It was a cold morning, winds moving in from the North. It was also first frost of the year, and it had come early. It was a foreboding sign, as the harvests ended much sooner, as if reeling from the after effects these few long weeks after the first calls to 'war'. These were difficult times in Connlaoth, a war that would pit the entire country against itself, where men would be raised, trained to fight using the new war blades and tactics perfected by the scholars and knights in both Reajh and Uthlyn, while the entire country was still recovering from the shock of the death of the Grand Duke.
Soon, the new Grand Duke would presume the thrown, the Duke from the smaller but prosperous duchy of Allar located near the coast. The man was already ready for ruling, taking an iron fist and helping to pull the nobles together in preparations to defend itself against the wickedness of magic, something the country has been skirting around for far too long.
No, now every mage was seen as the enemy. And new laws were being pressed to enforce that, all for the good of the country.
For Connlaoth. For Men. For Freedom.
General Serenus stood before his men, the group of new recruits that had barely gotten out of their early boughts of training some months ago. Others might be farther along than some, but these were times of war, and they would use all of the men they could get. And they were all youthful, spirited, and anxious to protect their homes, their lands, their families. For some time, Connlaoth had laid dormant to any sorts of affects of war, let alone war upon itself. So for years, knights were seen as brave polices of their own individual duchies. But now, all of the men have been rallying together, the soldiers, the nobles, even the traders, the commoners, crying out for answers, for justice, and for war.
Reajh had finally calmed down, the city in a policed state with curfews and mages being snuffed out and taken to camps in the mountain, all of the ones they could collect, marching on foot. It was a mage in Reajh that had killed the Grand Duke; and the military and 'new' Grand Duke would not let any mage, innocent or not, forget.
So this particular morning, on a western field, just outside the capital, was particularly quiet. The entire city, which had been bustling wtih noise and chaos for a time, had finally reached a point where it was 'under control'. Perhaps too much control, but for now, everyone simply obeyed. And they all had eyes pointed towards the palace, holding their breaths, waiting to see what the new Grand Duke would have in store.
General Serenus already had his orders. Take the men, finish their training on the new equipment and have them move onto the next town. Uthlyn would be next, needing 'cleansed' of mages, not to mention they would need recruits to watch over the mage camps they were constantly building in the Kilanthro mountains to the north.
And winter was coming. And it would be a long and cold one.
Stalking before his men, the General was quick to bark out orders.
"As you all already know, the mage problem will affect all of Connlaoth. The capital is secure, but other cities may be in jeopardy. These are trying times, and we must all take this moment to reflect back to Angsar, to pray to him for guidance, and to learn how to steel our hearts, turn them to become as strong as the metal we wear, the metal we weild." As he spoke, he lifted up his blade carefully, it catching a glint of light from the early morning sun.
"As we move on, you will be dealing with an enemy that may seem as common or innocent as your neighbors, and infact, some of our enemies will be your neighbors, your brothers, your sisters, even your children. This is a war on disease, on control, and we have to seize the moment now, to put an end to this chaos, to the threat the mages pose against us. Our orders come from all of the nobles in all of the collective duchies of Connlaoth, so let's listen to them well. These families are of noble blood, descendants from those who helped start this great country we've all come to call home. Now, it is our chance as men to protect that home, and to show the world what we are worth. Fight for your honor, fight for your soul, and fight for the protection of the innocent, of the true race. For Connlaoth!"
The words of the General struck a deep cord within Killian Gryst. He wished to be brave, to be a hero, just like the knights he had read about in stories from his childhood. He had had dreamed of this moment, so as the speech went on, he felt a lump form within his throat, a burn within his belly and chest, as he kept his head up high and his blue eyes ever focused.
Though, To be honest, he was afraid. Before joining the knighthood, he dreamed of great herorism, but not the actual reality of war. The fact it was very real now had turned his world upside down, and was breaking away some of the naivety that had protected some of the innocence he still possessed. Though he was soft at heart, he was eager to please, and would not protest. He was goign to be a knight. He would help his home. He would protect the innocent.
He had already gone through the basic training, knew how to wield his blade, how to steady his shield, but knights trained for years, and he only had months under his belt. It seemed that was all they would need. Their training had been quick, intensified, and now they were learning how to fire the canons, the new flint lock rifles and guns (though not many had been manufactured, so Killian was not amongst the ranks that got to learn of those weapons) but other such new weapons were also being tossed their way). So not only swords would be learned, but arrows and crooked blades, crossbows and poisons even (and when Killian heard about the poisons and poison arrows, he felt his skin crawl and blood run cold).
Cold,.. just like the day. He flattened his lips and simply listened, waiting for General Serenus's next order. It seemed today was canon practice, so as his eyes stretched out towards the open field, he was curious what to expect. He had never fired a canon before, and although it was being explained, he still felt nervous, so was glad when he was paired with Greer Horn. Though Greer was always very into his work, Killian admired him and tended to follow along on his thoughts and theories. He, himself, was not a leader, but Greer's personality naturally lead him to follow him and Killian would often times simply nod his head at most of what he had to say. They had done some training together, and he respected him. And they had both grown up on farms. So they had much in common.
"So, have you ever fired a cannon before?" Killian asked, as the pair of them walked towards the other end of the field. He was still nervous, his belly pinwheeling over the prospect. BUt he figured it would be alright, things would be ok. Greer was confident, and it tended to make Killian more confident as well.
Greer felt invincible. The words of the general were spiraling through his very essence. He would not be a disappointment. He walked happily across the fields his feet light and moving fast despite his stout figure. "Of course not, but it can't be that hard," he answered his friend with a smile, "I'm sure it's just like swiving a woman, do the right things first and in the end you'll have a good bang!" He laughed at his own joke, pounding Killian on the shoulder with his own hilarity.
It was cold so Greer was wearing a rough leather jacket with his breeches and simple linen shirt. "I can't wait for our first battle, it's going to be brilliant! You'll have to work hard to best me in fighting Killian. I bet I take down more men than you! Looser has to buy pints for the winner for a full two weeks!" He turned his head to grin in challenge at his friend.
Killian was a few years younger than him and he was much smaller but he was a kind enough guy with a flexible sort of personality that Greer took for advantage sometimes. Like the time Greer got Killian to ask out a lady who turned out to be married and it started a tavern brawl...that was a fun night! Over all he thought his friend needed more adventures and he was more than willing to help him through as many of them as he could manage.
Where as Greer was excited and confident, Killian was not. He smiled, however, feigning his own bravery over the matter and blushing over the jests. He was still very prudent, not a womanizer in the slightest, nor much of a taker to alcohol (not that he'd tell anyone he was not- and perhaps, got a little more drunk than he ever wished to while with Greer at the local taverns). So his mentioned folly with the married woman made his face burn even more.
"Yes, well, we shall have to see. With all of this extensive training, and the announcement the General has made, who knows if we will ever truly see battle," Killian pointed out. Ever the optimist. "To think, we'll learn how to use these cannons but not ever get to see them in any real action. It seems like a shame, huh?" A mild joke on his part. But in all honesty, Killian could only hope.
So as they approached the long, black metal tube with large, metal balls set in piles beside it, barrels of powder on the other, Killian's face twisted at it questionably.
"I know the General went over how to fire these, but do you think he'll show us a demonstration? And I wonder if he wants us to fire all of these," he said, gesturing to the pile of ammunition. There was at least twenty cannon balls piled near them. It actually made him worry. He heard cannon fire at a distance before, but never close up. So he was hesitant at playing around with it, and looked over towards where the General was standing, Killian holding his breath and awaiting the orders.
Greer approached the cannons with confidence. It couldn't be that hard, he'd asked around some in certain towns. Loading them was the trick. "If we don't get to use these babies, I'm going to be one sad man, I'll tell you brother" Greer said, studying the cannon with curiosity. He reached down to pick up a cannon ball and hefted it in his hand.
"It's pretty heavy. This could do a lot of damage to some poor fool." Greer smiled with the statement a battle ready twinkle in his eye. "This is going to be fun."
At the mention of a demonstration from the general he turned where Killian was looking and straightened awaiting orders from his hero.
Killian also picked up a cannon ball, hefting the weight between his hands. "Woah, yeah I could see that!" he said, grinning a bit, though when the General suddenly began barking out orders, it startled him, causing him to drop the cannon ball nearly on his foot. HIs face went white, his skin perspiring as he looked down with a gulp.
"Ready your cannon's men! Today we are to practice what it sounds like, how it ought to feel to use these things in person. I'm sure you've all seen cannons before, and they are quite simple to use, but very powerful," Serenus grinned, his dark eyes piercing down and following down the line of men in the field, his powerful voice carrying true. "The cannon balls we are using are from older stock. Some of the newer versions are lighter, making it easier for travel. But for city uses, and in war, we'll use the heavier ones. It just depends on the terrain. Now..."
As the General went on to explain, Killian found himself half listening, his eyes going distant, towards the forest, as if he thought he saw something, a person, but his attention soon returned to General Serenus again when he barked the orders, "Let the training begin!" ANd drew out his blade, pointing it towards the sky. "Your marks are down there!" Serenus shouted, pointing the sword down to the barrels scattered about, all with heavy red X's painted on their fronts. "Your training is over when the entire garrison has destroyed all of the barrels. Now, make your aims true, soldiers and let the cannon balls fly! If we do not destroy all of the barrels, no one eats dinner tonight!" And he laughed, his laughter soft, only carrying to those few soldiers nearest him, and the sparkle in his eyes caught a glint from the sun. "Real soldiers, real men, have to earn their meals. NOW GET TO FIRING, MEN!" and he lowered his blade in one heavy sweep, planting the tip into the grass, holding his chin up proudly as the wind carried through his messy dark hair and beard.
Ack, he was late!
Granted, he was one of the newest recruits, but still! What an impression, being late like that! Racing across the field, making sure to stay behind the cannons, Faolán made a beeline to the group he had been told to join, some older recruits that he'd seen around but hadn't quite gotten to know yet. As one of the youngest there, and as someone still learning the ropes, he felt a little out of place among the soldiers, but damned if he wasn't blessed by this opportunity, all a result of being at the right place at the right time.
He was forever in Serenus's debt.
And leave it to him to show his gratitude like this!
Panting, he came to a stop beside the other two and rested his hands on his knees to catch his breath, grinning up at them sheepishly. "Hey! Sorry I'm late, guess I'm with you guys? Uh, so! We're firin' this thing, huh?"
To be honest, Aoife hadn't caught most of the speech. Yes, she could lipread, but not from a distance and not when so much else was going on. (She kept being distracted by the cannons--they must be a dream to fire.) Nor had she been clear on what exactly she was supposed to be doing, since ranged combat wasn't really what the Knights of the White Lily were for. Luckily, a helpful lieutenant had told her she was to simply do what everyone else was doing and pointed her towards her group. Aoife didn't know much about cannons besides the fact there was powder and a spark, but it was four or five people to the one and she didn't have to know everything to do her part.
She stayed where she was when the general began to explain the firing (she had a better view of his mouth here). Aoife paid close attention--Ansgar forbid she be the one to cause a misfire!--but it would've been much easier if she had May to sign it for her. There was a special dispensation and everything, and it made all the official speeches and things much less of a headache. But despite the lack of a translator, she felt she'd gotten most of it down by the end. Good.
Aoife made her way over to the group and arrived dead last, it seemed. Well, it wasn't the first time. "At least you aren't as late as I am," she told the boy, smiling. "Beg pardon. I had to stay farther up the field to understand the general's instructions properly."
"Greetings!" Greer welcomed the two with a smile "indeed, we begin firing now."
Greer began to hum cheerfully to himself, happy to be practicing. "Come on then, let's get started!" he was eager as a young pup and he set to work happily loading and priming the cannon, handling the cannon ball as if it were some kind of precious gemstone or made of gold or something. He loaded and then aimed with his tongue sticking out, he set his sites pretty far down field liking the challenge of a distant target.
He set fire to the fuse and took a few steps back putting his fingers in his ears but keeping his eyes wide open. BOOM! The ground trembled subtle and the cannon flew...straight into the target! Greer began to jump up and down and shouting.
"Who wants to do the next one?" he asked the group with a happy grin.
Killian smiled, waving lightly to Faolán as he approached.
"Yeah. Seems the General wants us to all have some mastery of the cannons," Killian said with a gesture of his head. "And I'm Killian by the way." He extended his hand out for the boy to shake. "I think I've seen you around. You're newer here as well, right? I dont' think I quite caught your name?"
And as he leaned in to listen to it, he paused, finding himself staring (almost stupidly) as a female in armor approached. But then when his wits returned to him, he blushed and gave her a soft smile. She was young, and her voice, though sounding odd, had a sweetness to it. So he simply smiled back at her, blushing lightly before realizing he should probably say something.
"Er- yeah. We're just practicing with these erm.." he gave a nervous rub of his nose against hte side of his arm and pointed to the cannon. "These er.. um.. cannons!" He blurted out when the words finally got to his lips, and rubbed at the back of his neck nervously, before asking. "Do.. do you want to try it next?"
Then after he realized he posed his question, he inwardly swore at himself for forgetting to introduce himself to her and asking her name. Crap!
She almost didn't notice the cannon go off. But the fair-haired one (they really should get around to introductions) was speaking, so she focused on him rather than on the man who'd just fired.
"I...know that," Aoife said when he was finished. He seemed very nervous. It must be because she was an Adhara. Since she was surrounded by others day in and day out, it was easy to forget people like her were very few. Well, he'd learn to get past it soon enough, and if he didn't she'd help him. She was only a person under the white tabard, after all. "Yes, thank you. But..." Aoife didn't want to be rude, but she did have some questions.
"I was led to believe it worked best when operated by several people at once? I may have misunderstood. I usually have help, but she was unavoidably sent elsewhere today--we can't always go in pairs, see." Even when her condition necessitated help. Other measures were really going to have to be taken soon. Maybe they could find a scholar or some such. "I'm sorry if I'm incorrect."
Faolán ducked his head and plugged his ears as the cannon went off with a chest vibrating boom, and even once it was done his ears were ringing. That was bloody loud! Of course he knew it would be, but even more than he'd expected! Still, it brought a laugh to his lips when the older soldier literally jumped with joy at hitting his target.
It made him feel better about this group; they seemed like people he could really get along with.
Rubbing his head with one hand, he turned to Killian when he approached him and clasped his hand in greeting. "I'm Faolán. Faolán Ruane. And you're...?"
He trailed off. The man wasn't even paying attention to him anymore, and soon he saw why.
He was staring at someone.
A girl.
Faolán's eyes just about popped out of his head, and his breath caught in his throat. Whoa! What? They allowed girls in? His heart began to race and his head spun at the realization, and he had to do a double-take just to be sure it was true. When did they start doing that? Was it new? Was he just that completely out of the loop? He'd come from a backwater place, sure, but everything he'd heard...everything he'd thought...
It didn't occur to him that she was an Adhara, which would have cleared up everything. Instead, he just gaped in wide-eyed wonder.
Killian flattened his lips.
In pairs? He swallowed the knot within his throat and nodded.
"Erm, yeah, sure. You and I could work this thing together." And although he was smiling, his hands were sweating something fierce, so as he approached the cannon and lifted one of the balls, he dropped it, wincing as again, he nearly dropped the damn thing on his foot! (And he was beginning to wonder if it was really safe for him to man one of these in his present condition!) But he released a breath, turning away from her as he opened the back of the cannon and loaded the cannon ball inside.
"You can call me, Killian. And I don't think I caught your name?" he said, letting his voice trail off as he closed the back of the cannon and turned to her, then motioned for the young woman to approach. "We'll have to aim it." ANd he pointed to the targets on the other side. "Pick one out, then fire the canon when you're ready." He stayed beside it, brushing some of his sweaty white hair away from his blue eyes, wondering if she'd need any help maneuvering the thing.
Well, it looked like Killian, at least, was very distracted at the moment. So once Faolán managed to close his mouth and get over the initial shock, he turned to the older soldier, the one whose name he hadn't gotten yet.
"So, I guess that leaves you and me, huh?" he told Greer. He held out his hand. "I'm Faolán, by the way."
That wasn't exactly what she'd meant, but Aoife didn't say anything. It could still be fired with only two people, after all, it would simply take a little longer. She jumped backwards when he dropped the cannonball--did they really make everyone so nervous? She ought to get out more, clearly.
"Ah," Aoife said, "Don't you need to swab it and ram the gunpowder in first?" She'd had minimal training, but she knew that without the powder the cannon wouldn't fire. And that the new gunpowder couldn't be put in until it was swabbed, or the cannon would go off before it should. (Aoife would like them much better if they were more reliable.) Maybe she should just do that part right now--or no, he might feel insulted if she did. But they'd better get to destroying the targets. She didn't want to miss dinner.
[note: I realize it might look like I missed part of your post. I didn't, Aoife just didn't realize he said anything when his back was to her. Also, 'scuse my vague knowledge of cannon-firing. I wikipedia'd it.]
Greer smiled gamely and shook the other mans hand.
"Nice to meet you," he said, "my name is Greer. I'm pretty excited about these things. I can't wait to go into battle."
He picked up a cannon ball, "Want to go ahead and shoot this one? We can take turns if you like."
He offered tossing the cannon ball between each hand. He himself kept sneaking peaks at the female but his priorities were more with battle at the moment than with women. He could just picture it now, firing the cannons into oncoming enemy troops. Oh yeah, he was excited.
Killian's face grew even more red at her correcting him. Ugh! SHe as right. "Oh, r-right!" he said, smiling nervously at her and went about swabbing and adding more gun powder (that he hoped was to the correct amount) before he stepped back and wiped his sweaty hands on his pants.
"Th-there, see that it's to your liking and you can go ahead first."
And ugh, boy did he feel like a moron, and all the while, he could hear Greer's enthusiasm, which only seemed to jeer him into feeling more like an idiot. UGH. He was no canon expert, and although the girl being present made him nervous, so did the idea of firing this thing. They were pretty loud, after all. Nerve shattering loud. How did men even use these on the battle field?
OOC: Cool! Yeah, best to read up on things like that. I'm no pro at um, canon firing myself, lol. Good old wikipedia is always there to save the day :D
Faolán's eyes lit up at the offer. "Can I?" he breathed. Sure it was loud, but the idea of firing it, of being behind so much power, was ridiculously exciting.
To be trusted with such an amazing invention...
"I mean, yeah! I'd love to! What do I do?" he asked, holding out his hands to accept the cannon ball.
"Thank you," Aoife said. She smiled at him. He looked so embarrassed, she almost felt bad for correcting him. But if the cannon had misfired, someone would have been hurt.
Aoife selected a target, aimed, and fired. The cannon bucked slightly and she felt a slight tremor under her feet. Half the stack of crates she'd aimed at blew to bits. Her shot had gone a little wide, but dear Ansgar, what a weapon! She laughed and clapped her hands together.
"That's amazing!" Aoife turned to the boy, still grinning. "Shall I prime it for you, ah...?" It occurred to her that she didn't know what he was called--she hadn't asked, and if he'd said anything she'd missed it. "I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your name. I'm Aoife."
The blast of the cannon rattled him. By Angsar, those things were loud! He'd be deaf before this practice was over,a nd when another nearby cannon went off, he leaped again. He supposed part of the training was to get used to the noise, so when the girl turned to him, he stared at her, half deaf himself when she asked his name. HIs lips pulled a bit leftward in a blushing grin as he replied.
"Oh... my name's Killian. Killian Gryst." and he held out his hand for her to shake. "It's nice to meet you, Aoife." And he looked down at the target, then back to her. "And you shoot... well!" he had to admit with a nervous rub to the back of his neck. He supposed he was next.
Faolán felt the thunder of that cannon clear through the soles of his boots and right up into his chest--not to mention the horrible ringing it caused in his ears. Wincing, he turned to join Aoife and Killian and crept close so he could watch.
"Whoa...ya almost got 'em all!" he told Aoife with an impressed whistle.
Yes, it was impressive indeed. Too bad he had to go after such a display. And after a girl.
He felt himself begin to sweat, but it was his turn, his duty, so he drew in a careful breath, loaded the canon and took aim. There was a series of marks at the end of the way, and he choose one beside Aoife's as he moved the canon carefully as he took aim. Then steady.. steady... and BAM!
The shooting of the canon had him shouting once as he leaped to his feet, a ball of nerves and energy, but after a moment, he blinked and looked down the way, to see he had completely missed the target, blowing up a hole a few feet away. He frowned and rubbed at the back of his neck again.
"Well, I suppose I'll have to try harder next time," he said with a dry laughing, hoping to hide his embarrassment through a smiel.
"That's all right Killian!" Greer patted him gamely on his shoulder with one broad fist. "That's why we are here after all, to practice."
The targets in the battle field were coming down one by one as everyone fired there cannons. Greer felt his excitement growing, as well as his confidence. Who could defeat an army like theirs?
It was a beautiful day and Greer couldn't have been happier.
"Whose up for heading to the tavern after all this is over? Drinks on me, my friends!" He exclaimed with a broad grin.
"I don't know..." Killian began with a nervous laugh. "Last time I went into a tavern with you, you were aiming to get me into trouble." He shook his head, recalling all of the silly antics, and he.. well.. Killian had been a ball of nerves. He was never a man to drink, and he always said increasingly more dumb things when under the influence of a cup or two of ale.
"Thanka," Aoife told the boy with the bangs. (Sometimes she felt as though she said it a lot, but her parents had always told her she could never be too polite.) She smiled back at him, then turned to watch Killian fire.
Well, it wasn't the worst shot she'd ever seen. If it had been a real person they'd at least have been hit by the bounce. And it was only his first time. "Oh, it wasn't so bad," Aoife told him. "If you're that close this time, give it a few more tries and you'll hit them, easy."
She looked from Killian to the tall one--she wasn't really sure what he'd had said, but from what Killian was saying it was something about going to a tavern. And...trouble? "What kind of trouble?" she asked. (Under the mistaken impression that Killian was saying that if they went, they would get in trouble.) Not that she could go. She would be wanted back when they were finished training.
"A tavern?" Faolán perked up with interest. "I'm in!"
Where he'd grown up, they drank weak ale more than water as the local stream wasn't usually fit for consumption. He'd never been to a tavern before, but he honestly couldn't see what the danger was. He'd heard stories before and it sounded like fun!
Greer laughed at Killians protest
"Ah, come on Killian! It would do you some good, loosen you up."
He turned to the woman, Aoife he thought her name was and smiled "No, we wont get in trouble, Killian here is just worried that he can't hold his ale!"
Greer grinned and punched Killian lightly in the shoulder. At Faolans interest Greer cheered "All right! To the Tavern it is then friends!"
The cannon ball practice lasted for most of the afternoon, and by the end of it, Killian had finally been able to hit the mark and was feeling a bit more confident as a soldier,- but only slightly. He was still a ball of nerves from all of the explosions, and from well.. needing to keep his head infront of a girl, that when they were disbanded for the day, he merely remained near to Greer as they exited the field.
"By Angsar's might, I feel as if I could sleep through the rest of the day," Killian muttered, raking a hand through his sweat slicked hair. "That sort of training is intense. But it's a good skill to learn. It's not like most of us have magic like the mages do, so I'm sure this sort of combat would come in handy when the time was necessary." Though to be truthful, he was a little afraid to be fighting a war against mages, and mages within his own home land. What if one turned him into a frog? Could mages do that? He had a lot of ideas bubbling on inside of his head, ones that skirted around this fear, but he swallowed them down and smiled towards the rest, not letting his fear get the better of him. He might as well enjoy the tavern while there was time for tavern enjoying to be had.
Greer could see that Killian was nervous and wiped out. Smiling at his young friend he put an arm around his shoulder. "Not to worry Killian. The tavern shall take all your worries away." He laughed.
The war was going to be difficult and bloody. Truthfully, Greer himself was worried. But his loyalty and dedication were endless. If he had to die for his people then it would be a good death.
"The training is intense," Greer commented, "the war must be escalating. Their getting us ready for battle." Greer tone turned grim and serious. He worried as well.
Tired and sweaty from practice, Faolán joined up with Killian and Greer and fell into stride with them as they discussed the war. It was a bit of an uneasy topic; he loved soldiering thus far, for all the freedom it offered, but the very real implications of war and all it meant hadn't fully sank in yet.
Like the fact that they would actually be fighting one day. Real fighting.
"We'll be okay, though, right?" he piped up as Greer fell quiet. "I mean, Connlaoth's been around forever and mages, pah. We got Mordecai." He smiled, keeping optimistic. "They don't got a chance!"
Greer smiled and responded in kind with the same optimism, "Of course we'll be fine. We just have to stick together. It's going to be great."
They were approaching the tavern now and Greer let his thoughts shift to extra curricular activities.
"Lets try to keep out of too much trouble, huh boys?" He teased, elbowing Killian in the ribs and laughing.
"Yeah, who knows, we might not even see any real fighting. It seems the mage camps up north will help keep the chaos down, at least for a little while, I'm sure. To keep the peace, it makes sense to put mages all in one place until things cool down."
Or so Killian would like to believe, and kept repeating this to himself. This was what was drilled into the soldiers anyways. It was just another necessity of war, to march the mages up north and keep them in 'camps' there while the army tried to figure out who the murderer was.
----
The boys soon found themselves at a local tavern; The Glass Pea, one that was already a bit rowdy with other soldiers in training taking up drink and flirting with the bar maids.
"Seems we came at a busy time," Killian commented, taking a seat as he smiled. "So, what sort of beers do you all like? I come from the duchy of Allar, and the apple beer there is amazing. I wonder if they have any of that sort around here."
Taking a seat himself, Faolán blinked at Killian's words. "There's more kinds of beer?" he asked, surprised. "I've only had...well...normal ale! The barley kind."
With a sheepish grin, he added, "But I was never allowed to go to taverns or nothin'."
And he found himself quite fascinated with the scene around him, so lively and rowdy. A pretty barmaid in a tight bodice that made her breasts swell bustled over to their table and leaned down far more than was necessary, arms squished in to push her bust out even more. "What can I getcha fellows?"
"Uh.." and all Killian could do was STARE at the great, ripe breasts presented towards him. He couldn't even stammer out a second 'uh...' while in their presence, and probably looked quite the fool as he gawked.
OOC: Sorry it's short but... LOL!
OOC: LMAO. XDDD
...Oh lord.
Looking over at Killian, Faolán nudged him sharply in the side, then smiled at the lady (how did she keep those clothed?!) and cleared his throat. "Um, I think he said somethin' about apple beer?"
The barmaid giggled and made no effort to adjust herself. If anything, she only leaned down farther, clearly noticing the effect she was causing. "Is cider okay?"
Glancing over at Killian, Faolán nudged him again. "Is cider okay?" Jeez. Granted, he couldn't help but look either, just because...um...they were right there.
And rather impressive.
"Y-yeah," Killian managed to wheeze out. "C-Cider is fine." And as the barmaid went around taking orders and left, Killian felt somewhat relieved. His entire face was now as red as a tomato, and was glad after they had gotten their drinks the barmaid left them alone to attend to another table, though on occasion he'd hear her giggles over the barking laughter of other men.
"So er... the cider's good!" Killian began, but realized how lame his conversation skills were and was quick to chug down the cider, the cider of which he said was good and hadn't touched until that moment, cuase if he had, he never EVER would have made that comment about it being good. It was so bitter, it took all f his will power to keep it down as he swallowed it up and looked a bit green in the face, which (somewhat) helped his skin return back to a more normal palor.
"So.. I heard we'll be doing combat training tomorrow, out in the fields. The General is well known where I'm from, so I'm excited he'll be our teacher. He's seen a lot of combat, and almost lost his left eye in a coastal battle when pirates tried to invade a small town that was carrying our tax money. He and his men were able to ward them off and sank one of their ships. It was quite the story!"
The cider definitely was not good, and Faolán nearly spit his up the moment he took a sip. It was disgusting! And yet Killian seemed to be handling it alright (at least, he wasn't making a fuss of it) so Faolán forced it down, because the last thing he wanted was to seem unmanly.
Trying to be sly about it, Faolán nudged the cider off to the side. He'd just...follow Killian's lead, here, as the older of them! If Killian drank, he'd drink. That seemed like a good solution! But before he could angst much more about the awful drink, Killian saved him from having to lie and agree that it was good cider when he changed the subject.
Faolán perked up at the mention of the General, a bright smile spreading over his face. Damaged eye, eh? That sounded like Serenus! "Oh, him! I know him!" he said excitedly, beaming and eager to brag.
"I sparred with him a little, back in Matron's Hallow! He's really good, but he's really kind and patient! He sure works ya hard, though..." he said, dragging a finger through the condensation on his mug. "I wonder if he'll remember me?"
"Really? You've had the chance to spar with the General?" Killian asked, smiling in disbelief. "How was that like? I bet he whooped your ass a few good times!" And Killian's eyes were positively shining.
"God, yes!" Faolán said with a laugh and a slight blush. "He worked me 'til I was so shaky I couldn't stand and too sore to hold a sword. But he gave me a lot of good pointers! And--"
He paused, another memory falling on the heels of that one. His blush deepened.
"...Oh, and then he made me escort a bratty noble."
Killian had been daring to drink down more of the soured cider when Faolán informed him about the noble girl and he spit out whatever drink was in his mouth. His eyes went wide.
"You... escorted a noble girl?"
And Killian's eyes shined with a laugh as his cheeks brightened with a blush, his lips half hanging open in a smile.
Faolán burst out laughing when Killian spit out his drink, and he waved his hand. "It's...er, it's not as exciting as it sounds!" he said with a sheepish smile that slowly turned into a scowl as he recalled the ordeal. "She was horrible! Terribly bratty and awful and mean! I've never met anyone like her before! She wailed on me something fierce, too, for no reason, and I got in trouble for it! Sweet and dainty my foot. And then there were the bees..."
Faolán grimaced at the memory, but had to smile again when he remembered she'd gotten her comeuppance, too.
"Oh, but I guess I'm being a little unfair. There was another noble girl, too, and she was really sweet!"
Okay, now he was just bragging.
Killian stared at the boy, bug eyed.
"T-tWO noble girls?" and he found his mouth remaining open, a smile plastered there.
He blinked and tried to shake his open mouthed smile away.
"Do you mind if I ask who?"
Then agian, he probably wouldn't know who they were anyways.. but but..
Wow! Wasn't that something?
Faolán beamed ear to ear. He had Killian's attention and the look on the man's face did wonders for his ego. He took another sip of the disgusting cider, just for show, trying to play it cool, like this was just something that happened to him, no big deal.
"The awful one was Valia, the sweet one was Aella, Duchess Melora's daughter." He paused, then added in a quiet voice, "The Duchess is also terrible."
Killian was positively gawking.
"Wow, you really know a lot of nobles!"
But then as he went to take another drink of cider, he was spitting it out.
"Hey, is that the General!?" And he pointed over to where General Serenus now stood, entering into the tavern and approaching a table well on the other side of the room where other higher ranking knights sat and greeted him with arm grip salutes and manly smiles.
OOC: because their smiles would be manly!
Faolán had been forcing down another sip of cider, trying to act like he was hot stuff, when Killian pointed out THE GENERAL. He choked, sputtered, and managed to spit most of it back into his tankard though some of it came out his nose and burned like hellfire.
Wiping furiously at his face with his sleeve and trying to control his coughing, Faolán whirled to look--and hi body went rigid, face beet red. He jerked around to face Killian again and hunched his shoulders. "Oh jeez, oh jeez, that's him, all right! Oh gosh. We're allowed to be here, right? It don't look bad that we're here, right? I mean, drinkin's what soldiers do!"
He peeked over his shoulder again and then ducked back around to Killian, one hand up along the side of his face as though to hide himself. "Oh man. I wonder if he'd remember me. Ahaha. Things didn't go so hot last time we saw each other..."
"What happened?" Killian asked, finally closing his gaping mouth as he turned to Faolán.
Faolán kept his head down and his hand up, speaking to Killian out of the side of his mouth.
"Erm, well, uh, so. That noble girl I had to watch? Um, he made me escort her. As a punishment, I guess. 'Cause, ah...I sorta...wound up wrestling with her." He grimaced. "She was hitting me and I tried to stop her and I, uh, pushed her over. It was really embarrassing. Serenus walked in just in time to see me on her."
With a sigh, he scrubbed his free hand over his face. "Then while I was escorting her, there were, erm...bees. And then she fell in the lake."
His forehead thumped against the table. "He can't see me here."
At the story, Killian would have choked on his beer had he been drinking any.
"Wow!" he said, leaning back in his chair at the table. His eyes were so wide. He was impressed!
And another solider commented, "Yeah, that story's got us all beat!"
"And to think-" said another. "You got to wrestle with a royal girl. Was she hot?" the man prodded, with an elbow to Faolan's side.
Killian was still gaping, trying to digest all of what he said, before shaking his head and lifting up his drink along with the rest of the men as they toasted Faolán for being 'oh so cool!' Yep, he was now the popular one at the table, and the boys now all wanted to offer to buy him drinks to learn more.
Thankfully, the General didn't seem to notice them- and after a time, Killian, being tipsy, found out he dind't much care for this feeling after about his forth beer.
"Hey guys, I think I might head back to the barracks and call it a night." he said, and rose from his chair.
Oh no. This was not turning out how he had planned! While this should have been awesome, being viewed as some amazing guy, why couldn't it have happened when Serenus wasn't around?!
All this celebrating and noise was just drawing attention to him!
Faolán wanted to sink down into his chair and vanish beneath the table.
"Uh, well, she was...she was really pretty," Faolán said lamely. A pretty pain in the ass! But Faolán didn't dare say that, not when the General was in the same room, just in case he heard. No, it was better to keep his comments about Valia...flattering.
"Oh c'mon, man! Give us some details! Ya wrestled with her!" The soldier winks. "Didja get to cop a feel?"
"W-what?!" Faolán was red clear to his ears now and petrified. He glanced anxiously Serenus's way. Ansgar's left tit! This wasn't fair! This was his chance to shine! To brag! To make things up and look really impressive! But there was no way he could talk about Valia's breasts now, and he wasn't sure how to respond.
That was when he saw that Killian was leaving him.
In a fit of panic, Faolán reached out and snatched at his sleeve, HELP! written all over his face.
And help came in another form- for the moment the soldier in training grabbed onto Killian's shirt, the drunk Killian found himself suddenly off-center and WHAM
Killian found his head suddenly smashing off the side of the table before he ground and collapsed onto the floor.
It was only at the sound of violence did the General finally look their way, and seeing it was his young yanks at the boisterous table, his brows furrowed as he stood-
and that's when he noticed Faolán.
His eyes met to the boy's before he approached the table, and as he did so, Kilian now stood up, groaning and clutching his throbbing head.
"What's going on here, gentleman? I hope you all know to keep things mild. We are representatives of the Connlaothian army, after all," the general said. And his eyes went to every single one of them before finally resting on Faolán.
Oh God! As if things couldn't get worse!
Faolán's eyes went wide as saucers when Killian collapsed and hit his head. He had been about to go to his side to help him and babble apologies, but instead he froze like a rabbit because Serenus approached their table.
Eyes going even wider and face draining of color, Faolán jerked to his feet and stood at attention. "S-sir! Yes sir! We're keepin' things mild, sir!" he said, biting back the urge to apologize over and over. It was Serenus who had gotten him here, and oh God, but the last thing he wanted was for the man to think badly of him, and that fear was written all over his face.
Seeing how the men came to attention, the General laughed at them and gave a shake of his head.
"At ease men, back to your stations when you are done. I'm just here to remind you to keep your status. You are soldiers now. Please act like it." And with a nod, he turned to leave the boys to what they were doing-
and in doing so, left Killian thoroughly embarrassed.
"I.. I think I'm ready to go back to the barracks." Yeah, he was done with all this drinking and messing around. It was time to get to business! And the weeks were long and hard with training, and he found himself actually parted from most of those he had befriended earlier. But they needed men in all aspects of war, so it was no surprise they were all trained in different locations and given different orders, even if they were all General Serenus's men.
But what could this mean for them?A nd what sorts of things would happen due to the growing war? Only time would tell and well....
The war had only just begun.
OOC: This thread is continued here (http://www.spiritsoftheearth.net/smf/index.php?topic=14663.0)! Meaning this one is done 8D