Stand Short and Proud

by Billy Wong

  "I'd appreciate that, thanks." They made their way back towards Bergin, their sword troubles over—or so they hoped.

  Chapter 8

  Meg and Patrick sparred alone in the courtyard during a break, darting swiftly in and out of range while they traded punches and kicks. A week had passed since they returned from Bergin. While they spent most of designated training time helping recruits who needed it, it wouldn't do to neglect honing their skills against an opponent of similar level as well. Meg backed Patrick up with a flurry of punches that glanced off his arms, then got one in to the chin that wobbled him. She chased after him, but in her zeal ran into a huge kick to the face. Her eyes rolled up and she dropped to her back, head lolling to the side with bloody lips parted.

  "You got knocked out!" he taunted.

  "Is that all right," Christopher asked from the nearby door, "hurting your partners that bad just for training?"

  Patrick planted a boot triumphantly on Meg's chest. "Not normally, but we need to get in a hard match now and then when there's a drought of 'real' fights. Have to keep ourselves sharp, right?"

  Christopher walked closer while Patrick took his foot off her and she continued to lie there. "Damn, is she really out cold? I wanted to talk to her."

  "Here, I'll wake up her." He knelt beside her and slapped her cheek lightly. "Come on, the kick wasn't that bad... Meg? Are you okay?"

  "Wow, she's sleeping like a baby."

  "I guess you'll have to catch her another time." Patrick reached down to pick her up. Meg burst to life, snatching his arm between her legs. She pulled him to the ground and twisted, bending his elbow the wrong way. After a split second of resistance, he tapped her forearm in submission and she released him. "Sneaky little mouse!" he snapped, rubbing his hurt limb while she crouched grinning at him. "That doesn't count as a win for you, you were out for ages."

  She wagged a finger in disapproval. "You really think I wouldn't have recovered faster if you didn't waste time doing all that gloating? I would've fought back if you kept attacking me, I was just going along with you. Like I always tell you in my big-sisterly way, never let your guard down."

  He crossed his arms and looked away. "You were completely unconscious, you're just trying to save face."

  "You're welcome to try giving me a few extra hits the next time you think I'm out." She figured he wouldn't though, so it was a bit of a bluff.

  "I think I'll pass on that." Seeing his unsettled eyes, she felt bad as she imagined he flashed back to that time they got in a bar fight together. A sucker shot that shattered a chair leg over the back of her drunk skull and some followup punches had separated her from consciousness. She'd stirred from her slumber to Patrick screaming for her to wake up, unable to reach her with other opponents between them, and a man atop her pummeling her features into pulp. All she had been able to do was roll up in a fetal ball trying to cover her face while his fists continued to pound her head, and Patrick sobbed for her fearing she would die.

  She stood and hugged him, patting his back. "Sorry about making you think about that. I'd forgotten how much it scared you."

  "I shouldn't be so sensitive about it anyway. But yeah, seeing you beaten that way was terrifying. Your face covered in blood... you looked almost dead."

  "Hey! I still won in the end, remember?" Rallying herself somewhat after a prolonged beating, she had twisted her batterer's groin and pushed him down by it before ending the fight with an elbow to the throat. Still, it'd been a while before she could walk straight or speak coherently after that.

  "I just never want to see you in such bad shape again."

  She cupped his face with her hands and smiled. "And that's why we should keep our skills sharp."

  "Um, if you're done reminiscing about old battles," Christopher put in, "did you hear what I said?"

  "Hmm?" Meg asked.

  Patrick pointed at her and laughed. "Ha! You didn't remember, because you were out!"

  "He wanted to talk to me, right?"

  "Lucky guess."

  Looking a bit put off by their banter, Christopher said, "Anyway, I know I'm not on the same level as you, but could I join you two for your extra training? I want to keep getting stronger, and thought practicing with you at the cave really helped."

  Meg hesitated. "I don't know, we do need some private time together."

  "What? I wasn't aware you were a couple."

  He was probably trying to be funny, but the joke bounced off her. "I meant that since we already spend the official training time helping everyone, we should be able to reserve some free time for ourselves."

  "You never want to help me, though. Just because I'm ahead of most of the others doesn't mean I don't have room to improve."

  "We have room to improve too. Pat isn't as good as me"—this got a slight glower from him—"and I'm probably not as good as... Julianna. But there's no need to try and get everybody as close in skill as possible, when being different due to variance in talent and circumstances is normal. Why be in such a rush to catch up to us, when Taryn is already impressed with you?" She put hands on her hips. "Is there something you want to tell us about your background?"

  Christopher paused, then shook his head. "Forget it. I understand you wanting time to yourselves, I'll just get better myself." He strode off, hunched shoulders looking none too pleased.

  "He said something before about a marquis, right?" Patrick asked after he left. "I wonder if he's the son of a marquis, and feels unqualified to be heir with his current abilities?"

  "Or maybe he has a bunch of siblings like me and wants to be the standout among them?"

  "Then again the marquis could not be kin, and instead someone who's wronged him and he wants revenge on."

  She bit her lip at the thought. Used as she was to fights, deep-seated grudges between people made her uncomfortable. "He talks so little about his family situation, I wouldn't rule anything out. But Julianna seemed to entrust him to resolve it himself, hopefully that means she doesn't expect it to become too volatile."

  "She seems like a pretty 'hands-off' person though..."

  Meg later noticed Rich visiting Taryn's office alone. He could have been there for anything, but she suspected he might be inquiring on the status of the Night Emperor's sword. He still seemed on edge whenever it was mentioned, for which she couldn't blame him. She would want it away from here too if possible, but just didn't dwell on it as much due to being accustomed to pushing unpleasant things to the back of her mind, such as the faces of dying men she'd killed.

  One day, Taryn pulled her and Patrick aside after lunchtime and told them to walk with her. Unsure what was happening, they followed along through the halls. "I notice you claiming the high ground less these days, Mouse," Taryn said.

  She referred of course to her standing on top of objects. Meg giggled. "I guess I'm getting used to being here, and thus don't feel the need to as much."

  "That's good because I was afraid you might actually glue those heels back on and continue destroying your feet."

  "Come on, it wasn't that bad. If any girl has conditioned enough legs to withstand that, it's me." Or someone like Julianna or Taryn herself, but they didn't seem interested in such impractical footwear. "So what's this about?"

  "You'll see soon enough." She led them to a room, to which she opened the door. On a bed in the sparsely furnished guest quarters sat Gavin. He must have gotten here while they were eating, and the captain had him wait not wanting to interrupt their meal. Surprisingly considerate of her, but much more importantly, Meg felt so happy to see him safe...

  She rushed inside, threw herself into his arms. "Gavin! I missed you a ton of tons! Where have you been, how are you?"

  "Around, and fine. I did miss you too, little Mouse."

  She leaned back so she could look into his eyes. "I would be annoyed at that if Taryn wasn't already familiar with my nickname."

  "Well, I figured she would be by now. You and Pat aren't that good at keeping your mouths shut.
"

  "I think I'll leave you three to catch up," Taryn said. "Take as long as you need. Your reward for your hard work." She closed the door behind her, and her footsteps receded down the hall.

  Meg smiled at Gavin. "I'm glad you're still in one piece. Thought you might drop by sooner, though."

  "Why would I rush it? I knew you and the kid could fend for yourselves."

  It would have been more for her benefit to visit earlier than to reassure himself, but she supposed she couldn't expect him to cater to her feelings too much when she tried to come off to him as a tough, unshakable girl. No matter how tired or hurt she got, even when she'd feared she might die, she had always said she was okay, so why should he think she needed to be coddled? It was better this way, so him and Patrick wouldn't be distracted by the notion their small female companion required additional protection. Still, she wished she could show more of her soft side sometimes.

  "What sort of jobs have you been taking out there?" Patrick asked. "Is monster hunting still a viable living, or are you branching out again?"

  "No, it isn't viable. The big shots have been cracking down, punishing those who hire monster hunters too, so most nobody dares to offer such work. As for me, I've been scraping by on cheap guard work. I would've been tempted to kill some people, but didn't want you to react poorly when I told you about it so I refrained for now."

  "Thank you for thinking of me," Meg said.

  "And you two? Is it just training around here all the time, or have you seen some action?" They shared what had transpired since they separated, the intrigue around the sword taking up much of their story. "A giant sword belonging to a monster from another world? I might want to have a look. But good that it ended well."

  "Some people did lose their lives. I suppose it didn't go as badly as it could have if the Night Emperor actually resurrected."

  Patrick gave a grim nod. "If Julianna hadn't been able to stop it there, it might've been a real war again."

  "She didn't really stop it though. It just fell over, being soulless."

  "I meant if it had a soul, and she couldn't stop it."

  "Are you planning to stay in the Plasbian army?" Gavin asked.

  Meg and Patrick looked at one another and exchanged shrugs. "We haven't decided yet," she said. "We've been getting along well here though, getting fed and paid consistently just to train for the most part, and can't think of obviously better options. Why don't you join us and give it a try? We've seen quite a bit of action already, so it might not even be that boring though I don't know it'll always be like that."

  His brow furrowed in contemplation. "Maybe. How long would we be stuck here?"

  "After the four month trial period they gave us, if we stay we'll have to commit ourselves for at least two years."

  "If it really gets intolerable though," Patrick reminded her, "which seems unlikely, we could always desert. Plenty of places to go where other nations' runaway soldiers won't be recognized."

  "I kind of wouldn't want to do that to Taryn, if we promised to serve a longer term. She's been good to us, so unless that changes..."

  "I suppose if we gave our word, it wouldn't be the best to break it. Makes it harder to decide."

  Gavin asked, "Would I even be offered the same trial period? Seems to me they might get tired of making special exceptions."

  "We don't know that. Besides, letting me and Pat on board has worked out pretty well, so if we tell them how good you are hopefully they'll take a chance on acquiring your talent."

  "Fine, ask them if you want. I can give this a chance for a few months."

  Meg nodded gratefully. "By the way, whatever we do, I want the three of us to do it together. So we should ask for your trial period to end at the same time as ours, and make our choice then as one. You agree, Pat?"

  "Sure. We've been friends and partners in arms for too long to split up over this, so I'll go along with whatever you two decide."

  "Of course you would." Gavin grinned. "You are the sidekick."

  He recoiled. "I'm no sidekick! Just a few days ago I knocked Mouse out stiff!"

  "So that's where the split lip is from. You're slipping, little one."

  "Hey, I wasn't out! Just stunned... really really bad..."

  After a bit of arguing, they went to see Taryn. "Would it be alright for Gavin to stay here until the end of our trial period, under the same conditions as us?" Meg asked. "He would help the boys train too, and fight or go on missions if necessary. He's at least as skilled as me if not moreso, so his talent will be a valuable asset if he becomes convinced to stay."

  Taryn looked him up and down. Maybe she was more wary of Gavin based on him only being a few inches shorter than herself, but that might be more Meg's thing. More likely it was because he was older, which could make Taryn suspect him of potentially being more independent and less cooperative. "You'd have your trial end at the same time as theirs which is already half over? You think that would be enough time for you to come to a resolution?"

  "It would be a short test run, yeah. But if we make it longer I'll have to decide after they already have, which works poorly for us."

  "Fine, if you're sure." She extended a hand, and Gavin took it. His facial muscles grew taut with strain, and Meg realized she must be squeezing hard to test his strength. Taryn hadn't done that to her, so she supposed his size did have some influence. "Welcome on board." She released him and walked coolly out of the office.

  Gavin's face contorted with pain he'd been holding back and he flexed his hand, massaging it with the other. "Gods, she's strong!"

  "Her grip strength is more than yours?" Meg asked, eyes wide.

  "Probably by a good bit. I thought she was just tall and willowy, but her fingers felt like steel."

  "She said she weighs two hundred thirty pounds," Patrick said, "so I guess it's deceptive. Her legs are like tree trunks, but you wouldn't think she was that heavy or strong from her upper half."

  Meg swallowed. "Taryn's a monster..."

  "Still think you can take her, and want to challenge her to a match?"

  She perked up. "Of course! We already knew she was incredibly strong from how she cut up those Shadow Children and that gargantuan axe most men would struggle to wield, but I reckon I'd have the speed, agility and shortness advantages. It'd be a great fight."

  "Shortness advantage?" Gavin asked. "Never heard you say that before."

  "I'm learning to embrace it. Stand short and proud!"

  Patrick chuckled. "If anyone can pull it off, it is you."

  Gavin adjusted quickly and fairly smoothly to fort life, not making trouble with anybody though the recruits were a tad slower to accept him wholeheartedly than Meg and Patrick. Along with his age, his gruffer demeanor must make him seem more intimidating. Most of the boys at their meal table though took to chatting with him without reserve. They were after all either somewhat advanced fighters themselves, or curious about those different from himself in the case of Don. Christopher was a bit of an exception, not addressing him that much directly. He hadn't warmed up to Rich the fastest either, so Meg didn't find it too surprising.

  "Do you think we'll ever get the chance to touch the sword ourselves?" Christopher mused one night after drinking more ale than usual. "Since Agatha was still okay so long after she did, and we haven't heard about anything bad happening to Julianna, it seems like it might not be unsafe."

  "We probably wouldn't have gotten word yet if something did happen to Julianna," Rich replied, "considering they'd probably try to keep it quiet. As for Agatha, who knows if it might not affect somebody else differently? Besides, what would you want to touch it for anyway, just to look into the Night Emperor's past?"

  "It would be interesting to see, yes. Even the Saint General seemed rattled by it, so it might be quite the experience."

  Patrick said, "Perhaps if you're called on to assist the researchers again, then you'll get an opportunity. But I'm not sure it'd be worth the risk."

  Meg wa
s actually curious as to what it'd be like to relive ancient history, but didn't know that it would be worth it either. "I wonder what Agatha and Freddy are doing with the sword? What assistance they requested might have arrived by now, so they could be making progress."

  "They want to move it to Ostuh, to better study it," Rich said. Taryn must have told him this when he asked. "They're still negotiating the details with Duke Malin, King Rudolph being his usual distracted self, but considering Plasbias isn't nearly as equipped for this, it seems likely an agreement will be reached."

  Don leaned forward excitedly, almost knocking over his cup with the chicken leg he held so that ale splattered over the rim onto the table. "But if the sword is taken from Plasbias, then we'll lose its potential usefulness, when it was found on our land!"

  He did like his patriotic songs, so Meg supposed this attitude wasn't too surprising. "If Plasbias would be hard pressed to unlock its secrets, what good would it do sitting around in the cave? Ostuh figuring out how to utilize its power would at least allow it to be of use."

  "Why can't they just figure it out here though, instead of taking it from us?"

  "I assume it'd be easier for them to study it if it's in close proximity to their facilities. Besides, don't worry too much about Plasbias losing out. Duke Malin is known for his negotiating savvy, I wager he'll get plenty of benefit for your country in exchange for giving over the blade."

  "Besides," Joel pointed out, "Plasbias and Ostuh are both under the banner of Aerilea. What helps one of the five nations can help us all, in theory."

  Don settled back in his chair. "You have a point. Still, it's not the most inspiring to see our kingdom having to bend to others' will."

  "Like Meg said, I doubt Duke Malin will let Ostuh get something for nothing. Think of it more as a trade."

  "I'll try."

  Christopher looked on quietly while Joel asked, "How will they get it out of the ground, though? I'm sure they can do it, but imagine it'd be a big undertaking."