Chapter 11: The Test
She really should have expected this… And people called her lucky?
Anri and Orik were about halfway to the library when two very familiar, very annoying faces made themselves known. Orik let out a curse in Dwarvish and she didn't even bother hiding her agitated expression.
"How fortuitous that we've happened upon you! If you don't mind, we'd like a word with the knight." Both of the twins had sickeningly sick smiles on their faces. How they thought that they were fooling anybody was beyond her.
"Out of the way, Egraz Carni, we've places to be!" Orik shouted angrily. Neither of their expressions changed, and when they looked at her she felt her hackles rise.
"We'll only take a few moments of your time, surely you're not in any true hurry?" Without her armor she felt vulnerable, she was vulnerable. Was that why they chose this moment in particular? How did they know?
She was going to regret this… "It's fine, Orik. I'll hear them out… I know the rest of the way, I'll meet you at the library"
The dwarf looked at her in concern, "I'll be there then." And with that he walked past the twins, shooting them dirty looks as they passed each other."
"What do you want?" She asked crossly.
"Now now, no need to be hostile. We've come to… apologize." The way he had to pause for that made her narrow her eyes. Apologize? The other twin took up where his brother left off, "You may have been strangers, but you didn't deserve the… harsh treatment that you received. You were injured, and we left you to deal with it."
Anri crossed her arms over her chest, skin prickling. "Apology accepted. Now if you don't mind I'd like to continue where I was going." As she tried to walk past them one of the twins grabbed her arm, stopping her.
Anri froze, and in her head she imagined ripping the knife she had hidden in her pants and cutting the wretch's throat. She didn't though, though for a brief moment her hand twitched.
"We've also come with an offer, and I recommend that you hear us out." His hand tightened its grip on her arm.
"If you don't let me go, you'll lose that hand." For a moment it looked like she was going to have to go through with her promise, but luckily for the twin he relented and stepped away. "My patience is reaching its limit…"
One of the twins raised his hands in a placating manner, "Just hear our offer."
"There are few magic users who live in Tronjheim. Those who do have formed a group, we call ourselves Du Vrangr Gata, or the Wandering Path."
The other twin continued, "We believe that you would be an excellent addition, if you would be interested. We might be able to help you; call it a trade if you will."
She blinked. "I have no knowledge of the Ancient Language or of magic, what could we possibly trade?"
"Oh, but that's where you're wrong." What?
"You do know magic, a foreign kind of magic that nobody here has ever heard of." The twins both now had a hungry gleam in their eyes, and suddenly everything made sense. They didn't care about her, they cared about the magic from her Age.
She narrowed her eyes and balled her fists. "My homeland is dead and gone, as is the magic practiced there. I won't share the knowledge with anyone, all knowledge, magic, and history of the Age of Fire dies with me.
Gone were the fake friendly faces. Cold irritation took its place. They spoke in a condescending tone, "surely you don't mean such a thing. How could you know the repercussions of such an act? Think of what we could do if we joined forces!"
"I know exactly what happens when the wrong people use my magic, what happens when people like you use it!" She said hotly. "I won't be a part of it. No more will it cause suffering!"
"We're trying to be diplomatic about this. We could have chosen to take your knowledge by force."
She smiled coldly, "because that worked so well the last time you entered my mind. Have you not had enough? Perhaps another swim in the ash would do you some good?"
She couldn't tell them apart, but she instantly knew the difference in that moment. The one who nearly died testing took a step forward, a dangerous look in his eyes. "You insolent little—" His brother stopped him, breathing deeply to calm himself.
"Think about our offer, we don't need an answer immediately. But it would be… unwise to disregard us so casually."
"It would be unwise to threaten me so openly." She shot back, gripping the doll in her pocket. Luckily though the twins shoved past her and didn't look back.
By the time she had reached the library, Orik and Eragon had both gone. The former she assumed had been called to some duty, or perhaps he had run into Eragon and both of them moved on? She couldn't know, and she didn't blame either of them. Orik couldn't be in two places at once, after all. The library was grand, at least five stories tall with book cases practically back to back completely full of scrolls and tomes. Tables and chairs carved of stone were scattered about, and she picked one after gathering some books at random. However very quickly she ran into a problem she should have thought about.
She couldn't read…
Well, she couldn't understand the dwarvish at all, and the dialect that the human books were written in were of a different dialect than she was used to, or had other unfamiliar symbols that she didn't know the meaning of. She knew Common and the language of her homeland, but she had incorrectly assumed that the common language here was exactly the same as the one from Astora and Lothric. And it was the same if you were speaking it, but the writing had different spelling and different characters. How had she not considered this?
But it made sense; she never actually read anything since coming here. The maps only had names, she asked the price verbally for anything she bought, and she never went out of her way to buy any books. After checking every book she had brought to her table, and finding the same result for every one, she got up and grabbed more. The result was the same, and Anri let her head fall to the table with a dull thud.
"There's a familiar interesting "Not-Human" I didn't expect to see here!" Came a familiar, too-cheery voice. Anri lifted her head off the table in surprise and looked behind her. Angela, the witch from Terim, stood grinning with her hands on her hips. "I'd heard rumors of a knight in Tronjheim but I didn't expect it to be you." She sauntered over and placed herself in the chair to Anri's right.
Despite herself, Anri felt herself form a small smile. "And here's a herbalist I never thought I'd see again."
"Never say never, then it might actually never happen~" Anri just blinked, and Angela's grin widened.
"You're no less strange since last we've met."
"And you're no less interesting, still smell like a campfire too. It's refreshing, honestly." Anri… decided to take that as a compliment, despite the odd nature of it. "Doing a bit of light reading?" The witch gestured to the myriad of books in front of her, some opened to random pages.
Anri opened her mouth but shut it suddenly. She was going to tell the truth, but why did it suddenly feel so embarrassing? It was just annoying before. "… No." She eventually decided upon.
Angela raised a slender eyebrow and looked back over the table. "Then what are you doing with so many books in front of you?" Anri shrunk back in on herself slightly and looked at the table.
"… I can't read Dwarvish. Don't know why I expected to be able to." She saved herself the embarrassment.
"Makes sense, find anything else interesting?"
Damn.
" … Not really."
Angela picked up a book at random and looked at the cover. "Not even "Theorized Ra'zac Mating Rituals"?"
Anri's head whipped towards Angela. Was that what the cover said?! And she found Angela smirking at her with the closed book in hand. "I-I didn't pay attention to the cover. I just picked at random." She said a little too quickly.
"It was opened halfway through, how didn't you know?" Anri flushed red, suddenly finding the table very interesting. She didn't see the way Angela's gaze softened slightly. "You can't read, can you?" Damn it. Anri hunched over slightly, looking down and red-faced. Why was this affecting her so much? So what if she couldn't read this land's written languages?
"I can read… Just not this written language…"
"I forgot you're not from around here, or rather, you're not from this Age. Things really must have changed, huh?" She didn't know the half of it…
"The possibility really should've occurred to me. I don't know why I expected it to be the same."
"Hm… Well then how about I teach you?" Anri blinked and slowly looked over to Angela. No. This wasn't going to be out of the kindness of her heart. Her cheshire grin confirmed her suspicions.
"What do you want in return?"
"You catch on quick, don't you! Well if I'm gonna teach you our written language, how about you teach me yours? Can you write something for me?" There it was.
"Why do you want to learn a language that's been dead for who knows how long?"
"I like dead languages, I'll add yours to my collection!"
Anri blinked owlishly. "How many dead languages do you know?"
"Five, now can you write something? And do you think you could teach me to speak it?
"Nous n'avons probablement pas le temps" Anri muttered as she pulled out her heavily used soapstone.
Angela blinked, as if not expecting her to actually say anything. "Wait, was that your spoken language? Am I the first person native to Alagaësia to hear a language from your Age?!"
Anri sighed before giving a tired "Oui." She continued in Common, "Yes, and I said that we probably don't have the time. That was the most commonly spoken language in Astora, but other nations had their own." While she was speaking she wrote down 'Lothric' on a spare piece of parchment. The jagged and rough lines came naturally, but they looked more similar to dwarvish than they did anything else.
That was something to keep in mind, maybe the dwarves had some forgotten link to the Age of Fire?
Anri looked up, only to see a gleam in Angela's eyes that she couldn't quite place. "Why do I feel like I'm going to regret this?"
"Nah, it'll be fine! By the time we're done you'll be fluent, as will I, of course~"
She was so, so going to regret this…
By the time Anri made it back to the dragonhold her head was spinning. They must have gone over every scrap of paper in that library and then some, and because why not; they also went over Astoran. Anri hadn't spoken that much Astoran since she had actually lived in the kingdom! Angela seemed to be happy though, so that was a plus. And while she wasn't fluent she could now reliably read Common and mostly understand what was written down. Despite her haggard mind, she would take what she could get.
The day (night?) also held another pleasant surprise when she returned. Just inside of the door was her armor, neatly folded and polished. Her shield laid next to the bundle, completely repaired and repainted. It looked like it did when she had received it all those years ago. Her surcoat was also brand new, and despite how flawless it may have seemed she could tell that there was new fabric amongst the old. Putting all of it on felt like a second skin, and a part of her that she missed sorely returned to its place. She suddenly felt safe, secure.
There was also something she didn't expect…
Sitting against the wall with a note was her titanite slab, and a couple pieces of the larger titanite chunks. Hadn't she given all of it to them though? She picked up and read the note, pleased that she actually could read it.
"Knight.
Though yer armor gave us a tough challenge we managed to get it fixed right new! That metal was something else. We had to heat it thrice the time as our normal steel and even then it was nigh unbendable. As you've said we've kept the pieces that we could work with, but there was a wee problem. The pieces you see before you were unusable! And don't go thinking we didn't try, because damn it we did!
The larger chunks were formable, but it just wasn't worth the time. And that huge chunk? Bah! We had it in the hottest kiln for hours, and when we pulled it out we could do it with our bare hands. Our hands! No amount of heat made it through that damnable slab! And when the sixth set of tools shattered we said enough were enough! Take it back!
We'll keep some of the stuff in reserve in case yer armor gets battered up again. Yer welcome!
— Skirn"
So that was that then. Anri hefted up the titanite slab, noticing a few more scratches and slight dents than there were before. If only that smith from Firelink was here, he'd get it sorted "right quick" as the dwarves would say. She missed him, even if she didn't know him that well. He'd… he'd… She couldn't remember his name…
Anri gripped the titanite slab until her knuckles went white. Damn it! Why was she like this?! She hated having these gaps in her memories! They weren't close, but these were people that had helped her! The smith, the firekeeper, the other Unkindled…
With an agitated huff she put the remaining titanite in her box before getting all of her stuff sorted. She fitted her leather gauntlet when the door opened. It was the boy from before, the one that had taken her to the dragonhold initially.
"Mr. Ajihad wants you, I'll take you to him." His eyes were wide in awe as he looked at her. He must have never seen a knight in person before, and she looked better now than she ever had since leaving Astora. She nodded her helmeted head at him and he turned around before hurrying down the corridor. She followed him through familiar and unfamiliar stone halls until they reached a large training field. It must have been early in the morning as there weren't many people about, but there were two that drew Anri's attention immediately. One was Ajihad, dressed in his purple shirt and standing with his arms crossed over his broad chest. Across from him though, was someone that she hadn't seen before.
The man stood a few inches taller than Ajihad himself and was just as broad if not larger. He wore a full suit of battle-worn armor with a deep burgundy surcoat. At his side was a simple longsword with a leather-bound hilt and a slightly curved cross-guard. The man's face was grim and weathered from age and hardship, with salt and peppered short hair and a well trimmed beard. The two of them were deep in conversation when she approached and both seemed to notice her arrival at the same time. Ajihad regarded her neutrally and the stranger looked her up and down with a critical eye.
"This her?" he asked Ajihad. His voice was gruff and reminded Anri of the smith she could barely remember.
"Yes," Ajihad replied before turning to her. "This is Edward, he and his company of infantry are deserters from the Imperial Army."
She nodded. "Well met, Edward. If Ajihad didn't say so, I am Anri of Astora."
He nodded briefly but didn't say anything for a moment, simply observing her. "You say you're a knight?" She nodded. "How much combat experience do you have?"
"More than most." She said, narrowing her eyes slightly.
"I find that hard to believe. From your voice you sound like a nobleman's daughter playing soldier."
"That would be far from the truth."
"Prove it. Draw your sword, we'll see how much experience you really have." He didn't talk down to her, but he was cold. Instead of saying anything else Anri did as he asked, drawing her blade and holding her shield in front of her.
"First touch to the body, or three touches to a limb." Edward pulled his helmet onto his head, and for a split second Anri was looking as a Lothric Knight before she was back in Tronjheim. He held his sword to the right of his body, blade pointed at her in a key stance, and he began a circling maneuver.
Anri followed suit, and the two began circling each other.
Edward didn't have a shield, but his sword would make up for it with its reach and his ability to parry using both hands. Unless she copied his stance she wouldn't be able to utilize the same amount of control, and doing so wouldn't put her at the advantage either as her sword wasn't as long as his. She would have to play this defensively, using her shield to block and possibly riposte. She'd redirect or dodge heavy swings; stopping them wouldn't do her any good here. Edward struck first, swinging right to left and forcing Anri to backstep before bringing her shield up to deflect a follow up slash, swinging low while she had his sword occupied with her shield. She barely missed his foot, as he disengaged the moment she swung.
She didn't give him time to recover, stepping into his guard and feigning a jab with her sword and causing to step right and right into her shield. She shoved her shield forward almost in an uppercut, using the brief moment to actually jab at his leg, signifying a hit with a small 'clink' of metal. Both of them disengaged.
He stepped in close almost the moment they separated, giving her a downward swing that she barely avoided and almost immediately had to deflect with her shield as he followed up with a vicious cut that nearly hit her head. She couldn't hide behind her shield though, as she'd lose her line of sight and the fight with it. But she wasn't able to take advantage of an opening either. He kept up his attack almost constantly, giving her little time for her to dodge or deflect his blows and giving her absolutely no time to make an attack of her own. If this kept up she'd make a mistake, and it was clear by now that he'd take advantage of it. He wasn't a Silver Knight, he wasn't Astoran, but he was definitely a cut above the average soldier. If she wanted to get out of this she'd have to do it fast, and it'd be risky.
On his next downward slash she caught it with her shield and her sword instead of deflecting it. The sudden blade-lock was enough to startle him, but he immediately began moving his sword around to try and touch her, with her doing the same. He also started using his weight to try and overpower her, and with each pass he was getting closer and closer to doing it. If she wanted to get out of this, she'd have to play dirty.
With a sudden push she forced him back but instead of keeping the blade-lock she wrenched it to the side and pulled her sword free, smashing the pommel against his helmet. That was enough to make him unsteady, and to keep some semblance of control he grabbed her shield to try and wrestle it or keep it occupied. That was the opening she needed though, and with a sudden jerk to the right she made him stumble, and after hooking his foot with her own she tripped him and caused him to fall onto his back with a grunt. The next second he found her sword tapping against his chest with a light 'ping.'
He looked up at her, "dirty trick."
"If you're not fighting dirty, you're not fighting to win." She sheathed her sword and offered a hand. After a moment he took it and she dragged him to his feet.
Ajihad, who'd been watching silently, spoke up. "She pass?"
Edward removed his helmet, and to Anri's surprise he was grinning. "Aye, she passed alright."
"Wait," she began, "was this some kind of test?"
"Aye," Edward said, "we weren't quite sure what to do with you but Ajihad here came up with something pretty clever."
Ajihad continued, "Your primary duty is to aid and protect Eragon, but the rest of the people in Tronjheim and most of the Varden don't know that. Plus, there would be a fair amount of scrutiny if the first dragon rider in centuries had a knight of unknown allegiance following his every footstep. So we… compromised." Ajihad shifted his weight before gesturing to Edward. "Edward and his company are all former Empire, and there are more than a few Imperial deserters in the Varden as a whole, so a knight wouldn't turn too many heads if they followed suit.
Anri tilted her head, "you want me to… what? Join a group of infantry I've never served with?"
"No," Edward shook his head. "How much leadership experience do you have?" Anri froze as her mind started catching up with the conversation in full.
Memory fragments flashed through her head. She was at the head of an infantry column, fighting against an unknown enemy. And again, she was leading a section of archers as the great beast razed Astora. She gave out orders, adapting her strategy as the battle went on. Then, much later, she was giving orders to Horace as they went up against a group of cathedral knights.
"Enough," she supplied hesitantly. "I've led infantry before, both in the field and during a siege. Never more than a hundred or so."
"How do you think you would do leading four hundred?"
She shook her head. "Enough. Stop asking questions and tell me what you want."
"We want you to become the captain of Edward's company. Even if it was just in name alone, you'd receive much more autonomy and when more people eventually learn of your origins your position will protect you to an extent. It's not perfect, but it'll stop people from asking too many questions."
Edward picked up, "I'd be your sergeant. The men already know who I am and I can vouch for you personally. Maybe not your leadership skills, but you definitely know your way around a sword. So, what do you say?"
Could she? She hadn't led anyone in ages… Each time she did it had been by circumstance, even if she did it well. But they raised valid points; at some point people would ask questions. Why would an imperial knight be so close to a dragon rider? And despite her wants, her origins wouldn't be secret forever. Important people would need to know, and who knows what would slip through the cracks? The twins knew, and she had made certain enemies of them. Damn it…
Anri took a deep breath before releasing it. "I'll do it… I'll lead them."
Ajihad just nodded while Edward smirked. "Follow us then, and when we're done here I want you to start training Eragon. He knows how to fight, but all of his battles have lasted a few minutes at most. We all know that they can drag on for hours at a time."
She nodded. "I have a few ideas on how to prepare him."
They had been walking for another ten or so minutes before coming to another training field. A few hundred men were there, all training with each other or drilling. A hundred or so archers fired at targets while officers yelled in their ears or critiqued them. The trio walked through the center, drawing eyes before they were reprimanded for the distraction. She noticed something as they walked though. There were definitely hardened veterans, but there were also quite a few who were obviously recruits. She asked Edwards what that was about.
"When we deserted we went about liberating villages that were being oppressed, some of those villagers came with us. They might not be the most experienced, but I've seen their drive. They'll make fine soldiers yet."
Anri was satisfied with what she saw, but she was already thinking of ways things could be improved. Along with men-at-arms she also had spearmen and archers, but those spears and bows were their singular weapons. As soon as she could she'd go about getting them some kind of sword or other weapon that they'd have as a backup. Spears could break, and archers would still be targeted like any other footman. Other than that their drilling was good, their fighting was good, and their shooting was accurate. She had little to do on that front, though she considered equipping the officers with some more… familiar equipment. She'd have to see if she still had any armor from the Lothric Knights, or if she sold it all.
Soon enough they reached a small platform, probably used for speeches or announcements. Edward and Anri climbed it, and more and more people began staring or whispering.
Edward took a deep breath. "Atteeeeention!" he yelled, almost making Anri wince. His voice carried across the field, and the training stopped. The four or so hundred men all gathered around, whispering or giving Anri curious looks. She just crossed her arms and observed. "This is Anri, if you idiots couldn't tell; she's a knight! She's gone through the same song and dance as the rest of us, and Ajihad here saw to it that she's gonna be our new captain. Before you start worrying, she's already handed me my ass on a platter, which means she's more than capable of holding her own." He turned to her, "anything to say?"
She took a step forward. "You're all busy so I'll keep it brief. I don't know you, and you definitely don't know me. But I can guess that all of our stories are similar. I have no love for the empire, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure they finish this war in a pile of ash. Officers; come and see me for a moment. The rest of you; as you were."
She spent the next hour or so going over information with the officers and Edward, learning their names and getting an idea of how this group was run in the past. She let them know that she'd be back more to oversee training and drills and generally she'd just be around for the men to get used to her. She also learned that even though they were deserters, a significant part of the Varden still saw them as Imperials. Whether it was just the recency of their arrival or the fact that most of them were former Imperials she didn't know. This meant that besides Ajihad, most of the Council overseeing the Varden didn't like them, and that they were often ignored if they asked for or needed something. She promised to do what she could about that, even if she didn't have that much sway. It didn't make sense to her, but politics rarely made sense.
All in all despite the suddenness of all of this she wasn't worried, and she'd call her introduction a success. Whether or not it meant anything she wasn't sure of, but she'd figure that out eventually. Ajihad had departed when she was speaking to the officers, and so when they finished Edward led her back to the training field they had met at. By the time they arrived the field was full of people. She drew stares, she always did, but that wasn't important to her. What was important, is that she saw Eragon and Orik talking to a large and bearded man. He had mail armor that was covered by some kind of hide, and he had a massive greatsword on his back.
Eragon lit up when he saw her approaching them. "Anri!" he called out. She smiled and took off her helmet.
"Eragon, it's good to see you," she turned to the bearded man. "We haven't met, and because of him you have me at a disadvantage."
He held out a hand, "Fredric. And unfortunately that also means that I still don't have a sparring partner!"
She shook his hand. "Sorry about that. Ajihad pass by here?"
He nodded. "Aye. Told me that I was to test Eragon's skills until you came along."
Edward butted in, "don't worry Fredric, I have time for a round or two." The two large men grinned at each other and went to find their own place in the field.
"What was that all about?" Eragon asked.
Anri reached into her box and grabbed a handful of prism stones. "I'm taking over your training while we're here. Your combat training, that is."
"Really?" He asked, surprised.
"I told Ajihad the truth about me, and I told him that out of everybody here I'm probably the most qualified to sharpen your skills. He agreed." Anri quirked a finger at him as she started laying out a large ring of prism stones, and Eragon took that as a cue to follow her. "I know you can fight with a sword, but there's always ways to improve. I joined you and Murtagh late, so I don't really know what else you can do. Any other weapons you're skilled with?"
"I'm pretty good with a bow, but other than a sword? I'd say my fists." He furrowed his brow as she walked a few feet into the large and shining circle before making another one. "What are you doing?"
"Sometimes you'll have lots of room to fight, sometimes there won't be any. Also, from what I've seen none of your fights have lasted longer than a few minutes. I'm going to run you down until you won't be able to stand. We need to find that limit, because not all fights will be over so quickly." She finished off the last, smallest circle. "I'm also gonna train you on as many weapons as I know how to fight with. You won't always have access to a sword. Now stand over there—" Before she could finish she saw two very unwelcome figures.
The Twins stalked toward them, their bald heads pale against their purple robes. Anri crossed her arms and frowned, and when Eragon saw what she was looking at he furrowed his brow. "What do you two want?" She asked hotly.
They both looked at her with smug and arrogant expressions. "We were ordered by Ajihad to test Eragon's proficiency with magic, before you exhaust him banging on pieces of metal."
She tilted her head. "Funny, because Ajihad ordered me to sharpen Eragon's skills with a blade. When did you get your orders?"
It was clear that they were trying to keep up appearances, and that they weren't irritated with her. "Just some moments ago. So if you don't mind?"
"That's interesting. He gave me my orders just before he left. So one of us is lying and I know it isn't me." Her hand tapped the pommel of her sword.
One of the twins inhaled sharply through his nose, but the other raised a hand to calm him down. "Have you considered our offer?"
"Not even remotely."
"That's unfortunate. We could have learned much from each other." They turned to Eragon. "Come with us, Rider."
Anri grabbed Eragon by the shoulder before he started to follow them. "You don't have to. I can verify with Ajihad that I'm telling the truth."
"I don't want to make enemies while I'm here, and I feel like I'm already close to doing that with them."
"Then it'll be two against two. I've already moved past that point." But even as she spoke she could see that he had made up his mind. She reached into her bottomless box and pulled out a ring. "At least take this."
Eragon took the ring and looked at it. It was made of a green metal, and the ring itself looked like some kind of flower, with small emeralds carved out like layers of petals surrounding a small gem in the center. "What is it?"
"It's enchanted, like the green blossoms I gave you and Murtagh. It won't be as potent, but it'll keep your stamina up for whatever those two wretches are planning." She caught him by the arm and whispered in his ear. "If they go too far I'll throw a lightning bolt at them."
"Please tell me you're not serious. Killing them won't do us any favors!" All she did was grin and take out her doll before backing up.
And Anri had to watch as the twins relentlessly tested him without giving him a chance to catch his breath. Eragon grew more and more weary, and the twins had a look of cold indifference on their faces. After a certain point she'd had enough. "Enough!" she called out. "You've seen enough of what he can do."
"You have no knowledge of this land's magic. How would you know, knight?"
Anri's hand crackled with golden light and the air began to smell of ozone. "I'll show you what magic I do know if you don't remove yourselves."
They both frowned. "Ajihad will hear of this."
"Good." A single flicker of lightning stuck out from her hand and cracked against the stone beneath them, leaving a four-pointed scorch mark. The twins took the warning, and with looks of equal irritation on their faces they both backed out of the field. "Those two are insufferable. Are you ok?"
Eragon panted but stood straight. "I'm alright. I should've listened to you, they were just trying to see what words I knew in the Ancient Language." Anri hissed and stared at the tunnel the two had left through, considering throwing a bolt down it for good measure.
"Worthless cockroaches. Come on, I'll coach you on some techniques with a shield to start. It won't be too intensive and we'll let the ring work its magic for a bit before really getting into it." They walked back to the ring Anri had made, and she pulled out another familiar shield.
"Wait, that's…"
"The other Astoran Knight's. Oscar, you told me he was named. You gave this to me shortly after we met, but after thinking back on it the shield is technically yours." She handed it to him and he took it with some awe.
"You're sure?" He asked, testing its weight.
"Positive. He gave it to you as his dying act. I wouldn't use it even if mine was completely destroyed. Now. Loop the two straps through your non-dominant arm. Good, like that. Zar'roc is a hand-and-a-half sword like mine so teaching this won't be too difficult…" And for about half an hour Anri taught Eragon the basics of sword and shield combat. The things she focused on the most was the placement and using it as a weapon as well as a defensive tool. His placement would block his vitals while allowing him to maneuver it as needed, and she showed him ways to strike with it. Shield or not, it was still a large piece of metal, and he could use it to displace weapons or unbalance opponents. When he had the basics down they did some light sparring, with Eragon focusing solely on defending. Then she taught him the difference between blocking and deflecting. He picked it up pretty quick, but it would be a different matter entirely when he had to attack while defending at the same time. They were about to get into it when Anri saw somebody approaching.
It was Arya!
Eragon noticed her shock as well as the elf strode right across the field and to their section. If Anri drew stares, then just about every eye in the room was on the elf. A leather strip encircled her brow, restraining her black hair, which tumbled behind her shoulders like a waterfall. She wore her thin sword at her hip and her bow on her back. She was clothed in high quality black leather, but it seemed ill-suited on her. She stood taller than most men and in a way that completely relaxed. She did not look like someone who had been moments from death some time ago, and her face betrayed none of the torture she had received. Sharp green eyes appraised each of them before landing Eragon.
"I claim the right of trial by arms. Draw your sword." And with that she walked to the heart of the training field, the crowd parting like a sea before her.
Eragon looked at Anri and raised his shield questioningly. "Choose whatever you're most comfortable with." He nodded and she took his shield back.
Eragon moved cautiously at first, but Arya leapt forward with surprising speed. From there it was a dance of complex and targeted blows. He would duck, parry, and deflect while Arya would weave and pirouette out of the way while redirecting any of his attacks that got close in a shower of sparks. It was incredible to watch, and Anri was reminded of tales from her home. Legends spoke of Gwyn's Great Knights. She didn't know if Arya's grace was enough to match them, but she would certainly classify her as a contender. Anri didn't keep track of the time, but it was clear that as time went on Eragon grew reckless and tired. No matter what he did he would be outclassed, and he knew it. He was fighting a delaying action, doing his best to keep up for as long as possible before Arya decided to end it. As Eragon lunged forward, Arya nimbly sidestepped, sweeping the point of her sword up to his jawbone with such speed that Anri almost missed it. The arena erupted into cheers and clapping.
Over the din of the noise she heard Arya speak. "You have passed,"
She walked up to the two, "that was incredible." She nudged Eragon's shoulder. "Good job."
"I lost though." he said.
"You lasted." She countered. "Sometimes that's enough." She tilted her head though when Arya moved her sword towards her.
"Draw your sword, I want to test you as well." The crowd began to quiet again as they realized that they were about to watch another fight. Eragon backed up with a small smile in her direction as he went to stand by Fredric and Orik. Edward must have left. Anri drew her helmet over her head and pulled her sword from its sheath, getting into her usual stance. Arya kept her sword low, but angled in her direction.
Eragon watched the two with baited breath.
"Who do you think is going to win?" He asked Saphira.
"I honestly don't know. The elf's swordsmanship was incredible, but Anri has more experience than the entire mountain combined."
"You aren't sure? I thought you knew everything." He teased.
"Shush, let's watch."
The field was utterly silent, so much so that a single drop of water was heard down one of the tunnels. And it was as if that was the signal, because the moment the sound echoed Arya was gone.
There was a loud 'clang!' as Arya's sword impacted Anri's shield. The moment the sword impacted, the knight angled the shield to her left and gave a quick jab that was easily dodged. Before Arya finished her dodge though, Anri had her shield back up to deflect another slash, and ducked mere seconds before its follow up strike. Anri was entirely on the defensive, striving or swinging when an opening was presented, but only when she had Arya's sword in contact with her shield. Eragon watched every minute shift and movement Anri made, all of it meant to influence Arya's movements or cause her to overextend. None of that happened though, because as soon as the knight took advantage of an opening the elf was already twisting out of the way or batting her own sword away. There weren't many sparks like there were during Eragon's duel, but each time their swords struck it was with a loud and distinct 'clang!' But Eragon noticed something else as well; because there were moments where Anri could have taken advantage of an opening but didn't. Then he realized.
She's looking for a pattern!
And it looked like she found one. Anri suddenly struck out in a jab, but pulled it back when Arya swung to parry it. Before Arya could separate, Anri struck her shield out and batted the elf's strike away, immediately jabbing forward with her sword. Arya couldn't deflect, and was forced to leap backwards, but there was maybe a centimeter between the tip of Anri's blade and Arya's midsection before she did. She followed up with a sudden charge, not giving Arya time to attack again. But it was her sole miscalculation so far, as Arya twisted to the right and looped her arm around the shield. With a jerk she ripped it from Anri's arm and threw it at her like a discus, giving the knight barely enough time to duck underneath it.
But Anri didn't react to the sudden loss of her shield, grabbing her sword with both hands and deflecting a sudden swing and following it up with her own that was dodged. The elf lunged forward and jabbed at the knight's midsection, causing the knight to sidestep, but instead of backing off she locked Arya's blade with hers, catching the thinner sword at the hilt and drawing both of them into a struggle. Both of them maneuvered their blades, trying to redirect the other while also trying to land a hit or separate. After a few seconds though Anri yanked the locked blades up and lashed out with a sudden kick, actually landing it, and forcing the elf back a foot while disengaging herself. Anri jumped back and held her sword perpendicular to herself, showing no signs of slowing down or being tired.
Arya struck first this time, and it all happened so fast that Eragon would've missed it if he blinked. The elf feigned a jab, and when Anri went to deflect it she flipped her sword into a reverse grip, sliding the blade underneath Anri's cross-guard and flinging it from her grasp. A moment later and Arya's blade was across her throat, who tensed at the sudden contact.
"Looks like Anri lost," Eragon said to Saphira, eyes wide. Loss or not, that was some of the best fighting he had ever seen. He knew that Anri was good, but to fight against an elf for that long? And actually nearly win at one point?
"Not quite," was Saphira's equally awed response. And then Eragon's eyes widened even more as he gasped. Arya looked down before she removed her sword, and for a fraction of a second her own eyes widened. In Anri's left hand was a thin dagger with a u-shaped cross-guard, jabbing ever so slightly into the leather around Arya's chest. If she were to make the move, it would have gone right between one of the elf's ribs.
"A draw!" He corrected.
Arya backed up and sheathed her sword, giving Anri a small, almost imperceptible nod. Anri took a step back and returned it before going to collect her lost weapons. All around them were cheers, just as loud if not louder than when Eragon had finished his duel. He wasn't even sore about it, because how could he be! That fight was incredible!
Anri came back up to his side after sheathing her sword and returning the knight to its previously hidden spot beneath her surcoat. "That was something," she said, removing her helmet. Her face was drenched in sweat and she wiped as much of it as she could from her brow.
"Something? That was some of the best fighting I've ever seen!"
"I'll take the compliment, but I'm out of practice," she said almost to herself.
"What do you mean?"
"I've fought opponents that were faster and stronger, but not since Durza and not since long before him. I've gotten complacent."
Before Eragon could refute he noticed Arya standing silent and alone in the field, looking at them with her arms crossed. She motioned slightly with a finger, no more than a slight twitch, toward a knoll about a mile from the practice field, then turned and walked away. The crowd melted before her like it had before their fight.
Eragon turned to Orik. "We have to go. I'll return to the dragonhold soon." And with that he mounted Saphira before helping Anri do the same. The dragoness took off as soon as they were secure, banking towards the knoll Arya had pointed out.
This is officially the longest chapter of the story, and the longest chapter I've written on this website! I told you that we'd meet somebody special, and that I'd make the chapter as long as possible to make that happen, and here we are! I did it!
I always like writing Angela, I've said it before and I'll say it every time I get the chance to. And that decision with the French was kinda our of nowhere. I was toying with a spoken language, and I looked at the theme of Astora. The named characters are Ricard, Anri, Oscar, and their armor and designs are pretty ornate. Ricard also uses a rapier. So I just went with French. It's been awhile though, so I hope I didn't butcher it.
Don't expect more of it
And with this chapter we have the first major canonical change, even if it doesn't seem like much yet. Edward is not a character from Dark Souls, or Inheritance Cycle, and his company of infantry is not a part of the franchise at all. Their part might not be massive yet, but they'll be very important before the end. And Anri as a captain? Anyone expect that? This and the flashes of Anri's backstory are my way of flushing out her character. Like most characters in Dark Souls we don't get much information about them before their eventual deaths, so that gives me little to work with. But that also means I get to fill in the blanks and make her a very in-depth character!
I'm also not the best with fight scenes, but I really am hoping to improve. To me the most important part of a good fight scene is the flow, because if the flow is rough then I lose the scene in my head. Even if I'm not the best at it, I had a lot of fun writing it! And what could she want with Anri? Maybe she wants to give the ring back, heh.
And one last thing. I've been pretty comfortable writing consistent chapters that are five to six thousand words long. But obviously I can go longer. That number always felt nice because I was able to get the chapters out relatively quickly and it doesn't drag on. So I have an option for you guys. Are you guys comfortable with the current lengths of the chapters, or do you want me to double them? Shorter chapters means shorter updates, and longer chapters means longer updates. My other two stories will have one chapter of their current length and I'll ask the same question in each.
We're getting close to the big battle! How will things change now that Anri's in a leadership position?
Next Story in the Rotation: Mariana, the Abyssal Hero!
Other than that, thanks for reading, and I'll see you all soon!~