Ok, here's the thing guys. I'm kinda stuck on my other story so I started on a new one. Yeah, so shoot me ;)  Eh……anywaaays……I need some feedback on this new one you now.  Tell me if it's worth continuing and…stuff. I'm crossing my fingers here, hoping I'll have better luck this time.  Thank you in advance!

Disclaimer: You now the drill…….I can proudly say that I own myself……or so I think =)

Chapter one: In the beginning

A little girl could be seen running into the woods. She was scared. Fear consuming her whole being as she ran as fast as her little feet could carry her. The trees towered high above her letting little sunlight escape though the sealed roof of leaves. Not once did the little girl look back. She knew, knew that no one would follow her. Her surroundings seemed to grow thicker the further she came into the woods. Tripping on a root sticking up from the ground, she fell to the leaf covered floor with a thump.

Her head hurt badly and her stomach was turning. She was going to be sick. Her belly twisted and turned before she closed her eyes, lay back onto the ground and fell into a restless sleep filled with nightmares. She had seen so much a little girl should not have to. In a matter of minutes she had witnessed her family being dragged away from her, and she didn't understand why. They told her to run as fast as she could away from there. And she did.

Something was shaking the girl out of her sleep, a man. He was speaking with a gruff voice and kept pulling on her, telling her to get up. She sleepily staggered to her feet looking at him. He asked her questions, questions she did not answer. Her mother always told her not to speak with strangers. This was the only thought going through her mind. *Never talk to strangers, never talk to strangers.*

She just stared at him, and he grabbed her little hand motioning for her to follow. Her feet suddenly seemed to grow roots. With all her will and might she tried to get her hand back, but it was of no use. The little girl got carried away by this stranger. The wind started to blow fiercely, the leaves rattling wildly above their heads. Her long, brown hair danced all around her and she pulled her cloak closer to her tiny body.

That little girl was me…

It is a long time ago now. But it is by no means forgotten. The memories of that day have never ceased to haunt me. I often have nightmares about it. Nightmares about looking into my dear mothers frightened eyes when she's begging me to run for my life, and she knows she will never see me again. There's never a day when I don't think of her. Yes, it hurts. I have a new life now, with a new family and a new home. I've pushed it all away deep down in my heart where I'll keep it forever.

Now I am a woman, or so they say. Somewhere deep down I still feel like that little girl, all alone in the world and still very afraid.

My father, Bran, was the one rescuing me that night from god knows what. He brought me to safety in his camp at the forest outskirts. A lucky star must have shone on me that night, for he had most accidentally spotted me running into the woods. It took him awhile to decide on running after me, but in the end he realized no one seemed to be looking for me. That's how I ended up in his camp with his fellow gypsies.

It took him a long while to gain my trust, let alone getting me to speak, and it became his life mission to put a smile on my face. He eventually did. I found him deserving of my trust after some time and also began to speak, mostly about the horrible things I had seen and my mother and father. I would go around all the time, asking where they were. Every time it brought sadness to his eyes and he would just hug me tightly and whisper comforting things in my ear. I was too young to grasp the concept of probably never seeing my parents again.

He did his best for me. He was always there, comforting, helping and caring. That's why I 'adopted' him as my father, rather than the other way around. I learned so much from him, everything from fighting to surviving alone in the wilderness, like hunting and hiding. Cooking and sowing I learned from the women.

I guess I'm not the only one with a tragic past, and all in all I turned out quite ok, at least I think I did. I was now standing on my favorite spot in the whole world, looking toward the seemingly never-ending horizon. We used to come here every fall to make camp and stay for the winter. Every fall I would come to this spot and think about what the year had brought me, what I had achieved and learned. I called this place 'ranagud', simply meaning 'home'.

On this particularly night it was raining so I pulled my cloak closer. I was sitting on a log, staring at everything and nothing, in my own little dream world. Soon I could hear distant footsteps behind me. It had to be my father. I could always tell it was him on the way he always came tramping like an oliphant. I had to giggle a little at that thought.

"Melian? Is that you?" Yes, it certainly was him.

"Yes, Father. It is me. Is something wrong?" I turned around to face him. He looked so old and tired. His face furrowed and always that worried look in his eyes.

"No child. Nothing is wrong. I just wanted to talk with you, if you have some time to spare for your old man that is." He gave me a huge smile.

I looked at him with serious eyes, measuring him up and down while resting my index finger on my chin. I let out some 'hmms' here and there, still not speaking to him. 

"I think I might be able to squeeze in some time for you." I broke into a smile. He just laughed at me. A joyful laugh it was and it warmed my heart every time I heard it. He seemed to possess some ability to make me forget everything that was sad and turn a bad day around. I could not have found a better father.

"What are you thinking about?" He sat down beside me on the log. We both sat in silence for awhile, looking at the now star filled sky. The rain had stopped and the clouds drifted away to make place for the moon.

"Oh, just everything and nothing." I replied, shifting my weight on the log.

"You know…" He pointed to the sky. "I believe you to be a gift from the stars. My own little Melian. "His usually strong voice failed him as he kept gazing at the sky, his eyes glazing over. He probably thought he could hide his emotions from me.

"What is it, father? Is there something you want to tell me?" We both knew I would not let him go before he told me what was going on, especially when he acted like this.

He did not answer. I could tell he was carefully weighing his words. Something was definitely not right, not right at all.

"Oh Melian, I have awful news, awful news indeed." He looked at me with those tired, weary eyes and I felt a sting in my heart. This was so not like him and it made me nervous. He always tried to hide bad things from me and he always failed miserably.

I braced myself, hoping this was not as bad as it sounded.

I have already another chapter coming if you liked this one.  So just press the review button =)