The Fencer in Black
Chapter One: The Foil Steals Away
In France, many years ago, there was once a man known as Austin. Now this young man was very brave and very adventurous, but deep down, he was a very jealous man. Anything he could not have by means he took by force. What was well known of Austin was that he was a master fencer, but this skill he used against people who did not bow to his wishes.
It came to pass one day that Austin learned that a man in the village, Beau Roseman, was in possession of a very special ring. This hairloom was a giant ruby set amoungst seven diamonds that came from South Africa, while the ruby itself was form India. These stones were set into a gold ring that was never worn in public by Beau, but was often on display whenever he had a party or social gathering. needless to say, it was guarded very closely.
Austin, who ahd attended these parties often to gaze at the ring, knew how much he wanted it. He bargined with beau many times to Beau to sell it to him, but he refused. Austin grew very impatient about the matter, and soon became rather threatening, and offered to send his men to come and steal it from him. But each time he sent them, they were beaten up by Beau's own protectors.
Austin decided that this was enough, and that he would do the job himself. Dressed in his finest dark clothes and armed with a fencing foil, he stole into the night and headed towards the Roseman residence.
It was at this time that Roseman was putting his daughter, Avery, to sleep. He was very happy with his daughter, for she was very intelligent and well brought up. Though it was true that Beaus wife had died many years ago from great sickness, he still cared for his daughter more than any father could. Just as he finished tucking his daughter in, there was a loud crash from somewhere in the house. Beau, comforting his daughter to stay in bed, went to see what was the matter. Upon entering the main room, he saw three of his guards dead and Austin standing at the mantle, taking the ring from it's place upon the silk pillow. Beau turned to the nearby wall and drew his fencing foil.
"How dare you First you will not understand my not wushing to part with the ring, but now you wish to rob me of it? And you kill innocent men in the name of doing so? En Garde." Beau took up his stance. Austin smiled cruelly as he held up his foil. The two men circled each other for a moment, before Beau lunged, his foil moving quickly, but it was parryed by Beau, who swung quickly to try and cut Beau down, but he was counter-blocked. Beau moved again, stricking forward like an angry snake, but Austin was calm and collected, and could easily see the blows coming. Soon, he had become tired of the fight. When Beau tried another lunge attack, Austin side-stepped andsliced him across the back of the hand. The sting distracted Beau, and the foil in Austin's hand flashed across Beau's forehead. Beau straightened up and held his guard, but the stings and blood rolling into his eyes were too much. Austin, his job completed, managed to swing Beau's blade out of his hand and pierce his heart with the foil. Beau fell to the ground, blood spilling and his body not moving.
"A good show old man, but you simply don't have the skill to beat a master such as I," Austin said to the now dead Beau.
"Daddy?" came a voice, as Avery ran across the room and kneeled beside her father. Seeing him dead, she screamed loudly and looked up at Austin.
"I'm so sorry dear child, but your Father should have knwn better," Austin explained, not looking particulary sorry at all.
"Monster," she hissed at him.
"Am I now? Well, I do hope the rest of your upbringing is as easy as it has been. Good evening child," he said with a bow and walked out. Avery, not knowning what else to do, simply hugged her father's body and cried.
After a few days, Avery did not what to do with herself. She had lost both of her parents and now she was told she wa to go to a boarding school while her Aunt Anna, a very spiteful woman, intended to make the house her own, but could only do so through Avery, who had been willed the most of it. Sending her away was the only sure plan to make sure Anna could get the house and money of her brother.
Avery travelled through the town in a carriage that was to take her and some other girls away. As she travelled the streets, she saw Austin, and he waved at her in a very sweet but dark way. No one seemed to know that it was he who had killed her father, or else that hadn't dared to speak up or challenege him. This made ola very sad, and still worse was her being unable to attend her father's funeral. She had yelled at her Aunt, but she had recieved a slap across the cheek for it, and was sent to her room.
Avery swore, upon that very day, that she would find some way to bring about misery for those who had brought her so much.
Away in a distant town, Avery discovered that she was not welcome at her boarding school. The girls teased her and were very unkind. the teachers were not impressed by her and no one came near her unless they had to. It was during one of her after school hours in the courtyard that one of the teachers threw a paper in the bin and told her off for gawking that Avery decided to discover what was going on in the world. Taking the newspaper from the bin and reading it, she discovered many sad things, such as people being cruel to one another, selling and trading slaves and so forth. Avery also read of happier things, like children being born or carnivals that were in town, and she dreamed of one day seeing these shows for herself.
It then became habbit for her to find newspapers wherever she could and to read of the world beyond the walls of her school. She was careful not to be seen reading the paper, as most teachers didn't like the idea of these girls getting foolish notions of carnivals or street parades or the like.
It so happened that Avery, while she was reading and tying her long black hair behind her head, read of a fencing tournament in town. While the list of compeditors did not include Austin, she did read of one man who was well known for his skills and ability to teach others. Avery decided she had to see him on the night of the tournament.
On the night of the tournament, as the sun went down and the girls were sent to their rooms, Avery made sure to slip away form the prefect leading her and the others to their room. Sneaking through the large building and out into the grounds, she had only two things with her. One was a small necklace her father had given her for her last birthday, and the other was a small piece of red cloth she had managed to steal from the sewing room. Out in the yard, she quickly but quietly moved towards the gates, being ever careful of the prefects and teachers who were walking around. The gate was not locked yet, as there was evidently someone still to come back to the school, so Avery slipped out and disappeared into the night, hurrying towards town.
In town, it was a mass of moving crowds. Avery was careful not to be seen by anyone who might recognise her, and made her way to the hall where the tournament was taking place. As she arrived, she discovered she could not simply walk through the doors, as they were guarded and people going in or out had to present invitations. Sneaking around the side and being careful not to be seen, Avery found a window that looked into the hall where the fights were taking place. She instantly saw the man she was looking for, as he was standing to one side of the hall holding his mask in one hand and his foil in the other, resting.
Avery watched the full night long, as the man she was hoping to speak to fought and won his fights, eventually claiming second place. he seemed to graciously acept his loss to the now champion, and then turned and headed for the back of the building. Hoping her chance had come, Avery stole to the back entrance, where she hoped it would be more deserted. Sure enough, when she got there, the man was by himself, waiting.
"Excuse me?" she called to the man.
"What have we here?" he asked, looking down at her.
"Forgive me sir, but I seek you to teach me fencing," Avery answered.
"A young girl like you wants to learn how to fence?" the man asked.
"Please Sir Damien, I beg your indulgence in this matter, for I have little else for my life," Avery responded.
"Dear child, if you wish for me to teach you, you will have to prove yourself," Damien responded. He took up a blunt foil and passed it to her. Avery took the foil correctly from him and armed herself. She then demonstrated what her father had taught her. Damien, while impressed with her skill for her age, was still not convinced.
"What is your real motive for wishing to learn fencing? Be honest with me now or I shall not even consider it," Damien said, holding up a finger.
"To avenge my Father who was murdered by a man of great fencing skill," Avery said. "And to teach my spiteful Aunt that my Father was a bettr man than she shall ever be."
"Do you mean to kill them?" Damien asked.
"My Aunt shall certainly not be killed, for she is still family, but the killer of myfather will die at my foil and no other, and it shall be a slow death," she answered, her eyes going as black as her words.
"I will teach you if you seek me out," Damien answered. "Here is a clue. When the moon is full and over head, in a place that is more alive and dead, my foil does flash upon the stone, in a place I practice alone." Damien handed her the riddle and then bid her good evening. Avery, not to be discouraged, followed him quietly to his carraige and tied the red ribbon around the back of one of the wheels so it was out of sight. She then returned to the school, where she was harshly punished for being outside the boundries well after curfew.
Avery waited a long time before she dared to wander out of the school again. The prefects and techers had been told to keep an eye on her, and so getting away was difficult. But finally, on the night of a full moon, she discovered that she had been left alone as the prefects had gone to some sort of party in their own rooms. Avery, with very careful movements, found her way into the yard and to a distant corner where a tree grew, overhanging the fence. Climbing it and landing on the other side, she slipped into town again and then to where she had learned the cemitary to be. She knew this was the answer, and sure enough, when she got there, Damien was training himself with the stones of old tombs as places to dance around and move swiftly. Avery watched him as he moved, never tripping or missing a shot. Finally, when he stopped to rest, she revealed herself.
"What have we here? A young girl. Whatever are you doing child?" Damien asked.
"Do you not remember me from the tournament only three moons ago?" she asked.
"No, I do not," Damien answered.
"I asked you to teach me, and I told you of my Aunt and my father's killer. Surely you recall?" Avery begged.
"Dear child, enough nonsense, I have no recollection of you," he said, moving towards his coach.
"I will prove you to be lying," Avery said.
"Try it then, little girl," Damien said.
"Behind the wheel of your carriage is a red ribbon I tied there on the night of the tournament. See that it is still there, with mud on it from the rain and discoloring from age." Avery waited as Damien searched, and found the ribbon.
"Very clever Avery, you have proven yourself," Damien replied, conceating his defeat. "Come into my carriage and we shall be away." Avery, not waiting to be told, climbed into the carriage and they disappeared down the road and into the night.
For many years, the name Avery Roseman meant little to anyone. Upon discovering her absense from the school and being unable to find her anywhere, they had written to her Aunt that she had run away and could not be found if she did not return home. Aunt Anna, none the worse for this, settled down in her new home and enjoyed her freedom of her wretched niece.
The school soon forgot her too, and she simply became another name in the records of students who attended and ran off, like so few tried and fewer succeeded. Austin also quite forgot Avery, thinking his theft of the ring and of Beau's life was enough to drive her to madness and never see her return.
But Avery was well hidden from the world. Damien had taught her everything about fencing he could possibly teach. He forbade her to travel with him when he went away to tournaments and not to reveal herself to visitors but one, a friend of his who often came by to help him with things around the house. Her name was Renee, and she was in charge of looking after Avery in Damin's absense, and Avery was quite fond of both of them.
When Avery was eighteen, she went to Renee and asked that she make her a suitable set of garments for fencing in, but to be made of black. Renee did this and soon, Avery was dressed. She wore black boots and pants fastened with a belt with a gold clasp. Around her waist fell a piece of black material that covered one leg and most of her behind like a split dress, and a black skvii to finish the outfit. Around her neck, where it always stayed, was the necklace her father had given her.
Avery was now very ready to face the world, and her first challenge was at the local tournament.