A/N: First chapter. I hope I caught your attention with my prologue. This is loosely inspired by Tolkien's elven realm, as you can see in my endnote I have done a bit of research on elves, also in terms of age and how long elves live. I hope I managed to weave in the elven lore from Tolkien with the fandom of OUAT. I'm going to pace myself with publishing this with one chapter each week, I'm so thrilled to share this with you.

Thanks to my wonderful beta Ultraluckycatnd.

Enjoy.

Chapter 1

MANY MOON YEARS LATER

Emma, highborn elven princess of Misthaven, was bored out of her mind as her father's voice droned on and on about some urgent affairs that needed to be sorted out. The dwarfs living in the darkest mountains to the north wanted to change the price for the jewels and silver they usually sold to the elves. It had rattled the royal court slightly and the debate had been heated, but now they seemed to have found a solution. Her father, King David, wanted to be on good terms with the dwarfs, as both species had been living in coexistence for ages. Speaking of age, Emma sighed; she was turning 100 in a few moons' time, thus beginning her life as a true grown-up elven princess. The thought alone was daunting and not quite what the princess wanted right now with her life. She knew it at some point also meant she would be married, it was what everyone expected of her. Knowing her father, he most likely already had someone in mind. Even if the general rule among the Misthaven elves was that each young elven was going to marry their True Love, it happened that sometimes True Love couldn't be found and a match was often formed, grounded by what was for the greater purpose of the structure of the society.

Glancing around the room of the members of the court, she shivered, hoping that her father's choice would not be one of these stuffy, slightly older, and dull elves. A few females were also in the royal court, one elderly elven, even for elven standards, was looking directly at Emma with a knowing smile. Granny had been part of Emma's life as she'd been her governess, teaching her the basic skills of reading, writing, and math. Granny's granddaughter, Ruby, was the same age as Emma, so the two girls had grown up together.

Finally, the meeting was finished and Emma could escape the royal courtroom. She made a hasty goodbye to her father and slipped down the stairs, leading into the open patio area overlooking the glorious Misthaven City. Steep hills encased the city on two sides, a spectacular tall waterfall was a constant glittering backdrop. She crossed one of the many bridges that connected the various parts of the city, seeking out her favorite spot, aside from the forest itself. She finally reached the large greenhouse where she knew she would be able to find her friend, Ruby.

"Rubes?" Emma called out, her feet skipping over the large stepping stones as she searched for her friend.

"Over here," Ruby's voice sounded and Emma soon located her friend, currently in the process of sorting out a few smaller saplings of whatever plant she was trying to grow. Her friend was a gardener, and her knowledge of plants and herbs, medicinal and otherwise, was astounding.

When Emma stepped up to the work desk, Ruby looked up and clapped the dirt off her hands. Ruby wore a faded green tunic with brown trimmings, her long brown hair was pulled back in a low ponytail, and a few intricate braids wrapped around her head.

"So how was the court meeting?" When Emma sighed dramatically Ruby laughed. "That bad?"

"You have no idea," Emma groaned. "Why do we need a meeting telling us what rate the dwarves want to trade their silver at?"

"Well, I guess your father wants you to watch and learn," Ruby shrugged.

"What if I don't want to know all that?"

"Don't let your father hear you speak like that," Ruby said with a frown, but a knowing twinkle in her eye let Emma know that she also knew how boring the meeting had been for Emma.

"Do you want to do something fun?" Emma asked.

"Like what?"

"Oh, perhaps venture south a bit, follow the river to the coast," Emma said casually as she traced the edge of the table with her long fingers.

"Ah, you want to go on another adventure, and get caught like last time?" Ruby shook her head.

"I wouldn't have gotten caught had it not been for that pompous guard Graham," Emma remembered vividly when he had followed her trail to the east and practically dragged her back to the city. Claiming he only did his duty as the protector of the elven Royal family.

"That man is a wolf when it comes to tracking down fellow elves, humans, and other creatures." Ruby waggled her eyebrows.

"But what if I tell you that I know for a fact that he is currently not on guard duty? We could slip out undetected," Emma said with a grin.

"Oh, how do you know this?"

"He left the city this morning."

"Why?"

"Don't know, someone mentioned something about an old friend of his." Emma shrugged.

"Perhaps it could be Aiandil?" Ruby suggested as she cleaned up her work desk.

Emma remembered years back when Graham had invited this human to enter their city, much to the dismay of her father. But since the human posed no threat and had helped Graham survive an attack of ogres, her father had welcomed him. It was very unusual for elves and humans to mingle like this.

"So are you ready to go on an adventure?"

"I'm in." Ruby grinned, and the two friends packed provisions for their adventure to the south.

Several hours later, Emma and Ruby had reached the five-mile stretch of Misthaven's only coastline. They had found a large fallen tree trunk that was perched on top of a hill overlooking the waters. Here they shared their provisions of bread and fruits. The wind was sweeping in the scent of brine, but it wasn't unpleasant. Emma quite enjoyed the rare moments when she'd been down here. Her parents weren't too pleased with how adventurous she tended to be, most often traveling far beyond the safest corners of Misthaven. Even if Misthaven was a peaceful and secluded place, it did happen that stragglers of orcs and other foul creatures would find a way inside the realm.

Emma had placed her bow and arrow within easy reach; she would never leave the city without her trusted weapon. Strung with magic cords of unicorn hair and with arrowheads made of the finest obsidian glass.

Ruby nudged Emma's shoulder. "Look, a ship is sailing past us." Ruby pointed further down the coast where a ship was rigged up with all sails on full display, making good speed. It was sure to pass them within a short time. The Misthaven Elves weren't a seafaring nation, and since the only ships Emma had seen were in books and right here by the shore, she wasn't too familiar with what kind of ship they had spotted.

Emma followed the ship with her eyes; it was not far out, and with their exceptional good elven eyesight, they could see the crew working on board. The ship had black sails with a white skull painted on the mainsail. Puzzled, she took another bite of her bread as she kept her eyes on the ship.

Suddenly, dark red plumes of smoke washed over the water coming from where the ship was heading.

"What is that?" Ruby said in a shrill voice. Emma could hear the slight panic in her friend.

"I have no idea." Emma jumped to her feet, clasping her bow and slung her quiver over her shoulders, ignoring the fruit that rolled over the side of the hill. Her eyes scanned the waters trying to see where the smoke originated from. Suddenly a larger ship emerged from the red smoke, its sails were black with a red sun painted on them.

"Who is that?" Ruby asked, now also holding her bow at the ready.

"Whoever it is, it seems as if it's going after that smaller one," Emma tried to explain, it was the only thing that made sense. Soon she saw the silhouettes of the smaller ship's crew scampering around on deck, their shouts reaching Emma and Ruby, carried by the wind.

"What do we do?" Ruby shifted restlessly on her feet.

"We can't do anything." Emma shivered, even from afar she could feel the magic crackle behind the dark red smoke. "There's far too much powerful magic at play here, I can't deal with this on my own." She nodded down the hill. "Let's get closer and keep an eye out for anyone needing help." Emma didn't wait for her friend to reply. She slipped down the steep slope. Her good balance was a great help here. Whenever traveling through thick parts of the woodlands, she most often would jump from tree to tree instead of weaving in and out of old mangled branches and roots on the ground.

Finally, they managed to find cover behind some large boulders on the beach. From here, they could see that the bigger ship had gained on the smaller one. Suddenly the air filled with a loud boom, making both elves jump in fright. "Is that…?" Ruby mumbled.

"Think it's those cannons Graham mentioned, those that are bigger than the small weapon his friend Aiandil carries around," Emma tried to explain, remembering the last time the traveler had crossed paths through Misthaven. Aiandil had tried to teach her and the other younger elves a few of his realm's weapons, while they had tried to teach him to use a bow. With failed success.

Ruby nodded but stayed quiet while they kept watching over what happened on the water. The bigger ship had now reached the smaller one, and soon the smaller ship was overtaken. Shouts of warnings and war cries slipped over the waters, and Emma and Ruby could only stand by and watch as the crew of the smaller ship tried to fight off their attacker.

Suddenly everything went eerily silent, and the crowd on the smaller ship stood still, with two men at the center mast. Whatever was said between the men it seemed to be an attempt to parley with one another. Soon a weapon glinted in the setting sun and seconds later, a piercing cry of pain could be heard over the waters. Emma held her breath, her heart was now beating wildly, it was rare that she would get this frightened. But it didn't sit well with her to just standby and watch as injustice was happening right before her eyes. Whatever the bigger ship's captain had wanted from the other vessel, it seemed he'd gotten what he came for. The big ship's crew scampered to their ship. When all things seemed to have quieted down, a burst of dark red magic was shot straight at the bow of the smaller ship. A magical explosion reverberated through the hull of the vessel, as a blazing fire roared to life, eating up the ship at an unnatural speed. So whatever magic had been at play here, it was something very dark and powerful. Emma watched as several of the men jumped ship and fought to keep themselves afloat. The ship burned out within a few short moments, then blasts of magic were hurled over the still swimming men who struggled to reach the safety of the beach. Cries of pain echoed over the waters, and soon everything was still, the water now an eerily reddish color.

Emma could feel her friend shake beside her and when she looked at her friend, she could see the horror in Ruby's eyes. "Are you okay?"

Ruby pursed her lips and shook her head. "Nope, not really. What in the seven moons just happened?"

"I don't know, we don't sail the seas so I have no idea who that big ship is." Emma pointed to the large ship that was now sailing away at full speed.

"What about those that were killed?" Ruby pointed towards the water, now littered with debris from the ship and dead bodies floating in the water.

Emma cringed. "All I saw was that skull painted on their sail, I have no idea what that means."

"Maybe they are the bad ones, and that big red sun ship was the good guys?"

"We can't know for certain," Emma pondered. "I mean it didn't look like they were the good guys, not how they just slaughtered their opponent like that. Using whatever dark magic was involved."

"Magic?"

"Yeah that red smoke, it was most certainly magic."

"Are you sure?" Ruby sounded frantic by now.

Emma grabbed her friend's arm. "Calm down, okay?" When Ruby nodded mutely, Emma continued. "I know it was magic, I could feel it from way back here. It was something dark, so I'm certain whoever was on board the sun ship wasn't one of the good guys."

"Should we do something?"

"Like what?" Emma looked out in the water and could see that most of the dead bodies were now either floating further out into the open waters or had disappeared into the deep sea.

"I don't know." Ruby looked a little dejected at this.

"I wish we could have helped them, but we have two bows, and my meager magic; it would never match the powerful magic that happened back there." Emma rubbed Ruby's arm. "We couldn't have done anything."

Ruby nodded mutely in understanding, then pointed down the shore. "I think it will be easier to go back up the hill if we go that way."

Emma nodded in agreement and began walking along the beach, her soft leather shoes sinking into the sand. They walked to the end of the small beach and rounded another large boulder. That's when they both heard the moaning. Both elves jumped and Emma reached for her small dagger at her side, scanning ahead of them. Taking one final step, she looked around the boulder where the sound originated from. Half buried in seaweed was a man splayed out with his head bent towards his stomach, his shirt partly ripped, and his hand and parts of his shirt held tightly to his other arm.

It didn't take long for Emma to realize that the man was hurt, another grunt of pain emanated from his lips. Emma moved cautiously down over the accumulated seaweed that had gathered in the crevice between the boulders. She slipped down on her knees, ignoring the seawater seeping into her tunic.

When she gently touched the man's shoulder, he jumped in fright and began to roll away from her. "Get away from me."

"I'm here to help you," Emma urged and motioned for Ruby to come and help her.

Ruby slipped down next to her and with their joint effort, they had the man rolled to his back, his face pinched together in pain. When her eyes landed on his hand clutching his other arm, she realized he might be missing his other hand. The black fabric of his shirt was caked in something wet, and when she gently touched it she saw blood sticking to her fingers. Looking up at her friend in alarm, they both knew that the man's life was in danger if he lost more blood.

"Can you hear me?" Emma said calmly and shook his shoulder gently, but the man only groaned in pain, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Emma clapped her hand over his scruffy cheek, the coarseness very unfamiliar for her, as Elves never grew beards.

The man mumbled incoherently as he withered in pain, then he muttered, "Me hand, he took me—"

Emma reached behind her and ripped a strip of her tunic off, it was bound to be cleaner than his shirt. She gave the cloth to Ruby. "Take this, and as soon as we peel away his hand and the compression of his wrist, I'll use my magic to cauterize the arteries. That is all I can do for now. Such a severe wound needs more medical attention once we get him back home." She was already planning on what medical herbs she would need. "Do you still have more of the crushed Phoenix Flower we found this spring?"

"I have more, yes, and it will be the only thing strong enough to help this wound to heal up properly without it getting infected." Ruby nodded. "I'm ready."

Emma took a deep breath. "Hold his wounded arm down, I'll hold on to the other." The two friends each grabbed an arm, the man shifting restlessly under them, still mumbling, cursing, or moaning.

"We're going to help you, okay," Emma insisted, "so help us and keep yourself still. This will hurt quite a bit." Emma knew that severe damage like this was a tricky affair, she'd seen a few amputees over the years of her training as a healer.

"Okay." Emma used one hand to lift the uninjured hand away, and right away she could see the blood oozing from the blunted wrist. Emma worked quickly and removed the bloodsoaked fabric and threw it to the side. Then she used her magic to seal up the arteries, the smell of partly burnt flesh reaching their nostrils. The man bellowed in pain and thrashed around under their hold. To their luck, they were both young and fit elves, strong from years of training their bodies in combat and defense.

"Fluttering Phoenix, this man is strong!" Ruby exclaimed but managed to keep his injured arm still, using both her arms. Her knees rested over the man's shoulders, aiding to keep his body still while Emma worked on the wound.

It took Emma a few minutes before she was satisfied with how the arteries had closed. "Give me the clean cloth."

Ruby gave it to her and Emma made a quick and tight bandage around his stumped wrist. Then she said, "Now we need to keep his wrist upright when we get him up." She stood up and looked at her soiled tunic. With a shake of her head, she used her dagger to cut a long strip from the front of the garment so she could use this as a support for his arm.

"How are we going to get him back?" Ruby suddenly asked and looked up at her.

Emma groaned, her mind reeling with possibilities. Finally, she said, "We'll have to build a stretcher."

Ruby nodded and the two women quickly worked on finding suitable branches and vines they could weave between them. They finally had a stretcher made and placed it as close as they could to the man still half laying in the lapping waves. It took them a few tries and some urges from them both to have the man help them move himself. He shifted in and out of consciousness, something that Emma was getting more and more worried about. Time was of the essence here.

After several long and stressful moments, the man was resting on the stretcher, his arm wrapped tightly to his torso, holding the injured arm as still as possible. The first climb up the sloping hill was the toughest, but Emma and Ruby managed to get him to the top. Here they placed him on the ground again and Ruby rushed to find their provisions bags. Once back, she gave Emma one of their water skins. Emma crouched at the man's head and gently tapped his chin with her hand.

"Hey, wake up." She slipped her hand to the back of his head lifting it so he could drink. "I have water here for you." She flipped the cap open and placed the water skin to his lips, urging him to open up. When the water hit his dry lips, it was as if he woke up and his eyes blew wide and he began mumbling again. "My hand— the bloody wanker took—"

"Shhhhh, now, drink." Emma tipped the water skin once again and while his lips moved in silent mumblings, she could see that some of the water slipped past his lips and he coughed as the water slipped down his throat. His eyes looking frantically around him, it was now that she noticed how very blue his eyes were. They had a deep blue, almost crystal clarity, yet at this very moment, the man seemed unfocused. She managed to get a bit more water in him before she gently placed his head back on the stretcher.

Emma and Ruby packed their satchels with their food and water, then each took one end of the stretcher and began the long trek back to Misthaven City. With the sun setting, she knew they would be back after nightfall, and certainly would not make it back before the evening meal. This would cause some trouble she was sure, but right now her whole focus was on getting this man back to the healer's room so they could administer the Phoenix Flower powder to his wound. She would have to deal with the wrath of her father later after she'd helped the man. She knew that her parents weren't opposed to having humans in their city, it was just a very rare thing to happen. Aiandil might be the only human Emma had ever been close to in her whole life. Now another human had fallen into her life, someone who needed help. She would never just leave anyone behind when hurt, especially as hurt as this man. He was still groaning in pain from time to time, but so long as he breathed, there was still hope for this poor soul.

Notes on the name I use: Aiandil: (Using this website to aid me in this, some Tolkien elven dictionary: w/stranger?include_old=1)

Stranger = "aiano" (noun)

Friend = "-ndil"

Combining these I made the name Aiandil