| An elven maiden is standing on a high cliff overlooking the sea. Her sharp hearing picks up a light rustle in the forest behind her. With such speed that the eye cannot perceive, she pulls an arrow from the wooden quiver on her back and strings it onto her bow. Her shimmering blue eyes seem to penetrate the darkness as she searches for the lurking enemy. A faint voice of evil is heard over a gentle breath of wind that smoothes her long platinum tresses back away from her face. At the sound of the voice, she sends one last penetrating glance at the forest before noiselessly darting into the shadows. As she moves, her necklace, a mithril chain with an emerald leaf pendant, begins to glow, signaling to her that the lurking being is not a foe but a friend. She stops to investigate and perhaps find the friends, for she has been lonely for quite a while, but she cannot help but wonder at the voice she heard. She puts her bow, Isilme, and her arrow back into her quiver and clasps her sword, Aure, by the handle. She sits peacefully at the base of a towering tree and quietly observes, but she is alert and perceptive, as always. In the distance, she hears a voice calling her name. She is on her feet in a flash, ready to face whoever or whatever was moving around in her new home. She has lived in the forest since she was a young elf, and she knows many shortcuts and hidden paths throughout the forest. She followed the sounds as far as she could, while staying elusive to the eyes of beings not native or belonging to these woods. The sight that is before her eyes gives her a mixed sense of relief, curiosity, and fear, for it is an old childhood friend with whom she had shared many adventures. At the same time, she is filled with sadness and regret, for she cannot be in the same world as her friend, Legolas. She is no longer just Adriana of Mirkwood, for when the voice of evil calls to her, clear and strong, she becomes Anata of the Forest, servant of the Dark Lord, Sauron. Adriana is an expert at hiding her emotions, and shows no trace of sadness as she emerges from the dark shadows of the trees. She greets her friend, Legolas, who she hasn't seen in over 2000 years, with a warm greeting of, "Elen sila lumenn omentilmo," or in the common tongue, "A star shall shine on the hour of our meeting." She and Legolas had grown up together in the lovely forests of Mirkwood, but now she could never go back , for Anata of the Forest would not be welcome there. |
