The Royal Mark-Chapter 205: Are You Entertained Now?
Elsa wastes no time daily. She knows that every minute is crucial and there are only three weeks before the blood moon, she must acquire Ciel, the most stubborn of all her dogs.
"Mom! I am ready! Oh my God!" Elsa called out as soon as she arrived at the training ground.
Hera, who was setting up the training ground together with Queen Ydril turned their gaze to Elsa, who looked shocked upon seeing the obstacle course that was made just for her.
"When you said new lesson, I didn’t think of this. Why?" Elsa stretched out both her arms and pointed to the obstacle course that looked very hard to complete.
It has wooden logs lined up on the ground with sandbags above it. At the end of it was a wooden ladder that led up to a thick rope that she guessed she needed to cross and a large rock wall with a red flag on top.
"I thought you wanted something hard? Is this too much for you? We can still cancel it–
Elsa quickly interrupted her mother and waved her hands, "No, no, no! That’s not what I meant. I was just surprised since I am training for air magic and not becoming a ninja!"
"A ninja? What’s that?" Queen Ydril asked.
"Don’t mind her, Your Majesty. Elsa is just exaggerating," Hera said before asking Elsa a question. "Remember what I told you about the air element when you were young and about to receive your magic?"
"Yeah. That air is the element of freedom and wisdom," Elsa recalled.
"Correct but also, air magic is a defensive element. We, air mages usually use it to avoid and evade attacks. We also use it to create barriers to protect and defend others. To be able to do that, you have to move like a wind and learn to be evasive, just like what you compared it with, a ninja," Hera explained.
"But Mom, I only have three weeks, when are you going to teach me how to control and manipulate the air element?"
"When you reach that red flag within without falling to the ground."
Her jaw dropped when she heard that, so she asked, "But can I practice first before starting the actual course, just for muscle memory?"
"Sure, that would be fine. The queen and I will be sitting under that tree. Call for us when you are ready," Hera and Queen Ydril walked towards the tree’s shade when Elsa nodded in agreement.
The two women enjoyed tea served by the queen’s servant as they watched Elsa hop from one log to the other multiple times. She did it perfectly without falling down and repeated it again and again. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
"I hope your daughter realizes that those logs will not stay steady and those sandbags will not stay stationary," Queen Ydril said while taking a sip from the teacup.
"Oh, Your Majesty, we wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise don’t we?" Hera said and they both laughed.
When Elsa was done practicing with the logs, she went to the rope that was tied to the top of a wooden ladder while the other end was tied to the rock wall twenty feet from the ground.
Hera and Queen Ydril saw Elsa had difficulty at first but eventually figured out that hugging the rope with her legs was the easier technique rather than walking on top of the wiggly rope.
After a few successful tries, she then tested her rock climbing technique on the rock wall. She was surprised that she was able to do it much faster than the other two.
"Mom, Your Majesty! I did it!" Elsa shouted on top of the rock wall while waving the red flag.
"So, my Queen, do you think you are ready?" Hera asked Queen Ydril while smiling mischievously.
"Ready as I will ever be," Queen Ydril giggled.
Hera gestured for Elsa to climb down and go to them. When she got to the ground and turned to look at her mother and the queen, she was astonished to see a lot of elves surrounding the obstacle course.
’Where did they come from?’ she asked herself inwardly.
When she reached her mom, Hera said as she handed her a glass, "Here, it’s mint hone. You must be thirsty."
"I am, thank you," Elsa then quickly asked her mother after finishing her drink. "Who are those? Are they going to watch me?"
"Uhm, yes and no. They are part of the obstacle course," her mother said.
"How are they going to be part of it?" Elsa asked. She had a bad feeling about it.
"You’ll see when you start. Don’t be afraid now, sweetheart. Your mother will not do anything to harm you," Hera smiled at Elsa but she only squinted at her mother.
A few moments later...
"Don’t you love me anymore, Mom?! Let me remind you, I am your only daughter!" Elsa shouted as she stood on top of the platform where the obstacle course would start.
"Of course, I love you, dear! That’s why only want what’s best for you!" Hera shouted back.
Elsa’s face turned sour as she shifted back her gaze to the logs and sandbags in front of her that were moving. The logs that she stepped on earlier were now rotating and shaking while the sandbags above it were swaying alternately left and right.
"Shoot, if I am not careful, I would have bruises on my face when I face Chris and he might think I turned into some kind of a thug," Elsa murmured to herself.
"Go ahead, honey! You can start now!" Hera shouted from her spot.
"Hmmp... Easy for you to say..." she whispered to herself.
She stared at the sandbags and logs for a moment, studying their moves and intervals while checking the elves who were manipulating them with air and earth magic.
Elsa jumped on the first log and as expected... She fell, hitting her bum on the ground. She tried again... and again... and again but it was useless, the sandbags would either hit her or she would lose her footing on the log.
On her eighth try, she got furious...
"That’s it! I’ve had enough! You want me to reach the flag and only said to cross the freaking impossible obstacle course. Then I’ll do it my way!" She shouted to her mother, who smiled meaningfully at her.
"Ignem globi ignem!" Elsa uttered, casting fireballs, and shooting each sandbag.
"Terram rursus in solidum!" Elsa then hardened the ground around each log making them steady.
"Yes!" she cheered and immediately hopped onto each log until she reached the end.
She quickly climbed the wooden ladder and wrapped her legs around the rope while pulling herself across it... Until she saw something bright in her peripheral view.
Incoming fireballs were what she saw when she turned her head to her left where the elves were.
"What the fuck?!" she exclaimed as she evaded one that was about to hit her.
Her hands let go of the rope, her body hung upside down.
"Acqua tormentis!" Elsa shoots water cannons at the incoming fireballs but it is too many and she needs to reach the rock wall.
"Argh! Forget it! Aqua scutum praesidium!" she decided to cast a water shield around herself just like her divine protection shield. This way she could keep going to reach the rock wall without worrying about the fireballs hitting her.
Elsa was panting when she reached the rock and swiftly turned to her mom and yelled, "Are done trying to kill me?!"
But Hera and Queen Ydril only laughed at her and gave her two thumbs up.
"Hmmp, they are enjoying this, annoying," she uttered to herself before starting to climb the rock wall.
The moment she placed both hands on the rock wall and made her first step, the rocks became soft and slippery making her fall back to the ground.
"What the? Even this?" she uttered.
Elsa closed her eyes and breathed in and out deeply, trying her best not to lose her remaining patience. She stepped back her right foot, bent her arms slightly, and closed her right fist, before punching the ground.
The land started shaking as if there was an earthquake. A portion of the rock wall started collapsing and blocks of rocks appeared. Elsa carved herself a stair and cast a spell, "Solidatur meo imperio!" before taking her first step.
She climb the stairs that she created using her earth magic with stomping feet and humped back and stiff shoulders.
Upon reaching the top she just raised the flag and shouted, "Are you entertained now?! I– AHH!!!"
What she was not expecting was for someone to push her while standing on top of the twenty-foot rock formation. It was so sudden that she did not see who did that to her.
She extended her arms, her palms facing the ground. She didn’t know what came to her but she thought about her hair blower as she looked at the ground as she fell. She closed her eyes in fear but instead, she felt a strong blow of air straight to her face. The fall that she was expecting did not happen at all.
