Author's Note: Hi, everyone! Alaneth really dominates this chapter and I guess I didn't know she had this potential in her. This is my attempt at some actions, so please feel free to comment! Enjoy~


Alaneth could never have imagined being frightened by a forest. The rain was blinding her, and the long dress dragged her down. She tried not to slip, but the treacherous branches wouldn't cooperate. She didn't know how long she had been running in the trees, and she couldn't make out the direction, for the thick clouds had veiled the stars. She wanted to scream, and everywhere she went, she seemed to hear the Orcs approaching. She stopped, propping herself up from a tree and breathed hard. She shook her head forcefully as if denying the imaginary sounds that threatened to burst her mind. She gazed desperately forward, and the darkness was heavy.

She bristled at the unmistakable throaty sound coming from a sniffing Orc. Alaneth looked around the landscape. She couldn't fled fast enough, and the sensitivity to an Elf's scent was almost instinctive in an Orc's blood. The land on her left was sloping up, and with her best sight, she saw the land plunged down and she couldn't see any ground further. She didn't have the time to think about what it could be; the sole thought on her mind was that if she couldn't see further, the Orcs couldn't either.

Her entire body was shaking with shock and fear. Lying before her was a chasm. She could see the other side looming low, but she couldn't risk the jump. The rain was messing up her sense of distance, and the ground was too slippery to guarantee a safe landing. She looked down. It was deep, but not unfathomable. Luckily, the side of the broken land was rocky and provided many footholds. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to control the fear welling up, and it was a narrow success. Looking over her shoulder one more time, Alaneth flung herself down.

It was the hardest climb she had ever had, and the chasm opened its dark mouth to devour her. Her arms were giving up, and the rock cut deep into her flesh because she had to hold on as tightly as possible when her feet kept slipping. She could hear the Orcs coming this way, sniffing in the murky air. Panic made her falter.

There was one name she screamed out in her mind. Thorin!

She didn't care about how he hurt her, how he would be even less able to make it to the bottom and how he would probably be just as helpless. All the care flew out of her mind, and she could barely help the sob that almost broke out when she touched the ground again. She flung herself around and pressed herself as close to the stone wall as possible. She edged sideways, vigilant eyes searching upward for the yellow Orc eyes. The stone wall suddenly caved in and she bumped into a thick grove. Trees were starting to bring shelter over her head and she assumed she was slowing ascending. The trees and grove were almost impassable, and she had to skirt to the edge of trees and duck down to get away from the tangling branches.

The Orcs didn't show up. Alaneth still listened intently to the edge of the rock cliff she just climbed down, half crouching in a pose of attack.

No Orcs.

She let out a long breath and diverted her eyes to her surroundings, when she felt a cold hand grasping her shoulder, yanking her back. Another damp hand when to her mouth, just in time to block her shriek.


Her hands shot to the hand covering her mouth and her fingers dug into the flesh. Strangely, the hand wasn't so ghastly as she imagined. It was rough, but thick and steady. The hand on her shoulder dragged her backwards, and raw horror struck her as she imagined the cold, slimy body she was about to crush into. Her legs kicked wildly, and she fought the dragging force, and drove her elbow as hard as possible backwards. It hit something and she heard the creäture gasped. She wished she had broken a rib or at least strike the breath out of it, but the hands on her never loosened. Her body finally hit whoever was grasping her, and her whole body went rigid when she felt its face pressed close to the side of her hair. She yanked her head hard sideways and her stomach churned as she felt the creature's faint breath on her ear. "Alaneth!" The voice hissed.

What? It said her name? As she stopped fighting, the hands immediately loosened, but they yanked her even harder when she made out a faint sound coming from above. Her back hit the cliff hard, and she grimaced as a protrusion dug into her back. That hand went back to her mouth, and the next thing she knew, she was staring at Thorin Oakenshield, trapped between him and the chilling cliff.

Thorin's heart was squeezed hard at the sight of her. Alaneth was simply messed up. Her pale locks went free from the pin and stuck to her face. For the first time since Alaneth went away with them, Thorin blamed himself. Staring back at her was a pair of frightened eyes. Instead of to a proud Elvish archer, they belonged to a scared girl who couldn't conceal her astonishment at what she hadn't quite bargained for. He didn't drag her here, but she wouldn't have been there if he hadn't ever stumbled across her father's territory. In those eyes, realization sipped through, and despite all the rain, Thorin saw tears shining in them. He shook his head at her and looked up. Orcs were up there. Alaneth looked up, but the canopy of the trees was blocking her sight. The noise above stopped, and even through the protection of the leaves, Alaneth could still feel the sickening gaze of an Orc sweeping across. Thorin bowed his head and pressed both of them further to the cliff.

Maybe only seconds passed, but Alaneth could swear she'd seen ages. She strained her ears one more time and tugged at Thorin's cloak and nodded. Thorin released her. "It's gone." She whispered, slowly recovering from her shock. Her eyes never left Thorin except for a swift sweep around. More people were there, and she could make up the hooded figure of Emroy edging out of the edge of the groves, making sure no Orcs were above. She just stared at Thorin.

Gladness flooded her heart, yet she wanted to scream at him. Her legs finally gave in to exhaustion and she slid down to a sitting position, breathing hard. Thorin crouched down and cupped her head to catch her attention. He was dripping water, and his touch was cold, but right there, the firmness and insistence in his hands was the only solid thing Alaneth could hold on to as a support.

"We have to get out of here. The Orcs are coming far too near and we cannot let them come even close to the Mountain."

Alaneth just stared back at him, betraying nothing. Thorin checked and brought himself closer to her. He lifted a hand to smooth her messed locks, "Alaneth, we HAVE to get out of here. Are you all right? I'm going to get you out of here, all right?"

Alaneth nodded and rose automatically. She just saw the bare emotion that she had never witnessed in Thorin Oakenshield-pleading.

As they moved along the gorge, the high banks descended quickly. Thorin and the others came this way. They were much more on guard now.

"We aren't far from the entrance. Be careful." Emroy whispered, glancing around to spot possible Orcs. Alaneth took off the bow she had been carrying on her back. Her robe was ripped open, but she was quite grateful for the convenience it offered.

"Wait!" Fili hissed and he held up a hand to stop the group. His pale fur coat reflected whatever moonlight that had sipped through, and the whole group, already used to the darkness, came to an acute stop. Fili crouched down immediately and hid himself behind a tree. The others did the same, but only Alaneth knew precisely what happened. There were Orcs, perhaps tens of paces away, and at least one of them was wearing steel armors. The unnatural reflected light was how Fili discovered their presence. Alaneth shuddered. What did these Orcs want with a small village that posed no threat to the north? Why did they send Orcs for war (judging from their armor) to raid this village?

They were too close to the entrance. Thorin thought, and his mind raced. Now he could see it in the dark the dim moonlight reflected off the armor like floating ghosts. The Orcs were too close to the hiding place, and they were too far to alarm Aden without attracting the Orcs. His hand closed around his sword hilt, and he looked back at the others.

Alaneth felt her heart stop as she understood what Thorin's iron stare was trying to tell her. She adeptly took out an arrow and crept forward. She leaped behind a cape-like rock to hide herself. The Orcs were walking past them. The rain wasn't any lighter, and the bow was stiff in the cold air. Alaneth drew the string, feeling the wind on the arrow. Her lips were trembling as she strained her eyes to take a better aim. The Orcs weren't moving fast, but they were hidden so well in the shadows. Finally, she could make out the upper body of an Orc. It stooped in the rain, twisting its thick neck as if sniffing. It wasn't wearing a helmet, but Alaneth could see the pale yellow light of its eyes. Her bow arched fully. Before the Orc saw anything, it was pierced through the temple and it dropped to the ground silently.

No sound came.

Alaneth supposed it was the last of the Orcs and the rain drowned the thump on the thick grass. She crept in closer, ready to take the next shot. Just as she was about to release the deadly arrow, she heard the most terrifying shriek in her life.

The next thing she knew, she was crushed to the ground, she could only feel a large mass above her, and a pair of hand groping in the dark. They secured around her neck and choked her, and to her horror, a pair of greenish yellow eyes stared savagely back at her. she was caught.


Thorin wanted to take out this small band quickly and silently, as they couldn't afford to attract a larger enemy. Alaneth had taken down the first Orc and Thorin waved to signal the whole group moving forward. Their stealth was broken when a dark form flashed at the corner of his eyes and landed heavily on Alaneth. It let out a bone-chilling shriek. Thorin threw caution to the wind and dashed to her.

Alaneth had been so focused on the Orcs before her that she let slip of noises coming from above. The moment she edged out of the shelter of the looming cape-shape rock, an Orc dropped from the top and pinned her firmly to the ground. Her hands went immediately to the claws and she felt its nails ripping her skin. She kicked, but the heavy Orc now straddled on her, its sheer weight crushing her ribs. It let out a long shriek, and banged her head hard upon the ground. Alaneth opened her mouth and tried to let in some air, but no air could push its way through those claws. The dull pain in the back of her head spread and tears involuntarily trickled down her face.

She squeezed her eyes shut and kicked once more and felt something warm dripping on her body. She snapped her eyes open and saw just above her face a wide, shiny blade with blackish blood. The pressure on her neck was gone, and when the blade disappeared, the bulky Orc fell backwards. Alaneth scrambled up before it fell on her legs, and she crawled backwards, coughing and breathing sharply. Her view blackened, but her hands went almost automatically in search for her bow. A strong arm suddenly went around her, and she let out a pained gasp and tried to free herself.

"Alaneth!" the voice hissed, and she turned sharply around to see Emroy supporting her, his face pale with exaltation and concern.

"Orcs…" she croaked out a word, followed by a string of harsh coughing. "You okay?" Emroy asked urgently, and his hand touched the side of her face to catch her full attention, "Can you stand? Walk?" A wave of dizziness assaulted her, but Alaneth nodded, grimacing as the muscle in her neck twitched in protest. Emroy looked at her in the eye and nodded, too. Then, he left her and threw himself into the fight with the Orcs that swarmed their way, screaming.

Alaneth looked down at the dead Orc and for the first time in her life, she felt the pure hatred. Her whole body was seized in a violent shaking, and her breaths came in between inconsistent sobbing and suffocating sound. She lost her direction, but she compelled herself into the direction with the loudest shouting. The branches slashed at her face and the wind threatened to drive her back. Suddenly, lightning struck and put a ghastly hue on everything her eyes could reach. A crack of thunder followed immediately, and her head throbbed at the roar.

In the lightning, she saw the battle. More than a dozen armed Orcs and seven men fighting between the trees. Her eyes shone pale. Another lightning struck, and right in the middle of the field, Thorin drove his sword through an Orc's neck with a battle roar and kicked away the gurgling, twitching Orc. In her fury, Alaneth felt the pain somehow rolled down her body. Wordlessly, she drew her bow, and in a flashing moment, an Orc felf, wreathing. That evil face was distorted with fear and confusion, as if it never realized what happened to it. An arrow pierced its eye and ruptured its sculp. It was soundless when the arrow was wretched out, and Alaneth took her next aim, expressionless towards the fighting crowd.

So the fight begins! I hate to do this to Alaneth, but she is now exposed to evil after all. I struggled when I wrote about her interaction with Thorin and how he silenced her, mainly because of the height issue. I suppose the fact that Alaneth was crouching made it more feasible, but still, I wouldn't call that my proudest work. Please review~ Best, A