Me: Hi guys! If you're coming here from my Bleach fanfic, then hello again . As you guys wanted me to (from your reviews the general consensus was yes, post this Hobbit fic) here it is!:D If you're someone who has come here from seeing this on the Hobbit page of this site, then welcome one and all! As you may or may not have guessed, this is a Hobbit fanfic centered around Thranduil and my OC Fenna Hughhard, and what happens when she's mysteriously bought into the world of Middle-earth for purposes that aren't all to clear at first.

Renji: *looks around in confusion* The hell am I doing here? I'm a character from Bleach, not The Hobbit!

Me: Yeah, well, Thranduil got all scary when I asked him to come do this with me, so i went with the option I knew was nicer and would work *hugs Renji* Now, a couple of things you need to know about this fic before we get started. 1) This is going to be a slowly developing romance between my OC and Thranduil - it doesn't even become possibly more than a close friendship until...well, that'd be a spoiler, so I'm not saying XD 2) This is set before the events of the Hobbit (about 3/4 years before them, can't remember which right now) and will run alongside it. 3) This is going to be sporadically updated; it may get updated two days running, and then seem to drop off the face of this website for a bit. This is because I'm concentrating (well, trying to) on my Bleach fanfic. Rest assured though, I will update this eventually XD

Renji:...I think my Captain and your friend over there are having a staring contest of sorts *points to where Byakuya and Thranduil are standing close to each other*

Byakuya: *Staring up at Thranduil, obviously unimpressed*...

Thranduil:*Staring down at Byakuya, equally unimpressed*...

Me: Kehehe, I thought that would happen :D Now, on with the first chapter! XD

Disclaimer: I really wish I owned the Hobbit, but sadly, I only own this plot and my OCs

Chapter 1: Shadows

Popping my head around the door to the office, I searched the darkening room for any sign of my boss. As usual at this time in the evening, though, she wasn't there.

I should have known; I've been working here for two years, after all, I grumbled, shaking my head and retreating into the hallway. Sighing and resolving to go and find Marian once I had completed my checks of all the stables, I made my way down the shadowed hallway and out into the indoor stable yard.

Mistgrove stables had been here, tucked away in the quiet backstreets of Windemere, since before I'd been born all those nineteen years ago, and though it had undergone inevitable changes with the years in order to meet standards in 2014, not much else had altered. The horses were each treated with an individual love and affection that was rarely found in most modern riding stables, and the sleepy atmosphere that permeated the air soothed away my worries every time I entered through the somewhat broken metal gate that led to the yard.

The soft nickering of the twenty or so horses Mistgrove stables had in residence was like a gentle lullaby to my ears as I moved down the two columns each side of the wide central space, checking that each and every one of them would be comfortable for the night.

From the moment I'd been able to sit upon the back of a pony I had fallen in love with all things horse. Something about the way their eyes seemed to hold you, gaze into your soul and forgive even the darkest parts of you with little more than a sigh, had captured my attention and still, many years later, refused to let it go. I always loved being near the noble creatures, even if I was not high up on their backs and simply sat or stood watching them from afar as they gallivanted around the fields.

So when I had been offered a job at Mistgrove I had jumped at the chance to see the horses more often than my weekly riding lesson. Marian hadn't really needed another member of staff, she'd told me on my first day, but she'd always had the sense that I had a connection with horses not many others did – something that seemed to keep even the most irritable gelding or mare calm under my touch.

I smiled at the memory of the day I had gained my dream job; it was one that was rivaled only by the day I had truly been able to play my violin for the first time – another favourite pastime of mine. I stopped at the last stable, leaning in and gently clicking my tongue against my teeth. There was a shift in the shadows of the spacious stable, and then the head of my favourite horse butted against my shoulder.

"Hey, Aeolus, all ready for sleep?" I questioned as the four year old stallion whiffled at my hair, his intelligent eyes – one brown, the other a bright blue - glittering in the fading light of the evening sun filtering through the high windows. I grinned, scratching behind his soft ears as he lowered his head, nudging at me for treats.

"No, else you'll get fat, you greedy monkey," I admonished, smoothing a hand over his muscular neck and, as I often found myself doing, admiring his glossy coat. It was as light as the bleakest of winters, but in just the right light hints of thundery grey and snowy white rippled through the pale hide. His mane and tail were as black as the darkest of night, trailing like silken banners whenever he went for a good romp in the paddocks.

His name, though partly to do with his coat, derived entirely from Marian's first experience with him when he was just a leggy colt. Only three days after he'd been born he was dancing around the stable his mother was in like a yearling, a seemingly boundless energy thrumming through his long legs as he bounced around. When he had been old enough to go out into the fields with his mother, the first thing he had done was race around and around the open space, unerringly following the wind with lightning fast changes of direction that only occasionally caused him to fall over. As Marian was a bit of a fan of mythology, she had immediately named him after one of the gods of the wind, and from that moment on he was known as Aeolus. He'd quickly become a favourite of hers, and it was very rare that she allowed anyone to ride him but herself, owing to his capricious and often overenthusiastic nature; something that made me smile smugly every time I settled on to his sixteen hands high frame.

I ran my fingers through Aeolus's forelock, enjoying how the strands easily passed through my fingers. It seemed the stallion had actually managed to keep himself somewhat clean after I'd brushed him earlier today.

Makes a change, I snorted, remembering how, after finishing my ride on him and brushing him down nicely the other week, he had straight away gone to the floor and rolled around, grunting in pleasure as he destroyed my hour or so of hard work in seconds.

"Fenna?" came a familiar voice, interrupting my musings. Turning, Aeolus and I both watched as, after I had called out a response, Marian stepped into the covered stable yard. My mother was fond of names that had nice meanings, and so she had called me Fenna, or "guardian" as I was told it meant.

"My, you two are getting more and more alike each day, I swear," Marian laughed, her soft grey eyes darting between the stallion and I with amusement. I smiled in return, curling a hand underneath Aeolus's velvet muzzle and stroking it softly.

"Or you're just going crazy," I replied, though there was some truth to her statement. Not only were my eyes – brown around the iris but fading out to a brilliant blue towards the edge – similar to the horse's, but we both tended to become easily bored of things. Apart from riding, work, reading and my violin, nothing else had ever held my attention for longer than ten minutes before I had blanked out or otherwise shown my disinterest. Well, certain movie adaptions of my favourite books kept my interest, but that was it. Aeolus was just that same, and if we went over the exact same course of jumps more than twice, or raced around a trail we'd been down the day before, he would quickly become bored and attempt to do something more fun. Usually this ended up with me laughing as I clung on for dear life, but I didn't mind.

"Me, crazy? Never," the owner laughed, coming over and tousling my black hair, which at the moment was done up in a practical braid that came down to the middle of my back. I laughed along with her and Aeolus, smart horse that he was, lifted his upper lip and bobbed his head, appearing to say, "You know that you are," with a hearty laugh.

After the laughter had died down, Marian jerked her thumb to her office and said, "I'm just going to go finish some last minute paperwork for the show tomorrow, then I'll drop you off back home…unless you want Mick to take you back?"

I wrinkled my nose. "Ahh, that'd be a definite no there," I answered, remembering the last time her husband and father of her two children had taken me back after a day at the yard. His never ending stories that weren't remotely funny had caused him to miss my turning several times and me to almost throw myself from the car in order to escape. Marian laughed again, a pleasant sound, before turning and heading to her office with a, "Alright, stay there and I'll be done in ten minutes. And yes, you can stay in Aeolus's stable for that time."

I swivelled around to face my favourite horse once more, quickly unlocking his door and slipping inside. I didn't bother doing up the bolt, as the stallion always seemed to prefer staying near me than escaping. Reaching up, I ran a hand along his muscular withers, smoothing down the hairs and dusting off any stray bits of hay. Aeolus whickered, snuffing at my pocket where I knew that he knew I had some sugar lumps stored. I stared at him and could almost see the pleading words in his eyes.

"Oh alight then, but only if you promise to behave during the show tomorrow!" I exclaimed, digging into my pocket and producing two sugar cubes that, as soon as they were spotted, were scarfed down as if Aeolus was a giant vacuum cleaner. I suppose he is, now that I think about exactly how much he eats.

Nodding his head in seeming agreement that, yes, he would behave for me in the show tomorrow as long as he got more treats, he then lifted his head and rested it over my back, heaving out a contented sigh as he did so. Smiling, I wrapped my arms as far as they would go around his neck and closed my eyes, breathing in the familiar scent of hay and horse. Peace was all I felt in the soft twilight bathing the stables, tucked beneath my favourite stallion's neck as the warmth of contentment washed through me.

I could die right now and, honestly, I wouldn't care one bit. Well, maybe I would care, as I'd never get to say goodbye to mum and dad and Aeolus and everyone else, but not as much as I would if- my train of thought was cut off as, quite suddenly, I had the strangest sensation that I was being watched.

Blinking open my eyes, I ducked from beneath Aeolus, who snorted unhappily, and glanced around. At first I could see nothing but then, when I took a closer look at a particularly shadowed corner of the indoor arena, which I could see from where I was stood, the faintest outline of a figure could be discerned. The sounds of Marian and of her family in the house not two paces from the yard were strangely absent.

Frowning, I strained my eyes, trying to get a closer look at the figure, but no details made themselves known to me. I sighed, my ever present curiosity and cautious nature warring with themselves as I, poking my head over the stable door in an imitation of Aeolus, called out, "Marian?"

No-one answered, so I called out again, louder this time and directing my voice towards the owner's office. I'd always had a funny ability to project my voice further than I should have been able to, though that, and my reasonable talent with a violin, was about it for anything special about me.

"Marian, you still in your office?" Again, no-one answered, and by now I was starting to become more than a little worried. Marian never, under any circumstance, went without answering my calls unless the yard was full of noise, and even then she always somehow managed to hear me eventually. On a night as still as this she should have been able to hear me a mile off.

Nerves tingling in my stomach, I once more turned to glance at where the figure still stood, covered in shadows that, for some reason, did not seem naturally occurring.

What should I do? Should I go and see if Mick and the boys are in the house and tell them I think someone's in the indoor arena? I debated, worrying at my fingernails as I thought. Aeolus, sensing my growing apprehension at the lack of noise from both the house and the office, nudged my shoulder and whickered reassuringly. I reached up, finding some calm returned to me as my hand brushed down his muzzle, but there was still something niggling at me that, eventually, won over my cautiousness.

I will take Aeolus with me for protection when I go and investigate the arena, and should Marian question why I have him out I can just say that he seemed a bit antsy in his stable…yeah, I'll do that. She's probably too engrossed in her work to hear me anyway, I decided, my hands already reaching for the door to Aeolus's stable. With any other horse I would have put a head collar on them, but I trusted the stallion more than most people in much the same way he seemed to trust me, and so it was that, when I exited his stable and called for him to follow, he came quietly, used to being left to walk around without being led whenever I went to do anything with him.

Sticking close to his side as we made our way over to the large indoor arena, I kept my eyes fixed upon the shadowy figure in the far corner. It didn't move as I silently opened the gate, leaving it open behind Aeolus in case my worries turned out to be what I was expecting them to be; a trick of a tired mind late in the evening.

I placed a hand on Aeolus's side, taking comfort from his unwavering presence. He snorted, steps sure on the soft fibre of the arena as he trod towards the still not moving figure.

If he is not frightened, then why should I be? After all, horses are one of the flightiest creatures in the world, and flee at the first sign of any perceived threat, I reassured myself, my strides becoming more confident even though we were now only ten metres from the shadowed corner that held the source of my discomfort.

Coming to a halt before the figure, I suddenly noticed that, at what appeared to be 5'9 and of a slim build, it was exactly my height and shape. I shifted, unnerved by how it almost seemed to suck in any and all light near it, and turned my gaze to Aeolus to see what he thought of this strange apparition, only to find him staring at another figure that had suddenly appeared before him. I choked on my next breath, eyes going wide as I realised that it was shaped just like him. All horses were, of course, almost the same shape, but having been with Aeolus since he was two years old I knew his form better than most anyone. And I'd be damned if anyone told me that this second shadow was any other horse but him.

"What in the world is this?" I questioned softly, causing Aeolus to turn and gaze down at me. He seemed as mystified as I, and now I could sense him tensing under my palm, as if expecting something.

Turning back to my shadow-figure, I fought not to run back to Aeolus's stable and hide. Every instinct was screaming at me to spin about and do just that, but a part of me – the part that loved fantasy novels such as the Lord of The Rings, The Hobbit, Eragon and the like – kept me in place. Biting my lip and knowing that my curiosity, despite how much trouble it usually got me into, would never be satisfied until I had seen exactly who or what this figure was, I slowly reached out a hand, fingers hesitantly extending. Out of the corner of my eye I could sense Aeolus stretching out his head and doing something similar to me towards his shadow, but just then my concentration was on the unwavering shadow-figure before me.

Fingers coming to s stop mere inches from the shadow, I took a deep breath. Shadows can't hurt me, right?

Boy was I wrong.

Next Time...

Chapter 2: Not Just a Fairy-tale

As I stayed still, trying to rid myself of the dizziness that wrapped around me, I ran my eyes over this strange place I had suddenly found myself in. It was a forest, that much I could tell, but unlike any forest I had ever seen. The trees, though holding up full canopies high above me, were bare from there downwards, their trunks and limbs twisted and dark. Creeping plants like ivy strangled around them, but even they had dead qualities to them, as if something had swept through the forest and sapped almost all life from it. I could hear no birds or other creatures, and the silence was almost as stifling as the humidity.

This really isn't Mistgrove, I repeated, my heart rate climbing as I stayed close to Aeolus, who was just as confused as I was. He was glancing around, sniffing the air and scraping his hooves against the ground in a nervous way. Now I really want to know what that shadow was…and where on earth it's taken me, because this forest is like nothing I've ever seen before, I thought unhappily. No forest I had ever been in had felt so old, or foreboding.

Me: Ok guys, so there you have it, the first chapter of Guardian! I know there was no Middle-earth in this chapter, but to be honest this is just a chapter to introduce my main characters and to set the scene...are they still at it?

Renji: *Looks over and sees Byakuya and Thranduil continuing to stare at each other unblinkingly* Yup. I'm almost tempted to throw something at them to see what happens.

Me: Pfff, oh man that's so tempting now that you mention it... Oh, before I forget; though Aeolus may seem a bit too intelligent, he's not. I know of several horses that are just like this - heck, one of them (a lovely gelding by the name of Curly (my favourite)) even knows me and wickers at me whenever I call his name (I go riding every Monday, and have been doing so for about 13 years). Anyway, thanks for reading, and make sure to let me know what you guys think! XD