[Amanaduial the archer]

Flori ducked another arrow and winced as it embedded itself deep into the trunk behind him, before launching himself with a snarl at his attacker. He didn't pause to withdraw an axe, simply grabbing his elvish opponent's feet and bringing him crashing to the ground.

"So much for your famed elegance, elf!" he yelled, before landing a square punch on the elf's face. He drew back his hand for another kick, but the elf, even stunned as he was from Flori's solid punch, drew up one knee very sharply, knocking the dwarf with a clang on the back of his head. The dwarf rolled away, holding his helmet and shook his head a few times before scrambling to his feet, taking up a fighting stance against the elf...who, he now realised, was no ordinary elf. He had managed to fell the Prince himself.

The elf had whipped out two long, white blades, far too long to be daggers but several inches short of being even a short sword. His brown eyes were narrowed as he flicked his hair out of his face. Flori laughed audaciously. "Ha, hair in your eyes, lass?"

The elf clenched his teeth furiously and his knuckles whitened on the handles of the knives, but he couldn't resist a reply. "No large matter for me - at least my face doesn't take up the larger part of my body, midget!"

"Girly-elf boy!"
"Garden gnome!"
"Thief!"
"Tresspasser!"

The fight was quickly deteriorating into namecalling, something Flori considered far too familiar and a possible hazard in a fight. By means of putting a stop to it, he launched himself at the elf's legs again, knocking the elf with a dismayed yell to the ground once more. But the prince was quicker this time, and it was he who landed the first punch, sending Flori sprawling then pausing to rub his knuckles painfully. No one punches a dwarf without severely regretting it afterwards.

But Flori had not completely lost his senses yet, and could see that the fight, which had been an all out brawl before, was now turning rather nastier - Inn-style, dirty fighting is one thing; axes and bows are quite another. He caught Ori's eye, and saw his brother nod. Turning back to the prince he muttered angrily, "Why would you revel in a fight, elf?"

"I do not relish it, dwarf, and neither did we begin it!"

"Well it must be some form of elf-magic then, for the dwarves certainly did not!" came the outraged and patriotic reply.

"Elf-mag...dwarf, just because you cannot-"

"Enough! I have had enough of your ceaseless babbling, boy; the truesilver and all else that Mirkwood yields is ours and no filthy elven pup will get his hands on it!" Flori yelled, then cried, "Durin's folk! For the kingdom to be reclaimed, do not waste any more time! We have showed these so-called warriors a thing or two to remember the people of Dain by!"

Turning, he paused only for a second on the elf before turning with the rest of the dwarves, who were finishing off, landing their last punches and giving the elves a little more to remember them by, before they barrelled away through the trees, still yelling fearsome war-cries and catcalls at the elves behind them.



The elven prince watched them as the four other elves got to their feet, and two started towards the place the dwarves had vanished, but the prince called them back.

"Wait - do not pursue the fight any further, there is little point. It would do neither party any good."

The two other elves stopped, frustrated. "What would you have us do, Prince Legolas?"

Legolas had a slight, bemused smile on his fine features. A dwarf hundreds of years younger than me called me 'boy' and 'pup'. What's more, the prince had noticed what the others had not; just before Flori called away the other dwarves, he had given a very small, almost unperceptible wink under his bushy eyebrows. The prince shook his head, that slight smile still there, then sheathed his knives and turned to the others.

"Only one or two of us need track them, to make sure they cause no harm in the forest." He looked across the courtiers, then nodded to Thorgeleb. "Thorgeleb - follow them, if you will. Make sure they cause no harm and do not come too close to any of our people or the palace itself."

Thorgeleb nodded and gave a small bow before darting lithely away into the trees. Legolas grinned slightly, then murmured, "Silver eagle, huh?"

"I heard that!"