Disclaimer: I own…nothing. Big surprise there.

Chapter Eight: Surfing the Tide

Pippin winced as he realized his mistake.

"Did I say Elf?" he asked quickly. "I meant…shelf. Yes, there's a shelf back there that we…uh…"

"We hid in it," Merry offered. Pippin nodded energetically in agreement. Elrond was not convinced by their charade and instead cast his gaze back to where the two had emerged earlier, daring me to come forward. There was a silence as the rest of the Council members turned their gazes toward the pillar, their expressions both curious and annoyed. I took a deep breath and stepped out from behind the pillar, incredibly conscious of the eyes fixed upon me. There were a few murmurs of displeasure as I quietly strode forward, stopping in front of Elrond. Oddly enough, he didn't seem too surprised.

"Lord Elrond," I murmured in a last ditch attempt to appear polite. I didn't know what the penalty for eavesdropping was in Rivendell, but I hoped it wouldn't be too terrible.

"Haley Logan," he replied, looking quietly at my burning face. "Always the inquisitive one." I nodded.

"Sorry," I apologized. I added 'milord' as an afterthought.

"What did I tell you?" exclaimed Gimli, a note of triumph in his voice. "NEVER trust an Elf!"

"Really? I happen to have a theory that you should avoid Dwarves altogether," I snapped back before I could censor myself. I pressed my lips together after the words left my mouth. The Dwarves glowered at me, while the Elves showed faint signs of amusement. Gimli looked as though he was about to give me a piece of his mind when Elrond stepped in.

"Well, Miss Logan," Elrond began, his expression unreadable. "What did you think of our Council?"

"Er…well…" I stuttered, searching for words. "It was a very nice Council—very well-organized. Interesting, too." I paused, trying to figure out how to undo some of the humiliation that had resulted because of Elrond's discovery. "Well, I just thought the whole expedition idea wasn't that great." Elrond raised his eyebrows.

"Really? Do enlighten us," he beckoned. I couldn't tell if he was angry or not, but I continued in my explanation.

"Well, it's just the structure of the group, really. I mean, you've got all these representatives to go on this quest who are all part of different backgrounds and whatnot. But you failed to practice any diversity in terms of gender. Yeah, you've got Elves, Dwarves, and Men, but you have no women. And because of that, you're misrepresenting the people more than anything." We had a similar argument in Debate Freshman year about the government's representation of the people and whether or not it was effective. I wasn't sure if I was really making a point, but I guess I was saying something rather than being silent and embarrassing myself.

"Are you suggesting that you would be an ideal candidate for such a position?" inquired Gimli sarcastically. I shrugged.

"Well…why not? I know how to fence and some archery. I can cook and I could do those small menial tasks that no one ever wants to do. And I can do a little sewing," I replied. "I wouldn't be a burden—I know how to take care of myself." I looked up at Elrond and shrugged. He was silent a moment or so before speaking.

"While Miss Logan was not necessarily…tactful in obtaining her observations, she does have a valid point." My mouth nearly fell open in shock. If anything, I was expecting Elrond to dismiss me with a slap on the wrist and a warning not to get caught up in things that were none of my concern. I didn't actually expect him to agree with me.

"Valid?" exclaimed one of the unnamed Dwarves. "She is a foolish girl—she could barely lift a sword, much less wield one." I glared at him and decided not to share the fact that if I had a sword, he would be the first one to receive a heavy blow to that thick skull of his.

"And how do we know we can trust her?" demanded a man with graying hair. "This is a matter of grave importance, Lord Elrond. One mistake could result in the destruction of Middle-earth!"

"Rest assured that no one here has given me any reason not to trust them, and that includes Miss Logan," Elrond replied. "Her abilities with a sword will be determined at a later date, Master Dwarf," he nodded at the Dwarf who looked slightly put out. "Otherwise, I see nothing wrong in Miss Logan's request." I raised my eyebrows slightly. I wasn't aware that I had actually made a request, but I decided that now would not be the best time to bring that up. Elrond looked quietly at the Council, searching for any signs of discontent. There were plenty, especially coming from the Dwarves, but he seemed to disregard them. "Very well," he said, nodding at me. I smiled slightly, feeling rather bewildered about the entire thing.

"Anyway, you're lucky you've got us," Pippin explained, gesturing to himself and Merry, obviously trying to lighten the mood. "You need people of intelligence on this sort of mission." He paused. "Quest." Another pause. "Thing."

"Well that rules you out, Pip," Merry said quietly to his friend. Pippin did a bit of a double take before frowning and jabbing Merry in the stomach with his elbow.

"So be it," Elrond said with finality. "You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!" The excitement was almost palpable and Merry and Pippin grinned happily at each other.

"Right," said Pippin. "Where're we going?"

As everyone smiled at Pippin's utter obliviousness, I couldn't help but wonder just exactly what I had gotten myself into. In the end, I decided to blame Elrond and leave it at that.

In all honesty, I had not expected the idea to last the night. I was pretty certain that Elrond would barge into my room the next morning and inform me that he had thought about it and realized that my presence would only be detrimental to the group.

So when a quiet knock sounded on my door, I opened it expecting to see Elrond's imposing form standing in the doorway. Instead, a thin servant stood in his place and abruptly informed me that Lord Elrond wished to see me in his study in ten minutes time. I thanked her and shut the door. I dressed quickly and nearly skipped to his study, expecting to receive my dismissal.

When I arrived at his study, I was greeted with some disconcerting news. Elrond had not summoned me to give me my dismissal. Oh no. He had absolutely no problem with the idea. He had called me there to inform me that I needed to have a major crash course in Middle-earth history and I needed to start learning Sindarin. I pointed out that I had no need of either, as I had been reading all those books he had lent me and Sindarin was entirely unnecessary on a quest that would most likely involve a lot of walking and fighting. But Elrond stated that I needed to learn Sindarin in order to fully assimilate with the Elven culture and also because it was good for me. He also explained that I had barely begun to scratch the surface of Middle-earth's history and then gestured to a stack of books, all of which were roughly six-hundred pages and said he wanted me to read all of them. I started laughing because I thought he had been joking (the books probably had itty-bitty printing, too), but my laugh quickly turned to one of bitter irony when I realized he was serious on all counts. Elrond then explained he wanted to meet with me at least once a day starting the next day to start combined lessons of history and Sindarin. Plus he wanted me to meet with someone to evaluate my fencing skills.

"What's the hurry?" I asked, shifting the books in my arms. "It's not like we're leaving next week."

"You are set to depart in two months' time," Elrond informed me. "That is hardly enough time to get you started. Now I suggest you make use of the time given to you and begin reading." He waved a hand dismissively at me and I slumped out of the room and into the garden.

Nothing really prepared me for lessons with Elrond. I read a good portion of the books he recommended—however, I found it next to impossible to actually retain much information. Perhaps it was because I was unfamiliar with the world to begin with. Perhaps it was because all the names were often comical sounding and next to impossible to pronounce. Either way, Elrond found it necessary to lecture me on these key points for long stretches of time.

I realize that Elrond was making a huge concession for me and that I should not only be grateful that he was allowing me to go, but also taking the time to help me. However, I don't think I should be at fault for getting distracted and staring out the window when the material started to get a little dry.

Unfortunately, Sindarin was not any easier.

I'm not much of a linguist—I struggled with French. Madame often said my pronunciation was a human tragedy and my grammar skills not too far behind. The worst part was she said it in French, meaning I could not understand her to begin with. Then she would sigh loudly and revert to English, adding that I could always ask for help if I needed it. I would always decline—Madame was often referred to as "Le Vulture" behind her back and I had no desire to spend more time with her than necessary.

Thus my contempt for language.

The vocabulary came relatively easy—it was the grammar and verbal part that I struggled with. My pronunciation was terrible and while Elrond did not use the word "tragedy," he did say I looked like a fish when I pronounced certain words.

My work outside the study came easier. I spent a few hours working with Aragorn, who seemed like a nice enough guy. He said my archery was "decent" (the phys ed teacher had a temporary lapse of judgment and decided to introduce an archery unit in my sophomore year. The idea lasted about two weeks before parents started to complain about injuries sustained during gym). I had taken a fencing class at the Y for about two years, so I was slightly more familiar swordplay than archery. However, I was rather out of practice, so I was a little off. Aragorn suggested that I practice with him several times a week to get back into form.

So between that and Elrond's lessons, I was both busy and sore. Fortunately for everyone else, this meant that I was more inclined to sit down with a book in my free time rather than talk, which I suppose was a welcome break for those who tire of hearing my voice.

There is one particular morning in Rivendell that sticks out in my mind as one of the more embarrassing moments of my life. I suppose I should record it here for the amusement of whoever might be reading this.

It was morning and I padded quietly to the bathroom to wash up. At this point, I managed to make several unpleasant discoveries.

My monthly friend had arrived.

And in addition to electricity, motor vehicles, and telephones, I found Middle-earth was missing another key invention almost vital to American life. This time, it was Kotex.

"Oh, for the love of…" I muttered. When digging through the cabinets produced no further results, I decided the best idea would be to locate Arwen.

I must have made a rather comical sight, sprinting barefoot down the hallway wrapped in a bathrobe, my hair in total disarray, all the while hoping that I wouldn't suddenly spring a leak.

I knocked frantically on the door for a good five minutes before a passing servant informed me that Arwen had gone out for a morning ride with Aragorn. The logic of this still continues to escape me. Unfortunately, Arwen's riding habits left me in a rather compromising situation. My lack of female companionship forced me to turn to one of the most unlikely people.

Elrond.

Not that I am suggesting that he has very feminine qualities. He just happened to be the only one around at the time.

I barged into his study without knocking. He looked up at me quizzically from a document he had been studying prior to my unplanned arrival.

"Haley," he greeted, his poise remaining remarkably intact, "I was not expecting you for at least three hours' time."

"Er…well, I've got a bit of a problem," I replied, picking at my fingernails to avoid eye contact. I proceeded to explain my situation sotto voce, my face burning with embarrassment the entire time. When I finished with my explanation, I looked up to find him sitting with his lips pressed tightly together, most likely to suppress a fit of laughter. He gave me some quick instructions, his voice somewhat shakier than usual. "Thank you for your help," I replied, once he had finished.

"You're welcome," he responded, successfully fighting back another chortle. I glared at him for a moment.

"See if I ever come to you for help again," I muttered before exiting and leaving him to his own devices.

That occasion marked one of the few times I saw the Lord of Imladris display that much emotion. However, I'm not about to bring it up again in order to see it.

A/N: (cries) I know. The tenth member thing is so clichéd and it's been done to death, but otherwise, this story would cease to have a plot. So give it a chance and see what happens. Those of you who are reading this revised version will notice that I've changed a lot of stuff in this chapter. I've always felt this chapter could have been better—the original seemed forced and a little corny every time I read it. In regards to the last scene—these problems are very rarely mentioned when girls get dropped into Middle-earth and I thought it would be a…interesting plot device type thing.