I want to be adored (attn: Corlinny)

[Matalina]

It was another hot, clear day, the blue of the sky unspoilt by any sign of clouds, and the way the temperature was rising, it was obviously not going to be a day for working in the forge. But, Amon did not mind that, he was happy to get away from all the light blasted paper work and do something he loved. Working with metal had come easy to Amon, although he did not realise that, but the Smith who had been his first Master had been impressed by his ability, and the way he could work the metal. From his first Master, Amon had worked with two others, always achieving the goals they set him and then he had opened his own smithy and had forged a good reputation for his work. When Amon had first joined the Band he had worked with the Smith’s as much as his training had allowed, and always got to look after horses of the Band’s Officers. But as time passed, his duties had grown and so the time he had to spare to help out in the Forge, had diminished. Now as Under Commander, his spare time was even more limited, but today was a day for himself, one of those rare days when Amon could do exactly as he liked.

 

Wiping the sweat from his face with an old bit of rag, Amon placed the horseshoe he had finished in the rack with the others, and then grabbed the water skin from the nail it was hanging from, and walked out of the Forge. Removing the stopper, he poured some of the water over his head, and then took two mouthfuls, swallowed some, and spat the rest onto the ground. Replacing the stopper, Amon looked around at the scene outside the Forge. Placing the water skin on the table, Amon walked a short way, stretching the kinks out of his back, when he suddenly noticed a figure approaching along the road. She had not seen him yet, her head was bowed and she carried a large pack on her back. Her long blonde hair was tied back, and there was a scarf tied around her head, to keep the sun off. But Amon would know that shape anywhere, one he never thought to see again, nor wanted to, not after what had transpired the last time he had set eyes on her.

 

Sighing to himself, realising that his restful day seemed to be about to come to a premature close, Amon walked into the middle of the road, and stood facing her, waiting until she was almost upon him before speaking. “Well Corlinny, you are far from the streets of your home now. Are you here for a reason, or have you just stumbled on my home?â€

 

Amon

 

*****

 

Corlinny had found the Band of the Red Hand and Amon, but before she began wandering around she had signed up for training. She wanted to insure he could not send her away when he found out she was here. Things had been said and done in the past that made her fear his reaction to her prescense. And he had every right to it.

 

Walking the camp she stumbled across Amon unexpectedly, she had not intended to do so before her training had truly started. He was a man of position in the Band and he had some authority to send her away. She sighed but put on her best smile. "I'm here to train and help the army with the limited knowledge I gained from Lita's grandmama and my sewing abilities. I figure I can be of use here."

 

She frowned at him. "My parents kicked me out after you left, so I was left to live on my own." Corlinny took a lock of hair unconsiously and began to twirl it around her finger. It was a nervous habit, why did Amon do this to her, she was alot more nervous than she had thought. A tear fell from her eye, whethere it was forced or genuine Corlinny was unsure. But the thought of Amon being upset at her for following him to his home as he claimed hurt her and she wanted to be elsewhere that moment. She turned around and started to walk away then stopped. "They loved you more than they did me." And it was true, they had fought about it, and they had kicked Corlinny out of her beloved home to fend for herself after Amon left her. It was his fault she was here.

 

Corlinny

 

*****

 

“Loved me more? Corlinny, if they did it was not because of anything I did, you and Rackhir are to blame for that.â€

 

Amon’s voice rose slightly, and he was suddenly aware of where he was, and how many people seemed to be taking an interest in what was being said. “I think this is not the place to discuss this, we need to go somewhere private and not stand in the street talking like two fish wives. Wait here, I will be back in a moment.†Amon turned back to the forge and started to remove his leather vest, and then he dunked his head in a barrel of water, then stood up and wiped his face and neck off, on an old piece of cloth. Not very hygienic, but he did not have the time, or the inclination, to do more. Grabbing his shirt from the peg in the wall, Amon walked outside, buttoning his shirt as he went. Once he had managed to get his dreadlocks out of his shirt, Amon signalled to Corlinny to follow him and they made their way to Amon’s tent.

 

Once he was inside Amon turned around to face Corlinny, only to find that she was still outside the tent, returning to the door flap, Amon beckoned her to enter, but she would not. “Why are we here Amon, why cannot we go to your tent, this is obviously too grand for you.â€

 

Smiling at her open honesty, something that Amon had always found refreshing, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her inside his tent. “This is my tent Corlinny, it befits my rank in the Band, or so they tell me.†The tent was sparsely furnished with a large bed, two chests, a stand for Amon’s armour and a table and chairs. There was also two braziers, but they were unlit as it was far to warm for them. “Sit your self down, I need to wash properly and change into a clean shirt and breeches, there is water and wine if you are thirsty, just help yourself.†Amon went over to where a simple washstand stood, and removed his shirt and then filled the bowl with water from a jug that was on the floor near the washstand. It did not take him long to clean away the dirt from the forge. Moving over to where his clothes were stored, Amon pulled out a black shirt, and a pair of clean breeches, also in black wool. Pulling off his dirty breeches, he quickly changed, not giving a moments thought about stripping off in front of the woman he was going to marry, and now wished had never come into his life.

 

“What you and Rackhir did, Corlinny, is almost inexcusable, you not only betrayed me, but you betrayed my future as well. Whatever has brought you to this place had better be worth it, for I do not see any reason for you to stay here. This is my home, not yours, and there is no way I will allow any one person to bring hurt and turmoil to the people that are my responsibility here. It is enough that I have to order them to carry out actions that could result in their deaths, I am not going to expose them to any schemes you maybe thinking up. Say your piece then pack your bags and go. Where to I do not care, but unless you have a very good reason for being here, you will be leaving after this conversation is over. Do I make myself clear?â€

 

Amon (Tik Tik) Turamber

 

 

*****

 

It was always difficult having Amon angry at her, but now it was worse, for she truly deserved the treatment. Corlinny really didn't know what to say or how to react. She had wronged him and wanted to make it up to him. Watching Amon undress was a new sight, they'd touched and played but never gone so far as total nudity. He was a well built man, and very pleasing to Corlinny. She sighed, it would be a long while before she gained his trust again to breach the barrier she her self had imposed upon them.

 

The fact that he would send her away made Corlinny mad. "You can't send me away Amon. I've signed a contract with your friends that states I'm here for term." She got up out of the chair she'd sat in and strode over to him. Corlinny grabbed his arm and turned him around, as violently as she could. But she did little more than jerk his arm, he was immovable. Men are so stubborn! She tromped up on to his bed and stood a head taller than he. "I'm not here to cause YOUR men any harm, I'm here to help. Your men need caring for." The look Amon gave her was shameful. She slapped him. "I'm no whore. I can care for their wounds and their sicknesses. Thath as to mean something to you."

 

Corlinny

 

*****

 

Totally ignoring her question Amon responded in kind to her starement.

 

“No you are not a whore, I agree with you there, what you did is far worse. A whore is an honest woman offering a service for money. What you did had nothing to do with honesty at all.†Amon felt the beginnings of anger, rising, unbidden, from it’s usual lurking place. He thought he had buried his emotions deeply where they could no longer effect him, but as he was finding out now, they had not been buried deeply enough. Taking a deep breath, he cantered himself, using a calming exercise that Shadow had taught him when he had started his training.

 

“As for you having a contract, contracts can be broken, the person being found to be unsound, or a bad influence. It is well within my powers to do that with your contract, and I am of a mind to do so.†Corlinny’s expression changed from anger to uncertainty. “You would not do that would you Amon?â€

 

Without even a moment’s hesitation, Amon replied. “Give me one good reason why I should not. I would do it despite our past, this is no place for you Corlinny, This is a place of danger and death, not some knitting circle where you can play at being a healer, or whatever you think you have to offer.â€

 

 

Amon (Tik Tik) Turamber

 

 

*****

 

"I am fully aware of what is head of me." She got down off the bed, she disliked the height and he could easily toppler her to make a point of his power over her. He had more power than he was aware of. "This isn't a game for me. I may have other reasons for wanting to stay, but you cannot deny the fact that I can do good here, if you give me the chance."

 

Corlinny walked towards the water pitcher and poured two glasses and held a glass out for Amon. Then picked up the other herself. Her anger at his refusal to let her stay, or even give her a chance was parching her throat. She took a small swallow then continued. "I don't think your superiours would find your personal feelings a good reason to dismiss someone they thought could handle the job. Or at least give them a shot at trying to do some good around here."

 

When Amon finally took the glass of water from her Corlinny shook her arm. She realized then that if she was going to make it work in the army she would need to be physically prepared as well as mentall prepared. She smiled up at him. "Give me the chance and I'll prove to you that I'm worthy of being considered one of your men." Corlinny would settle for that at first, but it wasn't enough, but it was a start.

 

Cor

 

*****

 

“My superiors? You really do not know what you have walked into here do you?â€

 

Corlinny swallowed the water in her mouth. “What do you mean Amon?â€

 

“What I mean is quite simple. My superiors as you call them amount to one person, and he and I agree on everything. The next time you try to issue a threat, you should make sure of your facts first.†Confusion was plain to see on Corlinny’s face, she honestly did not know the rank Amon carried, nor the respect he was shown, something that he had worked hard to establish, and even harder to maintain. That was one reason why he and Mehrin got on so well, they both recognised the strengths in each other.

 

“You see, I only have one superior here, his name is Mehrin and he is a friend of mine. So if I go to him and tell him that I do not want you here, he will agree with me, especially when he hears what has gone before. You cannot just wander in here and think you can stay, no matter what you think you have to offer.†Amon drained the rest of his water and dropped the cup on his bed. “To answer your other point, I see nothing that you have that will be of any use here, what skills do you possess? Have you become an expert archer? Can you follow a trail? Can you out ride the wind and place a lance through an opponent’s heart? Of course you cannot, what possible use then, could you be? Unless that is all you want to do is remind me everyday of how you callously broke my heart?â€

 

Amon (Tik Tik) Turamber

 

 

*****

 

Corlinny was enraged by the fact he still would not give her a chance. She could be of use here, she may not know much about weapons, but she'd learn if she had to. She'd pick up whatever he wanted her to learn, but he had to give her a chance first.

 

A tear slide down her cheek. "I'm not here to remind you of your broken heart. I only want to fix it." But the meekness in her voice left as she drew near Amon. "I can be very useful here, if you let me." She wasn't great at any weapon, but she knew her skills well enough and she'd prove it to him. She drew the knife at her belt and drew a deep cut across Amon's left flank. He'd never be able to do it himself. "Fix that by your lonesome self."

 

She knew he would be angry, but she knew what she was doing, and she'd insure he'd give her a chance. "I can fix that with minimal amount of pain." She rounded on him and stood her ground with the knife still in her heand. "I can mend a whole from a spear if it has not punctured the heart. And with the proper guidance I might even be abel to save a man's life who's heart had been punctured. You say I have no skills to offer you, but you only mentioned those that do the damage. What about the ones that can fix a man up, and let him live longer, maybe not a better life, but live longer, to go home and see his family or to start one!" She jabbed a finger at his chest. "I can do that, can you?"

 

Corlinny turned away in tears and started for the tent flaps, she didn't have to take the abuse, she would leave he if he insisted but she didn't want to deal with him now, he was being a stubborn man and he would not listen to reason, he was hurt and he was angry, he was not thinking straight.

 

Cor

 

*****

 

The attack caught Amon totally by surprise, Corlinny had never exhibited any violent tendencies when he had been with her, so the shock of it was far worse than the outcome. Grabbing his arm, Amon moved over to one of the chests and removed a clean piece of linen cloth. The wound would need stitching, something he hated but knew how to do, but for now he would bind it and deal with it later, now he would see if she could heal the one thing no one else could. Sweeping past her, Amon walked out of the tent, or to be more accurate, he stalked, his every movement speaking of the anger inside him. “Come with me Corlinny, you can leave our things there, I doubt they will avail you with what I am about to show you.â€

 

Amon did not look over his shoulder, he did not care if she followed him or not. If she did not then it meant he had some time alone, if she did he would show her something that would either shake her from these stupid fantasies send her running home, either way he did not care. As he made his way through the grounds of the Citadel, men, and women alike, greeted him, and although he was in no mood for conversation, he returned their greetings, not wanting them to suffer for her arrogance.

 

“Where are we going Amon, you will not get rid of me, no matter what you might think.â€

 

Amon did not answer, instead he kept on walking until finally they turned the corner of the last building before the wall, and then he stopped and pointed. “You want to help me, then cure that!â€

 

Amon did not need to say anything else, it was plain to see what he was referring to. In front of them was a sea of small white crosses, each one representing a member of the Band who had died since they had left Tarwin’s Gap. The number had grown recently, what with all the battles they had fought, but there was not a moment that passed when Amon did not think of all those who were represented here, and although he did not know all if them, he had known a fair few, one especially so. Where he body lay no one knew, or if they did they had not told Amon.

 

“Can you cure that? Can you take away the awful responsibility that I bear whenever I have to send men to their deaths? Of course you cannot, so what use are you to me then?â€

 

Amon (Tik Tik) Turamber

 

 

*****

 

Corlinny followed Amon, she had to almost run to keep up, his strides were so long. Men and women greeted him and she followed dutifully behind him, hoping they'd ignore her tear streaked face.

 

When thy reached their destination Corlinny looked at the number of crosses that lined the area. She couldn't heal the dead, no one could, he expected the impossible. She shed a tear for the men and woman that had fallen, and the numbers that would continue to fall, and plague the man next to her.

 

"You know fully well I cannot heal the dead, nor can anyone else." She looked up at him as he looked out over the feild of crosses. "How many of them died because they didn't have enough hands to treat the minor wounds that became infected and caused their deaths? How many died in the middle of battle because no one could get to them in time? You clearly need more medics. I bet if you'd had more your dead would number less." She moved in front of him to look him in the face. "You won't scare me away with what you think I'm afraid of. I will do my best in order to save the lives of your men, but since you won't even give me a chance I guess I'll leave you to the pain and suffering you have for the loss of your men. Let the pain and suffering you feel over what I have done to you in the past live with you the rest of your life and on top of that the loss of the men and women you send to war, when I could have helped save them. Be selfish Amon, go right ahead and take the easy way out of dealing with me just to ease your personal heartache. I'll find work else where, someplace that will welcome a healer with open arms."

 

Corlinny moved around Amon and headed for her assigned tent to gather her things. She would break her contract, she'd leave before ever getting a chance to start. "Amon, I leave you to your own misery, I hope you are happy in it!"

 

Cor

 

*****

 

Take the easy way out

 

Of all the arrogant remarks that Amon had heard in his life, this was one of the worst, and yet again he was amazed at the amount of pain Corlinny was able to cause him. Tearing his gaze from the marker that commemorated Ehlana’s passing, Amon quickly pivoted on his heel and smoothly closed the gap between himself and Corlinny. Grabbing her arm, he flung her up against the wall of the shed and pinned her there, his face mere inches from hers.

 

“I was perfectly happy here until you showed up. I have done my best to let the past go, but you showing up here like this had brought all of the memories bubbling to the surface. You have no idea how bad that makes me feel, bad not for myself, but for the wasted opportunities we had. Bad for the loss of the life I thought we wanted to have together, the plans we made, the thoughts and ideas we had shared.â€

 

Corlinny tried to break Amon’s grasp, but she might as well have tried to hold back the wind for all the good it did her. Instead she opened her mouth to protest, but found Amon’s hand covering it. “For once you will hear me out, either out of respect for what we had in the past, or because I out rank you here and you will do as you are ordered. Now stand up straight and keep your arms by your sides. If you insist on playing this game then you will do as your superior Officers tell you.†Amon released her arms and waited for her to do as she was ordered. Although she had a sulky expression on her face, Corlinny eventually stood straight, and after rubbing at her arms, where Amon had held her, she placed them by her side.

 

“Firstly, you have no idea of what we have been through in the years that have passed, the friends, and lovers, that we have lost. When you have seen as many battles and as much death and suffering as I have, maybe then you will come to understand my reaction to you, although I doubt you will ever truly understand.â€

 

Amon was quiet for a moment, his thoughts far away, lost in the swirl of memories of friends taken too soon, there was one memory, though, that he would not allow out. He had still not spoken to anyone about the loss of Ehlana, and doubted he ever would, although that meant that the wound would never be healed.

 

“Secondly, if you do stay, there will be no special treatment for you. You will work as hard as everyone else does, and you will fulfil your duties to the letter. Thirdly, you will get no special treatment just because I had the misfortune of thinking you loved me. What happened in the past between us, is done with, finished, you will be treated just like any other recruit.â€

 

Amon did not wait for an answer; he started to walk back to his tent, but suddenly stopped and turned to face her. “One last thing, any and all weapons training you will undertake, will be taught by me. Your other lessons can be taught by someone else, but you will learn to protect yourself under my tutelage, are we clear on that?â€

 

Amon (Tik Tik) Turamber

 

 

*****

 

 

Corlinny trying to stalk off hadn't worked as well as she'd liked, or it worked too well. Amon grabbed her and Corlinny was worried for her life. He wouldn't let her explain anything, his hand coverning her mouth made her worried heighten, but he let her go with orders and she tried to be as obidient as she could, she was still afraid he'd send her away and was shocked by his words. She didn't expect any special treatment, especially from him.

 

She nodded and saluted at her orders. "As you command." There was no hint of sarcasm in her words, she knew he was in charge and she would do as he said with no questions asked, she was just glad to be given the chance to do this.

 

Corlinny hadn't quite been through any orientation yet. She knew where her tent was, but food and facilities were something she hadn't found yet. "Sir, if you wouldn't mind showing me where I might get a bite to eat." Corlinny blushed and whispered, "Where the facilities might be. I've not yet found either."

 

"Do not call me sir, that is for people who do nto work for a living. If we are in a formal situation, then address me as Commander. Otherwise use my given name like everyone else does.....but do not presume to ever use my nick name."

 

Corlinny nodded. "Yes Si... Commander."

 

She continued meekly with out formality or names, she was unsure of whether or not this was a formal setting or not. "Can you show me to where I might eat and releave myself when the need arrises?"

 

Cor

 

*****

 

Amon wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand, then wiped it on the leg of his breeches, then signalled to her to follow him. She trailed after him and Amon hoped she would catch up with him, but instead she stayed in his wake, making him feel like she was a dog following her master. After a while Amon stopped and turned to Corlinny. “You do not have to walk behind me, you are not some servant. Walk alongside me, and stop mopping like some love struck girl who knows no better.†Amon presumed walking, and as they neared where the Barracks where, Amon turned to his left and pointed out to Corlinny where the Jakes where. “You will find that we move them about, so do not rely on them being here all the time. Until we have a better system, this is the best we could do. They are clean, and hygienic, but that is all. The bath houses however are a different matter, come on I will show you were they are.â€

 

The bathhouses Amon spoke of were in the opposite direction, and on the far edge of the grounds to the Memorial area. Six long, white painted sheds served as the bathhouses. Inside each one was a long row of metal tubs that could be filled from water that was constantly bubbling away in large cauldrons over small fires scattered around the walls. Above the tubs were metal rails that sheets could hang from to give privacy, and divide the room up. Some of the females in the Band were averse to undressing in front of the opposite sex.

 

“Next we should go find something to eat, I have not eaten since early this morning, so it will not be a chore to show you were the cook tents are. Mind you the food is wholesome, but lacks a bit in variety.â€

 

Amon set off again, and soon the smell of meat cooking filled their nostrils. It was not far to the meal tents, and Amon and Corlinny were soon sat down with two plates of stew. Fortunately this was one of the meals the cooks could do with out ruining anything, and for once, they seemed to have produced something that was actually edible. Halfway through the meal, Amon placed his spoon in his bowl and tore two chunks out of the horn of bread he had got. He offered one piece to Corlinny, and started to eat the other, dipping it into the stew. “You mentioned your parents earlier, do you know how they are?â€

 

Amon (Tik Tik) Turamber

 

 

*****

 

Corlinny tried to keep up but he walked too fast for her. She sighed when he thought she was trailing like a puppy but she did as he said, maybe he had slowed enough for her to keep up, but it didn't matter as he showed her the different facilities. She wondered why women would be shy about bathing, everyone needed to be cleaned. But then again Corlinny had never bathed while men were around, so she figured she'd not say anything until she tried.

 

The cook tents smelled wonderful. It was hard to find a decent meal when traveling, and some inns just had horrid cooks. Amon had commentd on the variety of food, food was food and when you had this many people to cook for she'd keep it simple too.

 

The food tasted delicious and was hot. Amon offered a peice of bread and Corlinny took it thankfully. As she was dipping it in her stew, Amon spoke to her of her family. She'd not spoken to them in several years. She wouldn't mention the past to him but she couldn't answer him truthefully, as she really didn't know.

 

"They were well the last time I saw them. The were disappointed when you left abruptly with out any good byes to them." She took a bite of the bread she had just dipped before continuing. "They really did like you." Corlinny wanted to get away from the past, they couldn't dwell in it it would never let them move on. "How did you come to be second in charge ?" She was curious how a blacksmith had gained that much power in an army.

 

Cor

 

*****

 

“Stay alive long enough, do well and you could be promoted as well. You really do not seem to have grasped that people die around here, all the time. That is how you advance in rank to become Commander. Mehrin did, and so did i. That does not mean you will not be promoted on merit, that happens as well, but sometimes we have to fill dead men’s shoes. Some of us are up to that task, some of us are not.†Amon took another mouthful of stew, and then continued. “We form relationships, fall in love, fall out of love, lose friends that we would have given our lives for. That is the lot of a soldier, no matter his or her rank.â€

 

It wasn’t really a topic Amon was comfortable with, but he could not blame her for that. Amon had started as a lowly Cavalryman, and had risen through the ranks by good fortune, for him, but not for others. Every Commander he had, had been killed. Without realising, Amon had taken over, that had been what had earned him his promotions, although he did not see it that way. They continued to talk for a while, but Amon’s mind was elsewhere and eventually he excused himself and went back to his tent.

 

After a while he summoned a messenger and sent him off with a message for Corlinny, telling her to report to the training grounds in two days time. Amon had been considering what weapons would suit her, and it was obvious to him they would have to be something other than the obvious choices of sword, bow or lance. Amon was concerned about his first choice, although she had shown some dexterity with a dagger, she had been angry and you could not always rely on anger to motivate you. But, she had shown she was not afraid to use a dagger, so there was some hope there. The second choice was easy, a Quarterstaff would not only provide an excellent choice of weapon, but it would also prove to be an unobtrusive one. Many people ignored the potential of a Quarterstaff as a weapon. With that issue settled, Amon turned to a more problematical issue, the cut on his arm. Thankfully the bandage he had applied had stopped the flow of blood, but on closer examination, it was not going to heal unless it was stitched. Fortunately Amon had taught himself to use both hands, and with the training in using his Scimitars, that had improved his dexterity to the point where he was as good with either hand. Removing the bandage, Amon washed the cut, and then found his needle and thread, Taking a deep breath he slowly inserted the needle into his skin and started to pull. There was no other sensation like it, and it always made Amon feel like some one had walked over his grave.

 

Two days later, Amon still did not have full use of his arm, he could feel the stitches pullingevery time he flexed the muscle. But there was no real pain, just some discomfort. Amon was not surprised to see Corlinny at the training grounds before him, that was one bet that he had won with Mehrin, and he would collect his winnings later. “Good morning recruit, I am glad to see you are punctual, that denotes an ordered mind and that is your best weapon. Now I have been giving some thought to what weapons you should train with. One choice is obvious, a dagger, or a knife. You have already shown you know how to use one, but I will show you how to improve your skills, which at the moment are unrefined. First, though, we are going to learn how a simple Quarterstaff can be used to defeat an enemy.â€

 

Amon led her over to a rack that contained Quarterstaffs, and advised her on the different ones, the way some were heavier depending on the wood used. How some were stronger than others and what the advantages where. Eventually Corlinny choose her weapon and Amon instructed her to move away from the rack and to stand with her back to him. She was a little hesitant, but did as he said. Reaching around her shoulders, Amon grabbed hold of her staff and showed her where to hold it, the two main ways of gripping the staff. When she had done as he commanded, he released the staff and stood in front of her. “Now you mainly use those grips in a defensive stance, the provide maximum control so that it is easy to block an opponents blow. But today we will concentrate on how to attack an opponent. Now watch what I do, and when you think you can follow what I am doing, start.â€

 

 

*****

 

Corlinny was glad to see that Amon's acceptance of her in the ranks had been profitable in at least one way. He had insisted that he teach her about weapons, and that allowed her more time to spend with her ex-fiance. She was glad about that.

 

She arrived early. There was no point in being late, when there was nothing else as of yet to take up her time. Everything she did was training of some sort or another, and her orders were clear and from the Undercommander of the Band it had best be obeyed to the letter. Corlinny intended to obey to the letter everything he ever told her, she promised herself, even if it meant knowing for certain that she would die. She would prove to him that she was worthy to join his new family in whatever capacity he would allow. She wanted to be closer to him, but only time would tell on that.

 

Her first lesson would be in quarterstaves. She listened to him describe each of the differences and lifted each in turn trying to figure out what was better for her. She didn't care much about what each would be good for, it had to feel right, just as a peice of fabric had to be right for the garment to be made. It was funny how things that were so dissimilar to have concepts very similar.

 

Corlinny picked up a quarterstaff capped simply with metal knobs at either end that was just a wee bit taller than she was. It felt right, the wood didn't grate at her tender skin and it wasn't overly heavy.

 

And then the instruction began. Amon wrapped his arms around Corlinny in a purely platonic way, but Corlinny felt an urge to blush as her thoughts turned towards something a little more intament than what he was actually doing. She fought off the feelings and listened to his instructions on how to hold the quarter staff. When she'd gotten that down he left her back and by the time she'd turned around his shirt was removed. The stiches on his arm were clear and Corlinny wondered if he'd taken the care to make sure the stiches them self were kept supple. But she didn't say anything as Amon instructed her to attack.

 

Attack? How was she suppose to do that, she had no clue how to move the stick much less attack with it. Corlinny smiled and tried to move the stick forward. But she moved her feet incorrectly and fell face first into the dirt, tripping her self with her own quarterstaff. Fustrated Corlinny got up and dusted herself off, spitting out the dirt she'd ate. Amon looked like he was about to laugh, but he kept it to a smirk. Corlinny thought about how she needed to move and how the stick needed to move and then tried again. She managed to hit Amon's quarterstaff with out falling face first, but the rebound from the quarterstaves striking jarred her teeth.

 

Perhaps this wasn't the best first weapon with out the strength to use it. But Corlinny tried again and managed to get to strikes on his quarterstaff. She knew it wasn't very good as each strike rebounded and she nearly fell backwards with each blow, but she wouldn't give up, she'd keep attacking until he said to stop.

 

Cor

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PostPosted: 19 Dec 2005 01:28 pm Post subject: Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post Delete this post View IP address of poster

Amon let Corlinny continue to attack, wanting to gauge her coordination and her stamina. It was one thing for her to claim she belonged here, another for it to be reality, and so far it looked to Amon as if she needed to work a lot harder on both, not surprising considering her upbringing, but the world had changed, and would continue to change, and she would need to be ready to face the challenges that would spring up.

Amon held his hand up, and let Corlinny regain her breath before speaking to her.

 

“We will need to work on your stamina and strength, you are way below that that is required of a new recruit.†Raising his hands as if to ward off her response, Amon continued.†It is to be expected, I know, you have not led the sort of life that would prepare you for this situation. Don’t worry this is something that can be rectified, although you may be cursing this training, but it will help save your life.â€

 

Amon had been thinking of a way to help build her arm strength up, a way that she could cope with and that would bring other benefits as well. “I think what we need to work on first is your coordination, your eye to hand control. Watch what I do closely, it is a series of movements that will help you with control of your staff and your body, if done regularly, there will help you to strengthen your body and improve your control, it is rather like dancing. Now watch.â€

 

Amon started with his staff held protectively across his chest, but at a slight angle. Slowly he slid his hands along the staff until they held one end, and then moving his left foot forward, he raised the staff, and swung it around his head in one smooth motion. Continuing the motion, Amon moved again, still swinging the staff, but not having turned to face Corlinny. He continued his movements, bringing himself closer to her, then pivoting away from her, all the time he was moving he kept the staff twirling around his head, describing an arc above him. After one more circuit, Amon brought his staff down and across his chest, stopping in the same position as the one he had started from.

 

“Now Corlinny, let us see how you get on, I will guide you through the first few circuits, then you are on your own. Do not worry about hitting anything, or anyone, just concentrate on where you are putting your feet and keeping the staff spinning above your head.†Once Corlinny had been guided through the move a couple of times, Amon told her to think of it like a dance, to make each step flow into the other. “At the moment you are not moving with any certainty, you need to be less hesitant and think ahead, try again.â€

 

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PostPosted: 20 Jan 2006 11:05 am Post subject: Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post Delete this post View IP address of poster

Corlinny watched as Amon taught her the movements with the staff. She paid special attention to his feet placement as well as how the staff moved. She had absolutely no idea how she was going to remember all the moves.

 

Amon started out slow and she tried to follow as best as she could. Corlinny wasn't the best dancer in the world particularly with learning new moves, but she hoped that her mothers teachings would do her some good.

 

With the staff held across her chest at a small angle Corlinny began to move her hands to one end and move her left foot forward as Amon showed her, she didn't quite keep up with him as he moved and she had to hurry to raise her staff and swing it around. She nearly clipped her own head in the rushed movements. The continued to follow his movements and fell behind again, but she instead kept it slow and tried to remember exactly what he'd done. She finished a few moments after he did and she began again, moving at her own pace trying to remember each move as she went. Amon watched and corrected her as she went, he was being a good teacher and Corlinny began to wonder why he wanted to teach her these things.

 

"Amon, why do you wish to teach me about weapons, instead of someone else?"

 

Cor

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PostPosted: 21 Jan 2006 02:23 pm Post subject: Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post Delete this post View IP address of poster

Amon stood back and watched as Corlinny did her best to mimic what he had been showing her, she still had the grace that had first attracted Amon to her, and even though she was trying hard to hide her normal emotions, every now and then Amon would see a certain twist to her lips, or a tightening of the eyes, all signs that she was concentrating as hard as she could. But along with the recognising of theses signs, also there came, unbidden, the image of Rackhir’s face, his mocking smile glaring at Amon when he had discovered Corlinny in bed with his best friend.

 

“You are here to prove to me that you are worthy to be allowed to become a member of the Band, Recruit, not to question the motives of those appointed above you in the chain of command, have we got that clear Recruit?†Amon did not raise his voice, he did not have to, but the intent of the words left no room for misinterpretation, on however many levels Corlinny wished to consider.

 

When Amon had stopped speaking, Corlinny had taken a step back from him, and her face became an unreadable mask. Amon did not want her to think she could just question anything he did, or any of the other officers did, over familiarity would shatter discipline in a moment. Upon seeing the reaction from her, Amon decided to make an exception, this time. “I am teaching you because if you go and get yourself spitted on a Myrdrall sword, I will have to tell your parents, and that is something I will do all in my power to avoid doing, even if that means you end up cursing my name from morning to night.â€

 

Amon turned away from Corlinny and picked up his staff and started to demonstrate the second move he wanted Corlinny to learn. This time it was a defensive move, one designed to defeat and overhead attack. Once he completed the manouveur a couple of times, he stopped and called Corlinny over. “The secret to this is never to keep your hands in one place on the staff, always have a light grip, so much the easier to quickly reposition your hands so that you can do as I just did. Amon told her to stand square in front of him, her weight on the balls of her feet, her legs spread no wider than her shoulder blades, the staff held directly in front of her, slightly angled. “Now, when an attacker comes at you with their staff raised above their heads, you can quickly step inside their staff and use yours to either his them in the stomach, or in the chin, they will be completely defenceless, but you must get inside the swing of the staff.†So come at me as I showed you in the first lesson, and I will demonstrate what I mean, then you can try defending.â€

 

After a moment, Corlinny did as he said, at first she thought Amon was just going to stand there, but at the last moment he was inside the swing of her staff and she was laying on her back, gasping for air. After a moment, she tried to sit up, but decided that lying down was preferable, at least until she got her breath back, so she laid back down on the ground, pulling in great gulps of air.

 

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OOC: Cor, give your reactions to Amon knocking you down, if you ask him why, he will tell you you have to get used to that, no remorse, no pity in him for her*ggls* Then you take your turn at attacking, whether you want to be able to hit Amon is up to you.

 

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PostPosted: 22 Jan 2006 02:16 pm Post subject: Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post Delete this post View IP address of poster

Things happened too quickly. Corlinny found herself gasping for air on the ground. She looked up at Amon bewildered but said nothing. She wondered whether or not he was going to torture her by beating her to death in the guise of training her. She laid there for several minuites debating whether or not get up.

 

Corlinny finally found the engery to get up and try again. This time it was her turn to attack. She tried to remember exactly what it was that Amon did. Her first attempted wound up with Amon's staff smacking her in the back of the head. She looked over at Amon and saw a hint of laughter touching his eyes. She wondered what he was laughing at and why? She bet he was thinking that she wasn't cut out for this. She never said she'd be good at weapons and she wondered why it was necessary for her to learn this, but she didn't question it, she'd learned better.

 

Corlinny tried several more times, and in her last attempted she finally got the move correct dispite missing Amon. Her aim needed a little work. She would work on that the next try.

 

Cor

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PostPosted: 23 Jan 2006 03:07 pm Post subject: Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post Delete this post View IP address of poster

It greatly surprised Amon how clumsy Corlinny was at times, she had a dancers grace, and he well remembered how graceful she was, especially at the dances they had attended, she was the one who had taught Amon to dance, and he had felt as clumsy and foolish as Corlinny must be feeling now.

 

“Tell you what Corlinny, think of this in a different way to how you are now. Instead of thinking about this as if it is a weapons lesson, try and approach this as a new dance you must learn. You see fighting is not that different to dancing.†Amon could see the look of incredulity on her face as he continued to explain his line of thought. “Normally I use two scimitars when I am fighting, and I have to use them together if I am to gain the advantage of having two weapons. To achieve that I remembered how you taught me to dance. I think now, you need to see these lessons as something akin to learning a new dance. Place your staff on the ground and try again. Imagine the staff is a man you are dancing with and move your hands as you would if it where a staff.â€

 

Amon was not sure he had explained it properly, so he grounded his staff and started to show Corlinny what he had in mind. “As you can see, it is not exactly like dancing, but it is close, and if this was sword practice you would notice the similarity much more. Come on, you can do this I know, so follow what I do, and try not to see it as weapons practice.â€

 

The rest of the day passed in this fashion, and Amon was pleased to see that finally Corlinny seemed to be moving with much more fluidity than before. She was also tiring fast so Amon called a halt to the session and waited for her to get her breath back before handing her the water skin he had been drinking out of. “One thing that you definitely need to work on is your stamina. How will you manage to carry a wounded person from the battlefield if you are out of breath, or if your arms and legs are so weak that a new born babe has more strength than you?â€

 

Handing the water skin back, Corlinny did not respond straight away, taking her time to think through what Amon was saying, or more importantly, what he was not saying. I would need to be able to make my way into the battle to save people, I would be no use if I could not at least avoid their weapons, if not count them. “What do you suggest I do Amon?â€

 

“That is an easy one to solve, you can join our early morning run, there are a few of us who like to run the perimeter of the Citadel a few times. It is good for stamina and allows me to see how things are within the different barrack areas. It is important to know the heart of the men you fight with, all the better to gauge who is standing next to you when the enemy is charging your lines. So tomorrow, meet me at first light by the main gate, you can do as many laps as you can manage, then tomorrow night when you have finished your duties we can work on a few things to help with your strength. It will not be easy at first, but you will benefit from it and it will help keep you alive when the time comes.â€

 

Over the following days, Corlinny accompanied Amon on the early morning run, the core of the group stayed the same, but different soldiers joined them on different days, so the group had a dynamic all of it’s own. However, the evening training was something completely different and Corlinny almost detested those lessons. All they seemed to consist of was carrying whatever Amon told her to. To his credit though, he carried just as much as she did, and sometimes more. The first night had consisted of some small sacks that were filled with sand and needed moving from where they were stacked to the main gate. It had taken almost two hours to complete, and Corlinny was almost ready to kill Amon, she had never realised that there could be pain such as she suffered that night.

 

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PostPosted: 12 Feb 2006 08:39 am Post subject: Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post Delete this post View IP address of poster

Her first evening with Amon on this new regime brought new meaning to pain. Carrying bags of sand back and forth was not her idea of exercise but she did imagine that it would do the same thing to build strength.

 

The job was monotonous and the times Corlinny tried to start a conversation Amon looked at her as if she was an alien. She sighed and kept to herself, holding a conversation in her own mind about how to impress Amon. She really wanted him to at least try to be her friend. She planned and schemed as she moved heavy bags to and fro, she would at least give it a shot.

 

That evening Corlinny went home exhausted and her arms ached more than any other time she could remember. She rubbed a cooling salve over her aching arms and went to sleep, dreaming of the day Amon forgave her.

 

****

 

Corlinny had been planning things for this day for several days. Amon finally had another day off and Corlinny would have to work hard to get the time to do as she'd planned as her training took most of her day, but she was alotted a few hours to herself.

 

Corlinny hadn't been a grand cook, but she could, and she intended to make Amon a delightful meal. She made all of his favorites at a camp fire outside of her own sleeping arrangements. The plate was piled high with all of them, she only brought one plate as she rapped at Amon's tent, hoping he would be there.

 

When he didn't answer she peaked inside and saw noone, she slipped inside and set the plate on the table and turned to leave. She hoped he would know who it was from.

 

Cor

 

*****

 

Amon stood in the middle of the room, looking around, a thoughtful expression on his face as he worked out where he things would go. There were two doors leading off the main room, not including the door to the main hallway. One of the doors opened onto a small space that was lined with shelves, for half it’s width, the other half had a rough shaped object that resembled the torso of a man. Onto this went Amon’s upper body armour, his leg armour would stand slightly in front of the torso and would be supported by the stand for the torso. His helmet was on a spike on top of the torso, the long mane of horsehair cascading down the back of his helmet.

 

Through the other door was Amon’s bedroom; there was also another closet in there for his uniforms and other items of a personnel nature. Next to where the bed would go, stood a small cupboard, and by the small window there was another small cupboard with which was where Amon now deposited a large wash bowl and water jug. The two recruits that he had detailed to help move his stuff should be returning with the last of his belongings, and when they had, Amon would b able to go and find something to eat, it was late in the evening and he had not eaten since he broke his fast just after dawn.

 

Lem and Shall’on were approaching Amon’s tent just in time to see a young woman leaving, she briefly looked their way and then moved on. Lem looked at Shall’on and shrugged at the unasked question. “Come on Lem, it do be the last trip we be taking, then we be finding something to eat.†As they entered the tent, they immediately spotted the plate and surmised it was what he young girl had delivered. Moving over to it, Lem lifted the cloth and smiled when he saw the food piled high on the plate. Shall’on did not need asking twice, and soon both men were working their way through the food, eating with great gusto. When they had finished, they cleaned their spoons and recovered the now empty plate. The two men carried the final bundles out of Amon’s old tent, and quickly made their way to his new room in the recently finished Officers Barracks. Once they had left the bundles in his room, Amon thanked them and dismissed them, not realising what the real cause of their smiles were.

 

The next few days fell into a familiar pattern, the only difference was some slightly odd behaviour from Corlinny the morning after Amon had moved into his new room. But he was too preoccupied by other thoughts to pay much notice to her mood swings, and dismissed it as nothing more than being annoyed at him with the training he was making her go through. The first week was undoubtedly the worst for her, but they did not get any easier, she just learned to cope with them more. The length of the morning run increased in the second week, and so did the weight of the sacks that they carried every evening.

 

They followed the same pattern for the third and fourth weeks, but after the morning run on the first day of the fifth week, Amon led Corlinny back to the training grounds and told her that now both her strength and stamina had improved, noticeable, they would start the training with the staff again.

 

Amon (Tik Tik) Turamber

 

OOC: Just repeat the training pattern in the first couple of posts, but this time with Corlinny showing more stamina and strength and gradually more skill. If you want to bring up the meal with him, then please do so Cool

[Matalina]

Corlinny worked with Amon and the others regularly and began to see the differences. Amon brought her back full circle, it was time to try the quarterstaff again.

 

The basic movements seemed so much easier. Her coordination lacked but she didn't hit herself this time or fall down. She tried several times but her anger at his refusal to even thank her for the meal was something she had to say.

 

As Corlinny began the movements a second time she asked. "How was your meal? I hoped you would like it, but since you've not commented I will assume you don't like those things any longer." Corlinny moved the quarterstaff as Amon had instructed and hoped that he'd be upset at her words. She wanted to hurt him, cause he was hurting her by not commenting.

 

Cor

[WhiteWolf]

Amon had sensed a hardness in Corlinny earlier, but had put it down to his not responding to her on the level she wanted. Now though he was re evaluating his opinion in light of her question.

 

"How was your meal? I hoped you would like it, but since you've not commented I will assume you don't like those things any longer."

 

Looking her full in the face, Yrean recognised a hardness in her eyes, that was not there before, here then was the source of her agitation towards him. “I am sorry Corlinny but I have no idea to what you are referring. If I am not busy in meetings with Mehrin, I usually eat in the canteen. Have you been pulling extra duties and working there? If so I did not realise, although I think you are referring to something else are you not?â€

 

For a moment he did not think she was going to answer and was just going to turn on her heel and walk off. Swallowing his frustration with her, Amon walked over to her and placed his hand on her arm. Momentarily she tried to pull away, the pressure from his hand held her though, and she stood there, facing him, anger still in her eyes. “I am sorry if I have not done what you expected by your efforts, but I did not know you had made me a meal. I take it you do know I changed my quarters when the Ogier finished the new Barracks?â€

 

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[Matalina]

OOC: I'm bored gonna ressurrect her if that's okay with you.

 

Corlinny was angry that he'd not noticed and now he claimed to not have eaten it. "I know full and well where your room lies and that is where I put it. Maybe you were too drunk to see it and it had now gone to the dogs."

 

Corlinny started with her quarterstaff practicing again. She was still angry and it was interferring with her movements. She took a deep breathe and tried to put her former lover from her mind. Maybe it wasn't something they had in the future for them, maybe it was and she just hadn't figured out how yet. But now was not the time. She wasn't sure why she had the need to learn, perhaps it was the desire to prove Amon wrong. One day she hoped she's prove herself right and know she could do this even if Amon was not in her life the way she had wanted him to be. To the future, Corlinny moved in her forms and tried to focus only on the movements, ignoring all the other distractions, including Amon, around her.

 

Corlinny

[WhiteWolf]

Letting her words wash over him, Amon stoically stood there and waited until she turned her temper to something else, namely practising with her quarterstaff. She had improved somewhat, but anger was making her sloppy, although I was also adding strength to her moves. In Amon’s opinion she needed to lose the anger, but keep the strength, but he was not about to say that to her now. Corlinny was not just any old recruit, her history with Amon leant a certain amount of awkwardness to their dealings, from both sides.

 

Eventually Corlinny stopped her practice and turned to face Amon, slightly breathless after her work out. “What?”

 

That is What Sir. No matter our history I am still your superior here and you will show respect to the rank if not the person, recruit. Now if you are finished her I want you to lead me to my quarters, you seem so convinced you know where they are that you can show me, and then perhaps we can end this charade and move on to more important matters.”

 

The look Corlinny gave Amon would have had him sliced and diced if it had been a dagger she threw at him. “Fine! If you are going to be so pigheaded then I will prove you wrong and then you can apologise………Sir.” Grabbing her Quarterstaff from the ground she strode past Amon, head held high, a determined look on her face.

 

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[Matalina]

Corlinny was fed up with Amon's actions and decided that he would never beleive her if she didn't take him where he lived. It had only been a few days since he'd brought her there she could hardly forget. It was sad that he had to insist on this, but she lead the way to his quarters.

 

They were by far in a better local than hers and they were most definately not shared. Corlinny walked quickly, she knew she'd never outpace him, but she wasn't going to let him think she was weak.

 

Corlinny stopped. "This is where you showed me the other day." Corlinny waited for him to say what he was going to say, she had other things to get to her practicing was being cut short for this trip and she had her own medical training to endure as well.

 

Corlinny

[WhiteWolf]

“The other day being a couple of weeks ago now Corlinny. My new rooms have finally been completed and I moved there recently.” Seeing the sceptical look on her face, and keeping any trace of smugness from his voice, Amon invited Corlinny to knock on the door and see who answered it. “I do not have time for these games of yours Amon, I need to be working at my training and if you think this game of yours is going to distract me you are very wrong.” Having vented her fury on him, Corlinny turned to go, head held high in righteous indignation.

 

“Before you leave, Recruit, you will salute a superior officer and don’t look at me like that. It is the rank you salute no the person, it is the rank you honour, whether you honour the person is none of my concern, but you will show respect to the rank.” Amon put just enough steel in his voice to make her turn around, but not enough to rid the sarcasm from her response. “Permission to carry on with my training, sir?”

 

“Carry on recruit, but you would do better to lose that attitude.” Just as she was about to leave Amon resumed speaking. “To avoid any further confusion for you, my rooms are now in the Citadel, second floor on the West side. You cannot miss them. I tell you this only so that you may confirm this and then maybe you will modify this attitude you have.”

 

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[Matalina]

Corlinny stalked away after sayin "Yes, sir." He was going to be a pain in the rear. She wondered if she could request a new teacher, this was going to prove difficult. Maybe army life wasn't for her. That seemed to be her biggest problem. Not the work load or the training but the life style.

 

For the next few weeks Corlinny worked on adjusting to the life style, remembering her sirs and ma'ams and the proper protocals so when she came up to Amon again she would be a better soldier for him. Why she was doing this for him was beyond her, but she had something to prove.

 

It was time again for new instruction in the quarter staff and Corlinny waited by practicing where she was suppose to met her mentor.

 

Corlinny

[WhiteWolf]

After Corlinny had demonstrated that she had memorised all the moves Amon had shown her, a few weeks back, Amon decided it was time to see if she was as proficient against a real opponent. Selecting a staff from the rack, Amon twirled it around while informing Corlinny what he had in mind. When she, rather petulantly said she was ready, Amon launched his first attack, quickly followed by a second and third. He worked her hard, pushing her to the extremes of her physical and mental limits before calling a break.

 

“You have done well Corlinny, you show pose and control but you still need to work on your stamina and strength. Do not worry though; I am sure you will gain both the longer you spend here. Now it is time for you to learn some offensive routines, come on.”

 

Amon quickly ran through a few routines, then helped guide Corlinny through them, step by step. Whether it was a new attitude, or just that she was now beginning to understand what the training required, but she learnt the new routines much quicker and soon they were sparring again, with Amon on the defensive and Corlinny showing just how well she had learnt the new routines Amon had shown her. Calling a halt to the proceedings, Amon took a long drink of water and then handed the skin over to Corlinny.

 

“I think by the end of the week you will be good enough to spar against a few other recruits. We have a small tournament which all recruits are required to enter, so before then I want you to work as hard as you can at practicing what you know, I will stop by each day and show you more moves and make sure you are not slipping into bad habits. Then you will enter the friendly tournament and show your prowess against the others, keep up your practice and I think you will do well.”

 

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[Matalina]

Weeks of practicing on a defensive routine brought new depth to her working attitude, but now it was time to think on the offensive. Granted as a medic she would hardly be using the information, she hoped anyway. The offensive was not something she wanted to learn well but she understood that sometimes the best defense was a good offense. Or so it had been drilled into her at times.

 

Another week past and Corlinny was taught different moves to add to her routine. She thought she was getting better at both offense and defense and started mixing up the routines she had learned from Amon.

 

The tournament came and Corlinny was both excited and nervous. This would be her first experience in battle, even a mock battle as it was, one on one with Amon was different when you were learning, this was for a win.

 

Corlinny didn't get far in the tournament, she was too nervous and her mind was ragged with it. She wasn't thinking properly and her stomach was all full butterflies. Corlinny fought what she thought to be her hardest, and she knew she could have done better. She only wished she could have a second chance. Maybe next time.

 

Corlinny