<b>It was busy inside the palace for the time of night and Allassiel stayed close to Thorgan as they made their way towards a room. It appeared to be the hub and a man presided over it all, calm amidst the activity despite the energy that seemed to radiate off of him. When he stood, Allassiel glanced towards Thorgan and back. <i>This must be his father, </i>she thought. It was confirmed when Thorgan made the introductions. Allassiel returned King Wilfred's bow. “Orcs are like no other. As I spoke to your son, they are cunning and number many. You have seen this.” She paused and accepted the goblet with a murmur of thanks, taking a sip as she continued to listen.</b><br/><br/><b>King Wilfred's description of their troubles was familiar to her, had her own people not had the same troubles as they fought the foul creatures? She nodded quietly as the king mentioned her advice to take down the leader first. She'd witnessed it numerous times, when she'd gone out with the wardens to hunt down bands of orcs. She had surmised that the orcs disorganization lay as much from their fighting to see who would become the new leader, as the loss of direction. <br/>
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But she also knew, from experience, that some of the orc leaders were more intelligent than others, harder to hunt and kill. Had Azog not been a thorn in the side of the elves and dwarfs as he ruled from beneath Moria? <i>Khazad-dum, </i>she corrected, for the dwarves had recently been successful in reclaiming their home of old. <br/>
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She let her thoughts roam as she listened to King Wilfred's description of the leader, who he said had only been seen once. Knowing which of the many orc generals it might be would be of great benefit in helping her to instruct Thorgan's people on how best to rid themselves of the invaders, for they each had their weaknesses. <i>Taller than the others, it is an Uruk-hai. Cunning? Intelligent, but the Uruk-hai usually were. </i>These didn't surprise her, though the strategies began to form in her mind. She opened her mouth to make a suggestion when she heard the last thing he said and paused. <i>Only one real hand … metal … attached at the arm …</i></b><br/><br/><b>Allassiel grew pale, her eyes widening. Though there were many Uruk-hai, there was only one she knew by that description. Had she not given him that arm to begin with? Her free hand found the bracelet beneath her tunic and rubbed it. She could still hear the clang of sword on sword, feel her blade go through his flesh and bone. The vision of him still clear in her mind, as though he stood before her – the monstrosity that had once been her love. He'd not been seen in the Greenwood for some time, she'd hoped that perhaps he'd found the peace of death at last. </b><br/><br/><b>She wasn't aware she was keening until she looked up and saw the two men staring at her. Shaking, she took a deep breath and steadied herself before she spoke. “Rakothûrz.” she said, her voice quiet and controlled. “He is known to my people. He is cunning, strong. He knows much of battle. You will not catch him unknowing ...” she paused, setting the goblet down, the wine splashing over the edge onto the wood, though she didn't notice. “He is too smart … too … you will need more than strategy to bring him out of hiding. You need something he wants … to bait him. You need ...” <i>Me, </i>she thought, hearing his word to her ringing in her ears. <i>'You should have killed me. You will never know peace until it is in your death … my wife.' </i>he'd hissed at her in the Black speech.</b><br/><br/><b>And now he was here, causing mayhem freely. <i>My fault. </i>She looked between father and son. “I need … think.” She stood and strode towards the door, seeking a way out.<br/>
</b><br/><br/><b>The slow, rhythmic movement sent curls of heat through her, and the discomfort faded into memory as it was replaced with the feeling of – him. She knew no other way to put it, her thoughts were so hard to put together. She closed her eyes, focusing on the way he moved against her, his warm breath cool against the sheen of sweat on her shoulder before he moved his way up to her cheek. <i>'Are you alright?' </i>she heard him ask. The simple gesture made her smile. How could she not be alright? “I am … more than … alright,” she responded, lifting her head up to trail kisses along his chest as her hips began to move in time with his thrusts. </b>