Chapter 2

"You are late. I do not tolerate wasting time, Kierra" Haldir stated when we got there.

"She had to talk to someone important, she did not mean to waste your time" Elbithia jumped to my defense.

"No of course not" Haldir bowed to her and looked at me with somehow disgust. I didn't like his fast growing opinions of me, he didn't even know me well enough to judge me. If only one could tell how this training would be for me.

"I am sure Lady Galadriel told you that you will learn how to use a sword, bow and arrows and to use knives. Let us do a short summary of what you know of them" He tossed me a sword in the air and I barely caught it and lost it out of my hands.

"It is not all about strength, it is about movements and how you move towards the target. Try to attack me openly" he explained and I hit the sword he held sturdy.

"That was weak. If I move while you attack, what would you have done then, show me" he demanded and I listened. Once again I tried to hit his sword while he moved, this time I missed.

"That was the basics on the sword. Try to use the bow and arrow this time" He handed me the bow and arrow and told me to shoot the big tree a few meters away from me,

I concentrated and when I shot the arrow it landed right in front of my feet.

"I will need much work on you than I thought, weak human. Try to use the knives this time" he handed me the two knives and scuffed like he was convinced that I was going to fail once again. I hit the two knives and both hit the tree but they didn't stick.

"Yes, that was a lot better, Kierra" Elbithia smiled supportively.

"Better yes, but weak. The knives you can handle, the sword too a little but we need to work with the bow and arrow much more. Your training schedule will be training as the sun rises and you will train when the sun goes down. Now that you know the basics you will come by when the sun goes down tonight. You can retreat for now" He told me and left.

"This is not going to work, I will never be good at it" I said to Elbithia.

"That is what training is for. You will get better, you will see" she explained and took my hand.

"I'm not so sure about that" I said doubtfully and we walked up to my elf tree.

"How am I supposed to train early and late every day? It's going to be exhausting in the long period" I told her as I laid down on the bed. She looked at me weird. "What if you had to fight everyday in a real battle? That is exhausting" she explained "I suppose you`re right" I said with my eyes closed, she was standing by the door looking outside. The wind flew through her hair.

"I still wonder what my real purpose here is, Lady Galadriel said I had come here by accident and will now live a life in burden and sorrow" I wondered, Elbithia didn't say anything. It was like she knew but couldn't tell, she looked at me for a while and continued watching the wind.

"I will get you new clothes for training, you cannot use a dress. It is uncommon for women to fight in battle, especially get training for one. Anyone but me that is, my parents wanted me to learn so I could protect myself if I needed to." Elbithia said after a while, trying to remove my worries but it didn't work. She said it was uncommon for women to fight in battle and to get training for a battle, did that mean that they were training me for a battle?

"I need to be with my parents, I will find you again when it is time to go training." She smiled before she walked away. I needed to go for a walk so I left and walked around in Lothlòrien.

I took a few deep breaths and touched the bark on the trees as I was walking. The feeling was calming and peaceful. I saw the mirror of Galadriel and walked up to it. I touched the water and it showed me a memory of Harry and me.

Harry and I lay in the grass in the meadow with purple flowers. He lay in my lap as he was telling me about his boyfriend. He wore one of his blue scarves and an orange t-shirt and dark jeans. I wore a white dress with black tights. I really fancied dresses. We became friends since we both stood out from the social life. We then began to talk to each other and quickly had a great chemistry.

I smiled at the memory; it was one of my best memories with my best friend. I missed him dearly.

"May I ask what you saw?" Galadriel's voice said behind me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" I started to explained when she interrupted me.

"Do not be sorry child. What did you see?" she asked again.

"I saw a memory from my past with one of my dearest friends. My only friend from the future actually" I replied.

"I must tell you something and listen carefully. I am remorseful for your sorrow but you will never return back home" She told me and I realized what she meant by burden and sorrow, but could there be anything else to it in the future?

"Never return home?" I repeated, never to see my best friend Harry ever again? I never even said goodbye to him.

"I should get ready for training" I mumbled low but enough so she could hear it and I walked fast over to my little tree. I sat down on my bed in the corner of the room and cried, but felt weak for crying and dried the tears instead. There was a someone by the tree.

"We should get ready for training" Elbithia said carefully. She probably heard me cry. I didn't say anything, I walked over and put the training clothes on and walked quietly beside Elbithia.

"You look like a man elf in those clothes. What would your friends in the future think of you now?" She asked me.

"You know, this is actually normal for girls back in the future. Harry was my only friend and now I won't be able to see him again ever" I had started to shout at her. Even more tears came down my cheeks. I had a tendency to overreact in situations.

"Sorry" I mumbled and I dried my tears once again.

"let us move on to your training shall we?" she smiled and we walked up to Haldir. He looked at me with disgust. I could imagine what he was thinking; it was like he wanted to roll his eyes at me as if to say 'weak humans are always in trouble'.

He tossed me the sword and this time I caught it with a good grip.

For weeks I trained with Haldir. Sometimes he would actually smile as I was getting better. Some days we could even talk and laugh as friends. I still hadn't heard from Legolas, but if this was before the war of the ring then he would probably be on his way here with the others. I tried not to worry too much, but I still was. All of these questions about my faith couldn't be answered, I just had to wait and see what would happen.

"Here" Haldir said giving me a goblet filled with clean cold water from the river.

"I will be down in the forest with my brothers on guard. Keep training until the sun comes down" he told me and walked away. I looked at him until he was out of sight and sighed, and started to work on my bow and arrow. I had managed to hit the spot in the three that was exactly where I was focusing on. It was the first time I had hit the right spot, and I wanted to burst in a victory dance but it would look silly if anyone was watching me. So all I did was smile absurdly to myself.

"Good shot" I heard behind me, I turned around and Elbithia was there smiling at me. She led me up to lady Galadriel when I heard a few voices in the forest farther in. It was a man shouting.

"I am a dwarf stepping on elf land, I am in disgrace. Wish I could have a few orcs to kill" The dwarf apparently, shouted on and on about it.

"You know I would take out more orcs than you" I think Legolas said. He was here? This is where the first film was. Gandalf the Grey were of course not with him and I could see the sorrow in their faces. But I knew something they didn't, that Gandalf would come back as Gandalf the White.

I ran after them until I stepped up to where Galadriel and Celeborn were. They came down the stairs together. They were all stunned.

"The enemy knows you have entered here. What hope you had in secrecy is now gone, eight that there are here yet nine there were set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf, for I much desire to speak with him, I can no longer see him for afar" Celeborn spoke and the sorrow in their faces grew. Then Galadriel spoke: "Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land, he has fallen into shadow"

"He was taken by both Shadow and Flame. A Balrog of Morgoth. For we went needlessly into the net of Moria" Legolas explained and I went a step forward and he noticed me. He looked at me, smiled a little and turned back to Galadriel with much grief.

"Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life. We do not yet know his full purpose. Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dum fill your heart, Gimli son of Gloin. For what the world has grown full of peril and in all lands love is now mingled with grief" She said.

"What now becomes of this Fellowship? Without Gandalf, hope is lost" Celeborn spoke without much as hoping it would be better.

"The quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true" Galadriel spoke to ease everyone.

"Do not let your heart be troubled, go now and rest for you are weary with sorrow and much toil. Tonight you will sleep" she spoke one last time and they all walked away. I looked hopeful on Legolas for any chance of speaking with him or at least something, but he never looked back.

Once again I was in my tree. Maybe I should have grown a part of it and never come out. Sounds silly but that's what I was thinking, because I didn't want this. I never asked to get people hurt, disappoint others and feel this way. I had created a fantasy of myself in lord of the rings, where I was with Legolas – forever. How it is now, it's not what I wanted or how I imagined it at all.

"Legolas" I said as he walked in, I was surprised to see him. I tried to freshen up as well as I could.

"How is your training?" He asked me, and sat down beside me. "Good, I'm getting better. I managed to hit the arrow exactly where I wanted today" I said weakly, not sure of why he seemed to be angry and disappointed in me and in the next acting as a good friend.

"I have forgiven you. One shall not need to be fuming for the rest of their lives. I would still like to be your friend, if you can forgive me for being such a fool" he said with such grace in his voice that I couldn't help but feel a tingling in my stomach

"There's nothing that needs to be forgiven. You had all right to be angry at me" I smiled now, happy to be with him once again after such a long time.

"Friends? I consider you my friend, but you hardly know me" I said to him, shifting closer to him.

"I would like to know you more if you do not mind" he said smiling back. I had missed him more than I had realized.

"what's your favorite color?" I asked him out of the blue, suddenly wondering upon a lot of things. My head swirled with questions.

"I do not have a favorite color. All colors of the world are necessary, not one should be picked as a better one. What is yours since you are asking?"

"It's purple. More to the version of lilac" I answered, looking up on him shyly.

"Purple is associated with good judgment and spiritual fulfillment. It stimulates peace of mind" he explained when two hobbits came in, Merry and Pippin.

"So you're the warrior girl that's going to lead us in to battle" The one called pippin said as he took a bite of a red apple with one hand in his pocket, bouncing back and forth on his hairy feet. Pippin was leaning on him by his right side.

"I'm not leading anyone in to battle, I'm just getting trained for one" I said as they nodded in understanding and walked away.

"They were so small" I said as they were gone. I never realized just how small they really were; I looked at Legolas who smiled.

"Hobbits are small creatures; I do not want to see anyone of them be lost in battle" He said as his smile disappeared "Gandalf is already lost" He whispered at the end. Legolas smiled weakly as he walked out back to the fellowship – they had no idea what was expecting them in the future, what would happen to them.

I was glad he wasn't angry with me anymore. I missed my home, my apartment, my friend Harry, everything. How could I be here and do this stuff? As for how many times I wanted to find out how it was living in the old days, I didn't think it would be like this.

I would have to pull myself together, find the courage and stand up for whatever was coming my way.

Darkness was falling over us and I found myself tired. I took the grey blanket around me and fell asleep, but right before I heard someone whisper my name.

I woke up to the bright sun and had to close my eyes. I could not shake off the whisper from last night. Who had whispered? Was it just me dreaming? It had sounded so real.

Birds were singing, in a sad tone. The elves were still singing for Gandalf. I removed the blanket, put on my training clothes, brown pants and an almost too big green dark shirt. A belt hangs around my waist with pockets that my weapons could fit in. If it was for anything I would say it made me look like Peter Pan, without the hat. Ready to go to the training, I walked up to Haldir down at the lake.

"Ready to train warrior" I said playfully hitting my sword in the air laughing.

"Not today" He answered that made me question if we were done with the training.

"You know how to train Kierra, but one shall see how you do it in practice. We will leave this afternoon on a hunting trip after some orcs."

"Do not worry. It is just a few orcs not too far from here, you should be able to handle them" He said as he saw my baffled scared expression. I played with my fingers, tapping my feet as we stood in an awkward silence. I didn't know what to say or do at this point, hunting orcs, was I ready?

"We will leave shortly, pack a bag of supplies and meet me here as soon as you can" He said