This story is about a family whom are the key-holders and Gatekeepers between our world/Wizarding World and Middle Earth. Adventure, friendships, and love drive this tail forward, but… there is More to The Story than meets the eyes and ears. OC's and real characters.
More to The Story takes place in Middle Earth during the time of the Hobbit, which coincides with the Second Wizard War. Gatekeeper, Ruben, and his witch wife, Priscilla Paisley are passing the duties onto their two children, and when the time comes, pass it to their children. When a grandchild receives a vision that their family is in great danger and the Wizarding War is building, they decide to flee to Middle Earth, closing the Gate to protect it from the Dark Lord. Only not everyone will make it and others will become separated from the remaining family. Their quest is to find their family, and assist a small company of dwarves in reclaiming their home.
I do not own anything from the Hobbit or Harry Potter; only the OC's and their story. All Harry Potter/Hobbit references and characters belong to J.K. Rowling and J. R. R. Tolkien. Any constructive thoughts or suggestions are helpful. Please read and review! Thank you for your time!
"What's this?" the second voice asked. He found the hook that the rope was tied to. He followed it with his eyes and saw the cage, and saw Jordan staring down at him. "What have we here?"
She moved away and returned to Karah.
"What's down there?" Karah whispered. "And how many?"
A tall man, and many smaller ones. Jordan answered with quick motions. Can you apparate if we get our wands?
"No, we haven't eaten or had any water in two days. I'll get sliced into pieces." Karah shook her head. "We can use the cloaks."
"What's up there, Gandalf?" a sixth voice asked from below the cage. This voice was different from all the others. It was strong and commanding.
"It appears, no matter what, our troll friends would not have gone hungry last night." Gandalf answered. "Here, help me lower it."
Jordan and Karah went wide eyed. This was their chance! The cage was slowly and carefully brought to the ground.
"Easy, easy now." The commanding voice stated. "Alright, ju-"
CRASH!
"Whoops!" a seventh voice said.
The cage was still two and a half feet off the ground when the group let go of the rope. Jordan and Karah were sitting huddled together. When the cage hit the ground, they bounced and knocked their heads together.
"Ow!"
Jordan rubbed her head and ear, receiving the blunt of the damage.
Karah was much quicker to recover. She stood and looked around all the sides of the cage. She counted fifteen pairs of eyes staring at them. One of them was the tall man with a grey pointy hat and staff. He reminded her of professor Albus Dumbledore. The others were shorter than her, with long hair and impressive beards, each one carrying some sort of weapon.
"Hello," greeted the Albus Dumbledore doppelganger.
Jordan and Karah did not reply. Both of them were too stunned by the company to make a sound.
"Where is the key?" Albus asked, sensing their fear.
Karah snapped out of it and saw her opportunity. She pointed to their small bags, "Over there, in the bags."
One of the smaller men went over to the bags and began digging for the key. He reached in; his whole arm fell inside, and pulled out a book. He looked at it before tossing it aside and reached in again. This time he pulled out a cloak. Tossing it aside, and reached for a third time and pulled out a potion bottle. He was about to toss it as well.
"Wait! Stop!" Karah shouted. "We can find it, if you bring it here, please."
Jordan stood up and walked to the bars. It was her bag the man was digging through. The man looked toward another man, who nodded to him. He held the bag so she had to reach through the bars to take. He held it out of her reach for a moment to study her face. She studied him as well.
Jordan was short, just five feet tall, and this man was about her height. He had long blonde hair that went past his shoulders. He braided the front and had beads in it to keep it out of his ruggedly handsome face. He had a mustache that grew into the goatee. The long strands that hung past his chin wove into braids and stopped them with beads. His lips were slighted upturned into a small smile and his eyes flickered with mischief. He reminded her of the bass player from her first band. She had a big crush on him at first, but he had a girlfriend.
She reached a little further and took the bag from him. She glared at him as his smile grew. He looked menacing with two swords sheathed and crisscrossed on his back. He had a few other knives strategically placed on his person for easy access in his brown leather and animal skin garb. It clearly did not bother him that she swept her gaze from his head to his toes. In fact, he seemed to enjoy it. And he returned the favor.
Tearing her gaze from him, she reached her arm in the bottomless bag and pulled out what she needed. She missed her wand, any witch or wizard would. It was a part of her, an extension of her body. When she did not have it, she felt as helpless as baby.
Pointing the tip to at the cuff on Karah's ankle she silently said the spell, Alohomora. The cuff unlocked and fell off. She repeated the spell on her own ankle. Once free, she pointed her wand at the second bag. Accio bag.The bag flew to her and then tossed it to Karah. She summoned the book, cloak, and the potion bottle still clutched in the blonde man's hand. The bottle struggled a little because he had a firm grip on it, but eventually it wiggled out.
"Are you wand handlers?" Albus asked.
"A what?" Karah asked.
"A wand handler?" Albus asked again. "A magical being that uses wands."
"Yes," Karah tried hard to keep her attitude in check, but it was still present. "Who are you?"
She saw the blonde man whisper something to another man standing next to him. His eyes went wide and nearly flew out of his sockets at what blonde said and had a difficult time containing his laughter. All that could be seen was that he had long dark hair, dark eyes, and he carried a bow and quiver on his back.
"Wouldn't you like to get out of this cage before introductions?"
"Not if it is the only barrier between us and a possible enemy." Karah clarified.
The tall man sighed but understood. "I see. I am Gandalf the Grey, I'm a wizard. This is Thorin Oakenshield son of Thrain, son of Thror King of Erebor. The rest is his company of dwarves of the house of Druin."
Thorin Oakenshield looked to be in his mid thirties and taller than most of the company, the exception of a few. With long dark hair and some distinguished grey, it was tied together in a couple braids in front of his ears. His beard connected to a mustache was thick and covering much of his handsome face. He had a presence that was proud, commanded attention, and loyalty. If respect and trust was desired from him, it would first have to be earned.
One after another, each dwarf bowed and gave forth their names and service: Gloin, Oin, Dwalin, Balin, Bofur, Bifur, Dori, Nori, Ori, Fili, Kili, Bombur, and lastly Bilbo the hobbit.
"What's a hobbit?" Karah asked and Jordan was equally confused.
"They are little people," Gandalf clarified.
"They all are, but you said most of them were dwarves." Karah stated the obvious.
"Hobbits are smaller than dwarves and have no beards." Gandalf sighed. "Would you like to continue to remain the cage or be let out for further discussion?"
"We can let ourselves out," Karah stated and nodded to her cousin.
The two witches wrapped themselves in their cloaks and vanished before their eyes. After unlocking the door, they plowed their way past the dwarf barrier and ran outside.
"Fili, Kili, Ori, Bofur after them!" Thorin commanded.
The girls ran as fast and far into the forest as they could. They had no idea where they were going, not that they cared. As long as they were away from the cave and the strange company, they were satisfied. After sprinting for a solid ten minutes, they took rest.
"Do you think they followed us?" Karah asked, as she panted for air and sat on a small fallen tree log. She had lifted the hood off of her head for fresh air, the rest of her body still invisible.
Jordan pulled off her hood and freed her hands and rested her elbows on her knees. When she was able to catch her breath, she signed I think they tried.
Karah wiped away the sweat and stood up. "I'm not so sure we are safe just yet. We need to keep moving."
"Not so fast!" Bofur shouted and jumped down from the tree in front of them.
Jordan and Karah raised their wands at him, ready to freeze him in his place.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," warned a stern voice behind them.
Fili and Kili were standing on the other side of the log, holding knives at their throats.
"Drop them." Kili commanded.
Reluctantly, the girls did as they were told. Ori scrambled to pick them out and keep them out of their reach.
"Take the invisible robes off and drop those bags," Fili stated forcefully.
Jordan did as she was instructed with no small amount of attitude and sass. When her bag and cloak were discarded along with Karah's, she turned around to face them. Holding up her hands to show that she was not carrying any more weapons, she then placed them on her hips and shifted her weight to one leg, cocking her head at him. She and the blonde maintained eye contact the entire time Ori picked up the remaining gear.
Karah chose not to partake in actions like her cousin did. Instead she refused to look at any of them. She shaking her head and chewing on the inside of her cheek.
"Bofur, lead the way back." Fili never broke his gaze from the woman glaring him down and used his knife to point her in the right direction. "Walk."
"You can't do this! Let us go!" Karah demanded.
"Easy now, lassy." Kili tried his best to calm the situation as the small group marched. "We mean you no harm."
"Then why were you chasing us and bringing us back to that god awful place at knife point?" She retorted.
"Why did you run from us in the first place when we helped you?" Fili retorted.
"Because we have no idea who you are!" Karah shouted. "What would you do if you were captured by trolls who planned to eat you, then strangers turn up in their place? Running was a logical thing to do!"
The look on the dwarves' faces would have said otherwise. With the witches having their backs to most of them, and the other facing away, they did not see the uncomfortable looks. The witches' position was understandable, but the dwarves did not want to explain why just yet. It was embarrassing and a bit of a touchy subject.
Back at the cave, Gandalf, Thorin, and company were all waiting outside in the fresh air. They were dividing up their findings and looking them over. Bilbo was looking over his new sword curiously. All eyes turned to the returning group and they all readied their weapons. The air was tense and anxious, waiting to see what would happen.
"Have a nice run?" Thorin asked looking over Jordan and Karah with scrutiny. He seemed to be amused by their sad attempt of escape, but annoyed at their reactions to him and company. "Now, who are you?"
Karah glanced at Jordan before she spoke. "If you are in line with the Dark Lord, you might as well kill us right now."
"The Dark Lord?" Thorin questioned, raising one eyebrow.
"Don't you know who that is?" Karah was surprised. "That's a relief!"
"Not quite," Gandalf interjected. "You are not from Middle Earth. Are you, young witches?" They both shook their heads. "I thought as much. Rest assured, we mean you no harm. The dwarves and Bilbo were also captured by the trolls last night. They escaped when the sun rose and the nasty creatures became stone. They will not bother you or anyone else again. Nor will we hurt you. Please enlighten us as to who you are?"Gandalf's kind eyes reassured his sincerity.
"I'm Karah Paisley. This is my cousin, Jordan Drake."
"Drake, you say?" Thorin asked with derision. "Are you evil?"
Jordan's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. She was stunned at his blunt rude question she did not know what to say. Well, she did. But it would not have helped their situation.
"She is not evil," Karah clarified and pushed her cousin behind her. "If you are referring to the vile creatures that are like dragons without magic, than no, Jordan is not evil. It comes from her father's family who in ancient times her family hunted the evil drakes."
Gandalf stepped in to ease the building tension. "It's lovely to meet you both." He smiled and bowed his head. "Fili, Kili, if you please?"
Both dwarves looked to Thorin for approval. He nodded but shook his head to Ori. The younger dwarves sheathed their weapons and stepped back to give them some space.
"If you are not from here, then where did you reside previously?" Thorin was growing impatient.
"Why don't we relocate somewhere else with less of an odor?" Gandalf suggested. "That should ease some of the tension among friends."
Everyone agreed with the old wizard and followed him a little ways away. They settled in an area near a river. Some of the dwarves began to make camp. Since their night was disturbed, and were all quite hungry, they decided to stay there for the morning to rest.
"Ori, Bifur, Gloin, bring the ponies over. Fili and Kili, watch over our guests." Thorin instructed than pulled Gandalf away for a private council session.
"Try not to lose these ones." Dwalin derogatorily commented.
The younger dwarves glared at their senior. It was not like they lost the ponies. They were carried away by a troll! Yes, it was their responsibility to look after them. And they did go after the missing ponies, but sent Bilbo to scout out the area first. Then they all were captured. Not really, entirely, their fault. Looking down, they turned their attention to the disheveled ladies sitting on the ground.
"Are you lassies cold?" Kili asked them.
They both looked up at him. For the first time, they sincerely studied their new jailors. Fili was the blonde one. Kili had dark shoulder length hair. His braids were different. For the most part his hair hung perfectly free and wavy, with a couple small braids behind his ears to pull it half up out of his face and securely fascined with a polished piece of iron. His smile was not only in his lips, but you could see it in his warm chocolate brown eyes. He did not have much of a beard, but more stubble. He was utterly charming, and the girls were sure he knew it. Karah and Jordan would qualify both of them in the man-pretty category.
"Yes, I would love my cloak back." Karah smiled at him.
"I'm afraid I cannot oblige you in that. Not with you both able to disappear from sight." Kili grinned down to her. He held her gaze like she was the only one there with him. "But I will offer you mine instead."
"No thanks," Karah looked away and watched the oldest dwarf, Balin, build a fire.
"You both are shivering." Fili stated the obvious.
"It's been a stressful week," Karah answered for them, Jordan glared at him. "But do you have any water?"
"To drink or to make a potion with?" Fili asked her.
"To drink," Karah was becoming more annoyed by the second. "We haven't had any in two days."
Jordan nudged her with her elbow, telling her to chill out and then accepted his water skin. She took a long drink before handing it to her cousin. What happens now?
Karah shook her head, "I'm not sure."
They both sat quietly, studying their surroundings and the people. They were exhausted from their night inside the cave, neither of them got much sleep, and all the energy they had left was being used to just stay awake. And they were quickly losing that battle.
It was obvious that the company was just as tired, but the younger dwarves were having an easier time dealing with lack of sleep. They were stealing glances at the witches as they went through their findings at the cave. They were sure that they could not be heard by the outsiders as they spoke their native language, Khuzdul.
Fili and Kili stepped away from them, still within reach of the witches, but just enough to give them some space. They tried to look like they were busy doing tasks, all the while keeping an eye on them.
"Only one of them talks." Kili stated, carefully pulling out items from a crate.
"I think they both do, she just seems to talk with her hands; like Bifur. She must be deaf." Fili was trying really hard not to stare. He was able to get a long look at her when she was locked in the cave. However the lighting in there did not do her justice. She was unlike any person of any race he had ever seen. With her short hair on one side, longer on the other, rings that covered a good portion of her ear that was visible, and the markings she had on her body. She was exotic and beautiful.
"They are both quite unique; however I find the one with the longer hair a little more appealing." Kili stated.
Even though he had no business looking at either of them, Fili was grateful to hear his brother say that. "I'm curious about their background. Where could they be from?"
"And why are they alone?" Kili wondered. "No matter the race, no women should be traveling this land on her own."
"Agreed." Fili wanted to ask them exactly what was on his mind.
Out of the forest, Thorin had just returned with Gandalf, not looking very happy. He walked over to the women and stood at their feet. His agitated presence was enough to rouse them from drifting off to sleep. "Come with us." He ordered, offering his hand to help them stand.
Everyone awake was wondering what their leader was up too, but no one asked as they disappeared back into the forest. The youngest brothers exchanged glances before busying themselves with their new gear. They only had a limited amount of space to put things. Organization was the key if they hoped to take it all with them.
