Chapter 1

Seven days later

"My lady, we've arrived at Grey Havens, or "Mithlond" as they call it in Elvish."

Daenerys opened her eyes, stretched out on her bed and greeted the ship boy who had brought her the news with a smile.

"Thank you Beldos."

"Do you wish for breakfast my lady?"

"Yes please, that would be lovely."

Beldos bowed and left the room. Daenerys stretched out some more, let out a big yawn and got off the bed. She went to one of the windows and looked out, the weather was still fine and from what she could see the wind had subsided. It had to be early morning still because the sun had barely risen above the horizon, casting the sky in various shades of blue, green and yellow.

Soon Beldos came back with a tray full of bread, cheese, fruit and water. The supplies had lasted the whole journey for which Daenerys was really glad, considering that the most of the crew were men and they always tended to eat more than women she had been worried that it wouldn't last.

When she was finished she changed into a light blue dress she had bought on the road to the harbor in Essos. She had bought a few dresses and other clothes, food, water and also a horse who she named Mist. Mist was a light grey mare that Daenerys liked the very first moment she saw her. The one she had gotten from Khal Drogo as a wedding gift she had sadly lost when robbers attacked them during their journey to Vaes Dothrak. During her time there she was given another horse but that one was rather untamable so they killed it after it had kicked one of the khals in the face and he was badly injured. Daenerys had grown very fond of Mist, it was a calm yet very powerful horse although she hadn't gotten the chance to try galloping with her yet. As soon as Daenerys got close to Mist she felt an instant calm and she wondered why animals had that effect on her, sometimes even more than ordinary people.

When she finished dressing and went up on deck some of the ship crew were already busy with taking Mist and her other belongings to shore. She looked up at the architecture of Mithlond and thought:

"So this is Middle Earth, wonder if the buildings are just as marvellous in other places. The elves surely know how to create beautiful things."

The seagulls screamed and it was going to be a wonderful day. Daenerys bid farewell to the crew, thanking them for escorting her safely and went up on Mist's back. As soon as her bags were fasted on the mare, she took off. While she rode slowly through the city she took her time to admire it, she had never seen such beautiful buildings before. Although the port itself was very big, the city wasn't and Dany had ridden out of it faster than she first noticed. "This is it," she thought, "now I have to make it on my own." It scared her but it also thrilled her, this would be a big test and she stood by her choice not to return to Westeros or Essos. Did she have to be alone all this time though? Daenerys wondered if she would make friends, there had to be someone here she could be friends with. Another thing on her mind was if she ever would find real love. She had yet to experience that, yet to experience the physical part of love that her handmaidens Irri and Doreah spoke so lovingly about. Not even they had known about her and Drogo's secret, they often asked her how her love life was and all Daenerys could do was to lie and say that it was good. Daenerys decided that finding friends and love wouldn't be her first priority right now, it was to survive and live for each day.

Luckily she had bought maps where each covered a big area of Middle Earth, she took the one that covered Eriador which was the realm she now was in. From the stories she heard when she was little, Eriador was once a kingdom of Men but isn't nearly as populated now as it was then. Dany had also learnt that it was in Eriador the hobbits lived, in a small land called The Shire. She planned to go there but it would take long, maybe even weeks if she was unlucky. It was the safest to stay on the road as much as possible and stay at inns at night. Who knew what violent things could happen, especially when it was dark.

The first week of the journey went by, every day and night almost the same. To save money she had only slept every second night at inns and the rest out in the wild. She had now arrived at another inn for yet another night's sleep. Luckily she hadn't been attacked but had been able to travel in peace. Sure, she met people on the road but there were not many and it made her wonder if Middle Earth really had that many inhabitants. This inn was called "The Golden Leaf". When she had put Mist in the stables, paid for a room and a bit of food she sat down by a table and looked around. This inn was more crowded than the ones she had been in before and that was a good sign, hopefully this meant she was getting closer to real civilization. It would take a while before the food would arrive so she might just as well study the people she saw. So far Daenerys hadn't seen much more than ordinary humans, they looked much like the ones from her world and she hoped that she soon would see other races too.

The food arrived and it was made of a rather large piece of bread, a bowl of horse meat, some vegetables and a large mug of water. Daenerys hadn't gotten this much food in any of the earlier inns and if she couldn't manage to eat all the food she could put it in her bag and save it for the next day. Hunger stirred in her and she began to eat.

While she ate she felt as if she was being watched, she looked up a few times but couldn't find anybody looking at her. There was one man that caught her attention, an old man all dressed in grey; grey cloak, big grey pointy hat, big grey beard. The only thing that wasn't grey was his staff that appeared to be made of brown wood. He sat by a table in a corner all by himself smoking on his pipe, seemingly deep in his thoughts. Daenerys watched him for a while and suddenly he raised his head and their eyes met. He smiled towards her and she smiled back but then she felt the same feeling of being watched. It didn't take long until she understood that it was the old man who had been watching her the whole time. Why did he do that? Did he want something from her? He didn't look menacing at least, his eyes had a kindness in them so Daenerys decided to sit down next to him instead and ask him. As she did so he still smiled at her.

"Excuse me sir, have you been watching me?" Daenerys asked him right out.

"Yes. I have never seen you around here before, it's only natural to look a bit more at persons you've never seen in an area before don´t you think?" He took a puff of his pipe. "You don't look like you are from here, am I right?"

"Yes. I come from Westeros across the sea but decided to come here to try a new life. Who are you?"

"They call me many names; The Grey Pilgrim, Mithrandir, Greyhame. But my real name is Gandalf, or Gandalf the Grey."

Daenerys looked at him with kind eyes, relieved that she was right about her thoughts. "Nice to meet you sir Gandalf. Now I know who you are, but would you mind telling me what you are?"

He laughed. "I am a wizard. Would you like to tell me your name?"

Daenerys was silent for a moment. Could she really trust this man? The impression she got from him was that she could, so she decided to tell him.

"My name is Daenerys of the house Targaryen. I was born on the island of Dragonstone but my mother died in childbirth. Our father Aerys was the king of the Seven Kingdoms but was killed when Robert Baratheon decided to take the Iron Throne, which he still holds. My brother Viserys and I fled to the Free Cities. My brother sold me to a Dothraki warlord in exchange for an army to get the throne back but things didn't go as planned, he angered them and they killed him. My other brother Rhaegar is dead too so I am the only one left of my family. On the night I was born there was a terrible storm going on, which is why I sometimes go under the name Daenerys Stormborn."

Gandalf looked at her with compassion but it looked like there was something in his eyes too, almost like he knew about everything she had said before hand. Daenerys dismissed the thought.

"That makes you a princess. So what is a princess of such a high house doing in Middle Earth? What brought you here?"

"I wanted to start a new life. I have never been really happy before and I thought that moving to an entire new world would help me with that. The only good memories I have are from my childhood when I lived in a house in the city of Braavos. That house had a red door and whenever I think about that door, it makes me happy, it was the only real home I ever had. But I can never go back there and I don't even know if the house is still there."

"Is that all?" Gandalf asked, he sensed that there was more to her story.

"Yes, well… no. There are people who want me dead, namely Robert and his men. They still see me as the biggest threat to the Iron Throne, but I don´t want it. That is why I have chosen to live in exile, to hide from assassinators and because I don't want to be queen."

They were both silent for a while and Daenerys averted her eyes, afraid that she had said too much. When she dared to look at Gandalf he looked like he was lost in thoughts again, taking a few puffs from his pipe. Finally he smiled again, like he had just gotten a good idea, and said:

"Would you like to join me on an adventure?"

"An adventure? What kind of adventure?"

"Me, a hobbit named Bilbo Baggins and a band of thirteen dwarves are going on a mission to take back their kingdom Erebor, or the Lonely Mountain as you say in the common tongue. Long ago, Smaug the Terrible attacked the realm and occupied it."

As Gandalf continued to speak about it, Dany thought about a decision. This could actually give her a purpose, and also a chance to get to know some other species of this world. It didn't take long for her to decide.

"I would love to join you! But who is this Smaug?"

"A dragon, a big dragon whose only love in life is gold and treasures."

A dragon? Daenerys was terrified. What would they say if she revealed that she carried three dragon eggs with her? She had promised to take care of them and protect them with her life. One day they would hatch and could they accept her having dragons? She suddenly felt uncomfortable and looked down at her lap.

"Oh."

"Is there something wrong?" Gandalf asked, again sensing that there was more to what she was saying than just one word.

"There is something I need to tell you but I need to know if I can fully trust you, it mustn't be revealed to anyone."

"Depends on what it is, but you seem like a good person so you can trust me. But maybe it's for the best if we don't talk about it here, how about going to your room?"

Daenerys nodded and she led the way to where she was going to sleep for the night, luckily the inn keeper had given her a good description on how to find it. It wasn't a big room but for her it was well enough. When they both were inside she locked the door and turned to Gandalf again who had sat down in a chair. Taking a deep breath, she told him about her family's history with dragons and that she had been given the three eggs to be watched over and cherish.

When she was finished, Gandalf furrowed his big eyebrows. He was visibly concerned about what she had just told him. But then he said:

"When those dragons hatch, they might be useful. Do you know when they will hatch and how fast they grow?"

"I have no idea sir, but I would believe they won't hatch until in six months or more. Sure they won't be grown enough in time to battle Smaug?"

"No, but they might become handy in the future, if you do plan to stay in this world."

"I have nowhere else to go right now, so I think I plan to stay." When Daenerys said this she felt sad, realizing that she would never see the house with the Red Door again. But now was not the time to think about the past, she was determined to stay and if she could help with fighting evil there were no excuses. Gandalf seemed satisfied enough with her answer.

"Excellent! There will be a meeting with the dwarves at Bilbo's house in Hobbiton in the Shire in four days and you will join us there. It's just three or four days ride from here and you just follow the road towards east and then you will arrive in Hobbiton. When you do, look for Bag End, which is the name of Bilbo's house. It will probably be easy to find because all the dwarves will arrive quite early and they will be heard from outside. By the way is that your horse in the stable, the light grey one?"

"Yes, she's mine. Her name is Mist and she is a very strong mare, I am happy to have her with me."

"And so you should be, Daenerys Targaryen. She indeed looks like a horse made for long travels in the wilderness. I will see you at Bag End in four days then?" Gandalf rose from his chair preparing to leave.

"I will see you there, sir Gandalf. But do you promise not to tell anyone about my dragons? I will do it myself when I feel the time is right."

"I promise. Farewell Daenerys, have a good and safe journey and see you soon."

"Farewell Gandalf" she said in return but he had already left. That evening Daenerys went to bed with a great feeling of anticipation in her stomach. She wondered how the company would react to a woman joining them, hopefully they would accept her soon enough. With that she fell into a deep sleep, the deepest since she arrived in Middle Earth.