(funny thing is, I was in a very similar situation a few weeks ago (although it had nothing to do with skill)... My reaction was the same as Luna's I failed utterly)

Sirel clapped her hands. "Wonderful! You've got nothing to worry about - teaching's not that hard. You'll do fine." She paused to think. "How about we start with some defense and escape moves, like the one you performed on Markus a few minutes ago? Have any tips or techniques for moves like that?"

Luna glanced between theboth of them shyly, then took Siriel's arm. "You need to be loose, but agile at the same time. If I take you in this hold-" she demonstrated by holding an arm around Siriel's neck, while her other grasped her arm. "You would jab my ribs with your free arm, then twist when you feel my grip slacken."

Markus watched as the pair engaged in their training. His hand held his chin as he analysed every move that Sirel and Luna made. They were certainly talented. "You will need to take action quickly. An orc is not patient. His desire is to kill. He will take the quickest route to do that..." He commented quietly.

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"You can also use your head, should the situation allow." Luna said quietly, her eyes dropping to the ground again, shy. "Should I again grab you from behind, you can bring your head back with enough force to stun me and leave no injury to yourself."

"Good points, all of them," Sirel said, taking their advice. She quickly manoeuvred herself out of Luna's hold. "My turn now - it's important to be an expert at your techniques. Like Markus said, speed is of the essence. But speed is useless if your technique is bad and your move doesn't accomplish anything."
She grinned. "As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect. And perfect is what you need if you're fighting for your life."

Markus nodded in agreement. "They say not to go for the obvious attack. They will be expecting that. Off course they shouldn't be too hard to distract. They will certainly go for the most obvious kill. It would be wise not to turn your back on them..." Markus trailed off as he watched Haldir approach.

"You have been doing well." Haldir smiled warmly. "You each have enough skill in this area should you need to use it. I hope that you do not. Now I shall give the three of you a choice of which skill to learn next." Haldir appeared strained and weary.

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*the obvious..* her mind echoed Markus' words quietly. Was she obvious? Was she one that would be taken down in an instant because they expected and foresaw her next move? No. She shook her head. She refused to think that way. "I will follow their choice." Luna humbly bowed her head to Haldir.

Sirel laughed. "Please tell me you're not as good at everything else as you are at hand-to-hand, because you're making me look bad," she joked, her eyes twinkling. "Personally I'd like to head to the archery range - I really need to work on my aim."

"Archery sounds great to me," Markus agreed with Sirel. He laughed softly at Luna's comment. "They say you have to watch the quiet ones," he snickered. Haldir smiled warmly. "Follow me. I will take you to the archery grounds."

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watch the quiet ones? she wondered silently. "I..." she blinked, looking at Haldir and nodding dumbly. Archery was a good way to think. She wasn't very good at it, but she had the strength to shoot the arrows.

Haldir led them down to the archery grounds, where his wife was taking lead on the training. Haldir watched as the men jumped to each and every order that Marylyn barked. She was an amazing woman. Haldir pasted a smile on his face as he crossed over to her. "I have three new recruits for you to train, my sweet."

Marylyn glanced over at her brother and his friends. "You expect me to train my baby brother? Get my baby brother ready for battle? Set him up to lose his life?" She hissed at Haldir.

Haldir frowned. "Come now Mary...We all know your brother has skill. Do not put him down. He is a grown man. He can handle himself. So can his friends. You will train them Marylyn. That is an order." Haldir swallowed deeply before excusing himself from the field.

Marylyn watched as her husband retreated. "Bows and arrows are there," she pointed to a basket. "Show me what you can do," she said, her eyes moving to rest on the trio.

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Luna held back, stunned by the brief confrontation that had just taken place. She stared at the ground, almost feeling responsible. A quick glance told her where the bows and arrows were, and she gingerly picked through them until she found one that was a good weight for her. Picking several arrows, she excused herself to the far side of the field at an empty range where targets sat.

Markus followed Luna's suit and was soon firing arrows in quick succession at the target miles down the field. He tossed an irritated glance in his sisters direction. "Why must she wrap me up in cotton wool all the time? I am a grown man now. I can look after myself. What makes her think she is so special?" He hissed beneath his breath.

Marylyn walked behind her men offering words of encouragement and in some cases constructive criticism. "The aim is to stretch the distance in which you can shoot. Keep moving away from your target. Push yourselves."

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Arrow after arrow flew at the target, yet none managed to hit it. Her shoulders slumped in discouragement. Maybe she was nit meant to fight, yet...she looked around at the others, and couldn't help but feel a fierce protectiveness.

Markus was excellent in archery. Each shot landed precisely where he meant it to. He doubled his distance after every twenty shots to test himself. At first it would be difficult, but he'd soon get the hand of it.

Marylyn spotted Luna's difficulty and crossed over to her. "Your grasp should be light on the notched arrow. Think of it as a delicate bird. Take a deep breath and focus. Take your time."

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Luna glanced at her and nodded once, attempting more as Marylyn walked away again. This time, a single arrow his the target. One down...