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

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews I've had so far!

Juniper Holly: Thanks for your comments, which rather freaked me out, because I've already written quite a bit more than I've posted, and as you can see from this chapter, there was good reason for her behaviour in the previous one!

Oh, and just so you know, in my random little mind, I have recently sort of been comparing Galwyn, in a very strange hardly related way, to Ariel from The Little Mermaid, who was my heroine was I was little because she was so feisty and headstrong (I just love that word! It's me in a nutshell!). But that's just about where the connection ends!

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The sounds of fighting were deafening and overwhelming, and though many of the orcs and wild men had fallen to the volleys of arrows, the group of elves and men were still outnumbered, and were fighting for all their were worth. The Mirkwood princes had positioned themselves on the outskirts of the battle, shooting all those who tried to make it back into the forest. As he ran into the middle of the fray, Elrohir was immediately assailed by a large orc with an axe. Immediately the dark-haired elf reacted, blocking the blow that was coming towards him with his sword in his right hand, and then embedding one of his knives in the creature's chest with his left. The orc staggered back and with another sweep of his sword, Elrohir cut off its head. He bent down to pull his knife out of its chest. He heard a movement behind him and saw three more of the foul creatures coming towards him. He tossed his head to get the hair that had come loose from its braids out of his eyes, and waited for the first blow to come. When it did, a strong thrust towards his stomach, he blocked it and spun around to parry another blow towards his neck. His movements were so fast they were almost a blur, as he spun this way and that, blocking and striking out with both hands.

After several minutes, three dead orcs lay in a pile at his feet, and his attention was caught by a flash of blond hair in the corner of his vision. He spun round and saw Haldir fighting a group of three men. One lay, apparently dead at the elf's feet, but the remaining men were much faster than the orcs, but just as strong, and even as he watched, Elrohir could see his friend was beginning to tire. There was a cut on his forehead and every so often he would have to pause to clear his vision. There was also a bloodstain on his shoulder. Elrohir ran over to him, and aiming quickly, he threw one of his knives, smiling as he saw it hit his target, and the man fell with a grunt, the knife firmly in the centre of his back. One of the remaining men turned away from Haldir and started coming towards Elrohir, whose energy was renewed by the flood of adrenalin rushing through him. As they fought, each blow blocked by the other, Elrohir felt himself beginning to gain the upper hand, and he slashed away, his movements speeding up. He felt the sting of a blade down his cheekbone and again on his arm, but the man in front of him was in a worse state. He was now only able to use one arm, and he was limping slightly from a blow to his left leg. Elrohir's next blow knocked the sword from his hand and a moment later he fell, his throat cut. He looked over at his friend and saw him pulling his sword out of his opponent's chest, grimacing at the red sheen of blood on the blade. As he looked around, he could see the number of orcs and men was now greatly depleted, and only a few remained. There were some more coming towards him and he sucked in his breath in anticipation, spinning the knife in his hand around as he loosened up his tense muscles.

Within a few minutes, four more orcs lay dead around him, and a couple of men as well. He looked behind him to see Celeborn slitting the throat of another orc, and Léanor and Gelion were fighting three more together, shortly joined by Arùmil, who helped them finish them off. After he had killed another two men, Elrohir could see no more standing. Daromir and Lysandil had ended the lives of all those who tried to make it to the woods with a fatal shot, and he could see the rest of the group beginning to retrieve arrows and pile up the bodies of the dead into several large piles. He smiled as he realised that none of the group had fallen, although the bruises and cuts were numerous. Several of them were limping, and he himself, now the adrenalin had left him, was beginning to feel the stinging pain of the wound on his arm. He began to pile up the bodies around him, and was shortly joined by Haldir, Halbarad, who was holding his stomach with his hand, and Estel. They proceeded to burn the piles skilfully piling the wood in a way that would minimise the smoke. Luckily, it was a windy day, and the direction was blowing it away from the forest. As they stood back and moved away from the foul smelling piles, they could see Daromir approaching.

"Not one of them made the forest, we made sure of that." Daromir said with a satisfied smile, which the others returned. Suddenly they heard a movement on the outskirts of the forest, and immediately the prince had his loaded bow pointed in the direction it had come from, his eyes searching for the proprietor of the noise. After a few seconds, the figure became visible and he lowered his bow.

As she walked out of the forest, Galwyn was rather shocked to see the size of the burning piles, but she did not let her surprise reach her eyes. She was still furious, and humiliated, and her expression was cold. As he looked from one to the other, Haldir could see that neither she nor Elrohir would look at one another, and he wondered how Elrohir had persuaded her to stay out of the battle. Obviously, both were extremely angry, because Galwyn's eyes were almost indigo in colour, and Elrohir's were a dark, steely grey. Daromir exchanged a glance with Haldir, one eyebrow raised in an unspoken question. Completely ignoring Elrohir, she walked over to Halbarad, an expression of concern on her face.

"Halbarad! You're bleeding!"

"Ah, it is but a scratch." He smiled, slightly perturbed at the strange look in her eyes.

"Come with me, I'll clean it for you."

"Honestly, it's nothing!" He protested but she ignored him, and pulled his hand away from his stomach. He sucked in his breath at the sudden pain, and she raised an eyebrow, took his hand, and led away. He cast a confused look over his shoulder at Haldir, but the blond elf looked just as surprised as he. She led him over to the edge of the stream and made him lie back on the slightly sloping bank, propped up on his elbows. She had her pack with her, and she reached in and pulled out a strip of material that she went and soaked in the stream. When she came back from the riverbank she opened her pack and started looking for something, but after a second, she turned and looked at him.

"Well take off your shirt then! I can't clean the wound through it!" The young man blushed slightly, but complied none the less, slowly undoing the ties of his dark green tunic and brown shirt. The area around the wound was stained red, but the wound itself was no longer bleeding. Kneeling beside him, she reached out tentatively and pressed the soaked material against the wound, the icy water eliciting a quiet moan from the prostrate elf. Her eyes met his and she smiled reassuringly before looking back to what she was doing. She concentrated on cleaning the dried blood from the wound, and then rubbed on the balm she had fetched from her bag; a mixture of crushed herbs that aided healing. Finally she wrapped another strip of material around him over the wound, tying it with deft movements. As she worked, her thoughts strayed to Elrohir, and she was once again filled with the same cold fury as she had been before. She knew it was probably irrational, but she was filled with a strong desire to hurt him just as he had hurt her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him and Haldir, along with some others some distance away down the river, but coming in their direction. She was startled out of her thoughts by a sudden gasp from the man. She turned instantly, her face concerned.

"What is it?"

"Your hand!" She looked puzzled for a moment, then looked down and realised her hand was pushing rather heavily on his wound. She pulled it away instantly, an apologetic look on her face.

"Sorry."

"That's alright." He started to rise and she helped him, extending a hand to pull him up. He regarded her gravely for a moment. "What is wrong? Has something happened with you and Elrohir?" He asked gently, noticing the way her eyes kept straying to him and then looking away instantly as though it burned her. She looked at him in mild anger, but it quickly faded and she sighed.

"Ay." She replied shortly. Halbarad nodded understandingly.

"Do not worry, I do not wish to pry, only to say that I am available, should you wish to talk about it." She smiled gratefully and he returned it, gesturing to his neatly bandaged wound. "Thank you for this." She nodded and watched his retreating figure for a moment before sitting down and beginning to put the things back into her pack. She looked up as she heard light footsteps approaching, and saw the blond figure of Haldir standing over her.

"He told me what happened." He said quietly. She did not answer, so he continued. "I can't say that I blame him." At this, she looked up angrily.

"How can you say that? He blackmailed me!"

"Only because you left him no other choice!"

"What? Why were you all so determined not to let me fight?"

"Are you so incensed with this headstrong wish to prove yourself that you cannot see why?" Once again she did not answer, but met his angry gaze with her own. "Right now, you are just about the most important person in Middle Earth. You, and you alone can help us achieve what we must. Without you, our cause is lost. Yet, here you are, letting your old insecurities govern you to the point of plain recklessness. Letting you fight was a risk we cannot take. Think about it! Your life is not yours to play with anymore." Galwyn regarded the normally calm and stoic elf before her with nothing short of shock. It was as though there was a window into her soul and he was looking right through it. She looked down at the ground, feeling the tears pricking the back of her eyes. She couldn't argue with him; he was completely right. She had been so foolish! All her life, her powers had hung over her head; the knowledge that they were all that distinguished her from any other human, the only thing that let her lead the life she did, was always there at the back of her mind. Now, she had been given the opportunity to prove herself, and she had wanted to risk it for the headstrong desire to be accepted as something she wanted to be, but was not? And Elrohir! All he had wanted to do was protect her, and make her see that she was being reckless, but she had behaved like a spoilt child. It was all too painful, and she felt the tears spilling down her cheeks.

Inwardly chastising himself for his blunt words, Haldir knelt beside her, and gently pulled her into his arms, feeling the slender body shaking with the muffled sobs that escaped her. He suddenly felt very old compared to her, and her vulnerability and fragility suddenly became very real. She was only a young woman, barely out of her teens, and yet she was carrying a burden of responsibility that she should not have to bear.

"I am sorry, Galwyn. I spoke harshly. Do not feel you are merely a means to an end."

"No," she said into his shoulder, "I know you did not mean that. But you spoke the truth. I was foolish. I should have realised my responsibility, and acted accordingly instead of behaving like I did. It is I who must ask forgiveness."

"There is nothing to forgive." He said gently, one hand stroking her hair soothingly. After a few moments, she pulled away and smiled as he brushed the tears from her cheeks. Over his shoulder, she could see Elrohir walking off somewhere, and when her gaze returned to Haldir he nodded gently. "Go to him. You must resolve this."

"Is he angry?"

"He is hurt." She sighed, and he stood up, extending a hand to help her up. She met his gaze again and saw he was smiling encouragingly. She took a deep breath, and began follow the path the dark-haired elf had taken.

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A/N:  Reviewing lets me know that someone out there is reading this and appreciating this, so please let me know your thoughts!