A/N: Hey guys! I've been re-watching Gunslinger Girl and got this idea and FINALLY decided to start writing it! I'll get back to A Whole New World (my Super Sentai/X-Men crossover, the fourth in the series) soon. ALSO, I know that this should be in the Gunslinger Girl/Lord of the Rings crossover archive (where there isn't ANYTHING), but I wanted this to get more views. Once it gets enough reviews/favorites, I'll move it there.

One more thing: This will primarily be following the Lord of the Rings movies, not the books. I might incorporate some aspects of the books in there, but I haven't decided yet.

kanna does not own Gunslinger Girl or Lord of the Rings. You know who they belong to.

Elvish will be in italics

The first thing Henrietta noticed when she woke up was that she wasn't at the Agency. She sat up, looked around, and took in her surroundings. She felt tears go down her face at the thought of her handler, Jose, who took the one bullet that could have killed her. She didn't want to relive the shootout at the Agency. Seeing the dead, blank faces of Rico, Triela, Angelica, Claes, Jose...especially Jose. She wasn't ready to show that type of emotion. Henrietta wiped her tears and allowed an emotionless expression to form on her face.

"Good, you're awake," a voice said. Henrietta jolted in surprise. She looked at the source of the sound and saw a person with long brown hair and pointed ears. He wore a kind of crown and some of his hair was in braids. An elf? No, there were no elves in Italy. Then again, Henrietta was either in a part of Italy she had never been to, or somewhere else entirely. "Do you remember anything? What is your name?" Henrietta regarded the man...elf...whatever he was with unsure eyes. "Do you speak Elvish?"

"What?" Henrietta asked. Whatever language that was spoken was one Henrietta didn't understand. The language caught her completely off guard and a fearful expression took over her facial features.

"So you can speak," the elf said. Wherever she was, Henrietta figured she might as well play along. "What is your name?"

"Henrietta," Henrietta replied in a soft voice that was laced with fear. Where was she? What was this person going to do to her? Was she going to die? Her handler was dead, along with all the other cyborgs and their handlers, so it wasn't as if she had anything. So why was she afraid? She had no one to die for or anyone that would miss her.

"You need not fear me, Henrietta," the elf said. "I am Elrond. This is my home. You are in Imladris."

"Imla...what?"

"Rivendell."

"Rivendell?" Henrietta was definitely a long way from Italy; wherever she was. "What's going on? What are you? Was it all a dream?"

"I can see you have many questions, Henrietta," Elrond mused. "However, I would like you to answer some of mine first. Would you?" Henrietta slowly nodded. "Thank you. First, the wounds we found on you were deep. Yet you did not seem to be in any pain when I was healing them. Why is that?"

"Oh, um..." Henrietta knew better than to explain that she was a cyborg and that pain went away quickly. While whatever place she was in was far from Italy, the elf clearly spoke a language that was not of Earth. Being fluent in almost every language on Earth, she would have known what Elrond was saying before if it was a language from Earth. "Another world? Is it possible?" Henrietta thought. If she was indeed in another world, it had to be one where elves existed. She wondered what other kinds of people there were in this world before she decided to tell the truth. No point in hiding it. "I'm a cyborg."

"A what?" Elrond asked with a furrowed brow.

"A cyborg." Henrietta hesitated. "I'm not a normal girl. I work...worked," Henrietta had to stop to correct herself and swallow the lump that was beginning to form in her throat, "for the Social Welfare Agency in Italy as a part of the anti-terrorist division. The Agency gave me cybernetic implants that serve as muscles and provide enhanced strength, senses, and reflexes. I also have a high pain tolerance. There are...were other girls my age who are...were like me." It was proving to be quite difficult for Henrietta to switch to past tense when talking about the other cyborgs and handlers. She swallowed hard and continued, "We all had our own fratello - handler - who was responsible for us."

"An assassin?" Elrond deduced surprisingly. "How could you...at such a young age..." Elrond was at a loss for words. A child assassin?

"I'm conditioned to do so. The conditioning made me loyal to my handler and follow his orders unconditionally and without question. I didn't mind, though. I'm...I was devoted to my handler. Devotion and conditioning are two different things." Henrietta really wanted to change the subject. She never talked about killing people or her conditioning in front of people who weren't part of the Agency. It was all top secret for a reason, after all. "How long was I asleep?"

"Two days. You were in and out of consciousness when a group of riders found you and brought you here."

"And where am I, again?"

"You are in Imladris, or Rivendell, which is home of the Elves. It is a part of Middle Earth, home of the Elves, Men, Dwarves, Ents, and the occasional Wizard."

"And...you're an elf." Elrond nodded. "Why am I here?"

Elrond furrowed his brow. "Only the Valar know why. They must have deemed it fit to bring you here. Perhaps you have a greater purpose?" Henrietta shrugged. Elrond still couldn't get over that there was not only another world, but a world where young girls were turned into non-human beings that took life without remorse. Something must have happened to her to send her here. Something she wasn't willing to talk about. Not yet, anyway. "You look like someone who who has seen and endured many things in her short life. However, none who pass through these walls will go without care so long as there is someone capable of aiding them." Another Elf with dark hair entered the room and whispered something to Elrond, who nodded. "If you will excuse me, there is a matter I must attend to."

Henrietta slowly nodded and Elrond left the room with the other elf. She looked around and saw her weapons case. At least something she was familiar with made it into this world. She looked herself over and saw that she was wearing a light blue tunic with black leggings and a white undershirt. She covered herself with the blanket as she went under, lifted up the hem of her undershirt, and saw that everything had been bandaged or stitched. She assumed all the bullets had been taken out when Elrond healed her. Aside from her weapons case, had anything she knew from her world made it here? Things like her clothes? "Probably not," Henrietta sighed to herself.

Henrietta put the hem of her undershirt back down and swung her feet over the side of the bed. She walked to the window and listened to the calming sound of the waterfall outside. "Are you sure you should be up and about?" a voice asked. Henrietta put up her guard and turned around, only to find...another Elf. This one looked different from Elrond, though. This elf had long hair, as well, but it was blonde. His eyes were blue, like the ocean.

"I'm fine," Henrietta said as she lowered her guard. She gazed at the waterfall with an uncertain expression.

"Let me help you back to the bed," the elf asked. "Lord Elrond will have my head if I allow one of his patients to hurt herself."

"Really, I-"

"Humor me."

Henrietta sighed and allowed the elf to help her back to the bed. Were all elves this stubborn? She couldn't even believe she was asking herself such a question. The whole idea of another world where elves existed alongside hobbits, a wizard, dwarves, and regular humans was unbelievable to Henrietta. But she was in that world. The question was how to get out. And, if she even wanted to. There wasn't anything for her in Italy. Not anymore. When she sat back down on the bed, she asked, "Who are you?"

"Henrietta, this is Prince Legolas," Elrond introduced as he walked into the room. "He was one of the riders who found you and brought you here."

"Prince?!" Henrietta's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, how should I-" Henrietta was stumbling over her words.

"Do not worry about it, mellon-nin," Legolas laughed softly. "It is only a title."

Henrietta was going to ask what 'mellon-nin' meant, but Elrond turned to Legolas and said something in Elvish to him. Legolas sighed and left the room. "What's going on?" Henrietta asked.

"There is a council meeting. I'm thinking, though. Perhaps it would be in your best interest to attend," Elrond explained.

"Why?"

"You take life without a second thought. You feel no pain. You are the perfect assassin, but you could also be the perfect shield on this quest."

"'Shield?'" Henrietta asked."'Quest?' What are you-"

"Come with me."

Henrietta looked around with nervous eyes. She couldn't feel pain, so the throbbing that would have been there from her wounds wasn't there. She had her weapons case with her and noticed all the looks she was getting. She assumed that she was getting those looks because she was a child. She sighed. This was going to be a long meeting that she didn't have a say in attending.

There was a lot of talking before Elrond motioned for everyone to sit down, which they all did. Surprisingly, Henrietta felt a wave of comfort from the man who was wearing all grey and carried a tall walking stick. Was he a wizard, like Lord Elrond had mentioned? Henrietta didn't know, but she took a seat next to him all the same. She held her weapons case in her lap. "Excuse me, but who are you?" Henrietta asked the supposed wizard.

The supposed wizard made a "sh" sound for Henrietta to be quiet. She looked down at her feet, which just reached the ground. "Strangers from distant lands," Elrond began. "Friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-Earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate – this one doom." Elrond gestured to the pedestal in the middle of the council room. "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo."

The one called Frodo - who Henrietta assumed to be something that wasn't an elf, wizard, of human - brought a gold ring with writing in a language that Henrietta couldn't read to the pedestal and set it down. He went back to his seat. The people in the room began to whisper amongst themselves. The assumed wizard remained quiet as Henrietta looked on and noticed one man in particular eyeing the ring with an emotion that she couldn't quite place. Was it obsession?

The man stood up and the whispers stopped as everyone stared at him. He had light brown hair and blue eyes. "So it is true," the man said. "It is a gift. A gift to the foes of Mordor. Why not use this Ring?" He began to pace. "Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe! Give Gondor the weapon of the Enemy. Let us use it against him!"

Henrietta wasn't sure what it was about this guy, but she already didn't like him. Something gave her a bad feeling about him. Then again, if this ring could be used as a weapon, then why wouldn't they use it? Did this ring have some kind of magical powers? Clearly magic brought Henrietta to the world of Middle Earth, so anything was possible. "However," the man paused and Henrietta's eyes widened, "can someone explain to me what a mere child is doing here?" He pointed to Henrietta and the looks and whispers began again. She fidgeted with the handle of her weapons case.

"All in due time," Elrond sighed. The whispers stopped.

"None of us can wield the ring," another man said. This one had dark hair that was flecked with grey and had bluish-grey eyes. "The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master."

"And what would a mere ranger know of this matter?" the one called Boromir asked.

Legolas stood up suddenly with an expression that appeared to be beyond angry. "This is no mere ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance," Legolas explained angrily.

So Aragorn was the other man's name. Aragorn said something to Legolas in Elvish before Legolas sat down. Could humans also speak Elvish? This was all so new to Henrietta. "Aragorn?" Boromir asked in disbelief as he turned to face the man in question. "This is...Isildur's heir?"

"And heir to the throne of Gondor," Legolas said with pride. So Aragorn was some kind of king? This was all so confusing to Henrietta, who sighed. She resumed fidgeting with the handle of her weapons case.

Aragorn said something in Elvish to Legolas, who sat down. "Gondor has no king. Gondor needs no king," Boromir sighed as he returned to his chair.

"Aragorn is right," the supposed wizard said. "The Ring must be destroyed."

Someone who Henrietta assumed was a dwarf rushed forward with his axe and swung it down on the Ring, only for him to be sent flying back and for Frodo to wince in pain. Henrietta's eyes widened. How could something so small cause so much damage? Then again, bullets riddled the eyes and bodies of Rico, Triela, Angelica, and Claes, and those were pretty small. She shouldn't have been too surprised. Henrietta muttered something to herself in Italian, which caused Legolas to look at her in confusion. How did he hear what she said? Were elves like cyborgs? Did they also have enhanced senses?

After Elrond said something to the dwarf - Gimli, Henrietta heard he was named - Elrond addressed the council as a whole, "One of you must do this."

The council room was filled with dead silence. No whispers. One could hear a pin drop, even if they didn't have Henrietta's enhanced hearing. She shifted in her chair and looked at the man in grey robes. She then looked back down at her weapons case when he saw her looking at him. Something wasn't right. Henrietta wasn't sure what it was, but something was definitely off.

Finally, Boromir broke the silence, "One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep. And the great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly!"

"'Eye?'" Henrietta thought. "What 'Eye?' What are these people talking about? Why am I here? Why is no one telling me anything?"

As these questions flowed through Henrietta's mind, Legolas stood up and said, "Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said? The Ring must be destroyed!"

Were all council meetings like this? Lots of sitting and standing and then back again? Henrietta was about to say something, but before she could, everyone started arguing. She could hear Gimli shout, "Never trust an Elf!" Did the Dwarves hate the Elves for some reason? If so, why?

Henrietta looked at Frodo, who seemed to be having an internal struggle of some sort. A look of understanding and realization crossed his face when his eyes met Henrietta's. He walked up to the arguing council members and said, "I will take it!" Apparently, the council members didn't hear him, because they continued to argue until Frodo shouted to make himself heard, "I will take it!"

Everyone's eyes turned towards Frodo in surprise. Henrietta supposed that to them, this was just as shocking as having a child sit in on the council. The man in the grey robes closed his eyes. "I will take the Ring to Mordor," Frodo said. "Though..I do not know the way."

The man in the grey robes walked to Frodo and said, "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, so long as it is yours to bear." He put his hand on Frodo's shoulder.

Aragorn rose from his chair and walked to Frodo. "If by my life or death, I can protect you, I will," he said. He took out his sword. "You have my sword."

"And you have my bow," Legolas offered in support as he, too, walked to Frodo.

"And my axe!" Gimli declared. He shot a glare at the Elf that went unnoticed.

Boromir walked slowly to Frodo as he said, "You carry the fates of us all little one. If this is indeed the will of the council, then Gondor will see it done."

Henrietta became lost in her thoughts again as three more people that she assumed to be Hobbits declared that they were joining on the quest. "Nine...no, ten companions," Elrond corrected himself.

"Ten?" the group standing by Frodo gasped. Henrietta now understood why Elrond wanted her at the council meeting. She was the perfect soldier; the ultimate weapon. She could take life without remorse. Perfect for taking out...whatever needed to be killed. Elrond seemed to see her as a killer, nothing more. There was more to her than just mechanical body parts, enhanced muscles and senses, and everything that made her physical being her. She had a personality.

Henrietta stood up with her weapons case at her side. Her face was devoid of emotion, although she felt nervous inside. "This is Henrietta," Elrond introduced. "She shall accompany you on your quest. You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!"

Boromir laughed, "You cannot be serious in expecting us to take a mere child with us." When he saw the serious look in Elrond's eyes and that Elrond wasn't kidding, Boromir growled, "She's a child! You are damning a human child! She cannot fight! We cannot be expected to babysit her!"

"I won't need it," Henrietta said. "I can handle myself."

"Prove it."

"I'm sorry?"

Aragorn tried to hold back Boromir, who shrugged him off. "If you can really handle yourself, girl, then fight me. One on one. No weapons."

Henrietta sighed. There was no getting out of this. "Fine," she sighed.

"I'll go easy on you. I don't typically fight children, after all."

"You won't need-" The council members retreated to their seats before Boromir could get the first hit in. He punched Henrietta in the face and the punch was so strong it sent her staggering back a couple of steps. This was going easy? Whatever. Henrietta had a high pain tolerance. As quickly as the pain came, it vanished.

She glared at Boromir. "You really don't want to test me." She walked up to Boromir and reached up to grab the fabric of his tunic. She pulled him towards her before she punched him in the gut, kicked him where it hurt the most, and then shoved him backwards; sending him flying backwards.

Everyone in the room turned to face Henrietta with shocked and fearful looks, including Boromir. She didn't want to have to fight him, but he pressured her to accept his challenge so that she could show her worth. Henrietta noticed the wide, fearful eyes of everyone and quickly fled the scene.

Henrietta wasn't sure how, but the area by the waterfall quickly became one of her favorite spots as her running feet led her there. She sighed and tears silently slid down her face. She knew she wasn't normal. She didn't need someone (especially someone she didn't like very much) rubbing it in her face. She recalled the time when Jose and Eleanora said, "Normally, little girls don't..."

She sat in the shade against a tree with her head in her hands. "You have strength, mellon-nin," a voice said as she jolted out of her thoughts. She turned her head and saw Legolas standing behind her.

"You startled me," Henrietta said as she quickly wiped the tears from her eyes before she turned to face Legolas. She hoped the Elf hadn't seen or heard her crying.

"Lord Elrond told us about you after the others left the council room," Legolas explained. "He did not wish for the others to hear." He sat down next to her.

"They're all afraid of me, aren't they?" Henrietta asked. "Because I'm not normal like you and the others." Legolas opened his mouth to speak but was cut off, "Don't lie to me."

"I had no intention of doing so. I was merely going to ask what sets you apart?"

"'Apart?'" Legolas nodded. "I...I don't know. I have strength...I can kill with my bare hands. I bleed red, but the pain always goes away quickly. Sometimes, I see things in my head that never even happened!" The tears started to flow freely now. "I am a cyborg! I'll never be a normal girl," Henrietta sobbed. "You saw what I did to Boromir! How do you know I won't do the same thing to you or anyone else?"

"Because what sets you apart is that you have compassion. You were conditioned to be the perfect assassin; to take life without care or remorse. To be unafraid of killing or dying. Yet you have compassion for others to defend them."

"Compassion didn't save Jose, Jean, Hilshire, Marco, Claes, Triela, Rico, or Angelica! They're all dead! Every single one of them! Along with a bunch of people at the Agency whose names I didn't even know!" Henrietta shouted angrily. While Legolas had no idea who the people she named were, he assumed they were Henrietta's fellow cyborgs and other handlers. He allowed Henrietta to continue. "There's nothing for me to defend. Not anymore."

"Lady Henrietta, what-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"You cannot keep this bottled up inside you forever. It will ruin you from the inside if you do not talk about it."

"Maybe I don't care."

Henrietta's words were a shock to the Elf. Nothing to defend? Nothing to live for? Legolas had never met someone who was suicidal before. To elves, all life was precious. He couldn't imagine what whatever happened to Henrietta must have been like. He fought in his fair share of wars, so he knew what it was like to lose someone close to him. But for someone so young, with so many wonders awaiting her, not caring about what lay in front of her? Someone her age willing to die? Was this what Elrond called the 'conditioning' talking?

All that crying must have made Henrietta very tired, because once her sobs turned into hiccups, she was struggling to stay awake. "Why do you fight off sleep, mellon-nin?" Legolas asked. "You need it."

"If I sleep, I'll dream. If I dream, all I'll see are everyone's bodies at the Agency. Dead, all dead. I should have died with them. Why am I even here?" Legolas had no answers for her. Would Gandalf? The elf didn't know. How did she get to Middle Earth, anyway? What kind of world did Henrietta live in where they would take little girls and turn them into assassins? Legolas had so many questions for Henrietta, but now wasn't the time.

"Come on," the Elf said as he stood up and reached a hand out for Henrietta.

"What?" Henrietta asked as she looked up.

"You need sleep. I am going to take you back to your room."

"And that's supposed to help...how?"

Legolas chuckled. "You will see. Get your things and let me walk you back."

Henrietta sighed. There was no getting out of this. She picked up her weapons case and stood up on her own. She wiped her tears away and took a few deep breaths before she and Legolas walked back to her room. They stood in the doorway in silence before Legolas motioned for Henrietta to get into bed. Henrietta looked at him with a questioning expression before she walked to the bed and got into it. She sat upright. "Okay, I'm in bed," Henrietta sighed. "Now what?"

"Lie down and close your eyes. I will sing you to sleep," Legolas replied.

"Sing me to sleep?" Henrietta asked in surprise. No one at the Agency had ever done that. She couldn't even remember her life before the Agency, so whether anyone had ever done that before her life at the Agency began was a mystery to her. Henrietta was confused. Were elves like wizards? Did everyone in this world have magical powers?

Legolas nodded. "We elves have magic of our own. My mother taught me many songs that soothed the mind and healed the heart. She sang for me many times when I was an elfling."

Henrietta assumed he was talking about when he was a child, judging by the word 'elfling.' She wanted to question Legolas further, but was too tired to do so from crying and fighting off sleep. She lay down, closed her eyes, and instantly flinched. The bodies of Jose, Jean, Hilshire, Marco, Claes, Triela, Rico, and Angelica played through her mind like a horror movie. Legolas saw her muscles tense up. "Relax your body, mellon-nin," Legolas said. "There is nothing here that will harm you. Not as long as I am here."

Henrietta took a few deep breaths and her muscles slowly relaxed. After Henrietta took a few deep breaths, Legolas began to sing and he stroked Henrietta's forehead. Soon, the images of the bodies at the Agency began to fade as Henrietta slipped into a dreamless sleep.