Despite there being four people sitting at the table, only two were speaking. It was the brunette and the young black haired girl. They were still in the midst of a shouting match regarding dinner, while Rien stared blankly at Dorian; who in turn was sitting silently awaiting Rien’s response. It took some time for the response to come, and when it did it was relatively lackluster.
“I’m to be her what?”
“Mentor. It’s like teaching.”
Rien tilted his head just a bit.
“You know, when people ask me to do a job it usually has something to do with killing, or fighting at least. How exactly did you decide I should be the one to teach anybody anything?”
“Well we need to teach her exactly what you’re skilled at!”
“A princess?”
“A princess.”
“Teach a princess how to kill?”
“Teach a princess how to kill.”
After another pause, Rien stood up and crossed the table, making his way over to Dorian. As he knelt down, Rien inhaled. He quickly reached out to Dorian and squeezed the lobe of his right ear.
“Do you know what you’re asking me to do?”
He began to pull on the flap of skin.
“Ouch, ouch ouch ouch. Yes, I do! But you’re the first person I thought of when I was asked to find her a mentor.”
“Me? Shouldn’t the king have an army of more qualified people to teach her?”
“Well… It’s a bit complicated, if you’d let go of my ear we can talk about it!”
Rien pulled harder.
“How long do you plan on me doing this?”
“A year! Just a year.”
“A year is quite some time, Dorian. Why would I want to waste my time teaching some royal snob how to kill? I don’t want to teach anybody how to do something like that?”
Rien gestured over to the princess who was flailing about as her attendant held her shoulders to the chair.
“There’s good reason, seriously! I’ll explain it all after dinner!”
Rien let go and sighed, returning to the seat across from Dorian. While the two sat quietly, the princess and her attendant continued struggling. Before long the princess had begun to get tired enough to settle down but she continued to pout until the doors to the kitchen swung open. From the inside emerged two servants with a cart between them and several large trays on top. As they came out Dorian clapped his hands together and began to speak.
“Alright! The first course has arrived! Should we introduce ourselves while we prepare to eat?”
The food in question was simple in appearance, it was a soup with several vegetables popping through a light colored broth.
“No need to waste any time, it’s true, you’ll be mentoring the princess, Niamh Brenin.”
With the room having been much quieter than before, the words finally reached the girl who was being restrained to her chair and she quickly turned her gaze to Rien, looking somewhat blankly at him.
“Mentoring, me? Him?”
Her tone was monotone—a stark contrast from how it was while arguing with her attendant—and she had a slight tilt in her head.
“No, I don’t think I can accept that.” Rien replied.
He stood up almost instantly from the table and began to walk away before Dorian chased him.
“Hang on, Rien! Please just let me try to persuade you at least.”
He had caught up to Rien and reached in front of him, but the princess was the next to speak.
“Viscount Dorian, who is this man?” she asked.
Dorian quickly turned to face her.
“He’s the man I’ve been speaking about, m’lady! He’ll be acting as your mentor from now on.”
“I got that much, I mean to ask who he is as a man, not what role he’ll be serving.”
Rien turned as well and pushed Dorian aside just a bit.
“I’m a scab, your highness. I move from fight to fight and leave once I’ve been paid. I’m sure your father would feel quite ashamed to hear you’re being trained by someone of my standing. Please forgive Dorian for such a hairbrained plan.”
He began to turn back toward the door, but before Rien could exit, however, Niamh spoke again, directly to him this time.
“Wait!”
Rien let out a silent sigh and turned back again.
“You may be a scab, but if Dorian had recommended you I would at least wish to honor his wishes and try you out.”
“Try me out?”
“Yes.”
Her look was deadly serious in the moment, her eyes, a vibrant crimson became sharp and her expression reflected a tiger’s more than a person’s. It was intensely focused.
“I’ve broken most of my toys thus far, I’m interested to find out if you’ll be worthy.”
Rien’s brow raised, and his hand dropped from the door’s knob to his side. He turned his full body to face her.
“I’m not a toy, but I’ll play along.” He replied.
She smiled just a bit. Dorian cleared his throat to break a brief silence in the room.
“Well,” He began. “What she means to say is she’d like to spar with you… She’s been training with Gerrick’s men and they’ve provided her with great support but lately Gerrick’s been the only one to hold his own against her, but not for long. That’s part of why I asked for your help Rien.”
The mercenary walked back to his seat at the table, and fell into it, facing the princess who was adjacent to him.
“Tomorrow we’ll get after it first thing in the morning, I hope to see you as serious as you are now and not complaining about wanting to sleep more.”
Niamh nodded.
“I’ll be there, and I’ll make sure to put you to the test. I won’t break you too quickly.”
Rien chuckled a little, but chose not to reply, shifting his focus to the food and eating his meal quietly while Dorian continued to chat idly, asking Niamh and her attendant about the day. From what Rien could gather it was nearly a year since the princess had come to Duval, and that would make it about three and a half years since the civil war had started. The food continued to become more appealing to Rien’s eyes becoming well presented meats which had been roasted with vegetables and eventually sweet pastries. It wasn’t until after dinner that Rien decided to ask Dorian more about the situation at the mansion. He managed to catch the viscount alone after the princess had gone to bed. It was in the main den that Dorian sat with a book in his hand. Rien came to the door and announced himself with a knock.
“Ah, Rien! I’m glad you came to visit! It feels like I just can’t get enough of you since seeing you again! There’s so much we could talk about.”
“I’d like to know more about the princess to be frank.”
“Well that’s an interesting story, but I’m more interested in your life.”
“I’ll gladly sit and tell you about that some other time. I want to know about Niamh.”
Dorian placed the tassel of his book between the pages he was reading and his face drooped into a small frown before he sighed.
“What would you like to know?”
“I’d heard some rumors quite a time ago, mostly when I was in the south east by Ghrenin. When I was still new to being a scab there was a lot of rumors going around about the royal family. Something about the princess being chosen for something or other, there were grand processions all around the town. They were nearly tearing the town down in a celebration about the royal family and the word I heard around town was the princess was a savior now. What’s that about?”
Dorian leaned back in his chair.
“Well you know the important parts from the sounds of it.”
“Those are hardly the important parts, I don’t know anything about her or the situation, I’d like to know more.”
“Well there’s not much I know that you don’t, from what I’ve been permitted to know the princess was afflicted with strange markings across her body one day and after that she was given to a sage who declared she would become the kingdom’s savior. Other than that there’s not much word on it. I rarely see the princess outside of meals, she’s out all day with Gerrick and sleeps most of the time here. I wonder if she’s doing alright, truly.” Dorian explained.
“A sage, huh. Seems freaky. What does it entail, being the savior of your family’s kingdom?”
“I’m not sure really, but you should have seen the day she arrived, a real procession here as well. The town was abuzz once they’d heard she came, while the escort she’d came with was amazing itself. She was a much different girl at the time, far more noble in nature and much more frail. I was quite shocked when they arrived, it was with no notice she had been dropped off at my doorstep. One of her father’s messengers came with a letter alongside her and that was the first time I’d heard of my new role as her caretaker. I wasn’t told the story or the reason but for whatever the king had decided that I was supposed to mold her into a warrior.”
“And then you decided to hire me because she started being able to hold her own with your men?”
“She was much more talented than any other noble lady I’d met. Before we knew it Niamh was closer to a noble son than a princess, she looked like she’d been training in swordsmanship for her whole life.”
“She’s a quick learner?”
“Maybe, it’s more like she’s a beast rather than a human though, you’ll see tomorrow.”
“That’s ominous, she’s not going to turn into a wolf or a lion or something is she?’
“No, nothing like that,” Dorian laughed. “You’ll only have to worry about a human tomorrow. I will recommend you sleep, however. She’ll give you quite the workout tomorrow.”
“You and her both seem to think she’s something special, should be interesting to see. I guess I can look forward to something fresh tomorrow.”
“You certainly can, I wouldn’t underestimate the princess if I were you!”
Rien leaned off of the doorway he’d been standing under and gave Dorian a wave, not waiting for a reply before taking off. While it was beginning to get late, he couldn’t find it in himself to sleep and decided to take a walk around Dorian’s manor, he went through the front door and began to wrap around the house’s perimeter, navigating through the yard until he found the training grounds. From the conversation at dinner it sounded like Niamh practiced in Duval’s knightsguard training hall and not in the one at Dorian’s property, but there was still a soft swish of grass and quiet panting coming from the courtyard. Unsurprisingly, it belonged to Niamh, who was too focused to catch him peering around the corner. Rien tilted his head as he watched, catching her motions as she swung a sword. Dorian was right that she was unique. Rather than being a prodigy she indeed looked more likea a beast. She moved violently with quick movements which were carried mostly by momentum. While she sparred with the air Rien caught the shape of her body in the moonlight. It was wiry and she was small, but her muscles rippled. With more training she would be dangerous. Her arms were clearly defined, as were the muscles on her back. They flexed with each motion and she appeared as she was, much more a warrior than a princess. Her expression too, was still that of a tiger’s. She hadn’t changed a bit since dinner. With that Rien turned back, deciding to sleep.
That night Rien slept the best he had in several years. The bed in Dorian’s mansion was much better than any bedroll or inn cot that Rien had slept on. As a result he found himself refreshed for once, and was able to wake up without a hint of lethargy. It was just about sunrise when he awoke, and the first order of the day was the washroom. It was a rare opportunity when traveling as a scab to bathe, and so every moment one could they took advantage of it. It was while Rien was bathing that Dorian came through the door, causing Rien to jump slightly.
“Good morning Rien!” He shouted.
“What is it?!” Rien yelped back.
“Well I heard the bath running so I figured it must be you! I’ve come to invite you to breakfast. I would say you could eat with Niamh and speak a bit, but she already finished and is out training, or I guess it’s more like she’s preparing for you.” Dorian laughed.
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Rien sank a little lower in the tub.
“I’m glad to see she’s taking it serious, that means I’ll get to see if this is really worth my time.” He sighed.
“I’ll see you at breakfast then?”
“I think I’ll skip it today actually.”
“Skipping breakfast? It’s the king’s meal you know, best to fill yourself up before sparring.”
“I won’t be able to anyway, the anticipation’s just eating at me.” Rien joked.
Dorian just shrugged his shoulders and moved toward the door.
“I won’t stop you, but you shouldn’t underestimate Niamh, she’s more than meets the eye!”
Rien nodded and waved Dorian off.
“You keep saying that I think I understand by now.”
Despite his nonchalance, Rien considered the words seriously. While Niamh’s late night training last night wasn’t particularly special her eyes stood out, she was serious about her movements and while they weren’t impressive she somehow managed to become strong enough Dorian called Rien to train her. If Duval’s group of soldiers didn’t have anybody strong enough to train her then she must be, as Dorian said, more than meets the eye.
The sun had crested fully by the time Rien’s bath was done, but the autumn’s morning chill still hung in the courtyard’s air. The grass was still and a small crowd had gathered. The notable faces included Dorian, Niamh’s attendants, and Gerrick, but a group of men— clearly knights— loitered about the area. Some were sitting on breastplates, some leaning against the wall, others sitting in chairs, all acting raucous. As if by instinct Rien reached around his collar and pulled up his ear protection, sticking them in and muffling the overall droning. As Rien made his way closer to the center of the field, Gerrick approached him.
“Good morn, Rien.”
“Good morning Gerrick. Would you mind if I asked you something?”
The general tilted his head to the side and nodded.
“What is it?”
“Regarding Niamh, what’s the secret?”
“Secret?”
“How has she beat all of your men? I watched her training last night and didn’t see anything special.”
Gerrick let out a small smile and brought his head back up.
“Spying on a young girl’s private moments, how unlike you. The scab life sure has changed you.” He laughed.
Rien just frowned in response, eliciting another chuckle from Gerrick.
“That’s for you to find out isn’t it?”
Gerrick touched Rien’s shoulder and gestured toward the crowd.
“They’re all here to see the stranger who came to town with the sole purpose of training the dragon princess.”
Rien’s body felt a small shake from the sight of the crowd.
“Dragon princess?” He asked.
“You’ll find that out too, should she find you worthy of becoming her mentor.”
“Isn’t that somewhat backwards?” Rien sighed.
The sound of a door creaking rattled through the courtyard, and snapped Gerrick’s attention.
“Speaking of the princess.” He chuckled.
Rien turned to follow the older man’s gaze. From the place he had just come, Niamh also emerged. She had on clothes meant for sparring, they were ragged and began to fray at the ends. On her hip a belt was fastened with a scabbard and sword attached. Rien rolled his shoulders and turned to face her. With her entrance, many of the knights went quiet, but they did not follow the routine that Rien had expected knights to perform in front of nobility. None bowed or fell to a knee, they all stayed in place and simply watched in silence as she stepped through the grass. Dorian too, was quiet, but he managed to wander over to Niamh and began to speak to her quietly.
“Guest of honor has arrived.” Rien sighed.
“Indeed, ready to spar?”
Rien nodded and began to walk to the side where the knights stood, he took his belt and scabbard off, placing it adjacent to one of the knights. The only thing in his hand was his sword. With the belt he also removed the brown overcoat and tossed it onto the ground. After Dorian and Niamh finished speaking, the viscount turned to face Rien.
“Should we set some ground rules?” He asked.
“Obviously no killing,” Rien started. “Other than that I say we just fight until we can’t anymore.”
Dorian looked back to Niamh to catch her nodding.
“Fine by me.”
He then sighed and shifted his weight.
“I guess there’s no need to make a big deal out of it then, let’s get going.”
Niamh followed Rien’s lead and dropped her belt and scabbard to the ground, sword in hand, before stepping properly into range of Rien. She raised her sword, holding it with both hands and her left foot forward. The two didn’t exchange any words— sitting in a deadlock for some time. The grounds were quiet enough for the sound of knights shifting their weight to be heard. Rien hadn’t assumed any guard, standing rather casually while the two combatants stared at each other. One of the onlookers scoffed after a while of waiting.
“Scared to move stranger?”
Rien didn’t budge at the provocation. Instead he waited. It was Niamh who seemed to be shaken up by the shout. Her body began to shake a little, her teeth gritted. Rien could feel the impatience, and as he noticed it, she leapt forward. Her movement became a blur in front of Rien, and it was only by instinct that he could stop her first attack. She had ran to his side and swung from below, aiming for under his arm, but he managed to deflect it, and as if following instinct he swung one leg into her side, tossing her just off her feet. Niamh quickly rebounded and launched a thrust from her hip which was much slower and easy for Rien to dodge. Before he could counter, she swung her elbow toward Rien and caught him across the cheek, knocking his earmuffs loose. With them removed he could clearly hear the spectators.
“Quick as ever.”
“Looks like the new comer isn’t going to last.”
“He wasn’t ready for the speed.”
The knights were almost guffawing as Rien was put onto the backfoot. Niamh was like a bolt of lightning with her movement and it forced Rien into dodging. The knights in the background were getting on his nerves as well and he felt it as his body started sinking. The comments were stabbing into his chest as they cackled and drug him into a slower pace.
“Just give him a bit of time.” Gerrick’s voice rumbled below the others. “I trained that boy as a young man, never has anybody been as skilled a fighter.”
“He’s pretty amazing, I’ll give him that.” Dorian chimed.
Just as they were speaking, Rien made his comeback. Niamh had wound up for a slash, and Rien managed to catch it as she released. He had placed his sword perfectly to block hers, and in an instant shoved her arm upward and thrust the blade to Niamh’s neck. The princess managd to dodge, but Rien kept pressuring her, stepping in and driving his sword upward, nicking her bicep. The two continued going back and forth for a while. Rien was now much more on the offensive, swinging with more power and speed. Each time Niamh blocked her arms could be seen shaking and struggling to deflect. The tide had turned and the men on the sidelines were in surprise. Quick slashes and jabs connected. Both of them began to bleed from surface level cuts but the fight was clearly beginning to sway more in Rien’s favor.
“Looks like he’s at least holding his own.” One of the knights commented.
“His movements conserve more energy.” Gerrick noted
“How so?”
“He’s much quicker to the punch. Even though Niamh is quick her movements aren’t efficient. Her follow through is too strong and she’s losing balance, wasting time to correct her posture before the next move, it makes her defense slow and her attacks even more so.”
Dorian jabbed Gerrick in the side with his elbow.
“And to think we couldn’t find that out on our own, with a small army at our disposal.”
Gerrick sighed.
“It’s barely noticeable when they’re both moving fast, she’s already stronger than most of us, just needed somebody to give us a better idea of what a real battle is like.”
“Guess we could use Rien to train our soldiers too no? Have to pay him more though.”
“Didn’t you say you’d be willing to fund him single handedly?”
“Well it was more the sentiment than the act.”
While the two bantered, Niamh and Rien continued to fight at a break-neck pace. Rien was still moving at a quicker speed, and his endurance was proving too much for Niamh. The experience made quite a difference. One of the attendants from the side made a comment to Dorian to interrupt their conversation.
“It’s no shock that Duval’s soldiers have yet to see battle, but they received training from the kingsguard, how is it that they couldn’t beat Niamh after a few months while this scab seems to be holding his own?”
Gerrick was the one to answer, turning toward the attendant.
“He’s been a special case since he was a child. A strong kid, but a little slow to make choices. He likes to know as much as he can before choosing something, but it always seems to be the right choice when it comes to a decision with him. Quick learner too, he picked up fighting when he was a few years younger than Niamh and outpaced me in a heartbeat. Before we knew it he was off to the fight.”
“What’s his story then? Why’d he run off and become a scab?”
“I’m sure he’d rather I don’t share his past with strangers.”
The attendant huffed a little and returned her attention to the fight. Niamh had finally broken down enough for Rien to end the fight. She made one final attempt at a slash toward Rien’s chest, but he easily dodged it, using the pommel of his sword to smack her across the back of the neck and send her to the ground. Once she hit the floor, Rien let out a deep breath, exhaling for quite some time as he took a few steps away from the defeated princess and toward Dorian. Her training garb was now stained red across the body with superficial cuts, but Rien wasn’t left unscathed. He nursed a few small cuts across his own body, patting the blood from them with the edges of clothing which had been slashed.
“She’s something alright.” He panted.
“I knew you’d take an interest, and to think you didn’t even get to see the most interesting thing.”
“Most interesting thing?”
“Yeah, the first time she sparred—“
Dorian was cut off by a shriek. It came from the princess who was now attempting to stand up. The shout had rattled Rien’s eardrums and pulled the hair along his arm and neck into an erect position. He quickly whipped around to see the princess with her sword in guard position. Her rags were beginning to soak through with more of the blood, but rather than that Rien saw a different, more vibrant red, like embers glowing through the clothes. They looked red hot to him and clearly outlined a pattern across her body.
“Ah, that. Yes, the first time she sparred, and the only time she’s ever lost this happened. Do your best Rien.”
“What?”
The pattern wrapped her stomach and torso. It pulled tightly in a circular pattern and spiraled upward, getting thicker as it did. It crossed under her right armpit and reappeared over her right shoulder where a blurred but thicker glow sat. The serpentine glow almost seemed to come to life as Niamh steadied herself, her already crimson eyes matching the color and luminance. She spoke not a word, instead simply growling like a beast, and jolted forward. The spectators behind Rien had already cleared out, leaving just him between Niamh and one of the mansion’s walls. Rien managed to avoid the blow, but could feel a gust of air come from her advance which rocked him off balance as he attempted to gain position. Her blade drove by him and crashed into the building’s wall, piercing through a lattice wall which allowed vines to grow. With a loud crash the blade broke against the brick behind the lattice. Despite this, Niamh seemed intent on continuing, diving toward Rien again with the remaining part of her blade, and in that moment Rien thought of a story he’d heard as a child.