As night wore on I lay with Tilda and Sigrid huddled close to me, one either side though I had my hand gripping my sword tightly in wariness. I did not trust the despair of these people and I had witnessed several acts of violence this day already, so I rested with one eye open to keep guard over the girls with Bain sleeping against the wall before us. The braziers had been lit and were flickering with warmth, the golden light casting dim shadows around the room as the night wore on. Sometime in the morning I heard the rhythmic clinking of metal and I was instantly wide awake, listening to the constant footfalls of soldiers and I recognised their sound within a heartbeat. Wood elves. By the sheer mass of noise that I could hear I reasoned that Thranduil must have sent his entire army ahead of him. I did not move, listening carefully as the first beams of sunlight rose over the mountain and spread its rays over the city, causing people to stir and rise as the embers in the brazier burned low. "Children, awaken." I murmured to them, rousing them from their sleep. "There is something outside that you will wish to see."

Blinking and bleary eyed Tilda mewled softly as Bain rose first, going to peer outside and after a few moments quickly came running back. "Tilda! Tilda wake up! You have to come see!" He urged her, lifting her to her feet and with Sigrid hurrying behind and the others beginning to be drawn to the novelty that was drawing the early risers outside I joined them, seeing the entire army of the woodland realm standing within the walls of Dale, armour gleaming in the early morning sun and I listened to the joyous cries of the people as Thranduil himself brought forth food and supplies, bringing them fresh hope and deliverance from starvation as I climbed up onto a broken statue and observed the scene before me. He had come, though he had also brought his army with him, he had answered my request to bring food and goods to the survivors of Laketown. The relief was accepted with heartfelt thanks, though the army brought me nothing but fear. Thranduil intended to take back the white gems of Lasgalen by force since he had failed with reasoning. Perhaps this is all my doing, if only I were able to persuade Thorin before then he might have come to an agreement with Thranduil, however I knew that Thorin at this moment was beyond all hope of reasoning. The sickness was taking hold, I could feel it. I could feel it bring a chill to my skin that caused me to shiver.

Bard and Thranduil exchanged words as I climbed from the statue a little higher, moving across the broken arches of an old courtyard to observe and listen silently without being noticed. Though Thranduil intended to go to war, Bard begged for a chance to maintain peace, wanting to at least speak with Thorin before the decision was made to go to war and Thranduil granted him his chance, much to my surprise. Seeing him astride his great elk with his silver armour and silvery grey and blue cloak I could not help but feel estranged from him. I wanted nothing more than to run to his arms but I knew there I would not be welcome, so I remained apart. Turning my head I disappeared into the city's lower levels where the sick were being kept, busying myself with assisting them as best I could though my supplies were soon spent and I had no more to give, so I went searching for more herbs throughout the city but found nothing of medicinal use and I did not wish to be seen by any of Thranduil's men by asking for the medicine to be brought down from where it had been unloaded from the carts and placed before the great hall. Instead I asked if some of the men would help me and they did so, carrying the crates of vials, herbs and supplies down to the wounded and sick where I then could continue my treatments.

Bard was gone little over an hour and I soon heard through gossip and rumour that Thorin had refused to give up what was promised to them, meaning that war was upon them. The moment I heard I quickly had someone else take over the leg binding and I rushed outside, flying towards the outer wall to watch as Thranduil ordered his men to make ready, placing his archers along the walls and towers to face the mountain. It was all going wrong, terribly wrong. Did they not sense the coming danger? It was no more than a fleeting shadow but I could feel it with every fibre of my being as I walked along the very top of the wall that guarded the inner ring of the city. Just as my troubled mind tried to make sense of the images of war I had been experiencing, I suddenly became overcome with the a overpowering imagine of black and white, shapes merging together without focus though I saw the figure of an orc approaching, bloodied teeth snarling as I slowly turned to face it. In my vision I could feel the grip of my sword in my hand, however as I swung the blade it was knocked from my grip and as I felt a flash of fear thrum through me, the painful stab of wood and metal entered my body, causing me to jolt backwards and stare at the blackened plume that protruded from my chest.

As I saw the vision that brought me intense fear for my own future, the sharp burst of pain had made me shift back only half a step, however it was enough for me to lose the ground beneath my feet and as I leaned backwards with a heavy weight of death seemingly grasping my body, I fell from the inner ring wall with several screams penetrating the air, seeing me fall. I was unaware that I was falling and did not register as familiar arms caught me with a rush of movement, eyes glazed over like white glass as for a few moments I could not breathe, feeling the arrow piercing my lung and filling it with blood until slowly, the vision faded away and I was able to see bright open sky once more with the sun directly overhead, masking the figure before me until they had leaned forward a little, hand rested against my face and tenderly thumbing my cheek as I struggled to recover from my choked breath. "Ada." I was not weakened or tired physically but I was so emotionally drained that I did not even have the energy to despise him in that moment.

"This is not the place you were supposed to be, Eleniel, you were meant to be a hundred miles away from here and more." He told me tonelessly as I remained captured in his protective arms with his careful caress against my face. "You never were one for following my orders." A smile flickered upon my face as I then closed my eyes, unable to do naught else but rest a while though Thranduil did not abandon me. He lifted me up and carried me away, his soldiers parting to allow him through as whispers murmured in my mind from the survivors, wondering why I had fallen from the wall and some suggesting that I had fallen purposefully for the sake of taking my own life. Their speculations fell out of sound, however, as I was carried to Thranduil's personal tent and set down to rest, finally finding sleep when I previously had had none.