We've remodeled the first three chapters of this fic now, and hopefully it is for the better. I will now take this opportunity to state that: I'm so sorry about the lack of new chapters in the sequel (dramatic sob) IT'S ALL MY FAULT! PLEASE OH PLEASE FORGIVE ME! And also, as always, we have no claim to any of Tolkien's amazing characters other than posters and cardboard Legolas stand ups. This fic is purely for entertainment purposes and we don't get any sort of payment from it other than reviews and the fun we have messing with people's heads. We thank you for not suing, 'cause you can't have my ramen anyways. Phe

Wishes of Golden Chain

Chapter One

The sun shone pleasantly on that clear autumn day. The crisp, cool air was filled with the sounds of children playing. However, the red haired high school freshman was paying little mind to the distracting sound of the nearby game of tag or what not. She sat by the largest tree in the playground, a bag of multicolored pencils and old books beside her. Upon the sketchpad in her lap, a gray shaded creature was slowly taking shape. Slowly at first, a line here, a curve there, and... done. She held up her work. With a disappointed sigh, Andrea flipped the sketch book closed. The prancing unicorn she had envisioned had escaped her yet again.

'It makes sense,' she thought with a shake of her flame colored hair, 'that something so perfect can never be captured in its true beauty.' Putting her sketchpad aside, she shifted through the other contents of her bag. At the top was a small collection of well-loved and over-read books.

When her mom had gotten the new job, she had moved Andrea and her brother to a small house just outside the city. As Andrea had no car as of yet, it meant she was now a good ways too far from any library for her to walk. And she hadn't had the time to unpack most of her beloved paperbacks. As such, she was utterly bored.

With what could be interpreted as a low growl, she closed the bag and stood. Catching sight of her younger brother, she waved him over.

"Tony, it's getting to be lunch time, why don't we head home, OK?" she asked tiredly, ruffling the small boy's hair.

"Wa-na scety-O," Tony agreed happily, bouncing. With a smile, Andrea took her brother's sand covered hand and they walked the few blocks back to the house.

Andrea opened the front door and headed to the kitchen. As she was pulling the pan a box, her mother entered.

"How was the park? Did you two have fun?"

"Made a bee-chee casmul!" Tony announced proudly.

"So I see. Now, why don't you wash your hands before you eat, alright?" Peggy smiled as her youngest toddled his way into the restroom down the hall. Andrea smiled up at her mother.

"So, did you create any master piece working at the new studio?" she asked as the spaghetti-Os plopped into the pan. The red mush and soggy noodle rings squished unappealingly as they landed.

"Oh, I think some of the shots will come out alright. You want to come help me in the dark room tomorrow?" Andrea shrugged.

"I really need to unpack before school starts, but I'd like to. Maybe next time?" She looked over apologetically.

"Next time then. I understand. You only have one more week of freedom, after all."

Andrea turned her attention back to lunch. The pasta from can plopped like thick swamp mud. It truly was a show of how much she adored her younger brother that she was willing to eat the stuff. She turned off the burner and put the food mass into two bowls.

When she entered the living room, Tony was jumping up and down as "The Little Mermaid" played on the TV. He sang along-off key-as the crab on the screen preached musical style about the joys found under the sea.

"I a fish, Andreee!"

"Yes, you're a very good fish. Come eat your lunch now, kay?" Tony bounced over.

"Fish food!"

Leaving her brother to his food, Andrea trudged up the stairs to her room, setting the bowl on a large cardboard box that hadn't yet been unpacked. She flipped on a CD to her favorite song to try and perk up her mood.

It did little good. She felt restless. Flopping out on her bed, she tried to picture herself as a character in one of her books. 'That's what I want,' she thought with a sigh. Andrea was bored with her life. She wanted an adventure, to be the heroin of some fairytale. She wanted to be captured by a dragon and saved by some knight in shining armor, or to meet some wondrous fairy godmother and capture the heart of the charming prince hosting the magical ball. But unfortunately, she knew the limits of reality. Besides, even if a fairy godmother did send her to a magic ball, she didn't know how to dance, and dragons were said to be smelly.

"So the story never even starts." She muttered to her stuffed animals, pulling the pillow over her head. That was how she drifted off to sleep.

"Andrea, what are you doing up there?" The beautiful voice asked from below her.

"I'm sitting in a tree." She stated in a matter of fact voice. Bell like laughter rang out in response. 'Ah good,' she thought, 'I've him got to laugh! Now all I have to do is pounce and this game of tag is mine.' But, she was already too late.

"Andrea, melamin, why do you insist on these games? You will not win." He had somehow leapt up to sit beside her on the branch, a vision of golden beauty.

"Melamin?" She was trying to act as if she had expected his invasion of what would have been- had she not so adored him- her personal space. He merely smiled, which was enough to make her insides melt away.

"Andreee!" her brother bounced onto her bed. "Ge up Andreee! Pay wit me! Pay wit me!"

"Off the bed, don't jump on my bunnies." Andrea commanded, slightly grumpy at the sudden interruption of such a strange and wonderful dream. "What do you want?"

"Pay esplorers wit me!" He begged in the voice he knew she had no power to refuse, at least not when it was combined with Tony's puppy eyes.

"Alright. I'll play, but only for a little while." She sighed. Tony was delighted, and bounced back to the floor.

"Yesssssss!" his call was a bit muffled as he ran into the hallway. Andrea followed with less than half of his enthusiasm.

"Ge down at-ick! Pay esplorers! Hat in at-ick!"

Andrea did as she was told, wondering why that particular box had been put in such an inaccessible place. After telling him to stay and making sure he got the message, she began to look for the awful hats he always insisted they wear to play explorers. She was at a loss as to where they could be.

In her search she knocked aside a stack of ancient boxes that had been left by the previous owner.

"Ouch... that really hurt..." she whined, rubbing her elbow. Then the wall behind the boxes caught her gaze. "What the balloon?"

The wall framed a small doorway. She rose and gave the old door a shove, only to find it stuck tight. Most people would have given up, but Andrea had a great knowledge of fantasy stories even if she was greatly lacking knowledge in the reality department. And hidden attic rooms often contained secrets that led to even better secrets. And, knowing it was highly unlikely that there really truly was anything out of the ordinary, she began to work find a way to open the room up.