"Uhhh...for the love of the Republic, what happened?" she muttered, eyes still closed, mostly because the heels of her hands were pressed into them.

The last thing Kanin remembered was being in the hanger of a Republic starship, working on her fighter after having re-docked following a dogfight over Naboo when some kind of explosion knocked her out.

"Father! She's awake!" a soft voice exclaimed, a hand soon coming to rest on her arm, "How are you feeling?"

"Like my fighter just blew up in my face," Kanin muttered, still pressing on her eyes.

"What's your name? And what's a fighter?"

Kanin bolted upright at the second question, looking around her with wide eyes—where was...SPACE?! Where was Naboo? Wherever she was OBVIOUSLY wasn't Naboo. Kanin knew that planet almost as well as she knew the Jedi temple. "Where am I?! What happened?"

"Shh, shh, calm down—no one here is going to hurt you... What's your name?" the pale skinned woman sitting on the edge of the bed repeated.

"Uhh," she wracked her brain, trying to remember, "Kanin...Jaale. Where is Master Leroc?"

"Who?"

"My Master—Jedi Master Spydu Leroc... Better yet, where am I?"

"I have never heard of a race called 'Jedi' ...You are in Rivendell, Kanin Jaale, with the elves."

Kanin ran a hand over her short dark, dirty green colored hair and the small horns scattered across the top of her head and pulled on the short ponytail at the back of it, "Elves?"

Her hand reached subconsciously for the belt around her waist, only to learn that there were two very important metal tubes missing, "Oh for the love of the Republic; Master Leroc is going to kill me if I've managed to lose my lightsabers again."

"Are you looking for those?" the woman asked, pointing to the small table beside the bed she was in.

She lunged for them and activated both, the deep hum of the green blades putting Kanin at ease, "Thank the stars... Not only would Master Leroc have killed me, so would Master Yoda... Wait, I'm going crazy! What are you, what is your name, where is Rivendell and what are elves?"

"My name is Arwen, Rivendell is in Middle Earth and elves are...well, perhaps I should show you instead." She got up and held a hand toward Kanin, "Well, come along, no one here will harm you,"

Having previously de-activated and returned her sabers to her belt, Kanin slowly reached out to grasp Arwen's hand, which helped her up from the bed and led her through the white colored wood room and out an open doorway to a veranda beyond. The sight that met her eyes vaguely reminded her of Kashyyyk, only on a smaller scale, less technologically advanced, and much, much prettier.

"...Wow," she breathed, taking it all in, "I've got to be dreaming—elves, Middle Earth, Rivendell... A power coupling must have exploded in my face or something..."

"What's that?"

"What's what?"

"That thing you just said...a power coupling?"

"It- ...Well it's like-" Kanin thought for a moment, then grabbed Arwen's hand, "Say this is a coupling, okay? A power coupling is a coupling that binds a certain kind of power together... Understand?"

"I think so..."

Kanin let her hand go and walked across the veranda a little ways, coming to a stop by a railing, her hands clasped behind her back and her feet shoulder width apart; closing her eyes, she calmed herself down into meditation.

"...Kanin? Are you okay?"

"I'm meditating," she answered softly, not breaking her concentration, "It calms me..."

She felt Arwen's presence leave and remained in the statuesque meditative state until shouts of joy broke Kanin's concentration; curious, she jumped over the railing and landed lightly in a crouch, balancing on the balls of her feet. Four small men had been in the process of hugging each other excitedly until she dropped down, "You're not an elf," one of them stated.

She shook her head, "No, I'm a Jedi Padawan... And I'm not quite sure how I got here. What are you?"

"Hobbits," the black haired, sickly looking one answered, "I'm Frodo Baggins and this is Samwise Gamgee, Peregrin Took and Meriadoc Brandybuck."

"Kanin Jaale—pleased to meet you," she smiled, noticing the Hobbit Frodo said was Meriadoc watching her every move.

"Why do you have black and red skin and horns coming out of your head?" he asked.

"I am an Iridonian—my skin is red, but I've had extensive black tattoos added to show my heritage—as for the horns, they are present on every member of my race, much as your small stature seems to be present in all of your race…"

"Kanin? ...Kanin! Where are you?"

"Down here, Arwen," she answered.

She looked over the railing and smiled, her dark hair falling in her face, "My father would like to see you... And you Frodo Baggins,"

Kanin and Frodo were led to a secluded area with a semi-circle of chairs—already there and seated were four elves, five humans, three Hobbit looking creatures with an extreme excess of facial hair and a tall elderly looking man wearing long gray robes and a pointy gray hat.

"You must be Kanin Jaale," a male elf smiled, tipping his head in a friendly bow, "I am Lord Elrond, Arwen's father... Are you feeling any better since mysteriously appearing here?"

"I am, Lord Elrond," Kanin answered bowing respectfully.

"Frodo, Kanin, please have a seat," Elrond gestured toward two empty chairs beside the man in gray.

Frodo seemed to know the man and sat beside him, while Kanin sat on Frodo's other side.

She sat quietly through the other's discussions and even through their arguing, feeling that it was not her place to get involved, playing with the long, thin, dirty green braid that began behind her left ear.

"I will go—I will take the ring to Mordor," Frodo volunteered, standing up again, "But...I do not know the way,"

The man in gray stood as well and placed a hand on the Hobbit's shoulder, "I will help you there,"

One of the humans—the most rugged and road hardened one there—walked over and knelt before Frodo, "If by my life or death I can protect you, Frodo Baggins... You have my sword,"

"And my bow," one of the blonde haired elves added.

One of the Hobbit looking creatures stood, "And my axe,"

Samwise, Meriadoc and Peregrin jumped out from hidden places in the bushes, "We're going with you, Frodo!"

"Uncanny how they appear at a secret council they weren't invited to," Elrond remarked.

"...Frodo, I may not know much about anything around me, but you will have the Force and my lightsabers to protect you as well," Kanin spoke up suddenly, realizing this was why she was here in Rivendell, and came to stand beside him as well.

"So you are all willing to risk your lives for the sake of this Hobbit's ludicrous adventure?" another human questioned, then sighed and shrugged, "...Count me in,"

"Nine companions," Elrond mused, "So be it. You will be the Fellowship of the Ring—go now, prepare yourselves for the long road ahead of you,"

"I am Legolas," the elf said by way of introduction, a small smile sent her way.

"Kanin,"

"Yes, introductions seem to be in order," the man in gray chuckled, "I am Gandalf the Grey—a wizard,"

"I'm Gimli, lass and I'm a dwarf,"

"Boromir," the second human added.

The other human's face remained eerily calm, "And I am Aragorn,"

"You already know us," Meriadoc smiled, "But you can call us Merry, Pippin and Sam like everyone else,"

"If you didn't already know—which I'm sure you did—I am Kanin Jaale, an Iridonian Jedi Padawan."