Hey everyone! I'm still really new to this, but I think the fact that I have had 3 visitors already is really awesome! Thanks guys, whoever you are!...

Chapter 2: Maria

The floating building was gorgeous. The walls sparkled like opaque diamonds, the floor was white marble, and the ladder had been made of perfectly clean white silk, even though it had been outside the entire time. Justin's voice brought me back to the present. He was calling for someone to wait up for us. I looked toward the answerer, and froze. Not possible, how could this be possible? I heard Justin say something, edged with worry, but I didn't hear what. I felt ready to faint, then I felt a hand brush my waist, holding me up. I jumped with the unexpected touch, but it was just Justin, looking frightened. "What's wrong?", he asked.

"She's dead", I said, pointing at the girl in front of us.

"No, she's not. You know Ana?"

"Yeah, she was my cousin, but she died two years ago."

The girl approached us. "I'm sorry for making you think that, but I did have to fake my own death to become the leader here." She faced Justin. "I see you found her."

"You knew about her? Why didn't you tell anyone? The elves have nearly given up, you could have- "

She cut him off. "I did not know the elves were looking for her, and besides, would you want those memories?"

"Of course the elves were looking for her! You knew as well as everyone else in this temple!"

I didn't like getting into someone else's conversation, but it seemed like it was about me. "Um… Someone mind explaining the entire thing to me, or am I just supposed to stand here and look pretty?"

Ana looked at Justin for a moment, then a slight expression of shock came over her face. "I didn't know…" she said, almost to herself. Then, she shook her head as if to clear it, and said "Follow me."

She led us down several corridors to a white room with one glass wall and several chairs. We all sat, then she began. "I guess my story is first. Maria, you need to know that many fiction stories are not truly fiction, and that their worlds are living far from ours. For example, the elves from the Eragon series are thriving and well; and Justin and I are both Jedi. I know it's a lot to take in, but we need to go quickly."

I sort of nodded my head and she took it as a sign to continue.

"Fifteen years ago, I went on my first Jedi mission. There seemed to be a disturbance in the Force on the elf island, near a village called Nädindel. When I arrived with a small Jedi team on dragons, the entire village was burning. We did everything we could, but in the end, there were no survivors. After the fire was out, we checked through the debris, and I found you, just a little baby barely a week old. Someone had given their life casting an enchantment over you so you would not be harmed. I always assumed it was your mother, but now it appears not. I took you back with me, as no elf was there to raise you. With the dragons' energy, I changed your appearance, blocked your memories and those of my aunt and uncle. I led everyone to believe you were their daughter, not some adopted child."

I finally got the courage to speak. "So, I am an elf orphan?"

Justin answered me. "No you're not. Your parents weren't in the village at the time. They were in the capital city, Ellesméra. When your remains were not found in the fire, your parents sent out a call to search for you to all the worlds. The Jedi have been looking for you for fifteen years alongside the elves."

"Why would they search fifteen years for me? Why didn't they just give up hope?"

Ana laughed softly. "I didn't know until just now either. You are so important to your parents and your country."

"Who are my parents then?" I was getting impatient. I mentally asked them to just spit it out!

Justin looked straight into my eyes. "The elf king and queen."

I looked from Justin to Ana and back again. "You're kidding me, right?

"No, we're not."

Justin continued. "For the past month now, I've been having weird dreams about you, the spirit of the elf princess Adelaine. Usually she- uh, you- would come and just tell me to find you, but last night she let me ask her some questions. That's how I found you."

"And I've been keeping tabs on you too", Ana said. "Every so often I needed to update the enchantment to keep you looking completely human. I should have realized who you were."

"Okay, so I'm an elf princess, and my parents have been looking for me since I was born." It just wouldn't sink into my mind. This was so unreal. I laughed to myself thinking, 'I'm inside a diamond castle finding out I'm a lost princess'. I pinched myself. Nope, not in dreamland.

"I guess today's the day you go back to being elven." She handed me a cell phone. "You'd better call my aunt and tell her you're staying the night at Ace's house. You do know her, right?"

'She's not my mom anymore, just her aunt…' "Yeah, Ace's a Jedi too?"

"Yeah, she should be down at training now. Justin, I've excused you from training today already, so no worries there, okay?"

He nodded. Ana turned back to me. "Okay, I'm going to undo my enchantment now. Justin, go behind the glass wall, and I'll join you there in a minute. Elf children remember everything they've gone through, so this might take a while Ma- oh, Adelaide."

"Just keep calling me Maria. I'll take some time to get used to responding to Adelaide."

She smiled. "I hope you liked the name Maria, I came up with it. Just lay down here in the center of the floor…." Using the Force, she pushed all the chairs to the walls.

"I did like it. I liked it a lot."

"Thank you! Okay, here we go"

I felt her hand on my forehead, and heard a soft whisper, then with a flash of light, I was gone. I saw my mother, heard her friends talking around her. Something about a prophecy, maybe?

I was held in my nurse's arms, her name, what was her name? Oh yes, Nydia. My mother, Queen Kamyla gave us her blessing, and we were off on my royal tour of the elf island. I was, after all, the island's future ruler. The first night, we stopped in Nädindel, a small, but peaceful village. I was welcomed with a few lucky enchantments, and a huge feast. The elves really seemed to like me, and I loved them back. Nydia put me to bed before the festivities were over, and I fell asleep listening to the sounds of hushed laughter and song.

In the middle of the night, I awoke to extreme heat and strong, dancing light. Everything was on fire, and Nydia looked panicked. She uttered a phrase I didn't fully understand, but all of a sudden I felt cool. Nydia shrieked, and I saw her dress catch fire. She tried to put it out, whispered a few more words in my ear, and then covered me with a couple of pieces of wood that hadn't caught fire yet. I screamed for her, for help, for anything that could do something and save her. I cried and cried, making my tears move so the water shot around cracks and put some of the fire out, in a way I didn't understand and didn't care about unless it could help her now. Suddenly a shadow came over me, and I stopped screaming out of fear. I heard a man's voice asking for me, asking everyone where I was. No one responded. A new burst of fire lit the room, and he laughed. "This is what you get, cowards! Show me the baby princess!"

Tears kept flowing, but somehow I knew they had all perished already, and I was exhausted, so I didn't try to save them again. As for me, I deserved to be burnt. It was all my fault. I wanted Nydia, but she was gone too. They had sacrificed themselves for me. I just cried until there were no more tears left and waited for my turn. Then, the fire seemed to flicker and die. The light from the flames faded, leaving the darkness of the night. Someone moved the boards of wood off of me and gasped. I looked into the face of my savior, a teenage girl with short blond hair. She picked me up, just like Nydia used to. Thinking of her, I burst into tears again, and she soothed me. She called for her dragons, and put her hand on my forehead, cool. I heard a dragon's voice in my head, 'Don't worry, little one. We will take care of you.' The girl began to chant, and with a flash of light, I blacked out.

As I said before, I'm still new to this, and I'd really appreciate any help you could give me through reviews. Thanks so much!

May the Force be with all of you!