Between the Willow Trees [NaNoWriMo 2013] (Editing)

Chapter 8: Learning to Fight

Chapter 8: Learning to Fight

The days begin to speed by repetitively. In the morning I meet everyone for breakfast where conversation seems to be a lot easier now that I’m certain no one hates me. Then after we’ve eaten Erin and Levi drag me up to the training room to fight. They show me how to use a variety of weapons and how to fight without them. We stop training for lunch which is then followed by our daily meeting in the library where we go over our plan, fixing any flaws. Once the meeting is finished Erin and Levi will take me back upstairs to train some more. Occasionally Ember will join us to see how we’re progressing. Sometimes Luna leaves the garden to watch too, though she prefers to be outdoors. One day even Aranni comes to check up on us, he spends most of the time frowning though and I wonder if perhaps I’m not learning fighting techniques quick enough.  I don’t seem to see much of Alexander though and I assume that he probably just doesn’t like me all that much.

Then we have dinner and spend the evenings just generally having fun. Alexander will shape-shift into any object, animal or person we shout out. Erin shifts into someone’s type and we have to guess whose type she is. Ember, after a lot of convincing because she’s so serious all the time and needs to loosen up, will show us tricks with fire. Luna offers to braid my hair with flowers and I let her. Levi will try to persuade each of us to do stupid things and he’s very good at that. Aranni sits in an armchair and repeatedly tells us how immature we all are as he remains all moody and serious. I definitely look forward to the evenings because it’s the only time I get to forget about Thorne and everything that’s happened because of him.  I always hate going to sleep though because he haunts my dreams and I often wake up crying or screaming. Sometimes Levi hears and tries to calm me down. Erin notices the bags forming under my eyes because of my lack of a good night’s sleep and she offers to cover them up for me. It really feels like I’ve made some good friends here.

On the day before me and Levi have to travel to the portal I destroyed, we are all in the training room. Erin keeps telling me that she has a plan to help me learn to fight Thorne if I have to. Out of everyone she understands the conflict that’s inside me; I want to hurt Thorne but I also don’t want to. She plans on helping me resolve this. She also believes that if Thorne is put in a situation where he has to fight me then he would hold back a little. He won’t put all his strength in his blows and he will definitely fight fairly.

We’re both standing on the training mats, a few steps away from each other in fighting stances.

“The plan is that I’ll change my appearance so that I look like Thorne and then we’ll fight. Hopefully this will help you with your reluctance to hurt him,” Erin explains. “If you really don’t want me to change into him then speak now and I won’t.”

“It’s fine, please change into him. It’ll definitely help.”

She grows a lot taller and her hair gets shorter until it’s the same length as Thorne’s. Her green eyes don’t change but her face shifts until it is Thorne’s face. Eventually her clothes change too, until she’s wearing the outfit I’ve always seen Thorne in. An intricate silver pocket watch even appears around her neck, both hands pointing to thirteen. She’s certainly got the image right, but she doesn’t have the same mannerisms and stance as Thorne has. She can’t quite act like him.

“Are you definitely alright with this?” she asks and her voice is Thorne’s too. That familiar deep velvety tone I’ve known for many years. It startles me for a second and I almost want to reach for a weapon to protect myself from him.

“It’s okay. Let’s fight.”

Without a warning she runs towards me. I hold my breath as duck under her arms and end up behind her. I grab hold of her arm and pull it backwards, but suddenly find myself letting go and taking a step backwards.

Erin sees my hesitation and decided to egg me on.

“No Astrid. It’s me, Thorne,” she shouts. “I made you kill your parents. I tricked you into burning your house to the ground. I made you destroy the last portal to Elethoria. Remember how angry that makes you. Take your anger out on the person who caused all this!”

I suppose Erin is too busy getting me worked up to play close attention to me. While she’s busy yelling in my face I drop down to the ground and kick her legs out from beneath her. She tumbles to the ground, changing back to her normal self in the process.

“Does someone else volunteer to be Thorne?” Erin asks from the training mat. She doesn’t look as though she can be bothered to get up.

“I’ll be Thorne,” offers Alexander, his hand up in the air. I hadn’t even noticed that he’s in the room. He isn’t usually a part of the crowd that comes up here.

I help Erin up and Alexander comes to take her place on the mat. I remember that he’s a shape-shifter, so it’s possible that he can also turn into people. Alexander is much closer to Thorne in terms of strength, so this shall be a more accurate situation, though he could never be as strong as Thorne is. He stands opposite me and gradually changes into Thorne.

“Get him, Astrid!” Erin calls from the side.

I try to stand my ground but when he begins to walk towards me I feel scared. Alexander seems to portray Thorne a lot better than Erin did, he’s even smirking the same way Thorne does. I raise my fists and shuffle backwards and to the side, keeping my eyes on him. Running seems like a better option that fighting right now but I force myself to remember that it’s impossible to run from Thorne. If I even try to run he’ll just teleport and stop me in my tracks.

Suddenly he lunges forward, aiming to punch me in the face. I try to knock his arm away the way Erin had taught me but Alexander is much stronger. It takes all my strength and even then I only manage to stop his punch from hitting me but ducking. He tries to kick my legs as I had done to Erin but I’m much quicker and I manage to jump over them. I almost stumble and fall though.

“Stop defending yourself and hit him, Astrid! You know how much pain Thorne’s caused you; it’s time to take it out on him!” Erin yells.

“I’ll never be able to, he’s too strong!” I reply.

“Then try to use his strength against him,” she advises.

I remember the weak points Erin told me about: eyes, throat, groin and knees. It’s probably best to try and go for one of them. He’s coming back towards me, ready for the next strike. I watch him carefully, waiting for his attack. Eventually he tries to punch me again and this time I abandon trying to deflect it. Instead I dive onto the floor and between his legs. Once I’m on my feet behind him I strike fast, kicking him hard in the back of his knees. He curses and stumbles but doesn’t fall.

When he spins back around I’m ready to attack. First I stomp my foot down on his toes, then I throw a quick punch in his stomach. Then I twist around and kick him in the stomach as quick as I can. The next punch is aimed at his face.

I realise how strong he is so I go all out, putting everything into every strike I make. Then I remember one of the most important facts Levi told me. Men have more upper body strength while women have more lower body strength. I find a way to distract him and then I lunge for his waist, grabbing on tightly. I use all the strength in my legs and gradually manage to lift him off of the ground. This move is too quick for him to even try to struggle; before he knows what I’m doing I slam him onto the ground over my shoulder. On the ground Alexander shifts back into himself.

“Well done,” says Ember who’s standing beside Erin.

Although I am rather pleased at beating the crap out of Alexander pretending to be Thorne, I’m also filled with disappointment.

“It’s a shame that a fight against Thorne won’t ever be that easy. He’s so much stronger and he can just disappear.”

“But remember that I told you men don’t like to cheat in a fight and women do. That’s where you’ll have a slight advantage,” Erin reminds me.