A/N: I do not own the works of Tolkien. Enjoy.
Adar has finally finished his complex drilling and I now sport three bruises from three of his strikes I was not quick enough to counter. In all fairness he sports one on his shoulder. That is close enough to even for me. Now we watch from a distance Tassiâ firing off arrow after arrow under Landir's instruction. I do not know what he's telling her but her aim is getting worse and worse and I am become more and more irritated as I watch each arrow hit the target. Her last arrow hits three rings to high of the centre and I snap. I can bear no more of this and storm towards the table I have left my bow and quiver and shrugging my quiver loosely onto my shoulder, storm purposely towards Landir and Tassiâ. Adar gives me a knowing smirk and follows me but stops and gracefully sits down beneath a nearby tree to watch.
Landir is busily pulling Tassiâ's arrows from the target and I casually knock one of mine as I stride forward and release it, sending it spinning to land three inches directly above Landir's head. He flinches down in surprise.
"By Eru Legolas are you trying to send me halfway to the Halls or do you simply enjoy writing injury reports?" I hear him growl out as Tassiâ spins to face me in shock. Landir returns with all thirty arrows.
"You forgot mine." I say serenely to him and he narrows his eyes at me.
"You're welcome to fetch it while Lady Tassiâ takes her next shot." He says calmly and grins at her to which she watches our interaction curiously.
"She might manage to pin me to the target with that mockery of a pattern or lack thereof pattern." I retort wryly and she glares at me furiously. Clearly she is not happy with her effort either. Good, it means I can improve her.
"Take a shot." I command and looking determined she takes stance, aims and releases in a rush. The arrow hits high again, near my own. In that one shot I've found so many issues with her form. "No, no." I hold up my hands. "There is nothing natural about any of your movements. I thought you said you practiced archery?" I say although I should not be too harsh for clearly she has and she hasn't missed the target and most court ellith couldn't knock an arrow to an elflings bow to save themselves. She looks upset by my words; well angry is a better way to describe her flashing eyes. "You're not bad but there is much that can be improved." I say softer and she now looks at me strangely as I move towards her intent on making a half decent archer of her.
...
He strides towards me, sliding his bow to hang from his shoulder and I immediately tense up, sick of his insults and I am about to say just that when he steps behind me and places his hands on my shoulders.
"Relax firstly." He murmurs in a soft tone which I am sure I have heard before but I do not know where. Strangely his presence is calming and I do relax a little. He moves quietly to my left and holding onto the bow in my hand, gently pries my fingers from it and taking my left hand, wraps it differently around the bow. "There, now you are not strangling it so. Feel the difference?" He asks and mutely I nod as he steps back and my hand tingles as his leaves it. "Now knock an arrow." I take an arrow and knock it straight. "Place your left foot a little more forward." He instructs in that same soft and patient voice and I do so, changing my stance. "Aim but do not release." I bring the arrow up and draw back to the point of my cheek. He moves around me and comes to stand on my right side. "Your anchor point is too high and is not strong enough. Gently he touches just shy of the right corner of my mouth.
"Must your instruction be so hands on?" I ask with annoyance. "Can you not simply just tell me?" He laughs quietly.
"Tell you as Landir did? And have you get worse and cause more shame to this lovely bow which I believe to be one of my grandmother's who, by the way, was a fine archer. No, archery is an art it cannot be learned from words or books, you must feel the right way to shoot." He murmurs and a smile begins to play on my lips at his passionate outburst. "There." He takes my right hand and lowers it until my arrow is anchored to the corner of my smile. "Do not overthink your sight, just go with what your instincts feel and then let your fingers open and that arrow fly away as one would release a butterfly."
"A butterfly?" I ask amused, this being the last thing I expected him to say. He gives me this look, daring me to say another word and I grin more as he steps back again and take a couple calming breaths and close my eyes a moment before feeling ready, open them and note the target and my arrow pointing towards it. I let go and after a moment there is a thwack as my arrow hits just one ring out and left of the centre.
"Much better." Legolas says happily and I allow him a grin which he returns with a bright, genuine one and I wonder how can he be such an arse when he could be like this all the time and be realistically likable?
"Thank you." I say gratefully and he shrugs it off. "Any time bain loth nin, just keep practicing." He adds with a mischievous look.
"What did you just call me?"
"Nothing bad, I promise." He says solemnly but he is smirking and shaking my head slightly annoyed and wondering why whatever he said sounds like something I have been called before, I knock another arrow to my string and follow through landing my arrow below but on the line of the inside ring. Progress! Legolas nods approvingly and retreats, as I realise Landir already has, to the tree the King seems to be lounging under and I focus back on the target and grab another arrow, feeling confident I will certainly improve now.
...
"She's good." I comment to Adar as I sit down beside him, resting my chin against my drawn up left knee.
"She is for an elf who is unused to our bows."
"It is Grandmother's bow." I comment and he nods.
"She picked it from those suitable to her." Landir explains and Adar chuckles.
"And it suits her, she may have it." He says as we watch her land another arrow into the inner circle. The next one however ends up in the second to last outer circle and she glances our way grinning sheepishly before again hitting within the inner circle. As soon as she hits that centre I am going to drag her back another eight strides.
"If I can get her archery up to standard, might it be possible to have her join the field healers?" I ask Adar quietly and he and Landir both turn to me.
"We need to assess her actual skills in healing first; you get ahead of yourself Legolas." He replies and I feel my hopes crush a little. "Wait and see." He adds with a flicker of a smile and I nod.
After another sixty shots, Adar beckons Tassiâ to us once she has retrieved her arrows. Quietly she approaches on nimble feet and I wonder at her abilities to climb the trees, I must find out and the only way to do so is get her in the trees. I shall have to steal her away when I am not on patrol and find out!
"That bow was my mother's." Adar states and she looks at him worriedly.
"I can use a different one if you wish my Lord?" She asks quietly and he chuckles.
"I'd much rather see it in use and it suits you. It is yours along with the other equipment for there is no use owning a bow without a quiver." His eyes glimmer in mirth and she looks stunned by his offer.
"I... thank you my Lord." She replies in genuine gratefulness and he smiles at her.
"Well you could use a bow to hit someone on the head." I comment.
"Or even strangle them with the string." Landir adds to which Adar shakes his head in amused exasperation.
"That was not my point." He says to us both and then looks pointedly at me. "While I am here with nothing better to do on this fine day I will assess your manoeuvre shooting, when did you last use the course Ionneg?"
"A month ago." I answer as I eye the small copse of trees behind us.
"Excellent, it has been changed." Adar says and I leap up.
"Someone is excited." Tassiâ laughs lightly and I grin down at her.
"Once I am happy with your field archery, you will be doing the tree course!" I tell her as Adar too stands and then so too does Landir before turning and politely offering to help Tassiâ to her feet. She happily takes his hand and I refrain from glaring at him but as she turns. He catches my eye and mouths; "I said I would fight you over this one." I give a sharp nod, hoping my eyes which feel as if they are ice daggers will stab him as I now do glare at him. I am worried for it seems Tassiâ prefers the company of Landir. Oh well, whatever sweet words he has spoken to her, mine shall be sweeter. I stride forward with Adar who will manage the pulley system and he points me to the starting area within the trees. Landir and Tassiâ have followed behind and stand just in the fringes of the tree line where it must be safe to watch. My duel with Adar was a royal flop but this shall be wonderful and I am sure she will appreciate watching this more and I truly love the challenge of a newly set up course I do not know.
…
"What is he going to do?" I ask Landir and he grins at me.
"Wait and see."
"Legolas a moment, there is a problem with two of the ropes." Thranduil calls to the waiting elf.
"Likely the last elf to use them did not set them back up properly." Landir comments to me and then comes to stand a little closer to speak quietly to me.
"I spoke with the King while you practiced with Legolas before, I asked him if I could have permission to escort you to the feast and he has agreed it is a fine idea." Landir smiles cheerily and then it clouds a somewhat. "That is, if you would still like to?" He adds hurriedly and I beam up at him.
"Of course I would still love to go with you. I said I would earlier." I say happily and he bestows me with a huge grin.
"Excellent! I am glad." He says with a mix of relief and joy. "I think Legolas is ready." He gestures to the Prince and I look back to him and there is a strange expression on his face as his eyes lock onto mine and then a heavy looking sack comes hurtling out of a tree from his left and he rips his gaze from mine and spins, deftly knocking an arrow and stops the oncoming sack, severing an arrow through the rope above it which I realise in one small section is marked with red. I have no time to think more on it for two more hurtle down towards him from separate directions. He drops and rolls back and as both sacks meet he shoots an arrow through both, pinning them in place before leaping around to point up and shoot down another sack which was swinging down from the canopy. Three more fall swiftly towards him and he is nearly a blur of movement as he twists around one as he shoots and drops another before leaping aside and crouching to take out the other two only to have two more barrel towards him. I barely have time to register he has taken two arrows until they are both slicing through and felling both sacks meters before they reach him. Suddenly I hear another arrow whistling towards him and I feel my heart leap into my throat for surely he will be hit. He spins and swiftly stepping aside, flicks his wrist up and snatches the oncoming arrow from the air, flips it and knocking it to his own bow, sends it flying straight to the red marked rope of the sack following through after the arrow.
"Agoreg vae mellon nin!" Landir exclaims excitedly in Sindarin beside me as I try not to gape at the Prince, absolutely wowed by what he just did. And to think he wants me to eventually do that is he bonkers?
"Nicely done Legolas." Thranduil says as he approaches his son and they begin to talk quietly I assume about the course. I turn to Landir.
"What did you say to the Prince just now?"
"Well done my friend." He translates and I nod. "I am going to try and remember that to use on Rystil later." He laughs at that.
"What are your plans for the rest of the afternoon?" He asks me and I shrug. "I am unsure, I suppose I will head back to the Library and continue researching and trying to piece together why I am here." I say.
"I would ask to join you but I have a patrol this evening which is fast approaching and I have yet to track down my Adar yet."
"What does your Adar do?" I ask and Landir grins.
"He is one of the King's main three advisors, his name is Arvellon. You have already met my mother; she thinks you are lovely; she is currently finishing off your dress for the feast. He winks at me.
"Laineth." I say the name of the nice seamstress and he nods and I realise now his hair is the exact same colour as his mothers. "And let me guess, you already knew I would be attending." I nudge him playfully and he laughs.
"I might have but it would have been rude to not still enquire from the Lady herself." His pale green eyes sparkle mischievously. Legolas saunters towards us and our conversation ceases as I turn my attention to him.
"That was incredible." I say and he shrugs indifferently but his eyes have lit up and I am sure he is pleased with his effort.
"It was well enough." He says. "But I am glad you enjoyed it." He smiles. "We are done here for today, I must call by the Healing Halls to check on one of my patrol and write up an injury report, Adar asks if you would like to be taken back to your quarters or back to the Library until the evening meal?"
"The Library." I say immediately. "But does not the King need help setting this back up?" I gesture to the course.
"Eru no, he will rope some poor soul into doing so." He eyes Landir with a smirk who smirks back at him.
"As you must away to the Healing Halls my friend, I shall save you the time and trouble and escort Tassiâ back to the Library." Landir says smoothly beside me and Legolas's brow rises a fraction at the other ellon.
"I informed Adar I would escort her back to where she wished to go." He replies.
"And I am sure the King will not object to me taking over such a duty so you may start your report."
"What if she does not wish for you to escort her, she might prefer my company." Legolas says back.
"Guys, I am right here you know." I say in annoyance. I cannot believe they are having this discussion it ridiculous. They both turn to me.
"Who would you like to escort you back?" Landir asks calmly but strangely there is also hesitation in his voice. I would like Landir to of course but by the imploring look from Legolas, I think I might let him down gently with reason on this one.
"I think it would make sense for Landir to take me back to the Library, so many people stopped to greet and speak with you on our way from the Library my Lord, I think to escort me there and then head on your way to the Healing Halls will only waste more of your time, I do not mind really." I say placidly and there is a look of disappointment on the Princes face and I almost feel bad. "You will escort me to dinner again though won't you?" I ask and he smiles a little at that.
"Of course I will." He replies as I take Landir's offered arm. I am keen to get back to the Library and research more.
"I will see you then."
"You will." He replies almost wistfully before we walk back towards the caverns.