I See Fire

by LifeIsAVerb

With so many retellings, some stories need a shepherd to keep order. Nadia is that shepherd. With abilities that come to light in this new world, how can 1 girl guide a group of gruff dwarves, a hobbit who is as out of place as she is, and a wizard with a brain as seemly tangled as his beard? One can only wonder...

2. Chapter 2 - In A Hole In The Ground

Author's Note: Moving right along, time to meet our favorite hobbit! ***I do not own any of Peter Jackson's or JRR Tolkien's works, only my OCs***

Chapter 2: In a Hole In the Ground

I gasp, eyes still pinched shut in preparation for the fiery blast. Breathing deeply for the next minute or so, I take in the precious oxygen. It was a dream! I mentally shriek in an unsuccessful attempt to calm myself, It was just a dream… I begin to release my fists when I feel, not the covers of my bed, but the springy touch of grass.

My eyes fly open to take in the bluest sky I've ever seen. Puffy white clouds drift gently across my vision, unaware of my distress. A bead of sweat rolls down my forehead from the combination of the gentle warmth in the air as well as the stress of the night. Weaving my fingers in the universe's greenest grass, I sit up quickly- only to have a thick wooden staff thump into the ground across my body. I jump, a small shriek escaping my lips. Jerking my head up to the owner of the staff, I feel my brain crash to a halt.

I take in a weathered grey cloak, including a silver scarf peeking out from under a wild grey beard that would give Santa Claus a run for his money. My eyes circle up to a tall pointed grey hat, coming back down to a blue-grey gaze. Despite the firmness of which he's gripping his staff, the same firmness does not meet his eyes.

Much like Lady Galadriel, Ian McKellen's appearance had been almost spot on except for some subtle differences. Random lines of neat stitching holds the travel-worn fabric together. His face is slightly thinner with cheekbones that are sharper still.

"G-G-Gandalf?!" I stutter.

Gandalf's voice works its way past his impressive beard, though it's admittedly a bit more garbled than I'm used to, "Be still, dear girl! The Lady Galadriel told me of your arrival." Confident that I won't be standing up too soon, Gandalf removes his staff. Bending over me, he lowers his deep, lilting voice despite the absence of anyone else's presence, "I'm also aware that you know of things yet to be. I strongly advise you to keep any knowledge of future events to yourself. I assure you that, should your interference is too drastic, your quest will end in disaster."

My shoulders sag at his words, beginning to understand just how difficult my task will be. My eyes lower to examine the hem of my black shorts, my fingers combing the grass in an attempt to calm myself. Seeming to take note of my distress, I hear Gandalf grumble to himself before gently gripping my shoulder, "Now, now, Estelwen, I will be assisting in realizing the abilities that Galadriel mentioned to you."

Now hopeful, I tentatively smile up at him. Stabilizing myself with my arms, I begin to climb to my feet when a thought comes to mind, "Gandalf, what does 'Estelwen' mean? You and Galadriel keep calling me that, but my name is-"

Gandalf cuts me off, gesturing with a giant grey sleeve, "'Estelwen' is Elvish for the your real name, 'Nadia'."

Even though Gandalf looks friendly enough, I don't miss when his eyes dart around the empty grassy clearing. Man, I think as I look over random patches of dandelions sprinkled across the plain, Whatever I'm supposed to do must be a lot more important than I think. It seems like Gandalf thinks I'm going to be attacked or maybe even spied upon as we speak…

My train of thought is interrupted when Gandalf turns away from me, flicking his silver scarf over his shoulder, "Come now, we have a schedule to keep pace with!" Shaking my head slightly, but still smiling, I scramble to my feet and start after the wizard. Being such a tall man, his legs are much longer than mine and my legs struggle to match his strides. In attempt to ignore the panic steadily building in my chest, I decide to take in what I now know is Hobbiton.

Green hills roll into the distance, flowers of every color imaginable filling the valleys between. A soft wind blows by, gently curling my hair and tangling Gandalf's beard. Though I wear no shoes, my feet are quite durable from a lifetime of being barefoot anyways and the stone actually feels comfortably warm beneath my feet. I smile up at the sun, I can certainly see why Bilbo will be hesitant to leave on an adventure! This place is the epitome of peace; I could stay here forever and a day…

After a while of enjoying the scenery, I notice short structures atop some hills that grow more frequent as we approach. Squinting, I realize that they're chimneys. The path we walk upon is steadily turning from dust to a pleasantly worn cobblestone road. Knowing that any questions I have won't be answered once we're amongst others, I look up at the tall wizard, "I don't think that my name was simply chosen, what does it mean?"

Gandalf nods his head, the brim of his hat momentarily covering sparkling eyes, "'Estelwen' means 'hope', appropriately enough."

My heart thumps in my chest at the word. My foot catches on a stone and I almost find myself face-first on the floor. Regaining my balance, I trot after Gandalf, but keep my head down, This is too much! That implies that I was named in my own world for the purpose of coming here all along!

Before I can voice my growing doubts, Gandalf continues, "However, 'Estelwen' is the Elvish translation. The company you are about to join is not fond of anything Elvish, so you will seldom hear that name. Speaking of the company-" Gandalf stops in his tracks so abruptly that I almost walk into him. Fixing me with an earnest look, he grips his staff a bit tighter, "This group is a very close knit selection of individuals. Their people, by nature, are very suspicious of strangers. I will not lie to you, you will need to prove yourself to them many a time." I swallow in anticipation at the gruff dwarves who I will have to somehow get along with for months. Gandalf leans back, "Do not be discouraged, for every time you prove yourself as loyal, it will further secure your place amongst them."

I open my mouth to respond, but immediately forget what I'm about to say when I hear a cheerful whistling from ahead. As we approach, I see my first real creature of Middle Earth who happens to be even shorter than myself (and that's saying something!). Dressed in a white button down shirt and tough brown pants, the bare-footed hobbit is carrying a rake over his shoulder. Pointed ears steadily rise over wild curly hair which matches the hair on his feet. I can't help but smile at the little man in excitement.

The hobbit catches sight of us and his cheerful whistling dies out. His eyes widen to the size of dinner plates, even going so far as to stop mid-stride. To break the awkward tension, I tentatively wave as the shocked little man. I seem to have shocked him out of his daze as he smiles a bit nervously, bobs his head in passing greeting, and hurries off. Gandalf continues on with no thought on the matter, but I've stopped to look after the little guy.

Gandalf's drifting voice reaches me after a few moments of me staring after the hobbit, "Hobbits are quite solitary folk, they don't see many others here in the Shire. A wizard and a strangely-dressed girl are going to be cause enough for stares, let alone gossip!" Gandalf chuckles fondly.

As we walk on, something small thumps into the back of my legs. Regaining my balance, I look down to see a beautiful hobbit child. Just behind her were 2 hobbit boys and another girl, all dressed in earthy, faded colors. Rosy-red faces peer up at me, looking a bit apprehensive as to what my reaction will be. Much to the children's relief, I smile even wider in return and pat her curly head, "Hello!"

They all giggle a bit shyly, the even smaller second girl hiding a bit behind a boy, a portion of his vest clutched firmly in her chubby fist. Before any actual words can be exchanged, a few huge white butterflies cross our path. Being so young, the hobbit children's attention is immediately captured and they all scamper off after it. I honestly would have followed them, but Gandalf's hand comes down on my shoulder, "Nadia, keep to the task!" I glance up at him, but relax bit when I see he was smiling good-naturedly at me, "We're nearly there!"

And there it was. We walk by the empty lawn where I knew a huge oak tree would grow and the grandest party The Shire would see would be held under it. I grip the hem of my t-shirt a bit nervously as we rounded the bend to Bag End.

The first thing I see is the beautiful green door I had read about over and over as a child, a shiny golden knob in the exact middle. A branch-woven gate encloses the front yard, keeping in the wild grass which includes various patches of brightly-colored flowers. I excitedly spot the gate door upon which Frodo would hammer the sign 'No Admittance - Except On Party Business' decades later. Stone steps emerge from the grass down to, I inhale sharply, a small bench upon which sits The Hobbit.

Bilbo Baggins wears a yellow floral vest over a creme-colored button up shirt. A pleasantly pale blue scarf is tied around his neck and he holds a long curved pipe. His curly hair is a bit longer than would be considered reasonable from my world, but to me he seems to be the epitome of respectability (even if his ears are larger than I remember). There he sat, not a care in the world; I could practically hear him as an elderly Hobbit saying, "Nothing unexpected ever happened…"

As Gandalf crosses in front of Bilbo, the most recent smoke ring that had drifted into the air morphs into a butterfly. The butterfly smacks right into Bilbo's nose. I have to exercise quite the amount of restraint in order not to laugh loudly when Bilbo blinks the smoke away and finally catches sight of Gandalf. The poor hobbit looks utterly unsure of what to make of the man! I accidentally allow a small giggle to burst forth from my mouth.

At that precise moment, a small explosion occurs from the end of Bilbo's pipe! The cinders burst to life, creating its own smoke, before going out as quickly as it had occurred. I smile sheepishly at Bilbo, showing that I mean no harm. Bilbo smiles back, but I notice he looks down and then away, cheeks a bit pink.

I allow my eyes to dart to Gandalf's. He gives me a small smile, thanking me for breaking the tension. I also notice that he's not surprised at the small pipe explosion, but my attention is quickly drawn by the hobbit again.

Taking note of the wizard once again, Bilbo says a bit more cheerfully than what I'd expected, "Good morning!"

Gandalf grips his staff with both hands, leaning upon it easily, "What do you mean? Do you mean to wish me a good morning, or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not?" He stares down his long nose at the poor hobbit who has gone quite slack-jawed.

I resist the urge to giggle, ducking a bit behind Gandalf's tall form so as not to insult Bilbo. If he hadn't been holding his pipe, it would have fallen to the ground by now!

Bilbo looks as if he's going to answer when Gandalf continues relentlessly on, "Or, perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning. Or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on?" Finished with his complicated speech, Gandalf looks down expectantly at the now completely bamboozled hobbit.

I chuckle a bit to myself as Bilbo struggles to find a response, finally gesturing at Gandalf with his pipe, "All of them at once, I suppose…"

Gandalf continues to stare, vocalizing a contemplative "Hm…" I would have been a bit worried as to his intentions myself, had I not known what he was looking for.

Not knowing the story like I do, Bilbo turns slightly away on the orange bench cushion before turning abruptly back, "Can I help you?"

Gandalf's eyes are still narrowed in, to me, a hilariously comical way, "That remains to be seen…"

I roll my eyes, If you're not careful, Bilbo's going to call for help! I elbow Gandalf in the ribs. As he turns back to look down at me, I raise my eyebrows and jerk my head pointedly at Bilbo, Get to the point!

Gandalf nods in understanding and turns back. By now, Bilbo is looking at me quite curiously so I smile encouragingly in return, It's alright Bilbo, he's not all that bad! I shrug at Bilbo before jerking my head at Gandalf in a 'What can you do?' sort of fashion. Now looking a bit more relaxed, Bilbo nods imperceptibly at me before focusing on the wizard once again.

I peer around Gandalf's grey robes to see his eyebrows raise at his own proposition, "I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure." I shift from foot to foot, getting chills at the word 'adventure' and all it entails. Looking back at Bilbo in excitement, I realize that I had quite forgotten about the hobbit's original outlook on such things.

Bilbo's face goes, in another situation, comically stony and begins to lose color a bit. A bit frightened for his sake, I step around Gandalf and lean a bit over the fence. My hair almost tangles in the woven branches, but I pay it no mind, "Oh dear, are you alright Bil-sir?" I hope that Bilbo didn't notice my slip up; after all, he hasn't technically introduced himself yet!

Bilbo snaps himself out of his daze and nods appreciatively at me, "Quite alright, thank you!" I step back a bit to give him some air as he addresses Gandalf again, "An adventure?" He swallows at the word before continuing a bit stronger, "Now, I don't imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures." Bilbo's body language adjusts itself to exhibit more confidence as he gets to his feet. "Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things." Bilbo reaches around his mailbox and takes out some letters, "Make you late for dinner!"

He chuckles and replaces his pipe back in his mouth. As he shifts through the letters, I notice out of the corner of my eye that Gandalf now has a hand on his hip. Clearly not a good sign, I think as I roll my eyes.

Bilbo, noticing that we haven't moved yet, looks up at us and back down to his letters. He grumbles and grunts a few times, gripping his pipe in a nervous tick. He takes holds his pipe as he blurts out yet another, "Good morning!" before working his jaw around in yet another nervous tick.

As he walks back up the stairs, Gandalf speaks to his retreating figure, eventually taking few strides to follow, "To think that I should have lived to be good-morninged by Belladonna Took's son," Bilbo turns back in shock to listen to the strange man who knows his mother, "as if I were selling button's at the door!" I politely move a bit to accommodate Gandalf's presence beside me.

I wrinkle my brow as I look back at Gandalf. Buttons? I mouth questioningly.

Both ignore me as Bilbo almost whispers, "Beg your pardon?"

I almost give Gandalf a hug at the underlying tone of sadness as he shakes his head, "You'v changed, and not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins."

Uncomfortable with the amount of knowledge Gandalf seems to have, Bilbo quickly responds, "I'm sorry, do I know you?"

Gandalf, as disgruntled at Bilbo's response as Bilbo is with himself, replies a bit tiredly, "Well, you know my name, although you don't remember I belong to it. I'm Gandalf! And Gandalf means…"

He struggles a bit, and I notice just how tired he seems. I reach up and pat his shoulder comfortingly, "You?"

Gandalf nods affirmatively down at me, "Yes!" He turns back to Bilbo with a bit more confidence, "Me!"

I see Bilbo's face dawn with recognition, "Gandalf…" He points his pipe at Gandalf and speaks more and more excitedly, "Not Gandalf the Wandering Wizard, who made such excellent fireworks!" I smile at them both as Gandalf half shrugs in acceptance, far more pleased than he had been a moment ago. "Old Took used to have them on Midsummer's Eve!"

Bilbo laughs a bit and I see the spark of a fond memory jump to life in Bilbo's eyes. He and Gandalf look over the fields which Bilbo had gestured to. Though Bilbo doesn't see, I smile up at his position on the stairs, Now there's the Bilbo Baggins that I grew up with!

Unfortunately, Bilbo's usually polite brain doesn't filter out his next words, "I had no idea you were still in business!" He clasps his pipe between his teeth and I inwardly groan.

Gandalf looks back at the hobbit, a bit startled, "And where else should I be?"

"Well-" Bilbo gestures around a bit with his pipe as if the answer was obvious.

Unfortunately, it is! I clap a hand to my mouth and turn away from them, snickering loudly.

Sure that they're watching me, I wait until Gandalf speaks again before I turn back with a grin, "Well, I'm pleased to find you remember something about me, even if it's only my fireworks…" Gandalf nods once to himself, "Well, that's decided! It will be very good for you," Gandalf points at the hobbit who, much to my ever-mounting amusement, looks agreeable at first before frowning off to the side in confusion. Gandalf adjusts his robes, "and most amusing for me. I shall inform the others!"

I sigh as Bilbo's face mirrors his slipping control of the situation, "Inform the who? What? No. No. No!" He hurriedly climbs the remainder of the stairs to stand protectively in front of his beautiful green door, "We do not want," He swings his pipe emphatically across the landscape, "any adventures" He almost slams the letters in his hand upon the ground, "here, thank you. Not today, not-" The ruffled hobbit barely manages to voice any words, instead bumbling along with 'hm's and 'er's.

Gandalf shifts his feet and puts his right hand on his hip expectantly. After composing himself a bit more, Bilbo finishes his original thought, "I suggest you try over the Hill or across the Water." His hand jerks his pipe to gesture a bit compulsively over yonder before he mumbles a final weak, "Good morning!"

Bilbo quickly ducks into Bag End and I sigh yet again as I hear the lock click into place. Unlike myself, Gandalf wastes no time as he quickly strides up the steps. I follow inside the gate, but stop at the bottom of the stairs and almost groan aloud as Gandalf marks up the door with the elf rune, I suppose it is necessary… I cross my arms and wait for Gandalf to look creepily through the hall window back at Bilbo. Effectively scaring the hobbit, Gandalf chuckles as he descends the steps.

An idea pops into my head. I quickly adjust my stance to reflect discomfort and distress, If I remember correctly, Bilbo will look out his kitchen room window at Gandalf leaving. Now, Bilbo seems a bit more disturbed than what I recall, so we need to gain his trust now. He likes me more than Gandalf at the moment, I glance at the approaching wizard (who looks a bit confused at my body language), so maybe I should play to his good nature. I look up at the green door, I'm sorry Bilbo, but this quest simply must go on!

I'm jerked out of my thoughts when Gandalf stops in front of me. Before he can open his mouth, I use his body to shield myself from Bilbo's view for a moment, "Gandalf, I need you to trust me, yeah? No matter what I say, I need you to play along and leave me here." Gandalf looks as if he's about to protest, but I cut him off quickly, "Gandalf, we're losing time! I can do this!" I wink up at him.

Before any further discussion, I step into view of the kitchen window. Placing my hands on my hips. I lean towards Gandalf and speak quite loudly, "But Gandalf, you can't just leave! What will I do? Where will I go?!"

Gandalf, after looking a bit startled at my volume, seems to catch on. He ushers me aside with his staff, gruffly stating, "That shall be for you to decide!" Without another word, the grey wizard hurries down the lane and out of sight. As I watch, I do my best to look thoroughly upset and dejected. I sit heavily down upon the bench and allow my head to fall into my hands.

After a few moments, I decide it's been enough time sitting and 'moping'. I stare at a patch of particularly lovely flowers, I don't know for how long Bilbo's been watching or if he'll look back out the window. Either way, I need to wait out here until he comes out; what to do in the meantime…? Drifting out of my reverie, I notice a few nasty weeds weaving in and out of the flower bed. Tired of feeling useless, I decide that even if it's a small thing, I'll do this for Bilbo.

I reach back and twist my hair into a kind of rope. Without a hair tie, I do the best I can and tie my hair into a knot. Kneeling down in front of the flowers, I begin to pull the weeds.

Unfortunately, this leaves plenty of time for me to think about the situation I've now landed in. How an I going to get home? I find myself thinking hopelessly, I mean I'm pretty aware that Gandalf and Galadriel aren't going to let me return anytime soon, and I wouldn't want to leave without giving my best shot, especially if everything they say is true! I wipe my forehead and sigh, looking up at the beautiful blue sky, Well, I suppose all I can do is to try. When they see that I'm not what they expect, Galadriel and Gandalf will send me back or whatever they did to get me here…

I have an impressive pile of weeds when I hear the door creak open. Not wanting to startle the now-skittish hobbit, I listen to his bare feet step down the stairs. Bilbo speaks a bit more politely than the conversation with Gandalf, "Excuse me?"

I turn, patting down a few stray curled hairs with the back of my hand, "Ah, hello! I don't think Gandalf introduced me, I'm Nadia!" I offer Bilbo a hand, but then realize that it's filthy. I look down at my own hand, "Oops- er, sorry!" I whip my hand back, looking up at him sheepishly. I notice that Bilbo is looking anywhere lower than my face. Hm… I know this shirt isn't exactly scandalous, so what's going on?

Bilbo chuckles, "It's quite alright. But, I was just wondering," Bilbo looks down at his pipe nervously. I wait quietly for him to collect his thoughts, "I was just wondering… er- well you don't seem like you're from around here." It dawns on Bilbo that this probably wasn't as polite as he'd hoped because he quickly scrambles to say something more appropriate, "I heard you speaking with Gandalf and you sounded quite distressed so- so-" I smile at the flustered little man, knowing what he was trying to say, "I suppose I'm trying to ask- are you alright?" A bit pink in the face, Bilbo stares determinedly at his feet.

I sigh, deciding to tell the curious hobbit a bit of the truth. Brushing my hands off over the flower beds before brushing them off again on my shorts, I speak just loudly enough for Bilbo to hear, "Well, you see, this place is not my home; I don't know how to return. Gandalf was my only link back home and I have no idea as to where he went, so I'm a bit stuck here." Though I had only intended for Bilbo to feel the weight of my situation, my own shoulders sag as I realize what I've said is far more true than I would have liked.

Working past his original discomfort, Bilbo walks down next to stand at my side. He pats my shoulder almost protectively. I'm shocked when his next words aren't stuttered or confused, but is actually quite steady, "Why don't you come inside? I'm sure Gandalf will turn back up and it looks like you haven't had a spot of food for a week!"

Despite knowing the polite nature of hobbits, this offer brings tears to my eyes after such a difficult… Day? It's only been a day?! "I think I will take you up on that offer, thank you for it! Oh, but I'd be more than happy to help with anything you need to get done-"

Bilbo seems a bit uncomfortable with my tears, but smiles as he offers me a hand. Helping me to my feet, he snorts, "Nonsense! You're now my guest! Oh and by the way," Bilbo's eyes dart down to my legs before jerking back up to my face, his own a bit pink, "I'm not sure about your culture, but anywhere I know of around here, er- well, I'm certain I have some old clothes of my mother's-"

My eyes widen a bit in realization, My legs! It's probably remarked as being pretty scandalous to be showing this much skin! I'll have to make it clear to all of the guys later that I won't be shamed for possessing freaking legs, but for now I suppose it'll make Bilbo feel a bit more comfortable. I begin to protest a bit, "Your mother's clothes? I couldn't-"

Bilbo shakes his head, "No, no, I insist!" He glares at me pointedly and I know there won't be winning this argument.

I smile, Bilbo gets pretty confident when he feels sure of a situation. That'll help him out on this quest. I nod in mock defeat, "Alright, have it your way."

Bilbo nods affirmatively and offers me an elbow. Chuckling a bit, I accept his arm. Together, we march up the stairs, through the green door, and into Bag End.