Loyalty in Unity

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin scowled after June. A few knights and glanced up at the strange woman before glancing at the prince and moving on with their daily activities. In Vanguard, all were expected to fight if they had two good hands and two sturdy legs. For Vanguard, the people were the first and last line of defense, so all people should be prepared. Women knew how to swing their swords and men knew how to sew up stitches. Children often wrestled for fun or scampered about on quick feet and yelled at one another, wielding wooden swords to fight and attack. Galene herself had often played with the common folk like that, grinning at them while pretending to command some kind of army.


Vanguard's army was not just the official standing one. It spanned all the heads and all the limbs that could fight. He knew that his own regiment did not include many women, but he knew that there were plenty in the standing army, prepared to raise their arms in the heat of battle to defend the land they had called home.


He followed her slowly, wondering if Etaleth was any different. Many kingdoms arched an eyebrow at the fact that a queen was the highest royal power and that the king served under her and married to her name. Many kingdoms scoffed at the women walking around in armor or snorted at those that identified as neither and carried a sword. It made Barrin irritated, more so than anything else.


The knight that she had spoken with glanced up to look at Barrin, who simply shrugged. "She's here to look at the weapons," he said simply.


The knight stepped aside to give her access to them, though he kept his eye on her.


"I have it," Barrin said reassuringly. The knight nodded before bowing and ducking out, obviously not willing to deal with a slightly irritated prince.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

June couldn't help but grin as the knight finally let her pass once Barrin spoke up, and the blonde was gone in an instant, speeding past them both towards the swords. They varied in size, and June briefly let her eyes scan the selection before picking up one closest to the size of her own sword. It was a little larger than she was used to, however it would do. Testing the weight and feel of it in her hand, June was surprised to find that it was slightly heavier than she expected it to be. It wasn't that much of a difference than what she was used to, however it was noticeable.


A thoughtful "Hmm." passed her lips then, and after moving off to the side and making sure there was no danger that she'd accidentally hit someone else, the blonde made a swift slash at the air, testing the weapon. The muscles in her triceps spasmed slightly at the difference in weight, and June just managed to suppress a small wince. Okay... perhaps she needed to get a smaller size.


Carefully putting the sword back in its place, she picked up the next size down, and tested that one the same way as she did the other. A small smile of approval wove onto her lips then, and June made a couple more expert slashes at the air before lowering her sword. That was much better. It was a little shorter than her personal one, and just a tad bit heavier, but it was still nice and seemed to work well for her. In fact, she was beginning to like the weight of it a little better actually. But she couldn't say for sure. The only way to test if it really was better than her own, was to use it in a sparring match.


A mischievous glint formed in her eyes at that. Hmm... not a bad idea.


Sky blue eyes flitted over to Barrin then, and she turned to face with a small smirk on her face. Lifting her arm, she pointed the tip of her sword at him. "Spar with me." was her simple request, her smirk transforming into a mischievous grin. He couldn't ignore her now.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin balked.


"No."


He was not going to spar with June, especially since they would be using real swords and she didn't have any armor on. There was also the great problem of June being much smaller than him. In real times of battle, Barrin would have no trouble tossing people her size aside with a heavy hand and cutting through them but during practice, Barrin usually used wooden swords against the other knights around.


He was not fighting her while she wasn't armored and they were using real swords. Furthermore, the sword in her hand hadn't even been fitted to her size; she had literally picked it off the rack. Vanguardian swords came in several different types; thin, long rapiers that were used for thrusting at the enemy and to be quite honest, were useless in battle because of their length; heavy and stunted broadswords that were good for swinging attacks; and his favorite, a machete like sword. It had a rather large and flat blade that was curved and could be held easily in hand and be used to hack limbs off. It had come across the sea, bearing a name he couldn't quite pronounce, though both Casimir and Nartai were quick to tell him that it was a wakizashi, whatever that meant.


Barrin had trained for the majority of his life to fight back against every kind of opponent. He wasn't so sure June had been.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

June scoffed, frowning at him as she tilted her head a bit to the side. Did he always have to be so difficult?


Her blue eyes bore up at him, narrowing in thought. She was initially going to bug him until he said yes, but from his quick answer and absolute refusal to even entertain the notion, June seriously doubted he would give in. So... she really only had one choice.


A Cheshire like grin took on her features then, and quickly adjusting her grip on her broadsword, she swiftly ran at him, poised to strike.


He was a knight, he could defend himself. And even if he was caught off guard, he still had armor on. She wasn't worried.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

"What the hell-" Barrin began, looking alarmed. Was she really attempting to attack him, here? For what reason? To prove a point?


Feeling his upper-lip curl in irritation, Barrin drew his sword, a rather long yet broad one and swung it around, smacking against hers sharply. He peered at her, eyes narrowing and teeth clenched, trying to decide what to do next.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

June grinned at the alarmed look on his face, eyes twinkling with mirth as the sound of their swords meeting rang through the air. It was obvious she was much too pleased with herself at the moment, however June couldn't even be bothered to care. She had finally gotten a reaction out of him other than indifference, and as odd as it may be, she only grinned even wider as he narrowed his eyes at her.


Because even though she was irritated, even though this man pissed her off, this was real. She didn't want fake kindness, she didn't want them to just "get through it." No pretenses, no facades. If he was mad at her, then yell at her! Do something, anything other than attempt to ignore her. June couldn't take that.


Not that she would every admit such a vulnerability, of course.


"What, you afraid to get beaten by someone almost a foot shorter than you?" she challenged with a sly smile, pressing her sword more firmly against his. They, of course, couldn't spar where there were so many people, however she wasn't backing down.


If he wasn't going to agree to a match with her, then she would force him to agree to take this outside. She'd leave him no choice. She was not taking no for an answer.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin glowered down at her. "I'm more concerned over the fact that I might cut you in half and then I'd have to explain to both my mother and your parents why you're dead."


With a flick of his wrist, Barrin shoved his blade down to the hilt of the sword and shoved it downwards, continuing to glare.


The armory was relatively empty at the time, but it was still an armory. There were sharp objects everywhere and no doubt someone would need to come up and take something at some time or another. He'd rather not accidentally get someone injured because his delightful fiance couldn't deal with just putting on a nice, fake smile and dealing with it all.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

Letting out a sharp laugh, June narrowed her eyes up at him, meeting his glare with one of her own. "Careful there. You keep that up, and I might think you're actually starting to care about me." came her sarcastic reply.


"Now come on. Let's take this outside. Or do you want your entire regiment to be witness to your downfall?"


June felt the movement of his sword before she saw it, however instead of fighting it, she used the motion to curve her sword and propel it towards his side, shifting her stance just a tad. Her eyes narrowed up at him and she lifted her chin just a tad, letting him down he didn't scare or intimidate her in the least bit. She had sparred with her older brother plenty of times, and had won many matches. Barrin wasn't much taller than he was, however he was built sturdier. However she wasn't a bit phased by that fact.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin curled his lip more.


"Do not take me wanting to ensure that this marriage follows through so we don't have war down on our heads as me giving a shit," he snarled, starting to get more and more irritated.


His family had always said he had a temper, sparked when someone tried hard enough.


"Fine," he snapped, his anger flaring to the point where he didn't even care. "Fine, we'll take this outside."


He'd show her what the hell she had just gotten herself into.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

While some may have been taken aback by Barrins choice of words, June merely chuckled, eyes glinting with mirth. An odd thing to do at that time, but she couldn't help it. This was what she had wanted. That stupid fake smile and false pretense was finally replaced with an irritated smile, and June couldn't have been more pleased with herself.


Finally. Something real.


He managed to surprise her a little when he snapped though, as she hadn't been expecting he'd be so quick to agree. She had been prepared to fight him down the stairs if need be. Still, a triumphant smile formed on her lips then, and she slowly lowered her sword.


"Good. I'm glad to see you've finally come to your senses." she replied, passing by him and swiftly making her way for the stairs, however stopped at the top to shoot one last taunt his way. "Well, what little of them you have, that is."


And with that, the small blonde quickly trotted down the stairs, a wicked grin on her face.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin stormed after her agitated beyond belief. He knew that he should probably calm down and realize that she was trying to purposefully piss him off in order to get a response.


He didn't care enough and followed her out through the back door, towards the training grounds, ignoring the knights and soldiers that glanced his way, frowning at the sight.


The outside courtyard was fenced in, with an archery range at the far back and various dummies arranged near it. However, there was a plain field in the middle of the courtyard, created specifically for fighting.


Barrin stepped into it and whirled around to glare at June.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

As June stepped onto the first floor, she vaguely realized that she probably should have gotten some armor, however she was much too happy with the fact that he had agreed to fight her.


And the way that she had managed to noticeably irritate him was just an added bonus.


Stopping at the end of the stairs, June waited until Barrin stormed past her to follow him the rest of the way, considering she had no clue what corridor led outside.


Squinting as they stepped outside, it took her eyes a brief moment to adjust to light. Once they did, she quickly joined Barrin on the field, meeting his glare with an unimpressed raised eyebrow.


Usually June would be the one to start things off, -- as seen perviously -- however she wasn't familiar with Vanguardian customs. She knew in some kingdoms, knights bowed before they started a match. In Etaleth, they just gave a simple nod to show that they were ready, but she didn't want to assume things and end up offending anyone.


Despite how annoying and difficult Barrin was proving to be.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin waited for her to near the training field and actually step into the field before darting forward, sword raised for a blow to her neck.


Some Vanguardians (ones that he deemed relatively snobbish) believed that respect was something that should be present in a duel.


Barrin didn't duel. He trained his troops and he fought like hell.


He had no time for respect when lives were on the line.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

As surprised as she was by Barrin's sudden attack, June experty blocked his strike, jumping back and glaring up at him, a quiet irritated growl leaving her lips.


It was June's turn to be irritated, however she didn't let that deter her. She swiftly moved her sword down, sliding along his and then pushing it down and off to the side.


Shifting her stance, June tensed, eyes sharp and alert. He wasn't messing around now, huh?


...Good. 'Cause she would give him hell if he went easy on her.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin was becoming more and more irritated as the seconds ticked by. He breathed in once to calm himself down slightly and think rationally and lifted up a foot, kicking at June square in the chest before setting his foot down for balance and swinging at her own sword to disarm her.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

She had to admit, the prince was much faster than she had expected. Before she knew it, his foot had connected with her chest, a small grunt leaving her lips as she stumbled back. However, she didn't fight it as gravity tried to pull her down, and instead used the motion to stoop to the ground quickly, lifting a foot and kicking hard at his legs to unbalance him.


His strike with his sword did not go unnoticed by her however, and with a flick of her wrist she adjusted her grip on the handle, swinging it up to block it with a strike of her own.


Her eyes narrowed up at him in a heated glare, and she was stubbornly determined to show him just what she could do.


Plus, now she had to get him back for that kick.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin glared down at her, gripping the hilt of his sword with both of his hands and shoving downwards, using most of his weight to push it towards the ground. His leg skittered a few inches backwards at the kick and he pitched forward slightly, but remained on his feet.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

As she saw him move both hands to the hilt of his sword, June immediately did the same, knowing his strength far surpassed her own. Applying more force and pushing upwards at his sword with her own, June gritted her teeth in both effort and irritation. Dammit. If they stayed like this for too long, she'd undoubtedly loose. She had to find a way out of this, and fast.


Noticing his slightly unbalanced stance, June firmed her own as her eyes narrowed slightly in thought. Quickly, she stopped pushing up against his sword, ducking his strike and maneuvering under his arm. In the blink of an eye, she twisted around, curving her sword up and towards his shoulder.


With her small stature, June couldn't rely on just strength to get her through a battle, and believed that anyone who did was narrow minded and naieve in their thinking. But she had to rely on speed, and excelled in quick and precise movements.


What she lacked in strength and height, she made up for in speed. And she had hoped that would at least give her a small advantage, even if it was miniscule. Now, she wasn't so sure, however she wasn't giving up anytime soon. She was going to fight with all she had. Just because he was her fiance, didn't mean she was going easy on him.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin ground his teeth together as June ducked from under his blow, sending him forward. She moved somewhere behind him and he decided to simply go with it, hitting the ground and rolling onto his back so that he was now below her. Given his tall stature, he was a commonly easy target for archers and swordsmen alike and he had gotten used to ducking and getting on the ground in order to be harder to spot and to take out others in secret. He used one of his legs to sweep under June and try and knock her off of her feet before swinging his sword around to intercept her initial blow.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

Letting out an irritated growl as he dropped to the ground, June's inital strike went through the air where his body would have been had he not dodged her attack, continuing down until it collided with his.


Her eyes glared down at him, and she attempted to dodge his kick, however he did get one of her legs and managed to make her unbalanced enough to where she staggered backwards. Knowing there was no way she could right herself, June cursed quietly under her breath as she fell on her butt, however her eyes never left him, guarding herself just in case.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin lurched forward and rolled onto his feet, standing over June and swinging his sword down onto hers, shoving downward so that it would lower towards her neck.


"Finished yet?" he snarled at her.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

June quickly moved two hands to the hilt of her sword, blocking his strike and gritting her teeth as she shoved back at him to keep his sword from getting any closer. This was bad.


Anger flared within her at his question, eyes flashing as she grunted, a strained laugh leaving her lips. Lifting both her legs, she kicked at his chest hard, shoving with all her might and not even caring that she was in a dress.


"I'm just warming up. Is this seriously the best you've got?" she taunted. Probably not the smartest idea at the moment... but June was ridiculously stubborn and competitive, so she really didn't care.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin grunted as her legs made contact with his chest, sending him back a few steps. He glared at her, feeling frustrated that she seemed somewhat enthused by it all. It was annoying and irritating and it was nothing like how he had wanted this to go. They were supposed to smile at each other through masks and just deal with it. They were royalty and they were engaged, which meant they sucked it up and dealt with it, no feelings attached at all. It would be a cold marriage, yes, but that was the only thing that would make it work.


He stood up straight on his feet, moving his sword through the air and towards her neck.

 

[ImpossibleGirl]

June used this opportunity to get back on her feet, not even bothering to brush the dirt off her. Planting one foot behind the other, she firmed her stance, grip tight on the hilt of her sword.


She blocked his strike easily, sliding it across his own and pushing it back. "And here I thought you'd be more of a challenge." she taunted, tsking as she grinned up at him, eyes flashing with both irritation and mirth. "So far, I'm not impressed."


With that, she pushed his sword down and away from her, brought her knee hard up against his stomach, and slashed her sword through the air towards his chest.


The knee to the stomach was mostly just to just his chest into closer range, and although her knee was throbbing a bit now, it would be well worth it if she won.

 

[FloatingAroundSpace]

Barrin's eye twitched as she made a snide comment about his ability to fight. He intercepted her blow easily. He had felt the impact of her knee against his armor but it hadn't hurt terribly much and he had had to deal with screaming and kicking siblings more often than not. His pain tolerance was high. He took a step forward, shoving towards her and moving their swords together towards her own body.