Her father was the war hero Oak of Mirkwood and her mother was Erina of Lothlorian. When she was young her father was sent to defend the elves of his homeland from the coming invasion of orcs but alas he did not make it through the battle. Aelagwens mother was so overcome with grief of her husbands loss she crossed the sea. Leaving her child to experience the world she had once loved and live out her life in the care of a house of hirils. Aelagwen grew quickly and joined the elven arches of Lothlorian as tribute to her father.

The beginning of a tale:
Each footstep was echoed with a crunch of the fallin leaves of the forest floor. Reverberating through the air as a whip cracked in the night. Her breath came in deep gasps as she ran toward the noise echoing through the trees of the golden wood. This was a sound of pain. Her kindred would be near. They would kill the thing that disturbed their hollows.

Her feet glided through the forest as she took a hard stop just before a small clearing. She was cautious as she placed a delicate hand on the small branch of a nearby tree. She dropped, lowering herself low as to remain unseen by the creature. Her green eyes gazed at the rock in the clearing and the creature upon it.

A small girl no older than five had to be sitting upon the large bolder. A human girl! Her heightened senses allowed her to gaze at the human characteristics of the girl. So far away the girl was from her homeland. So alone. 

Aelagwen looked around the clearing seeing no one with the girl. The raggedness of this girl made her eyes wide with wonder. So underfed...so abandoned. The girls wailing reached her ears with a piercing shriek. She rose to a crouch slowly standing as she took carful steps out of the trees. Her footsteps were soft and swift as she approached the girl. She made care not to let the girl see her until she was nearly upon her as to not let her escape. 

The girls watery eyes fell on her and she continued to wail. Making no movements but her shift in focus upon the elf. Aelagwen placed her finger to her lips letting out a soft "shhh....dina". The girl stopped short of another wail holding her arms out to Aelagwen with much force and she threw herself at her. Aelagwen crouched, gasping in shock at the girls trust towards her. She wrapped her delicate arms around the girl placing a gentle hand to the girls head to stroke it. She picked the girl up with some effort and took her back into the shadows of the trees with speed. Her kindred were fast approaching and the child would not be safe here. Not looking back Aelagwen sprinted with the girl through the trees taking effort to trudge ahead. She stopped at her outpost for the remainder of her supplies and her horse. The girl was falling swiftly asleep in her arms as she traveled with her. Aelagwen found that once the girl was asleep she was able to place her in a larger bag upon her back as to keep her out of sight from the darkness of Moria. The gate looked like a death sentence as they approached. She took a long pause at its gates drawing the reins tightly in her hands. Taking a hand from her side she places it on the bulge of her bag on her back. "A candle for this sea of darkness we enter aratoamin." 

The pair traveled for years never growing tired of the others company. Only disaster could separate them and alas it did. 

One stormy night in the hills of Buckland , Burldela and Aelagwen left the safety of their camp to seek supplies in the night. The crack of lightning and murmur of thunder was heard without end. The lakes were over flowing but the pair didn't notice until too late. The two stumbled in the crashing current of the water. Trying to save the traps that they had in its depths. Burldela  waded out into the the waters heart more and more barely staying afloat. A crack echoed through the night with a sickening sound and a large current came through the water. Aelagwen screamed in terror as she saw Burldela being washed away her eyes filling with tears she fell to her knees on the bank. Her arm still stretched toward Burldela. "Amin hiraetha....amin hiraetha...." 

That was the last they saw of each other for many years.

(Images from google images. All rights to them and those of which they procured the images.)