Prologue
The winter wind was cold and unforgiving as the elleth stumbled through the snow, clutching a bloodied bundle of cloth tight against her chest. The wounds she had suffered at the evil hands of the monsters behind her were festering, causing her breath to stutter as she stopped briefly underneath a tree, pressing against its comforting bark for warmth.
"My queen, you are dying," The tall and ancient Oak said softly, urgently, but the dark-haired elleth did not reply. Shaking its branches nervously, the tree called out to its friends, hoping that they would hear its warning.
"The queen needs aid. She and the babe will perish if aid is not given," it spoke, and the trees around it quivered in reply.
"The king is coming, but we fear he may be too late. We will try and stave off the orcs arrival, but these are stronger than the others," the other Oaks replied, moving to block the Orcs approach. The elleth had drawn her sword, still holding her child close, her dark grey eyes shining with a power the forest had never seen. The babe within the cloth cried out against the sudden wind that blew through its blanket, and the elleth kissed his head softly, tears falling from her eyes.
"Ssshhh, it will be alright, my green leaf. Your ada is coming," she tried to reassure him, exhaling in relief when the babe's tears stopped, its frail pale hand reaching up to tug on his mother's hair where it had fallen loose from her braid.
The loud bellows and roars from the orcs were coming closer, and with each passing moment the elleth's strength gave out; she had a determination in her that kept her from perishing, however, and it alone kept her heartbeat steady in her chest. The trees were doing their best to stave off the orcs, but the monsters were gaining an advantage, and would soon be upon the mother and child. With dread building within her, the elleth knew she would not be alive much longer. The blood from her injuries pooled around her, and the once fierce light in her eyes dimmed.
"Valar, please. Save my family. Keep them from harm. Let my husband know that I will love him always," she pleaded, looking up to the star-filled sky as the orcs charged into the clearing. As she lifted her sword to defend her and the babe, there was a brilliant flash, and the Orcs screamed as a warrior clad in golden armor appeared before them, brandishing a sword bathed in golden light. With one quick movement, the orcs fell with a screech, disintegrating before they hit the ground. Sheathing his sword, the soldier turned to the dying elleth, his eyes holding millennia of knowledge and wisdom.
"This is not the end for you, daughter of Findekano. You will live again, and return when the time is right," he spoke, his voice like the beating wings of an eagle, and the elleth nodded mutely, the babe in her arms looking at the warrior with curiosity.
With a fearful glance at her child, the mother looked back up at the soldier, who now knelt in front of her.
"The child and his father will be protected. They will face many hardships, but will also find joy in the darkest times. You will see them again," the warrior promised, and with a grateful look, the elleth lowered her infant into the soldier's waiting arms.
"I will love you always, my green leaf," the elleth said, planting one last kiss on the child's head before she closed her eyes, the pain of her injuries fading as she felt herself falling into darkness.
…..
The first thing the girl registered was that her body felt heavy and disoriented. Groaning, she sat up, looking into the very concerned gaze of an unfamiliar woman who knelt in front of her.
"My head hurts," she mumbled as the stranger prodded her head with deft fingers, nodding to a man who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere next to her.
"She has a concussion. We need to get her to the hospital," she spoke quietly, and the man nodded, speaking into a strange black box in his hand.
"What is your name, honey?" The strange woman asked, and the girl shook her head.
"I...I don't know. I...where am I?" she asked, and the man and woman blanched.
"You're in Florence, Oregon, sweetheart. A couple of kids found you lying here about an hour ago and called us. Do you know how you got here?" she asked, and the girl shook her head.
"I don't...I don't know. I don't remember," she cried, trembling, and the woman looked at her in worry.
"Okay, sweetheart. You'll be okay, we just need to get you to the hospital. Can you walk?" she asked her, and the girl nodded. As soon as she stood up, however, her world tilted and she fell, unconsciousness claiming her as the woman caught her.
Unbeknownst to the strangers, a being watched them from the woods nearby, his soft golden eyes locking onto the pale, sleeping face of the once-mighty queen of Greenwood as she was lifted into the ambulance.
"May the Valar protect you, young one," he whispered, disappearing in a flash of light and swallowing the forest in darkness once more.