Leminkaiya

Disclaimer: I do not own either "The Hobbit" or "Avatar: The Last Airbender" but the wonderful lady firebender in the story is my precious.

NOTE: Now it begins. A little backgrounder on this story. So I've had this idea for a weird Avatar/Hobbit crossover story ever since watching Desolation of Smaug last year. I wanted to add a female firebender OC to Thorin's company but who would not have any romance with ANY character. She would be a former Fire Nation soldier who "escaped" to Middle Earth through Gandalf and who lived a quiet life for ten years until the wizard decides that, like Bilbo, she needs to go on an adventure too. I've had the story outlined in my head for ages but have been too lazy to write it until now because I want to post it before BotFA comes out. More about her backstory will be revealed as we go on.

This story will be based mostly on the movie's events so this first chapter begins when the dwarves arrive at Bag End. Enjoy and please let me know how you like the story.

CHAPTER ONE

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"Good heavens! Not another dwarf!"

It was a frazzled Bilbo Baggins who opened the door to yet another unexpected visitor.

"Good evening to you too, my friend," greeted the dark-haired lady with an amused expression. She had known Bilbo for several years now and she had never seen him so distressed.

The hobbit heaved a huge sigh of relief. "Thank goodness it's you, Ainara!" Bilbo exclaimed earnestly, "I thought you were another…"

"Dwarf?" Ainara finished the sentence for him, "But how many dwarves in your house would it take to get you so agitated, my dear Bilbo?"

"Thirteen!" the hobbit cried, "and all of them quite unexpected, I must say. You are always welcome here of course but I am surprised to see you."

Before Ainara could react, a tall, grey figure entered the hallway. "Ah, Ainara, you're here at last!"

"Good evening, Gandalf. I came as you instructed although I don't think you informed Bilbo here of my arrival. Or indeed of that of his other guests, apparently."

"You were invited?" Bilbo asked in astonishment, looking suspiciously at Gandalf.

Ainara shrugged. "I thought you knew. I am sorry to come barging in like this now."

"Nonsense," Gandalf said dismissively, "come along now, there is much still to be discussed."

"However, I didn't come empty-handed," Ainara announced, presenting several packages to her host, "three freshly-baked apple pies. My little contribution to the party."

Bilbo took them gratefully but before he was able to properly thank his old friend for her consideration, several bearded figures appeared in the hallway, attracted by the smell of pastry.

"Did somebody say pies?" a large dwarf with an elaborately braided red beard cried out excitedly while the rest of his companions expressed similar degrees of eagerness. Bilbo sighed, Gandalf rolled his eyes, and Ainara looked at them all in interest. This was turning out to be a very fascinating evening.

"Come on, now," Bilbo protested, "you just finished tidying up."

"Which means maybe we deserve a snack for our efforts," one of the dwarves suggested.

"Well, I hope I brought enough pie for everyone," Ainara said, "I didn't exactly have all the details of this gathering. Gandalf simply told me to be here tonight and to bring some food."

"Which is all that you needed to know," the wizard remarked, "and now I believe introductions are in order."

The rest of the dwarves filled the hallway, curious about the pies but also the person who had brought them. Ainara stared incredulously at all the bearded fellows who stared back at her. She had never seen so many dwarves at one time. Gandalf began to introduce them all one by one and Ainara tried her best to remember all the names. They look at her curiously but all smiled in a friendly manner.

It was only a few minutes later that a familiar face appeared. The other dwarves made way for him and Ainara recognized the dwarf-lord she had met on the road.

"And may I present the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield," Gandalf announced.

"We meet again, Master Dwarf," she said cordially and he nodded at her politely.

"The lady was kind enough to give me directions to find this house," Thorin explained when Bilbo asked how they knew each other. Gandalf looked at them thoughtfully before introducing the lady to everyone else.

"And this is Ainara," the wizard said simply, "she comes from a distant land that none of you would be familiar with but she has been living near the Shire for the past ten years. She has some unique skills which I believe will be useful on your quest."

"I'm sorry, quest?" Bilbo and Ainara asked in simultaneous confusion.

All heads turned to Gandalf who motioned for all of them to re-enter dining room where he promised he would explain everything. Once they were all seated and settled (and after the pies were immediately consumed), the wizard began his tale.

"Far to the east, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single, solitary peak…"

Bilbo and Ainara listened intently as Gandalf and the dwarves spoke of the Lonely Mountain, Erebor, and of this being the time to return to reclaim it from the clutches of "the beast.". While Bilbo struggled to comprehend what the dwarves were referring to, Ainara knew it immediately. She exchanged a grave look with Gandalf and she began to understand why he had called her there that night. The dwarves began to squabble about facing the dragon. But all fell silent once Thorin spoke. Ainara watched the dwarf leader carefully, impressed by his dignity and determination. He truly was of a line of great kings.

Gandalf continued to explain the details of the plan, revealing a key, a map with strange runes that held the secret to the key, and the need for a burglar. Ainara was just as surprised as Bilbo to hear the latter referred to as a burglar but she said nothing. She watched with awe as Gandalf defended the hobbit's merits as a burglar and she saw that even Bilbo did not dare contest it.

"Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet," the wizard explained, "in fact, they can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of hobbit is all but unknown to him. You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company and I have chosen Mister Baggins. There is a lot more to him than appearances suggest. And he has a great deal to offer than any of you know. Including himself."

The dwarves said nothing and Bilbo seemed too shocked to react.

"And while you may not yet see the need for a fifteenth member in your company," Gandalf continued, "you do not know how unique an opportunity you have to welcome Ainara amongst you."

The lady sighed, having expected this. If Bilbo had been recruited for this mission, she knew that she was definitely being dragged into it as well. But she was not sure if she would protest quite as much as the hobbit did.

"You asked me earlier about how many dragons I have faced," the wizard proceeded, "well, we are fortunate to have in our midst someone who has faced dragons before, which is more than I can say for the younger among you. And I do believe that in such a quest, it would be infinitely useful to have a dragonslayer with you."

At the word "dragonslayer" the dwarves began to mutter among themselves excitedly and Bilbo stared at his friend in complete shock. He had only known her to be a very mild-mannered foreigner who liked baking pies and living a quiet life. While she liked talking of adventures as much as he did, he never imagined she had actually been involved in any before coming to the Shire.

Ainara found herself being bombarded with questions by the dwarves and she noticed that even Thorin had taken a greater interest in her as well. She tried to glare at Gandalf for having revealed her history so abruptly but the wizard was unfazed.

"Well, it is true that I have faced dragons before," she explained awkwardly, "Several, in fact, if you must know. But I have never faced them alone."

"But you won't be alone, you'll be with us," one of the younger dwarves, Fili, said excitedly.

"Yes, but…" Ainara replied, only to be interrupted by Gandalf, "It is not necessary to get into the details of your past missions here. There will be time enough for that on the road. As with the case of Mister Baggins, if the dwarves have any doubts about your abilities, they will have to simply trust my judgment."

"But I suppose a little demonstration would not go amiss," Ainara suggested, seeing how skeptical some of the other dwarves were, and though she had not used her firebending in battle for years, she found that she was not reluctant to do so.

"That won't be necessary," Gandalf declared in a tone of finality and giving her a look that said that she was not to display any firebending at the moment. She looked at him questioningly but decided to follow his orders and simply trust in his judgment. The dwarves, however, looked a little disappointed at this.

"If it helps," Gandalf added, "Ainara is also good with a sword. Having been a soldier in her native land, she has had some significant experience."

This last declaration was met with cheers from the dwarves and another incredulous look from Bilbo. The hobbit still looked unconvinced. Later on, he and Ainara were given long, detailed contracts which caused the former even more doubts but seemed more a formality for the latter. Ainara was not interested in the one-fifteenth of treasure that she stood to gain. It was the journey that truly mattered more to her.

Gandalf tried in vain to convince the hobbit to join them but Bilbo stubbornly refused. Ainara was not surprised by his decision but she was also saddened by it. While she still had some doubts about the quest, she trusted Gandalf and after listening to the dwarves speak so passionately about reclaiming their homeland, she wanted to be a part of that too. She knew next to nothing about them but she saw that they were good-hearted folk, earnest and determined, and she was reminded of how she used to be a long time ago, before she arrived in Middle-Earth, betrayed and broken.

Balin was sadly describing the lack of strength and experience of their small company and Ainara waited to see the dwarf leader's response.

"I would take each and every one of these dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills," Thorin declared proudly, "for when I called upon them, they answered. Loyalty, honor, a willing heart, I can ask no more than that."

It was after hearing those words that the warrior decided that this was someone at whose side she would be honored to fight. And it had been a very long time since she had felt this way.

She signed the contract and handed it back to Balin reverently. The old dwarf re-read the document while the former soldier addressed Thorin.

"I'm not overly fond of revisiting the past," Ainara said gravely, "because bitter experience has taught me to be wary of putting my faith in just any cause. But I believe your quest is a noble one and I trust Gandalf's judgment. So if my skills and experience can be useful to you, then I am prepared to be of service."

Ainara bowed respectfully to show her sincerity.

"Then it is an honor to welcome you into our company," Thorin replied solemnly, moved by this show of loyalty and support from someone he had just met when so many of his kin seemed to have forsaken him.

While dwarves conferred with Gandalf for a few more minutes, the hobbit went to his friend, who was proving to be full of surprises. She smiled at him with encouragement because she noticed that he was having second thoughts about his decision and she didn't want him to regret anything.

"You're not seriously thinking of joining this mad quest, are you?" Bilbo asked nervously, "it sounds dangerous."

"It's an adventure, Bilbo," Ainara replied earnestly, "I know you might not approve of it but I do think it would be good for you too. And something tells me that an opportunity like this is not likely to happen again."