Hello, everyone! Welcome, welcome, welcome! This is my first Lord of Rings fic, but it is certainly not my first time around the rodeo. I will say that a couple of my stories have been put on a hiatus, and I am unsure if they will ever be completed. BUT this story is different. The majority of it has already been written and is ready to be put up here. :)

I'm hoping that everyone is going to like it. Honestly, I'm just putting it up because I'd be interested in reading it, and... well there seems to be a lot of... people falling into Middle Earth stories? Not a bad thing; I read a lot of them, but this is mostly for those that like the native folks joining in on the fun. :)

This is going to be a romance story that goes all the way through RoTK and a little bit beyond. I am currently writing at the point right before the third movie would start. I love both movies AND books, and I will be trying my best to create a realistic mesh between the two worlds, with a heavier hand on books through the first part, and a heavier hand on movies for the second. The first part of this story is going to be lacking the romance, except for a light sprinkling every now and again. And no, I am not going to say who the lead romantic character is. That would jeopardize the fun! All you can know is that there is an OC character who... well you will see! I'm going to try to make this as original as possible considering how many Tenth Walker stories there are. Hopefully you will fall in love with my girl before we even get to that point and you can excuse my lack of originality.

The rating for this is T, but considering all of the violence.. I'd like to put it at an M rating but I think that would give the impression that there are going to be lemons and there will most certainly not be... maybe limes but not lemons. Heavy romance at times, but never that intense. Heavily suggested but yeah. Sorry.

Any questions? I'd be happy to take them over a PM. :) Otherwise... let's begin!

Disclaimer: I own nothing that pertains to the crowned jewel of literature known as J.R.R. Tolkien and cannot claim rights to the majesty that is Peter Jackson and his filmmaking prowess.

Part One - Life Is Beautiful

Life is Beautiful - Vega4

"Life is beautiful
But it's complicated
We barely make it
We don't need
To understand
There are miracles
Miracles"

Third Age 314 – Middle Earth

An Elf lord smiled at the creature in his hands, feeling as if his age was being rewound and the soil under his battle-worn feet felt softer and the wind smoother over his coarse skin. The creature's hands reached for his fingers with curious brown eyes.

"She is beautiful," he murmured into the new skin, breathing in the scent of his newest family member. She smelt like a warm autumn evening, with soft fires dancing in a breeze.

Her mother reached for the new bundle, holding her close to her bosom and cooing.

He watched with pride as the girl's eyes roamed about her surroundings, knowing almost immediately that she was special indeed, much like her siblings. This was a being of importance and of this there was no doubt. The Valar had blessed him once more. What this daughter would go to do with her life, he was unsure. He longed deeply for her happiness and prayed to the Valar that they would be able to grant him such a thing, as they had already thankfully done with his other children – at least for the moment. He had peace.

The midwife caught his attention and walked to him with uneasy eyes, glancing at the closed doors that separated him and his wife from their home. He could see the question brimming in her eyes and nodded tiredly.

As if they had been watching through the cracks of the doors, three others burst through the door almost instantly, rushing to their mother's side and looking into the swaddle of cloth.

"Father?" he heard and looked over to see a young woman with hair as black as the evening sky. "I would wonder if it was inappropriate to feel envy," she mumbled, looking down at her hands shamefully.

"You mustn't," her mother shushed, grey eyes widening with disapproval.

"It is not every day that Valar bestow their gifts upon their people. We celebrate. Do not speak of such things," her father added, brushing the girl's black hair away with a tender hand. "Your brothers asked a similar question upon your arrival, however." The two young men stiffened from their positions, still looking with wonder upon the new daughter.

"And how do they think now?" their mother asked gently but with a spark of playfulness buried deep in her wispy orbs. It was well known throughout the realm that it was this mother who had not only given the literal life to her children, but she had given them the first breath to laughter. Laughter and love could cure all things in her eyes.

"I think only our other sister will ever be able to rival her beauty," one said with conviction, earning a nod from the other. It was not customary to see them both so serious in a situation, but looking to the two, it would have been impossible to not see the fierce protectiveness they already shrouded their youngest sister with. Already, the baby had ensnared them as she had done with the rest of their family. Only the girl questioned this.

"I wish to see," the girl piped again, pushing her older brothers from the sight. When she looked down into the swaddle, she twitched her nose. "How can you see such a thing?" she asked, looking up at her brother. "Infants are difficult to distinguish when compared to another. How can you see beauty that is practically identical to that of the whole nursery?"

Her brothers frowned and one reached to take the newborn from her mother, tracing her cheek delicately. "I cannot grasp how you do not," the other replied.

The girl sighed and looked carefully at the baby, wondering idly who she would become and what her part in Middle-Earth would be. "Do you suppose that she will like me?" she asked quietly.

Her father placed a gentle hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze of comfort. "My family will not house dislike towards the other. You all share the same blood and you will be bonded by this for eternity until you diminish and go into the West."

The girl nodded and smiled for the first time at her younger sister. "What is her name?"

Her mother sighed contentedly and tiredly. "Her name is Arathell," she whispered before falling into slumber with a peaceful smile on her glowing face.

So... what does everyone think? I'd love to hear from you! Oh, and I'd recommend listening to the song listed at the top. It's a winner for sure! And I thought that it would be a good introduction into this story. Basically sums it all up in those few lines there. :)

Love you all lots!

- LM