Title:Under the Innumerable Stars
Author:Earwen of Alqualonde
Rating:PG
Feedback:undomiel_evariel@hotmail.com

A/n:  Ariel in elvish is Erurawien. Meaning: “ lion of God”  I have decided to put 
the prologue and chapter 1 as one chapter.


Prolougue
Ariel Silverstar knew nothing about her real parents, except that they abandoned 
her, or so her adoptive mother claimed.

She was contented and satisfied with life… or was she?

Sometimes she felt a yearning that was inexplicable, and grew stronger as each 
year passed, till it was beyond comprehension. It was as though she did not 
belong to this entire realm, but somewhere else, and something in her sensed her 
real father was actually alive.

Ariel enjoyed and excelled in archery, and wounded prides of countless men 
who did not wish to be bested by her. And many thought it strange she rode 
horses without a saddle, and seemed to have an affinity with them.

She was teased frequently at school because of her pointed ears but she liked 
them, believing they were a link to her parentage and strangely enough, she 
never grew ill with disease. When she was supposedly 50 years old she still felt 
and looked like a 15 year old. But not once in her life did she view herself 
differently from the race of Men, as she thought herself as one of them. 

And there were always vague memories of fair faces and voices. She tried to 
figure out what they were but they slipped through her fingers like gossamer 
thread before she could grasp them. 

The most puzzling of most mysteries was the white gem that was found on her, 
she fingered it, loving the way it felt- cool and solid in her palm… and something 
seemed to be calling out to her, drawing her, but Ariel could not fathom what it 
was.


It was a cloudless summer night and the sky sparkled bright with innumerable 
stars. Feeling a sudden desire to feel the white crystal, Ariel held it out. 

And she saw…

She saw Evariel, sister star to Undomiel fall out of the night sky, and settled into 
the crystal.

Ariel clasped it to her heart, and she was pulled into Middle Earth, where she 
originally belonged, never to be seen in the world she came from again.

                                                   _______________________


Chapter 1
       
“That hurts” thought Ariel as she slowly opened her eyes. Her hand unclenched, 
to reveal the crystal. Putting it back on the silver chain around her neck, she 
surveyed the surroundings.

She looked around in wonder. The forest she was in was unlike anything she had 
seen before. Dark and menacing it seemed, and hidden dangers lurking 
everywhere. But Ariel did not know the peril she was in, unaware that she was 
in Mirkwood, a few leagues east from the distant realm of King Thranduil. 

“Eru help me, where am I?”

There was nothing to do except to walk till help was found. With no food, no 
water, and no idea of where she was, the prospects looked grim to Ariel.

For hours she trudged on, till she came to the edges of Mirkwood. Worn out 
from walking all morning, she came across a band of the ugliest and most 
gruesome creatures she ever saw.

Instinctively taking a step back, she stumbled over a rock and fell backwards, 
injuring her shoulder as it hit a sharp edge.
 
“What do we have here?” sneered a voice. She was roughly hauled up for 
inspection.
The creatures were distinctively familiar, and brought back haunting memories. 
They were bow- legged, foul to look upon, and Ariel was repulsed by their 
stench and disgusted by the leering looks on their faces. At the moment there 
were ten of them.

“An elf, but does not seem to belong here.: The leader noted thoughtfully.

“Bah! Who cares! So long there’s fresh meat for us to eat!” said another.

“Yea!” several nodded in agreement. At this Ariel mustered all the strength she 
had left to formulate an escape plan.

“We will bring her…” before the leader could voice his decision, he bent over 
and dropped to the ground, as if been dealt a blow from behind. A gray 
feathered arrow sticking out of his back. One by one the creatures fell to arrows 
and Ariel heard a thundering of hooves.

Due to years of experience with horses she could tell it was only one horse 
approaching, so the rider must be an excellent archer, she noted.

Soon only one of her captors was left standing. It started to run away but was 
trapped between a stony cliff and Ariel’s savior.

A pure gray horse appeared but it was not the steed that strikes Ariel’s interest 
but the rider.

He was tall, had golden hair and the same leaf-shaped ears Ariel had. He moved 
with a grace that left Ariel spellbound just looking at him. Drawing a knife, he 
slew the last of the revolting creatures, before turning his attention to Ariel.

Ariel stared into a pair of blue grayish eyes and felt a queer feeling in her 
stomach.

He. Was. Gorgeous.

As he cut the bonds that bound her, Ariel found his nearness unsettling, and he 
smelled of fresh pine, before chiding herself on thinking such thoughts. 

“You are an elf, yet you dress strangely.” Ariel looked down at her blue evening 
gown, now stained with mud and soil. 

“Where am I and why did you say I was an elf?”

“You are in Mirkwood, in the realm of my father and you do not even know you 
are an elf?” He asked incredulously. “Who are you, and what business draws 
you to Mirkwood?”

“I am Ariel Silverstar. She surprised herself by saying, never in her life did she 
hear the name “Silverstar”. “And I was lost in the woods, till I was attacked by 
some creatures…who were they any way?”

“Orcs. I shall take you to my father at once, I see you are weary and wounded.”
Climbing up a horse, he offered a hand, which Ariel hesitatingly took, and she 
was hauled up in front of him.

“And who, pray tell are you?”

“Legolas Greenleaf.”

Legolas curiosity was aroused. He had been patrolling the borders of Mirkwood 
when he came across Ariel. Very fair was she, and bore a somewhat resemblance 
to Arwen Evenstar. Silverstar, that sounded familiar, but Legolas could not quite 
place his finger on what it was. 
He was especially drawn to her eyes, they were silver, the exact shade of color 
the mallorn leaves were, so intriguing. 

Ariel was not used to sitting in front of a horse while someone else rode. She 
mused, so she was an elf. In a way it made sense, the way she always felt out of 
place in the world of men, and those pointy ears of hers were not a deformity, 
but were signs that she was of elvish heritage. 
Does that mean she would be able to trace her parents here? After all, this was 
where she came from originally, where she was born.  But why did they abandon 
her? Maybe her questions would be answered soon.
But for the moment, fatigue and weariness overcame her, and though she tried 
her best not to lean on Legolas, she soon dozed against his chest. Ariel felt a 
strange sense of warmth and security she had never experienced before she slept.

As he tightened his hold on the sleeping maiden, Legolas caught a faint whiff of 
cinnamon and honey. She was the most beautiful she-elf he ever met.
Forcing his thoughts away to his father, King Thranduil.

The King of Mirkwood wanted his son to be prepared to take over the ruling of 
his kingdom, but Legolas dreaded the day he would be made King. He yearned 
for adventure and battle. Even a band of rebellious goblins and orcs would have 
been welcome, but none of them obliged to even invade the kingdom. 
The idea of being tied down to the ruling of Mirkwood and behave as a king 
should does not appeal with him.
The chance of adventure presented itself when a messenger from the house of 
Elrond came and requested for a representative. Legolas readily agreed to go. He 
was to set out for Imladris soon.
It was said Isildur’s bane had resurfaced and a council was to be held to decide 
what to do with it. He was chosen to represent the elves. 
Legolas was waiting in breathless anticipation.


End of Chapt 1