their favor thus far.

Unless she was not looking at the right person, she realized, the sudden thought bringing her to halt. Boromir was there all along. She dismissed the possibility of using him as an ally before, when she considered his strange behavior, and decided to give him the time to work out his issues rather than add to them.

Not to mention that Aragorn would surely felt betrayed if she went behind his back like that.

But, he had brushed her off when she had only wanted to help them. And Boromir has never wanted to go straight to Mordor, opting rather to go to Minas Tirith first. He was the one who knew best what sort of dangers were waiting for them after they will cross the lake and would surely be more willing to hear her out.

He certainly didn't trust the blind luck to lead them through the enemy territory undetected just as she didn't. And maybe that was a good place to start.

With her mind made up, Lithien picked up her pace. The sooner she would be able to embark on her journey home the better, but she was once again determined to not return alone.

Her trek back to the camp continued undisturbed and it was what ultimately had given her a pause. She didn't see nor hear a single deer or a rabbit, since she climbed up the cliff. Birds fell quiet, plunging the forest around her into the heavy silence.

Lithien clung to the nearest tree trunk, hoping she had not been spotted yet, and listened. For a long while she heard nothing except for the quiet rustle of the leaves. When she decided to leave her hiding spot and continue towards the camp, she heard voices. A little more than a murmur and just enough to realize that she didn't know them.

Without much thinking, Lithien scrambled up the tree trunk, pulling herself further and further up and hiding amongst the branches. If they weren't alone in the forest, she would much rather found out whom she had stumbled upon, before possibly leading the enemy back to their camp.

She didn't have to wait long. The hoarse voices grew louder and two dark silhouettes appeared between the trees, approaching her hiding spot. Lithien quickly understood why she found their voices so strange. They spoke common, though garbled and mixed with the black speech to the point of being barely understandable. The creatures themselves were just as strange – at the first glance they reminded her of orcs. And yet, they were much larger than those she grew used to. Taller and broader than a grown man. And apparently not bothered by sunlight, filtering through the trees.

She had never seen such creatures before.

Her hand still crawled towards the hilt of a knife.

Lithien observed the two creatures as the came closer and closer her hiding spot. The trees here didn't grow too far apart, but she would be an easy target to spot among the thin leaves if she decided to bolt. Both of them carried long, sturdy bows over their shoulders and Lithien didn't feel like checking if the orcs' larger frame meant they were also better marksmen.

The elleth watched as they closed the distance completely, waiting for them to pass, so she could flee. But one of the orcs reached and smacked his feast against his companion chest, stopping him.

'What?' the creature growled, bearing its long, yellow teeth.

'I smell an elf' the other said. Lithien hear them both sniffling, their heads turning from side to side.

'Elf? Do you even know what an elf smells like?'

'No… Something green? I would really like a taste…' the orc yelped, as its companion's hand came to smack him upside the head.

'We have work to do! We find halflings and then we can eat the rest. There are elves here too if you want one so much…'

Lithien wasn't going to wait until they will sense her presence. She heard enough.

With her knife poised for a strike, she pushed herself off the branch.

There was a crunch as her blade tore through the cured leather and sunk deep into the grove between the orc's neck and shoulder. The creature gurgled, blood spraying from its lips and Lithien spun towards her second opponent, shoving the tip of her sword through its throat, before the he could reach for a weapon.

For a second, she stood there, staring into the creature's yellow eyes as it struggled to grab her, despite the blood trickling down its chin, before she brought her leg up and shoved the body off the blade.

Somewhere behind her a bird took off, screeching. The forest echoed with the sound, remaining eerily quiet otherwise.

Lithien turned and ran, taking cover behind trees and fallen rocks. Since leaving Loth Lórien, they spent the entirety of their journey worrying about the possible pursuit and yet they struck at the last possible moment. And the most opportune one – with their patience running thin and their differences driving a wedge into the fellowship, they were probably at their most vulnerable right now.

Someone knew far too much about their whereabouts. She had to join the others quickly. They likely already knew about the orcs, but if they will be caught alone, they'll end up picked off like rabbits. Together, they might still stand a chance to get away.

Lithien bolted towards another tree. When she dared to sneak a look behind it, she could easily make out dark shadows moving between the trees.

Or rather, they didn't. Not unless they would flee before being discovered.

She was so focused on tracking the orcs' movement through the forest that the presence behind her went completely unnoticed. Until a hand came to rest upon her shoulder.

Lithien resisted the urge to scream, trying her best to avoid attracting any further attention to her hiding spot. Still, she spun around and struggled for her weapon, wishing to at least look her attacker in the eyes.

She was pressed further into the tree for her efforts.

'Calm down!' a familiar voice hissed, as a strong arm grappled with hers to keep it away from a handle of the knife.

Lithien went still for one, stunned moment, before she shoved Legolas arms off her shoulders.

'Of all the people you should…' she seethed, the sudden rush of fear quickly giving way to irritation. 'Why?!'

'I didn't want you to be alone…'

Lithien blinked, momentarily surprised and then allowed the tension to seep away, leaning further into the tree trunk.

'You shouldn't bother… But we have other things to worry about…' she whispered, giving a shallow nod towards the orcs prowling the forest closer and closer to their hiding spot.

'This is why we need you. Frodo is missing and the others are out there, searching for him' the ellon sighed. 'I don't know why you have argued with Aragorn, but…'

'It doesn't matter now' Lithien shook her head. 'Where is Boromir?'

'I just told you...'

'This is why I am asking!'

'We don't know. He went to gather some wood and we have not seen him since.'

Lithien stared at him in disbelief, before she shook her head.

'That's the worry for later. We have to find the hobbits…'

'They took off, wanting to find Frodo' Legolas said. 'Aragorn chased after them. If the camp is cut off, they will probably head for the ruins. They are easy enough to spot and provide some protection if need be.'

Lithien breathed out a curse, her head pressed so hard into the tree, she felt the bark pinching her scalp. Everything was falling apart, and not at all as she expected it would.

'That's also where the orcs will go.'

'And where we should be.'

Legolas had a point. Together, they could at least fight back.

He still looked surprised when she grasped his hand.

'We go low and avoid fighting unless we'd have no other choice.'

He had a decency to smirk at her. Lithien's frown deepened and she glared at him, much to his further amusement.

'You are the last person I would expect to hear that from…'

'Well, I want to live' she snapped. 'Can you blame me for that? And those orcs are… different than the ones I fought before.'

The smirk disappeared from ellon's face. He knew that too; he took his time to observe their enemy as he searched for Lithien.

The orcs were still several feet away from their hiding spot and didn't seem any closer to discovering them.

With the last glance at each other, they ran.

The task proved to be much more difficult than either of them thought it would be. The forest was filled with orcs that seemed to crawl like ants from behind every rock and every tree. Whoever sent them, clearly did not want to leave anything to chance.

What would have taken them mere minutes otherwise, became a slow and strenuous trek between the trees. Despite their caution and light feet it was increasingly difficult to avoid being seen by the enemy. The orcs seemed to be everywhere.

They could see the fragment of the crumbled walls, between the trees, when the particularly loose stone gave beneath her foot and tumbled down the slope they climbed, pulling several other rocks down as well. The rattle could have just as well been a thunder, for as loud as it echoed through the still air.

Neither of them was able to twitch, before the first arrow flew towards them, though it bounced of the rock, completely harmless. Before she could yell for Legolas to stop, the ellon notched his own arrow, and sent it flying straight though the orc's eye.

Then the black arrows were raining about them, one after another and Lithien was certain that they stayed unharmed solely because the cloaks they were given in Lόrien made them so difficult to pick out among the leaves and bushes.

Lithien grabbed Legolas' forearm and sprinted up the slope, then straight between the trees, away from the ruins that were almost within reach just moments before. If the hobbits were there however, she would not be the one to bring them to harm. Lithien knew that further south, the woods were divided with a cliff, and if they manage to slide down quickly enough, then they might be able to lose the chase.

Or they would be pushed into jumping.

Broken neck would at least spare her from a much more gruesome end.

They dived behind a pile of rocks – the remains of wall that stood there centuries ago.

'What are you doing?' Legolas hissed, turning to face her.

'Trying to not get us killed' she growled, pulling her bow from the holster at her back. 'You are welcome.'

'And how do you propose to get away from them?' an arrow bounced off of the stone, right beside the ellon's head. He cursed, probably for the first time since she had met him and leaned from behind the wall just for long enough to take out another archer.

'They are not going to stop' he spat, sliding to the ground next to the elleth.

Lithien shot to her feet and shot an orc herself, before looking back to Legolas. She didn't speak however, merely reached for his hand and pulled him for another wild sprint between the trees.

Orcs followed them like hounds. Though they were, perhaps, even more determined.

Legolas strained against her grip and pulled his arm free.

They ducked behind two trees, standing just a few feet apart from each other.

'This is your plan?' Legolas couldn't keep the irritation out of his voice. 'To outrun them until thye tire out? This is not going to work.'

Lithien made a move to aim at the crowd chasing them, but was forced back behind the tree, when the black arrow chipped away some bark right next to her ear.

The elleth took her chance a moment later, shooting an orc and causing at least three more to topple over the collapsing body.

'We need a plan!' Legolas shouted, taking out another enemy.

'We have a plan!'

'We help no one, by running! There is at least thrice as many of them! The others are still in danger!'

Lithien glared at him, half-annoyed, half-thoughtful.

'We have to split up' she declared as if it was an obvious solution.

'We… What? Absolutely not!'

Legolas leaned out from behind his cover and sent another arrow into the approaching orcs.

'You said we can't keep running from them' Lithien flinched when another black arrow embedded itself into her tree with a dull thud. 'And you are right. If we stay together we are doomed. There is a cliff no too far from here' she added, seeing that he wanted to protest. 'They will either slaughter us at the edge or push us off. But, if we split up, we might be able to lead the smaller groups whenever we want.'

'And then what?' the ellon sounded angry, but he knew that they were running out of time.

'Find the rest. Protect the hobbits however we can. Try to survive' the elleth put an arrow on her bow and took a deep breath. 'When I tell you, run.'

'No. You first.'

'So you can be honorable and die covering my retreat?' her face scrunched up into an ugly scowl. 'I don't want that. You promised me to keep an eye on Aragorn when I will no longer be here. I'd like to hold you to that word.'

Legolas held her gaze, swallowing an urge to argue. Two more arrows found their ways into the wood protecting them. Lithien felt as if the whole tree behind her back was shivering, but she didn't turn her eyes away.

When he finally nodded, she wasted no time and notched an arrow.

'Then run… now!'

An arrow flew, then another. Lithien caught the flash of Legolas' pale hair as he bolted for the trees to their right.

Lithien fired one last time, before sprinting in the opposite direction to her companion.

She didn't look around to see how well the plan had worked. The arrows that rained about her shortly after she left her hiding spot were enough of an answer. One glided off the chainmail and leather covering her shoulder. The elleth ducked to the side sharply, avoiding the rest of the shots and trying to run back in the direction of the camp.

She hoped that someone will be there. But she had to shake her pursuit first.

She was already grabbing an arrow, before she fell behind yet another thick tree. Her quiver was getting empty; she would have to make each shot count.

Lithien leaned from behind her cover, aiming and firing, before her pursuers could notice that they were no longer facing her back.

And then watched in an utter surprise as the tall orc she had aimed at blocked her shot with a huge black shield with a white hand emblazoned in the middle.

But she didn't have the luxury of wondering. She bolted forward again, ducking, turning and trying to make herself a smaller target.

At least there weren't as many of them chasing her, as she expected by the amount of arrows fired after her. If she could take another three down with her remaining arrows, than maybe she could meet the rest in an even field.

As she passed another line of trees, her eyes landed on an ideal spot to use. Upon the low hill, rising in front of her, sat the remains of a structure that had once occupied the hilltop. A piece of crumbled wall, still wide enough to provide protection.

Given she will be able to reach it. Not only she had to run uphill, but the slope was almost completely devoid of trees.

It was also her best option now. She knew she wouldn't be able to run away from them for much longer. She once again changed the direction sharply and sprinted towards the ruins.

She was almost reaching the crest of the hill, when the orcs fired at her again.

She felt an impact against her thigh, but there was no searing pain, which told her that she either got really lucky or that her armor was much sturdier than she thought it would be.

She allowed the momentum to topple her over and she tumbled down, back towards the foot of the hill.

A shrill scream cut the air as she scrambled off the ground. She whipped towards the sound only to see two small, cloaked figures jumping and waving for the attention.

The majority of her pursuers were already sprinting towards them, joining the creatures that were already following the hobbits. The last three however stalked towards her, intent of bringing the hunt to the end.

Lithien sneered and unsheathed her sword.

The first one was too slow to cover himself from the blow. Lithien cut him open from hip to ribs and spun out of the way as the creature fell to the ground, screeching. Second one parred her blade but wasn't fast enough to avoid a dagger she shoved under his raised arm.

Third one was smarter. Took his time and observed. He came upon her, before she could disentangle herself from her previous opponent. She was forced to dodge and block, and she could feel her shoulders straining under the force of the blow.

The orc followed her, when she jumped away to create some distance. And he was a decent swordsman, a revelation that only fueled her surprise and irritation. They traded blows for a several long moments and Lithien found it more and more infuriating that he was able to see through her movements. That she had to work for her victory in what should have been an easy duel.

Getting bested in a fight like this was beneath her.

With an angry shout, Lithien lounged forward and to the side, placing herself out of range. And then she struck, cutting the orc's arm at the elbow. The creature roared and pivoted to face her, but Lithien was already waiting for him.

The blade flashed as she swept the orc's head clean of his shoulders.

The body fell to the ground with a dull thud. The head landed several feet further in a heap of fallen leaves.

Lithien lowered her sword and let out a stuttering breath. In the growing silence, the wild beating of her heart was the only thing she could hear.

She was safe.

She ran up the hill to pick up her discarded bow and turned in the direction where the hobbits have disappeared. The wide streak of trampled ground gave her an easy trail to follow. She sprinted after them. The distraction they provided has certainly helped her survive. She could only hope to do as much.

When Lithien crested yet another low hill and looked down, she finally spotted some of the pursuers, still distant and barely visible between the trees.

She reached to ready an arrow, when the air around her trembled with the booming sound that stopped her in her tracks. It rose and fell, filling the forest with an urgent wail. The noise died down, only to rise again after a brief pause.

Boromir was in trouble.

End of Book I