Prolouge

Two little hobbits sat on a dock waiting for the hour they dreaded most. Frodo Baggins and Millie Helfen were their names. Millie's family was moving that day, out west towards Mirkwood. "Frodo." Millie squeaked. "Yeah?" "I'm gonna miss you." Millie concluded quietly. "You've been a great friend..." "Yeah, I know." Frodo teased, and as a result Millie punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Frodo, there's somthin' I've been meaning to tell ya for a while now." "What is it?" Frodo asked. "Well..." Millie began "I-" "MILLIE!" A voice cut through her sentence "IT'S TIME TO GO!" "Coming ma!" Millie called. "Goodbye Frodo." She murmured. With that she kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Wait!" He cried out. But 'twas too late the wagons were already rolling away. "Goodbye." He murmured

6 weeks later

"We're almost there!" Millie's papa called from the front of the wagon. Millie missed Frodo. Life on the road was boring and it relieved her that the journey was almost over. "We'll be there so-" Millie's papa's voice was cut off as a warg exploded from the bushes and took him down. "NOOO!" Ma screamed.

Dozens of orcs poured from the bushes and trees around them. The horses panicked and the wagon toppled over and Millie tumbled out. Orcs swarmed past her, intent on killing her family, not her. She raced away until one caught her. You're gonna die, and nobodys gonna stop me, so sqeal." he snarled as her held his dagger above her head.

She shrieked and an arrow hit him in the head. She heard hooves and before she had time to think, she was scooped up by someone. The next moment she was staring into the face on an elf. She could do nothing but cry into his tunic as the horse galloped away.

Legolas carried the sobbing little hobbit towards Mirkwood Palace. Why on Middle-Earth would an army of orcs target a Hobbit family? And try to kill everyone except the this one? He wondered aloud. He had been thinking so hard that he hadn't realized that he had reached the front doors. "What's that pile of rags doing here." snapped one of the guards, indicating the screaming hobbit. "That shouldn't concern you.'' Legolas retorted ''What should concern you is the fact that there is an entire army of orcs on the border!" both guards turned pale and sqeaked "Orcs? Army?!" "You heard me." Legolas snapped and proceded into the great hall.

As Legolas neared his father, King Thrandiul flicked his wrist and simply said "I know, one of border patrols informed me." turning his attention to the hobbit he added "Is that one of the survivors?" Legolas swallowed a tiny lump in his throat and croaked "The only one, I'm afraid." Thrandiul sighed and opened his mouth to speak, but was interupted by a patrol of elves clattering into the hall. "Well?" he asked, sitting up, "Any survivors?" he asked, the young hobbit stopped crying, as if waiting to hear their response as well, "No." the patrol leader croaked, "By the time they left, they had taken the wagons and corpses as well." King Thrandiul bowed his head. "What?! You mean they're...dead?!" the hobbit shreiked.

"Was anything recovered?" Legolas asked, "Just this." the patrol leader sighed. From his tunic he withdrew a small braclet consisting of a leather cord and colorful wooden beads. "Ma's braclet!" the hobbit shreiked once more before breaking into a sobbing fit. "Eliana!" Thrandiul called to one of the maids whom was passing through the great hall. "Take this child. She needs to be fed, bathed, and nurtured." Thrandiul ordered. Eliana nodded and reached for the child, which Legolas handed gladly to her. "Legolas, you may acompany her if you wish." Thrandiul added before turning to the patrol. Legolas did so gladly.

That Evening...

Legolas watched the little hobbit sleep. It had been a horribly long afternoon, trying to take care of the hobbit. She refused to eat, but it was only too easy to shovel the food into her screaming mouth. And it took about an hour of coaxing to get her into the washtub. Yet, both Legolas and Eliana had taken a liking to her toughness ("I think I would have died of fright if I was in her shoes." Elliana pointed out). The one detail about her that they had managed to extract was the fact that her name was Millie. Millie twitched in her sleep and moaned somthing that sounded heartbreakingly like Mommy...Mommy. Eliana tiptoed into the room and whispered "Go on your highness, I'll take care of her." Legolas hesitated, before realizing how tired he was. "Thank you, Elliana." He whispered as he tiptoed out of the room and shut the door silently behind him. Sleep well little hobbit. You have a long journey ahead of you.