Wanderer

28 - Elite Princess

Jade

“Down!”

 For the countless time that afternoon, I drop to the wooden floor so hard that I swear I could feel the splinters driving into my cheek. I’m running before I’m fully upright again, running laps round the drafty training hall in the Capitol. It’s been almost an hour of this – up, down, up, down, but the slender, dark haired elf, Talath, doesn’t seem to be letting up. The plait of gold woven through his long black hair, distinguishing him as a member of the Supreme, bodyguards to the king, flashes in the sunlight.

I risk a glance through the tangle of people and catch a glimpse of Elrond, sprinting like me. His hair, almost to his shoulders, is slicked with sweat. He flashes me a quick smile, for which I am grateful. We’re all living the pain, he’s saying. Except maybe for Daeron, whose long legs give him a definite edge. He hasn’t let up yet. 

“Down!” 

The floor rushes up to meet me. My muscles are screaming. I hoist myself up and forwards into yet another sprint. I can hardly hear Talath when he cries out: “Faster!”

This is the real test. I grit my teeth and force myself into high gear. My vision blurs and all I can hear is the thundering of the running candidates. Sweat blinds me, and my aching legs threaten to give out. Thankfully, it lasts a mere three laps with no stops before Talath calls a halt. 

“You just ran for almost an hour, fifteen kilometers in total. While I see room for improvement, I am generally impressed. Excellent effort on the part of the Arverniens. Go and get cleaned up for supper now.”

I find Elrond as we file out of the hall. He looks exhausted, but his eyes are bright. He wipes his dripping face on a towel and nods as Talath gives him a clap on the shoulder as he goes by. We gather up our things from the hallway outside, and push open a door into the sunlight.

“Am I ever glad that is over!” Elrond exclaims. “I never knew there were so many shades of purple.” He taps his face, which is red, not purple.

“There’s another one coming tomorrow!” I tell him.

We laugh together, and hold hands as we travel back to the Elite’s quarters, a high, sprawling wing of the Capitol’s main palace.

Elrond holds open the door for me and, as I cross the threshold from light to shady coolness, a sudden wave of homesickness crashes over me. It’s all I can do to accompany El up the stairs and down the hallway to where our rooms are side by side. I open the door and smile goodbye to Elrond. The door slams shut behind me, and I am standing in my quarters. 

I love them. When I walked into my room for the first time, I had the same feeling I had when I listened to some musicians in the Capitol: This is something special. It’s a living area first, with a plush couch and coffee table. A huge bookcase, empty when I came, is now stocked with books in one corner. The windows are enormous, and warm the room with sunlight when I’m gone. I walk one way into my bedroom, where the huge queen bed piled with covers, puffs, and pillows is easily my favorite piece of furniture. I throw my pack down on the bed and grab a towel from the inside of my closet. In the bathroom, I run a bath. Soap, shampoo and body oils all come from the second shelf of the cupboard. The first shelf is empty. On a good day, it will be stocked with cosmetics; today, my cosmetics are on the counter by the sink.

The silky waters of the salted bath do little to ease me, though. As much as I love the freedom that’s been given to me; the walks around the capitol, exploring the markets, hills, dinner every night with El – except for the mandatory training sessions, we’re free – I still miss home. I try and concentrate on washing the stress away with the sweat and grime, but it hurts me.