"Orcs!"
The elves of Rivendell looked up as a group of dwarves, a hobbit and a wizard came running into their home.
"Orcs just outside the secret passage, they are after my friend!" Shouted Bilbo.
One of the elves approached them with great worry in his eyes. "What is going on?"
"My dear lord Elrond." Gandalf said as he bowed his head. "We are in dire need of your help."
The wizard explained what had happened to them.
The elvenlord immediately gatherd his troups and left the company in the care of Lindir. When they reached the rockfields orcs were scattered around.
"It is a big plague." One of the elvensoldiers said.
"Then lets exterminate it." Elrond said. "And find the friend of Gandalf."
The soldier took his horn and called the attack. It was swift and effective. Most orcs that were outside were killed within minutes. Elrond looked around and saw strange rocks as if they had just errupted from the ground. His eyes fell on an orc impaled by a spike of rock. The strange rocks led all the way towards the mountainside.
"There in the cave!" Elrond yelled when he spotted some orcs running into it.
The soldiers got off their horses and ran after them, Elrond just behind them.
"Get her, the master needs her!" One of the orcs shouted as a group of them tried to claw their way through a stone wall.
The elves killed them all in mere minutes.
"What were they talking about?" One of the elves asked.
"No idea Haldir, but what concerns me most is that we didn't find who we were looking for." Elrond said as he eyed the stone wall.
"This cave used to run deeper didn't it?" He asked running a hand over the rocks.
"There is an entrance on the other side, I thought it went all the way through the mountain."
"It did." Elrond said. "Gather the troups and get to the other side of this wall."
…
The cave seemed empty upon first sight. The light of the candles cast strange shadows against the walls. Elrond made sure to check every inch.
"A woman!" One of the soldiers shouted. "She is injured."
Elrond ran towards the elf. As soon as he layed eyes on the figure sitting against the wall he knew who she was. She stared at them with big eyes. The fear radiating off of her made his heart sink. He noticed the blood on her side and the strange position of her leg.
"Get away from me!" She suddenly said. "I…I don't want to…"
"Everyone out." Elrond said.
He did not raise his voice, but the urgence in his tone was enough for the soldiers to turn around immediately. Haldir cast Elrond a look and was the last to leave. Elrond kneeled down, a few meters from the injured woman.
"What is your name?"
His tone could not be more calming. The woman did not answer straight away. Her eyes were shooting all around, like an animal trapped in a corner looking for a way out.
"You can trust me."
"I cannot trust anyone…" She said shivering. "…that I haven't even seen before."
"But you have seen me before and you know it." Elrond said still as calm as before. "Do you remember?"
His eyes fell onto the growing stain of blood on her side.
"Let me take care of you, you need help."
The woman laughed mockingly. "The only way you want to help me is to help me to the land of the dead."
She tried to stand up and Elrond winced by the position of her leg.
"Don't move too much." He said.
The woman did not listen and tried to crawl away from him.
"Your friends are worried about you."
His tone was desperate but his plan seemed to work.
"Bilbo?" She asked. "Is he alright?"
"He is fine, they all are." Elrond said relieved to form some sort of contact. "I can take you to him."
Her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Slowly she dropped to the side, unconcious.
Elrond cursed under his breath as he ran towards her.
"Haldir!" He called gratefull that the had left Lothlorien to train at Imladris for a few months
The elf stood beside him in mere seconds.
"Help me carry her to Imladris, she needs help straight away."