Tasselhoff Burrfoot lay facedown in the dirt, his small body curled in an odd position. His various pouches and bags were flung all around him, the strap of one wrapped around his small neck.

            Savina shrank away from his tiny body, staring up at Legolas, who had come to a halt and was crouching down next to the small Kender, "oh no," she moaned, "oh, Legolas, is he dead?"

            Legolas was silent. He gently unwrapped the strap from around the Kender's skinny neck and turned him over.

            Tears streaming down her cheeks, Savina bit the inside of her lip, "oh no, please tell me he isn't dead…" she whispered.

            Aragorn crouched down next to the elf and felt Tasselhoff's throat for a pulse, then he glanced up at Savina and nodded, "he's alive."

            As he spoke, the Kender's eyes fluttered and opened. He groaned and sat up, rubbing the back of his head.

            Breathing a sigh of relief and wiping tears from her eyes, Savina crouched down next to the little Kender and brushed a strand of brown hair off of his forehead, "Tas? What happened? Are you ok?"

            Tas' brown eyes grew large, "I…I was climbing down from Savina's window and when I reach the bottom someone," his child-like face grew indignant, "someone hit me!"

            Gimli's booming voice came from behind Legolas, "the Goblins are getting closer, we've got to move now!"

            Savina grabbed Tas by his hands and pulled him to his feet, "Tas, can you walk? Go into the tavern, Tika will take care of-"

            She trailed off and stared over Tas' shoulder, two Goblins had emerged from the forest and were looking around for them.

            "Run now, bring the Kender!" Aragorn ordered.

            Savina pulled at Tas, who was staring at the Goblins with frank interest, "come on!"

            He started and looked up at her frightened face, then wordlessly ran alongside her, his pouches flapping and swinging and banging into his sides and his long brown ponytail whipping back and forth.

            Legolas and Gimli came after them; Legolas already had an arrow in his hand and was aiming it toward the Goblins.

            "How far are we running?" Tas puffed.

            Aragorn glanced back, "not far, little one."

            They ran into the forest and through it. Branches and bushes whipping at them and scratching their arms and faces. Then suddenly Aragorn came to a stop.

            Savina grabbed Tas by his shoulders to keep him from running into Aragorn, and a moment later, she was glad she had.

            Aragorn was standing at a small cliff, about twenty feet high, which rose above a small river. A short ways down was a rope bridge that stretched across the cliff and the other side, which was still forest, but a thinner, lighter forest than before.

            Tas stuck his head under Aragorn's elbow, "wow, you almost fell over!"

            Aragorn ignored the Kender and pointed at the bridge, "get across the bridge as quickly as you can."

            Savina grabbed Tas, who was leaning over the cliff, by the strap of one of his pouches and pulled him back from the edge, "come on, Tas, we've got to get across the bridge before the Goblins catch up with us."

            Tas trotted beside her, staring at the bridge, "I heard a story once about a knight named Huma who got cornered on a bridge just like that by Goblins. He fought for hours and hours until they were all dead, then, when he was about to continue on his quest, the bridge broke and he died. Can you believe it? After all that, it just snapped and ruined everything. Funny how the smallest little thing can mess up everything." He slowed down to stare at the bridge.

            Gimli, who was running behind the Kender, gave him a shove, "you mean like a slimy little Kender?"

            Looking mortally offended, Tas glanced back at the Dwarf, "I'm not slimy, seriously, feel me," he held out his arm.

            Legolas, who had stayed near the back, almost tripped over him, "for god's sake, Kender, keep going and try to stay out of the way!"

            Savina reached the bridge first and stepped onto it. It rocked unsteadily back and forth. She gasped and grabbed at the rope sides, trying to steady it.

            Tas, who was behind her, poked her in the back, "don't worry Savina, I won't let you fall."

            Savina doubted how much the Kender, who weighed at least twenty pounds less than her, could do if she were falling, but it was touching somehow. She walked quickly across, trying to keep her balance.

            She was halfway across when she heard Goblin yells in the forest behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Aragorn standing in front of the bridge, killing every Goblin who came within reach of his sword.

            Gimli was slow going across the bridge, as much as he tried to hurry, he simply couldn't go very fast.

            Legolas stood on the bridge behind Aragorn, shooting any Goblin that looked like it might be getting too close.

            Savina reached the other side and turned around, desperately wanting to help but not sure what to do. She felt so incompetent; she had yet to prove she wasn't a damsel in distress. Freezing up and dropping her sword in the face of danger wasn't proving anything either.

            Tas stood next to her, rummaging around in one of his pouches for something.

            Suddenly, arrows filled the air. At first, there were only a few, then more came. Apparently, the Goblins were archers.

            One arrow thunked into pouch Tas had his hand in, "hey!" he shouted, pulling it out and shaking his fist at the Goblins.

            Gimli gave an angry roar as an arrow bounced off of his chain mail.

            Legolas and Aragorn were advancing slowly across the bridge, keeping the Goblins at bay, but more kept coming.

            Savina pulled Tas behind a tree just as an arrow whizzed by his ear. She looked around the tree at Gimli, who was yelling threats at the Goblin, "Gimli, come behind the trees!"

            Gimli glanced at her, his angry expression softening; he stumped over to where she stood behind the trees and stared as Legolas and Aragorn made their way across the bridge.

            It looked horrible, Legolas and Aragorn backed across the bridge, facing hundred of Goblins, who were flooding onto the bridge and firing arrows from the other side.

            Suddenly Savina had an idea.

            Legolas and Aragorn were nearly across the bridge.

            Savina ran out to the edge of the cliff next to the bridge, drawing a dagger from the inside of her vest.

            Legolas reached the cliff and stepped away from the bridge then noticed her, "get back! What the hell are you doing?" He grabbed her arm and tried to pull her away but she jerked her arm out of his grasp.

            "Aragorn, get off the bridge!" she shouted.

            Aragorn stepped backward of the bridge, stabbing a Goblin, who fell backward into the other Goblins.

            With a grunt, Savina put one hand on the rope supporting the bride and raised her dagger. Luckily, it was an old rope and her sharp dagger cut through it instantly.

            She looked up just in time to see the astonished looks on the Goblins' faces as they realized they were falling, then they were gone and all she saw was an arrow, flying straight toward her.