Sword Practice
A/N: Well, I do have to say that I was awful flattered with the comments I received for When in the Woods;) they made me feel all tingly inside…I thought that since you all were so kind as to review, that I would make a sequel a.k.a the title of this fic Sword Practice, as you can see, I'm VERY creative with the naming of the fics(I wish). Anywhoo, on with the story…
"Maybe you need a mentor. Someone to train you like a real Knight." Arthur suggested.
"Oh really?" Gwen asked.
"Yes really."
"Do you know anyone in particular?" She grinned knowingly.
"I may know someone…" He smirked.
"Really, I do doubt that Morgana would care to spend the rest of her day in the forest." Guinevere chuckled at his dumbstruck expression.
"Morgana!" Arthur exclaimed.
"Well, she is quite handy with a sword…." He stared at her with his jaw dropped. "…and if memory serves me correctly, she's won more than her fair share of spars against you." He snapped his mouth shut.
"Actually, she's 'won' only once out of sheer luck, for the sun happened to be shining very brightly that day." Arthur argued.
"Oh I don't doubt that in the least." Gwen said, her grin was contradicting her statement. "I was hoping that since Morgana can't be here, that you would kindly take her place."
"I'd be glad to substitute the Lady Morgana." Arthur stated with sarcasm. "If you would be so kind as to pick up your sword." He said, Guinevere did so. "Show me how you typically hold your sword." She placed the sword as she did earlier, parallel to her body. "Good, but…" He moved closer to her, and placed his hands and her elbows, "…you should elevate your arms for a more powerful swing." He said lifting her elbows a little more. Guinevere could feel the heat of his body radiate onto her in waves that made her weak at the knees; she shivered at the feeling of electricity that ran up her spine.
Arthur caught up in his own feelings of heat, mistook her tremor. "It will be difficult to hold the sword in that position, but you'll grow used to it. Make sure that your grip on the hilt is secure." Guinevere could hold the sword easy enough. He mistook her small frame for that of a noblewoman; Guinevere was not a weak woman. Years of servitude, and lifting had made her quite tolerant of weight. Her sword actually felt nice in the palm of her hand, it was neither too heavy, nor too light.
"With the swing and thrust, there will be three major contact points: the head and neck area, the middle, and the legs. Each point has certain advantages as well as disadvantages. If you swing straight for the head and neck area and succeed, you have killed your opponent. If you swing for the head and neck area and fail, you leave the rest of your body unarmed, and it gives your opponent easy access. If you swing for middle you should aim for the heart, keep the attack straight and to the point. This is probably your best bet, and the most merciful course of action. If you aim at the legs, you leave your opponent injured, giving you the upper hand. If you fail at striking the legs, you leave your head and neck open for your opponent's pleasure." He said quietly, he was fairly close to her ear, and then he took a step backwards so that he would be out of the path of the sword.
"Now swing, I want you to imagine your opponent…" she nodded "…and strike the neck, then the heart, then the legs." Guinevere did exactly as he instructed, then turned towards him, Arthur nodded in approval. Guinevere smiled. "Good, very good."
"I do pride myself in being a rather quick learner." She admitted.
"You may be a quick learner, but you are far from finished."
"How so?" Guinevere asked.
"You've only learned how to properly hold you sword and how to swing it." Arthur said.
"Well, it's a good thing I have the rest of the day." Guinevere lifted her sword back into position. "What next?"
"Eager to learn are we?" Arthur smirked playfully.
"Very." She said
"If only you shared your enthusiasm with my Knights, you are a far better student than they are…" He trailed off, lost in his own little world for a moment. "The next lesson is Balance, and it is fairly easy. Hold your sword into position again." Guinevere did. "The first thing is to check your footing; your feet should be shoulder width apart." Guinevere re-arranged her feet. "This gives you your initial balance and lets you strike without being hit, but once the fight begins, never should you allow your feet to get too close together, it will throw off your balance. To keep your balance, try sliding your feet rather than taking the unnecessary time and energy lifting them. Watch your opponent's movements and learn when he moves in to attack." She nodded in understanding.
"The last thing you need to know is Defending. There are a multitude of ways that you can defend yourself during a fight, but the most used is half-swording. It is dangerous and you should only resort to it when it is absolutely necessary. Holding your sword by the blade will cause an injury in itself." Guinevere nodded for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. "Now, can you remember everything that I have told you?"
"I should hope so." Guinevere said. Arthur was twirling his sword in the ground. "Now, fight me."
"What!" Arthur's head snapped up, his eyes wide.
"The only way to affirm if I have learned anything is to test myself. I would much rather test that out with you, than the first time with someone whose goal is to kill me." Was her response.
Arthur shook his head, "I can't Guinevere. Teaching you is one thing, actually fighting you is another. I could very well hurt you." That was the very last thing Arthur would ever want to do. Guinevere was flattered that Arthur was worried about her, but if he wouldn't test her out of concern she'd just have to take matters into her own hands, and leave him no choice.
Gwen swung her sword as hard as she could muster, hoping to god that she didn't hurt him.
Out of instinct, Arthur lifted his sword to block the blow that Guinevere had sent his way. "What are you doing!" he was incredulous.
"Testing myself." She responded swinging the sword again, this time aiming at his feet, he blocked again.
"Guinevere, I insist that you cease this, you're not even wearing chainmail!" He exclaimed. He parried her next strike and took a step back.
"I'll manage." She said coming towards him again, he was going to argue further, but she didn't give him the chance. Guinevere attacked with full force, striking above, at his torso, then his legs. Arthur matched her hits, trying to only defend his self. He didn't want to hurt her accidently, but she was making it fairly hard.
Perhaps if he fought back, nowhere near his full potential, he would be able to give her the benefit of satisfaction. He blocked her blow, then pushed back, moving her back into the clearing and further away from the trees. Guinevere swung her sword, and Arthur blocked then struck back not added that much force.
Guinevere was no idiot; she knew what Arthur was doing. He thought that if he pretended to fight, that he would be exempt from the whole point of the test. She lifted her sword, and swung for his arm, Arthur wasn't expecting this, and wasn't able to move quite fast enough, Guinevere nicked his shoulder.
"Sire, I apologize, I didn't realized your reflexes were not in optimal condition." That got his attention.
"My reflexes are fine." He said through his teeth. She was making this harder than it needed to be. If she wanted a fight, then he would give her one. Arthur raised his sword, and struck in the direction of Guinevere's left leg, and she blocked it. He struck again on the opposite side only for it to be blocked again. He had taken the upper hand, and was fighting while she was only left with room to defend.
"How's that for none optimal reflexes!" He asked as she just barely dodged the last strike he threw her way.
"Better." Gwen said with a small smile. He watched her as she stalked slowly around him, she was waiting for the perfect moment to strike, a moment when for a second, he would let his guard down.
The moment Guinevere pounced on Arthur, he was not expecting it. Guinevere attacked ferociously now that she was sure that Arthur was fighting fair, she wanted to show him that she was a fast learner, and excelled at things faster than most did.
Arthur was curious as to where the new strength had come from; it was like a random burst of energy that he didn't know could be withheld in the frame of such a small person.
"Where did all this energy come from?" Arthur asked crossing swords with Guinevere.
"Who's to say it wasn't there to begin with?" She asked sweeping behind him.
"I believe that would be me, I watched you but only a few minutes ago, and you were not striking with half as much force as you are now." Arthur pressed.
"Well, clearly you were misled." Guinevere responded swiping at Arthur's legs.
"It would seem so." She smiled at his response, and stepped back out of his swing range to catch her breath. Arthur gained ground, and started the fighting again, he had managed to back her into a tree. Well this is problem…Guinevere thought. Her sword crossed with Arthur's again, he smiled smugly, knowing that he was going to win this. Not if I have in say in the matter…Not a second after that thought did she lean around the cross of swords and kiss Arthur quite soundly on the mouth, he was surprised to say the least, his eyes widen, but he didn't pull way, she allowed herself to revel in bliss for a moment longer before reassuming the task at hand.
As soon as Guinevere saw Arthur's sword begin to lower, she swept her right foot behind his left, causing his him to flounder to the ground. Before he had a chance to recover, Guinevere had the tip of her sword pointing at the underside of his chin. He stared up in completed shock. Guinevere smirked.
"I believe I win." She said still smiling. "Unfortunately I think Morgana will find pleasure in knowing that the aptly name Prince Arthur, lost a sparring match to her handmaid." She tilted her head, and frowned in mock sympathy.
"You cheated." he said from his place on the ground.
"It was a strategic move of sorts." She amended.
"I would like to hope that you don't use your strategies on all your ill-fated predicaments." Arthur said moving to sit up.
"Well, not all…" She trailed off intentionally. Arthur looked in disbelief, and then his face soured.
Guinevere thought that his pout was adorable, but she was done teasing him. She knew how jealous Arthur could get and how quickly, and even though it was rather appealing, she didn't want to cause him unnecessary ire. "I was only jesting Love."
She held out a hand to assist in bringing Arthur up right, but when Gwen's hand latched on to Arthur's, suddenly there was a pull on an unexpected end, and…
PLOP!
The next Guinevere knew, was that she was sitting on Arthur's lap, her mouth forming a perfect 'O' of surprise.
"Good, because I wouldn't have allowed for your strategies to continue, I don't share."
"What do you mean you wo—"
Guinevere didn't get the chance to finish her sentence, because Arthur's lips, the full ones that enticed her throughout the day in ways that she never thought possible, were on hers. This kiss however was different from most of the other, it was soft, yet rough, it tingled parts of her that a proper Lady shouldn't think let alone say out loud, but then again, she wasn't a Lady…
They were making headway toward the ground before Guinevere pulled away quite begrudgingly, breathing harder than normal. "Arthur, don't you think we should be heading back to Camelot?" She asked holding his face in her hands, her thumb softly grazing the defined structure of his jaw.
Arthur turned to his side propped by his right elbow; his left hand began to idly play with Guinevere's fingers. "Well, I'm guessing by the fact that you've been out here for a while, that Morgana gave you the day off… let's just say no one important is expecting me any time soon, and well, it just hardly after noon…" He needed not to say anything more, Guinevere leaned back in to kiss him, and she kissed his forehead, then the tip of his nose, until she reached his sweet lips again. They gradually made their way back onto the soft forest floor both knowing that they would be there for a while, yet neither cared…
The day is still very much young….
A/N: Meh…I'm not really too pleased with how this turned out, but what to do?...I hope someone out there at least kinda likes it:P…If you read will you please review, they feed my soul long enough to wait a little longer for Season 4…..