"Stay silent," A familiar voice whispered into my ear. I began to tense up at the sudden closeness to him, "That was foolish; calling out to an orc like that."

Calling out to an orc? But that's Thorin! My eyebrows pulled together out of scepticism. His hand was still covering my mouth, I reached up and pulled it away.

"But that's not an orc!" I hissed, trying to protest.

All I got was a nod of denial in return, so I peeked over the window ledge for another look. The figure was too far away to distinguish. There was no way Legolas could see from this distance.

Legolas answered, "You aren't focusing enough. Try harder." I must have thought aloud.

I squinted with all my might, it was not going well. I didn't have time for this now. Suddenly I noticed Legolas tense up. I looked back to the figure. It was pointing at something.

"Khozd!" Its growl ripped through the air. It was indeed an orc. I didn't know the filthy word it spat; I didn't need to. He had found the prize we were all searching for, and it was time to claim it.

Sprinting forward, I left our cover, Legolas' call fell to the back of my consciousness. All that mattered was that orc. I maintained proximity to the scout; he was big, cumbersome and therefore clumsy which meant he couldn't be too reckless on the rooftops. I had a slight advantage. Building up speed, I couldn't hear any footfalls. Strange.

I didn't care if Legolas was following me. It didn't matter. That filthy thing was my priority now. I focused on my target, suddenly I was able to see it with absolute clarity. My instincts were taking over.

I was glad these houses were conjoined; I wouldn't survive the fall into icy waters. I vaulted over a chimney top with seamlessly calculated accuracy as I watched the horrid creature ahead of me drop down to street level. I sprinted forward and plunged into the abyss.

Everything was moving so slowly, an arrow whizzed past my head, shattering the window behind me as I fell, sending glass and splinters through the air. I caught my reflection in a shard. I looked strange, closer to my kin now than I ever had been. I felt strong, poised and purposeful like a cat, keen eyes trained on her prey. My eyes were hooded and dark, shadowed with malicious intent. I was determined to keep my only friends alive. I wasn't falling, I was reaching toward the ground, and the ground reaching for me. As I closed the distance between my toes and the ground I tucked, rolled and sprang onto my feet; boosted forward by sheer momentum. I felt unstoppable, powerful. Eyes taking in my surroundings, I spotted Bofur crawling away from my prey. Daggers unsheathed I charged forward and sank them deep into the scout's spine, pinning it onto the floor.

Legolas delicately landed behind me and stroll over to inspect my work, "lle sha rista ta e' perya" he uttered in disbelief, frowning.

{"You almost cut it in half"

While we were inspecting the corpse, Bofur scrambled to his feet. I turned to be met with Bofur with his fists raised and yelling what I assumed was a dwarvish war cry as he rushed towards me. He swung, I dodged which only riled him up more. He swung once more and I caught his fist, he started yelling as he weakly beat against my chest.

"Bofur!" I attempted to catch his attention, "Its me, stop!"

He kept pounding but began to tire. Eventually, he had no energy left to fight and he calmed himself. Poor Bofur, he had no idea what he and his company had gotten themselves into.

A shrill scream sounded in the distance. Sympathy would have to wait, we weren't finished here. I retrieved my daggers, sheathing them. Then Legolas and I took off in the direction of the blood curdling shriek, leaving Bofur behind. A flash of fire caught my eye, Tauriel was ahead of us on the rooftops. With my new-found instincts, I swiftly traversed a beam and began to scurry up the side of the house in front of me. I reached the summit in no time, not even tired. I surged forward with maximum impulsion, racing after Tauriel.

The house in front of us was surrounded by orc-filth; our destination. I was four or so paces behind Tauriel, following her, more experienced, lead. She vaulted over a chimney and sprang off of the edge of the rooftop, hands outstretched. I watched her hands clasp the beam above the window, she swung into the window shattering it from the sheer force and entering the fray. Without faltering, I followed her into the house, ready to cut down any orc in my path.

I land fluidly on my feet and unsheathe my daggers once more and begin slicing orcs left, right and centre. All three of us had arrived and were making short work of the assailants. My hands never tired, never weakened, as I sliced and stabbed my way through the hunks of dark, muddy flesh before me; blood splattering across my face. Everything was moving so quickly, but so was I. Perfectly timed, I met blades with an orc and we were locked in a dance. A cat and a mutt, ferociously battling to the death. Suddenly a slither of silver protruded from its breastplate, we both stared down in horror as inky blood spilled onto the wooden floor. A heavy thud sounded as the lifeless body collapsed. I looked up, meeting eyes with Legolas. The battle was still in full flow but that was about to change. I heard harsh footfalls and whirled around just in time to see an orc barrel out of a door. Leaving Legolas behind, I stumbled over the fresh corpses and fallen furniture towards the balcony. I peered down from the balcony, the infernal thing was stood in the boat below.

Just as I prepared to follow, another orc emerged, much larger; the leader.

"Ekinskeld. Obguranid!" the first orc growled ferally to its leader.

The other orc sneered, "Gur! Arangim!"

Hearing the call, any remaining orcs retreated from the town.

Behind me, the sound of stumbling caught my ears. I quickly turned. An orc was heading straight for me, but it looked unbalanced. Instinctually I stepped out of the way and it went soaring over the edge, down into the water.

But there was no splash. Instead, the creak of a boat and the yelling of a different orc. Like a catapult, the first orc had been thrown upward by the weight of the other. Legolas stepped into view, blades poised, and caught its head. The orc's body fell into the water with a splash, leaving its head balanced on top of Legolas' daggers staring at him in disgust as it hissed and gargled. I wrinkled my nose as he released it and the rest of the orc joined its body.

Legolas scanned the surroundings and located the remaining Orcs fleeing through Laketown after their leader.

"You killed them all." A boy stated with what sounded like solemn regret in his voice, perhaps shock.

Legolas didn't seem to notice, "There are others," He strode to the other side of the room, "Tauriel, come."

Tauriel looked torn, her eyes flickered between Legolas and Kili. Kili was in agonising pain, writhing on the floor. Something had to be done.

"We must help Kili." I held my ground adamantly.

"There is no time, he has no time," Legolas became callous, "They are getting away."

All the warmth I had taken for granted before was suddenly snuffed out as he left the house ready to pursue the orcs.

"We're losing him!" Oin wailed, trying to convey the urgency of the situation.

Tauriel had frozen in place, stuck. Legolas and I sensed the weight of this decision she wasn't just choosing to stay or go; she was choosing between them.

"Tauriel." Legolas' plea was masked well but I could see through his cold disguise. Tauriel made no move toward the door, still frozen. Our time was running out, Legolas stepped out of the door to pursue the ever-fleeing orcs. I heard his feet meet the ground below as he landed, then he disappeared into the darkness.

Tauriel turns to me, "Go with him." She had decided then. I nodded and followed Legolas.

Our footfalls muted, we swiftly stalked our prey. They hadn't noticed either of us as we sliced jugulars in our path, one by one their lifeforce faded from their eyes. Their leader could be heard in the distance, he shouted orders in orcish. The language sounded like it had once been elvish, but it had been weaved with evil and impurity, tainted and twisted into the demonic tongue that slithered and hissed in their mouths.

I leapt forward and sank my daggers through one of the unsuspecting orcs, sinking the blades down and through the floorboards beneath me. Back in Rivendell they had attempted to teach me basic combat skills, but the technique never truly took hold, now it was entirely different. It was as if I had always been an elf; in touch with her kin and her true purpose. I felt ferocious, something to be feared, merciless and terrifying. Cold to the touch; burning with ice.

The commotion I had caused had alerted the others to our presence. Legolas took down another as the leader turned back to the others.

"Gur! Abguriz!" the sound ripped through the air with a blazing fury, similar to my own.

Many of the orcs turned to leave, but a few stayed behind to fight us.

Legolas locked eyes with the tallest, and unsheathed a familiar sword. It was the same sword he confiscated from Thorin in the forest. Unbelievable. He grasped the sword with both hands and began to charge, the other orcs had disappeared. I was in trouble.

I stood in place, eyes closed, listening for signs of the other two. Nothing but the clash of metal from the other side of the terraces. Scrunching my eyes tighter, I concentrated harder, blocking out the carnage occurring just a few metres next to me. There. My eyes snapped open toward the sound of trickling splinters of wood. One. I counted, trying not to give away the advantage; they thought I couldn't see them. Daggers raised, I sent one flying fast as a flash, it sailed through the air traveling straight through the orc's skull and into the wooden beam of the house it was perched on. Arms snaked around me as I was tackled to the ground, I had lost focus. Like a feral dog, it seethed and snapped at my face, its arm forcing my airway shut. It had knocked my dagger away, I could see it glinting off of the moonlight in the corner of my eye. I just had to reach it, I stretched my arm out, desperately fumbling around for it. My vision was slowly fading out and in. I couldn't let them down again. Not again. My arm flailed about, my hand anguished for the relief of cold leather. Darkness was setting in, I was fading away, fading, fading. There. My hand clasped the hilt and I drove my weapon into the foul thing's neck. It crawled backwards off of me and I rolled over, gasping for air and spluttering as it bled out, choking on its own nefarious ichor. Only the orc leader was left.

Struggling to my feet, I went to inspect the corpse. It laid there, scrunched up as if it had been writhing about, black stained hands clutching its neck. My own neck was burning, I swallowed with a wince. My hearing had begun to fade back in and I was carelessly tossed back into reality. I scaled the nearby structure to retrieve my dagger and dropped back to ground level. The loud crashes and crunches of an ongoing brawl were just around the corner. Legolas may have needed help so I moved swiftly to locate the source of the racket.

I rounded the corner and stopped in my tracks; Legolas had no weapons and he was being crushed with the sheer force of oily disgusting limbs of banded muscle and flesh. He threw his head back and dazed the orc, stumbling forward he turned for another attack. But he as still unarmed.

"Legolas!" I yelled as I threw my dagger his way, he caught the hilt and his eyes became tainted with cold, calculated, raw thoughts. He ricocheted off of a nearby beam for momentum and sent the dagger straight into the creature's stomach, slicing into the skin with ease. I was frozen, watching anxiously when out of nowhere my ankle was snatched from me and sent my chin into the floor. I let out a groan as I drifted in and out of consciousness again I couldn't move but I could just make out a light, lean shape moving closer as a dark, round shape bobbed away before I fell into the darkness I so desperately tried to avoid.