Once upon a time there was this selfish elven princess by the name of Vedilia who lived in a castle in Middle Earth. Every day, many suitors would come to see her and ask her hand in marriage. As each one came, they also left giftless and forlorn. As each went to the princess and asked for her hand, she would circle them pointing out all of their flaws. After taking their presents, she would send them away and ask them never to come back.

One day, a prince by the name of Legolas came and asked for her. As she circled him, she laughed out loud crying, "Why, you're nothing but a pretty boy prince!! Come back some day when you get some years on you and you finally get crowned!" She laughed and pointed at the prince as he slinked out of the room. Chuckling to herself on how stupid people could be, she told a servant that she would see no one else that day. She went down the stairs of the castle to a pantry to grab herself some tomatoes to throw at admirers. When heading back up the stairs, she heard some servants talking in a nearby room.

" That girl just sent away the last of her choices. No wonder no one likes her. She's ugly as Hel herself and she acts like a two year old human!"

" Don't let her hear you say that. She'll have you fired in the time it' takes to sew a button."

" Not any of her buttons, they all take days to sew. Anyway, I could find a better job in a blacksmith's shop. The only reason I'm here is the food that's easily smuggled from the kitchen…"

Vedilia decided to put her tomato dropping plans aside and go see the head of the servants. She made her mind up to personally see that those two servants were fired, and have a good talk with the cook who allowed this "smuggling". Halfway down a hallway, she realized she didn't even know the name of the talking servants and by the time she got back to the room to ask them- they were gone. She decided it was late and went up the three flights of winding stairs to her lavishly decorated room. As she casually knocked a lamp over on the way in - causing it to smash into several pieces and signaling a worker to come clean it up - she went to her bed and flopped like a rag doll onto it. When the slave came and cleaned it up, she turned over to look at the ceiling.

" Everything alright your highness?" The elven man asked, looking concerned but more eager to leave the room.

" Have you ever had that feeling that you are hated by everyone and there's nothing you can do about it?" She asked not even looking at him, just staring blankly up at the ceiling.

" No, your highness, but if I did, I wouldn't lay around contemplating it. Beg your pardon milady, but, if it was me? I would go out into the world and see what else there is to live for. Because I know there's more your highness. There's the trees, and the nature of it all. If I lost everyone I thought I had- I would leave." Saying this, the slave left the princess to contemplate his words.

The next morning, before dawn, the princess left her castle with only the clothes on her back and a bundle of apples. For three weeks, the princess traveled discovering many things until she had no food and her clothing was in tatters. No longer was she the pampered princess she had been before, but a poor beggar woman on the street. One day the princess awoke from her resting spot by the tree to find a rather mysterious man looking down at her. He had his hood over his head, and his cloak was a bit tattered like her own.

" May I ask why I awake to find a man looking down on me?" Vedilia asked rather tiredly with a little suspicion.

" Only if I can ask why such a lovely girl is sleeping by a tree with beautiful clothes in tatters." the man replied. " Let us ask no questions, we will travel together a while, And when I reach my destination, all of our questions will be answered. Will you travel with me?"

" I have no where in particular to go- so I guess I will travel with you a while." She replied getting to her feet and brushing herself off. They started on the road talking about ordinary things until they reached a seemingly never ending wheat field.

" My word, who does this beautiful field belong to?" Vedilia asked in wonder as she looked around in awe.

" Why, this field belongs to Legolas. It was given to him by his father for his seventy fifth birthday. He used to sit in it for hours just singing to the stars, but now I hear he just sits at home with his broken heart."

" Well, who broke it? I'm sure she must be an evil person to do such a thing."

" Princess Vedilia from another land sent him away cruelly just a month ago laughing at his confidence." The companion looked to the field leaving Vedilia to be amazed at her past naiveness. They continued on their way not talking quite as much as before until they came to a beautiful, clear, winding river.

" Dear lord! Who does this lovely river belong to?" The princess asked attempting to keep her mouth from falling open in wonder.

" To the same as before, milady, Legolas owns this river as he did the field. Isn't it beautiful? I hear he used to sit by and cry into it with the rain. But as I have said, he hasn't been seen for a month now." Refusing to let the guilt get to her, Vedilia insisted they go on instead of standing by it any longer. Conversation broke off after the river for a very long time until finally they reached a picturesque castle set into the green backdrop of a forest.

" Goodness! Who does this gorgeous castle belong to??" Vedilia couldn't contain her wonder now, she could only gape at the winding turrets and many windows of this palace to which they had arrived.

" This is Legolas's castle which he built above ground to please the princess which turned him down.

" Now that I have seen all of his lands, I do wish I had gotten to know the prince a little better, and had not sent him away so quickly." Vedilia said sadly, wishing she could turn back time.

"This though, is my destination where we may talk freely and ask all of our questions." The stranger then took off his hood only to reveal that it was Legolas himself, looking at Vedilia awaiting her reaction. She immediately let go a scream of surprise and ran into his arms, tattered clothes and all.

Months later the two were happily married, prince and princess of Mirkwood. They lived happily ever after.

The End