Hello all. Just a few words before we begin. This is a fanfiction that I am working on. This is one of my first times playing in the LOTR sandbox. As you have been warned, this is an AU story. You don't like, you don't have to read. I don't want canon freaks telling me that something isn't right because this is a non-canonical story. I am trying to keep as true to the time as I can. Also, there is an original female character that is a central character to the story. Again, if you don't like it, you don't have to read it.

That being said, I am perfectly open to constructive criticism and I am not above flattery. I hope you all enjoy what I have written. There's more coming, but I dunno when.

Chapter I: Slippery When Wet

Elladryn sat on the uppermost section of the wall near the entrance to the servant's quarters. She idly turned a lock of chocolate colored hair from her queue around a finger as she searched the horizon for anything that would break the monotony. All that stared back at her was the gloomy, barren landscape between the city of Minas Tirith and the city of Osgiliath. Beneath her vantage point, a woman, pleasantly plump with large forearms, balanced a basket on her hip. She shielded her eyes from the early morning sun and looked up.

"Elladryn, is that you?" she called. Elladryn smiled. Of course, always one to check to see if you were the right person before she gave you orders.

"Yes, Arulen," she responded, shifting to get a better look at the woman.

"Get down here! There's chores to be done! Do ya hear me?" she said, turning with a basket full of soiled garments in the direction of the washroom. "And if you are not careful, one of these days you will fall and break your neck and I will not be around to pick up the messy pieces." Elladryn couldn't help but roll her eyes at the mundane events of her life, but her smile widened.

"Yes, ma'am," she said, careful to keep the impatience from her voice. She wished nothing but good fortune and happiness on the woman who had raised her, but she wanted something more, not that she would ever have the courage to attempt such a thing. She sighed once more and began to pick her way down the wall, the way she had climbed up. At the bottom, her two friends, Reywyn and Remwyn, greeted her.

"Ella!" Remwyn called, rushing forward and draping her arm over Elladryn's shoulder. She sank slightly beneath the weight. Reywyn's greeting was a bit more subdued. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled.

"Morning, Ella." Elladryn wondered vaguely how two girls born at the same time to the same mother could be so utterly different. Remwyn was the tomboy and worked in the stables most of the time when she wasn't in the field. Reywyn was gifted in cooking, and spent her time in the kitchen with other servants. Ella gave a little curtsy.

"Morning ladies," she said. She noted the guilty grin on Remwyn's face and frowned. "What mischief have you caused, Rem? You looked like the cat that swallowed the canary." Remwyn made a face that mimicked innocence.

"I am afraid I have no idea what you are talking about," she said, using her arm to guide Ella towards the door. "Come with us. We must decorate the grand hall for the ball two days hence." Ella allowed herself to be led into the great hall without complaint. The corridors were long and seemed to stretch on forever.

"Oh, I love balls," Reywyn commented with a sigh. Remwyn rolled her eyes.

"And is it not such a terrible shame that you'll never attend one," she said with a bit more snap in it than it really required. Reywyn looked hurt for a moment before shrugging.

"You never know," she said. "Maybe when the steward's son marries, I'll be a lady in waiting for his bride and I'll be able to attend with her." Remwyn snorted.

"That will be the day," she said. Elladryn scowled.

"Enough, Rem," she said. "Everyone needs a dream." Remwyn turned her gaze to Elladryn and smiled.

"And what is yours?" she asked. Elladryn blushed, causing both twins to exchange mischievous glances and take a position on either side of her as they entered the great hall. She was saved the trouble of responding by a portly servant who scuttled over with a scowl.

"You three are late. You are in charge of cleaning this room, as most everything else is either done or being handled as we speak," he said. He pointed a finger at the kitchen. "Water is in there, in case you were wondering. Cleaning rags are down in the laundress's workshop." With his commands given, he moved past them with a stride that oozed self-righteousness. Remwyn waited until he was out of sight to imitate his walk and the stare he had given them.

"Get to work ladies," she said, mimicking his pompous tone, arousing a giggle from Reywyn and an amused smile from Elladryn before she moved towards the kitchen.

"Rey," she said, causing the older girl to look her way. "Would you mind gathering the cleaning rags? Me and Rem can get the water." Reywyn nodded.

"I will be back soon," she said, sweeping out the door. Elladryn sighed. She didn't understand how Reywyn could have such grace in all her actions when she was born clumsy as an ox. She had little time to dwell on this, though, as Remwyn hauled her into the kitchen, grabbing a large basin to fill with water and putting it in Elladryn's arms. Elladryn followed Remwyn silently out to the well. This was a two person job. One person hauled the water up, the other poured it into whatever container it was going into. Remwyn began to haul up the water.

"So…" she said, grunting with the effort of hauling the water up. "You. Never. Told. Me. What. Your. Dream. Was." The last word was accompanied by the appearance of the bucket. Elladryn busied herself filling the basin with the cool, clear water. She turned away, struggling with the basin as she approached the door. The nimble horse trainer bounded ahead of her, unburdened, and blocked the entrance to the castle. Elladryn sighed.

"Rem, this is heavy. Let me pass," she said, trying to maneuver around the older girl and spilling some of the water in the process.

"Not until you tell me," she said, fixing her hair in the rippling reflection of the water. Elladryn sighed.

"Alright," she said. "My dream is just like every other girl. All I want is a happy ending." Remwyn looked at her curiously, wondering if she was quite serious. Elladryn bumped her with the basin. "I've said it, let me pass." Remwyn moved out of the way as Elladryn moved slowly past her, a red hue rising to her cheeks. Remwyn grinned.

"There. That wasn't so hard, was it?" she asked cheekily. They reappeared in the great hall where Reywyn was seated on the floor next to a stack of neatly folded rags. She smiled and got up, brushing the dirt off her dress.

"Took you two long enough," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "What were you two doing?"

"Accosting the village boys that were by the well with our innate feminine wiles," Remwyn said matter-of-factly, causing both Elladryn and Reywyn to blush. Remwyn laughed heartily. "Oh the look on your faces!" She grabbed a rag and dipped it in the water. "Let's get to work, shall we?" Exchanging glances, Reywyn took the right side of the room to begin, Remwyn the left. That left Elladryn with the center section. There was just the floor to work on. She smiled. Leave it to the twins to take on the most work and leave her with the easy job. Not that she was complaining.

After a few hours or so, Elladryn had managed to finish her section and she stood up, stretching her back. She smiled at the other girls, still hard at work. Reywyn looked up at her.

"Ella, could you be a dear and fetch some more water?" she asked. With a nod of acquiescence, she picked up the considerably lighter water basin and moved outside. She got out to the well and realized that she was the only one there, which presented her with a predicament. She stared at the well a moment before she felt a pair of strong hands pinning her arms to her sides, almost causing her to drop the basin.

"You know, staring at it won't bring the water up," a male voice. She shook her shoulders and he let go with a laugh. She turned to face him, knowing who it was in an instant.

"You know, Jerrack, if you were any sort of gentleman, you would offer to help me," she said. He laughed again.

"Who said I was a gentleman?" he asked, though he moved over to the well, pulling the bucket up with considerable more ease than Remwyn. She emptied the bucket and smiled at him.

"Thank you," she said. She picked up the basin and he lifted it from her hands. She led the way into the castle, knowing he would follow her. "What are you doing back, anyway?" He frowned.

"You are not happy to see me?" he asked. She shook her head vigorously.

"No, no! I mean yes! I am happy to see you. I just thought that you were supposed to be off with your master in Osgiliath for another week." He smiled.

"Well, we finished early. I figured I would come back and surprise you," he said, as they entered the great hall. The twins looked up and tittered a little bit at the appearance of Elladryn with Jerrack, unescorted. It was no secret, though Jerrack wished it was, that he had taken a fancy to Elladryn. Seeing them together was too much for the twins to pass up. Elladryn took the basin from Jerrack and he shrugged before bowing and leaving.

The door on the other side of the great hall opened with a groan and she turned to see who it was. She stepped as she turned, her foot catching the hem of her skirt. She stumbled forward, hoping she might be able to come out of this with some shred of dignity intact. Unable to regain her balance, she fell forward, twisting awkwardly to avoid basin as it shattered on the floor. She cringed as she hit the floor. She shook her head and checked herself over to make sure she hadn't cut herself in the process. When she spotted nothing immediately, she began to race to pick up the pieces of the former basin. She was on her hands and knees, gathering up the shards in her arms. She reached forward to pick up a large sliver when a well-kempt leather boot appeared in her vision, slightly wet. She bit her lip and didn't dare look up to see who it was.

"My Lord," the twins said in unison, going into a low curtsy. Her worst fear was confirmed. She swallowed and looked up cautiously. It was worse than she had feared. It was the steward's eldest son. She averted her eyes and went into an awkward, seated curtsy.

"My Lord," she said quietly, though it came out as more of a question than an affirmation of his status. She saw a movement at about the level of her head and she flinched involuntarily, waiting for a blow that never came. She opened one eye and found a hand at eye level, she looked up and found he was waiting expectantly for her to take his hand. Uncertainly, she pushed herself up off the ground and onto her feet. She stood shakily in front of him, head bowed. Her features were twisted into a silent grimace, though she did her best to get her expression to one that a servant should wear. He circled her slowly, his boots crunching on the remnants of the basin.

"Are you alright?" he asked, giving her a once over to make sure there was nothing obviously wrong with her. Elladryn's shoulders tightened up.

"Yes, my lord," she lied quietly, knowing it was a punishable offense to ignore him. Not that breaking the bowl wasn't, but she wanted to keep herself as far out of the hole as she could. Her ankle pained her terribly, but she wasn't about to put her burdens on her master.

"No broken bones. No blood," he said to himself as he completed the circle around her. "No reason to worry." He looked at the twins. "You two, help get this cleaned up," he said, motioning to the remnants of the basin and the puddle of water. Both girls got up and bobbed into a short curtsy.

"Yes, my lord," they said, once again in unison. He nodded, satisfied with his inspection, heading through one of the large sets of doors that led into another wing of the castle. Elladryn stood there for a moment in shock before she sank to the floor again, relieved he had let her off so lightly, but her ankle was still bothering her. Reywyn and Remwyn were by her side in mere moments.

"Ella, what happened?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"How could you do that?"

The questions came at her in a flurry and she barely listened to them as she scooped up the pieces. Reywyn held out her apron to make a pocket and Elladryn obeyed the unspoken command. Remwyn mopped up the floor as Elladryn got slowly to her feet again.

"I will be back in a moment," she said, her voice shaking slightly. She was suffering from an aftershock of the incident, which would pass quickly. She turned and walked out of the hall, wincing with every step.

A long chapter to set the scene. I assure you that the next chapters will have a little more action to them. But certain characters had to be introduced before the central plot begins to develop. Like I said, constructive criticism is welcomed and appreciated.

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