Author's note to all my newly acquired fans: Thank you for the encouragement. This is the first fanfiction that I have written in years and the first Hobbit fanfiction ever. I loved the movies, and I'm reading the first LOTR book. This fanfiction is just for fun and to interact with my creative side. I don't own the characters (although it might be fun to borrow a few every now and then). I will try to update as much as possible, but please be patient. I have to juggle work along with my writing. Have fun with this story, and please give me honest and constructive feedback. It will help me move this story along.

Chapter 2: The Hunting Party

Thranduil dismissed Nyssa with an escort to see that she took the path toward the Forest River. He turned back to his throne. There was a royal air about him as he walked with his regal garments flowing behind him. He sat down feeling relaxed that his plan was finally put into motion. His trusted advisor, Winhim, addressed the king with concern in his voice.

"My lord, are you sure that you can trust this human to keep her ward?" he asked. "She is, after all, a known thief and proven liar."

"Oh, I am not putting all my trust in this woman alone. If she could, she will betray me at the first opportunity. Of that, I am certain," Thranduil answered with a smile.

"Then, how can you be sure that she will return with the items you seek?"

"She knows that I will leave her with no choice. Someone will be watching over her to guarantee that she accomplishes her task. Also, if she does not complete her assignment, or she does betray me, I will have a price on her head so large she can never again go near another civilized settlement."

"My lord, if I may ask, why do you wish to possess the Arkenstone?"

"It is not for me to possess. It is for an alliance, of sorts. That jewel is a symbol to the dwarves as the King's Jewel. The seven dwarf clans will recognize whoever possesses that stone. The kingdom of Erebor is the most prosperous and powerful kingdom in Middle Earth. I have an arrangement with a member of a house that also has ties to the house of Durin. They will contest Thorin's position as king and remove him from the throne. With a new king, our control over the kingdom will be strong."

"That is a very dangerous plan, my lord. King Thorin has many allies and loyal dwarves in his favor. If this plan were to fail, there will be a war."

"That is why I need someone with no direct connections to this kingdom. We can deny everything if she gets caught. She is a known liar. They may execute her, treat her as a slave, whatever her fate, it matters not. But if we succeed, I will have the throne of Erebor in the palm of my hand. I believe it is worth a try, don't you think?"

Winhim smiled and nodded in agreement with his king. In three days, Nyssa would have reached Erebor, and the plan would be set into motion.

It only took a day and a half for Nyssa to find the river and another day to follow it to the mouth. She was only a mile away from the Long Lake when she heard the faint sounds of leaves and bushes rustling. Someone or something was moving through the forest toward the lake.

Nyssa crouched low and walked in stealth fashion toward the sounds. She used the trees to hide her approach. She knew that the sounds did not come from her elven shadows. Wood elves were never this noisy.

Nyssa crept over the hillside toward a series of large stones half protruding out of the ground. From there, she could see a group of orcs coming out of the forests.

It was rare to see orcs moving around in the daylight. They prefer to travel in greater numbers at night. This was a small group hiding in the shadows of the trees as they walked. Nyssa was surmised that is was a scouting party. That meant that there were more of them elsewhere.

'Where are they going?' she thought as she watched them reach the banks of the lake and headed north.

She followed them for a few miles until she heard one of them approaching her from behind. Quickly, like a flash, she ducked to avoid getting her head chopped off by the orc's ax. She turned with her knives sheathed and plunged her weapons into his chest. The commotion from the dying creature alerted the other orcs, and they turned on Nyssa.

Nyssa quickly retracted her knives from the orc's blackened chest by his oozing blood and turned to block another sword swinging from behind her. The knife in her right hand pushed the sword away allowing the orc to fall forward while using her other knife to cut the creature's throat.

Nyssa side stepped another attack and blocked again and again, cutting through her attackers as they came. She paused for a fraction of a second to take a head count of the remaining orcs still coming after her. She could tell that she was grossly outnumbered, but she had no other choice. She had to fight her way out of this or die.

Her body was beginning to show signs of fatigue and pain, but she pushed those feelings aside. She needed to focus.

One of the orcs took out his horn and blew a call for more reinforcements. Nyssa knew that she was in trouble. She began to panic. Where were the elves that were following her?

'I should know better than to trust wood elves from Thranduil's kingdom,' she thought.

She had to break away and make a run for it. As she continued her advance, she saw an opening and charged through it. She swiftly made a break through the trees and up the embankment. The orcs immediately gave chase.

As she was running, she cut through more orcs who were trying to flank her. She came to a clearing in the forest when an arrow hit her back left thigh causing her to trip and fall forward on her stomach. She turned to grab the arrow when a nasty muddy foot stepped on her shoulders pressing her further into the ground. Her knives were taken, and she laid helpless while orc hands groped her for her weapons. The pain from the arrow in her thigh was burning like a flaming torch embedded in her leg.

"Ain't you a pretty thing," one of the orcs said to her. "Do we take 'er to the master, or can we gut 'er and eat 'er 'ere?"

"Let's 'ave a little fun first," said another.

Nyssa closed her eyes and prayed for death to come quickly as she felt more groping hands all over her body. Suddenly, there was the sound of something flying through the air just above her. One of the orcs that touched her fell forward across her body. She opened her eyes and saw an arrow protruding through the orc's right eye. He was dead.

A small cavalry of men and dwarves came riding from the north surrounding the remaining orcs and killing them. Orcs were dropping all around her as she had lain motionless on the ground. The pain from her leg along with the weight of the dead orc on her back made it difficult to move anyway.

After the brief battle was over, one of the big burly dwarves got off his pony and pulled the dead orc off of Nyssa's back. He grabbed her left arm and attempted to turn her over when the pain from her leg tore through her body. She winced and cried out as she instinctively grabbed her thigh. The dwarf turned and also grabbed her thigh to stop her movements.

"The lass is wounded," he said to one of his people. "She'll need a healer straight away."

Another dwarf dismounted and came to his aid as he placed his hands on the arrow. The second dwarf held Nyssa down just as the first one turned back toward Nyssa. She could barely see his face as he spoke to her.

"Brace yourself, lass. This is gonna hurt."

Just then, the large dwarf broke off the shaft of the arrow leaving the arrowhead still inside her thigh. The pain was so great that Nyssa screamed. Then everything went completely black.