Claymore and Dagger (closed)

[KieranSoares]

"Old an' boring, huh?" Well, yer about the age when I started bein' old an' boring, so this'll suit you down t'the ground. Best start early." Sam would gladly carry through with his talk about making her join the recruits.

As they arrived to see the men picking up bows for archery practice, Sam dismounted after a nod to the commanding officer and helped Ashelin down too. "Jonas, get a bow for Ashelin. Three foot. And my bow."

"Yes sir," a corporal saluted and jogged away to the nearby armory. He soon returned with the bows and a quiver each. Sam's was of his own making, crafted from a beautiful dark wood and laid with a leather handle and iron-capped ends. The arrows were all his own making too, made of the same dark wood, shaped heads, and feathers from a Scottish breed of hawk. The quiver had been a gift from Suara Corel, a hard leather cylinder decorated with iron and etched leather in patterns depicting a great battle between Erygonians and demons.

Ashelin was given a plain child's training bow and a leather quiver with white-fletched arrows, and a target was set up for them. Sam knew all too well that Ashelin had only had sparse training with weapons up to this point, even less than Heather who could hit a bottle with a sling at thirty paces.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Sam..." Ashelin complained as he took her to the archery range with him, calling for a small bow for her as well as his own. "I don't want to learn how to be a soldier."

Ashelin was interested in courtly things, manners and dresses. She wanted to serve in her sister's court at some point, but she still had a long way to go to get there. Kate would make her work hard for that position.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Even court ladies need t'know how t'defend themselves. What if somethin' happens in Edinburgh? D'you want t'be one o' the women cowerin' in the corner at yer attackers' leisure, or pickin' up a blade t'help Kate an' Kell? Because I'll tell ya right now, Kate won' sit by even when she's Queen. An' I'd never forgive myself if any o' my sisters left home without knowin' how t'fight back when some old duke decides t'try to take advantage of them." Sam spoke without looking at Ashelin, nocking an arrow and letting it go after the last word and landing a nearly perfect bullseye.

"Y'know, Ma's a fine fencer. Da taught 'er after Ciaran was born. She knew she would need it. And it served 'er well in the wars an' when she was in danger. Even if she's never outright fought, she has th'training t'react when she's threatened, rather than freeze 'r run away. Nothin' gets you out danger faster'n a blade t'yer attacker's neck."

Sam then looked down at Ashelin with a small smile. "And both Ma and Kate want you to at least know how to handle a bow and blade. They know it's practical anyway."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Heather doesn't have to know." Ashelin muttered as she looked down at the bow in her hands, sighing as she drew an arrow from her quiver and worked to nock it against the string.

She often didn't say much about her twin sister's disability. It had been that way since before she could remember. However, sometimes Ashelin did resent the attention placed on Heather. It took her Ma and her Da away from her more often than not. She loved her sister and they were still incredibly close, but she sometimes wished that Heather weren't blind for incredibly selfish reasons.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Yes she does, just not yet. She can't get t'these things as quickly as you. She only just started riding alone." Sam knew Ashelin and Heather could resent each other like any siblings, but there had always been a rift between the two when it came to certain things. Perhaps the reason Ashelin was so social was because Heather had needed more attention from their parents.

"Here, love," Sam murmured, showing her how to hold the bow straight out and draw the arrow back to her cheek with good form. "Aim down t'arrowshaft, an' let it jus' slip from yer fingers, almos' surprise yerself when it goes."

 

[heartofcourage]

Ashelin listened to her brother's instruction, pulling the arrow back and letting it go. It hit the ground far short of the target and she let out a little sigh.

"Do you sometimes wish Rho were normal?" Ashelin asked as she pulled out another arrow. "Like he had never lost his arm?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"I used to..." Sam sighed. "But it was for my own sake, not 'is. Sort o' like you with Heather, but fer a different reason. It was my fault 'e lost it. I wanted 'im back t'normal so I could quit feelin' guilty. But you want Heather t'see so you don' 'ave t'come up so much time with Ma an' Da, huh?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"Maybe." Ashelin murmured, not wanting to admit it. "She's always with Papa and Ma and Da. Carol's Gran pays more attention to me. I like it there more."

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam made Ashelin lower her bow and face him. "Ash... you know they love you, don' you? They're just tryin' t'get Heather t'where she can stand on 'er own. Then they won' have t'worry so much about her when she's on 'er own."

 

[heartofcourage]

Ashelin wanted to look anywhere but at him in that moment. When he forced her, she let out a long sigh and nodded that she knew her parents loved her.

"I know they do. She just needs more attention." She murmured softly.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I know it's tough, love. But it'll come right. The best thing y'can do is help 'em. Heather's so shaky on her own outside th'keep an' our family. I know she can' do a lot o' things you can, but she still likes to explore, an' she loves ridin' an' bein' out on the loch. Once she's comfortable on her own, Ma an' Da won't have t'worry about 'er so much. An' besides tha', they'd really appreciate not havin' t'worry so much especially what with Da's health."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Heather doesn't like my friends. She's always silent and cranky when I take her to the village with me." Ashelin said, looking up at Sam as he told her that their parents needed help with her sister. "She just sits off on her own and won't join in."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I'll talk to her about it, but y'have t'remember tha' she can't keep up like Van. She isn' quite that good at it yet." Sam pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Now, if y'can hit th'target three times, I'll talk Ciaran into some new dance lessons for ya, aye?" He knew it was one thing the two had bonded over most, and Ciaran loved teaching his little sister about courtly manners and activities, dancing most of all.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Really?" Ashelin asked with a grin as Sam promised to have Ciaran teach her more about dancing if she could hit the target three times.

She tried her hardest to hit the target, struggling with the bow as she grew tired. She was as stubborn as her siblings, however, and soon she had hit the target, albeit off center, three times.

 

[KieranSoares]

Sam corrected her form little by little even as her untrained arms grew tired. When the last shot thudded into the straw target, Ashelin got a round of applause from the recruits who'd become interested in watching their general's little sister practice, and Sam knelt to kiss her cheek and he took her bow and quiver for her. "Alright, love. You're free. I'll talk t'Ciaran tonight."

 

[heartofcourage]

Ashelin hugged her brother around the neck and returned his kiss on the cheek before she scampered off to go find something else to do. More than likely she would make her way to the were village. She knew the path by heart and the patrols would make sure that she made it to Carol's house safely.

 

[KieranSoares]

About that same time, Julia received a surprise visit from her other twin's beloved. A new young girl came to Julia's parlor and knocked on the open door lightly. "Madam, Miss Naiya has asked to see you." She stepped out of the way for the sleek and confident fox.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Come in, dear." Julia said with a smile as she welcomed the fox into her parlor. "Would you ask Siobhan for some tea?"

Siobhan was learning to take over the kitchen duties from Chessie, the young girl just as good a cook and organized as her mentor. Chessie had practically adopted the young girl from Hara when she was a young cub.

 

[KieranSoares]

"Yes, ma'am," the maid nodded and went off to the kitchen.

Naiya, despite her usual confidence, seemed a bit nervous and out of her element as she took a seat across from Julia. "Sorry to bother you, Julia."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Never be sorry for coming to see me." Julia said as Naiya seemed incredibly nervous about talking to her. "How can I help you, love?"

 

[KieranSoares]

"I... well, I don't want to disappoint you or break Rhodan's heart, but... I don't know if I want to get married." Naiya wasn't going to beat around the bush about the issue despite how afraid she was that the Ghis would hate her.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Why? Has something happened?" Julia asked, concerned that this woman was about to break her son's heart.

 

[KieranSoares]

"It's nothing necessarily new, but... I think it just hit me yesterday that marrying Rho means I would become a part of the royal family... maybe even a queen. I don't know if I can give up that much freedom or take on that kind of responsibility. Even if I didn't take the title, I'd still have a lot of people relying on me."

 

[heartofcourage]

"It is daunting." Julia said as the young woman confessed that she didn't know if she could be a queen. "And it is very rewarding. I never thought that I would make a good queen and I couldn't have done it without help. You'll never be alone."

 

[KieranSoares]

"Would... would you all be disappointed if I married him but didn't take the title?" Naiya asked softly, like a cub who was certain she was in terrible trouble.