Chapter 8

October 19, T.A 2940
Early Evening

Feren cleared his throat as he took a step back letting her hands fall from his own. Anariel swallowed roughly glancing around her surroundings, biting nervously upon her lower lip giving her heart a moment to settle its fluttering.

'Ready to move on?' Feren asked nervously himself, hoping that she wasn't mad at him for his bold actions.

Anariel nodded sending him a smile as she nudged him playfully in the arm, easing both of their minds as they made their way from the targets. Feren passed Anariel a wooden training sword before taking her bow and quiver placing them in a nearby stand for safe keeping.

'So,' Anariel breathed holding the wooden sword with an unsureness about the weapon in hand, whether it was a practice one or not. The bow had seemingly felt more natural in her hand, this long sword brought on an anxiousness with it.

'No need to look so nervous, you're doing wonderfully I am sure.' Feren offered kindly. 'First thing, to know is...'

'Stick them with the pointy end?' Anariel interrupted quirking an eyebrow at him, a smirk firm in place while she teased trying to quell the feelings in the pit of her stomach.

Feren paused looking to her stunned before he broke out into laughter, 'Well I suppose when you break it down, yes.'

Anariel nodded firmly and most seriously, 'Very well.'

Feren only shook his head lightly, enjoying the time they would have together. 'Alright, in all seriousness. Combat is brutal, the techniques used are efficient and ruthless. Plain and simple we want to get our opponent down as quickly as possible. With two equally skilled fighters one could be defeated in twenty to thirty seconds,' Feren explained watching Anariel carefully.

'Seriously!' She cried out disbelieving.

Feren nodded, 'Less if one isn't as trained as the other, say ten to five seconds.'

'That seems absurd.' Anariel breathed shaking her head.

'Want me to show you?' Feren retorted, raising his own eyebrows back

'Very well,' Anariel waved her sword jokingly around as if to prepare, Feren choked back another laugh.

Feren prepared himself in a serious matter arming his own wooden sword meant for training, he attacked careful not to truly harm her yet ensuring that he disarmed her. With a hooking maneuver, he sent her to the ground, but not before he crouched down guiding a hand under the nape of her neck the other wrapped around her lower back catching her gracefully. Feren sent her a playful smirk as he looked down at her cradled within his grip.

'Fucking hell,' her breath came out low in a whisper.

Feren sighed, unmoving.

'I know, language,' she breathed half-heartedly, as she reached up tucking a strand of hair behind his ear, 'Do all battles end like this then?'

'Hmm, sadly they do not,' Feren breathed pulling her body closer, Anariel's eyes fluttered closed lightly as she once again felt the warmth of his breath against her face.

'Feren, are you not suppose to be teaching our princess swordplay and not,' the newcomer paused waving a hand over the two, 'Well, whatever this is.'

Feren looked up quickly releasing his grip upon her in his sudden anxiousness causing Anariel to go crashing to the ground.

'Elros,' Feren greeted as he stood up straight.

Anariel sighed rubbing the back of her arm.

'I thought I would stop by and introduce myself to the princess,' Elros smirked bowing his head. 'Elros, keeper of keys, Captain of the guard and your instructor, Aranel nin (my princess).'

Anariel returned the smile, already in good spirits from her time with Feren though she easily noticed the slightly cocky tone to his voice. 'A pleasure, Elros.'

Feren cleared his throat, 'As I was saying... as fighters, Elros included,' he paused sending him a glare. 'We strive for mainly powerful attacks when using a sword, each and every strikes purpose is to cause damage.'

Anariel nodded rather meekly understanding the seriousness in his voice.

'The power of these attacks are needed for two reasons, first of all, and most obviously power puts one down fast more often than not, orcs. Second, whether we find its orcs or men of another race we are against they are going to be in armor. Whether that's leather, chain mail, or plate armor it takes a great deal of strength to cause harm to the man or creature inside.' Feren explained his voice hardened and cool.

Anariel sighed unsure if she really wanted to do this, but nodded to his words again.

'Have you found yourself in battle much?' Anariel wondered looking between the two ellyn, curiosity getting the best of her.

They both nodded.

'We have seen many battles, know Anariel we fight only for the protection of your realm. To keep the king, the Prince and now yourself safe, to keep all of your people safe,' Feren spoke, seeing the uncertainty in her eyes.

Again Anariel found herself merely nodding, remembering once more the words Feren spoke of her mother's death, the way they found her bloodied and massacred even with guards protecting her she was taken. 'Did...did you fight to save...' Anariel's words trailed off.

Feren sighed looking to her sadly, understanding where she was going with her words. 'We did everything in our power to try and save your mother, but still it wasn't enough and for that I am sorry. It is why we all train so hard, never do we want to see such horrid acts again. She was a beautiful, strong and an ever wise elleth, the sorrow of her death shook the entire kingdom. No one more than the king there was a brief time some of us wondered if he would leave these lands for the pain and grief was so strong for him, it was so clear to see especially to those who were with him that day. Before long, a far shorter time than any of us both believed to be possible and real, King Thranduil was seemingly up again and running the kingdom as smoothly as ever, caring for Legolas, strategically planning the search for you. It is easily why I look up to him as the Greatest Elven King. He never quit, never gave up, he showed a strength few have ever known or witnessed, through everything this kingdom has seen he was always this endlessly compassionate and trustworthy king, it gave people hope.' Feren sighed as he looked at the tears falling slowly down her pale cheeks, 'I do not wish to make you cry nor sadden your heart, but I believe you are deserving of an honest answer.'

'Hannon le,' Anariel spoke, 'Did she fight?'

Feren recoiled slightly surprised by the question, 'No. Your mother was a firm believer that taking a life directly interfered with the ability to preserve a life, in such, she chose not to learn the way of weapons. If you feel the same, the king would understand.'

Anariel shook her head, she had to admit she slowly began to understand why her father and Legolas wanted her to be able to defend herself, but the seriousness of it was becoming so vividly real was a bit of a shock.

'What is it that the king expects from me?' Anariel asked, while she came to understand, it also confused her more. She had lessons in anything and everything, she just needed some solid information.

Feren smiled, 'You ask a lot of questions.'

'A lot of questions that are irrelevant to the task at hand to...' Elros added, earning him a hard glare from both Feren and Anariel, who withheld the urge to tell him a few choice words.

'Neither, asking the questions, or timing is a problem.' Feren continued kindly, 'I cannot say for sure, though, I don't believe he holds any high expectations. I mean the obvious to behave and act like a princess should, follow through with your lessons but I mean aside from that, there is nothing really.'

The words of Feren yet again proved shocking. The sudden reality of being expected to be doing nothing but lessons for seemingly nothing, in the end, left her feeling lost and truly useless. She had always had a purpose before in Bree. She could not just be expected to wander through life with no other purpose than to be nothing more than a well-behaved princess.

Huffing in an almost annoyance she decided that for now, she would put all her focus on her training, resolving that she needed to speak to the king. After all, he did say, should anything else arise and she felt the honesty and sincerity in his words. She had to trust him to keep his word, she had to at least try or forever push him away. Anariel realized with a growing need that she wanted more from her father, she wanted to at least try, the more she heard of the ellon from others the more she felt like she could understand him. As the thought struck her, a thought that perhaps should have been more obvious, if she wanted any true respect or even kindness, she needed to give it to him as well something she couldn't really say she's done.

Besides, the people of this Kingdom looked up to them, trusted and loved their king and prince.

Glancing around, she resolved that she wanted to earn the trust and respect of them as well, herself, she wanted it because they felt she deserved it not because they felt they owed her something.

It was true that they looked to her with a level of respect but it was not a respect that she had earned it was something that was thrust upon her, they did it because it was expected of them, they had to.

Anariel scrunched up her face in thought, the people of Bree highly respected and trusted her but that she had earned, it meant more. And she wanted it to mean the same here, she had done a poor job so far, she has been blunt and harsh, perhaps a little crude and unfair yet still she was angry at her father for being all of those things himself. She nodded her head to herself firmly.

'Anariel!' Feren called out again trying to get her attention as she lost herself in her thoughts.

'Yes,' she snapped her eyes back to his, 'Uh, sorry I lost myself in my trail of thought, it won't happen again. Please do continue.'

'You need not be sorry,' Feren replied coolly. 'Are you sure, you are ready?'

'Yes.'

Feren nodded, 'Okay, while strength is a main part in what we focus on we want such as much focus on defense. Fighting with a sword also puts you a dangerously close distance to another. So, as obvious as this shall sound the first tip of defense simply put, you never want to be where the opponent's strike will fall. We'll start there if you have a strong defense you're more likely to find yourself in a position to make a strike to kill.'

Anariel nodded, feeling a little more confident and sure about the whole idea, thinking of her mother. 'How exactly do I go about this?'

'Trust me?' Feren spoke with a light teasing.

Anariel cocked an eyebrow at him but nodded.

Feren recoiled slightly surprised at the seriousness upon her face as she nodded.

'On the field, so much comes down to simply being quick enough and anticipating what will happen next, with that being said hold your sword like this,' Feren moved his sword into a parry position, 'I am going to attack I want you to either sidestep, duck, dodge or slip to avoid any or all of my advances. Your sword is used for various types of parries, deflections, and blocks but we'll get to that after, right now I just want you to get the movements under control.'

'Makes sense,' Anariel nodded feeling bold and easily prepared herself, feeling confident in the seemingly simple act of avoiding and defense. How many times had she broken up fights between drunk mortal men, that she needed to avoid and defend from the attacks that may or may not have been for her?

Feren attacked as Anariel slipped out of his strikes range, Feren sent her a nod of approval without halting in his own movements. Anariel continued in what almost felt like routine, avoiding an assault, without even realizing it nor picking up on her own steps she moved before he made another strike, making him hesitate slightly as she slipped behind him catching both his arm in her hands tugging them back. In surprise Feren dropped his sword, Anariel acted as she would have any man in the bar before hauling them outside, though this time she pulled him back close leaning close to his ear as he'd done to her as he showed her how to shoot. 'I suppose all fights, don't get to end like this either, hmm?' Anariel breathed in his ear.

'M..my lady...' Feren breathed out in both in shock at the feat in which she pulled, and the way he lost his own composer in her grasp. 'You've done, wonderfully.'

'Thank you,' Anariel beamed, releasing his arms.

Elros looked on at his princess shaking his head, she was nothing like he had been expecting.

'I, uh, think we could call it to an end. We have already gone over in time talking.' Feren admitted, trying to regain his composer.

Anariel laughed lightly, 'We did, as Legolas and I did.'

'My lady, you should have been in the arena by now, you will not have time to finish your lessons.' Reilin and Eruanna arrived again, along with a dozen guards.

'Yes, Legolas and I went over the allotted time, as did Feren and I.'

'Well, in any case. You must be heading back to your chambers, to prepare for dinner with the King Thranduil and Prince Legolas,' Eruanna spoke curtly.

'Very well,' Anariel nodded, trying to hide her dislike for Eruanna. 'Thank you, Feren. Elros.'

As her guards surrounded her leading her out of the training grounds, Eruanna busied herself making her stand and walk appropriately Anariel turned back around flashing Feren one last smile.