Learning Anew

The sound of wood slapping flesh roughly echoed through the stone chambers, closely followed by a yelp of pain from Biara. Kyliska smirked and shook her head, shifting uncomfortably on her padded divan and trying to find the best position to watch the proceedings where her aching wounds would not trouble her. She brought a hand up, the apple she was holding making a loud crunching counterpoint to the silence that fell over the room. Beside her, the child Astariel sat up, her eyes wide as she watched the center of the floor before them.

Biara Sunfire lay on the ground, a practice mat beneath her having taken the brunt of the impact out of her fall. Above her stood Novae Summergale, House Sunfire's primary guard captain. The upright elf grunted, leaning down to offer Biara a hand and help her to her feet. The former Magistrix gratefully accepted the help, coming to stand unsteadily before Novae.

To Kyliska's eyes, the entire thing was an amazing and unbelievable situation. There they were, in a practice gym on the estate grounds, Biara wearing a leotard and standing barefoot in the center of the large hall, her hands clutching two small wooden daggers and a bruise forming on her upper arm and likely her right side beneath the stretchy fabric.

“Biara...maybe you should reconsider this idea...” Kyliska said hesitantly.

Biara firmly shook her head, her mouth falling into a grim line, “No. I am firm with this decision, Kyli. I have to do this for you, and for all of those in our House. Even it if takes years. Even if it's a little painful. Novae, start again. Do not 'go easy' on me please.”

Novae grinned, nodding and circling around Biara, her voice barking out like a drill sergeant's would, “Get into battle readiness! I want to see those daggers extended properly. Make sure you've got a good grip, and set your feet properly.”

As Kyliska took another bite of her apple, she watched with some amusement as Novae circled Biara, her wooden practice longsword reaching out to slap Biara's form here and there whenever the Captain found one of her limbs out of position. It was all Kyliska could do to not laugh outright when Novae slapped Biara's inner right thigh in an effort to get her to set her feet properly and the former Magistrix turned beet red.

“Good, you've memorized the basics of body posture. It will take some time before it becomes natural to you though,” Novae commented, looking her employer over critically. “Prepare yourself. Remember what we discussed about basic defense.”

“I am ready, Captain. Please begin,” Biara said firmly.

As Astariel cheered beside Kyliska, Novae launched into a blistering assault on Biara with her wooden weapon, the longsword moving quickly and firmly towards Biara's sides, head, and upper legs. To Biara's credit, she did manage to fend off several of the blows, the click of the wooden sword striking her wooden dagger echoing through the room even as she was forced to give up ground to the powerful Captain. After several more near misses and one miraculous (and lucky) dodge, the wooden longsword came down hard and fast from Biara's right, her wooden dagger just barely missing it in its arc. The flat, hard object struck Biara in the cheek, sending her reeling backwards and causing her to lose her grip on her own weapons as she tumbled to the mats once again.

“Oooo, sorry about that, Lady Sunfire,” Novae said. She actually winced as Biara rolled over and sat upright, displaying a large red mark across her cheek where she'd been smacked. “Maybe we should pause here so you can absorb your lessons for the day...”

Biara held up a hand, licking a bit of blood from a split in her lip and shaking her head, “No. We practice every day for three hours at a minimum. Every. Day. If this had been a real battle and I had been beside Kyliska, I would have fallen and then she would have fallen as well. Our lives depend on this, and I will put as much if not more effort into it than I did with my spell studies.”

With that, Biara dragged herself to her feet, bending down to pick up her wooden daggers and then falling into, surprisingly, the correct battle posture once more. “Begin again please.”

Novae grinned, studying Biara's posture before shaking her head, “You've got the basic defensive stance down. What we need to do is improve your agility so that you can better avoid blows. If you cannot use a sword like I or your sister do, then dodging attacks will be even more important. I know you are going to bring other experts in, but basic physical fitness is key here, and your training sessions will not simply involve being beaten with sticks all day.”

Biara blinked once, standing upright and relaxing a bit. As Novae set her wooden longsword aside, Biara put her own on the ground, her face curious, “What do you mean?”

Novae grinned, walking around behind Biara and taking her arms gently, putting them up above her head before placing her hands on her hips, “I mean basic gymnastics, Lady Sunfire. You ever do a cartwheel? You're about to do them until your head spins.”

The look on Biara's face was more than Kyliska could bear, and this time she did laugh despite the pain in her ribs and the aches of her wounds. As Astariel clapped happily beside her and cheered again, Kyliska's laughter echoed through the gymnasium.

It was going to be a long three hours today, and a long three hours every day for the next several months, not counting the sessions with other professionals that even now Biara had put out notices to hire.