Chapter 28
Estel and the twins stayed up until the wee hours of the morning playing catch up. None of the trio had had very much free time lately, so the letters had been few and far between. Elladan and Elrohir were very grateful that their father had decided to let them come along with him to Lothlorien. They had not seen Galadriel for sometime and would have been very put out to miss Estel's ceremony, and they had told Elrond as much.
"I do wish that Glorfindel had been able to come as well, but I know someone had to stay behind to be sure everything was kept proper. You will not believe some of the stories that I have heard from Haldir and his brothers. Haldir had told me how he traveled with Ada and when they met Glorfindel. His description gave me the chills. You know how they get so intense when they're mad or upset? They started off that way. But then somehow they convinced Glorfindel to join them. But I think the best thing that Haldir told me was that Ada is afraid of heights."
Elladan and Elrohir looked at each other in shock. "Well Estel has managed to find out something we didn't know. I say we use it to our advantage." Elrohir grinned. Maybe having a little brother wasn't such a bad thing.
"There's not much to tell from Imladris. Much of the time you have been away so have we. The orcs have become braver and have been roaming far too close to the borders for anyone's comfort. There have been no attacks inside the borders, but there are many who fear it won't be long. We had only returned for a few days before Ada announced that we were to come with him here. Apparently, he and Glorfindel had a long conversation if we would be missed too much on patrols. We eventually found out and had a long talk with Ada and finally they both agreed to let us come as well."
The next morning, Elladan and Elrohir joined Estel at his training. Haldir gave him back the wooden sword. "You know the drill. Today we will continue our technique training. You are coming along nicely, but maybe we will get more done, so you can show off for your brothers. And if they care to join you in training, they will be most welcome. I am sure the guards of Imladris would be very put out if you two came back soft." Haldir thought to himself, 'Unless they become more of a distraction.'
He was very sure that all three would benefit the others for the remainder of their visit. He had spoken with Elrond and was informed that as soon as Estel passed the tests, then they would all return to Imladris. He was very sad to hear this, but had a feeling he would be seeing more of the young human in the years to come.
"In practice it is easy to be perfect in your movements, but in a real combat situation, you will find that these movements may not be so perfect. But these exercises will help you get the general idea of them. The main thing to remember is to keep your movements fluid and able to flow into each other. This will help keep control of the sword as well as where the sword strikes. Try to hit this target as many times as you can alternating sides with each blow."
Estel took up his position and began the exercise. Occasionally Elladan and Elrohir would interject their comments on how to help him improve his form. Haldir was very impressed that they were maintaining some degree of professionalism. Finally, the end of the day came and everyone headed out to their homes.