Chapter 32—The Test
As the days and weeks passed on, Estel became more and more skilled at his sword training. There were even a few times that he had challenged his brothers and beat them, though he was unsure if he really was that much better than them or that they had let him win. He finally settled on the former choice, but he didn't care because he was able to say that he had beaten his brothers.
Finally, the day approached for Estel to prove that he had mastered the skills necessary for wielding a sword.
First, was a test of balance. A ropes course had been set up. Haldir and his brothers were not surprised to see the young human breeze through the course as if it were no challenge. Haldir had heard of how Estel had cleaned up Orophin and Rumil in the balance game and had had a difficult time coming up with a course that would be tough enough. The goal was not to cause him to fail, but to challenge him enough that he would really put the skills that he had learned to work.
A mock battle had been set up with several of the newer guard members. Estel was quick, but not quite quick enough. He lost the first few rounds. Finally, he began beating all of his opponents. After a few more rounds, Estel was proclaimed the winner.
The last test was something that Haldir had taught Estel, but they had not had much time to practice, so Estel was surprised when a stable hand came out to the arena leading Melian. Haldir looked at Estel, "It will be okay. She knows what to do and you handle her well. We have not made this too difficult, I hope, but it is a necessary part of the tests." Estel nodded and sheathed his sword momentarily so that he could mount Melian. The stable hands had even fixed his saddle to the right length and height. Estel had almost forgotten how good it felt to be in the saddle. The arena was cleared while everyone took a short break so that Estel could warm Melian up and they could set up for the test.
Finally, everything was ready. Haldir looked at Estel and made sure that he was ready to begin. Estel nodded and breathed deep. He talked softly to Melian giving her encouraging words to get as close as possible to his targets. This was one thing that had not come easily to him and he was nervous about doing this exercise in front of so many. Estel tried to clear his head of these thoughts and spurred Melian on. His targets had been tied to the tree branches above him and to stakes in the ground, alternating one above the other. As he rode, he slashed at the sand bags with the blade of the sword. When he completed the circle, he was pleased to see that he had only failed to open three of the fifteen. Estel leaned forward and patted Melian on the head, "Thank you. You know you are my closest friend. I will be sure that you have more treats tonight." He quickly dismounted and took the reins from one of the stable hands. "I will look after her thank you."
Estel took Melian back to the stables as Haldir discussed with Elrond and Galadriel whether or not he had passed the tests. He was very nervous about this part because while he knew that he had done well, he wasn't sure if it was good enough. Estel had forgotten that he had snuck some sugar cubes in his pocket and was awakened from his thoughts by Melian's wet nose against his hand. "Sorry. I forgot those were in there," he replied to her with a smile as she ate them up. "I must be getting back. I will return later to check on you."
Elrond had been very impressed with his foster son's abilities, especially his speed. He had never doubted the young human's Dunedain lineage, but he had never expected it to run so strong either. If it were up to him, there would be no debate in the matter. But he knew that this was not Imladris and things were run differently. The whole issue was just a matter of technicality, no one really expected the guard to deny that Estel was ready. As Estel approached where Haldir stood, it was proclaimed that he had passed the tests. Estel ran to hug the elf with a huge grin. "Hannon le. I had a good teacher."