Battle Scars

[TeaMMatE11]

"I don't have anything planned for today," he stated matter-of-factly. "The army you faced a few days ago...I commanded that army. I am well-respected but also notoriously known as the general who tries abnormal tactics in the battlefield." Drakon sighed. "I guess this is my fall from glory." Drakon couldn't help but think about what went wrong. "anyways, let's not talk about the war. I'd rather...avoid the subject as of right now."

He looked up at the paintings, as if he was studied them. "Some idiot decided to paint me in the background," he said, pointing to one of the paintings. One of the knights on the right side of the painting beared Drakon's exact armor layout and coat of arms.

 

[LittleAndClumsy]

"Are you sure? I don't want to keep you from doing anything you've got to do. After all, I know baby sitting me will be quite boring." With this statement she took another piece of fruit and popped it into her mouth, looking at him. As he explained his ranking she went pale, realizing that she had saved an army commander. Out of everyone to save she had essentially saved a leader.

Seeing his gaze turn to one of the paintings in the room, she leaned forward to get a better look at it. "At least it's better than a painting they would involve me in." Viviana knew anything involving her would be dark and gruesome and would display her death.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

"Heh, yeah. It was scary seeing a pair of beautiful eyes of death with a rapier pointed at your throat," he stated. Now that she was injured and in bed, and couldn't exactly move, he managed to take one long look at her. He thought to himself, yeah, you're beautiful... He shook his head, knowing he probably had no chance to win her. He sat back down, next to the table. He pulled out a book and started reading.

 

[LittleAndClumsy]

Now that they were talking, it was then that she realized that he had been awake for her to spare him. This caused her face to turn red in embarrassment though she wasn't sure that she had any reason to be embarrassed for saving someone's life. At least now he knew her methods. "It was the most gentle way I could come up with. The others are brutes, they drag it out for as long as they can. I always tried to get it done quickly in the field so that no one would be dragged back and tortured." Viviana admitted uneasily. This was a dangerous topic, she was sure that it wouldn't take much at all to turn him on her but she couldn't possibly be sure. After all, he'd come this far so would he really turn around now? Soon she caught him shaking his head, even looking a little disappointed and this drew interest from her. "What is it? What's wrong?" Viviana questioned curiously.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

"It's nothing," he said, slightly blushing. "Don't be embarrassed." He scratched the back of his head. "I'm gonna go get this armor off and fixed. I'll be back." He made his way to the door, opening it and closing it behind him. He worked his way to the blacksmith, who took the armor off and started working on the damaged armor.

 

[LittleAndClumsy]

"I don't believe you. What is it?" Viviana questioned, leaning forward and watching him intently now that she had something to focus on other than how her people did things. Eventually she was sure that she would have to talk about it but as long as she didn't have to, she didn't want to. Not that one could blame her. "It's just a hard topic. It makes me seem soft, weak." She explained, showing the only reason why she felt she needed to be embarrassed for sparing his life. As he went to the blacksmith the raven haired woman continued to work on the baskets, pausing as she noticed the growing pile beside the bed.

Hopefully they wouldn't mind the large amount she would be sending back to them, after all, lock a woman in a room with nothing to do except for make things and there would more than likely be a surplus.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

After several hours, Drakon came back into the room, with his fixed chest plate and new gauntlets. He had time to think about Viv's question and how to word his answer. "Viviana, you're the most beautiful executioners I've ever seen. It's crazy I just admitted that to the woman who almost killed me, but it's true." Drakon sat down. He saw the pile of baskets. "Do you need me to carry the finished baskets down?" He asked her.

"In any case, I'm not going to push you to talk about...execution. But we're all expendable to our own kingdoms. We're merely pawns. Do you remember why this war started? The reason has been lost for generations and now we fight because it's the only thing they know," Drakon stated, answering his own question.

 

[LittleAndClumsy]

As the hours dragged by, Viviana found that her hands were painfully cramped, the repetitive movements that she had been using to craft the baskets finally getting to her. While she hated not having anything to do, she did need to give herself a break and it wasn't as if she would be going anywhere. She fed herself a few of the fruits that had been brought to her before turning herself over and taking a nap. She was soon awoken to the sound of the bedroom door open, the dark haired beauty immediately grabbing for one of the baskets just in case she needed to defend herself. Of course in the midst of her panic she hadn't considered the effectiveness of her chosen weapon but luckily for her, it was only Drakon.

His admission left her face bright red and her in silence as she looked at him. Luckily for her he had come prepared to do all of the talking, leaving her a chance to regain herself. He had talked about this war, saying it was now just a force of habit rather than anything else. "Those who live for blood lust will never let it go." She admitted sadly, knowing full well that the true reason for the war was long gone. It had passed many years ago, however neither side had dropped the blood feud.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

"I don't think many of us see that. This is a war of greed and revenge. Nothing gets solved." He looked to her, and changed the topic. "How's your leg doing?" he asked her, looking at the baskets she made. "And would you like me to bring those down for you?" he asked her, gently, pointing at the baskets. He couldn't take his eyes off of her, there was something about her that he saw. They were on thin ice, so he didn't say anything more, realizing if he took a wrong step, things could go badly.

 

[LittleAndClumsy]

"Unfortunately, no, not many of us do. And those who do are punished. They are called crazy, they are deemed traitors, and more often times than not, they are killed. The few who know the truth no longer come forward." Viviana agreed, knowing that nothing would ever be solved if the blood feud couldn't be dropped. Maybe she had made a move in the right direction by sparing Drakon's life and by defending him and he had done the same by doing the same things for her. Finally they were able to drop the touchy subject, both of their attention landing on the pile of baskets that she had relentlessly been working on for the day.

Part of her wanted to get up and take the baskets down herself despite knowing that neither Drakon nor her own body would allow her to do such a thing. "If you don't mind, I guess. Do you think there's anything else I could do?" She questioned, watching as his gaze seemed to linger. She caught herself as she almost asked him just why his gaze was staying on her for too long but she knew the answer now. This caused her cheeks to turn red again, becoming flustered in the moment of silence.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

"Not...not right now." Drakon broke eye contact before making it more awkward. "I'll just..." He quietly took the baskets before heading down under again. He sighed, as she knew what he wanted now. He nearly bumped into people, since his mind was so preoccupied. He placed the baskets down in the kitchen. He walked back up before getting several strange looks from the men. He avoided eye contact as he made his way back up the stairs. He gently knocked on the door, opening it slightly. "I'll just uh...guard. Let me know if you need anything," he said to her before closing it and standing guard.

 

[LittleAndClumsy]

"Could you at least ask? Please? I'm sure there's something I could do." Viviana urged but she found that her question hadn't been heard as Drakon quickly gathered the pile of baskets and left the room. She frowned as she looked around, trying to find something to preoccupy her mind with. There were a few books she could read but did she really want to do that? It wasn't like she had a choice so she decided on the next best thing, a nap. She had just turned on her side and began to get comfortable as the door opened and she saw Drakon peeking his head in to announce that he was going to stand guard. She nodded lightly, her eyes watching him as he shut the door behind him and left her alone again.

-x-x-x

Day after day she had slowly become stronger, testing her leg with every chance she got until it had finally healed. Of course, she still wasn't trusted to do much but now she wasn't stuck being confined to her room. In fact she had taken to spending a lot of her time in the stables with the horses, tending to them. No one really bothered her there and she knew that she could trust the horses to not try and kill her. While she was used to the dirty looks and the prolonged stares she still found herself on edge more often than not. Most of the time she was trying to avoid Drakon now, too, as she always felt like a fool when she found herself blushing and unable to contribute anything worthwhile to a conversation.

She still hadn't forgotten anything he had said and today she was to help in the kitchen, an unusual request but one she was happy to oblige. She had just been bringing in a basket of supplies when she'd bumped into Drakon, spilling the vegetables over the floor and looking up at him with wide eyes. "I'm s-sorry." She stammered out, realizing how quickly this situation was flustering her. It had been days since she'd spoken to him and the first time she sees him she of course slams right into him. Immediately she started to gather the various vegetables, trying to scoop them back into the basket as quickly as she could but her attempt to be quick only made the process worse as the vegetables seemed to go everywhere but into the basket.

Finally she stopped, taking a deep breath to relax herself as she looked up at Drakon. "I'm sorry I haven't been talking to you much, I've been trying to stay busy." Lame excuse but she had to give him some reason to ensure that he knew that she didn't despise him. Fact of the matter was that she just didn't know how to talk to him and often made herself look to be a fool. She wasn't sure what it was about him but there was something that she liked and that messed with her every time she was near him.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

Drakon spent the last few days reading maps, talking strategy, and preparing the troops as much as he possibly could. However, no matter what he did, Viviana was on the back of his mind. Construction was still going, however the engineers were moving at a good pace. As he walked around, he whistled to himself, looking at the castle walls and the city inside. A messenger walked in, handing him a letter. He nodded in thanks as he put it away for later. Viviana was nowhere to be found.

He walked passed the kitchen when Viv bumped into him. "Viviana, it's fine." Drakon knelt and put the vegetables in the basket for her, nodding as she apologized. "I've been busy as well. Preparing the troops." He sighed. "Orders are orders," he said as he shrugged, implying a battle sometime soon. He lightly hugged her. "If you need anything, come find me." He checked the archer's supplies on the wall. "Anything else you need?" The archers shook their head.

He worked his way back down and made his way to his room, done for the day.

 

[LittleAndClumsy]

If she hadn't been anxious about the situation before she certainly was as she was pulled into a hug, the woman hesitantly wrapping her arms around Drakon to return the surprising gesture. She wasn't sure why he had done such a thing or what to do about it or even what it meant but she found herself looking to the basket of vegetables warily. He had spoken of preparing the troops and she felt her stomach drop as he'd implied what was about to happen, a battle. Really she was used to it but was he involved? "They're not sending you out, are they?" Not only was she worried for his health in that case, but for her own as well. The last thing she needed was to be left alone and to be attacked.

She followed him to his room, having left the basket behind so that she could learn the truth. "You're not going out with them, are you?" She asked again, her eyes holding a look that showed her true feelings. Fear. She'd been brave this entire time, ready to fight to defend herself but she didn't want Drakon to go. She didn't want him to be at risk again.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

He sighed. "They managed to break through our front lines. Intel suggests they're going to attack here." He looked up at her worriedly, walking up to her. "I'm sorry Viviana..." He hugged her tightly. "They're asking everyone to help fight. Even you. Are you ok with fighting your own kingdom?" he asked her, feeling nervous. "I wish I didn't have to fight." He push a strand of her hair out of her face. "If I don't fight, I will be executed."

 

[LittleAndClumsy]

This news was something that frightened her as she realized that the war had followed them here. She had been living in ignorance for the past few weeks, doing her best to ignore the problem that lurked around them. Sure, she had heard about what had happened out on the battlefield, she had seen scouts who had been given a message but she hadn't expected this to happen. What followed stunned her though as she learned that they wanted her on the battlefield. "You're saying they finally trust me with a weapon?" She questioned, now being a little worried about what was to happen to her. After all, she doubted that anyone of Drakon's kingdom would want to fight alongside her.

"I no longer have a kingdom. I'll fight with you." She agreed, though she hoped that she would have time to prepare. She would need to build her endurance back up as she had been stuck in a bed for longer than she was happy with. She stood still as he examined her, the male obviously being worried that she would have a problem with fighting. Really, she didn't mind fighting her own - they had tried to kill her after all. She owed Drakon her life which meant she would fight to defend his.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

"Are...are you sure?" Drakon looked at her worriedly. "I don't want to...lose you..." Drakon was showing a soft side that he's never really shown anyone before, and Viviana could tell this was not his normal self. "They're sending in the Third Army - they broke through our ranks. They're elite soldiers. Our troops won't stand a chance. There's only one way to win this battle...trial by combat."

"They're looking for you, they want to hang your head for treason," he said, quietly. "Once they break through our initial defenses..." He looked outside. "...which are already weakened, we won't stand a chance. We have to give our all and kill as many as we can before...I put myself at risk. This is the only way...trial by combat." He looked at her sadly.

 

[LittleAndClumsy]

"I mean it. I'll do this. It's the least I could do, I owe you and your people for the hospitality I've been given." It hadn't been very good hospitality on some accounts but things were slowly improving. The least she could do was stand beside them and fight on the frontlines. Hearing Drakon admit that he was scared to lose her caused her face to turn a bright shade of red, the woman stammering as she tried to find a way to handle this soft side of his. He seemed to be troubled and the black haired woman looked over him with a frown, not wanting him to worry about her.

"I'm tough. I'll be okay. Just make sure you don't get distracted." It was a light attempt to make the situation less scary, now she was worried that there would be no remedy for this. The best she could do was get on the frontlines and help defend his kingdom. "I'm doing this for you, you know? The others, there's a few I'm willing to fight for.. But I'd like you to make sure none of yours bury their blades through my back. I need you to be there for me." That was one thing she hated to address but it needed to be done. She had to be sure that no one would be trying to kill her. She didn't need to endure a case of friendly fire.

"It's been awhile since I've been in active combat. Do you mind sparring with me?" Viviana questioned, looking up at Drakon with a small smile. They could do this. They had to, especially since it seemed like things were finally starting to make sense. Drakon was finally starting to make a move - he was finally starting to be brave.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

"I hope you have experience with other weapons other than a rapier," Drakon said to her. "I'll spar with you, and I promise I won't have any of my troops stab you in the back. They want us in the back of the full force anyways. 'We can't afford to lose you,' they said. If we can turn around this army...it will be one step closer to closing this war. Or so we believe."

He sighed, knowing everything they were fighting for, the bloodshed to come, was fruitless. He just wanted the war to end so he could go back home and live a regular life. Unfortunately, this war has changed him, in ways he couldn't think possible. He was a pawn in a game where there is no end in sight. He could, at any time, be sacrificed for a cause that was long forgotten within the ages, a cause that was not worth dying for, yet it has led to many of the youth's deaths.

"When we get through this war...I am going to retire from this life," he said softly.

 

[LittleAndClumsy]

"Mmm, unfortunately the only weapon I've ever yielded was a rapier. I'm a quick learner though. Just get me in a sparring ring and I'll work to improve my skills with other weapons. I need to train anyways." Viviana replied, watching as he seemed tense. He really didn't seem to be very happy, and it wasn't like she could blame him as it meant that they were both at risk. She wouldn't let anything happen to him if she could help it, she was determined to help him no matter what it took. There were still a lot of unanswered questions that she wanted to figure out.

There would be no ending this war, the only way out was death or desertion and the latter part only got you to the former part. It was a very serious crime as she was sure that if either of them tried to retire it would somehow be called desertion unless the proved that they could no longer fight. She had been tired of fighting for quite some time, it had been getting harder and harder to do her job - the only way she had managed to do such a task was to tell herself she was being merciful and doing those that she slayed a favor.

"What are your plans after you retire?" Viviana questioned, looking at him curiously. She walked alongside him now, wiating patiently for an answer. She was anxious about getting in the sparring ring with him, after all, she was sure that she was out of shape and not to mention her lack of experience wouldn't help things either. But she needed the practice, if she were to have a chance of survival on the battlefield she had to be sure that she could hold her own. Drakon was a formidable opponent, if she could hold her own against him then she would be fine. Or so she hoped.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

"I'm not sure..." Drakon reached the armory. "First...you're going to need some armor. Come with." He motioned her to follow to the blacksmith as they got her sized up and the blacksmith started working for her armor.

"How much do you know about longswords?" he asked Viviana. "Do you know how to hold one, or is this something entirely new?" He picked up his sword from the armory, which was weighted to him. He grabbed a basic longsword for Viviana.

(sorry for the lack of detail.)

 

[LittleAndClumsy]

(( you're okay. ))

A small frown came to her lips as he gave his answer, she wasn't sure why she was upset by the lack of an answer but she was. Maybe it was her wanting to be able to retire with him. Though that was a crazy thought, he found her to be beautiful, nothing more.

"No, I've only used rapiers." Viviana explained as she followed him to the armory. She had never been placed on the front lines before, her job had mainly been to clean up after the battle. Kill any survivors.

While the blacksmith took her measurements and prepared her armor, Viviana turned her attention back to Drakon. "I've got no experience with any weapons other than the rapier." She replied, hoping that it wouldn't affect their battle. She would do her best to learn quickly.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

"Alright. First lesson. Footwork and how to hold the sword." He demonstrated how to hold the longsword and gave a very typical stance in fighting, with the sword pointed at the chest of an invisible enemy. "This is a good defensive stance. It allows you to block blades easily-" he demonstrated some of the parries and guards, "And allows you to stab quickly." He looked at her, confirming she understood what was going on.

 

[LittleAndClumsy]

Before she had even started wielding a blade, Drakon had surged into action and she found that her mind was spinning as she watched. "Show me again?" Viviana questioned, having a bit of an anxious look on her face. She had just gotten used to holding the long sword, and now he wanted her to jump straight into combat? The weapon felt alien to her, holding it didnt seem to be natural at all. In fact it felt awkward and she began to switch hands, hoping to alleviate some of the weird feeling.

Finally she found a comfortable grip and she held the long sword in front of her, having her feet barely spread apart. "Like this?" She questioned, looking to Drakon for help.

 

[TeaMMatE11]

Drakon walked up to her and gently kicked her feet into position. "It should feel somewhat natural. Your grip is fine, but keep your knees slightly bent as well." He demonstrated the pose again. "Copy me." He held still for a few seconds, looking at Viviana, seeing if she got it. "I know, its hard transitioning to a different weapon. It'll get easier."