I must admit this is my first Hobbit story and I will say it has been sometime since I last read the book so please bear with me. I will mostly be going off of the movie, but I won't wait until December for the next movie to come out to go on with the story. Now, with that out of the way I shall let you get reading.

And yes I have done some research and talked the idea of this story over with a friend well versed with the Lord of the Rings, and she thought this to be a great idea. Without further ado here is Heart of Courage.

~T~

The line of the Dunedain Rangers consisted mostly of men, however one fateful night a woman was inducted into the ranks. She was the first and only female to prove herself worthy of becoming a Ranger. The training was intense but she grew up to be strong young women amongst the company of men. Not once did she allow the harsh words from some of the men divert her from her path. She wanted to prove that not all women were born to be cooks or cleaners, but that they could be warriors if they so choose.

The strength and will-power of this young woman earned the attention of the Istar, Gandalf the Grey. He traveled the lands of Middle Earth in search of the woman when his travels brought him to the Shire. He saw her perched on a tree branch keeping watch over the hobbit's making sure the darkness stayed away. Gandalf leaned on his staff and looked up clearing his throat.

"I assume you are Eeva daughter of Arvedui." He spoke.

The young woman looked down at the wizard before jumping down. "Yes and who might you be? I do not recognize you."

Gandalf took in the woman's appearance. She appeared to be in her early thirties with green eyes and dark brown hair pulled into an intricate braid. Her outfit was that of the standard rangers, a grey cloak with a silver pointed star shaped brooch, black trousers, boots, bracers, jerkin, duster and a worn grey undershirt that would need repaired again soon.

"I am Gandalf the Grey and I require your assistance."

Eeva didn't answer the wizard for a while. They stared at each other in thought until the silence was broken.

"To what would I be assisting you with?" Eeva inquired leaning against the tree.

"Ah, how nice of you to ask. How much do you know about Erebor?"

"It's one of the greatest kingdoms in Middle-earth. It is built deep within the mountain itself and the beauty of the fortress city was legend. That is until Smaug, the fire drake from the north attacked." She replied. "But what does this have to do with me?"

"I will get to that in due time, but tell me, what is a ranger of the north doing here outside the Shire?"

Eeva eyed the wizard before looking to her left at the Shire. "I am here to protect it and its inhabitants from the forces of darkness. The hobbits are a kind folk but they are weary of strangers, hence the reason I am keeping watch from the tree."

"Forces of darkness, eh? My dear, I do believe you would make a wonderful addition to the company. I will look for you on my return, good day."

Eeva pushed away from the tree as the wizard turned away from her. "Hold on, you never answered my question."

"Ah yes, all your questions will be answered when I return. In the meantime, do keep a watchful eye out for any visitors." Gandalf winked before walking away and disappearing over the hill.

"I will never understand wizards." Eeva muttered to herself before taking up her previous post in the tree.

The day passed without any incident or meeting with the wizard as Eeva kept watch. She leaned her back against the tree as she let her eyes slip closed for a few minutes. The night life came to life around her as she listened to the crickets chirping. She allowed herself to get some sleep as there was no threat to the Shire this night. Eeva let her body relax as she got some much needed rest.

2921

A ten year old Eeva stood in front of her teacher for the third time that day. Today she was being taught how to use a bow and arrow. However, unbeknownst to her teacher she already knew how to use one.

"You have two minutes to hit as many targets as possible. On my signal, start." He said lifting his arm and then lowering it a few seconds later. He watched as Eeva notched and released each arrow with precision and without falter.

"Stop. Impressive if I do say so myself, young one. You have your father's bearings, he would be most impressed."

Eeva smiled as she removed each arrow from the targets and placed them back into her quiver.

2939

An eighteen year old Eeva stood in the middle of a group of men, sword drawn and ready to strike. She eyed each of the men surrounding her looking for a weakness. The men did not give her much time to react to their harsh blows, but one by one she parried and dodged each of their attacks. She blew hair out of her eyes as she blocked her teacher's sword and disarmed him instantly.

"Good job. You have successfully completed your training. You are ready to become a ranger."

"She's a woman. She shouldn't even handle a sword." One of the men harshly commented.

Eeva remained calm as some of the men agreed while the rest ignored them. She had already proved herself to be a worthy fighter and now they would be able to see how she fairs on her own.

"You will be in charge of watching over the Shire. The people who live there are known as hobbits. They are weary of strangers so keep your presence hidden. Understood?"

"Yes."

"You leave first thing in the morning."

"Thank you." Eeva whispered.

"For what?"

"For believing in me. You are the only person who does and for that I owe you."

"Then you can repay me by protecting the Shire. Make sure they are safe from evil."

Eeva nodded before leaving to gather her stuff and leave.

The morning sun shone in Eeva's eyes blinding her. She lifted an arm and shielded her eyes from the harsh rays. She could hear the hobbit's going about their day and it brought a smile to her face. It was a nice change from the evil of Sauron and the darkness that washed over the lands. Eeva hopped down from her tree and gathered her belongings before making her way to a nearby river. She found a secluded spot and quickly stripped before diving into the water to wash up. She unbraided her hair allowing the water to soak every inch of it before she braided it again. The water was cool against her skin as she scrubbed the dirt from her pale skin.

Once finished bathing and dressed she made her way back to her spot. There wasn't much for her to do, but sit there or walk around. She chose the latter and walked amongst the perimeter of the Shire. She had to admit the atmosphere of the Shire was relaxing and peaceful. The time quickly passed as Eeva walked amongst the greenery and took in the different flowers.

She circled back around to her hide out just as the sun was beginning to set. That's when she saw it, a lone figure making its way toward the Shire. She blew out her torch and edged forward to get a closer look. From the man's size he had to be a dwarf. He was bald with tattoos on top and a long black beard. His weapon was a war hammer. She ducked down as the dwarf passed by her and into the Shire.

"How strange. What is a dwarf doing here?" she asked aloud. Shrugging it off she went to follow him when three more figures appeared. There were two figures out in the distance while one was slightly ahead of them. She hid up in the trees as a white haired and bearded dwarf passed beneath her. She clasped a hand over her mouth when he looked up in her general direction before moving on.

"What in Varda's name is going on?" Eeva poked her head out just as the other two figures appeared. She gazed down at the men, boys? As they passed by her. The sun had long set and so far four dwarves had made their way into the Shire. None of them seemed to pose any threat so Eeva let them go. Eeva leaned back against the tree as she let herself blend into the night. She had just closed her eyes when a commotion could be heard a few feet away. She sat up and looked down as more dwarves could be seen walking toward the Shire. She sighed and hopped down from the tree branch and waited. She saw the tall figure in the back and had an inkling as to who it might be, but she wanted to be sure.

The group passed by her but the tall figure stopped to look at her. The top of Gandalf's staff lit up so he could see the woman.

"Eeva, I am surprised to see you still here. I would have thought you'd have joined the others up at Bilbo's home."

"Bilbo's? What is a group of dwarves doing at Bilbo's home?" Eeva asked stepping closer.

"The answers you seek await you there. If you wish to find them then join us, but there is one more in our company. I think it would be best if you wait until he has arrived before making your presence known."

"Meaning?"

"I do not think he will like the idea of a woman joining us on this adventure. But I still believe you will be an important part of this company. Well, I must be on my way. Mustn't keep the little hobbit waiting. Oh and remember Eeva, when the last of our company arrives join us at Bilbo Baggins house. I am sure you know where he lives." Gandalf bid her farewell and followed after the group of dwarves.

"An adventure? I guess I'll have to go if Mister Baggins decides to join them. I can't let anything happen to him." Eeva sighed. "I have a feeling this is going to be a long night…"

The night dragged on as Eeva waited for the last member of Gandalf's company to show up. She sat at the base of the tree humming a song when she heard heavy footsteps. She stopped humming and lay on the ground as the figure approached her location. She watched as he stopped and looked around before hearing a grumble. He continued up the path toward Bilbo's but Eeva watched as he made a wrong turn. She chuckled to herself and shook her head. At least he made things interesting. Eeva slowly began to follow him as he found the way to Bilbo's. She hid behind one of the hills when the man stopped and looked behind him. She waited until she heard his footsteps recede before beginning to follow him again.

They reached the meeting place as the sound of laughter and music could be heard from outside. Eeva crouched nearby in the bushes as the man walked up to the door. In the moonlight she was able to get a good look at the man. He had long dark hair with a braid on each side of his temples, piercing blue eyes that match his clothes and a beard. She didn't have time to see much else as he knocked on the door and the house grew silent. The door opened and he walked inside. When the door closed Eeva stepped out of the bushes and approached the door. She could hear talking on the other side of the door, but she couldn't make out what was being said.

She thought back to Gandalf's words and sighed. She lifted her hand to knock on the door but she didn't move. Did she really want to do this? If she did, what would happen to the Shire? There was only one way to find out and that was to knock on the door. Eeva took a deep breath and knocked on the door as the house grew silent once again.

~T~

And that is the end of chapter one. Let me know what you all think!