The Adventures Begin ~

Chapter III ~

Why is it always something unexpected?

Dear Diary,

I can never get my younger sisters to stop arguing. They are constantly arguing about something and I don't know what for. It is driving all of us up the wall. It's strange though, I can't hear them arguing anymore…maybe they've gone downstairs. And to think, it's seven-thirty in the morning. I've decided to stay in my bedroom until they learn to stop bickering. It's worse than the relationship the dwarves have with elves in The Hobbit, which by the way had been a good movie. Nerys dragged us to see it last night. Aislinn stayed home instead of going to the movies but anyway. Nerys goes on and on about how awesome it would be to actually go to Middle-Earth and fight in the battles. Me, I can't stand the sight of blood (even though I see it once a month). It makes me sick to my stomach and also, I don't like fighting. I can handle it in the movies and whatever but if I'm up close and personal with blood, I nearly vomit.

Anyway, lots and lots of studying to do today. There's finals coming up for classes at Uni and I am freaking out. It's for my British literature class…I am going to fail. No…shut up, Emma. I can do it. I'll be okay. I, most of the time, worry over nothing. At least that's what Nerys, Aislinn and Claire say. Okay, no more writing. I'll see if I can write later.

Emma

Emma closed the flap to her leather-bound diary and sighed before slumping back into her pillows. The house, she noticed, had been awfully quiet. Too quiet, it was unusual for Nerys and Aislinn not to fight. Emma pushed herself out of bed and headed out of her bedroom. Claire had just come back upstairs with a cup of hot tea and an English muffin in her mouth.

"Where are Nerys and Aislinn?" she inquired. Claire shrugged and shuffled on back to her room, closing the door behind her. Emma sighed and headed downstairs to the kitchen where her father and step-mother were making coffee and breakfast.

"Morning, dear," her step-mother greeted, "it's unusually quiet isn't it?"

"Mm," Emma hummed in agreement as she fixed herself up some breakfast. "Maybe Nerys and Aislinn have gone out."

"This early in the morning?" her father asked teasingly. "I don't think they ever would. Oh, don't forget, I need you to take Claire to her doctor's check up."

"Why can't you teach her how to drive?"

"She's learning. But I have a business meeting in the city today at four."

"Right, I forgot." Emma stated. "But I've gotta study for my finals too."

"So take Claire with you to the library. She can look for her books or whatever."

"Hey, Claire… do you wanna go with me to the library? You can read your fantasy books there. I need to study for my finals. After I'm taking you to your check-up,"

"Fiiine," Claire muttered. "Why can't Darcy take me?"

"I have to go to work. And speaking of work, I'm late. I'll see you in time for dinner!" their step-mother answered. Darcy gave a kiss to each of the girls and their dad. Claire made a face and laughed.

"Eww,"

"Oh stop," Darcy exclaimed, with a grin. She grabbed her tweed jacket and purse before heading out the door.

"I am going to get dressed." Emma said, with a sigh. "Ten minutes, Claire and then we're leaving. So just hurry up with your second breakfast as you like to call it."

Claire mumbled incoherently as Emma headed up the stairs to slip on a pair of dark washed skinny jeans, a dark brown long sleeve shirt with buttons going down the right side. Over her skinny jeans, she slipped on her brown knee-high brown boots that had a buckle on the side and on the bottom. She sighed when she gazed at the mirror. Emma had always considered herself as decent looking, quite pretty but she would never imagine anyone calling her drop dead gorgeous. Her flaming ginger hair fell past her shoulders in light waves. Her fair skin had hardly any colour pigment except on occasion if she would be outside for long periods of time. Emma applied her usual thin layer of eyeliner, mascara and the lightest shade of pink lip gloss before packing her messenger bag with her diary, some notebooks and her English text book. Everything else had already been in place in her bag so she hurriedly made her way down the stairs. Seeing Claire ready and dressed in jeans, a tee-shirt and her black Converse shoes.

"Why do you look so sophisticated? We're just going to the library, Ems." Claire reminded, grabbing an apple out of the bowl and her purse off the edge of the counter. "Bye, Dad!"

"Bye, girls, drive safe!"

"Yeah," they both said. The girls got into the old fashioned yellow Beetle bug their father had gotten Emma for a birthday present last year and headed towards the library.

"Seriously? Why can't the library have a parking garage? Why do we have to park on the street? And three blocks away," Claire cried.

"Because it is an old library and it's going to stay that way." Emma said, giggling. As they walked down the town streets, the last walk way they had to cross Claire was about to rush over. Emma grabbed her arm in the middle of the street. "What are you—,"

Before she could finish, all Emma could remember was hearing Claire scream and a strong force hitting both of the girls.

Sunlight blinded Emma as she forced her eyes open. She shut them up just as quickly and rolled over onto her stomach. Instead of feeling hard pavement underneath her, she felt something soft and damp. Once she managed to open her eyes, Emma noticed a forest surrounding her. She let out a yelp and whipped around, landing on her back side. Her head pounded with pain as she looked around for Claire. No...Claire! She thought.

"CLAIRE! CLAIRE!" she screamed out. Her voice was hoarse but she still managed to yell quite loudly. "CLAIRE, WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Over here," she heard the familiar voice of her sister and sighed in relief. "What the hell just happened? One minute we were crossing the street — where are we?"

"A forest by the looks of it,"

"Okay, are we being punked? Where are the camera people and...? If this is some kind of stupid prank..." Claire called out. "I'll—,"

"Claire, please stop yelling. I don't want to draw attention—,"

Not too far away, they could hear an angry grumbling and someone talking and footsteps shuffling along in the forest.

"...good morning, indeed," the voice mumbled.

"Maybe we can ask for directions?" Claire inquired. Emma nodded and they stumbled along the forest until they found a road and an elderly man walking along it with his walking stick. He was dressed in grey, had a big pointy hat to match and as well as a grey beard.

"Excuse me, sir," she called out. The man stopped walking and looked about. "Over here,"

He turned around and looked at the two girls.

"Ah," he said. "And what may I do for you?"

"We were just hoping to have directions to the nearest town or...city...or some place of civilization." Emma answered.

The old grey man seemed to ponder quietly to himself as he studied the girls and grumbled incoherently.

"Yes, I think you will do well...quite well in fact." The man concluded. "Now, where is it you need to have the directions to?"

"Just a local inn or motel or..."

"The village of Bree has an inn...the Prancing Pony has decent rooms there. But, that is a half days' walk from here. Unless we find some friendly farmer who will lend us his horses," the man mused.

"Would you take us to Bree then?" Claire asked. "And you haven't even told us your name."

"Ah yes, you must pardon my manners. I have just been good morning-ed by an old friend of mine who hardly recognised me. It was not a pleasant start to his day I would imagine. I am Gandalf the Grey."

"Claire Jameson,"

"And I'm called Emma. Same last name, we're sisters. If it's easier you can just call us Emma daughter of James and Claire daughter of James,"

"No, that won't be necessary. Jameson will suit me just as well." Gandalf said, with a nod. "Now, off to Bree. I am expecting a Company of Dwarves to meet us at the inn."

"Before, when you said that we'll do quite well, what did you mean by that?" Claire asked, as they began following Gandalf down the forest path.

"I need someone to share in an adventure. My last choice did not take the request too well but he will eventually agree. I have faith in the Hobbit."

"And what's the Hobbit's name?" Emma posed.

"Bilbo Baggins of Bag-end. You will meet him in about a week's time once we return to the Shire."

"But what does this have to do with a Company of Dwarves?" Claire wondered.

"I have agreed with the leader of the company to host the meeting at Bilbo's residence. Thorin Oakenshield is meaning to reclaim Erebor from Smaug...a dragon who took the Lonely Mountain from the dwarves."

"So this adventure...there's a fifty percent chance of death?" Emma asked. "And blood..."

"Yes, it is possible. But once this journey has ended, if you decide to continue with the Company and our Burglar, you will not be the same. That I am willing to guarantee,"

"Will the Dwarves accept us girls in their quest?" Claire continued.

"They will, as long as you have useful abilities."

"I can cook," Emma said. "And sew...oh and I am pretty good at horseback riding."

"I can shoot a bow. I took archery lessons with my father." Claire added.

"Well then, I am sure you have many more useful talents that the Company will appreciate." Gandalf concluded, agreeably.

"I can't stand the sight of blood, fair warning, Gandalf." Emma said, quickly.

"Well, you will need to get used to that, my dear. There will be blood, there is no doubt."

Emma grew nauseas just thinking about the idea of seeing blood but shook the thought from her mind. No, I need to be stronger than that. For Claire, Nerys and Aislinn, she thought. I can't be the weak little girl anymore. And she vowed she wouldn't be.

.::*::.

Author's Note: Thank you for your reviews! This was I guess a kind-of filler in but I promise the girls will meet the dwarves and Bilbo in the next chapter. : )