Oryn
I felt the tension release from my shoulders as I rolled my them and cracked my neck. I looked at Thalia and let her know that I was headed to the shade of the tree to take a break. Walking over to the shade of a nearby tree and I noted she stood off to the side of the practice grounds to watch Enzo spar with one of the Minut's trainees. Taking a large swig of water, I looked out and observed the others.
"The Minut's are not half bad warriors. I believe they may hold up against a few of our own" said Thalia.
I shifted toward her and saw she was now perusing the training field the same way I was a moment ago. Following her line of sight and I found a pair of women in a grappling match. I still wasn't used to the sight of so many women fighting.
Unlike our warriors, the Minut's seem to take anyone who wanted to learn how to fight. There were lanky fighters, buff, petite, but most surprising of all is that almost half of their warriors were women. While we allowed women in our ranks, they need to be able to have a powerful ability, sharp mind, and a sturdy body; at least equivalent to even our weakest man. That way they can at least try to hold their own in battle and use then use their gifts to make up for their lack of physical strength.
So, the sight of men and women not of a formidable stature was a hard sight to get used to.
As I continued to watch the two females grapple, I noticed that the Chief Torbin was sitting on the ground giving them pointers. We made eye contact briefly, and a cheesier smile spread across his face.
"Good day Warlord Oryn and Commander Thalia, are you finished sparing for the day?" Chief Torbin asked as he approached.
"Not quite, I'm just taking a rest. Figured I would watch your warriors, see if I can learn any techniques from them. "
The Chief nodded his head, "I understand, I often the young seem to come up with the most creative ways to fight before they develop any true skill. And, I must admit your men are excellent fighters. I've learned a few things from watching them today myself."
His eyes seemed to twinkle as he watched Thalia correct Enzo's form. Turning towards me with a wide grin he said,
"What do you think about having our warriors train together? From what I can see your men could be a true challenge for mine. It will help mix things up a little, a new challenge."
Noting the calculating gleam in his I, I tried to figure out what his motive is. Did he want to see what my men were really like in a real fight? Learn our ways so that they can use it against up in battle one day?
"While I am flattered Chief, I am afraid that it would be an unfair fight. My scout Torr is significantly larger than the people out here on the field today, and as Thalia and I are hardened warriors, it would be an extremely unfair fight. And a spar with you I would feel would not be appropriate. "
Suddenly, the ever-present Chiefs smile disappeared. Thalia tensed at my side, slightly shifting her feet as she prepared for a possible attack. But before either of us could react, he resumed his smile.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about them. I've often found that if you give an animal a set of claws, they learn how to use them. But, I can understand your worry, especially for a people who look like they've been made out of the Barren Mountains themselves. I promise that if any of my warriors gets injured so blame will be placed on you whatsoever."
I rubbed my chin, thinking about the implications of a match. It would give Thalia and me an excellent opportunity to observe their fighting styles, but we could end up offending them through injury or a win. Many men in high positions say one thing but react the opposite. Sensing my hesitation, the Chief decided to sweet the spot with a bargain.
"How about I add a prize if your man wins?"
Now that piqued my interest; I indicated him to continue.
"If your man wins you and your people can house in a portion of our upper homes. They are farther away from the lava below and have more natural light. And, if my warrior wins, you must teach our blacksmiths how to mold the metals the way you do?"
As of now the homes they have given us are at the farthest down the neck of the volcano. It was hot, and fresh air was good for circulation. If we had some access to the higher homes my people would be more at ease and least resentful. And we could use the intel we would glean from an informal melee. I can't see any way that this fight would prove to be in our favor.
Holding out my hand I said, "You have a deal. I 'll pick my scout. He's hasn't been fighting as long as my Commander, and I have."
Chief Torbins smile seemed to be shooting sunbeams from how pleased he is. He whistled a high tone and a small bird with buzzing wings perched on his shoulder. Whispering inti its ear it jumped off into his shoulder and flew off into the trees behind us. It looked like it was off to fulfill a command the Cheif gave.
The other night I had seen the ape, Chamil, listening to the orders of the Elder Amina. The ability of the Minut's people to train animals is impressive. None of our animal tamers could do anything close to it. I need to ask the councilmen Otis if he would be willing to set-up for ours to learn how they train them.
Raising my eyebrow in questions, Chief Tobin just chuckled.
"I sent the little thing off to get my champion. They should be here in a few moments."
From the corner of my eye, I saw two young girls bounding out of the tree line. The girl in front was a petite thing, with the same yellow hair as a few of the people in the tribe. She was running with a wide grin and almost ran into the Chief. She looked up at the chief with large eyes and blinked.
"Oops, sorry about that Chief. I almost didn't see you there. Your beginning to look like one of the aging weepers in the woods."
Scowling, Torbin ran a hand through his hair and said,
"I'dnot look quite that old…but anyway Popp, come over here."
The second girl stepped forward reminding me of the plain brown field mice on the northern plains of Famidun. She had chestnut brown hair that fell over her eyes. Although not as small as the other girl, she seemed to be also around twelve years old. But while the first girl was sturdy looking, this one seems as thin as a whip.
"What do ya need Chief?" asked blonde as she rocked back and forth on her heels.
"The Warlord and would like to see a spar between our men. He's picked his man Enzo over here, and I'd like Poppy to fight."
The petit blonde jumped and grabbed onto Poppy in delight.
"Oh that sounds wonderful, I wish I were the one fighting, but it's okay if it's you. If it were Kace I would be sooo mad; I always beat him in practice. But, you know how much I love you and watching you will be sooo much fun! But wait, wait to we tell Malimu? She won't be pleased to learn our lesson was interrupted…"
The Chiefs face blanched, and his eyes darted around.
"Well, usually around this time she's by herself. And if you're as good as she says you are, I am sure you can fool her."
The blonde looked at the girl named Poppy and something passed between them. As their silent conversation ended, caught the change in Poppy's expression. The same dispassionate look on her face seemed never to change, but she and the blonde girl seemed to be having some conversation with their eyes.
"Okay, Poppy will do it. But if we get in trouble Chief, you owe us a months' worth of Ladle's sweet bread. Deal?"
Chief Torbin frowned but nodded in agreement.
Turning towards me he said,
"This is Poppy, I've chosen her to represent us in this fight."
I just stared at him, realizing for the first time that Chief Torbin intended to have Enzo, an adult male who weighed at least 300 lbs of muscle, fight with a small child.
"I don't mean to offend anyone, but you can't be serious. She's barely out of her youth," spoke Thalia.
The girl named Poppy suddenly glared at Thalia, and a quietly growled at her. Thalia, startled by the noise, was surprised by the sudden aggression coming from the previous docile girl.
The blonde took a step towards Thalia and looked her directly in the eye.
"Seeing as you're a warrior woman in a tribe made up of almost all male warriors, I'm sure you've had more than a few people question your abilities."
The Chief smiled and ruffled the blonde's hair,
"Well met Seema, well met. And Commander Thalia, although your concern is touching, I have complete confidence in Poppy. Especially now that you seem to have attacked her pride as a warrior."
The girl named Seema then looked at me and said,
"If it's alright with you sir, we would like to continue and get this finish this quickly. We do have other training responsibilities."
Realizing there was no way I was going to convince them from using the girl called Poppy, I let called over Enzo from his practice.
Jogging over to us, I surveyed Enzo's physique. He is an eighteen-year-old man who had just completed from his training. He was a towering six feet and four inches but was wiry instead of bulky. Thalia has told me that he is one of our most promising new scouts. He is known for being remarkably adept at using his thin limbs to move with deadly swiftness.
Hoping that his age and inexperience in battle would lessen the intensity of the match and at this point, I have no choice but to have him fight the girl. It seems if we backed out now we would be offending the people here.
"Enzo, Chief Torbin and I would like to watch a spar between you and his fighter Poppy," I gestured to the girl, "As a representative of our people, I expect nothing short of your best."
Enzo's eyes widened in shock at seeing Poppy, but quickly he gained his composure.
Putting a fist over his heart, he bowed his head.
"It would be my honor to represent our people Warlord."
"Now what is going on here?" came a smooth voice.
We all turned to the voice and found the women Mael reclining on one of the branches of the tree. Looking utterly different from our previous encounters I was shocked by her current appearance.
Her hair seemed cascaded down past her shoulders as a blue flower rested behind her ear. It offset her cornflower blue eyes, causing them to pop against the contrast of her hair. Instead of a server's plain dress or the night clothes, she wore since I got here she was dressed in a colorful outfit. The main fabric of the dress was red, with a single wide strap on her left shoulder. Golden rope followed the sleeve diagonally and wrapped around her waist in three thick coils. The skirt had not only the red fabric flowing from the waist, but also silky golds, greens, and blues. She looked as if she wore the rainbow, which is entirely different from the clothes my people wore. She looks nothing like the women I usually bed, but I found her very appealing. Her childlike curves seemed to round into those of a woman, and her delicate features had my hand itching to trace them.
The corners of my mouth lifted, as long-forgotten desire flared to life inside me. I may not like the women, but she would serve to be an excellent treat. Knowing that our previous interactions gave us no opportunity to develop a good relationship and with her apparent distaste for me, she would prove to be a challenge.
It has been quite some time since I've had a good challenge, and I've always loved one.
Clearing his throat Chief Torbin said, "Well, Mael. Warlord Oryn and I decided that it would be good for our people to spar together. Learn a few things."
Mael's eyes narrowed,
"And why use Poppy? You have plenty of other warriors who can fight."
Standing off to the side I carefully watched their interaction. Earlier I had noticed that Mael seemed to have some influence with the other councilmen and now the Cheif appeared to be nervous about her finding out about the match.
Why does she have so much influence?
"I thought it would be a great opportunity for Poppy to showcase her skills. She is such a talented trainee."
Ignoring Chief Torbins words, Mael turned her steely gaze to the girl named Seema. The girl froze under her gaze, and I wondered if she was even being breathing.
"Seema, what's going on here?"
Mael asked in a deceptively sweet voice. It reminded me of the rattle of a snake, lulling its prey with a sweet lullaby it attacked.
Looking up from under her eyelashes, Seema said,
"Chief Torbin has made a deal with the Famidun leader. That if we win, our blacksmiths get to learn how they make their metals so light and sturdy. He's been talking about their swords and armor nonstop the past few days with Kael."
The Chief's mouth dropped open, in surprise.
And, instead of anger, Mael's broke into a wolfish smile,
"Torbin, don't look so surprised. You know I've been teaching them to pay more attention to their surroundings, to know the unseen. And I don't blame you for eyeing their metal work. It is excellent workmanship. But, you should have asked me before taking my students away from practice, my friend."
The chief visibly relaxed at those words as color slowly seeped back into his face.
"But," said Mael, "I require two things for interrupting their lessons. You've set them back by a week. First, once the blacksmiths learn this new skill, I get to make the first order, and it will be on your bill."
The Chiefs adam's apple bobbed.
"and second, no affinity using in this fight. Poppy is not allowed to use her abilities in battle yet."
Turning to me, she asked, "Is that agreeable, Oryn?"
She smirked at the lack of title. I mirrored her smirk as I could already imagine my sweet victory on the field today and with more wanton activities.
"That is perfectly fine. It's good to focus solely on the body now and then. Helps to keep it sharp and ready."
Turning to Poppy, Mael said,
"Now remember your training and what we are working on. I will be watching, so no shortcuts. If I catch you doing any of it, you and Seema will be target practice for Kace and Toper for the next month. Do you understand?"
The girl's smile vanished and nodded gravely at the threat.
Shaking my head, I wondered if I would ever understand the ways of the Minut people. First, they let all women fight, a woman with no title was hugely respected, and now they allow warriors to practice combat skills on children. The Famiduns may be a hard people, but she always protected those weaker.
"Well, I turn it over to your Warlord. If you need me, I will be lounging in the tree here."
Turning away from us, she walked to a spot a few feet back and proceeded to lay on the ground. I wondered how she planned on watching her pupil with her eyes closed. Ignoring my curiosity, I turned to the two contenders and indicated them to begin.
The first few minutes were uneventful. It was filled with Enzo unsure of when to strike for fear of hurting the girl while she made slow and powerless hits. It had now turned into her striking him with her bow, Lincoln parrying the blow easily to the side, and replying with a hard, but not brutal blow. Bruises were beginning to form on her arms, and I was sure there was more forming under her clothes. Occasionally I would look at the chief or Mael, seeing if they were growing concern, but their reaction shocked me. Instead of looking concerned at the apparent one-sided battle and the injuries the girl was gaining; the Chief looked more and more agitated, while Mael seemed to be fast asleep.
After ten minutes of sparring Chief Torbin yelled in frustration,
"Enough," the Enzo and Poppy immediately stopped. Enzo looked grateful; he was having a hard time beating up the poor girl.
"Mael, what is going on here?"
Opening one eye Mael glanced at the chief and closed her eyes again.
"Poppy is doing exactly as she's supposed to Torbin. Just because one training was interrupted, didn't mean I was going stop the other."
Torbin ran an agitated hand through his white hair.
Through clenched teeth, he asked,
"What do you want in return?"
Five long seconds rolled by before MAel responded. She sat up and looked at the Chief. A wolfish grin slowly spreads onto her face.
Looking down at her nail she said, "I what unlimited access to your orange tree."
The Chief went extremely still. Apparently whatever tree she was talking about was significant to the chief.
"The tree—"
"Doesn't even like you, you can only get it to grow produce when I come by. And let's be honest, I eat oranges way more than you do."
"But—"
"No buts, that is what I want in exchange." She looked up at the Chief with finality in her eyes.
The Chief stared at her, apparently trying to think his way out of this, but he finally conceded.
"Fine"
Mael jumped up from the ground and clapped her hands in joy.
"Wonderful, now Poppy come over here."
Poppy rushed over to like a puppy and stood stalk still in front of Mael. She proceeded to lift her shirt, and Thalia let out a laugh at the sight. Under the girl's shirt were bundles of bags filled with rock or sand strapped to the girl's body. The containers were perfectly formed to her shape, acting as a second layer of skin.
I then realized that during the previous fight Poppy had been fighting with this extra weight. No wonder her movies were slow and chapped.
Looking at Mael, I couldn't help but wondered what type of person even thought of such tact's. After the abdomen weights were removed, the Mael proceeded to remove more bundles from her calves, thighs and upper arms. I couldn't believe the amount of weight she must have been carrying; it could easily be an added 70 to 100 pounds. It made me wonder what this girl could do.
"All done. After this fight, I want them immediately put back on."
Poppy nodded her head and seemed to fly back to her sparring partner. The pity in Enzo's eyes disappeared and was replaced with confusion. He now realized that who he had fought before was a completely different person than the now."
"Oh, and Poppy, use your normal staff. I don't want to risk you breaking his bones with the leaded one."
Mael threw out a different metal staff to the girl, and I knew from the whistle it gave that this one was hallowed and made from a lighter metal. Not only had the girl been wearing weights, but she was using a staff five times heavier than a typical fighting staff.
Instead of rushing like last time, Poppy began to circle Enzo in a crouched fighting stance. Not quite knowing what to do, Enzo followed her actions. The two spent a few minutes sizing one another up.
"How did you come up with the idea for her to wear weights?" Thalia asked Mael.
"I can't take the credit; my former mentor trained me that way until I was eighteen. I went into my first battle at sixteen, and he still forced me to wear it under all my armor. Used to tell me that if I couldn't learn to hold my own with the extra weight, I deserved to die. Hard fellow, but it served me well. I learned to be fast and think creatively against bigger and stronger opponents."
Hearing this had me wondering about this women's ability to fight. She wasn't much bigger then the girl named Poppy and looked as delicate as a flower. But if her story could be taken at face value and if she trained this girl, who was now holding her own against a man 16 inches taller than her, she was not what she seemed. Storing that information away and I decided it would be wise to get to know her better. She could prove to be an essential ally in the future.
"By the way its Thalia, correct?"
Thalia looked at the small women and cautiously replied, "Yes..."
"I've been noticing you looking at my dress," Mael stated point blank.
For the first time, I watched as color crept up Thalia's cheeks into a fiery blush,
"Sorry for staring. It's just so colorful; our people have nothing like it."
Mael gave her a reassuring smile, "No worries, I noticed that when I was there as a captive. I have some dresses I would like you to try on. You must come by my lodge after you clean up."
A sad smile settled on Thalia's lips.
"The offer is generous, but I am hardly your size. And I don't think I would suit such clothes."
A scowl formed between Mael's brows, "Nonsense! You are extremely beautiful; I'm surprised you haven't noticed many of the Minut men and your even some of your own staring at you. Also, I had the dresses made up the first day you arrived. Their your size, not mine. And as no other females in our village are as tall as you, if you don't take them they will go to waste."
Thalia mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. Which was exactly as she was now. I realized that this was probably the first time another woman had instigated something with Thalia that didn't seem to involve her position or attempting to get close to the men in my council.
Finally Thalia calmed down and said,
"Thank you, that is very kind."
Mael dismissed her comment with the wave of her hand.
"Don't overthink it. While I am a warrior myself, I know how important it is to remind yourself that you are a woman. That's why you will often see me in dresses, flowers, and jewelry when I am at home. And it does help to make friends with the opposite gender."
Mael winked at Thalia and turned her attention back to the fight.
Chuckling inwardly at the blush that painted Thalias skin, it was nice to see her have some normal interactions with people her same sex. It was probably the first time another women had engaged her in anyway when it came to having intimate relations with men. Particularly in regards to her having those intimate relations with them.
I followed suit and found Enzo and Poppy in a stalemate. Poppy seemed to have attempted to land a blow at Enzos side, but he stopped it with his two curved knives. They were in a deadlock that was going to be determined by who was more stubborn or strong. My eyes caught Poppy's left foot slightly shift and I anticipated her falling back from the loss of balance. Instead, she spun off out the shift casing Enzo to fall forwards onto his face. He barely had time to throw his knives to the side, so he didn't impale himself. Now on his back, he attempted to turn over but was stopped by Poppy staff landing softly at the juncture of his skull and neck. The spar was over, and Poppy had won. The field was stunned into silence, but the knowing grins on the Minut warriors faces told me that they all knew it would turn out this way in the end. MY men, on the other hand, were having a hard time comprehending that a mere 12-year-old girl could defeat one of ours in a melee based purely on weapon skill.
"Wonderful! Just wonderful!" exclaimed Chief Torbin.