((Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit or its characters. The female OC however is mine))
Rain. How she loved rain. Rain washed away the old to make way for the new. The smell of water and wet earth filled her nose. The sound of raindrops splashing into the puddles on the ground brought a sense of peace to my heart that it could only fill.
However, as much as she loved rain, it was another thing to be walking in it for two miles and another to be carrying so much baggage. A clash of thunder sounded above her head, quickly followed by a flash of lightning. Kyra sighed as she walked down the street towards her apartment after a long day of college and the dojo. Her black duffle bag was hanging from her right shoulder over one of her book bag straps, making her walk slightly lopsided.
Slowing to a stop to adjust the strap of her duffle, she could hear the slight muffled clinking of metal inside. Her taiji jian and nandao swords rested inside, along with a couple of sheaths full of kunai under her regular clothing, gi, and towel.
A yawn escaped as she started walking again. She started thinking over her new kata routine for the katana for the upcoming martial arts competition at the end of the month. Being on the college martial arts team, meant a lot of dedication and was a great honor. Another yawn escaped her and her thoughts started drifting off to her team.
The martial arts team wasn't just hand-to-hand combat. They covered many fighting styles ranging from swords, bows, staffs, to judo, jujitsu; wing chun, bushido, and even wushu. She personally specialized in wushu, even though she wasn't a master just yet. Wushu is one of the many martial art forms from China.
Her father used to be a history professor for the University of Idaho about Chinese history and culture. One of his favorite subjects to teach in his classes had been about the many different fighting styles they had. As she grew up, his love of wushu also became hers. She also learned that her mother had been a master. He told her that when her mother had been a child, she had moved from Idaho to live in China for a time when her father was stationed there with the U.S. military.
She had started taking lessons in wushu when she was around six years old and continued the lessons until adulthood, where she became a master while studying at the same university as her soon to be husband attended. She continued it, even after Kyra was born until she no longer could when she became bedridden with leukemia when Kyra was two years old. Her mother passed not too long after Kyra's third birthday. Soon after, she begged her father to let her learn.
Kyra wanted to keep a piece of her mother with her as well as honor her; it also made Kyra feel like her mother was still here. He agreed. She didn't really remember her but she did remember a saying she used to say to her every night, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it". Kyra's father kept the tradition every night until his passing when she was twelve. He was killed in a car accident with a drunk driver.
Ten years later, she still practiced wushu. Even now, she still repeats the saying every night before she fell to sleep. Her thoughts were interrupted as a bright light was coming her way. She looked up as a car came flying by, hitting the huge puddle of water that lay in the middle of the road, causing a wave to splash onto her already soaked body.
"Thanks asshole!" she shouted at the distancing car. Its red tail lights becoming dim in the distance. She turned back forward and decided to not walk on the sidewalk any more. Walking to her left, Kyra slowly climbed down the small, slippery hill to the woods below her. Lightning flashed once, twice, three times before the thunder followed loudly. There was a short cut many college students used to cut across the woods to get from the small ocean of apartments to the college campus.
Halfway down the hill, she let out a gasp as she felt her foot slip on grass. As she fell forward, her backpack and duffle flew over her head, pulling her down the hill at a rapid pace. Everything became a blur as she rolled. She could hear branches breaking as she went into the forest. Her vision became more clouded as her forehead exploded with pain before she came to a stop when her body slammed into something hard. A moan escaped when she tried to move her legs.
Her body could barely move because of the pain. Lifting her head slightly off the ground, she managed to catch sight of the tree that she had fallen into. Her head became too heavy to hold up any longer, she let it fall to the wet ground with a quiet thud. Rain continued to pour down as she laid there; running over her face and body. Eyes growing heavy and the night seemed even darker than before as she closed them. All she could hear was the rain. How she loved the rain.
"Whyyyyyyy?" Kyra whined as she struggled to move her head out of the light into the ground. "Why is it so bright?" she started to roll over onto her other side when searing pain shot up through her body; the ground muffling her scream. She lay frozen on the ground until the pain subsided enough for her to try to open her eyes.
First thing she noticed was some dirt and grass inches from her face. Morning dew still glistened in the sun. Memories of the night before came to her mind as she saw the tree that she was still resting against with her duffle bag about two feet away. At least she hadn't lost her weapons.
Carefully lifting her head as far as she could manage, she tried to take in the damage to her left side; deciding if she could move or not. Not seeing any blood on her grey hoodie. Kyra gently removed her book bag from her back and leaned it against the tree to look through once she was in a better position.
Kyra slowly started to move into a sitting position; her hood falling off her head as she gripped the tree trunk for leverage so she didn't strain her side too much. Once situated, she tried to look at her surroundings while trying to catch her breath. The forest was different. The one that she took the shortcut through from the campus and home was filled with quaking aspens and western hemlocks. This forest did not have either.
These trees looked like they were part of the maple tree family. She couldn't even see the outline of the buildings over the trees like she normally could when she was in the middle of the small forest. This didn't look small at all. As her breathing evened out, she could only hear birds chirping and some rustling of leaves. No sounds of cars or students yelling and laughing; just pure nature.
Knowing it was pointless to yell for help, she laid her forehead against the trunk to just gasp in pain. Pulling back, she raised her hand to feel her head where the pain had come from. Dried blood fell in flakes when she withdrew her hand.
"Great, just great." Letting out a frustrated sigh, she wiped the remaining blood off her hand onto her pants before reaching for her book bag. Unzipping one of the smaller front pockets, she found a Zippo lighter for emergencies, hairbrush, comb, zip lock bag of hair bands, another zip lock bag with my toothbrush and a new tube of toothpaste, and a small plastic box with eyebrow bars and earrings.
Placing everything back, she opened the middle pocket to find two water bottles, unopened energy bars, rice crispy treats, gum, a blue carrying case for colored pencils as well as other writing utensils, an iPod with a full battery, Razor headphones, and a wallet. At least she wouldn't be thirsty and hungry at the moment; quickly taking a couple of gulps of her water before placing everything back into the pocket.
Once making sure the first two pockets were securely closed and zipped up, she opened the last remaining pocket. Inside was a history book based around World War II, a planner, sketch book, one spiral notebook, one composition notebook, and a small copy of The Hobbit.
'Okay, got some food, water, light, and some paper to help build a fire if needed'. Giving herself a mental pat on the back, she glanced over to her duffle. She knew off the top of her head that it had a change of clothes, couple pairs of socks, her fighting gi, a towel, weapons, and a small bag with medical supplies including an ace bandage in case of injuries at the dojo.
Gripping the tree once more, she slowly pulled herself up into a standing position. Kyra leaned heavily against the tree so she could use both hands to feel her ribs. Hissing in pain, she couldn't feel any breakage and the fact that she could breathe without too much trouble meant there wasn't anything broken. She needed to get to her duffle so she could wrap up the bruised ribs.
Grabbing her book bag, she slid it back on while she glared at the duffle before slowly walking towards it. She managed to grab it and slide it onto her uninjured side before heading further into the woods. About five minutes later, she noticed a fallen log.
"Score!" Walking quickly over to the log, she took off her bags and laid them on top so she could grab the ace bandages. She made quick work of her hoodie and black spaghetti strap tank top. Standing in only dark green cargo pants, well worn hiking boots, and sports bra, she could make out the ugly bruise that had already formed on her left ribs. She couldn't help but sigh in frustration before starting to wrap her middle.
Once everything was tied tight and secured, she quickly grabbed her brush and yanked out her hair band from her messy hair. She managed to get all the sticks and leaves out before starting to brush out the knots caused from the fall.
'This is so frustrating,' she thought as she finished putting her hair into a Dutch braid. Fastening the end of her hair into the band, Kyra continued to glance around her surroundings. 'Might as well keep going forward'.
While redressing, she decided to add her weapons onto her person instead of keeping them in their bag. Just in case anything should happen. She did know hand-to-hand combat but sometimes people would avoid a person easier if not all together when they had an actual weapon showing. She strapped kunai onto the back of her belt which was hidden under her hoodie while putting her taiji jian sword on her left side.
The nandao also stayed hidden between the book bag and her back, in case she was disarmed or would need an offhand weapon. Nodding to herself in satisfaction, she couldn't help but smile a little. Picking up the duffle with a slight wince, she started walking further into the unknown forest.
"Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it."
Sweat slid down the back of her neck to hide in the neckline of her hoodie. Groaning in frustration, she wiped away the sweat with her sleeve. The sound of crunching leaves seemed to follow her for what seemed like days. However, it had only been a few hours. The heat was rising as the sun floated high in the sky. A growl echoed around her before being followed by a sharp pain in her stomach.
Even more annoyed, she rolled her eyes at her hunger. As smoothly as she could with her ribs, she slid off her bags to grab an energy bar and a drink from her water bottle. Placing the energy bar in her hoodie pocket, she put her bags back in place. Moving forward, it was easy to fall back into the steady pace she was traveling in. Pulling the bar out of her pocket and unwrapped it.
Taking a bite of the bar, she glanced around the forest. She knew for sure this was not home. Maybe she had transported somewhere, like another state but that didn't feel right in her gut. There had been stories in the newspaper for years about people being "transported" to different places or just plain disappearing after being "transported." She never took it seriously until now. Crinkling the now empty wrapper into a ball, she slid it into one of her many pockets on her pants.
She blinked in surprise before frowning as her fingers brushed against a cool plastic item. Deciding to put the wrapper in a different pocket, she pulled out the plastic item to see that it was her Samsung galaxy phone in its plastic protective case and earbud headphones wrapped around it; while she turned the phone on, she un-wrapped the earbuds from it. Slipping the left earbud into the neckline of her hoodie as she slowed to a stop and placed the other earbud into her right ear, she stared at the screen.
Quickly unlocking the screen, she noticed there was no signal and the location indicator wouldn't lock on. She pressed on the Bixby button, hoping it would help. A soft melody came through the earbud as a greeting in writing appeared on the screen. "Hi Kyra Summers! Welcome back!" As she continued to try and navigate the app, it soon became apparent that it was useless. There was no way to lock onto her location.
"This is so stupid!" she grumbled angrily before she tore the earbuds away from herself and wrapped them around the phone. Stuffing it back into her pants pocket, Kyra hurried through the forest. According to the time on her phone, she had a good four to five hours of sunlight before it started to get dark. At least that should be the case and if it was then she wanted to find a safe place to camp for the night.
Kyra studied her history book and notebook as she sat in front of a small pile of sticks. Deciding to use the spiral notebook, she tore five pages out of it before putting the notebook and history book away. She crumpled the torn pages up into separate lose balls before placing them under the sticks. Using her Zippo lighter, she lit the papers on fire and patiently watched as the sticks caught fire along with the paper. Satisfied with her small fire, she pulled out one of the water bottles and an energy bar.
As she ate, Kyra marked in her planner when she had appeared in the forest. She hoped she found service or even any type of civilization so she could find out where she was. She needed to get home. The tournament was soon and she still had finals to study for. Of all the times for this to happen, it had to happen during the busiest times of the semester. She also needed to find a second job for the winter season so she could have the extra money to buy her books for the spring semester. Her current job had given her two weeks off because of the tournament but with the way it was going, she would have to spend these two weeks getting home instead of training.
Last time she felt this lost on options was when she was placed in a group home after her father's passing. Feels of hopelessness filled her, the longer she sat staring at the planner. The hopelessness quickly changed to anger and she tossed the planner to the side next to her duffle bag. A sharp pain caused her to cry out and grip her ribs. In her worry of her situation, she had forgotten about her bruised ribs. Her anger faded quickly as a sense of foreboding took its place as she slowly laid down, using her towel as a pillow. She knew she would need courage for the coming days.
A loud frustrated groan filled the air followed by a thump of something heavy falling over. Kyra lay on her back, staring up at the sky. It's been five days since she woke up in the forest and there still was no sign of civilization. She had managed to find a stream a couple of days before to wash the blood from her face and apply a band-aid to the cut on her forehead. Her ribs were also on the mend so at least that was going for her. Letting out a huff, she slowly sat back up to stare at the grass covered hills. She left the forest two days prior and have been walking across the grassy hills since.
A mountain range could be seen in the far distance, but no signs of a road or a well worn path. Kicking the ground in anger, she stuffed her planner back in her book bag and pulled out her IPod and headphones. The headphones are razor brand. They were made to block out sound which at the moment, she needed. Quickly putting on some Metallica, she let her body relax as she gazed at the scenery.
The food supply was running low, with only three energy bars and one rice crispy treat left. The water bottles were easily filled in the stream she came by two days ago. Civilization would allow her to try and buy some food as well as try to figure out where she was.
She just needed to find some sort of sign on which way to go. That's all she wanted and hoped for but all she was getting was frustration and a headache. If she knew where she was it would be helpful. The landscape did not look familiar to her from anything she's ever seen in movies or pictures. It was starting to feel like she may no longer be in America but across the world.
Movement above caught her attention. Looking up to her left, she caught sight of a raven flying over head. Her gaze followed the bird as it flew over her. As the bird became distant, she noticed smoke in the far horizon. Kyra stared at the smoke and the bird as it continued to fly towards it. The raven let out a loud cry before it disappeared into the clouds.
The cry was enough to jerk Kyra into motion. She quickly turned off her IPod and packed everything away. That smoke hopefully meant people. With a quick pace, Kyra set off towards her new destination.
Sounds of horses and shouting filled the air as Kyra got closer to the top of a decent sized hill. The view of a small town greeted her as she reached her destination. A smile graced her face before racing down as fast as she could down the steep hill. Stopping at the edge of the buildings, she tried to compose herself and calm down her racing heart. With a deep breath, she moved down the alley towards all the noise.
She quickly noticed that the buildings looked older and that the alley way was not paved, it was pure dirt. Maybe she found an Amish community? If that was the case then she would need to be careful and make sure they didn't feel threatened by her weapons. Cautiously entering what looked to be the main road, Kyra's eyes widened in surprise and shock; freezing her in her current spot between the two buildings. Everything was different. She had expected old fashioned like carriages that the Amish had but this was way before old fashioned became a thing. Everyone seemed to be dressed in a cross of medieval era to colonial period.
'Could I have stumbled upon a faire?' Her thoughts were interrupted when men riding on horses passed by, some leaving and some coming into the little town. Some were wearing armor but all were wearing some type of weapon on their bodies. Women were shopping with children in tow at stalls with fresh fruit, fish, and what looked to be dried meat. Kyra took a hesitant step forward when she sight of the shop across the street from her. The window was full of swords, daggers, and a quiver of arrows. This was not an Amish community.
"Are you alright miss?" A female voice asked from her left. Kyra's breathing became shallow as she examined the town in front of her before looking at the owner of the voice. A much older woman in her forties stood next to her.
"Where am I?" Kyra's voice contained a slight quiver in it. The older woman blinked, surprise showed on her face before concern overcame her features.
"We are in the town called Naethen in Eriador." The name Eriador rang familiar in her mind but she only remembered it from one of her favorite books. Her breathing started to become unsteady.
"Wait what? Eriedor? But that's only in...in…" Kyra stuttered, unable to finish her sentence as a panic attack started to set in.
"In Middle Earth? Of course it is miss." Kyra shook her head in denial before taking a step back from the older woman. She needed to take deep breaths.
"That's not possible. That means we're in-between Dunland and the Shire, right?" 'Breathe Kyra, breathe.'
"That is right. Are you alright miss?" While she was taking deep breaths in through her nose and out through her mouth, she nodded to the woman.
"Yes. Yes I'm fine. How far is Dunland and the Shire from us?"
"I'd say Dunland is about six day journey to the southwest. The Shire is ten days to the north east from here, if you leave on the morrow."
"I need to sit down." Instead of being transported to a different country like she thought, she got put into a book. Why was this happening? Kyra leaned heavily against the nearby building. Blocking out all the noise around her and making her mind go blank; she focused only on her breathing. A few minutes passed before her breathing went back to normal. A gentle touch on her shoulder broke through her wall.
"Are you lost miss?" Kyra raised her head to look at the other woman. She smiled gently at her as tears filled her eyes.
"It seems I'm very far from home," she whispered sadly.
"Come with me dear. Let's get some food in that belly of yours and some rest. I'm Eleanor. This way." Eleanor gently grabbed Kyra's hand and led her through the town. She was too dumbfounded to issue a response and let the older woman have her way.
Kyra stood in front of a water basin ad small wall mirror. As she dried her face after the vicious scrubbing she had given it as well as removing the band-aid from her forehead, she could see the dark circles under her burgundy colored eyes. Stepping back from basin, she lifted her shirt to unwrap her bandage to check her ribs. Seeing that the bruise had faded pretty well, she decided she would no longer need the extra support.
Putting the wrap into her duffle, re-adjusted her shirt and shot another glance of her face in the mirror. She noticed she lost some weight in her cheeks and the cut on her face would become a scar. With a deep sigh she started to fix her braid before bed. As she worked the braid, she noticed the color was faded. So much for the hair dye being semi permanent.
Once the braid was complete, Kyra climbed into bed and stared at the ceiling. Sleep wasn't going to come easy tonight. The confusion of the situation was making her mind whirl with questions and theories. Eleanor had explained that the year was 2941 in the Third Age but could not offer much more in information. Even with this information, the thought of being in Middle Earth seemed so farfetched but so real that is caused a slight panic in her gut. If this really was Middle Earth, then when was she? She remembered that the year 2941 was the year The Hobbit took place but not what month. It seemed her questions would have to wait for later.
The other woman had convinced her to at least stay the night after eating her fill at dinner. She had mentioned that a wizard had passed through a couple of days before, heading towards the shire. Kyra wondered if it was Gandalf or even Radagast. Either way, hopefully they could help her even if it was only answers. If she was truly honest with herself, she didn't feel the urge to go home anymore. As each day passed and the more information she gathered, the more she felt comfortable in this world.
She didn't have to hide her weapons and her training. She wasn't being forced to interact with society if she did not want to. However, even with the urge to leave diminished, a new fear made its presence known. She did not want to lose who she was in this world; the piercings, her green colored hair, and her clothing style. Everything represented her and who she was but her clothing wasn't going to last forever here.
Even so, she still had wushu and her weapons; they were just as much a part of her as anything else. Kyra knew she was being selfish but with so many things taken from her, she couldn't help but want to cling to anything and everything from her home world. Rolling over onto her side to stare at the wall, her eyelids began to fill heavy as sleep finally started to catch up to her. The journey to find the wizard started in the morning.
"This should be enough dried meat to last you until you reach the Shire. I took that composition notebook and pens you gave me last night to trade for some things that you might need. I was able to get you a wet stone and oil for your weapons, a proper water skin, a bedroll and some money that was left over. You'll need them for your journey," Eleanor explained while she repacked Kyra's book bag. Tears filled her eyes as she watched the older woman. It had been a long time since she got to be mothered; she had forgotten what it felt like. Eleanor's concern truly touched her.
"Thank you so much for everything. You have no idea how grateful I am for your help and the care you have given me." She hugged Eleanor tightly before swinging her bags onto their position on her back. Eleanor smiled sadly in return as they exited her house.
"You are always welcome here Kyra Summers." They both smiled at each other before Kyra turned and walked away. She had to catch up to that wizard. When she was a good mile from the town, she put in her earphones and turned on her IPod. Hopefully the music would make the time go by faster. She also hoped she had the courage to accept whatever came her way.
Kyra munched on a dried piece of meat as she walked along the dirt road. She was pretty annoyed that her IPod was at half battery as of yesterday, so she turned it off and put it away in her book bag and now was left with only her thoughts. Her spiral notebook was also almost out of paper so the history book was next to use. The trip itself had been pretty boring and she was only roughly halfway to her destination. Eleanor said it was a ten day travel to the Shire and Kyra had only been traveling for five days. There have been a few people she passed here and there on the road but it's been pretty rare.
Pulling out her phone to look at the time, she realized it was close to dinner time which meant close to the sun setting. Once her phone was turned back off and put away, Kyra moved to her left to seek shelter for the night. Spotting a small cluster of trees about half a mile from the road where she could take shelter for the night. There were these clusters of trees on and off along the road along her journey so why not take advantage of them.
As she walked towards the trees, she couldn't help but still wonder why she was there. Maybe it was for her knowledge? For her fighting skills? Kyra knew that there were plenty of men out there that knew the story better than her and that could also fight. So maybe it was because she was female? It was another question to add to her list to ask the wizard.
Reaching the trees, Kyra set about setting up her little campsite. The sun had started to set by the time she was done; everything had been setup and the fire crackling happily. Feeling content, Kyra took off her hoodie to check her ribs. Last time she checked them thoroughly was at Eleanor's. The bruising had been preventing her from training each night but they've been healing pretty well and the tenderness was pretty much gone. Satisfied with her progress, she lowered her shirt before getting up to move a little bit away from her camp to do some stretches.
Several minutes passed by as she stretched. Kyra quickly moved into her kata routine once her last stretch was complete. All worries disappeared as the sounds and scents of nature filled her senses; her movements strong but with a fluid motion like that of water. Twirling her body, Kyra crouched on her right leg as she swung out her left leg clockwise along the ground, the grass rustling with the movement. Time seemed to slow with each breath she inhaled, her heartbeat steady with each exhale. As Kyra moved closer to the end of the kata she whispered into the night air, "courage is not the absence of fear, but the
Kyra couldn't help but let out a small whine of pain at her body feeling sore and heavy from the kata routine the night before as she rolled over to get up from her makeshift bed. It had been ten days since she had been able to do any stretching and routines so it came as no shock to her that her body was feeling like this. Letting out a huff of annoyance, Kyra went back to the same spot from last night to begin her stretches and her morning kata routine. About forty minutes later, Kyra was back on the road, munching on some meat.
Three days later found Kyra walking towards what looked like a small valley of tiny hills. The morning dew glistened with tiny rainbows. A gentle breeze blew across the grass, unsettling several clusters of water rainbows. Kyra was humming to herself in contentment as she got closer to the Shire. From her readings, this had to be it. She had begun re-reading The Hobbit when she left Eleanor, to make sure she was up to date on everything in case she needed it. Her humming stopped when she realized that if this was Middle Earth, she would have to destroy the book so no one else could get the knowledge that lay inside.
She knew if someone got it and was able to read it, then the futures of Erebor and the Fellowship was going to fail. A deep sigh escaped her as she quickly fell into a depressed state; her eyes falling from the hills to stare at her moving feet. The quest for Erebor hadn't even started yet, as far as she knew and she was already anxious over what could happen. So wrapped up in her thoughts, she failed to see a tall grey figure standing in front of her until she collided with it. With an un-ladylike snort in surprise, Kyra quickly stepped back to look at what she had run into.
Her eyes widened in shock at the sight in front of her. A cry of surprise escaped her mouth as she stepped back away even further from the grey figure. The further she got the more clear the figure became. Stopping a good six feet away, her shock slowly faded to pure disbelief. The figure she had run into wasn't just a figure at all, but a man, a very tall man with a grey hat that looked vaguely familiar. As her eyes examined the tall man, he was regarding her in the same way. Kyra's eyes blinked rapidly in surprise as her mouth dropped open in realization of who she literally walked into.
"Gandalf!" The grey wizard just smiled softly at her as his eyes twinkled.
"Hello my dear Kyra Summers. I have been waiting for you." Kyra's mouth slammed shut at his words. Was he joking!?
"Waiting? How could you have been waiting!? How do you even know my name? I don't even understand what's going on." Anger filled her as she spoke harshly at the old man. She quickly felt overwhelmed and anxious by what was happening.
"But don't you?" Kyra couldn't help but just stare at the old wizard as her anger quickly fading but the feelings of being anxious stayed with her. She turned her back to him and started walking in the other direction, away from him and the Shire. She needed to think and quickly. This was the wizard she was looking for and she had questions that needed answered but her feet kept carrying her away from him.
"Come now my dear, I'm sure that you have been able to put pieces together," called Gandalf as his long legs carried him past her so he could stand in her path.
Kyra was forced to stop walking to once again stare up at him. She refused to speak; her mind in turmoil and her face blank. Turning to her left, she started walking once more towards the hills and where some boulders lay that was close by. Not letting on that she heard the wizard sigh or that he was following her, she remained quiet until reaching her destination. Laying down her bags against the stone, she scratched her head in frustration, causing her hood to fall to reveal her green colored hair before she started taking off her weapons; her anxiousness fading away with the familiar movements.
"I will be camping here. You may join if you wish and we can talk about my situation some more if you decide to stay," she spoke in her best uncaring voice before getting out the things necessary to set up the fire. Gandalf smiled, with his eyes twinkling at her answer.
"I do believe that I will stay with you." Taking a seat on the other side of the baby fire, the wizard pulled out his pipe. Kyra rolled her eyes before plopping down as well. Pulling out some of her dried meat, she silently offered a piece to him. He took it just as silently with a nod of thanks.
The sound of the fire crackling filled the small campsite as the two strangers ate in silence. Kyra's thoughts were focused on the differences between Gandalf in person to that of him in the books and movies.
"Gandalf, are you headed to meet Bilbo Baggins about a quest?" she inquired without looking up from the fire. The wizard chewed his meat thoughtfully before answering.
"Indeed I am."
So she really was at the beginning of The Hobbit and she was in Middle Earth, not that she doubted Eleanor but why? Why was she here? Twirling the bottom of her braid in her free hand, she failed to see Gandalf examine her green hair. Was it to make sure the quest succeeded? Was it to save the line of Durin? Was it both? Could she even go home? Completely lost in thought, she once again failed to notice Gandalf as he cleared his throat.
"Your thoughts hold you captive Miss Summers." Kyra snapped her head towards the wizard while blinking rapidly.
"What?" Gandalf chuckled at her confusion.
"Your mind seems elsewhere. You have questions and I will be happy to answer any that I am able." She nodded her understanding but didn't speak until she finished chewing; giving her a moment to think over what she should or shouldn't ask. Swallowing the last of her piece of her meal and taking a couple of drinks from her water bottle, she finally came to a decision.
"Did the Valar pick me to go on the quest that you and fourteen others are to go on or was I just a convenient mistake?" After asking her question, she watched the wizard with a raised eyebrow. Gandalf also raised an eyebrow at her question before taking a long drag from his pipe. As he slowly released the smoke into the air, his eyes locked on hers.
"I do not know which answer is true but I do personally believe that the Valar sent you here to help with the quest, in which way I do not know. The knowledge that I see in your eyes helps to prove this. You know things; things that you should not of this world. Am I correct?" At her nod, Gandalf let out a sigh. "How long have you been in Middle Earth my dear?" Kyra turned to her book bag and pulled out her planner where she had been keeping track of her stay.
"It has been fourteen days since I've arrived here." At Gandalf's nod, she put her planner away but grabbed her history book to tear some more pages out to feed the fire. The old wizard watched her silently as she finished placing everything away.
"It seems the Valar brought you here a little early so help you get accustomed to this world, which it seems that you have been able to adjust rather well."
"My father had taught me that it was always better to be prepared for anything, especially if any type of emergency were to happen and if I found myself without help," she mumbled while looking into the fire. Gandalf nodded his understanding and did not comment on the subject of past tense when she mentioned her father, for which she was grateful for.
"Our meeting on the road today was fated from the Valar. I was informed that we would meet this day and that you would be joining us." Kyra raised her eyes from the fire to lock eyes with the wizard, her anxiety creeping back up. "We will meet our first member tomorrow if you decide to accompany me."
"If I decide to? Won't the Valar get mad if I decide not too? " he chuckled at her questions before giving a smile.
"My dear, they may have brought you here to help but the decision is still yours. However with the knowledge that you hold, only you will know if you not joining will cause more harm than good." Her eyes moved back to look into the fire as she thought of her choices and her anxiety faded away once more. They sat in comfortable silence as the sun sunk low in the sky. By the time Kyra raised her eyes from the fire to look at the Istari once more, the sun was long gone and stars twinkled above them in the night sky.
"Gandalf," she called softly. He looked at her expectantly. "I know there is a chance that this quest will fail and the line will fall." He froze at her words before sadness filled his eyes.
"Yes, there is that chance," he agreed sadly.
"I would be lying if I said I was not afraid." A small smile appeared on her face before disappearing as quickly as it appeared. "It is not death that I am afraid of Gandalf. I am afraid of failing to help with the task that the Valar has given me. However, I am here because they have chosen me so I will take this chance to make sure they do not fall if I can help it. I will join you." The sadness melted away from his eyes as they rested on the small, human woman. He bowed his head to her in acceptance and acknowledgement of her wise words. No words were further spoken as they turned in for the night.
The human and wizard were up with the sun and off down the road towards Bag End. It was about mid-day when Gandalf turned his head to look at his companion thoughtfully. Kyra quietly snacked on her last rice crispy treat, taking in her surroundings.
"Miss Summers, may I ask why your hair is green?" Snapping her attention at the wizard, she quickly chewed and swallowed her last mouthful of the gooey treat.
"It's called hair dye. Where I'm from, it's common to color your hair a different color; such as blue, purple, pink, even a variety of different colors to make a rainbow. Some also color their hair less vibrant like black or browns," she explained.
"So this dye is like the type you use for cloth but only for hair?"
"That is correct and it will eventually fade. The dye is like a type of ink though, because it can dye your skin for a bit until it finally washes out."
"Ah that makes sense." Gandalf looked thoughtful at her hair once more. "I do believe Miss Summers that we will need to find a way to remove the dye from your hair, so it does not bring unwanted attention." Kyra let out a sigh before nodding in understanding. She already knew that might be the case, considering how some of the people she met on the road and in Eriedor had acted towards the coloring. "Do not worry. We will have it all sorted out when we reach Bag End."
"Alright." Kyra could do nothing but to accept the soon to be outcome of her hair and to trust her companion. Rounding the next bend, her eyes were greeted by big round green door. A gasp escaped her as she realized they had finally reached Bag End. Kyra couldn't keep the smile from forming on her face as the duo walked up the little walk way towards the door. The hobbit always had a soft spot in her heart for his quiet courage and loyalty. She already had felt overwhelmed to have met Gandalf but now to meet Bilbo, she was excited.
Wushu - is a martial art and a full-contact sport derived from traditional Chinese martial arts.
wiki/Wushu_(sport)#Short_weapons
Taiji jian sword - is a straight two-edged sword used in the training of the Chinese martial art Taijiquan. The straight sword, sometimes with a tassel and sometimes not, is used for upper body conditioning and martial training in traditional Taijiquan schools. The different family schools have various warmups, forms and fencing drills for training with the jian.
wiki/Taijijian
Nandao sword - is a kind of sword that is used mostly in contemporary Chinese wushu exercises and forms. It is the southern variation of the "northern broadsword", or Beidao.
wiki/Nandao