A/N Again, many thanks to Celridel for taking the time to beta this chapter

**I know that I have a male Elf searching Estella and that might seem strange to some, but it is not uncommon for males to pat search a female. I checked around about that before writing that.

Estella heard birds chirping and felt something hard and cold against her face. Slowly opening her eyes, Estella looked around, finding herself lying in the dirt, surrounded by tall trees. As her eyes wandered, taking in her unfamiliar surroundings, she felt fear and confusion creep into her like a knife. She could have sworn she fell asleep on her mother's bed, but she was not in her mother's bed. Nowhere close.

Where am I and how did I get here? She thought as she sat up.

Looking down, she noticed she still had the sapphire necklace in her hand. Not wanting to lose it in this unfamiliar place, she clasped it around her neck, where a small heart-shaped locket also rested. The locket was a birthday present which held a picture of her mom and her.

Estella stood up, but when she got to her feet, instantly a massive wave of nausea and dizziness, assailed her. She tried to move, but everything spun, and she fell to her knees, scraping the palms of her hands. Crying out in pain, Estella closed her eyes, hoping the queasiness and vertigo would pass. After a few minutes, the dizziness receded, but the nausea did not. Estella's stomach became queasier, and she started to take deep breaths, trying to calm her stomach; however, her stomach had a mind of its own, and Estella found herself vomiting into a nearby bush seconds later.

When she had finished emptying her stomach, Estella wiped her mouth off, still feeling a little shaky. After a minute, she tried to stand again, but this time slowly. After a moment or two, her mind became clear, and her stomach settled down enough for her to move forward. Slowly, Estella began walking into the forest, trying to figure out where she was. One thing was for certain; she certainly was not in Seattle anymore. As she continued, minutes turned into hours, and the further Estella walked into the forest, the more lost and confused she became. The trees all seemed the same!

"I have to find a way out of here," she said aloud to herself, as the sickening feeling of being lost was creeping a slow way up.

Eventually, she came to a stream. It gurgled and chattered to the rushes at its side, but she stared across the stream. The trees were black. Massive white strands billowed, tangled together in spider webs. Estella also noted no birds were singing now, on either side of the stream. A chill ran up her spine, and she shivered, looking away from the black wood and to the stream.

Suddenly, she remembered she once heard if you followed a river upstream, you would be further away from civilization, but if following it downstream, you would eventually come to civilization. Estella was not sure which way was upstream and which way was downstream, so she decided to go to the left, hoping she might find someone soon.

About an hour or so, Estella still was not any closer to finding a town, and on top of that, she was beginning to feel weaker. She had not had anything to eat since the previous night and whatever she had had for energy was somewhere behind her in a bush. Estella knew she had to continue, but she was also feeling disoriented unsure if it was from the lack of food or something else.

"I have to find a way out of here," she whispered, afraid to cry out. "Mom, I need you now."

Just as she was beginning to think she was not going to find a way out, soft whispers arrested her, and she started to run in hope, dashing through the thick shrubs to nearly collide into a group. They had heard her, and their bows were strung. Their clothes were medieval, brown and green, with long hair ranging from black to near silver. But it was their faces that stunned, a wild beauty that she had never even dreamed of. Her first thought was that they were reenacting a play, but they were in dead earnest, and not even the most lovely actor could even hope to look like these people, the embodiments of wise and ancient fairness. Trembling, she noted that their ears were leaf-shaped, almost like hers. "Help me!" she cried out, holding up her hands to show she was unarmed. Fear was gripping her like a vice as she realized their arrows were pointed at her. "Please, help me, I don't mean any harm. I just want to go home."

One of the natives stepped forward and searched her and whey he found she was unarmed; he gave the others a nod. Quickly, they realized Estella was not a threat to them, and they lowered their weapons. One of them spoke to one of his companions rapidly in a strange fluid language, that sounded like music. Leaving the group for a minute, he soon returned with someone following him. It was a male, tall, with bright blue eyes and pale gold hair. If Estella hadn't been so frightened, she probably would've been mesmerized by his beauty.

As if sensing her fear, he raised his hands with a brief smile, trying to comfort her. He finally spoke. "My name is Legolas Thranduilion, Prince of Taur-nu-Fuin. Who are you and what is a young Elf doing wandering alone?"

Estella swallowed. "Taur-nu-Fuin? Elf? No! My name is Estella, and I am from Seattle. I do not know how I got here."

Legolas' eyes slitted and turned back to his companions before redirecting his attention to Estella. "I do not know of what you speak, Estella, but you may not wander alone, here. Spiders come fierce and fear us no longer, and they will not hesitate to slay an unarmed Elf such as you. My father will welcome you."

Legolas beckoned, and Estella started to follow him, but the world began to tilt, spinning as darkness encroached over her vision. Legolas caught her before she hit the ground. Cradling her head against his chest, he motioned with his head for the patrol to continue.

*Taur-nu-Fuin is the Elvish word for Mirkwood