Author's Note: I own none of Tolkien's amazing characters or universe, but I do own New Greenwood and all original characters. This story takes place in the modern-day and is based on the premise that several ships that set sail for Valinor somehow missed their mark and landed in North America. The Elven history and lore in the story is taken from a mixture of book, movie, and imagination. Thus, if you are a literalist, this might not be the most enjoyable story for you to read.

###

Duty and honor fall away;

And lay discarded among the dead and dying.

That which once seemed all-important

Is all but forgotten.

Everything changes.

Suddenly, home is near.

- The Prophesy of Elrohir (translated), Summer 1979

###

The pounding on the door came 3 hours before sunrise, and Haldir nearly dropped the fine crystal goblet of water he held in his hand. As it was, the cold liquid sloshed over his fingers and onto his plush robe as he placed it on the kitchen counter and turned quickly toward the door.

"Pilinir?" he called, and heard the captain of his personal guard respond. Rapid footsteps descended the staircase, followed by those belonging to five more. Still, the tall, golden-haired Elf laid one hand on the dagger he always kept at his side, waiting to hear who was there. Thanks to years of diplomacy during his term as Prime Minister, the eminent danger of the rebellion had finally passed two years before. Still, one couldn't be too careful at this hour.

He heard the click of the locks and the squeak of the doorknob, then some shuffling, and Pilinir's voice, "My Lord Aspen, what brings you here so late at night?"

The answer was spoken in a low, urgent tone. "I must see Haldir at once."

Haldir's stance relaxed, and he smiled. The prince's voice sounded so much like his father's – and it seemed ages since Haldir had last seen Legolas. He strode into the foyer to see the tall, broad-shouldered younger elf. Aspen's gold-bronze hair was full and wavy, pulled into a quick ponytail at the nape of his neck; his desert-tan army uniform was sharp, as if he'd only just thrown it on, brand new, without washing it. "Aspen, lad! To what do I owe the-"

"I'm sorry, Uncle. There is no time for pleasantries." The younger man's cobalt eyes were serious, though he smiled. "We have found her."

Being called "Uncle" warmed Haldir's heart, for Aspen was no real relation to him save through marriage. His wife had been a distant cousin of Aspen's mother. "You have found…?"

"Your daughter," said the prince. "We leave in 20 minutes to retrieve her."

"Tathariel?" The smile faded from Haldir's face. His eyes grew wide, and he laid his hands on Aspen's shoulders. All of the sensation in his body seemed to flee through the floor, save from the painful wrench of his heart. He had been waiting for this news for a year now. All of the other children who had been removed during the rebellion had been brought home in the past year, save his own, and he'd nearly lost hope that she still lived. "You do not jest."

"Would I jest on so dear a subject?" asked Aspen, handing over a thick manila envelope. "Tathariel was well-hidden from the rebellion and from us. Less than a week after I delivered her across the border to US government agents twenty-six years ago, she was adopted by an American army general; Michael Avery, and his wife, Linda. He currently works at the Pentagon. Added to the fact that she herself is an army medic deployed to Iraq, you can imagine the delays this caused in our search. Uncle, are you quite well?"

Haldir had stepped backward and stumbled into a chair. Reaching out to touch the lamp on the desk next to him and bringing it to life, he tore into the envelope. "You are telling me that my adolescent daughter is currently working in a war zone? She… she's 26… if the Awakening has not begun yet, it will soon. And she has no idea, I'm sure… she thinks she is human."

"That, and her physical safety, is why we must not delay. I wanted you to hear it from me. There are 10 of us going. The Pentagon has been contacted and orders have been issued. Her adoptive father was quite cooperative. We will have her home within 48 hours."

"Lieutenant, the chopper has landed," said one of the soldiers that accompanied Aspen. He had an earpiece and a clipboard.

"Do you have medical support?" asked Haldir. The last child to be extracted from active duty was King Legolas' youngest son Rowan, and he almost did not make it home. His convoy had been hit by an IED hours before the removal team had arrived. From what Haldir had heard, the young prince was still was having trouble settling in, though his wounds had mostly healed.

"Sgt. Thalion has volunteered to accompany us," said Aspen.

Haldir nodded, rising to his feet once more, and opening a drawer in the little desk. Out of it, he pulled a small envelope, sealed. "Go quickly. Give this to her, when you find her…. I'd almost lost hope. It's been nearly 3 months since your brother came home, and nothing since then…." Joy and anticipation began to creep in where there had only been desperate hope before. "I'll… I'll get things ready here."

Aspen's smile grew and reached his eyes. "Adar* hopes that you will come to see him soon. He is returning from the Coast early tomorrow to spend some time here at the Baen Orod**. My father has missed the mountains."

"I will," answered Haldir, "Now go safely. Bring her back to me, but watch yourself as well!"

With a slight bow, Aspen backed out of the house. "It will be as you say."

"My Lord?" a voice spoke from the group of soldiers behind Aspen.

"Yes, Sgt.?" Haldir recognized Thalion as soon as he stepped into the light; Elladan's top medical student. His daughter would be safe in his hands, come what may.

"I took the liberty of contacting my sister Faraeth as you and I discussed before. She's on her way from Elenor City."

"Yes, excellent! To help Tathariel settle in. Thank you Thalion."

The medic bowed. "She will be here shortly after sunrise I think. Try not to worry. All should go smoothly."

A few moments later, as Haldir stood with the manila envelope in his hand, he heard the chopper lift off carrying the New Greenwood Army special unit to the airport some 90 miles away.

###

"I hear you've been having some trouble sleeping," said Major Ellis, sitting down across from one of his medics. His stethoscope clunked against the table and he sighed. This was the first he'd been able to sit down all day, and he'd forgotten to leave the infernal thing back in his office.

Mia Avery jolted back to awareness from the waking dream she had been having over her lunch and looked up at her commanding officer. She'd been walking in a green forest, in the mountains. She had felt so full of joy; so complete; and there had been a man in front of her on the path with long, golden hair, wearing a gray-green cloak…. The man spoke in a foreign tongue that she could not quite place, with a voice that sounded like music. She'd had the dream countless times over the past couple of months, but every time she thought she might see the man's face, she either woke or was interrupted.

She set down her fork. "Andra told you, didn't she?"

"Doesn't matter who told me, Avery. I've noticed you've been distracted too, and that's not like you. What's going on? Trouble at home? Trouble here?"

Mia shook her head. This strange dreaminess was so unlike her that she hardly knew what to think. "I wish I could say. I don't know. Unless I've just worked a double, it's just really hard for me to sleep. I lay awake. I've been having this repetitive dream – sometimes even when I'm awake, and… I feel this strange…energy." She stopped, afraid she'd already said too much. "But I'm OK. Really."

He looked at her for a long moment. "I want you in for a full physical day after tomorrow, oh-eight-hundred hours. I can't afford to lose you when we're already short handed."

"Yes, sir," she answered, her spirit falling. "I hate to be any trouble."

"It's no trouble. It's my job," he replied and stood up. Before he'd even left the room, he looked back to see her gazing out the window at the sky, as if she was a million miles away.

###

Haldir dismissed his guards and retrieved his half-spilled glass of water before retiring to the living room. He brightened the lights a bit, so he could read, and sat down with the documents that Aspen had left for him.

He sighed, glancing up at the portrait of his deceased wife on the wall. She had succumbed to grief just months after their daughter had been taken away. While he had held fast to the hope of reunion, his wife simply could not. Haldir had lost them both, and the pain was nearly too much to bear even now.

He turned his attention to the envelope, taking a long draw of water before pulling the pile of papers out. There, on top, was a computer printout of a photo of his daughter. Tathariel stood tall and proud, as a soldier should, in front of the Stars and Stripes. She wore the dress blues of a United States Soldier, her dark chestnut hair barely peeking out from beneath her cap. She looked at first glance, for all the world, like her mother. But, she had Haldir's cerulean eyes. The date beneath the photo told him it was taken nearly two years ago.

Ai, she was beautiful, and still just a child. The thought that she was deployed struck terror into his heart.

"Specialist Mia Elizabeth Avery," he read out quietly. "At least they gave her a pretty name." She was an army medic, combat-trained, and had distinguished herself once during her first deployment by…

Haldir almost couldn't bear to read it. She had put herself in the line of fire to save the life of a fallen comrade. And, she'd done similar more than once on her current deployment. Each time she was attached to a combat unit, which thankfully was not often, it seemed that something dramatic would happen.

Warfare was far more treacherous now than it had been in Haldir's years as Marchwarden of Lorien. Now one's enemy could attack from a far distance and with no risk to themselves. Now an entire unit could be decimated in the blink of an eye. It was horrifying. He tried not to dwell on it.

Haldir read on to find that his daughter had just finished leadership training and was due for a promotion. As a corporal, she would become a shift leader, in charge of 5 other medics. It was almost beyond comprehension.

Flipping through the packet of papers, he found her high school transcripts, and those from another school – The Total Bodywork Institute in Virginia Beach, Virginia. She'd been half a day's drive away from him during her time there. So close! She'd graduated, received her license to practice massage therapy, and then, mere weeks after 9/11, she had enlisted in the army. Just like any proud general's daughter would have done.

There was another picture of her there, yanked from the massage school's web site, it appeared. She was laying down on a long sheet of newsprint wearing jeans and a pink t-shirt that said "peace, love, massage." Her long, wavy hair was pulled back in a ponytail atop her head. Her classmates were tracing her, and she was laughing.

So lovely. So young. At her age, he had been so carefree. The thought of war had never even occurred to him. It wasn't until he'd reached 50 that the Lorien Guard had even approached him.

"Elbereth***," he whispered, "Protect her."

###

Mia had never thought much about Elves until two of them showed up the next day at the end of her second double shift that week. She was standing at the sink, scrubbing up after assisting with a surgery when she saw two of them round the corner leading to her CO's office. Wearing the desert-tan army uniforms common to their people, all long sleek lines and angles, they made quite a contrast to the rumpled pajama look of the US Army's ACU's. Their golden hair, long and tucked behind leaf-shaped ears, gleamed even in the unkind fluorescent light of the field hospital. They were beautiful: tall and lithe; youthful in appearance, but Mia knew they were ancient. There had been no Elves born for several hundred years according to her high school history book. She couldn't take her eyes off of those shining tresses until the two men were out of her sight.

She had to admit she was slightly jealous. She'd been deployed long enough now that she craved nothing more than soft, feminine clothing, a little makeup, maybe some nice shoes. Anything but combat boots. Most of all, she missed letting her hair tumble in dark waves down around her face and past her shoulders. As an army medic, hair was required to remain hidden at all times under her cap. Just one of many sacrifices she made for her work. Even the subtle makeup allowed her was hard to get in Iraq, so she'd given up wearing it.

"Hey, Avery," came a low voice from behind her.

Mia turned to see Spc. David Yeltz, a fellow medic, headed right for her. She stepped aside, allowing him access to the sink as she dried her hands. "Yeah."

"Dude, how'd you know there was more shrapnel in there? You couldn't possibly have seen it."

Mia shifted her weight onto her other foot, uncomfortable. "I don't know… Just a feeling I guess."

"The captain said it would have eventually paralyzed the patient if it had been left in. Good job."

"Thanks," she said, knowing that she had seen it. Just… not in the same way she typically saw things. She guessed she would have to try to explain it to Major Ellis the next morning at her physical.

Spc. Yeltz was called away, but he looked at her with a bit of awe as he left.

Mia shook her head slowly. What on earth was happening to her? The dreams were troubling enough, but these short bursts of being able to see things that others couldn't were beginning to make her wonder if she was losing her mind. Was it the stress? Surely not – she'd come through her first deployment unscathed, for the most part.

This deployment was different, though. Busier. It seemed there was always a shortage of medical personnel, and they had been working at least one double shift per week for the past three months. She was just coming off of her double, starving because it'd been a busy one and she had not had time to eat more than a handful of trail mix in about 10 hours. She shook her head again, walking past her CO's office toward the mess hall.

"Yes, I received the email from Command. I'm waiting for their response to my protest. You cannot take her. We cannot spare her! You will simply have to wait until replacements arrive next month!" Mia paused as she heard the raised voice of Major Ellis through the door. She could hear the firm but soft-spoken reply of the two Elves inside. "You have your orders, and we are sorry for the inconvenience. However, it cannot be avoided," one of them said. Beyond that the words were heavily accented and indistinguishable. She sighed, wondering who was being reassigned this time and how they would possibly be able to cover those shifts.

It was a short walk across the compound to the mess hall, but even spring in the desert was quite warm and she had broken a light sweat by the time she arrived there. She stood aside at attention as a group of her superiors exited the building. One nodded to her, and as soon as they were a few paces away she entered and stopped dead in her tracks as a group of about eight more Elves sitting near the door caught sight of her and stood, all of them gazing at her with curiosity bright in their eyes.

"What the-"

"Don't sweat it," called Andra, her bunkmate, from a nearby table. "They've done that to every woman who's walked in here. Come on over. I got you a tray."

Tearing her eyes from the group of Elves and trying to look stern, she sidled over and sat, startled when the Elves were seated in unison with her, still staring.

"I think it's a cultural thing," said Andra, sliding the food over to her bunkmate. "I've been to the spas in New Greenwood, and they're all about chivalry. A little disconcerting if you're not used to it." She paused. "Lord, but that one on the end there is gorgeous."

It only took a split second for Mia to figure out which one her friend meant. He had dark, dark hair, long and silken-straight, and pale blue eyes that were full of questions. Goosebumps rose on Mia's arms as he met her gaze and held it for a long moment. He looked at the name patch on her uniform – though there were very few people she knew that would be able to read it at that distance. Then he smiled at her and began to stand, but the man next to him pushed him back down. A heated, whispered exchange followed in their own language.

"What are they saying?" asked Andra.

"Can't understand them," answered Mia, digging into her food. "I assume they're speaking Elvish. What are they doing here?"

Andra shrugged, watching her friend shovel the food down without tasting it. Not that it was worth tasting.

"Hey. Some of the guys are having a poker tournament tonight. Starts in a couple minutes. You want to go?"

Mia shook her head. "Thanks, but no. Lights out for me. I've been on for 24 hours straight. Time for some sleep."

"You don't even look tired. I don't know how you do it," muttered her friend, looking away, toward the game room.

"I might not look it, but I feel it, I assure you. You go ahead," she said, grinning. "I can fend off the pretty-boys on my own."

Both of them laughed, and Andra stood and left for the Poker tournament.

Mia tried not to look back over at the group of foreigners as she finished her food. It really was strange to see them here. The Eldar, as the Elves liked to call themselves, were on very friendly terms with the United States. As well they should be. Their tiny nation, New Greenwood, shared borders with Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and Carolina. However, to her knowledge, they were not listed among the allies fighting alongside the US in this conflict.

As she stood with her tray to deposit it at the washing station, the doors opened and Major Ellis entered, looked around, and spotted her. "There she is, gentlemen, just as I thought." He was followed by the other two Elves.

"Avery!" shouted the Major across the crowded room.

She set the tray back down and stood at attention as the small group approached. At least she'd gotten to eat. Apparently sleep would have to wait. "Sir?"

"This Is Lt. Aspen, New Greenwood Army." He motioned to the sandy-haired Elf. "And Sgt. Thalion. You have 30 minutes to pack your things. You'll be going with these gentlemen."

"I'll be ready in fifteen, sir."

"Excellent," he said, handing her an envelope. "These are your orders. They will explain everything. You've been an asset to the team, Specialist. Your father should be proud."

"Thank you, sir." She paused for only a split second. "Sir, if I may ask a question?"

"Yes?"

"Where are you sending me?"

Major Ellis opened his mouth to answer, but at that very moment there was a commotion at the doorway, followed by an enormous explosion from the direction of the kitchen. Mia knew only a deafening pop followed by an earth shaking roar and the sound of shattering glass. She had no idea how much time had passed when she came to, face-down on the floor with one of the mess hall tables top-down, on top of her. As she regained her senses, there was a brief moment of silence, and then screams and yelling and general pandemonium interspersed with gunfire.

Feeling no pain, Mia pushed herself up onto all fours, toppling the table off of her. She stayed low, out of the smoke and hopefully out of the line of fire. Major Ellis was on the floor nearby, dazed but conscious and quickly recovering. The two Elves who had come in with him were already up and approaching her.

She crawled over to the Major, one hand on her side-arm, not knowing if more attacks were to follow. "Sir. You OK?"

He grimaced, "Fine, but you aren't. Here." She felt him gather her into his arms, pressing heavily into her forehead. It was only then she noticed the sting of the head wound and noticed the blood dripping off of her face and onto the floor.

"Shit," she said. Another explosion, further away, rang out through the base and she found herself being hauled to her feet by the one the Major had called Sgt. Thalion. Lt. Aspen was not far behind.

"Come," he said, "We must get you out of here."

"I'm a medic. I have to help-"

The next thing she knew her side-arm had been knocked away and she was being bodily hauled toward the door.

"Let me go!" she screamed as he passed her to Lt. Aspen. She struggled against him even harder. "Let me go you, son of a bitch!" She lashed out with every unarmed combat technique she'd ever been taught, landing a solid hit to the lieutenant's eye. His grip did not loosen at all, however as he, with the sergeant's help, carried her from the wreckage. "Major Ellis!" she screamed.

"Do what they say!" he shouted, "Follow your orders!"

Something in his eyes and his tone told her he was not happy about those orders. But of course, she had no choice as the entire group of Eldar soldiers surrounded them now. The lot of them raced toward a Blackhawk helicopter that sat in the large open courtyard. Its blades were already beginning to turn. She struggled against the sergeant again as they tossed her aboard, shouting to each other in that strange language. She tried to launch herself back out of the bird, but there were too many of them. One Eldar soldier, in even worse shape than herself, was passed in just before the rest of them came aboard and secured the door. Before Mia could even try again to escape, they were airborne. That didn't stop her from rushing the door again, however. The dark-haired, light-eyed Elf that had smiled at her just minutes before in the dining hall caught her, surprisingly gently, and pushed her back down to the floor.

"Mia. Calm. We've got you, it's OK," he shouted over the noise of the chopper.

"No it's not fucking OK. What the hell are you playing at, bombing a US Army medical facility?"

The Eldar exchanged confused glances. The only one paying no attention to her was Sgt. Thalion who was tending to their fallen comrade.

"That was not us, I assure you," said Lt. Aspen whose eye was beginning to swell where she had hit him. "Now, young lady, you have your orders to come with us. Calm yourself!"

She stood up, slowly but deliberately. "Don't you dare take that patronizing tone with me. I am a fully trained army medic on my second tour in a war zone, Lieutenant. You took me from a situation where I was clearly needed and act like you fucking rescued me." She pointed back down toward the ground. "That's my family down there. There are people gonna die because you took me out of there. Their blood is on your hands, goddamnit."

If looks could kill, Mia knew she'd be a goner. Lt. Aspen glared at her. "Sit down, Soldier." He grabbed the envelope out of her pocket that Major Ellis had given her only a few short minutes ago and thrust it into her hands. "And read your orders. I assure you they come from the highest level of United States Armed Forces Command. Then-"

"Lieutenant!" shouted Sgt. Thalion. "I need help!"

There was a flurry of activity around the fallen Elf and Mia, suddenly lightheaded, sank onto the floor and reached up to touch her wound. It didn't feel too bad, but it was bleeding a lot. She angrily stuffed the envelope into her jacket and pressed one hand against the wound. Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome was by her side in an instant with some clean gauze. He removed her hand and replaced it with his own. His eyes were kind and worried, but unafraid. Mia didn't know what to think while he got her bleeding under control, but it didn't take him long. A few minutes later, he had backed away to assist with the other fallen soldier, and she was able to fumble around until she found the envelope.

It was obviously legitimate, and from her father at the Pentagon. Enclosed were official orders that she was to go with a group of Eldar soldiers back to their country for the purpose of… her heart nearly stopped…. For the purpose of meeting her birth father and learning about her people.

She'd always known she was adopted. But she'd never suspected… and if she was, as the orders implied, Eldar, then… It raised a lot of questions. At the same time, it explained so much. To those who lived for thousands upon thousands of years, she was only a child. Indeed, if she remembered correctly from high school biology, she would only be an adolescent. In their perspective they HAD come to rescue her.

There was also a letter enclosed, but she didn't get to read it yet. Things were getting frantic around the fallen soldier. She was dizzy; her mind was filled with confusion and excitement. She scooted over to Sgt. Thalion who was trying to shout the procedure for a direct blood transfusion to Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome while Lt. Aspen looked on.

Mia inserted herself into the fray, took the supplies from him, and gently pushed him out of the way. She'd done this a few times recently when blood supplies had run low. Thalion had already gotten the line started on the fallen one, but it's not so easy to start an IV on oneself. She quickly took care of that, and blood was flowing from one to the other in just a few seconds. Mia busied herself in checking the deep leg wound that had been expertly packed while she threw her temper tantrum. She took the patient's pulse. It was weak and irregular. She placed a hand briefly over his heart. She wasn't sure why – it was just an intuition, and she willed it to beat steadily and strongly. A minute later she took his pulse again. It was improving, marginally. Then, glancing at Thalion, she took his pulse as well.

"Don't be alarmed!" he shouted over the roar of the chopper. "It will be slower than you are used to."

It was. Quite slow. Slow like her own pulse usually was. But Thalion showed no sign of having given too much blood, so she allowed the transfusion to continue, stopping it the moment he gave the word. He had paled a bit, and she wished she had her supplies so she could give him fluids. Unfortunately she could only offer him the carbo gel-packs that she carried on her for emergencies. He sucked one down and made a face, but looked a little better for it. Feeling quite lightheaded herself, she choked one down as well, wondering what would happen next as the chopper began its descent.

*Adar = Father

** Baen Orod = Literally translated means "Beautiful Mountain." This is an Elven Retreat and the center of Elven tradition and spirituality in New Greenwood.

*** Elbereth = Queen of the Stars. Revered by the Elves, she is about on par with an archangel in Christian tradition.