FicWad

Ok, this is my very first original. I've written some inu fanfic, but my own thing is new. i would really appreciate concrit and a thumbs up for things i have done right...

i have drawn from alot of sources, fantasy creatures such as, elves, fairies, magic, mages, gnomes, etc...

thanx, lil_merc_girl

enjoy!!!

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"Are you sure this is what you want?" The middle-aged balding man sat behind his desk, reading over the paper in front of him. Lifting his eyes from the paper, he looked across the desk at the woman who had been his right hand for the last two years. He watched the way she appeared confident and composed, but her eyes gave her away. There was turmoil and doubt swimming just under the surface. Most people would have missed it, but not him, no, not Barry Higgins.

Ashlan had started working for his company five years prior. She worked part time while she was in college, and then completed her internship with him. A week before she graduated, he had offered her the position as his assistant. He never once regretted it.

"I'm sure. I'm sorry about this being such short notice, but..."

"Short notice? I should have seen it coming. I've been running you ragged for the last six months. Besides, you gave me your two weeks. I couldn't ask for more." Standing from his desk, he walked over to look out his office window. Pulling a cigarette from his pocket he lit it and opened the window, motioning for Ashlan to join him.

Pushing her hair out of her eyes, she walked towards him and sat down on the window ledge, taking the cigarette he offered. She took a long deep drag and blew the smoke out of the window. "I thought you quit?" She asked with a smirk on her face.

Pulling out another cigarette he lit it. "I did, and as far as you know, I still have. Besides, if your aunt found out she'd skin me."

With a small chuckle she turned to look out the window. When she was first offered the job, her aunt had insisted on inviting her new boss over for dinner. Little did she know she wasn't only getting a job out of it, but a new uncle as well.

They sat in silence for a while until he asked, "Does Liz know?" He put out the cigarette and put the butt in the coffee can near his window.

Taking one last drag, Ashlan put the cigarette out. "No. This was something I decided myself." She let out a long sigh. "Don't get me wrong, I like my job. I really do but...I just feel like there's something missing, ya know?" She looked up at him, hoping he would understand.

Smiling, he answered. "Completely. That's how I felt for a long time, then I met your aunt and... I didn't feel that anymore."

Releasing her breath she smiled up at him. "I'm glad you understand." Standing she looked out the window one last time. The city buzzed on the streets below. She looked upon the people and thought they looked lambs being lead to slaughter. She never thought of it before, but now, things had changed. Her whole outlook had changed. She was tired of the never ending drones of people walking around like programmed robots. Nobody seemed to notice the world around him or her anymore.

"You always have a job here if you want." Barry sat back down in his chair.

"I know." A smile graced her face as she walked towards the door. Turning back to him she gave him that smile. "We'll just have to see what life throws at me."

And with that, she opened the door and walked out of her life.

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Looking at directions while keeping an eye on the road proved to be more difficult than originally thought. With an indiscernible mumble, Ashlan threw the directions down on the seat and pulled over to the side of the road. She put the car in park, grabbed hold of the wheel and let loose with a scream. "I thought this was supposed to be easy! Stupid computer directions!"

After taking a few deep breaths, she grabbed the map and the directions, and tried to figure out where she was. "Ok let's see. Route 22 intersects with Route 299 and then..."

A knock on her window caused a small scream to come from her mouth. "Holy mother of..." Looking out her window she sees a cop standing there. He motions for her to roll her window down.

"You can't be stopped here. It's not really a safe place."

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm lost. I just wanted to try and figure out where I am." She gave him her best smile, hoping it would work.

He leaned down to her window and pointed to the map. "That's where you are. Where you trying to go?"

Five minutes later she was back on the road and going in the right direction. "Works every time." Smiling to herself, she turned up the radio and sang along.

After two more hours on the road, she finally found the place that would be her salvation for the next few months. As she pulled up to the cabin, she felt the last three years of stress fall away from her body. She stopped in front of her new home and killed the engine. Rolling her window down, she sat there and let the fresh air and sounds of the forest seep into her system. It was wonderful. She grabbed her backpack off of the front seat and got out of the car.

She hurried up to the front door and let herself in. Her nose was assaulted by must and dank and it stopped her in her tracks. "Wow! That's nasty." Dropping her bag to the floor she looked around. Sure it needed a little cleaning... Ok, a lot of cleaning, but other than that, it was perfect. She went around and opened all the windows and doors trying to air the place out.

Once she brought her bags in and stocked the refrigerator with the supplies she had brought, she made herself a cup of tea. Letting the tea cool slightly, she grabbed some logs beside the fireplace and started a fire. When she was done, she grabbed her tea and went out back to watch the sun set over the mountain.

She did a lot of things in the past month that she thought she never would have done. She quit her job, broke up with her long time boyfriend, sold most of her belongings and packed up whatever was left to come to the mountains.

She and Grant met her freshman year of college and started dating before the end of her first semester. They had planned to marry once she had graduated, but they kept putting it off. The past few months, she realized how boring her life was. It was the same thing everyday. Wakeup at 5:30, shower, eat a light and healthy breakfast, get dressed, and be off to work. After work, she would go to the gym, work out for a half hour, wind down on the treadmill for ten minutes or so, grab some take-out and go home. Shower, eat, lie down in bed with a book and a glass of sangria, and then fall asleep after reading two pages. Sure, some of her evenings were filled with going to dinner or the theatre with Grant, but other than that, it was the same thing day after day. Lather, rinse, repeat.

She had been looking through her photo album and had come across the pictures from her favorite vacation. Her aunt had taken her to the mountains one summer. They had rented a cabin and spent the whole summer doing anything they pleased. They planted flowers, took long walks, and watched beautiful sunsets. It was the best summer she had ever known. That's when she decided she needed a change of scenery.

She had called her aunt and asked her about their vacation. She found the name of a realtor where she had rented a cabin for the summer. What she would do after the summer, she wasn't quite sure, but she'd figure it out when she had to.

Finishing her tea, she walked back into the cabin. Lighting a few candles, she grabbed a book and sat down on the couch in front of the fire. Pulling a blanket around her she began reading her book. She made it two pages before she fell asleep.

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A banging on the door to the cabin roused her from pleasant dream she was having. At first she thought she imagined it, but it was soon followed up with a voice and more banging. "Ash! I know you're in there. Open up!"

Sitting up slowly she managed in a groggy voice, "Grant?"

"Damn it Ashlan! Open the God damn door!"

Throwing the blanket off of her she rose and made her way sleepily to the door. She opened it with a yawn. "What time is it?"

"It's morning. That's what time it is!"

"Grant, what are you doing here?" Running her hand through her hair, she opened the door and walked out onto the porch.

"What am I doing here? You should be asking yourself what you're doing here. You're in the middle of the sticks by yourself! I called your aunt because I tried calling you and found out you were gone. She told me what you had done. I know you said that you wanted something different, but look around you!" Raising his arms, he turned and gestured to the cabin and trees. "Ashlan, I'm here to take you home with me. We can fix whatever went wrong. I know we can. I'm ready to set a date Ash. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Rolling her eyes she turned and walked back into the cabin. It was too early to deal with Grant, but if she had to, she had to. Walking into the small kitchen she started making coffee. If she had to deal with him at this ungodly hour, the least she was going to do was have some coffee.

Grant followed her in and wrinkled his nose at the smell. She could tell by the way he looked around that he couldn't fathom why she would voluntarily come to a place like this. It was small, dirty, and smelled bad. He walked into the kitchen and pulled out a chair to sit, and she saw him decide against sitting when he felt the dust on the chair. "Ash, talk to me."

"Grant, you wake me up by pounding on the door and then proceed to yell at me while I'm still half asleep. The least you could do is let me have a blasted cup of coffee first." She grabbed one of the mugs she brought with her out of a cabinet and poured cream and sugar in, followed by coffee. Grabbing a cigarette out of the pack on the counter, she lit it and sat at the table with her coffee. After taking a sip she looked up at him, "Ok, yell away."

"This isn't funny Ash."

"I never said it was."

"You've changed."

She took another sip of coffee then rolled her eyes again. "Yes, I have Grant. Didn't I explain that to you the other day? I didn't think I was cryptic about it."

Ignoring the dust, he sat down facing her. Grabbing her hand, her rubbed small circles in her palm with his thumb. "Listen Ash," His voice lowered as if he were talking to a child. "I talked to a friend and he suggested that maybe you just need to talk to a psychiatrist or something. Apparently, his wife went through this a few years back and..."

She yanked her hand out of his and stood. "I'm not crazy Grant. I'm not having some kind of a crisis! I don't need to talk to a doctor." Grabbing her coffee, she walked out through the backdoor onto the porch. She sat down and looked out over the valley, watching fog rise from it.

"Ash, listen. I think we can work through this. I could take some time off and come up here with you." Grant walked onto the porch and cringed when a board creaked under his foot.

"I don't want to work through this Grant. I know what I want, and what I want is to be free of complications for just a short time. I want relaxation. I'm tired of watching life fly by me while I try to have the perfect career, the perfect boyfriend who turns into the perfect husband, have a perfect home, be a perfect wife and mother. I'm tired of trying to be perfect. What I want right now is just to be. I don't expect you to understand what I'm saying, but I know what I'm saying and that's all that matters." Finishing her cup of coffee she stood to face him. "Go home Grant. Go home, call Sherri, tell her that you are single and can finally see her openly." She smirked when he paled. Didn't think I knew about that one I see.

"But Ashlan..."

"I'm done talking Grant." She walked back into the cabin and into the kitchen for more coffee.

He followed behind her ready to say something, anything to get her to listen to reason.

"You know where the door is." Looking out the window, she took a sip of her coffee. "I don't want to see you out here again."

Saying nothing, he turned and walked away. When she heard the door creak shut, she let out a long breath. That was definitely not the way she wanted to start her day. Grabbing her cigarettes and lighter off of the counter, she took her coffee back out onto the porch. Sitting down on the steps, she pushed her hair behind her ears and looked out on the valley below her.

The trees were a deep green and their leaves swayed with the breeze. The sun was rising on the horizon, painting the sky with shades of reds, purples, and orange, as the birds gave their song to the early morning. As she looked out upon the forest awakening she thought about a world with no cell phones, no TV's, a place where there were no skyscrapers and cabs and subways. A place with no smog and clean, clear skies as far as the eye could see. Closing her eyes, she felt the wind caressing her face. "I wish there were a place free of the burdens of technology, free of the hustle and bustle of everyday life, a place just like this, simple and beautiful, a place where I can feel as free as I am now. I wish there was a place like that for me."

She felt the wind change directions and swirl around her face. She lifted her face to the sky and let the feel of the fresh morning air help her forget the life she left. A life she had no desire to return to.

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Looking down upon a mirror, instead of seeing a reflection, she saw the face of a young woman poised towards the sky. A smile graced her face as the wind swirled around her. As she waved her hand across the mirror, the scene changed to that of the small farm not to far from her home.

She watched the owner as he sat on his porch watching the morning sunrise with a cup of tea. She waved her hand across the mirror one more time and the girl reappeared. "I think I might just be able to grant you your wish."

Lying the mirror down on her table, she rose from her seat and walked towards her door. As she walked out of her home, she smiled at her wolfhound lying on the porch. "Come Bain, there are some things we must do before our guest arrives." The wolfhound rose and followed his mistress down the wooden steps and into the forest. Her raven hair fluttered on the breeze as she walked barefoot over the forest floor, chanting in a hushed voice.

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Dayne sat, looking out across his land with a cup of tea in his hands. The sun had just begun to rise, granting light to the land below. The sky was bathed with red and he thought they would be in for a storm later on that day. That was good though, the land needed it, along with the people. Rain had been scarce the past month and the people were starting to worry. Dayne knew, however, that the spirits would not make them wait long.

Taking a sip of his tea, he heard the old wolfhound Bain come trudging through the forest beside his home. He knew that Miss Rianneth would be following behind. She was the Sorceress of the land, an elf whose spirit was so connected to the magic of the land, to the people of the land, that she watched over and protected both. Her power was so great, that Sorceresses from other lands sought her wisdom and council. Dayne thanked the spirits everyday for her.

Petting the wolfhound that had lain at his feet, Dayne raised his eyes. "A good morning to you Miss Rianneth."

"Aye, and a good morning to you as well Dayne." She sat beside him and looked out on the land, enjoying the peace of the morning with him, knowing soon, that his world would be turned upside down.

"Can I offer you some tea? Kylan brewed it fresh just a few minutes ago." He was about to rise when she placed a hand on his arm.

"Kylan will be out momentarily I'm sure. She always seems to know when Bain is around." Smiling down at her companion who was lying on his belly, eyes raised towards them, she chuckled when the boards creaked behind her and Bain's tail began thumping the ground. "Told you." She rose and greeted Kylan with a smile.

"Oh, Miss Rianneth, what a surprise. I was just coming to see if Dayne would like some more tea. Would you care for a cup?" She, like the Sorceress was barefoot. Her simple tea colored skirt, which came to her calves, danced around her legs, just as her blonde hair danced around her face from the breeze.

"That would be wonderful, thank you." As Kylan went back into the house, Miss Rianneth sat down beside Dayne. "Things will be changing soon Dayne."

Looking at the tea in his cup he sighed. "I know, I can feel it. Things are changing. The land feels different."

"That's not the only thing."

"No? What else is there?"

"You shall find out very shortly, but for now, let us enjoy the morning."

Kylan brought out two more cups and the kettle of tea. She set them on the small table by the door and after refilling Dayne's cup, poured some for herself and Miss Rianneth. She sat down on the bottom step and gave Bain a biscuit from her pocket. "There's a change coming about, isn't there Miss?" Her blonde hair took on a golden hue as the light from the rising sun shined down upon them.

Miss Rianneth looked down upon the young Elven woman sitting in front of her. "Aye, there is Kylan. It shall be difficult to accept and it will bring great turmoil and doubt along with it. It will seem like a dark time, but there will be light shining through the dark. You will just have to find it, and hold on to it."

"You know what's happening, don't you?" Dayne's voice, soft and low, asked a question he wasn't sure he wanted answered.

Finishing her tea, Miss Rianneth stood and walked down the steps. Turning towards Dayne and Kylan, she spoke. "Aye, I do. Now is not the time to speak of it though. There will be someone whom you will need to meet first. I shall return in the late afternoon, shortly before the storm hits. I expect to see the two of you, along with Aidan, when I return."

"We'll be here Miss." Kylan rose and gave Bain another biscuit. After she rubbed his head she turned to head into the house.

"I'm not gonna like this, am I?" Dayne rose as well, walking off of the porch to stand in front of the Sorceress.

Raising her eyes to look at the man standing before her, she smiled. "I will not talk of this now Dayne. There is much I need to do. Come Bain."

Dayne watched her as she and her wolfhound disappeared into the forest. He pulled his pipe from his pocket, and lighting it, began to puff on it. With the pipe tucked between his teeth, he looked over his fields. "Nope, I reckon I won't like this one bit." With that, he turned and walked up onto his porch and into his house.

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After Grant had left, Ashlan had made herself a simple breakfast of fruit and yogurt. When she was done eating, she finished unpacking her things. She brought a number of books, her laptop, and a bunch of crossword puzzles, word searches, and sudoku puzzles with her. Once she had put clean sheets on the bed, she layed down and thought about her morning.

Grant's arrival had dampened her spirits. She thought she had made it perfectly clear to him before she left the city what it was she wanted. The worst thing about it was, she didn't know what exactly it was that she wanted. She had a general idea, but beyond that, she didn't know.

Rising from the bed, she decided to take a shower and then take a nice long walk to try and clear her head. Her early morning conversation with Grant had made her question some of her choices. Some fresh air and exercise would surely clear her head of any doubts she might still have.

After her shower, she dressed in a pair of jeans, hiking boots, and a baggy sweater. She grabbed two ponytail holders, and pulled her short, auburn hair back into two short, knobby, pigtails and the base of her head. She looked at herself in the mirror. She was met with her almond shaped, jade eyes staring back at her. She wore no makeup, and barely recognized herself. She stepped back, stood up straight, and studied herself in the mirror. She was five foot, four inches tall, at least, that's what her drivers license said. Her scale said she weighed 140 lbs., but when she looked at herself, that wasn't what she saw.

After her parents had died when she was nine, she went to live with her aunt. Well, technically, she wasn't even her aunt. She was her mother's best friend. She was Italian, and her answer for everything was food. You're sad, eat. You're happy, eat. You're depressed, eat. Everything could be solved with food. For the longest time, that was how Ashlan coped. The summer before her senior year, she decided she was tired of her life revolving around food. Taking matters into her own hands, she began a strict diet and exercise program. By the time she began college, she had lost over 100 pounds.

When she looked in a mirror, she still saw fat Ashlan. She figured she always would. That's why, when Grant had approached her in college, she was stunned. A man like Grant, handsome, charming, and intelligent, was interested in her. In order to keep him, she became someone she wasn't.

For so many years, she had made sure that she looked her absolute best no matter what. Her hair was always fixed to perfection, as was her makeup. Grant was able to get her in at his health club, and she went three times a week, sometimes more. In all actuality, she hated it. She had never felt comfortable in makeup, and she was even more uncomfortable having people stare at her while she worked out.

Taking one last look at herself in the mirror, she decided she liked the new Ashlan better.

She grabbed a bottle of water and her cigarettes and closed and locked the front door of the house. After closing the house up, she walked out the back door and into the forest. The smell of dirt and pine surrounded her as she made her way down a path. The forest was relatively dark, the canopy from the trees allowed little light to pass through onto the forest floor. She saw rabbits, squirrels and chipmunks scurrying about and jumping through the trees. She allowed the sounds of nature to clear her head so all she thought of was what was right in front of her, the birds, the animals and the forest.

After about an hour of walking, she came across a small area that looked like it might have been cleared for camping. The canopy of the trees still covered the ceiling of the forest, however there was an area, about the size of a tent, which had rocks surrounding it in a circle. As she approached it, she noticed that there were small river rocks near the center. She walked into the circle and as she entered the center, she was stopped in her tracks as she felt a bolt of energy pass through her body and the wind was knocked out of her. As quick as it happened, it was over. She fell forward onto her knees and tried to catch her breath.

"What the hell?" She pulled herself to her feet and walked over to sit on a fallen log. She looked back at the circle from which she just passed, and noticed that the circle appeared to have gotten larger. "Ok, this is getting a little too weird." She took a drink from her water, and then pulled a cigarette from her pack. She looked around and noticed that the trees appeared to be a little fuller, and she no longer smelled pine and dirt, but flowers and rain.

She stood up and decided she had had enough fresh air for one night. She would go home and start on an early supper. Instead of passing through the circle of stones, she opted to walk around it this time. She followed the path that had brought her to the circle. After roughly fifteen minutes of walking, the path ended in front of a small cottage. "I don't remember that being there before. How did I get lost?"

She began walking towards the cottage. There was smoke coming from the chimney and a dog was lying on the front porch. "Might as well ask for directions." As she got closer to the cottage, the door opened and a woman walked out. She had raven hair down to here waist, and she wore a light blue dress that hung to her ankles, she was barefoot. The woman walked down the stairs and as she did, the dog awoke and followed her.

"I'm sorry to bother you ma'am, but I think I'm lost. I went for a walk and it seems I got turned around somehow." Ashlan stopped in front of the woman with a smile on her face.

Miss Rianneth looked at the girl and smiled. "Oh no Ashlan. I think you're exactly where you wanted to be."

The smile left Ashlan's face. How does she know my name? "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

The Sorceress smiled. "I am Miss Rianneth, The Sorceress of The Great Ensian Forest. You wished to be taken from your world Ashlan, and I granted you that wish. You are no longer in the world called Earth, but in the world called Fallion."

Wow, this lady is a few fries short of a Happy Meal. Taking a step away from the woman, Ashlan smiled nervously. "Yeah right. Anyways, I'm just gonna go back the way I came. I'm sure I'll find my cabin. I'm sorry to have troubled you." Turning, Ashlan tried to make a quick get away, but was stopped short when the dog appeared in front of her. "Good doggy, I'm not gonna hurt ya. I'm just trying to get home."

"Bain is a wolfhound. He's very intelligent, you do not need to speak to him that way. You also won't be able to find your way back to your cabin, for in this world, it does not exist." Miss Rianneth was now behind Ashlan.

Ashlan turned around and looked at the woman standing before her. Her ears appeared to be pointy and she had one blue eye, one green eye. Who is this woman and what does she want with me?

The Sorceress smiled at Ashlan and waved her hand across Ashlan's face. Immediately Ashlan yawned. "Come dear, let me get you inside. I'll fix you a nice cup of tea and we can talk." She took hold of Ashlan's arm and began leading her towards the cabin.

Ashlan's brain was screaming at her to turn and run, but her legs wouldn't obey. She felt so sleepy all of a sudden. Maybe a nice cup of tea would help wake her up. She allowed herself to be lead into the cottage.

The Sorceress helped her into a chair and set a cup of tea down in front of her. Ashlan took a sip of the tea and felt immediately alert. "Where am I?" She was awake, but a little groggy.

The Sorceress smiled. "Welcome to the Kingdom of Ensia, in the world of Fallion."