Battle! Battle battle battle! Yay! Death, destruction, blood! We love elvish blood spilling, don't we precious? Well, not really, but I thought that sounded freaky enough. Hehe, ok, I'm done, bai bai!

~Hoshiko

Testing and the First Battle

            Thinthar showed no signs of the talk the next day, and instead got dressed as normal, and went with Haldir to the tree to look out. While they went out their door, though, Rumil caught Haldir's eye.

            'Haldir, did you not get the message?' he asked, and Haldir shook his head.

            'What message?'

'The Lady and Lord wish to talk to you. I was afraid you did not, so I came at any rate. Do not worry about Thinthar, I will take her.' He said, and Haldir nodded.

'Fine, I will see you later.' He said, and went to the Royal chambers. There Galadriel waited for him, and went down to him and he bowed.

'Haldir, I must tell you, there was an attack yesterday on the eastern border. Some of them escaped and they are going to the western side. I just wanted you to keep a special eye out.' She said, and he nodded.

'Thank you, Milady.' He said, and turned to go.

'Haldir, I must ask you something else.'

'Yes, Milady?'

'Thinthar, she is coming of age soon, and I was wondering if she would like a maid.' Galadriel's question was simple enough, but it threw Haldir into deep thought.

'I do not know, Milady. I do not think Thinthar is the kind of elf-maiden who would like one. After all, she does her hair and everything else with out assistance, and she is a free spirit. Even my worrying tends to get to her. I can not speak for her, though, I will ask.' He said, and bowed again.

'Very well, good luck.' Galadriel said, and Haldir left, hurrying to his talan.

Rumil and Thinthar walked silently to their talan until Rumil ventured to break the silence.

'You are very quiet, not like you.' He said, and she nodded.

'Mm…'

'Did something happen?' she shook her head. 'Did I do something?' she shook her head again, 'did Orophin do something?' again.

'Something I'd rather not discuss happened, and I would prefer it if no more questions were asked.' She said shortly, her tone reflecting Haldir in more ways than one.

'Of course, I am sorry.' Rumil apologized, and whistled for Orophin to drop the rope. It came after a moment, and the two climbed up.

'There was a small attack right before you got here about two miles off. We must keep a look-out.' Orophin said, and Rumil looked through the forest with his sharp eyes.

'How many?'

'Five.'

'That is all?'

'There are more.' This was all Orophin had to say for the other two to keep their eyes on the look out. Minutes passed, and no sign came, until something caught Orophin's eye. There was an enormous band of orcs running not half a mile off to the other side of the forest.

'They are here!' he cried, and flicked his lantern once before they set off. Orophin began to stop Thinthar, but Rumil shook his head, and he did not. They raced from talan to talan, other elves of the forest appearing beside them. Before Thinthar knew it, they had surrounded the orcs, some on the ground, others in the trees. Rumil had led her to the ground.

'Come along, Thinthar, you will be of more use on the ground.' He said, and they hopped down, protecting each other's back with the years of practice they had had together. Their movements were swift and in time with each other.

Thinthar took a swift slice to one of the orcs, and slit it's throat while Rumil stabbed an orc in the stomach. Both went at as if they were beautiful machines, knowing what the other would do at certain points in time.

But around them, elves were falling at great numbers, though orcs were too, and their screams could be heard. As if that wasn't torture enough for the remaining elves, it started to rain, clouding their vision slightly.

'How many orcs are there?' Thinthar said over the clatter and stabbed an orc in the back.

'Enough!' Rumil called, and from one of the talans a horn called. 'They are calling help, keep going!' he said, and Thinthar did so. She seemed to be taking some odd anger and frustration out on one of the orcs, and did not see one go for Rumil. Unfortunately, Rumil did not see it either, and it stabbed him in the leg. Rumil cried out in pain and fell to the ground.

Haldir could hear the clamor of the fight from his assigned talan, and climbed the tree quickly, jumped onto the talan, and went to the sounds of battle. He found more elves coming beside him, and he found Orophin blowing a horn to call them.

'Haldir, it is good you have come.' He said, and put the horn away, 'it is knife-work down there.' Haldir saw it was so, and nodded.

'I will be there, then.' He said, and jumped nimbly down. Orophin sighed, and shot many orcs from above in the talan.

Thinthar turned when she heard her friend fall, and gasped. His leg was bleeding more than she had seen anything bleed before, and she immediately tried to pick his limp body up. She succeeded, though not easily, and after walking a few steps with him, her leg gave out, and she fell. He did not go with her, though, because something had picked him up. She looked up and found Haldir standing over her.

'Thinthar, you must try to cover me.' He instructed, and she nodded, bending her bow. As Haldir rushed to the nearest talan, she immediately began shooting orcs. All the lessons she had gone through took immediate effect of her body, and many orcs fell at her hands. If Haldir had seen, he would have been impressed.

 He hurried through the crowd, focussing only on the tree, and whistled up. The rope ladder was let down, but before he could get up to the tree he slipped and fell on the ground wet with a mixture of blood and rain, a rock lodging itself into his knee. He got up with a grimace, and put his full trust in Thinthar as he climbed the ladder slowly, his back completely open. Nothing hit him, though, and he got Rumil up in the talan successfully. An elf in the talan helped him get Rumil fully up and bound his leg. Haldir called over the edge of the talan, getting Thinthar's attention.

'There are not many here now, come up and shoot from here!' he said, and she nodded, climbing up the ladder nimbly. When she arrived he helped her up. 'Thank you for doing that.'

'Will Rumil be fine?' she asked, and Haldir nodded.

'Rumil will need a healer, but the battle is not over, we must still fight.' He said, and they started shooting from the talan. Her skills were just as well done in the talan as on the ground, and Haldir watched her movements out of the corner of his eye, finally seeing the extent of her skills. The battle did not last much longer, and when it was done, Haldir looked out over the elves that had fallen.

'This is not good.' He said, voice bitter. Death was always something he had had a problem dealing with. Thinthar looked out over the battlefield in confusion.

'They are all… dead?' she asked, and Haldir nodded, 'So many died… and will not be seen again?'

'This is the danger we put ourselves in to protect the city. Many have fallen for the woman children and others of the Golden Wood. Many tears will be shed tonight.' He said, and she looked at Orophin and Rumil, Rumil had yet to wake up. 'We must get Rumil to a healer, come.' He said, and they left the others to take in the dead. The walk to the Golden Wood seemed short, and while Orophin and Thinthar took Rumil to the healer's room, Haldir went to the Royal Chambers. He walked up to the Lady and Lord of the Wood, and bowed.

'We have defeated the band of orcs you had spoken of before.' He said, and his voice became bitter. 'We have lost many, and have many casualties. Rumil was stabbed in the leg.' Celeborn looked at the blood streaming from Haldir's leg and nodded.

'Yes, and you are bleeding all over our floors.' He said, and Haldir looked down, wincing.

'It is no problem, Haldir.' Galadriel said, and smiled. 'You should go to the healers as well. Thank you for the report.' She said, and he bowed again, walking to the healers. He had not noticed his knee before, but as if looking at it was actually doing it, his leg now stung. He went to the waiting room where a healer was free, and the healer took him in.

'You did this how?' The healer asked, trying to distract his attention. It didn't help; he still felt a sharp pain as the rock was removed.

'I fell carrying Rumil. Do you know where he is?'

'Yes, your brother is in the next room. I have attended to him, too, he will need bed rest for several days.' He said, and bandaged Haldir's leg. Haldir bent it a few times to loosen the bandage, and hopped down.

'Thank you.' He said, and went into the next room, where Thinthar was crying, Orophin comforting her. 'What happened?' he asked, and Orophin shook his head.

'She blames herself for Rumil.' He said, and Thinthar let out a particularly loud sob.

'I should have been watching more closely!' she cried, and Haldir shook his head.

'It is not your fault, Thinthar, even I could have done that.' She still cried, though, and it took her a while to stop. When she had calmed a bit, Haldir turned to her. 'I saw your skills out there. You have advanced more than I though with that bow. Congratulations.' He said, and she shook her head.

'For what?'

'You have passed the first test.' He said, and she looked confused.

'Test?'

'Yes, you have begun your testing for Marchwarden.' He said, and she smiled.

'Thank you.' She said, and Haldir nodded.

'Yes, there is something else I'd like to ask, too.'

'Yes?'

'The Lady has requested I ask if you would like a maid in your service now that you have come of age.' This received the expected reaction. She looked him hard in the eyes, and shook her head. .

'No, I do not need one, I can take care of myself.' She said, and he shrugged.

'Yes, I figured that would be what you would say. Very well, I will tell her tomorrow.' He said, and stood. 'Rumil will be here for a few more days, and you look tired, you should come and sleep.' Haldir said kindly, and Thinthar shook her head. Orophin had gone home minutes before, and she would have been alone.

'I would rather stay, Haldir.' She said, and Haldir nodded.

'Very well, I will see you later.'

'Good-bye.'