This is a story I've had lying around and have been working on for three (3) years. I hesitated to put it up because of 'Edwins', and the fact that I did not want them stolen. However, it's not like I can truly publish this 'book' since I am using Tolkiens characters.
However, please Please PLEASE do NOT use my creations of 'EDWINS' for your own writing. I'm rather proud of that creation and I'd rather keep it for my own.
Thanks guys!
Also, to people who have read my fics before, I think I've mentioned that I tend to write stories in what I call my 'fragments'. I write about the middle of the fic then later I go back and start on the beginning. You might be able to catch that in this fic. LOL.
I hope you enjoy!
Also, I REALLY need constructive criticism on this. I may end up re-writing the whole thing.
CHAPTER ONE:
The eighteen year old shifted the heavy pack on her back as she made her way up the dirt-path. `More like a mud-path.` she thought to herself as her shape-up sketchers squelched in the wet goo.
Her long red-brown hair was wet and tangled, and the rest of her was grimy as well. "Why on earth—excuse me,-Middle Earth, am I lugging all of this around!?" she demanded to the empty air. She then sighed and answered her own question. "Because I want to get in their good graces, that's why."
'They' meaning the dwarves. Thorin and Company to more precise. Though it was probably Gandalf she should be really concerned about.
"First things first, Cassie my girl. One step at a time."
A particular hobbit was out on his front porch. "And there's dear Bilbo."
She moved up the walkway to the hobbits front porch. "Good morning, Sir Hobbit." She smiled warmly and gave a little curtsey. The hobbit looked startled indeed, no doubt also confused by her attire. Somehow she couldn't see hobbit women running around in pants.
"Why, good morning!"
"Please excuse me for the intrusion, but are you Master Bilbo Baggins?"
"I am…..Have we met?"
"We have now. My name is Cassie. It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you're feeling well."
"I am, thank you."
`Poor guy.` she thought, still smiling slightly. `I'm treading on shaky ground here. Better be careful.`
She stayed a careful distance from him, trying to offer some measure of security. The hobbit would be going through much more later. "I have brought you some things you will need for today."
Bilbo blinked at her uncomprehendly. "Why, whatever will happen today?" he was thoroughly befuddled now.
She rubbed the back of her head and scrunched her nose, trying to figure out how to sort things. She answered the question with a question of her own. "Did you know that there will be dwarves in the Shire?"
"Dwarves! Bless me! Why whatever are they doing here in the Shire!?"
"Coming to see you, of course. May I come in please?"
Bilbo sputtered. "Um…er….eh…"
'Best go on in.' she thought and gently ushered Bilbo into his own home.
Mentally, she began to run over what meals the dwarves would order which was exactly what she had in her pack along with a few personal items for herself. `Let's see; red-wine for Thorin and Gandalf`-that she had left up to the hobbits parlor—`Raspberry jam and apple tart for Bifur, mince pies and cheese for, oh sheesh!`
Bilbo had been keeping up on a constant stream of; "What are you doing!?" "I really must insist you leave!" and so on. She gently pushed Bilbo into one of his comfy chairs and set about to make Bilbo some chamomile tea which she had brought.
"Here ya go." She said, then proceeded to set the table for the dwarves and Gandalf.
"Goodness!" the little hobbit jumped up, nearly spilling his tea. "I'd forgotten! I am to have tea with Gandalf today!"
"It's all settled." She smiled warmly at the hobbit who, despite himself, was becoming strangely fond of the girl.
Just then the bell rang.
"That must be Gandalf!" Bilbo exclaimed.
"Dwalin, more likely." Cassie commented off-hand, shooing Bilbo towards the door. "Go on and answer."
She heard Bilbo greet the dwarf then the two of them started down the hall. "Let's see, Dwalin, Dwalin. Oh, just cakes, ale and coffee." She was just getting the ale from Bilbos pantry when a sudden sharp pain exploded in her chest and she gasped, doubling over, but just as quickly, the pain was gone.
`What the beep was that!?` she wondered to herself.
Just then, the dwarf and the hobbit came into the kitchen. She gave Dwalin a nod of the head and a warm smile. "Cassie, at your service."
The dwarf looked quite surprised for a moment, then swept down into a curiously supple bow. "Dwalin at yours, milady. I dare say, when I saw the sign 'Burgular-for-Hire' I never suspected a woman."
She raised an eyebrow at the dwaf who suddenly looked abashed.
"Burgular for hire!?" Bilbo exclaimed, looking quite shocked.
"Don't mind it, just go answer the door." She shushed Bilbo.
Right then the doorbell rang.
"And that would be Balin." She said as she handed Dwalin a mug of ale.
It wasn't long till all thirteen dwarves, one hobbit, and one wizard were seated around the table.
Cassie whisked around, giving Thorin and Gandalf red-wine (nearly spilling it in the process, only to be steadied by Thorin) raspberry jam and apple tart to Bifur, mince pies and cheese to Bofur, porkpie and salad to Bombur and more cakes, ale, and coffee to everyone.
"I think you'd better go and bring out the cold chicken and pickles." Cassie told Bilbo as she finally sat to dine on her own meal which she had brought herself, along with a few things from Bilbos pantry. She had quite a meal for herself; biscuits-five of them-with butter, some of Bilbos pickles, and a lot of white rice.
Finally, after everyone had finished, Thorin raised his glass for a toast. "Gandalf, beautiful lady—" Cassies eyes widened and she felt as if she was flushing. "—fellow dwarves and Mr. Baggins! We are now together in the house of our friend and fellow conspirator and most excellent and audacious hobbit-may the hair on his toes never fall out! All praise to his wine and ale. We are met to discuss our plans, our ways, our means, policy and devices. We shall soon before the break of day start on our journey, a journey in which some of us, or perhaps all of us, may never return—"
Just then, a shriek came up from Bilbos throat and he was rolling about on the floor yelling "Struck by lightning!" over and over.
Seriously worried after the initial shock, Cassie swept down upon him and gathered the shivering hobbit up into her arms. Her touch seemed to be an instant relaxtant for the hobbit who almost instantly stopped shaking. She murmured softly to him, running her fingers through his hair, like calming a child.
She bent and kissed his forehead chastely. This final touch seemed to clear his wits and bring him back.
"Good gracious!"
"Queer little fellow," Gandalf said, looking at Bilbo and then eyeing Cassie approvingly. "Gets funny, queer fits. But as fierce as a dragon in a pinch."
Cassie snorted softly, even though she already knew what Bilbo would accomplish. `Dragon in a pinch, indeed.` "I'll take him to lye down." She volunteered, starting to gather Bilbo into her arms, and bracing herself to lift him when both Dwalin and Balin stood.
"Don't trouble yourself, lass." Dwalin said, moving from his seat with Balin to where she kneeled with Bilbo. "We've got him."
She was watching the two sturdy dwarves pick up the unconscious hobbit and move him carefully towards his sitting room when she noticed Thorins sharp, grey eyes on hers.
"I must say, I was very surprised to find a human lass in the dwelling of a hobbit." Thorin commented and she winced before she could help herself. "Are you from Bree?"
She couldn't help but squirm a little in her seat. "Um, no."
When she wasn't anymore forthcoming, Thorin prodded. "Well, where are you from, then?"
"Lancaster." Was that really her voice? My, it had certainly gotten quiet.
"I know of many lands, and have traveled very far, but I have never heard of a place called "Lank-a-stir".
"I'm not surprised." She mumbled more to herself than to anyone else. It was only then that she noticed that the entire room was still eerily quiet; all of the dwarves were riveted on her conversation-cough-interrogation-cough—with Thorin. `Aren't these guys supposed to be super noisy?` she wondered, wanting to gnash her teeth together.
Just then, Kili interrupted. "Where are your kin?"
She blinked at him, surprised. "I'm sorry, what?"
"Your family." Gandalf explained calmly, puffing at his pipe. Balin and Dwalin came back from the sitting room where they had, undoubtedly, laid Bilbo.
She shrugged. "Back in Lancaster."
"You came here alone?" Kili pressed.
She nodded. "Yes."
Thorin growled low in his throat, reminding her of a great jungle cat. "You traveled her alone with no protection!? Are you daft, milady!?"
Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Weren't dwarves supposed to be super-obsessed with manners!? If so, this was no type of manners she was familiar with.
"There are dangers on the road that, I believe I am correct in assuming, that you know nothing about! And not even a dagger on you!"
She said it before she could censor herself. "Well, a dagger and me would not be a good idea." If she could have kicked herself, she would have.
Thorins eyebrows narrowed dangerously. "And why would that be, milady?"
Of course, it would probably be detrimental to her cause to tell them about how she had managed to stab herself in the leg with her Dad's pen-knife and had to walk home holding her leg together. Or about how she had almost managed to slice her thumb off cutting carrots. Or the time where she had tripped and the woods and sliced her hand open with the dagger she was using to cut away some thorns (that wound had required several stitches and she still had no feeling in her right pointer finger).
Gandalf, however, seemed to guess what was on her mind, and he smirked a little around his pipe. "Clumsy, are you?"
There were a couple of snorts around the room, some hastily turned into coughs.
Thorin, however, looked even more frustrated. "Even more reason for you not to be out on your own. And you still have not answered my previous question; where in Middle Earth is this "Lancaster"?"
"You'll think I'm insane." She said bluntly, her mood fast turning from annoyed to apprehensive in the blink of an eye.
"Oh, I already do."
And now she was annoyed again.
She snarled a little and crossed her arms over her chest. "Fine. My name is Cassie Marie Andrews. I'm nineteen years old born December 1st. My favorite color is red, I'm allergic to milk and I'm from Lancaster Pennsylvania, which isn't in Middle Earth at all. I'm from another world….." she bit her lower lip thoughtfully. "Well, it's possible that I'm not from a different world so much as a different time."
Total silence.
She looked around to take in the current mood of the room. Was it just her, or did most of the dwarves look like they were pitying her?
The pause was long and uncomfortable, till Thorin let out a deep throaty sigh. "Very well."
One of the other dwarves, Balin, smiled at her gently. "Why don't you go lye down, lass? I'm sure Mr. Baggins has someplace where you can rest."
She groaned and let her chin drop to her chest. "Great. You do think I'm insane."
Fili and Kili exchanged glances, then stood up together at the same time. "You're just tired, milady." The dark-haired Kili said gently, a slightly mischievous smile on his face. "Some sleep and you'll be as right as rain."
"Let's find a room with a bed, shall we?" Fili added. The two dwarves flanked her on either side.
The instant his two nephews and the strange woman left the room, Thorin turned his stony gaze to the grey wizard. "You bring us to a hobbit and a badly confused woman."
"Will he do, do you think?" Gloin asked. "It is all very well for Gandalf to talk about this hobbit being fierce, but one shriek like that in a moment of excitement would be enough to wake the dragon and all his relatives and kill the lot of us. I think it sounded more like fright then excitement! Infact, if it had not been for the sign on the door, I should have been sure we had come to the wrong house. As soon as I clapped eyes on the little fellow bobbing and puffing on the mat, I had my doubts. He looks more like a grocer than a burgler! And who is this young woman he has with him!? He seems a poor caretaker for her."
"And you, perhaps, would do better?" Gandalf asked shrewdly.
"The lass is so tired, she doesn't know what she's saying!" Oin commented.
"Who is she, Gandalf?" Thorin asked stonily.
Gandalf frowned. "I do not know. She does not speak as one who is addled in the mind, nor do I sense any lies from her."
"I didn't think there were any men in the Shire." Ori put in curiously.
"It is true that I have never heard of one being here." Gandalf conceded. "Hobbits do not take kindly to the "big folk" as they call them."
"Well, she didn't just appear here, no matter what she thinks." Dori commented, sipping thoughtfully at his cup of tea.
But Balin, Dwalin, and Thorin exchanged secretive looks.
"Thorin….." the bald and scarred Dwalin began. "It could be possible…."
"But there hasn't been one for centuries." Balin cut in.
Gandalf raised one bushy eyebrow.
"We'll talk of that later." Thorin cut in. Now what of our burgler?"
000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
"Here, this room looks cozy enough." Kili said as he and his brother, Fili, ushered the young woman into one of the rooms.
"Into bed, now." Fili said, obviously trying too hard to put authority into his voice.
She did roll her eyes now. "It's not like I'm just going to be able to go to sleep like that." She snapped her fingers together in example, but Kili was already turning down the bed. "Um, are you even sure I can fit in that? It's hobbit-sized."
This made the two brothers pause as they both inspected the comfy hobbit bed, looked at her, then looked back at the bed. The disappointed looks on their faces had her giggling and she clapped a hand over her mouth, smiling widely.
The brothers looked up at her, beaming as well.
"Well, then, we'll just have to improvise." Fili said, beginning to remove the blankets and pillows from the bed.
She stopped giggling, now looking a little worried. "What are you doing? You're not going to ruin Bilbos furniture, are you?"
"Of course not," said Kili, actually looking a little insulted. "We're dwarves. We're IMPROVING it."
"Crafting is what we do." Emphasized Fili. They were now both down on their knees, studying the structure and make of the bed. "Well, that and mining."
"And drinking." Kili put in.
"Singing-''
"dancing-"
"smithing-"
"traveling-"
"All-in-all, dwarves are great at almost everything." Kili summarized; he was examining the bottom legs of the bed, which seemed to be wedged in with notches. "See this, Fili? Simple wedgework. If we take this out and had some wood we could lengthen it."
"Those chairs in the kitchen are made of the same wood." Fili said thoughtfully. "We could use those."
Her jaw dropped (it seemed to be doing that a lot lately.) "Wait-a-minute, you're going to take apart Bilbos chairs!? You can't do that! We'll be here just one night! That's RIDICULOUS!"
"You need a place to sleep, mylady." Fili said in a logical tone (as if there was anything logical about majorly altering a bed for one night.
"I'll just put some blankets and pillows on the floor." She said, and pointed to the blankets. "Look, they're already on the floor."
Fili and Kili just looked at her for a moment, then Kili was out the bedroom door saying; "I'll go get the chairs."
The moment he opened the door, she managed to hear Bilbo speaking. "…..don't pretend to understand what you're talking about, or your reference to burglers, but I think I am right in believing that you think I am no good….." then the door was closed again and Bilbo became inaudible.
"I should be out there." She said out loud absently, speaking to herself.
"And why do you think that, milady?" Fili asked, frowning at her as he somehow managed to remove the lower half of the bed.
"Because that's what I'm here for." She answered, reaching out her hand to rest it on the wood of the door, feeling it's grain, its sturdiness.
She opened the door a crack again to hear what was happening. True, she had already read the book, but reading the book and LIVING the book were two entirely different things.
"…..no signs on my door—it was painted a week ago—and I am quite sure you have come to the wrong house—''
Click.
Fili had come up behind her and gently reached past her and shut the door (his head came up to her chest). "What do you mean that's what you're here for? You want to go with us?"
"I AM going with you."
Fili looked her up and down appraisingly then shook his head. "It's not like you can just come with us, Uncle would never stand for it."
Then the door bumped against Filis hands.
"Oi!" came Kilis voice. "Let me in!"