"Ughhh" I groaned as I rolled over. Cracking open my eyes slowly open. I quickly shut them again due to the bright sunlight. I felt the ground beneath me and smelt fresh, wild grass. I finally split apart my aching eyelids again and saw… a foot. I blinked once then twice. 'Nope there's still a foot there' I thought dully in recognition... 'Wait… THERE'S A FOOT!' I quickly craned my head up slightly to see a fat, stumpy body. It was a man… or at least I think it was a man… He was dressed in what looked to me like armor and I noticed a rather large ornate axe strapped to his back. And he was insanely short… like four and half feet tall.

"Uhhhh, who are you?" I mumbled to the… man? He quirked an eyebrow slowly upwards and gave me a confused look and said something that sounded a bit like English… but not enough like English for me to understand. I slowly got up on my hands as the guy walked towards me and held out his gloved hand. I think he was trying to help me up.

Suddenly I felt my vision blur together as I reached a hand toward the guy's already outstretched hand. All I saw was greens and bright lights aswirl as I acknowledged slowly 'wasn't it winter a few seconds ago…?'

I slowly came to with new surroundings again. It was warm and there was a slight wetness on my forehead. I realized I was covered in what felt like fifty heavy and scratchy wool blankets. I could smell smoke and hear the cracking of fire in a hearth… and snoring. My eyes peeled open achingly slow and realized I was in a cottage of some sort. A large fire lit up the place in a huge hearth that took up half the cabin. I was in an old wooden bed and I realized the man I saw earlier was sleeping on what appeared to be a hand carved chair. I could tell because it didn't look finished and half of said chair was still had the original bark from the tree. I could hear large snores rumbling from his nose and a pipe lying precariously on his bottom lip as a sweet fragrance drifted like incense from its pits.

I slowly placed my elbows behind me as my body curved up. A small wet rag slid off my forehead and plopped onto my lap… I looked down startled and noticed it looked well-worn appeared to be a grey, old washcloth… 'I have no idea where I am… And wasn't it winter a few moments ago? Who's this guy? And more importantly… Where the HECK AM I!' I ranted inside my head for about five seconds before I slowly took a few breaths and turned my head to examine my… savior, or enemy? I had yet to decide.

He was wearing what looked to me like a medieval getup. Dirty pants covered his stubby legs and a thick, heavy-duty apron covering up a faded cotton shirt. Soot covered his entire being. He had a button like knobby nose that took up half his face and a huge, raggedy red beard.

I jumped as the guy shook with the force of his faulty lungs as he grunted in a mighty snore to rival my dad's. His small pipe fell onto his lap and I watched as the small glowing cinders began to burn through his pants.

"ARGHH" The man shouted and flew off his "tree stump" chair and danced around swatting his leg where he got singed.

I couldn't help it, so I started giggling. The man turned around quickly to face me as his beady black eyes twinkled. He straightened up and patted his leg mumbling that strange language again. I stopped giggling. He stomped clumsily over to me and held out his hand, that wasn't currently occupied with holding his burnt flesh, which was now bare of gloves and finally said something I could understand. "Haddock."

Over the next few weeks I found out Haddock wasn't a "man" at all. He's actually a dwarf. Turns out I've "supposedly" (I'm still having a hard time believing it) landed smack dab in Middle Earth. In a village. Close to Bree. I found this out when Haddock had mentioned it to me and promptly fainted afterwards (I've been doing that a lot lately). Any ways Haddock really is a dwarf, which I don't find that hard to believe because he's so… grumpy. But I guess he took a liking to me since he's been teaching the language here to me, and taking me in as an "Apprentice". He's a blacksmith, which is why he's in this village because he sells his goods to men here. I guess there was too many blacksmiths back where he used to live. But he's getting old (or so he claims), so I'm doing all the hard labor in return for his lessons and hospitality. He STILL hasn't let me anywhere near the kiln where he actually makes the armor and sword though. Says I'm "not ready yet". He's sending me on a whole bunch of favors for him instead. Speaking of which…

I groaned as I flopped onto one of the many volcanic rocks on the side of this so called "shortcut" a passing traveler had mentioned to me. I was on another errand for Haddock; he wanted me to get some ore. On the top of this forsaken, lifeless and heartless mountain! Anyways this so-called shortcut was probably meant for a gymnast or expert climber because this was WAY too steep for me. It was practically vertical all the way up! My feet ached and I could actually feel my blood pumping through my feet in strong pulses. I slowly pulled my sweat encrusted hair behind my back and caught my breath while brushing away my sweat drenched brown locks.

I suddenly felt a warm, rancid breath at the nape of my smelled like rotten acidic mystery meat sitting on a hot, humid summer day. My eyes snapped open and I turned around abruptly only to see a… reallllllly big lizard. I blinked, it blinked.

"Whoa!" I breathlessly whispered as the huge, I mean HUGE mottle brown lizard took a tentative step forwards and I fell smack dab on my bottom. And gosh it was ugly too, it looked almost like someone had taken a shedding monitor lizard and bashed on a rock and mad grow fifty times bigger. It examined me curiously and I suppose it deemed me as "threat-less" because muscles along its back slumped down making it appear more relaxed. It was gangly and gargoyle-ish with horns and other odd growths became a mane of painful looking spines. Suddenly I could've sworn something glinted in its catlike neon green eyes as it whipped its tail violently around and scampered across the near vertical bend on the mountain and vanished promptly out of view.

I sat there stock still. I took a slow breath and wondered quietly how long I had held it. Searching with frantic eyes I started at any sound thinking the monster of a lizard was about to pop out and devour me. I began to slowly stand up on my already exhausted legs like a newborn fawn, and naturally walked about ten steps before running into a dead bolt to the top of the mountain to get my ore. After about five minutes though I slumped down once again and panted exasperatedly. I slowly brought my hand up and whipped away some sweat from my forehead as it beaded down my burning face. I already knew I probably looked like a flaming cherry cabob. The explanation is quite simple really, I'm pale and unexercised. Even though I've run up mountains for Haddock for about five times already.

"Hey Miss! Are you alright!"

I looked up abruptly my hand still firmly planted to me knees as a man (probably in his thirties) walked up to me. I nodded once and thought slowly how I was supposed to respond. You see I understand the language fine now… my speech is still iffy though cause Haddock say's I have a REALLY heavy accent.

I straitened slowly up and addressed the man by saying my main five word vocabulary.

"Haddock's Apprentice… pant… here for… pant… delivery."

The man stared quizzically at me scratching his chin with a puzzled look. The he seemed to look enlightened and said. "Ah you mean Haddock! I have your ore in my cabin up just a way's!" He walked even farther up as I flopped down on the ground and dazedly noticed a cloud of grey dust explode around me. Funny thing about Haddock's name is that all you have to do what to get what you want from here is say "Hi I'm Haddock's Apprentice!" and they will immediately know what I'm there for. I blinked once then flopped down on the ground waiting patiently. 'I hope that guy takes thirty minutes' I thought quietly as I breathed in deeply, not caring as a layer of dust began to coat my tongue.

After what felt like only a minute the guy who had Haddock's ore came skipping over to me holding out an eager hand. I clumsily stood back up and reached into the small well-worn pack Haddock gave me to get the money for the guy. I handed over the guy's money in a small satchel and waited patiently for him to open and make sure I wasn't giving him rocks or something like that. He smiled and turned on his heel to leave.

"Hey wait!" I shouted abruptly and grabbed the guy's sleeve. He turned around still smiling the business smile. I paused for a second searching my limited vocabulary for the right words.

"Big lizard!" I pointed where I came from. The guy stood for a moment the exclaimed.

"Oh! You mean the dragons? Those things are harmless here. Small breed and they attack rarely let alone anything that looks like a man, they learned awhile back not to mess with men!"

I stared at him dumbfounded. Those things where small? Anyways I nodded once and said "Thanks" As I ran back down the path I came from, looking back once to see the man's face in a confused expression on his face. I turned back to the where dragon had run to, a new excitement building within my chest.

'Dragons!' I thought excitedly. Though admittedly the one I saw earlier was nothing like the glorified beasts I almost always drew in random doodles. Still… I want to have another look!

Hi readers! This is my first time writing a story and I hope you enjoy reading this. I ask only that you are patient with me. On this chapter I couldn't get a beta reader and apologize for any incorrect grammar. Just a forewarning that updates may be very slow to very fast (depending on reviews…). Anyways I would greatly appreciate any input or suggestions and/or ideas with this story. Special thanks to my first reviewers, Aena Firestar (I'll try to stay away from the sues, I don't like them but warn me if you see it happening!), C. (Thank you for the compliment! *bows deeply*), and last but not least Pearl Blade (Here is what I have next! Hope you enjoy it!)

Thanks for the Reviews People! R&R!