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Chapter 25
Training was brutal.
Or at least, Dwalin was brutal.
Each swing or thrust of his two axes nearly made Kyle's soul jump out of his skin. There were times when he practically felt the swooping blade pass a hair's breadth from his gut as he sucked it in and slid backward on his feet. Sometimes Kyle thought the big dwarf was trying to kill him!
It's been hours of parrying blades. His body was now trembling and sweating with exhaustion. He wished he wore his T-shirt instead of a long-sleeved Elvish shirt on a hot summer afternoon, because he was tempted to take it off.
He could hear Maia breathing heavily nearby as she faced off Thorin, all while taking in continuous hollering that sounded more like insults than actual instructions. It was hard to tell which one would be worse to handle: Dwalin's ruthlessness or Thorin's dissing.
"Whoa!" Kyle barely missed another swing just a centimeter from his neck, feeling the sharpness of its empty air sweep. "Dude!"
"At least yer feet are quick, but yer focus isn't!"
"C'mon, give me a break! There has to be a rule about one sword against two axes!" Kyle gripped the hilt of his borrowed sword-Thorin's sword, Deathless-more tightly. The blade was large and ridiculously heavy, but it didn't stop Kyle. Far from it, though it did slow the boy down. It was still a cool sword and Kyle refused to choose another, even a lighter size.
Dwalin narrowed his eyes. "The rules don't apply with what weapon ye use in battle, but how ye use it. There's only two rules in this type of training: no dismembering and no fatal injuries. It is training, after all. Now..." He readied one axe above the shoulder and one on to the side in a stance. "Again!"
Kyle raised an eyebrow as he readied his sword. "That it?" he said.
When Dwalin lunged, Kyle raised his sword to block; then twisted his blade downward to clash with the other axe, pinning him in the spot with barely any opening. Keeping his feet firmly planted, Kyle knew he had only seconds before Dwalin's strength pushed him yet again for the tenth time.
But not this time. Kyle's foot shot out and kicked the dwarf in the stomach just above the crotch. Eyes popping, Dwalin keeled and cursed.
Ha! Got him!
While Dwalin grunted and stumbled, Kyle swung his sword...but Dwalin quickly recovered when easily parrying the blade, using the hooked ends of his axes to misdirect the lunges.
"Why don't ye just lie down and yield, little boy!" said Dwalin, grinning as they clashed weapons. "Teach ye to start respecting yer elders!"
"Ha ha, screw you, too!" Kyle shot back, as he stepped back while dodging one of the axes.
"Watch out, Ky," called Kili from the background, as he was sparring with Fili. "Mister Dwalin might just make a fool out of you!"
"Thanks, Kee!" Dry sarcasm. One way or another, Kyle was going to dance his way around Dwalin's two axes. Even if it was only the first day of training with real weapons, he didn't expect to get through right away, but his goal was to adjust and learn quickly as possible. Just like doing archery with Kili, which he planned to practice more on after this.
When Dwalin's axe suddenly swooped to a wide undercut, the base of the axe hooked around Kyle's ankle and yanked. Cursing, he felt the weapon pull back swiftly, taking his balance and both his feet with it, before finding himself crashing flat on his back, the landing knocking the air out of him. The grasp on his sword loosened. Coughing with a red face, he hurried to get up and get his sword ready...but froze when the other axe pointed toward his throat.
Dwalin stood above him, seeming like a giant from below the beard. "Any last words before ye lose to me again, boy?" taunted Dwalin with a gleam in his eye.
Feeling trapped, his sword too heavy in his tired hand, Kyle groaned heavily as his head fell back, but glared up at the dwarf. "You're despicable," he accused sullenly.
Dwalin boomed out a laugh and replaced his axe with an extended hand, which Kyle took and stood up. His fingers felt cramp and sweaty from gripping the sword tightly. He felt drenched. Dwalin thumped him on the back. "That will do for now, lad," he grunted, giving him a brief nod while sheathing his other axe. "We start again tomorrow, only this time I won't go easy on ye!"
"That was easy?" exclaimed Kyle, but Dwalin was already walking away, so he called after him, "Yeah, well...neither will I on you!"
Afterwards, he went over to sit at the far side next to a tree to watch Maia spar, keeping a ten foot distance from the swinging blades. Maia had her hair tied back into a ponytail, strands escaping around her face as she used her gold-silver long daggers to block Thorin's thrusts.
Two elvish daggers against one elvish sword. One plus one equals two, and Thorin's sword was already worth two daggers put in one. Kyle decided it was fair.
He looked across the field, past the dwarves sparring their weapons. The stone bench nearby the wall of the stairs was vacant.
"Guess Lori and Bilbo don't get ultimate sparring," muttered Kyle. He wondered where they were right now.
"Come on, Bilbo! You're being a slowpoke!" Lori scampered ahead across the stone bridge.
"Alright now, Lori, slow down." Bilbo laughed, as he was facing the skies to study the white clouds floating above. He loved hearing the ripples of the river below and smelling the honey-pine scent of the air around. It reminded him of the Shire.
Rivendell was a truly magnificent place. Bilbo was determined to explore every inch of its exquisite divinity. A famous place he had only read or heard tell of. A place where he had always wanted to see in his youth. He had never felt so relaxed in weeks. After only a half hour of sitting on the bench with Lori, who was kneeling in the grass at his feet blowing white dandelions and watching the bits of fluff fly into the bright sky, to watch Maia and Kyle train did Bilbo decide to take a stretch and explore the havens for the time being. The dwarves would not even notice him gone.
Lori had wanted to tag along since she had gotten bored with watching everyone whacking and swinging swords around. She had clearly been too young to hold a weapon, let alone start training with one. A little adventure around the Elven City will give her some fun.
Lori ran back to his side and took his hand as they walked across a courtyard. "Bilbo?" she asked.
"Hm?"
"Do ya think there's other kids I can play with?" It has been a long while since Lori had met or seen any children her age. Even longer that she hadn't seen any human children her age.
"Well..." Bilbo scratched his head. "I don't know. If we run into any, then I'm sure they would want to play with you, too."
"Elf children?" squeaked Lori excitedly.
"Of course. I would very much like to see some for myself."
"Me, too!"
After some time exploring the widespread legendary interiors and exteriors of Rivendell, the hobbit and child found themselves walking through the winding halls of the great house. It seemed like everything around them was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside, surrounded the architecture that paved many designs like vines and leaves on a tree. In many of the great halls, there were trees that grew from the marble floors. This hallway they walked trough, pillared with more white statues and lit with many candles even when it was in the middle of the day, seemed to bring them to a room of legend.
While Lori scampered up the steps ahead as Bilbo slowly trailed behind, the sunlight escaping through the domed ceiling above, a particular statue standing on top of an alter caught her attention. It seemed to be holding a stone tablet like a tray draped with pale blue linen. Lori bounced on her toes and tilted her head, but she couldn't see. Curious and frustrated to be too short to see what was on the tray, Lori approached the statue, trying to ignore its creepy blank gaze, and reached up to grab hold of the tray...
"Lori!" Bilbo grabbed her before her hand would take the cloth and pulled her back. "You mustn't touch something that might have great value here."
"But I just wanted to see what's up there! I can't see!" whined Lori, fidgeting to stomp her foot.
"I can barely see myself, but it looks like broken pieces of a fine-looking sword."
"But why's the sword broken?"
"It seems we'll have to ask one of the elves later."
Lori pouted, but nodded. Then her gaze was taken away beyond Bilbo toward a wide archway framing a wall painting. As if entranced, she slowly started walking toward it, both intrigued and shaken. There were many wall paintings in this hall like this one, most of them containing portraits of elves, trees, and starlight, but this one seemed like the darkest one. Shrouded by clouds of gray and black that heavily described the smoke of battle, the massive spirit of an armored, demonic figure loomed over a fallen man holding up a broken sword as his only self-defense. Though transparent in detail, Lori felt pulled into the painting, feeling ice in her veins when she looked upon the godlike armored figure in the clouds, holding up a massive sword over the vulnerable man like an executioner's blade.
Bilbo was as equally transfixed as he joined the little girl's side, putting a hand on her shoulder. He could almost imagine the cries of the men and beasts who fought in the great wars of the Ages, wondering if such visual horrors like this painting resembled the one Balin described weeks ago. The one Thorin and the others have fought many years ago...He wondered who the man and the monstrous armored man was.
But what really caught his eye was the golden spark glowing from the armored man's finger. The ring seemed to have the most light and the most color of the whole painting. It stood out the most, which confused him.
A ring. Bilbo frowned. Why a ring? Odd.
Lori tugging on Bilbo's sleeve jerked him back to reality. "Can we go outside again?"
Exhaling, Bilbo nodded. "Mm. I agree."
While exploring the place further, finding the outside out back filled with courtyards and gardens tended by many elven gardeners, including a few sitting on benches, the fresh grass, or the branches of trees either reading or weaving flowers, Lori smiled as she watched a white butterfly flutter by her nose. In one of the hall arches that surrounded the garden, leaning against a pillar with one foot propped casually, there was a male elf playing a flute in a symphony that floated as sweetly as the summer petals that wilted from the white flowers. His eyes were closed and head leaned back as he played.
When Lori went to the elf and plopped down in front of him in the grass and a bed of dandelions, siding next to a rose bush, she listened to his music while she started picking a rose, careful not to prink her finger on a thorn. She wished she brought Maia with her, but she left her sister back on the training field with their brother and the dwarves. She also wished she had Teddy again to play with.
"Excuse me, mister elf?" she asked the elf playing the flute. "Can I ask you something?"
The elf stopped playing, the music pausing with ease. He opened his eyes slowly. "Ask me something, henig?"
He means 'child,' she thought inwardly, remembering her daddy calling her that by nickname sometimes in code language, though now it was obviously elvish. Speaking of 'child'…..
"Is there any elf kids around here I can play with?" she asked. "I looked everywhere, but I can't find any."
The elf smirked, before finally looking down at her. He had a mane of long golden hair that seemed to glow in the daylight, sharp but perfect features and gray blue eyes. His hair was braided at the sides and pulled back like a crown around his head to frame his large pointed ears beautifully, reminding Lori of Fili, but without beard and mustache. He wore green clothing, his silken cloak swept over his lap, and his boots were chestnut brown, each containing hidden knives that were so thin it could barely be seen. A silver designed circlet crowned his forehead, but with as much design as Elrond.
"Having trouble finding playmates?" His voice was clear and powerful, but contained warmth and compassion. When Lori nodded, he chuckled. "Well, since you are one of our new arrivals, I can understand your confusion…..and your longing. Youth is a very precious thing to be surrounded with. So precious that it is a rarity among our kind to have the privilege in cherishing. I am afraid that I will have to disappoint you, Lady Lori. We have not had a child here since our young Estel, who has grown to explore the world on his own."
"Oh." Lori sagged, but then perked back up in surprise. "Wait! How'd you know my name?" she squeaked, blushing when the handsome elf called her 'Lady,' like what the dwarves called Maia.
The golden-haired elf smiled, tilted his head at her. "Lord Elrond and I have been expecting your arrival, but it was Mithrandir who told me of your names." He placed a hand over his chest and bowed his head to her. "Mae g`ovannen, Lady Lori! El sila erin lu e-govaned vin.* I am Glorfindel."
Lori was totally confused, not understanding the first part, but she smiled at his friendly greeting and held out a rose she picked from the bush. "Nice to meet you, Glorfindel," she responded, blushing when the handsome elf accepted her offering.
Feeling that Lori will be okay talking with the golden-haired elf, Bilbo had wandered over to a nearby balcony that overlooked the view of Rivendell from the house. He was so pulled into his own thoughts that he did not at first sense someone approach him from behind.
"Not with your companions?"
Bilbo turned his head and was surprised to be looking up at the master of the house himself, Lord Elrond. Bilbo shifted awkwardly. "Uh...no, I shan't be missed," he said.
When Elrond looked down at him for further, he said quietly, "The truth is that most of them don't think I should be on this journey. The dwarves, anyway."
"Indeed." Elrond looked down from the balcony toward the courtyards below. "I've heard that hobbits are very resilient."
Bilbo chuckled, thinking it funny. When Elrond didn't laugh, the hobbit blinked in surprise. "Really?"
"Mm." Elrond nodded, his eyes wandering over the view of his home in deep thought, until he finally added, "I've also heard they're fond of the comforts of home."
Bilbo nodded to himself, not willing to argue with that. Then, looking around him and rocking on his heels, he whispered, "I've heard that it's unwise to seek the council of Elves. They will answer with yes and no."
Elrond stared down, his expression unreadable. Bilbo frowned and opened his mouth, fearing he just insulted his host. But then the Elf Lord smiled, seeing the humor at Bilbo's shocked expression. The hobbit laughed both with relief and awkwardness.
"You are very welcome to stay," Elrond put a hand on his shoulder, as he started to leave, "if that is your wish."
When Lord Elrond left, Bilbo was left thinking that might not be such a bad idea.
Besides the training, Rivendell have been a quiet paradise of music and waterfalls. Meanwhile, as much as she bathed in its beauty and magic, Maia did not feel completely content. For one, the training with the dwarves have left her muscles feeling sore, and the other was her thoughts overfilling with Fili and how he came to her defense a couple hours ago. She felt slightly guilty for running off like that. Another thing to explain to Fili and apologize for when she got the chance.
When training with her twin knives on the same field, the usual excitement she felt when training by Fili's side had become discomfort.
She tried hard to not look at him, especially when having to remain focused on Thorin during sparring, but whenever she did at the corner of her eye...she noticed him glancing back. He had a small smile on his face, but his eyes were sad. That alone caused the ache in her heart to swell. So painfully that it was hard to breathe.
The sparring with Thorin and his frequent jabs of criticism surprisingly helped distract her from it, but it far from helped her mood. She couldn't stab him even if she wanted to.
Two golden-silver blades clashed with the curved blade of Orcrist with a loud, tuneful ring. The sound vibrated across her arms and sped down her spine.
"Not hard enough!" said Thorin loudly, when he blocked Maia's blows. "Your footing is pathetic! Again!"
Maia could feel her arms trembling with exhaustion, her light daggers growing heavy in hand. Besides the fact that her knife throwing with Fili helped tighten her muscles over time, struggling to keep pace in sparring with a highly experienced fighter was a whole other matter. Glancing over at Kyle, who was leaning cross-legged against a tree to watch, he looked just as wiped as she felt. They had been at this for almost three hours, but it felt much longer than that.
Thorin's sword swung, and Maia crossed her blades in front of her to block. The impact made her stumble back. For a moment, she was afraid his blade will cut her fingers if he came down harder.
"Must I repeat my words: keep your stance," growled Thorin, shoving her back before backing away, "or your death is well-assured! If a foolish girl such as yourself so distracted that you'd carelessly throw yourself to the orcs?"
She gritted her teeth in frustration. Normally she was good with balance, being a ten-year dancer, but there was no way it could hold against this dwarf overused impact. He hit her so hard that the first few times he had knocked both daggers out her hands, but now that she had a firmer grip on them, her sore wrists were just loosening each time the sword came again. Three or four times, the flat side of Orcrist had even whacked her arms and knuckles, causing them to sting. Was Thorin truly so blind to his own strength compared to hers? "No, I'm just tired!" she snapped, trying to catch her breath. "We've been doing this nonstop for hours! If I could just have a break..."
"There will be no time for breaks when you are surrounded by your enemies!" said Thorin. "We dwarves exercise the strength of endurance to enable our survival. Our victory! Giving up makes you unworthy!"
"I'm not giving up!" shouting Maia, her voice trembling. Her world started to swim.
"Then attack me, or your words prove childish!"
"Childish?" Now Maia really felt like stabbing him.
"Will you give her a break already?" Kyle snapped, standing up. "Look at her, she's about to collapse! We couldn't even stop for a water break and its freaking hot out..."
Thorin glared at him. "The only way a lesson ends is when you have outsmarted your opponent. Let that be a lesson for you as well, Master Dainson." He turned back to Maia. "As far as I am concerned, your tactics in the wild the past few weeks have risked my Company's lives! If you could not protect yourselves, then you are of no use to any of us. Now attack!"
"UNCLE!" Fili had suddenly stepped in between them. He looked furious. "That's enough! You are pushing her too much! She is not a dwarf and doesn't follow our customs."
Jaw clenched, Thorin sheathed his sword. He narrowed his eyes at Fili. "No," he said, "she is not."
That was all he said before he walked away without a glance back.
Kyle was still with rage, staring after Thorin with his fists clenched. "What. The. Hell. Was. That?!" he said slowly. Maia was trembling with similar shock and rage.
Fili exhaled harshly and then turned to Maia, his rage replaced with concern. "Maia, I'm so sorry," he said, his tone pleading with her. "Thorin was...he was out of line! Are you alright?"
Still speechless, Maia nodded numbly. 'Out of line' was a nice way of saying, 'first-class jerk.' Thorin's words really punched in the gut. What did he mean by her not being a dwarf? For some reason, even though it was completely true, the way he said it sounded like an insult.
"Well, I'm not!" said Kyle loudly, stepping in angrily. "Not when he can just bully you like that, Maia! And what was all that crap about being useless and a risk to the Company? Oh, yeah, and the part about not being a dwarf and following customs? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Fili looked uncomfortable. "I did not mean it like that," he said. After exchanging a glance with Kili, who joined them, he continued,"It's just that...our people are a proud and hardened race who are raised to be warriors at heart. Not all are bred to be, but every dwarf should have some fight in them nearly as much as every one should pride in growing a beard. Our will and strength are meant to be fierce and unmoving as the stone from the earth. Stubborn as a mountain, the other races call us. The sons of Durin are supposed to represent that strength. We strive to improve our skills because it is in our blood to never back down until victory is achieved."
"But we've been working our butts off trying to improve!" complained Kyle. "We could barely get a scratch on them! Man, you guys are like Spartans or something!"
"Spartans?" asked Kili.
"Yeah. Bas-ass warriors from thousands of years ago in our world. If there's anything they worship, it's strength." Kyle was referring to the movie 300. "Anyway, Thorin can't expect us to automatically become experts in one day! As much as I hate to admit it, you guys are physically stronger than us. Doesn't that give us some free boundaries?"
"Our uncle is aware of that," said Fili gravely.
"He just gets like this when he's in one of his moods," said Kili. "Don't take his words to heart."
"Oh, yeah, like back on the cliff about the orc joke?" said Kyle.
Kili frowned. "That is different. Thorin had his reasons for being like that."
"Okay, yeah, but still..."
"Look, everyone, it's fine," Maia finally spoke, sheathing her daggers. She looked at Fili.
The whole company will train you, even Thorin. We have faith in you.
I think I love you, too.
"Thanks for stepping in." She then started walking away quickly. She didn't feel like talking to him.
Kyle and Kili called after her, Fili staring after her in solemn silence but she ignored them and started jogging up the stairs into the elf buildings. She just needed to be alone.
She was walking alone across a bridge that viewed over the cliff of Imlardris and stopped to lean against the railing to observe the view. The valley seemed so big and limitless that it was hard to believe such strong protection magic could spread so far and wide. It wouldn't be long before the sun began to set.
Maia took out her daggers and looked at them. Her eyes reflected from the silver-gold steel as she unsheathed and twirled them in her hands. She waved them around, sweeping and stabbing the air with forceful grace on the bridge. When not fighting Thorin, the daggers seemed to fit well into her hand like two extra arms. Maybe she knew how to use them, but it was her opponents that caught her off guard.
Which begged the question...why Thorin, who obviously disliked her for reasons she didn't understand? Why couldn't she have sparred with Fili like he said he would? Or Kili? Or even Ori, if he used a sword at all? Maybe Bilbo, since he too was unfamiliar with real weapons.
No, she wanted to spar with Fili, but ever since last night, they had both been keeping their distance from each other. Not because they argued or had a fallout...the situation was the exact opposite, even when it was complicated.
Maia scoffed and sheathed her daggers with more force than necessary. "Screw this," she muttered, and started stomping across the grounds to go find the dwarves. Kyle would most likely be with them.
Screw thinking. Screw complications. And screw Thorin, too! She needed to pull herself together and learn how to fight.
If there was a possibility that Lord Elrond couldn't figure out a way for she and her siblings to go home, she had to be prepared. She made a promise to herself a long time ago, something fueled by her dad's final wishes to her before his disappearance.
Maia, listen to me! No matter what happens, you have to look after your brother and sister. You are responsible for them.
Damn right I am. Kyle was not going to be the only one who will handle a fight. Killing that warg above had only been sheer luck and a helping hand from Thorin, Fili, and Kili. That, and his fighting techniques with Dad from the past. She had them, too, but it was so long ago that she now wished she had taken those seemingly meaningless lessons more seriously.
No more running. No more backing down. Even if Thorin was going to be her teacher again, even he was going to keep calling her pathetic and weak while Fili calls her strong and determined, she was going to prove herself and get well-deserved respect.
At least she and Bilbo share that common goal.
To Be Continued
Sindarin Translation:
* Well met, Lady Lori! A star shines on the hour of our meeting.
Ugh, you may not believe me, but this had to be the hardest chapter ever because, honestly, it was boring to me. Slow chapters means slow writing. As much as I love Rivendell and the elves, I have been dreading writing this because I had to study some of the architecture and the time spent at this place. I'm just impatient for some action adventure, aren't you?
Maia and Kyle both get the strictest weapon teachers: Thorin and Dwalin. Kyle is getting psyched about training, having no problem trying to nick Dwalin even when he has some ways to go, but Maia (I'm sad to say) still has to get in fighting mode, especially with Thorin putting her to the ground so harshly with insults and disrespect. Maybe he has his reasons, but still no excuse! Maia may be patient now, but even with Thorin, she's going to eventually snap. The chapter basically ends with her resolve to persevere, despite how she feels. She was the type of girl who would hesitate, be cautious, and back down when things got too rough, being shy and awkward in the beginning, but I hope the end of the chapter showed a hint of her growth as a character. Time to take control!
Still, I feel for Fili and Maia. Don't lose hope now:)
Also, what do you think of Lori becoming friends with Glorfindel? I think the little girl has developed a crush;) Just an innocent one, the old 'little girl looks up to hero' crush. Nothing too romantic. There will be more of them soon.
Personally, I'm not entirely satisfied, but there will be better chapters. This was just a footstool for the future. I hope you liked it anyway. Thanks for being patient with me and thank you for continuing to following/favoriting!