I want to thank my short list of fans and apologize for the long wait. Summer is my biggest season at work, and it was difficult finding the time to write. Plus, finding my muse is also a challenge. I haven't written a story in a long time. I promise I will update as often as I can.

Chapter 3: Introductions

The first thing Nyssa heard was voices all around her. She felt warm under the blankets in the soft feather bed. She wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but there was something that did not feel right. As she slowly regained consciousness, her memories were also coming back. The last thing she recalled was being shot in the thigh by an orc arrow.

The events of leading up to the attack were flashing through her mind. She came upon an orc pack, fought and killed as many as she could, and then she made a break for it. She ran along the banks of the lake before she was hit. So, how did she end up in a bed?

Nyssa groaned as she forced her eyes open. She heard a female voice tell another person that she was waking up and to go get someone. She couldn't comprehend anymore because of the pounding in her head and the cotton in her ears. All she could do at that moment was to take in her surroundings and try to find out where she was.

Nyssa tried to push herself up into a sitting position when a pair of hands gently pushed her back down by her shoulders. Nyssa blinked a few times to focus on the person trying to talk to her.

The young girl had a round face, straight nose, brown eyes, long blond hair in a series of braids, and what looked like facial hair around the chin and lips. This woman had a beard. It took a moment before Nyssa realized that she was staring into the face of a dwarrowdam. She had never seen a dwarrowdam before. They usually stayed hidden away like precious treasures. When they did come out in public, they were dressed like the dwarrows. It was nearly impossible to tell a female dwarf from a male.

"Don't hurt yourself, dearie," said the dwarrowdam as she gently pushed Nyssa back into the bed. "You need to rest. Your fever only just broke a few hours ago."

"What happened? Where am I?" Nyssa asked.

"You're in the healer's house in Dale. You've been very sick for a good week now. My name is Iona. I am a healer's apprentice."

"How did I get here?"

"You were quite sick when the captain of the King's guard had you brought in. He said you were taking on a whole pack of orcs on your own when you got shot. You were delirious with fever when you got here."

"I only remember getting shot by the arrow. I don't remember anything else."

"I don't doubt that. The poison from the orc's arrow was working fast. If it weren't for that elf maid, you would have passed into the shadow," she explained.

At that moment, as if on cue, an elf maid with long red hair and a green dress entered the room. She was carrying two bowls of different size. One was a large bowl with steaming hot bandages. The other smaller bowl had a green pasty substance inside. She stood at the door like she was waiting for permission. Iona sensed her presence and turned to face her.

"I see that she is awake," said the elf maid.

"This is Tauriel, the elf who saved you," Iona said to Nyssa.

Again, Nyssa tried to sit up but was pushed back down by Iona. Tauriel walked to the bed without a word spoken and pulled back the blanket to examine Nyssa's leg. She took away the old wrappings to see the wound.

The leg was healing nicely. The purple blotches were subsiding as was the infection. Tauriel cleaned the wound then too the small bowl filled with an athelas poultice. She began applying the mixture to the wound.

Nyssa let out a hiss through her clenched teeth. The poultice stung and was very uncomfortable. Nyssa's leg jerked when a sudden shooting pain tore through her entire leg and body. It took a few seconds for the pain to subside leaving behind a soothing coolness coming from the poultice. The pain lessened, and she regained control of her body.

After Nyssa's leg settled down, Tauriel wrapped the leg with the warm bandages. She said not a word to Nyssa during this time, and Nyssa's curiosity became too much to bear. It was Nyssa who spoke first in Sindarin.

"Mani taur edhel e' apanonar tal?" (What brings a wood elf to a city of men?) Nyssa asked.

Tauriel finished wrapping her leg and stared at her patient as if deciding whether or not to answer the question.

"Amin I' atya' en' edainme taur'ohtar," (I ask the same of a woman ranger,) she answered.

Nyssa glanced over Tauriel's shoulder toward Iona who was making a sour face. Obviously, the dwarf was uncomfortable with the elf speaking her native tongue in her presence. A slight smile crept across Nyssa's face.

Nyssa wondered if Tauriel was sent by Thranduil to keep an eye on her. She quickly dismissed the idea thinking that if Thranduil were to send spies, he would not want her to know it. Still, it was better to be cautious and say as little as possible. She had no doubt of Thranduil's intentions and thought it best to be on her guard.

"It was a morgul arrow that pierced your leg," said Iona. "Had it not been for Tauriel, you would have died."

"I see," said Nyssa. "I have heard of the orc poison before. Only elves know how to counteract its effects. I thank you for that."

Tauriel gave a slight smile and a nod before standing. She gathered the bowls and turned to leave the room. Iona watched her go before turning to Nyssa. She recovered Nyssa with the blanket and looked back at her patient.

"Get some rest. I will come back in an hour with some food," said Iona.

Nyssa returned the smile and waited until Iona left the room closing the door behind her. As soon as she heard the dwarf walking away from the door, Nyssa threw back the blankets and carefully swung her legs to the side of the bed as she pushed herself into a sitting position.

A brief wave of nausea and dizziness hit Nyssa as she sat upright. She closed her eyes and contemplated staying in bed until the dizziness subsided. She opened her eyes and glanced around the room.

It was a quaint little room with very little furniture. There was a single table next to the bed with a lamp and an unlit candle. A small chair sat in a corner next to the table and another chair sat at the far corner of the room near a single window. Nyssa could see her clothes folded neatly and stacked on that chair near the window with her boots on the floor underneath. The only items she noticed were missing were her weapons.

They took my bow and blades, she thought.

Perhaps they did not fully trust her. It seemed fair. She did not trust them either. She only hoped that there was not a guard posted at the door. In her weakened condition, it would make any chance for escape nearly impossible.

Nyssa took a breath and placed her bare feet on the stone floor. The chill from the floor sent a throbbing pain through her feet and into her legs. Combined with extreme weakness and the stabbing pain from the wound her thigh, Nyssa nearly collapsed on the floor. She held onto the bed post for balance while she gained control her limbs. The urge to crawl back into bed was very strong, but Nyssa was determined.

No… I have to do this, she thought. I'll just take it slow.

It took a few frustrating minutes for Nyssa's legs to cooperate as she made her way to the chair that held her clothes. She was still very weak. She made a mental note to steal some breakfast at the market before going on her way.

Nyssa dressed and watched the door for any sign of Iona returning to the room. She checked her right boot and saw that the knife was still hidden in a secret compartment inside the lining. She smiled and put her boots on.

She slowly walked toward the door and listened intently to catch any movement on the other side. Satisfied that there was no one there, she slowly opened the door a crack.

The hallway seemed deserted with only a few distant sounds of other patients coming from the other closed rooms. Nyssa felt it was too risky to look for her weapons now. It was a shame too. She was fond of her hand blades, and the bow was made from the finest wood, an elvish bow. She made a mental note to herself to look for them later.

Nyssa carefully made her way through the corridors and stairs trying not to be seen until she made her exit. She walked down the street and through the alleys until she found herself in the market place.

It was crowded with all kinds of people. Dwarves and men from all the lands were buying and selling their wares. Fabrics from all styles and colors were draped across the booth of one merchant, a dwarf woman in an elaborate dress. The women of the city were touching and examining her products while their husbands spent their time in the pub. There were also knife wielders and farmers selling their items to various people browsing the vendors for their needs.

Nyssa casually walked around assessing the crowd and her surroundings. She passed the local pub hearing singing and laughter coming from the place. She glanced through the window and even saw a dwarrow or two dancing on the tables. There was quite a lot of ale being consumed by that party.

Dwarves, she smiled before moving on.

It seemed that the city had grown and prospered in a short few years since the great battle at the gates of Erebor. The alliance of King Bard and King Thorin had proved successful in both their economies and their lines of defense in the land.

Nyssa continued her walk through the street until her eyes came upon a bread merchant. Her eyes were drawn to the basket of honey cakes, and she felt her stomach growl. Her body was reminding her of how hungry she was. She watched as the merchant was busy bartering with a customer over a basket of sweet rolls when a young boy of thirteen walked slowly toward plate of biscuits. His friends were also watching from a few yards away just as the boy grabbed a handful of biscuits and started running into the crowd. The merchant saw what had happened and dropped the basket he was holding in order to chase after the little thief.

While all eyes were on the merchant and the boy, Nyssa took the opportunity to walk over and slip a couple of honey cakes into her coat pocket. She hurried off into the opposite direction in the street and slipped into another alley behind the pub when she saw a couple of city guards heading toward the commotion in the market place.

Nyssa took another turn away from the street until she was confident that she was not followed. She took one of the honey cakes from her pocket and started to eat when she heard a voice from behind her say something.

"Well, looks like we found you, lass. You're looking right as rain for a human who was at death's door a week ago," said the voice.

Nyssa held her breath and slowly turned around to see who was addressing her. It was a dwarrow with a bald head on top and long brown hair on the sides. He was broad shouldered with a fur collared coat and a set of two large battle axes strapped to his back. The top of his head had a strange tattoo that Nyssa had only seen on other dwarves. It was their custom to decorate their skin with Khuzdul designs.

The dwarf looked familiar, but she could not remember when she ever met him. The other dwarf companion he was with also knew her, but again, she did not know him.

"We came to see how you faired, but you weren't in yer room," he said.

"I am sorry to admit that I don't know who you are, sir," Nyssa said.

"I am Dwalin, at yer service," he said as he bowed to her. "And, this is my man, Norag. We've come to take ya back to the healer's house, lass. There's someone who wants to talk with ya."

"And, if I refuse, Mr. Dwalin?"

"Don't refuse, lass. I wouldn't want to have to make ya. We only want to question ya about the orc attack."

"And, just who wants to know about that?"

"King Thorin, of course," said Norag.

And, this ends another chapter. For those Tolkien fans who know better Sindarin than me, I apologize to them (and Tolkien as well) if I butchered the language. I don't know the language personally, and the translation website I was using said some of the words in my translated sentences don't exist. I did the best I could. If you have any comments that could be useful in that area, please let me know. I would be happy to collaborate on any expert in that field.