Let us start from the beginning. The night where a precious treasure was stolen from Imladris or in the common tongue, Rivendell. Lord Elrond, a powerful leader of the Elves had two sons and a daughter. One of the sons, Elladan had a child with a she-elf warrior Sedralis who died in battle not long after having her first and only daughter Sythralen. With Elladan and his brother, fighting the Orcs that tortured their mother, Celebrian, Sythralen was left in the care of Elrond and was raised alongside Arwen, his own daughter. Now being an Elvish warrior and leader, Elrond had many enemies. Dark Elves who had grown corrupted by the dark powers had long been sent out of Rivendell, yet still plotted their revenge. Their hope was to sneak in and steal the lovely Elven child of Elrond but by mistake they took his granddaughter. This struck him just as hard seeing as how he has raised her as his own. For a hundred years she was gone. A hundred years of Elrond sending elves to search for her and for a hundreds they failed. Dark spells kept her concealed in the dungeons of the dark elves. But she was no prisoner. They raised her from child to adult, poisoning her mind against all Elves, seducing her with the darkness and yet never giving her a full taste, never fulling corrupting her . Still she was addicted. All elves love the light and in her heart Sythralen yearned to see the outside. She and the Dark Ones made an agreement if she would do their bidding they would let her out. So she spent years training in every weapon, mastered fighting skills in hand to hand combat until finally they decided she was ready. She became their assassin. Since she didn't look like a corrupted one,black eyes and very visible blue veins, she easily fit in with other Elves. Throughout all the Elven tribes she became known as the Great Elf Assassin and then one fateful day they sent her to kill Lord Elrond. She knew that he was her kin, but the Dark Elves had deceived her and told her that Elrond had abandoned her, that because her mother was dead and her father gone off to battle that she was not his concern. Hatred filled her heart and her mission was clear. She entered Imladris boldly in broad daylight announcing that the granddaughter of Elrond had returned. Elrond and Arwen were ecstatic. They welcomed her home and asked her millions of question as to what had happened to her. She told of the Dark Elves and how they had kept her underground all this time and she finally escaped. Now it has been a few weeks of Sythralen adjusting to Rivendell. And this is where we begin.

The sun was so bright. A new entity she was still trying to adjust to. Her eyes had been shrouded by darkness since she was a child, and Sythralen preferred the cool darkness to this blinding heat. To the other Elves and creatures it was a comfortable temperature. They moved with ease in their long flowing fabrics. She was use to simpler things. Arwen, her newly discovered aunt had changed her wardrobe so now she truly looked the part of an Eldar, an Elf of the Stars. Unlike Arwen she kept her long dark hair pulled up halfway with different braids connecting to keep the hair from falling in her face. Other than that she resembled them. She had the same cheekbones as her grandfather but her nose was rounder and her eyes were the color of dark emeralds and big as Elf eyes often were. When one saw her they knew that she was one of the high born elves of Elrond's family. Even Aragorn, the man, a ranger, Arwen's partner and the only one she had met that she actually liked, had commented on their likeness.

It had been a few weeks since she had arrived. Elrond had spent everyday with her, telling her what she wanted to know about her father and mother and taking care not to ask her questions about her experiences with the Dark Elves. She learned that her father, Elladan, had chosen to live a mortal life in his despair of losing a wife and child. Elrond was incredibly wise, having lived many ages, yet the weight of years did not show on him. His company was not overbearing like she had expected and she found herself respecting him. 'In another life I could have loved him' she thought but her mission was clear. In her heart there was a thorn, a festering wound that continued to increase in discomfort. Sythralen needed it. She needed that taste of the black liquid the Dark Elves gave her. It was a potion they had created from Dark Magic to keep her in line when she attempted to escape. After a while she had to stay because of her desire for it. It made her angry that she was dependent on anything but she stopped fighting that battle and accepted that though she had become much stronger than her captors they held a power over her. They had what she craved. Killing one elf was worth it. Or was it? Elrond hadn't doubted her return for a second. He had held her in his arms as if she had been his own child. Surely this was not the behavior of someone who had abandoned her. Her head started to ache. She sat down and pressed her palm to her temple then under her breath she cursed the sun. The headaches had increased to three or four during the day and a dull pain at night. She forgot her doubts, wanting to be back in the comfort of the eternal night she was accustomed to. She remembered yearning for light many years ago. It had it's benefits. It illuminated the city of Imladris so there was a constant glow of rosy dawn. There was beauty she had never known here and way deep down parts of her knew she would miss it.

"Practicing out in this weather is good for you. It will help you gain your strength back faster." Her grandfather appeared, noticing her sword lying by her side.

"I'm use to the sword, just not the sun. I tire quickly out here."

"As more days pass your body will reform to the light. The feeling will become a normality."

Sythralen rose, gripping the cool steel in her fingers. He continued, "Your skill with the blade is unlike any I have seen before and I have fought among all manner of beings."

"A hundred years alone gives one plenty of time to master many things." Her tone was hard, as it always was when talking to her Elf-kin. Elrond's voice was authoritative yet was laced with kindness and understanding. With the gift of foresight it wasn't hard to believe that he understood more than most.

"I know that I have said this before...however I do not think my tongue could ever express my regret for not trying harder to find you. I am filled with sorrow thinking of all the lost years and seeing you here now fills me with more joy than you will ever know. I understand if you are angry with me. You have every right to be."
Silence.
Again with the apologies. She felt his sincerity and she despised him for it. It was making her question if she could take his life and that was a question she had never asked herself before. There had been no need. Her hands were already stained red with Elven blood. Would his not stain the same color? He was no different.

"I have every right to feel hatred towards you. Parts of me do. Parts of me hate being here. It's a reminder of what I have lost."
She did a couple of quick slices to the air. She felt him move closer to her, but she continued.

"I can only hope that one day it will be a symbol of what you have gained. The chance that you have to begin your life anew." A pause.

"Perhaps it will. Or it will forever be a prison of bright light to an outsider born in shadow." In one sudden movement the sword was in his hand and he was in front of her with his hand on her shoulder.

"You were born here. A child of Eldar. The light is a part of you, merely covered by darkness. Never doubt that you belong here." His voice had deepened, losing it's father-like quality and became that of an Elf who was use to commanding legions. His swiftness and strength surprised her, and became a reminder that she was not attempting to murder a mere Elf. This was an Elf that had protected his people era after era. This would be a challenge. His words were not lost on her. She heard them and let them sink in. His eyes showed that he believed every word. Did she want to belong there, worlds away from what she had known? Her head began to ache once more and he noticed her discomfort.

"Your pain is increasing?"

"No I'm fine." As she said it she had to close her eyes and grab onto his arm to steady herself. She felt his hand brush her forehead.

"Darkness." One word. He let her go. She opened her eyes. He was still in front of her but his face had changed. It was no longer the face of kindness but that of an Elf who had a mind to kill. She looked down to see her blade pointed at her throat.

"You are corrupted. I was blind to it all this time. But you are weakening without that vile substance. You couldn't keep up the walls on your mind without it. It is you the Great Elf Assassin sent to kill me. If I had not touched you then you would have succeeded." Sythralen didn't think of words to say to explain herself. When a weapon was pointing in her direction she had one mind set-survive. In the moment of a humans blink she knocked the blade out of his hand, transferring it back to her palm. He made no attempt to flee. That wasn't his nature.

"I won't deny it. I have killed many of our kind and you were the next I was appointed to. Yes I have tasted the dark powers and drank deep of the possibilities they grant."

"And here we are. The opportunity has arisen for you to take my life and I still breathe. I don't see you as one who hesitates."
A fact that she too had noticed. What was keeping her from running that blade through his heart?

"There is another ending I saw in my vision. Arwen had just given birth to her first child and there you were along with Aragorn and myself. You were holding the small boy in your arms and you smiled." He was projecting the image into her mind. She could feel the warmth of the happiness she felt in that scenario. She was one with the light and she was with her family. Tears began to sting her eyes and she lowered the blade.

"Sythralen, you do not want to do this. That ending can still happen. I can help you free yourself from this curse if you will let me. You are a child of the stars, the light of Eldar is within you."

The tears had fallen onto her cheeks now as she remembered why she had craved the light. She yearned for it because it reminded her of her family. It was apart of her. It distinguished her from the Dark Ones and that filled her with joy for she feared being as they were.

"You could never be like them." He answered her thoughts. She fell to her knees. The clang of the blade hitting the ground filled the air.

"I never wanted to be. They kept forcing that horrid potion down my throat until my eyes could no longer recall the shine of the sun. Oh...oh...for so long I have been blind. I've killed so many." Elrond kneeled beside her and took her hands in his.

"That is over. Here, among our people we will forge a new future far away from past deeds. The road ahead will be filled with pain. The loss of the potion will be heavy on your body, but if you are strong you will survive."
Then another presence revealed itself. Arwen had her around Sythralen and she whispered words of an Elvish lullaby they had heard as children. It was a song of hope, of returning home after a long journey.
Everything was going to change. She was home.