Kayla didn't know how long she waited, but it was a long time till it was midday. She already packed a duffle bag full of clothes, jars to carry herbs, and yes, books. Because, why not?
Kayla took the passage she had written from her bedside table and cleared her throat... Then she stopped.
Do I really want this?
People would know she was gone. Dr. Burns would notice, Ms. Susan would notice. Not her parents though. Well, maybe... Soon they'd realize the one who made their food and kept the house tidy was missing. But they would carry on somehow, it was time they had a reality check. Only two people would notice, or even care. Anywhere but where she was at the moment would be better. Especially this place.
Again, Kayla held the paper up and cleared her throat, then began to read.
"Bree, is a small village in Middle Earth, east of The Shire. Surrounded by a tall wooded fence, it is guarded from those on the outside. Especially the unsavory kind." The walls began to disappear around her, replaced by forest.
"But on this day to be exact, a young woman stood outside the gate, the dirt road straight behind her." Grass sprouted up from the wooden floor. "The sun shown bright, and so did her future in Bree..." The world that Kayla(now Rosa) knew, had gone away.
In front of her stood the wooden gate of Bree. Rosa glanced down and saw that she wore the outfit she had described. The air smelled different. She knew she was outside but there was an unfamiliar smell mixed with the nature.
"I did it.." Rosa whispered. "I DID IT!" She slapped her hand over her mouth.
The square latch of the gate opened and an old man looked out.
"Who's there?" He called out.
Rosa took a breath and walked to the front gate. "My name is Rosa," she answered.
"Rosa who?" The man narrowed his eyes.
"Riana. Rosa Riana." Rosa replied. "I have come to stay here in Bree. I wish to start a medicine shop in the town. I am a healer."
"And where are you coming from?" The man asked.
"That is my own business." Rosa raised her head.
The guard paused and studied her. Rosa held a firm gaze that she often used against her parents to show that they wouldn't win.
"Alright. Come on in and fill out some papers." The man closed the latch and opened the gate.
Rosa walked in and looked around. It was just as she had imagined it. Not the greatest but with character.
"Come this way." The old man waved her over. "These are a few contracts for your business and home. He handed her a number of papers and an ink quill. "Sign here, here, and here... Mhm." The man stamped the papers and set them aside. "Follow me, I'll show you to your home."
Rosa followed the man down the street, past the Inn at the Prancing Pony, and she grinned. They turned left down an alley, back into another street and to a small wooden house.
"There you go. It's all yours." The man walked away before Rosa could thank him.
She turned back towards the house and opened the front door. It had a creek to it, but she didn't mind. The door shut behind her, making it more dark in the first room except for the dim light coming from the cracks of the shutters over the small windows. In the dim light Rosa could see a box of matches, she lit one and looked around and found a small candle, then she lit that too. She carried the candle around the place, on the wall in each room were candles held by steel cups.
Once Rosa got the whole place lit, she realized how tight spaced it was. Then again, it was built for one person. She walked back to the entry room, discovering that there was furniture stacked up against one wall. An arm chair, a small sofa, a coffee table and... a bookshelf! Rosa was very happy to see the book shelf.
Setting down her bag, she walked over to the stack and pulled out the arm chair, then the sofa, and the coffee table, but left the bookshelf where it was. She looked at the setup, then rearranged until she was satisfied. Next was the kitchen.
What was in the kitchen, as you would imagine, was a wood stove, a counter top, shelves and a dining table along with two chairs. Nothing needed to be changed. So Rosa moved on to the next room, the bedroom. There was a single bed with a straw mattress, (no sheets or covers though) a dresser and a small window over looking the, dry, dirt covered backyard.
"That, I will fix." Rosa said to herself.
Again Rosa went to the living room, picked up her bag and filled up the bookshelf. Then she came into the kitchen and filled the shelves with empty jars that she would soon fill with herbs. Finally she set the bag on the bed and went outside to see what she could do with the backyard.
A couple of weeds were scattered here and there, a lot of them were useless, except for one Athelas, or Kingsfoil. To many, it's a bothersome weed. For others, like Aragorn, it's a great healing herb. She pulled the weed, only needing the small flowers and leaves on the top, and put the herbs in the small pocket of her dress.
Rosa knelt down to the hard ground feeling the dirt. It wasn't to hard to dig into, it was also quite stony, good for growing herbs. As she stood up she realized that if she was going to garden her own herbs, she was going to need a different dress that would be okay to get dirty. She went back inside and sat down at the dining table, thinking.
How am I going to get money? How am I going to get food, am how come I hadn't thought of this before? Rosa rested her chin on the palm of her hand. Start by hunting and gathering for yourself, trade and sell as you can. Sell herbs and make yourself known in the community. This would take a while.
YOU ARE READING
The Fellowship's Silvertongue
FanfictionKayla, is what you would call a bookworm. You never see her without a book, but she doesn't read aloud, because she's a Silvertongue. But one day, she reads herself into another world.
