A/N: This is my first LotR fic- what can I say? I've been inspired by some wonderful authors. I'm sure I've gotten a few details wrong (and I'm sure I'll keep getting things wrong in the later chapters) so please be patient with me. Constructive criticism is appreciated but no flames please (what's the point, really?) So please - R/R!

Disclaimer: Legolas, Mirkwood, etc all belong to J.R.R Tolkien. Karalynn is my creation.

*The phrases and most of the titles used in this story are from "Alice in Wonderland"

by Lewis Carroll.

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Chapter One: Down the Rabbit Hole

( "Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual.

I wonder if I've been changed in the night?

Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning?

I almost think I can remember feeling a little different.

But if I'm not the same, the next question is, Who in the world am I?

Ah, that's the great puzzle!" )*

She slowly became conscious of disembodied voices floating in the space above her head. At first she thought that they were dream voices- figments of her still half-unconscious mind. They weren't so much voices as they were a song- musical and melodic sounds that formed words.

Words that she was beginning to understand.

"...found her...."

"...sleeping? In the dirt? In the middle of..."

" ...no weapons... "

"...young... human... but strange, I can not... "

" ...perhaps she's lost then and.... "

Everything was dark, pitch black and she could see nothing. She heard birds chirping in the distance and the faint rustle of leaves. A soft cool breeze seemed to spread over her face and for a moment she simply lay there, taking in everything she could in the darkness.

Am I blind? she asked herself.

Am I.....

( ...Who am I?... )

At that thought, her eyes fluttered open and she gasped in agony at the sudden shock of bright sunlight searing her still fragile vision.

"She has awakened!" a male voice said to the right of her. She lifted up her arm and covered her eyes, blinking rapidly in an effort to dissolve the pain there.

She struggled to sit up when she realized that she was partly surrounded by three young....

Three young...

( ...?... )

Men?

Women?

She raised her head, still shielding her eyes and looked up, confused. They were tall, even from her lowered place on the ground she could tell that they were of no ordinary (but what is ordinary?) height. They looked human but of what sex, she wasn't sure. Two of them had long blonde hair that went down past their broad shoulders. The third one, the one standing in the middle, had light brown hair worn in the same fashion as the other two. Their faces were delicate and oddly fragile seeming, as if they had been carved out of white marble stone. She could not quite see their features but she had the impression of an ethereal sort of beauty. It was more of a feeling than anything else. An aura of calm observance hung about them and for a moment she thought...

( ...Angels?... )

But then dismissed it as she looked at their clothing. They all wore green and brown clothing that seemed oddly old-fashioned to her. A tunic, leggings and boots.

All three had bows and a quiver of arrows slung across their backs.

( ...Robin Hood... )

She frowned as the strange name floated up to her thoughts. She had no idea what that meant. She went back to studying the trio who stood before her.

Broad shoulders.

They were men, then.

Men with the faces of angels.

They looked down on her kindly, though without smiling and she felt safe. That was strange though. She felt no fear as these men looked down on her and yet she felt as if she should be frightened. Or at least on guard.

"My lady." the blonde one to her left said finally. "We found you here in the forest apparently sleeping. You have no trace of any wounds, as far as we can see, but we thought it best not to touch you for fear of seeming disrespectful. We suspect that you have been here for a few hours."

He glanced at the other blonde man who spoke next, in a hesitant tone.

"There are no signs of an attack or a struggle and we thought that..."

He tilted his head to the side and looked at her curiously.

"Have you lost your way, my lady?" he asked, after a moment. "We would be happy to escort you back to your traveling group. Or even back to your village if you so..."

"Village?" she repeated.

Village.

That didn't seem right.

The man frowned and glanced at the two other men. He looked back down at her.

"Your town?" he said and she slowly shook her head. It just didn't feel right. Those terms seemed... seemed... archaic.

But she didn't know why.

"What is your name then?" the brown haired one asked.

( "I shall only look up and say "Who am I then?

Tell me that first, and then, if I like being that person, I'll come up:

if not, I'll stay down here till I'm somebody else"--but, oh dear!' cried Alice,

with a sudden burst of tears.... )

She frowned. Where had that come from? She felt a very faint twinge of panic race through her body.

"I don't know." she whispered. "I don't know who I am."

The three all looked at each other and though their features remained impassive, she sensed that they were growing anxious. They began to speak quietly to each other. Their voices were too soft to be heard and so she looked down at herself and wondered at her clothing. She was not dressed like the men and that felt right to her. Their clothing was strange; not hers. She wore black pants and boots and when she looked down at her torso, she saw that she was wearing a dark red shirt underneath a long gray coat.

Simple. Neat. And comfortingly familiar.

She reached up and touched her head. Her hair felt soft and smooth. She moved her hand down its surface and grabbed a few strands bringing them up to her eyes so that she could see.

She had black hair.

Long black hair.

"Let us escort you back to the palace. We will be able to help you there perhaps even figure out who you are. It shall grow dark soon and these woods are no place for a young woman to be alone in."

She looked up, startled at the sound of the voice. She had been so caught up in her discovery of her hair color that she had nearly forgotten they were there. It had been the blonde man who had spoken first. He bent down and held out his hand to her, smiling slightly. His large eyes were a deep shade of blue and she felt comforted by the kindness she saw in their depths.

"Palace?" she repeated. She realized that she was repeating almost everything they said and cleared her throat, slightly embarrassed. "What palace? Where?"

The man looked back at his companions briefly and then looked back at her.

"Do not be afraid." he said softly. "We mean you no harm, dear lady. We only wish to help you."

She looked down at his hand, still outstretched and released the strands of her hair. She tentatively placed her hand in his and was surprised at how soft his skin was.

One thing she could remember- men did not usually have such soft skin.

He pulled her up to her feet easily and she was surprised to see that she was almost at eye level with him. He seemed to have noticed it too for she could swear that she saw a hint of surprise in his eyes.

Perhaps these men weren't as tall as she had originally thought. Or perhaps she was taller than most women.

"My name is Legolas." he said, pointing to himself. "Legolas Greenleaf."

He gestured to the brown haired man.

"That is Faran Silverfall." he said and then gestured to the other blonde man. "And that is his brother, Fortinbas."

"Faran and Fortinbas." she repeated slowly. The names sounded strange; foreign. She rolled them around on her tongue, getting a feel for the stretched vowels. Yes, these names were different from the ones she was used to even though she couldn't remember the ones she was used to in the first place.

"Are you able to walk?" Legolas asked, a trace of worry in his voice. "Do you feel any pain in your legs?"

She took a step forward and shook her head.

"I can walk." she said simply and Legolas nodded at his other two companions.

"We shall be off then." he said, beginning to move forward. "It is only a short distance from here and night falls soon."

She followed them, looking around often to marvel at the immensely tall trees surrounding them. They were patient with her, it seemed that they indulged her as a parent would a child as she walked a foot or so behind them, taking in the beauty of the forest. There was something strange about the way the men moved- something that felt odd and out of place with her sense of normalcy but she pushed it away as she looked around. She felt a faint tugging in her mind, as if she had seen trees before though not like these. She had been in a forest before, she was sure of it- but this....

This was different.

The very air seemed to be alive as it caressed her and the trees seemed to emanate a sense of consciousness as she moved passed them. This was a new place and she suddenly realized that she did not belong here.

The thought bothered her and she frowned deeply.

( ...Where do I belong then?... )

As she mulled over this new and disturbing thought, her foot rolled over a small branch and she felt herself falling forward, forward...

But she never hit the ground.

Legloas seemed like a blur as he whirled around and caught her in his arms, pressing her against his body in a sudden, unexpected embrace. Her heart pounded in her chest as she glanced up in surprise at not hitting the forest floor. He had been so quick!

She turned her head and opened her mouth to thank him when she saw it.

His ear.

( ...oh God, oh God, not human... )

It was small and delicate, like the rest of his features and the curve of his lobe was normal except for...

( ...not human! not human!... )

...the fact that it sloped gently upwards in a pointed tip. Her eyes widened in shock and she saw herself reflected in his eyes. She jerked back violently and Legolas was forced to let her go. He, Faran, and Fortinbas looked on, alarmed as she stumbled backwards. Her heart leapt into her throat and her chest grew constricted with absolute fright. Her eyes darted from one man to the other, noticing for the first time their pointed ears.

And realizing that they had made no sound as they walked- not even a twig had been broken underneath their silent feet.

These two thoughts slammed into her mind with such force that she moaned.

"My lady, please, don't..." Legolas stepped forward and she moved away, inadvertantly hitting a tree trunk with her back.

"No! Don't come near me!" she cried out.

Her eyes looked around frantically, looking for a way to escape.

"You have no reason to fear us..." Faran said. His formerly expressionless face was now pained as he moved towards her and she held out her hand to keep him away from her.

Legolas nodded at him and Faran stopped.

"You're not human!" she screamed out. Now she was afraid. The small tremor of panic she felt earlier had risen and grown up to full-pledged terror. She did not know who she was nor where she was nor where she had been but those issues were nothing compared to the ones that were looking at her now. Creatures like those... things?... were not supposed to exist- she was sure of that. They were not real but somehow these creatures were.

How could that be?

"No, we are not human." Legolas said gently. "We thought that you knew this. Please don't be frightened of us. We have not harmed you and we will not, I give you my word as...."

"Oh God, oh God!" she moaned, bringing her hand to her forehead. "This is some horrible dream, right? A nightmare? I'll wake up and I'll know who I am and... you're not human! You're not human! What are you?"

"Elves." Legolas said, in the same soft and gentle voice. He took a step forward and held out his palms to her in a gesture of peace. "We are elves, the.."

But she did not hear his next words.

She blacked out.

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A/N: So what does everyone think so far?