Chapter 1- The beginning of it all
Cedric awoke to the next morning to a grey sky and the sound of swords crossing in the courtyard bellow. Cedric peered over the balcony, Fern and Boromir where sparring, a confident smirk gracing Fern's lips, Boromir's mouth set in a determined line. Several early risen elves had gathered round and Cedric could have swan he saw the glimmer of gold being exchanged.
The fight was still going on as Cedric left his room, fully dressed and armed, with his pack secure on his back. Snagging a roll and several rashes of bacon from the kitchen as he passed, Cedric entered the courtyard, just in time to see Fern disarm Boromir. The sword sailed through the air and clattered on the stone tiles as Fern's sword swung up, resting near his throat. The man of Gondor panted heavily, eyes dark with anger, Fern on the other hand looked perfectly clam, her breathing even.
"Still think I'm not worthy to go questing with you?" Fern asked, almost bitter, her gaze challenging. "We'll see, just because you can handle a sword with an ally, doesn't mean you're any good in battle." Boromir scowled, not excepting defeat easily, reaching down to retrieve his sword. Fern's boot came down of the hilt, narrowly missing his hand.
"Battle is Childs play." Fern scowled, glaring down at the man, eyes swirling with anger. "You are a child." Boromir snapped. "I am no child. Young and small I may be, but I am no child. Children are innocent and no nothing of loss and death. I have been I war, seen my friends and family die in front of me, you may know my personality, my strengths and weaknesses, my fighting style. But never assume you know my heart and my past." Fern's quite voice was full of anger and malice, knuckle white on the hilt of her sword.
Without another word, Fern turned on her heel, sheathing her sword and angrily swinging her pack, bow and quiver over her shoulder. "Show's over." She muttered, pushing though the elves towards where the Hobbits where preparing, loading Bill the pony with essentials.
The Fellowship set out a few hours later, the early morning sun glinting off daggers and swords. Fern could feel the heat of Boromir's glare on her back as she chatted away to Mery and Pippin. Tales of her adventures and quests filled the long day, Cedric intervened when she missed something or exaggerated too much, even Boromir listened (though he'd never admit it until months later) eager to hear of new foes and the extensive amount of weapons.
They quickly arranged out a lookout schedule, for the nights, everyone but the Hobbits took four hours every night, Gandalf and Aragorn for the first two hours before Gandalf swapped with Cedric, two hours later, Aragorn switched with Fern and than Legolas with Cedric, Gimli took Fern's place and then Boromir took Legolas'.
They'd been traveling for four weeks, stopping only at night and keeping off the roads, the pale forests had long since bee replaced with rock a heather, hills and rises spanned the scenery, Cedric missed the lush green of the woods, and the unusual plants along the way but Fern was glad to see the sky every day, and able to see the stars at night.
Legolas was used to her gazing at the sky during guard duty, knowing she was still listening for out of place sounds. "It's the same sky." Fern said one night, the moon was high, the light glimmering in Fern's mismatched eyes.
"What?" Legolas frowned, surprised by the sudden attempt at conversation. "The sky." Fern smiled gently. "It's the same, the moon cycles, the same stars, the same constellations, the same meanings." Fern's eyes reflected the stars, which danced and glittered in the dark vail of the night.
A flash of gold in Fern's hand made Legolas drag his gaze from the stars, a pair of rings danced between Fern's fingers on a thin chain, one thin and delicate, golden leaves of holly and ivy intertwined around a dark red stone, the other thick and heavy, engraved with mistletoe and willow, the same red stone set in the gold. Each stone had the design of a stag, a cloak across it's hindquarters, signet rings.
"They belonged to my parents." Fern said, following his gaze, seeing Legolas' confused face. "Taken from their vault when I was eleven, I can't wear them until I'm eighteen, when I come into my inheritance." Fern sighed, fondly running her fingers over the metal.
"I thought your father was Zeus, surly he would still have his ring?"
Fern laughed quietly and shook her head. "No, I mean my Mother and my adopted Father."
Legolas looked at her in shock. "Your Father never married your Mother?"
Fear laughed at the thought. "No! My mother, she was mortal, my father's immortal and over three thousand years old and married."
The pale elf grew even paler and seemed at a loss for words, Fern grinned at him. "Gods get bored. And they need demigods to correct mistakes they've made, win-win situation, most of the time." The demigoddess shrugged, lying back on the grass, resting her head on her hands.
"Aragorn told me that you wanted to know why I'm always looking at the stars." Fern said casually three nights later, there'd been no conversation between the two since Legolas had learnt Fern was the product of both wedlock and an affair. Legolas shrugged, keen eyes fixed on the empty hill around them. "You're going to have to talk to me sometime you know." Fern sighed, watching the elf sadly, he didn't reply, didn't even look at her. "Who my parents are or what they did don't define the person who I am." She spat bitterly, glare icy before she turned to the darkness on the plains.
Legolas glanced sideways at her, pale eyes wondering. In his head, he was arguing with himself, weighing up the ideas he'd been raised with and what he knew of the girl next to him. "I was raised to believe people like you were wrong." Legolas said eventually, Fern's head jerked round in surprise, mismatched eyes wide. "I wasn't raised like you, where parentless children where normal, when those children where taught how to fight before they could walk. I was taught that the one you marry is the one you stay with, forever, I was taught that we grow up before we fight, that war and death had no part in childhood. But you, you and Cedric go against everything I've even been taught, and I don't know how to proses that. How can I bypass hundreds of years of teaching and belief?" Legolas sighed hands clasping in his lap.
"I'm not asking you too," Fern shook her head. "all I'm asking is that you except Cedric and I for who we are and not shun us for how we came about. Because that doesn't change that we're both skilled warriors and loyal allies, no matter who our parents are or what they've done. We're you friends Elf-boy, not the mistakes of broken ideals." Fern smiled encouragingly, getting to her feet. "I'll see you in a couple of hours." She yawned, stretching like a cat before turning back to the camp.
"Fern." Legolas' hand closed around her bicep and she turned back to him. "I'm sorry, sorry for not seeing who you are, only seeing that you came from a broken promise."
Fern smiled gently, putting her hand gently over the elf's. "It's ok, sometimes, people don't want to think the people they love are wrong." She met Legolas' astonished eyes before pulling back. "Good night Legolas." And with that, she returned to camp, leaving Legolas wondering why his hand was tingling and why he could still feel her hand over his.
Just a quick note, I am rewriting the next few chapters, if you really want to read my terrible, midnight writing then go ahead, but I warn you, it is full of bullshit. Please, please, please review :-)