AN- Alright, here's the next chapter. Wrote this one more on a whim, and though it's not likely to draw in any reviews, I had fun writing it. If any of you have any questions or requests for this story, please ask and I'll answer as best I can. I'm sure this will throw some of you for a loop, and I can tell you that it's a bit different from past chapters. Enjoy, and please review!

ASSASSIN

She was grinning ferally, ignoring the dribble of blood running down the corner of her mouth. There were shouts all around her, but she was totally focused on the person in front of her. Her hands lightly grasped her katana's hilt, and she chuckled hollowly. "I've been waiting for a challenge, and it looks like you're lucky enough to provide."

The man before her was clothed in dark clothes, a cowl drawn over his face and a cloth wrapped around his face hid his features from view. It was obvious what he was...what he was here for. The Black Guard was dealing with his compatriots all around them, but her instinct told her he was the leader of the attack. His only response to her words was to lower his stance slightly and twirl his two swords so that they resembled glittering arcs.

"Okay. I'm guessing you decided to attack now because the Black Guard has one squad dead and another recuperating. You thought they were weakened now. You idiot." She smirked coldly. "Now I have to make you pay for kicking me in the face." Jumping forward, she brought her sword down in a quick slash, and her opponent easily blocked the blow before parrying her sword. Before she could react, he spun and landed a solid kick to her side before spinning away. Cursing, she leaped after him, and the next few moments were a blur of blades and limbs. When they finally broke apart, she was bleeding from a slice along her arm and his leg steadily leaked blood from a blow she had managed to land. "You're gooood," she hissed, her fangs expanding.

Her opponent's eyes widened slightly, and she jumped forward, putting all of her strength into the next swing. Evidently her opponent saw the difference in the strike, for instead of trying to block, he jumped back, and her katana crashed into the courtyard floor with a crash, the flagstones cracking underneath her sword's edge. Before focusing on her opponent again, Elana looked to the edge of the courtyard and spotted her father watching the fight, his hand resting on his sword's hilt. Judging by his relaxed stance, he wasn't worried about the outcome of her battle. Snapping around to look at her opponent again, she saw a blade sweeping towards her head. Hissing slightly in annoyance for her lack of concentration, she whipped her hand up and caught the blade between two fingers, relying on her vampiric strength to overcome her opponent. To her surprise, he was stronger than he looked, and the blade came a lot closer to cutting her flesh than she was comfortable with.

Snarling, she threw the blade away from her and ducked his other sword before sweeping in with her own. Again her life was composed only of blow and parry, sword and fist, blood and sweat. Somewhere in the middle of it, she realized that the courtyard had grown silent, that the Black Guard had managed to gain control again, that the King and Queen were safe. And still the fight dragged on. Her opponent truly was fabulous at swordplay, and she marveled at his endurance. She wouldn't grow tired for a long while yet, even though they had already been fighting for a good ten minutes at full strength. A normal man would have been unable to keep up the speed that they had been fighting at.

Jumping back to a good standing distance, she sheathed her katana and held it by her side, crouching in the battojutsu stance. Again he twirled his swords with flashes of steel before assuming a stance of his own. Falling back into her senses, Elana concentrated on his heart beat, which was elevated but not as much as it should have been...who was this man? Suddenly his heart leaped and she charged just as he did. Wind roaring in her ears, she grinned ferally as he drew closer. She could probably disarm him if she was careful, and then she could hand him over to be interrogated.

Just as they reached striking distance and she began her 'soryusen' two arrows hissed out of the darkness and sank into his back, puncturing his kidneys. With a muffled cry, he stumbled forward, his arms thrown back, and her sword tore through his chest, slashing open his lungs and cutting his heart in two. Already committed to the attack, Elana could only watch in muted rage as her steel sheath slammed into the already dead man's arm, shattering the humerus.

The body hit the floor, and slid to a halt, leaving a smear of blood on the stones. Flicking her sword with a well practiced move, Elana only snarled as the blood flew off the blade and splattered along the wall. Focusing on the arrows, her eyes widened when she saw the fletching, fletching she had seen only once before. Oh, but she remembered who carried the green feathered arrows. Her eyes snapping to the crowd of Black Guard and nobles who had gathered, her eyes met his, and she could see the shock in the blue orbs at the anger she was showing.

"Legolas Thranduillion, I should have known!" she hissed angrily as she plucked the two arrows from the corpse. "What were you thinking?!"

His answer was hot and quick in the coming. "I was helping a lady in what appeared to be a duel to the death!"

Her mouth dropped open in awe of his stupidity. "To the death?" she asked. "If I was trying to kill him, the fight would have lasted mere moments...I am almost my father's equal in swordsmanship. I was trying to capture him so we could find out who his master was!" When the prince's face went to shock and then to understanding, she growled, her fist subconsciously clenching and cracking the shafts of the arrows she held. "Idiot males, they never understand! They see a woman fighting and they only want to play hero!" Tossing the ruined arrows away from her, she turned and walked towards her cloak, which she had dropped at the beginning of the fight. Picking it up and slinging it over her shoulders, she headed once more for the shadows, for she was feeling the hated sun's rays on her skin. She was able to ignore it in the excitement of the fight, but now the crawling feeling she got whenever the sun touched her skin was back with a vengeance. Shuddering, she jerked her head towards the body, and two of the Black Guard nodded before hurrying towards the ruined form. Shuddering again, she hurried towards her quarters, taking her leave, ever aware of the pair of eyes focused on her back.

~*~*~*~

Once she was out of sight, Legolas released the breath he hadn't known he was holding. He had feared the worst when he had first heard the warning bells, but he had been quick to grab his weapons and fight off the assassins. Then he turned, and his breath had frozen in his throat. Elanariel, the daughter of two of the Fellowship, spinning and weaving in a dance of death. He didn't know how many times he had tensed as one of the two swords of the attacker came within inches of striking her fair skin, but he was oddly excited to watch her flawless moves. Remembering her hair flaring as she spun, auburn highlights catching the sunlight, he smiled softly. A loud curse from a wounded Durvagorian roused him from his memories, and he started slightly.

As though released from a spell, he stepped forward, and approached the felled assassin. Turning the slain man over, he grimaced. "How can one so fair cause such a grievous wound?" he murmured to himself as he made note of cut bones and perforated organs.

"Just because one is beautiful doesn't mean that they aren't deadly," a gravelly voice said, and Legolas looked up, startled. Donovan looked down at him with emotionless golden eyes. "She's my daughter, Leggy, I'd suggest being careful."

Legolas smirked softly. "Is that a warning that you'll destroy me if I hurt her, or a warning that she will do the same if she thinks I am a threat?"

"Both." Thinking his half-vampire comrade might possibly be joking, Legolas looked up, ready to make a witty comment of his own. However, he saw only cold steel and danger in the golden eyes glaring down at him. Swallowing nervously, Legolas suddenly felt like he was an elfling again. Nodding slightly, he looked back down to the corpse, his cheeks coloring slightly. How is this possible, I'm many years his elder! Deciding to do something constructive, he peeled away the mask of the dead assassin. The moment he did, he jerked back his hand as though burned. An elf male looked up, eyes blank in death. "What the-?!" Donovan snarled.

Legolas looked at the dead elf with shock. "Why would an elf wish to assault Aragorn?"

Donovan looked away from the elf. "Might not have been Aragorn he was after."

Legolas looked up to the half-vampire, suspicion coloring his eyes. "You don't think..."

"Elenloth is pregnant," Donovan growled softly. "Some elves might not want the 'vampire scum' to breed any further."

Legolas stood and walked a few paces away. He knew of some factions of the elves that viewed Donovan as an abomination, but he didn't think that they would go so far as kinslaying...he clenched his fist in anger. "Sweet Valar preserve us..."