A/N: This is my first Lord of the Rings fic, and I know that this storyline has been done countless times but I wanted to explore it for myself and my way. If I make any mistakes in relation to the books, please inform me because I have only read them a few times and I'm still not fluent in the events of the War of the Ring. Thanks and enjoy!

~*Helyanwe*~

Chapter One - The Dream

Yawning with fatigue, Iris set down her copy of the 'Fellowship of the Ring' on her side table. She had read it countless times, but the world of Middle-Earth never ceased to fascinate her. Her thoughts ran deep of elves and dwarves, her innermost secret wish to be part of Tolkien's world. Her rational side knew that it would never be, yet her imagination still loved to wander through distant realms. Iris' only salvation was to know that there were others out there that felt as she did, that held the deep desire to experience Middle-earth. This was proved true by the hundreds of fans sharing their fantasies on such sites as fanfiction.net. As a daily ritual, Iris read the updated stories of girls somehow stumbling upon Middle-Earth. However, she did not enjoy when they ultimately fell in love with Aragorn, or Legolas. If she were to live in Middle-Earth, she would wish to be an elf, and experience the wonder of that race. With that thought, Iris drifted into the land of dreams.

Groaning quietly, Iris slowly left her slumber behind. She turned, attempting to get comfortable and steal a few more minutes of precious sleep. She was jolted awake, though, when something sharp pierced her shoulder. Sitting up, she looked down at the guilty twig then took in her surroundings. She was in a forest, on the ground, with leaves in her hair. Hair that suddenly fell to her waist in flowing raven curls. Hair that did little to hide her nakedness. Iris gasped in utter shock and embarrassment. This had to be a dream, there was no way that this could be real. She pinched herself. Hard. Nothing changed.

"This can't be real." she said aloud, and was astonished by the sound of her voice. It was deeper, more guttural and at the same time, had a surprising musical quality. She was also quite sure that she no longer spoke English. Testing out a theory, she spoke the meaning of one of the few Sindarin words she knew. Somewhere between her brain and her mouth, 'Farewell' became "Namaarie."

'This is too weird.' Immediately she reached her hand up to her ear and slowly traced it's contour. She felt the delicate point and was certain. She was an elf. A naked elf but still an elf. Looking down at her hands, she could see that her skin was smoother, more perfect and almost glowed with an inner light. She was also surprised to see that her skin was still a distinctive golden brown. She was quite sure, when reading Tolkien's novels, that all the characters were white, especially the elves. Yet here she was, with pointed ears and still brown skin. However, she reminded herself, this was a dream, so anything was possible.

Now that she had established her surroundings and identity (for the most part), she began to worry. She had no food, clothes or knowledge of where she was, and there seemed not to be any civilization in sight. Unwilling to let herself get emotional and burst into tears over her unfortunate situation, she rose. Using nearby leaves and vines, she was able to construct a small, flimsy covering to at least shield her as she explored the woods. She walked carefully but began to realize that she had the natural grace of the elves, and thus made little sound. Finally she came to a bubbling stream where she washed her face and drank the cool water. Nearby grew juicy red berries, which she ate hungrily, without a thought as to whether they were poisonous or not.

Suddenly she perked up as her elven ears picked up the faint sounds of voices. She followed the voices until she came across a two men fighting playfully.

"If you had not been so loud in your steps, we could have caught that deer." teased Legolas.

"Well we are not all gifted with elven grace." scowled Aragorn, who although a Ranger and quiet in his own right, had managed to step on a dry twig that cracked like a gunshot throughout the forest.

Legolas quieted. "Something approaches, mellon nin." he whispered. Together they turned and pointed their weapons at the cowering figure that tried to move towards their location. Lowering their weapons, they were surprised to find that before them was a beautiful woman, clad only in a few well-placed leaves. Her skin and hair were dark, but her eyes shone elven blue and her ears were pointed gracefully.

"Who are you?" asked Aragorn.

The girl blinked and stared speechless for a few moments. Then she began to speak fluently in the grey tongue. "You are Aragorn, son of Arathorn. And you are Prince Legolas of Mirkwood. It is an honour to meet you both."

"You know us, but we still have no knowledge of your identity." replied Legolas.

Iris thought fast. They would never believe her true story. "I am Helyanwe, of distant lands. I awoke here, in the forest, with no belongings and no memory of my journey. I was searching for aid when I stumbled upon you two."

"This does not explain how you know of us." Aragorn said.

"I have much knowledge of the events and peoples of Middle-Earth." Iris said cryptically, learning from Galadriel in the Lord of the Rings movies. "I would greatly appreciate if you would aid me, for I am weary."

"Of course, my lady." Aragorn said, remembering his manners. He unclasped his cloak and offered it to her.

"Thank you." she said. "May I ask, where are you headed?"

"We have a great quest to fulfill and little time to waste. You may accompany us to Lothlorien, where you may speak with the Lady of the Wood."

Wrapping the cloak tightly around her body, Iris quickly followed Legolas and Aragorn to the place where the rest of the Fellowship sat. She looked at them and realized that there were only eight in the group. "Gandalf has already fallen." she said softly, but Legolas' elven hearing was sharp and caught her comment. He turned and gave her a puzzled and slightly suspicious look. She was not like any of the elves that he had ever encountered in his many years, and he suspected that she may be a tool of Sauron to find the ring. The Fellowship was so busy in their own affairs that they did not realize the extra person immediately. Finally, Pippin looked up and did a double take. "Who's that?" he asked.

"This is Helyanwe, she was lost in the woods and she will accompany is to Lorien." Aragorn said.

The four hobbits, man and dwarf alike were entranced by her dark beauty and obvious lack of dress. Aragorn headed over to his pack and tossed her an extra shirt and leggings. She smiled gratefully and headed behind the trees to change. "Do not go far" warned Aragorn, "We will rest here tonight and the move on at dawn."

Legolas pulled Aragorn to a side. "I do not trust her, mellon nin. She is unlike any elf I have every encountered, she may well be a spy of the enemy."

"That has yet to be proven, so for now we will treat her as a friend of Middle-Earth. Once we reach Lorien, Galadriel will know of her true nature. For the time being, follow her and make sure she is alright."

Iris found a beautiful lake that would be a perfect place to bathe. Stripping of Aragorn's cloak and her make-shift clothing, she submerged herself in the cool water. She could feel the forest around her, the trees and the life. And for the first time in her life, she felt true peace. Her peace was soon disturbed by a soft voice, from the edge of the lake. "Aragorn sent me to make sure that you were safe."

"I was merely enjoying the beauty of this wood, this night. I can feel the trees, they are old and wise."

Legolas smiled. "Then you truely are an elf. Would you mind company to bathe with?"

"Not at all." Iris averted her eyes and Legolas stripped and plunged into the water. She could feel his moving toward her through the water. They stood side by side, admiring the wood. As time stood still the two elves took in the beauty of nature. And in those moments they formed a strong, unspoken bond. Suddenly, Legolas felt no need to doubt her. After a long while, Iris turned to admire his beauty and long perfect hair. "Your hair is remarkably clean, Prince Legolas."

"Just Legolas, please. And how I keep it clean is a well guarded secret." he said mischievously. Iris scowled. "One that I will share with you, for I feel that there is a connection between us." He moved to the edge of the water and carefully selected a small, pale green plant and another small, white flowering plant. Crushing it expertly in his hand, he mixed it with water and the moved towards Iris. He massaged the mixture into her long locks, then playfully dunked her head under water to wash it away. She came up sputtering. "That is no way that one treats a lady, Master Elf." She said haughtily. Then she drove forward and pushed Legolas down so he too rose sputtering. Giggling they began to splash each other until a loud 'ahem' sounded from the shore. There Aragorn stood, looking quite stern, "And what are you two doing?"

"Bathing." Iris relied innocently. "You would do well to try it some time." This comment sent Legolas into a badly contained laugh, very unlike the elven prince. Aragorn just afforded Iris with a glare before heading back to camp. Iris rose out of the water, unabashed about her stark nudity, and turned to face Legolas. "We should be heading back, as well." She quickly dressed, as did Legolas. She was about to ask him for a hairtie when she realized where she was.

"Legolas? How do you keep the hair away from your face?" she questioned. Without a word Legolas sat her down and began to expertly plait her long curls. Two braids framed the crown of her head and met as they trailed down the middle of her back. "Hannon lle, mellon nin." She said.

~*~*~*~

Helyanwe: Quenya for 'rainbow', and Elvish transulation of the name Iris.

Sindarin:

Mellon nin: My friend (I have found many variations on this and I'm curious of which one is right...)

Hannon lle: Thank you

Namaarie: Farewell

Please tell me what you think! You know you wanna push that little lavenderish blue button down there. Doesn't it just call to you? Push me, Review now!