Edited on 10th oct 2003. Thanks to Amarie for pointing out mistakes!
Prolougue
Ariel Silverstar knew nothing about her real parents, except that they abandoned her, or so her adoptive mother claimed.
She was contented and satisfied with life… or was she?
Sometimes she felt a yearning that was inexplicable, and grew stronger as each year passed, till it was beyond comprehension. It was as though she did not belong to this entire realm, but somewhere else, and something in her sensed her real father was actually alive.
Ariel enjoyed and excelled in archery, and wounded prides of countless men who did not wish to be bested by her. And many thought it strange she rode horses without a saddle, and seemed to have an affinity with them.
She was teased frequently at school because of her pointed ears but she liked them, believing they were a link to her parentage and strangely enough, she never grew ill with disease. When she was supposedly 50 years old she still felt and looked like a 15 year old. But not once in her life did she view herself differently from the race of Men, as she thought herself as one of them.
And there were always vague memories of fair faces and voices. She tried to figure out what they were but they slipped through her fingers like gossamer thread before she could grasp them.
"… hush, titthen pen, 'twill be all right…"
"… can I have a sword? Adar?"
"…muinthel, why are you always so serious?"
"…what are our gweider up to now?"
Strangely familiar they seemed, and she tried her best to hold on to them, though they made no sense.
The most puzzling of all mysteries was the white gem that had been found on her, she fingered it, loving the way it felt- cool and solid in her palm… and something seemed to be calling out to her, drawing her, but Ariel could not fathom what it was.
It was a cloudless summer night and the sky sparkled bright with innumerable stars. Feeling a sudden desire to feel the white crystal, Ariel held it out.
And she saw…
She saw Evariel, sister star to Undomiel fall out of the night sky, and settled into the crystal.
Ariel clasped it to her heart, and she was pulled into Middle Earth, where she originally belonged, and all trace of Ariel in that world was lost.
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Chapter 1"That hurts," thought Ariel as she slowly opened her eyes. Her hand unclenched, to reveal the crystal. Putting it back on the silver chain around her neck, she stood up shakily and surveyed the surroundings.
She looked around in wonder. The forest she was in was unlike anything she had seen before. Dark and menacing it seemed to her, as if an unknown danger lurks in the hidden eaves. Ariel was unaware that she was in Mirkwood, a few leagues east from the distant realm of King Thranduil of the Silvan folk.
"Where am I?" She asked aloud to no one in particular.
There was nothing to do except to walk untill help was found. With no food, no water, and no idea of where she was, the prospects looked grim to Ariel.
For hours she trudged on, finally, tired and sore, she came to the edges of Mirkwood. Worn out from walking all morning, she came across a band of the ugliest and most gruesome creatures she ever saw.
Tall and dark they were, and the sight of them brought back haunting memories that gripped her with a new terror.
"…naneth was taken by them…" She uttered the words aloud, but was too full of disgust, fear and rage at them, though she knew not why.
Instinctively taking a step back, she stumbled over a rock and fell backwards, injuring her shoulder as it hit a sharp edge.
"What do we have here?" sneered a voice. She was roughly hauled up for inspection. Ariel winced as her shoulder throbbed with pain. The creature produced some rough twine and began to bind her hands.
They were bow- legged, foul to look upon, and Ariel was repulsed by their stench and disgusted by the leering looks on their faces. At the moment there were ten of them.
"An elf, but does not seem to belong here." The leader noted thoughtfully.
"Bah! Who cares! So long there's fresh meat for us to eat!" said another.
"Yea!" several nodded in agreement. At this Ariel mustered all the strength she had left to formulate an escape plan.
"We will bring her…" before the leader could voice his decision, he bent over and dropped to the ground, as if been dealt a blow from behind. A gray feathered arrow sticking out of his back. One by one the creatures fell to arrows.
Due to years of experience with horses she could tell it was only one horse approaching, so the rider must be an excellent archer, she noted.
Soon only one of her captors was left standing. It started to run away but was trapped between a stony cliff and Ariel's savior.
A pure gray horse appeared but it was not the steed that strikes Ariel's interest but the rider.
He was tall, had golden hair and the same leaf-shaped ears Ariel had. He moved with a fluid grace that left Ariel spellbound just looking at him. Drawing a knife, he slew the last of the revolting creatures, before turning his attention to Ariel.
Ariel stared into a pair of blue grayish eyes and felt a queer jolt in her stomach.
He was beautiful. Long, golden hair fell upon his back
As he cut the bonds that bound her, Ariel found his nearness unsettling, and he smelled of fresh pine, before chiding herself on thinking such thoughts.
"You are an elf, yet you dress strangely." Ariel looked down at her blue evening gown, now stained with mud and soil.
"Where am I and why did you say I was an elf?"
"You are in Mirkwood, in the realm of my father and you do not even know you are an elf?" He asked incredulously. "Who are you, and what business draws you to Mirkwood?"
"I am Ariel Silverstar. She surprised herself by saying, never in her life did she hear the name "Silverstar". "And I was lost in the woods, till I was attacked by some creatures…what are they?"
"Yrch. I shall take you to my father at once, I see you are weary and wounded."
Climbing up a horse, he offered a hand, which Ariel hesitatingly took, and she was hauled up in front of him.
"And who, pray tell are you?"
"Legolas Greenleaf."
Legolas curiosity was aroused. He had been patrolling the borders of Mirkwood when he came across Ariel. Very fair was she, and bore a somewhat resemblance to Arwen Evenstar, whom he had seen only once before in his life. Silverstar, that sounded familiar, but Legolas could not quite place his finger on what it was.
Silver eyes, the like of which he had not seen before. They showed weariness, fatigue, but he could tell in their full brilliance they would be as piercing as the stars of the evening.
Ariel was not used to sitting in front of a horse while someone else rode. She mused, so she was an elf. In a way it made sense, the way she always felt out of place in the world of men, and those pointy ears of hers were not a deformity, but were signs that she was of elvish heritage.
Does that mean she would be able to trace her parents here? After all, this was where she came from originally, where she was born. But why did they abandon her? Maybe her questions would be answered soon.
But for the moment, fatigue and weariness overcame her, and though she tried her best not to lean on Legolas, she soon dozed against his chest. Ariel felt a strange sense of warmth and security she had never experienced before as she slept.
As he tightened his hold on the sleeping maiden, Legolas caught a faint whiff of cinnamon and honey. Again he looked down at her, and beheld her beauty. It was not apparent under all the dirt and grime, but he was still mesmerized by her. He held up a protective arm to ward off sharp branches as they rode into thicker vegetation. A stray lock of her hair brushed past his arm, and it felt like a fluttering of a butterfly's wings.
Shaking his head to rid it off these thoughts, he forced his thoughts away to his father.
The King of Mirkwood wanted his son to be prepared to take over the ruling of his kingdom, but Legolas dreaded the day he would be made King. Of course, Thranduil was not going to hand over the scepter soon, but Legolas knew his father was yearning for the West, to join his mother.
Legolas yearned for adventure and battle. Even a band of rebellious goblins and orcs would have been welcome, but none of them obliged to even invade the kingdom. The idea of being tied down to the ruling of Mirkwood and behave as a king should does not appeal with him. Scowling at that thought, he jerked the reins of his horse, willing it to go faster.
The chance of adventure presented itself when a messenger from the house of Elrond came and requested for a representative. Legolas readily agreed to go. He was to set out for Imladris soon. It was said Isildor's bane had resurfaced and a council was to be held to decide what to do with it. He was chosen to represent the elves.