Thuranduil's Heartless Obsession.

Chapter 6

Impasse

"Lord Thranduil what a lovely sight to see this morning." she smiled glad to startle the elf from his little talk.

"If you say so. Though I find no amazing skill here to be considered truly lovely" he returned coolly. " Only beasts. doing a poor imitation of warriors." chuckles followed his statement. If his eye brow rose anymore it would surely fly away.

"I was speaking of your pretty face though now that I think of it you are nothing more than a pretty block of ice wrapped in finery." she parried sweetly.

"As I said dear girl I see more skill in farmers with pitchforks." his face hardened to stone at the thought of her matching wit rather than brute strength to his verbal jabs.

"You must have some awfully pathetic farmers in the Greenwood then." she added a smirk just to see his anger flare in his eyes. Some reaction was better than the cool disdain he normally showed.

"Must be their king, we believe the people are only as weak as the leader. Only a show of skills between leaders will prove the true worth of a peoples skill." she added just for the meer fact of the matter.

He leaned toward her tampered ear his warm breath caressing the shell of her ear. "Are you challenging me little beast? Be sure you are ready to lose when you do so." His voice was dangerously low and held a dangerous edge. She couldn't stop.the involuntary shiver it caused her.

"That is exactly what I had in mind." she moved to address her kin. " Gather round my people lord Thranduil has accepted my challenge to spar. Shall I show him and all his.  . . ilk" she stressed the last word nicely. " what we are made of? What made all of Mordors legions tremble in fear?" 

Choruses of agreement filled her ears and she shrugged her shoulders while gazing at the perturbed king. He immediately discarded his fine robes to reveal an armoured garment that was much more close fitting. He was wonderously beautiful with his flowing white blond hair, the crown of branches and red berries, and the look of utter surety.

It was his heartless blue eyes that had haunted her through the long decades. His smile long ago always teased her as much as those eyes had haunted her. She gave him a toothy smile and procceded toward her second.

She retrieved her sword and went to the loose circle of bodies that had formed. She noted her companions had showed up front their breakfast.

"Loriel what exactly is going on?" Aragon called.

" putting an old elf in his place. He may talk a lot but let us see if he can truly back it up. I think the millennium has addled his brain." chuckles surrounded her as Thranduil took his place before her his own sword at his hip.

"What do we each truly get from this besides showing yourself as a fool?" his tone was dangerous and still the ssame low and clipped tone.

"If I win you actually make an effort in your proposal to see me for what i truly am. If you win I will act the monster you want me to be and prove your proposal null and void." she twisted this way and that lossening the tight muscles there.

Thranduil knew without a doubt that this could be a moment of complete folly on his part. This female was clever she would not challenge him if she couldn't at least hold her own. The temptation though was too great to see that smug grin wiped off her face for good.

'Damn the female and the doubts she creates.'  he thought vehemently.

Her green eyes reminded him of frozen spring leaves. Crystalline and shimmering this morning. Her once silvery white hair was now black as onyx stone. He wondered when she had made the change. She was glorious he had to admit. Though he had to wonder at her intelligence as well.

"Very well little one let us see whobis the victor here." he replied.

They moved, circling one another, like two top predators. when he attacked it was like a force of nature. Every move was perfectly timed and perfectly measured. Though this didn't suprise her. It made her all the more eager.

She countered him like water counterreacted every movement made in its depths. The sparring between then was more of a dance than anything else. Two opposite forces coming together in a flurry of sword and skill.

When she found an opportunity to attack she did so spectacularly. Her movements changed from supple parrys to fiery action. Her sword sought out his weaknesses. It found none.

He aimed for her head she ducked and twirled, swooping at his ankles. He jumped back landing beautifully while swiping upward toward her torso. She moved back kicking him squarely in the chest. Giving her space for her next attack. She grabbed his wrists and shoved them into his nose.

He returned her gesture with hooking his foot behind her ankle and putting her on her back. She was up after delivering a quick kick to his gut. He threw in a kick of his own and she simply twirled towards his back to swipe him there. He was gone before her strike could meet flesh.

Perfectly matched those watching realized as did Loriel. She knew she would have to sacrifice something in order to achieve her goal. She rushed him and felt the cold steel pierce her body coming out the other side.

Her sword at his neck. . . a killing blow. She wrapped her legs around his waists and pulled herself up to whisper in his ear. " something you may not realize King is that unwilling heal from this wound. My question is can you suffer to have your head removed?" she tightened her grip when he would have pulled away. " This is what you did not realize. This is your folly. It is difficult to kill me you on the other had its all too easy." with that she pushed him away and withdrew his sword from her abdomen. Tossing it toward the surprise king.

Her kin cheered raucously in her favor. She simply held up her hand.

" Give your enemy nothing. Take from him everything. Know his sword well but do not fear to bleed for the victory you wish to have. give king Thranduil credit if I had been without my healing or he had been one of us this battle may never have been over." she reached her sword to the head of her guards. " learn the lesson you saw today and perhaps I will give you the honor of  bruising me. For that is all you will ever get from me." She motioned for her second to follow her as she left.

'let us see now what you will do. . . the next move is yours' she thought wrily.