It was still nightfall as my eyes opened. Four hour trance-all an elf needs to sleep. Théoden, being an elf and a dragon can have the option of a four hour trance or a full eight hour rest. Most of the time he took a four hour trance.

I stretched underneath the cotton sheets and allowed the moonlight to embrace my skin as I slowly removed the covers. It was just after midnight as the moon was at its apex. There was not a cloud in the sky showing the stars and moon in all their glory.

Théo’s voice broke the silence that bled through my mind. Meet me in the castle courtyard. We will try combat practice there first. I’d recommend wearing something comfy.

Comfy? The thought amused me for some reason. I knew he wanted me to wear comfy clothes due to it being combat lessons.

Yes, comfy. You will have time to change afterwards.

How rough are you going to get with me today if you want me to wear comfy clothes?

Using magic, I turned on my bedroom lights with just a snap of a finger. I may have had dark vision, however, it did limit me to a point as to what can and can not see. Comfy. I repeated as I got up and searched my wardrobe for comfy clothes. I didn’t have much of my own sweats but I had a few that I had obtained from Théo’s closet over the years.

Now, there was a decent size difference between me and him. So his sweats were a bit baggy on me. The set that I pulled out was a pair of black sweats.

I felt him sound a bit amused as he spoke through the bond So that is where that sweat suit went.

You have enough of them don’t you? I felt guilty for stealing his clothes but I wanted to keep him close to me. As not only did I steal his sweats I stole several of his black shirts.

A long sigh followed, so this is the reason why I have to replace my shirts so often?

Sorry…I can’t help it.

It’s fine Maria, I’ll just have to have more made. Just hurry on down here before anyone else wakes.

I nodded and slipped on a pair of soft-soled shoes and headed downstairs. As I entered the grand hall my senses got overwhelmed as Roland was already preparing our morning breakfast. The scent stopped me in my tracks. Chocolate….no vanilla? Delicious. I started to turn towards the kitchen but stopped.

“No. Sweets after training.” I reminded myself and turned my attention back in the direction of the courtyard.

The courtyard was rather large and enclosed with a stone wall that was slowly being overtaken by greenery. The courtyard itself was lush green and vibrant during the day. With the moon fall casting its shadow it became a nighttime paradise. Surrounded by bugs that produced light and the sparkling dewdrops on the grass field it produced a romantic feel. However, I knew this was going to be anything but romantic.

As soon as I stepped on the grass I scanned the area for him. He wasn’t anywhere to be seen but I felt him through the bond-he was close. Almost too close. I felt his impact against my body. Then I felt the ground.

“Hey!” I tried to scream but he placed his hand over my mouth.

“Shush. We don’t want to wake anyone now do we?” Théoden smiled down at me and I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Was the surprise attack necessary?”

“Just testing your reflexes. Not going to lie, I am disappointed.”

He stood up just as quickly as he tackled me and offered me his hand. To which I took. “Disappointed?”

“You didn’t even dodge. You just stood there.”

“I didn’t-”

He put his finger to his lips to shush me one more time. “You can’t use the excuse you didn’t know. You knew I was near.”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

“Please. That was just the first attempt.”

“So, if I was to attack again would you dodge?”

“I’d try.”

“Good. Come with me, I got some equipment for us to use.”

He moved ahead of me in the courtyard and I followed. He walked towards a pair of boxing gloves. There were two sets, one for me and one for him. “Considering you failed at a simple dodge, I want to see how you are with basic melee.” He handed me a set of gloves. “Pet these on and show me what you got.”

“Do I have to?”

“Yes.”

“Why do I have to learn these skills? I have you.” I asked as he helped me slip on the gloves.

“It’s important to rely on more than just magic and me. Your physical abilities in any fight is crucial. For the case I can not reach you in combat and danger is near, I need to know you can defend yourself. Once you learn basic defense and attack maneuvers, magic should be easier to grasp.”

Once he strapped his gloves on he smiled up at me. “Now are you ready to begin your first combat lesson?”

I looked around and then back at him. “Do you want me to practice on you?”

“Why not me?”

I felt my heart race as he took a step closer to me, filling in the distance between us. I knew it was a matter of time before he took the first swing so I knew I needed to make a quick assessment. I could sense a pressure build up in his right arm. So I knew he was going to utilize it for the attack. So I knew I had a few options, jump, duck, or tuck left.

Thankfully, my assessment was right and my quick side step to the left caused me to dodge his right hook. I sighed in relief as I knew that impact would have hurt like a bitch.

He smiled at me with a bit of pride as he steadied himself. “Now, it is your turn.”

I knew he wanted me to hurt him, however I honestly didn’t know if I could. “I don’t know if I can.”

“Just hit me Maria.” He used his authoritative voice.

That voice caused me to flinch. I hated it when he used that tone of voice on me. As he often used it to strike fear into his guards. However, perhaps that is what he wanted as he used that surprise to take another shot at my body. He impacted my left shoulder that sent a shock wave of pain through my body.

Not only did my shoulder hurt like hell but the sheer force he impacted my body with sent me back five feet. Causing my body to impact the ground. Which caused nausea to flood my body.

The initial impact dislocated my shoulder bone as the crack could be heard over my pounding heart. And then another crack as my body implanted on the ground.

I struggled to hold back a cry of agony as I bit my tongue. Heal, my body can heal itself. I reminded myself as I forced myself to sit up and was able to pop my shoulder back in place after Theo had dislocated it.

My back got messed up as my body smacked hard against a rod that was on the floor. I tried to align my back myself but failed. I wasn’t as practiced at body realignment like the guards were and damn I wished I had more practice at it.

I glared up at him, “can I have a hand?”

He stared at me briefly before he knelt down beside me to help me with my back. “I am sorry Maria. I didn’t mean to hit you that hard.” As soon as I felt my back get realigned, I couldn’t help but fling my full weight against him. To which I managed to shove him over and onto the ground.

As I pinned him down, I punched him in his left shoulder. Attempting to mimic his own hit as I utilized the strength that he put in his. I couldn’t help but feel pride race through my body as I heard a crack as my impact broke his shoulder.

He groaned as I could see his face stricken with pain. “I deserved that one.” He breathed, “I am impressed. Well done.”

He managed to find some wiggle room in hopes of healing his wound. However, my heart was still pounding as I was still in combat mode. So, instead of letting him heal his shoulder I grasped his hand that he was trying to utilize and pressed my body weight into it.

We both heard a distinct pop as another bone cracked underneath the force I put on his bones. As the pain flared through his body, I smiled at him.

He looked at me a bit wide eyed as he was shocked by the attack. However, the shock wasn’t from the pain racing through his body but the notation that I stopped his healing. “Hell.” He breathed, “that was unexpected.”

I opened my senses to him and sensed his next move. He hoped to get me off of him so he could heal. However, knowing that I knew what to do. I kissed him. Yes, I kissed him as a way to distract him. The kiss surprised him just as much as my second attack.

I felt Théo deepen the kiss, however, I failed to realize what he was about to do. Halfway through the kiss, he shoved me off of him, sending me flying in the air. Thankfully, this time I landed on my feet. With me finally off of him, he jumped to his own feet. Mixed feelings crossed his face.

“I hope you don't do that on the battlefield, Maria.” He placed his hand on his shoulder to heal it.

I gave him a smirk as I used my own healing to heal my shoulder that he hit fully. “Had to use what I got.”

He rolled his eyes, “Just not in the heat of battle, please.” he warned me, “shall we call it before we have any more broken bones? Let me look at your shoulder.” He moved towards me and examined my shoulder as he finished his own healing. "Probably going to have a nasty bruise, but I could heal it." He brushed his hand carefully against my wound and healed it the rest of the way.

“Thanks,” I responded, giving a quick kiss to his cheek, "I think Roland was cooking something up in the kitchen. Should we go eat breakfast?"

He laughed, “the cookies overwhelmed your senses, didn't they?”