4 Gift

I let out a brief sigh as I waited outside the large doors to the banquet hall, where the majority of the forests' residents would undoubtedly be gathered. Every time that Celeborn called on the people, they came. It had been this way for hundreds of years now, and tradition/habit was extremely hard to change in such a long-lived race. After some reflection on Thranduil's memories, I decided that the long lifespan was what made Elves so arrogant and dismissive of other races.

I had no such prejudice since I came from an outside perspective, but the vast majority of Elves looked down upon the other races. Even the milder Elves, like the members of my family, still found any non-elf distasteful to be around. I found the practice inane but found no reason to comment on it since I would be met with disagreement, and I didn't really care to change anyone's mind. I planned to leave the forest in a few years anyway. 

I was broken from my thoughts as the large door in front of me was pulled open by two guards, and I walked out onto a large stage-like platform that made up a small section of the banquet hall. This area was slightly raised from the rest of the hall which actually wasn't a hall at all. It was more like I had walked outside. The walls of the room fell away and opened up into a large grove of fruit trees with long benches where diners would sit, winding through the trees in large arching rows. Lanterns and various magical lights hung suspended or floated among the branches of the trees.

At a small table at the edge of the small stage, right before the small drop-off to the rest of the dining area, the rest of the royal family sat. We were the only ones to sit on this small stage by the doors since it allowed us to be better seen by the people while still allowing us to engage in conversation easily with the other elves nearby. I entered right as my father was mid-speech, gesturing grandly in my direction as I straightened up and purposefully walked evenly toward the table.

The previous Thranduil had more or less been a cripple, so this display caused the crowd to go quiet before they began cheering loudly for me. I looked out over the thousands of gathered citizens of the forest and couldn't help but smile. So much attention was a bit nerve-wracking, but it was also exhilarating. I gave a modest wave, which only caused the clapping to swell. I could see the honest joy in the people's eyes as I sat at the table, joy at seeing their Prince fully recovered. It was an odd sight to me, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, not that I let that show on my face.

Since the dinner was in my honor, I had to deal with many Elves coming up and bowing to me, expressing their happiness at my recovery. Ever the gracious Prince, I took time to listen to each of them and gave a polite but more personalized and non-generic reply before sending them away. This quickly became tiring, but I felt that it was good to try and cultivate and then maintain a generous and magnanimous image. Plus, it seemed to be pre-programmed into my attitude through Thranduil's memories. 

It was the same with his mannerisms and movements, too. I found myself moving more gracefully and with more coordination in this body than I had been previously. There were no wasted movements when I moved, and my body didn't even twitch during long periods of inaction. On top of that, I also found formal etiquette instinctual and easy to maintain and my posture remained immaculate no matter if I was thinking about it or not. These were just some of the small passive benefits I gained from inhabiting this body.

I spent the dinner waiting for the perfect opportunity to make my case to my father. Though he was commonly engaged in conversation with his advisors, my sister, or both at the same time. Watching them interact together, I could tell that our father was slowly starting to give more and more of the decision-making authority to my sister. She was in her prime, after all, only around 300 years old, and Celeborn was getting old. He still didn't look that old outwardly, but he was noticeably greying and starting to show signs of age.

Here in the world of Danmachi, elves are born and then mature, stopping the aging process around the age of 20. Then they stay that age for a few hundred years until age hits them all at once again at the end. So, even though Celebron didn't look any older than 40 now, he would almost certainly be dead within the next 100 years, if not sooner. He was already 862 years old, which was considered fairly long for an elf, especially a King.

So I waited until he purposely turned toward me and gestured me closer, "Thranduil, I feel that it is about time that we discuss your training." 

"Now that I am no longer sick, I feel that this is the perfect time to get started. I at least want to learn how to handle a weapon properly if you permit nothing else." I said, looking my father directly in his ancient eyes.

This prompted him to raise an eyebrow and ask, "Do you feel that I wouldn't accept your training request?"

"Probably not, but it's best to prepare the worst since that makes everything easier," I said with a shrug.

"There is wisdom in your words." he said, patting my shoulder and grinning, "However, I must admit that I am getting too old to train you directly. I can teach the basics of my swordsmanship, but I was not expecting another child so late in my life. You are a blessing, Thranduil, just one that came a bit later in my life than I would have wished."

I nodded in understanding at his words, "I have no objections as long as you give me some instruction."

"I will, but in terms of practical combat, you will have to face my personal guard," he said, gesturing to similar guards to the ones that had been protecting me through the day.

"I will be ready to start tomorrow," I said with a polite inclination of my head.

"You will need a blade if I am to teach you," Celebron said as he raised a hand and snapped, immediately causing one of his guards to step forward, a bundle wrapped up in cloth held in their hands, "A training sword, though it can be used as a real weapon if you infuse it with magic."

I looked down at the cloth bundle and removed it from the guard's hands. Removing the sheet revealed a plain longsword carved from wood. The only decoration was a single stag before a large tree etched into the pommel of the blade lightly. However, despite its plain wooden appearance, this wasn't just any wood. Even through the cloth wrapping the weapon, I could feel its power sitting idly within the wood, waiting to be used. 

"It's carved from a branch of the Spirit Tree here. Not only that, but it is one of the more ancient branches that I have collected over the centuries." 

No words came to my mouth, so I bowed deeply, prompting my father to reach forward and ruffle my hair slightly, "No need to get so worked up, son. Why don't you retire early? You can use the rest after everything that happened. We start at dawn tomorrow." 

"I will be there, Father," I said, moving from my seat and heading toward the door. 

I held the sword at my side as I moved, already adapting to the comfortable weight of the weapon held by my side. 'I will have to get a sheath eventually,' I thought as I looked down at the wooden sword. I could almost feel the wood calling out to me to push my magic through it. That made sense since all branches of the spirit trees used by elves turn into excellent magical catalysts that enhance any magic used through them. I wasn't sure if I would use it for that propose, but I would definitely be training with the weapon for the foreseeable future. 

I couldn't help but test out a few practice swings with my sword as I walked through the hallways, feeling a bit silly but excited. For the time being, I retreated to my room and slid into bed as moonlight shone through the large arched windows of my room. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep, anticipating the coming days' training with my father. That will be the point after which I dedicate all my effort to training and improvement, preparing myself for the future. 

 Then, I will head toward Orario and see what happens from there. That's when my true adventure will start.

=== === === === ===

With this, the pre-training setup is done. One or two chapters about training and or his new skills and powers, then starting the journey to Orario 👍