It was the day before the first Trial. One more day to go. All the members of the Royal Guard were somewhere nearby, as they had been ever since the incident. That next morning when they'd been informed of what happened, they hadn't said anything but Tate had the feeling they were embarrassed.
He didn't consider it any fault of theirs. After all, they had been off duty when the incident occurred. If anyone could feel guilt it might be Nox, but it was Tate himself who had told him to go ahead. Until that night he'd felt like no one would hurt him or Lou in the Nest. Now he didn't feel so secure. The incident had reminded him that there was a whole city of dragons outside the walls of the "Nest Proper" as he'd come to understand the actual palace was called. At least, he'd call it a palace. It was nothing like any building he'd ever known but he'd decided to classify it as such just due to the sheer size.
The Guard was stationed all over the training square and two of them were keeping watch in their dragon forms on top of the parapets. He'd never seen them stand at such attention. None of them had spoken to him, not even Romin but they were now taking the task of "watching" him more seriously.
Bezhar had taken over the job of giving him any specific instructions entirely. Even now as he and Lou sparred with Talons he kept interjecting information that Tate already knew. At this point, the dragon was instructing Lou and not him.
"Switch with me little human, you are not a challenge at this point." He flicked his hand indicating that Lou needed to move aside.
Lou awkwardly got out of his ready stance which he had taken up automatically after losing a point to Tate just a moment before.
Bezhar took the talon and squared off against Tate. Tate cocked his head at the Captain of the Royal Guard and realized that this was the first time the Captain had taken up the talon against him. He wondered how skilled he was going to be, for he was sure that Bezhar was skilled. He wasn't the captain of the elite of the dragons for no reason.
Bezhar's ready stance was already different from Lou's or any humans Tate had ever seen. Even as he instinctively settled himself over the base of his feet, swinging lightly over his center of gravity to give himself the ability to quickly spring in any direction, he couldn't pinpoint what made Bezhar's stance different.
Even though he couldn't understand it visually he was quickly made to understand the advantage of whatever difference it was when Bezhar's blade passed within an inch of his cheek. Blocked only by the last-minute raising of his guard. Tate's talon diverted the attack at the last moment. The unexpected movement forced him to step out sideways. He faltered just a bit but it was enough for Bezhar to reverse his momentum and by flipping his hands over the talon was arching through the air towards his midsection now. Tate flawlessly slid the foot he'd stepped out on even further until he was crouched with one leg out. On his front foot, he used his torso and shoulders to lead his body into a spin from that crouch with the aim of sweeping his extended leg into Bezhar's legs.
Bezhar anticipated this and jumped over the attempt. The unfortunate part of this move was that it put Tate's back to his opponent. He didn't wait, as soon as his legs hit nothing but air. He rolled forward and up to his feet twisting as he stood and putting one foot out behind, thus returning to his original ready stance. Bezhar didn't give him a moment to spare. Just as quickly as the first attack this one came. This one came up from lower and aimed to cleave up into his left torso. Tate danced out of the way once again deflecting the blow in the knick of time. The attacks continued in the same vein. They were so quick and so close to breaking through his guard that all of Tate's concentration was focused on the dragon. The rest of the world faded away and he began to pant as he resisted attack after attack. He was forced to retreat and back off until he had lost all orientation in the field.
He'd never had to fight someone with this amount of speed before. Even though Tate couldn't be sure if he was holding back or not this was definitely something of a dragon's speed. As a human he wasn't sure how much longer he could keep up, he couldn't even get in his own attack after all.
They continued the fight passing two minutes, then five, then ten. Tate was dripping in sweat his arms ached from the force of the deflections he was making, and his chest heaved as he struggled to get enough oxygen to keep going.
He felt himself hit something at his back. He had no time to figure out what he'd run into he just assumed it was the wall. Bezhar pressed his advantage and the next onslaught of attacks was like waves pounding against the helplessly placed rocks at the seashore. Tate had no choice but to take them as best he could. His vision was blurring but he still managed to hold on...just a little more.
He felt something slice into his arm and hissed. Then something happened that was unthinkable for a soldier on the battlefield, his talon was wrenched from his grip and went flying. The saying was "When you drop your sword you've dropped your life," well he dropped his Talon this time but it amounted to exactly the same.
Bezhar pulled back. Tate wasn't in the right mind to think of this as the end. He raised his fists palms flat ready to keep going barehanded if he had to. He would not lose his life lying down. He coughed roughly and struggled to breathe but he held his arms, trembling with fatigue at the ready.
At some point, he'd stopped seeing Bezhar in front of him. All he could see was one of the hundreds of nameless enemies he fought. He'd been fighting all his life and it was clear to his exhausted and oxegyn-starved mind that this was a fight of life or death.
"Big Brother?" It was Lou's voice that brought him back down from the high of battle he'd been stuck in.
Slowly Tate lowered his hands, after all, it had been long moments while Bezhar had just stood with the blade down staring at Tate in consideration.
"Tate?" Lou tried again, still not getting the response he was seeking. Tate shook his head trying to clear it. Lou wouldn't be in battle he reminded himself, this was a sparring match not a fight on the field. He gulped in air as he struggled to remember reality. He coughed some more and bent double at last to put his hands on his knees and flatten his back to try to take in as much air as he could take.
Bezhar's shadow appeared in front of him as he stared at the ground with his vision spinning a little. He couldn't help but flinch, his body wanted to spring back into position but he forced himself to relax against his instinct.
"You're very good." Bezhar praised. "I was going my normal speed and you managed to keep up with me." There was a pause. "Did you think I was going to kill you?"
Tate shook his head not standing up. "I know you're not going to kill me right now, but you managed to convince my body otherwise." He did reach up and cover the stinging cut on his arm. The added salt from the sweat of his palms made it sting.
"You've fought like this a lot haven't you?" Bezhar asked with some curiosity in his voice. "You're so young, why are you so skilled at this kind of fighting?"
He dind't know why Bezhar was suddenly asking this. They'd been training for weeks. Sometimes they actually "trained" him and many times they left him to his own devices. Why was Bezhar curious about this now?
Lou answered for him which at first he was grateful for since he couldn't breathe properly but he soon regretted his initial relief.
"Oh, Tate is a war hero in the Human Realm!" He exclaimed.
"There was a war in your realm?" Bezhar asked with some interest.
"Yes, it was before I joined the Academy or the Dragon Corps," Tate knew that Bezhar probably didn't know what those two things were but Lou continued without explaining. "Everyone knows the story. Tate was just fifteen when the Emperor sent him and the dragon Aquana to the frontlines to subdue our enemies. They rained fire and boiling mist down on the enemy soldiers!" Lou's voice grew even more excited like a child's. "I've also heard stories of the many times he and Aquana fought from the ground, Aquana with her claws and Tate with his sword. Their exploits are legendary. They're credited with wiping out one-third of the enemy forces over the course of the three years they were deployed." Then came the embarrassing endcap. "He's the most legendary Dragon Rider of our generation!"
He did glance at Lou from his bent position and winced, his face heating. Lou had stars in his eyes and was practically bouncing on his toes at the brief summary he'd been able to give on Tate's military career.
Bezhar wasn't so impressed. "You mean, your ruler sent a fifteen-year-old human and dragon off to a war?" His voice was cold.
Lou didn't notice. "Yes! Tate and Aquana had been training since Tate was five, that's when Aquana hatched. They'd already been doing missions for the Empire for years before the war!" Lou stated this so happily like this was completely normal. To him it probably was, stories of Tate and Aquana's childhood had been spread in the realm like some sort of fairy tale. Tate was always impressed that the bards and storytellers managed to dress up the blood bath that was his life into something almost awe-inspiring, at least it was to those who didn't live it.
"So to correct myself, they sent a fifteen-year-old human and a dragon that was ten years hatched?"
Lou nodded.
"I know you say you are both adults now, but correct me if I'm wrong but fifteen as a human is still a child if I've understood your explanations on age. Am I correct?" His voice was so devoid of any inflection that it finally caught Lou's attention.
Nervously he answered. "Yes."
"Is that the kind of place you come from? A place that sends children off to kill, as you just said Tate was a child and a ten-year-old dragon out of the egg may not be a child depending on how long they were in their egg but still, I hardly think a dragon would be ready for such things at just ten years hatched."
Tate finally stood, he was about to step in and...do what? Was he going to explain why it had been okay? It suddenly occurred to him that he dind't need to do that. Bezhar wouldn't accept any explanation he tried to give anyway. This wasn't the Empire of Lya, he didn't have to watch what he said here so as not to be accused of treason or just ungratefulness. He said nothing.
He did notice that not only was Bezhar staring at him with an unreadable expression but when he glanced around he saw the other members of the Royal Guard from their places. Where before they had been looking around constantly he could feel their eyes on him and knew they'd heard every word of Lou's explanation.
"Did you enjoy it?" Bezhar asked catching Tate completely off guard.
"Huh?"
"Did you enjoy it, war I mean?"
Tate couldn't understand what was hiding in Bezhar's tone, but for the first time in his life, he said what he felt about the whole situation. "No, I hated every second of it."
Lou gasped. "Tate!" He exclaimed. "How can you say that, you were a part of our glorious victory."
Tate looked at Lou and felt an unfamiliar irritation with him. Was this all Lou was capable of? Had he ever thought this through before or had he only learned the state-approved rhetoric?
"I can say it because I was there, not you. It wasn't some noble war. Were there some factors that needed to be addressed, yes, but at the end of the day that entire war was our Emperor throwing a temper tantrum because he was taken lightly. Not to mention it was a thinly veiled excuse to take over the independent countries to the south. 'Enemy forces', you say," he chuckled dryly, "Lou, most of those forces were just farmers and fishermen defending their homes from us, the foreign invaders. Do you really want to know what we did, Aquana and I, in that war?" Lou gulped and took a step back. "We fought their military, yes, but we also burned their fields and villages. We charred the land and scattered it with the blackened bodies of people who had just been living their lives ignorant that there were even higher powers fighting over their land and lives."
Lou's eyes were wide and he couldn't seem to find any words.
"Not to mention I lost Aquana in that war. I don't have any kind of fond memories or pride in that time. I walked away from that war with nothing."
He pushed his sweaty hair back from his head and looked back at Bezhar.
Bezhar was looking at him strangely.
Tate didn't want to talk anymore, what could any of them say anyway? This had all taken a strange and uncomfortable turn for him.
"I'm going to run the dagger course now." He walked away not looking at anyone even as they all stared at him.