Chapter Text
Clang clang clang could be heard across the room as two fencers faced off against one another. Both were protected by the gear that they wore as they moved around the room, blocking and attacking each other. They were both using a Sabre, only landing blows on the upper half of the body. The one dressed in black gear hit their mark in the middle of the white dueler’s chest causing a sound to leave the opponent.
The whistle blew causing the two of them to break apart. “Good good.” Called out the coach as they dropped their whistle to their chest. “Better than the last time that you practiced against one another.”
The mask of the black fighter was removed revealing bright brown eyes and long hair done loosely in a braid. A small smile came to her lips as she moved forward to shake her opponent's hand. “You’re getting good there.” She mused softly letting out a soft chuckle.
Her opponent removed their mask, revealing a young man. “Thank you, Artemis. You were good, too.” He said as his cheeks flushed slightly.
“You two did well.”
“Thanks, coach.” They both said at the same time.
“Go home and get some rest. I’ll see you next weekend.”
Artemis slowly moved towards the changing room to change out of her gear in the girls’ changing room. She put her sabre into its protective bag before putting her mask in the duffle bag. She changed out of her gear and changed into a black top, with a corset underneath it in the same color, and a black dyed skirt that reached her ankles. She slipped her boots on, which had a small heel. She slipped her jewelry on, which consisted of her wiccan necklace and rings.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Artemis sat in her bed reading The Hobbit for probably the 200th time in her time of owning the book. She would never get bored with reading it. She was now in her night clothes, which were an oversized shirt and a pair of boxers that were comfortable for her to sleep in. Her eyes danced over the page as she read the story. Her mind created the world that she had grown to love from the first Lord of the Rings to the new movies of The Hobbit that had come out.
She took a soft breath as she closed the book for the night. She put it onto her nightstand before checking her phone one final time, sending a quick message to her mother saying that she would be there tomorrow afternoon before hitting send. She put her phone back and lay down on her bed. A soft breath left her lips as she closed her eyes.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
“Would you tempt fate?” A voice familiar to her asked softly in a musing tone if he had already known the answer.
“Tempt fate?” She questioned, looking around, trying to find the voice that was speaking to her. “What fate?”
“Saving lives that were not meant to be saved?”
“If they weren’t meant to be saved… why would I?”
“Even if you liked them?”
She flushed in embarrassment, wondering what on earth this was leading her to. This was the weirdest dream that she had ever had.
“Would you change the fate of three characters in the line of Durin?”
She pursed her lips together. “Of course I would.” Saying what she had thought. Of course, if it were up to her, she would save the Line of Durin so no one would weep their eyes out at the thought of how the movies and books ended.
“Then I do have a place for you.”
“What…”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
“Wait…”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Artemis woke with a start, groaning softly. Her hand shields her eyes from the sun. “Oh god.” She groaned out, rubbing her eyes softly.
“Ah, there you are. Good morning.” The male voice from her dream said with amusement.
Artemis blinked a few times, slowly removing her hand from her eyes to see a man dressed in all grey and a large wizarding hat on his head. “Wait…” She sat up, looking around, seeing that she wasn’t in her room but in a wooden room in a creaky bed. “Gandalf?” She questioned softly, looking at the man more closely. There was no way that this man was Gandalf. This had to be a dream.
“Ah you know my name. It's helpful that you know Miss Houston.” Gandalf said as his eyes twinkle in delight that Artemis knew who he was.
“Why… I don't understand.” She looked around the room as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed.
“You'll find out soon enough. You remember your dream?”
Artemis swallowed the lump in her throat. “I remember your voice and saying something about saving the line of Durin.”
Gandalf nodded his head.
“But this can’t be real… this is a book and made into movies.” She said as she got up to her feet to see that she was dressed in something completely different. She was in breeches, a corset and tunic.
“I think I made the right choice. You will fit in well here.” Gandalf said moving towards the door.
“Wait… what am I to do?”
“Save them of course. Keep them on the right track. You know how the story goes, Miss Houston.”
Artemis swallowed the lump in her throat. “But I don’t have any real skills. Nothing that would be noteworthy in this world.”
“My dear girl, that’s where you’re wrong.” He said with a smile, holding out his hand to her. “Your fencing skills will be most helpful and you will be practicing white magic of your world…”
“Fencing is nothing like sword fighting.”
“It’s close enough. Now come. I’ve got your bags packed and a sword ready for you to use. We must be on our way.”
Artemis took his hand and he led her out of the room. “Where?”
“Well we are in Bree… we will be meeting with the company tonight. I’ve already alerted Thorin…”
“About what? He knows there are only fifteen in his company.”
“Sixteen.”
“Adding me into this.”
“I told him that he’d need an extra pair of hands for healing. Hense where you come in my dear.”
“He’s going to hate me.”
“He’s a proud and stubborn dwarf, perhaps in the beginning he’ll hate you, but I doubt the hate will last long.”
“You seem so sure of what you are talking about Gandalf.” Artemis said tiredly as she looked down at her booted feet. She couldn’t believe this, this had to be a dream right? Meeting her favorite characters of all time and being subjected to seeing them go through the struggles. Would she truly be ready for that, she wasn’t fully sure on that one.
“I have a feeling that you’ll fit in just fine. Don’t worry too much.” He said as the two of them went outside heading towards the barn where he had put his horse for the night as he stayed with Artemis.
“And I’m just to keep things quiet about what is to happen?”
“Yes, you are. You should keep it silent unless it is to save lives.”
“He won’t trust me on that.”
“Just be yourself Miss Houston. He will like you for who you are.” He said as he got onto his horse. “Come on up you come.”
Artemis took his hand and he helped hoist her up onto the horse. “The Shire?”
Gandalf nodded his head. “Yes, the Shire. We have to meet up with Bilbo.”
Artemis swallowed the lump in her throat knowing that this was beginning to turn out more and more not dream-like. What was going to happen to her when things were finished?
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
A smoke ring collapses and becomes a smoke moth flying into the hobbit’s face waking him up from his reverie.The hobbit looked up seeing two hooded figures. One towering over the smaller framed one. “Good morning.”
“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? 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?”
Artemis watched Bilbo blink in confusion trying to figure out what he meant by that.
“All of them at once, I suppose.”
Gandalf looked at the hobbit slightly in disapproval.
The hobbit looked between the two of them. “Can I help you?”
“That remains to be seen. I’m looking for someone to share an adventure with my colleague here.”
The hobbit blinked a few times. An adventure now that was simply unheard of especially for hobbits. “An adventure? Now, I don’t imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures. Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things. Make you late for dinner, hm, mm” He said as he got up to check his mailbox, grabbing it and sorting through it, chuckling to himself. He was uncomfortable with the two of them standing there. He puffed on his pipe a few times in vexation before heading back inside. “Good morning.”
“To think that I should have lived to be good-morninged by Belladonna Took’s son, as if I were selling buttons at the door.”
“Beg your pardon?”
“You’ve changed, and not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins.”
“I’m sorry, do I know you?”
“Well, you know my name, although you don’t remember I belong to it. I’m Gandalf! And Gandalf means … me.” Gandalf then gestured to the young woman beside him. “And this is Artemis. She is joining me.”
“Gandalf...not Gandalf, the wandering Wizard, who made such excellent fireworks! Old Took used to have them on Midsummer’s Eve. Ha, ha! Well. Hmm, I had no idea you were still in business.”
“And where else should he be?” Artemis questioned looking at Bilbo with her brows slightly raised. She wasn’t expecting the first meeting with Bilbo to be like this, but it certainly was different than what she was expecting.
Bilbo puffed on his pipe confused.
“Well, I’m pleased to find your remember something about me, even if it’s only my fireworks. Well that’s decided. It will be very good for you, and most amusing for me. I shall inform the others.”
“Inform who? What? No. No. No! Wait. We do not want any adventures here, thank you. Not today, not-mm. I suggest you try over the Hill or across the Water. Good morning.” Bilbo said retreating into Bag End, gesturing to both Artemis and Gandalf with his pipe. He then bolted the door once he was inside.
Artemis watched him put a rune into the door before hurrying away with her down the winding path. “What if this time he doesn’t join because of me.”
“I am certain nothing will change. Everything will work out the way that it is supposed to be.”
Artemis let out a breath as she followed him pulling her dark cloak to her body keeping the sun from hitting her pale skin. “What happens if the elves find out?”
“We will deal with them when we get there.”
Artemis swallowed the lump in her throat and slowly nodded her head.
“Now come, you deserve a rest…”
“And what will you be doing?” Artemis looked up at Gandalf with a worried look on her face. He couldn’t possibly leave her here to go off and do something.
“I have to alert the others. I don’t want them to quite meet you just yet, until it is the proper time to do so.”
Artemis let out a breath as she watched him walk away from her. Her hands went to her hips as she shook her head lightly. This adventure was bound to be doomed with her being there and that was something that she couldn’t allow. But how was she supposed to help with her skills? Yeah she was a fairly good healer with herbs and what not, but her fencing wasn’t going to help much. She had no idea of how to use a sword unless she used it like her sabre she had at home.
She swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked around the greenery that was there in the Shire. She had to admit that it was beautiful here and it was no wonder why Bilbo didn’t want to leave here to begin with on the adventure that Gandalf was proposing. But she supposed the Took in him outweighed the Baggins’ in him. Adventure was something that he was going to enjoy and she had a feeling that he would like it.