Swords-play in the Forest [Complete]

[Casey]

Saezer Lefroy was tired. He'd been traveling for days from the woods of northern Serendipity down to Ketra of Adela with the job of trading crops for various farmers. Dealing with several strangers every day without cease had taken a toll on him mentally. He felt an intense need for peace and solitude, which he found in the woods beyond the main streets of the village. Here he could shed his hooded cloak, toss his thick tunic, and let his thin, black, baggy tunic hang on his body loosely and feel the breeze cut through the fabric and dance across his skin. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, trying to clear his thoughts and relieve the tension he carried.

The people he came across would comment on how tall he was for a human, so he slouched. They'd say he was too skinny, so he hid his body in layers of clothing. He'd hear compliments on the beautiful platinum color of his hair, so he had dyed it black as often as he could manage. "What striking eyes," he heard, so he put in uncomfortable black contacts. The image he created was strange, unnatural, and even a bit eerie. He hadn't seen a mirror in days, so had not seen the bright yellow roots emerging from his scalp. But all this he tried to forget as his stood there in the shade of the trees, listening to the leafs rustle softly.

Saezer drew a rapier from its sheath hanging on his belt and took a fighting stance. He was trying to make each practiced lunge, parry, and step liquid and smooth. But as he practiced and got his heart rate up, the more aggressive his swings became. His thoughts refocused on his lack of prospects, the strange looks he'd gotten while walking through the city of Ketra, the fact that he only felt like he belonged when there was no one there to accept him in the first place. At some point he was just slashing wildly and somewhat clumsily at a log that, honestly, had done nothing to receive such violence.

[GoblinFae]

Primrose dismissed her class of young scholars and began the slow walk back through the woods to her home. She had been teaching a group of the village children the differences between edible and poisonous mushrooms and their uses. The children always put a smile on her face and kept her in a good mood. Their wonder and amazement with every tiny detail never ceased to warm her heart. They challenged her in ways no adult ever had.

Today it had been little Cecil who had asked the thought-provoking question. "Miss Prim, Miss Prim, why do we have armpits?" he had asked as they first headed into the forest. The idea of questioning such a thing would have been considered absurd to any other adult. But, to Primrose it was the reason she lived and taught. Well, the reason was not exactly because of armpits, but because of her thirst for knowledge that all children seem to share. Their uninhibited questioning always mystified her and made her look at the world in a different light.

Up ahead she heard the sounds of a sword clanging repeatedly. Worried about the children she ran to find the source and drew her sword. But, she stopped short at what she found. Before her was a tall man hacking away viciously at a log. Watching him from a distance for awhile she noticed that he was actually executing parries and thrusts, albeit very poorly. Taking her sword once more in hand she called out to him.

"Excuse me, but you are a little off in your execution of that log there. If you take a better stance like this," she demonstrated by widening the distance between her feet and bending more at the knee, "then you will have more power to the thrust with less effort and the log will most certainly be dead on the first strike," she said smiling brightly without malice.

[Casey]

Saezer started so hard that when he spun on his heel to find the location of her voice, his rapier went flying out of his hand and stuck fast in the ground ahead of him. He'd been wearing his colored contacts for so long that dirt was getting trapped behind the lens, causing his eyes to become blood-shot and teary as he blinked rapidly. He was already somewhat eerie looking normally because of effort he put into looking unnatural, but with reddening eyes, he looked a little unintentionally crazy.

He turned away from her quickly to pull out his contacts, which gave his eyes amazing relief. He turned back towards her slowly. Saezer's eyes were a shockingly bright, rich blue. His pale cheeks were flushed from the exercise. His chest rose and fell heavily with his deep breathing, and his bi-colored hair hung disheveled around his face. His opened his mouth to say something, stopped, and then brushed his hair backwards awkwardly as he walked over to his rapier and plucked it from the earth.

"Pardons, miss," he said slowly, meticulously picking his words. "If I may be so bold as to question... what would you," he continued as he observed her domestic, teacher's outfit, her small figure, her innocent looking face, and her out of place sword, "know about sword fighting?" he ended, trying to sound as innocuous as possible.

[GoblinFae]

Primrose looked the stranger over carefully. He was a bit creepy looking perhaps, but who was she to judge? She was mildly surprised when his eyes went from a black color to a blue after his turning around. 'I wonder how did that?' she thought ever the scholar.

Exiting her fencing stance, Primrose gave a fake smiled at the stranger. "It would seem sir, that I know a great deal more about sword fighting than you. As it was not I who was attacking a log, and quite poorly I may add. You do realize that damages the effectiveness of the blade correct? If you really doubt my advice, then perhaps we could have a scrimmage?"

Putting down her rucksack of books, she pulled off her cloak and moved back into the clearing. "I promise not to beat you too badly," she teased assuming the position.

[Casey]

As his tears cleared up the dirt in his eyes, the redness slowly faded. He quirked an eyebrow quizzically, and widened his eyes in surprise. Saezer was trying desperately to keep a calm exterior. He hadn't let his body be so exposed to someone in a while. He was feeling his self-resentment rise, which was in turn making him feel self-conscious and bare. With a thin shirt and pants, it became clear how slender his body was. If he actually wore clothes that fit him, and allowed his eyes and hair to be natural, he may have even been handsome, but who could really tell at this point?

He unhitched a pouch of water from his belt and ran it over his contacts to clean them before placing them in a pocket and approaching her. His steps were slow and calculated, as though he were debating with each step whether or not he should do this. "I do admit my general ignorance to proper swordsmanship, m'lady," he said, and forced a small smile onto his thin lips. "But I cannot refuse a lady, even one as... surprising as yourself."

He assumed a fighting stance, making a point of exaggerating his movements when making his stance wider and bending his knees more than he had previously. He did feel more stable, but he could feel the strain it was putting on his thighs. Maybe if he was better rested, or maybe if he just worked out more. Stop, he scolded himself. He was always looking for ways to improve. Just focus... he started repeating as a mantra in his head. He held his rapier out tentatively, and tapped it against the tip of her sword lightly to try and innocently psyche her out.

He side stepped a couple times before lunging to stab at her. However, Saezer was hyper aware that he was scrimmaging with a woman, and had no intention of hurting her, or even scratching her. He'd already made the decision to aim to miss her every time if he could.

[GoblinFae]

She had been learning the art of swordplay since the day she had taken her first steps. Her father, against her mother's wishes, had given her the first of many wooden swords to come. While she was by no means a master of the sword she was also not a novice.

Primrose listened to his comments and only gave a small smile before focusing back to the task at hand. His lunge was sloppy, clearly meant to miss the target. She easily side-stepped it before going back into teacher-mode.

"A good attempt but, your aim needs improvement. A well-aimed hit can disarm or disable your opponent without killing them. Use this to your advantage and you can leave a fight completely unscathed. Like so," she said executing a perfect lunge, knocking the rapier from his hand.

Picking it up she handed it back to him. "Another thing to work on is your grip. A firm grip ensures not only that you have your weapon at all times but also improves the accuracy of a strike. If you hold the blade too loosely then it will sloppily wobble about and can miss its intended target."

She took her stance once more and became another round of strikes and parries until she realized the problem. Moving quickly she tripped him up, knocking him on his back and placing her sword at his throat. "You're dead," she claimed solemnly not letting him up. "Your problem is you fight me like I am a woman. Woman or not I can kill you. If you give the same courtesy to every female with a sword that you encounter then you will be dead sooner than you think.

"Stop treating me special and fight me! Let me worry about whether I can stop you strike or not. I challenged you and you accepted. That means we both know the consequences of our actions." Smiling, she added," I think that is enough lesson for today though." She reached her hand down as an offer to help him up. "I'm Primrose."

[Casey]

He picked up his hand and flexed it, unsure of himself, before he slowly reached up and grabbed her hand. "Saezer," he replied breathlessly. He pulled himself to his feet and realized he stood a full foot taller than her. He took a few steps back so he didn't have to look down at her so drastically. He bowed slightly and said, "Consider me too trusting then, Primrose." As he cooled down from the scrimmage, he could feel a few scratches and bruises on his body. He was officially impressed, despite that fact that he was not a good swordsman to begin with.

He picked up his rapier and sheathed it. He'd begun to pick up his extra articles of clothing he'd thrown on the ground earlier when he looked over at Primrose. She'd smiled at him, in a way that to him seemed warm and genuine. In return, he'd acted sexist towards her and offended her without thinking about it or intending to. He thought about what he should say to her as he pulled on his thick tunic and hung on his over-sized hooded cloak, which added extra bulk to his body.

"I'm sorry," he said rather quietly to ground as he pulled on his hood rather than to her. He glanced over and continued, "Let me make it up to you. Allow me to at least walk you to town?" He then smiled and finished, "Not that I could offer you much protection, as you've discovered."

[GoblinFae]

If Primrose's lessons on propriety had not been so ingrained in her she would have laughed when she realized just how much taller he was than her. "Sorry? I am afraid I do not understand. You have nothing to be sorry of. It is I who should apologize. I intruded on your peace and then proceeded to lecture on your mistakes. Forgive me, Saezer. It was very rude of me," she said blushing in embarrassment.

Picking her things back up again, she smiled at his offer of escort. "Nonsense, you are good a fighter! I put you a disadvantage. You were trying to be noble and I berated you for it. Allow me to be the one to make it up to you. I would be honored if you would join me at my table tonight. Our fare is not grand but, it fills the belly and warms the soul." She bowed her head adding hurriedly, "You do have to accept if you do not wish to. I am forcing it on you," she looked up quickly, stumbling over her words, "but nor am I saying that I do not want you to come. I do want you to come, it's just..." she sighed hanging her head and blushing a dark shade of rose.

[Casey]

Saezer listened patiently with an amused look on his face. "Oh, you're too kind," he responded sarcastically to her compliments on his fighting, implying that she was full of it. As she stumbled over her words nervously, it warmed something inside of him. He was not only surprised that she had apologized, but he was truly stunned that she'd accepted his offer to escort her, and went so far as to invite him to dinner. He was actively fighting a part of himself that said to turn it down because he'd only be unwanted company with her family, that he'd get in the way, that eventually they'd realize he wasn't worth their time.

He let her sit awkwardly in her own embarrassment, just because he thought it was slightly adorable. Then, to take the attention off of herself, he made the decision to share something he tended to keep to himself. He pulled his contacts out of his pocket which clinked around in his palm. He extended his hand to show her, "I call these color covers." When he had gotten her attention, he went on, "I paid a mage a pretty penny to make these. I told him I wanted to change the color of my eyes without permanence. He came up with the idea for these; he used his magic to mold the glass, and then imprinted the black onto them. It was fascinating work."

He felt the self-resentment and embarrassment rising up. He normally avoided talking about himself, or at least telling the truth about himself, at all costs. But something about her made him want to share. "I.. just thought you should know..." he stopped, and made up an excuse for telling her, "because I'd wear them around your family. I mean-- I do all the time, anyway. They had dirt in them earlier. That's why I'm not-- uh," he stopped trying to explain. Instead he poured his flagon of water over them and into his eyes to clear them, and then put both contacts in. It drastically changed his appearance between this and his hooded clothes.

"I'd be honored to join you for dinner," he ended finally, finding it hard to look her in the eyes. He was truly glad she'd asked, but he knew not how to act.

[GoblinFae]

Primrose immediately lost her embarrassment in the face of learning something new. With fascination glowing in her eyes she moved closer to inspect these "color covers."

"So they are made out of glass," she said. "That's incredible! I mean how did he get the glass this thing? Or was that magic too? What kind of mag-" she stopped, covering her mouth. "I am sorry, it really is fascinating to me. I'm a school teacher. Knowledge is my passion. Sometimes, I let it get the better of me, so much so that I become a bit rude. Forgive me, again," she giggled.

She watched him as he cleaned the covers off and replaced them in his eyes. 'I don't know why he hides them. He really does have beautiful eyes. Hush Prim! Say anything more and the surgeon is going to have to come to remove your foot for you!'

"Your actions are of no concern of mine. If that is what you feel you must do, then so be it." She saw the way he seemed to almost curl in on himself, like he was hiding himself by looking so strange. 'If he only knew. He probably draws more attention to himself this way than if he kept his normal appearance. But, who am I to say anything?'

"I understand. If it makes any difference though, there will be no family joining us. It would just be you and I."

'Great Prim! You're an idiot. Just make him feel more uncomfortable, why don't you!'

"My home is not far from here. It's on the outskirts of town but still next to the forest," she said changing the subject. She began to lead the way, wondering if he would follow after all.

In the distance a manor began to take shape. As far as noble houses go, it was on the small side. It still had all the things expected of a noble family, there were the stables, the gardens, the grand dining room, the observatory, and the multiple guestrooms. But, it still retained the warm, cozy feeling of a home.

[Casey]

As Saezer walked with Primrose, he felt himself getting lost in her words. It was nice to listen to someone else talk about themselves so freely. "I've heard knowledge is power," he replied. He liked her passion, and felt obligated to make her feel more at ease about it. Her comfort with who she was as a person, her instinctual knowledge of who she was, amazed him.

"The mage was actually an alchemist," he explained. He talked briefly about what his shop looked like: an eclectic mixture of magic items and strange scientific lab materials. Glass vials everywhere. "He was a strange man, but he was so inspired by his own idea that he broke one of his vials, and molded two of the shattered pieces."

He had to slow his gate drastically so she could keep up with him. He tried not to laugh when he watched her small steps. They probably weren't small, in reality. His steps were probably huge. He felt like he could lean on her like a cane if he got tired. When she mentioned it was just the two of them, he nearly let out an audible sigh of relief, but at the same time he felt a little nervous. He smiled and nodded. "What were you doing out in the woods, Miss Primrose? And where did you learn to sword fight like that?" he asked, in order to listen to her talk some more. The more he asked about her, the less time he'd have to talk about himself.

When they entered her home, he hung up his cloak but kept on his thick tunic, despite the warmth of the home. "Do you have a mirror in your house anywhere?" he asked as he pushed back his bi-colored hair.

[GoblinFae]

Primrose let them both into the house, smiling when she saw her things set "just so" for arrival. Despite giving the few servants she did employ, the day off, Jain had taken care of her anyway.

"A looking glass?" she asked as she hung her own cloak up. "I think we may have one in the guestroom. If you don't mind following me, we can go look. I have the servants the day off today, so it's only us here."

She led him upstairs and down hallways, winding her way to the guest wing. "I was in the forest teaching a group of children from town. Today's lesson was telling the differences between healing and killing toadstools. As for sword fighting," she sighed in memory. "My father taught me."

Changing the subject she asked, "would you like to clean up before dinner? I know that swordplay can work up a sweat. Not that I am saying you're sweaty and need to clean up-" she cut herself off thunking her head against the door. "I really just need to stop doing that," she said.

Primrose opened the door allowing Saezer to enter as well. "The looking glass is over there," she pointed out. "If you need anything else, please let me know." She gave a small bow before him. "I am at your service."

[Casey]

Her home, to him, was beautiful. It was quaint and homey, but too big for just her, in his opinion. He admired the way it was kept clean and ready for guests. It reflected that she wanted to be accommodating to anyone, no matter how unexpected. It was sweet.

'Her father...' he noted as her heard her sigh. It must be nice to have a father who wants to teach you swordsmanship. "Thank you," said he as he turned towards the looking glass. He winced and let out a sharp gasp. In his reflection he saw the blonde roots emerging from his scalp. Without realizing it, his hand had slammed into the door frame and was squeezing it so hard, his fingers and knuckles were turning white. With his free hand he ran it tensely through his hair. He grabbed onto a tuft and closed his eyes, breathing deeply.

Saezer held his breath for a few seconds, and then as he let it out, he let go of his hair and let his hand drop. He looked back at the looking glass and all he saw was Adrien. 'That bastard,' he swore to himself in his head. Before he could think about her reaction, he turned to Primrose and wrapped his arms around her. He closed his eyes against her reddish-gold hair. "Don't worry about the servants," he whispered to the top of her head, "I'm used to being independent."

After about half a minute he let her go. There was a tint of exhaustion in his voice when he asked, "Tell me a story about yourself, Primrose." He knew one thing that consistently made him feel less at war with himself: distraction. "Dinner?" he added as a side note as he turned to leave the guest room, trying to ignore what he'd just done.

[GoblinFae]

She froze as he pulled her close. She did not know what to do. His voice sounded almost longing as he whispered against her hair. Instinctively, she allowed her hands to come up and awkwardly embrace him back. 'What has happened to you, to make you this way Saezer? Colored covers, hair paint, layers of clothes that drown you, what is this longing this torment you hide?'

"A story?" she asked startled as she was released. "Uh well..." She grasped at straws trying to think of something to tell him. Leading him to the kitchen she began one of her youth. "When my father died, I went to live with my mother's family back in Serendipity, in Jadenshire. There I met a boy and his pet dog. I was six and he was almost eight. The three of us became inseparable. We used to sneak out of our homes and go play in the park that used to be nearby. We would chase each other and play pranks on each other and just generally get into a lot of trouble."

She led them into the kitchen and motioned for him to sit at the worn table. As she bustled about making food she continued her story. "Once, we had to attend this dinner party my uncle was having for some high-to-do noble family. Anyway, the family had this daughter who was just a complete snot. I couldn't spend any time with my friend the whole week because I had to entertain this thing. To free me from it, my friend helped me play a series of pranks on the girl. The best and grandest of the pranks was at dinner."

As the prank was explained, Primrose served the simple dinner of stew and fresh bread. Her eyes lit up as she discussed each detail and nuance of the fun she had. She hardly touched her food in her excitement to recount her tales.

[Casey]

Her patience and her willingness to appease him truly touched him. She had no reason to be so kind to a stranger, especially one who'd just violated her personal space without her consent. These thoughts were interrupted when she said, 'When my father died...' and he couldn't have been more grateful that she was walking ahead of him. Those words range in his head like bells of an alarm ringing against his eardrums. His eyes widened in shock, and he forgot to walk. But as fast as his reaction came, it went, and he quickened his pace to follow her.

When he sat down at the table and started eating, his gave Primrose his full attention. However, he couldn't help but reflect. 'What a fool I've been,' he thought to himself. He felt truly humbled by her. 'At least I have a father to resent. What I bet she wouldn't give to fight with hers now.' Her ability to be strong after such a loss was inspiring.

The stew warmed his stomach, and then his body. The bread filled him to contentment. He smiled throughout her story, and laughed at the appropriate moments. Her genuine good nature was so amiable, so remarkable. It was almost intoxicating to be allowed to share it, even if just for a childhood story. He sat back in a chair, unable to eat another bite. As she finished her story, he commented, "What a mischievous pair you made. Or perhaps still are? Where's your friend, now, m'lady?" he asked, and almost immediately regretted it. He had this irrational fear that he may be dead too. He didn't want to bring up topics that would upset her. A smile suited her much better.

[GoblinFae]

"No we are not the mischievous ones anymore. When I came back to Adela after my mother's death he stayed with his family in Jadenshine. I only saw him once more when I was fourteen and have not seen him since." She shrugged her shoulders as if to say that she did not mind. In truth she missed her friend very much.

"I have a new prank partner here in Ketra though. The son of one of my two servants. I will warn you to avoid opening closed doors. It usually means there is a bucket hanging precariously above, waiting to fall. She winked at him conspiratorially. Janus, my fellow prankster, lacks the creativity my friend had. But, he makes up for it with his timing." She laughed remembering past pranks.

"What of you? Are you much of a prankster?" she asked smiling crookedly and cleaning up the dishes.

[Casey]

Saezer started to cough to try to hide his shock. 'When my mother died...' His sympathy for her was growing. His eyes glazed over as he thought back to his own mother's death. He knew nothing of Jacklin Lefroy, really. He'd seen a portrait of her, but nothing more. Adrien wouldn't talk about her, not with him. He was snapped out of his thoughts at her question. "Ah, I cannot say I am. I'll admit, I haven't had the time for it. Work demands that uh-- I travel a lot," he explained cryptically.

He stood and walked over to Primrose. A shy smile thread through his lips, and he grabbed one of her hands gently. "I will only be on town for a few more days and then I must travel again," he began. "But it has been an honor to have met you. I hope it will not be the last. Thank you for all your hospitality. Now I must go." Saezer looked into her eyes, this time with more intensity, and as genuinely as he could manage, told her, "Your strength, your words and your passions will continue to inspire me, Primrose." And with that, he bowed deeply, kissed the top of her hand, and turned to leave.

Saezer felt his cheeks burning hot from the flush that rushed into his face. He did hope to meet her again, but maybe with the help of memories of her in mind, a better person. If he didn't know any better, he'd say he liked her.

[GoblinFae]

"Ah, all work and no play. That saddens my heart. Life is too short to spend all your days working yourself into the ground. You have to take the time to just," she sighed happily, "be free. Be yourself, and not worry about the world. My father was like that. He didn't care what other people thought about him." Primrose laughed.

"Oh. You're leaving?" she asked a bit crestfallen. 'What girl, you expected him to stay forever? Not everyone can live like you.' She blushed fiercely at his words.

Primrose moved quickly to follow his retreat. "Where are you staying?" She winced at how desperate she sounded. "I mean, perhaps we can see each other again. That is, if you would like to. If you don't want to, I understand. I know you probably are busy. Sorry to bother you," she said hanging her head.

[Casey]

"I'd like to be free," he whispered to himself with a bittersweet smile. He turned back and looked at her and couldn't help but notice how flattering the deep rosy colors in her cheeks was on her. "I'm staying not far from here. At the Dragon's Inn near the market," he explained, watching her self-conscious demeanor. He would like to see her again, but worried about how long it would be after he left Adela that he'd see her, if at all.

"If you'll have my company, I'd be honored to see you again. How about drinks and an actual scrimmage? Not in that order, of course. And uh, wooden swords. I'm still too sore from my defeat earlier to use real swords," he lied. Not that he wasn't sore, but he wanted to use wooden swords so she'd receive the least amount of damage as possible.

Saezer didn't want to risk telling her that despite how busy he was trying to scrape by for money and food, that he'd try to make time for her. Her presence had shed a light in his mind. It caused him to look at his relation with his father in a new way. He wasn't ready to be as comfortable with himself as she was with herself, but she'd pointed him in the right direction.

[GoblinFae]

"Wooden swords it is then. I think I still have a practice pair gathering dust somewhere. Is tomorrow too soon? Or do you think you will still be sore? I could bring lunch, we could have a bit of a picnic. That is if you want to. I do not wish to impose on you. I am sure you have more worthwhile things to do then entertain me. I am sorry, I am just being silly. Have a good evening, Saezer. It has been my pleasure to make your acquaintance and spend the evening with you!" Primrose called to him getting ready to shut the door.