String or Nothing
I'm in love with an Asturian boy; oh, he's my best friend.
I love his seditious smile that hides the pain within.
~Dead Can Dance*
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| Dryden POV: Allen dropped his sword on the bench next to me and I handed him his bottle of water. "You looked good out there today," I said. He wiped salt water off his face and poured fresh water down his throat. "Nah. I'm a fake," he said. "What do you mean?" I said, surprised. "It's odd. ..I was a ...better?....more vicious?.. fighter under Balgus." I'd been watching Allen's practice and I couldn't believe what he was saying. I mean, he was good! "You're kidding! Are you saying you've become slower, weaker and less skilled?" "No, no. It's just..." He looked out at the sparring knights. "That's a formal duel. That's not what it's like in a real battle." Usually if I asked Allen anything about his family or about his past he'd change the subject. This was the first time he'd ever brought it up himself. I looked out at the field and said, "So...what's it like?" "It's like being surrounded by people who want to assassinate you. There is no practicing like this, just killing. I didn't stand there crossing my blade honorably with opponents. If someone was stronger than me or more skilled, then I'd run. Most of the time I teamed with Balgus and we'd overwhelm people with numbers. It wasn't fair or pretty and all we wanted to do was win. My speciality was climbing over piles of corpses quickly to stab people in the back. I'm good at keeping my footing over uncertain ground. We waded in blood." I took a deep breath and said calmly, "Oh." And, miraculously, Allen kept talking. "I won the Caeli tournament by disarming people. Balgus had to teach me how to do that, how to fight the traditional genteel Asturian way. On the other hand, he did not have to teach me how to stab people in the back, chop their arms off or slit their throats. That came quite naturally for me. I'm a very good killer; I've had to work quite hard to be a knight." Allen nodded his head at the knights out on the field. "They think my instincts are crude. Sometimes I feel like an atheist in church here." "Can't you be both?" I asked. Allen looked down at me, surprised. "What?" he said. "Well, be a Caeli when it's appropriate and do whatever you have to to survive when that's appropriate. Learning one skill doesn't mean you have to lose another. ...You like being a Caeli, these formal practices and duels, right?" Allen smiled. "Yes. This is much more fun than lopping off heads." "Well, there you go." There was a comfortable silence and then Allen spoke again. "You know Marlene's coming back," he said. "Is she?" I said, but of course I knew; the whole city had been preparing for weeks. Having had one ceremony in Fried, now she was to have another in Asturia. "Yes," said Allen, "And the Caeli's have to take part in it. Honour guard or some such." "I'll bet the food will be great," I said. "True. ...You gonna be there?" "Oh, yeah. Me and my whole family." "Good." |
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