"Keep your arm up," Aderthon barked at Alphros.
After training the evening before, Aderthon had ordered his protégeé to bed early. He promised the young man a training session the next morning. So, once again the two found themselves trading blows, this time with the bright sun shining as it rose in the sky.
They went at each other again. Aderthon, renowned as one of Minas Tirith's greatest warriors and a fantastic leader in the battlefield, found himself pleasantly surprised at Alphros' skill. For an eighteen year old boy, he was quite good. But he'd never tell him that.
"Footwork!" Aderthon chastised him as he circled the young man. "Don't forget about footwork!"
Suddenly from the shadows they heard giggling. Both stopped and craned their necks for a view of who was watching them. Aderthon knew immediately.
"Sídhil!" He laughed before letting out a small sigh. "Sídhil you should not be here."
"I was showing Malika the training grounds," the young princess protested.
The darker skinned girl popped her head over the small wall they had been hiding behind. Sídhil grinned at her cousin's comical expression.
"My sister should see this," Malika said with a wistful expression. "Adira would love to train here."
Alphros smiled. "The lady from Harad? Yes I bet she would." He chuckled. "She looked formidable enough when we journeyed here."
Aderthon shook his head. "I don't know."
"What about Lady Nimwing, cousin?" Sídhil clambered over the wall and ran to Aderthon. "I'm sure she would like to fight as well."
A woman's voice filled the air. "Indeed she would!"
Aderthon's face brightened visibly at Nimwing's appearance. The woman was clothed in light armor, likely a training outfit. In her left hand was a sword. Her blonde hair, braided back, was kept out of her face.
"Nimwing," Aderthon said quickly as he recovered. "What are you doing here?"
"I saw you from my window this morning and decided to join." She winked at Sídhil. "Your young cousin here was correct when she said Adira and I would enjoy training."
"Adira?" Malika's face lit up. She was eager to show them that Haradrim were skilled warriors. "She is coming too?"
"Yes she is." Nimwing nodded from the young girls to the two men. "I hope you don't mind? We spoke at length last night, our quarters being next door to each other."
Aderthon laughed and threw up his non-sword hand in defeat. He looked at Sidhil and Malika. "You two need to stay out of the way though. I am training Alphros, not you today."
"Very well, cousin!" She smiled and climbed onto the top of the half wall. "We shall sit here quietly, won't we, Malika?"
The girl smiled, a shining light of mischief in her eye. "Of course!"
Nimwing chuckled as she undid her white cloak. She laid it down across the wall and drew her sword from its sheathe. With a quick glance back up the path to the rest of Minas Tirith, she smiled and waved. "Adira!"
The woman of Harad wore a tunic of reds and blacks. Golden plates held her hair back from her face, and two scimitars hung from a brown and gold belt. A tiny smile graced her face before she reached them.
"Good morning, my lord," she bowed to Aderthon. "And to you, Lady Sidhil."
"Glad you could join us," Aderthon nodded.
Nimwing rolled her eyes and walked to the side. "We won't get in your way."
"I never said you would!" Aderthon protested immediately, though his eyes shined with laughter. He returned to sparring with Alphros.
Nimwing took up a spot across from Adira. The Haradrim's fighting style was entirely different from anything Nimwing had trained against. The twin scimitars forced Adira to focus on swift movements and slashing. Nimwing's single blade used more force. Though less heavy than Aderthon's greatsword, her short sword didn't have the advantage of the curvature of a scimitar.
The group sparred off and on for another half hour. Alphros watched the two women in amazement. Though he knew that both commanders of the Rangers were female, he had rarely met formidable women. Military women remained rare even in the Reunited Kingdom.
"Aderthon!"
The six people in the training grounds turned around to find Círeth standing at the entrance. She beckoned for her brother.
"I'll be right back," he assured Alphros. "Unless of course, you want to spar with one of them?" He smirked and gestured from the boy to the two women. He jogged over to his sister. "What did you need?"
"I just wanted to say farewell. I'm heading back to the front lines." She frowned. "A messenger from my company came today and said things are escalating. Aragorn has given me leave to return there and see what I can do to help."
Aderthon scowled. "If what Tar-Meonis wanted was peace, things would not be escalating. She is a liar, and probably something a hundred times worse."
"I know," Círeth nodded in agreement. Her eyes traveled past her brother and over to the sparring group. Eventually they landed on Sidhil. "Watch over Sidhil, and try not to fall in love too fast."
"What?" Aderthon murmured. "What do you mean?"
Círeth laughed as she hugged her brother and went to walk away. "Don't think I'm blind, Aderthon. I see the way you look at the elf."
"Nimwing's-"
"She likes you, too."
Aderthon rolled his eyes. Bending down, he picked up a stone and threw it after a retreating Círeth. "Stay safe. Don't die."
"That is the plan!" She waved to him before disappearing down into the White City.
With a contemplative frown on his face, Aderthon watched as Círeth faded into nothingness. With a sigh he turned back to the green field for training, and saw Sidhil with an uncharacteristic frown on her face to match his own. For her sake, he threw a smile onto his face and walked back over.
"Alright. I am heading up to the citadel to find Eldarion. Nimwing, Adira, you are welcome to remain here." He turned to Alphros. "Where are you lodging?"
"In the guest rooms over the citadel," said Alphros. "Near to the suitors."
"Good. Then you can come and go as you please." Next, Aderthon turned to the ten year olds. "The two of you best come with me to the Upper Level. It's nearly time for lunch. The Queen will be wondering where you got to, Sidhil."
"Alright," Sidhil sighed. "I am getting hungry, after all. Come on Malika."
Together the three went through the streets and up into the Citadel proper. Sidhil and Malika traveled a bit in front of Aderthon, who wanted them in sight to be extra careful. He remembered well the incident from Círeth's childhood in the lower streets and while the training grounds inside the city were in the upper levels, they weren't as safe as Aderthon wished everything to be. Not when it came to the protection of his cousin, at least.