SparklesJustReads: Here are those answers. Enjoy!

Mystic Myra 8: Why are you perturbed?

Guest: Thanks for the reviews. You can stop guessing now.

TheGreenTea: All right. Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy it.

pink bunny: Thanks. Keep reading.

jessi: Here's the chapter, so you can stop waiting.

For those of you who couldn't guess, the quote was by Gonzo from "Muppets: Treasure Island."

Disclaimer: I do not own "The Hobbit."

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Chapter 5: Story of the Past

It was one month before Sarah got her answers.

The two elf maidens who had taken care of them when they first arrived, whose names they discovered were Adlanniel and Mirima, found them work to do as they waited. Sometimes they were in the kitchens, other times they worked with the cleaning staff, other times found them working with clothing, and anything else that they could think of. They did have free time, which they used to explore the palace and learn their way around.

They met Legolas occasionally, who was very kind to them. He would ask how they were settling in and what they were doing and what they liked the most about the palace and the elves who lived there. He didn't mention anything that had to do with their first meeting with Thranduil. They didn't see the Elvenking or Gandalf at all during that month. Every time Edana tried to bring them up Legolas would change the subject or politely excuse himself. Sarah was content to wait patiently until Gandalf was ready to talk. She was curious, of course. She just didn't let that curiosity show.

There was one other thing that occupied most of her thoughts. Whenever she was near animals, she could hear their thoughts in her head. She could tell what kind of animal was near even if she couldn't see them. She started being able to sense their individual auras. If you put her in a pen of identical animals, she could pick out which ones she had met before and be able to tell you how long she had known them.

Any animal she met took a liking to her almost immediately, except the ones with very bad attitudes. They all spoke of a copper fire burning in her, but it didn't hurt them as it did the spiders. Sarah tried asking what they meant, but none of them could give her a clear answer. She wasn't able to speak to them in her mind as they could with her, but she was slowly working on it. She made a mental note to ask Gandalf and Thranduil about all of this the next time she saw them.

One month after their arrival, Sarah and Edana were finishing breakfast in their room when Adlanniel and Mirima entered.

"The king has requested the presence of Lady Sarah," Adlanniel said. "As soon as you are dressed, Prince Legolas will escort you."

Their wardrobes since arriving, with the exception of when they were introduced to the Elvenking, consisted of simple dresses, working clothes. They were still of greater quality than anything Sarah had previously owned, though she would have preferred meeting the Elvenking again wearing something other than what she wore to clean floors.

The girls dressed and went outside, where they found Legolas waiting to escort Sarah to his father. Edana was hesitant to let her cousin go alone, but Sarah reassured her. She took the arm Legolas offered and walked with him to Thranduil's private rooms. There, she found Gandalf and the Elvenking.

Gandalf smiled at her and gestured for her to sit on one of the soft couches placed throughout the room before taking a seat across from her. Thranduil was already seated, wearing more casual clothes, switching back and forth from glancing at Sarah to glaring at Gandalf, who ignored him. Legolas took his leave after Sarah was seated. The wizard wasted no time getting started.

"It is quite a long tale," he began, "and I would like to get through as much as I can with as few interruptions as possible."

"I do not care how long your tale is, wizard," Thranduil said, "as long as it gives me the answers I need." He was looking at Sarah again, so he didn't see the glare Gandalf sent his way.

"First of all," Gandalf continued, "I should explain the copper fire the spiders spoke of."

"Not just the spiders," Sarah spoke up. "Every animal I've encountered since coming here has spoken of a copper fire in me." The two men looked at her with curiosity written on their faces. "I can hear their voices in my mind."

"That fire," Gandalf said, "is magic, and magic of the rarest kind in elves: wild magic."

"Animal magic?" The two men once again gave her curious looks.

"You have heard of it?" Gandalf asked.

"There's a story," Sarah began, "where I came from. It's the story of a girl who discovers that her 'knack' with animals is really magic. She can heal them, talk to them telepathically, transform into them. She can also force them to do her will, but she prefers not to. That's what I have?"

"Indeed," Gandalf confirmed. "Your magic is much stronger than what I have seen before, and it will only grow stronger with proper training."

"There have been others with wild magic?" Sarah asked.

"Only one," Gandalf answered. "At least, only one that I know of. Like I said, your magic is rare in elves. The last case was lady who lived many years ago. Her name was Meldamiriel."

"My wife," Thranduil whispered.

Sarah looked at him. She didn't know anything about Thranduil's wife. She had, of course, been curious and searched the internet, but, as Tolkien had never mentioned her, there was really no material to go off of. The only conclusion everyone seemed to come to was that she was dead.

"How is it that I have this magic?" Sarah asked.

"Because Meldamiriel was your mother," Gandalf said.

Sarah's jaw dropped.

"What?"

"I sent you away at your mother's request," Gandalf continued, "and brought you back now because I knew it was safe for you to return."

"But if Meldamiriel was my mother, then that means. . ." Sarah stopped talking and looked at the Elvenking. If his wife was her mother, then that meant Thranduil was her father!

Thranduil turned away from her and pulled his hair to the side, revealing his neck. Visible against his pale skin was a mark: a Celtic knot with an elk's head in the middle. It was the same mark Edana had described was on the back of Sarah's neck.

"This mark began with my father, King Oropher," Thranduil explained as he let his hair down and turned to face her again. "Its purpose is to show those who are of his descent. Legolas has an identical mark." Now she knew why he had looked for it.

Sarah didn't know how to react to this news. Her name meant 'princess,' and now she was finding out that she was one, and that her father was an elf king that she had only read about as a character in a book and seen in movies.

"Why did you not tell me of my daughter's existence, Gandalf?" Thranduil asked angrily. Sarah snapped out of her daze.

"What do you mean 'why didn't he tell you?'" she asked in the same tone. "Why didn't you already know about me?"

"If you'll remember, Thranduil," Gandalf began, "you had been away visiting Rivendell." Thranduil nodded slowly as he remembered. "Between the journey there and back, plus the time you actually spent in Rivendell, you were away for eleven months. Meldamiriel found out not long after you left."

"Why did I not receive word when she did?"

"From what I heard, she wanted to surprise you," Gandalf said with a smile.

"She succeeded," Thranduil said. "But this still does not explain why my daughter was sent away."

"Do you remember that time orcs attacked you on the road and the wargs began acting odd?" Gandalf asked. Thranduil nodded once again. "They saw Meldamiriel's magic, and I believe she actually forced her will on them. The orcs began to fear her power; they rely heavily on wargs as both steeds and soldiers. Someone with wild magic could potentially control their wargs, stopping them from attacking their enemies and possibly convincing them to attack their masters. A small band of them attacked and fatally wounded Meldamiriel late into her pregnancy."

"I remember," Thranduil said quietly. "I returned from Rivendell the day after the attack. I was able to see my wife one last time, for only a few minutes, before she died."

"She had just enough strength to give birth to Sarah and wait to see you again," Gandalf said. "She sent her daughter away because she was afraid that the orcs would hunt down and kill her as well if they found out she had the same magic. She made everyone in the palace swear an oath of secrecy concerning Sarah, and Legolas had gone with you to Rivendell so he did not even know about her."

Thranduil looked at Sarah with tears in his eyes. For a long time, no one said anything. Gandalf finally spoke up.

"Shall I leave the two of you alone?"

"No," Sarah said quickly, standing up. "This is a lot for me to take in. I. . . I need some time."

Without another word, she turned and ran out of the room, not looking back when Thranduil called her name. She just kept running, not caring where she was going. She just had to get away.

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So what did you think? Cyber-cookies if you can guess what book Sarah was referring to.

The name I chose for Thranduil's wife means "dear jewel."

There are images on my deviantart account of these scenes. I keep forgetting to mention that. My account name on that website is ldsbabe. Check them out if you want.

Please review.