Chapter Eight
Of Martial Arts and Revenge
Whatever Rose had chosen to do to Ebon had worked. Come to think of it, what she had chosen to do was obvious. He was looking rather injured the next time we saw him. He didn't dare to acknowledge Freya, and completely left her alone unless she really needed discipline, which was rare. Meanwhile Freya slowly recovered from the attacks, but it was clear that her mind would not forget.
Months passed, and soon November came with its light rain and cooling temperatures. By now the lake was near being frozen, and Ebon had decided to start on a new physical advantage: martial arts.
I woke up just as dawn came. Ebon had told us to come to the lake by noon. By then the temperatures would be halfway decent and we wouldn't freeze to death - or at least Ebon wouldn't. I yawned lazily as I rose to my feet and quickly looked out the window. The rain was light, but that meant the temperatures would be colder. I reminded myself to dress warmer.
I headed into the kitchen to find it bitter cold. Immediately I walked over to the fireplace. The fire had died during the night, and Aireff clearly had not woken up to get it ready. I grabbed the flint and rock on the mantle and within a few quick strokes had a soft fire roaring. I grabbed an extra stick and encouraged the fire to become larger. Soon, it was taking up the entire fireplace. I sat in front of the flames for a while, trying to warm myself up. I then rose and walked over to the cabinet that held the water Rose had gathered during the summer. I took a leather sack containing water, poured the water into a pot, then set the fireproof pot above the flickering flames of the fire to hang on the iron bar.
I sat down at the table, thinking over my plans for today. Everything would hopefully go as planned. I stared at the fire, thinking over the plan. I then rose to my feet and headed into my bedroom. Without disturbing Ruben I took my Gil pouch out from under his bed. It was full of the Gil I had saved up. I took it out into the kitchen with me, where I discovered the water to be well beyond boiling point and going into the "overflow and put out the fire" stage.
Only seven minutes later, I was stepping outside and into the cold air of November morning. I tightly had wrapped my warm, waterproof jacket, but even the soft furs that covered the inside didn't seem to help. I jogged through the sleek streets, hoping to get myself warmer. Hopefully Freya's house would offer some warmth.
Thanks to my brisk jog I reached Freya's house in minutes. I didn't bother knocking. Freya and I visited each other so often we didn't knock and simply barged right in. Our parents didn't care, being they knew whom to expect.
Freya's house was considerably warmer, considering Arana had woken up early. She was sitting at the table, eating at the table. We only acknowledged each other with a brief nod. It was a very warm greeting when it came to the two of us.
I headed up the stairs and into the small hallway. Freya's mother had enough money to afford a three-bedroom house and keep it, though how she managed is beyond me. My parents were Dragon Warriors and the house they had was plainer than Freya's house. But it meant we had better food, clothing, and supplies.
I quietly stepped into Freya's room, which she shared with Arana. It held merely two beds, a bureau, and a small fireplace built for warmth and light. Arana had had enough heart to start a small fire so Freya wouldn't be freezing. This was pretty nice, considering Arana.
Freya was sleeping peacefully, which didn't surprise me. She didn't get up until someone woke her up. I looked down at her, sleeping peacefully. She was apparently dreaming; she was snoring. Freya, for some reason, only snored when she was dreaming. I found it humorous, but Arana found it very annoying and was constantly trying to get her to stop. Come to think of it, Arana tried to stop everything.
Freya rolled over in her sleep, nearly squashing her tail in the process. She grabbed for something in her sleep and ended up grabbing a pillow. She then threw it. I moved out of the way of the pillow and it slammed against the wall. Freya then muttered something in her sleep.
I only smiled with amusement as I walked over to Freya.
"Come on, Freya. Quit throwing pillows and wake up," I muttered, tapping her on the shoulder.
Freya's opinion was yawning lazily in her sleep. I chuckled softly and tapped her on the shoulder again. If I had to, I would shout.
My persistent tapping was succeeding in waking Freya up. She yawned again and opened her eyes halfway. She took one look at me and made an attempt to hide under the pillow.
"You're too awake in the morning," she grumbled.
I laughed. "At least I don't hide under pillows."
"When you're fourteen, Fratley, I'm going to get revenge on you!" Freya grumbled, taking the pillow and throwing it in my face.
I laughed. "Yeah, if you'll get up, that is."
If there's one thing that will get Freya up, it's lightly insulting her. Soon I was on the floor, staring up at Freya's sleepy yet annoyed face.
"Ha ha, Frat," she snapped. "Now what are you going to do?"
I shoved the Gil pouch in front of Freya. "Give you your birthday present."
"Holy," Freya muttered, taking the pouch and sitting on my legs. "How much is in here?"
"I'll tell you once you get off me."
Freya crawled off me, allowing me to rise into a sitting position.
"There's 3500 in there," I said. "I figured that before we go and deal with Ebon the Ass I'd take you shopping and allow you to go nuts. Well, if you're interested - which I know you are."
"Sweet!" Freya chirped. "Thanks!"
Freya gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before she bounded out of the room. I chuckled softly. Women were so easy to please. All you needed to do was give them money and a day shopping and they would love you forever. Freya was no exception, except perhaps in what she bought.
I left the room and quickly headed downstairs. Freya was eating some bread while bickering bitterly with Arana. What they were bickering about didn't exactly matter. They would bicker about anything and everything that could be bickered about - even stuff that couldn't be bickered about.
Freya immediately offered me some food, but I denied it. I never was hungry in the morning; my appetite would come by lunch. I simply sat down at the table and as far away from Arana as possible. Freya was eating as quickly as she could without choking. I rolled my eyes, chuckling.
"Take a break, Freya," I said.
Freya glared at me, and I only smiled.
About an hour later Freya and I were heading toward the Marketsquare. It was right outside the Royal Gate and near the lake. Any person who lived around the Marketsquare usually made and sold goods. A few soldiers also lived around the Marketsquare, but usually their wives were able to do a little handy work.
Already a few shops were open. Freya glanced around. She then headed toward a small stand littered with weapons. The man owning the shop was a 20-year-old with two kids running around and under the stand. Freya headed over to the shop and examined a few of the weapons. They appeared to be knuckles, whips, and poles with very few blades.
"How much do you usually charge?" Freya asked.
"Depends on the condition of the weapon you want to buy," the man said quietly. "But usually the knuckles are around 500, the whips 560, and the poles 800 or more depending on length."
Freya nodded. She picked up a pole that was as long as she was tall. She spun it around wildly.
"How much is this?" Freya asked.
"1000," the man replied.
Freya took the pouch I had given her and handed him 1000 Gil.
"These things are handy," Freya said. "You can trip people."
"People like Ebon," I muttered.
"Yep," Freya said cheerfully.
Freya only stopped by two more shops. She then bounded off toward the lake, I following.
"That's it?" I asked with amusement.
"Nothing good this time of year," Freya replied. "No one's at the lake yet."
"Too early. We have a few good hours to wait," I replied. A sharp wind passed by, and I shivered. "Aren't you cold?"
Freya looked over at me. She had chosen to wear her typical outfit, with only a light coat over it. "No. Why?"
"Because I am and I have this thing!" I said, showing Freya the fluffy inside of my coat.
Freya grinned. "You're pathetic."
We walked down to the lake, only to find that no one was risking the cold to hang about. Freya took a quick look around the area.
"No one," Freya muttered. She then looked at me with a warm smile. "You want to practice?"
"Practice?" I asked.
"Martial Arts. Do you know any?" Freya asked.
"A little," I replied.
"Well, do you want to practice?" Freya asked.
"Oh, well, I guess," I said with a shrug.
"All right, then."
At this point Freya surprised me. She shed her clothes until she was only dressed in her white cloth pants and sleeveless shirt. She rolled her fleece pants and shirt into a ball, stuffed it into her leather coat, and threw the entire thing aside.
"Aren't you going to be cold?" I asked.
"No, you're going to be hot. Believe me, when you spar you get very hot regardless of the weather," Freya explained as she tried to tie her hair back with a ribbon. She looked over at me and smiled. "Stupid hair. Oh, and quit staring, Frat. It's rude."
I gave myself a smack in the forehead. How Freya could deal with me is beyond me.
"Well, are you ready?" Freya asked. She had managed to tie her hair back.
I nodded. Freya took a deep breath and began to slowly approach.
"All right. Lesson one."
Freya threw something aside, and I looked to see what it was. The next thing I knew, I was on the ground, Freya standing over me with a smirk on her face.
"Never look away from you opponent," Freya finished, allowing me to rise.
I didn't say anything. I simply rose to my feet and tried to attack Freya. She flipped out of the way and grounded me so quickly I could barely believe it.
"How? -" I began.
"Practice," Freya replied. "Come on, get up."
I rose to my feet.
"All right, try again," Freya said.
I made an attempt to kick Freya. She met my kick with her arm and sent me flipping onto the ground stomach-first with an upward jerk.
"Oww, that smarts," I muttered, rising painfully to my feet.
Freya's fist slammed into my face and I hit the ground again.
"All right, now that's unfair," I commented.
Freya smirked. "Be careful."
I kicked my legs out, caught one of Freya's, and threw her to the ground. Freya quickly rose to her feet. I also leapt to my feet, and just managed to dodge one of Freya's kicks. I made an attempt to tackle her, but Freya flipped out of the way. She then slammed her body into me, and I toppled to the ground. By now, however, I was quite awake, and I quickly rose to my feet and slammed my fist into Freya's face. Freya backed up, then kicked out with both her feet and hit me square in the chest. I fell to the ground, and it took me a few more seconds that usual to get up.
I rose carefully to my feet and tried to deliver a back-blow. Freya met it with her arms. She then brought one foot up and kicked me away. She tried to punch me, but I met it with my arm in a copy of her own movement. It hurt a lot more than Freya made it look. I backed up a bit, and Freya leapt in the air, delivering a spinning kick that sent me flipping to the ground.
Freya was right, though; I would be hot. Already I was sweating. I took off my jacket and put it aside. I then rolled away from Freya and to my feet. Freya rushed forward, but I ran out of the way and kicked her. Freya staggered backward, and I slammed my fist into her shoulder. Freya slipped and fell.
"You're getting pretty good," Freya commented, rising to her feet.
I rushed forward, hoping to knock her over. Freya cartwheeled away. She kept cartwheeling until she reached her pole. She slowly began to approach, spinning the pole around in front of her. I watched her warily. Slowly Freya brought the pole to a stop. That was when I rushed forward.
Suddenly I was on the ground, my ankle screaming with pain.
"Ah crap," I muttered, rising into a sitting position. I tried to rise, but my ankle gave way and I slid back to the ground.
"You all right?" Freya asked, kneeling beside me. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you -"
"I'm all right," I muttered, but my ankle was proving to be otherwise. It was beginning to swell.
"Yeah right. It looks bad," Freya said with worry. "Maybe you should go home."
"No, I'll be fine," I muttered. The pain in my ankle was now very dull, but I couldn't move it.
Freya rose to her feet and rushed over to her jacket. She took a cloth from it and walked over to the lake. I made another attempt to rise, and this time succeeded. I limped over to Freya.
"Fratley, sit down," Freya said. She squeezed the water out of the cloth and handed it to me.
I placed the cloth against my swelling ankle. "Freya, it's okay, I'm not mad."
"Fratley, I hurt you!" Freya replied.
I shrugged. "Not like we meant to kill each other. Remember, we were sparring. Sometimes these things happen."
"What are you doing?"
My muscles tensed at the new voice. I looked over at Ebon, who had just appeared.
"Freya and I were sparring," I explained. "We're just recovering."
"Be careful, Fratley," Ebon said quietly. "If you are not better by the time we're set I'll send you home."
I nodded, causing Ebon to walk away. He didn't even bother to acknowledge Freya. He never did. When she tried to participate and seem like a good student, he'd ignore her. When she did anything that would previously get her a smack, he ignored her. No matter what Freya did, she was ignored. I expected Freya to like this, but it upset her. She tried to please Ebon, but he ignored her, and it seemed to hurt Freya more than his smacks had.
"Look at me," Freya snapped at Ebon, but he ignored her.
A few hours later, everyone had gathered. I hadn't fully recovered, but I refused to tell Ebon. I instead limped over when he wasn't looking and sat down near the three boys. Freya sat beside me, fretting over me like Rose would. It was annoying, but at the same time touching to know she cared that much.
"Today we will practice one of the first techniques all Dragon Warriors learn: martial arts. Martial arts can be used for offensive fighting, but it is mostly a self-defense mechanism. There are times when a Dragon Warrior is caught off-guard and without a weapon. He will turn to martial arts until help or a weapon can be gained," Ebon explained, immediately causing yawns and bored looks. "You can choose your own partners, but one of you must be partners with me, as there aren't enough of us."
Then, suddenly Ebon's eyes locked with Freya's. They stared at each other endlessly.
"You may choose your partners and practice the moves I taught you," Ebon said slowly, still staring at Freya. "Go."
Two of the boys immediately stood up and headed into to a different area. Freya and Ebon will still staring at each other. The last boy walked slowly over to me.
"Hey," he said, and I detected the shyness in his voice. "You wanna be partners wit me?"
I was a little shocked. Out of all the attitudes I had dreamed the boys to have, I did not expect a shy one.
"I'm afraid I'm not going to be much of an opponent," I said regretfully, carefully bringing out my swollen ankle for him to see. "I had a bit of an accident when sparring."
"Oh," the boy said, but he only sounded relieved. "Well, that's all right. I'm pretty useless, injured ankle or not."
I smiled slightly. "Oh, I see. Well, I think we'd better move anyway."
I rose to my feet. The boy and I walked over to the lake. Freya had risen to her feet. She was watching Ebon. The two were stiff. Freya's eyes narrowed, and then she suddenly struck.
Freya's foot plowed into Ebon's chest and knocked him straight to the ground. Ebon quickly rose to his feet and tried to return her blow, but Freya blocked it with her arms. She then brought her arm out in a slamming hit. Ebon staggered backward, then brought out his foot and kicked Freya in the stomach. Freya fell to her knees, but quickly got back up to slam her foot into Ebon's stomach.
Everyone was watching the fight. I couldn't help but smirk as I watched the fight. Freya was getting her revenge. Ebon wasn't strong enough.
Within a few minutes, Freya had picked up her pole and was using it to her advantage. Ebon was at a loss. He couldn't move as swift as Freya could. Soon, he was on the ground, gasping for breath with Freya standing over him. Her face was amazingly neutral.
"I beat you," she said, stepping aside.
Ebon rose to his feet. He didn't look at her. He instead turned to the rest of us.
"Keep training. I'll be back," he snapped.
Ebon began to walk away. Freya looked enraged, though I couldn't figure out why. She had just defeated him. Why was she angry?
"Ebon," she snarled. "Ebon, I want you to turn around and tell me to my face that I beat you and I am stronger than you."
Ebon's walk slowed, but never stopped. He looked down toward the ground, but never at Freya. He then resumed his normal pace, never meeting Freya's eyes.
----------- I stink at writing Martial Arts fights. Oh well, Freya got revenge on her birthday! =) Anyway, I have no clue what's going to happen in the next chapter, so there may be another delay.
This story is copyright to me. Some events, characters, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.
Of Martial Arts and Revenge
Whatever Rose had chosen to do to Ebon had worked. Come to think of it, what she had chosen to do was obvious. He was looking rather injured the next time we saw him. He didn't dare to acknowledge Freya, and completely left her alone unless she really needed discipline, which was rare. Meanwhile Freya slowly recovered from the attacks, but it was clear that her mind would not forget.
Months passed, and soon November came with its light rain and cooling temperatures. By now the lake was near being frozen, and Ebon had decided to start on a new physical advantage: martial arts.
I woke up just as dawn came. Ebon had told us to come to the lake by noon. By then the temperatures would be halfway decent and we wouldn't freeze to death - or at least Ebon wouldn't. I yawned lazily as I rose to my feet and quickly looked out the window. The rain was light, but that meant the temperatures would be colder. I reminded myself to dress warmer.
I headed into the kitchen to find it bitter cold. Immediately I walked over to the fireplace. The fire had died during the night, and Aireff clearly had not woken up to get it ready. I grabbed the flint and rock on the mantle and within a few quick strokes had a soft fire roaring. I grabbed an extra stick and encouraged the fire to become larger. Soon, it was taking up the entire fireplace. I sat in front of the flames for a while, trying to warm myself up. I then rose and walked over to the cabinet that held the water Rose had gathered during the summer. I took a leather sack containing water, poured the water into a pot, then set the fireproof pot above the flickering flames of the fire to hang on the iron bar.
I sat down at the table, thinking over my plans for today. Everything would hopefully go as planned. I stared at the fire, thinking over the plan. I then rose to my feet and headed into my bedroom. Without disturbing Ruben I took my Gil pouch out from under his bed. It was full of the Gil I had saved up. I took it out into the kitchen with me, where I discovered the water to be well beyond boiling point and going into the "overflow and put out the fire" stage.
Only seven minutes later, I was stepping outside and into the cold air of November morning. I tightly had wrapped my warm, waterproof jacket, but even the soft furs that covered the inside didn't seem to help. I jogged through the sleek streets, hoping to get myself warmer. Hopefully Freya's house would offer some warmth.
Thanks to my brisk jog I reached Freya's house in minutes. I didn't bother knocking. Freya and I visited each other so often we didn't knock and simply barged right in. Our parents didn't care, being they knew whom to expect.
Freya's house was considerably warmer, considering Arana had woken up early. She was sitting at the table, eating at the table. We only acknowledged each other with a brief nod. It was a very warm greeting when it came to the two of us.
I headed up the stairs and into the small hallway. Freya's mother had enough money to afford a three-bedroom house and keep it, though how she managed is beyond me. My parents were Dragon Warriors and the house they had was plainer than Freya's house. But it meant we had better food, clothing, and supplies.
I quietly stepped into Freya's room, which she shared with Arana. It held merely two beds, a bureau, and a small fireplace built for warmth and light. Arana had had enough heart to start a small fire so Freya wouldn't be freezing. This was pretty nice, considering Arana.
Freya was sleeping peacefully, which didn't surprise me. She didn't get up until someone woke her up. I looked down at her, sleeping peacefully. She was apparently dreaming; she was snoring. Freya, for some reason, only snored when she was dreaming. I found it humorous, but Arana found it very annoying and was constantly trying to get her to stop. Come to think of it, Arana tried to stop everything.
Freya rolled over in her sleep, nearly squashing her tail in the process. She grabbed for something in her sleep and ended up grabbing a pillow. She then threw it. I moved out of the way of the pillow and it slammed against the wall. Freya then muttered something in her sleep.
I only smiled with amusement as I walked over to Freya.
"Come on, Freya. Quit throwing pillows and wake up," I muttered, tapping her on the shoulder.
Freya's opinion was yawning lazily in her sleep. I chuckled softly and tapped her on the shoulder again. If I had to, I would shout.
My persistent tapping was succeeding in waking Freya up. She yawned again and opened her eyes halfway. She took one look at me and made an attempt to hide under the pillow.
"You're too awake in the morning," she grumbled.
I laughed. "At least I don't hide under pillows."
"When you're fourteen, Fratley, I'm going to get revenge on you!" Freya grumbled, taking the pillow and throwing it in my face.
I laughed. "Yeah, if you'll get up, that is."
If there's one thing that will get Freya up, it's lightly insulting her. Soon I was on the floor, staring up at Freya's sleepy yet annoyed face.
"Ha ha, Frat," she snapped. "Now what are you going to do?"
I shoved the Gil pouch in front of Freya. "Give you your birthday present."
"Holy," Freya muttered, taking the pouch and sitting on my legs. "How much is in here?"
"I'll tell you once you get off me."
Freya crawled off me, allowing me to rise into a sitting position.
"There's 3500 in there," I said. "I figured that before we go and deal with Ebon the Ass I'd take you shopping and allow you to go nuts. Well, if you're interested - which I know you are."
"Sweet!" Freya chirped. "Thanks!"
Freya gave me a quick kiss on the cheek before she bounded out of the room. I chuckled softly. Women were so easy to please. All you needed to do was give them money and a day shopping and they would love you forever. Freya was no exception, except perhaps in what she bought.
I left the room and quickly headed downstairs. Freya was eating some bread while bickering bitterly with Arana. What they were bickering about didn't exactly matter. They would bicker about anything and everything that could be bickered about - even stuff that couldn't be bickered about.
Freya immediately offered me some food, but I denied it. I never was hungry in the morning; my appetite would come by lunch. I simply sat down at the table and as far away from Arana as possible. Freya was eating as quickly as she could without choking. I rolled my eyes, chuckling.
"Take a break, Freya," I said.
Freya glared at me, and I only smiled.
About an hour later Freya and I were heading toward the Marketsquare. It was right outside the Royal Gate and near the lake. Any person who lived around the Marketsquare usually made and sold goods. A few soldiers also lived around the Marketsquare, but usually their wives were able to do a little handy work.
Already a few shops were open. Freya glanced around. She then headed toward a small stand littered with weapons. The man owning the shop was a 20-year-old with two kids running around and under the stand. Freya headed over to the shop and examined a few of the weapons. They appeared to be knuckles, whips, and poles with very few blades.
"How much do you usually charge?" Freya asked.
"Depends on the condition of the weapon you want to buy," the man said quietly. "But usually the knuckles are around 500, the whips 560, and the poles 800 or more depending on length."
Freya nodded. She picked up a pole that was as long as she was tall. She spun it around wildly.
"How much is this?" Freya asked.
"1000," the man replied.
Freya took the pouch I had given her and handed him 1000 Gil.
"These things are handy," Freya said. "You can trip people."
"People like Ebon," I muttered.
"Yep," Freya said cheerfully.
Freya only stopped by two more shops. She then bounded off toward the lake, I following.
"That's it?" I asked with amusement.
"Nothing good this time of year," Freya replied. "No one's at the lake yet."
"Too early. We have a few good hours to wait," I replied. A sharp wind passed by, and I shivered. "Aren't you cold?"
Freya looked over at me. She had chosen to wear her typical outfit, with only a light coat over it. "No. Why?"
"Because I am and I have this thing!" I said, showing Freya the fluffy inside of my coat.
Freya grinned. "You're pathetic."
We walked down to the lake, only to find that no one was risking the cold to hang about. Freya took a quick look around the area.
"No one," Freya muttered. She then looked at me with a warm smile. "You want to practice?"
"Practice?" I asked.
"Martial Arts. Do you know any?" Freya asked.
"A little," I replied.
"Well, do you want to practice?" Freya asked.
"Oh, well, I guess," I said with a shrug.
"All right, then."
At this point Freya surprised me. She shed her clothes until she was only dressed in her white cloth pants and sleeveless shirt. She rolled her fleece pants and shirt into a ball, stuffed it into her leather coat, and threw the entire thing aside.
"Aren't you going to be cold?" I asked.
"No, you're going to be hot. Believe me, when you spar you get very hot regardless of the weather," Freya explained as she tried to tie her hair back with a ribbon. She looked over at me and smiled. "Stupid hair. Oh, and quit staring, Frat. It's rude."
I gave myself a smack in the forehead. How Freya could deal with me is beyond me.
"Well, are you ready?" Freya asked. She had managed to tie her hair back.
I nodded. Freya took a deep breath and began to slowly approach.
"All right. Lesson one."
Freya threw something aside, and I looked to see what it was. The next thing I knew, I was on the ground, Freya standing over me with a smirk on her face.
"Never look away from you opponent," Freya finished, allowing me to rise.
I didn't say anything. I simply rose to my feet and tried to attack Freya. She flipped out of the way and grounded me so quickly I could barely believe it.
"How? -" I began.
"Practice," Freya replied. "Come on, get up."
I rose to my feet.
"All right, try again," Freya said.
I made an attempt to kick Freya. She met my kick with her arm and sent me flipping onto the ground stomach-first with an upward jerk.
"Oww, that smarts," I muttered, rising painfully to my feet.
Freya's fist slammed into my face and I hit the ground again.
"All right, now that's unfair," I commented.
Freya smirked. "Be careful."
I kicked my legs out, caught one of Freya's, and threw her to the ground. Freya quickly rose to her feet. I also leapt to my feet, and just managed to dodge one of Freya's kicks. I made an attempt to tackle her, but Freya flipped out of the way. She then slammed her body into me, and I toppled to the ground. By now, however, I was quite awake, and I quickly rose to my feet and slammed my fist into Freya's face. Freya backed up, then kicked out with both her feet and hit me square in the chest. I fell to the ground, and it took me a few more seconds that usual to get up.
I rose carefully to my feet and tried to deliver a back-blow. Freya met it with her arms. She then brought one foot up and kicked me away. She tried to punch me, but I met it with my arm in a copy of her own movement. It hurt a lot more than Freya made it look. I backed up a bit, and Freya leapt in the air, delivering a spinning kick that sent me flipping to the ground.
Freya was right, though; I would be hot. Already I was sweating. I took off my jacket and put it aside. I then rolled away from Freya and to my feet. Freya rushed forward, but I ran out of the way and kicked her. Freya staggered backward, and I slammed my fist into her shoulder. Freya slipped and fell.
"You're getting pretty good," Freya commented, rising to her feet.
I rushed forward, hoping to knock her over. Freya cartwheeled away. She kept cartwheeling until she reached her pole. She slowly began to approach, spinning the pole around in front of her. I watched her warily. Slowly Freya brought the pole to a stop. That was when I rushed forward.
Suddenly I was on the ground, my ankle screaming with pain.
"Ah crap," I muttered, rising into a sitting position. I tried to rise, but my ankle gave way and I slid back to the ground.
"You all right?" Freya asked, kneeling beside me. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you -"
"I'm all right," I muttered, but my ankle was proving to be otherwise. It was beginning to swell.
"Yeah right. It looks bad," Freya said with worry. "Maybe you should go home."
"No, I'll be fine," I muttered. The pain in my ankle was now very dull, but I couldn't move it.
Freya rose to her feet and rushed over to her jacket. She took a cloth from it and walked over to the lake. I made another attempt to rise, and this time succeeded. I limped over to Freya.
"Fratley, sit down," Freya said. She squeezed the water out of the cloth and handed it to me.
I placed the cloth against my swelling ankle. "Freya, it's okay, I'm not mad."
"Fratley, I hurt you!" Freya replied.
I shrugged. "Not like we meant to kill each other. Remember, we were sparring. Sometimes these things happen."
"What are you doing?"
My muscles tensed at the new voice. I looked over at Ebon, who had just appeared.
"Freya and I were sparring," I explained. "We're just recovering."
"Be careful, Fratley," Ebon said quietly. "If you are not better by the time we're set I'll send you home."
I nodded, causing Ebon to walk away. He didn't even bother to acknowledge Freya. He never did. When she tried to participate and seem like a good student, he'd ignore her. When she did anything that would previously get her a smack, he ignored her. No matter what Freya did, she was ignored. I expected Freya to like this, but it upset her. She tried to please Ebon, but he ignored her, and it seemed to hurt Freya more than his smacks had.
"Look at me," Freya snapped at Ebon, but he ignored her.
A few hours later, everyone had gathered. I hadn't fully recovered, but I refused to tell Ebon. I instead limped over when he wasn't looking and sat down near the three boys. Freya sat beside me, fretting over me like Rose would. It was annoying, but at the same time touching to know she cared that much.
"Today we will practice one of the first techniques all Dragon Warriors learn: martial arts. Martial arts can be used for offensive fighting, but it is mostly a self-defense mechanism. There are times when a Dragon Warrior is caught off-guard and without a weapon. He will turn to martial arts until help or a weapon can be gained," Ebon explained, immediately causing yawns and bored looks. "You can choose your own partners, but one of you must be partners with me, as there aren't enough of us."
Then, suddenly Ebon's eyes locked with Freya's. They stared at each other endlessly.
"You may choose your partners and practice the moves I taught you," Ebon said slowly, still staring at Freya. "Go."
Two of the boys immediately stood up and headed into to a different area. Freya and Ebon will still staring at each other. The last boy walked slowly over to me.
"Hey," he said, and I detected the shyness in his voice. "You wanna be partners wit me?"
I was a little shocked. Out of all the attitudes I had dreamed the boys to have, I did not expect a shy one.
"I'm afraid I'm not going to be much of an opponent," I said regretfully, carefully bringing out my swollen ankle for him to see. "I had a bit of an accident when sparring."
"Oh," the boy said, but he only sounded relieved. "Well, that's all right. I'm pretty useless, injured ankle or not."
I smiled slightly. "Oh, I see. Well, I think we'd better move anyway."
I rose to my feet. The boy and I walked over to the lake. Freya had risen to her feet. She was watching Ebon. The two were stiff. Freya's eyes narrowed, and then she suddenly struck.
Freya's foot plowed into Ebon's chest and knocked him straight to the ground. Ebon quickly rose to his feet and tried to return her blow, but Freya blocked it with her arms. She then brought her arm out in a slamming hit. Ebon staggered backward, then brought out his foot and kicked Freya in the stomach. Freya fell to her knees, but quickly got back up to slam her foot into Ebon's stomach.
Everyone was watching the fight. I couldn't help but smirk as I watched the fight. Freya was getting her revenge. Ebon wasn't strong enough.
Within a few minutes, Freya had picked up her pole and was using it to her advantage. Ebon was at a loss. He couldn't move as swift as Freya could. Soon, he was on the ground, gasping for breath with Freya standing over him. Her face was amazingly neutral.
"I beat you," she said, stepping aside.
Ebon rose to his feet. He didn't look at her. He instead turned to the rest of us.
"Keep training. I'll be back," he snapped.
Ebon began to walk away. Freya looked enraged, though I couldn't figure out why. She had just defeated him. Why was she angry?
"Ebon," she snarled. "Ebon, I want you to turn around and tell me to my face that I beat you and I am stronger than you."
Ebon's walk slowed, but never stopped. He looked down toward the ground, but never at Freya. He then resumed his normal pace, never meeting Freya's eyes.
----------- I stink at writing Martial Arts fights. Oh well, Freya got revenge on her birthday! =) Anyway, I have no clue what's going to happen in the next chapter, so there may be another delay.
This story is copyright to me. Some events, characters, locations, and Gaia in general are copyright to SquareEnix.