Chapter 1
Darkness, it was the first thing Falathiel felt as she awoke. It was cold, like an iceberg growing inside of her. She sat up looking around her, wondering where she was. It was late at night, for darkness drenched the land, but Falathiel could see perfectly. She started to worry; for she did not know this place, not of how she got here. All around here were tall, sturdy trees and beautiful flowers and plants; yet the place seemed dangerous, tense, as if it were waiting for its prey. Falathiel decided to look around and see what she would find; but as soon as she stood up, a searing pain shot through her head and left leg. She sat back down again and examined the leg. The sight was awful, her leg was cut and the cut was deep, nearly to the bone, Falathiel felt another sharp stab of pain in her head. Her eyes shut until she felt calm enough to get up.

Next to Falathiel was a branch which seemed good enough to use as a walking stick to lean on. Using the stick, she got up and started walking to the North, hoping the moon would give her enough light.

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After an hour of walking, Falathiel noticed that because of her leg, she did not walk far at all. She was exhausted yet kept on going, hoping that she would find some sign of civilization. Suddenly a glint of metal caught her eye. Falathiel walked towards it out of curiosity and noticed that it was an arrow, and a very beautiful one at that. The arrowhead was pure silver with elaborate lines and runes. The wood of which the arrow was made was dark and strong. The feathers at the bottom of the arrow were yellow and green and very elaborate. It was stuck in a tree, so Falathiel took some time to pull it out to examine it. When she finally got it out and began examining it, a voice behind her said, “I see that you have found one of my arrows.”

Chapter 2
Falathiel spun around and saw a tall young man smiling comfortingly at her. He had long, blonde hair, beautiful blue eyes, and a bow with a quiver full of arrows.

He walked towards Falathiel with a worried look on his face, “You are hurt, and frightened. Please, let me help.”  The man helped her sit down and examined her leg. “This wound is deep, far too deep for my skills. I shall take you to my Kingdom, Mirkwood, for there my father will be able to heal you. I will use a special type of plant to help ease the pain, but it will sting at first. We must hurry, for there are creatures in this forest I would not like to encounter.”

As he tended to her wound, Falathiel gazed in amazement at the young man. He was just a stranger, yet he acted like she was a hurt long-lost friend. “Forgive me,” the man said, snapping Falathiel out of her daze, “In the rush I have forgotten to introduce myself. I am Legolas Greenleaf, son of Thranduil, and Prince of Mirkwood. What is your name?”
“My name is Falathiel Moonstone; it is an honour to meet you, your majesty.”

Legolas smiled and said, “Please, call me Legolas. You name is a very beautiful one, Falathiel. You are very lucky for that.”

“Thank you. Your name is quite nice too; it reminds me of the forests and woods. Your arrows and your bow are breathtakingly beautiful; I haven’t seen any like them.”

“They were made in Lothlorien, by highly skilled Elves.”

Falathiel looked at Legolas in confusion, she never heard of Lothlorien or Mirkwood and she didn’t know anything about Elves. Legolas caught her eye and horror spread across his face.

“You do not know of Lothlorien nor Mirkwood, do you? You do not know of Elves, Dwarves, or Hobbits. In fact, you do not even know of Middle-Earth, is that right?”

Falathiel nodded slowly and said in a small voice, “You are right. I know not of how I came here, all I remember is darkness. I need help though I do not know where to get it.”

Legolas stroked her hair comfortingly, “I shall give you the help you deserve. You are a beautiful and intelligent young woman. You, of all people, deserve help. Come; let us go to my kingdom. Quickly, for unknown dangers dwell in these forests.”

Legolas helped Falathiel get up and she noticed that her leg hurt a lot less now. “Thank you,” she said, “It is not often that I find people of your kindness and generosity.”

Legolas smiled down at her and said, “Think nothing of it. You needed help and I provided it. The road is too long for you to walk with your injured leg, it will become worse.”

“What do you suggest we do then?”

Without answering her question, Legolas lifted Falathiel up into his strong arms, “I’m suggesting that you get some sleep while I do all the worrying for you. Rest my dear, just rest.”

Falathiel rested her head against his chest, letting the steady beat of his heart wash away all her worries. Faintly, very faintly, she heard Legolas singing softly in a high, clear voice. Within minutes, Falathiel was sound asleep in Legolas’ arms.

To be continued…

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