Prelude "Papa, tell me the story of my brother again!" a young women sat by her fathers feet near the fire in their small hut, trying to keep her bare feet cold. The flame alighted her beautiful brown eyes, and made her wavy mop of dark brown hair glow. Her father smiled down upon his beautiful daughter, who reminded him so of his wife he had lost long before. He shifted slightly, trying to get comfortable on his home made chair, which, plus two beds and a crudely crafted table, made up the furnishings of their small hut. "Once upon a time, in a far away place, your mother and I told middle- earth that a wonderful baby boy, who was fondly known as Ari, was born. Your mother had worked very hard in giving birth to him, but when she first laid eyes on our son, she smiled like an angel; the whole room seemed to glow with her presence. I took him into my arms, and I swear he smiled at me. As time went by, he grew into a strapping young boy, who could do whatever he set his mind to. Their was never a prouder father then me when it came to my boy!" her father chuckled, then paused, and Anareil looked up at her father, who's blue eyes looked like pools of sorrow. She stood up and embraced her father tightly, not wanting to upset him further. "Oh Anni," he chuckled, "what would I ever do with you?" He smiled at his daughter before standing, and heading towards his bed. Anni sat down and let him be, knowing he was tired from his hard labour working for the master of these lands. She knew it had not always been the way for her family, once upon a time her Father had been a man of some importance, before her brother was taken away. Anni winced as she remembered the pain her father had been put through during his years. As he was part elf, she knew he was very old, but was only starting to show his age of late. The grief of loosing both her mother and her brother had taken its toll on him. Anni cursed herself for thinking this, for she knew it wasn't true. Yes, her mother had died not long after she was born, but her brother was still alive out there somewhere. She had heard many times of the evil things that had raided her family's home nearly eighty years ago, burning everything they had. And, how her parents had watched as their baby boy was picked up and carried away by an elf, but did not go after him, believing the evil creatures were after them, not their son. Instead, they chose to work as slaves to their Lord, the steward of Gondor, who had always been fair and just to them, even sent his sympathy when Anni's mother passed on. A harsh call startled Anni out of her dreaming. The creatures were on the move again, no doubt on the look out for prey. She jumped up quickly, and tipped the kettle of the fire, extinguishing the flames with a hiss. More calls were sounding, all around their isolated hut on the fringe of the woods. Anni rushed over to the small window above her father's bed and roughly pulled them closed, accidentally waking him. Hearing the calls so close by, her father pulled on his clothes hurriedly, before dropping to his knees, feeling under his bed. He let out a relieved sigh when he found what he'd been looking for: an axe and a very old sword. He thrust the sword to Anareil. "We've got to leave this place, now. They are coming." He whispered hurriedly, before throwing on his rough cloak. Anni followed her father towards the door, and then quickly out towards the woods. The snow stung Anni's bare feet as she ran behind her father, nervously looking around her, ever watchful for the creatures. Her father was having a hard time with this running; she could hear his breath come in ragged, harsh bouts. The sooner they could find a place to hide, the better. Suddenly, Anni could hear the creatures surrounding them and she realised there was no time for them to find a better spot to hide. She ran forth, her eyes quickly darting around looking for anything that would help them at all. Her eyes fell upon one of the great trees in the forest, and she quickly begun scrambling up its rough bark, with her father right behind her. They were about two-thirds the way up the tree when Anni realised something was very wrong with her father. He was lying out on a branch, clinging for dear life with his breathing coming very unevenly, at loud and ragged breaths. Anni's heart seemed to stop with fear when she realised the creatures were surrounding the bottom of the tree. " Father! You cannot stop now the creatures are almost upon us!" She whispered desperately into his ear trying desperately to pull him up to the next branch. "Anni, no! I cannot go on, my old heart is failing me." He leaned forward with the force of his cough, and an arrow just missed the both of them, grazing Anni's cheek as it flew by. She leaned back against the tree and hissed with the pain of the cut. Fear clutched at Anni's heart once again, when she realised she could see her father very clearly. Something was not right. She should not be able to see this well in the middle of the night, even on such a clear evening. Anni looked down, and with a panic, she realised the creatures were trying to set the tree on fire. She climbed down to her fathers' side, trying desperately to urge him up. "Father, the tree! They have set the tree alight! We must climb higher and into another tree!" Anni screamed, not caring weather the creatures heard her as she was beyond panic now. The fire took to the old tree well, and soon enough flames were roaring up the tree. Anni looked to her father, who didn't seemed to be breathing any easier.

" Anni, go on without me, I do not fear death. I can almost feel your mothers' arms around me." He said with a smile, leaning back a little on the branch. A flaming arrow landed between the two of them, setting the branch on fire, and leaving Anni's father no place to go. They were both stuck, either side of the flames. " Father!" Anni screamed, trying to break through the flames to her papa, but the pure heat from the fire was burning the very air from her lungs. She looked to her father with leading eyes. " I love you, Anareil. Find your brother, he will look after you." With that, Anni's father pulled the Axe from its confinement and wit one swift strike, cut through the branch, taking it and the flames, crashing to earth with him. "Papa!" Anareil cried, her voice choked with tears as she leaned over the splintered wood towards her father. He stared up at her, and watched her until he disappeared beneath the flames. "No." Anni choked out, numb from shock. She sat on the remains of the branch, and cried. She had never felt such grief as she did at that moment. Her whole world had crashed down around her, leaving her with nothing. Now, her beloved father was gone, and she knew he could've climbed up, but he had saved her from certainly being burned to death. An arrow narrowly missed Anariel's head, brining her back to her senses. She climbed on and up, with her tear streaked face turned up to the moon, slipping every so often out of lack of concentration. One thought could not be moved from the young girl's head: Revenge.

So, that was the prelude to the story. What did you think? Is it worth continuing? Please let me know by reviewing, otherwise there is not much point of writing a story now, is there?