It was too late to turn back and run. Aerthel was absolutely sure that if she tried to run, Thranduil not only would frown upon such ill-mannered act but he would also be able to catch her with ease. She tried to ignore the way his hand gave her a gentle squeeze every now and then. Although it made her feel slightly uncomfortable, she could not help but to rejoice in the warmth that his hand provided.

She wished her memories would return to her. All of it felt terribly wrong without remembering. How was she supposed to pretend that she was that boy's mother? What was she going to say to him? More importantly what if the boy realized that something was completely wrong with her?

She stole a glance at the King; her husband as she had to remind herself. She remembered him when he was the Prince. A very vivid memory played in her mind. It was the day she first met him.

"Can I go father, please?" Aerthel asked as she leaned forward in her father's desk. She bit her lower lip and looked at him in expectation, "Hannór and Hethurin will be there and I promise to do as they say. So please, father. Will you let me go?"

A long suffering sigh escaped from her father's lips. It had become incredibly hard to deny Aerthel anything ever since his wife passed away only just a century ago. He knew that he would not be able to deny her this request as he looked right into her blue eyes that burned with a liveliness that often made him wonder from whom she got that from.

"You are aware that it will be a fairly long hunt? The King himself will be attending." He replied calmly as he leaned back in his seat. Aerthel's expectant gaze did not falter and instead a sheer look of determination came to replace it. She was intent on having her way.

"I am well aware that the King will be attending," she replied evenly, "Hannór does not speak of anything else. And I am perfectly capable of enduring a few days without a proper bath. Honestly, father! I have hunted before!"

Daughter and father stared at each other as if they were engaged in a silent argument. Fainor inhaled deeply and then he finally gave her a short nod, "Very well. You may go on one condition," when she did not interrupt he carried on, "You will stay close to your brothers."

She squealed loudly and she quickly walked around his desk. Fainor chuckled when she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. He did not know how it happened but she had him wrapped around her little finger.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed happily as she moved away and ran towards the door, "I am going to get ready!" She shouted over her shoulder, "Do not let the boys leave without me!"

Once Aerthel was done packing, she surprised both her siblings by joining them in the stables. She flashed them a grin, "Good morning!" she said, not able to hide the excitement that she was feeling.

Both Hannór and Hethurin stared at each other before following after her sister, "Did father allow you to come with us?" Hannór asked. His voice was filled with amusement as unlike his brother, he did not mind that his little sister was tagging along. He quite enjoyed when she joined them for outdoors activities.

Hethurin took a deep breath as he looked at Aerthel. She had her back turned against them as she readied her horse, "Yes, father said I could go with you."

"May I enquire why do you wish to go?" Hethurin asked, with a slight edge of annoyance in his voice. He had thought that he would have time to completely relax in this hunting party and babysitting his little sister had not been part of his plans.

She looked over her shoulder, "Must I have a reason other than spending time with my brothers?" she asked, trying to keep her face straight as Hannór gave her the thumbs up behind his brother back. She smiled then when Hethurin seemed to soften up at her words.

"Fine. Just keep in mind that this is not a regular hunting party. The King will be there." He informed her matter-of-factly and then rolled his eyes when her eyes seemed to beam as he mentioned the King. She had never seen King Oropher before and she was dying to lay her eyes upon the elf that everyone spoke so highly of.

Hannór smirked, "Not only the King but his son Prince Thranduil will also be there,"

Hethurin glared at his younger brother as Aerthel squealed in excitement, "What of the Queen? Will she also be attending?"

"No. No one has seen the Queen for years now. Word is that she does not leave the Royal Chambers that much." Hannór spoke as he approached Aerthel and helped her with the saddle.

Aerthel frowned at such news, "Why have I never heard of this?" she asked, wondering how the Queen not being seen by the public eye in many years could possibly go unheard, mere talk of the subject should be flying into every corner of the Kingdom.

"You should not talk of it." Hethurin said in a reprimanding tone, "Promise it Aerthel."

She took a deep breath but nodded, "I promise it."

The southern part of the woods was completely foreign to Aerthel. She had never been here before as she had been ordered by her father and was constantly reminded by her brothers that the southern regions were not safe without proper escort. So she rejoiced on the opportunity to be finally able to escape to a part of the woods she had never set her eyes on. Her enthusiasm was cut short though as she noticed that these parts were not much different from home and could not help but to feel somewhat disappointed.

Both Hannór and Hethurin's constant bickering came to a sudden halt when they could finally hear voices chatting animatedly. Aerthel straightened up and as their horses led them between the trees, they finally arrived to where the Royal party was camping.

Aerthel was reality struck – a spasm in the pit of her stomach – and her breath caught in her throat as she took in her surroundings. She had never seen anything like it. A few elves gathered by the many lit campfires, others sat in groups preparing their arrows. Some walked around the camp busy with their duties. She had known that the hunting party would be a big one but she was not counting it to be this great in numbers.

"Hethurin!"

She turned her attention to the tallest elf that she had ever seen in her life. He walked with a confidence and refinement that she had never thought possible for an elf to possess. His hair was a light colour of blond, almost silver-like. His eyes were the same colour of the clear sky above them.

Hannór jumped off his horse and he came to assist her. She did not notice Hannór standing next to her as she looked on, her gaze fixed on both Hethurin and the other elf.

"That's Prince Thranduil," Hannór told her, smirking slightly when his sister's gaze met his. "Now will you please dismount?" he asked playfully.

Aerthel smiled at him and dismounted easily, "I'm not a child anymore. I am perfectly well able to dismount on my own."

Hannór laughed and bowed at her, "As my lady says," he said and smirked at her, earning a half glare from his sister.

Hethurin turned to look up at his good friend Thranduil only to find that his gaze was set upon his siblings. He frowned slightly, "My apologies my friend. My father practically forced me and Hannór into letting my dear sister come with us."

Thranduil arched an amused brow, "It is of no consequence, Hethurin. Your sister is more than welcome to join us. You and your brother have been speaking of her for years now and I almost started to believe that you were hiding her away deliberately."

Hethurin opened his mouth to speak but no voice came out as his sister was walking towards them, an entertained Hannór walked slowly behind her. He watched as she approached and halted right before the Prince.

"You must be Prince Thranduil," Aerthel spoke, a smile adorning her features, "I am Aerthel and I hope to be great friends with you just as my brothers are." She blurted out and her eyes met the Prince's penetrating gaze. Not for one moment she flinched under his scrutinous look and waited for him to speak.

Thranduil looked down at Aerthel and he could not help but think that he had never encountered such a short elleth before. He nodded slowly and smiled faintly, "I hope so too, Aerthel. I am most pleased that your brothers allowed you to come."

Aerthel arched a brow, "Hethurin is still pouting over the fact that I have come along. He is most concerned over your opinion of him. He is scared that I might ruin it."

Hethurin gawked and Hannór suddenly laughed at the amused look on the Prince's face. Aerthel had to be the bluntest elleth he had ever encountered.

Thranduil looked over at Hethurin, a playful smirk on his face, "I assure you my friend, I will always hold you in high regard."

Aerthel smiled and patted her brother's shoulder, "There you go!"

Hannór quickly interjected before his brother exploded with embarrassment, "Aerthel, come with me." He said and quickly pulled his sister away. She flashed both Hethurin and Thranduil a grin before she walked after Hannór.

Hannór wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulders, "Do you see that group over there?" he asked, pointing to a small group by the campfire. It was a group that consisted only of females. Aerthel tensed against him and looked up at him in confusion, "Why don't you sit with them while we get everything ready?"

"But father said not to leave your side!" she retorted as she looked at the group and felt mortified about having to talk to a bunch of strangers.

"Oh come on, Aerthel. You need female friends," he said and ignored the way she narrowed her eyes at him, "And it is only for a while. I promise that as soon as the hunting starts you can stay by our side."

She took a deep breath and looked at Hannór, "Fine. But know that I am not pleased."

He smiled, "Go on now. You might actually enjoy their company."

She rolled her eyes but made her way towards the campfire.

The small group that consisted only of females hushed down considerably as Aerthel approached them. They looked back at Aerthel in surprise as they certainly had never seen her before.

"I do not think we have had the pleasure of meeting you. I am Belegyril," she stood up and gave her a courtesy nod.

Aerthel looked over at Belegyril and nodded in acknowledgement, "I am Aerthel,"

A tall red-haired elleth stood up, "Hannór's little sister?!" she asked in disbelief, "I never thought this day would come! He is always talking about his little sister but we were starting to think it was all in his head since we never got to see you in the King's hall,"

Aerthel blinked and wondered why Hannór would spend his precious time talking about her. It made her feel slightly uncomfortable, "Well he certainly never mentioned any of you," she blurted out and took a seat close to the fire, "So are you all going to participate in the hunt?" she asked, quickly changing the topic as she scanned the small group. She felt quite discomfited when she was under the spotlight.

The others exchanged surprised looks at Aerthel's question, "No. Of course not! We are here just to watch," Belegyril said and then arched a curious brow, "Do not tell me that you actually intended to hunt?"

Aerthel drew her brows together, "Why yes. Why else would I come all the way here?" she asked in confusion.

The red-haired she-elf snickered, "Because the Prince is here and so are all his dearest friends,"

"You only have come to look at the Prince?" she asked in astonishment. She had seen the Prince for the first time barely an hour ago and even though she admitted that he might be the most handsome ellon she had ever lay her eyes on, she could not for the life of her understand why these lot would come all the way to a hunt that would last days just to ogle at males.

The others laughed at her question and began chatting happily about the upcoming harvest celebration. Aerthel listened in but did not make an effort to get into the ongoing conversation. Her eyes roamed around the camp and she could see both Hethurin and Hannór. The two of them were in a small group, they were laughing. It warmed her heart to see them happy. She knew that her brothers desired to leave home and start living on their own. The only thing that was holding them back was her. The feeling of guilt clawed at her heart as she did not want them to leave.

Then suddenly a loud voice announced that they were departing. Aerthel stood up and started to make her way towards her brothers but was stopped as a dark-haired ellon placed himself in front of her, "Your brothers ask you to ride with the ladies,"

Aerthel frowned and tried to find her brothers but they were not in the same place anymore. She struggled to see them amidst the sudden crowded camp when Belegyril placed a soft hand on her shoulder, "Come on dear, you will enjoy riding with the rest of us."

The weight of her bow and quiver on her back was a constant reminder of all the fun that she was missing. For hours, she sat in her horse and rode along with Belegyril and the others. Her group was too far behind to actually see any hunting done. All they did was chat quietly, every now and then they would comment on something that they saw or heard.

Aerthel could not believe that her brothers had betrayed her in such a manner. They might as well have told her to stay home! She chewed on her lower lip; a bad habit she had developed whenever she was upset.

As the sun slowly climbed down the sky, it displayed the most beautiful shades of color. Aerthel could spot amber, red, a little mix of blue and purple. The pattern was so simple yet so intricate and elegant. She always found that the sky was the most beautiful when the sun was halfway down the horizon. She often found herself wishing it to stop there a while longer so she could stare at it forever.

The first day seemed to be over. As Aerthel group approached the main group, they could see that everyone was already preparing to camp for the night. Her eyes narrowed when she spotted her brothers laughing and joking around. She then quickly dismounted her horse and quickly marched towards them. She completely ignored the surprised look on Thranduil's face as she pointed an accusing finger at her oldest brother's chest.

"I did not come all the way here to sit on my horse all day and do absolutely nothing but chat on how beautiful Prince Thranduil's hair is!"

Hannór winced and Hethurin blinked down as his sister looked absolutely peeved. Thranduil on the other hand looked down at the angry elleth with a smirk plastered on his face.

"Aerthel you are causing a scene," Hethurin spoke quietly as he could feel everyone's curious gazes upon him.

"Have it your way Hethurin. I just thought that for once we would be able to do something together." Aerthel's voice cracked slightly and she turned around. She heard Hannór call out for her but she promptly ignored him. Tears prickled her eyes but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Hethurin took a deep breath and placed a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Just let her go,"

One by one, little bright dots started to appear in the sky as the sun began to disappear. The stars came out slowly at first, like shy little children. Aerthel wandered through the forest, her footsteps inaudible just like she had been taught to. Her bow was ready as she scanned her surroundings. She had successfully managed to walk past the assigned sentries and decided to have her own share of fun by herself. The others were now far behind sitting by their campfires, sharing all kinds of stories and songs.

Hours went by and Aerthel was finding it odd that she had yet to encounter any type of wild life. She blinked suddenly when she felt something wet on her cheek. She moved her hand and brushed her fingers against the wet substance only to find out that it was water. As she looked up, she frowned as droplets of water now fell more steadily against her skin.

She sighed loudly and her shoulders sank in defeat. She needed to head back before anyone noticed her absence. Not that they would care, Aerthel felt bitter as she thought about her brothers.

The rain began falling down relentlessly and she suddenly gasped as she lost her footing in the now mud-covered ground. She whimpered almost imperceptibly as she fell down in a most ungraceful manner. She struggled to get on all fours and then as she forced herself to stand, a strong sharp pain shot up from her ankle causing her to cry out.

Every time she placed her right foot on the ground the pain was exponentially more excruciating. She bit her lower lip hard and forced herself to carry on. However, she was not making much progress. Her trek was slow, painful and on top of that her clothes were completely soaked through. She was shivering slightly when a thunderous lightning bolt sounded from above her, making her heart skip a beat.

After a while, Aerthel no longer could keep going. She leaned her back against one of the tree trunks and let herself slide down. She removed her boot to inspect her ankle and her eyes widened at how swollen it was. In a few hours it would be daylight and she was still too far from the camping site. She felt quite foolish and she could already imagine all sorts of things that her brothers would say.

A sudden lightning illuminated the dark forest for a brief moment and her eyes caught the glimpse of a tall shadow. She quickly reached for her bow and readied an arrow. She narrowed her eyes; her heart was beating hard and frantically against her ribcage.

"Who goes there!?" she asked, trying to sound quite menacing but her voice came out shaky and quite pathetic.

"Aerthel," a calm, smooth voice called out her name.

Rushed footsteps seemed to approach her. Whoever it was, he knew her. Or at least he knew her name. She saw him then, her eyes lit up and she was suddenly quite speechless. Thranduil approached her fast, his stride an elegant one. He knelt before her, "Are you injured?" he asked as he took a look at her bare swollen ankle.

"Yes. I..-" she refrained from giving him an explanation. She did not want to look any more stupid than she already felt.

"Your brothers are incredibly worried," he spoke coolly; "I assume that you cannot walk."

"You assume correctly," she snapped, feeling quite irritated. From all the elves to come and rescue her it had to be the Prince! She could not feel more mortified.

Thranduil raised a brow at the manner he was being spoken to. He did not remember the last time he was spoken to like this.

"Well then," he suddenly moved an arm under her knees while his other arm went to her back. He felt her tense against him as he picked her up and almost smirked at how uncomfortable he was making her feel.

Aerthel wanted to protest and to tell him to put her down but she knew that she was not in any condition to walk.

"May I inquire as to why you would think it a good idea to hunt in the dark?" Thranduil asked; there was clear amusement present in his velvet-smooth voice.

"I was not allowed to do any hunting during day light," she replied sharply, "Do you even know what it is like to ride in the back with them!?"

A small smirk played on his lips as he carried her through the woods, "Oh please do tell."

Aerthel frowned, "You are mocking me."

Thranduil's smirk widened slightly, "I am not," he replied, "I was genuinely interested in what else the ladies speak of… other than my beautiful hair."

A groan escaped from her and she took a good look at his hair.

Belegyril was right; he did have beautiful hair.

Aerthel blinked as she felt both she and Thranduil come to a stop. She took a look at her surroundings; she did not even remember walking this far as she had been too lost in her memories. Thranduil squeezed her hand and looked down at her in concern, "Are you feeling well?"

She gave him a short nod, her gaze enthralled as she looked ahead. They were in the main garden and just a few feet away there was Legolas. He was practicing archery. There was a costume-made bow in his hands that suited the length of his small arms. He held a perfect position and he was so incredibly focused that he had yet to notice them.

"You built that bow for him," Thranduil told her nonchalantly.

She looked up at him and took a deep breath, "Why can I not remember?" she whispered softly, "What is wrong with me?"

He frowned slightly, "We do not know. The healers think that it might be the poison aftereffects. They are hopeful that you will come to remember soon."

"And If I do not?"

"You will."

She wondered how he could be so certain. She nodded slowly and just hoped that he was right.

"MOTHER!" Legolas was running towards her and then she abruptly knelt down and opened her arms for him. The child embraced her tightly and she could feel her heart all the way up to her throat. She hugged him back, hesitantly and slowly at first and only after a while she hugged him back just as tightly, "Are you alright now?" he asked and she did not miss the way he shivered against her.

"Yes," she replied as she pulled away. She smiled at him and moved a lock of his blonde-hair away from his face, "I'm feeling better now,"

A/N: All I can say is thank God for spell checker and my boyfriend to proof-read this again! LOL poor him. I'd like to thank everyone for adding this story to their favorites and for following. A big thanks for the kind and considerate reviews. Thanks and hope you enjoyed it.

PS- still looking for a beta.

Love Creidhe.