Perhaps some time had passed but it was unclear as the uncomfortable weight seized her mind and head after such unexpected torment. Eyes were heavy, it felt as though they had been rubbed constantly, gaining strains around the sockets. Tauriel sat in the shadows, her body was cramped inside one of the barrels. She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them, trying to contain the shivering that rattled through her.

The murmuring of the ship workers was deep and far off in the distance; a barely intelligible din punctuated by the loud bongs of a ship's bell.

Tauriel's eyes burned, her body convulsed, and her mind rattled. She thought about when she would be able to sneak off the ship without being seen, she thought about escape. The atmosphere was turning cold, the ship swayed against the waters, the air filling with mist. Tauriel's fingers clenched, her knuckles white and red.

She heard footsteps close by, a couple of men conversing with each other about whatever they were doing. Then, one of them passed her hiding place, strolling nonchalantly. The shadow in the barrel shivered and hissed, turning to face the figure. Tauriel's heart pounded. It felt like forever being cramped inside that barrel, each sound and sense made her jump and whimper. S

he could smell the man's cologne, feel his heat, and hear the rustle of his clothing."It's a nice night, isn't it?" the man said. "It'll be a nice night when we finish our work. Now start preparin!" he said, his voice thick with an exotic accent.

Tauriel's eyes narrowed.

She had never heard an accent like that before. The couple continued to talk, their voices growing softer as they walked away. Suddenly, she felt a vast thump hit against the floorboards of the ship A murmur was soon followed by a scream of one of the men on the boat.

Tauriel's eyes widened and she tighten her body, even more, keeping still and silent inside the barrel. Another thump. A trail of screams and grunts occurred, Tauriel's heart was leaping out of her chest in fear as she quietly listened to the unknown situation. It seemed like the fighting was going on below deck and throughout the ship.

After listening to a few yelps, it appears to have ended with dead silence. Tauriel waited and had to know what had happened so she slowly peeked from the barrel. Her eyes blinked constantly around the ship there was no sign of anyone on the ship.

The fight had been on the ground below. Tauriel stood up without making a sound, her heart pounding.

The barrel was half her height and so, her leg stumbled upon moving out of it that it made a noticeable noise. Tauriel looked around and realized that the ship had made it near the docks but it was absent of people. The fog was only there to greet her. When she took a few steps she sought a trail of bodies.

The men who were occupying the ship had been brutally slaughtered right in front of her eyes, their blood soaking the floor and walls of the ship. Her mouth was left agape, softly shuttering through her breathing. She looked up at the night sky, the stars were shining brightly, but they had never looked so cold in all her life. Carefully, she tiptoed around the bodies hoping she could leave the ship immediately, but she was so afraid that she could hardly move.

Tauriel took another step when something pounced right in front of her, a dark figure with glowing teal eyes. She didn't react and immediately jumped away, stumbling her way onto the dock, her heart battering from her chest. Before she could leave the docks, the figure shoved her onto the ground, pinning her against the wooden planks of the dock. Tauriel's fearful face saw a man with a red mask, his arm high in the air, holding a weapon as if he was going to strike; but they paused.

It was almost like he had to take another glance at her before anything else. Her hair was blonde, bangs with a set of dark brown eyes Her face was round but it was filled with fear, her body was trembling, her face stinging with cold. Tauriel's jaw was slack, fear was gripping her body and mind. Quickly, the man pulled away from her and drifted off into the shadows of the sea, disappearing into the fog. Breathing heavily, Tauriel looked around the docks, she needed to get off the docks. But something was wrong, much wrong. She was alone, a man had just tried to kill her.

She looked over her shoulder, the red mask was nowhere in sight. Tauriel composed herself and left the docks where she entered into Bligewater, a place that was entirely unknown to her.

The fog was beginning to clear and the sky was shining brightly in the moonlight, there were lights in the streets, and people were walking about doing their own thing. People were still something to be afraid of. They seemed different and more carefree. Although, Tauriel had to keep to herself and observe them know for sure. She wandered around, trying to find a place to hide away from the world. She had no home, no family, and no name.

Tauriel stumbled like a lost lamb, confused and lost. She didn't know where to go. She didn't even know if she could go anywhere. Somehow, her understanding of comfort was to surround herself in a populated place of locals. The fog was beginning to slowly clear and the sky was beginning to grow brighter.

Tauriel couldn't hide in the shadows forever and she had to decide where to go.

There was a barkeep, loud but full of comfortable bright lights. The suns of all the people inside could distract her and take her away. The warmth of their lights and voices could be comforting. But the question was, were these people locals? The loudness of their cheers was boisterous, almost overwhelming for her. It wasn't something she was used to, the sound of happy people was something she had always ignored. Was she in the right place? Maybe there was a quiet oasis somewhere, but she had no clue where it could be. It was clear she was standing out in the crowd, a lone young girl covering herself in a dark hood. She reeked of fear all around her, like she was on the edge of society. Even after that altercation of the bloodbath, she was utterly paralyzed by fear. She couldn't move, couldn't act, it was like her muscles had turned to jelly. She was incapable of moving, thinking, or rationalizing. "Bodies! Blood! It happened down the dock!" Suddenly a maddened man with fear in his eyes screamed in horror as the crowd of the bar faced him

"What is ya talkin' about?" Said one of the locals. "—It was the Bloodharbor ripper! He killed them all!" The locals seemed to grow more agitated with the man, they were angry at the suggestion that they were in a position of being so easily terrified. Tauriel was there, she knew he was speaking the truth.

The man continued to speak through the gasps of the crowd "I ain't crazy! Believe me, he's real and he's coming for us all!"

"It's true. I saw it happen." Said Tauriel. She wasn't sure if she should have talked, what would she do with that information?

The locals slowly looked at her. Tauriel's accent was different, sparse yet soft. She had a sort of 'British' tone to it. "Who are you…?" Said one of the men. Suddenly, Tauriel jolted in slight fear. "I'm- I'm just passing… through. B-but I saw it— I saw it happen, the killings…"

It felt like the room was closing in on her. "You saw it happen?" The man said in deep curiosity. Tauriel nodded. "T-Then how are you here, alive?" The man who wailed bloody murder began to confront Tauriel "The bloodharbour ripper leaves no one alive by his hands. Must be lyin' ye!" Said the man.

The locals began to whisper among themselves. Tauriel was frightened, she had always kept to herself. "I-I…" Tauriel stumbled her words in silence as the confrontation was becoming severe. "I'll just…" and with that, Tauriel began seeping herself out to the exit through the crowd.

The locals were becoming angry. They didn't know what she was, but some didn't like her coming in with this "evidence" of the Bloodharbor Ripper. It didn't matter if they didn't believe her, she knew she wasn't lying to herself at all. Tauriel felt bitter. She ran away from the locals as far as she could

"H-hey wait! You!" The familiar man who spoke to the crowd came rushing for her. Tauriel glanced at who called for her but quickly reverted her sights to him. "Hold it!-" He began "I believe ya, stranger. But I know the Bloodharbour ripper ain't stupid enough to leave a soul alive. How'd-"

"Who is he? The one you all seem to fear?" Tauriel asked in a calm yet annoyed voice. "You don't know?- I suppose not. I can tell by your voices, that you aren't from here." Said the man. "...Where are you from then?"

Tauriel bit her lip, "Noxus." She said looking away from him. The man seemed to look at her for a moment, he could tell she was hiding something; he was right to a certain degree. "Noxian?" He scoffed, "What' you doin here? Longways you are. I can tell you're' lost." He pointed to her hood.

"Take that off. I'll take good care of ya, don't matter if ya know me or not; everyone here needs protection." Tauriel looked at him disapprovingly.

"...I'm sorry. -I don't know... you." She said. "It's just... I wasn't sure if I could trust anyone. I'm just passing through. I'll be on my way." "Well, you don't gotta be afraid of me, missy!"

The man's voice continues to speak but Tauriel already left the scene of the confrontation. The man continued his conversation with himself "Alright then, we'll see."