The Light of Elysium

12 - Queen's Conquest

(Darish's PoV)

After taking Elissa through warm up exercises, I show her how the movement can be made faster and used defensively. She is a diligent pupil, so I attempt an attack move, which she parries, but then over balances.

I offer her my hand and at the same time my smile. "Have patience. It will take time and practice before you can be expected to be proficient. Already I am seeing improvements in your reflexes."

"Not fast enough evidently as you just knocked me on my butt! It's just," she pauses and bites her lip, "I don't want to be that helpless again."

We have an unspoken agreement not to discuss that night. I do not wish to dent her confidence, so do not voice my concerns that neither of the two of us may ever be accomplished enough to win against a dark elf. I found to my own cost how fiendishly fast they can be. If not for Zane, my time in Elysium would have come to an end in that alley.

"Shall we call it a morning and break our fast?"

Elissa nods and we go into the tent to change. Since arriving on the Diamond Isle, we have been camping again as every single room is booked out ahead of the Lammas festival. I try not to be nervous at the thought of competing in the games.

It is a fine morning so we sit outside to eat. We are not the only ones reduced to camping and the field is bright with tents all the colours of the rainbow. We however have ample space as no one seems too keen to pitch close to a dragon.

Elissa rests her back against Roth and drinks tea from her dragon cup, which she has nicknamed Roth Jr.

I reflect how things have changed since she came into my life. I used to enjoy my solitude in the mornings, now I enjoy being able to teach her and simply sitting in companionable silence, like we are now. Whereas Zane can be rather overwhelming, Elissa has a calming soul.

She starts to sing the 'dance of the sun and the moon' and I cannot help myself from joining in. She has picked up the elven words and inflections with surprising ease.

Zane comes strolling back, he was out last night, again! He is such an unashamed bedswerver. Elissa jumps up and runs over to him. He picks her up and swings her around.

"I cannot stay long. I have just come to get Roth to go down to the harbour."

"You're off again? I have barely seen you these past few days," she whines.

"I know, little one. Just this one last day and then no more work for us for the next few days." He ruffles her hair before promising, "I will bring you back a gift."

She seems a little deflated to see them fly off, so I offer a distraction. "Would you care for a game of Queen's Conquest?"

"Ok, but I still kind of suck." At my look of complete bemusement, she qualifies, "I am not very good at it."

"As I said earlier, one does not become accomplished without practice."

I get fetch my Queen's Conquest board and set down the wooden figures. My father lovingly carved each one and gave me the set in honour of my hundredth birthday.

I automatically start setting out ebony pieces, placing a dark elven lord and his five soldiers in each of the corners of the board.

Elissa groans. "Why do I always play the light elves?"

"It is easy for a beginner to be the defending White Queen."

"But you have more pieces."

"I have four separate groups of elves to consider," I counter.