Title:
Disenchanted.
Author:
Flowerslilac.
Summary:
This is the story with a difference. The girl in middle earth set to
stop the reign of terror of a particular cannon-meddling Sue.
Rating:
Er, PG?
Pairing(s):
None.
Feedback:
Flames not appreciated, but hey, I'm trying to learn so go ahead if
you feel the story needs it.
Characters:
All characters except the MS and Ash belong to J.R.R Tolkien. I have
simply used the artistic licence given to most
fanfic writers.
Betas: None yet, but if you see some promise in the story, please, offer.
Notes: In attempting to keep the story as realistic as possible, I'll attempt to use Westron and Elvish. Please, if you are capable and able to translate for me, offer. And don't try to kill me if I make a mistake.
Disclaimer: All characters and ideas belong to J.R.R Tolkien.
Chapter 1:
Disenchanted - Prologue
A strange hush had fallen upon Middle Earth. A sickly silence, with no bird call or sound of the leaves of the trees rustling in a gentle wind. It was dark, darker than many of the nights in Arda, no star or moon gracing the sky with their bright presence. It was though the land was shrouded waiting for something to happen whilst it held its great breath.
This silence however, did not go unnoticed. Lord Elrond previously had been sitting at his desk reviewing one of the many maps that his good friend Erestor had brought to him from one of the Library rooms of Imladris. There was much work to be done in the coming weeks, much work. Even with the gift of foresight, Lord Elrond Peredhil could not begin to fathom just what was to come. It was during his studious observation of the map of Eriador that Elrond felt a change in the Middle Earth a certain… wrongness that he had not been felt strongly since the downfall of the deceiver. He moved outward from his rooms to his private balcony, looking down at the garden below as one of his sons lit the nighttime lanterns. His son too glanced upward for a moment wondering at the stillness.
A ranger too, camping in the wilderness attuned with the wild and rugged landscape that he called home felt the quiet, dismissing it from his mind as his rabbit stew started to boil over.
It was during this moment also, that the creature Gollum skulking under a fallen tree whispering quietly, 'precious… precious.' Even this creature was stilled, tilting his head slightly and shutting his luminous eyes against the silence. It hurt it's head, it did.
It was with this silence, not with a bang, or cloud of smoke, that a great fiend arrived into the lands of Middle Earth. She had fallen through shadow and flame and passed through a great light that had called to her from her bus stop in Sydney. Lying prone on the ground, she had delicate alabaster skin and long golden red hair that fanned out around her head, it was slightly curled but in a gentle waving fashion. She was quite thin, but curvaceous at the same time with a bust rival to that of Lara Croft. Long delicate eyelashes touched her cheeks as she continued sleeping, gently breathing in the nights warm air.
And still, there was a silence.
Of course, that's when the screaming started. It was soft at first, the echo of an echo and after that a full blood curdling scream as out of the darkness of the sky hurtled a body travelling at high velocity. The wind gusted slowing it's decent as it plummeted towards the earth, and then by chance the person flying downward slowed and then instead of crashing onto the grassy earth and becoming the next kind of pancake, this person instead landed into the rushing river Hoarwell.
With a gasp for air the person was thrown by a wave onto the shallow bank. The water was cold, almost below freezing and using one of the long reaching roots of the coarse trees growing along the side of the river they hoisted themselves up higher on the bank dragging their yellow flannel pajamas through the mud and tearing the knees on sharp rocks.
'Oh my god. Oh my god. I've been kidnapped and dropped out of a plane! Oh my god!' The young woman held onto the muddy tree root watching the white foam of the river rush past her. 'How am I not dead?' The last thing she could remember was falling asleep in her small apartment. The next thing she knew she was freefalling through the air. Screaming bloody murder!
'This is crazy. I must be on some candid-camera show. Well! It's not very funny!' She shouted looking around. It was too dark really to see anything but a faint tree line in the distance and maybe what looked like a cliff face further down the river. It could have been a rock. The sound of the water was painful to her ears, rushing past as the water level seemed to rise even higher. With a groan she used the tree to pull herself onto the grassy bank and collapsed. Blearily looking around she could see something in the dark, it looked like… hair.
'Oh god. I'm in some crazy person's burial ground. I'm going to get chopped into tiny pieces!' Standing in the dark she moved toward the hair on the ground. The moon seemed to start to shine then and as she walked she was taken aback. Why… it was only a young woman. The girl was peacefully sleeping on her back, a small smile on her rose colored lips.
'Hello?' She said to the sleeping girl. The woman on the ground groaned delicately as her cold wet hands shook her shoulder. 'Are you alright? Hello?' Pale eyelids opened to reveal glowing eyes staring up at her.
'Oh goodness!' The girl on the ground said, sitting up as her hair cascaded around her like gleaming fire in the moonlight. 'It must have worked! Are you an elf?'
'…excuse me?' Stepping back the woman decided the girl was obviously quite insane.
'Or maybe you're a man! Pray tell, stranger, what be your name!' Compelled, by her glowing eyes the woman answered with a scowl.
'Ashleigh.'
'Oh. Well, that doesn't sound very middle-ages. My name however is Aruiniel. Do you like my dress?'
'Sure. It's a dress. Nice.' Ash was already walking toward the next set of trees, away from the strange clearing and the even stranger girl.
'Wait!' With a growl of irritation Ash found herself turning to face the girl again.
'What?'
'You must be here to help me, I think. I need to find… Bree! I am meeting up with a Ranger and four hobbits.' What kind of Tolkien nut was this girl? Ash thought to herself, frowning. 'I have been sent on a special mission of the utmost importance.'
'So special that you decided to take a nap in the middle of a forest by yourself?'
'Oh, but I'm not by myself! My unicorn has wandered off I suspect. And it matters not, I am one of the best fighters of my land, my father trained me personally.'
'Alright. If you say so.' Clearly the girl was utterly bonkers. But, there was something compelling about her. Like… sniffing paint one too many times and wanting to sniff it again. Wondering belatedly if she had been drugged or something Ash moved back towards the girl. The girl however was ignoring her, instead rummaging through a pack that had appeared at her side. There was a large sword beside her too, and a bow and arrow quiver filled with arrows. Looking around carefully to make sure she didn't miss anything else that was going to appear suddenly Ash leant back against the nearest tree.
'Maybe it was a horse instead.' Aruiniel said sweetly, and sure enough there was the sound of hoofs in the distance as through a break in the trees a dark horse without a saddle slowly walked towards the two women.
'Alright. Where's the camera?' Ash said exasperatedly, squinting in the darkness at the tree trunk.
'Farewell Ashleigh, I am off to save this land from destruction!' Sliding gracefully onto the horses back, the young girl waved in the moonlight, smiling a big white toothy grin.
'Bring about destruction more like it, you insane loony.' She grumbled, not watching Aruiniel as she rode off into the darkness. As the girl's fiery-golden hair vanished into the moonlight her head seemed to clear, shaking it she sat at the base of the tree still listening to the sounds of the river. Soon she couldn't hear the hoof beat of the horse as it and the girl were out of her earshot. Drawing her knees up to her chest Ash sighed. She was cold, and wet. And now had no idea on earth where she was. Well, Ash thought as she looked around again listening to every tree branch move and twig crack. There was no point moving until morning. After all, tripping on a root and breaking your neck was probably not what the camera crew would be looking for.
'I wish I'd worn my raincoat to bed.' Although, feeling better now that the girl was gone Ash couldn't help but feel responsible for waking her up and… well, unleashing was the only appropriate word really. Something niggling at the back of her mind that suggested that maybe, that sleeping beauty should have remained sleeping. Oh well. It wasn't really her responsibility to do anything… was it?
TBC
Let me know what you all think. Okay?