“So long as said buckler men are charging into enemy pike already engaged in a push of pike with our own pikemen,” Jess cautioned, suddenly every inch the instructor. “While it is true that in the right circumstances, our valiant bucklers and short melee blades can tear through enemy spearmen at their most vulnerable moment, helping us to seize the field and win the battle, timing and tactics are everything. Were those men led by a poor commander who compelled our buckler men to charge head-on into triple rows of fresh pikemen, unwilling to wait for our foes to fully engage with our own pike, I would fear a most tragic outcome indeed.”
Jess smiled. “Remember the rule. In a push of pike, halberdiers and buckler men can save the day. But against pike alone, the buckler must always give way.”
Armond nodded solemnly. “Well said, my lady. And I see you are still flushed with your exertions. Would you care for me to see to refreshments for you?”
Jess gave a quick shake of her head. "No need, my friend. My body does not cry for thirst. If I seem distracted, it is because I have been spending some time trying to piece together this most ancient of dances, and I would appreciate your critique if you see any blatant flaws in my movement. You might find it somewhat different than what Erovering teaches her soldiers today."
Armond smiled gamely. “Very well, Lady Jess. I have never seen you fight blade and buckler style before, and it would be a pleasure to watch a master swordswoman like yourself demonstrate her art.”
Jess’s smile was almost apologetic. “I would hardly say that, my friend. I merely hope my sense of the form has no obvious flaws that you can see.” With that she rearmed herself with buckler and longsword, took a deep breath, and slowly began to move her body in a dance of blade and disk older than the founding of the very kingdom she now walked upon, sensing the movements with footsteps echoing memories all but lost to time, even as she found her balance and began to dance that ancient form in earnest, buckler rising and lowering with longsword as her blade whipped back and forth in tight, powerful arcs. She steadily increased her tempo, sword and disc spinning about in utter concert with one another, Jess moving as one lost in trance, her dancing blade slicing through the air at all angles even as she turned, spun and dove, only to spring up, blade and buckler striking out together in unison ever more rapidly, steel disk always protecting her sword hand with every arcing slash and underhanded lunge. Faster and faster she moved, heart pounding, determined not to reflect upon the origins of those flashes of insight that she felt compelled to master, even as they haunted her very dreams.
She could dimly sense Armond's cautious approval of her motions even as she abruptly changed course and style, blade and buckler each suddenly moving independently of the other, one bashing forward even as she mimed charging into an unseen foe, blade whipping around an unseen shield, its false edge biting deep into an unseen opponent's backside before she laid a vicious draw cut that would have sliced through any armor weaker than chain, slicing her imaginary foe's neck clean through the spine. Effortlessly she flowed, shuffle-stepping away to lash out at yet another in an endless parade of unseen enemies, her buckler driving invisible blades up high as she struck low, smashing unseen faces as she stepped in, or trapping a foe's weapon as she lunged forward with a lighting fast thrust.
After a timeless moment Jess found herself free of her haunting reverie, hearing deep rasping breaths she realized were her own, feeling a slight throb in her right wrist, the result of pushing herself so hard with exercises and motions she was not yet used to, the weight, balance, and style being quite different from saber and shield.
Jess decided at that moment to stop for the day, whatever Armond said, having no desire to injure tendon or ligament, knowing that even her well-trained body was unaccustomed to intense usage of longsword in lead hand alone.
Armond gazed at her with an indecipherable stare that left Jess momentarily discomfited before his slow nod of approval. "I'd say you are getting the feel of blade and buckler right enough, Lady Jess. Your balance looked solid, your movements quick and sure. Your thrusts were right powerful and fast enough, performed quick and deadly from low, mid, and hanging guard. Surprisingly so, since your longsword is a bit more cumbersome than our arming swords, but it looks like you had been taught to compensate for that slight difference readily enough."
Armond frowned, considering. "A one-handed blade like an arming sword, side-sword, or falchion, as different as all three are from each other, would be excellent choices to train with as well. All are designed to be exceptionally well suited when paired with buckler or shield."
Jess chuckled wryly. “Your point is well taken, my friend. It would indeed flow just a bit easier if I were to use a shorter arming sword as opposed to my longsword, but between you and me? That just doesn't feel right. Not at all. I trained long and hard as a Squire to learn the ways of the shield with mace and saber alike, but this is a far different art I seek to master. I believe I will stick to my chosen blade, for all that I must work a bit harder for both to flow together with effortless ease."
Armond grinned. "Truth to tell, Lady Jess, I would not have expected anything different of you." He cocked his head, gazing at Jess curiously. "It did look like you were using two different blade and buckler systems there, Lady Jess, though you somehow combined them both, at the end of your sword dance."
Jess nodded. "You are right, of course. In one style, the buckler guards the sword hand while looking for the opportunity to trap an enemy's blade, and in the other I used them both as weapons, striking or countering simultaneously."
Armond rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Of course, your foot placement and center of balance would also shift, one style keeping a precise sense of distance, striking and darting back, the other continuously circling your foe, seeking ever to catch him at a weak moment or position."
Jess chuckled. “You definitely have an excellent sense of these things, dear Armond. I am glad I have the advantage of your insights.”
"Well, I do double service as chief instructor for our greener members," the guardsman duly noted.
Jess grinned. "I know. One reason why I appreciate your insights, and feel quite pleased at my choice of future instructors for an academy fit to rival for prestige, glory, and sheer talent, the techniques of any foppish school of rapiersmen Velheim would think to challenge us with!"
Armond laughed. "I greatly look forward to seeing that dream come to fruition, for both our sakes! As does Drake. Sometime soon I shall have to show you our sketches and proposed training regimens so far." His smile was almost apologetic, his voice soft. "Still, word has gotten around the deeds you did on behalf of powerful men fallen low to vice, the sacrifices to your own hard earned purse. So fear not, we expect nothing from you, my lady. We are honored simply to count you as a friend to our men, and should your fortunes turn flush, you may always count on us to flock to your banner." He winked, even as Jess suppressed an odd shiver. "So, can we expect to see you in the training rooms soon where we can test your sword and buckler style in earnest? See if you can beat Drake and I at our own game as well as you can triumph with both hands on the blade?"
Jess smiled. “I look forward to it, dear Armond. Perhaps I shall stop by tomorrow, if my wrist feels strong and not at all sore.”
Armond nodded sagely. “'Tis always wise to proceed at new disciplines cautiously until the body has a chance to adjust. Only then should one push oneself to the utmost.”
“Well said, Armond. And if I may ask, how fare our dear guardsmen with their royal counterparts?”
Armond chuckled wryly. "Much better, since Captain Alben has taken over. Nothing but courtesy and mutual respect since then. All I can say is, if the rumors now spreading through the academy are true and Ulric has returned and Alben's men will be recalled, I will almost miss him. But if we must have royal armsmen present, I would far rather it be led by a man like himself than another power hungry hothead like the former Captain Franken, may his soul forever rot in Hell.
"
He sighed in heartfelt satisfaction even as Jess shivered, suddenly feeling queasy, imagining agonized screams and cruelest laughter off in the distance, before realizing it was naught but the cry of a bird of prey upon a passing breeze. "Truth to tell, I cannot think of a place in all of Erovering I'd rather serve as a guard within than here, free of the endless biting chill of winter." Alben's smile turned slightly forlorn. "I am only sorry that my family must keep quarters within town. My littlest always tends to get feverish when it gets really cold, and Ria, my eldest, would love to visit the garden."
Heart swelling with warm affection for the guardsman before her she counted as a friend, she gave him a companionable clap on the shoulder. "Fret not, dear Armond. I shall speak to our good Dean Echobart. Perhaps I can persuade him to hire on another hand or two, and should those people just so happen to be members of your family, why, there is no reason why we cannot build an addition to our wonderful barracks, now is there? Perhaps we could add an extra wing or two, allowing families to enjoy fresh spring air, helping to tend to our lush plot of cropland as well. I see no reason why we cannot allow for at least some of our guardsmen to quarter with their loved ones, and most certainly I wouldn't mind young Ria enjoying my garden. Who knows? Perhaps she would enjoy attending a lecture or two."
Armond gazed at her in speechless wonder. “My lady, I don’t know what to say.”
Jess grinned wide. “You have done me kindness enough, dear Armond. We’ve already spoken of the possibility of your opening your own academy, have we not? And you’ve shown yourself a more than competent instructor just in your observation of my technique. I see no reason why I cannot extend you a kindness in turn, particularly if your youngest is prone to winter fevers.” Her expression firmed. “I will hear no objection, my friend. With any luck, I will have good news on the morrow for you when we spar together in earnest.”
Armond’s look became one of sheer delight. “You would have my undying gratitude, dear Lady Jessica,” he declared, and Jess found herself eagerly looking forward to seeing Echobart after a quick hot soak and change into fresh attire.
Her cat gazed intently at her as she donned her full mail hauberk, the rings Franken had so vilely cut having been expertly riveted shut with fresh rings once more, her carefully tailored dresses allowing full range of motion, strapping on a finely made longsword of a weight and balance she was well used to, one unmarked by the furious battle for her life fought just days before. Her calfskin gloves, elegant and quite in fashion, were, of course, lined with rings of steel.
Twilight tilted his head. “Are we expecting trouble, then?”
Jess grimaced, shaking her head. "No, my dear friend. If anything, I should castigate myself for dressing strictly for comforts sake, these last couple of days; babying myself, giving my body a chance to rest and, let's be honest, to enjoy life indulgent, at its sweetest, the school entire grateful to me, and not a soul after my head." Her familiar flashed a toothy grin at that.
"But today's workout reminded me of who I am. What I am. What I trained for. A Squire of War is always ready, and finely tailored mail and a single blade are little enough a hindrance to wear, especially for someone sworn to defend herself and those under her charge at all costs." She shrugged and smiled "Considering how protective Mother has been, Drake and Armond shadowing me lest I deliberately slip free of their cloying concern, I have grown lazy. Besides, it always pays to be prepared."
Twilight gave a thoughtful nod. "And it wouldn't at all be because rumors in the barracks hold that a certain figure of significance has just made an appearance at the college with forty royal armsmen at his side? A man who has always admired your martial prowess since the very first time you had bested him, and perhaps, just perhaps you want him to see you in that same light, not as a vulnerable girl with her eyes wide and heart bare before him?"
Jess flushed and looked away, more peeved than she cared to admit by her familiar's soft chuckle.
“All right. I admit it. If those rumors are true, well, I want Joshua to see me at my best.”
Twilight nodded, smug grin never leaving his features. “Somehow I don't think his passions will burn any less hot, whether or not you are wearing a blade. For the dance he would embrace with you has far less to do with the fury of battle and far more to do with...”
“Stop it, Twilight!” Jess snapped, her familiar falling silent, obediently leaping to her shoulder as she left her quarters, but she could sense his smugness still. “Annoying cat.”
“You know you love me.”
Jess stuck out her tongue at their reflection in the full-length mirror before she realized she had it covered still, hand freezing and thinking better of removing the cloth, not that concerned with her dress being perfectly aligned across her shoulders, shuddering as she stepped away.
“I really should have that bloody thing removed.”
“Perhaps, but then you would have to explain to your mother why. And you know how she loves to probe and question, covering it being the only compromise she would accept without such.”
Jess sighed. “I know, damn it. Still, maybe I'll have Armond remove it anyway.”
She could sense Twilight's shrug. “As you think best, my queen. But remember your stash of bronze gear fit only for a Delver that your mirror's placement helps you hide so well. A life you have assured your mother you are retired from for good, but it never hurts to have a little insurance, just in case.”
Jess grinned at that.
Slipping past endless students and respectfully nodding fellow professors, Jess quickly made her way to the dean's quarters, singing a happy little tune and paying no mind to the pleading stares directed her way.
“May I strongly recommend, my dear Jess, that you refrain from such pursuits until after you have captured Joshua's heart? You wouldn't want to have him run away too soon.”
Jess frowned and nodded thoughtfully. “Good point, Twilight. So few people have an appreciation for music like me. I like everything, and have never heard a bad song in my life.”
"That is because to you, a song is just random noise. And you happen to like random noise, though not so much as a good strong beat you can dance or fight to.
Jess nodded. "Exactly. I like happy sounds. Song, laughter, a cheering crowd. All the same, all beautiful. Screams of agony I rather detest. Totally discordant. Unless, of course, I'm in the depths of battlefury. Drumbeats, on the other hand, are excellent for directing pike formations, so an enemy can't flank and butcher us. Besides, it feels good to hum!"
Twilight sighed. “Just try to avoid humming in front of your love interests, Jess.”
22
A gentle knock on the dean's door found Jess before a beaming Lord Echobart together with a finely dressed and polished man whom she did not recognize, but given his cool aura of authority and the rich burgundy velvet cloth sewn over his brigandine, he could only be the unit commander of the royal horsemen recently arrived.
That the man's cold gray eyes fastened upon her hands and blade with hawklike intensity was not what made her breath hitch, nor was it Dean Echobart's warm smile as he bid her welcome and gestured to the comfortable looking chair presently free of occupancy as they all sat by a burnished table of hardwood, drinking spirits from crystal glasses and sharing a plate of Jess's own Calenbry Sunsets, along with various salted meats and cheeses.
No. None of that set her heart to racing, for all that she was happy to see Lord Echobart and delighted in the aroma of a perfectly smoked sausage. Rather, it was the man sitting across from the dean, gazing at her with a mischievous twinkle in his beautiful hazel eyes.
Joshua, looking as elegant and handsome as ever in doublet and hose of sea blue, sporting an undertunic of ivory white cotton, fine leather scabbard looped casually over the back of his chair, a living portrait of elegance and grace. His captivating gaze rendered her speechless, even as her heart thundered like a deer catching a glimpse of the most primal of hunters, every movem
ent an exquisite bit of poetry in motion, and she blinked, stunned, realizing that this hunter had already managed to claim her, his brilliant arrow having pierced her heart with the sweetest of agonies, as she took in every detail of his perfect form.
"Jessica." His look of surprised delight was quickly concealed by a mask of propriety, showing friendly warmth, no more, yet the intensity of his gaze and the huskiness of his voice was all Jess needed to feel as if she floated on gentle clouds high above.
Echobart, looking hale and hearty as he always did, larger than life with his silvery hair, twinkling eyes and voluminous dark robes of office, filled out as much by hard trained muscle as it was the excesses of a hearty appetite, immediately strove to put her at ease, his powerful yet soothing voice echoing through the elegantly appointed chamber.
“My dear Professor Calenbry, what a treat it is to have you join us this fine day! Please. Make yourself comfortable. That’s the way of it. Now try some of these smoked sausages, originated from swine farms stocked with your grandfather's breeds, no less, and if Arthur doesn’t have a fine eye and palate for the best quality of meats like his father before him, then no one does, I say. Cider? Ah, milk then for you, my dear, of course. Now how can we best serve our academy's most celebrated hero on this fine day?”
Jess smiled her thanks even as the officer arriving with Joshua frowned at the dean's words, Jess put instantly at ease by Echobart's warm patter as he happily filled her silver plate with all manner of perfectly smoked sausages, cheeses, freshly plucked tomatoes, and of course, freshly sliced and mashed apples. Unable to help herself, Jess lost herself in gustatory ecstasy for some moments as a bemused Joshua gazed fondly on.
Echobart chuckled. "Ah, I see our hero is famished! No doubt from training already with the dedication one would expect from the champion of our school." The dean gave an approving nod before turning to his other guests.
Jess picked up all sorts of insights into recent events as the other spoke, not the least of which was, of course, the recent arrival of the royal mounted archers, led by one commander Vardelos, even now pinning her with his measuring gaze.
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