...and so Laralyne rode fourth from Milwindel and on toward Riverdell. King Elron had always been like a father to her, and she was positive that he would take her in. She tossed back her raven tresses and laughed, the sound echoing like silver bells throughout the forest.

Lara rubbed her hands together with glee as she submitted the latest chapter of her epic, The Golden Child of Destiny. Maybe this one would get a lot of reviews! It would definitely get more than her last fic. She frowned at the memory. No amount of "If you don't review, I won't write anymore." threats had worked. Well, she had gotten one, but it was less than complementary.

But there was no way that she wouldn't get glowing, happy reviews this time. Laralyne was beautiful, brave, a great warrior, witty, the daughter of an Elfin (or was it Elven? One of those mean reviewers had seemed pretty hung up that spelling for some reason.) king, and smart. Everyone was sure to love her.

After all, she was everything that Lara wasn't, and didn't that mean that she was great and intresting?

Lara made sure that the file had uploaded correctly before logging off. Too bad she had school tomorrow; if it were a weekend she'd stay up all night and wait for the notifications to pour in. Unfortunately her mother had said (or, screamed if you were being literal) that if Lara didn't pull her grades up and start getting eight hours of sleep, she was going to lose her computer and anything resembling a social life.

She flopped down on her bed and sighed. "I wish I were a great warrior. From like, Gondor. And that I had like, great hair and eyes, and everyone liked me."

"GO TO SLEEP, LARA!"

Lara glared toward to door, "I am mom!" She rolled over and closed her eyes. Maybe her dreams would be better than reality.

Lara shifted restlessly; something was digging into her back and she seemed to have lost her cover during the night. Come to think of it, her bed felt a little funny. She rolled over and jerked completely awake. Her cheek had hit something wet... Something like... a puddle?

She scrambled to her hands and knees. Tress loomed up around her and she gaped up at them. They were much larger than any that surrounded her home.

"What the hell?"

Suddenly the shock of the tress and the fact that she was outside was the last thing on her mind. Something wasn't right with her voice. Or her hands for that matter. She struggled to her feet and very nearly swooned. She was taller. Lara felt a sinking sort of feeling in the pit of her stomach; on a whim she clapped her hands to her chest and choked back a cry of dismay. Her breasts were gone.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" There was that foreign, deep voice again. Coming out of her mouth. Slowly, with trembling fingers, she reached up and touched her face. There was hair on her cheeks and chin. Her nose, once rather small and upturned, was now longer. Her hair was different as well; it seemed thicker and not quite as long as when she had gone to bed last night.

"No. No. Nononononononono." A sob escaped her lips. "I'm not a man. I'm not, I'm not!"

Thinking back, she wasn't sure how long she stood there with her hands clamped over mouth, trying to make no sound as she cried. The light grew brighter in the east, and her reflection became clear in the muddy little puddle she had rolled into. She now had grey eyes, dark hair, and a short scruffy beard.. So far, she hadn't brought herself to look below that, though an increasing need to use the bathroom was beginning to make itself known.

Frankly, she just wasn't sure what to do or where she was.