Chapter 7: Training
So the group slowly assembled for breakfast...which was surprisingly tasty. Vywien and Zyan refused to meet anyone's gaze. Vywien was deep in thought about her forth-coming sword training, while Zyan was frightened at learn how. She disliked weapons immensely, because of the destruction they cause. Orcs had used these such weapons to kill her parents...it is difficult to get over something so tragic. Gandalf generously filled plates for everyone, perhaps a little too much. Sometime during the night he'd ridden off to get some supplies and eating utensils. The group ate in silence, with the exception of the occasional well-satisfied burp by a hobbit or a dwarf. Pippin and Merry sat next to each other on one side of the fire, Gimli and Legolas beside around the fire, Vywien and Zyan next to them, and Aragorn and Gandalf next to them. They fully occupied the circle around the campfire in that order.
When the last plate had been licked clean by a very full hobbit, and the last cup of ale had been drunk by a now contented dwarf...there was silence. "Well," Gandalf said, breaking the silence and looking slyly at the other members. Every face turned from the flickering, yet dieing fire, to the wizard. "Unless I am mistaken, it is time to start the training." Inwardly Zyan groaned, and Vywien appeared not to notice. "Since you both have much to learn with the sword, we shall start there. Legolas, take Vywien into the clearing that Gimli was practicing in earlier." Legolas nodded, and sprang to his feet, and gracefully held out his hand to help Vywien to her feet. She surprised him by also springing to her feet with as much grace, and grabbing her sword following him instantly. Gandalf did what Zyan dreaded next, turning toward her and Aragorn. "And you two follow me." The old wizard used his staff to stand to his feet. Aragorn offered his hand to Zayn, but she seemed to not notice, and stood up without help. Then two followed Gandalf to a clearing a little further away from the campfire then Legolas and Vywien. "I found this spot last night by accident."
"It's beautiful." Zyan remarked, taking a good look around at their secluded surroundings a gentle breeze making the flowers flutter on the ground. Aragorn nodded thoughtfully and turned to look at Gandalf as he started to speak again. "Teach her well. I'll send Pippin to get you for lunch."
"Thanks, Gandalf." Aragorn replied, then turned his attention toward Zyan who was still observing her surroundings, as Gandalf slowly walked back to the camp. "Are you ready to begin?"
Zyan reluctantly turned around to face the man who was King of Gondor, and nodded hesitantly. She couldn't believe that she'd tried to attack him yesterday! What could she have been thinking? She vaguely wondered if he ever beheaded commoners for such offenses. Zayn had him on a high pedestal, she'd heard many great stories about him. It was a hard to believe that the legend himself was standing directly in front of her. Zyan was very reluctant to look into his gentle eyes, she thought he was quite handsome, very handsome actually. Still she had so little faith in herself, that she couldn't even trust the legendary King of Gondor to be able to teach her in time, for whatever it was they were training for. Another weight on her shoulders was the way her parents had died. Zyan would much rather use her skill with her fists or her feet rather then by a sword. Startled she glanced up at the tall man a few feet away, realizing that she was stalling. Half smiling in apology she reached for the sword at her belt, and realized that it wasn't there. Her face turned a light shade of red for forgetting her sword and taking more time away from practice. "I...don't have my sword. I must have left it at the campfire. I'll be right back." She sighed in relief, and started to walk past him back toward the camp. Aragorn grabbed her forearm as she tried to pass him.
Aragorn couldn't help but smile at her. "Ah, but how hopeful you look. Are you that scared of learning?" He released her and pulled out her sword which he had grabbed while they were eating. "Here you are." Zyan took it by the hilt, and stepped back. "Thank you?" Aragorn laughed. "Come now, its not so hard. We'll start off slow, alright?" Zyan nodded nervously, testing the grip on the hilt. "Alright, now I'm going to come at you slowly. I want you to block each sweep of my sword. Don't worry, I will give you plenty of time." Zyan nodded again slowly, her throat constricted, eyes widening. She was easily intimidated at the thought of learning how to fight with a sword from, the until recently, lost King of Gondor. She watched as Aragorn lifted his sword, who she'd overheard it was called Narsil, and brought it down near her left arm. Zyan quickly backed away, enough so his sword was a few inches away from her. Aragorn stopped and looked at her. "First rule of fighting, don't back up. Alright?"
"Yes, sorry." Zyan squeaked.
"Don't apologize." Aragorn replied. "Now, lets try this again.' with a smile he added, '...without backing up." Slowly he brought Narsil in an uppercut toward her left side, she instantly backed away again. "No...don't back up!" His voice came out harsher than he had intended. "Listen, if you continue to back up, you're going to allow your enemy to gain the upper ground, and you will constantly be on the defense. Whenever you fight an opponent, you want to be in control at all times and most importantly gain ground." He swung Narsil through the air above her head once, as if to get the feel for the sword. "Alright, I'm not going to hurt you. You do not have to worry about getting hurt on my account, okay?" Zyan nodded. Aragorn brought Narsil down in what would have cleaved her shoulder, if she had stayed to let it; but she backed out of the way. Aragorn sighed audibly, and tightened the grip on his sword...feeling the need to relieve the stress somehow. Zyan looked up nervously at his darkening gaze. Aragorn wasn't a teacher. Elrond had once taught him how to use a sword...the elder elf had the patience for it. Aragorn had patience, but not for teaching. "Alright, let's try a little exercise." Aragorn decided to try another tactic. "I'll swing at you once, you block, and swing at me, alright?" Zyan nodded, gripping her sword so hard her knuckles were turning white. When he swung at her, he anticipated her backing up. "Good..." He replied. "Now you." She swung at him from where she stood, but her sword came nowhere near him, though he hadn't moved.
"You're too far away!" Zyan concluded.
"Exactly!" Aragron said emphatically, feeling he was gaining some ground. "When you back up, you lose your ground, and when you want to attack, you're too far away. This is why you don't want to back up. If there's only one thing that I teach you today...its going to be to not back up." He smiles at her enlightened expression. "Now...lets try it again."
* * *
Meanwhile, in the other clearing Legolas and Vywien were having the same troubles...only different. Vywien seemed more content to want to talk to Legolas, while Legolas kept trying to teach her how to use his sword. "So how many elves are there?" Vywien asked. After they had left the group, Vywien was definitely more inquisitive. Legolas was bombarded with questions about everything, it was almost as if the dam holding all of her shyness broke, and he was the only one there to help her understand anything. At first she had seemed very tense, so he hold told her stories of his times of growing up to 2, 931 years. He was surprised to find out that the two of them were very close in their ages.
"A lot." Legolas replied. "Stand over here." He pointed with his the top of his sword. She moved to where he had told her to and waited. Vywien was really starting to like Legolas, she felt as if she had this special bond with him, both of them being elves and all. He was also not hard on the eyes, and more then once Vywien found herself just staring into his emerald blue eyes, lost in memories. He answered her every question, with a patience that was astounding. She had so much to learn from him! "But if there are a lot, how come I haven't seen any others? Treebeard once told me that Men and Dwarves stayed away from Fangorn because they believed it was haunted! There is no place more lovely then Fangorn! And no better friend then Treebeard. I wonder how a human would react to seeing an Ent walking around."
"You're the only elf left in Fangorn. But here are many other races in separate places. The hobbits of the Shire. The dwarves of the mines. The horse lords of Rohan. And the elves of the woods." He then got a sad expression on his face. "Many years ago Middle-Earth was governed by elves, but sadly the times of elves are over. Now the role of Man is taking over Middle Earth. Most of our kind have left these shores." Vywien looked down sadly. If there weren't hardly any elves left, how would she ever get to meet her parents? "Now, enough talk of depressing subjects! Let me teach you how to use this sword." He glanced down at the intricately carved picture on the hilt, then smiled at her warmly. "Ah...I see you carry Elrond's sword. It will do you well in battle."
Vywien sighed quietly. "That's also what the wizard Gandalf has said. But, Legolas..." She glanced up to meet his blue eyes.
"I'm not an aggressive person, why do I need to learn how to defend myself? I've lived this long without knowing."
"You've lived this long without any contact with anyone." Legolas concluded, then smirked slightly. "Unless you made an Ent very angry, you've never had the need to learn how to fight." His expression darkened slightly as other memories filtered into his mind. "But the world is changing, and there is more evil now then there has ever been. Even more so then the fight for the ring of power! These evil minions will not be hesitant to cut you here..." He makes a slicing motion toward her legs. "Or here..." A slicing motion toward her stomach. "Or most unfortunately here..." He made a motion like slicing her throat. "Though you are a non aggressive elf, others out there will not be so hesitant to try and take your life." Vywien slowly nodded as she let his words seep in. Other then the war for the Ring of Power that Treebeard had told her about, he'd never mentioned how evil Middle Earth could be. "When you chance upon a fight, which is almost certain...and you are battling Orcs or anything that the evil minions can conjure up..." He leaned in real close, and almost whispered the rest an inch from her nose. "Show them no mercy, for you shall receive none."
"It sounds like an awfully depressing place beyond these woods." Vywien concluded.
"Some places yes..." Legolas replied, straightening up and smiled thoughtfully. "But other places are so much better! There is always enough good to counter the evil, but that means people like you and me, and Gandalf, Gimli, Aragorn, Merry & Pippin...and your friend...Zyan? Yes...even Zyan will need to fight the evil, to preserve what is good in the world. Now...are you ready to learn?" Vywien nodded. "Good...then let us begin."