Chapter 4
Just as the sun was rising I rolled out of bed wearing a sleep-creased T-shirt, and a pair of faded cotton boxers with a large lipstick print kiss stitched onto the left buttock. After steadying myself I launched myself across the room in the general direction of my bags, trusting my natural sense of direction to guide me safely to my destination without any accidents with the furniture. I was used to getting up early for training but had to trust my autopilot to get me ready. I rifled through my bag with sleep-squinched eyes, omitting a whoop of success as I produced my disc-man and selected a CD from the shiny black album. Music always pumped me up before training. It inspired me to put on my game face and 'suck it up' for the physical tortures ahead, and that morning I trusted the soothing tones of Nirvana to do the job.
Slipping the headphones over my ears I began my morning ritual of jumping on the bed like a maniac, eyes closed and head thrown back with hair flying in all manner of directions. Singing along, albeit loudly and out of tune, I continued my warm up until I caught something in the edge of my vision. My eyes met with a pair of clear and amused blue ones and I yelped in surprise as I attempted to jump off the opposite side of the bed only to have my feet tangle in the sheets, sending me toppling in an ungraceful manner to the floor. Only the floor never came. I found myself caught in a warm embrace, arms wrapped around my torso steadying my body from its journey to the floor and up-righting me to my feet. Just as I was thinking how wonderful it felt, I recoiled sharply as I realized whose embrace it was. I narrowed my eyes as I felt my anger rise and I roughly pushed him away putting a comfortable distance between our bodies.
"Legolas! What in the bloody hell are you doing in my room?" I shouted hotly. "Give a girl some privacy would ya'!"
Legolas smiled dangerously. That smile of his was a potential weapon, rendering women powerless to his will. I wrinkled my nose at my own perverted thoughts and crossed my arms across my chest in defiance, trying to shake myself of the effect he was having on me.
"I knew you were a danger to yourself, Lady Bryn. You were lucky I was here to rescue you."
"You were the one who caused the accident in the first place you dolt!"
"I cannot be blamed for your clumsiness." He said cheekily. It annoyed me to no end that he knew exactly which buttons to press to get a rise out of me, and it was incredibly frustrating that I found myself rising to the bait every single time. "What exactly were you doing? And what is that?" he asked.
He pointed a finger towards where I had my disc man clutched between my fingers, my knuckles a ghastly shade of white from the death grip I had on it. I nervously shuffled my feet, trying to devise a way of dismissing the otherworldly device in a way that would not rouse suspicion.
"I was just mucking around. You know......the usual." I smiled weakly "And... errrr....This is a..... hair...fixing...thingy." Way to go Bryn, I thought with scorn. There was no way I was going to be recruited for the CIA any time soon, that was for sure.
"Well, it's not working" He stated as he regarded my wind swept appearance. It was true. I looked as though I had been dragged through a hedge backwards before a family of birds decided to build a nest on my head. " Unless that is how the ladies wear their hair in your village." He added thoughtfully.
I glowered up at him. "Kiss my ass" I said nastily, and strode across the room to shove my disc man back in my bag.
"It looks like somebody already did," he called after me. "Love the shorts."
"Shove off Vulcan boy."
"I can't. I am here as your trainer and it is my duty to make sure that Gandalf's promise to you is kept."
"Oh you have got to be shittin' me"
"I shit you not, my lady." He quipped, "Get dressed."
"I grabbed my pack and skulked across the room and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. This was going to be a long day.
Walking out to the training field I took the opportunity to study the blonde elf I would have to endure for the day. He exuded confidence and grace and also a restlessness that I understood all too well. I couldn't decide whether I liked or despised the prospect that I could have something in common with this prince who I despised, but at the same felt drawn to. Staring up at him I found that my pulse began to race and my palms began to become sweaty. I had to get away from him. Why was I acting like this? Am I allergic to him or something? I was straining to find an explanation for these strange physical ailments I developed whenever I was around him and the allergy theory was all I could come up with. The last thing I wanted was a relationship. I had given up on dating, getting dressed up and wondering whether or not I smelt nice. It was all far too stressful. It was only a temporary arrangement, I reminded myself, trying to calm my heartbeat.
"Why do you stare at me so?" He asked, frightening me out of my reverie.
"I was just wondering," I started slyly trying to cover up the real reason for my wandering eyes "Why you have been allocated to be my trainer when Gandalf specifically promised the best Middle Earth has to offer."
"I am the best on offer."
"Gee, and he's modest too."
"I am merely being realistic. I have proven myself as a warrior and have earned my reputation as the best. I have risked my life for noble causes and have even almost faced death on several occasions."
"Almost? That's a relief."
"I do not jest, Lady Bryn. I have trained most of my years and have developed a deep connection with my weapons."
"Oh dear. Not painful, I hope?"
He cast a stern gaze down on me and a sudden rush of guilt entered my body for my nastiness, but I couldn't help it. It was my defense barrier and it stopped me from getting too close, however, this time I knew I had gone too far. His eyes had turned a stormy shade of blue that had the effect of a cold bucket of water dumped over my head. I diverted my gaze to my feet and continued to walk, not wanting to drown in his piercing gaze.
"I'm sorry." I mumbled.
The rest of the walk passed silently, the only sounds that of distant birds and the crunch of leaves under my boots.
As we approached the field a tall, lanky brunette elf came bounding towards us, bow in hand and an infectious smile plastered on his face.
"Legolas mellonamin," he greeted, giving him a friendly slap on the back "It has been too long. And who is this lovely lady you have with you?"
"This is Lady Bryn, Gandalf's niece." Legolas announced, "I am to be her trainer. And this," He indicated the dark haired elf to me "is Davinion, the best archer in Rivendell."
"He jests lady for he is the true master of the bow. He is far too modest."
"Yeah. I had a taste of his modesty on the way over." I said dryly.
Davinion smiled at me knowingly and threw his arm around my shoulders. "Come, Bryn. I will help train you."
I took a liking to Davinion straight away. His cheerfulness and infectious personality made him an elf that was very easy to get along with. He also seemed to have a sobering effect on Legolas who had not stopped smiling since Davinion joined us. The fact that we were on a first name basis helped as well. None of that 'Lady' nonsense that seemed to be tossed around, annoying in its formality.
"What is that?" Davinion enquired as I drew my katana.
"It's a sword."
"Tis' blunt." He ran his hand over its smooth edge in disapproval.
"Of course. It is a training sword. I don't think my instructor at home would have been happy if his students were running around severing each others limbs."
"You must have a proper weapon."
"Why? We are only training. What if someone gets hurt?"
"Orc's and Uruk Hai will not be using blunt weapons and neither will you."
"Davinion is right," Legolas interjected "You must have faith in yourself and also in us not to injure you."
"It's not me I'm worried about." I replied cockily.
Davionion broke into a fit of melodious laughter while Legolas merely smiled in amusement.
"I like you already, Bryn my girl." Davinion managed through his chuckles. "We will be great friends, I am sure. I shall fetch you a sword."
"Thanks, Dave." I called after him as he made his way back to the palace grounds, leaving Legolas and I alone in the field.
"So," I said, turning towards Legolas' lean form "What shall we do until dangly Dave comes back?"
A mischievous sparkle twinkled in his eyes as he regarded me pensively. It was almost possible to hear the nuts, bolts and turbines churning in his brain as he devised a plan. If his plan included making me nervous he was most definitely successful in that part.
"If you are so confidant in your abilities," He said "Why don't you show me how good you are with a little one-on-one? No weapons, just wits."
As if he knew my answer, he dropped himself into a fighting stance, waiting for me to do the same.
"Ok," I replied "But don't say I didn't warn you.
I really wasn't as confident as I sounded however I always had a knack for putting my foot in my mouth. I only opened my mouth wide enough to change feet. I had no way of knowing Legolas' abilities and I didn't even know the extent of my own. I just hoped they were 'enhanced' enough to hold my own against an elf. This warrior prince in particular.
Settling into my own defensive stance, our eyes locked together in a silent battle, we waited to see who was going to make the first move. The first strike in a battle was always the most stressful. It can be the deciding factor of who owns the fight, whether or not you're fighting your own fight or theirs. With so much uncertainty I was reluctant to be that person, however the decision was made for me as Legolas launched himself towards me, his body tucked into a flying side kick position. I side stepped his attack easily and moved to counteract with some hand strikes. We both fell into a balletic rhythm of punching, blocking and kicking, moving with each other's bodies and anticipating the others movements. I was becoming more and more confident with my abilities and the pace of the fight began to quicken accordingly, our movements becoming less and less predictable. Seeing an opening through his hands I spun quickly, using the full force of my body and my momentum to execute a back kick to his stomach. The force sent his hurtling backwards into a nearby bush where he landed with a pained grunt followed by a long groan.
"Oh god. Legolas I am so sorry," I appologised as I rushed to his side "I didn't mean to kick you so hard. I don't know my own strength."
He groaned again and coughed loudly.
"That I did not expect. You are good, Bryn. Perhaps a little too good." He said somewhat suspiciously.
Before I had time to react he flipped back onto his feet, catching me by surprise as he grappled me to the ground. I could feel my ankle twist painfully as I went down.
"Ow" I yelped. I rubbed my ankle gently as it began to swell to an unnatural size. Legolas crouched beside me, his expression soft and apologetic an expression I had never seen on his fair features.
"Perhaps it is my turn to appologise." He whispered. "Can you walk?"
I attempted to stand up but the pressure on my foot sent a shot of pain up through my leg causing me to slump back to the grass."
"We will just have to wait for Davinion to return from...." He trailed off and a look of concentration creased his face as he cocked an ear towards the forest.
Looking in that direction my eyes fell upon a large group of hideous creatures wielding scimitars and rotting snarls. "Uruk Hai" Legolas announced in disgust.
"Retrieve the wench," Their leader said as he threw his arm forward in a signal to attack "Get her."
At his orders the group began their advance.
Just as the sun was rising I rolled out of bed wearing a sleep-creased T-shirt, and a pair of faded cotton boxers with a large lipstick print kiss stitched onto the left buttock. After steadying myself I launched myself across the room in the general direction of my bags, trusting my natural sense of direction to guide me safely to my destination without any accidents with the furniture. I was used to getting up early for training but had to trust my autopilot to get me ready. I rifled through my bag with sleep-squinched eyes, omitting a whoop of success as I produced my disc-man and selected a CD from the shiny black album. Music always pumped me up before training. It inspired me to put on my game face and 'suck it up' for the physical tortures ahead, and that morning I trusted the soothing tones of Nirvana to do the job.
Slipping the headphones over my ears I began my morning ritual of jumping on the bed like a maniac, eyes closed and head thrown back with hair flying in all manner of directions. Singing along, albeit loudly and out of tune, I continued my warm up until I caught something in the edge of my vision. My eyes met with a pair of clear and amused blue ones and I yelped in surprise as I attempted to jump off the opposite side of the bed only to have my feet tangle in the sheets, sending me toppling in an ungraceful manner to the floor. Only the floor never came. I found myself caught in a warm embrace, arms wrapped around my torso steadying my body from its journey to the floor and up-righting me to my feet. Just as I was thinking how wonderful it felt, I recoiled sharply as I realized whose embrace it was. I narrowed my eyes as I felt my anger rise and I roughly pushed him away putting a comfortable distance between our bodies.
"Legolas! What in the bloody hell are you doing in my room?" I shouted hotly. "Give a girl some privacy would ya'!"
Legolas smiled dangerously. That smile of his was a potential weapon, rendering women powerless to his will. I wrinkled my nose at my own perverted thoughts and crossed my arms across my chest in defiance, trying to shake myself of the effect he was having on me.
"I knew you were a danger to yourself, Lady Bryn. You were lucky I was here to rescue you."
"You were the one who caused the accident in the first place you dolt!"
"I cannot be blamed for your clumsiness." He said cheekily. It annoyed me to no end that he knew exactly which buttons to press to get a rise out of me, and it was incredibly frustrating that I found myself rising to the bait every single time. "What exactly were you doing? And what is that?" he asked.
He pointed a finger towards where I had my disc man clutched between my fingers, my knuckles a ghastly shade of white from the death grip I had on it. I nervously shuffled my feet, trying to devise a way of dismissing the otherworldly device in a way that would not rouse suspicion.
"I was just mucking around. You know......the usual." I smiled weakly "And... errrr....This is a..... hair...fixing...thingy." Way to go Bryn, I thought with scorn. There was no way I was going to be recruited for the CIA any time soon, that was for sure.
"Well, it's not working" He stated as he regarded my wind swept appearance. It was true. I looked as though I had been dragged through a hedge backwards before a family of birds decided to build a nest on my head. " Unless that is how the ladies wear their hair in your village." He added thoughtfully.
I glowered up at him. "Kiss my ass" I said nastily, and strode across the room to shove my disc man back in my bag.
"It looks like somebody already did," he called after me. "Love the shorts."
"Shove off Vulcan boy."
"I can't. I am here as your trainer and it is my duty to make sure that Gandalf's promise to you is kept."
"Oh you have got to be shittin' me"
"I shit you not, my lady." He quipped, "Get dressed."
"I grabbed my pack and skulked across the room and into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. This was going to be a long day.
Walking out to the training field I took the opportunity to study the blonde elf I would have to endure for the day. He exuded confidence and grace and also a restlessness that I understood all too well. I couldn't decide whether I liked or despised the prospect that I could have something in common with this prince who I despised, but at the same felt drawn to. Staring up at him I found that my pulse began to race and my palms began to become sweaty. I had to get away from him. Why was I acting like this? Am I allergic to him or something? I was straining to find an explanation for these strange physical ailments I developed whenever I was around him and the allergy theory was all I could come up with. The last thing I wanted was a relationship. I had given up on dating, getting dressed up and wondering whether or not I smelt nice. It was all far too stressful. It was only a temporary arrangement, I reminded myself, trying to calm my heartbeat.
"Why do you stare at me so?" He asked, frightening me out of my reverie.
"I was just wondering," I started slyly trying to cover up the real reason for my wandering eyes "Why you have been allocated to be my trainer when Gandalf specifically promised the best Middle Earth has to offer."
"I am the best on offer."
"Gee, and he's modest too."
"I am merely being realistic. I have proven myself as a warrior and have earned my reputation as the best. I have risked my life for noble causes and have even almost faced death on several occasions."
"Almost? That's a relief."
"I do not jest, Lady Bryn. I have trained most of my years and have developed a deep connection with my weapons."
"Oh dear. Not painful, I hope?"
He cast a stern gaze down on me and a sudden rush of guilt entered my body for my nastiness, but I couldn't help it. It was my defense barrier and it stopped me from getting too close, however, this time I knew I had gone too far. His eyes had turned a stormy shade of blue that had the effect of a cold bucket of water dumped over my head. I diverted my gaze to my feet and continued to walk, not wanting to drown in his piercing gaze.
"I'm sorry." I mumbled.
The rest of the walk passed silently, the only sounds that of distant birds and the crunch of leaves under my boots.
As we approached the field a tall, lanky brunette elf came bounding towards us, bow in hand and an infectious smile plastered on his face.
"Legolas mellonamin," he greeted, giving him a friendly slap on the back "It has been too long. And who is this lovely lady you have with you?"
"This is Lady Bryn, Gandalf's niece." Legolas announced, "I am to be her trainer. And this," He indicated the dark haired elf to me "is Davinion, the best archer in Rivendell."
"He jests lady for he is the true master of the bow. He is far too modest."
"Yeah. I had a taste of his modesty on the way over." I said dryly.
Davinion smiled at me knowingly and threw his arm around my shoulders. "Come, Bryn. I will help train you."
I took a liking to Davinion straight away. His cheerfulness and infectious personality made him an elf that was very easy to get along with. He also seemed to have a sobering effect on Legolas who had not stopped smiling since Davinion joined us. The fact that we were on a first name basis helped as well. None of that 'Lady' nonsense that seemed to be tossed around, annoying in its formality.
"What is that?" Davinion enquired as I drew my katana.
"It's a sword."
"Tis' blunt." He ran his hand over its smooth edge in disapproval.
"Of course. It is a training sword. I don't think my instructor at home would have been happy if his students were running around severing each others limbs."
"You must have a proper weapon."
"Why? We are only training. What if someone gets hurt?"
"Orc's and Uruk Hai will not be using blunt weapons and neither will you."
"Davinion is right," Legolas interjected "You must have faith in yourself and also in us not to injure you."
"It's not me I'm worried about." I replied cockily.
Davionion broke into a fit of melodious laughter while Legolas merely smiled in amusement.
"I like you already, Bryn my girl." Davinion managed through his chuckles. "We will be great friends, I am sure. I shall fetch you a sword."
"Thanks, Dave." I called after him as he made his way back to the palace grounds, leaving Legolas and I alone in the field.
"So," I said, turning towards Legolas' lean form "What shall we do until dangly Dave comes back?"
A mischievous sparkle twinkled in his eyes as he regarded me pensively. It was almost possible to hear the nuts, bolts and turbines churning in his brain as he devised a plan. If his plan included making me nervous he was most definitely successful in that part.
"If you are so confidant in your abilities," He said "Why don't you show me how good you are with a little one-on-one? No weapons, just wits."
As if he knew my answer, he dropped himself into a fighting stance, waiting for me to do the same.
"Ok," I replied "But don't say I didn't warn you.
I really wasn't as confident as I sounded however I always had a knack for putting my foot in my mouth. I only opened my mouth wide enough to change feet. I had no way of knowing Legolas' abilities and I didn't even know the extent of my own. I just hoped they were 'enhanced' enough to hold my own against an elf. This warrior prince in particular.
Settling into my own defensive stance, our eyes locked together in a silent battle, we waited to see who was going to make the first move. The first strike in a battle was always the most stressful. It can be the deciding factor of who owns the fight, whether or not you're fighting your own fight or theirs. With so much uncertainty I was reluctant to be that person, however the decision was made for me as Legolas launched himself towards me, his body tucked into a flying side kick position. I side stepped his attack easily and moved to counteract with some hand strikes. We both fell into a balletic rhythm of punching, blocking and kicking, moving with each other's bodies and anticipating the others movements. I was becoming more and more confident with my abilities and the pace of the fight began to quicken accordingly, our movements becoming less and less predictable. Seeing an opening through his hands I spun quickly, using the full force of my body and my momentum to execute a back kick to his stomach. The force sent his hurtling backwards into a nearby bush where he landed with a pained grunt followed by a long groan.
"Oh god. Legolas I am so sorry," I appologised as I rushed to his side "I didn't mean to kick you so hard. I don't know my own strength."
He groaned again and coughed loudly.
"That I did not expect. You are good, Bryn. Perhaps a little too good." He said somewhat suspiciously.
Before I had time to react he flipped back onto his feet, catching me by surprise as he grappled me to the ground. I could feel my ankle twist painfully as I went down.
"Ow" I yelped. I rubbed my ankle gently as it began to swell to an unnatural size. Legolas crouched beside me, his expression soft and apologetic an expression I had never seen on his fair features.
"Perhaps it is my turn to appologise." He whispered. "Can you walk?"
I attempted to stand up but the pressure on my foot sent a shot of pain up through my leg causing me to slump back to the grass."
"We will just have to wait for Davinion to return from...." He trailed off and a look of concentration creased his face as he cocked an ear towards the forest.
Looking in that direction my eyes fell upon a large group of hideous creatures wielding scimitars and rotting snarls. "Uruk Hai" Legolas announced in disgust.
"Retrieve the wench," Their leader said as he threw his arm forward in a signal to attack "Get her."
At his orders the group began their advance.