Yahhh, thanks for RaY's review again. Thanks so much. Love yaaaaaa

Ah, and I also get one major change for this story. After I count all the years and stuff, I realize Aeldra's age is wrong(hell i want to kill myself. Getting main character's age wrong?!) She should be eight years younger than Aragorn instead of seven, so she was three when her family was killed and twelve now.

I also realize that the timeline of the T.A. got to change because of my darling Aeldry, so I make a new one. More info will come out when I continue the story.

T.A.

2931 Aragorn's birth

2939 Aeldra's birth

2851 Aragorn and Aeldra leave Rivendell and go to Mirkwood (now)

Alright, here it goes!

Dear Ada,

As I promise, I am sending you a letter once a month.

It is a very peaceful journey on my way to Mirkwood. There is no monster attack and I arrive at Mirkwood in one piece.

Mirkwood is quite a interesting place. There are monsters that will attack here, and Prince Legolas would always lead others to battle them away.

Legolas is a very nice person. He showed me the way around here, which is just like a maze. He gets along with Estel also, though he still didn't learn of Estel's true heritage and name. He also didn't know of the Sauron spirit thing about me, and I had no intention in telling him, because the last thing I wanted to is to sprout out this news to the entire Middle Earth and waited until Sauron came grab me. Anyway, his father, Thranduil, isn't really nice. Not that he is bad, but he is very stern and scary. His blue eyes are very piercing and seem that they can see through my soul. I just sound like a little girl, right?

Anyway, Legolas is teaching Aragorn and me some fighting skills other then what Glorfindel taught me. We also went on a patrol with Legolas and his friends. There was no monster and there wasn't any excitement, but it is better than nothing, right? Both of us are enjoying our time here, though Aragorn misses Lady Arwen an awful lot.

But, Ada, do you know where is the Queen of Mirkwood? Legolas refused to answer me when I asked him where his mother was. It seems like a dark matter in here, and nobody dares to talk about it.

Just, thank you for letting me come here and leave the paradise of Rivendell for once. I am really glad that I can explore a new place for once.

Love,

Your daughter, Aeldra

Aeldra folded the paper and opened the cage that contained the little bird. She tied the letter at its little wrinkled leg and asked, "little birdie, that is your name?"

It cocked its head and looked her.

"What? I cannot keep calling you Birdie all the time, right?"

It answered, "tweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!"

"What? Should I call you Tweet? Forget it. I don't like this name."

It looked at her one last time and flew out from the window into the night sky. When it reached in front of the moon, Aeldra could see its dark outline with its wing flapping. It gave such a lonely but beautiful feeling.

"LoneWings I shall call you," Aeldra mused and climbed into her bed.

0oo0oo0

"Your shooting is horrible, Aeldra," Legolas glanced at the girl.

"I practice with a knife, not a bow," she pointed at the sheathed knife at her waist.

"A Hunter should be suppose to good at everything," Aragorn teased beside her as his arrow also flew off to somewhere in the brushes.

She smirked, "you aren't doing a great job anyway, Estel."

"Well, I am not a Hunter."

"Well, I am not the one whose age is half more than mine."

"Shut up," he shot again and this time it hit the target.

She raised an eyebrow at him, "not bad, dude."

Then she shot again and it hit the bull eye.

"But…" he started to protest.

"Stop arguing, and get your arm up," Legolas rolled his eyes and grabbed hold of Aeldra's elbow, pulling it up until it was the same level of her shoulders.

Her blue eyes glanced at his fingers that curled around her arm. Then she looked back and shot.

0oo0oo0

Aeldra yawned and changed into her nightgown. She had spent her entire day practicing and she had been waiting for this moment for a long time. She took the book with a black cover called Night from her nightstand.

Elves never liked fake stories. And yet she loved them, always spending hours in the world of heroes and fantasies. At those moments, she felt free. She was the warrior in the book, bravely fighting monsters and defending her friends. She could escape reality for a moment, not the elleth who was always watched, followed and trapped.

She was now fighting a Balrog and defending her friends at that time. One of them had fallen but she didn't even have time to grieve for his death. She surged forward, ready to deliver the killing blow….

"Aeldra. You are gone into your head again."

Her head snapped up and found her eyes on Aragorn's gray one, "oh, hello, Estel."

"Aragorn," he corrected her and glanced at her book, "hero fiction again, I guess?"

"You know me so well, Aragorn," she rolled her eyes and closed her book, still savoring the moments when she was truly herself before Aragorn came in, "so, what?"

"Nothing, just bored," he lay down beside her, still in his gear and boots. She glared at him in disgust, "get those clothes off before you touch my bed."

He sat up and looked out from the window, "I miss Arwen terribly, Aeldra."

She bowed her head. She knew it also, of course.

"I want to sneak back to Rivendell. Just to see her once. Only once. Just to hold her hand and looked at her face."

"Why will you fall for her so much?" she shook her head, "you two have just seen each other for fewer than three days. Why…"

"Aeld, you are still young and don't understand this. Love… it is just like a pit. Once you step into it and lose your balance, you will fall and fall, more and more quickly until someone catches you and draw you to her embrace. Or you hit the ground and break into thousands of little pieces forever."

"Then love doesn't seem to be a good thing. I'd rather stay alone."

Aragorn didn't answer her and looked at the window, "is that a bird that is hitting the window with its beak?"

"Lonewings," she sprang up and hurried to the window. Once she opened it, the yellow bird flew in happily for a while before hopping on her desk and held out its left leg, which was tied with a piece of paper.

She removed it from its leg and unfold it.

Dear Aeldra,

I am happy to learn that you are happy in Mirkwood. Not many feel joy in a dark place like that. Do not tell anyone about Aragorn's and your truth. It is not that I do not trust the Prince, but the fewer souls that learned about it, the better it was.

Arwen also misses Estel, and I had an idea his pain is just like hers. I do hope that their separation will end their relationship.

As for the matter about the Queen, it is a very sensitive subject. You must promise me not to burst it out everywhere.

Alianesse is the Queen's name. You may not believe it, but Thranduil was once a very joyful elf. After her death in Dol Guldur, he mentally broke down and had behaved strangely and coldly ever since. He blamed himself for her death as he had to witness her death at the battlefield and yet could do nothing to save her. Legolas was just a little elfling at that time and didn't know much about his mother, but Elian died because she tried to save him from the enemies' hands and he never wants to bring up this subject. So do stop pushing him, for he has his reasons.

And also, you are taking patrols? Vala, no. It is far too dangerous for a little elleth like you. Stop taking them now. This is an order. (Aeldra: Sorry Ada, this isn't going to happen.)

Love,

Elrond.

0oo0oo0

"No, I do not wish a monster attack on a patrol," Legolas shook his head.

"Why?" she questioned, "a fight. A true fight! I yearn for it a lot. I was still a toddler when I last fought a monster."

"You stupid little girl," he whacked her head lightly, "I'd rather have peace. Not a fight that will claims lives."

"She never has a true fight before, Legolas," Tauriel appeared beside them, "she will never understand what a battle is. The stories that you read are never true," she raised a hand when Aeldra opened her mouth.

"That is why I want to experience it myself."

"Me too," Aragorn joined them, "it isn't like that I like wars, but still I want to experience a fight with monsters instead of elves. I never have one before."

"Well, at least I got more experience than you in that, Aras," she smiled triumphantly.

He ignored her.

As they walked, Aeldra couldn't help glancing at Tauriel and Legolas. She noticed that Legolas did admire Tauriel and Tauriel also felt something for him as well. But the problem was that she was just a mere silvan elf while Legolas was the prince of Mirkwood. Thranduil would never allow this marriage.

Just like Aragorn and Arwen.

A hand caught her and she looked at Tauriel. She whispered, "tracks of Spiders."

"Stay behind me," Legolas dragged Aragorn beside Aeldra, "it seems that what you desire most is coming."

"A fight?" Aragorn whispered.

Then the forest exploded into Spiders.

She cried out and took a wild slash at the Spider that was approaching her. Tauriel was in front of her in a split of second, her knife slashing the Spider apart.

But she couldn't protect them forever. Sometimes, a Spider would sneak past Legolas to her and to the children. The two would happily slash the Spider to pieces.

Finally the Spider seemed to be all disposed of and the two approached Legolas. He was grabbing Tauriel, who was trying to push him away.

"Just a minor thing, Legolas. A small scratch on my arm," she spoke impatiently.

"A small scratch? Seriously?" he touched her wound and his fingers came away red, "you must go to the infirmary immediately."

"Nooooooo," she groaned as Legolas shoved Tauriel to other elves and he turned to Aragorn, who was standing there, trying to conceal his smile.

"No word from you, young man," he warned, "are you hurt?"
"Not at all. Is that attack normal? Does that happen everyday, or rarely?"

"Well, a crazy attack is normal, but never is there such a large number of Spiders before."

"Did you notice that their main target seems to be at me and Aeld?"

"Yes," the elf nodded solemnly, "maybe because one of you bear something that they desire?"

Aragorn looked around and saw her knife on the ground. It was a beautiful knife that he recognized as her three-year-old birthday present from her real father. She would never separated with it and would even take it to the bathroom with her. Let alone drop it on the ground and ran off.

"That is bad," he cursed and glanced at Legolas. The prince's eyes widened. He glanced down at the track that the Spider that took Aeldra had left. Then he gestured his people to follow him as he grabbed Aragorn and sprang off.

0oo0oo0

Aeldra's eyes peeked open.

It was completely dark all around but she could somehow see things clearly. Her eyes swam around until she saw the Spiders.

She knew now that she was in the lair of the Spiders and was alone. Totally alone.

She couldn't help being scared. In her entire life, she had never been alone before. She was with her family and then thrust into the hands of the elves and was kept save ever since.

Calm down, Aeldrarisyn. She told herself. What would a warrior do when she was in danger?

Slowly, she climbed to her feet and glanced around. She felt very weak and numb and dizzy, possibly because she was stung by the Spiders. She wouldn't be awake so soon if it wasn't for the Hunter blood in her veins.

She could hear the soft shrieking sound of the Spiders and somehow, she understood all. She had a feeling that everything that she was able to do was because of her Hunter thing.

Did you inform the Dark Lord?

Of course I did! And he said the Witch King is approaching already!

Then he should be here already!

He must be delayed somehow.

What if the girl isn't the Hunter that the Dark Lord is looking for? We will all be slain!

He said she is a half elf Hunter and is thirteen now. It got to be her!

If you are wrong, all blames shall be lain on your hands!

I just point out the fact! I never….

She shivered, knowing what was approaching her. She looked around and wondering which side was to the opening.

Well, those Spiders won't leave me to get out of here while they chat happily inside there. She told herself and walk towards the sound.

As she walked, she found herself growing more and more scared. What if the Spiders catch her? Will they hurt her? What… what if she didn't get out and the Witch King arrives? He will takes her to Mordor and Sauron's spirit will leave her body. Then she will dies, painfully and…

She looked up and found herself looking at the Witch King along with a crowd of Spiders behind him.

0oo0oo0

"The tracks led here… then here… here," Legolas led the way with Tauriel, who refused to leave after learning the news of the little Hunter.

Legolas pushed some brushes away and found a cave in front of them. A large cave, so huge that he would have never missed it.

"Get in quickly and save her!" Aragorn started walking, but Legolas stopped him, "can you not feel the fear radiating from inside the cave? Something that is much more powerful than Spiders."

"They have a guest?" Tauriel asked softly.

"I am afraid so," he glanced inside, "Tauriel and I will scout the way. Others, wait outside. Do not enter unless my command is given."

"I am coming too," Aragorn stepped out.

"No you are not," Legolas pushed him back.

"She is like my sister. I will not leave her like this."

Legolas knew he had no time to argue. One more moment, and Aeldra was another step closer to death.

"Very well. You shall come with us. But you must obey what I say completely and not to question. Do you understand?" the Thranduil personality was coming out now from his son.

"Yes."

"Then follow me."

0oo0oo0

"Aeldrarisyn," the Witch King extended his fingers at her, "little Hunter."

She was frozen with fear. Why hadn't she sense him? A devil like him…

You do sense him. A little voice spoke inside her mind. You suddenly get frightened.

But I should get a lot more frightened! She argued.

You are a Hunter. The voice replied.

"Are you scared, girl?" the Witch King laughed at her pale face, "you do know that I am taking you to Mordor. And you do know what will happen after we arrive in Mordor, right?"

There was no expression on her face, "death."

"You are right, little girl. Come here and let me bring you to Mordor."

"And that, is something I will not do," she swept out a knife that she had it hidden in her boot, "to walk to death without defending myself. It is you who killed my father. You stabbed him after he fell off the horse, wounded. Then you slash at him for five times. You use a blade dipped with Ná-ghuo si pada to wound me instead of a Morgul blade simply because you fear I will not survive the journey to Mordor"

"You are twelve, but you are acting as forty," he replied.

"I am a Hunter," she raised her sword and charged.

He raised his black Morgul sword in amusement, but to his surprise, she charged right past him and sprang out.

When he realized all she wanted to do was to get away from him, he yelled, "STOPPPPP HERRRRR!"

Piercing pain plunged into her shoulder. She cried out and fell forward. An instant later, she knew she was shot by an arrow. When she yank it out, she sighed with relief as it wasn't a Morgul arrow.

The Spiders laughed and surrounded her. The Witch King strode towards her, "foolish girl."

She glared at him. Then she raised her own dagger.

"You cannot kill me," he smiled.

"But I can kill myself."

Though nobody could see the Witch King's face, everyone knew fear had dawn on it. He lunged forward to grab her blade, but she had already plunged the blade into her chest and with an evil grin on her face, she fell back.

The Witch King watched in horror. He wasn't slightly scared that she would escape and wounded him, but killing herself and his master's spirit fading and dying like that… no, he didn't guess of it as he thought he was simply dealing with a child.

"No!"

A figure leapt in and drew the dead girl to his chest. The Witch King looked down and found himself staring at a pair of raging grey eyes from a young man.

"Get away from here, boy, and I shall spare your life."

"Aeld?" he whispered to the girl. Blood was trickling freely down her body and dripping to the ground and he felt for her pulse. It was weak, but still there.

"Get back, Estel," Legolas walked out, "bring her back to the fortress. Quickly."

He nodded and raced back. The Witch King tried to follow but the way was blocked by the elf prince, "get out of my way."

"No. I shall buy her as much time as I can."

"She is dead. That is a fact that cannot be changed. I watched her drive that knife into her own heart. It has pierced it."

"We elves always have hope, unlike you, demon," he snapped.

"There is a Witch King, twelve Spiders here, and forty-six more deeper into the lair. Do you think you can make out of here, alive?"

"Yes."

Then he ducked and a flaming arrow flew straight to the Witch King. He shrieked and the Spiders got scared. Legolas turned around and bolted.

"Stop him!" the Witch King bellowed.

Some spiders chased after him. As he ran, he saw Tauriel. She had shot the arrow under his command. She sent him a question through her eyes.

"Yes, yes, run!" he yelled.

She lit the match and sprinted after him. Legolas hoped she had set the explosives right. They only had time to throw themselves out of the cave when it blew up.

He pressed Tauriel on the ground and shielded her with his own body. Rocks and stones flew all around them. They knew that if any landed on them, they were dead.

It was very lucky that they were still alive when the rocks all landed.

"Oh lord," Tauriel breathed.

Legolas ran to the nearest elf, who was waiting outside, "Aeldra? Where is she?"

"The human boy had rushed her back to the fortress."

He didn't wait for any longer moment. He leapt onto his horse and dashed towards his home.

0oo0oo0

"Oh man, faster, faster!" Aragorn cursed.

"I am alive," she whispered weakly.

"You are still conscious? Good, keep to this state. We are going back. Just hold on…"

"Stop the horse."

"Are you crazy? One more moment of delay, and you are closer to death. No."

"I said now. Or I am going to move around until the blade kill me."

He had no choice but to stop.

"Now, get me off the horse."

He did as she asked.

She sat down against a trunk and wrapped her fingers around the hilt of her dagger. Then she turned to him, "help me pull it out… I don't have the strength."

"You will die of massive blood loss!"

"I say, do it. If you don't, I will die on my way to Mirkwood."

He held the hilt with trembling hand. It was slippery with blood. He pulled, but his fingers slid and lost its grip. Aeldra jerked in pain.

"Sorry, sorry!" he cried out.

"Pull it towards my left," she panted, "which is your right."

He held the hilt again. Then he gripped it as tightly as he could and pulled.

Aeldra shuddered. Then her body fell limp and slid onto the ground.

What have I done? He asked himself in horror. Then he calmed himself down and pushed her on the horse. He climbed up behind her and started riding again.

When they arrived at the hall of Mirkwood, he carried her down as he jumped off the horse. To his surprise, her shirt was unbuttoned and she had her left hand, her uninjured hand, pressed on her wound. He removed her hand and glimpsed at it.

It was still there, but it wasn't as deep as it was a few minutes before. It had even stopped bleeding.

He didn't stop to wonder why. He ran towards to infirmary.

0oo0oo0

Legolas dropped off from his horse and rushed to the hall and almost ran into his father.

"Ada," he stopped, "Aeldra. She…"

"I had just seen her. She had survived the wound and won't die. The healers has brought her to her bedchamber already. She is still unconscious, but she will not die."
"This is impossible. I saw the hilt right atop her heart."

"I am no healer and do not know. And I guess you are about to run there," Thranduil sighed at his son's impatient face, "Estel is with her."

He nodded and ran to her bedchamber. He pushed the door opened and peeked inside.

She was laying in her bed and Aragorn was sitting beside her on her bed. He raised his eyes at the elf, tensed. He relaxed when he saw who it was.

Legolas closed the door and sat down at the chair beside Aeldra. Her face was deadly pale.

"Gods, Lord Elrond will kill me if she dies," he held her hand tightly.

"She won't," Aragorn smiled as he stroke his friend's hair gently.

"Why is she still alive? It is impossible."

"When she stabbed herself, she stabbed it sideways," the boy started, "so instead of going into her heart, it just got to the other side of her body, to the ribs at her right. The blade didn't touch her heart and just grazed her lungs."

"But a stab to chest… how is she able to survive it?"

"I do not know," Aragorn shook his head, but he knew, actually. He remembered that she was a Hunter. After he pulled the knife out of her chest, she pressed her hand to it and started healing the wound with her own Hunter power. The blade wasn't long and the wound wasn't deep, so she had already closed up half of the wound when they arrived at the infirmary. She no longer had the strength to heal the remaining of her wound, but it wouldn't kill her now, anyway. She would wake up and heal herself and live a happy life. End of story.

"Even though she survived the stab, the blade didn't touch her wound? I mean, the poisoned wound."

"Nearly. It is very lucky that she didn't get there. That wound bled black for a little just now, but I just grabbed some weeds from her bag and healed her easily. I guess she took quite a bet when she stabbed herself."

"This girl is crazy. Stabbing herself? What will happens if we hadn't arrive soon?" Legolas shook his head, "but this is quite a nice idea. Pretending to be dead…"

"Don't you dare to try. She is a Hunter."

"Last I check, you are like, three thousand years younger than me," Legolas raised an eyebrow.

Aragorn blushed and laughed.

"I am just wondering why is the Spiders coming for her," Legolas leaned back.

"I… I do not know," there was something about his voice that made Legolas looked.

Legolas glanced at the man's bowed head and instantly knew that he knew something but wasn't going to share. Something about the reason of the Spiders attacking the little elleth.

Hr didn't press it. He patted Aragorn's back. Then he stood up and left the room.

0oo0oo0

Dear Ada,

I am sorry that I sent this letter a week late. It is because a little incident occurred.

I was grabbed by some Spiders and almost died. I slumbered for two weeks before I woke. I don't want to go into the details, but it seemed that Sauron is returning and I even saw the Witch King.

I know that you will ask me to stay in the halls of Mirkwood and not to go anywhere until someone from Imladris comes collect me. But, no, Ada, I do not wish to return so soon.

Although it is dangerous to live in here, I do like life here. I love the pleasure of fighting and the feeling of a blade flashing in my hand. For once, I didn't need to live inside my books. I am outside my book, and yet I am living inside its world, the world that I have come to love.

I promise I will take care of myself, Ada, and not let this happens again. Please trust me and let me live the life that I am born to live, not the peaceful life that I despise.

Please let me live freely, Ada.

Love,

Aeldra

Aeldra went back to sleep after she sent the letter. In the next morning, she didn't see Aragorn for breakfast.

And not for lunch.

And not for dinner.

She went to his room and found a note on his bed.

I have gone to be a Ranger. I should be a Ranger from North, what I am born to be. But not here. I am going to be fine. Do not worry for me.

Aeldra stared at the short note. Legolas decided to bring her back to Rivendell the next day, as he knew he wouldn't be able to stop her from going after Estel.

Yeah, I know this chap is rather short, but you see, I am updating only in a few days. I will get the next one longer, if possible.

Remember, reviews and fav and fol!