Halien made sure the others were all ok and she hugged Bombur, as best as she could, trying to comfort the poor dwarf. He thanked her silently and she felt Thorin watching her. Her smile faded and she walked away, to the horses and tried to comfort them, too, ignoring him all the while.

Thorin sighed, knowing that he should not have said what he had earlier to her. Gandalf had asked him about it, but he said it was nothing, not wanting to talk about it. Gandalf sensed the tensions and sighed.

"Whatever you did, Thorin, whatever you said, you need to fix it. We cannot have you and Halien sulking about and not focusing on the task at hand." he said. "She cares a great deal for you, Thorin, more than you or she may realize. You would do well to remember that."

Thorin knew he was right. He watched as Halien smiled as she talked to the horses. He tried to approach her but she ignored him and tugged at the reins and pulled Torwen along.

"I will scout ahead, look for signs of the troll cave." she said. "Or do you doubt me even still, sire?" She turned to glance back at Thorin, ice in her voice as she spoke. Thorin's face fell at that comment and he knew that he had to find a way to fix what he had done.

Thorin and the others followed her, watching as she checked for signs of the trolls. She found crushed branches and followed an acrid scent- all fresh from when they had come out for the night- that led her to the cave. She led the others to the cave and they went inside. Halien waited outside, keeping watch while the dwarves and Gandalf searched the caves. She climbed up into a tree and went up a few branches, scanning the area. After a few minutes, the dwarves and Gandalf exited the cave, some of them bearing new weapons. Halien admired the elvish blades they had acquired within the cave, but she heard something in the distance, getting closer and closer.

She and the others grouped together, drawing their weapons, waiting for whatever was coming. Out of the trees came Radagast, the Brown. He was searching for Gandalf. He spoke of a darkness that fell over the Greenwood, a sickness that refused to let anything grow. He spoke of giant spiders that came from the old abandoned fortress, Dol Guldur, and described the darkness and horrors he saw within the fortress. Gandalf listened to the tale and gave Radagast a puff of his Old Toby and asked if he was certain that it was a Necromancer. Radagast presented him with a blade, but then a howling came from nearby.

"Was that a wolf?" Bilbo asked. "Are there wolves around here?"

"A wolf, no, that's not a wolf!" Bofur replied.

A warg jumped upon them, but the dwarves quickly killed it. Gandalf asked Thorin who he had told of his quest when Thorin realized that there was a warg pack close.

"What in Durin's name is going on?" Thorin demanded.

"You are being hunted." Gandalf replied.

When Dwalin said they needed to get out of there, Ori told them that they couldn't, that the ponies had bolted. Halien worried for them, but she knew that if Torwen was with them that they would be safe. She heard a reassuring thought from her mare, but it was faint. She and the other mounts would be fine. Radagast said he would act as a decoy and that his Rhosgobel Rabbits could easily outrun the Gundabad Wargs. As the wizard led the pack away from the others, the company of Thorin Oakenshield ran for their lives. They had to change directions several times to avoid being seen by the pack. Kili shot one of the wargs and its rider when they reached an outcropping of rock, but it led the pack straight to them. They ran and ran, trying to escape the wargs, but soon they became surrounded and Gandalf had disappeared.

"Where is Gandalf?" someone cried.

"He has abandoned us!" Dwalin replied.

The dwarves got closer together as the wargs began to surround them. Halien and Kili shot arrows at their advancing enemy, trying to thin out their numbers. There were just so many. One of the wargs had snuck up behind Halien and its rider grabbed her braid, yanking her back. She cried out and Thorin turned to see as the Orc started to pull her up onto the warg. He tried to get to her, but a warg attacked him directly and when he turned back to check on her, Thorin and the others watched as Halien took her dagger and sliced through her braid, freeing herself. She turned and drew her sword, and in one swift movement, the elf maiden managed to decapitate both the warg and its rider. Finally free, she picked up and sheathed her bow- it having been knocked from her grasp when the Orc grabbed her- and glanced around her, finding an opening. She took it and ran, slicing at any foe that got in her way. Covered in their blood, Halien fought her way through several wargs and Orcs and managed to rejoin the dwarves.

"Hold your ground!" Thorin ordered, glad that she was safe. They circled up, Halien on Thorin's left while Dwalin stood at his right, and were beginning to think they were done for.

Popping out from behind a rock, Gandalf called to them and they ran towards him, sliding down the rock face into a cave. A horn blew outside and they heard arrows flying. Halien recognized the horn's call as Thorin pulled an elven arrow from the corpse of an Orc that had fallen into the cave.

The noise outside had ceased, so they followed the path ahead and came out on the edge of Rivendell. Halien smiled when she saw the familiarity of her people and breathed in the magik of the air around them. They made their way to the entrance into the city, being greeted by an elf, Galeon.

Gandalf said he needed to speak with Lord Elrond, but as he was told that Elrond was not there, a large company of elves rode in through the gates. They circled around the dwarves, causing the dwarves to huddle up and draw their weapons.

"Gandalf!" Elrond said as he came to a stop in front of them.

"My friend!" Gandalf replied in Elvish. "Where have you been?"

"We've been hunting a pack of Orcs that came up from the South." Elrond replied. "We slew a number near the Hidden Pass." He hugged Gandalf. "Strange for Orcs to come so close to our borders." he then said in the Common Tongue.

Gandalf told him that it may have been their doing and Elrond welcomed Thorin and his company.

"Welcome, Thorin, son of Thrain. You have your grandfather's bearing."

"I do not believe that we have met." Thorin said.

"I knew Thror when he ruled under the mountain." Elrond replied.

"Indeed? He made no mention of you." Thorin retorted.

"Thorin that is no way to speak to an elder, let alone someone who may offer us food, shelter, and safety while we are here." Halien said, glaring at him. "Forgive the young king's error, Lord Elrond. As you know, my father and Durin's folk are not on the best terms, which has caused quite a lot of mistrust between our peoples."

Elrond smiled when she spoke. "It is good to see you, Halien. It has been so long since last we spoke." he said in Elvish. "It shames me to think what your father could have been thinking, exiling you, but he must have his reasons and it is not my place to question that. Nevertheless, it is good to see you well."

Halien bowed as Elrond offered them food and shelter for the night. Gloin got very defensive, asking if the elven lord offered them insult. Gandalf translated for him, then when they dwarves discussed and agreed, Elrond led them into the courtyard.

He asked one of his maids to bring Halien a change of clothes and draw her a bath. Halien tried to decline the change of clothes- wanting nothing more than to scrub the grime of Orc and warg blood off her skin- but Elrond insisted and the maid brought out a bright purple gown with white accents and silver trimmings. Elrond left to go change himself for dinner and the maid helped Halien change out of her ranger clothes and into bath. The water was warm and felt good. The maid offered to help her wash her hair out and Halien accepted. The maid took the warm water and some fragrant soaps to scrub out the blood in her hair, gently rubbing it in. The soap smelled great, but the grime of blood turned the water black. When the maid was finished, she helped Halien out of the bath and dried her off before helping her into the gown. She brushed her hair and Halien looked into the looking glass hanging on the wall. Her once long and luxurious hair was gone and now it fell to the top of her shoulders. It was now slightly wavy, no longer long enough to braid and her obsidian black tips were long gone. She thought it looked OK, but she was going to miss having the long hair she had known for centuries. Halien thanked the maid, placed her headdress back upon her brow, and followed her out to the dining area where the dwarves were all seated and fidgeting through the greens set before them.