Disclaimers: I do not own The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and other stories in the Middle-earth Saga. They belong to C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. All other canon material belongs to their respected owners. I only own the plot, the original characters, etc.

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Welcome to the last part in my Beginning of Time trilogy. :) When this story ends, there will be two new mini-series attached to my Long Series, telling the events after this story's conclusion. Something to look forward to. :)

Enjoy. :)

Thanks goes to Eldhoron for helping me figure things out during this chapter's revision. :)

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Blade careened into straw, wood, and cloth. Never pausing, never stopping. Another blade attacked the dummy with its iron helmet, singing while chopping and clobbering the lifeless object.

The one holding the blades was a twenty-four-year-old woman named Janet. Her fair features didn't shield her from that dummy. Her dark brown hair moved as she did, doing all it could to get in her face. She was garbed in a brown jacket, brown pants, and a white V-necked shirt, with a dark leather belt to hold her leather sheathes.

She didn't have time for idle chatter, not when the world would end soon. She had stopped growing rapidly, too. Now, she needed to grow in strength. It was all that she had to counter her rage towards a world she hardly knew.

The last thing she wanted, needed, was to be born into a world that was dying. And yet, here she was, expected to perform tasks for Aslan, who she was willing to accept, while her mother watched her in sadness and in doubt.

Her mother! Janus, as Janet knew her from four weeks ago, had been a thorn at her side ever since she became human. Honestly, what did her mother want? A happy reunion? A happy family, when the world was dying all around them?! No thanks. Janet preferred to settle in somewhere else. But where could she go? The First World was her home and now she was going to lose it!

Oh, of all nerve! Why did she have to be born here?!

Okay, she needed to focus! Hit the target! She took a breath and lunged, hitting the target with all speed until it was thrown off the wood post. She huffed, casually tilting her head from side to side.

"Well," she panted, "try again." She sheathed her daggers, before picking the dummy up. With quick effort, she placed the dummy on the post, unsheathed her weapons, and attacked it. In minutes, the dummy was off the post, thrown at a greater distance, only to land in front of the spotty Dalmatian that was her mother. Janus smiled at her.

Great. Why did she always smile like that? Janet didn't deserve it! Not one bit!

"Careful Janet," Janus declared, smirking playfully, "you might cut yourself." She added, curious, "I don't understand how you can train so much." She said, serious, "But seriously, Janet, why must you do this?"

"Mother!" Janet twirled one of her daggers, before sheathing both of them. She ran over to her mother and picked up the dummy, asking her promptly, "Have you come to watch me fight?" She placed the dummy on the post for the third time that morning, asking, innocently, "Or did you just come to watch?"

"I didn't ask you to be out on the training grounds at this hour." Her mother said, serious, "Janet, there's plenty of archers and soldiers in Rudo. You don't need to trouble yourself with this!" She added, "What are you trying to prove anyway? That you're strong?" Janet looked at her mother with disdain. Honestly, did she have to ask so many questions? How insensitive!

"I'm busy, okay?!" Janet asked, sharply.

"Janet, why don't you return to the village?" Janus asked in turn, motherly. "We can let you knit, crochet! Something like crafting, that does not involve getting your hands dirty."

Janet shook her head. Mothers! She returned her gaze to the dummy, throwing one of her daggers straight at its heart, while the other landed smack in its helmet. She smiled in relief! Good! She did something right! For the moment.

From the heart where one dagger stuck out, the dummy crumpled forward. The mandible slackened and the head rolled off the first dagger. The post broke in seconds, allowing the first dagger to smack the ground, while the other dagger stayed inside the helmet.

She cocked her head in admiration. "Well, I don't know my own strength." She picked up the first dagger, before pulling the other dagger out of the helmet. The leather sheaths, where she now sheathed her daggers again, was embroidered with roses. She relaxed, if only for a minute, before the foreman came to check on her. He pointed to the broken dummy in shock.

"What happened?" The foreman asked, confused.

"Janet," Janus got her daughter's attention, "apologize, and clean up this mess!"

"Mum!" Janet cringed. It was just like her mother to do these things, when it pleased her!

The foreman waved his finger at her mother. "There's no need for that. We'll simply make another one." He patted Janet on the shoulder. "Well done, my dear. I think you've improved! I'm afraid you won't be any match for the head swordsman. Even daggers won't help, in this instance. You must be garnished with a sword!"

"I want to use daggers!" Janet said, stunned.

"Janet, do as your told!" Janus piped in.

"Not to worry," the foreman said, getting Janus' attention.

"Come again?" Janus asked, stunned. Janet smiled. Finally, some sweet revenge!

"Janet will be garbed with a weapon of her choice." The foreman addressed them. He pointed to Janet's twin daggers in confusion. "Although, I don't understand why the elf Taegan had to grant you with such elegant blades."

"He said when I was ready, he'd let me borrow them until he crafted the perfect weapons for me," Janet declared with confidence. She wasn't about to let anyone get her down. Not this time!

The foreman nodded. "Very good. We will bring you to the smithy straightaway! I believe Taegan is almost done."

"Thank you, sir. I'll leave at once!" Janet said, darting down the road. The last thing she expected was her mother following her. Naturally, she did, much to Janet's dismay.

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Thanks for reading. :)