“Sword fighting?” I squeak out in fear.
Lady Galadriel smiles amusedly at me. “Why, of course! You must know how to defend yourself should the need ever arise. And who knows, you might even learn to enjoy it,” she tells me as we walk down a cobblestone pathway through the forest.
I can practically feel the blood drain from my face. Sure, girls learn sword fighting easily in Lord of the Rings fanfiction, but this is real life! Before I was diagnosed with cancer and started homeschooling, I was always the laughing stock in Physical Education. Think of all the sports or P.E. games you can: kickball, soccer, softball, basketball, football, volleyball, dodgeball, or even frisbie! You name it; I couldn’t do it! I’m the one who always falls down or gets hit in the head by the ball. I, at least, thought I would get out of any embarrassing sporty things here in Middle Earth. Thought wrong. Maybe I’ll get stabbed and all chances of embarrassment will die with me.
Lady Galadriel laughs lightly and studies me with her piercing gray-blue eyes. “You will be perfectly fine, my dear. The only ones who will be on the practice field this morning are you and your instructor,” she reassures me.
My eyes narrow in suspicion as I spot a blonde haired elf standing on the practice field several meters away from us. “Who is my instructor?”
Galadriel’s lips quirk up into a mischievous smile. “Haldir, of course.”
My eyes almost pop out of my head. I stop abruptly and Galadriel does, too. “Haldir!” I exclaim in absolute mortification before lowering my voice, “Haldir? I-I can’t do this. He hates me! And I do not know the slightest thing about sword fighting!”
“That is why you need practice, so you can learn. I am sure he does not hate you. It just takes him a while to warm up to people, usually,” she says with the mischievous smirk still on her face.
I stare at her in disbelief. “B-but, I… I… ugh,” I sputter out ridiculously, my fingers coming up to tangle in my mane of red curls out of frustration.
Galadriel remains as patient as ever. She raises one of her perfect blonde eyebrows.
“You do not understand! I have never been good at these types of things! I was born a dancer! A dancer! Not a sword fighter!” I say, thinking back on my favorite hobby in my past life.
Galadriel lays one of her hands delicately on my shoulder. “Eilonwy, will you please just try this? I promise it will not be as bad as you fear it will be,” she says soothingly, like a mother giving her child courage.
I look back out at the practice field and see Haldir swinging a gleaming silver sword around with amazing skill. This is one of those times that I wish the ground would open up and swallow me whole. I sigh and meet Galadriel’s gaze. “Alright, I will try, but I’m not promising that Haldir will remain in one piece by the end of this,” I say, only half jokingly.
She smiles broadly. “Then let us begin the lesson,” she says and leads me down the pathway towards Haldir.
He turns and watches us approach, his intense gaze trained on me. I see his eyes travel down my body and back up, taking in the sight of my training outfit which consists of a silver tunic with a black belt around the waist, black trousers, and black boots. I immediately tense up when his brown eyes meet mine. “‘Quel amrun,” he says to me.
I shift uncomfortably and look to Galadriel for translation. She smiles at him kindly, “Good morning to you as well, Haldir. Thank you for joining us this morning.”
He bows his head in response. “Anything for you, my lady.”
What a gentleman, I think sarcastically. Both Galadriel and Haldir both turn to look at me when I do not say anything, and I fidget nervously as I eye the sword Haldir is holding. “Good morning,” I say quietly.
A small, amused smirk pulls at his lips as he bows to me. “To you as well, my lady. Shall we begin?” His voice is perfectly polite, and I refrain from rolling my eyes. Soon he will be mocking me and my clumsiness.
I sigh in dread, making it obvious that I do not like this at all, and look to Galadriel who nods encouragingly. A smile hasn’t left her face after she watched Haldir and I speaking to one another.
I look uncertainly at Haldir. “I guess so,” I reply as shyness takes over me. I can’t do this. I doubt I’ll even be able to hold up the sword because I’m such a weakling. Haldir’s superior attitude and intense gaze doesn’t exactly help my shyness or uncoordinated tendencies, either.
Galadriel bows to us both. “I will take my leave now. I will be in the palace if you need me for anything.” With one last knowing smile, she turns and begins her trek back up the hill.
‘Do not worry, Eilonwy. He does not bite. Oh, and please leave my Marchwarden in once piece,’ I hear her amused voice say inside my head, and my cheeks begin to feel slightly hot knowing that she can hear all of my thoughts.
I turn back to Haldir when he holds out a sword to me. I stare at it for a moment, a bad feeling entering my heart, before I take it from him. It feels awkward in my hold. I can only imagine how stupid I must look to Haldir, but I am too embarrassed to look at him and gauge his reaction.
“Alright, first you need to learn how to properly hold the sword,” he says and I detect the slightest bit of laughter in his voice.
I look up at him, ready to give him a death glare that would send even Smaug the Stupendous running (or flying, I guess), but I stop when I see that his eyes do not look cold or hostile at all. He watches me with a very, very tiny smile on his lips, and his gaze is surprisingly… soft. I guess he can sense my extreme discomfort and shyness, and that thought alone is enough to relax me a tiny bit.
He steps closer to me and instructs me to put my right hand under what he calls the ‘guard’ and place my left hand under it, right above the ‘pommel’. I do as told and hold it up in the position position he shows me. Then he demonstrates several types of attack methods using his own sword, telling me to copy him in order to get a feel for the weapon. I still feel very awkward with the sword, but after a long while, I feel a bit more comfortable.
After a couple of hours of learning and practicing the basics, he then instructs me to use those techniques… against him. I look at him gobsmacked, my mouth gaping open like a fish out of water. Insecurity washes over me like a tidal wave.
“It is alright, Eilonwy. You are just learning. I do not expect you to be perfect,” he says as he gets into the fighting stance he showed me, “Now, just do as I showed you. We will go slow, and I will guide you the entire time.”
I’d rather run throughout all of Lothlorien stark naked than attempt to fight him. I hesitate for a moment and look down at my sword as my hand gets a warm, tingling feeling in it. My eyebrows furrow together in concentration as I try to shake off the strange feeling.
I meet his gaze evenly this time, crouching into the fighting position he showed me. He approaches me slowly, and I prepare for him to strike. He steps forward with his right foot, his arm suddenly bringing down the sword at my side, and I block it, our swords clanging against each other.
“Good, very good,” he comments as he turns quickly and brings his blade down once again.
I slice my sword upwards, meeting his sword with a strength that I think surprised the both of us. The warm, electric feeling that was in my hand has now spread throughout my upper body, causing my body to fill with adrenaline and newfound strength and courage.
We both step away from each other for a moment, Haldir beginning to circle me. I watch him closely, preparing for his next move and hoping that my brain is fast enough to make me react properly.
“Now, use an attack on me,” he says, watching me with a strange sparkle in his eyes.
I nod and before I can really think about what I am doing, I thrust my sword at him, my body moving of its own accord. His eyes widen, not expecting me to attack so confidently. His easily deflects my blow, turning once again with astonishing speed and lashing out at me. I swing and our blades clash together. We both stay that way for a moment, Haldir looking at me strangely. Suddenly, he pulls away and brings his sword down, slashing it towards my legs swiftly. I quickly jump back, his blade missing my legs by mere centimeters.
“Remember to move your feet when you are fighting. Stay on guard at all times,” he instructs and I nod.
His attacks speed up. Strike after strike, he lashes out at me and, somehow, I manage to keep up. I know it sounds really weird, but I think I’m doing so well because of the strange, powerful sensation that has now spread throughout my body. It’s not adrenaline. It’s more powerful, keeping me alert and reactive to every move Haldir makes.
He slashes horizontally, and I have to jump backwards quickly to dodge it. Is he trying to slice off my boobs? I think exasperatedly, I mean, they may be really small, but I still want them on my body.
“You are doing very well,” he breathes out as he thrusts his blade toward me once again. I deflect it, harshly pushing his blade aside. By now, I am so sick of fighting that I wish he would go ahead and win our little fight. He is going easy on me, anyway, and could defeat me with a swish of his sword if he wanted.
My breathing comes in ragged puffs as I become more frustrated with this little game. We’ve been practicing for hours! I’m starving and tired! But he continues to push me, my strength leaving me with every deflect and attack.
He sees this but doesn’t back off. “Do not give up, Eilonwy. An enemy will not give you time for rest. You must push yourself. Channel your frustration into your movements,” he coaches me.
Sweat beads on my forehead and forms all over my skin. The weakness in my joints becomes more prominent, and it becomes harder to concentrate on his movements and mine. I move my feet along with my attacks, just like he told me to, but as I go to deflect another one of his swings, I lose my footing and trip up, falling onto the ground with a huff. I groan at the soreness in my muscles and flop backwards onto the soft grass, looking up at the brilliantly blue sky.
I turn my head and look at Haldir when I hear him start laughing. I look at him in surprise and disbelief. He is smiling. The stoic Marchwarden of Lothlorien is smiling widely and laughing! “Your swordsmanship is excellent for a beginner such as yourself, but I think what you really need are lessons in walking. I will be sure to inform Lady Galadriel of your incompetence with grace,” he says as another round of chuckles come tumbling from his mouth.
I glare at him but secretly find it really hard to be angry with him when he is laughing like that. He looks like a completely different person when he smiles. Much less intimidating.
I look at the sky once again, laughing slightly and finding the action to be extremely difficult with air tearing through my lungs. “I tried to warn her, but she is just too kind. Grace has never been something that comes easily to me,” I say to him with a wide smile on my face as I watch several puffy clouds float by.
I see him gracefully sink down into the grass next to me. He chuckles once again and says, “I was only joking with you. My brother Rumil falls down several times when we are practicing, and he has been training with the sword since he was an elfling.” I watch him from the corner of my eye, seeing him with a happy smile still on his face.
Rumil. I remember all the fanfictions I read about Haldir’s brothers. I always liked them very much, but I decide to play dumb. Haldir doesn’t know that I am from another world. “You have a brother?” I ask him.
He looks at me. “Two actually. Their names are Rumil and Orophin.”
“I would love to meet them one day.”
“They would like you very much, I am sure of it,” he says as he looks down, plucking a few blades of grass and running them through his fingers. “They will be here at the practice fields in a little while.”
We both fall silent for a little while. I become self conscious as I lie in the grass because I can see Haldir staring at me from the corner of my eye. His deep brown eyes study my facial features closely, and he has that same strange gleam in his eyes that he has had the entire time we’ve been practicing. I try to ignore his stare by focusing on each cloud that drifts by, but I find it so hard. Just as I am about to give up and look at him in order to make him look away, I hear several voices coming from the trees.
I turn my head to see at least twenty male elves striding onto the practice field with gleaming swords in their hands and long wooden bows. I sit up immediately, uncomfortable with their unexpected presence. To my immense relief, they go straight into training, some shooting arrows at targets and some fighting with daggers and swords. My eyes widen in wonder as I watch them. They are so perfect.
I look at Haldir who was still staring at me. “Will I be able to fight like that someday?” I ask him quietly.
A small smile pulls at the corner of his lips. “Of course. Anyone can fight that way. You just need practice. All of these ellyn have been training since they were mere elflings. They have had centuries of practice.”
I smile and nod. “So, where are the females? Surely there must be others like me,” I say.
He looks at me for a long moment before speaking. “There are not any female warriors here in Lothlorien,” he smiles at me, “Except for you, of course. However, In Mirkwood, it is common for there to be a few ellith on the guard, but never more than a few.”
“I understand. Fighting is not really thought of as a woman’s chore, I guess. It is the man’s job to protect his family,” I say as I watch the elves sparring.
I feel Haldir’s piercing gaze on me. “That is true, but that does not mean women cannot fight. You have proven yourself today. You did very well.”
I look at him, happy that I have finally found a friend here in this world. I go to say something more, but a sudden shout in the distance causes me to stop.
“Haldir! Come spar with me!” a brown haired ellon calls to him.
He sighs and stands up. He holds out a hand to me, helping me up from the ground. “I must leave you now. I will see you tonight at supper,” he says kindly, but I recognize the usual stoicness coming back into his facial features. “Farewell, my lady,” he says and kisses my knuckles lightly.
A small blush of embarrassment comes to my cheeks. Never in my life has anyone kissed my hand. “Farewell, my lord, and thank you for today,” I respond as I try to cover up my embarrassment.
Haldir bows to me in response, but when more shouts come from behind him, he turns and makes his way to them. I sigh and turn to start my trek up the cobblestone pathway. My muscles scream in protest as I truck it up the hill. I am obviously so out of shape. And hungry, very hungry.
----------------------
“So, your lesson went well, I suppose?” Lady Galadriel asks me. She sits across from me on a small cushioned couch, a cup of some sort of tea in her hands. I sit on an identical couch across from her, also with a cup of the delicious tea. She summoned me here to the library after I entered the palace coming back from training.
I look around the massive room, my fingers itching to find a good book from the thousands in here. “Yes, you were right about everything. I never doubted you, though, about the lessons and Haldir. I just doubted myself,” I explain quietly. Obviously I didn’t doubt the wisdom of Galadriel. She can read minds and see the future, so I’d have to be a fool to question her.
She nods with a knowing smile on her lips. “I am aware of that, my child. That is part of the reason why I made you go to sword fighting lessons. Everyone doubts themselves sometimes, but it is something that can be overcome.”
“I was extremely nervous at first, but I actually enjoyed it. I thought I would hate it. It is hard and strenuous, yes, but I really like it. So, thank you.”
She bows her head in understanding, and becomes silent for a long while. Her eyes stare unseeingly into the air, and I sip my tea, pretending to not notice the change in her demeanor. She stays like that for a few minutes before looking at me again.
“I am sorry. I am sure you already know this, but I have the gift of foresight as well as being able to see into the minds of others. I just saw something very curious,” she says as a smirk comes to her lips.
I hesitate, unsure of what to say. “Curious?”
“Excuse me for just a moment,” she says and stands up, walking over to the door. She opens it and calls for a servant, and a young ellon appears at the door frame.
“Lhosdaer, please arrange a guest room. We are to have a very important guest arriving tomorrow,” she says to the servant.
“Yes, my lady,” he says and bows to her. He then bustles off, eager to please Lady Galadriel.
She closes the door and floats gracefully back to her seat.
“I know this is probably none of my business, but what is happening and why is it curious?” I ask. Important guest?
Galadriel’s small smirk is still in place as her gaze meets mine. Her eyes are all-knowing, as usual, and soft, staring at me as if she knows something of great importance is going to happen. “There is no need to worry. This matter is very much your business. I have seen that we will have a very distinguished guest arriving tomorrow. I find it very curious that he is travelling alone, for he usually visits with his entire family or at least his brother.”
“So, who is this important guest?” I ask with an excited smile, curiosity eating its way into my head.
She laughs lightly at my expression and sits down her cup on the table beside her as if she is just as excited to share the news as I am to hear it.
“Legolas Thranduilion, Prince of Mirkwood.”
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Elvish translations: Quel amrun Good morning
A/N: I’m proud of myself! I think this is the fastest I’ve updated in a while! I am just so excited about the upcoming chapters, though!!!!! ;D Please R&R! Keep the comments coming because I adore them soooo much! <3 Ideas are always welcome!
See y’all next chapter,
Josie(:
Info. on the plurals of elleth & ellon came from --> henneth-annun.net/forums/messages.cfm?confId=0&forumId=9...
Legolas’s actual surname is Thranduilion. If you want more info on that, it came from -->urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Legolas%20Thranduilion
Elvish comes from → grey-company.org/Circle/language/phrase.htm#positive