Author's Notes: Okay, a really odd idea. You know how OC are usually perfect and have skills that are amazing? Well, I'm going against that. Meet Taiya, a sixeen year old girl who can't use a sword, doesn't know any magic, is scared of the dark... but most of all, she's a klutz. Pre-Fellowship.

Moon Baby
Chapter Two:

"Tell me again why I'm doing this?"
Aragorn sighed, "You are learning this so that you can defend yoursef."
"But I'm not skilled enough for this... I'll kill someone."
"That's the point Taiya," Aragorn replied.
The girl turned to him, eyes wide and then stared down at the bow and arrow in her hand, "Uh uh. No way. Not in a million years! I'm gonna poke my eye out - or worse, yours!"
"You have no confidence in yourself Taiya," Aragorn replied, moving over to show her how to hold the bow and fit the arrow to the string once again.
"With good reason," she replied in her defense.
"If you don't try how will you know that you can't?"
"That's easy," she said, "I can't do anything, I always mess it up."
"Try shooting the arrow this time," Aragorn said, stepping back.
Taiya nodded and bit her lower lip, closing her left eye and taking aim. She really didn't want to do this. It was bad enough that she was spending all day every day learning history and lanuages and things like that from Arwen. She didn't need to kill Aragorn too. She let go of the arrow and pressed her eyes closed. The arrow flew up into the air and backwards in an arc, narrowly missing Aragorn's head. He muttered a curse and Taiya opened one eye, staring at her target, "I missed."
"I noticed," the ranger replied. Taiya turned and her eyes widened to see the arrow protruding from a tree less than an inch from the man's head, "I'm so sorry!"
She rushed forward to help, but he raised a hand and pulled the arrow out of the tree himself, "Why don't we take a break, okay?"
She nodded and took off in the direction of the bridge crossing the river that ran through Rivendell.

Taiya sat down with a sigh, dangling her feet over the edge of the bridge in a most unladylike fashion. She stared into the water below, marveling at how the water trickled past with a murmur of sound. The willow tree that overhung the river shaded the bridge, making the day seem that much cooler. She laid down on her stomach, completely oblivious to the fact that her green skirts were now dangling in the water. She reached down, touching the water with a smile as leaves from the willow fell and landed around her fingers. The wind blew through the branches of the trees with a contented sigh. Taiya sighed and tried to stand, but her balance wobbled, effectively dumping her into the cold water. She sputtered, and stood shakily, covered from head to toe in the icey water, "Second one toady, nice...."
She waded to the water's edge and pulled herself out of the water, collapsing onto the ground by the roots of the willow tree. How was she going to explain this one? She fell into the stream, that was definately new. At least she hadn't knocked down all of the bookshelves in Elrond's library yet... In fact, she hadn't had the chance to. She'd been avoiding it for that purpose, praying that the weather would stay nice so that she didn't have to study inside. She groaned, winging out her hair and her skirt before leaning against the tree. She was clumsy, not a klutz - klutz meant that she was hopless, and she wasn't willing to admit it. Arwen, Aragorn and Elrond belived that she could overcome this stage of akwardness. She sighed and lay down, watching the shade-dappled water flow by merrily.

****

She awoke some time later to the sound of her name being called. Taiya sat up, trying to remeber what happened, and remebered her escapade with Aragorn, then falling into the stream. She was still somewhat wet, which meant she couldn't have been asleep for more than an hour or so, but that didn't help how she felt. The voice called her name again, and she recognized it as Arwen's. She stood and made her way in the direction her voice was coming from. When she stepped out into the clearing Arwen looked her over from head to toe and sighed, "What happened."
Taiya blushed, "I fell in the stream."
Arwen's eyebrows shot up and she chuckled, "Well, let's get you cleaned up, we have visitors tonight."
"We do?"
"Yes, we do," Arwen replied, "King Thrainduil has come from Mirkwood to visit, Father wishes for him to meet you. And you haven't met Legolas yet."
"Lego-what?"
Taiya was thouroughly confused, who was Legolas?, "Um. not to sound rood or anything, but who's he?"
"Legolas is Thrainduil's son," Arwen replied as they walked down the hall, "He's a great friend to both Aragorn and myself."
"Oh."

They continued on until Taiya bumped into someone. She looked up from the green tunic she'd found herself looking at into the eyes of a bemused elf. She turned beet red, knowing that she looked anything but elf-like. Arwen giggled as Taiya stepped away from him and spoke, "Legolas, this is my sister Taiya, Taiya, meet Legolas."
"Mi'lady," the blonde elf said, leaning over her hand.
She blushed even harder and was not amused to find that Arwen found this funny, "Hello - Arwen, it's not funny."
Arwen giggled again, "It is so. You need to lighten up, it's not every day that you fall into a stream on purpose."
Legolas let out a chuckle and Taiya turned to her new sister, "I didn't fall in on purpose Arwen, it was an accident."
Arwen kept giggling and Legolas asked, "You fell into the river?"
Taiya blushed yet again, "Yes."
He smiled, "Well, that is something I've never heard an elf do before."
"I do a lot of things that aren't elf-like sir," she replied, "Now, if you both will excuse me, I'm going to go humiliate myself again."
She stalked off and Arwen burst out laughing, Legolas following suit, "She looks like she should be a human."
Arwen hit Legolas upside the shoulder, "Hey! Taiya's as much an elf as you or I, she just has a few coordination problems that's all."
"That was coordination?"
"She's a little clumsy is all," the blur-eyed she-elf replied, "She'll grow out of it. She's only sixteen - no wait, seventeen."
"She's but a child," Legolas exclaimed.
"Yes, and to her you're an old man, what with all you two thousand and eightysix years," Arwen replied.

****

And so it was that Taiya was no longer sixteen. Two weeks had passed since her arrival in Rivendell, and with that passing went her birthday, which they all remebered with much amusement. Taiya had been so surprised when Aragorn and Arwen jumped out to say happy birthday, that she'd let out a shriek and toppled off the railing of the council chamber into a flower bed. Elrond had chosen to appear the moment she was climbing back over the railing and asked what was going on, causing the girl to tumble back into the flowers and remark, "I belive you need new flowers."

Time seemed to pass quickly, and both weeks had, showing just how much of an individual she was. To Arwen's surprise, Taiya soaked up knowledge like a sponge, and she was already teaching her about the coming of Man in Middle-Earth, that was the very begining of the Second Age. Aragorn in turn, kept trying to teach her how to use a sword and a bow and arrow, but her archery was hopless and her swordmanship was to a point where it was rather pointless to continue trying. Elrond had taken to teaching her about Elvish customs and the goings on the current year. She spent much of her time ouside in the gardens or somewhere else on the grounds, and despite her clumsiness, the residents had become fond of the newest addition to Rivendell, and were all rather pleased to hear that she'd been adopted by Elrond.

Of course, none of this had to do with the here and now. In the now Taiya was in the bathing chamber soaking away the memories of that days events, and it was working rather well. She sighed and got out of the water, wrapping herself in a large fluffy towel and moving back into her bedroom. She dried off and pulled on her favorite dress, the one Arwen had given her the day she came to Rivendell. She dried her hair and picked up the book she was reading - or trying to read. it had been given to her to help her with her Qyena, and so she spent most of her time deciphering what the words were. Though it was a rather cute story about an elf girl who wanted to wander the globe and how that came about. She sat down in the chair strategically placed by on of her windows so that she had a wonderful veiw of all of Rivendell and opened to book, looking down at the page and becoming absorbed in it.

****

A little less than an hour later Arwen entered the room and smiled at Taiya. She picked up the girl's brush and some of the flowers that had so quckly become her favorites and moved behind her. She began brushing her hair and weaving the flowers into her hair, replicated the way it had looked when she'd first arrived. Taiya smiled up at her, and when Arwen was finished she stood and hugged her, "Thank you."
Arwen smiled, "I think we should go grace the men with our presence."
Taiya giggled and the pair exited the room arm in arm, book forgotten on the recently vacated chair.

They entered the main hall with a case of the giggles as they recounted Taiya's mishap with the stream, which Taiya now found extreemly funny, but still rather embarassing. Elrond turned and smiled, "Ah, if it isn't the two most beautiful women in all of Rivendell."
Taiya smiled and dashed across the length of the room, jumping into his arms. He laughed and caught her, a smile plastered to his face, "And how is my Taiya the evening."
She smiled up at him, "I'm fine Papa."
'Papa' was the name she had given Elrond, because 'Father' seemed to formal, 'Dad' reminded her of a wilted flower for some odd reason, and 'Daddy' was too childish. Elrond greeted Arwen and she kissed him on the cheek and then he turned back to thier guests, his arm around Taiya's shoulders. She leaned her head on his shoulder as Elrond intorduced them, "Trainduil, Legolas, I'd like you to meet my youngest, Taiya."
Legolas grinned, "We meet again Lady, I hope you are dryer this evening."
Taiya turned bright red, "Yes, thank you."
Thrainduil kissed her hand, "It is wonderful to see such a happier spirit in these halls, Elrond is too serious for his own good."
Elrond wasn't paying attention, "Dryer? What happened."
"Nothing Papa," Taiya replied a little too quickly.
"Why don't I belive you," he asked, rasing an eyebrow.
Arwen giggled again, "She had an encounter with the stream Father."
Elrond smiled, "Ah, that explains it. I hope you archery lesson went better than your encounter with the stream did."
Taiya blushed darker and mumbled something. Aragorn smiled, "The arrow went in the wrong direction."
Elrond laughed and hugged her, "Well, I belive it's time to eat, shall we?"
Thrainduil nodded and Elrond led them into the dining hall. Aragorn offered Arwen his arm and followed Thrainduil into the room, followed by Legolas.