Chapter 3: First class
Alexeika was up at dawn's first light the next morning, having freshened up she slipped into the breeches and short shirt and tunic for SD before tightly braiding her hair. Once done she slipped out her door and knocked on her friend's door, Thia was there instantly, dressed as she was, her hair braided up for once.
"Let's go, breakfast doesn't start till late so we'll have to go to the kitchen, they're used to me being up so we'll have no problems with getting food." Thia said moving quickly down to the end of the corridor and left. At the end of the orange tinged corridor she took a right, down a few steps into a cacophony of pots, yells and utensils.
Alex stood dazed for a second, overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of chaos before sending a fervent prayer to Riva that she didn't need to work here. Thia then grabbed her wrist and half dragged her into the throng to a table set with bread, fruit and some remains of the last night's diner.
Grabbing a few slices of bread, chicken and an apple each they retreated out another door to a quiet stone courtyard. Sitting on the nearest bench they tucked in scooping some water from the floral fountain in the center to drink.
"Where are we exactly?" Alex asked, eying the paths leading in both directions.
"We're at the North end of the gardens, take the left path and it meets the one from our corridor in the rose garden, the right loops around the front of the school and stables to the practice courts. It's faster to go down our corridor but this way allows food a chance to settle before practice." Thia replied standing and brushing off crumbs. "Shall we?"
Alex nodded and rose, as they walked she memorized the directions Thia was giving her, knowing it would take a while to become fully proficient in finding her way around the complex. Shimana Academy spanned acres with its own orchards, crops, riding course, practice courts, dormitories, halls, teachers', servants' and visitors' areas not to mention the classrooms. The girls meandered towards the deserted practice courts before slipping into their fighting drills.
Hand to hand skills first, then archery, glaives and swords. They swapped glaives with staves, and archery to daggers, each second day. They were evenly matched hand to hand, Thia was a much better archer and slightly better on staves, Alex was a wonderful swordswoman and could beat Thia on glaives due to their extra weight. Both girls focused on their drills not noticing the small wiry man watching them with falcon eyes, or his taller companion who joined him as sword practice started.
"She's good." The short man commented as Alex disarmed her friend for the third time, "As much a natural swordswoman as one can get. I'll have to take her into training with you."
The prince let out a small squawk, glancing at his teacher before returning his attention to where Alexeika was fixing Thia's technique. Counting the beats slowly and calling advice Alex ran through pattern sets with her friend for another ten minutes in return for the help Thia gave her on her archery.
Thia then went to attempt some more advanced ranges and Alex changed the school practice sword for her own Gladring, her mother's father's sword, eldish wrought, with a silver and garnet laced pommel. Lifting it she began the intricate sword dance patterns of the old eld warriors, beautiful and deadly. The dance helped not only build strength and skill but was well used to meditate, clearing the mind of all else but the dance.
Alex's focus did not shift from the movement as the self-defence class began to arrive from breakfast. At a nudge from his teacher Prince Faldain slipped into the dance blocking her thrust. Snapping back from the meditation Alex blushed at the crowd drawn, much to the prince's amusement. Of course the serenity was shattered by a drawl from the Mandrian prince.
"How pretty perhaps our 'princess' may teach us to dance so nicely, I'm sure it will save many lives." His cronies snickered less than intelligently.
"That young princeling was one of the old eld sword dances, used by the warriors who fought with the battles of the gods, very few are capable of mastering any if all of them. Our princess has successfully linked three of the nine." Mcana replied, stepping out from his shadowed vantage point, causing Alex to blush further and the prince to seem all the more petulant.
"Now class, as I told you swords and hand to hand today. Warm up on hand to hand with your groups while I test our new recruit. NOW" Mcana ordered, stopping Faldain with an arm as he turned to leave. "You can help test milady." Faldain and Alex both nodded, eyeing each other warily.
"Now I want to see your dagger and stave work before I try you on a joust. Daggers first, can you throw and stab?" Mcana asked rapidly.
Alexeika pulled a throwing dagger from her boot and flicking it into the center of a target nearby. At the professors nudge she sent three more into similar targets. Mcana retrieved the daggers before returning with two wooden practice daggers, handing the pair one each he signaled for them to begin sparring.
Faldain was good, he could best his sister on most counts, then again so could Alexeika. After about ten minutes of rapid blocks and strikes the professor called a halt, muttering something along the lines of "good, good."
Picking up the practice staves the two began to spar again, Alex was good at staves she could hold her own against many opponents; but it wasn't her strength. She managed to last seven minutes before Faldain gained a hit and another three before he successfully had her beat. Grinning bashfully she replaced the staff and thanked the prince.
Mcana still did not address her. She began to worry about him accepting her into his class as he silently lead her to a saddled palomino on the jousting range. She grimaced slightly, she hadn't had much practice at jousts, about twenty runs at the most, mind she'd been hitting her target successfully the last nine times; she wasn't too confident.
As she swung into the saddle she couldn't help but overhear certain obnoxious comments from the spoilt prince nearby. Gritting her teeth she set herself up for the run, 'Thod give me the strength to show him!' Pushing her horse forward she set her lance and hitting the dummy's shield squarely. Turning at the end of the field she ran the same progress this time focusing on the small black dot on the shield; she just missed it. Trying a third time she managed to hit the dot, but whether by chance or skill she wasn't certain. A small sandy haired page ran out to take the reins of her horse, thanking the beast she walked over to the teacher, trying to ignore the crowd that had gathered.
"You fight well young princess, I would like to meet your teachers one day, however we all have something to learn and weaknesses to amend. You shall take the medium-low group for lance, medium for stave and archery, high in all else except sword; you'll train directly under me with Prince Faldain." Mcana announced, Alex tried to ignore several jealous looks at this. He continued to her alone, "We shall try and teach you the rest of the sword dances."
Alex spent the rest of class practicing the first duet dance with Faldain, a grin fixed upon her face.
Alexeika was up at dawn's first light the next morning, having freshened up she slipped into the breeches and short shirt and tunic for SD before tightly braiding her hair. Once done she slipped out her door and knocked on her friend's door, Thia was there instantly, dressed as she was, her hair braided up for once.
"Let's go, breakfast doesn't start till late so we'll have to go to the kitchen, they're used to me being up so we'll have no problems with getting food." Thia said moving quickly down to the end of the corridor and left. At the end of the orange tinged corridor she took a right, down a few steps into a cacophony of pots, yells and utensils.
Alex stood dazed for a second, overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of chaos before sending a fervent prayer to Riva that she didn't need to work here. Thia then grabbed her wrist and half dragged her into the throng to a table set with bread, fruit and some remains of the last night's diner.
Grabbing a few slices of bread, chicken and an apple each they retreated out another door to a quiet stone courtyard. Sitting on the nearest bench they tucked in scooping some water from the floral fountain in the center to drink.
"Where are we exactly?" Alex asked, eying the paths leading in both directions.
"We're at the North end of the gardens, take the left path and it meets the one from our corridor in the rose garden, the right loops around the front of the school and stables to the practice courts. It's faster to go down our corridor but this way allows food a chance to settle before practice." Thia replied standing and brushing off crumbs. "Shall we?"
Alex nodded and rose, as they walked she memorized the directions Thia was giving her, knowing it would take a while to become fully proficient in finding her way around the complex. Shimana Academy spanned acres with its own orchards, crops, riding course, practice courts, dormitories, halls, teachers', servants' and visitors' areas not to mention the classrooms. The girls meandered towards the deserted practice courts before slipping into their fighting drills.
Hand to hand skills first, then archery, glaives and swords. They swapped glaives with staves, and archery to daggers, each second day. They were evenly matched hand to hand, Thia was a much better archer and slightly better on staves, Alex was a wonderful swordswoman and could beat Thia on glaives due to their extra weight. Both girls focused on their drills not noticing the small wiry man watching them with falcon eyes, or his taller companion who joined him as sword practice started.
"She's good." The short man commented as Alex disarmed her friend for the third time, "As much a natural swordswoman as one can get. I'll have to take her into training with you."
The prince let out a small squawk, glancing at his teacher before returning his attention to where Alexeika was fixing Thia's technique. Counting the beats slowly and calling advice Alex ran through pattern sets with her friend for another ten minutes in return for the help Thia gave her on her archery.
Thia then went to attempt some more advanced ranges and Alex changed the school practice sword for her own Gladring, her mother's father's sword, eldish wrought, with a silver and garnet laced pommel. Lifting it she began the intricate sword dance patterns of the old eld warriors, beautiful and deadly. The dance helped not only build strength and skill but was well used to meditate, clearing the mind of all else but the dance.
Alex's focus did not shift from the movement as the self-defence class began to arrive from breakfast. At a nudge from his teacher Prince Faldain slipped into the dance blocking her thrust. Snapping back from the meditation Alex blushed at the crowd drawn, much to the prince's amusement. Of course the serenity was shattered by a drawl from the Mandrian prince.
"How pretty perhaps our 'princess' may teach us to dance so nicely, I'm sure it will save many lives." His cronies snickered less than intelligently.
"That young princeling was one of the old eld sword dances, used by the warriors who fought with the battles of the gods, very few are capable of mastering any if all of them. Our princess has successfully linked three of the nine." Mcana replied, stepping out from his shadowed vantage point, causing Alex to blush further and the prince to seem all the more petulant.
"Now class, as I told you swords and hand to hand today. Warm up on hand to hand with your groups while I test our new recruit. NOW" Mcana ordered, stopping Faldain with an arm as he turned to leave. "You can help test milady." Faldain and Alex both nodded, eyeing each other warily.
"Now I want to see your dagger and stave work before I try you on a joust. Daggers first, can you throw and stab?" Mcana asked rapidly.
Alexeika pulled a throwing dagger from her boot and flicking it into the center of a target nearby. At the professors nudge she sent three more into similar targets. Mcana retrieved the daggers before returning with two wooden practice daggers, handing the pair one each he signaled for them to begin sparring.
Faldain was good, he could best his sister on most counts, then again so could Alexeika. After about ten minutes of rapid blocks and strikes the professor called a halt, muttering something along the lines of "good, good."
Picking up the practice staves the two began to spar again, Alex was good at staves she could hold her own against many opponents; but it wasn't her strength. She managed to last seven minutes before Faldain gained a hit and another three before he successfully had her beat. Grinning bashfully she replaced the staff and thanked the prince.
Mcana still did not address her. She began to worry about him accepting her into his class as he silently lead her to a saddled palomino on the jousting range. She grimaced slightly, she hadn't had much practice at jousts, about twenty runs at the most, mind she'd been hitting her target successfully the last nine times; she wasn't too confident.
As she swung into the saddle she couldn't help but overhear certain obnoxious comments from the spoilt prince nearby. Gritting her teeth she set herself up for the run, 'Thod give me the strength to show him!' Pushing her horse forward she set her lance and hitting the dummy's shield squarely. Turning at the end of the field she ran the same progress this time focusing on the small black dot on the shield; she just missed it. Trying a third time she managed to hit the dot, but whether by chance or skill she wasn't certain. A small sandy haired page ran out to take the reins of her horse, thanking the beast she walked over to the teacher, trying to ignore the crowd that had gathered.
"You fight well young princess, I would like to meet your teachers one day, however we all have something to learn and weaknesses to amend. You shall take the medium-low group for lance, medium for stave and archery, high in all else except sword; you'll train directly under me with Prince Faldain." Mcana announced, Alex tried to ignore several jealous looks at this. He continued to her alone, "We shall try and teach you the rest of the sword dances."
Alex spent the rest of class practicing the first duet dance with Faldain, a grin fixed upon her face.