A Lesson in Combat
Elimay woke again from another nightmare and sat up, gasping for air. When she had recovered she sank back down pulling the blankets round her and snuggling into them. She quickly pushed the memories of the dream into her subconscious and tried to get back to sleep but couldn't. Gimli was still snoring and she felt restless so she stood up and stretched. The forest was glowing gold in the early morning sunlight but most of Calas Galadhon was still asleep. She looked about the flet and saw the dwarf curled up on his side covered in his blankets. The wool did nothing to muffle the sound of his snoring though. She looked over to the prince and wondered how on earth he managed to sleep with the noise. He was stretched out on his bed with his hands clasped on his chest. The sun lit up his blonde hair and pale skin making him look truly magically. She knelt down to him and looked over him for a moment, wondering at the flawlessness of his skin, the shape of his lips and the sharp line of his jaw. His ears were slightly more pointed than hers and she supposed it was a characteristic of wood elves. Then she reached out to shake him awake. Before her hand even touched him though, his eyes shot open and she gasped, but then managed to take a hold of herself. "Morning," she murmured. "I'm restless. You feel like training now?" "Sure," he said, getting to his feet in one fluid movement as she too stood up.
She followed him down to the forest floor where there was a large clearing and he turned to face her. His eyes sparkled with excitement and she couldn't help smiling slightly. She quickly scooped her hair up onto top of her head tying it with a band and put her hands out, ready to attack. He came towards her and she did a nifty flip over him, landing behind. He turned round with a surprised look on his face. "I thought you weren't good at hand to hand combat!" "I'm not. I'm only okay if I avoid any physical touch for I'm not as strong as you." "So if an orc comes at you you're just going to try and avoid it?" he asked, taking a step towards her again. "I guess." She dodged him once more by rolling and jumping to her feet again. He had an irked look on his face now. "But you can't avoid your opponent forever. There are ways to use their strength to your advantage." "How?" "Can I show you?" She stood up from her crouched position and nodded. Taking her arms he readied himself. "When I throw you over my shoulder, you hang on to me and it'll over balance me. But be sure to roll out of the way." She nodded and the first time she landed hard on her back, slightly shocked at the speed he had done it at. "Ow," she said. He laughed and helped her up. "Try again." He threw her over and this time she grabbed onto the back of his tunic, pulling him back and almost strangling him. She managed to partly move out of the way but he landed on her arm. "Okay, that was better," he croaked, putting a hand to his throat. "Sorry." He grinned at her and got to his feet. "I can endure more pain than that Eli." Elimay paused for a moment when he called her that. He had never called her that. That was her nickname that she had been given to her by her sister. The memories of home flooded back and she paled slightly. "Are you okay?" he asked. She quickly pushed the thoughts back and pulled over her impassive expression again. "Yes. Try again."
They continued practicing until there was the sound of Gimli grunting with annoyance from above, with no one to help him down from the flet. He hated trees. Elimay looked up at the prince from where he had thrown her to the ground yet again. "We should leave him up there." Legolas laughed and nodded. "Yeah. He'll survive for a few more minutes." "I have yet to defeat you." "That's not possible." Before he could move though, she had hooked her feet around his legs and pulled, making him crash to the floor with a surprised grunt. "I think you may have broken my back," he groaned, unable to move from where he had fallen. "Don't be such a baby," she said, getting to her knees and rolling him onto his front. She put the heels of her palms into the bottom of his back and pushed hard. There was a loud crack and a squeak of pain from the elf. "There you go," she said, getting to her feet again. Legolas was surprised to find that he could move again and nimbly got to his feet, stretching his back. "Huh." She grinned at him. "You just dislocated your spine," she said, making it sound worse than it actually was. "Nice." There was another shout from the dwarf and Elimay rolled her eyes. "We should go and rescue him otherwise we'll get the whole of Lorien on our backs."
Elimay woke again from another nightmare and sat up, gasping for air. When she had recovered she sank back down pulling the blankets round her and snuggling into them. She quickly pushed the memories of the dream into her subconscious and tried to get back to sleep but couldn't. Gimli was still snoring and she felt restless so she stood up and stretched. The forest was glowing gold in the early morning sunlight but most of Calas Galadhon was still asleep. She looked about the flet and saw the dwarf curled up on his side covered in his blankets. The wool did nothing to muffle the sound of his snoring though. She looked over to the prince and wondered how on earth he managed to sleep with the noise. He was stretched out on his bed with his hands clasped on his chest. The sun lit up his blonde hair and pale skin making him look truly magically. She knelt down to him and looked over him for a moment, wondering at the flawlessness of his skin, the shape of his lips and the sharp line of his jaw. His ears were slightly more pointed than hers and she supposed it was a characteristic of wood elves. Then she reached out to shake him awake. Before her hand even touched him though, his eyes shot open and she gasped, but then managed to take a hold of herself. "Morning," she murmured. "I'm restless. You feel like training now?" "Sure," he said, getting to his feet in one fluid movement as she too stood up.
She followed him down to the forest floor where there was a large clearing and he turned to face her. His eyes sparkled with excitement and she couldn't help smiling slightly. She quickly scooped her hair up onto top of her head tying it with a band and put her hands out, ready to attack. He came towards her and she did a nifty flip over him, landing behind. He turned round with a surprised look on his face. "I thought you weren't good at hand to hand combat!" "I'm not. I'm only okay if I avoid any physical touch for I'm not as strong as you." "So if an orc comes at you you're just going to try and avoid it?" he asked, taking a step towards her again. "I guess." She dodged him once more by rolling and jumping to her feet again. He had an irked look on his face now. "But you can't avoid your opponent forever. There are ways to use their strength to your advantage." "How?" "Can I show you?" She stood up from her crouched position and nodded. Taking her arms he readied himself. "When I throw you over my shoulder, you hang on to me and it'll over balance me. But be sure to roll out of the way." She nodded and the first time she landed hard on her back, slightly shocked at the speed he had done it at. "Ow," she said. He laughed and helped her up. "Try again." He threw her over and this time she grabbed onto the back of his tunic, pulling him back and almost strangling him. She managed to partly move out of the way but he landed on her arm. "Okay, that was better," he croaked, putting a hand to his throat. "Sorry." He grinned at her and got to his feet. "I can endure more pain than that Eli." Elimay paused for a moment when he called her that. He had never called her that. That was her nickname that she had been given to her by her sister. The memories of home flooded back and she paled slightly. "Are you okay?" he asked. She quickly pushed the thoughts back and pulled over her impassive expression again. "Yes. Try again."
They continued practicing until there was the sound of Gimli grunting with annoyance from above, with no one to help him down from the flet. He hated trees. Elimay looked up at the prince from where he had thrown her to the ground yet again. "We should leave him up there." Legolas laughed and nodded. "Yeah. He'll survive for a few more minutes." "I have yet to defeat you." "That's not possible." Before he could move though, she had hooked her feet around his legs and pulled, making him crash to the floor with a surprised grunt. "I think you may have broken my back," he groaned, unable to move from where he had fallen. "Don't be such a baby," she said, getting to her knees and rolling him onto his front. She put the heels of her palms into the bottom of his back and pushed hard. There was a loud crack and a squeak of pain from the elf. "There you go," she said, getting to her feet again. Legolas was surprised to find that he could move again and nimbly got to his feet, stretching his back. "Huh." She grinned at him. "You just dislocated your spine," she said, making it sound worse than it actually was. "Nice." There was another shout from the dwarf and Elimay rolled her eyes. "We should go and rescue him otherwise we'll get the whole of Lorien on our backs."