Morwen of Mirkwood

Marade

I woke up to soft whispers, and looked around in a daze. "Who's there?" I called out warily.

The whispering kept going, and I couldn't tell what was being said.
I stood up, and then remembered.

Father. Mara. Alone. I swallowed and told myself shakily, "Morwen, don't cry. You never cry."

Then I happened to see the tree.
It seemed to have expanded overnight.
The trunk of the tree had thickened, and the branches grew out in different directions, surrounding the flat, middle part of the tree.

Had I shrunk? Or was this even the same tree? I gazed in awe. The branches overhead intertwined and leaves hung from them, giving some shade.

"It's some sort of magic," I breathed in wonder.

Suddenly, I heard someone stomping around in the woods. I peered cautiously over the edge of the tree, to see a guard.

"Any sign of them?" Asked another older guard as he walked over. The first one shook his head.

"Not a trace of either. Poor girls, with their father dead and all."

My heart started to beat faster. I scooted closer to the edge and strained to hear what they were saying.

Another elven soldier walked briskly up to the other two and said quietly, "One of them was noticed crossing the border.... The older girl, I believe."

"Do you think the younger one was with her, or is she still somewhere around here?" The older guard asked, clearly worried.

They all kept walking, searching in the bushes and other plants.

I crawled away from the edge and leaned against one of the branches.

"I'm not going to go with them," I muttered fiercely. 'I wish that this place could be hidden better,' I thought longingly to myself. All of a sudden, leaves grew all around and above me, making a dome. And that's when the pain hit.

My mind felt as if it were on fire, and I clenched my teeth together to stop from screaming. Pain ripped through my skull, and I closed my eyes tight against it.

-

When I awoke later that day, my head was still throbbing. "Did I do that?" I wondered aloud, noticing the protective layer of leaves surrounding my hideaway.

I tentatively stretched out a finger and flicked it upwards, imagining that the leaves would grow just a little. I drew in a sharp intake of breath as they curled and twisted toward me. The throbbing in my head intensified, but didn't turn into a migraine like before.

A little while later, after the headache had subsided, I climbed down .and hastily looked around to make sure no one was there. Then I ran to our old house.

It pained me to see my once-beautiful home look so desolate and cold. I went inside, and breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn't gone through any of our things yet.

I quickly found my father's dagger. His old sword was gone- Marade must have taken it.

Marade. I felt a sharp pang of longing for my sister. She had always been there for me. She told me fantastical stories of great battles and adventures. She taught me how to climb, and when I surpassed her in climbing skills, she would laugh and compliment me.

Mara was always laughing about something. She was so cheerful, trying to stay on the bright side of things. She stood up for what she believed in, and she had always been right by my side when I needed her most.

Why had she left me? A tear slipped down my cheek, but I instantly brushed it away. I was not going to cry. I had to stay strong, like Mara always did. Mara always stayed strong.