Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Lord of the Rings. I only own the plot and anything else that you can't find in the books or the movies.

A/N: I'm sure all of you out there in reader (and revierer *meaningful cough*) land expected a whole lot earlier, but I just didn't get the chance. I was away on vacation where I upped my pirates of the caribbean viewings to 6 (see previous chapters for rants on how good it was) and my lotr ttt viewings to six and a half (I could hardly tear myself away from that enormous tv screen in costco that was showing ttt) four of which were within the space of one week.

I now also have school which is becoming increasingly more homework oriented (damn teachers and their evil plots) and so I've had less time to write. Plus I'm kinda lazy, which account for a lot.

So new chapter!!! Hmm what shall I tell you before you read it. R&R!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter 3

Good to his word, Telmarion started Caria's training right away. In was not so much physical as mental for her wounds were not yet healed. She was given situations of battle and she would tell him - or in some cases show him - how the situation could be used to her greatest advantage, whether she was attacking or defending. She was also given much larger scale battle situations with greater numbers, and different types of defenses, and she would decipher these as well, for both the attacking side's greatest advantage, and the defending side.

As the nurse predicted it took a long while for Caria to recover from her injuries, longer than Caria had expected. Six weeks after her near fatal battle, the nurse deemed it long enough time for her leg and side to have healed. Indeed there was nothing on her leg but a long scar, and on her side the only thing to show that there had been a cut there was a slight pinkishness in the lighter-than-gold skin. As soon as the bandage came off Caria started exercising her leg, and within a week she was doing more than her normal training.

Twelve weeks later her arm had healed fully, and she was able to use her entire body again. The nurse ordered her not to train her arm intensely for another two weeks, though it was a good idea to begin using it, in order for her not to pull a muscle when she began training more intensely. Ignoring the nurse's two week interval minimum, Caria began working her arm intensely one week after the sling had been removed. It took quite a while for her to rebuild the muscle she had lost while her arm was injured.

Telmarion began her intensified physical training a week later, having not ignored the nurse's two week warning. Caria rose at dawn, sometimes before. In those early hours before she broke her fast, she did many physical exercises to strengthen her body, especially her arms. Although being a female did give her some advantages, it did hinder her greatly. Naturally, she was weaker and so had to work twice as hard to gain the same amount of strength as the other male elves. Often she was taunted by many of the male elves for this weakness. Never did she take heed, knowing that someday they would rue their words.

After her morning meal she practiced weapons with Telmarion and any of the other elven warriors who would practice with the elf who had been given the title 'The Female'. It did not take her long to get back into the rhythm of fighting. Her muscles remembered the movements easily. She practiced swordplay with many different types of swords: longsword, curved sword, saber. It took her slightly longer to regain her archery skill, but not much longer. Within a couple of weeks she was competing in archery tournaments with the best archers. In the later hours of the morning she practiced throwing daggers and fighting numerous numbers with her long twin daggers with Telmarion and any other elves willing to train with her.

In the afternoon, Telmarion had what he called 'special training'. In effect it was a development of a sixth sense. Caria learned to anticipate when an attacker would attack, to know where he would strike by his body language and eyes. Her reaction speed increased. She developed excellent peripheral vision and became sensitive to any shaking in the ground. Her senses heightened. She knew exactly where an attacker was by the sounds he made. Usually she practiced with elves, but occasionally when there was an orc raid she and Telmarion were sent out to practice her newly acquired skills. Usually these tasks proved easy enough, for they were not very large squads.

During the first years of Caria's intensified training, there were few orc raids, but enough to make the elves wary. Twenty years past. Many elves began speaking of a nameless fear and a shadow threat coming from the east.

Quite suddenly the orc raids began increasing drastically. Most came from the west in the direction of Dimrill dale. Very little time it took for word to spread of this sudden onslaught. For months Caria could walk among the trees of Caras Galadhon and her acute hearing would pick up words such as, 'Balin has returned to Moria' and 'the dwarves will awake what should be left to sleep'. Caria knew what should be left to sleep, though she did not wish to think of that evil herself: shadow and flame.

Secretly Caria was also training another skill. She was willfully stamping out all her emotions. Her ultimate goal was to protect the elves, her people. Her quarrel was with the orcs whom she wished to reek vengeance and battle upon. To do this it was imperative that she not let any emotion show, that she ruthlessly stamp it out and not feel or show that weakness.

Telmarion noticed the change slowly coming over his pupil. When laughter was appropriate, she would smile only faintly. When tears were to be shed, not one tear rolled down her face. When she was complimented, she would only nod politely. Although this distanced her from many of the elves, it did make her a better fighter. She fought always for what was right, but never for the right reasons.

But always her face remained in its stony cold likeness and her mind slipped into its stoic state of nothingness. Often though she sat by herself, nursing her own hatred and vengeance, returning with anger to her past, hating what had been done and what she had become, and letting love slip deeper and deeper into the dark recesses of her heart and soul. Inside she began to die, and soon she became what she desired to be: a cold ruthless killing machine.

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A/N: Yes I know that was kinda short with no dialogue or plot whatsoever, but I'm just sorta setting the stage. Sorta. A new chapter that has way more of a point will come around soon enough.

Namarie

And need I say it (probably not since it's fairly obvious):

REVIEW!!!!!!!!!