Alrighty- This is my first fanfiction. I hope you like it! Please feel free to let me know of any facts I may have been mistaken on. And please let me know if you think it's "Mary-Sue" ish and how I can change that! ENJOY!

oxoxo

I chose this life many a year ago. Exile from my people was a small price to pay for the relationship I would bear with the magical powers of the earth and her creatures. Every bit of the land spoke to me. Whispers among the trees told tales of secret love affairs… images upon the wind graced me with knowledge of lands from afar. Every stone, twig and leaf held a secret, whether big or small, begging to be shared with any ear that would listen. With this power was not control… but permission. Permission to listen, to see, and to feel what the land could provide. Permission to move, manipulate and utilize what Lady Earth had freely lain before us for thousands upon thousands of years.

The gift of knowledge of the earth was widely rejected among my people. My people, although always explorative, studious and curious, feared this kind of magic. They felt it took away the mystery of life and its meaning, leaving the holder of the earth's knowledge a kind of empty shell… a being that has been so satisfied that they can no longer live, for once they have learned all the secrets, they no longer have a purpose to.

I took these fears as a challenge. I knew of the witches that lived in the forests of Lothlorien…. They had built houses and cities like those among my people and thrived amongst themselves. I had first heard about the witches as a young child with my sister, and the young princes from around the realm. Stories that were supposed to deter my young mind from the lifestyle only made me hungry for more information. I would inquire about them to my father and once I was old enough, gather as much information on them as I could.

After walking the halls of my father's house for nearly 70 lives of men I had abandoned those thoughts as a child's fantasy searched for my purpose. I had tried to follow in my sister's path. I learned to heal, gained foresight even learned to ride. I tried to act like a fair maiden, future wife, future mother. I courted a young prince from another realm. We had grown attracted to each other after spending our years growing up together, visiting each other's realms as we aged, relishing in passionate nights under the stars, and even considering becoming betrothed. But things had changed when, as my foresight strengthened, my curiosity for the power of Earth heightened. I could not forsake my visions, nor my unquenched thirst for this knowledge.

I left my people, my family… my love… Without a word I disappeared… I had chosen to forsake my people and seek a new and fulfilling future that I had craved so much….

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Evil was coming. I heard whispers of it from floating leaves, and felt the tremors of the earth. There was talk of another war starting… like the wars of old. I rested my hands upon the tree next to my window… even there I could feel her fear, although slight as it was. Like people, even trees tried to hide their feelings to make others comfortable. During war, everyone and everything suffers. Upon a loss on the earth even the stones of the coldest mountains morn.

I gazed into my mirror. Much had changed in the 50 years I had left my home in Rivendell. Although, still elflike, I no longer dressed like them, ate like them… spoke like them. My speech was more deliberate, less of a lilt and more of a cutting edge between my consonants and vowels. I dressed in only what was necessary unless desired or otherwise commanded by my queen. I was mostly free to do as I pleased as long as I respected Earth and all her beings.

I lined my eyes with kohl as was the tradition amongst the Wood Elves with the Gift. I prepared myself for council to meet with the queen and the other Chosen Few. We all knew what was to be spoken of. There had been a council meeting called in Rivendell by Lord Elrond. All beings were to attend, including the Gifted Elves or "witches" as they preferred to call us. She was choosing five of us to travel together to help decide the fate of Middle Earth. I knew she would choose me to lead the company for I was the most powerful of the Chosen Few. My saddlebags were already packed. I was well prepared for the journey ahead of me… I had seen many ways in which my future could unfold from this journey and I was not afraid. My path was not certain but my intent was clear. I would help where I was needed. And I knew I would be needed.

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My company led our horses into Rivendell as I felt no need to draw attention to ourselves riding in at full speed as the race of men or other elves had before us. They had destroyed much of the path and small plants beside it, we all said small prayers to Earth as we walked in, apologizing for the carelessness of others. We were met by servants of the house of Elrond and led to our rooms in a long stone hall.

Nothing had changed in the years since I had left. Ivy still grew up the stone columns in elegant twists, the sun still filtered a golden gray and green through the thick foliage of the trees surrounding the house. It was still beautiful. But at that time I held more appreciation for it than I had when I was younger. Lady Earth had graced my old home with such beauty and such clarity that I could cry with happiness.

I picked up a book from the shelf in my guest room and brought it to the terrace. It was one that I had read before, many years ago when I had still lived there. A story of how my father's people had come to be… moving to the lands of Middle Earth… cultivating it and bringing it to life. It was a beautiful story to be sure, but not one I was interested in. I opened it and pretended to read as I listened to the gossip gardens and stone bridges around me had to tell and watched more races of men, dwarves and elves come in through the gates below me.

Most surprised was I to see three white horses enter bearing three white haired elves cloaked in silver and green. The first elf galloped in and gracefully jumped off his horse. At first the emotions in his eyes were that of fondness… but also a kind of deep hidden pain. I stood and watched him as he gazed at his surroundings. He stopped, almost as if puzzled and looked over his shoulder and up at me, as if he knew I was watching. His mouth opened slightly and his eyes widened in recognition. As he took a hesitant step towards me I set the book down on the rail and nodded to him before walking away.

Shutting the doors behind me my heart was pounding. This is what I had feared. Not that I would still have feelings for the prince, for I knew I did not, but that he might still have had feelings for me or that I had hurt him in some way.

It was beginning to grow dark. Supper would be served for all in the Great Hall. There would be feasting and celebration even in these times of darkness. And I would not attend. Let the elves of Rivendell believe I was performing unholy rituals in their halls. I did not care. For they would spin tales of me whether I was in their presence or not for ingesting strange liquors and leaves would have intoxicated them to believe many an untrue thing. Intentionally altering the mind of ones self was not something I was interested in experiencing for I feared it would harm my connection with Earth and her creatures.

No. I remained in my room to rest my body and meditate for the following day. I prayed to Lady Earth for patience and drew courage and strength from the trees and plants around me.

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There was a light tapping on my door later that night. It was already dark in my room but I was not sleeping. I was too anxious to do anything but stare into the darkness. I rolled out of the silk sheets, drawing power from the air around me I waved my hand to light the lamp at my bedside.

"I am decent, you may enter," I said, pulling a robe around myself.

Lady Arwen entered my room in all of her grace. She was still as beautiful as ever. Maybe even more than I remembered. Her white skin glowed in contrast to her silver dress and dark tresses, and her blue eyes sparkled in delight to see me.

"My sister!" she gasped. There was almost a hint of relief behind her voice. As if she had been unsure all along of what truly happened to me. She glided over to me and took my face in her delicate hands. "My sister, I have missed you so."

"And I you, my lady. How fair you in these dark days?" I asked keeping my voice low, and brushing my hand on a cut along her cheekbone.

She looked at me incredulously. "Do not speak to me so! I have always feared for you and yet here you are before me asking how I am? You left us so long ago, not a word, not a note, just vanished. Father would not allow me to search for you."

I shook my head, "I would have had it no other way."

"Ariedta!"

I raised my hand to silence her. "No, Arwen. You must understand. I did what I must. It is everything I have wanted and more. It is nothing like the tales of when we were children. Not a thing. It is a beautiful and strengthening gift, you must understand that." I crossed to the open window to shut the shutters. I preferred as much privacy as possible. I knew there were ears everywhere, not just in other elves, but other beings as well. "I left to protect you and father from being forsaken by our people. Just as you have chosen a human soul, I have chosen the Wood Elves. Neither of us made a wrong decision."

Her eyes flashed towards me, surprised I would know such information. I motioned to the outside, "I hear things from the beings around us… lest you forget, sister."

She shook her hand and took my hand. "Ariedta… you have worried father so. He felt so betrayed after you left. Not to mention—"

"No," I whispered gazing towards the floor, "leave him out of it. I cannot bear to know how I've hurt him."

Arwen took my chin in her hand and lifted my eyes to look into hers. "To feel emotions such as yours is to be a part of this earth. He searched for you for years. I doubt he has ever stopped loving you. Just as I have never stopped." She dropped my face and sat on the bed. "When you put things in the way you do, I understand how your choice was for your passion and not just out of greed for yourself. I do love Aragorn, Ariedta. I choose him over all else."

I sat besides her, resting my head on her shoulder as we had done when we were younger. In that moment, it was as if we had ever grown up. As if I had never left her behind to worry. "Arwen, our people are leaving these lands… never to return. If you are not on one of the ships to the Undying Lands… you may possibly live the rest of your days here, alone."

With confidence she straightened up and looked into my eyes. "It is a possibility. I have not yet been graced with the sight of my future. Evil clouds much of my way. The light of the Evenstar is not bright enough to lead me out of the fog. But it is a chance I am willing to take." She spoke with such conviction I nearly believed her. But reality soon took over my thoughts again. Thoughts I, of course, did not share with her. It was her choice. Who was I to ruin it for her?

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I woke up the next morning to Arwen lying next to me in bed. I smiled and slowly got up so as not to wake her. I needed to meditate one more time before the call to council. I changed into a pair of fitted riding leggings, boots, blouse, and leather vest; simple, comfortable, and an appropriate symbol of my new kin.

I stepped outside and took a deep breath of the damp morning air. It was always refreshing and invigorating to be up early enough for it to be chilly, and yet feel the suns rays warm the air as you became more and more intimate with Earth.

Picking a spot in the garden, I sat upon a mound of soft moss in the shade. I pressed the palms of my hands to the ground, closed my eyes and started to breathe deeply… drawing all positive energy from my surroundings to myself… and exploring the minds, and emotions of the beings around me. I was so consumed by my meditation that I did not hear the approaching elf.

"Are you awake?" the familiar voice asked in the beautiful lilting language of Elvish.

"Yes." I responded in the language of man. Startled, but not showing it, I gently pulled my hands from the ground and opened my eyes. His face was angled, with carved features and a beautiful pair of blue eyes accented with a dark brow. My heart started pounding again but I kept a straight face as I spoke to him. "Am I blocking your way, prince?" I knew I wasn't. I knew not what else to say.

He did not respond. Just stared down at me. He extended his hand to me and I took it. Pulling me up to standing position he bowed his head to my hand and kissed it. "I feel fulfilled just seeing you before me," he murmured, "as if a dark weight has been lifted from my heart, you are the light that pierces through."

I turned my head away from his longing eyes. His words were true. I could see it clearly for his eyes were a window to his purest of souls. "Legolas, please." He stroked my hair and clutched my hands. He had never been one to need someone. Not even then. He was a good leader to his people, and showed it well on the battlefield, leaving all emotions to do his job. He never broke when it came to his choices, but when it came to me his defenses shattered.

"Do not turn away from me, Arideta." He whispered in my ear, "I've waited so long for you to return." He pulled my hands to his chest and continued to stroke my hair. "I stopped searching once I learned you were in witch territory—" I flinched away from him but he held me tightly, "—if that is where you wanted to be then I had no choice. I would let you finish out your fantasy run and wait for you to come back to me."

At that I glared and pulled away from him entirely. Any slight feeling of affection I was beginning to have towards him had vanished and was again replaced with a wall. "Do not assume you are familiar with my knowledge, prince, for you would be surprised by my powers." I snarled storming away. He knew better than to follow. My anger was that unmatched by any living being in our realm.

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Council had convened. We all sat in a circle, with my father, Lord Elrond, standing firmly at the center. He studied the faces of those around the circle, lingering on my face for a few extra moments. I acknowledged his look with a slight bow of my head. With this he began his speech in his loud commanding voice.

"Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle Earth stands upon the brink of destruction." I saw Legolas and a Ranger exchange knowing glances with each other, almost as if they knew something the rest did not, it made me wary but I continued to listen to my father. "None can escape it. Unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom." He paused for a brief moment and looked over at the hobbit next to the gray wizard. "Bring for the ring, Frodo."

The Hobbit stepped forward, strangely balanced on his oversized feet. He placed a simple gold ring on the podium, he looked as if this action had pained him, but as soon as he sat down again he appeared relieved and at peace. It was such an odd sight to me and I immediately knew that this was truly the One Ring the stories were about, The Ring that poisoned the minds of its owners. I could hear the mutterings of those around me and I shared their enthusiasm, fear and awe over this object.

I could feel an enticing kind of power emanating around the circle. I wanted The Ring. I wanted to use it for good, use its ultimate power to fix all the wrong in the world, but keep it for myself and for no other. I could not shake this feeling inside of me, yet I knew it was wrong. An outburst from one of the mankind, bearing the crest of the white tree of Gondor, brought me out of the terrible stupor.

"In a dream, I saw the eastern sky grow dark. But in the West a pale light lingered. A voice was crying: Your doom is near at hand," the man said, rising from his seat and moving toward the ring. "Isildur's bane is found." "Isildur's bane."

"Boromir!" Elrond said loudly but the man took no heed and reached for the ring. Just as Carita was about to stand because the chant and call of the Ring was far too powerful for the man to ignore, Gandalf beat her to it.

"Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul," Gandalf bellowed.

"Never before has any voice uttered the words of that tongue here in Imladris!" Elrond exclaimed as he looked to Gandalf and the old wizard coughed again as he neared his seat.

"I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond, for the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West! The Ring is altogether evil!" Gandalf said before he settled into his seat once more. Elrond sighed and looked to the ring once again, but before he could go on, the man interrupted yet again.

"It is a gift," he said, rising from his seat, "a gift from the throws of Mordor. Why not use this ring? Long has my father, the steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay; by the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy. Let us use it against them."

"You cannot wield it," responded the Ranger next to me. "None of us can. The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master"

The man from Gondor paced towards the Ranger with a snide look on his face. "And what would a Ranger know of this matter?"

Legolas rose from his seat across the circle in the Ranger's defense. "This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance"

I raised my eyebrows and took a quick glance at the man next to me. This was the man my sister was to bind herself to. A King of Gondor. A true leader.

The steward's son glared at Aragorn again and scoffed. "Aragorn? This is Isildurs heir?"

Legolas nodded haughtily, "And heir to the throne of Gondor"

Aragorn raised his hand to Legolas and said humbly in Elvish "sit down, Legolas."

The Gondor man replied confidently, "Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king." He then sat down, clearly feeling defeated with having nothing left to say.

Gandalf took that disagreeable moment to bring the group back to the original problem at hand "Aragorn is right, we cannot use it."

My father rose from his seat again and said powerfully. "You have only one choice. The Ring must be destroyed."

There was quite a bit of uncomfortable muttering and a moment of silence before a grizzly dwarf rose and snarled "Well what are we waiting for?!" he hurdled toward it with his mighty axe and swung down as hard as he could. The axe shattered as soon as it touched the ring, as if it was made of nothing more than glass and he was thrown back to the ground.

As other dwarves rushed to help him to his feet my father said "The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The Ring was made in the fires of mount doom, only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came…" he paused and took another long look at each person in the circle, "one of you must do this."

This final statement was met with complete silence as we all considered what that would mean. In that moment I had many thoughts of what it would mean for my kin, my people, and myself. If I bore the ring to Mordor would I survive? Would I be able to withstand the power of The Ring? My final thought was Am I truly considering taking the ring? It was not an unreasonable thought to have at that moment. It was a truly dangerous mission to consider and I did not know if I was strong enough.

The man from Gondor broke the silence, so upset that his voice was shaking. "One does not simply walk into Mordor." He glared up at Elrond, "Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep, the Great Eye is ever watchful. Tis a barren wasteland riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with 10,000 men could you do this… it is folly."

I raised my hand and spoke to this, "10,000 men would give Mordor too much of a warning. Gathering that many men from around Middle Earth would draw too much attention" I paused and took a long breath "The quest to save Middle Earth needs to be a silent one. A small one. A quest of a single man or of few. Silent and swift."

Boromir glared at me and hissed, "A woman should not know of such things, much less be allowed in this council to discuss it." I refrained from response as I knew such thoughts to come from men. I merely stared calmly back at him as he continued to speak to the rest of the council. "Bring the ring to Gondor, there we can keep it safe."

Legolas rose from his seat again, raising his voice louder this time he hissed "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has just said?! The Ring must be destroyed!"

The dwarf , Gimli, replied heatedly, "And I suppose you believe you're the one to do it!"

"And if we fail what then?! What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?!" Boromir asked Legolas, rising to his feet as well.

Gimli interjected with, "I would die before I saw The Ring in the hands of an elf!"

I stood to this, but said nothing… the statement was completely unnecessary and caused more harm than good to this council. I immediately sat down for everyone else had risen to argue their points. Everyone wanted to be heard whether it be about The Ring, or on dwarvish and elvish relations.

As everyone yelled at each other I stared at the ring… resting my arms on the rests and calming my body. I tried to probe it with my mind. If The Ring was a being I would be able to touch it and speak with it. But its power was too dark. Too ominous. If I touched it with my mind there would be no guarantees of coming out of it the same person and I did not want to risk that. My concentration was broken by Frodo, the small Hobbit, his voice a shrill and desperate tone.

"I WILL TAKE IT!"

Everyone started to quiet down and looked over at him. "I will take The Ring to Mordor. Though, I do not know the way."

"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear." Gandalf said, protectively patting the hobbit on the shoulder.

Aragorn rose and stood before Frodo saying, "By my life or death, I can protect you, I will… you have my sword"

I knew at that moment, in every fiber of my being that I needed to help this hobbit achieve this goal. I rose and knelt before the hobbit gazing into his eyes. I said, "I will do everything in my power to use my gift to assist you on your journey, little one." He nodded and smiled at me, I stood behind him and looked at my father with a straight face. He was clearly unhappy with this decision, as I'm sure he has been with most others I have made.

Legolas stood beside me and offered his skill with the bow as Gimli did with his axe. The Gondor man appeared last. "You carry the face of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."

"HERE!" Startled, I turned around to see another, much rounder, little person, running out of the bushes. He stopped next to Frodo with his arms crossed and said, "Mr. Frodo's not goin' anywhere without me."

"No, indeed, as it is hardly possible to separate you even when he is invited to a secret council and you are not." My father responded playfully. A slight smile pulling at his lips reminded me of days when I was much younger.

Another two hobbits appeared from behind two columns bring a shock to my father's face I had never seen before. A kind of dissatisfaction at being taken by surprise, which brought me great amusement.

"HEY! We're coming too!" one of them said rushing to meet Frodo and the other Hobbit.

"Anyway, you need people of intelligence, on this sort of mission… quest… thing!" the fourth hobbit said matter-of-factly. I tilted my head to the side and shared a quick smile with Legolas over the scene before us.

"Well, that rules you out, Pip." Muttered the other.

My father shook his head and took in the sight of us all. "Ten companions…. So be it… you shall be the Fellowship of the Ring."

I stood a little taller. Realizing my father has accepted that I am going. And I am doing it with some kind of permission instead of leaving unnoticed in the middle of the night. I took in a deep breath and let it out. I felt as if I was doing something more fulfilling already. And our journey had yet to begin.

"Great!" said one of the Halflings excitedly… "Where are we going?!"