Hi! This is my very first fanfiction, so please be kind! :) If anyone points out edits that need to happen, I will try to edit them. :)

Dislaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings, or any of the characters. The only thing I own here is my OC, Velerina Starleaf. :)

PROLOGUE:

Somewhere near the border of Lothlorien a squad of twenty elves were being led to battle. The elves were guided by a young elleth through the trees to where a group of orcs had taken refuge.

"Dina," the elleth said, holding out her arm to signal a halt. "The camp is through these trees. Ela sen." Her company spread out around the camp of about ten orcs, preparing for their leader's signal. "Ndengina!"

The sword-bearers leapt out of the trees and attacked, leaving the archers behind to shoot from the cover of the trees. The captain of the guard drew her twin blades and attacked the nearest orc, not knowing the impending doom they all faced.

Ten minutes later, the elleth heard cries coming from her archers in the trees. She paused in battle to look behind her. As she peered through the trees, she made out the figures of orcs slaughtering her beloved elves. The damned orcs had reinforcements.

"In the trees!" She yelled, before turning and realizing that only she and three other swordsmen remained. Her eyes were wide with fear as she called for retreat. The elves began to run for Caras Galadhon. Orcs began to surround them as they sprinted out of the clearing.

The orcs began firing on the elves as they ran. Two of the three remaining swordsmen fell. The next volley of arrows was just as costly. The last swordsman was dead before he hit the floor, and the elleth was hit in the back of her thigh.

"Aiya!" She gasped before she hit the floor of the forest, landing inches in front of the boot of an orc.

"Thought ye could escape pretty elf girl?" The orc spat.

"Nadorhuan." She sneered. The orc, realizing that she had just insulted him, pressed his blade to her neck.

"I could cut yer head clean off right now you—" The orc was interrupted by another.

"Do not harm this one any further. Send her back to her kingdom as a warning to the Lady of Light." He said to the first orc.

"Can't we just give 'er a few more scars to bring home?" the first asked.

"No, fool. Send her on her way. Now." The second replied. The first orc to speak lifted the elleth off of the ground by her long, thick braid, causing her to gasp in pain.

"Now go back home to yer mummy and daddy, elf girl." The orc said, before shoving her towards Caras Galadhon. She limped a few feet away before the second orc said, "Archers, shoot at her till she starts runnin'."

The orc archers shot arrow after arrow at the elleth until she was sprinting back home. The pain in her leg was making her dizzy, and the running made the blood pump out of the wound faster.

By the time she reached the silver gates of Caras Galadhon, she was ready to pass out. She heard distant, muffled voices shouting from behind the gates.

"Open the gates! Lady Velerina has returned!" an elf shouted, and the gates opened.

The elleth limped inside and collapsed into the arms of Haldir, the Marchwarden.

"My lady! What happened? Where is your company?" He asked urgently.

"Dead… I could not… save them… orcs…" the elleth responded in between heavy breaths. "There were at least 50 of them. We had no chance. I should have seen the ambush. I should have died with my men. I should have—"

"Uuma dela, young one. You did the right thing. If you had not survived, the whole of Lothlorien would have mourned. The lives of those men will be missed, but they were not the heir to the throne of Caras Galadhon."

"Tampa!" The elleth exclaimed, anger clear on her face, "Say no such things! Those were my men, and they were of as much importance as I! They could have lived this day had I seen the orcs had reinforcements! Only a fool would make a mistake such as I have this day!"

"My apologies, Arwenamin." Haldir said, looking down at the ground in shame. "But my lady! Your leg!" he exclaimed, noticing the arrow protruding from Velerina's thigh. "We must get you to a healer!" Before she could protest, he picked her up bridal style and brought her to the healers.

Two hours later, in the healing quarters, a young elfling girl was dressing Velerina's wound. Every once and a while, the elfling would get the bandages all tangled up and have to start over. "I'm sorry, my lady," she would say quietly when this happened. And Velerina would always reply, "It is fine. Take your time, little one."

When the elfling finally succeeded in dressing the wound, Haldir burst through the door.

"My lady! An archer from your company has returned!"

"What?! Take me to him! Now!" Velerina said, as she began to stand up, wincing when she put weight on her injured leg. She strapped her bow and quiver to her back, and her swords to her side.

"Khila amin!" Haldir said, rushing out the door, with Velerina following.

As they reached the archer, they heard him talking to the public:

"She left us! She cared not if we were dead! It is her fault we perished, and she should be punished for it!"

"How did you get away?" an elleth in the crowd asked.

"I pretended to be dead. The stupid orcs didn't even to check the corpses. Ah, here is the betrayer now!" The archer replied.

"Oropher!" Haldir and Velerina exclaimed at the same time. Haldir's own brother was the one saying such traitorous things?

"Oh, now you seem to care, my lady." He sneered. Oropher had always been jealous of Velerina's position. Ever since they were elflings he had despised her besting him at everything. "When the orcs were slaughtering us all, you paid no mind to the deaths of your kin!"

Velerina stared at Oropher in shock. She could not believe he was telling such lies.

"Oropher, dina!" Haldir said when Velerina said nothing.

"I will not, brother! This woman has betrayed us! She left us for dead as she ran for the company of the Lady and Lord!"

"Do not bring my family into this, Oropher! What has gotten into you?!" Velerina said at last. Murmuring started throughout the crowd. The whispers were violent and mistrusting.

"Nothing has gotten into me, you nadorhuan!" The use of the word she had called the orcs earlier made Velerina flinch. "You left us and betrayed us! How do we know you will not do such a thing again?!" Oropher said, his voice rising, "You have no right to be heir to this city! You are scum!"

"Brother, how dare you!" Haldir said, the anger in his voice rising.

"She should leave." A voice in the crowd said.

"Indeed, I knew she was trouble ever since her mother left for Valinor. Why else would she leave her child here?"

"Get out, betrayer! Leave this city!"

"No…" Velerina was the one being betrayed.

"The Lord and Lady are coming!" A citizen said.

"Run! Leave before they find you standing here begging for punishment!" And with that, Oropher drew his sword and advanced on her.

Not wanting to harm the ellen, Velerina backed away, and then span on the spot and ran towards the gate and out of the city, never to be seen in Lothlorien again.

Thanks for reading! Please review! :D

- Vel