There and Back Again

Chapter Twenty-Three: A Moment of Peace

Trying to catch her breath, Thalia swirled her sword as she kept her eyes on her rival and she had to admit that she would much rather be doing this instead of sitting listening to one of Dís's lessons. 

The training that she had gotten when she had been at Camp Half-Blood had come in handy and Thalia was just pleased to have a sword back in her hand even if it was just sparring for an hour. 

Dwalin was sat off to the side watching her and she had a feeling that he would be reporting back to Thorin about what was happening here; it had been awhile since she had held a sword in her hand like this. 

However, with news reaching them that war had broken out, no one wanted them to be unprepared for what would happen when war finally reached the gates of the Mountain. 

Thorin had been trapped in back-to-back meetings with Dale and Mirkwood as they prepared for might come their way and the news that Rohan was already under siege; an alliance between the three realms was needed to protect them all. 

The dwarf that she was sparring with lunged forward and Thalia was quick to block the attack; she wanted to be prepared for every eventuality that might come her way. 

The fact that another war was starting meant that Thalia was starting to think what might happen if the gates were breeched; she wanted to protect her children at all costs. 

There was no telling how this was all going to play out and Thalia wanted to be prepared for whatever came; there was a nagging feeling telling her that there was something that she was missing. 

No one wanted to think about what would happen if the gates were breeched during battle, nor did they want to consider what that would mean if the orcs reached the location where the high-born ladies would be hidden. 

Dodging out of the way of another attack, Thalia was pleased that she was doing so well; she had only started sparring two weeks earlier and she was relieved that she still remembered the skills that she had been taught while back in her own world. 

Her time, as brief as it was, at Camp Half-Blood had done her some good and Thalia had no doubts that the skills would come in handy now.

Thalia moved swiftly to disarm her opponent and she could not keep the smile from her face when she was finally holding the other sword along with her own; she wanted to prove that she could defend herself. 

The sound of a commotion caught Thalia's attention as she helped her opponent back to their feet, she peeked towards Dwalin wondering if he did not have anything better to do then watch her spar. 

With war brewing, Dwalin would be needed he was captain of the guard and the body guard of the King; he could not be spared at times like this especially to watch a boring sparring session such as this. 

"What's going on?" Thalia asked curiously walking over to him, she was happy to be away from wedding planning and she was in no hurry to hear more about all the details that had been put in place by Dís while she had been sparring. 

Dwalin puffed on his pipe and raised an eyebrow at Thalia, he was impressed with her skills and he had to admit that it relieved him somewhat that she would be able to defend herself if something happened. 

Flói might have been assigned to protect her but there was a strong chance that he would not always be able to protect her especially with war coming to them; she would need to know how to fight better than she had done last time. 

Though Dwalin did not doubt her skill, she had taken on Azog alone and held her own before besting him in combat; he feared more than anything that she might be out of practice.