Chapter 3
Note: See Disclaimer in One
Determined not to fail she was diligent in her chosen vocation. She was always the first one on the practice grounds and the last one to leave. She pestered Orophin and Rúmil ceaselessly to provide her with extra instruction. During that first year she was the butt of many jokes, was sneered at, or openly ignored by her peers. Haldir's calm and patient teaching coupled with Rúmil and Orophan's stalwart support gave her the strength she needed to continue. Orophan became her confidant; to him she confessed all her fears. It was his shoulder she cried upon when self doubt and recriminations became overwhelming. His calm acceptance of her tantrums and her moods taught her self control.
Rúmil though, was the one she could always count on to make her laugh and the one who challenged her most. He delighted in pushing her to the edge of her abilities and beyond. He was also her fiercest defender when some of the other warden candidates grew resentful of her presence. Gradually she was accepted into their ranks as her skills improved. At the end of the first year she was tested by Haldir and some of his best wardens to determine the level of her skill. After rigorous trials of her sword work, bow skill and hand-to-hand fighting she was considered to be of equal competence to most of the other candidates. The fact that she had accomplished this in a year left no doubts as to her potential. It was decided that she could continue her training.
In the years that followed, in addition to the fighting skills she was also taught how to track and to move through the forest silently and without leaving a trace. Some of the candidates were not able to complete the training and withdrew to pursue other life paths. Seeing others fail just made her more determined. It was all Rúmil could do to drag her away from the practice fields, gone it seemed, was his carefree childhood companion. She had been replaced by a virtual stranger who was obsessed with becoming warden. Elendara realized that her dedication to her training left little time for her to spend with her two closest friends Orophan and Rúmil. She felt guilty for being envious of their skill. All of the things the trainees had to learn seemed to come so effortlessly to the brothers, to the extent that she felt slow and clumsy in their presence. It all came to a head during a sparring match. She was to test her sword ability against Rúmil. During the match he taunted her as usual and had just dumped her to the ground for the third time when her temper snapped. As she was lying in the dirt he could not resist more teasing comments.
"Do you intend to lie there all day Dara? You dreadfully need the practice. I mean you are hardly a challenge as it is, I promise I will take it easy on you." He said with a smile.
His mock insults were just a part of their sparring match. He would insult her then she would insult him, and it would continue till the match was over. So Rúmil was utterly surprised when she grabbed his ankle and pulled him off of his feet. He landed hard on his back, sword flying out of his hand and a stunned look on his face.
She flung herself at him and pinned him to the ground.
"You take that back! I am sick and tired of your comments. I am just as good do you hear me!" She was yelling at this point with her hands knotted in his tunic.
Not being able to help himself one more comment slipped out of his mouth.
"Better than me? I do not think so. Are you going to cry now?"
She literally saw red and before she could stop it her fist shot out and caught him square on the jaw. Her fist was cocked to hit him again when a pair of hands seized her from behind and pulled her away from Rúmil. She struggled to get loose as she realized it was Orophin that had a hold of her. Rúmil sat up and rubbed his sore jaw.
"Smooth brother very smooth, I do not think I have seen her this mad in quite a long time, just what did you say to her?"
Rúmil sat looking a bit perplexed. "I have no idea, it was just our usual sparring banter. I am sorry if I upset you Dara."
An apology was the last thing she wanted. She stopped struggling and Orophan released her arms. Still very angry she fled into the woods. She stopped near a small stream and tried to regain her temper. She closed her eyes and concentrated in calming herself. After a few moments she got the feeling she was being watched. Elendara opened her eyes and looked up. Standing right across from her leaning casually against a tree stood Haldir. She could tell by the expression on his face that he was angry. She glared back at him, not the wisest of choices, but she was not feeling very wise at the moment.
"Just what did you think you were doing back there? I thought I taught you not to lose your temper in a fight. Maybe I should put you back in the novice class."
Her cheeks flushed red with shame and she tried to stammer out an explanation. His scrutiny made her feel like an elfling again.
"It is not my fault! Rúmil started it, if he had not taunted me I would not have lost my temper."
He raised one eyebrow at her answer, and continued to glare.
"So now we are reduced to making excuses? I thought better of you. A warrior who loses their temper in a fight is as good as dead. When anger takes over you cease to think and begin to make mistakes. I have seen many warriors fall who could not control their ire."
Elendara turned her back on him. She bowed her head; shoulders slumped in defeat. Her anger now completely gone was replaced by guilt.
"I honestly did not mean to explode like that. It's just that I feel so clumsy around the three of you. It seems I will never be good enough. Maybe I should go back to the healers hall."
Haldir, sighing in exasperation stepped in front of Elendara. He placed a finger under her chin and raised her head to look her in the eyes.
"Do you think I have been easy on you? That I have given you an unfair advantage over the candidates that have left? Do you think that I have been lax in your training? That I would even consider advance training If I did not judge you to be ready to handle it?"
"No, no, I do not think you have been easy on me." She stammered. "You seem to be harder on me than on the others. You constantly push me, as do Orophin and Rúmil."
"If it seems we have been harder on you, it is because it is the truth. There are those who would expect you to fail. As your sponsor I have to make sure you are more than ready to face the life you have chosen. Your conduct reflects on us all. Rúmil and Orophan exceed your skill because they have been training much longer than you. You cannot compare your skill to theirs, at least not yet. You do, however, exceed the skill of the other candidates. I pair you with my brothers because the rest of the trainees are not a challenge to you anymore. If you fail to see that then you are blind."
"I feel so foolish, how can you bear to put up with me?" He placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a playful shake.
"I have known you since you were a child, you have been a good friend to Rúmil and Orophin. Though it is a wonder I survived the mischief of that friendship. As to your abilities, I can tell you that you are skilled but until you actually believe it is true your self-doubt will continue to hold you back. Now shall we rejoin the others? You left Rúmil a bit confused and with an aching jaw, an apology might be in order. Although, from the ease in which you knocked Rúmil off his feet, I would say that your hand-to-hand fighting skills are quite good and my brother's quite rusty."
As they walked back to the training grounds Haldir spoke again. "Oh yes, I almost forgot. For losing your temper and forgetting your training I will require you to spend tomorrow's rest day fletching arrows in the armory. You can use the time to think about what I have said."
Elendara slowed her steps as they approached the practice grounds. She would have stopped completely if Haldir had not given her a light shove that propelled her into the clearing. The day was growing late and the other trainees had left. Only Rúmil and Orophin remained behind. She approached the brothers and was momentarily at a loss for words. They had all gotten hurt much worse than a sore jaw during weapons training but she had never attacked in anger.
"I am so sorry I lost my temper. I took my anger and frustration out on you and you did not deserve such treatment. I...I was jealous that your skills surpassed mine. I feared I was not good enough."
Rúmil looked at her in surprise. "Jealous? Why would you be jealous? You are better than the rest of the candidates. You are always practicing, in fact we have to drag you away from here most evenings."
She looked at the darkening bruise on his face caused by her fist.
"Does it hurt much?" She asked lightly touching his face.
Orophin looked at his brother and remarked.
"Oh yes it was quite a blow, he whined and complained about the pain the whole time you were gone."
Rúmil narrowed his eyes and glared at his brother.
"Very funny Phin, any more observations you'd like to make? As for getting punched, it was not so bad. I'd rather get hit by you than by trainee Deleon. His fists are like stone blocks. He was a blacksmith's apprentice before he entered training to be a warden."
Orophin and Rúmil both slung an arm over her shoulders in a comforting gesture since she looked so miserable.
"So did big Brother give you a lecture? Did it help?" Elendara nodded at Rúmil's question
Orophin added "If I know my brother he doled out some kind of vile despicable punishment for losing your temper today. What was it?"
"I have fletching duty tomorrow at the armory."
Rúmil laughed.
"Is that all? Haldir must be going soft. Our punishments were always infinitely worse and usually very unpleasant. Come lets go back, I swiped..um I mean appropriated a rather nice bottle of wine from the kitchens. You can have a glass or two with us and tell us all your problems."
They left the clearing arm in arm. Later as they sat around drinking the wine she unburdened herself of all of her worries and fears. They listened and they teased and they comforted her, so by the time she left for her Talan it was with a much lighter heart.
The pain of her current circumstances pulled her out of this pleasant memory and thrust her back into the present. She awoke feeling very weak and sick. It was light outside again and she had no way of knowing how much time had passed. The amount of pain radiating from the injury told her something was very wrong. She threw off the blankets and barely managed to sit up. Her leg was totally useless now; it was simply too sore to move. Taking a deep breath she unwrapped the bandage. The blood crusted dressing came away in one piece, and what it revealed made her sick with dread. The wound was an angry red color and swollen. Her whole upper leg felt like it was on fire. Infection had set in despite all of her precautions. She vehemently cursed the orc that had stabbed her and its filthy habits. Orcs liked to cause as much pain and suffering as they could. So it was not an uncommon practice for them to, in addition to the poison, further taint their blades, making the recipient of a wound from their hands very ill or dead within days if no medical help was sought. With the supplies she had gathered earlier she made another poultice and wrapped her leg in clean bandages. Even this little effort left her trembling and weak. She hoped that the warden who was to replace her would arrive soon, as her supplies were running low. Elendara grabbed the waterskin and greedily drank what was left, then tossed it aside. She collapsed back onto her pallet as another round of tremors shook her body. The antidote for the orcish poison had done its job; it had kept the toxin from killing her. It did not however, erase the symptoms from the poison or kill the infection in the wound. The herbs she had used had helped as much as they were able, but the gods only knew what had been smeared on that blade in the orc's hand. The last thing she was able to do was to pull the blankets up around her ears as she passed out again. As the day passed into night she was so lost in delirium that only shadows and incomprehensible images flitted through her fevered mind.
Determined not to fail she was diligent in her chosen vocation. She was always the first one on the practice grounds and the last one to leave. She pestered Orophin and Rúmil ceaselessly to provide her with extra instruction. During that first year she was the butt of many jokes, was sneered at, or openly ignored by her peers. Haldir's calm and patient teaching coupled with Rúmil and Orophan's stalwart support gave her the strength she needed to continue. Orophan became her confidant; to him she confessed all her fears. It was his shoulder she cried upon when self doubt and recriminations became overwhelming. His calm acceptance of her tantrums and her moods taught her self control.
Rúmil though, was the one she could always count on to make her laugh and the one who challenged her most. He delighted in pushing her to the edge of her abilities and beyond. He was also her fiercest defender when some of the other warden candidates grew resentful of her presence. Gradually she was accepted into their ranks as her skills improved. At the end of the first year she was tested by Haldir and some of his best wardens to determine the level of her skill. After rigorous trials of her sword work, bow skill and hand-to-hand fighting she was considered to be of equal competence to most of the other candidates. The fact that she had accomplished this in a year left no doubts as to her potential. It was decided that she could continue her training.
In the years that followed, in addition to the fighting skills she was also taught how to track and to move through the forest silently and without leaving a trace. Some of the candidates were not able to complete the training and withdrew to pursue other life paths. Seeing others fail just made her more determined. It was all Rúmil could do to drag her away from the practice fields, gone it seemed, was his carefree childhood companion. She had been replaced by a virtual stranger who was obsessed with becoming warden. Elendara realized that her dedication to her training left little time for her to spend with her two closest friends Orophan and Rúmil. She felt guilty for being envious of their skill. All of the things the trainees had to learn seemed to come so effortlessly to the brothers, to the extent that she felt slow and clumsy in their presence. It all came to a head during a sparring match. She was to test her sword ability against Rúmil. During the match he taunted her as usual and had just dumped her to the ground for the third time when her temper snapped. As she was lying in the dirt he could not resist more teasing comments.
"Do you intend to lie there all day Dara? You dreadfully need the practice. I mean you are hardly a challenge as it is, I promise I will take it easy on you." He said with a smile.
His mock insults were just a part of their sparring match. He would insult her then she would insult him, and it would continue till the match was over. So Rúmil was utterly surprised when she grabbed his ankle and pulled him off of his feet. He landed hard on his back, sword flying out of his hand and a stunned look on his face.
She flung herself at him and pinned him to the ground.
"You take that back! I am sick and tired of your comments. I am just as good do you hear me!" She was yelling at this point with her hands knotted in his tunic.
Not being able to help himself one more comment slipped out of his mouth.
"Better than me? I do not think so. Are you going to cry now?"
She literally saw red and before she could stop it her fist shot out and caught him square on the jaw. Her fist was cocked to hit him again when a pair of hands seized her from behind and pulled her away from Rúmil. She struggled to get loose as she realized it was Orophin that had a hold of her. Rúmil sat up and rubbed his sore jaw.
"Smooth brother very smooth, I do not think I have seen her this mad in quite a long time, just what did you say to her?"
Rúmil sat looking a bit perplexed. "I have no idea, it was just our usual sparring banter. I am sorry if I upset you Dara."
An apology was the last thing she wanted. She stopped struggling and Orophan released her arms. Still very angry she fled into the woods. She stopped near a small stream and tried to regain her temper. She closed her eyes and concentrated in calming herself. After a few moments she got the feeling she was being watched. Elendara opened her eyes and looked up. Standing right across from her leaning casually against a tree stood Haldir. She could tell by the expression on his face that he was angry. She glared back at him, not the wisest of choices, but she was not feeling very wise at the moment.
"Just what did you think you were doing back there? I thought I taught you not to lose your temper in a fight. Maybe I should put you back in the novice class."
Her cheeks flushed red with shame and she tried to stammer out an explanation. His scrutiny made her feel like an elfling again.
"It is not my fault! Rúmil started it, if he had not taunted me I would not have lost my temper."
He raised one eyebrow at her answer, and continued to glare.
"So now we are reduced to making excuses? I thought better of you. A warrior who loses their temper in a fight is as good as dead. When anger takes over you cease to think and begin to make mistakes. I have seen many warriors fall who could not control their ire."
Elendara turned her back on him. She bowed her head; shoulders slumped in defeat. Her anger now completely gone was replaced by guilt.
"I honestly did not mean to explode like that. It's just that I feel so clumsy around the three of you. It seems I will never be good enough. Maybe I should go back to the healers hall."
Haldir, sighing in exasperation stepped in front of Elendara. He placed a finger under her chin and raised her head to look her in the eyes.
"Do you think I have been easy on you? That I have given you an unfair advantage over the candidates that have left? Do you think that I have been lax in your training? That I would even consider advance training If I did not judge you to be ready to handle it?"
"No, no, I do not think you have been easy on me." She stammered. "You seem to be harder on me than on the others. You constantly push me, as do Orophin and Rúmil."
"If it seems we have been harder on you, it is because it is the truth. There are those who would expect you to fail. As your sponsor I have to make sure you are more than ready to face the life you have chosen. Your conduct reflects on us all. Rúmil and Orophan exceed your skill because they have been training much longer than you. You cannot compare your skill to theirs, at least not yet. You do, however, exceed the skill of the other candidates. I pair you with my brothers because the rest of the trainees are not a challenge to you anymore. If you fail to see that then you are blind."
"I feel so foolish, how can you bear to put up with me?" He placed his hands on her shoulders and gave her a playful shake.
"I have known you since you were a child, you have been a good friend to Rúmil and Orophin. Though it is a wonder I survived the mischief of that friendship. As to your abilities, I can tell you that you are skilled but until you actually believe it is true your self-doubt will continue to hold you back. Now shall we rejoin the others? You left Rúmil a bit confused and with an aching jaw, an apology might be in order. Although, from the ease in which you knocked Rúmil off his feet, I would say that your hand-to-hand fighting skills are quite good and my brother's quite rusty."
As they walked back to the training grounds Haldir spoke again. "Oh yes, I almost forgot. For losing your temper and forgetting your training I will require you to spend tomorrow's rest day fletching arrows in the armory. You can use the time to think about what I have said."
Elendara slowed her steps as they approached the practice grounds. She would have stopped completely if Haldir had not given her a light shove that propelled her into the clearing. The day was growing late and the other trainees had left. Only Rúmil and Orophin remained behind. She approached the brothers and was momentarily at a loss for words. They had all gotten hurt much worse than a sore jaw during weapons training but she had never attacked in anger.
"I am so sorry I lost my temper. I took my anger and frustration out on you and you did not deserve such treatment. I...I was jealous that your skills surpassed mine. I feared I was not good enough."
Rúmil looked at her in surprise. "Jealous? Why would you be jealous? You are better than the rest of the candidates. You are always practicing, in fact we have to drag you away from here most evenings."
She looked at the darkening bruise on his face caused by her fist.
"Does it hurt much?" She asked lightly touching his face.
Orophin looked at his brother and remarked.
"Oh yes it was quite a blow, he whined and complained about the pain the whole time you were gone."
Rúmil narrowed his eyes and glared at his brother.
"Very funny Phin, any more observations you'd like to make? As for getting punched, it was not so bad. I'd rather get hit by you than by trainee Deleon. His fists are like stone blocks. He was a blacksmith's apprentice before he entered training to be a warden."
Orophin and Rúmil both slung an arm over her shoulders in a comforting gesture since she looked so miserable.
"So did big Brother give you a lecture? Did it help?" Elendara nodded at Rúmil's question
Orophin added "If I know my brother he doled out some kind of vile despicable punishment for losing your temper today. What was it?"
"I have fletching duty tomorrow at the armory."
Rúmil laughed.
"Is that all? Haldir must be going soft. Our punishments were always infinitely worse and usually very unpleasant. Come lets go back, I swiped..um I mean appropriated a rather nice bottle of wine from the kitchens. You can have a glass or two with us and tell us all your problems."
They left the clearing arm in arm. Later as they sat around drinking the wine she unburdened herself of all of her worries and fears. They listened and they teased and they comforted her, so by the time she left for her Talan it was with a much lighter heart.
The pain of her current circumstances pulled her out of this pleasant memory and thrust her back into the present. She awoke feeling very weak and sick. It was light outside again and she had no way of knowing how much time had passed. The amount of pain radiating from the injury told her something was very wrong. She threw off the blankets and barely managed to sit up. Her leg was totally useless now; it was simply too sore to move. Taking a deep breath she unwrapped the bandage. The blood crusted dressing came away in one piece, and what it revealed made her sick with dread. The wound was an angry red color and swollen. Her whole upper leg felt like it was on fire. Infection had set in despite all of her precautions. She vehemently cursed the orc that had stabbed her and its filthy habits. Orcs liked to cause as much pain and suffering as they could. So it was not an uncommon practice for them to, in addition to the poison, further taint their blades, making the recipient of a wound from their hands very ill or dead within days if no medical help was sought. With the supplies she had gathered earlier she made another poultice and wrapped her leg in clean bandages. Even this little effort left her trembling and weak. She hoped that the warden who was to replace her would arrive soon, as her supplies were running low. Elendara grabbed the waterskin and greedily drank what was left, then tossed it aside. She collapsed back onto her pallet as another round of tremors shook her body. The antidote for the orcish poison had done its job; it had kept the toxin from killing her. It did not however, erase the symptoms from the poison or kill the infection in the wound. The herbs she had used had helped as much as they were able, but the gods only knew what had been smeared on that blade in the orc's hand. The last thing she was able to do was to pull the blankets up around her ears as she passed out again. As the day passed into night she was so lost in delirium that only shadows and incomprehensible images flitted through her fevered mind.