I finally screwed up. Damn.
Bullets rained through the air, zipping overhead as I ducked for cover. I thought bitterly, "I never should have trusted that wench!"
As I dodged behind the pickup for shelter from the bullets I snorted at myself, "Bull, I'd have helped her anyway. Her son was dying, should have known she would go for the award to get help for him."
Racing around the pickup I screamed as my arm got peppered by bullets. Blind with pain I clutched my bleeding arm to my chest and staggered on. Or tried to until a form came out of nowhere and tackled me to the ground. Rolling with it from years of fighting I kicked my foot into his belly and threw him off. Thrusting myself to my feet, I ran as fast as I could but it wasn't fast enough. Something hard hit my back and I fell face first into the pavement. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the tire that hit me roll away. Strong hands grabbed me roughly and I glared into the face of my step father. He sneered at me, showing his missing teeth, "I finally gotcha girlie."
My lip had been cut from my kiss with pavement and so I spat blood into his face since he liked it so much. His fist connected with my chest and I felt the crack of ribs but refused to cry out. I was used to the beatings he dished out, having been getting them for the past five years before I could get away from him. I have been running from him for six years. And now he found me, and I knew this was it. The end had finally come. And I was so sick of running.
Bruce held me up by my bleeding arm with one hand and whipped out his butterfly knife, "Time for you to join your bitch of a mother!" My foot connected with his balls but instead of dropping me, his face turned purple and with a roar he slammed the knife into my gut. Paling as pain ripped through me I saw his grin of pleasure as he ripped it across. Gutting me in one stroke.
Then he let me fall. I hit the ground without feeling it bite into my back. And I laid there, trying to stop the bleeding, but it was futile. Darkness began to cover my vision as he kicked me, and I saw him raise the gun to my head. But the pain was fading as my vision did. I finally sighed heavily, "It's over. Finally." And let myself fall as light engulfed me.
0o0
My feet hit a hard floor and my mind was terribly fuzzy. Once I got my bearings, I couldn't believe my eyes when I was no longer lying on my back, waiting for the final blow of death and was instead in a tidy house that looked like it might belong to a farmer. The only light was a lone lantern on the table. I was standing with my back to a wall, body healed and clothes repaired. My attention, once my mind stopped spinning, landed on a tall man standing on the others side of the room, cloaked in shadow. Immediately tensing and reaching for the gun no longer at my side, as a soft yet rumbling voice said, "No need for that. I will not harm you."
I growled, bracing myself, "That remains to be seen. Now you better tell me who you are and where I am stranger."
The man shifted and then moved into the light, "You are in a farm house just outside of Bree, and in Middle Earth. My name is Gandalf the Gray, and I brought you here to ask for your assistance."
I couldn't help but stare at the man in front of me. He wore a tall pointed gray hat, a long gray cloak, and a silver scarf. He had a long white beard and bushy eyebrows that stuck out beyond the wide brim of his hat and carried a tall staff. Much taller then me, I was only an inch over five feet tall. He said as he studied me, "You are no longer in your world, Ariana."
Looking straight into his blue-gray eyes I said softly, "You must be joking."
My mind was doing flip flops. "What did he mean? That's it, I'm dead. Or hallucinating..."
He said with sympathy in his eyes and face, "I assure you I am not joking, you are very much alive and I am very much real."
Jumping at the fact that he practically read my mind I glared, feeling flummoxed and a bit hysterical, "Nu uh. No... no! You have to be...that the..."
Looking down frantically I quickly looked down my shirt and didn't see a gaping hole in my stomach, just a tight angry red scar where it should have been. Thrusting up my sleeve I didn't see the bullet holes, just small scars. Taking deep breaths I strode to the door and thrust it open. Outside wasn't the power lines, cars or even normal looking houses. Outside was rolling hills and far off can just barely see a town surrounded by a wooden wall. I may have been carrying a sword and daggers but the world I was from was the modern world! With electricity and people wanting me dead. Now I just saw fields and wooden buildings, cows and pigs.
Shaking, I closed the door and slowly turned to man, who watched me calmly, "Why?"
Moving forward I grabbed the back of one of the chairs before I fell over, "I was dying. Finally made one too many mistakes and paid the price." Feeling my stomach, expecting to feel warm blood gushing through my fingers once more, "My step-father...that damn man finally got to kill me. Yet, here I am. Standing, alive and well."
I was staring at the lantern's flickering flame and now I raised my eyes, not knowing I was showing how confused and scared I was, "How am I alive?"
Gandalf's eyes became stormy, "Your step-father?"
Waving my hand as if swatting a fly, I shook my head, "He's been trying for years to finally do me in. He hated me and finally got his wish."
"Why would he wish you dead?"
I snorted, bitterness coloring my voice, "Because I am a bastards child. My mother laid with a man she was not married to, thus my being was created and her husband hated me from the moment I was conceived. At least that's the story."
I looked at him, watching as he frowned in confusion, and pity shone in his eyes, "Look, you still haven't answered me."
He took off his hat, setting it on the table and then leaned his staff against the table before taking a seat, "I am a wizard and I brought you here. I was looking for someone who would like to share in on an adventure."
He ignored the snort of disbelief, "There is a journey that is to be made, and a Company of thirteen Dwarves along with myself will be going on it. I wanted a bit more help and so I summoned you here. Are you unsatisfied by not being dead?"
Shaking my head slowly I said, "Just surprised I guess. I had accepted my death."
Raising a hand I gripped my forehead and said as I tried to make sense of what he was saying, "So a journey, what kind of journey?"
I wanted facts, facts were good. Not saying I was believing what I was hearing but since I wasn't dead I had nothing to lose.
Gandalf studied me for a second before saying, "The leader of our company is Thorin Oakenshield. He is the rightful king of The Lonely Mountain, the Kingdom of Erebor. It was taken from his people 60 years ago by the dragon Smaug. Smaug took the kingdom because of it's wealth in gold."
I said slowly, as if talking to a simpleton, "A dragon.. you want me to join a company of..dwarves you said? To go and take back a kingdom from a dragon? And what exactly am I supposed to do? Be a sacrifice?"
Gandalf reached into his robes, taking out a pipe and I was surprised when he lit his pipe with a small flame that came out of his finger. He took a few puffs and said, "Well, first of all you are a warrior yes? What kind of weapons can you use?"
I nodded slowly, wondering how he knew, "I can use a sword, daggers, throwing knives, and I can sort of use a bow. But I'm not so good at it, better with throwing knives. And I am best at hand to hand combat."
He nodded wisely and his eyes seemed to twinkle, "Well the Dwarves you will be traveling with are warriors themselves. I however am not looking for another warrior, I am looking for a burglar."
I blinked at him, most not knowing that small trait of mine. I slowly smiled proudly, "I am a thief, but I only stole from those who could afford it. Lock picking I can do and I can move through places without being noticed."
Confused now, I asked, "But why do you need a burglar?"
Gandalf's face turned serious, "To sneak by the dragon. To get something...that will help take back the Kingdom."
I raised an eyebrow, about to tell him that he was mad and he said softly, "But you don't have to agree. I can't force you and I can send you back to your world. Alive and well."
Surprised once more I stared at him, running things through my mind. I had nothing to go back to. In my world I was feared, hated and hunted. I had no home, no family, no friends. My last friend had betrayed me to my father and ultimately to my death. But this man, this wizard had saved me. To ask for my help when he didn't even now me. And was even willing to send me back if I didn't want to go!
Plus getting to see a dragon sounded interesting, not to mention seeing a whole new world sounded exciting. Besides, if I went back to my world I would be dead anyway. Why not use my talents to help some Dwarves reclaim their home before I kicked the bucket? But something bothered me, this wizard didn't know me. Why then, would he trust me?
I looked him in the eye and asked, "How do you know you can trust me?" He didn't seem surprised by the question and answered truthfully, "I do, tho I don't know why. And how do you know that you can trust me? But I like to think I have a good judge of character."
Looking down I collected my racing thoughts and decided that I did trust him. Which was a shock all in itself but I knew I had to trust my instincts. They were all I had left. Taking a deep breath I looked at the wizard watching me and said, "Alright, I'm in. I'm dead either way so I might as well tribute my talents to a worthy cause before I die."
Cracking a smile at him I said, "And my name is Ariana, as you already know but I'd rather tell you anyway. So how do you suggest I prepare to join this company of Dwarves and what might we find on the way?"
He smiled a smile that was very pleased, and I wondered vaguely what I had gotten myself into.
