Chapter 3 is here! Rivendell is where J.R.R. Tolkien designated the place for Elves. So, in accordance with the names of places in that time period that the story takes place, Aelita being an elf-like person here, and her family living in a wooded part of the land, I decided to name it Rivendell as the providence (not sure if they had them back then), or the sector of Lyokonis. …maybe I should have named it Mirkwood instead? Yes, Lord of the Rings has gotten into my head. No, it can't or won't come out.

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Chapter the Third

May the Twenty-first, 1496 C.E.

Rivendell, Lyokonis

Ulrich sighed in exasperation as his new pupil had totally missed the mark again, Lady Yumi still watching his progress. Though Odysseus or Odd rather, had been progressing in his skills, they still were mediocre, at best. Ulrich unsheathed his blade and showed Odd how to properly make a swift and clean cut on the wooden block placed a little ways away. Odd then nodded his head, realizing his fault, and sheathed his sword, a yellow-tinted dual blade sword that he had gotten from a strange person carrying swords a while ago.

Ulrich then suggested that they go on a field trip, to the Palace Gardens in Rivendell, behind the Schaeffer Palace, as it was about the time when the flowers were blooming and giving off a sweet-smelling scent that was clear in the air as the gentle winds circulated it through the land. The Palace Gardens were open to any person in the land, just as long as they didn't cause harm to the countless specimens of plants and animals that were there.

Mounting his horse with Lady Yumi behind him, Ulrich signaled to Odd, who mounted on his horse and followed Ulrich as they raced to get to the Palace Gardens first. This time, Odd won because Ulrich had another rider with him, and had to take care that his passenger won't fall off as they were riding through the hills and grassy plains.

The grass underneath them softly crunched under their covered feet. Ulrich entered through the beautifully designed metal gates, and led the horses to a small pond that was near the entrance, bringing Lady Yumi and Odd with him. As they took in the sights of the Palace Garden, Ulrich sat down on the grass, relaxing. However, a loud metal 'clink' followed by more metal clinks and cries prompted him to jump up.

"Come, Odysseus and Lady Yumi! There's trouble nearby!" Ulrich yelled to them, drawing his silver double-edged sword.

Both of them sprung up quickly, And with that, all three drew their blades, and all three of them ran towards the source, a gated area that was mostly secluded from the rest of the gardens- the metal clinking and yelling growling louder with every second in the Training Grounds. All three of them stopped before they could open the gates, surprise written all over their faces as they watched, their jaws threatening to drop completely from the scene which unfolded before them…

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Aelita notched another arrow, and sent it flying into the target about 50 yards away. The deformed bulls-eye was covered in arrows, Aelita continually shooting a stream of them into her hated enemy's insignia. Reaching behind her to her quiver, she found that it was empty of all its arrows. Aelita sighed, and walked over to the target, gently but firmly tugging the arrows out of the covered wooden board, replacing it into her quiver, then moving the target back a few yards, and aiming again for the bulls-eye when she had returned to the same spot she had been in moments before.

Was it really true that she was probably the only warrior princess ever mentioned? Maybe. It was her father's suggestion that she took up learning how to fire bows and arrows, as well as learning how to use other weapons such as blades and morning-stars, and other assorted weapons generally reserved for the knights. Truthfully, Aelita did like archery from the oak-wood composite bow she now held in her hands, but she liked her sword better. They called it Watercress, and true to its name, there were tinges of blues to it, as if they were forming an intricate design of some sort- like a waterfall cascading down to the rocks below.

Getting bored of archery after a while, Aelita plucked the arrows from the target, putting them back in the quiver before sitting near a big rock, resting for a while. Taking out a poorly bound book that contained the handwritten notes that made up the book, Aelita opened it to where she had left off. With the invention of the printing press, it was easier to discern the words than if written by hand, and it was easier to make, and not as time consuming. Yawning, Aelita started reading the book, her eyes traveling down the lines of ink to jump back up to the top of the page after she had turned it, laying her head against the rock as she read along, great tales of battle being told by the authors. Unbeknownst to her, there were several people watching her this very moment…

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Waldo Schaeffer III looked out the window, seeing his daughter train, all the while pondering on his actions. 'Was it really necessary that she learned how to fight by her own?' he asked himself. Waldo could not stop thinking over his action, and if they were justified or not. Seeing arrow after arrow fly through the air to land on Xavier's target was enough for him to know that she truly hated him- how she truly hated her brother for what he had done in the past, and what he was doing right now. Waldo sighed and continued watching as she jerked the arrows right out of the target, hastily putting them back in her quiver. He was about to turn away when something she brought out of the work knapsack-like bag attracted his attention.

It was a book, and on closer inspection, it was a collection of stories that contained legendary battles that warriors and their leaders have fought. Waldo raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised to find that he had not known all this time that his daughter could read- in the time that girls were not allowed to be schooled, and allowed only minimal knowledge, only learning about housework and how to take care of the family.

Her blade that he had given to her a while ago was in its sheath, the gold and silver hilt glinting in the sun, all the while giving it a sense to others that it was a dangerous tool. It was, in fact, more dangerous than other, regular blades, but Waldo did not tell her the secret of the legendary blades, for fear of what was going to happen, as it, Watercress, was known to have been powerful and feared in combat. Waldo looked behind him as Antea gave him a cup of sweet, dark liquid that soothed his worries.

Antea too, watched her daughter, not at all surprised when she saw she was reading. She had found out that she had learned how to read years ago, and how she loved knowledge, sneakily taking the books at where the boys were taught, and out from the library, always stealthily replacing them before anyone really noticed. Antea smiled as Aelita brushed away the long strands of pink hair that was softly blowing in the wind. Turning away, she gave her husband a nod before leaving him to ponder over if it really was necessary to have her combat trained.

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Another person was too, watching Aelita as she read on, oblivious to the world around her except for the world that was contained within the books, the numerous battles against the enemies that were alike and different in every way interesting her as mental pictures of the battles flooded her mind. Unlike her father and her mother, however, this person did not have good intentions for her.

Scowling at what the wizard's looking glass was portraying him within the realm that she had her family had lived in, Xavier frowned at the thought of being beaten by his little sister. The only reason he had let her and her worthless family live was because he could see there was a stream of power that flowed within the Schaeffer family's blood line, a sense of power that was unique to the others. There was potential in them, Xavier saw, and he could put that to good use- that is… after he 'persuaded' them to do his bidding.

Looking closer and seeing his sister shooting arrow after arrow into his insignia, Xavier felt it was safe to make the understatement that she had really hated him for the relentless attacks he had made on the people, and the successful invasion of Lyokonis. Aelita and her family would be very difficult to bend to his will, unlike the feeble old wizard that served under him now.

It was a simple matter, to trick the wizard into going to a secluded spot before taking control of his mind and body. Shortly after the acquaintance that he had with him years ago, Xavier had made the wizard give him great power, Xavier becoming a lot like a wizard himself- though more powerful due to the darkness he had, increasing the power as the rage in his veins poured out to smite the people that were below him in power and rank.

She, his little sister, was gaining power in a slow, but increasing rate. Soon, she would find out the secret of the blade that was attached to the leather belt-like attachment on her outfit. Xavier knew by the foretelling of one of his seers, that she would eventually defeat him with four other people, each holding the legendary blades that he sought to steal from them, knowing that they could not triumph over him without them.

Unfortunately, Xavier had no idea where the other four blades where, and Watercress was protected from him until Aelita was physically and mentally strong in being able to wield it without any repercussions. Xavier growled, looking closer into the mirror after being momentarily distracted by his thoughts.

'So, she reads books on battles…' he thought. 'She was, no doubt learning different combat strategies from the people that actually were in the fights'. No matter, soon there were not going to be any books that he did not allow in his kingdom. Soon, there were not going to be any books on the war and battle strategies, and he could finally conquer the rest of the land in the puny lands nearby, and then take to the sea, ruling over lands that were far away.

Smirking to himself, Xavier called up one of the generals in his army, a gaunt man grizzled with the years of fighting.

"See those three?" Xavier said to him once the general arrived, pointing the mirror, which now showed Antea, Waldo, and Aelita. "I want you to capture them and bring them here, but keep them alive. I don't want them, dead, or your head will be separated from your body! Do I make myself clear!?" Xavier continued.

"Crystal clear" the General replied, his growl in anticipation of the raid mixing with his harsh laughter. "Crystal clear my Lord…"

With that, the general immediately left to Xavier's army's quarters. Summoning the best and the most silent of them, he rallied them, and they swiftly left on horseback for Rivendell, their midnight-black horses racing towards their destination, the warriors holding up their sharp weapons that were glinting in the bright sunlight.

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Author's note: Female rulers did have a role in history, in actually fighting in battles. Just look up… Yes, printing presses were at the time. Otherwise, how did the Renaissance (or any other Revolution for the matter) come to spread? And yes, Xavier is technically a Lord and Ruler.

I did make Aelita have long hair, because I like long hair- having long hair for a long time. Are you catching on to the idea of the blades? No, they're not color coded just to be unique- the intricate designs on the hilt and blade are enough. I think you'll find the mystery of the other 5 blades (not Xavier's/XANA's, you know of its power) quite intriguing… I think. Ooh, I'm an evil person leaving people with cliffhangers. Well… why are you hanging from a cliff then? Get onto solid land already, and I don't mean letting go and falling down hundreds of feet below.