The smile that graced Petra's pretty face widened a little more when Elwen said that she was okay with the accommodations. Petra was glad that their guest was happy, especially considering that she was the reason for the wild Elf's visit. The comment a out not being a difficult guest had the half-Elf's lips trembling with the effort of repressing her laughter. She knew for certain that her parents would disagree  with that assessment but she studied the warrior's face, her head quirked to the side as she quickly examined the situation. It was not meant to be a humorous statement, Elwen truly did not see her actions as being difficult. She was just reacting to the situation as her experience dictated that she should.<br/><br/>It was a somber reminder of the life that she was going to be moving into and she took a deep breath to try and stifle the fear that was welling up inside of her once again. Her smile came back at the compliment "thank you Milady, I appreciate your kind words." It seemed for a moment like there was more she wished to say but Petra realized nothing would be gained by telling her guest about how little her parents seemed to think about her overall. Those bright blue eyes darted to the swords when Elwen tapped on the scabbards. Her curiosity gnawed at her, wanting so desperately to know what purpose they served.<br/><br/>Petra simply observed silently, curious when the wild elf seemed to drift off for a moment. She returned the apologetic smile with a soft, understanding one and listened to the other elf speak. "Prepare me how?" She asked softly, trying to keep her voice neutral but showing concern in her eyes. It was reassuring to hear that she would not have to abandon her love of books in her new life. That alone offered much solace. Seeing the training sword in the Elf's hand, Petra but at her lower lip. Even though the edge was blunt, she had no doubt that Elwen could easily break bones or split skulls with the weapon all the same.<br/><br/>When the topic of the commander clearly had the young woman's interest. She leaned in despite the niggling little fear that she felt. "The commander sounds very brave and respected. Perhaps I am luckier than I originally thought." She blushed and nervously tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her slightly pointed ear. "Please forgive me Milady... I misspoke. Of course I am lucky to be betrothed to such a man." She swallowed nervously, doubting that her apology rang true. It was mildly frustrating that the warrior showed little expression. Normally Petra could tell a person's mood or feelings but the elf was inscrutable. The mention that the Deshen might fear the commander was a worrisome thought considering that if that ever came to conflict she could be a target. For now there was nothing that Petra could do about that. She had no idea if her future husband to be would even find her pleasing enough to keep around.<br/><br/>Petra nodded, eyes alight with eagerness. She was always interested in knowing more about anything, everything, and if Elwen would tell her the things she wanted to know then training in things she would need to know anyway seemed a more than fair trade. Up until the training sword was presented to her pommel first her sheltered mind had not been able to grasp the idea that swinging a sword would be amongst the things she would be expected to learn, even with the weapons sitting there, and her apprehension was clear on her face.<br/><br/>"I... I am to learn swordplay?" There was an odd duality to the thoughts racing through her head. On one hand she had the childish thought of herself as a powerful warrior like Elwen and on the other was a rising panic that even as a trophy wife to this general the world she was about to be thrown into was so dangerous that it was mandatory that she learn to protect herself. She took the sword and tried to push down the anxiety she felt. Taking Elwen's hand when it was offered, she rose gracefully from her seat and followed the much taller woman to the other room.<br/><br/>The sword was heavy and she doubted that she would be in any way effective in its use but she had to try. Maybe showing that she was trying would be enough at first. The little voice that told her to ask for a little leniency at the start was silenced forcibly in her mind. One thing the few books she had found on wild elves had all agreed on was that they abhorred weakness... And if she was ever going to impress this future husband of hers, she would have to get very good at being strong very quickly, or at least get very good at faking it. She took a deep breath, looking up at the woman standing opposite to her and feeling completely outmatched. "Okay," her soft, pink tongue slid over her lips on a nervous gesture. ",how do we begin?"<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>