"Here?" asked Fili. He glanced over to Kili, who stood next to him with Gandalf. Slowly, his brother nodded, but it was Gandalf who spoke.
"Here," he said.
Fili turned his attention back to the house. White with red shutters, it was no different than the majority of homes on the street. It was built with very strange materials, some sort of wooden plank, but that, Fili assumed, was normal for this world. Fili also doubted that there was anything abnormal about the residents of the house. At least for now.
He glanced over to Kili. His brother was gulping nervously beside him, and Fili reached out to place a hand on his shoulder. Kili gave him a small smile in response, though that smile was shaky.
"Come," Gandalf commanded. He led them to the lawn of the house across the street, and once they had all clustered together the wizard lifted his staff and barked something in an unfamiliar language. A moment later a cloudy bubble descended over the group, and Fili frowned as his view of the house dimmed somewhat.
"What is this?" asked Gloin. He touched the bubble with a scowl, and Gandalf resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"It is a barrier, master dwarf," he said. "It will hide us from view."
"Why do we need one of those?" asked Nori. "Aren't we going in?"
Dori made no attempt to hide his eye roll. "She doesn't know us," he reminded them. "Not yet. I'd rather not scare her to death."
"Yes," agreed Gandalf. "That would be preferable."
He surveyed the group cautiously. They were each staring at the house with various expressions, and had begun murmuring to themselves. Gandalf was glad his spell would also mute whatever noise they made; otherwise he was sure the entire neighborhood would have heard them.
The only one not saying anything was Thorin. The mountain king stood silently beside Gandalf, staring at the house with hooded eyes. Gandalf knew what thoughts were going through Thorin's head, and sighed softly.
"She has forgiven you," he promised.
Thorin snorted. "She doesn't even know me," he reminded the wizard.
Gandalf shrugged. "She knows of you. And the Phoenix forgave you for your actions. She bears no grudge."
Thorin didn't seem relieved by Gandalf's words. "I still would apologize," he said. "And thank her," he added a moment later.
Gandalf sighed. Between Thorin's brooding and Kili's sorrow, this was going to be a rather hard trip.
They stayed where they were for some time, until Gandalf forced them to leave. Holding his magic for so long was taxing, and they couldn't very well stand there until something happened. They knew something would, but they had no idea when. As they found an abandoned house to hole up in for the time being Kili thought back to the events of the past day.
The company hadn't even been together when it had happened; Gandalf had been many miles away from the rest. A blue glow had enveloped Kili, shining increasingly brighter, and Kili's heart had pounded. He knew that glow well, as well as what followed, but he had thought that only a certain person was capable of such a feat.
Then everything had vanished. Kili felt his knees slam into something, but he had no idea what. Immediately images and information overloaded his brain, and he suddenly understood what the Phoenix had said about the experience.
The information had told him what was going on. He was in a small town in Minnesota, or just outside a small town. With him were the rest of the company, save one. Their job here was to find that one member.
She wouldn't know them, Kili was informed. How exactly the knowledge came into his brain he wasn't sure. All he knew that images of a smiling and happy girl with hazel eyes that he knew so well were flashing through his head. With the images, Kili somehow just knew.
They needed to find her, he was informed. Orcs would soon be attacking, trying to end her before she began, and the company had to keep her safe. It wouldn't be for long, but as the images faded from Kili's mind, he knew that it would be agonizing for him.
When he'd opened his eyes Fili had been kneeling worriedly before him, worry in his brown eyes.
"Kili?" he asked.
Kili panted as he recovered. "I'm fine," he said. "Information boost."
Fili's eyes widened at the familiar term, and from the side several of the company had gasped.
"The Phoenix?" guessed Balin.
"No," said Gandalf. He tapped his staff on the ground, observing Kili curiously. "I do not think the Phoenix will be present for this," he stated. Around the group there were several dismayed looks.
"Well, where are we?" growled Gloin.
"Not far from her home," Kili supplied. Several startled eyes turned to him.
"What exactly did you see?" Gandalf asked.
Once Kili had filled them in they set off, and Kili had led them through the streets. Somehow he knew perfectly where they were going, and within an hour the company found themselves standing outside Amelia's house. As Kili came to a stop, he felt his heart pound in a way it hadn't for many years.
The company rested briefly, but they were eager to get back to Amelia's house. They knew that before everything had begun for her she hadn't known anything. More importantly, she hadn't known how to fight. And they were not going to leave her defenseless.
Gandalf went with them for a while, but finally had to bid them farewell. Keeping them shielded for so long was simply too much for him, and he needed to rest before he collapsed. As he'd left the company had begun pulling themselves into the trees that lined the street, unwilling to leave their watches.
It was another hour before anything happened. Ori had been dosing against Dori's shoulder when Bifur had caught the movement. With several sharp waves he caught the attention of most of the others, and Dori shook his little brother awake. Though they dared not shout out to alert those who were further down the street, as the orcs began to smash their way into Amelia's house every dwarf present became aware of what was happening. They leapt from their trees and rushed forward, Kili leading their charge.
Amelia Blackwood hummed softly to herself as she loaded the dishwater. She hated doing the dishes, but it was better than physics homework. She knew she needed to get to her room and study; she had a test the next day, but just couldn't bring herself to do so. So, she took her time with her task.
Amelia paused as she heard a noise from outside. Her gaze went through the living room and past where her parents sat on the couch to the back door. It was a sliding glass door, allowing her an unhindered view of the yard outside. What she saw made her freeze.
What the hell were those things? The creatures looking in at her were like nothing she had ever seen on earth, wearing strange attire and bearing wicked looking swords. Their eyes were focused on Amelia, and she screamed as they shattered the door. She vaguely registered the battering of the front door, and knew that more of the creatures were storming in there.
"Mia!" Her father stood and shouted as the creatures- which, Amelia noticed, sort of resembled orcs- started across the living room. They completely ignored her parents, and Amelia knew that for some reason, they were there for her.
She grabbed a kitchen knife and backed away, turning to see several more creatures thundering up the stairs. Now she was surrounded, with only a probably dulled blade to defend herself. She highly doubted this was going to end well.
"What's going on?"
The blood rushed from Amelia's face as the door to her little brother's room opened. Jack began to push his way out, and the creatures turned to him. Though Amelia doubted they cared any more about him than they had cared about her parents, even a dumb brute could see the panic written across her face. They were going to use her brother against her.
Amelia slipped past the creatures, dashing down the hall before they could move. "Stay in there," she shouted. Before Jack could respond she slammed the door in his face, then put herself between it and the monsters.
"Get away," she ordered. Her voice was shaky and her hand trembled, but her grip was firm. Besides, she was terrified and pumped with adrenaline, and that made for a rather deadly combination.
The creatures only stepped forward, and Amelia was glad that the hall was so narrow. It meant that only one could come at her at a time. The monster in question swung a sword at her, and with a small yelp Amelia ducked. The sword embedded itself in the wall, and she instinctively stabbed out with the knife. The monster fell to the floor.
Amelia didn't dwell on what she had just done. She left the knife in the monster's chest, tugging at the sword in the wall. To her satisfaction it came loose, and she hefted it as she readied for the next creature. She might last longer with the larger weapon, even if that weapon was half her weight.
The next creature swung its sword at a different angle, and Amelia brought up her own sword to block. She grimaced as the strong blow drove her sword downward, and it came to a stop inches above her shoulder. Then a solid twang sounded behind the creature, and it spun. Amelia took that chance to stab her sword through its leather armor, and it too fell.
She blinked in surprise as she saw the arrows that were being lodged in the creatures. Someone else had just arrived, and whoever it was didn't like her attackers. Amelia only hoped they didn't hurt her.
The monsters had now tipped the kitchen table over and had taken cover behind it, and two more stomped down the hall towards Amelia. She gulped and lifted the sword again, ignoring her beating heart. She highly doubted she was going to last much longer, but she'd be damned if she was just going to give up. As she heard Jack whine in confusion and fear from the other side of the door she only tightened her grip on the sword.
She didn't have a chance to fight. Someone leapt down the hall after the creatures, engaging them in a short battle that quickly ended in the monsters' deaths. Amelia's eyes followed the movement of several other short men as they darted up the stairs and into the kitchen, and the clash of metal and screams of the dying creatures filled the air.
"Are you ok?"
Amelia turned her attention to the dark haired man before her. She blinked in surprise; he was short, slightly over half her height. Amelia knew she was short for her age, so what was she supposed to call someone who was that short.
Dwarves, chimed a small voice in her head. He's a dwarf.
Amelia shoved down the voice. Shut up, she chanted. She had no idea what was going on, or who this man was. This was not the time for her inner nerd to come out.
"Who are you?" she asked. The man stepped closer, and Amelia raised her sword to tell him to keep back. "Who are you?" she repeated.
The man blinked, and Amelia could have sworn she saw hurt flash across his face. Then he sighed, sheathing his own sword. On his back Amelia saw a bow and quiver of arrows. Who was this guy? Who fought with swords and bows anymore?
"I won't hurt you," he promised. He held out a hand, and Amelia glared at it suspiciously. Though she wanted to believe him, she just couldn't.
"Kili!"
Amelia glanced up to see another man, this one just as short as the first, storm over. Both had dark hair and wore tunics of royal blue, though while the second's eyes were a piercing blue, the other bore soulful brown eyes.
"Are you two alright?" he asked.
Kili- if that was his name, nodded. "I think so, Uncle," he said. He cast a glance over to Amelia, frowning.
Amelia's mind was whirling more than ever now. Kili? That meant that 'Uncle' was Thorin. These were characters from the Hobbit. A book and series of movies that she had enjoyed very much, but she knew that the characters were completely made up. Yet two men that looked suspiciously like Kili and Thorin of Erebor stood in front of her, and as the rest of their group finished with the last of the creatures she noted that they did look like the rest of the company. One who could only be Bofur had on his unmistakable great floppy hat, and the axe sticking out of someone else's head identified him as Bifur. Even Bilbo was there, bearing Sting in his hand. The only one missing was Gandalf.
"Mia?" Jack began to open his bedroom door again, and Amelia reached over and shoved him roughly back inside. The men's faces flickered to the door, then back to her.
"Is that your brother?" asked Kili. "Jack?"
Mia stiffened. "How do you know who my family is," she asked.
The man who, judging by what his nephew had called him, was Thorin Oakenshield, stepped forward.
"It is a long story," he told her. "But we will not harm you. Put that down before you hurt yourself."
Amelia scowled at the glance he leveled at her sword, but she did lower it slightly. When Jack again opened the door she pulled him behind her, putting her back to the wall and scooting past the two men. The gathered company watched her with mixed expressions, but didn't comment.
In the kitchen Amelia was horrified to see that her mother was sitting propped against the cabinet, a towel held to a gash on her arm by her husband. As Amelia and Jack entered Jack cried out and threw himself at her, taking her unbloodied hand in his. Amelia fought the impulse to do the same, keeping her gaze locked on the company.
"Who are you?" she repeated. Thorin sighed and stepped forward.
"I am Thorin Oakenshield," he stated. "I was told you would know the meaning of that."
Amelia nodded, wondering who had told him that. She would worry about it later; for now she had to figure out who this lot really was.
"Prove it," she demanded. She watched as the company floundered. "If you are who you say you are, you can prove it."
Behind Thorin one of the men- dwarves- scowled. Dwalin, Amelia noted. "The orcs in your house haven't proved that to you?" he asked.
Amelia's only response was to lift her chin.
The company began to murmur softly to themselves, but were interrupted when Amelia's father cleared his throat. "You can prove it," he stated, pointing to Bilbo. Like Amelia, he had read Tolkien's work, and he had been the one to show her each movie. "If you're Bilbo Baggins, you'll have the ring."
Bilbo knew which ring the man was talking about, and he gulped as his hand automatically went to his pocket. For some reason he couldn't quite state, he didn't want to show the man his ring. He feared he would try to take it, try to kill him. He even feared Amelia, though he quickly shook his mind of that. Not Amelia. Never Amelia.
With a sigh, he pulled the ring out and slipped it onto his finger. The eyes of the family before him widened as the hobbit vanished from sight, and Bilbo couldn't resist a small chuckle. When he pulled the ring off again Amelia was staring at him as though she was seeing the world anew. Which, judging by what had just happened, she probably was.
"You really are," she whispered. "The company. From the Hobbit." Suddenly her eyes widened, and she brought a hand to her mouth. "Oh no," she murmured.
They were going to die. She pinpointed Fili, Kili, Thorin, Oin, Balin, and Ori in the crowd. She knew how each of their tales ended, and it wasn't pretty. She shoved back the tears in her eyes. She could worry about that later. Right now she had to figure out how they had gotten from their universe to hers- for they had to be from a different universe- and why a bunch of orcs had just attacked her.
"Can you help her?" asked her father. He was looking at Oin pleadingly, and as the healer's eyes went to Amelia's mother he nodded softly.
"Aye," he stated. He crossed over to the woman, kneeling down before her, and Amelia let him pass. With Bilbo's demonstration the sword had gone limp in her hands, and now she let it clatter to the floor.
"Mia," said Kili. She whirled to look at him, hazel eyes flashing. The dwarf paused, unsure what to say to her, and she couldn't help but wish that he wouldn't continue.
Then another orc burst through the back door, a latecomer. Amelia whirled at the sound of glass being crushed underfoot, watching as the orc surveyed the house sadistically. Jack, having stepped back to allow Oin access to his mother, was the closest to the beast. The orc swung his sword at him.
"No!"
Amelia didn't think; she just acted. Diving forward, she shoved Jack out of the way. She fell to the ground, the sword barely sweeping over her head.
The orc roared in anger, lashing out with its foot. The blow caught Amelia in the ribs, and she screamed as something cracked. The orc brought its sword back to deliver a death blow, but before it could Kili's arrow pierced its eye. It toppled to the floor, dead.
"Mia!"
Kili rushed forward, throwing his bow to the side as he knelt beside her. He turned her over, hating the pained whimpers that escaped her lips. Gingerly he reached down to brush a strand of dark brown hair from her face, and hazel eyes met brown. Then, to Kili's horror, Amelia's eyes rolled back into her skull, and she went limp in his arms.