Trapped

Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Never Ending Story, and I'm not making any money from this fic

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You are not going to be able to teach me to defend myself in a couple of weeks!" Rhiannon said sharply, her arms crossed firmly over her chest.

"You don't know that for sure," Atreyu replied. "All I need to do is teach you the basics of knife fighting. And you'll still be training while we're travelling."

"Humph," Rhiannon said.

"Hey, I don't like it either!" Atreyu snapped. "I thought that I was going to be rid of you when we got here! I didn't want or need this!"

"Well, I wasn't the one who wanted to travel with you!" Rhiannon snarled.

"And if you hadn't, then it would have taken me ages to find you again!" Atreyu replied. "And we don't have ages!"

"I don't even know why I'm helping!" Rhiannon said. "This world isn't even real! It only exists in my imagination! For that matter, so do you, Atreyu."

"If that's the case, then why aren't I doing what you want me to?"

"But it's the only possible explanation!" Rhiannon protested.

"It's not the only possible explanation," Atreyu said.

"Well, I could be going mad, I suppose," Rhiannon said thoughtfully, a worried look on her face.

"I didn't mean that, either," Atreyu muttered.

"Well, it's certainly not real!" Rhiannon replied.

"Why don't you act as though you believe it is real?" Atreyu suggested. "That might help."

"Yeah, right," Rhiannon muttered. Then, she sighed. "Oh, ok. Why not?"

"Good." Atreyu took a small dagger out of his belt and held it out to Rhiannon. "Let's get started, then."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"My arms ache," Rhiannon complained a few days later.

"They're going to ache," Atreyu explained, trying to be patient. "You're learning to fight with a dagger. It's going to be uncomfortable, at least until you get used to using it. Strike again."

Rhiannon stared at the life-sized dummy she was using to practise on. Then, she she struck, angling the dagger upwards so that it would miss the ribs and hit the heart.

"No, you're moving too slow," Atreyu said with a sigh. "By that time, an opponent could have struck you down. Try attacking again."

Rhiannon rolled her eyes, but obeyed, moving quicker than before.

Atreyu opened his mouth, but was stopped from speaking by the arrival of the Empress' chief advisor.

Atreyu turned to bow to the man, and, after a moment's hesitation, Rhiannon did the same. "Sir," Atreyu said.

"It is the Empress' wish that you start on your quest now," the advisor told Atreyu.

Atreyu's eyes widened. "But we can't!" he protested. "Rhiannon is nowhere near ready to defend herself in a true fight!"

"Hey!" Rhiannon snapped.

"You must leave now!" the advisor insisted.

Atreyu hesitated, and then slowly nodded. "As the Empress commands, so will I obey," he replied.

"It is the Empress' wish also that you take this with you," the advisor said, holding out a pendant to Atreyu.

It was the Orin.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Read and review, please!