Swept Away by Destiny

Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit Fanfiction

Chapter 8: I'll Make a Guardian Out of You

"Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts. There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature - the assurance that dawn comes after night, and spring after winter."- Rachel Carson.

It had been a week since Evelyn arrived with Gandalf and discovered the news that she was brought to this world by Eru Iluvatar and chosen to become a Guardian. A whole week she has been spending with her mentor, Radagast the Brown, training from the early morning to evening.

The training was going no where at all. It made both student and mentor frustrated and exhausted.

Evelyn was already beginning to miss the hobbits, seeing that this training was going no where. It made the woman feel frustrated and sad because she was unsuccessful in living up to this prophecy about her. She wasn't no Guardian and it was disappointing.

As for Radagast, he was trying his best to remain calm and try his best. At times his frustration would show through. It caused the wizard to think either Eru happened to pick the wrong woman or he was a terrible teacher.

It was then during one night when Evelyn, after a long while, had finally received another prophetic dream.

She found herself in a forest and looked around at all the green trees. It was a peaceful place.

"Evelyn...you must not doubt yourself." A voice spoke. She turned to see the figure in all white, who was Eru.

The college student walked up to him, eyebrow raised. "I've seen you before...you're Eru, aren't you? You brought me here!"

The man nodded. "So you have decided. Child, you must listen to me carefully. I've been watching you and your mentor. You both think this training is going no where..."

Evelyn interrupted him. "It isn't. I'm sorry, but I don't see how I'm exactly suppose to be the Guardian. Besides...I know how this story ends and it doesn't involve a Guardian."

Eru chuckled, amused by her response. "Oh, but it does now young one. You. You wanted to find your destiny and this is it, as the Guardian."

This caused Evelyn to look to him with a jaw drop. It was that spell she recited in the library! Wait, it actually worked? No, it couldn't have! No matter how many times she tried to deny it, the evidence was right in front of her. It was hard to refuse it any longer, especially with the figure who was like a god of Middle Earth telling her he chose her destiny. That last bit sounded crazy.

Evelyn took in a breath, trying to process this all. "Okay...say this is my destiny as this Guardian. How do I become it? As you have seen, Radagast has been trying his hardest, but no success."

The creator laughed once again. "It is because he is acting like he is training another wizard like himself, when he must be training a Guardian."

She crossed her arms, raising a brow at him. "Then how does one train a Guardian?"

"First you must known what it is to be a Guardian."

"Alright. That's simple. A Guardian protects or defends something."

"Putting it in a simple and short term, yes. Now putting it altogether with the synonyms, a Guardian is someone who protects, defends and is a keeper of someone or something."

Eru watched as Evelyn was slowly taking this all in. She knew he had a hidden meaning behind his words, trying to tell her what exactly her role held. She was meant to be Guardian to someone or something...but what?

"What are you trying to hint towards? Am I protecting someone or something?" Evelyn asked him.

A mysterious smile came to Eru's lips. "You already know the answer child. Just keep thinking on it. Now, since you know what a Guardian is, the next step is to train you like one."

The college student blinked at him. "Let me guess, by guarding something?"

Eru nodded. "You're catching on."

Evelyn shook her head, not fully understanding this one bit. "Wait a minute. How exactly will having me as a Guardian benefit this story? I'm so confused!"

"As I've already told you child, just keep thinking on it. You already know the answer. It is inside you." Suddenly her surroundings and Eru began to slowly fade like a fog. "I must be off and you must awaken for your training. This time I think you will find it to be successful."

And just as Eru had said, they were successful. Once Evelyn woke, she told Radagast of her dream and the brown wizard was happy the creator had answered his prayers.

They begun the training right away after Radagast finally realized how he must train her. He went about it by having her watch over his animals. It seemed like such a boring and simple task, but it proved to be harder than she thought.

The wizard would give her a goal to follow, no matter how extreme. "Evelyn, go take care of the plants."

"Evelyn, you must watch over the baby birds and make sure they don't get taken by predator's while the parents are away."

"Evelyn, go check on the spiders, but do be careful and make sure you don't become their meal."

No matter how crazy the tasks would become or how much she didn't want to do them, Evelyn went along and tried her best in them. Even with the spiders who would soon one day make someone into a tasty snack and tried to do so to her at times.

Two weeks had gone by now and she grew more successful in her training.

It also seemed her and Radagast were becoming closer the more he realized she seemed to care for the animals and nature unlike others. It was a moment with his hedgehog Sebastian that made him warm up to his student even more.

It was a cold windy night when they finished training. They huddled inside the house with some of the animals Radagast kept inside. He went to go make a fire to help warm them up and Evelyn went to make some hot tea. Tea was a comforting thing nature provided and they both would have it after their busy day.

The college student was rushing about the room getting it ready, and carefully watching the animals fly or walk amongst her when she came across a hedgehog on the counter. It looked to her with it's beady eyes, watching her carefully.

A bright smile came to her face. "Hello Sebastian." She said, greeting him.

The hedgehog make a little noise to her saying hi back.

"It's a cold night tonight. Are you feeling cold little fella?"

Sebastian gave a sound like a snuff meaning yes.

Evelyn chuckled at the cute hedgehog. "Alright. After I'm done making tea for teacher and I, and once I care for the others, how about I cuddle you to help warm you up? I can even feed you your dinner, deal?"

Sebastian gave a pleased squeal, delighted in the deal. It was a jackpot for a hedgehog.

After taking care of the others and finishing with the tea, Evelyn picked up the hedgehog off the counter with her free hand, and sat her tea down on the table with another. She sat down in a chair and snuggled the hedgehog in a blanket, holding him to her chest. Sebastian began to purr as a happy and content hedgehog would.

She fed him his dinner of fruits while she drank her tea. It was then at some point after reading Sebastian and the other animals a story she began to fall asleep.

When Radagast had finally arrived to the living room to sit and relax, he saw a sight that made him happy.

His student was asleep in the chair, Sebastian curled up in a blanket held to her chest securely and content and all the other animals asleep with them. It made the brown wizard feel proud and feel confident that his teachings were finally getting through and she was starting to become the Guardian they would all need.

Carefully and quietly, as not to disturb them, he sat down and took in the sight. It made him happy, but also sad.

Since he was beginning to feel confident in her becoming the Guardian, it would mean her training would soon be over and she would have to return to Bag End.

Alas, that was how it was suppose to be. For as how birds must learn to fly and eventually leave the nest, so must students.


That part with Sebastian just makes me awe with cuteness! Just imagine cuddling a hedgehog as cute as Sebastian~! 3

So, it has been confirmed that Eru was the one who brought her here and chose her to be the Guardian. But how exactly is her role as The Guardian beneficial to this story? MWAHAHA! You must wait to find out! *puts on sunglasses and walks out like a boss with Eru*

Now in reply to a review: No, training her under Radagast wouldn't make her a wizard. As Eru has said "It is because he is acting like he is training another wizard like himself, when he must be training a Guardian." Radagast was chosen by Eru to train her to become the Guardian because as his talents in animals and nature is, you must care for them and protect them. Hence, how he trains her to become a Guardian: one who protects, defends, cares for someone or something. ;D

Let me know what you all think about this chapter. See you in the next one~!