Chapter 3 The first meeting

As Amael and Legolas walked through the forest hand-in-hand, Amael recalled the time that they had met.

It was a cool spring day and Amael was in the forest climbing trees. As she leapt from branch to branch she spied a handsome young elf, apparently lost, wandering through the forest. Amael leapt down in front of him.

"Excuse me sir," he asked Amael. " Do you know the way to Imladris?"

" Perhaps, who are you?" she asked him.

" Prince Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood." he said " and you are"

" Lady Amael Anahrin of Imladris. And yes I do know the way to Imladris." she answered.

" You're a lady?" he asked. " Why are you out here?"

" Because I hate being a lady. You get to do nothing. I'd rather be out of doors climbing in the trees and walking in the forest." she replied hotly.

" Will you show me the way to Imladris, I am both hungry and weary," Legolas asked.

" Very well" Amael said.

By the time they reached Imladris Amael had learned much about Legolas. He was 2018* only two years older then herself. There was a great war going on in his home of Mirkwood, his father King Thranduil, though it best for his son if he stayed with Lord Elrond in Imladris.

Amael showed Legolas to his room. " Would you like to rest or eat now?" she asked him. Hoping that he would choose to eat, so she could be with him longer. She had elves all her life but somehow he was different. She cared about him very much.

" I Am rather hungry, I think I will eat first" he answered, knowing that he would be able to spend more time with her. All his life he had never met a she-elf quite like her. Even though he had not known her very long he knew that she was special.

Legolas stayed in Imladris for four years, and in that time Legolas and Amael were practically inseparable. When it came time for him to leave, he asked Amael to come with him, to marry him.

Amael was faced with a terrible decision, for her brothers Aragorn, Elladan and Elrohir had asked her to come with them on a journey across Middle Earth, to learn swordsmanship, archery and hand to hand combat. Amael choose to go with her brothers, but when she told Legolas the look on his face almost killed her.

" I love you," he said as he kissed her goodbye.

" I love you too" she replied. " I will miss you"

With that Legolas rode away, when he was out of sight, Amael turned and ran into her room.

" Amael" Legolas's voice brought her back to reality. " Can I trust you to keep your eyes closed, or do you need a blindfold" he asked teasingly. He was taking Amael to a special place and he did not want her to see where it was.

" Can't you just tell me where we're going?" she asked.

" No, where would the fun be in that?" he answered her.

" Very well" she said and covered her eyes with her hands. When she opened her eyes a beautiful sight met her eyes. They were in a small clearing, backed with a small waterfall.

" Do you remember this place?" he asked her smiling at the look on her face.

" Yes, we came here many times when you stayed with us," she answered her eyes dancing with joy.

" Shall we eat now?" he asked, and began pulling food out of his pack. Soon they were eating and laughing.

Before they left Amael told Legolas that she needed to fill her water skin. As she crouched down to fill it, in the stream she heard a rustle, and drew her sword. She didn't know why she took her sword; she felt that she would need it. She was ambushed by orcs. There were so many, as she fought more came. Soon they overwhelmed her, the hit her in the head hard, but not before she could yell, "Legolas help me"

They carried her limp form away.

Legolas heard her yell and ran to where she where she had been filling her water skin and saw many dead orcs on the ground. He knew what happened and ran to follow them, but they had traveled very fast and he could not catch up. He ran back to Imladris as fast as he could, and got his horse out of the stables.

He couldn't catch up the orcs; they had gotten to far ahead. But he could follow their footprints easily enough.

When Amael woke up her hands were bound to a pole and her feet chained to the ground, she was on her stomach, her bare back facing up. She looked around and saw four orcs standing over her, smiling evilly, with whips in their hands. One by one they let their whips fly across her back. The torture went on for, what seemed to Amael, forever. As one of the orcs lead her to the cell where she was to be kept, he saw that her face showed none of the pain he knew she felt. He chained her to the wall and beat her badly.

Legolas hid in a tree and killed the few orcs that were guarding the entrance; he ran in and began his search for Amael.

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