Sorry I didn't update yesterday but I went to the zoo with my mom and
little sister and after that I rented a bunch of movie and junkfood and
held a huge movienight. I'm still looking for my muse so you guys have to
send me more ideas, I'm running out (heaven forbid I run completely out)
Anyway the reviews you guys send me are a muse on their own, just knowing
there are so many people who read and liked this story gives me inspiration
to write.
Oh well, I'm gonna stop yammering,
Azaldia Took: Nope you never reviewed before but I'm happy you did so now. It's not over yet, I have some vague ideas running through my head but that's all for after the battle!
Siren: Love your enthusiasm, just one question. . . what does LMMFAO mean???
Maverickgirl: I'm happy you like the relationship between the characters. I always assumed that after going so many things together, the fellowship would be really tight.
LanierShazar: I don't have my muse back yet so it'll probably be a short chapter. Though after seeing 'Windtalkers' yesterday I'm in a bit of a melancholy mood. War-movies do that to me.
Musicgrl: If you liked the prank in last chapter you'll like this one as well ;)
Passion Lover: Yep high-spirits are necessary and I am trying to update every day so keep on reviewing and I keep on updating.
Kiku: You have a dirty mind!!!! *lol* just kidding. Hope you'll like this chapter as well, it has no wet Legolas though.
Shinigami29: Oh so that was what you meant. Well she's not turning half-elf or something. She learned Elvish so fast cause she's smart, she didn't walk so silently Legolas couldn't hear her but the evil elf wasn't paying attention (helping Pippin up), the advice thing, well she's a little wise for her age. But she's not turning Elvish! No matter how nice that would be (avoiding the immortality issue)
Dancingfae: Legolas is my favorite for playing pranks on, but this chapter has a prank concerning. . . Haldir!!! Yep just read the fic to see Rita make Haldir miserable.
Aurumlupi: Oooh, great idea don't know if I can use it though. Let me think about it while I'm writing (typing). . .
Blahblah: Keep reading the books! They are so good, actually the best I have ever read (and that's a lot; I'm a book-worm or so my friend call me)
The Lady Sorcha of Sevenwaters: *fans your face* are you ok again? Are you getting any air yet? Don't scare me like that again ok, no more fainting no matter how hard it is to breathe!! And I do like Legolas I just think he's the perfect victim for Rita playing pranks on.
Lady of Legolas: Nope she wasn't only daydreaming it was a memory so it really happened.
Kayli: Don't apologize for not checking the fic sooner, you write me long reviews and that makes up for everything! And you were really busy from what you wrote me. Ice cream. . . yummy, I love ice cream! Oooh, you wrote me little separate reviews! I like playing pranks on Legolas, makes him seem a little less perfect. So happy you liked chapter 34, it was one of the hardest to write, especially the Faramir-part! I'm glad you liked the second joke on Legolas again! Thanks for commenting on the second-in- command thing. I'm happy you saw the reasoning behind it, I was worried people would hate it since it is a bit Mary Suish. I liked the quotes you sent me, keep them coming! Wow look at this another long note to you, but your reviews are long as well.
Kate: I wish we could too! I mean that would be awesome! Anyway I hope you like this chapter as well.
Arwen-evenstar: No I haven't read 'The Silmarillion' yet, it's still checked out of the library, grrrr I'm checking again next weak so keep your fingers crossed for me, did you read it? If so how did you like it?
Corinna: Your review was sooo sweet it made me all giddy inside! I hope this chapter will be nice as well!
DISCLAIMER: Tolkien has written works that have been read by millions of people, I am nowhere as talented as he is! So it should be easy picking my characters out of this fic!
Rita was bored, not just bored but bored out of her mind. The landscape had turned monotonous and nothing exciting happened, besides the heralds calling that the King had arrived. Rita had to stifle a giggle at Aragorn's look at this. He was not happy with being called king already.
Haldir was no fun either, he was always quiet but right now he was not talking at all. Not since giving the order to move out. Two words in ten hours, Rita was going crazy.
She started to drum on Haldir's back with her knuckles. "Haldir say something!"
"Like what?"
"How am I supposed to know, just something. The silence is killing me here." She was lost in thought for a minute until an evil grin slid on her face. Just as he took a sip of water she asked him a seemingly innocent question.
"So Haldir, meet any cute girls lately?"
He nearly choked when she asked this and Rita had to suppress a chuckle, it was no time for that. When he was able to breathe normally again he managed to choke a sound that sounded like 'Why?'.
"Just curious, besides I have decided to find you a nice girl cause you definitely need one. Besides you're getting old here Haldir, time to think about things like family and stuff."
His answer was very curt and almost growled. "I do not need a maiden in my life and a family is always an option, even in Valinor."
She grinned, knowing he couldn't see her face. She was really getting to him. "I think you do need a girl, you need to relax, let down the high wall you built around you. Who knows, you might meet someone nice and pretty and she'll like you."
"I am not waiting for a maiden to 'find' me as you put it. I am perfectly pleased with being a marchwarden."
"Work isn't everything, you need a life my friend. And finding a nice girl is a big part of that. Just so you know, if we survive this battle I am going to find you a nice girl if it's the last thing I do."
"That will not be necessary Rita."
"I think it is." Rita retorted.
"No"
"Yes"
"No"
"Yes"
"N. . . why am I fighting with you? I can make my own decisions here. If I say it won't be necessary, you don't have to do a thing. Just let it rest Rita."
Rita couldn't hold back any longer and she burst out in laughter, attracting the attention of those around them.
Haldir turned around, irritation shining in his eyes. At this Rita laughed even harder and she had to hold on to Haldir in order not to fall off the horse. Imagine her shock when she was suddenly on solid ground and watched a fuming Haldir ride away, leaving her behind.
"Hey come back here you elf. It was just a joke!"
When he didn't react she shrugged and started to fall in pace besides Rumil who looked at her like she was an alien.
"What just happened? Haldir never lost control of his emotions before, never!"
Rita whispered what had happened in his ear and this made him laugh as well. Rumil gave her an arm and together they walked laughing and joking for hours.
The spirits of the Lothlorien elves rose at this. The joking was a welcome diversion from the thought of the place they were approaching. There were a few elves who fought in the Last Alliance and still vividly remembered the battle fought at that time.
During the walk they started to exchange stories again. They all spoke in Sindarin since Rita was still learning their language.
Rumil told a story about a great elf-warrior who fought against evil and loved and lost his love. after that he died as well and they met again in Mandos, giving the story a happy ending.
After he finished Rumil and others around her gave Rita looks. "What?" she asked.
"Your turn to tell a tale Rita, it has been a long time since you told one."
"Oh boy" she mumbled "A story". Her mind was working extra hard, thinking of what story to tell. *No fairytale, that's too childish. Not too sad or depressing so that erases Shakespeare. Maybe a movie, oh but then I have to change all the technology things. . . I got it!*
"My story will be about a warrior as well, though it won't be as happy as the one just told. Many years ago in a kingdom far away lived the son of the king. He was a noble and fierce warrior, the best warrior around. He had defeated many evil creatures, including dragons." The prince's name was Beowulf and this is his tale."
With this introduction Rita started to tell them about Beowulf, the battle with Grendel and eventually Beowulf's death.
"And so came the end to one of the greatest warriors ever, for those after him were no longer as brave or as skilled as he was."
There was a silence until Rumil broke it. "Did this really happen? Is it a true story like mine was?"
Rita shrugged. "Don't know, I'm thinking it's not but there are people who believe the story is true. The writer had a huge imagination in my opinion, I could never come up with a story like that. I just tell them."
"You tell it very well Rita."
She smiled. "Thanks Rumil. Wow would you look at that, I think it's close to nighttime again. Is it just me or is time moving faster?"
"No it is not only you, time seems to move faster. Only one more day of marching and we will reach the slopes of Mordor. And then the battle will break loose." This squashed any good spirit that had developed, all retreated back into their thoughts.
Camp was set up and Rita left the elves to find the fellowship and Elladan. She didn't have to search a long time, she found the fellowship and the twin together around a campfire.
"Hey guys" she said and she let herself drop in the space next to Elladan, immediately resting her head on his shoulder.
Everybody greeted her and they talked for awhile. Legolas turned to Rita at a moment. "What happened earlier between you and Haldir? One minute all was normal and the other you were laughing and he kicked you off the horse, forcing you to walk."
Rita grinned. "Oh nothing special, just bugged him a little. I never knew how short-tempered he can be, it was kind of funny. Annoying him I mean."
"You seem to enjoy making fun of those around you." grumbled Legolas.
"Aww, don't tell me you're still peeved at my little joke. Even Aragorn had to laugh when he saw you so it must have been good. Besides, I thought you would appreciate a nice joke if you saw one."
He gave her a mock-glare. "When it is not appointed at me I can appreciate any joke. When I am the victim it is a different story."
Rita felt her eyes starting to droop and yawned. She snuggled a bit closer to Elladan, who shifted around to make her more comfortable.
She never felt the kiss he placed on her head, nor did she notice the blanket being spread over her. Soon she had fallen into a deep sleep.
~dream~
Rita was trapped in an old memory again, and again it was not a good one. It was her eighth birthday and it was just another day for her.
She had woken early that morning and made Carol ready to take her to school. True, Carol was only 2 almost 3 years old, but the principal had allowed it to place Carol in the infant's class early.
Rita had worked very hard on a letter, supposedly written by her father, in which she requested for having Carol placed in class already because of money problems. So it was either Carol at school or Rita at home.
The principal was a kind old man who thought he was all that because he, as a rich man, was able to help a 'poor' man in this way. He never knew it was Rita who had written the letter.
Anyway, Rita readied Carol for school while keeping the little girl as quiet as she could. She made breakfast and the two left for school after that. their father was still in a coma at that time.
Nothing important happened at school that day, Rita didn't have many friends. Only Henry was nice to her and he was sick. The kids ignored Rita since she was weird in their eyes, she never played any of the games and was always busy with her sister. Plus she wore weird and sloppy clothes.
There wasn't a single person who figured out why a girl would wear a long- sleeved shirt with a turtle-neck in the middle of a heat wave. There were none who would question her if she missed another gymclass. None helped her out.
Carol was spending the night with a friend that day, Rita had arranged that since her father's 'friends' were coming over, which meant that the house would be crowded with drunk men.
When she got home she quickly prepared dinner. It had finished just in time since her father entered only a minute after she had taken it out of the oven. She had made pizza, again.
After her father had eaten it like some wild animal he drank a few beers. Meanwhile he was giving Rita a lecture.
". . . and don't come down you hear me little bitch. No need to show your ugly face to my friends. I don't want to hear a sound you hear?!?!"
"Yes father" she answered, her eyes glued to the floor. She had learned long ago that he hated it when she looked him in the eye directly.
"Good, now grab me another beer and move, the guys are coming in an hour."
Rita hurried to do as he said and ran to her room. She locked the door behind her, just in case. She couldn't believe her luck, no beating today. It was like a miracle.
Downstairs she could hear the 'guests' starting to arrive and a few hours later she heard the trashing of the drunken men.
Suddenly she smelled smoke. Alarmed she got up and sneaked downstairs. What she saw made her gasp, the living room was on fire! The men had moved their party to the bar at the other end of the street so she was the only one home.
She rushed to the phone and called 911 to report it. The firefighters arrived quickly and extinguished the fire. One of them gave Rita a candy bar and played a game of rock, paper and scissors until they finished. He was a nice man who called himself Greg.
Too soon the firefighters had to leave again. Rita started to clean up the mess that was left behind but was interrupted when her father stumbled back into the house again.
"What the hell happened here!" he yelled "What did you do to create this mess?"
"Nothing father, there was a fire and I called the firefighters and they stopped it. I was just cleaning up, I really was."
Slowly she started to back away, not liking the look in her father's eyes, they were blazing. She didn't even see his fist as he hit her in the face, it was so fast.
That night she got another beating, this was one she would never forget since it was the first time he resorted to using something else than his fists to hurt her. This time he grabbed the first thing before hand: an empty beerbottle.
He had smashed it on her head, an act that made Rita see stars. She didn't remember a lot after that, only pain and numbness. This daze was broken when she felt a cigarette burn in her arm, it only left a shallow burn but it hurt nonetheless.
The last thing she saw before she past out was his fist colliding with her face.
~end dream~
Rita gasped for breath and sat up abruptly. She was breathing heavily and shrugged Elladan's arm away from her when he slipped it around her shoulder.
She didn't want anyone to touch her, the dream was still too fresh in her mind. She struggled when she felt herself being pulled towards someone.
Aragorn pulled her in his arms, trying to comfort her. He was happy when she started to calm down as he stroked her hair. The others looked at them as Aragorn was helping Rita pull back from the dream.
When she had calmed down completely she pulled back from Aragorn, giving him a small smile. "Sorry about that, I'm fine now."
The men frowned at this and it was Gimli who voiced their opinion. "That's fine, lass if that is fine I do not want to see you upset."
"What did you dream?" asked Aragorn. "About Boromir again?"
She shook her head. "Nah, this is something different, just some stuff from the past. I don't know why I dreamed about it. I haven't had that dream in years."
"What dream?" asked Legolas but he was met with a blank stare from Rita.
"Lets not go over my past ok, you guys should be resting, it's a big day tomorrow." When she saw the concerned looks she was given she added. "Really guys I'll be fine, you forget I've been dealing with these dreams on my own for a long time already. You don't have to be bothered by them."
Elladan frowned at this and opened his mouth to protest when Rita put her finger on it to silence him. "No arguments, that goes for all of you and I mean it. Get some rest we will need it."
One by one they went back to sleep. Elladan was the one of the last ones awake and he saw Rita sit close to the fire, her knees drawn to her body. He moved to sit beside her but was stopped by Aragorn.
"No matter how much we want to help her, she wants to do it alone. Do not pressure her for you will only chase her away."
Knowing he was right Elladan relaxed a little again, yet he never went back to sleep. He watched Rita the rest of the night as she watched the fire, a dull look in her eyes.
A/N: Well that was it, what do you guys think? Total crap or what? Lucky me, the battle is coming up soon and I can deal with that cause I have a raw outline of what I'm gonna write. Review please and I'll see you tomorrow when I update again.
Oh well, I'm gonna stop yammering,
Azaldia Took: Nope you never reviewed before but I'm happy you did so now. It's not over yet, I have some vague ideas running through my head but that's all for after the battle!
Siren: Love your enthusiasm, just one question. . . what does LMMFAO mean???
Maverickgirl: I'm happy you like the relationship between the characters. I always assumed that after going so many things together, the fellowship would be really tight.
LanierShazar: I don't have my muse back yet so it'll probably be a short chapter. Though after seeing 'Windtalkers' yesterday I'm in a bit of a melancholy mood. War-movies do that to me.
Musicgrl: If you liked the prank in last chapter you'll like this one as well ;)
Passion Lover: Yep high-spirits are necessary and I am trying to update every day so keep on reviewing and I keep on updating.
Kiku: You have a dirty mind!!!! *lol* just kidding. Hope you'll like this chapter as well, it has no wet Legolas though.
Shinigami29: Oh so that was what you meant. Well she's not turning half-elf or something. She learned Elvish so fast cause she's smart, she didn't walk so silently Legolas couldn't hear her but the evil elf wasn't paying attention (helping Pippin up), the advice thing, well she's a little wise for her age. But she's not turning Elvish! No matter how nice that would be (avoiding the immortality issue)
Dancingfae: Legolas is my favorite for playing pranks on, but this chapter has a prank concerning. . . Haldir!!! Yep just read the fic to see Rita make Haldir miserable.
Aurumlupi: Oooh, great idea don't know if I can use it though. Let me think about it while I'm writing (typing). . .
Blahblah: Keep reading the books! They are so good, actually the best I have ever read (and that's a lot; I'm a book-worm or so my friend call me)
The Lady Sorcha of Sevenwaters: *fans your face* are you ok again? Are you getting any air yet? Don't scare me like that again ok, no more fainting no matter how hard it is to breathe!! And I do like Legolas I just think he's the perfect victim for Rita playing pranks on.
Lady of Legolas: Nope she wasn't only daydreaming it was a memory so it really happened.
Kayli: Don't apologize for not checking the fic sooner, you write me long reviews and that makes up for everything! And you were really busy from what you wrote me. Ice cream. . . yummy, I love ice cream! Oooh, you wrote me little separate reviews! I like playing pranks on Legolas, makes him seem a little less perfect. So happy you liked chapter 34, it was one of the hardest to write, especially the Faramir-part! I'm glad you liked the second joke on Legolas again! Thanks for commenting on the second-in- command thing. I'm happy you saw the reasoning behind it, I was worried people would hate it since it is a bit Mary Suish. I liked the quotes you sent me, keep them coming! Wow look at this another long note to you, but your reviews are long as well.
Kate: I wish we could too! I mean that would be awesome! Anyway I hope you like this chapter as well.
Arwen-evenstar: No I haven't read 'The Silmarillion' yet, it's still checked out of the library, grrrr I'm checking again next weak so keep your fingers crossed for me, did you read it? If so how did you like it?
Corinna: Your review was sooo sweet it made me all giddy inside! I hope this chapter will be nice as well!
DISCLAIMER: Tolkien has written works that have been read by millions of people, I am nowhere as talented as he is! So it should be easy picking my characters out of this fic!
Rita was bored, not just bored but bored out of her mind. The landscape had turned monotonous and nothing exciting happened, besides the heralds calling that the King had arrived. Rita had to stifle a giggle at Aragorn's look at this. He was not happy with being called king already.
Haldir was no fun either, he was always quiet but right now he was not talking at all. Not since giving the order to move out. Two words in ten hours, Rita was going crazy.
She started to drum on Haldir's back with her knuckles. "Haldir say something!"
"Like what?"
"How am I supposed to know, just something. The silence is killing me here." She was lost in thought for a minute until an evil grin slid on her face. Just as he took a sip of water she asked him a seemingly innocent question.
"So Haldir, meet any cute girls lately?"
He nearly choked when she asked this and Rita had to suppress a chuckle, it was no time for that. When he was able to breathe normally again he managed to choke a sound that sounded like 'Why?'.
"Just curious, besides I have decided to find you a nice girl cause you definitely need one. Besides you're getting old here Haldir, time to think about things like family and stuff."
His answer was very curt and almost growled. "I do not need a maiden in my life and a family is always an option, even in Valinor."
She grinned, knowing he couldn't see her face. She was really getting to him. "I think you do need a girl, you need to relax, let down the high wall you built around you. Who knows, you might meet someone nice and pretty and she'll like you."
"I am not waiting for a maiden to 'find' me as you put it. I am perfectly pleased with being a marchwarden."
"Work isn't everything, you need a life my friend. And finding a nice girl is a big part of that. Just so you know, if we survive this battle I am going to find you a nice girl if it's the last thing I do."
"That will not be necessary Rita."
"I think it is." Rita retorted.
"No"
"Yes"
"No"
"Yes"
"N. . . why am I fighting with you? I can make my own decisions here. If I say it won't be necessary, you don't have to do a thing. Just let it rest Rita."
Rita couldn't hold back any longer and she burst out in laughter, attracting the attention of those around them.
Haldir turned around, irritation shining in his eyes. At this Rita laughed even harder and she had to hold on to Haldir in order not to fall off the horse. Imagine her shock when she was suddenly on solid ground and watched a fuming Haldir ride away, leaving her behind.
"Hey come back here you elf. It was just a joke!"
When he didn't react she shrugged and started to fall in pace besides Rumil who looked at her like she was an alien.
"What just happened? Haldir never lost control of his emotions before, never!"
Rita whispered what had happened in his ear and this made him laugh as well. Rumil gave her an arm and together they walked laughing and joking for hours.
The spirits of the Lothlorien elves rose at this. The joking was a welcome diversion from the thought of the place they were approaching. There were a few elves who fought in the Last Alliance and still vividly remembered the battle fought at that time.
During the walk they started to exchange stories again. They all spoke in Sindarin since Rita was still learning their language.
Rumil told a story about a great elf-warrior who fought against evil and loved and lost his love. after that he died as well and they met again in Mandos, giving the story a happy ending.
After he finished Rumil and others around her gave Rita looks. "What?" she asked.
"Your turn to tell a tale Rita, it has been a long time since you told one."
"Oh boy" she mumbled "A story". Her mind was working extra hard, thinking of what story to tell. *No fairytale, that's too childish. Not too sad or depressing so that erases Shakespeare. Maybe a movie, oh but then I have to change all the technology things. . . I got it!*
"My story will be about a warrior as well, though it won't be as happy as the one just told. Many years ago in a kingdom far away lived the son of the king. He was a noble and fierce warrior, the best warrior around. He had defeated many evil creatures, including dragons." The prince's name was Beowulf and this is his tale."
With this introduction Rita started to tell them about Beowulf, the battle with Grendel and eventually Beowulf's death.
"And so came the end to one of the greatest warriors ever, for those after him were no longer as brave or as skilled as he was."
There was a silence until Rumil broke it. "Did this really happen? Is it a true story like mine was?"
Rita shrugged. "Don't know, I'm thinking it's not but there are people who believe the story is true. The writer had a huge imagination in my opinion, I could never come up with a story like that. I just tell them."
"You tell it very well Rita."
She smiled. "Thanks Rumil. Wow would you look at that, I think it's close to nighttime again. Is it just me or is time moving faster?"
"No it is not only you, time seems to move faster. Only one more day of marching and we will reach the slopes of Mordor. And then the battle will break loose." This squashed any good spirit that had developed, all retreated back into their thoughts.
Camp was set up and Rita left the elves to find the fellowship and Elladan. She didn't have to search a long time, she found the fellowship and the twin together around a campfire.
"Hey guys" she said and she let herself drop in the space next to Elladan, immediately resting her head on his shoulder.
Everybody greeted her and they talked for awhile. Legolas turned to Rita at a moment. "What happened earlier between you and Haldir? One minute all was normal and the other you were laughing and he kicked you off the horse, forcing you to walk."
Rita grinned. "Oh nothing special, just bugged him a little. I never knew how short-tempered he can be, it was kind of funny. Annoying him I mean."
"You seem to enjoy making fun of those around you." grumbled Legolas.
"Aww, don't tell me you're still peeved at my little joke. Even Aragorn had to laugh when he saw you so it must have been good. Besides, I thought you would appreciate a nice joke if you saw one."
He gave her a mock-glare. "When it is not appointed at me I can appreciate any joke. When I am the victim it is a different story."
Rita felt her eyes starting to droop and yawned. She snuggled a bit closer to Elladan, who shifted around to make her more comfortable.
She never felt the kiss he placed on her head, nor did she notice the blanket being spread over her. Soon she had fallen into a deep sleep.
~dream~
Rita was trapped in an old memory again, and again it was not a good one. It was her eighth birthday and it was just another day for her.
She had woken early that morning and made Carol ready to take her to school. True, Carol was only 2 almost 3 years old, but the principal had allowed it to place Carol in the infant's class early.
Rita had worked very hard on a letter, supposedly written by her father, in which she requested for having Carol placed in class already because of money problems. So it was either Carol at school or Rita at home.
The principal was a kind old man who thought he was all that because he, as a rich man, was able to help a 'poor' man in this way. He never knew it was Rita who had written the letter.
Anyway, Rita readied Carol for school while keeping the little girl as quiet as she could. She made breakfast and the two left for school after that. their father was still in a coma at that time.
Nothing important happened at school that day, Rita didn't have many friends. Only Henry was nice to her and he was sick. The kids ignored Rita since she was weird in their eyes, she never played any of the games and was always busy with her sister. Plus she wore weird and sloppy clothes.
There wasn't a single person who figured out why a girl would wear a long- sleeved shirt with a turtle-neck in the middle of a heat wave. There were none who would question her if she missed another gymclass. None helped her out.
Carol was spending the night with a friend that day, Rita had arranged that since her father's 'friends' were coming over, which meant that the house would be crowded with drunk men.
When she got home she quickly prepared dinner. It had finished just in time since her father entered only a minute after she had taken it out of the oven. She had made pizza, again.
After her father had eaten it like some wild animal he drank a few beers. Meanwhile he was giving Rita a lecture.
". . . and don't come down you hear me little bitch. No need to show your ugly face to my friends. I don't want to hear a sound you hear?!?!"
"Yes father" she answered, her eyes glued to the floor. She had learned long ago that he hated it when she looked him in the eye directly.
"Good, now grab me another beer and move, the guys are coming in an hour."
Rita hurried to do as he said and ran to her room. She locked the door behind her, just in case. She couldn't believe her luck, no beating today. It was like a miracle.
Downstairs she could hear the 'guests' starting to arrive and a few hours later she heard the trashing of the drunken men.
Suddenly she smelled smoke. Alarmed she got up and sneaked downstairs. What she saw made her gasp, the living room was on fire! The men had moved their party to the bar at the other end of the street so she was the only one home.
She rushed to the phone and called 911 to report it. The firefighters arrived quickly and extinguished the fire. One of them gave Rita a candy bar and played a game of rock, paper and scissors until they finished. He was a nice man who called himself Greg.
Too soon the firefighters had to leave again. Rita started to clean up the mess that was left behind but was interrupted when her father stumbled back into the house again.
"What the hell happened here!" he yelled "What did you do to create this mess?"
"Nothing father, there was a fire and I called the firefighters and they stopped it. I was just cleaning up, I really was."
Slowly she started to back away, not liking the look in her father's eyes, they were blazing. She didn't even see his fist as he hit her in the face, it was so fast.
That night she got another beating, this was one she would never forget since it was the first time he resorted to using something else than his fists to hurt her. This time he grabbed the first thing before hand: an empty beerbottle.
He had smashed it on her head, an act that made Rita see stars. She didn't remember a lot after that, only pain and numbness. This daze was broken when she felt a cigarette burn in her arm, it only left a shallow burn but it hurt nonetheless.
The last thing she saw before she past out was his fist colliding with her face.
~end dream~
Rita gasped for breath and sat up abruptly. She was breathing heavily and shrugged Elladan's arm away from her when he slipped it around her shoulder.
She didn't want anyone to touch her, the dream was still too fresh in her mind. She struggled when she felt herself being pulled towards someone.
Aragorn pulled her in his arms, trying to comfort her. He was happy when she started to calm down as he stroked her hair. The others looked at them as Aragorn was helping Rita pull back from the dream.
When she had calmed down completely she pulled back from Aragorn, giving him a small smile. "Sorry about that, I'm fine now."
The men frowned at this and it was Gimli who voiced their opinion. "That's fine, lass if that is fine I do not want to see you upset."
"What did you dream?" asked Aragorn. "About Boromir again?"
She shook her head. "Nah, this is something different, just some stuff from the past. I don't know why I dreamed about it. I haven't had that dream in years."
"What dream?" asked Legolas but he was met with a blank stare from Rita.
"Lets not go over my past ok, you guys should be resting, it's a big day tomorrow." When she saw the concerned looks she was given she added. "Really guys I'll be fine, you forget I've been dealing with these dreams on my own for a long time already. You don't have to be bothered by them."
Elladan frowned at this and opened his mouth to protest when Rita put her finger on it to silence him. "No arguments, that goes for all of you and I mean it. Get some rest we will need it."
One by one they went back to sleep. Elladan was the one of the last ones awake and he saw Rita sit close to the fire, her knees drawn to her body. He moved to sit beside her but was stopped by Aragorn.
"No matter how much we want to help her, she wants to do it alone. Do not pressure her for you will only chase her away."
Knowing he was right Elladan relaxed a little again, yet he never went back to sleep. He watched Rita the rest of the night as she watched the fire, a dull look in her eyes.
A/N: Well that was it, what do you guys think? Total crap or what? Lucky me, the battle is coming up soon and I can deal with that cause I have a raw outline of what I'm gonna write. Review please and I'll see you tomorrow when I update again.