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Training recruits.

"Mae govannen, hîr, heryn." Hérion said with a little smile as he bowed.

"Hest Hérion of the Mirkwood Guards." Lord Celeborn said with a little nod. "How are things fairing?"

"Very well. It seems the winter is quite harsh keeping all animals from venturing close." Hérion told them. "I hope you are both enjoying the feast?"

"We are very much. It gave us the chance to catch up with our daughter and see our grandchildren again." Lady Galadriel smiled.

"Good, good." Hérion nodded. "I must admit that you have a wonderful ring on your finder. Would you mind to tell me where you got it. It seems like a proper gift for someone I hold dear." Hérion said as his black eyes gleamed evilly.

"Well, the ring was gifted to me quite some centuries ago by elves that lived in Eregion." Galadriel told him cautiously. "I am afraid he would not be able to make you another one."

"Really?" Hérion asked. "How is it that they..."

"Excuse me?" Feren gently interrupted the Mirkwood captain as he shoved a tray with drinks in front of them. Both Galadriel and Celeborn exchainged their empty glasses for filled ones. "Hest Hérion? Several guards asked for your presence in the armory."

"Why?" Hérion snapped.

"I was not informed, only to sent you as soon as I would run into you."

"Fine." Hérion huffed as he stalked off.

"There is nothing in the armoury, is it?" Lady Galadriel asked with a little smile.

"I am afraid not. Good evening." Feren greeted before he continued his round serving drinks.

Nenya was indeed the very beautiful ring that was given to Galadriel many, many years ago. With the power of one of the three elven rings she could wield great power, just like Elrond with Vilya. Two out of the three elven rings in hand reach. So close together, yet harder to get than he had believed at first thought. Hérion paced as his black eyes kept cast on the floor, watching his brown leather boots come soundlessly down on the dark polished wooden floor of the armory. How was he to get in the possession of at least one of the elven rings? Two would be obviously better, but one would be better than none, right? Besides, he needed to find a hiding spot where he could hide the rings where no one would find them, not even Hérion when he would take over again.

Of course he knew that Celebrimbor had forged the three rings under the eyes of Sauron when Eregion was not in ruins yet. But if he had to make a choice for a ring, he would gladly relieve Elrond from his burden.

He had chosen quite a strong elf to possess, good if someone would attack him, yet he needed he keep control over an even strong mind, what yet was not that easy. The poor elf also had a strong mind, but it would not take long before he would gain the upper hand. He chuckled to himself as he imagined himself over the dead body of Thranduil while the two elven rings adorned his hands and all the remaining elves kneeling at his feet.

As Hérion's pacing slowed, his eyes slowly returned to their hazel colour. He blinked rather confused. Why was he in the armoury? Tonight was his night off and the last he remembered was that he was on his way to the feast. With a small sigh Hérion found himself going back to the feasting hall only to find a couple of elves left that were sweeping the floor. What time was it that the elves were already cleaning.

"Mae govannen, hest." Feren gave him a little nod as he passed him with his arms full of table cloth that needed to be washed.

"Feren!" Hérion called him back.

"Aye?" Feren turned around to see a quite confused look on Hérion's face. "What can I do for you?"

"What time is it?"

"A couple of hours after midnight."

"Really?" Hérion asked and Feren nodded.

"If you would not mind, I would like to finish my chore and then retire. You look tired as well, hest."

"Aye, hannon-le, Feren." Hérion said and stood there for another moment watching the servants do their work. The last time he remembered it was just after dinner. How had so much time passed? Slowly but surely Hérion found his way back to his room where he retired, being too tired to think properly about the matter at hand.

He was awaken by urgent knocking at his door. "Just a moment." Hérion called before he sat up. The sun streamed through the windows indicating that it was already later in the morning, and that he had not closed the curtains last night. Hérion climbed out of his bed and threw on a robe before he opened the door.

"Aye?" He asked when one of the young recruits stood on the other side.

"Hest." He greeted with a bow. "You supposed to come and train with us. Deawin had sent me to see where you were. Since you were not at the armoury or tending the weapons or armour, Deawin suggested that you maybe had a late night yesterday night since it was your day off so I came here." The young recruit rambled on, much to Hérion's annoyance.

"Very well. Give me an hour to dress myself and eat something." He nodded. "And the next time you need to fetch someone, you only need to tell them the necessary things. If they want to know more, they will ask you. Understood?"

"Aye hest." The young recruit bowed before he scurried off, probably to report back to Deawin and then continue his training.

Hérion slowly dressed himself before he made his way down to the kitchens and took some bread and a cup of tea before he made his way over to the training grounds.

When he arrived at the training grounds, he found all the recruits wielding swords, attacking and defending in a sequence they had already practised many times.

"There you are!" Deawin called over the ringing of metal that clashed.

"It appears so." Hérion nodded as he made his way over to the other captain.

"How was your night off?"

"Too short for my liking." He told him with a weary smile.

"I would gladly believe you." Deawin said with a smile before he walked to one of the recruits correcting his standing to help him keeping his balance.

"What did you have on the planning for today?" Hérion asked when Deawin was standing next to him again.

"Let them practise with their swords for a while and after mid day let Cervus come for their first lesson in healing, or let them tend their armour and swords. What do you think?"

"I think it is better that they tend their utilities after lunch, so they will have some extra time to do it correctly and give them their night off so they can join the festivities of tonight. It think it will serve them better if we would spent a whole day in the Halls of Healing with Cervus so they can start to learn to recognise the different plants and herbs, and where to find them.

"That would be a good start." Deawin mused. "Or the beginning of binding limbs?"

"We could let them make countless strips of cloth, if that is what you are suggesting?" Hérion frowned as he tried to remember his own healing lessons, remembering something similar, just like making jar after jar of althelas paste, till the Halls of Healing had enough of them to last at least a decade. Deawin also did his best remembering his parts of the healing lessons, shuddering when he remembered how the healer at that time taught them how to stitch up wounds.

"Either way, the sooner their learn, the better it is." Deawin agreed as he watched the recruits.

"We really should go and correct them..." Hérion frowned as one of them ungracefully stumbled backwards. Both of them went to correct and help the recruits to master the routine.

"All right, everyone!" Deawin called. "Time for some food. After lunch you will go and take care of your armour and weapons."

"Because of the Yule ball, we will give you a night off. Tomorrow we expect you an hour after dawn in the Halls of Healing for your first healing lessons." Hérion continued before he dismissed them.

Hérion and Deawin stood shoulder to shoulder just outside of the Halls of Healing just before the first recruit showed his face. This one still looks fresh, and he is on time, let's wait and see how the others are fairing. Deawin mused as slowly one by one the recruits collected in front of them. How later the recruits came, the lesser they were in shape. Some had clearly overslept as they had hurried only half dressed and their hair still in a mess.

"I see that the most of you clearly had a good evening at the Yule ball, unfortunately as a warrior or as a guard you will always need to be aware of your surroundings no matter what happened previously." Deawin could not hide his grin as several guards had silently entered with several buckets of icy water and dumped them over the unsuspecting recruits, except of the elf that had been there first and slipped outside the circle.

"Let this be your lesson!" Deawin said while he grinned at the angry and confused looking recruits. "You shall mop the floors before you may go and change. I expect you to be back within an hour." The recruits stood there for a moment before they scurried off to find anything to dry the marble floors.

"Make sure you do not trail the water though the whole palace." Hérion warned as the first recruit was to leave to change. They grumbled among themselves as they piled the sodden cloths and towels in a corner.

"I remember this very well." A young guard said with a snicker as he lent against the wall, watching the others clean the mess.

"It was indeed one of the best lessons they gave us." A second one agreed with a snort and a grin. Soon enough the first elves retreated to change. It was not long after some maids cleaned up the pile of wet cloths and towels, and the first elf appeared again. It took not long before the group as complete again, the most looking better than when they appeared only moments ago.

"Are you finally ready?" Cervus asked when he had opened the door to the Halls of Healing.

"I think we are." Deawin smiled at the head-healer as he and Hérion entered. The first bed was piled with bales of a sturdy pristine white cloth, while there were set up two work stations with several large volumes and about a hundred small pots and flasks.

"Good morning." Cervus greeted when they elves had formed a half circle around him. "Today you will get your first lesson in healing. I am sure to say that every single one of you has seen the Halls of Healing at least once when you got injured. Alas, it is not I who can aid you when you are out in the woods when you worked yourselves into trouble. That is why it is of great importance that you know how to treat a wounded, for it may depend on your skills if your friend and colleague will make it back to the palace alive, and to me, or not. This will not be easy, otherwise we would not have lost so many over the last centuries." Cervus made a little pause.

"You are all expected to do well the first time, otherwise it may be very likely you will not make it as warrior or guard. Today we will start with the very basic things. You will go and make bandages." Cervus pointed over to the bed filled with the bales of cloth. "You shall copy several paragraph's from several books that you are required to study, before we have our next lesson."

"What are you waiting for?" Hérion snapped when none of the elves moved. Deawin showed them how to make bandages while Cervus and Hérion instructed the elves who started copying from the books.

Dictionary:

Hîr - Lord

Heryn - Lady

Hest - Captain

Mae govannen - Well met

Hannon-le - Thank you

Althelas - Kingsfoil