A Note: I do not own anything to do with Lord of the Rings---they belong to those running the Tolkien estate, and anything to do with New Line Cinema and anyone else affiliated with the movie trilogy. Tari and Colin are my own creations, you want to use them, just let me know, I'm pretty flexible. I am not making any money from this (as is well shown by my bank account at the moment, unfortunately); I'm just an obsessed fan who decided to try my hand at it, after reading the works of many others. Hope you like it, and review it for me please! Also thought up some part of the plot for much later in the story that will include Eomer, but look for that later on. Enjoy!
Chapter 9
Tari stepped out of her room wearing her jeans and tank top that she had worn to Middle Earth. Taking her new boots from him, she slipped them on and placed each boot cut denim leg over them. Aragorn's eyebrow shot up as he noticed her choice of battle wear, and he coughed uncomfortably as he tried to avoid looking at the cleavage being shown to him as she bent at the waist to tie up her boots. She stood up, not noticing Aragorn's uneasiness. Tari tried to take the chainmail next, but Aragorn had not yet relinquished his grip on it. "Aragorn?" Tari said, "I need my chainmail." When he didn't respond, she waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello? Middle Earth to Aragorn, hello?" He shook his head, clearing it from the contemplative trance he had been in and asked, "Are you sure you'll be comfortable in that shirt?" Tari nodded confidently. "I'm sure." She replied. "there are no sleeves to worry about interfering with how this will fit." She slipped it over her head and allowed him to help her with the vest. Placing her bow and quiver over her shoulder, she said, "Ok, I'm ready. Lead the way, kind sir!" He nodded and took her arm, leading her out the door.
They arrived in an outdoor training area close to the armoury. Targets were set up for archery practice among the trees at the far end of the clearing, and a large open area, complete with a sandy duelling area, lay before them. "Alright," Aragorn began, "since you're new to sword play, I'll have you leave your bow and quiver here on the bench. However, as you progress, you'll have to spar with me while wearing your archery gear as well." Tri nodded in agreement. "Sounds fair." She replied with a shrug. "Where do I begin?" Aragorn grabbed her hand and led her to the centre of the sandy area. "Aright, now draw your sword. I want to see how you do it." He commanded. Tari drew her sword, slowly and unsurely. She held it in front of her, much like she'd seen him do it in the movies and on her desktop wallpaper of her computer. She felt absolutely ridiculous, but, since Aragorn hadn't burst out laughing, she thought she might have done it at least somewhat properly. "Not bad for a first-timer. However, I really don't believe you're ready to challenge me quite yet." He smirked. "Challenge?" she replied nervously, somewhat embarrassed. "Is that what I was doing when I held my sword in front of me like that?" she asked him, suppressing a groan. "Yes." He replied with a smile. "But I'll ignore it for now. Until you learn the correct method and improve." He continued.
He stood behind her now and moved her body, posing her in the correct stance. "This is how you should begin when sparring or duelling. This is used when you have time to consider your strategy upon an opponent. We will use this when practicing." She nodded and allowed him to show her the basic moves. They practiced for about half an hour before Tari began to tire. She didn't want to stop though, because she felt like she was getting the hang of it. Aragorn, however, noted her growing fatigue. "Alright, lets take a break." He suggested, knowing that she was reluctant to admit she was tired. Tari knew that he was doing it for her sake, and showed her appreciation. "Thanks, Aragorn, a break sounds great. Want a drink?" she asked him, handing him the waterskin he had remembered to bring with him. "That sounds good, but its not full. I meant to fill it in the river, but you were so prompt and eager, I didn't have the heart to make you wait." Aragorn replied with a sheepish grin. Tari laughed, and shot him a comeback. "Don't blame your forgetfulness on me, ranger! Or I'll have to show you my hand to hand combat skills. I could put you on the ground in seconds!" she threatened teasingly. Aragorn laughed heartily. "Allow me to take you to the river then, milady, and we shall rest under the largest maple on the riverbank." Tari nodded with a smile, jumping up from the bench. "Great! What are we waiting for? Lets go!" she cried enthusiastically. "I love water!"
Tari sat under the massive maple tree as Aragorn filled the water skin. He then joined her under the tree and sat down beside her. He handed Tari the waterskin and she took a large gulp from it. She handed it back to him and rested the back of her head against the tree. "So, how did I do?" she asked him casually. Aragorn looked at her briefly, knowing that she wanted to have done well, but for what reason he could not fathom. Tari wanted him to be proud of her, she knew deep down in her heart, but her mind denied it. "You did excellently, Tari." Aragorn replied softly, somewhat amazed. "I have never, in all my years of sword play, seen anyone so naturally gifted so quickly. At the rate you were going today, you shall soon surpass my own skill. Never have I seen a new swordsman last for half an hour on the field. I am mightily impressed, as I lasted only ten minutes on the field the first time I wielded a sword in my early years." Tari's smile widened steadily as Aragorn spoke with awe. "Thank you," she replied demurely, all of a sudden feeling somewhat shy as her cheeks pinkened slightly. Aragorn nodded, looking away suddenly. They sat in a somewhat uncomfortable silence for a few moments, both feeling some sort of unspoken tension. Tari, finally unable to take the silence, asked Aragorn, "Will I often have a chance to actually use that stance you taught me at first, or will it be more like charging in, sword swinging most of the time? Is there another stance to use for when the enemy is charging toward you and there's no time to figure out your strategy?" Tari felt a little nervous about that, since strategic games had never been one of her strong suits. "There is one other stance. Just bend low to the ground and hold your sword, tip out, away from you and toward the enemy." Aragorn jumped up and squat low to the ground, sword pointed toward her, but not near enough to hurt her. Tari nodded in comprehension, thinking about how those lunges she'd done religiously at the gym would come in handy. "I guess it'll be hard for the enemy to take a swing at me and hit me if I'm crouched to the ground like that, since I'm so small." Tari laughed, used to joking about how short she was. "I can sympathize with the hobbits and Gimli." Aragorn chuckled in amusement. "So, should Boromir continue worrying about how I'll fare on this quest?" Tari asked. "Well, from what I can tell so far, he has no cause to worry. But I'd still like to see what your hand-to-hand style is like. "Don't worry," she replied, "I won't practice on you. I'll just have Boromir help me with a demonstration for everyone. I'm sure he'll help me out if I ask him nice enough." Tari laughed, giving Aragorn a conspiratorial wink. They laughed and chatted for a few minutes more before Tari noticed Arwen standing on a bridge over the water some distance away. Tari was silent for a moment as Aragorn noticed he there and slipped away unnoticed, giving him time and space to be with her, since they would be leaving in a few days. She decided to save battle strategies for another time. Tari picked up her gear and headed back toward Imladris and her room to have a bath and get ready for dinner.
