Author's note: I'm trying to keep ahead of the ball here. I want to keep at least one chapter ahead of what's posted, just in the off chance something happens and I can't type or edit for a while, so I can at least post something. So far it isn't working out too poorly. I will also note not knowing what pairings will develop it's interesting to see interactions are going on. I've already noticed changes from the original, and so far I think they've managed to work out for the better. Of course, Will and Wil is still confusing to work through. Fault of a kid who wanted to use his OC's name in spite of a character having the same name, I guess.
Chapter 9: Swords, Lances and Bows
"Are you sure you're okay?" Nino asked, showing her version of concern by poking his cast lightly.
"I'm fine Nino. Jaffar took care of me." Will said, waving it off. His arm, injured in the last battle, apparently had a fracture. Rather than risk it, Limstella had ordered him to place a cast on it and wait for it to heal. He considered it a blessing in disguise, since now he could avoid battles for a while.
"I told you he was nice, didn't I?" Nino said, her smile positively radiant at being correct about her friend's behavior.
"Yeah, you did." Will said, raising his one good arm in mock surrender. Nino danced around him happily as she whistled that same tune she had finally taught him. He listened silently, letting his thoughts collect as he enjoyed the moment.
Nino had been right all along. Jaffar wasn't really all that bad. He just didn't like to show his good side. It wouldn't be so bad to place a little more trust in the person who had saved his life.
But shortly after, they received a new mission. One that Will hadn't liked at all. The team had just returned from the battlefield, Will being forced to play tactician when he thought he was free from fighting for a while. He didn't meet the hostages won in the fight, and neither did Jaffar. The two would've had nothing to do with it… but Nergal forced them too.
"Now these are your responsibility. You won't lose them, yes?" His cloaked form growled at the two, the obvious threat behind his words was evident even to the hostages.
The three angels looked into the cage. A young boy and a girl who looked around Will's age were in it.
"They got names?" Jaffar asked simply. He had gone into the mode where he turned his emotions to minimum. Will was beginning to deeply envy that state.
"They are our children of destiny." Mark said, in a way that made Will shudder. He was always acting like he was hopped up on too much healing magic, and his words were more like those of a crazy person. Will half expected to see a red rose in Mark's hand. He wasn't entirely sure why that was though.
"Their names…" Nergal began, and for the first time his words carried a hint of a smile. "Are Nils and Ninian."
"Will!" A voice like the crack of a whip startled him awake. He rolled over, and grunted as he shut his eyes tighter. He really didn't want to get up yet.
"I said 'Will'!" The voice came again, slightly more irritated. Will opened one eye when he suddenly noticed his bedroll was feeling more like wet grass than a bedroll. He was lying outside the tent, on the grass. That explained so much and yet so little.
"Lady Lyndis… it's the crack of dawn… and I'm tired…" He said, yawning.
"I thought I told you to stop calling me that. Also, you gave me your word." She said simply, and Will sat up, sighing heavily as he stretched slowly and carefully. From the stiffness of his injured arm, he could finally tell it was healed. It had been a few days since their previous escapade, but he didn't really see that as a reason for Lyn to drag him out of the tent.
"I was hoping you'd forget, what with the addition of Wil and Florina now." He said, standing up slowly. She shook her head.
"You said you'd spar with me, now let's go!" She said eagerly, practically dragging him out of the camp. Kent gave a sigh, closing his tent flap. He would've offered to take the poor man's place, but he was still on injured leave for another two days.
About three hours later, Will fell to the ground for maybe the ninth time, Lyn's Mani Katti at his throat for the fifth time. "I win again. You aren't trying at all." She said, sheathing the sword. She had expected him to be much better at this. Then again, he hadn't even touched his tome, and his sword didn't seem to have that strange energy around it he had used once before. Perhaps he didn't take her seriously, like Kent. This chivalry business was quite annoying.
"Maybe now you'll believe me when I say I can't beat you." Will said, as he pushed himself up. It was true to him. His skills weren't really with the blade or with magic. It was in their tactical deployment, and using the best way he could calculate so that the enemies died.
Lyn shook her head. "Then how did you do so well against those bandits? And why haven't you summoned that energy or used your tome?"
Will shook his head as well. "Lyndis, bandits don't think. They get riled easily by the slightest provocation. You'd have to be pretty stupid not to able to fight one or two by yourself."
Lyn grew angry. "So I'm an idiot, am I?" She raised her sword again, and slashed downward angrily. For the first time, Will was able to see the Mani Katti's traveling path easily, and dodged to the side.
"Lady Lyndis, swing diagonally. You may not hit them where you wanted, but you'll hit them all the same." He broke two branches off the nearest tree, throwing one to Lyn. Lyn caught it, despite the small growl that escaped her when Will desecrated the poor tree.
"I can, however, teach tactics. That way I won't have to throw myself into danger to direct you." He grinned at that, and Lyn also smiled in spite of herself. "Peerless warrior and tactician. Lady Lyndis shall be a force on all fronts."
"I'll only listen if you stop calling me that." Lyn said stubbornly. It had really been bugging her how insistent he was on using the name. "You know me as Lyn. Just because some knights come along and inform me of my heritage doesn't mean you have to go all noble. You're my tactician, and I want you to direct me freely." She said, that fire Will respected burned in her eyes. "Unless I need to pull the 'I just beat you nine times so do what I say' card."
"That's unfair. Who in the world… Sain." Will sighed as Lyn giggled. "Of course he'd spar with self-imposed rules."
"Very well, I submit. Lyn… try to hit me." Lyn smiled, glad she had finally managed a breakthrough on that front. She attacked, lunging forward and striking with her sword, but to her surprise Will countered, his stick hitting the back of her hand and causing her to drop her stick.
"What the…" She said in amazement, looking up at Will. It was one of those strange moments where she suddenly felt she didn't know the man at all. They had been sparring all morning, yet she had never seen him move like that.
Will smiled kindly, knowing he would have to explain. "What you just performed is what I refer to as a killing blow. Never use it at the start of a fight. If the enemy is stunned, aim for the heart and stab. Slashes tend to work best otherwise. Open as many wounds on them as you can."
She nodded grimly, though she didn't like imagining cutting Will open like that, even if they were only using sticks. "Why did you not use that in the spar earlier?"
"The hit on the back of your hand." Will elaborated, pointing to her stinging hand. "With a sword, I would've injured you, possibly to the point where you would be unable to wield a sword again. My fighting is about getting the opponent to stop attacking. Usually I aim for arms and legs. That gets people to back off."
She nodded once more, understanding now his uneasiness to use his tome or energy from the sword. He had been thinking of her well-being. At least now they were fighting on more equal terms. Even if he was just handing out a lecture.
"Stop." Will said suddenly, surprising her. "Don't think of me as your friend right now." She had hesitated a moment into her attack, a fact which had clearly not missed the tactician's eye. "You halt before your enemy; you give them a chance to kill you. I've learned that very few of them have sympathy for their opponents."
"But…" Lyn began.
"No." He cut her off simply. "I am your enemy right now. I am a Taliver bandit, I am Lundgren. I am whoever you need me to be. Someone who has killed friends, family, someone who you can't trust or talk down. Understand?"
Lyn shook her head. "I know you'd never be capable of something like that."
Will was taken aback, but smiled slightly. This time the smile was sad. "Can you truly be so sure of that?" He asked, and Lyn found herself unable to answer. Silence fell between the two.
"We'll continue another time. Let's stop here for today. I need a chance to measure the other two's skills." He said, pausing as he walked passed her. "And you'll be rooming with Florina now. She can't room with anyone else. Four guys in one tent will be a tiny bit cramped, but we'll make due until we can purchase new supplies."
Then he was gone. Lyn turned towards the direction he had gone, as though expecting him to return, but he didn't. She slumped against a tree as her stick fell to the ground. He's not capable of something like that… well, he is, but he wouldn't do it… he wouldn't betray our trust… my trust…
Will nodded to Sain, who sighed and entered the forest himself. He'd have to improve the lady's mood, it seemed the two had another tiff of some kind. Kent also took note, though he was on watch and couldn't address the situation like he wanted. He'd have to trust it to Sain. He found this a surprisingly agreeable notion. Will walked over to the archer, engaging him in conversation. Florina remained nearby, brushing her pegasus as she listened from a safe distance.
"So, Wil, you get it?" Will asked, after about an hour of explaining the situation.
Wil nodded. "So these people are Lyndis's Legion, the six that stand against Lundgren. And you want to make sure we're good enough to not get killed?" He glanced at Florina. He had a feeling this was a little more about her than him, but he'd try to ace the tactician's exam all the same.
"I just… want to help Lyn…" Florina said meekly, which made Will smile.
"You will. I merely need to develop some new tactics based on your levels of abilities." He said, and both nodded. "Alright then, let's begin." He said. He had already put up some targets, made from paper from his pocketbook. He felt a small pang of regret that he wouldn't be able to write on them, but it was a sacrifice worth making. At least he had been able to practice his drawing. He was quite pourd of the illustrations, to be honest.
"Now, the paper at the top of a tree is a Pegasus knight." He said, elaborating while Florina mounted Huey. "There are also two cavaliers." He pointed out the two papered trees, with a target set for both the rider and the horse. "There is an archer and a mage." He pointed to two well hidden targets. "One axe user and finally a mercenary wielding a sword." He pointed those out. All had rather crude and poor drawings on them. They were all red in color, but if he hadn't explained what they were neither would've been able to tell. He now pointed to different colored targets. "The green colored papers are your allies."
Both of them nodded in comprehension, choosing not to comment on the poor drawings of Kent, Sain, Lyn, and the tactician himself. "Alright, I'm going to give you a quick rundown." He said, beginning his tactical briefing. "Lyn is on the field with you, Sain and Kent are held back by reinforcements. I'm not much use in a fight, and you want to make sure none of us die."
Wil was already starting to feel the pressure of the situation on him. Florina also seemed tense. Will had done this before, so only he seemed lax. He knew they wouldn't find this fun. "The Pegasus knight is aiming at Lyn, and the archer is going for Florina." Wil had already started to go for the Pegasus knight, but Will stopped him. "BAM!" His shout made them both jump. "Florina's shot down now."
Wil faltered. "But…"
Will tutted at the archer, a smile playing across his face. "Your bow is indeed good against pegasus knights, but the archer would shoot down Florina."
"But if I shoot the archer, the Pegasus gets Lyn." Wil said, slowly. It seemed like the lesser of two evils to him.
Will chuckled. "Not exactly. Now, normally Lyn wouldn't be standing in place, but for the sake of this exercise she is. Say she's locked in combat with the enemy commander or something."
Both grinned. That seemed exactly like something Lyn would do. Though Will's tactics were still lost on them. "Now Wil, you would need to take out the archer first. I know…" He began, raising his hand to stop Wil's interruption. "I know it's harder to hit him, but Florina can lock down the pegasus knight. Both of you can handle that, right?" They nodded slightly. They felt like trying to interrupt, but Will didn't seem done explain why this was a better plan.
"You see, Florina can't fly fast enough to take out the archer there." He pointed to the distant target. "She'd get shot. So we take the best chance for survival. Despite what you may think, it's much better that way. I don't want a victory built on a body count." Both nodded again. They noted his insistence on the survival aspect seemed like one he felt was personally important.
He smiled, glad they were understanding things so quickly. "Now, as for the remaining units…"
Sain was huffing in exhaustion. Lyn was very strong, and she knew how to use the environment to her advantage. "You are very good, Lady Lyndis." He said, straining his ears for the sound of her footsteps. Catching the rustling of leaves he spun quickly, managing to parry Lyn's blow with his sword.
"You're good when you aren't holding back." She said, finally feeling a little like her normal self. Will's behavior continued to irk her and his unwillingness to open up made it even worse. Why had he said what he said in the way he said it? Had it been simply to get a rise out of her, and it had backfired? She once more vanished into the trees, wishing Will was there to give her advice. Sain was really good when he wasn't trying to impress anyone. Realizing what she was doing, she felt herself scowl. "I don't need him here all the time." She reprimanded herself, and cost her position as a javelin-stick flew her way.
"Careful, my lady. I have good ears myself." Sain said as a smile played across his face. He then noticed Lyn had once more vanished. A shame really, he was terrible at this waiting game.
"Then I suppose I'll have to take it up another notch." She called happily. Sain sighed to himself, wondering if she ever ran out of energy. She had been at it all day, and still showed no signs of exhaustion.
Kent continued to keep watch of the perimeter, though he hadn't spotted anything all day. There wasn't really anything for him to do but look after the camp while he waited to heal. He did smile at Will's continuous hammering of real battles into the two, as they simply tried their best to understand and follow his advice and orders.
"Maybe I can catch our dinner… and gather some firewood… it is already passed noontime…" Kent mused, before getting down from his post. He figured things were safe enough until evening, so now was the best time to hunt. He picked up a lance, figuring he'd ask Lyndis and Sain to join him if he ran into them.
Will watched Kent leave, before telling Wil and Florina to stop. Both were sweating slightly, as the imaginary pressure of each situation he had described had been getting harder to find solutions to. Kent had been 'killed' once, Sain twice, Lyndis three times. Will himself had been 'killed' five or six times, along with Wil who most often failed when he was paired with the tactician. Florina was proving hardest to keep safe, as she had been 'killed' eight times.
"That's enough for now I think. Florina, guard the camp. Wil, target practice. Simple target practice this time." Will said, and both nodded.
Will put a quiver of five arrows next to Wil, and pulled out his best target, and largest. It was a classic archery target. He just wanted to see Wil's skill, apparently.
Wil picked up an arrow, putting it into the bow, and shooting it straight into the center of the target.
"Impressive." Will said, but Wil shrugged.
"I used to practice all the time. Rebecca and I did a lot of hunting together." Wil said, smiling at a memory.
"Rebecca huh? Your childhood sweetheart or something?" He asked, and Wil laughed.
"Yeah, that'll be the day. She's been a good friend though. I think she's still fine… at least Dan is with her now…" He mused, getting a little lost in thought
"Dan? Who is that?" Will asked, obviously curious. He was surprised that Wil was able to hold a conversation while continuing practice, his next three shots all managing to hit the middle of the target as well.
"Well, about two months ago now…" He began, but stopped as Will got up, moving the target further away and removing the arrows, all five of which had landed dead center. After Will had sat next to him once more, having refilled the quiver, Wil picked up an arrow, and shot it straight into the center of the target yet again.
Will was aghast at his accuracy, but he stayed silent as Wil continued. "Me and Dan left home together. We planned to make a fortune, one we could take back home, you know?" He fired another, dead center once more.
"We couldn't get any good jobs though. After a few tries, Dan decided to go back. He always doted on Rebecca… I think he missed her." He smiled slightly.
"So, you continued alone?" Will asked, and Wil nodded. It was silent for a while, and not until Will had moved the target even further and return the arrows did Wil speak again.
"I know I don't have much of a chance, but I'd like to be able to go back to them and say 'I made something of myself.' I didn't want to go home empty-handed, at the very least." Wil said softly.
"You won't. I'm sure Caelin will reward you for this." Will said, waving his hand airily. "Saving the Marquess's granddaughter has to be worth something."
"That's true, though with assassins out and about I've got to make sure I don't die, right?" He said, and laughed. Will smiled.
"I won't let that happen." Will said simply, and Wil smiled much more genuinely. Despite the short time, they had already become friends. Perhaps it was because of their similar names.
"Well, you win. You are good." Will said, shortly afterwards. Wil had managed to hit the target quite far; Will could swear it was about half a mile, even when he was aiming into trees. Now he'd just have to get his tactical know-how up to snuff.
Wil smiled. "Florina's turn, huh?" Will nodded, and Wil went off to get her.
Sain was panting in complete exhaustion on the ground with Lyn's sword at his throat. "Whew… you win, my lady, you win…" He panted, and she smiled, before flopping onto the ground as well.
"You made it hard though, that's for sure. When you stop pretending, you truly are a capable knight, aren't you?" She asked, looking at the man curiously.
Sain shrugged, a mysterious smile playing across his face. "Perhaps." He said no more, but Lyn didn't feel the need to pry any further. Unlike Will, who hid himself in shadows, Sain seemed to bathe himself in light, even when others treated him like a fool for it. She found she had a strange amount of respect for the man now, and knew he would handle what came their way.
"Well, thank you Sain. We should head back." After dragging themselves to their feet, they set off for camp. It was already getting dark, and they were eager for something to eat, and a good rest.
When they got back, they noticed Wil and Kent throwing wood onto the fire, with several small rabbits to cook. It seems Kent had gone hunting. Lyn looked around.
"Where's Will?" She asked. "And Florina?"
Wil looked up, and saluted. "Hello, my lady!" He said a bit too formally. She smiled slightly at the archer's attempted respect.
Kent answered her question. "Will finished training Wil here, and has now switched to Florina. I believe they will be here to eat with us when dinner is served."
Lyn sighed, and Sain looked at her. "I'm more worried about this fear of men she has. Will she be able to listen to Will's advice without getting scared of him?" He asked.
Lyn shook her head. "Unless he's some psycho about fighting and looks like a demon, he won't scare her away. Add in his usual polite speech, and she'll be just fine." she answered.
Kent nodded though his brain seemed to be working on something. Polite speech. So, he plans to try and keep us all at arm's length. Not a bad idea, with his past. Likely he thinks it will catch up to him. He seems mistaken if he thinks we'll let him face it alone though. Lady Lyndis would never allow it. Nor would I.
"The day's gone fast." Will commented, and Florina nodded slightly. "You know, this is going to be interesting. Adding you and Wil to our numbers has been a blessing in disguise."
She tilted her head slightly. "Why?" She asked.
"Well, I've been slightly worried about our numbers, and now we're a little better off than before." Will said. "I told Lyn and the Knights not to worry, but my job is to worry about things like that. Having an archer and a flier for long range attacks and scouting was something I've been especially worried about. Though a shy Pegasus knight was unexpected." He said, smiling at her.
She blushed as she turned her face more towards Huey, stroking her mane. "It's not like I…"
"I know you don't mean to be." He said, waving it off. "But we'll have to work on your fear of men. Enemy troops will be comprised of mostly men, and if they managed to capture you somehow, you need to be able to stand up to them."
"Y-yes…" she said, meekly. Suddenly, she found Will standing next to her, and she 'meeped' again, almost stumbling into Huey and instead falling on her bottom. Huey glared at Will dangerously, but he smiled nicely and Huey seemed to accept it, though she still snorted.
"See? You need to be able to deal with this, at the very least." He said, turning his smile to her, and she nodded. He offered her his hand, but it took several minutes of the two staying in the same position before she reached out, shakily, and took his hand. He pulled her up, and she quickly turned back to Huey, burying her face into the pegasus's mane.
Will continued to stand there, and slowly Florina tried to turn. It was only maybe an inch at a time, and it took another long time to do. Will continued to stand there, that same soft smile on his face. I shouldn't let myself get scared. After all, he's an ally, someone Lyn trusts.
"Good." She heard Will's voice softly in front of her. She still had a hard time not losing balance again; presence was one thing, talking was another. She couldn't help but silently curse herself for it. She kept looking at the ground until she was able to take a ready stance, trying to look Will in the face.
"You're holding your lance wrong." He said softly. "You need to hold it high, not clutch it to you." He said, resisting the urge to correct it manually. She would probably run off screaming if he did that, and Lyn would be out for blood. She had made it perfectly clear that anyone that made Florina cry would suffer dearly for it.
She nodded, attempting to correct it. Will noted the position was still incorrect, so as quickly as he could he slipped behind the young girl, adjusting her arms quickly into the correct position. He then slipped back around and glanced her up and down, affirming the position with a nod. Huey hadn't moved, and neither had Florina. "Like that." He said simply, continuing like nothing had happened.
Huey had let him come close. Not only that, but she had let him adjust her lance positioning without making a sound. A boy had touched her. This mere fact made Florina feel… very strange. She couldn't even place what the feeling was. She looked at Will, but couldn't hear what he was saying. This went on for a couple minutes until she noticed him looking at her rather peculiarly.
"You okay?" He asked a third time, and this time she heard him, and nodded. He shook his head as he sighed. He'd probably be in a lot of trouble for this later. "Look, we'll do more when we set up camp tomorrow. Let's head back." Florina nodded again, trying to remember her new battle position. She had a feeling it would really help her. Huey was making a lot of snorts that sounded like laughter.
"No, I'm not." Florina told her Pegasus grumpily, as she followed Will back towards the camp.
"Smell that? I think Kent found something good!" Will said, turning and giving her a grin. He might as well make the most of tonight, since Lyn would murder him tomorrow.
Florina couldn't help it. She smiled too. Huey snorted again. "Oh shut up." She said, and Huey gave as close to a grin as a Pegasus could.
She had ripped that damned dress of hers. Again. On the other side, this time. Of course, he refused to fix it. Adamantly.
"Erky, I want you to fix my dress while I take a bath in the river. That way you won't peek on me." The young cleric said, pushing her hair back in a sweep. How she had managed to get hair from her pigtails into her face was a mystery
"Like hell I'd peek on you." He muttered, under his breath. "I'm not fixing your dress. You do it." He said simply sitting down and opening his book.
"I told you before, I'm too important. Now DO IT!" The cleric responded, angrily trying to accentuate the rips to force him to comply.
"NO." He stated even more firmly. There was no way in hell he'd ever do something as stupid and demeaning as that.
So here he was, fixing that damned girl's dress while she bathed. He cursed himself for his weakness. He was so going to demand a raise if this kept up all the way to Ostia. There was no way he was being paid enough.
"EEK! ERKY! A MONKEY STOLE MY TOWEL!" Came a screech from the river. He sighed, putting down the re-sown dress and chasing after the monkey that had just crossed his path, towel in teeth. He was SO not getting paid enough for this.
A man around the age of twenty with green hair sat in the glittering halls, sharpening an arrow. "Rath." Said the Marquess. "Keep a sharp lookout. I've heard that trouble is brewing in Lycia. An inheritance dispute." Rath nodded silently. He had nothing to say. He would merely do his duty. "If she truly resembles Lady Madelyn… perhaps we shall offer her aid."
That Marquess often talked to himself, mainly about this Madelyn. He had obviously been in love with her. He wondered what had happened to their relationship. He was often sent away before he was able to ask. Not that he really needed to know.
"Matthew, you understand?" The lord said, coughing lightly.
"Of course, Lord Uther." The man named Matthew said, smiling. "I am to offer my… services, but not give away my position, yes?"
"That's correct." The lord said, coughing again.
"Alrighty, I'll help them out and be back before you know it. Take a break, will ya? You could use one." He said before zipping off, blending into the shadows and he vanished from sight.
"Yes yes, you all say the same things…" The lord said, with another cough. "A break would be welcome but… I do not have the time."
