"Adventure is allowing

the unexpected to happen

to you"

- Richard Aldington


When Emi woke up on that cold, Scottish morning, she hadn't the faintest idea that anything wonderful was going to happen. Looking out of her window from the comfort of her warm bed, she confirmed that today was in fact dreich, i.e., it was about as depressing as she felt looking at it. So, when she'd finally managed to haul herself out of bed, put on clothes that sort of went together, and run a hand through the short pile of coffee coloured curls on her head, she did not expect the doorbell to ring.

'Who the hell is at the door at 9 in the morning? Postman isn't here till 11, we aren't expecting any Amazon deliveries, nobody's due back till 4,' as she checked off her list on her fingers, the door rang again, this time a little more urgently, and she groaned, 'Of all the times for no one to be home but me. If I die, I'm going to kill myself.'

On her way to the door, she picked up a rolling pin, as she was suspicious of the unknown caller, and she placed it near the front door, out of sight from whomever it was, but still within reach in case she needed it. Turning the keys in the lock, she cursed it, as it was rather sticky and involved quite the bit of effort. Something she was not expecting to have to put in on her summer holidays. Giving a small victory cry when the blasted thing finally budged, she opened the door, and came face-to-face with-

'Gandalf?'

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion and her lip pouted. What the heck was some randomer doing on her front steps dressed like Gandalf for. Feeling a pit form in the bottom of her stomach, she reached for the rolling pin, making sure the man couldn't see what she was doing.

'Uh, so what can I help you with?'

The Gandalf impersonator looked at her, a bright twinkle in his eye, and he smiled at her as he leaned on his staff, his grey robes billowing in the harsh wind, their colour darkened slightly due to the constant drizzle of rain.

'I am looking for someone to share in an adventure.'

Emi raised an eyebrow at him.

'Aye right, on your bike, is this how you're kidnapping kids these days? Well you can get lost, I am in no mood to be kidnapped today.'

Brandishing her 'weapon' in front of her, she was surprised to find the man laughing at her. Fear started to seep through her. Did this mean he was more than prepared to take her down? Or was he just plain crazy.

Maybe he's a junkie? Oh man, I am so not happy right now. Where can I press the panic button?!

'My dear girl, I am not here to harm you, nor kidnap you. I am simply here to do what I stated before. I am looking for someone to share in an adventure.'

'What, and you think that someone is me?' Staring wryly at the man, she was beginning to lose her patience. Creeper or not, it was just after 9 o'clock on a Monday morning, and she hadn't had any form of breakfast yet. Mix that with exhaustion, and you've got a teenager on her last nerve.

Gandalf looked her up and down, with that same twinkle in his eye.

'Yes, I do believe you'll suffice. You have heard of the tale of Thorin Oakenshield, I presume.'

'Course, I have, who hasn't? They made a film series that ended a couple of years back, definitely not as good as the book but hey, at least they tried. So, what of it?'

The impersonator seemed to be growing as impatient as she was, because his body was beginning to fidget, and he tapped his staff on the ground before he spoke to her again.

'Well that is precisely my point, dear child,' Emi huffed at the child comment, 'I wish for you to aid the Company of Thorin Oakenshield in their quest to reclaim Erebor.'

Emi sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. As much as the guy looked like Sir Ian McKellen, she just wasn't feeling it this morning. While she had always held a fascination for magic and believed that it would be wonderful to have in the world, she was a scientist. And a realist. And she knew that this man, whomever he was, was most definitely not Gandalf the Grey. But he obviously needed some help, and she supposed she could struggle the time it would take to get him to a hospital.

Maybe he's hit his head or something? Yeah, that's probably it.

'Hold on, let me get my keys.' What she had meant by that statement, was that she would fetch her car keys, get in the car with this weirdo, drive him to the hospital, and be done with him. Maybe she would check up on him to see how he was doing and then that would be that. What Gandalf took from that is that she was fully prepared to accept his terms, and would gladly join him on his quest, no questions asked.

'No need, dear girl, I have a much more proficient way of getting us there. Then let's be off, shall we?'

When she felt her arm being pulled, a primal instinct flared up in her and she turned around to punch the living daylights out of the guy, but in the time she'd taken to turn around, he had already banged his staff on the ground and the world had faded away to blinding light. It stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, before she finally began to see shapes, and then colours, and then objects, and then finally she saw the world as she had always seen it. Except this wasn't her world, and she had only seen places like this in movies.

Her mouth dropped to the floor, and her eyes widened. She couldn't be, she just couldn't be.

'I am going to ask you a question Gandalf, and I want you to answer me honestly,' her teeth gritted in frustration and fear and from the cold, 'Are we, or are we not, still in Scotland?'

'Well of course we're not, whatever use would you be there? No, no, Emilia, we are in Middle Earth.'

Emi began nodding her head.

'Ok. That's fine, that's perfectly logical.'

Gandalf smiled at her, seeming rather proud of himself and his handiwork.

'See, I knew you were the right person for the j-'

'I mean this is great, real great,' Gandalf slowly closed his mouth, his eyebrows falling in concern and confusion, as he watched the girl begin to pace about, 'I mean I've always dreamed about this, so this is great right? Absolutely peachy, couldn't be happier, I am just so so excited, can't wait to get started.'

Gandalf was beginning to worry about her, as she was now jumping up and down in puddles, and if he didn't know any better he would think she was having a nervous breakdown.

'Yes, but it's quite alright, because you wanted to help, did you not? I am sure you and the Company will get along swimming-'

He paused as she held up a finger at him, and he huffed slightly in indignation at the interruption.

'Hold on, one second. Did you think I was willing to come on this adventure?'

He shifted from side to side, unsure of why she was getting so upset, when she had so clearly expressed her interest to him before. Feeling a little frustrated at how uncooperative she was being, he puffed up his chest, and looked her sternly in the eye.

'Well of course, I did. Why else would I have taken you, I am not the kind of wizard who goes around stealing people from other worlds. You made it quite known that you were willing when you went off to fetch your keys or whatever it was you wanted. And furthermore-'.

He was blustering through his sentences now, in a way that only old people can, his face taking on a red hue as he became more and more visibly upset with her. But to be honest, she didn't care. In fact, she hadn't been listening since he'd said: 'Of course'. Instead, she was running everything through her mind, trying to find some way that any of this wacky, fanciful tale made sense. And when she couldn't she thought maybe it was a dream, but she quickly discarded the idea, because she felt cold, and wet, and miserable, because as far away as they were from Scotland, they certainly weren't far away from its infamous weather, and she had never felt that way in a dream before. And so she settled on the only logical explanation that made sense. She was, in fact, in Middle Earth, and the man in front of her who was currently babbling on about goodness knows what, was indeed Gandalf the Grey, and that she would most likely be encountering a very famous group of dwarves pretty soon.

'-so, do you still wish to aid Thorin and his Company in their quest to reclaim Erebor?'

Now that made her think. Did she have what it took to help them? She was only a 5'2 and a half, 19-year-old girl, what aid could she possibly give? She didn't know how to fight, she couldn't wield a sword, she had a lazy eye, so archery probably wouldn't be likely, and she barely knew how to ride a horse. She supposed there was her knowledge of the movies, I mean she was by no means a casual fan, having marathoned the trilogy, and the Lord of the Rings Extended Editions (more than once), read all the books, and written and read more than enough script-based fanfiction to have a good idea of what was going on. But when it came down to it, was she brave enough? It's not like she was a Gryffindor, always ready to jump in guns blazing, she was a Slytherin, and she couldn't lie and say that she didn't fear for her self at the mere thought of orcs and dragons. And then there was her life, her sister, her friends, her dog. Could she walk away from them? She pondered it for a long moment. It was a huge change, to enter a new world. To leave everything she had built up in her old life. But she had always longed for adventure, to go out and travel, and have swordfights, and go on quests. And she had longed to see beautiful places, unmarred by human touch, and what better place was there than Middle Earth? Sure, she'd miss people like crazy, and she may even regret her decision later, but the more she puzzled the thought over in her head, the more excited she became.

Clenching her fists in determination, her nails digging into her palms, white crescents forming from the pressure, she stepped forward slightly.

'If you do not wish to help, I can take you ba-'

'I'll do it.'

Gandalf looked surprised at her statement, and then he nodded his head once, fiercely, as if he'd always known that that's what her decision would have been. He beckoned her towards him, and she took a place beside where he stood.

'So…now what?'

Gandalf chuckled at her, a deep chuckle filled with mirth, and any worries she felt were washed away with the rain, oozing out of her being and falling to the earth beneath her.

'Now…we head for the Shire. We have a burglar to recruit.'


Hope you guys liked the first chapter, let me know what you think in the comments :)