Luin was not aware of much of the journey to lake town. He was tired and drained, barely awake. He recalled the man throwing a spare coat over his form and shielding him from view. It gave him a little bit of warmth that Luin was grateful for. One of the dwarves called him Bard, maybe it was the man's name. He was conscious of the dwarves arguing and the rocking of the waters. But his eyes were closed and every movement ached something fierce.

At one point he was hoisted up and his arm was around Bard's shoulders. Luin mumbled sleepily as he was dragged along. The coat smelt of sweat and damp but it did a good job at hiding his blue clothes and unusual features from view. At one point they stopped and Luin was jostled harshly. His side throbbed with pain and he groaned.

"What happened to him Bard?" A gruff voice asked. Luin blinked, seeing a blurry sheen of metal.

Bard paused and looked at the solider nervously. "It's just too much alcohol", he lied easily. "My neighbour Greg had to much to drink so I'm being the kind person and bringing him home".

The soldier snorted.  "Drunken sod. Go on then". Bard nodded and continued quickly onwards, carrying Luin along with him. He carried the unconscious wizard up the steps and through the front door. Luin moaned loudly as he was set down on a cot.

"Is he okay?" Ori asked. Bard pulled the coat back and checked the wound. The bleeding had slowed but Luin was unresponsive. He eyes the man's unusual features and blue robes. The jewels swords glittered on his waist and the mysterious case was propped against the wall next to him. Bard frowned, suspicion lacing his gut.

"Da?" A female voice asked. Bard straightened and turned to look at his children.  All three seemed to be in their teens. The girl about sixteen, the boy about fifteen and the youngest was probably twelve. They were eyeing the dwarves nervously and with some surprise.

"Sigrid, Bain, Tilda. We have guests. They will be staying with us until nightfall", he introduced. Several of the dwarves nodded at them in greeting. Sigrid, the oldest girl with long braided dark hair, looked at Luin's sleeping form on Bard's bed.

"I'll get some bandages", she volunteered. She began bustling around the house, retrieving medical supplies sitting down on Luin's cot and tending to his wound. Luin's eyes opened and he blinked at her lazily before falling back asleep. The last thing he was aware of was all the dwarves gathering around nervously as his wound was redressed.

He dreamed. Legolas was talking to his father in the throne room of the elf palace. Luin couldn't hear what they were saying but Thranduil's face was stony with anger. Still, Legolas stood firm and resolute. He had changed out of his ornate clothes and was once again back in his green uniform, silver hair tied back. Luin watched as Thranduil reluctantly nodded and waved a hand. Legolas's expression did not change as he bowed and left the throne room. As soon as the doors closed behind him, Legolas was sighing. He rested a hand on his face for a second as he collected himself. He turned and his blue eyes met Luin's, not seeing him. He strode forwards and just as he reached where Luin was standing unseen, the dream ended.

Luin awoke to loud screams. He must have slept the whole day away because everything was shrouded with the dark of night. Bard's house was lit by candles, illuminating the scene before him. Orcs had crashed through the doors and windows. Kili was on the cot opposite him, back up agains the wall as a Fili threw pans at an orc breaking through the door. Sigrid and Tilda were under the table as Bain fended a orc off with a wooden pole. Luin couldn't see any of the other dwarves apart from Fili and Kili. He briefly wondered where they had gone.

Sigrid screamed again as another orc crashed through the ceiling and onto the table above them. Luin pushed himself up on to his elbows weakly and held out a hand. Some of his magic had returned but not all, he was not yet at full strength. He grunted as sweat bathed his forehead. One of his swords, which had been propped against the wall next to his case, shot out of its sheath. There was a flash of steel and the head of the orc on the table dropped to the floor. Tilda screamed and kicked it away with her feet.

There was a flash of red hair as Tauriel bounded through the door. She had her knives out and they struck with fierce precision. Legolas dropped through the hole in the ceiling, bow out as he notched another arrow. Luin sighed in relief, sagging back. A tug on his hair made him yelp. A orc stood behind him, dagger raised. Luin's sword flashed back to his hand and he swung it. The orc fell back with a shriek. It's corpse falling on the floor as Luin flopped on the bed.

Legolas and Tauriel dispatched of the remaining orcs quickly and efficiently. Once all the orcs were dead, they turned to the occupants. "Elves", Tilda squeaked from under the table. She and Sigrid crawled out and huddled into a corner with Bain, away from the orc corpses. All three children were wide eyed with fear. "Who are you?"

Tauriel didn't answer, she was busy checking on Kili. The dwarf was convulsing in pain, skin pale and sweaty. "Help me get him on a table", she instructed. Fili and Bain hoisted Kili up and onto the table. He yelled.

"He's poisoned", Fili explained. "Orc poison".

Luin tried to sit up and grunted at the movement. Legolas seemed to notice him for the first time. He blinked, face becoming unreadable as he took in Luin's injuries. The blond elf hurried over and helped pull Luin up into a sitting position. His hand against his shoulder blades was warm and incredibly distracting. Luin smiled at him weakly as his chest throbbed. Only now did he notice that he was bare chested, his tunic folded up at the end of the cot. Legolas removed his hands and gazed at the bandages across Luin's chest, a red shadow colouring them.

"You're wounded", he stated softly.

"I'll be okay", Luin replied, ignoring the fact that he was currently gritting his teeth. Legolas's facial expression did not change but Luin got a unamused air from him. He sighed and let the smile fade. Luin's face was still worn and pale. "Sorry about the party. Did you sleep well?"  Legolas' unhappy silence was all the answer Luin needed.

"My father was furious".

From the table, Kili yelled out as Tauriel shifted him. "Can you do anything?" Fili asked Luin desperately. Luin pushed himself unsteadily to his feet and shuffled to the table. Legolas catching him as he stumbled. The elf helped him limp over to the table. Luin passed his hand through the air above Kili. A blue glow seemed to glow around his palm as he ran it up and down Kili's body.

Luin winced and jerked back abruptly as Kili shouted. The sudden movement made him topple back. Legolas caught him by the shoulders and helped steady him. Luin looked up at him quickly before turning away. "I can't do anything. This is potent poison and I don't have the power to change it", Luin said anxiously. Kili moaned, face deathly pale and veins sticking out in blue lines through his skin.

There was a shriek outside and Legolas let go of Luin to cross to the door. Tauriel looked up. "Go", she said. "I'll stay here".  Legolas and Luin shared a brief glance. Luin nodded and smiled reassuringly before the blonde elf was out the door and disappearing into the night of Laketown.

"Fetch me boiled water", Tauriel instructed. Sigrid hurried off and returned with a pan from the stove. "Hold him down". Fili, Luin and Bofur all pressed their weight onto Kili's limbs as he struggled. Luin helping as much as he could despite his still shaky limbs. Tauriel dipped her hands in the water and pressed them to his wound. Kili screamed.

She began chanting long words in elvish. Luin could hear them swirling around the room, ancient and powerful. It was original elvish, old and not commonly used. It was the tongue used for magic and spells, the words of the forest. He could feel the weight of the magic settling around him. It had a distinct tang to it, different from Luin's own magic. The powerful enchantment of elves, something removed from the power of the wizards.

Slowly, Kili's struggling grew slower. The magic around Tauriel grew thicker as her chanting continued. A golden glow enveloping them.

"Menno o nin na hon
i eliad annen annin,
hon leitho o ngurth".

He fell limp in Fili's arms and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Tauriel ceased chanting and the magic began to disperse. Luin straightened and inhaled deeply. All the extra magic energy was absorbed into him. It filled his meridians in a rejuvenating rush that made him gasp. Almost instantaneously, colour began to swell back into his skin and the red tone to his bandages shrunk. He turned and shuffled back on his cot. Steps more certain and limbs no longer shaky. Luin crawled into a cross legged Lisbon on the mattress and began meditating. The elvish magic swirled around his golden core as he began cultivating it and turning it into Qi. It was old magic which held a lot of energy. Still a far cry from bringing him up to full power, but it would definitely be a boost.

After about fifteen minutes Luin opened his eyes. "Now", he stated to Bofur. The dwarf winced at the angry look on Luin's face. "Where's Thorin?"

"He and the others went on ahead", Fili sighed tiredly. "They couldn't meet the time limit otherwise".

"So they just left us?" Luin asked, voice rising. He was furious. How could Thorin leave his potentially dying nephew to go to and get into Erebor? He understood that this was the quest, but shouldn't there be more people here with Fili and Kili?

"Well you were not waking up", Fili sighed. "And Kili couldn't move. We will catch up with them in the morning". He spared a worn glance at Kili on the table. The dwarf was mumbling something drowsily to Tauriel. The red haired elf blushed and tried to hide a smile.

Luin looked up at the ruined ceiling of Bard's house. There was still magic around. Something was approaching. He could feel it on the air, the power of a old life form. He couldn't feel it before, too drained but now that they were closer he could pin point it. The presence of a creature in the mountain. "We need to get out of here", he declared. He pulled on the remains of his tunic and stood up. He swung his case over his shoulder and buckled his swords back around his waist. "We need to get to a boat now!" Tauriel looked up and nodded in agreement. Together, she and Fili helped Kili off of the table.

Fili and Bofur both looked at him, faces hesitant. Something in his gaze must have told them not to argue as they were both up and gathering supplies. Luin held out hands to Sigrid and Tilda. "Where's your brother?" He asked. He hadn't noticed Bain leaving. The chaos too distracting.

"He went to find Da", Tilda muttered. Luin inwardly cursed.

"Okay. Well you two will be coming with us. We'll keep you safe", he promised. Both girls nodded and followed him out of the house. Fili and Bofur had managed to get Kili's arms around their shoulders and were walking him behind them. Tauriel followed up on the rear, bow notched just in case.

They managed to find a decent barge near the house. Orcs were still lingering on the streets. Luin wondered where Legolas was. The few orcs that spotted them were quickly shot by Tauriel. Luin helped the girls into the boat then helped Fili and Bofur lay Kili down. Tauriel placed his head in her lap. As they unmoored from the path, a blur of white hair came running our of a side street. Legolas jumped in just as Luin and Bofur took the oars, barely rocking the boat.

He was breathing heavily and was slightly messy. As he looked up, Luin spotted blood under his nose. Legolas looked them over before notching his bow as they drifted through the water of lake town. "Give me the oar", Fili murmured. He held his hands out to Luin and he relinquished his hold. "You should rest", Fili stated. "You're still injured".

Luin sat back next to Sigrid and Tilda weightlessly. His wound still throbbed but the energy he had absorbed allowed him to circulate his Qi around the area, stopping the bleeding. It would heal, slower than normal, but quicker than the usual human healing rate now that he had more power. Sighing tiredly, he leaned back against Kili's legs and stared up at the night sky. Stars glinted above and he sighed. His gaze drifting round until he spotted something on the horizon.

"Oh fucking Sauron", he cursed. There was a black shape in the sky, growing steadily bigger and bigger. It was heading for laketown, each beat of its wings bringing it closer.