The first thing that Aaron woke up to was darkness, an aching head, and a heavy body. With a great deal of effort, she slowly sat up to grasp her surroundings: there was nothing but trees, grass, and a lake in the distance. Or was that an ocean? It was too dark to tell for sure. She lifted a hand to her throbbing head gingerly, feeling for any damage before deciding it was just a really bad migraine. Probably not a concussion, but she could get that checked out after she found out where she was.
Aaron slowly stood, checking for any broken bones or fractures as she did, not wanting to make any sudden movements on account of her splitting skull. After she was sure nothing was damaged she looked around, noticing that her eyes had adjusted to the darkness slightly. It looked as though she were standing at the edge of a forest, the twinkling light of the stars above her. There was nothing but flat plains ahead and stray rocky terrain.
She got a dreading feeling that things were definitely not right. She didn't live anywhere near forests. She lived in a large city. She looked around frantically, looking for possible kidnappers. There was nothing. She frowned in confusion before looking down at her clothes; she was wearing dark brown pants—possibly leather—a peasant shirt with a lighter brown fest to keep it snug against her torso and a cloak.
That's when she remembered: she had been with her friends at a Renaissance Fair, being the nerds that they were, before walking around town discussing Lord of the Rings and the new Hobbit Movies that came out, comparing them to the books and other Tolkien works like The Book of Lost Tales or The Silmarillion. At around eleven or close to midnight she said goodbye to her friends and started walking home... after that it was fuzzy and then black... could she had been kidnapped?
She patted her clothing, checking for her phone, finding it in her back pocket to her own surprise. She clicked the power button. It was one in the morning on Sunday. The fair and been the day before.
She tried checking for a signal with no luck before sighing and giving up, mumbling to herself, "My best luck is to walk until I stumble across civilization… find somewhere to stay and someone who knows where the hell I am..."
It was hours before she came across a strange rock formation with a crack running through it. She could almost swear she heard faint music carried in the wind. She shook her head slightly, maybe she did have a concussion... She picked up a stray rock and threw it into the space to make sure there was nothing large and living that could killer her before sliding in herself. She felt around the walls of the cavern, hoping for a possible resting place for the night but she couldn't help the nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she needed to keep moving.
She found that the cavern continued on to a narrow passageway that was open to the sky. It felt like an eternity before she finally reached the end, staggering out onto a grassy slope. There was the sound of music, laughter, singing, and rushing water.
Her presence didn't go unnoticed long before there were freakishly tall guardsmen surrounding her, a tall man with long brown hair approaching her with caution. She didn't feel threatened, but she wasn't comfortable.
Her mind seemed to freeze as soon as she looked up at the man's face.
Elrond looked down at the stranger with concern in his eyes, "My dear, who are you? You must be weary from travel. What possessed you to wonder so far?"
Aaron stared at him, thinking quickly; she knew her name was far too strange to give so she quickly fabricated a new one before answering, "My name is Idril Aeronwen. I seek guidance and shelter, if you be so gracious to bestow it."
Three Years Later
Elvenking Thranduil paced before his throne, waiting for news from the guard. He had been informed of an uninvited passer through his kingdom and was waiting for the arrival of such a foolish being. Who would dare enter his domain without informing him first? It was a mistake he fully intended to correct soon.
His guards entered the throne room suddenly, a slender figure within their custody. The great king could instantly tell it was a human; they had the build and the aura of one that was unmistakable to even the most dimwitted of Middle Earth.
Thranduil observed the human as he made his way down from his throne slowly, taking in the slightness of their figure, deducing that they were indeed female, her hood drawn over her features, making it impossible for even him to see them.
Once he was in front of the mysterious stranger, he spoke, his hands clenched behind his back regally as he stared down his nose at her, "Who are you and why do you enter my forest?"
She didn't answer, much to his frustration, so he looked at one of the guards next to her and made a small motion, the guard then ripping off the hood of her cloak, blond and brown ringlets instantly spilling forward, again hiding the stranger's face.
He repeated himself, "Who are you and why do you enter my forest?"
She spoke without looking up, "My name is Idril Aeronwen. I come from Rivendell."
Thranduil's gaze narrowed and he swiftly reached out and tipped her chin up, his cool blue eyes instantly meeting with soul warming brown ones, the fair features of her face giving no emotion away. He mentally praised her, not only for her looks, but her self-control as well, "You look at your King when spoken to."
Idril answered smoothly, "You would permit a lowly person such as myself to raise my head and gaze upon you, Oh King?"
Thranduil was stunned by the fluidness of her words, her wit sharp and clear. It was an interesting quality to see in a human. Despite his own feelings, he kept a stern gaze upon her, "Why do you come to my kingdom, uninvited and unannounced?"
She swept herself in a curtsy, bowing her head slightly, "I must apologize for my rudeness. I have taken refuge under Elrond in Rivendell for the past few years and was intrigued by the tales I was told of the great Wood Elf halls of Mirkwood, and could not resist the temptation to view the beauty for my own eyes. If it pleases you, I will compensate for my discourtesy by providing any services that you see fit."
Thranduil listened intently, praising the quick intelligence of the young girl. He thought for a moment; she seemed too exotic a specimen to pass up and her intelligence could prove useful. She associated herself with Elrond, showing she was worthy of trust and friend of elves, and her speech was that of someone who knew exactly what and when to say it, something that proved useful in even the best of times. If she was willing to stay under his control, who was he to deny the opportunity?
He waited for her to meet his gaze once again before answering, "Very well. I will accept this apology as well as your services. I will see to it that you work diligently to fulfill your duties."
A ghost of a smile appeared over Idril's lips before she bowed her head once more, "Náto, amin Aran." Yes, my King.
