Ivy had a small blanket that she wrapped around her. But it did not help much. The coldness was much stronger then the warmth that she was creating.
Sleep slowly caught the fairy. The wind and coldness slowly died down over the next few hours. But the darkness did not. The hours slowly seeped by Ivy as she woke numerous times.
The sun slowly rose over the wild forest. The wind had died down to a gentle breeze. The sun had now risen. But the temperature barely did the same.
Ivy yawned as she opened her eyes. Tiredness was still hanging on her eyes, trying to pull them shut again. But something happened that made the tiredness drain away for a moment.
Another fairy fluttered onto the branch, just out of the small hole.
"Ivy?" a voice asked.
Ivy's eyes had closed, just for a moment. But they were now open again. She smiled tiredly as her friend ducked and entered the small nest.
"Good morning, Petal" Ivy said, sitting up and yawning.
Petal smiled. She had a different colour from Ivy. In fact, each individual fairy had a different colour. No two fairies shared a colour.
"How are you?" Petal asked, there was now a reddish glow in the small nest as well as a green glow coming from Ivy.
Ivy took a deep breath as she took off the blanket that she had had over her legs. She slowly stood up, but her joints seemed to stiffened during the night.
Petal stood there, waiting for Ivy to stand up. She took a deep breath and looked around. A large bird fluttered by, its call echoed around the forest. But, after a few seconds, the calls stopped as it landed on a branch near by.
Ivy took a deep breath and she moved her joints. Slowly, but surely, her joints started to ease up and the pain started to seep away.
"You look rough" Petal told her, seeing the tiredness over Ivy's face.
Ivy gave a small smile.
"I'm fine" she answered.
But deep down, she wished she was in summer. Summer was a glorious time for fairies. Coldness was rare in the height of summer. Summer was Ivy's favourite time of year. She could sleep where ever she wanted and did not have to worry about being cold.
But winter was difficult for all of the creatures of the forest. A few times, Ivy had been woken up from her deep sleep to an invading bird.
Like Origo, the birds and beasts of the forest could see the small fluttering fairy. All it took was a small shock and the invader was scared away, never to return to her home.
"What are you plans for today?" Petal asked.
Ivy took a deep breath.
"Well, firstly I have to eat" she answered.
Petal smiled.
"Good idea, I think there are a few berries left on the bushes below" she said.
Ivy smiled. She loved berries. In fact, all of the fairies did. It was their main food source through out the winter season. The tree that did produce their food had all but stopped. The apple trees were now standing skeletons in the dimness of winter. They seemed to wait until there was enough warmth and light to start producing buds again.
Ivy and Petal walked out onto the large branch just below. Ivy took a deep breath in as she looked around. The clouds were thin in the sky. Life in the forest was still waking up.
"Come on" Petal said, opening her wings and fluttered into the crisp air.
Ivy yawned one more time before opening her wings. But, before flying, she needed to warm them up. So, standing on the edge of the slippery branch, Ivy fluttered her wings. She smiled as she started to take off.
Flying was very easy for fairies. Ivy seemed to zoom all over the place. Petal smiled as she landed on the wet, muddy undergrowth. Sounds came from all around her. Small droplets of water were falling to the ground and impacting on the moist soil below.
A few times, Petal was almost hit with a drip. But the breeze changed it course so that it missed her. Petal could see a small green speak above her. It zoomed quickly around trees.
Ivy was now getting warmer, but her tiredness was not so easy to get rid of. Ivy zoomed very close to the bark that made up the outside of the tree. A few times, she had only milliseconds to react. But she never lost control of where she was going.
A minute later, she landed gently next to Petal. But Petal was not alone any more. Another fairy was with her now. She had a silvery glow to her.
"Good morning!" she said.
She seemed more awake and alert then the others.
"Morning, Luna" Petal said as she struggled to pick off a ripe berry.
Ivy smiled, grabbing a berry and breaking it off. She took a deep breath, much preferring apples or pears then berries. Luna seemed to be very bouncy this morning. Her wings had hardly stopped fluttering as she stood there. Ivy broke a small bit of the berry off and started to eat.
"I love snowberries" Petal said, taking a bite of the large berry.
Ivy smiled. She chewed the flesh of the berry. The flesh was not deep, but the seed was big indeed. But this did not bother the fairies due to their size. It was a perfect breakfast for them.
Luna looked around. A smile came over her face as she saw something perched on the branches above. Without a second to think about it, Luna took off. A cheeky grin crossed her face.
"Oh not again" Petal said, hearing and seeing Luna flutter off.
Songs echoed around them. But there was a sudden burst of alarm calls. Petal and Ivy looked around and saw a bird being chased by a silver wisp.
"She's going to get into trouble one day" Petal said.
The bird fluttered as quickly as it could. But it was not as quick as Luna. She giggled as she pulled on the bird's tail feathers. Ivy gave a small smile. Of course, it was wrong to do what Luna was doing. But that did not make it humorous.
The small bird saw, out of the corner of its eye, a hole. This meant safety. But what the bird did not know was that it was heading for more trouble.
"Oh no" Petal said, continuing to watch the fluttering bird.
"What?" asked Ivy.
Petal suddenly fluttered away. Ivy was left on her own, wondering what the problem was. It suddenly became apparent that the bird had fluttered into a hole in one of the trees.
Inside, one of Ivy's friends, who had been peacefully sleeping, was woken to a sudden movement.
"Help!" she shouted, fearing for her life.
Even though the bird could not hurt her, the fairy was still in shock. Petal had reached the branch. Luna was there also. She was giggling at all the commotion she had caused.
"Rosa?" asked Petal.
The bird was shaking in fear. This, it thought as it hopped around, was the only safe place it could be. But it was the wrong place to be. Rosa had been sleeping in the hole when the bird, unexpected and unwelcome, flew in.
"Petal, get it out!" Rosa shouted as she stood with her back against the wall.
Ivy's dream was then disrupted by a cold sensation. A small whimper brought her out of the land of dreams, into the land of coldness.
A large puppy was laying near by. The small chamber was dark, but her green glow lit it just enough to see Origo standing over her.
"Is it time to get up?" she asked, the warmth of the puppy had been very pleasant indeed.
Origo gave a small nod, his eyes had a glint of green in them. Ivy yawned as she sat up. Origo was very hungry now. He gave a small whimper and looked at the fairy.
Ivy took a deep breath and slowly stood up. She was much smaller then Origo and could stand without ducking.
"Alright" she said, tiredness was still etched into her consciousness.
Suddenly and without any warning, a large plate of turkey appeared in front of Origo. Ivy smiled as the puppy took only a few seconds to start gobbling it up.
"Well" thought Ivy, giving a small smile.
"If there's one thing that hasn't changed, its his appetite"
After a few more minutes, the plate was cleared of all turkey. Origo's small tail wagged as he stood there. The plate vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"Right, lets go" Ivy said.
Origo had a strange energy, one that Ivy only saw before his accident. There was a playfulness about him that made him ever so cute.
The outside world was cold, but there was less snow on the ground. The sky above was clear and showed no signs of any more snow falling from it.
Birds were singing and going along with their daily lives, quite content in ignoring the small puppy that was now heading towards Bree. But it would be many days before the pup reached it. It would have taken even longer if Origo had not complied with Ivy the night before.
The girl, unlike Origo, was still at the building. Cleaning, cooking and washing had been added onto her list of things to do. But there was something bothering her, making these jobs take more time then was needed.
The small puppy that had been in her room the night before had now gone.
But where was he?
There were so many possible motives for his disappearance. The main reason for his vanishment was, the girl thought, that it was her fault. She knew she could have taken better care of him. But she was so busy that Origo had been forgotten.
"I have to go and find him as soon as I can" she thought as she cleaned a large mug.
The business of breakfast was slowly seeping away as more people left. This was a time to plan. There was a few short hours, between breakfast and the start of lunch, where the pub was not so busy.
The girl placed the last mug, now clean and ready to be used again, back on its hook and walked away. She opened the door to the back. A yawn came over her as she went to the cellar. She had many barrels to change and many bottles to replenish.
The girl yawned as she walked down some stairs. The cellar was much colder then the building she had just left. There were no candles here. She had to take her own.
The door creaked open and reviled a large cellar. It seemed to be just as big as the building above it. There were many barrels and bottles lines around.
The presence of the girl scared some small critters away. They hid, not wanting to be discovered. But the girl did not mind them being there. She was too busy with what she had been sent to do.
The barrels were made of wood and were very heavy. The girl was used to the weight of them. But it took most of her energy to even move one towards the small hatch that led to the outside world.
The young girl knew that it would take many hours to restock the bar.
"Best get on with it" she told herself.
So, she started to move the first barrel. It was full to the brim with ale. The barrel was slowly lowered on its side making it easier to move.
She started to push the barrel. It took most of her strength to do so. But it still took her a while to get to where the small hatch was. She looked up, making sure the barrel was right underneath the trap door.
She took a deep breath, knowing that she would spend most of her time walking up and down the stairs. But she had to do it. She had no other choice at the moment.
Meanwhile, time wore on. Birds continued to sing, eat or fly. Carts rolled along the road outside. Some, but not all of them, stopped. Their owners disembarked and came in.
"Where is that girl?" asked the stern looking woman.
The girl was now outside, opening up the wet hatches so she could start to lift the barrel up. It was then, as she was about to head back to the cellar, that the woman came out.
"There you are!" she snapped.
The girl took a deep breath, knowing that, what ever it was, it was not good news.
"Have you done the barrels yet?" asked the woman.
The girl took a deep breath.
"I'm doing it, ma'am" she answered.
The woman grumbled something and, without another word, walked away. The girl did not like the fact that she was being bossed about. But she could do nothing about it.
After a few seconds, she got back to work again. She untied the wet rope and lowered it to the hole that now led into the cold cellar.
So, she walked back over to the door and opened it. There was a noticeable difference in temperature between the inside world and outside world was very noticeable.
The girl descended down to the bottom of the tiled stairs. The barrel was still standing there, the rope was swinging gently. She took it and tied it around the barrel. She made sure that the rope would not fail when she lifted it.
After a minute, she was sure that it was tight and stable enough for it to be lifted. So, ascending the tiled stairs, she walked out into the coldness.
The wind was picking up. The chill was deepening on her face, making it tingle slightly. Her body started to shiver, trying to produce as much warmth as possible. But it was yet to work.
The girl took hold of the rope and started to pull. The barrel seemed much heavier then normal. The coldness stiffened her fingers, making it harder for her to get a proper grip.
But, after a few minutes of struggling, the barrel was swinging at the top. Near the girl's feet, a small metal peg had been hammered into the ground. So, the girl fed the rope though the hook and tightened it so that it supported its own weight.
But, for a moment, she did not trust it. She took her hands slowly away from the rope. There was a small creek, the tension held the barrel in place.
The girl gave a small smile as she walked back to the barrel. The girl took a hold of it and placed it on the soft ground. She unwrapped the rope and moved the barrel to one side.
"I wonder how many more I have to do" she wondered.
Hours past as Origo and Ivy made their way down the Great East Road. The road stretched on for many miles. And, all along it were settlements. The Grey Havens were situated in the West. They were the last port of call for the elves that were leaving Middle-earth.
But that had been many years ago. All but four elves had left the lands. Arwen was situated in Gondor. Legolas, Elladan and Elrohir resided in Rivendell.
A dwarf resided in Rivendell as well. But not for long. Legolas was planning to move out of Rivendell. He and Gimli had been planning it for many months now.
"But it's cold!" Gimli said as he listened to the elf.
The thought of going far from the source of Miruvor was unthinkable for Gimli. Miruvor was the only thing, apart from a good fire, was the only thing keeping the dwarf warm in the Elven town.
"Coldness never hurt anyone" Legolas told him, sitting at the opposite side of the table.
Gimli gave a small grunt.
"That's easy for you to say" he grumbled.
Lunch time was fast approaching the last inhabitants of Rivendell. Elladan was busy preparing the same food that they had always had. But their food was running out. Gimli had had the most food out of any of them.
Elladan took a deep breath, he knew that in the next few days they would have to go and get some more. But the nearest settlement was a good few hours away by cart.
Elladan took a deep breath as he stood over a burning hot stove. In one hand, he had a wooden spatula. Held in the other was the handle of the hot pan.
A few fillets of fish were sizzling in golden oil. There were four plates, each waiting to be ladened with food. Two of the large fillets had already been done. But there were still two more to be cooked. Elladan placed one piece of cooked fish onto a plate, then the other. The other two were then placed in the scolding hot pan.
Minutes past and hunger grew in the small dwarf. His grumbles matched the ones coming from his stomach. But, as he was about to complain again, Elladan walked into the room. He was carrying not just one plate, but all four.
Gimli took a deep breath, smelling the fish before the plate had even been put on the table. But, accompanying the fish were vegetables.
Gimli found this a very unfulfilling meal, having none of the dwarven delocalises. The elves ignored his anger at the lack of meat on his plate.
Deep down, Gimli knew that he was a guest in Rivendell. He knew that the Elves would be treated the same as he was if they were in Moria.
Origo and Ivy had been travailing for the past few hours. They were getting ever closer to Bree and a place to stay. But they were many days journey from it.
The day continued to grow darker as the sun sank towards the western horizon. The shadows were getting longer and longer. The coldness was now tickling Origo's fur. Ivy knew that Origo would, sooner or later, stop for food. But for now, everything was going well. The miles slowly past around them.
Ivy was getting very tired of the puppy's curiosity with almost everything he saw.
"Puppy, this way" she said, seeing Origo wonder off course for the umpteenth time.
Origo barked, his special energy was still seeping out of him. Ivy smiled as she noticed the night was quickly coming upon them.
The girl, back at the drinking house, was looking at the clock. The drinking house was busier now. Dinners were being prepared and eaten in the room. Ale, laughter and sliver strands of smoke filled the room.
The girl jumped as a shrill voice met her.
"You have been cleaning that mug for the past five minutes" it said.
The girl snapped out of her day dream and looked around.
"Sorry, ma'am" the girl said, finally drying the mug and placing it back.
The girl took a deep breath, watching the chaos before her. The wooden floor was getting dirtier by the minute. She knew that she would have to tidy up afterwards.
The girl knew that she would have to make her escape in the very early hours of the morning. The girl looked around. She had now finished the washing up. But it was not really done. She still had a mass of plates, bowls, knives, forks and spoons to wash up yet.
The kitchen had a strange, stale smell to it. Many joints of the best beef had been prepared and sent out. A smile came over the girl as she eyed a plate of scraps. She looked around, knowing that she could get into trouble by doing it.
But she did not care. Hunger was strong in the girl. In fact, it was always present in the girl. She was very small for her age. Much smaller then the other girls that she knew. But they were not slaves to a horrible women.
They taunted her and hurt her. But she was used to it. She did not care for the old woman any more.
"Maybe it's time I stood up for myself" she told herself, picking up a piece of cold beef.
She smiled, her eyes darting towards the door. She had deliberately left it ajar so that she had a few seconds to react. But for now, she was safe.
A rare smile came over her. Her hands were dirty, but she cared little about washing them. A small piece of the meat was then bitten off. The girl could not remember the last time she had had any meat.
She savoured the taste, knowing that this opportunity came once in a blue moon. She smiled as she finished one piece and picked up a second.
But she could not help jumping at every bang that echoed from the building. She was very scared of the woman. But a small part of her knew that she was being weak. She knew that the more she was bossed about, the more she would fall deeper into that hole.
But that was about to change.
Something strange clicked in her head. Something that would change the course of the future. She would no longer stand for the wrath of the woman in charge.
Ivy and the other fairies were enjoying the sunny day. But the coldness had not lifted. There was a strange crispness to the air.
Ivy fluttered around, looking for something. But she could not see it. In fact, she was looking for a lot of things. Her friends had all fluttered off around the near by trees and were now hiding.
Ivy fluttered in mid-air for a split second, her wings beating faster then anyone could see. It was then that she saw something flash and vanish quicker then lightning.
She scowled evilly and fluttered towards it. The tree she was heading for was larger then normal. But this did not faze her one bit.
The flash that she saw was a reddish glow behind the tree.
"Found you!" Ivy said, seeing Rosa sitting on a small twig.
Rosa was so frightened that she fell off of the twig. Ivy gasped, but was relived to see that Rosa had started to flutter.
"Ivy!" she whined, fluttering back up.
Ivy smiled, knowing that Rosa was always a sore looser.
"Come on, lets go and find the others"
So, the two fluttered off. It would now be easier to find who ever was next. Although that's what was meant to happen. But their plan was not as easy as they had first thought. Five minutes past since Rosa was found. But still, there was no sign of the others.
Five minutes slowly sailed past, ten minutes followed quicker then they thought. Luna and Petal were still hiding. They had flown off together and were giggling.
They were on the forest floor, hiding under a few leaves. Petal whispered something to Luna. They both giggled. But none of the fairies knew that a rival gang of fairies were heading their way.
Unlike Ivy and the others, these ones were hostile. They did not have bright colours like the others did. They had dark colours. There were no yellows and greens, but browns and blacks.
Weapons were held in their hands. And they had plans to use them. They had small spears made of twigs and chips of flint. Small bits of grass had been tired around to keep the sharp pieces of flint secure.
Ivy, who had been fluttering around, saw something moving in the forest. Rosa was still looking around.
"They have to be around here" Rosa said, her eyes darting around.
But she was hushed. Leila, who had not been present at the start of the day, fluttered towards them. Rosa smiled, seeing Leila for the first time in a few days.
But Ivy knew that something was up.
"Leila?" asked Ivy, knowing that something was up.
"Their coming" Leila said.
Ivy's fears were confirmed. Action needed to be taken otherwise their lives would be in danger.
"We have to get out of here, we have to hide"
There was a movement in the leaves below. The other two fairies came out of their hiding place. They too fluttered up. There were now five fairies fluttering in the air.
Ivy could see a black figure fluttering though forest. It was a sight that Ivy knew that she would one day have to face.
So, taking a deep breath, she started to flutter towards it.
"Ivy, no!" said Petal.
But it was too late. Ivy was now speeding towards the other fairy. A smile came over the second fairy as he watched Ivy approach him.
"Well, well, well" he said, stopping in mid-air and holding a small spear.
"If its isn't little Weedy" he said, giving a laugh.
"It's Ivy, actually" she corrected him.
The fairy gave a small chuckle.
"Indeed" he said.
Ivy knew that there were many other fairies around, watching what was going on. Ivy needed to keep the situation calm. She knew how volatile these fairies were.
"I want you to leave" Ivy said.
Her heart rate rose a small bit. She knew that if something happened, she would surely suffer an injury or even death. But she would not let it come to that.
"Leave?" he asked, giving a small grin.
"Why would me and my friends leave?" he asked.
Ivy scowled, knowing that she could push it a bit more.
"This is our part of the forest, you have your part and we agreed to it"
Petal, Luna, Leila and Rosa were watching what was happening. They kept as quiet as they could. But none of them saw a larger fairy come from behind them.
"Yes, we did agree" he said, slowly fluttering around Ivy.
Ivy knew that he was planning something. But when and what he was planning, Ivy had no idea about.
"But times are changing. We need your area of forest to expand our territory" he told her.
Ivy knew that this was a lie. She knew that they had more land then the other clans of fairies around. She knew that they would, sooner or later, get what they wanted.
But this time, they would have to fight for it.
"No" Ivy said as plain as day.
"I will not let you take what land we have"
There was now a card to play here. Ivy knew that this was a way out of what they would do.
"We will not bother you if you allow us to stay here in peace. War and violence is not what us fairies do" Ivy said.
The male fairy stopped again in midair. He looked straight at Ivy. He knew that she was nervous. An idea popped into his head. One that would be suitable for both of them.
"I will make you a proposition" he said, thinking deeper into his plan.
"A proposition?" Ivy asked, not liking the direction this conversation was taking.
"I will leave you alone if you will do something for me" he said.
There was a moment of silence between them.
"Winter is a hard time for us all, it would be so much work to gather food for storage. My clan will leave your clan alone if you gather food for us before the last leaf falls"
Ivy took a moment to think about what had just been said. Many scenarios were going through her head. But, if it meant that they would be left to live in peace, then Ivy had no other option.
"I tell you what, you and your little friends can discuss it for twenty four hours. That should be enough time. My clan will come back and you will give us you answer"
Ivy was now very worried. Twenty four hours was not enough time to weigh up the options. But she could not argue.
"Alright" she said, looking down.
She knew that she now had a lot of thinking to do.
"Good" said the fairy in front.
A whistle came from him. The seemingly tranquil forest
started to move. Many black figures headed the same direction as the leader. Ivy knew that their power was not to be matched. There was no chance of fighting back.
Petal and the others watched as the evil fairies went away. They all looked very worried.
"What happened?" Luna asked, her bounciness had gone, she was unnaturally still.
In the real world, the day had now turned to the blackest night. Candle light was the only thing to light the way. A girl was laying in her bed, listening to her surroundings.
She could here talking in the other room. This was the only thing that was stopping her from leaving. The hours seemed to pass slower then normal. But, as they did, the talking died down.
She gave a small smile, knowing that the hardest part of her day had now come. The duvet was then taken off. She was already dressed, knowing that she would have to make her escape as quickly and as silently as possible.
The floor boards creaked just a bit, but she knew that they were not loud enough to wake them. The cold wind blew through the small gaps in the door.
The girl walked over to her wardrobe. She knew that she had the same bag that she had always had. Her number of possession had not grown in the years that she had been living there.
A single candle was flickering on a small mount near the door. This would be the light to show the way out. But first, she would have to pack.
The bag was placed on the bed, her breathing was slow. She was trying to keep as quiet as possible. All that she could hear was her heart beating and the odd creaks of the floor.
The wardrobe door slowly creaked open, the girl's hearing seemed to be sharper then normal. She quickly took out the few pieces clothes she had and stuffed them into the bag. The young girl then closed the bag as quietly as she could.
Taking the candle, she slowly opened the door. There was a distinct difference between temperatures in the hall and her room. But she did not mind now. She knew that she would not have sleep on the hard bed for much longer.
The stair way was the next obstacle to over come. Like the floorboards in her room, these creaked. And they were much worse. Nearly all of the stairs creaked. And, in the quietness of night, they seemed to creak louder then ever.
"Maybe I should wait 'til morning" she thought, looking back at the dark abyss of her room.
But her mind was made up. Any thoughts that came into her head were all putting her off. She had been planning her escape for many years.
So, she started to descend the stairs. As predicted, they started to creak as she stepped on them. It took a little longer then normal, she was being careful on every step.
A large smile came over her as she reached the last step. The girl took a deep breath as she placed her foot onto the cold floor. Sound seemed to be non-existent, save from a few small crackles of the embers of the dying fire in the lobby.
The kitchen was the next place that the girl had to visit. Strength was the main priority for her. The coldness would hunt down and eradicate any warmth and strength that even the hardiest of folk had.
Ale would warm her up. Although she did not drink much of it. And, even when she did, it was the leftovers from the people at the bar.
The door to the main bar area opened. The warmth was very inviting, but she knew that the coldness was waiting for her. A small bottle of the most fiery whiskey was then picked up. The bottle glinted in the orange light of the candle.
The young girl knew that the small bottle would not last long enough. So, she took two more bottles and placed them gently in her bag.
She smiled, knowing that all she had to do now was to get bread and a horse. Walking in the coldness would take much longer and much more energy.
The girl quietly closed the door. She turned and made her way back to the dark kitchen, flickering candle in hand. The kitchen had been cleaned and the cutlery had been place back in their original place.
Bread was her main priority now. She needed a few loaves, but there seemed not to be enough space in her bag. She smiled as she saw a few loaves of bread sitting on some shelves. They had been wrapped in brown paper. The girl then placed two loaves into her bag.
"This is it" she thought standing in the quiet room.
The girl was now only minutes away when she heard something that made her stop dead. Someone was moving up stairs. Her heart beat quickened as she waited for the tell tale sign that they were descending the stairs.
But that never happened.
The girl took a deep breath, closed her bag and walked out. There was now only one obstacle to over come. The back door. She smiled, holding the door handle.
She took a few second to place the candle on the small table. The door slowly opened, the coldness brushed her face. A strange, but somewhat pleasant sensation started to run on her cheeks. And it was made all the better by the fact that she was now free.
She closed the door, knowing that she would never have to work there again. She then made her way towards the side of the building. There, a few horses had been tied up.
The girl slowly approached a sleeping horse. She raised her hands and touched the horse. It jumped, waking and giving a neigh.
"Shush, shush. It's only me" she said.
The horse looked at the girl, a feeling of dislike came from him.
"Come on, I need you" she said, untying the reigns.
She led the horse to the road. The girl jumped onto the larger beast. She was a very good rider and knew exactly what to do. She placed her feet in stirrups and grabbed the reigns.
With a small flick of her heels, the horse started to move. Slow at first, the slow trot quickly turned into a gallop. Then to a run. The wind chill was now numbing her face as the building she had left was now sinking into the inky blackness.
The girl was now free and it was the best feeling she had ever had. There was no one to tell her what to do and no one to hurt her any more.