Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story apart from the plot and Galwyn. All the rest is Tolkien's of course.

A/N: Thanks to those who have reviewed! And if there is incorrect stuff in here, then it is like that to fit in with the plot!

Under Galadriel's tutelage, Galwyn's control of her power grew. Her initial attempts at holding a form for longer periods of time left her physically and mentally exhausted, and she began to despair that she would ever have full control over it. But as time passed, she found she could transform for longer and longer, with more and more ease. Galadriel watched her progress with scrutiny, pushing the young girl to her limits, but never over them. When Galwyn was not being tutored, the Elven queen encouraged her to mix with the other elves of her age, of which there were several, in Lòrien. Her friendship with Ralia deepened and they became very good friends, and the elf-maiden helped her out of her shyness towards the other elves, coaxing her into joining in their gatherings that were filled with laughter, dancing and song. As she grew more confident in the company of the other elves, and gained fluency in their language, she gained more control over her powers. She found that, if she concentrated on a person, she could imitate their voice, and subsequently discovered she could take on their form as well. Galadriel however, upon discovering what Galwyn had found out, forbade her to ever use her power to imitate another person unless specifically instructed to do so, telling her, rightfully, that it would never come to any good.

Six years later…

The Elven Queen was extremely pleased with the way Galwyn was progressing. In the six years she had been in Lòrien, she had become almost totally in control of her powers, and able to transform at will, even if the subject was not present, and for as long as she wanted, though being in another form for a long time still tended to leave her weary, something that would diminish with practice. Her travels with the Elven queen to Imladris to receive tuition from its Lord had given her even more skills. Galwyn had blossomed into a gracious, though somewhat headstrong, young woman, and it was at the end of her third year there, with her twentieth birthday approaching, that Galadriel received the news that turned her young charge's life upside down.

Vilya, the ring of Airs, given to Elrond Peredhil of Imladris by the elven king Gil-Galad at the end of the Second Age, had been stolen. On a trip to visit King Thranduil of Mirkwood, who dwelt in the north east region of the forest, near to the Lonely Mountain, the elven lord's party had been ambushed as they took the Old forest Road by a group of orcs and wargs led by some dark, cloaked and hooded men, that far exceeded them in strength. The Noldor elven lord Glorfindel had managed to protect his Lord using his magic while the other elves held off the forces around them, until he himself had been wounded. At this point, Elrond had been taken by the group, beaten, and the ring of Power, which he carried with him at all times, stolen. When Glorfindel had found his Lord, his injuries were many and terrible, and he was barely alive. Glorfindel himself had taken him, riding at an immense pace on his horse to the dwelling of Thranduil where the healers there had done all they could to help the Master of Imladris, who was himself the most gifted and powerful healer in Middle Earth.

It was Gandalf the Grey who delivered the news of their son-in-law to Galadriel and Celeborn, for Elrond was married to their daughter Celebrian who had passed over to the west many years ago. He came alone, troubled and weary from the long ride. For a long time he was in council with the Lord and Lady of Lòrien, for there was much the Grey wizard had to tell them.

Galwyn, however, was unaware that anything was awry; she had seen the wizard arrive, but Gandalf often visited Lothlòrien, and his presence was usually just to report on the business of the more distant reaches of Middle Earth. Often when Gandalf was there, he himself had tutored her, and she greatly enjoyed his company, for though usually serious, he always had an amusing story or song. There were several times when Radagast accompanied him, although the brown wizard was not able to leave Fangorn that often, for unlike Gandalf, he was the keeper of the forest, and had not the freedom to roam the lands as Gandalf did, although the Grey Wizard spent much time in the Shire with the halflings.

Galadriel and Celeborn listened to all that Gandalf had to say in solemn silence. The Lady of Lòrien was herself a bearer of a Ring of Power. She was the keeper of Nenya, the Ring of waters, which had a single, white, stone of great beauty. Gandalf, too, was a ring bearer- and wore Narya, the Ring of fire, on his hand. Elrond's plight was of great importance, for in the possession of someone else, the Ring could be turned to evil uses. And it was obvious that the attack had been planned, for it had been the Elven Lord who had been targeted directly. Galadriel spoke quietly, and with great seriousness.

"And what state is Elrond presently in?"

"He was stable when I left Mirkwood. Gwaihir the Eagle King was with me as I arrived there, and I asked of him to bring me word should anything befall Elrond. But I have not heard anything to suggest he is not healing. But I believe there will be mental scars; for Glorfindel told me he believed they had tortured him. As it is, only he, Elrond and two others from their party survived the attack, so great were the opposing numbers." Gandalf replied, and Celeborn nodded sadly.

"This is something that must be investigated immediately. It appears evil forces are once more gathering in Dol Guldur. Who has taken charge of Imladris?"

"Glorfindel has chosen to remain in Mirkwood while Elrond heals, so he may accompany him on his return to Imladris, but I believe Elladan has taken charge of his father's realm. Elrohir and Arwen are on their way here, I believe, and will arrive in a few days." Galadriel nodded at the news: she had been aware of her daughter and grandchildren's approach since that morning. She was glad of it, for she wanted Arwen where she knew she would be safe. Elladan and Elrohir, the twin sons of Elrond and Celebrian where easily capable of looking after themselves, for they had long been trained in the arts of swordplay and archery and were some of the best warriors that Middle Earth had to offer.

"And Arwen? How is she coping?" Galadriel said with concern in her voice.

"I fear it is all too familiar for her. Celebrian's leaving was painful for her, and now the same thing has happened to her father, I believe she feels he too, will leave her. Elladan and Elrohir seem to be coping however. But I have never known them to allow their emotions to get the better of them. And they have each other for support." Celeborn listened to Gandalf with the utmost attention. The elven lord knew that the matter was of great importance and that something had to be done immediately. He voiced his own plan as it came into his mind.

"Vilya must be recovered. It is imperative that it be returned to its keeper. We must discover the source of the evil in Dol Guldur, and it must be defeated. I think we must gather a small group of elite with which to gather information, and muster an army to storm the stronghold once it is found." He exchanged a glance with his wife. "I believe this is Galwyn's calling. She would be the perfect spy, for she can take on the form of the foul creatures in order to find out the information we require." Galadriel and Gandalf nodded in agreement. The Elven Queen spoke, and the wizard detected the sadness and concern she felt for the young mortal who had been her charge.

"She must join the group and help to recover Vilya. There is nothing else to be done. We will hold a council here and appeal for elves of all the realms, and I will send word to the Dúnedain also."

"And what of the other kingdoms of men?" Gandalf asked.

"They will not come. Neither will the dwarves. Both races are selfish and too absorbed in their own local problems to worry about what happens to the Elven rings. We will deal with it ourselves, for they will not be of any help to us." Celeborn spoke with surprising passion in his voice, for he was usually completely calm. Galadriel put a hand on his arm, and he instantly regained his composure. She spoke quietly.

"Gandalf, will you see to it that word reaches Elladan and Thranduil. We will hold the council in Imladris as soon as possible. Myself and Celeborn will arrange things here in Lòrien."

"Of course. I will send for Gwaihir and he will take the message for me, for there is no faster messenger. I will leave this very hour for Imladris and make plans for the council with Elladan."

"May the Valar protect you on your travels, Gandalf."

"May they forever shine their blessings down on you, fair Lord and Lady." Without another word, Gandalf immediately went to his horse and left the Golden Wood for the elven realm of Imladris.

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Galadriel and Celeborn stayed deep in conversation for several hours after Gandalf's departure, discussing who would represent Lòrien in the group. Both were sad to know that their time with Galwyn had ended, but such was the way with mortals: their time passed so quickly in comparison to the elves. But they knew that this was her fate; this was her calling. Elrond visited Lòrien often, usually with Arwen, and Galwyn had come to know him very well. She herself had been to Imladris for long periods of time when the Lord of the realm had instructed her in the art of healing, and Glorfindel had taught her how to use a sword and bow. Arwen had become as an elder sister to the young mortal, but she was yet to meet the twins, for they were seldom at home, preferring to travel with the Dúnedain and the various elven hunting parties that stalked the rogue orc bands. After a long silence, Galadriel spoke.

"I suppose we must call Galwyn and inform her, for she will be distressed, and need some time to come to terms with the news before she will be able to travel."

"Yes, I will send for her myself." Celeborn replied. He stood and left the talan, reappearing a few minutes later. He sat down next to his wife and took her smooth white hand in his own, and they waited in silence for Galwyn to arrive.

She came after several minutes, looking rather flushed and out of breath. She had a worried expression on her face and this increased when she saw how serious the Lord and Lady looked. Celeborn gestured for her to sit on the chair opposite, and then spoke gently to her.

"Galwyn, you know that Gandalf arrived here this morning?"

"Yes, I saw him arrive this morning. But wasn't that him I saw leaving a few hours ago?"

"It was. He has gone to Imladris. The reason for which involve you. You must listen carefully to what I will tell you, Galwyn. For it is of the greatest importance." Although he spoke calmly, he saw her become pale with worry. But it was necessary for him to carry on, and so he wasted no time in explaining the situation to his foster-daughter. She was, as he and Galadriel had expected, very distressed at the news, for the Lord of Imladris had been very kind to her, and she was very fond of him. But she had grasped the importance of the ring's retrieval at once, for Celeborn himself had been her tutor in the history of Middle Earth, and she knew everything there was to know of the three rings of power. She sat back in her chair with silent tears running down her cheeks. As she had grown up, and spent the happiest of her days in Lòrien (though it had taken a long time for her to accept the absence of Radagast in her life, and to look upon the Lord and Lady as her foster-parents), she had also become increasingly aware of the evil that lurked in the background, though it was scarcely visible from the safety of the golden wood. But she knew of Celebrian's plight, and remembered the tears she had wept for the daughter of the Elven king and queen. And to have the same thing happen to someone she knew; it was just awful. And it was doubly terrible in that Vilya had been stolen from its keeper. She managed to regain her composure when Galadriel assured her that the best of care was being taken to heal the elven Lord, but she knew that the conversation was not over.

"And what part do I play in this sorry set of events?"

"We are planning a retrieval of the ring, and you are to act as the spy. We will require you to take on probably orcish forms and find out what we never could. You will be accompanied by a small group of warriors for protection, and we will be mustering an elven army so we are fully prepared, should it be needed. Of course, we will not force you to…"

"Of course! I would not dream of refusing!" Galwyn interrupted Galadriel's words, and the elven queen smiled wryly as Galwyn reacted exactly as she had imagined. She and Celeborn began to explain more fully to Galwyn now that she had understood the situation, and answered her many questions until late in the night.

A/N: So what do you think? Do I carry on? Or give it up now? Please review!