Estarfin turned the large brass key in the lock, hearing the mechanism click open. Pulling the heavy ash door open, he stepped inside the dark room, the torch that he carried flickering as a breeze caught it. He thrust the torch into an iron loop that hung upon the wall and looked around the Vanimar armoury. There were weapons of all varieties hanging upon the walls, or stacked on shelves. Large war hammers lay propped against the wall, next to a rack of delicate single-handed swords. He walked past two partial suits of plate armour, stepped over a box of daggers and hatchets, and then stopped in front of a set of oak shelves. Pulling down a crimson padded training shirt, he gave it a quick sniff. Clearly satisfied, he slipped it over his head, and fastened the leather straps that ran up the chest. Once the garment was on, he reached up to a higher shelf, and pulled down first one, then another blunt training blade. The handles were well worn, and the blades were notched, scratched and traces of corrosion were evident. Estarfin shrugged, and tucked both swords under one arm, turning and striding towards the open door. Pulling the torch from the wall, he strode through the door, pulling it shut behind him. There was a click as the key was turned in the lock, and then silence within the armoury once more.
***
Striding through the dew-wet grass in the weak morning Sun, Estarfin thought about what he was going to do. He had been dwelling on the thought since the previous evening, but could see no other way to go about it. He valued her friendship, but some things were more important. Shaking his head slightly, he looked up, seeing a figure already standing by the Spire of Meeting. As he approached, he smiled as he recognised the Lady Danel; instead of the usual fine silken gowns she wore, today she was dressed in a light blue padded shirt, dark grey trousers and a pair of heavy leather boots. Estarfin raised a hand in greeting as he approached, although it was another few minutes of walking until he reached her. "Good morning my Lady" he said, inclining his head as he did so.
"Good morning Estarfin, you are ready to begin?"
Smiling at the small hint of eagerness in her voice, he nodded and handed her one of the training swords that he carried. She looked down at the dull blade, clearly unimpressed with the quality of the sword. Unsheathing the glittering silver and gold sword that she carried at her hip, she looked at Estarfin quizzically.
"I thought that we were sparring, not hitting each other with dull blades as children might?"
Smiling, Estarfin answered "You cannot spar with such a weapon my Lady. Any blow that you land may be fatal, and knowing this you may hold back. This weapon" and he lifted the training sword "is still dangerous. It can break bones, split skin, and with enough force, it can kill. It must be treated with as much respect as any other weapon, but it will allow us to spar a little more realistically."
Nodding and sheathing her own sword again, Danel unbuckled the light brown sword belt, and laid it upon the ground. Bringing the practice blade up to a ready position, she bounced lightly on the balls of her feet.
***
Estarfin barely parried the blow that came for his face, tried a desperate riposte, and then felt the blade hit his shoulder. Backing away, he raised his sword again, conscious of the many blows that Danel had already landed. He slashed the blade viciously at Danel, who took a quick step back and parried the blow away from her face. Off-balance momentarily, Estarfin took half a step to his left, and Danel struck her own blow. Her sword-tip was aimed for his heart, and he did not have enough time to parry the strike. Allowing the momentum of the sword to carry him around, he spun on the wet grass, Danel missing him by the narrowest of margins. Planting his feet, he swung the sword downwards, and she was forced to step back. They circled each other, keeping their guards up and the eyes locked together. Danel stepped forward and launched a low circular sweep of the sword, and Estarfin blocked it, angling his blade and pushing hers down towards the mud. She struggled to free the blade, but he kept the pressure up, although made no other move. Narrowing his eyes, he stepped back, letting his sword fall to his side.
"Your technique is excellent, you have nothing to learn from me." he said, eyes fixed on Danel. "But your fighting..." he let the sentence hang in the air, shaking his head slightly for emphasis.
"What do you mean?" asked Danel, a note of worry in her voice. "You praise my sword-work, but it is not good enough? Perhaps you have not been keeping count of the number of hits that I have against you?" she smiled as she added the last comment.
"No, that is not what I mean." said Estarfin, and gestured with his sword "When I had your sword trapped just now, you took no action." Danel opened her mouth to protest, but Estarfin held up a hand to forestall her. "You struggled to release the blade yes, but I lowered my guard, and you did not take advantage. This is what I mean when I say that your fighting is in need of improvement." He pointed to her sword. "Show me the part of that sword that you use to kill your enemy."
Frowning, Danel lifted the sword, pointing to the blade.
"No. Watch." He walked towards Danel with his sword in hand. "You know that this can kill" he said, and ran the sword gently across her padded jacket, and then thrust it very gently at her chest. "But that is not the only way to use a sword. The pommel, the handle, the cross guard. All are weapons, and you should learn to use them as such." He flicked the blade quickly, bringing the point of the cross guard against her neck. She flinched slightly at the speed, but did not back away, staring at Estarfin with wide eyes. Bringing the sword back, he swung it overhand, stopping with the hard pommel a few inches away from her skull. Pulling it back once more, he lashed out quickly, the leather of his gauntlet almost brushing her cheek as he punched whilst holding the handle of the sword. At this last, she did take a step back, looking almost affronted. Shrugging, he said "In a fight to the death, there is no place for niceties. There are no rules, or second chances. You must take any and all chances to kill your opponent, before they kill you. I have not lived as long as I have as a warrior because I am the best with a sword, or the fastest, or the strongest. I have lived this long because I am ruthless. Any part of that sword is a weapon that can kill. And not only that, do not forget your fists, elbows and knees. Anything that you can use that gives you an advantage. Now, do not duel me. Fight me."
Danel lunged forward, as quick as a cat, bringing the sword in an arc diagonally. Estarfin brought his own blade up to block it, stepping into the blow as he did so and backhanding Danel across the face with his free hand, knocking her to the floor. "Up" he said, seeing the look of shock on her face at such treatment. "You wanted my help, this is it. Up, and do not hold back. I am trying to kill you and all that you hold dear. If you fall before me, then all that you have ever known will end in fire and blood. Stand, and fight." She stood slowly, a look of anger spreading across her face. With a yell of rage, she launched a devastating overhead cut, clearly looking to cleave Estarfin in two. Stepping to the side and out of harms way, he lashed out with a heavy boot, knocking her feet from under her. Landing heavily on her back, the breath knocked from her lungs, she looked up at Estarfin standing over her. "Anger will help you, but rage will not. Focus your anger, do not scream and wave your sword like a berserker. Again."
A light rain had begun to fall, as Danel stared at Estarfin with fury written across her face. She was close, he knew. Either she would grasp the lesson that he was trying to teach, or she would leave. Either way, he knew that their friendship was likely at an end. Her hair was plastered in mud, her clothes ruffled, ripped and stained. A line of blood ran from her lip which he had split. Spinning the sword in his hand, he swung it at her from a backhanded stance, knowing that she would either step back or parry the blow, as she had done so many times already that day. To his surprise, she stepped into the blow, ducking at the last moment and hitting him hard in the stomach with the pommel of her sword. Falling to his knees, he saw a small grin of triumph on her face as she turned away. Disappointed, he sprang back to his feet, grabbing a handful of her hair. Surprised, Danel tried to jerk away, but he had a strong grip, and pulled her roughly backwards, bringing the sword round to rest against her throat. "Do not turn your back on an enemy, unless they are no longer a threat" he whispered in her ear. Releasing her, he shoved her shoulder and sent her stumbling away from him. He could not tell due to the rain, but it looked as though small tears were falling from her eyes, and he knew that he only had moments left in which to act.
"Why do you hold back? What are you afraid of?" he asked.
"Afraid?" she hissed, fury in her voice. "I am not afraid. But I am not as cruel as you are. My heart is not black."
"Come then, if you are not afraid. You asked for this, for my help. There are others more skilled with a blade than I in Imladris, nay, in the House of Vanimar itself. Belegos could have taught you how he fights with such grace and speed. Ancalasse could show you how to fight in the most efficient manner possible. But you asked me. This is all that I have to offer you, all that I have to offer anyone. Death to any who stand against me. No pity, no mercy."
"No. If that is what I have to become to survive, then the price is too high." She tossed away the training sword, and it fell with a dull finality onto the wet, muddy grass. Pulling her tangled hair from her face, she turned away from Estarfin and walked to her own sword, still lying in its sheath on the grass. As she fastened the strap upon her waist, Estarfin let out a roar and charged at her, holding his sword high in the air. Turning, she barely managed to tug Sárphir from the sheath and parry the blow before it shattered her skull. Estarfin lashed out viciously with an elbow, Danel sidestepping it but still being caught painfully on the shoulder. Before she could recover, he launched himself at her, screaming a wordless curse at her and attempting to hew her limb from limb with great swipes of his sword. She flicked her own sword up, and the point cut through his cheek, spilling blood down his face. Ignoring the injury, he moved in closer, grabbing the front of her tunic and lifting her from the floor with one arm. She stared into his eyes, seeing nothing there but dark pits. Terrified, she saw him draw back his sword in slow motion, readying the blow that would end her. A flame erupted in her, and her terror fled as the dark must before the light. She kicked out as hard as she could with her leather boots, catching Estarfin hard between the legs. Dropping her, and gasping with pain, he fell to his knees. Looking down at him, she felt nothing but disgust. Remembering what he had done before when she had turned her back on him, she stamped down upon his sword, tearing it from his hand. Grasping a handful of his black hair, she yanked up his face until it was looking at her. Pain exploded through his head as she slammed her fist holding the sword into the side of his face. Looking into her eyes as she drew back the sword again, he knew that she had finally learned the lesson he had been trying to teach. He felt another impact, and started to slump sideways, being held up only by her grip on his hair. Then the grip was gone, and he fell sideways into the mud. Danel looked down at him with a mixture of anger and horror etched across her face. Her eyes drifted to the blood running along the edge of Sárphir, and she turned and strode away. Estarfin smiled very slightly. Perhaps she would survive the journey to Dol Guldur after all.
