The events that happened in the last few hours left Skyler's head spinning even as she rode towards Rohan.

First they found the burning carcasses. It was not pretty; there were no traces of the hobbits, for a second they thought they had failed the little folks. Then…

Then Aragorn found footprints, footprints leading into Fangorn which left Skyler scared. She may live in Fangorn but she knew how cruel an angry tree can be to anyone in general, especially after years of hurt and pain.

She asked tree after tree in the forest but they would only say some one had taken them away and would not give the specifics. However just as she was thinking the worst…

They found Gandalf.

He was alive.

Skyler almost broke down when she saw the wizard.

Then her heart soared even higher when he told her they would be heading to Rohan…Rohan where she might find Ashlocke. Gods, she could bury the old man in millions of hugs just for saying that.

However she had felt duty bound to ask Gandalf if she should stay in Fangorn and resume her duty. After all, she was the Guardian of Fangorn. He just smiled mysteriously and said the forest no longer needs a guardian; they would take the job themselves soon.

And so…they rode to Rohan.

Rohan was disappointing to say the least…gods the place looked like…well Gimli had the best description.

"You can find more cheer in a graveyard." The dwarf grumbled as they rode into the city.

Things did not get better when they reached the door.

"Lady Ashlocke!" the door warden gasped.

"No, her relative, Guardian of Fangorn." She smiled sweetly and muttered under her breath, "who just happens to be very pissed with this creature called Wormtongue."

The door warden seemed to be even more taken back at that but he quickly recollected himself and said: "Hamas is my name; I am the doorward of King Theoden. Please lay down your weapons before you enter."

Skyler shrugged and lay down her sword, crossbow, and daggers; weapon or not she could still defend herself.

Aragorn followed suit while Legolas hesitated but did so after a nod from Gandalf. Gimli quickly followed Legolas; surely he's not scared when the elf is not.

Gandalf smiled benignly as he glanced at Hamas after they all laid down their weapons.

"Your staff." Hamas said after Gandalf set down his sword.

"Oh surely you would not take away an old man's walking stick." Gandalf pouted. Skyler had to bit the inside of her cheeks to stop herself from laughing; gods, she never thought Gandalf could pout.

"It may be more than a prop of an old man." Hamas said examining the staff with a critical eye.

Skyler suppressed the strong urge to roll her eyes and decided to add her piece: "Come on, he's so old he's bound to fall apart without that wood stick and I'm certainly not going to pick up the pieces when he does I hope you will."

Hamas thought for a moment before he nodded and opened the door.

They entered a dark hall that was more ominous than the gates of hell.

"Late is the Hour…" whatever Wormtongue was going to say end up choking him when he caught sight of Skyler.

"You traitorous witch!" he hissed.

"Oh you did not just call me that." Skyler said raising an eyebrow.

"How DARE you betray Rohan, seize her!" Wormtongue screeched.

"Gandalf, may I?" Skyler asked politely as two oversized monkey came over her way.

Gandalf sighed: "Go ahead."

"Thank you." Skyler said graciously and in a flash she disappeared then reappeared behind the two oafs. She leaped into the air and knocked the two heads together before flying in between them punching one in the face and kicking the other in the cheeks. She could vaguely hear in the background that nasty worm shouting: "I told you to take away his staff!!!"

Just then another man came over towards her but a dark blur rushed in from the side and knocked him to the ground.

"That is no way to treat a guest." The figure said amusedly.

"It is you." Skyler gasped.

The figure turned around to reveal a face identical to Skyler's in fact slightly younger and softer: "Sky?"

"Mom! Oh my freaking god! It is you, isn't it? How did you..?"

Ashlocke ran over and enveloped her in a tight hug: "How did I get so young?" she whispered as tears streamed down her face: "Fate I guess. Oh dear, I never thought I would see you again. It's been years, eight at least."

Skyler pulled back in shock: "Eight?"

"It's been at least five hundred for me, mum." She said weakly.

Ashlock's arm fell limply on Skyler's shoulder: "Five hundred…" she trailed off.

"You're not joking."

"Would I joke about this?"

"So you're…"

"More than five hundred years old, and let's leave it at that."

"I'm twenty-five…"

"Oh, the Valar have a funny way of spinning fate." Skyler said cynically.

Ashlocke slapped Skyler's head lightly: "Stop that emo crap and why are you so sardonic. I did not teach you to be this way."

"Five hundred years tend to do that to one." Skyler grimaced rubbing her head.

"Well, fix it."

"Mum…You can't…"

"Don't argue with me, young lady. I did not spend fifteen hours in labor to argue with you."

"I can't believe you are still using that."

"The prize of being a mother dear."

Skyler snorted then a devious glint entered her eyes: "Well then, mother dear, your boyfriend said hi by the way."

To Skyler's amusement, her no-none-sense mother blushed a faint pink but glared at Skyler: "Who are you talking about?"

"Eomer of course, that dear boy almost bit my head off when he thought I was you and you were traveling with a bund of strange guys."

Ashlocke rolled her eyes: "Some times he's so much of a jock."

"I think that poor boy is just head over heels in love with you." Skyler teased.

Ashlocke tisked and glared at her again.

Skyler smacked her own forehead: "I cannot believe I'm teasing my mother about her own love life. Good heavens.'

"But you'll let me know if he hurts you, right?" Skyler added glancing at her mother worriedly.

"I doubt we'll ever be together. Wormtongue bewitched King Theoden into banishing Eomer." Ashlocke said sadly.

Skyler grinned: "Well, we're here to solve that, see?"

Ashlocke looked around the empty hall: "Where did everyone went off to?"

A large commotion sounded outside the hall.

"Outside, I suppose." Skyler shrugged, "Come on, it would be bad to miss the parade."

Ashlocke smacked Skyler on top of her head again.

"Oi, I'm sure you are not taller just to hit me. That's child abuse you know."

"You're five hundred years older, you're not a child."

"Well, most of the time I was sleeping anyways."

"You'll have to tell me about that sometimes soon, sleeping beauty."

"What…"

They reached the door just as Eowyn was telling King Theoden about his son's death. Ashlocke's face turned stony immediately.

"That slimy worm killed him, not by his own hands of course." Ashlocke proclaimed loudly as she watched Wormtongue ran out of the city.

Eowyn turned around: "Ash…" then she stopped midway as she glanced between Ashlocke and Skyler.

"What's going on?" Eowyn finally said.

The rest of the men turned and stared too.

"Skyler?" that was Legolas.

"Lass, I didn't know you had a sister." Gimili said gruffly.

Skyler laughed: "Yes, sister, I suppose we could call her that."

"You a pointy ear too?" Gimili asked.

"You're an elf?!" Eowyn said in surprise.

"No," Ashlocke said hurriedly then apologized to Legolas, "No offense meant, but I'm one hundred percent human."

Even Aragorn seemed at loss with words. Skyler smirked; to the outsiders they looked identical except for their clothes. Skyler had long lost her round figure in the harsh Fangorn, and Ashlocke must have gone through countless hardship on her own because she now had a certain pride and hardness to her that wasn't there before. With their equally long wavy black hair and dark brown eyes on a pale face; the only thing different was their clothes.