NaNoWriMo 2010 - Nov 14
Nov 13 should have been a good day, but we had a mouse, so the cleaning up after it distracted us from writing. Unfortunately, the 14th didn't quite make up for that.
This was also about the point where I decide Aislin was boring (and I kept forgetting to write Silas into the story), so I switched to Eydis for a while.
Nov 14: 3057
Total: 20410
Nearly a week later, Birgir stopped and gestured expansively to the valley below him. “So!” he exclaimed, and Aislin looked down to see what he was exclaiming about and gasped.
Snow covered the mountains, enough that Birgir had made them all wear strange wide hoops laced around to make a netting across the loop on their feet. He called them snow shoes, and they worked for walking on snow, if you ignore the aching pains it gave your legs. Snow crawled down the sides of the valley where they stood, then inexplicably lightened and eventually melted. The stream running down the valley was burbling happily and, most oddly, Aislin swore she could see steam rising off the pool near the center of the village.
“What...?” she mumbled in confusion. “Why is all the snow gone? Is that pool actually steaming, or is it just that cold? How? Magic?”
“No magic at all. Just the gods own blessings. The water is always warm, and the ground never lets snow stay on it for long before it melts. It's perpetually warm and clear here.”
“Do you never get storms or something?” She looked around, but the valley didn't look any different than any of the other ones they'd passed through, and they were all covered in snow.
“No, we get storms as much as anyone else. The snow simply doesn't like it here. I thought you'd like that.”
Aislin nodded slowly, still staring in awe at the scene ahead of her. Silas put his arm around her and whispered into her ear, “I still think it's magic.” He grinned down at her.
Trekking carefully down the path, Aislin stared around in wonder as the snow gradually lightened and soon gave way to bare brown earth and grey stones. “This is, this is amazing!” she exclaimed. “You and Eydis knew about this? Silas? What causes it? It can't just be the blessing of the gods, or at least there must be a tale to go with it!”
Birgir shrugged. “The water is always hot in the pool, and the land around it is always warm. We think the fires of Elður spread beyond it's heights, and are burning under the ground here, controlled by the mercy of Elður himself. We settled here generations ago, and no one quite knows when or how it was discovered, though Mikkel-” he cut of and turned away suddenly, and Aislin regretted asking the question. Espen had known most of the tribe's stories, and she hadn't thought that Mikkel might know most of his tribe's stories.
Eydis patted him on the shoulder, and in a moment Birgir faced them again, his emotions apparently under control. “Come, I will introduce you to my family, and Tyra, who will know what to do with you, young warrior.” Eydis preened at the name.
They had been seen some time ago, and Tyra was waiting when they came to the main hall. To Aislin's surprise, Tyra turned out to be an old woman, still tall and straight despite her short, white hair and wrinkled face. She stood with the aid of a cane, and two looks at it determined that Aislin didn't want to anger the wielder of it. It looked very solid and painful to be on the receiving end of. Around her neck were several necklaces, none of which matched. Of the ones Aislin could make out, one was had heavy painted wooden beads, another was delicate silver that looked like it was spun, another had the claws of some ferocious beast, and another was braided leather with bright stone beads woven in.
Eydis stopped a short distance away from the old woman grabbed Aislin and Silas to stop as well. Birgir went a few steps forward and bowed to Tyra.
“What news do you bring of Mikkel?” she asked, straight to the point.
Birgir bowed his head. “Mikkel's spirit has been claimed by the gods and by LYNXGOD.” Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a knife and presented it to her. “Here is the knife that killed him.”
The old woman took it, examined it, and gave it back to him. “So it is.” She let out a long, ululating cry of mourning, and a shiver went down Aislin's spine as everyone within hearing cried out as well. It stopped as suddenly as it started, and Aislin resisted the urge to twitch and look around.
Less formally, Tyra asked. “Who do you bring to the village?”
Birgir stepped back and introduced them, Aislin and Silas as refugee bards, and Eydis as a young warrior from FIRSTTRIBE looking to travel the world and perfect her craft. She didn't blush, but Aislin could see that Eydis was pleased with the compliment that she was perfecting it, not still learning.
After introductions, Birgir led the to his family's home. His parents were dead, but his sister and her husband and children lived there now. Eydis was painfully awkward around the young children, but Aislin sat down in the middle of the floor and started playing nonsense games with them, hiding behind her hands and playing peek-a-boo with the youngest, and practicing with wooden daggers with the oldest. Laughing, Aislin soon conceded that the oldest, who was probably no more than twelve, was better than her with weapons.
Eydis, rapidly bored with children's games, asked Birgir for directions to Hakon's place.
“He's probably away hunting. If he's here, he'll be at the main hall with Tyra. I should probably join you, as I have much to discuss with her.” He paused, looking at Aislin playing with the youngest again and thinking. “Aislin, perhaps you should join us this evening for dinner. Silas, you are invited as well. In the mean time, please enjoy my sister's hospitality.”
Eydis fingered her knife nervously, eagerly. She had heard tales of Hakon, fighting off invading warriors with his deadly accurate bow, and then retaliating in the dead of night by sneaking into their camp and leaving deadly exploding presents behind. He was supposed to be blessed by the gods themselves, for there were even stories of him controlling fire to attack his enemies at a distance beyond even bows.
Tyra was inside the main hall, her back to them and talking with several other people, when Eydis and Birgir arrived. A man in the group saw them enter and hailed Birgir over. He briefly introduced her to everyone there, but she only really heard one name.
He was shorter than she expected. He was only about as tall as she was, and she wasn't particularly tall. His dark brown hair was tied back, and his beard and mustache were neatly groomed. She counted the weapons on him, and came up with the obvious bow, arrows and knife, and thought she saw another dagger or two hidden. She felt his blue eyes glance at her and dismiss her as not a threat before he returned his gaze to Tyra and his focus to the conversation.
“Have we gained any shape changers since I left?” Birgir asked, and Tyra shook her head.
“None. We sent out word before the snows, when you left, but no one has any that are willing to join us.”
“Do we have anyone willing to undergo the ceremony? Or any shape changers willing to aid them in this? Wasn't Mikkel training someone before he left?”
Eydis stopped staring in awe at Hakon and paid attention the conversation. Was Mikkel their only shape changer, and now that he was gone, they had none? Dire indeed.
“He was, but we had a sickness pass through during the winter. TRAINEE died, as did several others, so we are left with no one who knows enough to undergo the ceremony.”
Birgir frowned in thought, as did most of the people in the circle. When no one spoke up with any ideas, Tyra turned to Birgir. “You have not told us the details of what happened with Mikkel. You left before the winter snows when Mikkel disappeared from his rooms.” She invited him to continue the story.
Birgir drew himself up and continued. “He snuck out during the night. I found where he changed only a few hours away, far enough that we wouldn't have heard it. The weather remained thankfully clear for several days while I tracked him. I found several animals he had killed and eaten, but no evidence that he encountered any animals other than prey. Shortly before the winter storms started, I caught up with him and attempted to bind him, but he escaped. I chased him, where he ran into FIRSTTRIBE's winter home and was delayed by their shape changer and others in the village. We bound him, and tended to his injuries. Espen, their fox, was of the judgement that he could be encouraged to change back to human, but that he was probably too far gone to make another successful change. I conveyed Mikkel's wishes to stay as a lynx when he died. The ceremony was done that evening, with Eydis as my witness.”
Startled, Eydis managed, “I witnessed the ceremony of Mikkel's death.” She hoped she didn't sound too much of a fool in front of Hakon.
“It was too late for me to attempt a journey back here unless the need was extremely great, which I concluded it was not. I wintered with FIRSTTRIBE, where I met my companions from this morning.”
“And why did they join you?” Hakon's voice was deeper than she expected.
“Aislin and Silas are both bards, fleeing the change in rulers in their country across the mountains to the west, Tirhaine. Both of them have encountered the new leader, Cahir, and disagree strongly with his leadership for reasons best left to them to explain. Aislin joined FIRSTTRIBE when the southern traders returned, and Silas rejoined them only a couple weeks before I left.
“Eydis is an aspiring warrior and hunter, and wishes to train outside her tribe. She heard of our warriors and received permission to join my trip home.”
Hakon raised an eyebrow looking at her, a smile quirking his mouth. “Heard of our warriors, did she? Are you hoping to train with me?”
Eydis nodded, meeting his gaze as confidently as she could manage. His reputation was intimidating, and the real thing did nothing to dissuade it.
“Shall we spar this evening?” Recognizing the test, Eydis agreed, and he nodded in satisfaction. Eydis sent a brief prayer - whether of hope or thankfulness she wasn't sure - to the gods.
“If I am satisfied, you may join me tomorrow to train, then hunt.”
Her heart suddenly pounding with excitement, Eydis nodded. Hakon returned to the more important issue at hand.
“Should we send someone in person to the nearest tribes, and ask them to relay our request for a shape changer? Or, at the very least, a trainee and a mentor? Surely our allies will lend us aid, especially with ENEMYTRIBE so near, and potentially readying to attack now that the winter is over and Mikkel is gone.”
“A reasonable idea,” Tyra concluded. “I will see who wants to travel.”
Someone else laughed. “You'll get half the tribe volunteering, this soon after winter!”
That evening, Eydis ate ravenously, resisting the urge to finger her dagger. Hakon had said that evening. It was that evening. He must mean after dinner. Aislin and Silas were talking quietly between themselves, too quietly to be heard over the general roar of the main hall. Tyra, Hakon and Silas appeared to be engaged in another serious conversation at the head of the table. She supposed it was serious business, not having a shape changer. No one to commune with the gods and warn them of attacks and predict the storms that experience couldn't predict, or fight off enemy tribes. A lynx in particular must have been a good ally during war, and they'd mentioned ENEMYTRIBE.
“So, where did you go this afternoon,” Silas asked, leaning around Aislin with his arm around her. “You seemed awfully eager to leave.”
Eydis shrugged. “I vounched for Birgir's word when he spoke with Tyra,” she said. “And I talked to Hakon.”
“Isn't her the one that you were so excited about?” Aislin asked, and Eydis nodded.
“Then I'm sure you'll do fine!” Silas encouraged. She shrugged. Something bugged her about Silas, but she couldn't put a finger on what it was. Maybe it was how he treated Aislin, though Aislin clearly adored him, so she figured it was none of her business. He seemed too busy trying to make everyone like him for her taste, like he had something to hide.
Glancing at the other end of the table, she noticed that Hakon had disappeared.
“Are you done your food?” A voice spoke behind her and she turned to face it. It was Hakon, of course.
“Nearly,” she replied, and quickly ate the rest. “Now I am.”
“Are you ready to practice?” he asked, and she nodded.
“What's this?” Aislin asked, and Eydis told her that Hakon had asked to spar with her, for practice. “Better you than me! Good luck,” she said with a smile.
They cleared a space near the back of the room, away from the fire and the door and both drew their knives. His was much plainer than she expected, and much better worn than hers was. The blade had signs of use, and resharpening, as did the handle. For that matter, so did his hands, though hers were mostly unadorned with scars from nicking herself with a knife.
They bowed, and their spar began.
Hakon didn't bother moving, not even to get into stance. Eydis sunk into her stance and approached, making a lunge to test his reaction.
She didn't see him move, but her knife only hit air, and she managed to block his retaliation. More cautious this time, she made a few tentative swipes, which he blocked easily. To her immense frustration, every attack she threw at him was effortlessly blocked without him appearing to move. He eventually settled into a fighter's stance, instead of the relaxed standing pose he held at the beginning of the fight, but barely moved except to follow her motions and deflect her attacks and make a retaliation. He didn't offer any attacks of his own.
Reigning in her frustration, Eydis decided to try the same tactic, waiting for him to attack, inviting it even. He smiled when he saw what she was doing and obliged with a slight nod.
Suddenly, she was hard pressed to defend herself from the swift assault. His knife seemed to be everywhere, feinting one place before striking another, and if she didn't block the feint it became a real attack. She stepped back several times and took a quick breath, willing her body to relax. Her eyes unfocused slightly, and she let her body take control.
Responding as best she could to his onslaught, she blocked and dodged, looking for an opening to retaliate. Finally, she saw it.
Dropping from a block, she lunged again, striking for his arm.
He blocked it, but smiled at her, and promptly resumed his attack.
Another opening appeared, and she took it, unsuccessfully again. Several more appeared, where they hadn't been before, and Eydis frowned at him. She was sure he was giving her the openings to test her, and didn't enjoy being toyed with.
Finally, Hakon smiled at her again, and executed a strike and twist with his blade that she couldn't quite see, and her knife went flying out of her hand.
She dived after it, grabbed it, rolled, and came up facing him, but it was too late. He came out of his roll inside her guard, blocked her attack, and stopped with his knife against her neck.
“Not bad,” he murmured and stepped back.
Eydis became aware of the silence in the hall, and looked around. A ring of observers started whispering and she saw bets being paid out. She flushed deeply at the audience's presence, but remembered to bow to Hakon, who returned it.
“What was that trick?” she demanded. “How did you disarm me?”
His grin broadened. “I knew you'd ask that,” he said. “Attack me.”
She did so, and her knife went flying again. She didn't chase after it this time, merely went to retrieve it. “Slower,” she told him.
Another smile, and he obliged, showing her the trick slowly. She nodded in understanding, and tried it on him. Nothing happened. She frowned and tried it again, with the same result.
“It works on surprise and speed,” he told her. “You'll have to use it in your next fight. Do you wish to join me tomorrow to hunt? We will be gone overnight.”
Eydis' could have jumped from excitement, her frustration at losing and inability to learn his trick banished. “I would be honored,” she said. He bowed to her and disappeared into the crowd. She stared after him, not quite sure to say. Unless she was very mistaken, he had just invited her to train with him.
“That was amazing!” Aislin appeared next to her. “I could barely follow what you were doing, but it was amazing to watch. And you're going to train with him?”
Eydis nodded, beaming at her friend and ignoring the man behind her.
Another voice spoke up next to her. “That was very impressive. I think you even impressed him,” Birgir said. “And he is rarely impressed.”
“Honestly?”
Birgir nodded. “You're certainly not the first to ask to train with him, and he always asks for a spar. People were placing bets on how long it would take you to get defeated, and the people that bet on you lasting are happy tonight.”
Eydis flushed even deeper red. “Thank you?” she replied.
“You're welcome. You're better than most, you realize.”
Eydis had no response, and Birgir stopped with the compliments that were making her blush.
This was also about the point where I decide Aislin was boring (and I kept forgetting to write Silas into the story), so I switched to Eydis for a while.
Nov 14: 3057
Total: 20410
Nearly a week later, Birgir stopped and gestured expansively to the valley below him. “So!” he exclaimed, and Aislin looked down to see what he was exclaiming about and gasped.
Snow covered the mountains, enough that Birgir had made them all wear strange wide hoops laced around to make a netting across the loop on their feet. He called them snow shoes, and they worked for walking on snow, if you ignore the aching pains it gave your legs. Snow crawled down the sides of the valley where they stood, then inexplicably lightened and eventually melted. The stream running down the valley was burbling happily and, most oddly, Aislin swore she could see steam rising off the pool near the center of the village.
“What...?” she mumbled in confusion. “Why is all the snow gone? Is that pool actually steaming, or is it just that cold? How? Magic?”
“No magic at all. Just the gods own blessings. The water is always warm, and the ground never lets snow stay on it for long before it melts. It's perpetually warm and clear here.”
“Do you never get storms or something?” She looked around, but the valley didn't look any different than any of the other ones they'd passed through, and they were all covered in snow.
“No, we get storms as much as anyone else. The snow simply doesn't like it here. I thought you'd like that.”
Aislin nodded slowly, still staring in awe at the scene ahead of her. Silas put his arm around her and whispered into her ear, “I still think it's magic.” He grinned down at her.
Trekking carefully down the path, Aislin stared around in wonder as the snow gradually lightened and soon gave way to bare brown earth and grey stones. “This is, this is amazing!” she exclaimed. “You and Eydis knew about this? Silas? What causes it? It can't just be the blessing of the gods, or at least there must be a tale to go with it!”
Birgir shrugged. “The water is always hot in the pool, and the land around it is always warm. We think the fires of Elður spread beyond it's heights, and are burning under the ground here, controlled by the mercy of Elður himself. We settled here generations ago, and no one quite knows when or how it was discovered, though Mikkel-” he cut of and turned away suddenly, and Aislin regretted asking the question. Espen had known most of the tribe's stories, and she hadn't thought that Mikkel might know most of his tribe's stories.
Eydis patted him on the shoulder, and in a moment Birgir faced them again, his emotions apparently under control. “Come, I will introduce you to my family, and Tyra, who will know what to do with you, young warrior.” Eydis preened at the name.
They had been seen some time ago, and Tyra was waiting when they came to the main hall. To Aislin's surprise, Tyra turned out to be an old woman, still tall and straight despite her short, white hair and wrinkled face. She stood with the aid of a cane, and two looks at it determined that Aislin didn't want to anger the wielder of it. It looked very solid and painful to be on the receiving end of. Around her neck were several necklaces, none of which matched. Of the ones Aislin could make out, one was had heavy painted wooden beads, another was delicate silver that looked like it was spun, another had the claws of some ferocious beast, and another was braided leather with bright stone beads woven in.
Eydis stopped a short distance away from the old woman grabbed Aislin and Silas to stop as well. Birgir went a few steps forward and bowed to Tyra.
“What news do you bring of Mikkel?” she asked, straight to the point.
Birgir bowed his head. “Mikkel's spirit has been claimed by the gods and by LYNXGOD.” Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a knife and presented it to her. “Here is the knife that killed him.”
The old woman took it, examined it, and gave it back to him. “So it is.” She let out a long, ululating cry of mourning, and a shiver went down Aislin's spine as everyone within hearing cried out as well. It stopped as suddenly as it started, and Aislin resisted the urge to twitch and look around.
Less formally, Tyra asked. “Who do you bring to the village?”
Birgir stepped back and introduced them, Aislin and Silas as refugee bards, and Eydis as a young warrior from FIRSTTRIBE looking to travel the world and perfect her craft. She didn't blush, but Aislin could see that Eydis was pleased with the compliment that she was perfecting it, not still learning.
After introductions, Birgir led the to his family's home. His parents were dead, but his sister and her husband and children lived there now. Eydis was painfully awkward around the young children, but Aislin sat down in the middle of the floor and started playing nonsense games with them, hiding behind her hands and playing peek-a-boo with the youngest, and practicing with wooden daggers with the oldest. Laughing, Aislin soon conceded that the oldest, who was probably no more than twelve, was better than her with weapons.
Eydis, rapidly bored with children's games, asked Birgir for directions to Hakon's place.
“He's probably away hunting. If he's here, he'll be at the main hall with Tyra. I should probably join you, as I have much to discuss with her.” He paused, looking at Aislin playing with the youngest again and thinking. “Aislin, perhaps you should join us this evening for dinner. Silas, you are invited as well. In the mean time, please enjoy my sister's hospitality.”
Eydis fingered her knife nervously, eagerly. She had heard tales of Hakon, fighting off invading warriors with his deadly accurate bow, and then retaliating in the dead of night by sneaking into their camp and leaving deadly exploding presents behind. He was supposed to be blessed by the gods themselves, for there were even stories of him controlling fire to attack his enemies at a distance beyond even bows.
Tyra was inside the main hall, her back to them and talking with several other people, when Eydis and Birgir arrived. A man in the group saw them enter and hailed Birgir over. He briefly introduced her to everyone there, but she only really heard one name.
He was shorter than she expected. He was only about as tall as she was, and she wasn't particularly tall. His dark brown hair was tied back, and his beard and mustache were neatly groomed. She counted the weapons on him, and came up with the obvious bow, arrows and knife, and thought she saw another dagger or two hidden. She felt his blue eyes glance at her and dismiss her as not a threat before he returned his gaze to Tyra and his focus to the conversation.
“Have we gained any shape changers since I left?” Birgir asked, and Tyra shook her head.
“None. We sent out word before the snows, when you left, but no one has any that are willing to join us.”
“Do we have anyone willing to undergo the ceremony? Or any shape changers willing to aid them in this? Wasn't Mikkel training someone before he left?”
Eydis stopped staring in awe at Hakon and paid attention the conversation. Was Mikkel their only shape changer, and now that he was gone, they had none? Dire indeed.
“He was, but we had a sickness pass through during the winter. TRAINEE died, as did several others, so we are left with no one who knows enough to undergo the ceremony.”
Birgir frowned in thought, as did most of the people in the circle. When no one spoke up with any ideas, Tyra turned to Birgir. “You have not told us the details of what happened with Mikkel. You left before the winter snows when Mikkel disappeared from his rooms.” She invited him to continue the story.
Birgir drew himself up and continued. “He snuck out during the night. I found where he changed only a few hours away, far enough that we wouldn't have heard it. The weather remained thankfully clear for several days while I tracked him. I found several animals he had killed and eaten, but no evidence that he encountered any animals other than prey. Shortly before the winter storms started, I caught up with him and attempted to bind him, but he escaped. I chased him, where he ran into FIRSTTRIBE's winter home and was delayed by their shape changer and others in the village. We bound him, and tended to his injuries. Espen, their fox, was of the judgement that he could be encouraged to change back to human, but that he was probably too far gone to make another successful change. I conveyed Mikkel's wishes to stay as a lynx when he died. The ceremony was done that evening, with Eydis as my witness.”
Startled, Eydis managed, “I witnessed the ceremony of Mikkel's death.” She hoped she didn't sound too much of a fool in front of Hakon.
“It was too late for me to attempt a journey back here unless the need was extremely great, which I concluded it was not. I wintered with FIRSTTRIBE, where I met my companions from this morning.”
“And why did they join you?” Hakon's voice was deeper than she expected.
“Aislin and Silas are both bards, fleeing the change in rulers in their country across the mountains to the west, Tirhaine. Both of them have encountered the new leader, Cahir, and disagree strongly with his leadership for reasons best left to them to explain. Aislin joined FIRSTTRIBE when the southern traders returned, and Silas rejoined them only a couple weeks before I left.
“Eydis is an aspiring warrior and hunter, and wishes to train outside her tribe. She heard of our warriors and received permission to join my trip home.”
Hakon raised an eyebrow looking at her, a smile quirking his mouth. “Heard of our warriors, did she? Are you hoping to train with me?”
Eydis nodded, meeting his gaze as confidently as she could manage. His reputation was intimidating, and the real thing did nothing to dissuade it.
“Shall we spar this evening?” Recognizing the test, Eydis agreed, and he nodded in satisfaction. Eydis sent a brief prayer - whether of hope or thankfulness she wasn't sure - to the gods.
“If I am satisfied, you may join me tomorrow to train, then hunt.”
Her heart suddenly pounding with excitement, Eydis nodded. Hakon returned to the more important issue at hand.
“Should we send someone in person to the nearest tribes, and ask them to relay our request for a shape changer? Or, at the very least, a trainee and a mentor? Surely our allies will lend us aid, especially with ENEMYTRIBE so near, and potentially readying to attack now that the winter is over and Mikkel is gone.”
“A reasonable idea,” Tyra concluded. “I will see who wants to travel.”
Someone else laughed. “You'll get half the tribe volunteering, this soon after winter!”
That evening, Eydis ate ravenously, resisting the urge to finger her dagger. Hakon had said that evening. It was that evening. He must mean after dinner. Aislin and Silas were talking quietly between themselves, too quietly to be heard over the general roar of the main hall. Tyra, Hakon and Silas appeared to be engaged in another serious conversation at the head of the table. She supposed it was serious business, not having a shape changer. No one to commune with the gods and warn them of attacks and predict the storms that experience couldn't predict, or fight off enemy tribes. A lynx in particular must have been a good ally during war, and they'd mentioned ENEMYTRIBE.
“So, where did you go this afternoon,” Silas asked, leaning around Aislin with his arm around her. “You seemed awfully eager to leave.”
Eydis shrugged. “I vounched for Birgir's word when he spoke with Tyra,” she said. “And I talked to Hakon.”
“Isn't her the one that you were so excited about?” Aislin asked, and Eydis nodded.
“Then I'm sure you'll do fine!” Silas encouraged. She shrugged. Something bugged her about Silas, but she couldn't put a finger on what it was. Maybe it was how he treated Aislin, though Aislin clearly adored him, so she figured it was none of her business. He seemed too busy trying to make everyone like him for her taste, like he had something to hide.
Glancing at the other end of the table, she noticed that Hakon had disappeared.
“Are you done your food?” A voice spoke behind her and she turned to face it. It was Hakon, of course.
“Nearly,” she replied, and quickly ate the rest. “Now I am.”
“Are you ready to practice?” he asked, and she nodded.
“What's this?” Aislin asked, and Eydis told her that Hakon had asked to spar with her, for practice. “Better you than me! Good luck,” she said with a smile.
They cleared a space near the back of the room, away from the fire and the door and both drew their knives. His was much plainer than she expected, and much better worn than hers was. The blade had signs of use, and resharpening, as did the handle. For that matter, so did his hands, though hers were mostly unadorned with scars from nicking herself with a knife.
They bowed, and their spar began.
Hakon didn't bother moving, not even to get into stance. Eydis sunk into her stance and approached, making a lunge to test his reaction.
She didn't see him move, but her knife only hit air, and she managed to block his retaliation. More cautious this time, she made a few tentative swipes, which he blocked easily. To her immense frustration, every attack she threw at him was effortlessly blocked without him appearing to move. He eventually settled into a fighter's stance, instead of the relaxed standing pose he held at the beginning of the fight, but barely moved except to follow her motions and deflect her attacks and make a retaliation. He didn't offer any attacks of his own.
Reigning in her frustration, Eydis decided to try the same tactic, waiting for him to attack, inviting it even. He smiled when he saw what she was doing and obliged with a slight nod.
Suddenly, she was hard pressed to defend herself from the swift assault. His knife seemed to be everywhere, feinting one place before striking another, and if she didn't block the feint it became a real attack. She stepped back several times and took a quick breath, willing her body to relax. Her eyes unfocused slightly, and she let her body take control.
Responding as best she could to his onslaught, she blocked and dodged, looking for an opening to retaliate. Finally, she saw it.
Dropping from a block, she lunged again, striking for his arm.
He blocked it, but smiled at her, and promptly resumed his attack.
Another opening appeared, and she took it, unsuccessfully again. Several more appeared, where they hadn't been before, and Eydis frowned at him. She was sure he was giving her the openings to test her, and didn't enjoy being toyed with.
Finally, Hakon smiled at her again, and executed a strike and twist with his blade that she couldn't quite see, and her knife went flying out of her hand.
She dived after it, grabbed it, rolled, and came up facing him, but it was too late. He came out of his roll inside her guard, blocked her attack, and stopped with his knife against her neck.
“Not bad,” he murmured and stepped back.
Eydis became aware of the silence in the hall, and looked around. A ring of observers started whispering and she saw bets being paid out. She flushed deeply at the audience's presence, but remembered to bow to Hakon, who returned it.
“What was that trick?” she demanded. “How did you disarm me?”
His grin broadened. “I knew you'd ask that,” he said. “Attack me.”
She did so, and her knife went flying again. She didn't chase after it this time, merely went to retrieve it. “Slower,” she told him.
Another smile, and he obliged, showing her the trick slowly. She nodded in understanding, and tried it on him. Nothing happened. She frowned and tried it again, with the same result.
“It works on surprise and speed,” he told her. “You'll have to use it in your next fight. Do you wish to join me tomorrow to hunt? We will be gone overnight.”
Eydis' could have jumped from excitement, her frustration at losing and inability to learn his trick banished. “I would be honored,” she said. He bowed to her and disappeared into the crowd. She stared after him, not quite sure to say. Unless she was very mistaken, he had just invited her to train with him.
“That was amazing!” Aislin appeared next to her. “I could barely follow what you were doing, but it was amazing to watch. And you're going to train with him?”
Eydis nodded, beaming at her friend and ignoring the man behind her.
Another voice spoke up next to her. “That was very impressive. I think you even impressed him,” Birgir said. “And he is rarely impressed.”
“Honestly?”
Birgir nodded. “You're certainly not the first to ask to train with him, and he always asks for a spar. People were placing bets on how long it would take you to get defeated, and the people that bet on you lasting are happy tonight.”
Eydis flushed even deeper red. “Thank you?” she replied.
“You're welcome. You're better than most, you realize.”
Eydis had no response, and Birgir stopped with the compliments that were making her blush.