PRE-A/N: Love you all, thanks for coming back. The only big thing I need to say is that there's a part in this chap where Elestra's talking- well, yelling, actually- and the words look kinda like this: 'blah de dum da blah'. That's the only way I could think of to show that she's emphasizing an entire statement instead of just one word, since doesn't read italics and I'm too lazy to go back and put them in once I've updated. Just so ya know.
CHAPTER 10- A Friendly Bout
I walked quietly into the enclosed training court where I was meeting Flauvic, one arm full, carrying a basket. I was early tonight, I noticed smugly. Maybe he would be the one that arrived late. An instant after I thought it, a movement to one side caught my attention and I saw Flauvic holding two foils.
"Drop the basket and turn," he instructed tersely.
I barely had time to set the basket down before he tossed me the extra blade and attacked. I immediately went into guard position and defended myself quite well, I think. My temper rose as he started to fight dirty, and I somehow managed to get him to take a defensive stance. I pushed forward just enough to drive him back and then let off. I was surprised at how he was acting, and didn't much feel like dealing with it if he was going to be so annoying the night before I had to face Lord Nerroc.
"What is wrong with you?" I asked, moving out of his reach.
He was already sweating, although we hadn't practiced long. The dim light revealed just enough to show that he looked worn and tired. That, and he looked angry. What had I done?!
"You think that I enjoy these little bouts with you, Your Highness?" he sneered. "Wrong. I want you to beat that sniveling waste of skin, Nerroc, to avenge myself of the wrongs I've already suffered. After that, I don't care what happens to you."
I stood in silent shock for a moment. What was his problem tonight? I had figured that he'd had some ulterior motive for wanting me to win, but he didn't have to be so mean about it. What was worse, his words had actually hurt a little.
"Hm. Strange. And here I thought you may have been worried about what happened to me," I said, putting as much sarcasm as I could into my voice. "I never would have thought you were just using me. Oh, what shall I do now?" I sighed in annoyance.
"You bore me, Flauvic," I told him, wanting to bash his head in. "Either help me win, for whatever reason, or go to bed."
I turned my back on him and went to gather up the basket. I took it over to the table that he had been laying on last night and set it down. I busied myself with unpacking its contents to help me get my temper back under control. I took out two sandwiches and some sweet biscuits before I heard Flauvic's footsteps behind me. I felt him stop a few paces farther away form me than he ordinarily would have, and that only irritated me more, for some reason.
"So, you brought yourself a snack," he said. If he'd been female, I would have described it as "tartly." Unfortunately there's no male equivalent. "Becoming quite the little glutton, aren't you?"
I spun around and took several infuriated steps toward him until I was practically spitting in his face. "No, you lack-wit! There's two of everything because there are two of us! I had the impression, forgive me if I'm wrong, 'oh strong and wise one', that all of the sleep that the both of us have been missing because of these late night fencing lessons was probably taking its toll. I assumed that getting extra food into our stomachs while we work might help us concentrate and not be quite so tired. I thought I was doing something nice, you twaddling idiot! And you smell bad, too!"
I stomped over to a training horse and sat down on it, hard. I sat there, and I sulked. I didn't mean to sulk; didn't want to sulk; hadn't come prepared to sulk. But sulk I did. I had actually been in a good mood before Flauvic had started this shouting match; although, admittedly, I was the one that had been doing most of the shouting.
I glowered, watching him slowly approach the basket of food I'd brought. He reminded me of a stray dog that was used to getting kicked, tentatively coming closer to an outstretched hand meaning no harm. I felt a stab of guilt for yelling at him, but I shoved the feeling away. He might be wary, but that doesn't mean he had to bite the hand that was trying to help!
"I don't suppose that you remembered coffee?" he asked, trying, and failing, to sound as malicious as he had before.
"Still inside the basket," I told him, matching my voice to his, realizing how childish we both sounded and not caring. "The two clay jars withlids so that the coffee wouldn't spill."
He lifted the lid to the basket and peered inside. He reached in to pull out a jar and nearly dropped one when he noticed that it was hot, cursing at himself.
"Careful now, it's hot," I snidely warned, purposely too late.
He sent me a glare and clenched his jaw, but this time Flauvic was more careful when he brought the coffee out. I watched as he picked up one of the sandwiches and a few of the biscuits. I harrumphed and settled myself into the knowledge that he wasn't going to apologize, and that I would have to put up with his immaturity all night if I wanted to learn more of the tricks he had to teach me. Taking in a deep breath I prepared to go and get my share of the food.
Before I could fully get up from the training horse, Flauvic walked over to me and nearly threw the food at me. I carefully took the jar of coffee and the food, perplexed. Flauvic turned and went back to the table and took the second jar out and unscrewed the lid. He took a sip and sat down on the table with a sigh I could hear from where I stood. He didn't look at me again as he started eating the remaining sandwich, seeming to find himself hungrier than he thought after taking the first bite.
I think that was his apology.
Huh.
My own anger drained out of me in a wash of confusion. He made life so difficult, and then he expected a little act like that to take care of everything. And, more surprising than anything else, it did. His previous snobbishness was already forgiven.
I sat back down on the wooden horse and tried to situate myself so that I could hold the jar between my legs while I ate. It wasn't working, so I had to give up and go to sit on the table with Flauvic. I tried to stay, with my coffee and food, at the opposite end of him because, one, I wasn't completely sure if we were back to being... friends, or whatever we were, and two, because I hadn't been lying: he smelled!
"What have you been doing today? You reek."
I winced. That probably wasn't the best way of asking, but it had popped out and I couldn't take it back now. I noticed that Flauvic tensed his shoulders and sent me a sharp-edged glance. I blushed in embarrassment.
"Sorry. That came out wrong," I said.
"I have been cleaning out the stalls in the stable," he said tersely. "By the way, thank you so very much for this quaint punishment of yours. I plan to pay you back someday."
I tied not to laugh, I really did. I didn't want him to think that I was insulting him. It was an accident that a tiny giggle escaped. Once that one was gone, my defenses seemed to think that there was no point in holding the rest back. I nearly fell of the table I was laughing so hard. I had crossed over into that place of tiredness where everything suddenly becomes absolutely hilarious.
"I'm sorry," I gasped, trying to swallow the last of the giggles. "I'm not... I mean... I'm sorry."
"I'm glad you think that it's funny," he said through his teeth. "Should I leave you to your side-splitting sense of humor, or are we going to practice tonight? You face your challenge tomorrow one way or another."
I sobered up pretty quickly after that reminder. I did want to be prepared, so I pulled myself together and told him that I was ready any time he was. We spent the remaining time until second white going over different diversions and sneaking attacks. My favorite was faking a thrust to the point of the sword into the groin of my opponent. Both of them.
"Trust me, any male you go against will back up if he thinks you're going to try injuring him... there," Flauvic informed me.
That got me laughing again. Flauvic didn't join in, but he did look like he was having problems keeping his face clear a few times when I made especially comical mistakes. In all, I ended up learning some very useful, if not entirely allowed, maneuvers to help set Nerroc off while fighting.
We agreed that, by second white, I had learned all I could in such a limited time frame, and sleep was the best thing I needed. We were just winding down, stretching to release the tension in our muscles from continuous work, when I heard Flauvic hiss in his breath through his gritted teeth. I turned to see him slowly lowering his arms and wincing.
"Are you alright?" I asked.
"Fine," he said.
"Pulled something today shoveling?" I tried to tease.
"I'm guessing it was more from the blow I got from your father's guard, hired to make sure I'm staying on the straight and narrow."
My forehead creased in mild shock and outrage. "What? Who- Geoff. Why? That's not right!"
I started walking toward the door of the practice courts- why, I don't know. I think I had some vague notion of finding that Geoff man and having a conversation with him that would end in, "And if you ever hit anyone else under your charge again I will personally see to it that you never work in Remlana-city again." I only got a few steps before Flauvic caught up to me and grasped my arm above the elbow, stopping me. I pivoted to face him, my face still angry. He was smirking and looked at me sardonically. I suddenly felt like such a child.
"While I'm flattered that you feel the need to protect me," he said, voice thick with deprecating laughter he was suppressing, "I don't need it, nor do I want it. Besides, have you thought how it would look if you started trying to defend me? It would certainly be suspicious. People would start asking questions, and not all of them would take your word that nothing more than has happened, happened."
I looked at him in confusion. He raised an eyebrow and the creases of his mouth deepened. Now he really was making fun of me. It took me a few more seconds, but I finally understood what he meant.
"Oh! No!" I jerked out of his hold on my arm and stumbled back, absolutely red. "But, we didn't- wouldn't... you...I...no!"
He finally let loose the laughter he'd been holding in all night. It filled the room, echoing off of the walls, and made me feel like the silliest girl alive. I crossed my arms over my stomach dejectedly.
"Well, I'm glad you find it funny. I'm so sorry I can't say the same."
"Which is just as I suspected," he said, his voice a little thick.
"Very well," I sighed. "I won't say anything, but I still don't think that it's right that you're hit. Is anyone else abused by this man?"
"Not that I know of," Flauvic answered. "As far as I can tell, he has something against me, in particular."
"Maybe you did something really mean to him in the past," I suggested. "You know, pre-tree."
His face wiped free of humor and he put more space between us.
"You ought to be getting to your bed, now, Princess. You'll need your rest for the duel tomorrow. Good luck."
He stalked out of the room and disappeared into the darkness. I watched, not sure why he had taken that so badly. I sighed, confused once again, as it seemed I was doomed to be around Flauvic. I gathered up the basket and jars that had held the coffee, and carried everything back to my rooms. I left the basket on a small table in the salon part of my suit and went in to bed.
POST-A/N: I'd just like to reiterate, I don't really know anything about fencing, so don't get too angry if I wrote something that wasn't in the rules or whatever. I'm ignorant except for what I've seen in movies, and we all know how accurate those can be. (Please note the sarcasm.)