To ride or not to ride?

[Kara_J]

Edalia wandered down to the Training yards. It was technically her free afternoon but she had an idea in mind. Reaching her destination she stood and leaned against a fence post watching her intended target.

 

He was stood with his legs apart, shirtless and with his back to her, working through the forms with two one-handed axes. Edalia watched him as he worked, and found herself admiring his physique. His broad back and shoulders were heavily muscled and lightly covered with hair. The hair was now dark with sweat belying the dirty blonde locks on his head. His arms showed the countless hours of practice he must have put in over the years.

 

Edalia was loathe to disturb his concentration so she watched and waited, admiring the forms and the energy he put into them. She felt that she'd never be able to accomplish the grace and finesse as the man before her had reached. Standing here now, Edalia had a sudden attack of nerves. She had felt so certain he'd say yes on her way down here but now she wasn't so sure.

 

All she wanted was some extra riding lessons. Since she had that basic Horsemanship lesson she had been reminded how much she'd enjoyed being on a horse and she'd made up her mind to get herself some more lessons, one way or another, and the best person to ask, she thought, was Donovan. Now here he stood in front of her and she could not make up her mind whether to ask him. After all there was going to be another class soon, maybe she should just leave it?

 

She stood there hesitating, uncertainty pressing down on her, half turning to leave but then turning back to watch Donovan thoughtfully....

[CorenYi]

A cool autumn breeze blew peacefully over Donovan's shoulders. It did little to dry the sweat that covered him, but it did feel nice beneath a sun that seemed determined to prolong the summer. His muscles tensed and relaxed methodically as he moved smoothly through his forms. The warm wood of an axe-haft filled each of his big hands as he sidestepped, parried and sliced invisible attackers.

 

In time his arms grew heavy, and with a rapid parry, chop, and kick he ended three of his assailants. The forth he decided was fleeing behind him, and with a pivot and a throw he dropped it quickly. Or he would have, had there been anything to drop. Instead his axe trembled violently from where it has sunk deep into a wooden post. A wooden post that just happened to be no more than two feet from a very startled looking young woman in a loose fitting shirt and breeches.

 

Her quickened breathing caused her chest to strain against the ties at the front of her shirt. After a moment's distraction Donovan's eyes refocused on her face and he recognised her as one of the new recruits.

 

He closed the distance between them in a few short strides and set to working his axe from the target post. With both eyes affixed to where the blade entered the wood, he spoke lightly, "You should choose where you stand with more care. I may seldom miss, but I prefer to have my skills tested on my own terms."

 

~Donovan Rile

[Kara_J]

She had just made her mind up to leave him to it and not to disturb his Training by asking him a foolish question when he'd suddenly turned and thrown the axe in her direction. She couldn't help but leap out the way. She glared at him as he walked towards the post she'd been leaning against only a few seconds before and which had now got an axe sticking out of the centre.

 

"You seldom miss?" Edalia fought to keep her voice light and steady, the shock of having an axe thrown in her direction even if not aimed at her, had caused her heart to beat faster and her knees to feel weak, but she was going to be damned if she showed it. "I should be careful where I stand? I am outside the training grounds, in case you hadn't noticed...you looked in full control of your axes until you let one slip!" Edalia put her hands on her hips and glared at him Light Edalia! What do you think you're doing, speaking back to an Officer like that! Get control of yourself girl! but her tongue had run away with her and she listened in horror as she further berated him for losing control of his weapon. At the same time she couldn't help but admire his physique now he was closer and she felt a hot fiery blush suffuse her face as she tried to keep her eyes on his face.

 

Eventually she ran out of things to say and stood there, hands on hips and breathing heavily and waited for the metaphorical axe to fall, for him to berate her in turn and send her to be punished.

[CorenYi]

Donovan smiled inwardly as the girl ranted, a mixture of amusement and irritation flitting across his eyes. His hand tightened on the haft of the axe he had left in the post, and he waited for her voice to die.

 

“Let one slip, did I?” He said quietly, leveling the full weight of his gaze on her, and locking eyes over the short distance. “If I had slipped, you’d be speaking through a split skull right now.” He pulled the axe free with a powerful motion to emphasize his point.

 

“Look around.” He waited as she did. “Do you see any other posts nearby?” He knew there were none. “Any targets? Anything at all that I might chuck my axe at?” He slid the blade almost casually into his belt as measured his next words.

 

“Then what makes you think I slipped?

 

Edalia met his gaze levelly, the Light blind her if she was going to back down now. "One word...Luck" she said, raising her chin defiantly and wishing that her face wasn't glowing with embarrassment, as she suspected it was. "Pure Luck that your axe hit the post. Why would you want to 'kill' the post anyway? I think that your hand slipped and it was sheer luck that it landed where it did.

 

She paused for breath, "I certainly don't think you can do it again!" She threw the challenge down fighting a grin and suppressing the horrified inner voice that was demanding her to be quiet before he had her thrown out of the Children for being cheeky to her Superior.

 

Staring at him defiantly she awaited his response, certain that she'd gone too far this time.

 

He weighed her carefully for a moment, noting the perspiration on her brow and the grin threatening to rise on her face.

 

"What do I get if I can?"

 

She blinked in surprise, well that was a response Edalia wasn't expecting. She expected a shouting match and a disciplinary at the very least, not her challenge taken up. Despite herself, she grinned. "Well that all depends if you manage to duplicate your feat now doesn't it?" She moved back over to the post, meeting him stare for stare.

 

"If you can hit the post again, then I'll have to see about a prize" Edalia spoke, emphasising the first word and laughing inwardly at the response it got.

 

His brow furrowed slightly but his axe was very rapidly in his hand and he was returning to the spot he had previously occupied. Over his shoulder he shouted. "You might want to move."

 

After reaching the spot, he stood with his back to the post, taking two deep breaths to give her time before lifting his arm, pivoting mechanically and heaving the axe through the air.

 

Edalia didn't need telling twice and she all but ran from the general area of the post. She inwardly berated herself for being so foolish as to challenge a senior Child of Light, but something about him got under her skin. She watched as he suddenly pivoted and hurled the axe into the air. She knew without looking that it would hit the post, and sure enough she was proved right.

 

Walking back over to the post she saw how the blade had practically buried itself into exactly the same gash that had been made by the previous effort.

 

Nodding, she conceded that the first throw hadn't been an accident after all and turned a mock glare on him. "So now I expect you'll be wanting a prize, I suppose? Well I'll tell you now, that I'm no trophy to be taken easily" Now why had she said that?? It seemed that he didn't just get under her skin as much as bury his way under it!

 

He laughed. In truth he couldn't do anything but. Something in him just snapped, and the laughter rolled up from deep within his unclad chest and echoed out across the yard.

 

He struggled to regain his composure and when he had reigned his amusement back to a reasonable level, he said between chuckles, "No, I suppose you're not. But that's alright, I'll just have to settle for a drink. Tonight. After sunset."

 

Without giving her time to respond he turned and started walking towards the scent of crisped beef drifting over from the kitchens. When he reached the edge of the yard he called back to her. “I’ll be waiting outside the main gates.” He started to walk off, thought better of it, and added; “Oh, and you might not want to wear your uniform. Recruits do have a bed time.” With a final chuckle he left, following his stomach all the way to the table.

 

 

Edalia and Donovan.