Alright, so, I've been watching the Lord of the Rings movies over and over again, and I finally decided to try my hand at writing a story. I've never read the books, I'll tell you that right now, but I absolutely adore the movies, and find them all absolutely fascinating. So, yeah, here we go. Just so you all know, I do not own any of the characters from LOTR, nor the plot, nor any of the creatures. I only own things that do not appear or happen in the books/movies. Oh, and, I always like to put up the song that best fits with the chapter that I've just written, so, here's the one I chose:

Shattered – Trading Yesterday (Great song, definitely one of my favorites)

Bolded – Elvish

Italics - Thoughts

Whispers.

That is all Raina heard when she approached Rivendell.

Of course, they had every right to. Despite the fact that she had pulled up the hood of her silvery-blue cloak, the elves who stood watch could easily see the features, the ones that they needed to see to figure out who she was. The horse that was carrying her, Sadron, was sniffing loudly, his dark eyes watching for any elves that dared to approach the pair. Most elves, you see, rode white horses, but Raina, being the rebellious elleth she was, had always had a soft heart for black, dangerous horses who were either used by men or the evils who walked this Earth.

Raina entered the gates of Rivendell, not bothering to look around at the beautiful Elvish city, nor did she glance at the marvelous waterfalls which let off a soothing, gentle sound that could easily lull anyone to sleep. She jumped down from her horse, knowing that he would leave as soon as she looked into his frighteningly black eyes, as he would only appear when she needed him most.

Leaving Sadron behind her, Raina moved up the staircase, heading the room that she had always hidden in when she was a child. The room that she knew like the back of her hand, understanding each and every knook and cranny, every little hole that had been formed by some sort of damage. She pushed open the door and, inside, along with a large amount of books, sat an elloth whose whose back faced hers. His long, dark hair had two braids, one running down each of his shoulders, while the rest of his thick hair ran down his back.

"Father," said Raina quietly, her eyes never leaving the back of his head. She knew that she probably didn't even have to speak; her father knew all the very well that she was there, and who she was exactly. He hesitated, before turning to face her fully. His dark, cold eyes never left her beautiful face.

"You should not have come, Raina," said Lord Elrond, standing to his full height and speaking in a strict voice. It was one that Raina had not truly heard in many, many years, and she visibly flinched at the harshness of his tone. "You were not invited to the Council; that is why you are here, is it not?"

Raina shook her head at her father, a frown forming on her lips. This was not exactly the homecoming she had been expecting. "I do not come here asking for your forgiveness, nor any other personal reasons." She faltered, knowing that her father's eyes had yet to leave her half-covered face. "I have come here to help you. You know all too well that the journey that the Fellowship takes will be full of obstacles that they will not be able to withstand; at least, not well enough to have each and every one of them survive. Let me join them, Father." She took that moment to pull her hood back, to show her entire face, and for him to see the truth and honesty in her silvery-grey eyes. Her hair, black as coal, tumbled down her back, all the way to the small of her back. "Please," she added, switching to common tongue, her eyes begging him to listen and understand her.

Lord Elrond said nothing, but simply took a few long strides towards her, until he was standing directly in front of her. Placing a warm hand on her cold cheek, his face softened, and she could tell that he was at least listening to her. "You lie," he said softly, practically whispering. "You do not only want to help me—there is another reason, one you are hiding."

"It does not matter what that reason is, Father," said Raina, quickly cutting him off. "Please, let me take this one last journey. I did not travel all this way to hear you tell me no one last time." He chuckled softly, and she smiled weakly up at him. She wrapped her arms around him, needing to be hugged one last time by him. Raina knew that she would not be seeing him for a very, very long time, and she needed to feel his fatherly love just one more time. "Thank you," she mumbled, before letting go of him.

Lord Elrond gave a reluctant nod, before sighing softly. "Go to your old room, and rest; I am sure you have suffered through a long journey, and need to regather your strength. I will have someone draw you a bath in the morn."

Raina nodded to him, and swept out of the room. The halls did not seem to have change, even though she had not walked through them for hundreds of years. She placed her fingers and felt the cool marble soothe her trembling fingers. She could still hear the soft laughter that her brothers and herself shared, as they enjoyed their fantasy adventures, of fighting off Orcs and saving their kingdom. As the memories rushed to her mind, she frowned—she had not seen Elladan and Elrohir, not since she had left Rivendell for good. Shaking her head, she continued to walk down to the room that she had once occupied, the room that she would occupy for one more night. Coming to the wooden door, she gently pushed it open.

She did not bother looking around, as she knew that everything she remembered was still there, in the same exact place. She removed her cloak, and dressed in a nightgown that had mysteriously appeared on the chair near her bed. Raina fell back onto the bed, relishing in the softness of the sheets that now surrounded her. Before she could even think of the council she was about to partake in, or the journey that was about to begin, she fell into a dreamless sleep, one that she had not been in for many long years.

Humming.

That's what Raina awoke to, as well as the sunlight streaming through the windows that seemed to take up every single wall of her room. She had always loved being surrounded by the warm rays of the sun, and that had not changed since she had left. After taking a few moments to allow her pale skin to soak in the sun, Raina stood and faced the elleth that was busy preparing a bath. Before Raina could speak, however, the elleth turned and gave her a warm smile. "Good morning, milady," said the elleth, looking completely unphased by the look of temporary shock on Raina's face. Her childhood friend, one that she had told her darkest secrets to, stood in front of her, and she could only stare at her knowingly with that smile upon her face. "Did you sleep well?"

"Very well, Adanessa," said Raina quietly, eyeing the elleth carefully. She still had her soft, auburn hair that fell in delicate curls around her fragile-looking face. Raina had always giggled about how Adanessa could easily ensnare any man's heart with a simple smile on her face, and she could tell that had not changed. "I see you have not changed since we last met. You still are as beautiful as ever; even though, of course, we both always knew I was the fairest of them all."

The elleth faltered, and she slowly turned away from her chores and looked straight at Raina with an emotionless face. The two elleths stared at each other for several seconds, before both of their faces broke in smiles and laughter. They rushed to each other and embraced, both holding on to the other like they were their long-lost sister. Raina closed her eyes, and pulled away from Adanessa, smiling kindly down at her. "I have missed your company more than anyone else's," said Raina. She spoke no lies—she had never been very close to her sister, and Raina had needed her friend more than anyone else in the world, just to tell her how much she had missed everything. "Tell me, what has changed since I left? How has my sister been? Who has arrived for the Council? Who—"

"Shh, my friend," said Adanessa, taking a seat on the chair beside Raina's bed. Her wise smile and the obvious age in her eyes showed how much she had matured since Raina had last seen her, and it made her smile sadly. It had been far too long since she had seen Adanessa. "Much has changed since you left, as I'm sure you can understand. I'm sure you've heard of the Hobbits that arrived here, as well as Aragorn. You will see one of the Hobbits and Aragorn at the Council. As for your sister, she took your departure harder than anyone else, but, overtime, she has begun to mend herself. She will be happy to see you, I'm sure—you are, of course, her youngest sibling."

Raina sighed softly, sitting as well on her bed, and smile sadly at her best friend. It had been far too long since she had looked into her warm hazel eyes, and she wished that she could stay in Rivendell longer. Shaking her head from her thoughts, she asked, "And the Council? Who is attending it?"

Adanessa paused for a second, and replied, "Representatives from each race, really. Though, I'm sure you'll be most intrigued to know that Prince Legolas of Mirkwood is here. He's here to speak to your father, but he is attending the Council as well." She chuckled at the livid expression on Raina's face, and shook her head. "Despite the years that I spent without you, I see that you have not changed—your temper is easily enflared when the topic of elloths occurs."

She laughed in return, and stared off at the window nearest to her. Raina had met Prince Legolas many years before, when they were both much younger; her father had taken her to Mirkwood with her, and she had thought the Prince was very polite and kind, but he was, in her eyes, quite boring. There was nothing exciting about him; of course, as being much more fiery and naïve than most her age, Raina had found just about everyone to be quite bores. Adanessa cleared her throat, and Raina looked up into her eyes, flushing when she realized she had been daydreaming once again.

"I must take my leave—I have many chores to do, including readying a bath for one of the men. I will see you soon, my friend," she said, and she left the room quickly. Raina gazed at the window for several moments, before slowly standing and entering the washroom. She bathed quickly, breathing the sultry scents of lavender. Most servants would have stayed and helped Raina dress, but Adanessa knew Raina very well, and understood that she always wanted to do everything on her own. That was how Raina had done just about everything in her life, and she wasn't going to change anytime soon.

Raina prepared her dark, thick hair into a lavish, impressive style and dressed in a blood-red dress with bell sleeves; the material was softer and smoother than any other fabric that she had ever felt before, and she closed her eyes, reminding herself that she better not get used to the beautiful, extravagent dresses that she could be wearing. She had a task to do, and she would be damned before she screwed it all up for something as materialistic as clothing. Shaking her head, Raina quickly stepped out of her room and made her way to the deck where she knew all too well that the Council was being held.

It was going to be a very, very long day.

So, yeah, that's the first chapter. It's not as perfect as I would like to to be, but I guess it will do. Raina's a bit of a handfull, as you can probably tell, and I hope you all like the fact that I added in a little bit of the history between her and Legolas. Please, review and tell me what you think!