Chapter 7. New enemy, old foe part one.
The clang of steel could be heard resonating across the training grounds, the symphony of two ferocious warriors clashing in a battle of will and skill.
Block, parry, deflect, divert. Her shield moved with an ease born of countless hours of practice, stopping the volley of incoming blows before any could reach her body, the hammer on her other hand waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.
Strike once, strike true, that was the way of the Thane.
Early on in her training, Rünira had decided that she wanted to learn how to fight with The Aflhraûn, having grown comfortable with the hammer after her encounter with the dread wolf. Vanur had shown her all the styles he knew that used a one-handed warhammer, but she had finally settled for Thane's path.
Hammer on one hand, shield on the other, and a small hatchet for throwing or dual-wielding. The Thanes were known to be the dwarve's most elite warriors. Whereas the gryphon riders ruled together over the sikes, a Thane ruled alone on the ground, an immovable bastion, a pillar of strength. Their job on the battlefield was to push the line forward or hold it in place.
They were a rare breed, with very few dwarves ever able to complete the gruelling training required to become one. Her choice had been cemented upon learning the name of the last dwarf that had managed to make it as a Thane; Tara Ild Eldur, former queen of Bál Eldur, and Rünira's own mother.
Still engaged in the fierce duel, she kept blocking and parrying Vanur's relentless attacks waiting for an opening in the elf's stance. Hammers were heavy weapons, even one-handed ones, every swing counted, every strike mattered. The only time a hammer should be swung was to end a fight, or to block a strike that your shield couldn't reach. Vanur had made her learn that lesson the hard way, making her swing again and again until she felt like her arm would fall off, and then made her swing some more. But pain had been a good teacher.
Strike once, strike true, that was the way of the Thane.
The fight continued without pause, Vanur dancing around her like the wind, his sword but a blur as he kept delivering strike after strike with surgical precision, testing her defence to its very limits. They had been sparring for hours now, a test of endurance Vanur had called it, to push her body and will to their very limits.
Though torture sounded like a more accurate way to call it in Rünira's unbiased opinion.
"You will need to do more than just blocking if you intend to ever win a spar my young apprentice" Vanur taunted, an insufferable smirk flashing on his face as he delivered a powerful kick against her shield sending her reeling several steps back before she could stop herself, retaking her defensive stance.
Rünira didn't respond to the taunts, knowing full well that he was doing it on purpose, trying to make her mad and lose focus. It wasn't going to work, not this time.
Breathing deeply to calm her racing heart, Rünira took advantage of the brief respite Vanur had given her to rethink her strategy. Her plan for the last several hours had been to take a defensive stance and maintain it until Vanur tired himself and gave her an opening to strike. But it wasn't working.
Vanur's assault had continued incessantly, minute after minute, hour after hour, the weapon master's strikes had rained down on her relentlessly, like waves against the shore, slowly chipping away her defences —and he didn't even look tired!— Rünira, on the other hand, was on her last legs, about to collapse from sheer exhaustion, so she decided to settle on a plan any dwarf would be proud of.
All in frontal attack.
She let go of her shield, letting it fall to the floor unceremoniously as she grabbed the hatchet strapped to her hip, assuming a fighting stance. No tricks and no schemes, she was betting it all on this last attack, one way or the other, this duel was going to end now.
Letting out a cry, Rünira charged at Vanur, not missing the glint in the elf's eyes as she got close, a look of anticipation donning on his face at the incoming bout.
Steel met steel with a resonant sound as his sword parried her opening strike, setting aside the axe with perfect technique. She flowed with the movement, spinning in place and lashing out with the hammer in her right hand, making Vanur take a step back to avoid what would have been a devastating blow.
But Rünira didn't stop. Throwing her axe directly at Vanur's head with all the strength she had left, she grabbed the Aflhraûn with both hands, before leaping towards the elf, hammer lifted high above her head.
Vanur had anticipated the axe throw, and deflected it with little difficulty, but seemed caught off guard by her reckless jump, hastily positioning his sword at an angle in preparation to deflect the incoming blow.
Both weapons clashed violently, a painful cry of metal filling the air. But Rünira could feel as The Aflhraûn began to slide down Vanur's sword, the force of her blow getting deflected towards the ground. She knew that if Vanur managed to parry this strike, it would be her loss again, as she wouldn't have the strength to keep going. So she gave all she had left, hoping that it would be enough.
The sound of shattering steel filled Rünira's ears as her hammer smashed through Vanur's sword, breaking it into countless shards, but missing his body entirely, the small parry being effective enough to avoid getting hit by her attack.
Rünira fell to the ground completely expended, her body not having enough strength left to stop the momentum of her own swing. Her attack had lasted just a few seconds, but it was over.
She had lost again.
"That is enough," came the sound of Vanur's voice from above her, lacking his usual smug tone. "It is my loss."
"huh?" Not believing her ears, Rünira looked up to see Vanur standing right in front of her, nursing a small, shallow cut on his right cheek, probably the product of a flying shard of his own sword.
"You're giving me the win over that?" she scoffed tiredly, trying not to sound too disappointed. "I don't need a pity win, I don't want it!"
Vanur gave her one of his classic unimpressed looks before shrugging unconcerned as he inspected what was left of his sword, seemingly not caring about her opinion on the matter.
"You drew first blood, that has always been the winning condition for our spars," he said matter-of-factly, before pointing to his sword's handle. "Disarmed me too, that alone would guarantee victory against most opponents."
Rünira didn't fail to notice that Vanur had conveniently overlooked the fact that she could barely move while he looked perfectly fine, making his analysis pretty misleading.
"I'll beat you next time…" she grumbled, managing to sit on the ground with some effort, starting to stretch her tired muscles.
"I am sure you will," he answered, smirking slightly, before glancing briefly at the sun, shining high in the sky. "It is almost noon, go get clean and eat something, King Alf will get mad at me if you are late for your lessons again."
"Hey! That wasn't my fault" she said, moving some sweaty hairs out of her face, a grunt escaping her as her sore muscles protested in pain. "You said after that spar to take it easy!"
"Yes, but 'take it easy' does not mean 'skip your lessons', Rünira," he answered, rolling his eyes but not managing to hide his amusement.
"It's not my fault I get so tired after this torture you call training! This hammer is pretty heavy, you know!?"
"You have been complaining about that since our first lesson six years ago," he pointed out dryly, giving her a sceptical look. "Surely you have gotten used to the weight by now?"
His question hung in the air, a pregnant pause forming as Rünira did her best to not look at him.
"Rünira?"
"It feels the same alright!?" she replied hotly, trying to keep her embarrassment out of her voice. "I don't know why, but it's just as heavy as when I picked it up for the first time, which is pretty weird if you ask me!"
Vanur looked at her, eyebrows rising slightly, a surprised expression showing briefly on his face at her outburst.
"That… is not possible, I know for a fact you are much stronger now than when we began training," he said, face turning speculative as his gaze landed on the hammer. "Unless…"
"Unless what!?"
"Unless your hammer is getting heavier," he told her seriously. "You told me before that it was a dwarven relic, I guess it would not be entirely impossible for it to grow heavier every time you get stronger, dwarves were renowned during ancient times for their craftsmanship after all."
"You really think that?" she asked him, giving the hammer sitting beside her an appraising look. The legend about The Aflhraûn was grand, but it didn't say anything about getting heavier. "I don't know… sounds a little far-fetched to me."
"There are many tales of legendary weapons doing all sorts of unbelievable things," Vanur said, getting into his lecture mode. "Swords capable of burning oceans, spears able to pierce the heavens, hammers that could split mountains…I must say, growing heavier to accommodate its user strength seems tame in comparison."
Rünira nodded thoughtfully, mulling over his words and was about to respond when a call interrupted her.
"Rünira! Are you done already? I brought lunch!"
Turning her head towards the familiar voice, she spotted Elara at the ground's entrance, carrying a picnic basket under one arm, waving cheerfully at her.
"Go with your friend," Vanur told her, starting to walk towards the edge of the training grounds where he had left his things. "I will see what I can find about evolving weapons. We can talk more about it another day."
Rünira watched Vanur walk away for a moment before turning back to Elara, a big smile forming on her lips at the sight of the blonde elf.
Watching Elara smiling happily back at her, she couldn't help but to reflect on how much things had changed the past six years, between her new and brutal training under Vanur, and her newfound friendship with Elara, Rünira felt happier than she had in a long time. But it hadn't been easy.
Despite her deep gratitude about being saved from the dread wolf, Elara hadn't immediately changed her mind about Rünira endangering the Alf forest with her presence, taking the intervention of King Alf to convince the stubborn girl that Rünira's presence did not in fact carry any danger for the High Elves. The reason being quite simple; the world at large thought the dwarven princess to be dead, along with the majority of the dwarves of Bál Eldur.
It had been a bitter pill to swallow for Rünira, but she understood that her apparent death was playing a significant part in keeping the forest safe. Not that she could do anything about it anyway. She couldn't exactly inform the world of her continued existence, especially living in such an isolationist place.
"Elara! What are you doing here?" Rünira asked, walking towards the elf. "Not that I'm not happy to see you of course."
"I thought I would surprise you with lunch, Master Lauriel told me you usually need some encouragement after your training to not skip your lessons with King Alf," Elara answered, giving her a knowing smile. "But first, you need a bath. You stink!"
"I've been fighting for hours!" she replied in mock outrage, a small blush colouring her cheeks. "You can't blame me for being a little sweaty!"
"A little? I could smell your fight before I entered the training grounds!"
"…It's not that bad is it?" Rünira asked with a small frown, starting to feel a little self-conscious.
"Of course not you hardhead! I was joking." Elara answered, rolling her eyes., a smile dancing on her lips. "You do need a bath though, I am not letting you close to me all sweaty and gross."
Rünira nodded with a small laugh, secretly relieved, moving quickly to pick up her shield and hatchet before joining Elara again.
"Let's go to that waterfall we found last time, I can take a quick dip and then we can eat!"
Plan made, they exited the training grounds walking at a slow pace, simply enjoying each other's company. Both had pretty busy schedules to keep, so they tried to make the most of their time together. Rünira was listening to Elara with interest as she talked about her apprenticeship under Lauriel, the girl still had an incurable obsession with history, but she had told Rünira it was more of a hobby to her, and that healing had always been her first choice for a career.
"How's Lauriel been doing? " Rünira asked as they walked through an old and overgrown path, covered almost completely by bushes and other plants. "I know she was overjoyed last year when she got her mastery, but I haven't been able to talk much with her lately."
"She is doing well, Master Lauriel is very respected within the healing halls," Elara answered proudly. "Though her constant talking about you can get rather vexing at times…"
Rünira laughed weakly at that, hand scratching the back of her head awkwardly. She had grown closer to Lauriel the most over the years, the elf behaved almost like a mother now. looking after her health, praising her when she did good and scolding her when she behaved badly. Lauriel was practically her family and Rünira wouldn't have it any other way. But she really couldn't bring herself to see her as a mother, maybe more like an older sister or a cool aunt.
Trying to hold back a snort at that, Rünira brought her attention back to Elara, trying not to think about how Lauriel would surely kill her if she ever dared to call her aunty, even as a joke.
"What is so funny?" Elara asked, watching her curiously.
"N-Nothing I just thought of something funny," Rünira said, shaking her head, before something ahead of the path caught her attention, making her stop, a small frown forming on her face.
The sound of cascading water could already be heard signalling their proximity to the waterfall, but along with it came a shallow ring of raucous laughter.
"It seems we are not alone," Elara pointed out tentatively, quickly noticing Rünira's change of demeanour. "Let's go somewhere else, we do not need to ruin our moment."
"No," Rünira said, shaking her head firmly, starting to move again. "I refuse to keep avoiding people, if they don't like me, then that's their problem, not mine."
Strolling forward with a firm step and trying not to pay too much attention to the sudden silence that had fallen the moment she had stepped into view of the other elves, Rünira walked down the stream with Elara close behind, moving to the far side of the basin and as far away from the others as possible, before laying down her weapons and starting to take her armour off. But she couldn't even undo the first strap of her chest plate when the first taunting call came with all its usual mockery.
"Well well, if it isn't the fat princess and her friend the traitor. What are you doing here? Finally washing off eight years of dirt?"
The group of young elves laughed outrageously at the girl's words, snickering and giggling like the children they were. Rünira completely ignored the dirt comment, more than used to that kind of insult after so many years, but the first part had caught her by surprise.
"Do not listen to those fools Rünira, they have never seen a muscle in their lives," Elara told her, voice loud and clear for everyone to hear.
"…Fat?" Rünira repeated under her breath, ignoring Elara's words as she stared mystified at the elf girl that had said it before catching her reflection on the surface of the water. She had certainly grown a lot in the past years, not only in height, but in other areas as well… She remembered having many mortifying conversations with Lauriel about growing bodies, and what it meant for a young girl, though she tried not to think too much about it.
'But I'm not fat!' she thought indignantly. Certainly, her natural disposition as a dwarf, combined with years of rigorous training had made her somewhat muscular, but she was quite lean! She naturally had more meat in her bones than these lanky elves, maybe she was a little on the thick side but certainly not fat…
Yes! That was it! she wasn't fat, she was just thick!
Rünira opened her mouth to tell that dumb girl exactly what she thought of her dumber opinion when she felt a subtle tremor coming from the ground making the words die in her throat. She couldn't suppress the shiver that ran down her spine, her body instantly tensing and getting on high alert at the silent warning the earth was sending her.
She looked around frantically searching for the source of her sudden unease, but couldn't find anything out of place. The tremors were getting stronger, and the whispers warning her were growing in intensity. Finally, her eyes zeroed on the waterfall, the sound of the torrential water drawing her attention to the natural wonder, a distant conversation with Vanur coming to her mind.
"Elara, do you know if there's something behind the waterfall?" Rünira asked her friend, who seemed surprised by the dwarf's urgent tone.
"Something? Like a cave or a tunnel? I guess it is possible…" Elara said, a pensive expression showing on her face. "The Royal forest is full of small caves and other kinds of naturally concealed spaces, it is likely that some may not have been discovered yet. Why do you ask?"
"We need to get out of here."
"What are you saying?" Elara asked, beginning to sound worried. "Rünira, what is happening?"
"WE NEED TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!"
Rünira's scream resonated through the basin, all the elves present falling silent at the dwarf's outburst. She hurried to pick up her discarded weapons from the floor, plating briefly her palm on the ground to get a better sense of what was happening. The tremors had become stronger, the earth was grumbling from the weight of something big moving under it.
And it was getting stronger.
"Ha? What are you talking about fatty? finally decided you want to stay dirty after all?" came the derisive comment from one of the elves, but Rünira could barely hear it over the shaking of the ground, the earth was screaming to her now, much like it had done the night she had faced the dread wolf, but this time it sounded worse, much worse. She knew it would be best to just take Elara and run, but Rünira couldn't bring herself to leave these kids to whatever was coming their way.
It would not be right.
"Please listen to me! we need to go, something is coming!" she pleaded desperately with the sneering elves in front of her. "Get out the water! We need to—"
Whatever she was about to say was interrupted by the sound of a muffled roar coming from behind the waterfall, making them all freeze in place. Time seemed to come to a standstill as Rünira watched barely breathing, as a green scaly head slowly appeared, parting the curtain of cascading water.
Nobody moved, nobody breathed as the dragon, for it could only be a dragon, looked around sniffing loudly, hateful eyes stopping on the elves closest to it before letting out an earth-shattering roar that resonated throughout the forest, an explosion of flames escaping its mouth setting the skies ablaze with its fury.
Rünira was drowning.
Despair welled up inside her as memories long buried came rushing back with ferocious intensity, threatening to consume and drag her to the darkness.
The flames, the screams, the fear. She remembered them all.
She knew that the kids running and crying as they passed beside her desperately trying to escape were elves, she knew that she was in the Alf Royal Forest. But the only thing Rünira could see around her were dwarves fighting for their lives as the world around them turned to ash in a sea of fire. She knew that Elara was beside her pulling her hand trying desperately to make her move but the only thing she could see was the burned face of her nana pulling her through the rubble as they fled.
She was drowning, trapped in a spiralling nightmare.
And she couldn't get out.
A/N: Six years have passed! It may seem like a long skip but the plan was always for Rünira to depart for Orario after her 15th birthday, highly trained and ready to get stronger. I could have written more about her stay with the elves but I felt it was time to move the story forward.
I'm sure those of you that read the special stories are not that surprised by the appearance of a green dragon after the dread wolf came out in the last chapter, but it was just too perfect not to include it. (As Rünira will have a notorious predisposition towards dragons).
As always thank you for the reviews/follows. All comments and suggestions are more than welcome.
Let me know what you think!