Chapter 8: A Heartbreaking Training
~Enchantment~
I wake up usually early. The sun is barely in the sky. Maybe because I got so much sleep with Riharu last night. Riharu. . .
I almost forgot about everything that happened that night. He loves me. I never thought anyone would tell me that. And Riharu? The boy I least expected? And I said that I love him back. I do. . . but. . . I think I made a mistake. I would never be allowed to be with him. And when he realizes that, it'll break his heart.
If I run away from Lunaleve, maybe I can be with him. Do I really want to be with him? I feel as if I do.
I sit up and throw the sheets over my head. I sit cross-legged and covered up. I need to meditate. Meditation always helps, right? I meditate for a few minutes until it just seems pointless. I lazily slide out the bed and walk to mistress Lillian's room. She always talks about love. Maybe she can help me.
I walk down the corridors in last night's outfit. I make it to the servants' hall and find my way to Lillian's room. When I make it to her door, I knock softly. I don't want to wake anybody else.
She opens the door in her nightgown. Her eyes go wide and she asks, "Your Highness? What are you doing up at this hour? But please come in."
I walk in. I walk over to a chair and sit down. She closes the door and takes a seat on her bed.
"Did I wake you?"
"No. I was already up. I was thinking about going to the kitchen to grab something to eat."
I laugh, "I used to wake up a lot in the middle of night. I was always unsure as to why, but when I got a little snack, I would always go back to sleep."
She and I share a smile. She says, "You seem a bit tranced. Is everything alright?"
My smile fades and I look up at the ceiling. I ask her, "I think I love someone. But I'm not really supposed to. Have any advice? What was love like where you came from?"
She's not from the Enchanted Kingdom. She's not a witch. Just a human woman from the Men race. That would explain her human-like name. She's 34 years old. She has brunette hair but it is medium length. She's very kind and loves giving people advice. A perfect mistress she is.
"Lady Enchantment, love is very powerful. More powerful than any magic a witch or wizard yields. No one can stop you from loving someone, even if you aren't 'supposed' to. May I ask, why aren't you supposed to love this person?" Lillian says after some time.
"He's a guard."
"Oh."
"Yeah."
She laughs. Why is she laughing? She walks over to me and bends down, taking my hands in hers.
"Guard or not, it's your business whom you give your love to. If you wish to love a guard, then love him. It's not his fault he isn't royal."
I stand up, getting frustrated, "I want to love him, but I don't know how! I've never really loved someone in that way before. I've never thought of having a husband. And I wasn't always sure I wanted one. And then there's this Elf. . ." Of course, my blabbering mouth just doesn't know when to stop.
"An Elf? You are in love with an Elf also?"
"No! I'm not in love with him. I-I don't know why I even brought him up."
"Love is. . . complicated sometimes. But it can always be worked out. If you want to include this guard, then do that. Sometimes conclusions can be came to with that person you love. Just talk it out with him. Even if it doesn't change anything, it always helps."
Maybe talking to Riharu about all this will help. I walk over to Lillian and hug her. "Thank you. Truly. I must go now. Have a good day."
"Your welcome hon." She tells me. Sometimes her other accent tends to show. She's always tried to hide it. She shouldn't, it's cool.
I walk back to my room to go change. When I make it there, the sun has finally seemed to rise in the blue sky. Now when I look at the sky, it reminds me of Legolas. I don't want to think of Legolas. I have too much going on right now.
I go to my bathroom and bathe. Once I'm all dried, I put on some new clothes. I dress into a long, flowing gown with fanged sleeves. It's a light orange. I grab my brush and put a heat spell on it. I brush my long hair for almost 40 minutes until it's completely straight. It reaches all the way down to my lower back. Maybe it's time for me to cut it, but I like long hair. So maybe not. I put on some white shoes and walk down the grand staircase. I make way for the dining room. Hopefully breakfast is done because I'm terribly hungry.
~/\\~
Mother and Aponsay are here but no sign of the rest of the family. I dig into breakfast.
"Sheesh. Try not to choke, okay?" Aponsay says. I slow down a bit.
I see Mother isn't eating at all. Her mind seems to be occupied on something else.
"Is everything okay?" I ask her.
"Everything is fine. Once you are done eating, meet me in the library," she tells me and then leaves.
"Perché lascia sempre?" (Why is she always leaving?) Aponsay asks me.
"Why are you using that language?"
"Maybe because it's our second witch language."
"Not down here though. Spanish, Aponsay, not Italian."
"But we're kind of a mix of both. Italian and Spanish witches. Even Hawaiian," Aponsay says, taking a big bite of some eggs.
I finish eating and tell Aponsay, "Where is Juel, Father, and Jakara?"
He gulps down his orange juice and says, "How should I know? Just like I don't know where you were last night."
"If I had known you would bring that up just by asking where they were, I would've never asked."
"Yes. You should have asked Mother when she was here."
"Next time I will."
"Really though Channie, where did you go?" He asks, getting all sincere and serious.
"I just went to see a friend at the Coastal Reefs. That's it."
"She or he?" he asks. Why is it so difficult to have a love life? I tell him where I went and that's still not enough!
"Does it matter?"
"Yes. It does." he crosses his arms, waiting for me to answer.
"Which one will I get a harder time over?" I ask him. He scoffs at my stupidity. But I already know the answer. Of course I do.
"I'm pretty sure you know which one." he tells me.
"I have no reason to lie. It was a boy." He gets so shocked by this. His mouth opens in surprise. Father doesn't even flinch when I'm talking to a boy, so why should he?
"Close your mouth before you catch a fly." I chuckle.
He closes his mouth and opens it again to say, "Enchantment. . . Do you want to know why I'm so protective over you being with a boy?"
"Yes! Please!" I immediately respond, producing a frustrated laugh.
"Because I just don't want to see my little sister get hurt or manipulated or anything like that. And boys and men are the main ones to do that. If someone, or some boy were to hurt you, I may just end up killing them." I can see the hurt in his blue eyes. He thinks I'm so delicate and unknown to the dangers of Middle-Earth, and he just wants to be there for me. I respect that, big time.
I get up from the table, walk over to him, and hug him. The biggest, tightest hug I can manage. I understand a little better now why he's always on me about these things.
"I love you brother." I tell him, still hugging.
"I love you too little sister." he tells me. I smile.
~/\\~
I open the doors to the big library. Sometimes, villagers are allowed in here to read for a couple of hours. But guards must be in here during those times because the villagers tend to wander a bit. Looking for what? I do not know. Maybe gold and treasures or secret passageways.
But there are nobles in Lunaleve who are almost always allowed in here. They are 'trusted'. My mother's words, not mine. Anyone can be a thief and up to no good. Noble or not. Just because they have large houses and are wealthy doesn't make them trustworthy if you ask me.
I walk around tables where nobles are sitting. I go over to a quieter section and see Mother, reading a thick book. I walk over to her and she sees me.
"Glad you could make it." She says.
I sit down next to her and ask, "What are you reading?"
"Information on the Chosen One but of course."
Finally! I can understand what all of this is about.
"I must make it quick, for you are to begin your training shortly."
"Did Father order this?"
"Yes."
"Which guard will I be training with today?"
"Some guard named Riharu." she tells me, oblivious to it all. Riharu. . .
If it wasn't bad enough that I might hurt him with my words, I might hurt him with my hands. I was thinking about telling him that we should just focus on being friends but I'm not so sure if it'll be the right time. I'm just making it worse for me when I admit: I really can't wait to see him. He's practically my only friend.
Well, I have two best friends. They are girls, but they're not in Lunaleve right now. Their estimated return is in a few more days. I'll have so much to tell them. I could tell how I became great friends with Riharu, which made me forget about them. My friends power names' are Faith and Compassion. Faith is Victoria, and Compassion is Suruli. It's hard to believe that they're actually sisters. Sometimes I forget because they're so different. But they always have each other's back. I love that about them.
I snap out of it and ask Mother, "Go on. Tell me what all of this is about. What is a Chosen One?"
"Okay. I suggest you listen closely and don't get distracted, because I will not be repeating myself. If there's anything you missed, I'd see to it that you look through this book. Do I make myself clear?" She says, swiping her hand across the cover of the book as she says the last part.
"Yes Mother. Crystal." I nod.
"There are few Chosen Ones out there. They are very powerful people. Not always witches, and not always women. They have a strong suit. For example, a Chosen One can be a god of the sky. You are a queen of the moon and goddess of the sea. Don't ask me how I know, I just do. Great things come with these strong suits. There are many powers you can unlock. There are many powers of yours that you can be strengthened. The Chosen One is believed to be our Savior when dark times hit. There are also other things that change. . . You can change into other things. You will figure that out for yourself. . . hopefully. Now, go and train. And change into something more fitting for your training. I'll have someone send this book to your room."
She rubs my arm and sets off somewhere. If she was trying to comfort me, she's awfully bad at it. I just sit there, trying to let it all sink in. It doesn't sound that complicated, but it doesn't sound that simple either. Queen of the moon and goddess of the sea? I can change into other things? What did she mean by that?
I dust it off my shoulders for now and go to change into something more fitting.
I make to my room and throw on a black long sleeve tunic, a leather corset over the shirt, black pants, and two black leather boots. I pull my sleek straight hair into a high ponytail. Once I'm all set, I leave to go to the training quarters.
~/\\~
I walk out into the enclosed area. I'm still outside, but there is a big fence guarding the area. There's wooden dummies for fighting. People fighting people. There's the bow and arrow section, throwing daggers section, and sword fighting area. The gentle breeze grazes my skin, and, suddenly, I'm at ease. The bright sun welcomes all. I walk over to Riharu, not worrying about a thing. If I tell him something about our relationship, I'm not as worried anymore.
He sees me and his eyes light up, causing a troubling feeling in my stomach. He shouldn't be this happy to see me. I mean, it's just me. I'm nothing special.
He shakes my hand and smiles, "Well hello my fair lady. I will be your personal punching bag today."
Not able to just let it slip by, I laugh. I wanted to be in a mood that would tell him, 'Hey, I'm really serious right now. This is strictly business,' but I can't do that if he throws jokes at me. I'm normal, I can't help but to laugh at them.
I cut my laugh short and say, "Lots of people train in this quad, but there's someplace we can go to just be to ourselves. Come on." I take his hand and lead the way to a my special training place.
It's still outside, but it's surrounded by medium height bushes. It has all the weapons I train with and those hay and wooden dummies to train with my fists on. It's basically a square that this little area is in but not that little to me. The tree in the middle with all the shade it carries with it, is what makes it special.
"Wow." Riharu says.
"Over there is where I practice with my bow and arrow. Over there is where I practice with my sword. That way is where I practice with my daggers and mini axes. Here is where I practice fighting, usually with a person." I tell him, pointing here and there and leading him to where we'll be fighting. I try to show no emotion at all. I thought I could talk to him, but I'm not so sure I can. Lillian said to talk it out with him but I don't know where to begin. So, I'll just fight.
As I stretch my arms, readying for combat, he questions me, "Why are you being so distant to me?"
I stop, take a deep breath, and turn around to him, "I'm being distant. If I was trying to be distant, I wouldn't even be talking to you right now. But I am, so . . ." I shrug at the end.
"You know what I mean. You're obviously avoiding what happened last night."
"Riharu . . ." I sigh, "How about this? We fight first and talk later?"
"Do you promise?" he asks. I nod, all the while wearing a solemn expression.
"Then let's fight." He says and takes a fighting stance.
"Strong stance. Nice. Okay, don't go soft on me. Hit me, okay? Just try to leave the face out of all the punching please."
He laughs and I take my chance. I spin for extra force and kick him in the stomach. He swings at my stomach but I inch back, and then I grab his arm that missed and take my leg and swing it at the back of his knee, making him plummet to the ground, back first.
"Never let your guard down when readying yourself for combat. Your partner can strike at any moment." I tell him as he lay there, stunned.
"Aren't I the one who's supposed to be giving you advice and helping you?" He tells me from his position on the ground.
"You're more of a prop. There was one person I trained with before who could actually kick my tail. And now I'm better fighter because of him."
"Where is he now?"
"On a journey. Now, dust yourself off, and get back up. Try again." He just looks at me. Still stunned a bit. I sigh and pull him up.
"And you're strong too. Great. . ." He says. I thought he was keeping tabs on me. Wouldn't he know this?
"Yeah, I-" I'm not even done pronouncing 'I' before he puts me in a lock, my back on his stomach. I elbow him in the stomach and he bends over in pain. I move to punch him, but he dodges and sends a punch straight to my ribs, earning a strong groan from me. I retaliate by twisting his arm and flipping him over. Back onto the ground he goes.
He groans in pain. I kneel down, my butt on my heels and provoke him, "Are you not up for the challenge?"
Next thing I know, he slaps his arm to my shoulder, pushing me down. I'm in enveloped in complete surprise.
He gets up and says, "Who's on the ground now?"
I press my lips into a hard line and do a flexible kick up, bringing me to my feet in a matter of seconds.
Riharu's mouth gapes and he asks me, "How did you do that?!"
I smile and gloat, "Oh, I just curled up into a ball and kicked my feet outwards while pushing my arms from behind my head from the ground."
"You need to teach me that." After he's done talking, I charge him and knee him in the ribs. While he tries to recover I punch him in the stomach once more. Then. . . I do what that man taught me. As he comes running towards me I do a powerful stab to his chest sending him flying backwards. All I had to do was punch his chest while my hand was in a straight position and focus all my energy onto force.
Now he's gasping for breath and red in the face and, now, my eyes go wide in horror. I run over to him, a tear fighting to escape my eye. I never meant to hurt him like this. I touch his chest and cast a ridding spell for the pain.
I help him up and ask, "Riharu, are you okay? I didn't mean to—"
He waves the concern off and rasps out, "Little ole me is just fine. I just need . . . a . . .break." He loses all the power to talk in him by the last few words.
I nod and say, "Of course. Just lean on me." I guide him to the shade under the tree. I set him down and go to get him some water.
When I get back to him, he gulps the water down. Once he's done, we just sit there in silence. I twiddle my fingers on my right hand with my left. I don't make eye contact with him as he sits by me. I can feel him, just stiff, next to me. Uncomfortable. I didn't want to hurt him. I knew it wasn't a good idea to train with him! I should have just asked Mother for someone else.
"You beat my ass." he laughs next to me. I whip my head around to him.
"Why are you laughing? That wasn't funny. I-I hurt you." I reply in a harsh but soft tone.
He scoots closer to me, takes a flower petal that fell from the tree, and sticks it behind my ear, making a flower accessory. "You did nothing less of what I expected," he cups my face in his hands, "You are a fighter. A damned good one. Thank you. You didn't hurt me just now. Enchantment. . . you taught me."
I move his hands away from my face and pronounce, "Well, I'm still sorry."
"It's okay." he says. He looks away and tells me, "We fought. Now we talk."
"What do you want me to say?" I cough up in reluctance.
He leans his head back against the bark of the tree. He closes his eyes, losing himself deep in thought, and says, "What do I want you to say? Chan, there's so much I want you to say. I want you to say, 'Everything will be fine.' 'I love you Riharu.' 'Let's not worry about our titles and rank, just our love.' That's only some of the things I want you to say."
"I'm sorry Riharu but—"
He cuts me off, "Remember when you told me 'thank you' at the Coastal Reefs? Not only that, but you listed a couple of things it was for, like letting you know that I love you."
"Yeah, well—"
He cuts me off yet again, "I remember. You became so vulnerable and . . . in that moment I knew you felt something. You loved me."
"Riharu—"
"It's still present tense, right? Or is it past now?"
"I don't know. I just—"
"Enchantment, why won't you just—"
Now I'm the one to cut him off, and angrily, but rightfully so, "Would you PLEASE let me talk?!" I shout to him.
He briskly opens his eyes and looks at me, "You're right. I'm sorry. Sometimes I just don't know when to stop." I can see it on his face, I was rude to shout that. He looks like he just wants to run away now.
"Run away with you maybe. Not alone." he answers after listening to my thoughts. As soon as he says that, I cover my thoughts and energy field.
"I'm sorry, Riharu. I didn't mean to yell. But, Riharu, I'm lost. . . and I've been thinking about our confessing night all day."
"And?"
"And I'm just not ready to venture out into the love world."
He sits up straighter and asks, "Are you not ready? Or do you not want to?"
"Both. . . I believe. I'm sorry that I said I love you. It's just. . . not the right time. Maybe in another life."
He sadly chuckles and says, "But I love you. And I will never stop loving you. If I have to wait a millennial, I will. For you."
"We're done with training. Goodbye. Riharu." I stand up to leave and he grabs my arm.
"That's it? No, it can't be!" Riharu says. I look at his eyes. It's all there, the hurt, the heartache, the desperation, the feeling of lost.
"Please don't make this any longer than it has to be." I tell him, pushing down a sob. He places his forehead on mine, his lips hovering over mine.
"Please Chan, I need you." He says, his lips still hovering.
"No, you don't need me. It's just my power name that has you thinking that way."
"Your power name has no effect on me. What I'm feeling is real. I need you to believe that."
"I do! And that's the problem." I turn around to walk away but he pulls me back to him. He takes me by my shoulders and kisses me with such emotion. So much passion. His lips pushes strongly into mine. Clashing like waves on rocks. I pull away and breathe in all the air I lost just now.
A tear releases from my eye and he wipes it away. I ask perplexed, "Why would you do that?" It almost sounds like I was about to cry when I said 'why'.
"Because I love you."
"I must go. Please just. . . let me go. I'm begging you."
"Please." He despairs.
"No."
"Sing me something." He's trying to make me stay, but every second I stay here, I break his heart more, along with mine.
"Then, will you let me leave?"
"As you wish."
I face him, our bodies parallel to each other, and I begin to sing softly,
"This love won't last
This love will die
We have to go
Away from home.
Although it hurts
It must be done.
I'm sorry for
The mile I've run
Away from you
To start anew."
Tears fall down his and my face.
"By the Valar, Chan. That was. . . that was beautiful. You can really sing. I think you could just about bring everyone to tears." he chuckles at the end, trying to lighten the mood. But I know it wasn't my voice this time, it was my lyrics. I broke his heart without even thinking about it. Why would I sing something like that?
"I thank the lucky stars to have even known you." he says.
I chuckle and sniff, "Same here. I think I need a minute. I. . . I really need to go."
"But if we ever see each other around Lunaleve, we promise to at least say hi?" he asks me, his eyes full of hope.
I smile, "Of course. Bye, Riharu."
"Bye." he says. I know how hard that was for him, even if it was one little word. I know.
I nod my head slightly and walk out of the training area, back into the castle. I need some time.
~Riharu~
As she walks back into the castle, I go into the village. My eyes all red and puffy now. What was she so afraid of? She said she loved me before, why couldn't she just. . . keep loving me? I'm realizing now that maybe. . . I pushed her away. Maybe she never really liked me. Maybe she liked that Elfling. . . Legolas.
~A/N~ I know it took me a while to upload this one but I've been focusing on my schoolwork, amongst other things. But I have FINALLY found a small window of time to post this chapter. So sorry if everything's not up to par, it's a copy and paste, rush to upload type job after all. But the next chapter is already written and ready to be posted, however knowing that I haven't finished Chapter 10 is the reason I might hesitate to release Chapter 9 although it's completed. If the weekend is kind to me and you want to read my content, I will work on it as best as I can.
(P.S. I know that song was trash but I desperately wanted to make it rhyme haha)
