The Unexpected

Bree

Chapter one:

In a tavern that lays just inside the town of Bree where Celille a ranger from the west sits in her room, a pint of ale sits on her table with her cloak soaked and hung next to the fire, her brown pants damp to the touch and her purple long sleeved tunic was wet and torn in places from her hard ride, she quickly changed into a dark green tunic with ease and changed her drenched pants for a warmer dry pair then hung the wet ones to dry by the fire with the tunic.

As the ranger sat in her room drinking her ale by the roaring fire she heard foot steps outside in the hallway that stops just outside her door, she grew silent as her ice blue eyes held its gaze on the wood door as she pulled her sword from its sheath. Then a gentle knock came from the door and she crept closer and took hold of the handle as another knock came from the door, this time louder, she took a deep slow breath and asked in a forceful tone "who dares bother a Ranger at this hour of night?" no one answered.

she repeated herself " WHO DARES..." but before she could even finish, a gruff but soft voice answers " Is that any way to greet an old friend?"

She opened the door slow and just enough for her to see through and there stood the wizard she has known most of her life and someone she considered family. She opened the door so the wizard could come in " Please come in Gandalf, it's been awhile old friend" he stepped through the doorway into a small room with a bed, table and a chair by the fire; a warn pack sitting next to the bed told him she hadn't been there long enough to unpack but she had been there long enough to drink her fill of ale. He took the chair and moved it so it faced the bed, she smiled and looked up at him with a smile on her face as he leaned on the back of the chair with a loud crack.

" So what can I do for you my friend, it has been a long while since I have seen you." she paused " years in fact..." she fell silent and her eyes fell to the fire behind Gandalf. He waved his hand in front of her face trying to snap her out of it, she shook her head and looked at Gandalf in a daze and then sat down on the bed and looked down pulling her dirty blond hair over her shoulder lost in thought, after a few moments she speaks up "I'm sorry my friend, it's been a long hard road since we last seen each other." Gandalf only smiled and nodded.

"My dear Celille there is nothing to be sorry about, those were dark times. What matters is, you are here now," He paused while he chose his next words carefully "but I am afraid I'm not here to catch up on old times, I must ask something of you that I know will be hard for you to agree to." She looked up at him from her thoughts " And what is this request you are wanting of me?"

He then sat down in the chair and sighed awhile he laid his staff across his lap " There is a company that will be setting off on a quest..." he paused and started again "They will be needing all the help they can get" he grew silent and looked at her as she started to realize what he was asking of her "they will need more than a company of 13 to get to where they need to.." before he could finish Celille spoke up " You want me to be apart of a company, for a quest" she stopped and pondered a moment then she asked "do they know you're here asking this of me? Do they know of me, who I am, where I come from?" Gandalf looked at her with the softest look he could and said "That my dear is up to you, IF you take this quest upon yourself you can either share who you are or you can just be the Ranger that is here to help theses Dwarves regain their homeland.." just then Gandalf knew he made the grave error.

"Dwarves! AS IN 13 dwarves?!" she yelled and started to pace, he stood up "Celille, my friend, I am asking you as an old friend please, your answer is what could save more than a homeland that is lost." she stopped mid stride and turned to Gandalf " What do you mean?"

Gandalf sighed once more " I can not explain anymore then I already have, but my friend it is time to move on from those dark days and it's time to come to the light, this quest is important. "

Celille walked to the window and looked out and down at the street where men laid in the road in their drunken stupor; although she was not far from the same state till Gandalf came; she then rubbed her face and looked at Gandalf over her shoulder " Where do I need to be and when?"

Gandalf smiled " Travel to the Shire where you will look for a mark on a door, that my old friend is where you will find the company and I. There will dinner and drink, much talk and merriment" he paused " Thank you my old friend." with that he turned and left without a word. Celille whispered under her breath "Damn old fool, what have you gotten me into."