Hello everyone! I'm taking a little break from my Lord of the Rings story to write this short little fan fic based on Garth Nix's fantastic stories. This story is based on an event in Lirael. I loved the idea of Sam playing the Bird of Dawning in the festival so I thought I'd make my own twist on it. In this story, the festival happens before Sam returns to school for his final year. None of the characters in Garth Nix's books belong to me, but I thought Sam deserved a little romance!

The Frost Festival.

Sam woke up to the early morning birds chirping through the window. He groaned loudly and pulled his covers up over his head, trying to block out the sunlight that streamed through his window. Silently in his head he count the seconds, 3, 2, 1… as if on cue his sister Ellimere breezed through the door, singing a little to brightly for that time in the morning,

"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" she carolled. Sam groaned louder and pulled the bed covers tighter around his head. Ellimere strolled over to the bed and grabbed the covers, pulling them swiftly from his grasp,

"Go away" growled Sam, attempting to block out the sunlight and noise by plugging his ears with the pillow,

"Wake up Sam!" Ellimere cried, impatiently, "I've come to discuss your schedule." She sat down on the edge of his bed, glaring at him, her arms crossed in front of her. Sam already knew by now that when his sister said 'schedule' it really meant that she had every moment of his holiday planned with the precision and entirely without fun,

"The winter festival is coming up fast and as the kingdoms only prince you'll…"

"Oh no!" exclaimed Sam, knowing exactly where this was heading. He sat up in bed and scowled at his sister,

"Yes," Ellimere continued, not slightly bothered by her brothers attempt to look angry, "You're needed to play the part of the bird of dawning."

"No." Sam said again, "I'm not wearing that bloody thing. It weights a ton and still smells from the last poor sod that wore it!"

"The kingdom must come first," Ellimere said, rolling off into a well rehearsed speech, "The peoples moral is very important at the moment…"

"And blah, blah, blah…" Sam mumbled, rolling his eyes at Ellimere. Ellimere glared at him,

"Sameth! You are going to dance the bird, like it or not," She declared, standing up to her full height, which was only a couple of inches above Sam, "The rehearsals start this afternoon. Don't be late!"

Sam groaned, he knew he has lost. With both his parents away, Ellimere was named co-regent, a responsibility that his sister took very seriously, especially when it came to running his life. Ellimere turned to leave the room only to pause and look over her shoulder,

"Oh and seeing as mothers away, she said you were to study that..." Ellimere pointed to Sam's desk where a small volume, bound in green leather lay upon his desk, The Book of the Dead. Sam's gaze followed her hand and a shiver came across him as his eyes landed on the book. It was his mothers' book, a book used only by necromancers and Abhorsens, a book full of free magic and protective charters.

"Is something wrong?" Ellimere asked, noting the queer look on her brothers' face. Sam looked up at her and swallowed,

"It's nothing." He muttered, barely able to speak. Ellimere looked at him again, with a look that contained equal parts of concern, annoyance and irritation. Then she turned around and flew out the door. Sam however remained standing, staring at the book. He wasn't sure exactly why it scared him so, just that it did.

The very pages of the book flowed with the charter laid down by Abhorsens thousands of years before him. The idea of such power held within a book frightened him. Yet he was the Abhorsen in waiting, he was expected to know this, he would have to walk into death at some point, it was only a matter of when. Sam shook his head and turned away from the book. He took a deep calming breath and stretched. He reached down and picked up the blanket Ellimere had cast aside and threw it back onto the bed. Sam gave one last yawn before moving through to the other small room adjacent to his to get dressed.

Well? What do people think? I'm not sure who long this is going to be and it's not going to be action packed, more of a bit of fluff! Please R&R!