Here is the elusive first chapter! I'm still not sure what I did to it to make it dissapear... Oh well! *shrugs*
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The day was grey and dull, almost mournful when the fellowship of the ring set out from Imladris. A chilling wind blew up out of the East, as if striving to force back memories of the Hall of Fire, where they could sit and listen to songs by the warm flames, if only they were to turn back to Rivendell. Sam, Merry and Pippin were now with each step, leaving the furthest boundaries of their knowledge of Middle Earth behind, and they looked about at the empty lands about them as if they expected dragons to burst out, roaring fire. The land was bare of trees, filled with boulders, holly and dead thorns which rattled mournfully in the wind. Their world was all grey and brown, seeming to add to the chill of the day.
The company was resting and Pippin it was, who first saw something dark-brown through the long, pale grass. It did not look aright amongst the pale, dried colours of Hollin.
"Merry, do you see that?" he whispered to his friend, for anything above a whisper seemed to make the hissing grasses listen.
Merry looked where Pippin pointed, and indeed, something healthily brown and living could be seen through the waving grasses. Glad that he had found a distraction in the never changing land, he tugged at Frodo's cloak. Frodo in turn, tugged at Gandalf's cloak. The company was now looking up at the hobbits, others wondering what they were pointing at. The elf, Legolas had seen the brown soon after Merry, and was already striding lightly across the grass, but his long white knife was out. It was a simple precaution; they were not yet far from Rivendell.
Whatever the Legolas ands the rest of the company had expected, they did not find it. Lying in the grass, elven-brown hair lifted in the wind, was a maiden with fair elven features. She was not clad in a gown, but in the clothes of a traveller, much like what was worn by Legolas and Aragorn themselves, yet it was of a green grey like the wind tossed sea. Her hair was curled, in small ringlets that fanned about her in the grass, moss and dirt entangled in it and under the sienna hair on her forehead could be seen a small line of dried blood.
"A lady?" said Legolas, suprised. "He called out to the others behind him, who were following "A lady!"
Aragorn arrived second, and kneeling down, pulling back her hair, a cut could be seen above her ears. The ears were elven, with the point of that kindred.
"She is unconscious and cold." said Aragorn, "Come Legolas, let us carry her near the fire."

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Aragorn bathed the wound with athelas and water and Legolas watched her, as they reasoned that it would be easier for her to see one of her own kindred when she first woke. All the company slept but Legolas and the watch, Sam and Aragorn.
It was deathly still. But for the cracks of the dying fire and the hollow rattle of the grass, naught could be heard. Aragorn stared into the fire, his mind retracing his steps back to Rivendell. Sam was staring sleepily at his toes in the grass and Legolas was running under the eaves of Mirkwood. The silence was broken when the girl awoke with a jerk and swaying, suddenly began to spit out water. The trio were roused out of their thoughts and Aragorn gave her his hand. When she had ceased coughing it seemed she first noticed that she was not alone. She turned her head to look at Legolas, and when their eyes met she gave out an exclamation of fear. She crawled away on hands and knees. She turned about, leaning against a boulder. Her hand went to her thigh, as if some weapon should be there. She moaned. Legolas stepped forward again, his hand out in a gesture of peace and friendship. Why was she afraid of him?
At Legolas' approach she squealed and pressed further back into the boulders behind her. Aragorn came up quickly beside Legolas and put his hand on the elf's shoulder.
"I see we were incorrect about her feelings for other elves." he said quietly.
Aragorn stepped forward again, both hands out before him so that she could see he had no weapon. She visibly relaxed, but did not seem sure that he would not harm her. Aragorn stepped forward and squatted so that he might look at her eye to eye.
"Are you alright?" he asked her in Sindarin. There was no answer, but her eyebrows knitted and her eyes darkened as she looked at him.
"K'i'that." she muttered darkly, yet her voice sounded so strange and somehow exotic that Aragorn wondered where she was from.
The Ranger tried again in all the languages he thought she might know, Legolas had offered Silvan, but to no avail. Aragorn turned and stepped back to where Sam and Legolas had waited and watched.
"She does not speak anything I know." he said to them.
They heard her clear her throat behind Aragorn's back.
"Then you not try most simple answer." she said. Her voice was somehow different from what they expected her to sound like. It was a little deeper than what you would expect from someone of her height and stature, but it was musical.
The three stared, their eyes wide. She was sitting now, cross legged, and smirking. Her hair, which had seemed pure brown, now proved to have an a faint hint of an almost green colour, and her skin was shockingly pale.
"Lady, I am glad you understand us. I am Aragorn-" Sam raised an eyebrow at the use of the man's correct name "this is Sam and this Legolas." he said, gesturing to his companions.
She seemed aware again of Legolas, and shrunk further back against the stones.
"-and none of us will harm you, I swear." Aragorn finished.
She looked at Aragorn, searching his eyes. She looked in turn into Legolas' and shivered a little, though the elf was the only one who noticed. She looked at Sam, who was standing behind Aragorn's legs, not quite hidden. She seemed to take heart from this. The girl put a hand on the rock and pushed herself up to her feet, shaking.
"You two, watch her and I will fetch Gandalf." Aragorn ordered, and he strode off to where the wizard rested.
The girl looked a little worried at Aragorn's departure, but seemed more preoccupied with walking. Her legs must have been weak, for they stumbled as she tried to walk. Legolas moved forward, but the girl whimpered at his approach.
"Sir, if I may be so bold, I would suggest that you don't do that." Sam spoke up "She doesn't seem to have taken much of a fancy to you, you might say."
The girl looked at Sam, but only Legolas noticed the relief in her eyes. His forehead wrinkled and he stepped back again. Sam looked at the elf, and then the girl and then he too stepped forward.
"Miss? Do you want any help?" he asked, inwardly marvelling at his own outgoing.
"Sam, yes?" she said, voice questioning.
"Yes, that's me. May I be so bold as to ask what your name is?"
She said something that to the other's ears sounded an unpronounceable jumble of sounds.
"Pardon?" asked Sam.
She laughed. "Kienariel is good."
"Kienariel." Sam repeated, testing how the name fell from his tongue.
"Kienariel." Legolas said, also testing the sound.
Kienariel flashed a look at him again, eyes dark again. The dark eyes that flashed at him seemed to send out faint ripples of darkness, for all near the girl appeared, to Legolas' eyes, to darken. The brief vision passed, and she looked back down at the hobbit, and Sam had noticed nothing.

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Aragorn now came back with Gandalf, who was also followed by Frodo. By the time the three came up to the boulders where Sam, Legolas and Kienariel were standing Kienariel had stepped forward a bit, eyes wide and mouth in an 'O' of surprise. When Gandalf looked at her, he smiled.
"Greetings, my lady. I am Gandalf."
Legolas did not wonder that Mithrandir had used 'Gandalf'. He guessed that Aragorn had filled Gandalf in while they walked to the girl's obvious mistrust of Legolas, probably because he was an elf, as they couldn't think of any other reason. Aragorn looked at him, and his eyes confirmed Legolas' guess.
Kienariel bowed, bending her head and placing her pale, thin hand upon her heart.
"I am Kienariel. I do no speak your language well." she said haltingly, her words strengthening the statement, "But I am glad I found you all." she continued, "I think I know your plan, and what one of you carry."
All were taken aback, but Kienariel continued, and if she noticed the shocked glances that were exchanged, she did not show that she noticed.
"And I wish to come with you."

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The whole company was now awake and sitting in a circle about the fire. Kienariel was sitting by her boulder and playing a bright little song on a silver pipe. The high, joyful notes fell shrilly in the sombre land, but Kienariel played on, facing away from the fellowship and towards the eastering wind.
"Why should we add a tenth to our company? Did not Elrond himself choose nine to be our number? We should send her to Rivendell, if only so we may get Elrond's approval." argued the dwarf, Gimli. "And she's an elf! We already have one representative of that kindred, and two are certainly not needed!"
"I agree with the dwarf." added Boromir "And she does not look like any sort of fighter and that might be are only reason to consider taking the elven maid along."
"But what about Merry, Pippin and I?" argued Sam, looking up at the man of Gondor "We can't fight! Truth be told, we're about as useful here as a bunch of slugs in a garden, but we're here to help Mister Frodo, all the same." The two younger hobbits nodded in approval.
"You are here to help support Frodo because you are his friends. We do not know her, we do not know if we may trust her and we do not know who she is and we should know all of those if we were to take her with us." reasoned Legolas.
The argument continued. Boromir, Gimli and Legolas were against her joining the company and Sam, Pippin and Merry were for it.
Frodo, Aragorn and Gandalf sat silently watching the quarrel's progress.
"I see no reason to not take her if she can keep up the pace." said Frodo almost to himself. He did not see why she should not come. She would not slow the company down; she would be fleeter of foot than the hobbits.
Aragorn turned to look at Frodo, looking at him thoughtfully, and then stood. The noise died down.
"I think Frodo is right." The other man, dwarf and elf looked at the hobbit. "There truly is no reason we should not take her. If she is false, then she would not be able to creep away, for we will soon have to set a watch each night. If she is anything like friend Legolas then I would wager she would go faster than most of the company."
Boromir eyed Aragorn with a doubtful eye. "But she cannot fight." he said, a bit to loud.
Aragorn wheeled around to face Boromir. The two sets of sea-grey eyes flashed at each other. After a moment's pause Boromir turned away.
"We do not truly know that, son of Denathor." Aragorn countered. "And as Sam said, even if she can not fight, neither can the hobbits!"
The ranger's gaze swept over Gimli, then Legolas, and Boromir.
"Yes, he is right." said Gimli a little dully "It would not matter."
Legolas merely nodded.
"And Boromir, if you are worried about her ability to fight, you might instruct her while we have time." Aragorn added, and then sat down.
Sam leaned over to Pippin "Well Master Took, if you ever be wantin' to take up arguing then I think you should ask Strider to instruct us! Why I warrant that if we had had him in the Old Forest he could have argued with that old willow to let you go!"
Pippin nodded, grinning.
But Boromir threw his last play. "She's a woman!"

Up on the hill, Kienariel spun about. They now remembered that she had stopped playing her pipe some time ago. In one liquid movement she jumped down from her rock and landed on squatting on her feet. Sam recalled how she was having trouble standing a while ago and wondered at the change. She rose and stood before him.
"I am a woman. Your eyes work good. Very clever, you are. Father proud to have such a clever son." she said, teeth bared in a faked smile. Legolas saw her eyes were dark again.
Boromir said nothing.
"Man very clever, yes. Good fighter too, or so he think. I fight you now and we see if I fight good too?"
Boromir's hand went to his sword hilt. There was nothing. Kienariel bowed and handed back Boromir his sword, scabbard and belt.
"Sometimes clever man need to think more, act less." she counselled.
Boromir took back his things, looking shocked at the elven woman before him.
"Friends now? I may come with you?" she asked, looking at Frodo, Gandalf and Aragorn to her right.
"Yes." replied Gandalf, looking at the rest of the company "I think you may."
Kienariel's face brightened in a smile. She embraced Boromir, her arms pinning his to his side as he was buckling his belt.
"No hard feelings?" she enquired, releasing him.
His dignity severely shaken, he nodded mutely and bowed jerkily, not sure if he was required to embrace her back. Everyone else struggled to hide smiles.

Kienariel smiled even wider and then turned to the rest of the company.
"So."
She looked at them all. Looking into the eyes of all, save Legolas.
"When do we start?" she asked eyes wide and curious.
What tension there was snapped and all laughed. All laughed from their hearts save Legolas and the tension stayed with the Silvan elf.

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OK, OK! I know it seems obvious that Legolas and Boromir will form an evil gang and throw Kienariel into a river with her feet stuck in cement blocks, but I honestly hoped it wouldn't be THAT obvious.
Just kidding. Keep your eye out for the plot, it'll appear any time now… oO^_^Oo