Dear Readers:

This fan fiction is based off of the work By J.R.R. Tolkien. I own nothing but my OCs. I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy and have always wanted to make a story out of it. No, this is not a Mary Sue. I hope you will find this enjoyable! Please rate and review, flames are enjoyed as well. Any questions, private message me! My inbox is always open! I will include author notes at the bottom for some information.

- Bane

The Lord of the Rings: The Bearer of Narya

~*1*~

Andrea Foster made her way through the trees of her backyard woods. Her best friend, Elizabeth Hunt, was travelling with her. They both had a similar mission: to find the fabled plant of king's foil. She had heard rumors of it growing right in her backyard and today she was investigating. The wild plant was from their favorite books: The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The two had followed the adventures of Frodo and Sam since they were in fifth grade. Together, they watched all three movies, spending endless nights discussing how the elves were far from perfect, how Aragorn was the perfect king, and how Denethor was a complete ass. Now that they were in high school, they planned on visiting Ireland together and their love for the trilogy faded, but they planned one last adventure before putting the childish fantasies aside. But for now, finding the plant was their goal.

"They say that it should be near water." Elizabeth stated, flipping through the pages of their favorite book.

This copy of The Lord of the Rings had all three books put together. The appendixes in the back were the main part that they were after today. It was such a heavy book, weighing multiple pounds.

Andrea looked over Elizabeth's shoulder. "Look at the flowers, Liz. They have five petals for each bud with three buds on a single stem."

They both trudged through the woods, Elizabeth snapping twigs and rustling leaves as she passed while Andrea moved silently as possible, not wanting to disturb the nature around. Andrea had more of a natural feel towards plants and trees as well as animals. She didn't want to destroy the leafy vegetation around her. Liz just loved the animals.

Elizabeth was carrying the book in an exaggerated way, making it look extremely difficult to carry. Andrea rolled her eyes. If she wanted me to carry it for her, she thought, then why didn't she just ask? Andrea grabbed the book from her and put it into her carrying case. It was the type where you put laptops in, but she used it for exploring and picking up colorful stones whenever she went to the river.

"Thanks, Andi." Elizabeth moaned, shaking her arms. "That was getting really heavy."

Andrea laughed. Her friend was a real drama queen when she was alone. Out in public, she was more conservative and shy.

Andrea gave herself her nick name. She was a tomboy by nature and gave herself a boyish name with a slight twist. She wouldn't be Andy, but Andi.

They had been climbing through rows of trees for what seemed like hours. Ancient oaks and sycamores towered overhead and created patterns of light on the woodland floor below. Light shining through the leaves created effects that looked like green stained glass. Everywhere the sounds of birds shot through the air, some louder than others. It was a perfect wonderland. Andi was glad that it was summer and the weather was nice as well. She wished that she would stay in the forest forever.

She felt giddy, almost light footed and graceful. Dancing around in a circle, arms raised towards the sky, she laughed and smiled. Dizzy, she stumbled to the ground laughing. Liz kept walking, for she knew that Andi had done this many times before when she felt this way. This time, when she grabbed the earth around her, Andi felt more than grass in her palms. It was a hard, circular object. She twisted it around in her fingers. It was cold, but not a harsh cold. Leaning over to see the object with her eyes, she couldn't believe her luck. In her hands was a stunning ring. It was made of gold, wrought to have golden leaves surround a red ruby. The sides had delicate flames etched into the metal. Andi looked under the gem to find a name, thinking that maybe someone lost a class ring from long ago. What she found was astonishing. The language that she had been studying for the past two years had been written on the back. There were two letters, one of which was an Elvish rune. The other was the Elvish letter "G". She knew that there was only one person who used those two letters in a single was. It was a signature that she recognized.

Gandalf the Grey's signature markings were on the back of the ring.

Andi looked around. There was no one else around. Liz was still poking around logs for the king's foil. Could she have dropped it? Most importantly, who was in her woods that would have something like this? It has to be Liz's, she thought, it's the only explanation.

"Liz," Andi called out. "Is this yours?"

Elizabeth strolled over, curiously. When she saw the ring, she checked it questioningly and with suspicion. She turned it over in her hands, looked over the craftsmanship, and even noted the two letters on the back. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Well, it's not mine, but this is great! I would think that you would be able to keep it. It's on your property, after all." She picked up a nearby leaf and twirled it in between her fingers. "Besides, it's a great ring to do some research on. Maybe you could get some money from it!"

Andi regarded Liz's thoughts with joy. She was right. Andi could technically keep it. It was her right since her dad owned the property. Not only that, but she kept on having a strange feeling that she had to protect it. Taking the chain around her neck that held a dog tag with her name on it, she placed the ring next to it and placed it around her neck. This was one of the best days of Andi's summer. While looking for king's foil, she found something better. Then…

"I found it!" Liz exclaimed, waving her hands frantically. "It's here! It's here!"

Andi scrambled up. "Where?"

Liz smiled. "You're sitting on it!"

Sure enough, right where Andi was standing were a giant mass of king's foil. They had found the weed! Grinning at each other and talking excitedly about their findings, they picked the king's foil from the ground. Andi put hers flowers, with the roots attached, in a plastic bag with dirt. Liz just picked it and put it in between the pages of her book as a bookmark. She thought that they would look nice pressed. Of course, because Andi told Liz to, they left most of the king's foil there. Liz wanted to take most of it home, but Andi reminded her that if they took it all, that there would be no more left to keep on growing.

They ran all the way home, laughing they entire way. Andi's father was waiting for them, smiling at the back doorway of their house with a cup of coffee in his hand. Just like her, he was a little book worm. He appreciated the same things that Andi did, including her enjoyment of The Lord of the Rings. For this reason, they had a room in their house created just for books. It was their own personal library that they loved and enjoyed. Together, they sat there for hours during the winter months reading together. Some days, she and her father read aloud to each other some chapters of The Hobbit, or Harry Potter, or possibly The Wizard of Oz. One book that they both loved, but never read aloud, was Inkheart. The storyline made them wary, so they steered away from reading that story aloud.

The only reason that they could pull of this library was because of the size of their home. Andi's father never married after his first wife died in a car accident. He always wanted a child of his own, so he adopted her when she was left on his doorstep. The neighborhood turned out to be too dangerous to live in, as there were many break-ins and robberies. As a result of the crime increase, the little family moved to rural area of South Dakota where there was a small school and neighbors were friendly. They had looked at the house together and both thought that it was truly magical. There was ivy creeping up the side. One room, Andi's room, had a small balcony that faced the west so she could see the sun set. The library was once the enormous dining room, but with a little refurbishing and paint, both Andi and her father made it into a library that could sustain a huge amount of books.

"How was the adventure?" He smiled, pushing his brown hair out of his eyes.

"Great, Mr. Foster!" Liz giggled. "We found the king's foil and Andi found a ring!'

Mr. Foster raised an eyebrow. "Really? May I see it?"

Andi took the ring off of the metal chain around her neck and handed it to her father. Like Liz, he was curious and skeptical, not knowing where it was from or who would have a ring made that way. After his inspection, he was exicted.

"Marvelous!" He exclaimed. "Wonderful craftsmanship! Better keep a hold of that, Andi. That is one wonderful thing that you've found."

"Don't worry, dad." Andi stated. "I don't want to lose it."

"Did you put the king's foil outside like I told you to?"

Andi smiled. "It's even in a pot and blooming."

Liz dashed into the living room, where they had set up their sleeping bags for the night. They were having a slumber party that night to celebrate the "mission", even if they succeeded or failed. Both agreed that if they found the weed, they would watch The Fellowship of the Ring. If not, then they would see The Two Towers. The next morning they would watch their favorite of the three: The Return of the King. Liz popped the DVD into the disk player. As she sat and watched previews, Andi went into the kitchen to make ice cream for the both of them. While making the frozen treats, the phone rang. Hands covered in ice cream Andi shouted for her father. He ran down the stairs, dashing for the phone. He made it just in time before the final ring came to an end. In the midst of talking, he fixed his reading glasses which had gone lopsided from running.

"Hello...yes, this is Patrick….yes, of course…well, my daughter is—….yes, but—…are you sure? Alright, I'll see you in five minutes."

Mr. Foster hung up the phone. He looked upset.

"Dad, what's wrong?" Andi asked.

He grabbed his coat that was hanging on a peg. "Mrs. Caldry said that there is a person outside her house and she doesn't know who it is. He apparently has been around the area the entire day. I'm going over to check it out." He continued to move around, looking for something as he talked. "Make sure you lock the doors, windows, everything. It's not normal that we have criminals, but just to be safe, do it please."

He finally found what he was looking for. It made Andi's throat go dry. A riffle that he used only for hunting was now in his hands as he went out the door. As he went outside to his pickup truck, Andi ran out with him.

"Do you expect to go with me?" He asked.

Andi gave him a hug that he wasn't suspecting. At first he was surprised, but then he hugged back.

"Just be safe, dad." Andi pleaded.

"Andi, calm down! I probably won't even have to use it. I'll be fine, honey. Don't worry." He said, as he started the car and headed down the road to Mrs. Caldry's home.

Andi raced back into the house. It was scary if there was someone creeping around this neighborhood. Usually nothing happened. Her heart was racing. What happened if there really was a person outside Mrs. Caldry's house? Would he hurt dad? Andi slapped herself. What are you thinking, Andrea? He'll be alright! Just do what he told you to do. She put the ice cream back into the freezer and headed into the living room. Liz was about to start the movie, but Andi stopped her.

"We have to lock down." Andi stated, already heading towards the windows and locking them.

Liz followed her instructions. It was good that Andi had help. The house was too big to do by herself. There were so many windows that it would take five minutes to do the entire house.

When the job was done, they headed back to the living room. The movie started with its usual prologue and they recited it using different accents and funny voices, making each other laugh. Finally, they got sick of hearing their own voices and listened while the narrator told the story. There was one point where Andi heard something that she never had before.

"…when hobbits shall rule the fate of many…and hope shall rise from the darkness through a ring bearer."

Andi blinked. "Whoa. Did you hear that?"

Liz looked up. "Hear what?"

"It was in the prologue! Did you not hear her say 'and hope shall rise from the darkness through a ring bearer'? I've never heard that."

Liz shrugged her shoulders. "I didn't hear anything."

Andi grabbed the remote. "I could've sworn it said something like that."

She rewound it a little farther than she wanted to, so they watched the same part again. Andi wanted to pay attention to the last part. Why wasn't it there in the movie before? Why did it say that? Why could I only hear it?

It played the part again.

"…when hobbits shall rule the fate of many…and hope shall rise from the darkness through a ring bearer."

Andi jumped up. "There it was again! I swear it just said it!"

Liz shook her head. "Andi, I can't hear anything after that."

Andi slumped down in her seat. Maybe Liz was right. She had to of been hallucinating. Every time she watched this movie it said the same prologue. Why would this time be different? Maybe it was because things were a little hectic outside. Her dad being outside with a stranger might be messing with her head.

The front door opened suddenly. Both of the girls spun around to see who it was. Andi grabbed the remote to use as a weapon just in case it was an intruder, but…

"Dad!" Andi laughed. "Jeez, you scared us!"

Mr. Foster laughed. "Sorry, the wind took a hold of the door. Can you, um, put the remote down please?"

Andi returned the remote to the coffee table and she, along with Liz, followed him into the kitchen. They both had the same question.

"Was there a person?" Andi asked.

He nodded. "There was, but it was just an old man."

"Who did he look like?" Anna asked, intrigued.

"Well," Mr. Foster chuckled. "He looked old enough to be Santa Claus."

Anna laughed with Andi's father, but Andi got to thinking. Was he looking for the ring that she found? Maybe that was his gold band. Then she shook off her thoughts and laughed along with them. Andi retrieved the ice cream again and all three headed into the living room for a night of fellowships, danger, darkness, and hope.