Though Thranduil had said I'd only be sharing his room for the nights we had guests, after our guests had departed, I was still summoned to his room every evening. We did not wrestle every night, which I thought was surprising and a little disappointing, as I'd started to enjoy our bedtime wrestling matches. Some nights he would take me on walks through the palace so I could find my way around, other nights he'd teach me how to read and write.
"I give up!" I shoved the book, meant for children, off the table in a huff.
Thranduil sighed, picked up the book I'd flung off the table and gently thunked it over my head. "Try again."
"I don't want to, it's boring." I grumbled as I rubbed my head before scowling down at the book as he dropped it in front of me. Defiantly, I reached out to shove it away once more but a strong hand coiled around my wrist halting me.
"You agreed to learn." He pointed.
"I never agreed to be a good student." I retorted.
His lips twitched ever so slightly, and amusement danced in his eyes. "Again." He commanded as he released my wrist.
"What's the point of reading stories, why don't you just put all your stories into songs so you can remember them." I grumbled as I picked up the book and looked at the strange symbols on the page. Thanks to Thranduil's annoying lessons, I recognized some of the symbols but it was still difficult as I had to sound them out in his language and translate it to mine to understand what it meant.
"That's a poor system." He sighed and rubbed his temples in frustration.
"Only if your memory is fading because you're old." I retorted childishly.
His eyes narrowed. I held my breath thinking he was going to give up on lessons for the night so I could be free. Suddenly, he smirked, as if struck with a brilliant idea, "how about we make this a little more interesting."
"You better or I'm going to fall asleep." I yawned.
"How about a duel?" He mused.
I sat up straighter feeling suddenly giddy, "fighting?"
He chuckled, "yes."
"With stakes?" I pondered.
"Yes."
"What are the stakes?" I asked.
"If you win, we can be done with our lesson for the night. If I win, you have to read all three of those books without complaint." He pointed to the other children's books sitting atop his desk.
"Deal!" I quickly sprung out of my chair and launched myself at him.
His eyes widened, surprised by my sneak attack and he stumbled backward to avoid my fists. Once he recollected himself he managed to catch my wrists in his hands and threw me a withering look. "...a duel, little wildling, is formal, organized and with weapons."
"Ugh! You even make fighting boring!" I groaned.
"You don't have duels?" He frowned.
I thought about it. We had duels but they weren't that formal and they didn't always involve weapons. Sometimes it was just two warriors wanting to prove one another rolling across the dirt throwing punches until someone gave up or fell unconscious. They were exhilarating.
"I doubt they're as civilized as whatever you're about to make me do." I sighed.
His lips quirked into a small amused smile. "Let's go."
"We have to go somewhere else for it?!" I groaned.
Thranduil chuckled softly, "yes, little wildling, let's go."
While our nightly walks were helping me learn the palace, I still wasn't sure I could find my way if he left me somewhere. I hesitated.
"I won't let you get lost." He smirked.
"This is becoming more exhausting than the stupid books." I grumbled as I followed him out of the room.
He walked briskly ahead of me but the way he was carrying himself, I imagined he was smiling. It was a subtle shift in his gait, a lightness to each step. I trailed after him making mental notes of where each different set of stairs and twisting path and floating bridge led to.
It didn't take us long to reach the training grounds where I'd bested his son and several other warriors in combat a few days before our wedding. The training grounds were empty at this hour. Thranduil retrieved two swords from the wall that looked more like jewelry than weaponry with how they glittered and gleamed. I frowned as he brought one to me.
"What?" He asked, his lips quirking slightly as he noticed my look of displeasure.
"I'd rather use an axe." I grumbled bitterly.
"There aren't any here." He pointed. "They're inefficient and slow you down."
"Maybe they slow you down." I huffed.
"Can you use a sword or not?" He sighed.
I swiped the blade he offered me haughtily. He shook his head in silent laughter and went to stand in the center of the training circle. His lips twitched as his bright blue eyes flicked in my direction and saw me scowling at the blade in my hand. It felt all wrong. It was so light I was convinced it couldn't even cut through parchment.
"Ready for our duel, little wildling?" He mused.
"Let's get it over with." I sighed and stomped into the circle after him.
He took a strange stance and held the sword before him in some kind of odd salute or bow. I wasn't quite sure what he was doing and if I was supposed to mimic him and stood with my hands on my hips watching him curiously. "I'm not doing that." I grumbled.
He chuckled, "very well, let us begin."
I swung the blade at him and was surprised as it seemed to sing through the air. He deflected the blow with ease, parrying it with his own blade. Of course their stupid showy blades would sing! I sighed heavily as I flipped backward to break away from him. I spun the blade in my hands trying to get a feel for it. It was far too light, I didn't like it, I needed something with weight to it, to keep me grounded.
Thranduil moved before I was ready and I had to roll away to avoid his strike. "Distracted?" He pondered.
"I don't like this stupid thing!" I hissed, tightening my grip on the hilt. The leather binding groaned in protest as if it were about to tear.
Thranduil moved again, his steps sure footed, his swings efficient and powerful. I managed to block his swings and had the strength to shove him back a few steps before lunging at him with a growl. His eyes widened, alarmed by the primal sound that escaped me as I leapt through the air. The blade continued to sing with each swing.
Thranduil didn't appear to be struggling in the least to block my swings. He was amused by my frustration with the blade. I felt a spark of rage bubble up inside of me not liking that he was making fun of me. I swung the blade with all my might. There was a loud clang followed by a faint cracking sound as our blades met. His eyes grew wide as my blade shattered.
"This duel is over and as I have a weapon and you do not, it is my win." He smirked.
"It's not over until someone admits defeat!" I snarled and lunged at him, discarding the broken blade.
Thranduil sighed, "I can't fight you without a weapo-." His words fell away as my fist connected with his chin sending him stumbling backward a few paces. "Honestly." He growled, irritated and swung his blade at me.
I dodged each swing fluidly. My heart pounded with excitement, this was more like it, this was my kind of duel. No rules, no frills, just pure raw primal instinct. His strikes got more serious as he realized I was dodging every single one with a grin on my face. He was frustrated that I wasn't as defenseless as he seemed to think without a weapon.
His blade sang through the air with a speed I barely had time to perceive. I felt a faint sting as it grazed my arm. A strange fluttering sensation began in my chest and slowly began to spread throughout my whole body. I felt something prick at the base of my skull as I struggled to dodge his attacks looking for my opening to strike. The strange prickling sensation in my skull began to intensify. There was a weird burning sensation in my hands starting at my fingertips and I instinctively swiped at his blade to parry it away.
There was a faint clanging sound and Thranduil's eyes looked as if they were about to bulge right out of his head as he stared in awestruck horror at my hand. I caught the glint of a primal glow in my eyes through the reflection of his shiny blade before looking at my hand. My nails had shifted to deadly talons and were currently holding his blade.
The prickling sensation in my skull quickly turned to a stabbing sensation and I let out a hiss of pain. Thranduil dropped his sword and reached out to catch me as I suddenly swayed on my feet.
"Illaria?" His tone was flooded with worry.
"My head hurts." I whimpered as I slumped against him. I felt a strange buzzing beneath my skin and the pain in my head increased tenfold. A scream tore from my throat and I clasped my head in my clawed hands.
Thranduil lifted me into his arms, thought for a split second about what to do before taking off. As we raced through the kingdom, I heard a few people call out in concern but he ignored them as I writhed in pain.
After a few minutes though they felt like an eternity, I felt the cool night air on my hot skin. The wind whispered through the trees and danced across my skin, fluttering my dreaded hair. Thranduil gently set me in the cool dirt next to the stream.
I felt a sense of relief as the pain lessened once I dug my clawed hands into the cool grimy earth. Rolling in the cool damp earth, I felt my breathing becoming easier. Thranduil frowned slightly as I smothered dirt, mud and grit all over myself but he decided against voicing his opinions as he realized it was helping ease whatever episode I'd had.
Once I was sufficiently reacquainted with the earth, I wrenched my hands free. The claws were gone. I felt exhausted as if I'd just run as fast as I could for miles on end. I let out a sigh of relief and rolled onto my back to look up at the stars peeking through the treetops.
"Are you alright?" Thranduil asked as he stood over me looking worried and a bit disgusted by my dirty appearance.
I nodded.
He was quiet, giving me time to breathe.
"How did you know taking me outside would help?" I asked him after a moment.
"I didn't...I just know it's where you're most comfortable, rolling around in the dirt like a heathen." He chuckled.
I smiled, took another deep breath and slowly got to my feet.
"Let's get you cleaned up so you can resume your studies." He turned to leave.
"What?! The duel isn't over!" I snapped.
"You lost when you were disarmed." Thranduil chuckled.
"I told you duels don't end until someone admits defeat!"
"Those are your wildling rules, they do not apply and you'd sooner die than admit defeat so that's pointless." He quipped.
I shot him a scowl as he smugly began walking away. A smile twisted across my lips as I looked down at my dirt caked appearance then to his glossy robes. I channeled the lion to increase my speed and agility and pounced on him. We hit the ground and I pinned him with ease and grinned down at him as he was now covered in dirt and grime.
He scowled up at me. "What are you doing?"
"You were too clean." I shrugged.
He let out a sigh before breaking from my hold and flinging me over his shoulder causing me to let out a squeal of laughter. "Honestly, little wildling, you're a lost cause." Though it seemed like he was scolding me I could detect a smile in his voice as he carried me back to the palace.
Video: "Helvegen" By Wardruna (Cover By Kalandra)