A vision flashed though my mind.

A young man stood before me, dressed in chain mail and dark cloth. He had long, dark hair that hung about his face. Dark stubble covered his cheeks. His eyes twinkled with some hidden secret, and he seemed to be experiencing a deep joy. He brushed a stand of hair back from his face, tucking it into a braid above his ear. A wedding ring shone on his finger. His mouth was open with a smile that lit up his face, and his deep voice echoed through my mind as I climbed higher and higher.

The woods had grown more and more stifling with each passing day, and each day I attempted to sneak away from the palace. Today I had succeeded. My head broke through the canopy of tangled limbs shadowing the Greenwood, and I took a deep breath of fresh, clean air. My head cleared, and the cool wind seemed to snatch away the image of the young man, as well as his voice. Seconds later he was gone, as if nothing more than mist that had been touched by sunlight.

I stood and looked over the sea of emerald and gold spread out before me. Perched upon the branches of the crest of the Greenwood, I could see everything. The Misty Mountains loomed behind me, and the lake-town of Esgaroth sat upon Long Lake like a jewel. The kingdom of Erebor perched proudly at the end of the lake, gleaming like burnished gold in the radiant light of the setting sun. The mountain looked to be on fire, so bright did it shine.

Birdsong filled the air, and blue butterflies flitted around me. I settled down in the braches and pressed my chin to my knee. My father would never approve of me being outside the palace so close to dusk. My mother's death several years prior had affected him even more than my brother and I, and he had turned on me, shunning me. I did not understand why he hated me so. Every time I entered his presence, he would glare at me and snap as though I had been the one to kill her. I, an elfling of sixteen, had lost my mother a decade ago. It was impossible for me to have harmed her in any way, even if I had wanted to. I had loved her more than life itself, and thought about her death every day.

My brother was the only one who understood how I felt. He is centuries older than I, and much wiser. However, he oftentimes uses his wisdom to force his will instead of accepting mine. So often he will shout at me, driven to the end of his rope by my antics. To his credit, he rarely performs so in front of others, and tries his best to keep his temper—a trait inherited from our father—in check. It is so hard to take him seriously, though; especially since he spends so long braiding his hair in front of the looking glass when he thinks I am not looking.

"Aeyera!"

Ignoring my brother, I shift until I am standing on the twisted branches that make up the roof of the forest. Although the eaves are thinner here, I am light enough that although they bend, they do not break. Looking out across the emerald ocean of leaves, and then on to the aquamarine surface of the lake, it was not hard to imagine myself to be a bird, flying high above the surface of Middle Earth. I spread my arms out. The wind caught my hair and sleeves, whipping them out behind me.

"Aeyera, come at once!" His voice, faint from this distance, reaches my ears once more. "Father needs you! I know you are there!"

Leaning forward into the wind, I laughed, tossing my head back. Tears blew back from my eyes as I whooped, reveling in freedom's bliss.

The wind died down as I leaned further, and the support holding me up disappeared. My eyes widened as I fell forward with a small shriek of surprise. I plunged back into the forest, crashing through the smaller branches as I went. Snagging a branch several stories down, I pulled myself back to my feet, shaking slightly. Elves were immortal, yes—but not invincible. I shuddered at the height below me and took off, springing from branch to branch with as much ease as a squirrel. The air was still, too still—but when I moved this quickly, it felt as though the slightest breeze whispered through the leaves as I passed: as though the forest was waking up from whatever spell kept it asleep.

Too soon the walk was over and the palace gates came into view. A minute later, I reached the tree that stood over the entrance to my home. No one seemed to be on guard, so I leapt from the branch and landed in a crouch. Pleased with myself, I looked up at the height from which I had leapt.

"Princess," a familiar voice called out. I froze. Of all the guards who had caught me, it had to be her: the one who I could not lie to. I winced at the tone she used. "Why are you out so late, my Lady?"

I turned and faced the elf behind me, arranging my features into what I hoped to be a look of pure innocence. I sincerely doubt she was fooled for a moment. "I was on a walk," I answered, looking up at the captain of the guard. "Is that wrong?" I questioned haughtily, lifting my chin higher.

The auburn-haired she-elf, who stood at twice my height, smiled wryly. Not for the first time did I wish that elves grew at the same rate as humans did: I was the same size as a young human child, and was rarely taken seriously because of it. "You will soon know the answer when your father finds you out after sunset."

As she spoke, the sun slipped below the horizon to the west. Turning sharply, I pushed on the doors, but it was in vain. Only a guard could open them now: they were sealed to all but the palace guards. King's orders.

I pushed and pulled on the door handle, going even so far as to hang off it, but to no avail. I turned to the amused she-elf behind me, who had watched my futile struggles with an entertained smirk. "Tauriel," I begged, looking up to her with doe eyes. "Please let me in."

The sound of twigs snapping caught my attention, and I scrambled back into the tree overlooking the palace. Not a moment too soon: barely had I hid myself in the trees that my brother raced down the path towards the captain of the guard.

"Legolas," she said, bowing her head. "My Lord."

He looked around distractedly for a moment before resting his eyes on her once again. I have noticed that he has been doing that quite a lot lately; he's not able to keep his eyes off her. "My father sent me to search for the princess, foolish elfling that she is," he said, scowling. I frowned. The shadows on the ground grew longer as the sky deepened from pink to purple, and trepidation grew within me as the air grew cooler. My father the king would be most displeased if I were to be missing overnight.

"She is young, my prince," Tauriel said, gently, placing a calming hand on his shoulder. "I am sure you were similar to her when you were young."

"No," he ground out, gripping his bow tightly, "I was not. She is reckless and foolhardy, caring only for her own gratification and blowing off the consequences of her actions."

I clenched my teeth in anger, eyes narrowing at my brother. How could he say that?

"It matters not," the she-elf replied, looking out at the forest. "There is peace over these lands, she has little to fear. Go inside, my lord. I will alert you of the princess' return, if she has not returned already."

He nodded wearily and strode through the doors, which Tauriel opened for him. Dropping from the eaves above them, I slipped through them as they shut. I stayed there until Legolas turned the corner, then set out for my chambers, staying in the shadows.

I made it without incident and slipped inside, shutting the doors quietly before rushing to the looking glass. Leaves stuck out of my hair at odd angles, and I plucked them out, placing them on my windowsill, through which the river below could be heard, rushing along through the forest. I changed quickly into a pale green gown, jumping on one foot as I traded my lace up boots for a pair of light slippers. I ran a brush through my hair, effectively trapping the few remaining leaves, and dashed out of my room towards the throne room.

My dress rustled as I went, moving as quickly as I dared without rousing suspicion. By the time I reached the throne room, my brother was already speaking. "… Is reckless and disobedient," Legolas was saying, his voice low. "She has no care for the consequences of her actions, and she is lost in the woods because of this."

The king stood as I ran up the steps and stood behind my brother. Legolas backed up quickly, jumping when he ran into me. "Aeyera," he asked, his bright eyes darkening. "How did you get here? Tauriel—"

"—Has much better things to do than searching for a lost elfling," Father finished, his tone scathing.

I bowed, blushing. Nervousness twisted my stomach, and a quick glance at my hands revealed that they were shaking. I quickly hid them behind my back. "F-Father, I—"

He cut me off, glaring down at me as he descended from his throne to stand in front of me. I backed up, running into Legolas. "—Obviously have no regard for the consequences of your actions," he finished dryly. I gritted my teeth as tears of anger sprang to my eyes.

"I—" I began again, but was once again cut off. I bit my trembling lip, noticing that Legolas had placed his hand on my shoulder. He squeezed it comfortingly as Father turned and ascended his throne again.

"You will be joining me on the journey to Erebor to see King Thror," he said, sneering. Clearly he thought this to be some terrible punishment. "And you shall ride with me so I can keep an eye on you."

My jaw nearly dropped. Knowing that he would snatch this privilege away if I showed excitement, I frowned as yanked my shoulder out of my brother's firm grip, stalking forward. My voice held anger and disbelief. "But Father, I—"

"You will not argue with me, child," he hissed, his eyes overly bright and full of hatred so scalding that I shrank back once more, truly afraid. "Depart to your chambers, and do not leave the palace unless you wish to spend the next century under lock and key!" By the end, his voice had raised to a shout.

I bowed stiffly and left the throne room as quickly as I dared. Legolas followed close behind me. The instant the door shut behind Legolas and I, I sank to the floor, shaking. Fearful tears sprang to my eyes. Despite my initial happiness at leaving the Greenwood, which I had dreamed of since my mother's death ten years before, I still was very afraid at travelling with my father. Legolas bent down and knelt before me, brushing a stray lock of hair out of my face.

"Aeyera?" he murmured. I glanced up at his bright blue eyes, now filled with concern for me. I wanted to hug him, to find comfort in him—but I suddenly was reminded that he had been the one to tell Father of my absence in the first place. Sniffing, I pushed his hand away, jumped to my feet, and ran off to my room. He could have caught me easily, had he tried, but he stood behind me, watching me with sad eyes.

I reached my room and slammed the door behind me, crying. I kicked off my slippers and threw myself onto my bed, holding tight to one of the pillows and burying my face into it. As the crickets began to sing outside and the owls began to hoot to one another, I looked up, a smile finally crossing my face. I was leaving the Greenwood.