Greetings to you all! First of all, I'd like to welcome you, and thank you for taking interest in my newest fic. I've been so excited to update this new fic, I've been bouncing off the walls all week long! Okay, I wasn't bouncing off the walls, I'm not that ninja, but, I was really excited! I do hope that you enjoy this fic to your fullest extent, just as I have enjoyed writing it. I'll leave you alone and let you read now, enjoy. Alright, one more thing though, it's important that you guys should know that this fic will be updated every Friday night. The schedule for updating is on up on my profile. Thanks again, and enjoy. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings. Those rights go to their highly respected makers, who've done a wonderful job. P.S. Gimli is awesome. Okay, I'm done.
Keeping her balance was something that Fleur never seemed to be good at, even though elves were supposed to be one of the most graceful creatures in Middle Earth. This made walking through the meadow, which happened to have numerous divots in it, rather difficult and painful for the young elleth.
"Ah! Shit!" she yelped as she tripped and fell flat on her face, her strawberry blonde hair gathered around her.
She sighed and pushed herself back up, muttering swear words all the while as she stood, "Fleur? Is that you using those filthy words?"
Fleur winced, "No grand-mama!" she called, picking up the basket and wildflowers that she had previously picked before she had fallen on her face.
Eleanor White was an interesting old woman. She was kind and sweet, gentle and caring. But that was only if you were on her good side. If you were on her bad side, she could be quite the prankster. Luckily, Fleur was on her caretaker's good side. She would never find herself splashed with a bucket of water when entering their home, like so many nosy salesman had already been. No, the only time she got scolded was when she did something bad, like swear, because it was 'unladylike', or 'unellethlike' said Eleanor, because that was apparently what Fleur was.
An elleth. Fleur honestly didn't know what an elleth was. She had asked Eleanor, but the old woman had only told her that when Eleanor passed away, Fleur was to go into the woods that were near their countryside home, and when she asked the people who lived there, she would learn the answer. Fleur really didn't want Eleanor to pass away, so she never asked again in favor of the old woman not talking about her morality. It made Fleur feel somewhat uncomfortable, unlike Eleanor, who had longtime decided that death could come and take her anytime.
"Fleur, my child, there you are. Come here, please, that meadow is dangerous for this old lady's ankles." she called from the fence that surrounded their small cottage.
"Coming grand-mama!" Fleur called, rushing to Eleanor, tripping and stumbling as she went until, finally, she arrived by the old lady's side.
"Hello my dear." greeted Eleanor, then her eyes traveled to the basket in Fleur's hands, "Oh my, what beautiful flowers!"
"For the table grand-mama!" she said, smiling at the old woman, who smiled as well, making the wrinkles around her eyes more obvious, a trait that Fleur found endearing on her.
"Wonderful!" she said, clapping her hands together, and accepting the basket when Fleur held it out to her, "These will make the most beautiful centerpiece! Thank you!"
Fleur giggled and shuffled her feet, "Of course, it was no trouble."
Eleanor chuckled, then looked serious, "I need a favor from you my dear."
"What is it, grand-mama?" Fleur inquired.
"Well ..." the old woman looked thoughtful, "I need you to fetch some herbs for me, but they're only found in the woods."
"The woods?" echoed Fleur, "Really? Can I please go, grand-mama?"
"It may be too dangerous ..."
"It's not! Really! I can do it, no problem!"
Eleanor nodded, "Very well. Here's the list. The herbs should be only a little ways into the forest, do not stray too far now. Be careful."
Fleur accepted the list and headed of towards the forest after wishing her grandma farewell. She hurried off into the woods, wondering if the woods were really dangerous, and why if they were her grandmother told her to go into them when she died.
Fleur walked through the meadow until she got to the edge, pausing for a moment when she came upon the entrance to the forest. She swallowed and began to walk through.
"If only if only
The woodpecker sighed
The bark on the tree was as soft as the skies
As the wolf waits below
Hungry and lonely
He cries to the moon
If only if only." sang Fleur, not even really knowing where she knew that song from, but sang it anyway, just because she could.
She stepped cautiously into the woods, sneaking a glance behind her often, as if something were following her. When she saw nothing, it was back to looking straight ahead and trudging onward further into the forest. And further. And further. And further.
"Oh goodness, what've I done?" she muttered to herself, cursing her ability to get lose easily, "It was so simple, just go a little ways into the forest? How could I have gotten myself lost?"
She looked around in each direction, finding out that each way looked exactly the same as she way she came in. Fleur was getting close to the stage where she was about to start really panicking when she heard a rustling sound.
"H-hello?" she called out, "Is someone out there?"
Her answer was silence. She called again. Again, nothing. Fleur swallowed, then started walking towards where she had heard the rustling come from, only to come upon a beautiful white wolf hanging by it's foot by a rope in a tree. She gasped, and wondered who would do such a thing to such a gorgeous creature.
"It looks like you've gotten yourself in trouble as well ..." said Fleur, reaching for her knife that she kept in her boot, "Hold on, I'll cut you loose."
Slowly, because she didn't want to frighten the creature, she approached. At first, the wolf just watched her, then began to growl as she got closer.
"I'm not gonna hurt you, so just relax." she said, inching slowly closer until she could cut the rope around the wolf's foot. "Ha! Got it!" she exclaimed when she managed to cut the wolf free.
The wolf landed gracefully on its feet and Fleur slipped her knife back into her boot. It watched her, it's yellow eyes seemingly searching her soul, before it took off into the forest. Fleur watched it go.
"Well, at least he knows where he's going." she muttered to herself, scratching her head before noticing that there was a small house that had seemed as if it had seen better days, "When did that get there?" she asked herself before turning around in a random direction and stepping forward.
"Halt, girl."
Fleur froze in mid step. Someone else besides her was currently occupying the area. The owner of the house maybe ... she wondered to herself.
"Um ... Hello?" she asked, turning back around, "Is someone there?"
"There most certainly is, child."
"Um ... Who?"
"Tis I, Amerada, the forest witch."
"Who?"
"You've released my dinner from its trap." the scratchy voice said, from where Fleur wasn't quite sure.
"So you're the one who trapped that poor creature!" she hissed, "Show yourself!"
And showed herself she did. An old crone of a woman appeared suddenly in front of her, "I am here, child."
"You should be ashamed of yourself! You could've killed that poor wol-"
"Silence!" the old woman shouted, "You've ruined my chances of having a good diner, as well as a new rug, for this, I shall curse you, for I am a witch."
"A witch? Damn straight you are! Who else would be so cruel?"
"That is it! A brat such as yourself should know to keep her nose out of the business of others, and I am going to teach you by making you poke your nose where it doesn't belong."
This confused Fleur, because the old woman seemed to have trouble forming coherent sentences, "What are you talking about?"
"I curse you. The one most precious to you shall turn to stone, never again to breathe unless you travel through the forest to seek assistance from Lady Galadriel. From her you will learn how to break the curse. Now, away with you! Away!"
Fleur gasped as she was thrown backwards and landed on the ground painfully. Black began to swim into her vision, until she fell into a sea of unconsciousness.
Something cold and wet was on her cheek, her back was sore, and she felt tired, even though she was just waking from sleep, something that should've refreshed her. Must've been that odd dream ... she thought to herself. Fleur groaned and opened her eyes. There stood the white wolf, nudging her, trying to wake her from her sleep.
"Y-you ..." Fleur said, "You're that wolf I saved ... Aren't you?" The creature nodded, as if it had understood her, "Then, that witch ... She wasn't a dream."
The wolf shook it's head 'no.' Fleur sat up quickly with a gasp.
"O-oh no! Eleanor!" she stood and looked around, "S-she's been turned to stone then! And-and I don't know the way!" she felt the familiar sting of tears, tears of frustration.
The wolf cocked it's head off to the side, before leaning forward and grabbing the hem of her dress and tugging on it, clearly trying to get her to follow him.
"Do you ... Do you know the way?" the wolf nodded, "Really? You'll help me?" again, the wolf nodded, and the two of them ran to the home of Eleanor.
Fleur worried about what sight would greet her.
So that's it for the first chapter, I hope you've all enjoyed it. No Haldir yet, but don't worry, he's in the next chapter. Oh, I hope that wasn't a spoiler. Oh well, you guys knew he was comin' anyway, right? By the way, for all of you who are curious, the song is "If Only" by Fiction Plane. Yes, it is the song of of Holes, and does have more than that one verse. I love that song! Anyways, have a great week. See you next Friday! Love you all! ~ Kitty