It was a warm spring day when Gandalf the Gray came to the small farm just outside of Bree. It wasn't unusual to see him in those parts. He was constantly traveling back and forth along the main road from one side of the world to the other, doing what ever it was that wizards did when they weren't sticking their noses where they did not belong. Sometimes he would stay a few nights and spread the tales that he had gathered in his journey and some times he would simply rest and then move on. It was rare that he came to the town with a purpose, as he had that particular day.

The wind stirred the apple trees that grew along the thin winding path that led from the town through the fields and orchards that supported it. There were many families that worked the land surrounding Bree and the territory was a patchwork of crops. On the way he had greeted the farmers laboring in their fields and was pleased that they had enough sense to at least wave back at the strange old man.

The wizard had left his cart back in town and elected to walk the short distance. Unfortunately he seemed to have underestimated just how long of a walk it would be and found himself winded by the time the small one room home came into view, leaning on his staff for support. There was nothing glamorous about the building with its thatched roof and walls that looked to be old enough to belong in the second age. Smoke poured from the small chimney in the corner of the home, signaling that someone was at least around.

He was not above peering in windows and so thats what he did, waiting until he saw a hint of movement in the dimly lit kitchen area before knocking solidly on the wooden front door.

The woman that opened it could be described in one word: tired. Wrinkles were beginning to set in around her eyes and mouth and silver hairs could be seen peeking through the hand kerchief she had used to pull it away from her narrow and pinched face. She had a look of grim distrust as she took in the man standing on her front step.

"What do you want?"

He raised an eyebrow at the woman's bluntness. Apparently there was no time for manners. "Yes, well. Good afternoon. My name is Gandalf. Now this may seem a bit strange to you I'm sure but I've come to ask you about a rather troubling tale I had heard in town. I am sure that it was nothing, but you can not blame an old man for his curiosity, can you?"

Her face instantly changed to one of annoyance. "You've come to ask about the girl haven't you." It wasn't a question and it was clear that there had been many people by lately to ask about the girl. "Look, we don't know anything. Whatever rumors you've heard are probably true. Now if that's all you came to bother me about I have stew on the stove and my husband will be back for his meal any minute now."

The door came swinging back towards him and he stopped it from closing with his staff. "I don't suppose you would be willing to explain exactly what you mean."

The woman glared at him for a moment before she understood that the strange man probably wasn't going to leave until he got the answers he was looking for. After a long minute of silence she jerked her head to motion him inside and slammed the door shut behind him.

It was incredibly dark with the only light coming in from a few small windows and the low fire in the hearth. Inside it was even smaller than it had looked from the outside. Most of the room was used as a kitchen and only the small table in the corner and the double bed shoved against the wall gave any clue that this was the whole house.

Gandalf clasped his hands in front of him and waited patiently as the farmer's wife busied around the room grabbing ingredients and throwing them in the cauldron sitting on the flames. After a few moments it became clear that she was avoiding the topic so he started it.

"When exactly did she come to you and how?"

Her head jerked at the sound and he wondered if she had forgotten that she had invited him in all together. "Found her about two months ago I suppose. She just stumbled on down the path like you. We thought she had been attacked at first, you never know what kind of folk are coming through that town, but then we figured she must just be mad."

"And why do you say that?"

She finally stopped what she was doing completely and looked him in the eyes. "You would have known if you saw her. All dressed in clothing like she had no shame at all and hardly able to say a word. Speaking in some foul language like none I've heard before. It's a miracle that she made her way here and not wandered farther into the wild. Who knows what would have happened to her." There was a drop of compassion in her voice for the first time, but it soon disappeared. "We took her in and fed her, clothed her. Could have sent her on her way but we gave her work instead."

"You sent her to work for you?"

"Well of course! Not that she has the brains to appreciate all that we've done for her. Acting like she's never seen a day of work in her life. Didn't know how to work the fields or to feed the animals. Honestly it's no small miracle that she's survived this long."

"So she is still here." He said.

"Out in the barn right now if you want to see for yourself. Honestly we should have started charging coin when the rumors started. We could be living the high life by now."

He was quiet for a moment as he studied the woman and for some reason she felt as if he could see much more than most. It made her skin crawl in a way that it never had before.

"Yes, I think I will go to see her. If you would point the way?"

She blinked a few times. The feeling had left her as quickly as it had come on and she began to think that she had imagined the whole thing. "Out the door and to the left. You can't miss it."

He was nearly out the door when she said, "I will warn you, she's strange. And not just with her speech or her manner. There's something off about her and I don't like it one bit. If I had it my way she would have been turned out the second we could. Watch yourself around her."

With her warning taken care of she spun back to her work and the wizard was out the door.

Now that he was outside again it was clear which building was the barn, although it was nothing to be proud of. The paint that had once been a bright shade of red had been bleached by the sun until it was not much more than a pale sickly pink and most of it was chipping off. The roof was more holes than roof and it was a wonder that the whole thing hadn't collapsed yet.

The double door, one half hanging off its hinges, was propped open by a small pail and creaked as he pulled it open all the way. The musty smell of animals hit his nose and he frowned. The only light was the natural sunlight and he was glad for the holes in the roof at that moment. Pens lined most of the building, some clearly having been empty for some time, with a large area at the end of the hall where he could see bales of hay piled high to the ceiling. It was there that he saw the woman.

Her back was turned to him and he could only see so well, but she was clearly quite small for a human. She was no more than five feet at most, putting her at his shoulder if not lower. Her hair was an inky black and completely straight and tied back with a scrap of cloth much like the farmer's wife had worn hers. The clothing she wore could hardly be called rags and hung from her small frame pathetically. He was sure that they had been stitched back together more than once. Her cheeks were streaked with enough dirt that the bruise on her left side was barely visible.

"Good afternoon." He called.

The girl startled and spun around quickly, clearly not used to being interrupted in her work. He took that brief moment to look her over.

She was young, not quite out of her teens yet and her features showed it. A small mouth and pointed nose gave her a youthful air to her. Her eyes were a dark black and her skin had a warm tanned shade that wasn't seen often in those parts of middle earth.

He clearly was not what she was expecting to walk through the barn doors because the look on her face bordered on terror. The rake that she had been using seconds before was grasped in her hand so tight he was afraid that she would snap it in half.

The moment crawled by as she stared.

"Who are you?" The woman asked. It was obvious by the way that her tongue tripped over her words that common was not her native language. As he had expected, it was all starting to become clear that there was something larger going on than a simple woman wandering lost down a road.

"My name is Gandalf. I'm a traveler passing by and I heard rumors about this farm. I suppose you are the source?"

She didn't say anything and simply studied him with her dark eyes.

"Do you know where you are?" He asked her.

Finally, she shook her head no. The panic was gone and there was a guarded drop of hope in her eyes. Maybe she could sense something about the old man or maybe it had just been too long since anyone had bothered to ask her about anything.

"The farm. But not where?"

"You are in a place called middle earth. Have you heard that term before?"

She shook her head more confused than ever.

"You have been working here for some time now. Do you want to stay?"

The fear was back in her eyes and she took a few steps backward, clearly startled by his words. Eyes darted around the barn as if some one was about to appear and catch her doing something she shouldn't be.

"They feed me. They let me sleep here. I have to stay to pay them."

His frown deepened as he thought about what the girl had said. "And if I were to pay them for you? Do you want to stay on this farm and work for the rest of your life? Or would you want to go somewhere far away from here?"

"Why?" She blurted out before she took a moment and thought about her words "Why would you help me?"

"Because I am a wizard. And that is what we do."

She only hesitated for a moment before she nodded her head firmly. He smiled and motioned for her to come with him.

The wagon ambled slowly down the dirt road, but neither of the passengers minded their slow pace. The girl was sitting next to him, her small pack of belongings tucked securely in her arms. She was afraid that it would be stolen from her if she let it go. He suspected that the farmers had tried to take it before which was why it had been hidden under a layer of straw in one of the empty stalls of the barn.

Their departure from the farm had been eventful to say the least. The farmer and his wife were obviously not happy to be losing their free labor and had raised the price of her 'freedom' more than once. It was only when he had threatened to spirit her away without any compensation that they had finally agreed on a price. He had expected this of course, but what he hadn't anticipated was the sight of the girl spiting at the couple's feet when they tried to remind her of all that they had done for her. Their departure had been quick after that.

Her eyes were wide as she took in the sights around them. She seemed enamored by the fields they passed through but she lit up when she saw that they were traveling towards the thick forest in the distance. In the beginning of their journey she had asked many questions about their surroundings, but she soon became frustrated with her lack of language and had been quiet for the past hour. She still had not asked where they were going.

He broke the silence, "We will be traveling north towards a small village near the Chetwood. There we will have time to think about just what we are going to do with you."

"You know why I am here?" She asked.

"I have some idea. And if it is what I think then you have a very important role to play in events that will shape this world. Although I can not tell you when or where." He said after a long moment, "But I can not be sure. Not now. And I think it might be best if you stay somewhere safe until I do."

That clearly wasn't the answer she was looking for and she began to pout. He chucked quietly at the sight. Whatever trials she had gone through since coming to this land had not done anything to break her spirit. "Do not fret. I am sure that there will be something we can find to keep you occupied until then."

It didn't seem to have much of an effect on her but she did not argue.

They settled back into the comfortable silence for a long moment.

"Ah!" He said suddenly causing her to jerk out of her thoughts and flinch. "I don't believe I ever got your name."

She didn't understand what he was asking for a moment, but when she did a small smile came to her lips. "Joanna Nguyen."

Gandalf hummed and looked back to the road. He was telling the truth when he said that he did not know exactly what her coming to Middle Earth meant, but he did have an inkling and it told him that great things were on the horizon. And that she would play a part in whatever it was that came their way.

Author's note: lmao hey. First thanks for reading blows you a kiss. Second this fic is going to be pretty long? I have 40k written already banked and they're just leaving rivendell so. Third this is kind of au in places and I take some liberties when it comes to magic in middle earth and dwarven culture. Nothing too bad but just please keep that in mind when I start making things up. Thank you!