Heylo! Well, I'm back, thanks for the reviews, Grem and Amanda dragon You guys rawk!! Hope this is a long chapter.. was 936 all story when I checked.. anyways! Time for disclaming..
disclaimer- I don't own LOTR, or any of it's characters except my Leah! She's mine, so back off! So I don't own LOTR.. cos if I did, I would be like sending this off and get it turned into a book... so yes! I don't own!
Italics- Oringinally a flashback.. but then for a slight moment or sentence it's thinking. Hope you're still with me after all this blathering :P
I'm only alright if it's night-time…
Sam breathed in the fresh smell of due on every grass blade. That was always the reward after a storm.
A mixture of new scents floated about the air… a gardener's heart's content. How Sam loved it…
Leah awoke aching and throbbing all over. Where was she? Laying upon a bed of all things! She hadn't been on or in a bed since…… four years old.
The sheets were soft and provided little warmth to her chilled body. The room she was in, must be the guest room, it had a small desk, with a mirror placed above, a chair, a basin full of water, and a small wardrobe to one side. A large round window occupied the other wall, letting the first streams of sunlight filter onto the floor.
Leah sat up in the bed and twisted the sheets within her fingers. It wasn't safe here, Papa wasn't here.
Oh, how she longed to see his smiling face again, his worn hands rubbing her back, his arms hugging her and keeping her safe from the world. But he wasn't there with her, and that only meant she was alone..
She looked out the wide window and came across the strange country with awe. It was so…. Pretty. No brunt out trees, starched ground, just grass and flowers and trees. And amazing things to her eyes.
Not at all like the slave grounds.
The land there was horrid, so were the masters. Always muttering about the new King of Gondor and his stupid ways. Leah wanted to hear about the King but she had gotten many whip lashes doing so, she remembered the first time when her Papa told her about him..
"Papa", whispered Leah, it was late and they would get a lashing if they were caught talking.
Her Papa was laying on one side, breathing heavily. He had been given punishment for 'slacking' by helping old Mister Cleven when he had fallen over on his old legs.
"Yes, Leah?", he muttered, turning his gaze to his child. His face was starting to bruise painfully, deep blue marks encircling his cheeks, shoulder and stomach.
"Why don't we ge' to see the King?", she asked mournfully, glancing up at the night sky, the stars were hidden by clouds that night. Leah loved the stars. Her Papa said they were like torches of hope. Hope of new life one day.
"You want to see the King do you? Why?"
"Cos Masters say he's really stupid an' mean. But you said not t' judge people without meetin' them".
"Well, I, personally Leah, believe that the King is a lovely man. Even when the Masters tell me not too, because it's your own choice. I'm sure we'll see the King one day, and then you'll see why I think he's lovely, and maybe even why the Masters think he's stupid".
"Bu' why they say he stupid, Papa?"
"They don't like the way he does things, I suppose. He doesn't like what they are doing here and.."
"What ar' they doing here?", Leah asked suddenly, interrupting.
"Slavery. It means, well you know you must do everything the Masters say?", Leah nodded. "We shouldn't really have too, like servants, they offer their services to their Masters, we, on the other hand, were not given a choice".
"Papa….do you promise I'll get to see the King one day?", Leah leaned against his warm body.
"I promise. See, the stars promise too", he whispered and together they watched as the clouds moved away and the stars shine once again….
Leah quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks as the door handle was swiftly opening.
"Mornin' Leah", smiled Sam, come in from the garden. "How are you feeling?"
Leah looked at him uncertainly, why was he asking her how she was feeling? Her instinct told her to answer in case she got into trouble. "I'm fine, mister. How are you feeling?"
"Well, I'm pretty cheerful this morning. I like mornings after big storms. Do you?"
"I suppose they are alright, sir".
"Leah, can you tell me why you were out in that storm?"
"I was running", she meekly replied.
Sam's brow ceased. Running? "Why were you running?"
"'Cause Master wasn't happy with me..".
"Master? Why do you have a Master?"
"I don't know…. He wasn't happy with me, 'cause I fell and dropped the vase and it went and smashed all over the ground. He looked really scary and he got the big whip out and he was saying he was gonna kill me and I was frightened so I ran and I knocked over the torches..", her voice got higher and higher till she choked down a sob.
Sam rubbed her back and said warmly. "Can you tell me what happened next?"
"I…..I knocked over the torches and everything went on fire and then everyone was screaming and Master still had his big whip so I ran away. Master tried to follow me but the flames was getting higher and burning all the trees, so he had to help put them out so I got far away before he notices..", she stifled a sob again.
"Where was this place, Leah?", asked Sam gently, wiping away a few of her tears.
"I don't know if it had a proper name, Masters only called it the 'Slave grounds'".
"Slave grounds? You were a slave?"
"Uh-huh", she mumbled, wiping her eyes.
"Oh, you poor lass! Why don't you stay here for a little bit and settle, and I'll be back soon, think you'll be alright by then?"
"I'm only alright when it's night-time, sir"
"Why's that?"
"Cause the stars can protect you then, sir. Papa said that the stars are very special.."
"They are, Leah. They are"……….
to be continued....
Well, again thank you for reviewing and reading this quite long chapter..(for me) So please review and I'll love you for ever!! And I'll think you are a rawkingly person.. that means you're ace! So please review and no flames.. cos they will just be used to burn the Slave grounds again.. MWHAHAHAHA! cough so yeah! Review pleasums!
Happy dayz!