LADY LAKEFROST'S PROTEGE - Closed to Aliceinchains36

[LustyQuill]

Shep Andrion

Young adult male - Tall build, mousy dirty blond hair, sinewey and muscular because all he's really known his life is farm labor. As a fighter he's a complete mystery. He's brave and has a comically overcompensating sense of chivalry and justice. With a sword he is strong, but clumsy and untrained. He does have a particular way with horses though. He might have been better suited for the life of a stableman or even a traveling show, but he is very stubbornly insistent about following the path of knighthood.

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It had been a long journey, but Shep had finally arrived at the outpost. After securing quarters and some feed for Steenhart, he made his way to the knights quarters in search of the noble warrior who would take him on as squire and protege. He clutched a ragged parchment in his hands. It had come to him many weeks ago by caravan; a simple missive with Lord Taggart's seal informing him of his acceptance into the Lord's Order of Knights. Why he would be sent so far away was no matter. Any opportunity to learn the ways of a warrior was a fine honor indeed.

He stood a moment on the doorstep of the knights quarters, witnessing the hustle and bustle of daily life, awaiting someone to notice him. This did not come to pass. After his limited patience was exhausted, Shep flagged down a rather large and gruff looking man.

"Excuse me sir."

The man turned to him, clearly put out to be accosted by a young man of such hovenly attire.

"What is it boy? Spit it out!"

"Um yes sir," Shep began. "I was summoned to squire in the Lord's Order. I was hoping you could tell me where I might find good Ser Lakefrost?"

"What boy?" the man said, suddenly bemused.

"Ser Lakefrost, sir"

"SER Lakefrost? Ha! Bwah ha ha ha ha!" he bellowed. "Tell me boy. How far have you come?"

"From Twin Meadows sir."

"Twin Meadows? You mean by the King's shire clear on the other side of the realm?"

"The same sir."

"Bwah ha ha ha ha!" The burly man was nearly falling over in hysterics.

"I fail to see what is so funny good sir," replied Shep, rather chagrined.

"That's because the joke's on you boy! There's no SER Lakefrost to be found here. Only Lakefrost is Lady Arin, a fraud, teller of tall tales, and a WOMAN! And a no-good one at that! Bwah ha ha ha!!"

Shep couldn't believe it. A woman? The Lord had summoned him to train with a woman? What sort of cruel jest was this?

"You're not serious sir..."

"Oh but I am!" he laughed, "Tell you what. You turn tail and run out of here and mayhaps you'll find your dignity on the long road back to Twin Meadows!"

With that he turned and walked away, laughing all the while. Shep stood in the doorway, still clutching his parchment. It started to rain...

 

[Aliceinchains36]

Arin watched her "squire" ride up. A farm boy who looked like he'd never even held a sword, let alone swung one. Another slap in the face from the Lord's Order. The king was a petty man who couldn't accept that his kingdom had been saved by a woman. This farm boy was just one more insult in a long line of petty attacks on her pride. But it didn't matter. Lady Arin was nothing if not tenacious, and when she was through with him, this boy would be the most skilled and respected knight in the realm.

After watching him interact with one of the other knights, Arin approached her charge, ignoring the rain that began to patter off of her armor. She walked up and stood silently behind him for a moment before speaking. "Don't look so crestfallen, boy. Ser Donnel there is a drunk who can barely fit into his armor." She said, her voice deep but very feminine. "He found it offensive when I wasn't thrilled to find him in my chambers. He was even more offended when I broke his arm. He holds a grudge I suppose." She said, circling around her new pupil, examining him as she spoke. "I don't know what you've been told about me, but forget all of it. I am a knight in all but name. If I had been born a man, I'd have my own house and keep by now. But because I'm a woman, I am ignored. So I work thrice as hard, train thrice as hard, because I have to prove I'm not only as good as the men in the Order, but that I'm better than them. If you train under me, I will work you harder than any squire in the Order. I will test your endurance and strength, both physically and mentally. In the beginning, you will hate me. But I promise you this, if you train under me you will be a great knight. A greater knight than if you had been trained by any other in the Order. So what say you? Will I be taking on an apprentice today, or will you return to your farm and live a life made of dirt and turnips?"

Arin didn't wait for his reply. She turned on her heel and made her way through the now pouring rain to the training yard. She waited at the weapon rack, curious to see what the farm boy would do.

 

[LustyQuill]

Shep watched as Lady Arin stormed out into the rain. He had hoped to be properly in awe of his new master, but had never envisioned it would be a woman. Yet still, he was in awe. To say that Ser Donnel was a proper knight but Arin was not seemed a travesty. He knew in the core of his being that women were not warriors and could never be noble knights. This was simply a truth that was universally understood. Yet at the same time, he was instantly confident that given a 100 tries Ser Donnel would not once best Lady Arin in a fair fight.

What good were universal truths with such a clear and stark contradiction before him? It seemed a right predicament. Shep had come all this way to train under a valiant and capable knight. It was his dream made manifest. That it should be a woman was no matter, he decided. She offered him exactly what he was seeking and it was inarguably better than than a long fruitless ride back to Twin Meadows.

Certainly he would be ridiculed for taking up her offer. Certainly he had been summoned all this way merely to insult her. She wasn't having it and so Shep decided, neither would he.

Stuffing the parchment into his pocket, he strode out into the rain. Hecklers be damned. Nobody would be laughing once he mastered the sword.

He approached the weapons rack where Arin stood watching him. Not sure what to do, he bowed slightly.

"M'lady?"

 

[Aliceinchains36]

Arin cracked a smile as she watched the farm boy follow her into the rain. Good, he wasn't a fool. By the time he arrived at the training yard, her face had returned to its normal stoic expression. "Good decision." She said to him as he bowed to her. "There's no need for bowing and titles. Call me Arin. I'll learn your name when you impress me." She said, removing the impressive great-sword from her back. She planted the tip of the blade in the mud, and grasped the pommel with both hands. Standing next to her, the immense sword stood almost as tall as she did.

"This is my sword, Starrender. I've had it since I completed my training. As you can see, it's a great sword. Most knights couldn't wield a weapon like this in combat for more than a few minutes. It takes incredible strength and endurance to use and control. But, in my opinion, with the proper training it is the best weapon a knight can have. However, I can sufficiently train you with any weapon you choose. We'll start with your main weapon, and once you're suitably sufficient with it, we'll move on to others. Take a few moments to chose a weapon, then show me what you can do." She said, pointing to the rack filled with a wide variety of different weapons.

Arin moved away from her squire as he looked over the weapons. She stretched out in preparation, before taking a ready stance as the farm boy approached her with his weapon of choice. "Alright boy. Show me what you can do. Try to hit me." She commanded, holding her heavy blade in both hands out in front of her.

 

[LustyQuill]

Shep looked at the rack of weapons before him. He recognized most of them: spear, halberd, mace, short sword, long sword, bastard sword, great sword, partisan... Any one of them would be formidable in the hands of a trained warrior. They all intimidated him - implements of certain impending failure.

He looked over at Lady Arin standing ready in her rough, battle-worn armor. She easily hefted Starrender, pointing it just skyward above his head. It must weigh at least 20 stone, a burden he would have trouble lifting let alone wielding competently in combat.

For a sword with such giant reach, it seemed a longer stabbing weapon would offer him his best chance; a partisan or spear. He immediately dismissed the idea. This would be a contest he would surely lose. The point was not to pick the weapon that would win it, but to pick the weapon he would eventually come to master.

Shep reached over and grabbed the long sword. It was heavier than he anticipated, but not so much so that he couldn't steady it aloft in front of him. Arin watched him carefully as he tried to take a warrior stance with it - something he knew nothing about but could mimic somewhat convincingly.

Arin was clearly growing impatient. Not wanting to displease her more than necessary, Shep decided to get on with it. With two hands, he raised the long sword to chest level jutting out parallel to the ground.

With a grunted, "HA!" he charged at Arin.

She barely moved, merely shifting her stance rightward. Starrender met the tip of his blade and sent him careening past her and into the dirt.

 

[Aliceinchains36]

Arin watched as her apprentice broadcasted his attack from a mile away. She easily sidestepped and sent him face first into the mud. "That was a good try. If you want to die with your opponent laughing at you." She said, watching him stand up. "Try again. This time don't make your attack so obvious. Your goal is for your opponent not to know where your sword is going to hit. Holding it like a spear, yelling, and charging, are not good ways to use a long sword." She explained. "Hold your sword next to you with the tip towards the sky. Stand with your legs apart, right foot forward, knees slightly bent. Like this." She demonstrated the stance, waiting for him to copy it. She studied him for a moment, before approaching and kicking his leg so that his stance was a little wider. "Good, now swing the sword downward, and instead of trying to stop it and bring it back to the starting position, use the momentum to carry into a second strike." She explained, showing him the technique. She watched him copy the swing, matching the way her sword moved, in the basic pattern. "Not bad. You're too stiff, and your swing is graceless, but that will come with time." She said, assuming the ready position she just showed him. "Try to hit me again."

 

[LustyQuill]

Shep tried to focus through his embarrassment and absorb what Arin was actually trying to teach him. He quickly learned that his most costly failures would be from his attitude and not his techniques.

They spent the rest of the afternoon training on the long sword. Shep was completely exhausted, sweating from head to toe. Arin shared none of that, looking more bored than tired.

"Again. Try it again," she commanded over and over, each time easily dismissing his attack. By the end of the day, she was actually moving her sword to deflect some of his attacks; a small progress.

"That's enough for today," Arin said bringing Starrender to rest.

'Oh thank the Maker'

Shep collapsed, falling to one knee in the dirt. He leaned on his sword to stay upright.