Hey guys! This is my first Lord of the Rings fanfic! It's based on my character Lyra and how she is involved with the other characters! In human years, Lyra is about 10 years old right now, give or take a few years. I hope you like it! Oh! I also included a list of meanings and names. Use it if you want! Lyra's name means "lyre," as in the instrument. I am in no way a master of elvish and I take stuff off an online dictionary! Some inaccuracies will occur!

Calanon- Light

Ada/Naneth- Father/ Mother

Idhrenion- Wise

Alya- Rich

Bein- Beautiful

Vehiron- Lordly

Meldiron- Friend

Prologue- Under A Blue Sky

The glorious glowing sun was high in the sky and everything was as it should. The white clouds rolled lazily across the horizon like little boats in the sea. The cool air was clean and crisp, filling the lungs of every creature and giving them the energy for the day. The forests by the Blue Mountains were alight with life. Birds sang, wolves hunted and the deer ran through the trees. All was quiet when the distinctive sound of steel on steel rang, cutting through the still air like a hot knife through butter. Deep in the woods, there was a large clearing. There wasn't much to it. A river ran through the green grass and that was all. If you look closer however, you could see sharp and thin holes in the ground and shortened grass where weapons cut them. If you were there at the right time of day, you would see a small little group of people that were hard at work- fighting that was. This was that time of day.

A thin little girl stumbled backwards and barely managed to right herself when a sword came down at her head in the form of a devastating overhand stroke. With expert ease, she brought up two knives, one supporting the other to intercept it, catching the sword in a well formed x. Pushing the sword away, she flipped backwards away from the adversary only to be met by another. Her eyes widened and she rolled, right as another sword passed above where her head was only moments before. She backed away slowly and her back met a tree. Breathing deeply, she looked around her. Three people were advancing on her slowly- carefully. Even when cornered, she was dangerous.

The little girl licked her dry lips and pushed back her sweat soaked hair, revealing a delicate set of pointed ears. This group of people are not who they appeared to be at first. Tall for normal men, they walked with the gracefulness of cats and the light-footedness of deer. Their bodies were thin and lithe, giving them a sleek and slim look of perpetual beauty, no matter what the circumstance. Their eyes more keen than a hawks and lives longer than any of the other races- men, dwarves and hobbits alike. These were elves. Specifically, they were elves of Mirkwood. Mirkwood, ruled by King Thranduil was a one of the elven nations, but there were others. Rivendell, otherwise known as Imladris was taken care of by Lord Elrond, and Lothlorien by Lord Celeborn and Lady Galadriel.

The little girl's sharp green eyes darted between the figures in front of her and she breathed deeply. "Lady Lyra!" a voice called and her head turned to the side where a tall and handsome elf stood. He smiled at her as the figures continued to advance. "You're doing well, move those feet a little more though. You're the fastest elf I know! Put those feet to good use! You'll do even better!" She nodded.

"Yes Calanon," she said and turned back to her opponents. They all looked eager but smiled encouragement to the young little she-elf. She smiled back and started to dance lightly from foot to foot. One of the elves took that as an invitation to attack and lunged forward, hoping to pin the little elf between the trees. Lyra saw through the attack and jumped straight up and kicked the elf in the back, sending him sprawling into the dust, his head hitting the tree with a dull thwack. The other two attacked immediately after, trying for a pincer attack when to their surprise, the small elf wasn't there anymore. She slid behind one of them and used the hilt of one of her knives, jabbing it into the elf's head. He fell to the ground, dazed. With only one opponent left, they engaged in one-on-one combat, forcing the girl to take step after step back. He knew he had the advantage. He was taller than the girl and years of experience made him a better fighter- or so he thought. With his overconfidence, he let the tip of his sword drop in a moment of weakness. Lyra didn't miss it. She forced the sword to the ground by sliding the blades together, creating a nerve grating hiss. Her hairs stood on end as she stomped on the blade, trapping it in the dirt and with a smooth circular motion; she pointed her knife inches from the elf's throat. His eyes widened as he stared at the shining surface of the knife.

All was silent when suddenly, clapping started on the side of the clearing. Looking up, the young elf broke into a smile. Her teacher Calanon was happily applauding and to his left, so was her parents. "Ada! Naneth!" Lyra cried, dropping her weapons and running over to the pair which happily scooped the little girl up. Her opponent slid to the ground, looking relieved. Calanon looked to the three tired elves with a barely contained grin.

"Looks like you guys need some more practice," he chortled. The elves on the ground shrugged haplessly. Calanon waved them away. "Dismissed," The injured elves filed away towards the healers, each rubbing their wounds with a slight hint of annoyance- beaten by the little lady again. The instructor soon turned back to his student and rubbed her hair when she was set back on the ground by her parents. "Good job Lyra," he said. "This is your 20th consecutive win this month!" Lyra beamed.

"I had a good teacher!" Calanon laughed.

"Yes. You did," Lyra hugged him around his waist and he rubbed her hair while speaking to her parents.

"What brings you here Lord Idhrenion? Lady Alya?" The pair of elves smiled and the man spoke.

"We have come to bring some special news," he started, catching his daughter's interest. Her eyes peered up at his curiously. He smiled down at her and watched her squirm, getting impatient. Finally deciding that she couldn't get any wigglier, he let her off the hook. "We have finished our mission at the Blue Mountains," Lyra's mother leaned in to take her child.

"We are going back to Mirkwood after one hundred and fifty years, and for you Lyra, you will see it for the first time," Lyra jumped up and down in excitement.

"Really?" she asked excitedly. "I'm going to see Mirkwood?" Her parents laughed and nodded. She punched the air. "All right! I'm going to go get packed!" she declared. "Don't try to stop me!" Before anyone could say anything, she retrieved her weapons and disappeared into the trees. The three adults shook their heads at their impulsive young one.

"So fast," sighed Lady Alya. "She is such a fighter." Her husband snickered.

"Even more so than me. I'm impressed," He turned to Calanon. "You taught her well." The instructor bowed.

"She had the raw material. I only honed the blade," Lord Idhrenion guffawed.

"You're too modest Calanon. Have more pride!" Calanon blushed and they all laughed before things went silent. Not even the forest made any noise. "How long has it been?" Idhrenion asked. He didn't specify. They knew what he was talking about.

"One hundred years I believe. Almost," Alya whispered. "Our baby sure has grown up."

"She is quite remarkable for a girl not yet one hundred." Calanon interrupted. "She will grow to be a fine fighter one day. An excellent vassal for Mirkwood's young prince, just like her parents were to its' king." The couple looked at each other.

"Indeed." There was no more time for idle chatter. They were to leave the very next morning and they needed to get ready. All of them melted into the woods, the only sign of their scuffle was the turned up dirt and the imprints on the grass.

It was late, the sun had long sunk below the horizon and the moon took its' place in the sky. Everyone was asleep- except for one restless elf and her parents. "But Ada! Naneth!" Lyra whined, squirming in her mother's grip. "Why can't the moon go down and the sun come up any faster?" Her father sighed and caught her in a bear hug.

"That's just the way of the world bein," he answered patiently. "You have to go along with it." Lyra stuck out her tongue and went limp in her father's arms.

"The way of the world is too slow!" she sighed and wriggled so that she was more comfortable. "I'm too restless to sleep. I have never been outside of the forest! I have never seen anything but the Blue Mountains to the east and the sea to the west. I want to see new things." Her parents looked at each other and Idhrenion passed Lyra off to her mother and they sat up.

"How about a story?" he asked her. Lyra cocked her head.

"A story?" she inquired.

"Yes," Alya answered. "The story of how we Silverleaf's became the guardian vassals of the Greenleaf's. The royal's of Mirkwood." That got her attention. Lyra sat rigid, staring at her parents expectantly. She had never heard this story before and she was more than eager. Alya smiled and stroked her daughter's silver hair, giving her husband the honor of telling it.

"It started back thousands of years ago," he began. "To the first king of Mirkwood, Vehiron. There was a very important mission that he had to attend to, to save Mirkwood from a powerful enemy. Do you know about that mission Lyra?" She nodded.

"Yes ada!" she shifted on her mother's lap. "Teacher told me the history of the shadow master." Her father chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"That's right. The king had to retrieve a special stone, leaving everything he knew behind. He travelled far and wide but unknown the whole time, he was followed by a very close friend of his- our ancestor, Meldiron. In a time of great distress, when his highness almost failed, his friend came and gave him strength. With his help, they were able to dispel the shadow. As a thank you, the king gave him the highest title and a place by his side forever. That is how we Silverleaf's became vassals," He looked into his daughter's eyes. "I am his majesty's friend and protector, just like I'm sure you will be the friend and protector of his son."

Lyra's head slowly went up and the down. "Prince Legolas right?" Her mother nodded.

"Yes sweetheart. He is one hundred years your senior, but your skills with your weapons are better than we ever could have hoped for. You can put them to good use." Lyra yawned. She didn't mean to be rude but hearing the story had somehow calmed her down. It may have just been her parent's soothing voices and silent whispers of encouragement.

"Sorry naneth," she murmured, crawling away snuggling into her blankets. "I'm suddenly so tired. I'm glad that you believe in me. I'd be happy to put my skills to use for the prince." Alya smiled and kissed her daughter on her temple as she fell asleep.

"I'm sure you will," She gestured at her husband and they crept slowly to the door and out, closing it behind them as they stood in the night air. They let the silence stretch before the couple embraced each other lightly. "Do you think that it's too soon for her? That we're pushing her too fast?" Idhrenion shook his head as he breathed in the sweet scent of his wife's hair.

"No. I think we're going too slowly," He looked up at the stars and across their camp. "Lyra has childish antics and energy, but we both know that she is wise and skilled, even beyond her age. She will serve Mirkwood well."

"But she is still a child Idhrenion," she argued. "Even you didn't serve the king until you were two hundred. She's a hundred years earlier than you were. She's a she-elf too!" He laughed lightly as he rubbed her back.

"It's not a matter of age, but of skill and she far exceeds where I was at two hundred." He pushed away and tilted his wife's chin up to stare into her eyes. "She will be fine. I'm willing to bet everything on it." Alya threw back her head and seemed to mutter something to the sky.

"Fine!" she groaned, snapping her head back. "You win!" He laughed and they kissed.

"Yes. I win," He opened the door again for her and waved her inside. "You'll see. Everything will be fine." Alya didn't even bother to answer, she just strode back into their cottage and the door closed behind them.

The sun was barely above the horizon when a caravan set off, rolling along a dusty road. Wagons were laden with food and utensils, luxuries such as silk and treasures of the mountain as well. All were quite happy to be leaving this place. Although the mountains were a wonderful place, they longed to once again see the borders of their home. Lady Alya was sitting in a wagon, quite content to watch the sun rise and the activities that her friends performed in the morning. She looked around and saw her daughter riding behind her and her husband in front. Various elves were all either on foot, in the wagon or on a horse although it hardly mattered. They were in no particular hurry and the road would not be hard. They would arrive fairly easily- even if they were attacked.

Lyra rode happily. She was in a good mood and that radiated to the young mare below her, sending it into an easy lope towards her father up ahead. He smiled as she pulled up next to his point position. "Good morning Lyra. What are you up to?" She tapped her chin.

"Nothing really I guess," she sighed and hopped in her seat on the horse's back. "I'm just so excited! I want to know more about Mirkwood! Why did you wait to have me in the Blue Mountains? Why not earlier?" Idhrenion blinked before bursting out in a laugh that gravitated stares of confusion in their direction. Lyra flushed in embarrassment. "Why are you laughing ada? Seriously- what's so funny?" Her father took a deep shuddering breath to calm himself before he looked at his perplexed elfling.

"It was an important mission Lyra," he managed to make out between stifled laughter. "We couldn't exactly have you earlier. We weren't ready for that kind of commitment until we were out here and doing something important that gave us the right sense of responsibility." Lyra huffed.

"Sheesh. You're the vassal aren't you? Didn't you have the right sense of responsibility before you even left for the mission?" Idhrenion began to sweat. This girl really was smart beyond her years.

"How about we just leave it at that? You'll find out what Mirkwood is like when you're in it!" Lyra opened her mouth to protest when she heard her mother's voice call from the back.

"Child! Come!" She called and when the she-elf turned to look at her father, he merely looked triumphant. Glaring at him, she urged her horse back down the length of wagons. When she was gone, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He never wanted to be put on the spot like that again- never.

Lyra rode to where her mother was and frowned. "What do you want?" Alya put her hand to her mouth in mock horror.

"Is that any way to address your mother young lady?" she scolded and Lyra felt herself crack a small smile. She was known around the caravan a lot as just, child or something along those lines. She was the only one under the age of one thousand in their group. Calanon was the youngest one other than her and even he was one thousand and twenty-five, give or take a few years. Young lady was something she was called when the need to be stern was there.

"Do you need something naneth?" she corrected herself and her mother smiled.

"That's better," she gestured into the wagon. "Why don't you take a nap sweetheart? You were up hours before dawn." Lyra was about to say that she wasn't tired, but instead of words, there came out yawns. Alya raised an eyebrow and Lyra shrugged, nodding at the same time. Jumping off her horse with grace, she scampered into the wagon and buried herself in the blankets. She was asleep almost instantly.

Looking back out at the front, Alya caught her husband's eyes. They were smiling. They knew that Lyra needed this. It was not good for her to be so excited. They knew it would wear off soon enough, but they needed to contain her anyway. Mirkwood would do wonders for her- both mentally and physically. It was her homeland after all. She just needed the energy for when that time arrived. Not that energy would be a problem for the young elf. They were more worried about everyone else not having the energy to keep up. That's what the young prince was for. Only a hundred years apart in age, he would be Lyra's first elfling friend. They would get along, they just knew it.