Elessar's Story - Chapter 2, The "Maria Daria" Options

[Elidor]

Chapter 1
~CHAPTER 2~
In this new chapter im aiming to give a little more insight to Elessar plus introducing more fully Arien, among other things...Its short though, more like a prologue to the second chapter infact. Incase you couldnt work it out I have very little time on my hands for a while.


I woke up feeling a peculiar feeling, one I didn’t however want to go away. Slowly it became known to me: contentedness, happiness and confidence mixed into one. In short all the things I had missed in my childhood. Or at least I had a little of until a quite unfortunate (in the weakest of terms) day.

The day so far back I am more or less fuzzy of in recollection and I don’t mind that one bit. It was when my days as a happy brother and son came to an end.
All for the arrogance of pride, a blade happy band of brigands; high elf knights they called themselves.
Killed all my two sisters, brother and parents because of imagined and quite non-existent insults.

Pretty much all I remember is running and running till I couldn’t breathe and fell in a ditch side along the road to the Imperial City. I’ll never forget the screams though.
Now those knights are everything I’m not or at least as little as I can possibly hope to change.

A shift in the blankets and a soft yawn told me that Arien was awake, bringing me out of my mid-morning reverie.

“Morning.” I said giving a slight stretch myself.
“How did you sleep?” she replied, giving a tired little smirk.
“Better than usual.” I couldn’t help but grin. Arien got up and I followed her out of the room and up to the counter for breakfast.

As we tucked in I thought again about her proposition, my suspicion arose again.
“Why did you choose me of all people to accompany you, surely you’d have the widest pick of companions.” I said suddenly over a bite of skrib jelly.

“For reasons in short, you are most appealing as a ‘partner’, do you doubt my sincerity perchance?” she replied smartly, she had obviously expected my question.
“A little.” I said smiling wryly.

“To me you are obviously capable as most thieves if not more, I need a thief and it doesn’t hurt if that thief is cute too.” She said adding on the end.
‘Oh what a charmer’ I thought but nevertheless it worked quite well on me.
“Smooth” I said almost to myself. She quite unabashedly grinned then promptly gulped down the rest of her drink.

“Ill do it!” I said suddenly, the thought of high adventure on the mainland, with this fine woman was very appealing. Not to mention it would keep it difficult for the mysterious assassins who had attacked me before. Looking at her I couldn’t help but laugh, if she was grinning before, she was positively beaming now.

This post has been edited by Elidor: Apr 11 2006, 02:32 AM

[Elidor]

I was sweating profusely and bruised in many places. To any degree getting training at the thieves guild, particularly from Habasi herself, was not very comfortable. After attempting to dodge another strike and failing, I finally gave up the latest session.

"Alright enough! How do you do that?" I said getting up from a particularly skilful manoeuvre from Habasi, who was crouched in front of me and grinning in a way that only Khajiits can.

She had just launched from the ground to the roof beams and swung over my head to deliver a hand stab to the ribs from the wooden tanto she used for training.

"Skilled fighters use their environments to win fights, Habasi sees things that help her to fight better like high places give Habasi strength to come down on enemy. And surprise." She practically purred.

She cocked her head and watched my panting and scowling furiously at her for a moment.
"See table by wall here? Good. Jump as Habasi does and spring from the top to land behind Habasi, quick now try it!"

The Kahjiit bounced up onto the waist height table and sprung off it like a springboard, gracefully flipping to face me.
It looked possible so I tried it.
And fell on my face.

Hearing the wheezy purrs that were Khajitti laughter, I got up burning with anger and embarrassment. Once again I jumped, this time my foot planted neatly on the table and as I looked to my destination behind the smug cat, I noticed the low-ish roof beam and then and there decided...

As I expected, Habasi spun to face where I would land but I didn’t come down there, I vaulted up to the roof beam and grabbed it to come down behind her for a hard jab to her Khajiit back.

The look on that face on the ground looking up at me from the dust was priceless.
"Elf is learning, very good!" She said getting up and without warning attempting to do the same manoeuvre she had used the night I was attacked, trying to put both arms in an unusable position pinned to the wall.

This time I saw it and ducked and rolled to the side, coming up behind her and pinning her instead to the wall. This time she really was impressed, her wide Khajiit eyes surveying me with a slight apprehension mixed with pride.

"Go on, show this one your skill now with a real knife" she said wrapping a piece of cloth around her steel dagger and anticipating the fight, crouched. I took out my newest weapon, just bought from the razor hole in Balmora and gleaming with a beautiful polish, a fine silver wakizashi made by the proprietor by special commission.

I likewise covered the blade and got ready, several training lessons with Habasi were enough for me to catch on that she taught through experience, but I was getting better fast, there wasn’t going to be so many bruises now.

Suddenly Habasi sprung up, diving forwards but I parried and sent the short curved blade of my weapon slapping sideways across her be-whiskered face. Habasi yowled and redoubled swinging away two parallel strikes to ward away an offensive, gaining time to recover.

I jumped in to attack her. Big mistake, she had been feigning pain, I now see, and jumped up onto the same table, swinging down and connecting a three sharp blows to my bicep, forearm and wrist.

I dropped my blade and Habasi straightened up.
"Short of that little trick I have nothing more to show you Elf" She said. I wasn’t done yet...
Crouching I picked up the wakizashi and brought it up to meet Habasi once again, but she laughed and simply stepped back.

"No more Elf, Habasi can’t stand to be beaten, especially in front of spectators." She purred, half laughing.
At first I had no idea what she was talking about and then I saw Arien standing a few paces behind Habasi and waiting agitatedly.

"Oh.. Oh hi, what er are you doing here?" I asked a little taken aback.
"Waiting for you" She returned sweetly, if impatiently. "I want to have a chat for a minute with you, if you don’t mind?"
"This elf has no more business here, Habasi cannot train him further." Came Habasi as she addressed Arien.
I shrugged and followed her outside.

"The ship is coming tomorrow!" She whispered at me the moment we were out of the door and earshot.
"Tomorrow?" I said frantically, "I still wanted to try another of those big manor houses on the hill, they’re the richest in town!"
At this Arien paused looking quite agitated.
"I’m sorry" she said finally.
"Why?" I asked looking at her strangely, and then it all fitted into place.
"You stuffed a burglary didn’t you! You were caught and now we have to leave?" I asked, my voice slowly rising.
She slumped her shoulders and gave me a mournful glance.
"How could I know they had two dogs in their sleeping quarters?" She said miserably.
I don’t know but I think she expected me to give her a lecture, but I just burst out laughing.
"Happens to the best!" I said pulling her arm, "We'd best get out of here soon then, when’s the next flea to Gnaar Mok?"

I was still laughing by the time she was ready to go and her mood seemed to go from upset at her failure to mild annoyance at me for having a laugh at her expense.

"Alright that’s enough mister lets just go before that whole town starts laughing."