Tinnueth arrived late at the practice grounds and was surprised to see that some of the torches were lit. They would usually fight in the dim light of the night. She looked around for Esgaron, but he was nowhere in sight. Though she was taken aback at his absence and the lit torches, she shrug her shoulders and was about to step towards the tree trunk when she heard a deep voice behind her.
"Are you looking for someone?"
The king's voice startled her and she turned around to see him approach her with a smirk on his face. He was dressed in black leggings and a simple black tunic which reached to his mid thighs. Tinnueth noticed a sword belt fastened around his waist. He looked very different than what she was used to, yet no less royal. He could wear anything and still impress, she instantly thought. However, she could not say the same about herself.
Thranduil stopped when he was an arm's length away from her and his icy-blue eyes roamed her slender body. She was wearing brown leggings that showed her lean legs, and her grey tunic fitted her curves perfectly. The top buttons were undone and revealed her thin silver chain which glistened in the light. Her long hair was braided and her face showed off great surprise.
"Did you expect to meet someone else here tonight?"
Tinnueth was not sure what to answer. She remembered that Gladhriel had warned them that it was forbidden to use the practice grounds at night and became slightly fearful. She decided to remain silent. The king, sensing her fear, smirked at her.
"You have failed to answer my question."
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Please forgive me, my king. Yes, I do meet Esgaron down here at night time. We practice sword fighting together."
"Sword fighting?"
Thranduil eyed her with an indefinable expression. He was pleased that she was being honest with him. Esgaron had not answered his questions truthfully. The king had paid the two brothers a visit earlier that evening, and had left them greatly displeased with their apparent lies. Tinnueth seemed to be very honest in comparison with them. He had made sure that the brothers would remain in their chambers tonight.
"Well... if that is so, then you will practice with me tonight."
Tinnueth looked up at him in surprise as Thranduil drew his sword and positioned himself, ready to fight her. She hesitated at first, but then she took secure footing, unsheathing her sword. They looked into each other's eyes and it became clear to Tinnueth that this was no game for the king. It would be a serious fight. He seemed somewhat angry.
Without further delay, she took a full swing at the king, yet he blocked it expertly. Stepping back, she attacked him once more and swung her sword at his side. Again he blocked her strike. They continued in this manner for a couple of minutes, until Tinnueth developed a feeling about the kind of opponent she was fighting with. He was obviously an expert sword fighter that would be hard to defeat. A smile escaped her lips at the realization that this fight was going to be an interesting one, leaving Thranduil bewildered by the expression on her face. The king had assumed that Esgaron had been teaching her how to wield a sword, yet her moves and posture gave away her experience. How great, though, he could not tell. But he was eager to find out.
Tinnueth swung her sword at the king with great force and he blocked it once more, though surprised by the amount of strength she used. This time he swung his sword at her, and it was her turn to block his blow. The two elves swung their swords at each other, each time blocking each other's strikes, their blades clanging loudly as they met. Tinnueth grabbed her sword with both hands and took a full swing at his head. Thranduil jumped back and swung his arm up, blocking her strike with expertise. He swung at her side and, as she ducked under his sword, she tried to swing her sword at his legs. Thranduil jumped up and brought down his sword towards her head.
Having expected his move, she managed to block it and instantly got back up. She began to take shorter and more swings as fast as she could. He stepped back, amazed at the realization that he found it hard to keep up with her pace. She was incredibly fast. Their hearts were racing now, and their cheeks were flushed by the pace and intensity of their clash. Tinnueth swung her sword fast, and Thranduil managed to lean back in time, feeling the wind of her sword swing on his parted lips. Bewildered, he watched a strand of his long, flaxen hair falling to the ground. Growling out in anger, he narrowed his eyes and she widened hers at the sight of his apparent fury, slightly intimidated by his fierce expression.
Stepping back, she took a secure footing once more, awaiting his attack. The king took a few steps back as well, to launch his attack. Racing towards her he held his sword with both hands as he swung at her with full force. Tinnueth blocked his attack, but was flung backwards and fell down to the ground. Thranduil was above her in the blink of an eye and attacked her, but she rolled away just in time and stood up again. Her clothes were soiled and her face wet with sweat. Breathing fast, she swung her sword at him and the tip of it collided with his chin. The cut on his chin forced the blood to trickle down. The king, seething with anger now, swung his sword at her side but Tinnueth blocked it. He attempted several violent attacks at her, and with his last one he cut her cheek. Tinnueth felt the pain, which only infuriated her even more. Jumping forward, she attacked the king who had taken a step back. Their swords clashed together with a loud clanging noise, and they began to whack at each other in pure anger, not caring about the injuries they caused each other.
Sweat dripped down their faces and mingled with their blood. Thranduil's tunic stuck to his skin, wet with sweat. He bared his teeth and went for another attack on the small elleth that he could not defeat as easily as he had initially thought. He swung at her with all his strength and she blocked his strike, this time standing her ground. With every swing she blocked, Thranduil got more and more enraged. He hacked at her, and she still blocked each of his upcoming blows.
Their rolling blows soon inflicted several injuries on each other's bodies. Raising their swords to whack at each other, their blades clashed together and they held them against each other. Tinnueth knew that she could not hold up against the king's strength. No matter how hard she would struggle, she would definitely lose this fight. She pushed their swords to the side and let go of the hilt of her sword with one of her hands, and instantly threw her fist forward, bringing it onto his face. He took a step back in surprise as he felt his cheek on fire, but closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye, attacking her even fiercer than before. The blood trickled fast from their wounds while their hearts raced by the fierce fighting. Their clothes clung to their sweaty bodies, and their faces shone in the light of the torches as the orange light reflected on their sweaty and bloody skin.
His sword came down on her with incredible speed and she lifted her arm, fending off his strong blow which brought her down to her knees. With a fast move she jumped up and then backwards and attacked him, cutting the pale flesh of his upper arm. Now Thranduil was enraged. He gritted his teeth while growling out, and swung his sword vertically at her. Tinnueth saw his swing, but could not react fast enough. She jumped back and felt the blade of his sword invade her tender flesh. She winced in pain, yet she attacked him with greater force. Thranduil swung his sword and deflected a heavy blow from her. With great speed she swung her sword at his leg and caused him a deep cut in return. As her blade tore into his flesh, he suddenly grabbed her hands, making her sword fall onto the ground.
With one hand he grabbed her by her throat and with the other on her upper arm, lifting her off the ground, up into the air. He looked wild and fierce, his breath was hoarse and short. Tinnueth knew the disadvantage of her position, but made use of her smaller frame. She swung her dangling legs up, and placed one of them over the surprised king's head, using the advantage of her unexpected move and gravity to bring him down to the ground. Thranduil fell backwards onto the ground and she straddled his waist while using her hands to push his arms down to the ground. Small droplets of her sweat and blood fell on his face and he was momentarily stunned. But still, he would never lose a fight. Using his larger frame and heavier body along with the element of surprise, he pushed her off him and brought his body on top of hers. Tinnueth found herself captured between the dirty ground and the king. Both of them breathed heavily, and felt each other's heartbeats which drummed at an intense rate within their chests. Tinnueth immediately surrendered to her defeat. There was no way she could escape him.
The king had never met an opponent whom he could consider equal to him in sword fighting. In fact, he was usually too bored to fight the same guards again and again while training. But Lady Tinnueth was something else. She was a fierce fighter, and her moves were not always easily predictable. Even if he had foreseen most of her moves, it had been a long fight. He could tell by the injuries which she had caused him that she was his equal.
Tinnueth felt unwell under the weight of the king's body, which hindered sufficient air to reach her lungs. Her breathing was fast, but did not satisfy her body's need for oxygen. She felt dizzy and thought that she might pass out. A furious voice startled the king.
"What are you doing to my daughter?"