Chapter 60 - Dueling Etiquette
If one asked a Noldor, a friendly duel between noble lords was the best way to end an evening banquet. The guests excitedly swayed in their long gowns to one of the palace's open courtyards. Their sparkling wine-filled crystal flutes were still in hand and their tongues were wagging about how they would be the first Valinoreans to see the young hero in action; bragging rights they would surely make use of in at another social gathering. This would make Glorfindel's celebration worth long remembrance.
"Does Prince Arakano stand a chance? One excited guest questioned another on the way, "Of course!" Others would exclaim, "He is the son of Fingolfin! Also distinguished in war! A Noldor of great valor!"
Arakano was distinguished for bravery in the Battle of the Lammoth in First Age Beleriand. All could recall the tale of how he singlehandedly hewed a path through foes to slay the great captain of Orcs. It was in this war he was slain, but memory of his unyielding bravery yet preceded him. And considering his lineage and the strength of the Noldor in general, he was not to be underestimated.
Glorfindel was surprised upon first hearing of the duel, though he knew Arakano's enjoyment in them. The prince had dueled with mostly all the Noldorin lords, excluding himself. Not many desired to go against him, believing they would lose. While Glorfindel knew Legolas's personality less than he knew Arakano's, he assumed Arakano had goaded the Sindar into it. Legolas was not boastful about his recent fame, and similar to Glorfindel during Gondolin's fall, he saw his heroic deeds more as situational.
The guests intuitively lined up around the courtyard, having all done this before at Glorfindel's abode for an evening duel. Vezely stood motionless aside Legolas on the one end, her eyes concentrated on the ground's mosaic blue and yellow tiles, and her breath deepening in wary anticipation as the guests settled into place for the approaching spectacle. She was uncertain if this was the best stage to play out her dark desires against the Noldor prince; to reveal that side of her which only a select few in Valinor, and even fewer in Tirion knew about.
Thranduil and his wife approached the young couple, but Vezely did not acknowledge them, nor did Legolas lighten his stern demeanor. He stood with his arms crossed, as anger yet writhed in him from his prior conversation; his mind was repeating the lord's foul words concerning his soon-to-be wife and their relationship.
Thranduil's aloof gaze shifted from Vezely to his son. He did not know the parameters of what prompted him to accept a dueling match with the Noldor prince, but he suspected she was involved. "This is unlike you," he spoke plainly. "What are your intentions with partaking in such a frivolous display?"
"You will see," he provided his father only a brief glance before returning them to his opponent on the other side of the courtyard, who had begun removing his outer robes in preparation for the fight.
"You have not been this eager to prove yourself since your youth," his mother whispered close by his side, "The ellon must have offered offense." Legolas took a deep breath through his nostrils and slightly shrugged his shoulders. His mother intuitively knew through these movements that this was the case.
With Ecthelion close by his side, Glorfindel entered the courtyard, much to the delight of the waiting spectators. "My revered guests..." he announced the match, first introducing Lord Arakano and reminding the crowd of his valor in the First Age, before doing the same honor for Legolas. The blonde Sindar, however, had not removed his surcoat nor had weapons brought to him as Lord Arakano had already done.
"Lord Legolas, are you in need of weaponry?" Glorfindel inquired, wondering if he could provide him one of his own swords.
Forgoing an answer, Legolas instead uncrossed his arms and calmly stepped into the center of the courtyard. "That will not be necessary, my lord, but if I may address the crowd?" Glorfindel stepped aside giving him the stage. "My lords and ladies of Tirion," he addressed the eager guests politely in Sindarin, desiring for Vezely to understand his speech. "Lord Arakano is not the first to challenge me since my arrival in Valinor, but he is the first that I felt compelled to accept. For it is true of both our cultures to defend the honor of those we love when they are provided insult. But it is also true of those of the Woodland Realm to allow the one who was insulted to defend themselves if possible. That is why I will not fight Lord Arakano, but my betrothed will."
With turning of heads, guests discovered their neighbor's faces held similar stares of disbelief and confusion.
Hiding his obvious discomfort by the sudden shift in dueling partners and embarrassment for being called out on his prior rudeness, Lord Arakano tried to vindicate himself, "That was not the intention of my challenge, my lord, nor the words accompanying it. I meant no offense to you or your lady."
Having followed Legolas's request, Thalion returned with Vezely's sword in his hand, but he stalled his steps upon hearing this announcement of a change in dueling participants. Noting his inaction, Gimli went to grab it from him, "Give it here lad." The dwarf had picked up enough Sindarin over the years to figure out the situation. He brought the Rhunic sword to Vezely, who had begun unclasping and removing her grey gown to reveal her more customary Easterling-style trousers and tunic underneath.
Arakano's attention turned to her and the dwarf, now proudly holding the foreign blade aside her. He added steadily, "Dueling with Lady Vezely would not be appropriate, considering."
"Considering what?" Legolas questioned sternly, regaining his attention. "You would back down from an opportunity to prove your worth against an equally skilled opponent?"
Arakano held his head high, trying to reason out of it, "I would not fight a lady."
"I will not repeat the titles you gave her just prior, but it was not lady," Legolas tilted his chin up, making sure to hold him accountable.
Arakano swallowed and ducked his head briefly before providing his reasoning, "Apologies to you and to Lady Vezely. My words were ill chosen in order to force your acceptance to my challenge. Still, such a match, my lord, would be unbalanced."
"Do not now play unawares," Legolas cautioned him, "You know who Vezely is and you are afraid you will lose."
Now realizing that sharing Vezely's past perhaps provided the catalyst for this kerfuffle, Ecthelion intervened hoping to spare the honor of his friend, who was losing dignity for having defamed another's partner. He stepped next to Arakano and addressed the crowd, "I actually think this would be a balanced challenge and one worthy to see. We Noldor have heard that Silvan populations employ females in their guard, a progressive measure Lord Thranduil could surely tell us more about," he nodded to the stoic Elvenking, who was pretending this incident was not happening. "And Lady Vezely not only fought in the great wars, but did so alongside the Fellowship," he purposefully forewent speaking of her other deeds. He turned towards Arakano, speaking optimistically, "You desired a duel, my friend, and our guests have already been mired in anticipation of one. Lady Vezely also appears willing to defend herself against your ill-chosen words to prod Lord Legolas into a match. Why not sate all fronts and duel?"
With all awaiting Arakano's answer, Lord Glorfindel quietly stepped aside Legolas, whispering concerned, "Perhaps it is better to settle this disagreement inside over a glass of wine? Is not discretion preferable for both of you?" While not desiring to confess it, he was more wary of the rebuke he could face from the Valar if Vezely did not control herself.
Vezely had already removed her grandmother's treasured circlet from her head and traded it for the sword in Gimli's hand, unsheathing it shortly after. She was glad she had sharpened it recently. She gauged that Glorfindel was attempting to persuade Legolas to stop the match. Perhaps she would have allowed it before hearing Arakano chauvinistically excuse his defamation of her. Her dislike for the prince overtook her thoughts of discretion.
"There is a saying in my culture," she marched into the courtyard and addressed the crowd as she would her troops, purposefully interrupting Glofindel's clandestine chat. Her eyes praised the glint of her blade as she proudly spoke the harsh Rhunic phrase before translating into Sindarin, "...To deny a challenge is to make one unworthy of challenging another. I have already offered you challenge before, Lord Arakano, and your friend, Lord Glandur, over there," she pointed the tip of the blade at his riding partner who looked equally uncomfortable on the sidelines. She turned her attention back to the prince, finding dark amusement in his public display of discomfort."Do you now think I was joking?"
Arakano narrowed his eyes and straightened his posture, "No, I do not." Days prior on the beaches in front of Lord Dior's chateau, he thought it was simply a quirk of her Silvan heritage - as many of the Noldor thought of the warrior elleths who were raised in the Sindarin-ruled woodlands beyond the sea. Little did he know she was further estranged and perhaps, he dared to speculate, even better skilled at arms than himself. Maintaining an aura of confidence, he resolutely accepted Ecthelion's offer, "Very well, my lord. I will duel Lady Vezely, but I will not be held responsible for a bruised bride a week from now."
"Very good," Ecthelion nodded pleased, clapping his hands together, "It is settled then. We have a match!"
The guests were unsure whether to be excited or wary of watching the son of Fingolfin duel a young elleth of lowly Silvan, Sinda, and Edain heritage, despite her ancestry including a Maiar. Most suspected it was unbalanced and that Vezely did not stand a chance. Yet they could not deny an interest in seeing it play out.
Glorfindel had half a mind to stop the duel before it started, but intervening would have been uncharacteristic and potentially more damaging to the honor of his friend who needed to regain face. "No swords," Glorfindel instead declared, thinking it was the least he could do to prevent the worst. Then addressing Vezely personally, "I will not have blood spilt this night."
"There are other ways to spill blood," Vezely replied to him steadily, gaining admonishment through his returned gaze.
"We are not uncivilized elflings, my lord," Arakano scoffed, ignoring Vezely's retort, "At least allow some weaponry to display our skill. Even if they are training weapons."
Glorfindel gritted his teeth, "Fine, but I do not want to send either of you to the infirmary. Keep the match clean."
Vezely regretfully sheathed her Rhunic blade as Legolas approached her to take it from her hands. "I feel as a cadet in training," she told him annoyed while reluctantly handing it over.
But Legolas only provided her words of encouragement, "Take him down either way."
"It will be my pleasure," she smirked, exchanging her gratefulness in having his support in this.
He went to stand in-between Gimli and his father who looked to be nursing a headache as he pinched his forehead with the ring finger and thumb of his one hand. "You should not have instigated this," he spoke quietly to his son after he stood next to him.
"And Lord Arakano should not have spoken as he did," Legolas replied back crossing his arms, yet feeling justified in setting up the match.
"Now this is more of my type of celebration," Gimli exclaimed at Legolas's side, pleased the monotony of a stuffy evening had shifted. Then adding to him jokingly, "Vez does know duels here do not end in killing ones opponent?"
Arakano provided the crowd a twirl of his wooden sword, tapping it against the square wooden shield he also held. He exuded confidence as he strut to the center of the courtyard. The Noldor prince had dueled plenty of times. Many considered him a showman of sorts, as he liked to display his fancier sword skills in order to make matches a little more entertaining. Little did he know that Vezely had also dueled plenty of times; but she did not deal in showmanship, but death.
She held her sword at her side and the shield on her other arm. The clunky piece of round wood they gave her was not a desired or useful accompaniment, but she would appease the host with its use for now. She slowly swayed to the tall ellon's left, her eyes fierce upon his, watching and waiting for him to strike.
Arakano moved to her right, coming closer to her as he did. She is young, he mentally assured himself. She cannot be as skilled as I with a blade, he confirmed further. This will be an easy match.
He drove the sword at her, hitting her shield with force, though not knocking her back as he expected to.
Vezely wanted him to go first; to observe his footing, the way he thrust his blade, and how he readjusted his gait after a blow. She was learning how these High Elves fought and noted his footing and form was the same as her grandfather's. Her inaction after his blow, however, distressed him and he attempted again to engage her, to bring her blade to his by maneuvering around her shield.
She instead moved the opposite way, having him throw his wooden blade at air. While he recovered, her shield had already struck the center of his back, causing him to jolt forward. He quickly recovered and re-centered himself, now further displeased that he was hit first and in am impolite way. He countered, swinging his blade and making contact with hers.
Arakano continued to swing. He was quick and efficient in his marks, and she stepped backward with each swing, deflecting each blow with her own blade until she hit the end of the courtyard. Guests queried whether they should move from her path, but instead she used her shield with purpose, inviting his sword into a provided opening and pivoting away. It effectively stole the sword from his hand. She then followed by hitting him behind the knee with her own blade, knocking his foot and felling him onto his back.
She walked around him and back into the center of the courtyard. "Get up," she ordered him as if he was one of her soldiers. "We are just getting started."
Arakano tried to maintain some dignity as he stood up and reached for his fallen sword, keeping a stern demeanor on his face. It was clear he underestimated her, though he would play otherwise. "Alright. But I will no longer treat you as a young elleth in need of softer tactics."
"Goodie," she remarked unimpressed, rolling her eyes as she turned and readjusted her shield.
She would provide him another round of engagement in what she gauged was proper dueling etiquette, as learned from her grandfather. During the next respite, she decided to change it up and discarded her shield.
"You discard your defenses?" Arakano asked confused by the move, and he wondered if she was forfeiting the match.
"I am no longer on the defense," she responded with a smirk while bringing her other hand to the sword's hilt and adjusting her stance radically from before. This time she would engage him.
It was Arakano's turn to step backward, attempting to block and counter her sword as it rained down on him and his shield. Soon enough he would find her elbow to his face and her foot to his chest making him lose his footing. As expected, it was enough to temper Arakano and he retaliated furiously. It was amid his hasty lunges towards her that she displayed fighting skill not of the Eldar.
What happened next distressed many spectators. Amid her assault, she purposefully left no room for Arakano's recovery or any maintenance of his dignity. Vezely knocked Arakano's shield from his hands with a side kick, afterwards engaging him with sword and foot. A knee to his stomach and an elbow to his face eventually brought him to his knees and she retrieved his fallen board by kicking it back up into her hands. She used it as a weapon against the side of his face, cracking it into two. "Do not discard your defenses," she mocked after the blow; an amused smirk showing her enjoyment of the deed. She should have stopped there, many thought, as Arakano deserved time to recover or at least forfeit the match if he deemed his injuries grave enough. But instead, with sinister purpose, Vezely kicked his side hard enough to roll him over twice.
Many ellith in the crowd placed hands over their mouths to muffle their gasps, while the ellyn shifted in discomfort, especially when Vezely jumped on top of him, as an animal on top of prey, jamming the tip wooden sword against his throat.
"You do not fight with honor," he managed to breathe out, noting cracked teeth among the iron taste of blood in his mouth.
"Not your type of honor," she responded assuredly, raising her wooden sword in what appeared to be precursor to a final strike against his head with its hilt.
"Enough!" Glorfindel finally called out, hastily coming towards them, thinking he needed to stop her. "Lady Vezely is the match winner!"
She stayed her hand, giving Arakano a look of disgust before rising from the ground, her foot not leaving his chest without another push downward to remind him of his place.
"That was as I expected," Gimli mumbled amid the stunned silence that had crept through the courtyard. "Efficient and bloody."
Vezely had a cool, collective demeanor that barely hid the sinister pleasure the fight had given her. She stopped aside Glorfindel momentarily, "You should have allowed us our swords. I would have at least stayed my blade from his flesh," knowing the training swords and wooden shields provided an avenue to inflict more injury than sword and fist alone.
Ecthelion perhaps was more impressed than distressed by the spectacle. "Indeed, we should not underestimate our distant kin and the hardness the Third Age has helped foster in them. I say well done, Lady Vezely, well done," he began clapping, hoping to inspire others out of their disbelief in what they deemed as uncharacteristically brutal for an elleth or ellon of any line.
Vezely ignored the crowd, few of which followed Ecthelion in clapping. She instead looked over to Legolas, who provided her a small nod of approval, causing the rage the fight imparted in her to flutter away. She threw the blood splattered wooden sword on the courtyard's tiles and moved before him. He would take a handkerchief from him outer robe's pocket and dab off the splatters of blood from her cheek. Afterwards he lovingly fixed her hair; untangling a few strain and smoothing down her sides before placing her grandmother's treasured circlet back upon it. His hands would move down to her forearms and remained there as they silently conversed through their eyes, forgetting that all were staring at them.
"I especially liked that maneuver with the shield," Gimli remarked next to them, stroking his white beard, "A dwarf respects ingenuity," causing her to smirk.
Witnessing the couple's affection and seeing Legolas's overt approval of his betrothed regardless of her crude behavior reordered the crowd's thinking of what they just witnessed. Those from the Woodland Realm are tough as steel, many thought as they filtered back into the grand hall. Arakano deserved that, considering his rudeness, some chatted to their partners. The House of Dior is not just beauty it seems, some others remarked.
"You are yet reckless," Glorfindel declared admonishingly after all but a few had returned inside and after Arakano had been taken to have his wounds mended.
"And uncouth," Thranduil remarked under his breath nearby, knowing he would be fielding questions about his gender integrated guard and his 'interesting' future daughter-in-law the rest of the evening.
"Do duels here not end with one on the ground?"Vezely defended her actions forthrightly, "If not, what is the point of a back and forth tap and touch? One cannot improve unless you are continuously reacquainted with the pain of losing."
Ecthelion responded cheerfully, "This is true. We Noldor simply have become unaccustomed to witnessing brute force let alone appreciating its learning potential. And Lord Arakano has certainly learned his lesson." He cupped a hand on Glorfindel's shoulder, "You have no need to worry my dear friend, your celebration is yet proper, and memorable to boot."
"Do not blame Vezely, my lord," Legolas added politely, "I would not have been as kind myself if I had dueled in her place."
Glorfindel would move past his disgruntlement, believing the situation could have been worse - Arakano yet lived and no Valar had appeared yet to chastise him. He returned with Ecthelion to his hosting duties, taking Gimli along as well. They all realized the family needed some time alone.
Legolas's mother's hands were clasped in front of her and fidgeting slightly, visibly showing her discomfort as she tried to engage her future daughter-in-law. "I am grateful you are not hurt," she told her in lieu of other thoughts.
"Mother, I would not have set the match if I thought she could not handle it," Legolas confirmed carefully.
"Understood. But just promise me you will not set any more matches before the wedding," she returned quickly.
"Promise," he warmly smiled, knowing she was trying hard to be considerate.
Thranduil was less concerned about their feelings, but his wife's tug on his arm forbade him from speaking his thoughts and she purposefully led him back to the party. Legolas gathered he would hear more from him later.
Left alone, Legolas mused about what he gauged as a minor accomplishment of the evening, "Now we are both known as warriors." He took her hand and intertwined their fingers, bringing the back of it to his lips. "They will speak of our love being kindled in the great war and speculate of our children becoming better warriors than ourselves..."
"Children?" Vezely scoffed, mocking him after, "You are getting ahead of yourself."
Legolas realized his speech accidentally wandered to a subject they had yet to discuss. He shifted noticeably embarrassed, but he managed to speak a sincere admission, "I do desire children with you."
"It is not a role I have ever thought to have," she returned steadily, hoping to show indifference rather than discomfort in the topic.
"I suppose you would not, especially with childbearing being forbidden in Rhunic militia culture," he considered, remembering what she mentioned when speaking of Cyane's birth.
"Yes. Pregnancy is quickly terminated and for good reason," she confirmed removing her hand from his and crossing her arms, "I yet do not understand the desire Samsara had to keep her child for all the trouble it caused me."
"But you do not speak of Cyane as being only trouble," Legolas countered her position easily.
Now she shifted uncomfortably, and diverted her gaze. Cyane would remain a soft spot for her. "No, but...I am not the mothering type," she attempted to reaffirm her prior statement on motherhood. She felt inadequately suited for it, especially considering she found children more of a nuisance than anything.
He laughed slightly, suspecting her thoughts on this subject were tenuous. "I think you would be a fine mother," he told her with a warm smile as he envisioned it, "Stern, deadly if crossed, but fine nonetheless."
Despite attempting apathy, Vezely half-smiled; she felt oddly pleased he thought of her as capable at all in this arena. It yet felt ludicrous to consider her life taking such a route, but then again, she would be married within the week; an equally unexpected path for one such as her to take.
"Come on," he momentarily cupped his hand aside her cheek to reengage her eyes, "Let's finish the evening respectably..."