As said before. I do not own LOTR or those characters.

The night air was cool and clean, and a slight breeze was blowing. The two travelers walked quickly through the forest, saying not a word to one another. Kalen knew Nevaria hated her, she just didn't know why. When her reasoning began to lose its wonder, she turned her thoughts to Nevaria's appearance. She was around the same age as Kalen, with long, wavy light brown hair and sky blue eyes. She was beautiful to the eye, but her attitude was one that might belong to a dwarf or even worse, an Orc. In other words, that attitude was plain ugly. "Still," thought Kalen, "she is very handy with a bow and a very skilled scout". They walked through the night, and morning found them at the edge of the forest

"Are we to now make camp or should we continue, my Lord"? The sarcasm in Nevaria's voice was biting, but Kalen pretended not to notice.

" We should rest while we can do so in safety. Here, at the least, we have the protection of our own land. Once we step out and onto foreign soil, we have only our senses and the color of our clothing to keep our presence hidden". Her voice had been calm, but Kalen began to wonder if she would be able to keep that calm in the face of the unknown that they now faced.

When they had made a small camp, they rested. Kalen watched Nevaria as she lay in silence. It was the way of the elves to slumber with open eyes, and Kalen could not know with certainty if Nevaria truly slept. It didn't matter, she supposed, and began thinking of their mission. It would be no easy task getting in and out unnoticed. What manner of creature would they find waiting for them once they did arrive? Kalen had never faced an enemy that wanted to see her blood spilled, but she knew she would be up to whatever she met. She also began thinking of her training. In the beginning, she was taught "gently", but as her skills improved and Calanagariel became sure of them, she would attack with full force, showing no mercy. Kalen knew this would prove invaluable when she faced real battle. Even so, none of her training could have prepared her for the unseen trials that waited ahead.

When several hours had passed, Kalen nudged Nevaria and they began making their way to the bank of the river. The water was wild and the waves rushed by in a mad current. Kalen looked at Nevaria with a questioning look as if to say "How will we ever get across THIS"?

As if in answer to her unspoken question, Nevaria offered a solution. "I can think of several ways for you, but as for me, I have heard of a makeshift "bridge" that lies further downstream. I will cross there".

The two walked down the bank until they finally reached the crossing. " It doesn't look very stable, but I'm afraid it's our only choice, that is unless you'd rather brave the current". There was a sly grin as the words passed Nevaria's lips.

Kalen nodded her head in agreement and the two began trying to cross the old wooden bridge. They had reached midway when "CRACK"! Nevaria had stepped onto a piece of old wood and had fallen halfway into the river when Kalen made a successful grab for her wrist. Kalen sighed in relief, but relief would be short lived. At that moment, there came another noise from the opposite side of the bridge and the two turned in unison. From out of the opposite woods, stepped one of the ugliest creatures they had ever seen. It was as if the creature had stepped out from a horrible nightmare from which there could be no waking. This was no ordinary Orc, it was one of the stronger soldier Orcs. It was an Uruk-Hai, and he wasted no time in making his intentions known.

"Elves" the angry Uruk hissed, pulling an axe of immense size and raising it into the air.

And with that, he swung his weapon, severing the bridges only link to the other side in one sweep. Kalen and Nevaria fell into the strong current and began the struggle to swim. It seemed a struggle they might lose if they could not make it to land. For what seemed like an eternity, the two fought the river and the river fought back, forcing its icy water into their mouths. Kalen was losing her strength, and she could see it happening to Nevaria as well. The last thing she could remember was thinking about the promise she had made to her people. " We will not fail, that I promise", then darkness.

"What do we have here"? The gruff words were accompanied by heavy footsteps out of the brush. They belonged to a short, stout man with dark hair and beard. To any conscious person, he would be recognized as a dwarf. He curiously eyed the two bodies that were lying limply on the muddy bank. Their faces were covered by hair, but he recognized the clothing. He knew this to be the clothing worn by elves. There were two of them, one with brown hair and, to his surprise, one with locks the color of the darkness in the mines. He wanted to move the hair to see the faces, but decided that finding out if they were alive seemed more of a priority. Cautiously, he kneeled near the one with brown hair. He could see the back rising and falling. This one was alive. He started towards the one with black hair and noticed the swords. He decided that it would be wise to exercise a little caution when approaching this one. It was breathing as well. After several minutes of staring and debating had passed, he decided he was going to need the help of his companion to move them to the camp. When they awoke, they would find food, a fire to warm their cold, wet bodies, and a dwarf with questions in need of answers.