A/N: This is a new story that has been floating around in my head. Unlike my other stories, I have already written over 20 pages in this so I have a good headway on this, so I'm really hoping people like it!
So let me get a few disclaimers and information about this story before we get started, yes?
1) This will be somewhat AU. Why? Well, if you haven't read the book yet SPOILER ALERT the AU will be that there are no deaths in the Battle of the Five Armies END SPOILER ALERT.
2) This will be somewhat movie verse at the beginning and then start moving away from it as the OC changes the story line.
3) I have completely come up with the half dragon information on my own so please don't rag on it for not being realistic. It's not canon in the Hobbit but I made the idea for my story. Make sense?
4) This WILL have an OC in it. If you don't like it, then just go find another story that doesn't have OCs in it (there are some pretty good ones out there).
5) I don't really have a 5th point, I just didn't want to end at 4!
Additional Note: I am trying my best to keep characters IN CHARACTER for the most part. Since this is my first Hobbit fanfiction EVER, please tell me how I'm doing. And tell me how you like it! I love feedback :)
I do not own the Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, or any of the characters found in the movies or books. I do however own Iskra, so please do not use her without permission.
Now sit back, relax, and enjoy Burning Ascent.
Burning Ascent
"But it is one thing to read about dragons and another to meet them."
-Ursula K. LeGuin
Chapter One: The Fire Caster
Gandalf the Grey was very serious when he looked upon the house before him. It was made of stone with great carvings etched painstakingly into the archway of the door. The door itself was of strong oak and wider than Gandalf was tall, not to mention much taller than him. The house was only one story however, with large windows facing the east. With conviction, the old wizard rapped on the door with his staff.
There was no answer.
Then the door was pulled back to reveal a woman, a dwarf if he were to hazard a guess with no knowledge. She was pale and slender, like a dwarf who had tainted blood. Gold bangles clinked on her thin wrists and ankles as she moved forward to examine her visitor. Her ears were pierced multiple times, all sporting gold hoops. On her lobes however, hung a pair of intricate gold dangles adorned with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. Her silvery blonde hair was pulled back, jewels and strands of gold woven through it. The golden circlet completed her, meeting in the center of her forehead with a diamond.
She wore a white, gossamer dress with jewels woven into the train—with full knowledge that the white enhanced the appearance of her gold and glittering jewels.
"Lady Iskra," Gandalf said with a bow, "It is an honor."
She looked up at him fiercely, "Gandalf. What brings you here?"
"I am here, my dear lady, to invite you on a quest."
"A quest? Tell me more," her amber eyes glinted with interest.
"A quest to take back Erebor from Smaug," he went on, watching her reactions closely.
A terrified expression crossed her face, "Gandalf, you know what I am. The gold sickness runs deeper in my blood more than it will ever run in the line of Durin. Do you know what you ask?"
"We will need your protection," Gandalf started, "Especially if I have to leave the Company for any reason."
"Gandalf," Iskra said wearily, "Do you truly know what you are asking of me?"
"I am asking you, to protect your King."
Iskra looked up in surprise, "The King Under the Mountain?"
Gandalf bowed his head in affirmation, watching as the half-dwarf thought deeply.
"I have no guarantee that I will not fall to the gold sickness. But I will protect the king and his company with my life. You have my word, Gandalf."
"That is all I could ever ask for from you," Gandalf said with a knowing smile, "We will meet up again in the Shire in one week. I will mark the door. You will recognize it."
Iskra bowed her head slightly in respect, "I will see you a week, Gandalf."
As the wizard left, Iskra closed the door behind him and looked around at her home.
"It seems that I have some packing to do," she said to herself with a chuckle.
With great reluctance, she changed out of the ornate white dress she was wearing into breeches and a tunic. She considered putting on armor, but immediately dismissed the idea. Not only was it restricting and uncomfortable, but her fire usage could make it unbearably hot and it could hurt someone if they touched it by accident. No, she would have to make do without it. Her hide was tough enough as it is. Fire proof and resistant to damage, even if she didn't have scales in this form.
The next thing she decided was to remove the circlet from her head. She chose to keep the rest of her gold on, but the circlet would just get in the way. Her hair was deftly tied back and held in place by the riches she had woven into it just this morning, so she decided to keep those as well as her earrings and bangles on her wrists and ankles. She forwent shoes; her feet would see no wear-and-tear from the ground. Plus, she liked being barefoot. It was liberating.
Iskra stuffed rations, a water skin, and clothes in her pack before donning a dark cloak. If she didn't leave now, she would be late for the meeting. Curse wizards who moved faster than they should be able and curse said wizards who designated a meeting place at such a distant place.
Iskra paused. Of course, she could just fly there. She disregarded the notion. For if she were to take her dragon form, there would be no way to get there inconspicuously. She wanted to keep this secret from the dwarves in the Company as long as she possibly could. Plus, terrifying the countryside was not her goal—though she would not hesitate to admit that it was fun when she did it in centuries past.
She would have to be careful. A half dragon would not be welcomed so kindly, even if she was part dwarf as well.
"I would take each and every one of the dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills. For when I called upon them, they answered. Loyalty, honor, a willing heart. I can ask no more than that," Thorin answered Balin as they watched Bilbo walk away.
But before any more could be said, a knock echoed through the house.
"I thought she would never arrive," Gandalf said, coming from the other room and opening the door.
Thorin looked incredibly irritated and followed the wizard, the Company not far behind him. He stopped dead in his tracks when Gandalf admitted a young, dwarven woman into the home. She was adorned in gold and jewels; they were even woven into her golden hair. She looked regal, yet not quite a dwarf. She was not stocky; she was slender and curvy. Thorin was reluctant to admit it to himself, but she was attractive.
Her amber eyes found him immediately and she walked passed Gandalf to bow low before him.
"King Under the Mountain," she whispered, "My strength, loyalty, and life are at your command."
"Gandalf, who is this?" Thorin was outraged, causing his nephews to shrink back from him since they were closest in their curiosity to see the newcomer.
Gandalf smiled, "Since I cannot always guarantee my presence with you, I endeavored to find you extra protection. As a precaution."
"She wields magic then?" Thorin asked, slightly surprised.
"A strong magic," Gandalf confirmed.
Thorin looked down at the girl, who was still in the bow. He frowned and motioned for her to rise up.
As she did, he didn't miss the sharp look of intelligence in her eyes.
"Your name."
"Iskra."
"What kind of magic do you wield?"
Her lip curled into a smirk, "A power I'm sure that you would not be fond of, my King. Fire is my gift."
The dwarf king reeled back from her slightly in surprise. A power so deadly from someone so small and delicate looking came as a shock to Thorin Oakenshield.
Iskra grinned at him, "I will not harm you, my King."
"How come you by this power? Dwarves do not have such magic," Thorin demanded, "And how do we know that it is even true?"
Iskra's smile faltered a bit, "It comes from my mother. She was not a dwarf. But she is long dead and I would rather not talk about her."
Her smile widened again, "I can light a candle if you have one."
She was quickly presented with a candle by a young, dark haired dwarf that introduced himself as Kili. He looked too young to be on such a quest, but he looked so eager to see what she could do. She couldn't find it in her heart to fault him. She loved using her powers and showing them off. Almost as much as she loved fighting and gold.
With a careless wave of her arm, fire flowed from her hand to the wick and the candle sparked to life.
Sounds of wonder erupted from most of the company; Kili and his brother, Fili, the loudest of them all.
"With just a wave of your arm! Incredible!" Kili exclaimed.
"I would hate to disappoint," Iskra smirked, "But you looked so excited so I decided to make it look a little better. I didn't have to wave my arm if I didn't want to."
Excited whispers erupted among the dwarves.
"What good is fire against a dragon?" Thorin bore down on her.
"Even if I cannot help with the dragon, I can help with other problems," Iskra snapped, dismissing the idea of facing Smaug immediately.
Thorin looked at Gandalf skeptically.
"She has given me her word and I trust her completely," Gandalf said smartly, "Or do you wish me to get angry again like when you questioned my last judgment?"
"Your last offering for the Company did not pan out well," Thorin argued, "Nor did you tell me about her. We don't know if we can trust her, even if you do."
"It hasn't yet. Iskra is dedicated to the King Under the Mountain."
Thorin grunted and looked at Iskra again.
"If she can keep up, she may come."
"Our uncle doesn't like you," Kili slinked up to her, taking the seat on her right.
"Kili is right," Fili appeared with his brother, taking the seat on her left.
Iskra shrugged indifferently, "Not many people like me."
"We like you!" Kili grinned, "No one has ever made Uncle that uncomfortable before."
She chucked, "Well I'll try to keep up my reputation then."
"Did you ever live in the mountain?" Fili asked.
Iskra's face fell slightly, "No. My mother wasn't a dwarf. We lived far from Erebor."
"What about your father?" he pushed.
"I never knew who he was. My mother and him had a fling then never saw each other again. My mother and half-brother raised me," she made a face.
"You have a brother?" Kili was curious, "Are you close?"
"No!" Iskra was pale, "He is a horrible monster. He hunted an entire race to extinction. He drove another out of their homes because he liked it."
The two brothers looked upset, making Iskra regret her reaction to their question. Of course they would be bothered by two siblings not getting along. They seemed so close after all.
"What about you?" Kili asked quietly.
Iskra cocked her head to the side, "What about me?"
"Are you like your brother?" Fili asked seriously.
She hesitated before admitting, "I like fighting, battle, war. I thrive there. But I don't like destroying entire homes or peoples—just the occasionally terrorization."
Iskra closed her eyes, waiting for the hate and judgment to come down from them. She was surprised when she felt two pairs of arms encircle her in an embrace.
"Fili? Kili?"
"It was very brave to admit that to us," Fili answered.
"Plus, nothing wrong with liking battle," Kili laughed, "A lot of dwarves are the same way."
Their conversation was interrupted by humming from the other room. Kili and Fili exchanged looks and excused themselves, joining the others in the next room. Iskra listened to the melancholy tune sadly before going to the room Gandalf had showed her to get some sleep.
The singing of the dwarves last night had lulled Iskra to sleep. When she awoke in the morning, she felt well rested. She rolled out of her blankets and packed up her things as some of the other dwarves did the same. Iskra took a moment to tame the parts of her hair that had come loose in the middle of the night, tucking them back where they belonged.
"We leave now," Thorin appeared in the doorway, motioning to everyone.
They were well on their way atop the backs ponies when a little hobbit came dashing towards them, demanding them to wait. Iskra watched with fascination as Fili and Kili grabbed the hobbit by his underarms and hauled him onto a pony. She rode up to him curiously.
"I don't remember you," he looked at her with equal curiosity.
"Iskra. I showed up after you went to bed. I am extra protection," she grinned at him, "And what is your name, Master Hobbit?"
"Bilbo Baggins."
"I don't doubt this will be fun," she laughed at his expression before trotting off to bother a dwarf king—her new favorite hobby.
Bilbo gave her back a bewildered look.
The constant rain was miserable for her Company. Iskra realized it when she heard Fili sneeze and when Kili shook water out of his hood. Bilbo was shivering and it looked like Ori was about to do the same. She handed her cloak to the Halfling. He looked like he was about to refuse but she shook his head. Finally, Bilbo accepted it gratefully and muttered his thanks, wrapping it around him and pulling the hood over his head.
Iskra moved deftly to the center of the Company, between Fili and Kili, and began emitting heat. She spread it outward until it reached from Bilbo in the back to Thorin at the lead.
The dwarf king looked back when he felt a calming warmth envelop him. The knowing smirk on the face of the half-dwarf woman in his Company told him exactly where it was coming from. He said nothing, but he welcomed it. Warmth would keep morale high and keep them going for longer. He eyed her before turning to face forward quickly. Without the cloak, her clothes stuck to her in the rain, leaving nothing to the imagination.
Thorin was irritated that it had distracted him.
Iskra handed her lead rains to Fili and told Kili to make sure that she didn't fall off.
"What are you going to do?" the blonde prince asked, startled.
"I am going to sleep," Iskra huffed, "I can't waste energy keeping all of you warm in case something happens where I have to fight. This way I can continue to keep the Company warm, but not lose energy."
"You can keep us warm even if you go to sleep?" Kili asked curiously.
"Of course I can," Iskra huffed, "You'll keep me on lead and on the pony, right?"
The princes nodded enthusiastically. Anything to keep them from being wet and cold. Iskra smiled thankfully and adjusted her position on the pony before drifting off to sleep.
It was many hours later that Kili called to his uncle, "Uncle, we need to stop for the night."
Thorin frowned and turned back to look at the Company. He started when he saw the woman slumped over in the saddle. Kili was riding close to her and Fili was leading her pony. Thorin rode back to where they were and examined her. She was still breathing.
"What happened?" he demanded.
"She wanted to sleep while she used her magic," Kili answered, "But it is almost nightfall, Uncle. She's not hurt; we are just tired."
"Wake her up," Thorin growled, "We stopped here for the night."
His nephews did that on purpose to scare him.
A/N: well?! What do you think? I know we covered a lot of ground in the first chapter but to be honest, we all know the good stuff is going to be later! :P And I'm not going to draw out a scene for no reason. Please! Tell me what you think! It really encourages me to keep writing, knowing at least a few people are loving it :)
Also another note: I do not capitalize races like Tolkien did. If it bothers you, I am truly sorry, but it seems weird to me to capitalize race in writing. Sorry! Also, I use "dwarves" instead of "dwarfs" because that is how it is used by Tolkien, Lord of the Rings wiki, and the subtitles in the movies.
Sorry! Once again, please review! I love you guys :D