Sparring

"Besaid? Where on Spira is that?" I asked.

Kinoc looked up from his packing. "It's an island. Way to the south, I think. There's a fayth there, not much else though. It's pretty much in the middle of nowhere." He made a face.

Kal rolled up the last of his clothing and stuck it in his bag. "There's a temple, so there's a garrison. A small one, just one squad, but it's there. Also, Sin completely wiped out the village and their Crusaders a few years back, and they need extra help to protect the place while they rebuild." He looked over at Kinoc. "It doesn't sound so bad. If nothing else, it's close to home -- Kilika Port is only half a day by boat. Plus, they have a blitzball team."

"Only the worst one in the history of the world," Kinoc snorted.

Kal shrugged. "Better than no blitz at all. Maybe I can work out with them in my down time, give them some pointers."

"Good luck," I said.

"Same to you." He closed up his bag and slung his bow and quiver over his back. "Well, I've got a boat to catch. See ya!" A quick round of handshakes, and then he was gone.

I picked up my new sword and admired it. It was heavier than my old blade and more decorative, a swirling pattern etched in the metal that was echoed by a gleaming silver inlay in the hilt. It had been a gift from my family. "Congratulations, and happy birthday," Father had said.

"My birthday isn't for another week," I'd reminded him.

"Close enough," Xan had laughed. Then they had left, carrying my well-wishes to Relle, Kera, and my niece. My niece! I smiled at the idea and wondered when I'd get to meet her.

Lost in thought, I didn't notice the knock on the door until Kinoc had already let our visitor in. I turned to greet him -- it was the captain who had led us into the Hall of Monks earlier that day. Several inches taller than I, he was an intimidating figure. Fortunately, he had a friendly smile that instantly put me at ease.

"Hello Brother Kinoc, Brother Auron," he said as we saluted him. "I'm Captain Scala, leader of Gray Squad. Welcome to the team. You'll both be reporting to Lieutenant Gibson, whom I believe you've already met?" He acknowledged our nods. "Excellent. Your new quarters are ready for you. Follow me."

Kinoc lifted his bag and obeyed. I stuffed the last few items in mine and threw it over my shoulder, carrying the sword in my free hand. I walked a few paces behind Kinoc, sparing one last glance for my old room. Then I shut the door, my thoughts turning to the room waiting ahead.

Yuna took advantage of a rare free afternoon to sit in the sun on the Highroad and watch the recent Defense Force recruits at practice, her daughter sleeping in her lap. This was a fine group, she thought -- everyone was making at least a credible effort with their swords, and some were actually quite good, even after only three months. Her eyes kept returning to two pairs of fighters, each a student sparring with an instructor. Normally, her attention would have been focused on Tidus alone -- she still loved watching him fight, his sword the color of the sea sparkling in the sun, his quick grace with the blade almost like dancing. Today he was fencing with Maura. Also a blitzer, she was nearly as agile as Tidus but not quite so fast. Still, Yuna could tell she had potential.

Despite this, she found her gaze continually drawn back to another pair: two women fighting on the other side of the road. Paine wasn't graceful like Tidus, but she more than made up for that lack with finesse and strength. Today, she sparred with her cousin. Seeing Lissira in battle was a revelation. Add a couple of inches to her height, broaden her shoulders and throw a red robe over them, and Yuna could be watching Auron reborn. Liss still needed to learn tactics, and her stamina wasn't yet developed, but the sheer power and fluidity of her swings were just like her father's. She wielded the weapon with a breathtaking combination of strength and grace, and Yuna was utterly mesmerized as the heavy swords clashed again and again.

"Hey Yunie!" came a cheery shout from behind.

Yuna turned around, disregarding the sleepy grumble that came from her lap at the sudden movement. "Hi Rikku," she called out. "Come see this."

Rikku plopped down on the ground next to her cousin and gave her a peck on the cheek. "What's up?"

Yuna indicated the fighters. "Watch Paine and the woman practicing with her."

The younger woman obeyed, her green eyes widening as she realized what she was seeing. "Wow, that's her, isn't it? I heard the rumors, but I wasn't sure whether to believe them. I mean, I know what you told me, but..." She observed silently for another moment. "Vun dra muja uv machina yht meddma vecreac! She fights just like him!"

Yuna nodded. "Pretty amazing, isn't it?"

"What's amazing?" Tidus asked as he walked past the women. He took a seat on Yuna's other side, breathing heavily.

"Daddy!" Jecha shifted from her mother's lap to her father's, and Tidus wrapped his arms around her.

"Lissira," said Yuna, taking advantage of the opportunity to stretch out her legs.

"She sure is," he said. "Really floored me the first time I noticed it. It's like the old guy himself returned from the Farplane, except he decided to try on a woman's body for a change."

Rikku giggled. "Now there's an image. Oh darn, it's over. Hey, Paine!" She jumped up and waved to her friend.

Paine lowered her sword and pushed her drooping hair back from her sweat-covered face as she waved back. She turned and said something to Liss, and the two of them started walking toward the waiting group. "Hi Rikku," she called out, catching the flask of water that Tidus tossed her way and taking a gulp. "What brings you here?"

"Picking up Tidus," Rikku replied. "We have to go to Bevelle tomorrow for another one of those stupid sittings. Hi, you must be Liss! I'm Rikku." She bounded forward to Lissira, her hand extended.

"It is an honor to meet you, ma'am," said Liss.

Rikku laughed. "Oh please, don't ever go there. It's just Rikku."

"All right." Liss smiled in return. "Sittings for what, if I may ask?"

Tidus groaned and stood up, depositing Jecha on the ground over her protests. "Some dumb portrait for the old temple."

Yuna whacked his leg with the back of her hand. "Hey! You promised you'd stop complaining. This is important to me, you know." She smiled up at him, then noticed Liss's puzzled look. "The Hall of Guardians in Bevelle Palace. Portraits of many guardians hang there. The Praetor is insisting that I have a statue made, and I will have my guardians honored as well."

An extraordinary set of emotions passed over Liss's face. Yuna thought she saw sadness and wonder, but more than anything there was a powerful curiosity. Yuna had already noticed that Liss wore a similar expression whenever she received a new piece of information about her father. "Lady Yuna, have you been to this hall?" Liss asked.

Yuna stood then. "Are you asking if there's a portrait of Sir Auron there?" The teen swallowed hard and nodded. Yuna touched her arm softly. "Yes, there is. Not from my pilgrimage, but from my father's. A painting of him with Sir Jecht."

"Hey, come with us!" Rikku looked over at Paine. "You can spare her for a couple of days, right?"

Paine raised an eyebrow. "I don't know -- the other recruits might not like it if we started allowing Liss to take extra time off."

Liss shook her head. "I agree. No special treatment. I'm just another cadet here. But I would like to go see it sometime."

Rikku bit her lip. "Aww. Can't you figure something out?"

Paine looked thoughtful. "Well, I do need to meet with the Praetor, and I've been meaning to give the recruits a field trip. You all could spend some time training with the New Yevon Guard. It's not special treatment if everyone comes, is it?"

Liss favored her cousin with a grateful smile. "Thanks."

"Wait, so how many people are we talking?" Rikku asked, sounding worried. "The Celsius is gonna be awfully crowded..."

Paine's eyes glinted wickedly as Yuna smothered a laugh. "You'll figure something out."

"Hah!" Kinoc's sword flew before my eyes. With a grunt, I moved my own to meet it. I found a burst of strength to push his blade aside and bring mine down toward his head, crashing into the shield that he lifted between us at the last moment. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I registered that he was slowing. Then he ducked down, simultaneously freeing his shield and swiping at my legs with the sword. I leapt back to avoid the blow, whirled, and came around with another strike as he stood up. The momentum of my spin created enough power to knock the weapon out of his hand. It flew to the side of the training ground with a clatter. "Yield," he gasped, panting as he dropped to his knees.

I lowered my sword and wiped the sweat from my face. We'd been fencing for what felt like an hour straight -- it had taken forever to tire Kinoc enough to find that opening. His stamina had definitely improved over our five months with Gray Squad. I could still beat him eventually most of the time, but my victory was no longer a sure thing.

"Not bad," said Lieutenant Gibson from the sidelines. He walked over to Kinoc, who was resting his elbows on his legs and breathing heavily. "Okay. Brother Kinoc, what was your fatal mistake?"

Kinoc glanced up at our superior officer. "Drawing Auron as my sparring partner?"

I barely held back a snort of laughter as Gibson glared at him. "Very funny," he said dryly, then looked around at the rest of the assembled squad, standing in a circle around us. "Anyone who isn't feeling like a wiseguy know the answer?"

"I know, I know," Kinoc grumbled. "Getting fancy when I was tired."

"That's right. If your opponent is wearing you down, stick to basics." Gibson turned his stern face to me. "And I'm giving you the same warning. I don't care who you are, sparring for this long without stopping is going to tire you out. Fight someone or something your equal in strength, and that spinning trick might get you knocked on your ass. Try it against Captain Scala sometime; you'll see."

I dipped my head slightly. "Understood, sir."

His lecture finished, Gibson cracked a smile. "Well done, boys. That was quite a match." He presented a hand to Kinoc and helped him to his feet, then turned to address someone behind me. "Don't you agree, your grace?"

"Indeed." We all immediately snapped to attention as Maester Brac walked into the center of the circle -- wrapped up in the fight, no one had noticed his arrival. Everyone bowed. The Maester gripped my shoulder with a spindly but still strong hand as I rose. "A fine display, Brother Auron." He directed his gaze to my companion. "From you as well, Brother Kinoc; anyone who can hold his own against a stronger opponent is to be commended."

"Thank you, your grace," we chorused.

"Dismissed," said Gibson. "You have the night off; we travel to Macalania in the morning." We saluted and dispersed. One of the other swordsmen handed me a water skin as I walked off, and I gulped greedily from it. Then I wiped my mouth and passed the container to Kinoc, who had just finished retrieving his sword.

"Whew," he said after he drank. "It's almost like we're still in training."

"I know." Gray Squadron was a plum posting, but Bevelle was so well guarded that there wasn't usually much for us to do besides accompany the Maester on his various ceremonial trips. So we spent a lot of time in practice. "At least we're training with the best." I'd found the opportunity to work with the cream of the crop to be the real advantage of this assignment. A few months with these men had taught me as much or more than the full year of my official training.

"Training with them, and getting to know them," Kinoc agreed. "The connections we make here will serve us forever."

I shot him a sideways grin. "Always looking for that advantage, aren't you?"

"You know it. Hello, your grace."

I saw Maester Brac a split second after Kinoc did and quickly fell into a prayer bow. How was it that such a large man could be so skilled at sneaking up on people?

"At ease," the Maester told us. "Really fine work today, both of you. You've made much progress over the last year and a half. Now, may I present my granddaughter Lorayn?"

Then I noticed her: a girl of perhaps fourteen standing half in his shadow. Had she been here all this time? She stepped forward slightly and bowed to us, her violet eyes huge, waves of shining black hair cascading down her back. Attractive, but very young.

Kinoc stepped forward with a courtly bow. "Honored to make your acquaintance, milady. I am Brother Kinoc, and this is Brother Auron."

I made a simple prayer bow. "It is my honor as well."

She giggled. "Thank you," she said in a breathy, girlish voice, further confirming my impression of her youth. "My grandfather has told me many stories of you both, and I look forward to learning more." She looked up at him, and he beamed back. Then he addressed us again.

"Rest well tonight," he said, "we have a long journey tomorrow." We saluted, and he took his leave.

"So, that's the granddaughter we're supposed to be falling all over ourselves to marry?" I asked as soon as we were safely out of earshot.

"And why not?" Kinoc shrugged. "She's a pretty girl."

"I suppose, but she seems so young." I shook my head. "Give me a grown woman any day."

"Girl, woman, whatever, don't forget that she's the wife who likely comes with the High Commander position."

"True enough. Let's get moving, I really need to bathe before dinner." And I put the girl out of my mind as we returned to our quarters.