Chapter Six: Training Day
Kristen awoke very calmly the following morning. Her eyes opened, the smells of rock and earth filling her nose with the sweet musty scent of hay. She rolled over onto her side and looked about the room, taking it in. She was really back, and it had finally settled all the way to her stomach. She actually smiled, before pulling the blankets off and sitting up. Standing, Kristen walked over to her clothes she had lain out the night before and walked behind the changing screen and proceeded to undress.
She had just gotten her clothes off when the cloth in the archway pulled back.
"Milady?" a meek voice asked and Kristen recognized it to be Caspian's.
"Enter." Kristen said and footsteps fell.
"My deepest apologies!" Caspian gasped and Kristen poked her head around the screen to see Caspian with his back turned and rigid.
"For what?"
"For...for entering your chambers when you were indecent."
"There's a screen." she said pointedly. "It's not like you can see anything. So...I don't care." and with that she stood straight and began to redress. Putting back on her leather bodice she reached behind her and tugged sharply at the chords. She had been so accustomed to doing it for herself over the years, and always wondered why maidens needed help putting them on. Tying her hair up with a leather band she pulled the ponytail tight and then fixed her leather vambraces, stepping out from behind the screen. "You can turn around now."
Caspian turned slowly and cautiously until he was facing Kristen. His tan face was tinged slightly with a hugh of pink, indicating his embarrassment.
"You're really that embarrassed?" she said a hint of amusement in her eyes.
"Aren't you?" he mused and Kristen shook her head.
"There's one thing you need to learn about me Caspian, is that I'm not typical. I don't view things like...other women. Privacy being one of them. If I'm going to be here and help with the war effort, you best start looking at me like one of the boys." she pat him on the back and grabbed her sword and quiver of arrows that had her bow packed into it.
Caspian shook his head slightly shaking himself from his thoughts and dashed after Kristen. He caught up with her just as she strapped her quiver to her back and strode a little awkwardly at her side.
"I had come to tell you that King Peter requests your presence on the training grounds we've set up. The stone ruin courtyard."
"Training day...excellent." Kristen laced her fingers together in front of her and Caspian watched as she flexed them and they made a cracking noise. All of her was very unlady-like but at the same time he couldn't picture her being anything more than what she was. He couldn't imagine her being one of those proper ladies, because it didn't seem to fit well.
He followed her as they walked out of the How and hit fresh morning sunshine. Kristen looked about to see groups of Narnian's stationed about and Peter was in the stone courtyard pacing back and forth addressing them whilst Edmund stood quietly to the side. She stopped, making him stop as well as they listened to Peter.
"All of you know the basics of combat I'm sure, and have gone through a few skirmishes here and there with the Telmarines. But today we will start basic formation and tactic. If only a certain Lady would have woken up by now..."
"Oh you mean me, lover?" Kristen called and Peter whirled around and spotted her.
There was a few rolls of laughter, and Peter cleared his throat and held himself straighter. His pride wouldn't have it.
"So nice of you to join us, my dear." he teased back. Kristen grinned and looked at Caspian, nodding him along to follow.
He didn't understand the High King's dynamic with her. They were just so...strange to him. He saw their love but they treated each other sometimes with such disdain and sarcasm.
Kristen came up and took her side by him and Peter began to pace again as he spoke. Caspian took up his position next to Edmund and leant over so he could whisper to the Just King.
"Are they angry with one another?"
"Oh no. They just play off like they annoy one another, but, it's just their way of poking fun. Besides, Kristen can always knock Pete down off his high horse and get away with it. Wait till we get to the demonstration."
"I've seen Lady Kristen fight." Caspian said and Edmund chuckled.
"No. You haven't. She's brutal, quick, and effortless. Taught her everything I know."
"So she has said."
"We'll start by showing you examples of basic combat. Lady Kristen and myself will be your models and you will then all pair off and reciprocate until it is clear and applicable." Peter said.
He looked to Kristen who was already unstrapping her quiver and settling it on the grass and then her sword. She unsheathed Lhug-Nar, which glinted in the sunlight and caught each rays of the sun making the sword glitter almost. She spun it around a few times and then stretched a bit.
Peter withdrew Rhindon and soon was facing off Kristen who was just stepping side to side nonchalantly as if she was bored.
"Are you ready?"
"Are you?" she countered flitting her ocean filled gaze to him.
"Kristen, not now." he said lowly and she smirked.
"Ah, but when?"
"Kristen."
"Peter." she laughed and he clenched his fist around the sword and took the first strike, taking the bait. Kristen easily side stepped and then parried an attack that Peter had turned around with. She kept parrying, her footfall precise and the application of force just right. Edmund watched and was impressed. She had managed to have gotten better if it was any possible to get any better than she already was. He assumed then she must have found a way to practice in her world.
Peter came in for a wide swing and Kristen did and impressive spiral back tuck, and landed on her feet sword tip thrust out and at Peter.
"Let's make this fair and get serious." Kristen said as she then switched stances and hands. "I'll use my good hand."
Peter frowned at that and then charged and they locked and this time sparks flying off blades. Kristen was swift, and precise her movements like a viper as she countered Peter very well and with an impressive amount of strength on her side. But she held back just enough to keep it on an even playing field. After all she knew these soldiers needed faith in their King, and beating him to the ground would prove nothing...other than that she was a superior swords woman...but she already knew that.
"That's enough." Edmund called and the broke apart. "What are the key components to this spar?"
"Footwork." a faun said and Edmund nodded.
"Concentration."
"Diverting energy to evade harder blows whilst managing the softer ones." a young centaur said and Kristen looked to him, impressed.
"That is correct." she pointed to him. "Because the smaller folk like us, still have our uses."
The centaur smiled, seeming pleased with the praise he was given. He looked no older than fifteen years of age, and was still quite small in comparison to the others. He had a young pointed face, and the color of his coat was a soft chestnut color.
"Team up, and we'll go through and start working on all three." Peter commanded. He looked to Kristen once before walking off and Kristen sighed as she spun her sword and stuck it in a crack in the stone before casually leaning on it, but not fully. She looked over her shoulder at Edmund and Caspian who walked up closer to her.
"I don't think he's rather pleased with me."
"He should be thankful you didn't beat his ass in front of everyone."
"But the legends say that King Peter was unmatched in swordplay as well as you King Edmund." Caspian said and Kristen laughed.
"I beat them both on a frequent basis. After a while they didn't want to fight with me anymore because they knew they couldn't win."
Caspian knew she was good, but was surprised by that remark. Edmund rolled his eyes and put his arm around Kristen's shoulders.
"Don't get so cocky."
"I'll get as cocky as I want." she scoffed and poked his chest before brushing him off to go help out with the training.
She spotted the centaur from before and walked up to him as he was sparring with another centaur but of the female nature. They both bowed and Kristen held her hand up dismissing it as she smiled at them both.
"Mind if I join you?"
"We would be deeply honored." the young male centaur said.
"What be thy names?"
"I am Io." the female centaur said and Kristen smiled at her.
"Like after the moon or the lady?"
"There was a lady named Io?"
"I'll tell you the tale sometime. And you?" Kristen looked to the other and he looked down at his hooves as if embarrassed.
"I am Bane."
"Bane...a very unlikely centurion name. It's a warriors name." she said as she held her blade up, wiping it with the leather of her sleeve.
"It was my father's name..."
"Was?"
"He died some time ago." he said and Kristen nodded.
"Well...let's make a warrior out of you to match that great name." Kristen began to direct the two centaurs into battle positions and soon had them leaping about the place, shouting instructions at them. It was awe inspiring watching centaurs battle, because even though their bodies looked large and ungraceful, they were completely opposite. Kristen watched as Io jumped high kicking her legs out, but Bane slid forward and skid in the dirt dodging it, all the while their swords clashing in the air. "Good! Keep it up and keep your enemy in front of you!"
Kristen clapped as she called the spar and looked between the two.
"I am very impressed." she said and walked off to the next group.
Training went on, until it was called for the day for meals and for other preparations such as maintaining and modifying weapons for the army. Rations were distributed amongst the people and Kristen sat atop a stone ruin in the courtyard looking out over the wide plains before her. The grass swayed back and forth to the tune of the wind and it caressed her face. She closed her eyes, reveling in the calmness after such a rigorous morning of fighting.
"You look much more relaxed." Edmund commented as he came over with a bowl of fruit and rice and sat down next to her and began to eat. Kristen opened her eyes and looked to him, smiling.
"Of course. You know how different I am when I fight versus me sitting still."
"But you prefer to fight...now at least."
"That's your fault."
"Perhaps." he shrugged taking a bite of his food. "But, Peter wasn't taking to kindly to it. You forget how sensitive he is."
"I thought you were the girl in the family?" she teased and laughed when he made to push her off the rock but flinched out of his grasp and stood up.
"Very funny, Kris."
"I thought so. Ah, Caspian, joining us?" Kristen said as her eyes then went to Caspian as he came walking over. He looked very uncomfortable in his approach as he looked at Kristen and Edmund meekly.
"I'm not interrupting am I?"
"Course not." Kristen said motioning him closer. The young Prince smiled slightly and nodded as he took a few steps closer and then came and leant on the rock next to Edmund. "So, your opinions on today's lessons?"
"I was very impressed, there are a lot of good fighters."
"But any need for improvement?"
"Shouldn't you be asking King Peter that or perhaps King...Edmund?" he glanced at Edmund who scoffed into his bowl and kept eating.
"Why would I ask them? They're morons."
"Hey!" Edmund said looking up at her now and Kristen grinned in an almost evil way.
"You're just as important as they are. So?"
"Uh, well..."
"Kristen, dear." Peter said as he now joined them. He had been talking with Susan, but having spotted Kristen surrounded by others, and men that weren't him, he felt the need to intervene. Jealousy made him irritable and a tad irrational, so he felt the need to assert his dominance...especially over the woman he loved. "Everything alright?"
"Of course. Just friendly chatter. I was just asking Caspian, what his opinion was on today's training...if we needed any room for improvement."
"Yes, Caspian...do enlighten us." Peter said folding his arms and looking at the young Prince expectantly.
Caspian took a breath as he looked at Peter and then looked to Kristen feeling more comfortable looking her in the eye than anyone else.
"They're afraid of advancing. We have a lot of well skilled archers, swordsmen and women, but they lack aggression."
"They aren't Telmarine." Peter scoffed and Kristen rolled her eyes at Peter's behavior and then stepped forward and closer to Caspian.
"No he's right. They are afraid of advancing. Telmarines are, I assume, very...aggressive, would be the right word?"
"You would be right." Caspian nodded.
"Aggression is a form of asserting power. So, being said, women don't fight much for your armies?"
"I was raised to believe a woman could learn to defend her family, but, not serve in the guard...no. So we are a very, male based society. Which I can see where the aggression plays a part." he admitted which made Kristen nod in compliance and was impressed by his honesty to be unbiased.
"We need to learn to be aggressive in battle. To not skirt around the edge of battle, but to meet it, calculate it, and not be afraid of it."
"Easier said than done." Peter said and Kristen turned and looked at him as she held her arms out.
"Well...I learned. I'm about the best example of turning fear into aggression...into power. I learned to let it go, and to embrace my fears as an asset, not a fault. We need to help these people see, just how extraordinary they can be. They need to believe."
"How do we do that...that's like asking for a miracle at this point." Edmund said and Kristen thought for a moment.
"I don't know. But we need to teach them to fight with everything. Some will lay it on the line, others are afraid that there's too much loss. At this point it's all or nothing."
"Then I have the perfect solution. We should call a council meeting. I want to propose battle tactics." Peter said superiorly. "Ed, would you mind orchestrating that while I have a few moments alone with Kristen?"
"No problem." Edmund said giving Kristen a long look before hopping off the rock and nudging Caspian to follow.
Now it was Peter and Kristen alone and everything left unsaid between them.