Quick Authors Note here – this is the first time I've done anything with a first person narrative so if there are any mistakes please bear with me By the way just to avoid any confusion anything in italics are the characters thoughts. I do not own Tolkien's characters

The One with the Magical Necklace

In truth, I have no idea why I even went into the shop. Jewellery shops aren't really my kind of thing as a rule. There are either two types. The really expensive ones where the shops assistants act like you're about to steal something if you dare walk in wearing jeans and a jumper. Or the really cheap ones where the stuff looks like something a five year old has made. Either way – I don't do jewellery shops.

Only this shop looked completely different.

I had about half an hour of time to kill before starting my shift at the local butchers. It was originally meant to be just a part time job after school. However, there was something relaxing about slicing up meat that just clicked with me. My mum threw a fit when I told her I wasn't going to university and was instead going to train as a Butcher. She's a bit old fashioned that way. Leaning against the filthy looking windows my eyes strayed across the various items that lay on dark velvet cushions: rings, necklaces, trinket boxes etc. It didn't look like the traditional type of jewellery shop that you used to find on the high street and after checking my watch I decided to have a quick look inside. If anything it would kill a few minutes. As I pushed open the door I heard a small bell ring above my heard. It reminded me of those old fashioned shops you saw on TV and as I looked around I was even more reminded of those shops. There were glass boxes, large cases and wall height shelves – all covered with various items that looked like something off The Antiques Roadshow. Although the curtains weren't drawn the whole shop was dark and it took my eyes a while to adjust to the low light.

"Hello? Anyone home?"

I don't know why I said that out loud. No one had come to the desk when I'd opened the door. Instead I slowly paced around the shop. Staring at the various bits of jewellery that were on offer. I ignored the rings seeing as most of them were either too big or two small. However, a couple of the necklaces caught my fancy. Although I hate jewellery shops I love necklaces. I've a whole box at home stuffed full of them. One of the necklaces I was staring at caught my eye the most. Hanging on the end of a gold chain hung an intricate red knot work pattern in the shape of a leaf. My fingers gently traced the various twisting lines and curls that made up the leaf. As my skin came into contact with the necklace the sudden heat made me jump back, snatching my hand away,

"Interesting design isn't it?"

I spun round to see an elderly man with bright blue eyes and a long grey beard behind me. Swallowing nervously I was aware that I was staring hard at the man – positive I'd seen him somewhere before. Having never been in this shop before it was extremely unlikely but I couldn't help but find his face familiar,

"Yes…yes it is," I managed to get out. The man's stare was as hard as my own and as he looked closely at my face I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end,

"Juliet Osborne I presume?" he asked kindly. I could feel the sweat on my palms,

"Yes…although most people call me Jinx,"

I'd decided a couple of years ago that I wasn't going to be go by the name of Juliet any longer. It just didn't feel like it fit me, whereas Jinx was far more to my liking. I'd always liked Halle Berry best out of the Bond girls. It hadn't taken long for the majority of people to use my new name. Mum took some persuading but after saying I wasn't going to answer to Juliet she eventually stepped down after we went two days without talking. However, now convinced I'd never met this man in my life the fact that he knew my name threw me a bit. He gave me a warm smile before gently removing the necklace from the shelf and holding it up by the chain where it glowed in the sunlight,

"The Dragonstone," he said in a hushed voice, "Carved from the most beautiful and the brightest ruby to have ever been found,"

And it ended up in a junk shop down a small side street? Yeah right?

I must have snorted at this because the man frowned at me,

"You may laugh young lady," he said, his friendly tone vanishing, "But if you just listen you'll find there's a lot to be gathered from listening to an old man,"

"Okay then," I nodded at him, "Hit me with your best shot,"

He paused before nodding, "Very well then. Take a seat,"

I spun round. There hadn't been any seats when I came in. However, the man smiled as I found a small wooden chair sitting behind me. Frowning in confusion I took the chair and sat next to the man who was sitting in a similar chair. His eyes never left the necklace and for a split second I could have sworn I saw a small flame in his eyes. I shook my head; the low light must be getting to me.

"This is no ordinary necklace," the man said, "A lifetime of bloodshed and ruin has been left in its wake. Betrayal, murder and madness have all been caused by the very possession of such a thing,"

"Look I know it might be worth a few quid but I think you're overdoing it a bit," I couldn't help myself. The man winked at me,

"Am I?" leaning back in his chair he shut his eyes,

"The ruby was first found by an innocent miner. As soon as his eyes found the jewel he was struck by its sheer beauty. He and several others kept it hidden from their king for many years. Never once did they take it out and look at it for fear of discovery. And yet, so struck with their find, a sickness grew amongst them. The miner who had found it – Malin – believed it to be his ruby as he had found it. Small arguments soon led to feuds and then to bloodshed as the miners tried to establish who the rightful owner of such a jewel was. By the end of the tragedy, the ruby found its way into the hands on the recently deceased king's son. He had it carved into the shape of a leaf to try and deter any one from claiming it as their own. But there was something about the ruby that even he did not know about,"

As the man's eyes opened I found myself sitting on the edge of my seat, staring at him wide eyed. I've always had a weakness for storytelling. Anything with magic, elves, dragons dwarves will always go down well. Both me and my mate Jenna are maybe two of the biggest Tolkien fans in the country. The man gave me a knowing smile,

"The ruby – or the Dragonstone – as it was then known, was no ordinary jewel. A secret power was hidden deep within it that had the power to open the voids that separate one world from the other. The owner of such a jewel would be in possession of a great power. Too great a power in truth. For hundreds of years before its discovery people had heard stories of a jewel with the power to open the voids that separated the many different worlds. When news of its discovery reached even the farthest lands; there were many people who wanted to be able to wield such power for themselves."

The man paused and sighed, "I will not go into details…it would take far too long. All you have to know is that many people both good and bad lost their lives over the Dragonstone. In the end, two girls – sisters - stole it from their parents one night. Unlike the others they were not enchanted by the jewel. Instead they were sickened by what it had done to others. They knew they had to get rid of the jewel,"

"What did they do?" I whispered. The man smiled,

"Although many others had tried they had never been able to use the Dragonstone to open the void. But these girls were different. Their blood was linked with the Dragonstone and so they were able to open the void and move from one world to another. And so they hid the Dragonstone in a world where no one knew about it or its powers," the man's smile began to fade, "However, the youngest sister began to have doubts over their actions. Using the Dragonstone she crossed back to her own world; but the jewel remained behind. And…when she returned to her own world without the Dragonstone, her parents - so blinded by the jewels influence - accused her of stealing it and had her killed,"

I turn to stare at the necklace in horror. The man grins at me as he drops it into my hand,

"Of course," he added, "It's only a story,"

His last words broke that spell and I shook my head to try and clear it. For a few seconds I had seen the Dragonstone, the two sisters, everything. I nodded; determined not to let him see how much it had affected me,

"Of course," I said firmly, "It's just a story. None of it's real…right?"

The man shrugged before winking at me and I swallowed nervously. Two minutes later I walked out of the shop with the necklace around my neck.

I rubbed my arms furiously as I walked home that night. The man's words had been ringing round my head all day. Although I knew I was being silly, letting a made up story get to me, I couldn't help but wonder if I should have brought the necklace. I gently fingered it and was once again surprised by how warm it was. Shaking my head I forced myself to walk faster. Although it was still light outside, the street I was walking on was deserted and I was about to step through a short alleyway that was surrounded by tall fences; making the whole thing look far more menacing than it actually was. I shivered and looked down at my jeans and sleeveless shirt – maybe not the best choice in the middle of October, but they were quick and easy to change out of when I got to work. As I entered the alleyway my heart started thudding as I saw two people standing at the end of it. This itself was nothing new, people were always coming and going through the alleyway – it was an ideal shortcut - but there was something about these two that made my skin crawl. Swallowing my fears I carried on walking. Only when I was close enough to see the pulled up hoods and masks did I stop in my tracks. Unfortunately, the two figures didn't stop. Instead they began to move towards me. My mouth opened but no sound came out. In the end I turned and began hurriedly walking back the other way. I could hear their footsteps speeding up behind me and I broke into a run. I managed a couple of steps before another figure slammed into me from the side and pushed me up against the wall.

"Get off me!" I growled at them when one of them twisted my arm behind my back. I shouted out in pain before being roughly spun round so my back was against the wall. Three tall figures wearing hoods and bandana's faced me. The tallest stepped forward and my heart stopped when I saw the knife in his hands,

"Give us your money…and we won't hurt you,"

I had two choices. Either go along with them and hand over the thirty quid I had in my purse. Or I try and fight them off and end up getting stabbed.

Instead I did neither. I just stood there and stared at the muggers in shock. My brain didn't seem to be grasping the whole of the situation yet. The whole point of going to self-defence lessons was in case this kind of thing happened. But now that this was happening I couldn't focus on anything but the knife. The one with the knife grabbed my shirt collar and let it hover against my cheek,

"Give us your money!" he yelled. I swallowed nervously and slowly reached into my bag. They began nodding and the one with the knife stepped back to give me some space. Scrambling in my bag my fingers closed around my small can of deodorant. Taking a deep breath and mentally telling myself to run like never before I whipped my hand out and sprayed the deodorant at their faces. Their howls of pain brought a smile to my face and it was only then that I remembered I should have been running. Once again I'd only made a few steps when one of them grabbed me and punched me in the face. I fell to my knees and I could feel a hand around my neck,

"This is a pretty necklace isn't it? Maybe we should take this and forget the money,"

As a hand grabbed at the necklace I heard a curse before receiving a slap round the face,

"It burns!" he yelled, "It burnt me,"

The mugger showed me his hand. A small leaf shaped scar was on his palm. My mouth dropped open as I stared at the sight. The man shook me hard and I could feel his hand tightened around my throat,

"Let. The girl. Go,"

I froze at the sound of another voice. This was darker and far more dangerous. My eyes widened as I saw a hooded figure holding a knife - a larger knife - against one of the mugger's throats. A noise behind me caused me to spin round to see another hooded figure aiming a bow and arrow at the other two.

Hang on…a bow and arrow? What is this Robin Hood?

The hand on my neck was still there and I stifled a cry as the blade dug into my attacker's skin,

"I won't ask again," the voice said, "Let her go,"

The hand vanished and as I looked up I saw the three muggers running off back the way I had just come. As soon as they turned a corner a strangled sob came from my mouth and tears fell down my face and my hands started shaking. The two hooded figures sheathed their weapons and turned away from me – talking in low voices. As I got shakily to my feet I noticed that the two figures were small. In fact they were very small; they couldn't have been even five feet. Not that I was tall myself – being only five foot six – but I felt slightly awkward as I stood near them and noticed that their heads didn't even reach my shoulders.

"Erm…thank you. Back there…you…you saved my life…I think,"

I clasped my shaking hands together as the two cloaked figures finally turned around to face me. With a flourish they both threw back their hoods at the same time to reveal two faces. One had bright blue eyes and a mane of blonde hair which I noticed had several braids in it (including an oddly braided moustache) and the other had darker eyes and brown hair. Whilst the blonde one had a small beard the brunette had just stubble. I swallowed nervously as both men gazed intensely at me and I could help noticing that the blonde one looked away last. Once again my brain found itself trying to work out where I'd seen them before,

"Fili," the blonde said,

"Kili," the brunette added,

"At your service," they chorused together as they gave a low bow.

"Juliet," I was so taken aback that I ended up giving them my real name. It must have been an after effect of the mugging because although I was sure these two were familiar; my brain didn't seem to be in gear. The blonde one – Fili – nodded,

"Juliet Osborne?"

I nodded…this was starting to get a bit weird…well, weirder. The two shared a glance before Fili reached forward. I took a hasty step back and he frowned,

"The necklace…may we see it?"

I shook my head. Had these guys just forgotten that I had almost been mugged? Kili stepped up to join Fili,

"We won't hurt you," he said softly, "We just need to know,"

Know what?

Silently I removed the necklace from around my neck and passed it over to Fili. As he took it I noticed that – unlike the muggers – it didn't seem to burn his skin. It was only when I noticed that that I realised the necklace hadn't burnt me either. As the pair looked the necklace over I started to get nervous. They shared glances and nods were starting to unnerve me. Kili said something and Fili nodded before handing me back the necklace,

"You need to come with us," he said bluntly.

I gaped at him. Whether those two had saved my life or not there was no way I was going off with strange guys.

And guys certainly don't come stranger than one's with bows and arrows and clothes that look like something from Middle Earth.

Middle Earth.

The Hobbit.

Fili and Kili…nephews of Thorin Oakenshield!

My mouth dropped open and Fili stared at me,

"Please," he reached for my hand but I snatched it back, "You have to come with us. You aren't safe anymore,"

I shook my head dumbly. I must have been hit a lot harder by these muggers than I had thought. Because I was now talking to two people who were fictional characters from another world! I stared at the two dwarf princes who stared back at me. I swallowed nervously before doing the only thing I could do.

I turned. And I ran.

So then…what does everybody think? Apologies for the slow start but I want to properly introduce Juliet (Jinx) to you all. Always appreciate people's feedback on my stories.