Coming Of Age – Chapter 36
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Fortunately for Thorin, there weren't any more accidents for him from Lee during weapons training. Of course, he made sure he was staying far from her, as were the others as well.
Gloin was the only brave one that stayed and worked with her.
Lee was determined to improve on the short sword and slowly she was able keep up with her foot work and parried with Gloin who was a hard task master.
"Very good Lee, very good. Now, I want you to go one on one with…Dwalin." Gloin said.
Lee looked and said, "But he is quite bigger than I am."
Gloin, "If you confront the men of Nogrods, they might be bigger than Dwalin. You must be prepared."
She nodded.
"Dwalin!" Gloin called out to his cousin as he waved to him over.
Dwalin jogged over to them and soon Gloin explained what he wanted him to do.
They then began as they stood about five feet apart facing each other.
"Begin!"
The studied each other's stance and began to move to their sleft and Dwalin attacked first, swinging his sword at her.
Lee brought her sword up to defend herself as she batted his sword out of the way.
"Good one Lee! Now try to work on your offense!" Gloin advised. "Always think what your next two moves should be before you strike. Be prepared to defend as well."
Lee frowned as she tried to absorb all his advises.
Just like moving strategy, in war, always be two steps ahead your enemy. Where they would be moving…
"Lee! Watch it!"
Dwalin suddenly made to strike her close to her face but she was quick on her reflex as she leaned back and able to bring up her sword in front of her face and managed to dodge Dwalin's sword and batted it out of her.
"Oh my! Lee!" Dwalin exclaimed as he came to her, his eyes closed for a moment then opened again. "I almost took out your entire face!" He was breathing hard.
Lee was grinning as she patted his back, "Nay my friend, you'll have to try a little harder."
He nodded, "I think I needed a drink!"
Lee laughed, "All right, I'll find someone else, go rest."
Dwalin just flopped down on the grass and laid flat.
She shook her head.
"My turn." She looked behind her and saw Thorin.
"Fine, you won't be easy on me, will you?" She grinned at him.
"Not a chance. On the field, we are equals."
"You're on." She nodded.
They backed away from each other until they were about five feet, then with a slight nod, she stepped to her right but Thorin didn't move as he watched her, his sword resting down on the side of his leg.
Dwalin having seen their looks, got up in a hurry and stood away from them.
Soon they drew the attention of the rest of them as they began to place bets.
Jor who did not know Thorin well, "Is he fairly good?" posed the question to his brother.
Frerin grinned, "Never lost a sword fight in his life."
Jor betted on his sister, "Neither has my sister."
"But she had never welded a sword in her life!" Frerin stare at him.
"It's not the strength or the skills sometimes that wins the fight, it's the strategy that helps." He continues to grin.
"Well, I'm still going with my brother."
Jor nodded, "Have it your way."
The cousins saw the way the two young men discussed, Gloin especially and watched her more intently at the way she moved about.
Lee was staring at Thorin unsmiling, as was Thorin as they were studying each other's movements.
"Come on," Balin said. "This is no dance party here!" He was cajoling them.
Lee smiled as she saw a twinkle in Thorin's eyes.
"So Lee," Thorin suddenly spoke. Startling everyone but her. "Answer me one question, what would you do if there was a coup in your kingdom?"
Lee thought for a moment before she answered, "I would offer a sit-down and discuss." She stealthily took a small step forward.
Thorin smiled as he shook his head, as he pointed to her feet, "Good, sit down is good start. If it does not work?" He moved a little to his right.
"I'll find a way to infiltrate the traitors, send my army and surround them and take over these traitors and then hang them all." She said as she followed his move quietly.
"Really," Gloin was getting impatient. "All these talks are getting boring, hurry up!"
Lee smiled at Gloin, "My training Master seems to be impatient here, what should we do, my dear?"
Thorin shook his head, "I'll let you strike first…being that I'm a gentleman."
Lee frowned, "Thorin, let's not start with that again."
He suddenly jumped on her and raising his sword to bat at her but she saw his intent and was quicker on her reflex as she jumped backwards and raised her sword to defend his strike.
"Whoa!" Gloin uttered out loud, he thought Thorin had struck her. "Didn't see that one, Thorin. Good one! But Lee was faster!"
"Nice one Lee!" Jor cheered
She didn't reply as he came back from striking below her, again she managed to parry off him.
He was not going easy on her, she saw that.
Time for offensive move! Lee thought.
She raised her sword and swung at him at his shoulder, and managed to strike him as she caught him unawares!
"Oooh'ed' they exclaimed as he jolted back from her blade.
He glared at her but didn't say a word.
She raised a brow at him as he stopped moving and stood still again.
"Giving up?" She asked.
He shook his head, "Not a chance."
"Good."
Before she could finish he struck again but she always managed to deflect his moves.
For the next few minutes, like a dance move, they parried and batted continuously at each other until Thorin sensed Lee beginning to tired, slid his blade all the way down to the bottom of the handle and flicked it off her hand, sending her sword out of her grasp. Her sword landed on the grass with a thud.
The dwarves who betted against him groaned as the others smiled widely.
Thorin stabbed his sword down on the grass by her and held his hand, "Yield?"
Lee smiled as she nodded, "Not a chance!" and quickly swiped his sword, turned around and kicked the back of his knees, causing him to fall on his knees.
She held his sword, now in her hand and pointed at his cheek as she wrapped the other hand around his neck tightly and said, "Do YOU yield?"
Thorin laughed as he said, "I thought you were tiring?"
"Tis a ruse, Thorin, never believe what your foe's eyes tell you."
He chuckled, "I'll remember it, my dear, you have me fooled. Well done."
Now the former winning dwarves groaned as the former losing cheered and laughed as they extended their hands out for their winnings.
Thorin felt her losing her hold on him as well as the tip on the sword so he batted the sword away from her, it flew out of her hand as he flipped her around, she landed on her back on the grass. She looked up at him laughingly.
The dwarves saw her down, and looked at each other, and yelled, "A tie! It's a tie!" They began to smack each other's back as they laughed until they saw what Thorin and Lee were about to do…and groaned out loud…
He bent down and leaned in to kiss her.
"You were wonderful," he smiled at her as he whispered to her.
"So were you and if they ever found out you let me win, you'll be in big trouble!" She laughed.
"I know, so it will be our secret, only." He wriggled his brows a few times and she giggled more.'
"Oi! We're heading back …so if you two want to …you know…ahem…you have all afternoon…take your time!" Frerin yelled as he laughed as they moved on.
"Come on Frerin, nothing to look at!" Balin said hurriedly.
"We practiced on that field every day, you know!" Gloin said grumpily as their voices faded away…
Thorin looked over to them as he watched them disappear over the clearing.
"Are they gone?" Lee asked.
Thorin looked down on her and grinned, "Can't see them anymore."
"We're alone, Khazad-zukin."
"Yes, rúzín, all alone." She smiled as she saw his eyes changing to dark sapphire blue as she felt deep urgings within the bottom of her stomach.
He leaned down and kissed her deeply, she responded to his kisses urgently.
As the sun was setting, they were lying facing the sky, wrapped in each other's arms.
"I have a question I've been meaning to ask you for some time. It is a personal question, you don't have to answer if you don't want to." Thorin said.
Lee nodded sleepily, "Go ahead, I'll answer whatever you want to know."
He paused for a moment, "This is about your father and Crimm,"
"Thorin, ask me. I'll be fine."
"Okay...let's see how can I put it? The funeral, I just want to know why didn't you bury them like all dwarves would have? I mean, my ancestors did, and that is what I want for myself. But you didn't, you chose the way of elves and men."
Lee sat up and turned to face him, "My father is not a miner, Thorin. And Uncle Crimm might have mined in the past but he had given up that life a long time ago, and he told me before he…passed that he wanted to go where my father went. He didn't want my father to be alone in his passing journey. As an older brother, he felt responsible for my father till the very end and he was his guide no matter where my father was." Lee hung her head down sadly.
Thorin sat up and hug her, "Lee, I'm sorry for making you sad, I didn't mean to! But that was a wonderful thing Crimm is doing for your father. He is…was a very honorable man, I am glad I had a chance to know him."
She shook her head, "I'm not sad, I'm glad you asked me. You're right, most dwarves will want to bury their dead. I want to be buried."
"You do?"
She nodded, "I do not much care for fire or be burned. I know I won't feel a thing, being dead already but…" She looked at him intently, "I want to be with you till the end and I know the Durin tradition to is to bury their dead and I want that for myself as well. I want to be buried next to you…forever."
He smiled as he reached out and stroke her soft cheek, "I like that. I want to be buried next to you so that we'll be together forever." He leaned in to kiss her.
Then she laughed as she added, "In a clear glass."
"What?" He laughed.
She laughed and repeated and added, "Like the glass case you put in the text script to preserve."
Thorin stopped laughing and thought seriously. "I'll make you one."
She stopped laughing too. "Thorin! I was jesting!"
He shook his head, "I'm serious Lee. I like the idea. It will keep you perfect forever."
Lee smiled as she stood up, "Thorin, let's not talk about it anymore. Come it's getting late."
He nodded as he let her dropped the subject and said, "You're right, time to get back."
They were each deep in thoughts as they walked back to the palace. Thorin could not stop thinking of the clear glass case Lee had mentioned.
He reminded himself that she was not…dead yet. Shaking his morbid thought out of his mind, he looked at her in the twilight and thought she was never more beautiful as the new crescent moon was barely visible in the sky. The sun had set a while ago, it was not quite dark yet, they could still see their without need of torches.
"What are you thinking Lee?" He asked her for she had been quiet.
Lees smiled, "Nothing much, your mother had been talking about children…"
Thorin chuckled, glad of the change of subject, "That she had been, what do you think?"
She shrugged, "You tell me first what you think."
He looked at her closely, "I…I'm not sure, do you want children now?"
"Do you?" She returned his question back at him.
"I ask you first Lee."
"I don't know Thorin, I...I think I am still young. We are still young and we have much time. I want to enjoy you more before we have children. Do you want them now?"
"I don't know Lee. If you want them, I have no objection. It's just that there's so much involved in raising a child. And we have much to do at this moment. You have a kingdom you and Jor will have your hands full soon, and if you were to have a child now, it's going to be harder on you."
She nodded. "What if I am?"
"Are you?" Thorin's eyes were wide.
"No! I…I...don't know Thorin! I don't think so." She almost sounded as if she was panicking.
Thorin turned to face her and gathered her in her arms to calm her, "Lee! Shh…no matter what, we'll…I'll be here. If we have a child now, that's great, if not then that's fine too, we'll have a baby whenever we are ready. Okay?" He looked at her eyes intently to assure her.
She looked back and felt much calmer, and nodded, "Yes Thorin, yes. I like that."
He didn't release her as he held her and walked them back to the palace.
They headed straight to their quarters when they returned.
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End of Chapter 36