AN: I don't own anything from UW.

Five years later

The Baroness of Cachtice walked briskly towards the castle armory. There had been a recent report of a werewolf roaming the nearby woods and she wanted to personally make sure that they were well equipped with plenty of silver weapons. She heard two familiar voices coming from the armory. They belonged to two of her best men, Farkas and Gedeon. The former had become a mentor of sorts during the past five years since her father's death. He had been the one who had taught her to fight, at her insistence of course. After the baron's murder, Anya had decided that in order to protect the people of Cachtice, she needed to learn to protect herself first. She was no longer the little coward she was at fifteen. Tragedy had made quite an impact on her. Her once waist length crimson locks were now as short as a man's. . Anya no longer bothered with dresses and petticoats, a warrior could not be hampered by such ridiculous attire. She now wore men's breeches and sturdy boots with her tailored silver armor. And the sweet, innocent countenance that had seemed to be her constant companion had been replaced by an ever present glint of steel in her eyes. She was not unaware of it, but she preferred it this way. Now her enemies recognized her for what she truly was: a more than formidable opponent.

"Farkas, Gedeon. Are we ready with the silver weaponry I ordered?" Her stringent manner always made her soldiers stand at attention whenever she spoke. It secretly amused her.

"We are doing fine with the silver arrowheads and spears but we are running low on swords", Gedeon, the burly giant of a man, answered soberly. They had clearly been discussing this because Farkas jumped in immediately.

"However, it should be quite enough for tonight's expedition. I expect we'll only need a team of five hunters to bring down the beast for it did seem to be alone." Every time she saw these two together she could not help but notice the difference between the two men. Her beloved mentor was a slight dark haired man who could even be described as unremarkable. His looks hid a very dangerous and incredibly skilled swordsman. Gedeon was his opposite. He was probably seven feet tall with arms as thick as legs and long golden hair. She shook her head a little to get rid of the distraction then responded with a sure voice.

"You may be right Farkas, but I want a team of ten on the hunt tonight. I will take no chances, especially with my men's lives." She always felt it was better to be safe than sorry in these instances.

Farkas nodded sagely, "You're right my lady, as always." A slight smile graced his usually somber face. "The werewolf might very well have companions coming to join him. And in any case it's better to be cautious." Gedeon nodded in agreement.

"Good, then we are agreed. I'll need you to quickly assemble a team at your own discretion, make sure they are all well seasoned. I will be heading out with them myself and I really don't want a trembling boy with a sword as a distraction." Anya frowned at the thought. She absolutely loathed playing babysitter.

Gedeon chuckled, "It will be done as you say Lady Anya. Say, do I qualify as seasoned my lady?" He asked with a teasing smile on his face.

"Oh shut up you", she retorted playfully, rolling her eyes, then turned to Farkas. "I'll need them prepped and ready by sun down, we can't afford to lose another day." When he nodded in assent she turned quickly and strode away. She needed to get ready herself, and pay a quick visit to the smithy where she had left her sword for sharpening. A wolf howled in the distance and she found herself smiling expectantly. There was nothing more fun than a good hunt. That wretched creature will perish tonight, she vowed to herself. She had no doubt about it. All she hoped for was that she would get the opportunity to slay the fiend herself.

Lucian and his men prepared to make camp in the woods near the little town of Cachtice. Although they had achieved victory in their most recent battle against the vampires, their numbers had been severely decimated. Lucian hoped to persuade this town's slaves and peasants to join his cause. He didn't doubt that he would gain men here, the promise of freedom from oppression was extremely attractive to peasants everywhere, but the only question was how many. He had already sent Xristo on a little scouting expedition to the village. When he returned with the information he needed all Lucian had to do was make a powerful enough speech that could make as many listeners as possible join their numbers. I am growing weary of this, he thought to himself. The years that had followed his beloved's demise had been excruciatingly painful for him. All that motivated him now was revenge against the vampires who had taken his dear Sonja from him. That very thought set his blood to a boil. This was what he needed, to remember the tragedy of his wife's execution. With the promise of revenge fueling his thoughts, Lucian prepared himself for Xristo's arrival.

The hunters set out immediately after sundown. With Anya at the head, the group moved swiftly in the direction of the woods. The horsemen consisted of ten of the most experienced soldier's under the Baroness' command. Gedeon was among them, almost as eager as Anya to go on a hunt.

"Do not separate under any circumstances!" Anya shouted at the top of her lungs in order to be heard by her men. "If you have a shot, take it. Do not hesitate." Or your death will certainly follow, she thought grimly to herself.

They slowed down and dismounted once they entered the forest. Anya was alert and ready for the damned beast to appear. They continued searching warily this way for a full half hour until she raised her right fist to signal a stop. Her keen senses had heard a faint rustling of leaves. She was on full alert as she strained to hear more. Her dark brown eyes searched the foliage, straining to see in the dark. She was fully ready for the werewolf to spring from behind a nearby tree, so she was thoroughly surprised when an extremely deep voice sounded from the darkness ahead of her.

"Do not move", the concealed man said. As he spoke, about a dozen men with crossbows emerged form the dark. Hellfire, she thought. They were surrounded.

"Lower your weapons and you will not be harmed", the man materialized before me. He was a very large black man, almost as burly as Gedeon himself. His menacing blue eyes looked directly at Anya, identifying her as their leader. "You will come with us now." He volunteered no more information as we lowered our weapons and threw them in a pile before him.

"What do you want with us?", she demanded, her voice cold and firm. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. Apparently he had not realized Anya's gender before he heard her speak.

"You will see for yourself soon enough", he rumbled. He looked at his companions and gave them a nod before turning and walking into the night. The hunters had no choice but to follow him, probably to impending doom. Anya took a moment to gather her courage then with her back ramrod straight she walked into the imposing darkness.

AN:

Thank you so much for reviewing ThranduilsDaughter. I hadn't thought about taking the story further than the first movies, but it's a good idea. Might just do that :0