Hey lads! Sorry it's been a while, but everything got all crazy with the holidays. You know how it is… I'm really excited to get this chapter up, and I just love watching how Aisley matures without the Fellowship there to mollycoddle her… Any rate, moving on so you can get to the good stuff!

Pink penguins: Glad you think she's realistic! I actually based that particular misadventure on one of my own at camp, and I've got the scar to show for it! But yeah, archery is a lot harder than people seem to think it is. Glad you picked up on that!

Gigigue: Thanks so much! I'm afraid she actually improves this chapter, but she's still going to be her same old adorkable self. Let us know how you think that goes- as the war gets more serious, I'm trying to make her into more of a useful character but still keep her personality. And glad to know we're not Mary-Sueish, but what exactly does that mean? I'm a bit behind the times…

And for the record? I don't own LOTR anymore than I did the last time you asked. Thanks for rubbing it in my face…

Aisely sat up in bed at sunrise. She'd been under the same schedule for a few months, and was feeling better rested then she had for all her time in Middle Earth. Rína knocked on her door and entered the room a few seconds later. Aisley smiled- she'd come to depend on Rína as much as she had thought she would. Rína was carrying a cup of hot tea. Aisley had never been one for tea when she was in Ireland; In fact, she thought the English were weird for drinking it so much. But since she moved to Lothlόrien, she'd been drinking a cup a day, because it reminded her of home.

And she missed home. She missed her mum, and her school, and Tarynn, and she just… she just missed Ireland! She missed people understanding her when she said stuff like 'I need the jacks', and she missed the frequent rain. It only rained in Lothlόrien about once every two weeks…

"Thanks, Rína." She murmured, accepting the cup. Rína set out a dress for her as she took a sip.

"Garo Aur Vear" Rína replied cheerfully. "How are you feeling this morning, Aisley?"

"I'm feeling great." Aisley smiled, and Rína set to work cramming her into the brown working dress. The two never talked very much in the mornings. "Where's my bow?"

"Here." Rína collected it from the corner of her room and handed it to her.

"What's on the schedule for today?" Aisley asked with a groan, sipping her tea. Rína smiled at the younger girl's confusion. It always took her a while to wake up.

"Master Haldir is having you compete with the marchwardens in an archery competition today."

"Aw, really?" Aisley groaned. "They're going to wipe the floor with me."

It wasn't that Aisley wasn't improving. After months of nonstop training, she was actually turning into a sort of warrior woman. She wasn't half bad at swordplay- Rína agreed to be her training partner, and they sparred together consistently. The only thing- she wasn't half good at archery. And she wasn't ready to be put up to the test.

"You will be fine." Rína laughed. "You know the marchwardens will not judge you, as you are a woman."

Aisley snorted. "Oh, no, they'll judge me more because of that. So I have to be even better."

"Your skills have vastly improved, Aisley. You may not be great, but you are good."

"Or, you know, not bad…" Aisley shrugged. "Let's get this over with."

She slung her quiver over her shoulder, accepting her sword from Rína. She belted the blade around her waist, and grabbed her bow. Rína followed her down to the archery field where Haldir was waiting.

"Good morn, Miss Aisley." Haldir nodded, and Aisley grinned in return.

"How's she cuttin'? How are you?"

"Well." He nodded. "Pick your mark."

"He doesn't waste any time." Aisley snorted to Rína, walking over to a target.

"You will do well." Rína smiled, patting her charge on the back. Aisley nocked her bow at Haldir's call.

"At least one of us thinks so." Aisley laughed. She aimed, waiting for Haldir's cue. With a breath, she fired it off- it didn't land in the centre, but it hit on the right side of the target. She stepped back and allowed the others to shoot. She wasn't knocked out in the first round, but she dropped down to the end of the roster.

It finally got down to her and another marchwarden named Glandur (which, Aisley translated from Elvish to mean white, as in Albus, as in Dumbledore, which she took as proof that Albus Dumbledore was a white wizard. She rested her case.) Aisley had a feeling that the other marchwardens were going easy on her, but it was definitely a boost to her ego. And she needed one, after her many failures…

Her next shot was literally the best she'd ever done. It hit almost dead centre, and Aisley- well, you know Aisley. She threw down her bow and screamed, loudly, hugging Rína and dancing like a mad woman.

"Beat that, Dumbledore!" She cried to a very confused Glandur, literally bouncing with delight. She waved her hand at her face rapidly in an effort to calm herself down. It didn't work- she squealed again and hugged Rína, hard.

Glandur shrugged, drew back his arrow, and fired.

And yes, he beat that.

The arrow went soaring majestically across the field, glinting in the sunlight. Time slowed down as all stopped to admire it, wibbling and wobbling its way rather royally to the target. It did not bounce off and shish-kabob any bystanders. It did not miss completely, lost in the wayside. It did not land directly at his feet, and it did not land on the edge of the target, narrowly missing the centre.

No, Glandur's arrow hit Aisley's- the only bullseye she'd EVER gotten- and split it right down the centre, in true Robin Hood style. Aisley stared in awe, dropping her arms from around Rína.

Yes, the marchwardens were all going easy on her.

"Aw, man." She complained. "I was gonna keep that arrow, and frame it, and hang it above my bed."

"Second place isn't bad." Rína consoled, placing a hand on Aisley's shoulder. Aisley nodded, still slightly dumbfounded.

"You have improved greatly, Miss Aisley." Haldir nodded, pulling her remaining arrows from the target and handing them to her. "I daresay you might last a good five minutes in battle now."

"Five minutes! Oh, come on Haldir, I think we both know I could last seven minutes." Aisley rolled her eyes, laughing.

"I suppose your skills have reached the level of an average human." Haldir conceded with a nod, and Aisley grinned.

"I guess it's a good thing I'm better with a blade, then, huh?"

"Speaking of, Master Cevon is planning on testing you today, is he not?" Rína interrupted, and Aisley groaned.

"That's right. It's official 'see what Aisley's learned' day." She consented. She'd tested out of history a month back, having moved on to cultures and political structures. From there she'd moved to wilderness survival and hunting. How she'd managed to learn all this stuff, Aisley'd never know, but if there was one thing the Elves could do, apparently it was teach.

"En guard!" Aisley cried, parrying Cevon's first blow.

"You have to stop saying that." Cevon frowned, striking again. "It alerts your enemy every time."

"Well I want to fight them honourably, don't I?" Aisley riposted, dodging his blow and adding one of her own.

"There is fighting with honour, and then there is war. You cannot truly be honourable on the battlefield."

"I will never stab my enemy in the back." Aisley argued fiercely. Cevon lunged at her, and she did a backbend to get out of the way.

"You do not need to. You need only to stop warning your enemy of when you attack. If they are not paying enough attention to you to see where and when your blade falls, then their death is only on their shoulders."

"Actually, I think it would be on mine. Since, you know, I'd be the one killing them." Aisley reasoned, shuffling quickly out of the way of his blow.

"With that kind of mentality, you would go mad with guilt in a matter of hours." Cevon insisted, catching her blade with his own. She broke free, skidding behind him, forcing him to turn and face him.

"On the battlefield you have more than one enemy. Mistress Rína could have been another enemy soldier. You just left yourself open to her attack." Cevon corrected. "Mistress Rína, get a blade."

"Do you require aide?" Haldir asked, nodding at the marchwardens waiting patiently behind him. Cevon grinned wickedly.

"Yes. Mistress Aisley, today you shall fight a real battle."

"AHH!" Aisley screamed, her blade clashing with Glandur's. She spun quickly in order to cover her back, punching Glandur over her shoulder and blocking an attack by Haldir. Cevon had paired her and Rína against EVERYONE else, and though the two fought well together, they were losing ground.

"Battle is more about brute strength then skill." Cevon instructed her, launching an attack. She met his blade with her own, pushing back against him, and aimed a kick at his chest to get him away. "You ram your enemy until you have an opening, skewer them and move on."

She felt someone coming up behind her and turned, blade raised, until she realized it was Rína at her back. She nodded at the elleth, as a flash of pain shot through her.

"Never turn your back on an enemy." Cevon frowned. Aisley blinked, shaking her head as if to shake off the pain from his blow. Blood dripped into her sight and her thoughts were fuzzy from the head wound, but she allowed her instructs to take over, parrying his next hit.

"Rína, duck!" Aisley cried, crouching down herself. The elleth ducked her head just in time to dodge a lunge from Calanon.

"Move!" Rína added, and Aisley lunged to the left. Rína brought up her blade to parry a blow from Vareyan, and Aisley skidded behind her to block Arthion's attack. She swore loudly as Haldir got a hit on her, drawing blood. She doubled over in pain, but forced herself to stand again, protecting Rína's rear.

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Haldir asked, raising an eyebrow, and Aisley riposted his attack, kicking him as well to send him off balance.

"Me mum's dead, thanks." She shot back, knocking the archer to the ground and 'killing' him. He grinned at her, winking before closing his eyes, faking death. Aisley could have sworn he tried to trip her though…

"How many left?" Rína asked breathlessly, her hair whipping around and hitting Aisley's face.

"Er… we've taken out seven. That leaves… like a thousand?"

"Not very good odds." Rína sighed, and Aisley laughed.

"You're telling me. Behind you!" Rína twisted around rapidly, parrying the blow, and Aisley had to marvel at her skill. Rína had taken to the blade much quicker than Aisley, though she preferred archery to swordplay. Over time, their skills at swordplay had evened out, and the two found that they were so evenly matched that their sparring matches went on for hours. What's more, they had each other memorized, could predict each other's every move, and fought incredibly well together.

"Nine hundred ninety nine." Rína breathed, taking down Calanon. Aisley cracked the hilt of her blade into Sidhion's head, simultaneously kicking Nendir in the face.

"This so isn't fair!" She cried, gasping as Rína shoved her out of the way of Aranhil's attack.

"There is no fairness in battle, Mistress Aisley." Cevon interrupted. Aisley turned quickly, smacking him with the hilt of her blade, shoving him backwards at the same time. He fell to the ground, and she quickly 'killed' him too.

Wasn't that something?

"That may be, but I sincerely doubt Rína and I will have to singlehandedly defeat an entire army." She breathed, moving to block Taurion's hit. "Christ on a bike!" She shrieked, feeling the sting of steel on her flesh.

"How do our odds look?" Rína asked, and Aisley turned to survey the remaining marchwardens.

"We're sucking diesel now." She shrugged optimistically. "Watch it!"

Suffice it to say, the two girls did not win. A few hours later they were both bleeding, sweaty, staggering messes, but Masters Cevon and Haldir were incredibly proud of their protégé. Aisley herself had taken down 47 soldiers throughout the course of the evening, and Rína was sitting pretty on 23. With a few more years of training, Haldir surmised, Rína could likely become the first female marchwarden. And maybe, just maybe, Aisley wouldn't die on whatever mad quest Lady Galadriel was planning on sending her on.

Speak of the Lady… Haldir snuck out of the House of Healing as Galadriel entered to check up on Aisley.

"My Lady." Aisley bowed her head, Rína echoing her and Galadriel smiled.

"How are you feeling?" She asked, and Aisley winced.

"I'm not sure how to answer that question and still be polite for present company, ma'am."

"You have grown so much, my child." Galadriel smiled, and Aisley looked up her.

"Really?" She asked, holding her hand up to the top of her head. "You think I'm pushing 155 cm?"

"I did not mean in height." Galadriel smiled, amused, which Aisley took to mean as no. That disappointed her slightly, seeing as the only people she'd met shorter than her were from other races. As far as she could tell, she was the shortest human in all of Middle Earth.

Not that she'd met all that many humans. More like… two. But still!

"You have learned so much, and have grown in years." Galadriel explained, and then paused. "The time has come, Aisley."

"For whaaaat….?"Aisley asked raising an eyebrow sceptically. "Milady." She added quickly, and Lady Galadriel chuckled.

"For you to prove your worth. I know you are no longer a child, Aisley, as do you. It is time for you to show the world."

"What would you have me do, my lady?" Aisley asked, her heart quickening. Was she really ready for this calibre of a quest?

"As soon as you are well, I need you to ride to Rohan. I have heard word that Theoden King has been ruling strangely, going so far as to cast out his own blood. I want you to act as Lothlόrien's ambassador, and go to meet with the King. His people are in danger due to their close proximity to Mordor, and he has done nothing."

"What are you thinking, my lady?" Aisley asked slowly. "I thought King Theoden was on the side of the Free People."

"Theoden King is a good man. But were he to be influenced by the forces of Mordor…" Galadriel shook her head. "I require you to give council to the king. Find out what is wrong, and speak for my people."

"So you want me to go all Nancy Drew on Rohan?" Aisley confirmed. "That I can do. But the rest of it? Milady, you want me to give council to the king? To represent Lothlόrien? Why would King Theoden even listen to me? And how am I supposed to represent your people madam? I am not even a citizen of Lόrien."

"You are wise beyond your years, child. I trust your judgement, and so do my people. You have spent a vast majority of your time on Middle Earth in Lothόrien, and I believe it as good a place to call home as Bree."

"You mean… you want me to live here?" Aisley asked, and Galadriel smiled.

"Have you not already been doing that, Aisley of Lόrien?"

"I like the sound of that." Aisley grinned. "But how can you ensure King Theoden will listen to me? Would he not see me as a child, and a woman no less?"

"A woman of power." Lady Galadriel asserted, handing Aisley a ring. "Bear this ring, and all men will listen to you."

"Milady!" Aisley cried, alarmed, and Galadriel chuckled, reading her thoughts.

"Never fear, child. It is not Nenya. This is my signet ring which proves that you speak for me. I hereby name you, Aisley Elizabeth MacGuire, as heir to the throne of Lothlόrien."

"What?" Aisley breathed. "But, milady, your children-"

"Are not here, now, are they? If there is anything the race of Man respects, its status. Power. Royalty. They will all pay you heed if you are Princess Aisley Elizabeth of Lothlόrien, heir to the Elven kingdom."

"I cannot-"

"Hush, child. It is in my best interest that Theoden King listens to your council, and I will do all I can to make sure that it happens. This is my choice. Will you accept?"

Aisley sat, stunned, before nodding slowly. "I will, milady. But I trust I'll die before you? I don't think I would be very good at running a kingdom."

"I would not leave you on your own." Galadriel laughed. "I realize it is a heavy responsibility for you to bear, but I feel you are capable. I trust I will see you before you leave?"

"Of course, milady." Aisley bowed her head quickly. "Will Rína be accompanying me?"

"She has my permission if she wishes to." Galadriel nodded. "Ultimately it is her decision. Rest now."

"Sound as a pound." Aisley nodded turning to Rína after Galadriel left. "So, are you up for it?" Rína stayed silent and Aisley frowned, worried. "Hey, what wrong? Is it the Princess thing? Because I'm not going to change, you know. It's just a title to make negotiations easier. It's not like I'm really royal or anything, so you don't have to feel awkward around me."

"It's not that." Rína spoke up quietly. "I know you won't be any different as Princess Aisley than as peasant Aisley. It is only… I will not be going with you, your highness."

"Oh, pet, don't call me that!" Aisley laughed. "You are a friend, Rína, there's no need for formalities." She paused as Rína's words sunk in. "Wait… what do you mean you're not coming with me?"

"Aisley… I can't." Rína sighed, shaking her head. "Lόrien is my home. I have never left."

"Well, there's a first time for everything. Come on, Rína, we work so well together! You can't stay. I need you at my side! You are my only true friend in this universe."

"I… I'm sorry Aisley." Rína closed her eyes sadly. "There's no one in the world I would rather follow, my sister, my leader, my Princess. But we are not all filled with your spirit of adventure. I am truly sorry, Aisley, but I just… I cannot."

"I understand." Aisley sighed. "You are free to make your own choice, pet. You have a firmly established life here, and I heard Haldir is thinking of training you to be a marchwarden. I know you'll do well, pet. Show up all the lads! I'll truly miss your company."

"And I yours." Rína nodded, squeezing Aisley's hand. "Will you return to Lothlόrien after your quest?"

"I don't know." Aisley declared, surprising herself. In the many months she'd spent here, she'd come to think of Lόrien as her home, but she couldn't just give up on Seattle and her Nana, could she? Of course, her Gran had probably presumed her dead from the wreck, and it wasn't like she had any other family. Here she had a makeshift family, she had friends, a home, and she was Princess of a Kingdom for Pete's sake! Did she want to give all that up to go live with a stranger?

But of course, she had to try and get home. Give it the ol' one two. But if she couldn't find her way home, would she be too terribly devastated?

"I'll try to find a way home, Rína. I have to try. But I'm quite partial to Lothlόrien. If I can't go home, there isn't anywhere else I'd rather be. But for now I need to rest. I think Cevon left me concussed, and I'm knackered. I'll see you in the morning?"

"Of course. Let me know if you need anything." Rína replied, eyeing the bandage wrapped around her majesties'- her friend's- head. "Heal, mellon nin. Posto vae."

She left the room, quietly shutting the door behind her as Aisley's eyelids drooped. The young monarch was asleep in mere minutes, leaving all the problems of the real world far behind.