Disclaimer: As in other chapters, Tolkien owns everything you don't recognise from the books.

A/N: Well, another chapter is up, and it's a pretty long one, so those of you who read this should be grateful! Show your appreciation by giving it a review! Yeah! That's the idea!

                                                            *          *          *

Galwyn awoke early the next morning and the sky was not yet completely light, yet she felt refreshed and more relaxed than the previous day. She gently disengaged herself from Elrohir's arms and sat up, drawing her knees up to her chin and wrapping her arms around her legs. The rest of the party seemed to be still sleeping, and one glance down at glazed expression in Elrohir's silvery-grey eyes told her that he too, was still wandering the paths of dreams. The two on watch were now Estel and Gelion, at that moment standing on the other side of the camp. They turned as she stood up, immediately alert, noticing the movement more than the sound, as she could move almost as silently as any elf. When they saw it was her, they relaxed and politely smiled and nodded in greeting, not wishing to wake the others with any unnecessary words. She returned the gesture before walking round the camp towards the stream she had found the previous night. She knelt down beside it, quenching her thirst before and splashed the icy water over her face, hands, arms and neck. Feeling even more awake, she went back to the camp and stood by the treeline, looking out over the open plain at the sunrise. It was particularly beautiful, filling the sky with a dazzling display of light and colour. She jumped slightly when she felt a body pressed against her back and arms wrapped round her waist, but she immediately relaxed as she realised who it was, leaning her head back to rest on his shoulder and laying her hands over his.

"Good morning, Elrohir."

"Good morning, Galwyn."

"Isn't the sunrise beautiful?"

"Mmm…not as much as you, my darling."

"Don't you know that flattery will get you nowhere, master elf?"

"Yes, I know. But I was speaking fact, not flattery." He said lightly, gently kissing her neck just below her ear. He could feel her smiling, although she didn't reply. After a moment, he spoke again.

"Thank you for yesterday. I just needed some time alone."

"I knew you would come when you were ready. I can't imagine how hard it must be for you."

"There are few who can. But I think I will be better today. The first day is always the worst, and it was certainly not as bad as the last time we parted." He said quietly, knowing that it was not entirely true, and that the hurt, though now more of an ache than an acute pain, would only increase as time passed.

"I am always here, if you need to talk."

"I know, and for that I am truly grateful." They were both silent for a few moments as they watched the sun making its rise into the sky. Suddenly they heard voices and noises behind them, and they realised that the party, too, was rising, and making ready to leave. Galwyn turned round in his arms, and quickly kissed him before running over to pack up her own things. Elrohir stood for a moment and watched her, smiling, before going to collect his own things.

                                                            *          *          *

The rest of the journey passed quickly as the group gradually closed the gap between them and their destination. As they grew ever nearer to Dol Guldur, it was as though they could feel the darkness reaching out for them, drawing them in, and they began to feel a lot uneasier. Elrohir took to riding with her for the majority of the day, whereas before he had ridden at the front with Gandalf, Celeborn, Lysandil and Daromir, for it was they who knew the roads into the forests of Mirkwood the best. After seven days of travelling, the woods of Mirkwood were looming up before them. They had taken the High Pass through the Misty Mountains, which, with it being summer, were the quickest route. From there, they had crossed to the other side of Anduin, the Great River, and followed it south, taking a path parallel between the water and the boundaries of the forest, eventually approaching Dol Guldur from the west. It had not been a hard journey, and the weather had been as kind as possible: warm and sunny, with clear skies. Indeed, if it had not been for the knowledge of her impending tasks, Galwyn was quite sure she would have enjoyed it. But as it was, she was feeling more and more trepidation, though she tried not to think of the danger. That evening they set up camp under the shade of the outermost trees of the forest near where the rough track came out into the open. This is where they would be staying while she carried out her tasks, not only protecting her, but also making sure that their presence went undetected. Once she had brushed down her horse and made sure she was tied up, she went off to spend a little time on her own, collecting her thoughts.

Once alone, she first practiced shifting, flicking through many different forms: owl- cat- squirrel- deer- sparrow- fox- butterfly- rabbit- mouse- eagle. Remaining in her eagle form, she flew up through the trees and west towards the tower of Dol Guldur. But she did not get as far as the tower, for though the sun had almost set and the stars were becoming visible, with her eagle sight she was easily able to see the band of orcs and wild men making their way towards the western edge of the forest. Shocked, she wheeled back down towards the tree line and changed into a sparrow so that she would blend into her surroundings better. As she followed them, flying from tree to tree in their wake, she listened to what they were saying, trying to distinguish their purpose, hoping with all her heart that they had not been detected. As there were men among them, they were all speaking the common tongue, and she was able to understand them and glean that they were going on a raid, apparently on a nearby village in the Drimrill Dale. Immediately, she changed back into her eagle form and flew as fast as she could back towards the camp- she had to warn them, or they could be in a very dangerous situation.

It was Celeborn who first sighted the eagle overhead, something highly uncommon in these parts, and he guessed immediately that it was Galwyn. She alighted nearby him, and ran towards him, her face drawn and tired from the prolonged concentration, and her eyes wide with fear.

"Galwyn, child, what is it?"

She was breathing rather heavily, trying to catch her breath, but he managed to distinguish one word that sent a chill down his spine. "Orcs?!? How many?"

"And men, about forty of each as far as I could tell. They are headed this way, on the track, making for the shallow part of the river. They are going to raid a village in the Drimrill Dale I think."

"They don't know of our presence?"

"Not that I heard. But they will be here soon. What should we do?" Celeborn thought for a moment; they could not merely leave the place, for the remains of the camp would be found, and besides, they would hear the horses. There was only one thing to do.

"Galwyn, go and round up the camp. Explain the situation and tell them that we are going to ambush them." She nodded and spun round, but Celeborn caught her arm as she turned, and pulled her back round to face her. "Make sure they understand that not one must remain. It only takes one to return and inform of our presence here." She nodded again, slightly scared by the graveness of his expression. "And after that, I want you out of here."

"No! I will fight!"

"I will not argue with you about this. Do as I say."

"No."

"Galwyn, as long as you are under my charge, you will do as I say."

"I will not flee like a coward."

"This is not about cowardice! Do you know how important you are? What is dependent on you?"

"But I can fight! I am as good as any one of them!"

"No."

"I will do it, whether you like it or not." Celeborn's eyes flashed with anger, but she held her ground. Suddenly, his expression changed to one of resignation, and he sighed. "Fine. But I don't want you in the battle, if there is one. Stay hidden and just shoot. If you run out of arrows, then just stay put. Understood?" She nodded again and as she ran off, calling the attention of the others, the elf Lord looked after her ruefully, wondering if he had made a terrible mistake. Suddenly he realised he was not alone, and looked round to see Gandalf standing next to him.

"So you have heard then?" He asked quietly.

"Yes." The wizard replied slowly. He paused for a moment. "I also heard your argument with Galwyn."

"And?"

"She would have gotten involved whether you forbade it or not. At least this way, she might just obey your wishes."

"Yes, that is what I thought, but somehow I am not sure she will."

"I will tell Elrohir and Haldir to stick to her like glue and make sure she doesn't enter the fight. And I will keep an eye on her myself. Two, when possible."

"And I."

They made their way over to where the group was gathered around Galwyn who was telling them what she had seen. When they joined them, Gandalf explained what they were going to do, and they immediately moved into action. He looked over to Galwyn.

"How long before they are here?"

"I will find out." She transformed instantly and flew up through the canopy of trees, scanning the ground for the approaching danger, spotting them easily and flew down to meet them. As she did so, she suddenly saw them stop, and went to the head of the group, alighting on a nearby tree.

"What is it? What do you smell?" One of he orcs asked. The leader was silent for a moment, sniffing the air.

"Elf and horse flesh…and…man flesh that is different to them." He gestured at the wild men, before spitting on the ground in disgust.

"Elves? Horses? But they do not come this far south into the forest?"

"Do you doubt me?" The leader snarled, his knife drawn, and his face drawn into a hideous scowl.

"No, of course not. How far away?"

"Not far. We will surprise them and teach them a lesson for intruding our territory." He called out something she didn't understand, but it's meaning was clear as the group began to move again. She flew back to the camp and alighted next to the wizard, back in her normal form.

"They are now only about two miles away, and approaching fast...they've picked up our scent." Gandalf nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, we are ready for them. Elrohir! Haldir!" He called over her shoulder, and turning, she saw the two elves running over. "Take her, and find her somewhere safe to shoot. She is not to enter the battle itself, do you understand? Her safety is paramount." They both nodded, and the wizard left them, going to help Celeborn. When Elrohir looked at Galwyn, he saw she was scowling. Haldir tactfully neglected to make a comment, and busied himself with checking his quiver was strapped on properly.

"What is wrong?" Elrohir asked carefully.

"I want to fight properly, but they will not let me."

"And rightly so."

"Why? I am not incapable of taking care of myself!"

"No, but we cannot afford to take any risks where you are concerned."

"What makes you think letting me fight would be a risk?" She asked, eyes darkening. Haldir quickly shot a warning look at Elrohir, but the dark-haired elf was not looking in his direction.

"Well, you don't really have much experience in fighting, do you?" At this, Galwyn's cheeks flushed with anger, and Haldir shook his head sadly.

"What you mean is that you don't trust me to look after myself? Is that it?"

"Well, to be honest, yes." Haldir's eyebrows shot up, and he engaged in a mental debate as to whether or not he could escape without being noticed. He looked over at Galwyn and could see instantly how angry she was. But although he had obviously noticed her expression, Elrohir did not seem to be about to back down.

"Don't say another word. I think you have made yourself perfectly clear." With that, she stormed off in the direction of the woods. Haldir exchanged a glance with Elrohir and shrugged apologetically.

"You tried your best."

"Yes, but I don't think it was enough." He started off in the direction of the woods as well, and Haldir sighed and followed him. The rest of the group were taking places in the trees and undergrowth either side of the end of the track and they could see Celeborn directing Galwyn to a spot rather further away than the others. Without a word they both took positions either side of her, and Haldir tried his best to ignore the furious looks she was shooting them. Elrohir was obviously doing the same, his gaze rather fixed on the track, the trees, his bow, his knives, his sword- anything but the woman a few feet away. Haldir could see from his expression that he was slightly hurt by Galwyn's behaviour, but, knowing Galwyn from old, he had known that Elrohir was not directing the conversation in a direction that would end without an argument. He turned to meet one of her gazes and could easily see the hurt behind the anger displayed on her face. He could guess that she felt rather humiliated by the treatment she had been given by Celeborn and Elrohir, but he knew, even if she didn't, that they were only concerned with her safety. He sighed quietly and turned his gaze onto the track. He could just about feel the tremors of the approaching footsteps, and, looking over at Elrohir and Galwyn, he could see that they too had felt them. Each took an arrow and fitted it to the string in preparation. They had orders to shoot once the orcs and wild men left the track and were out in the open where it would be easier to keep track of them, and all around him, Haldir could hear the slight rustle as each of the group took an arrow and slotted it into place. The tremors were becoming much more tangible and he felt his body tensing with anticipation. Soon they could hear the sounds of the terrible voices as well, gradually getting louder as they came closer. Suddenly, the first few orcs came into view and after a few minutes, the whole group had passed out into the open. The horses had been driven away and tied up safely some distance away, but they had left the remains of the fires to be found, and sure enough, they were. The group halted while the leader inspected what they had found. This was their chance, and at once arrows began flying from the trees and undergrowth, and swathes of orcs and wild men fell dead with fatally aimed arrows. Each of the group was letting the arrows fly at an incredible speed, and over half of them had fallen by the time their arrows were spent. The rest would have to be dealt with by hand: the real fight had now begun.

Galwyn had been one of the last to begin shooting, the situation new and terrifying to her, but once she had let the first arrow fly, she did not stop, expending all her arrows within a few minutes, though it felt like much longer. Her aim did not fail her, and she wasted only two of her supply of arrows. All around her, the rest of the group were starting to exit the undergrowth, leaving their hiding places to take on the rest by hand. She slung her bow onto her back and unsheathed her knives, the adrenalin pulsing through her veins. She stood up and began to run but cried out in shock as a hand grabbed her shoulder and stopped her, spinning her round. She came face to face with Elrohir whose face was a mask of anger.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"Going to fight."

"No! Get back!"

"I'm going whether you like it or not."

"So you will disobey not only Gandalf and Celeborn, but me as well?"

"You cannot force me to stay here." Elrohir regarded her silently for a few seconds, then unsheathed his knives and dropped them to the ground, his sword following suit a few moments later. She watched in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"If you do not stay here, then I will go out there armed with nothing but my bare hands." She paled with shock, then flushed with anger.

"You wouldn't." She said coldly, the fury once more pulsing through her, blocking out the sounds of the fighting raging only a short distance away.

"Try me." He replied, his voice just as icy as hers.

"You're blackmailing me? That's despicable."

"You leave me no other choice. And don't think that if I see you out there at any moment, I will not forsake my weapons immediately." She bent down, picked up his sword and knives and shoved them at him.

"Go on then, what are you waiting for?" With one last cold glare, she sheathed her own knives and stalked off away from the battle back towards where she had been hidden. Certain now that she would not move, he ran out to join the battle.

                                                            *          *          *

A/N:  I always like to get feedback, so go on, do me a favour and review so I know I'm not doing this for my pleasure alone!