MxM in Medieval Times

[Blunz]

@DaedAir


Do you want me to write the first post?

 

[DaedAir]

Sure! Go ahead.

 

[Blunz]

Tybalt followed the other knights into the blacksmith's shop. They were picking up some weapons before they went back to the arena to practice their battle strategies. The head knight, who had been in this profession for several years now, led the other knights deeper into the shop. The loud clacking sounds of metal armor filled the room as the two dozen knights moved. Tybalt hated having to wear the armor when they weren't in battle, but the head knight insisted that they needed to get used to the weight and vision restrictions if they were ever going to become real knights.


He was certainly right about the vision restrictions, Tybalt had to admit. He had to squint to see through the small slit in his helmet. He squinted to watch as the head knight reached the blacksmith and ordered, "Get us two dozen of your best swords."

 

[DaedAir]

Logan knew when the knights came in. He also had them as customers. The blacksmith could hear their armor clanging about as they walked through his shop, but Logan paid no attention them as they walked into his workshop. He had just started on a new order for a shield for a knight who had just come in before this group. As he pounded on the metal sheet he had, he watched in his peripheral view as the group of knights came in. His workshop was a little small for the amount of people that were currently standing in it, which slightly annoyed Logan. But he ignored the thought and turned to put the round metal item in the fire to let it heat up so he could work it better and shape it into the style his customer had wanted.


The blacksmith wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand in an attempt to wash the grime and soot that was on his face off. But it seemed to only make his face blacker. He asked the group, "What can I getcha?" It was immediately followed by a barked order for two dozen swords. For a moment Logan didn't answer what he presumed to be the head knight. Taking the round metal sheet out of the fire and instantly sticking it in the barrel of water he had sitting next to it, he answered the knight without looking up from his work.


"Swords are to your left. If you want my best hand crafted swords, you're outta luck. I've already filled my quota for clients today." He said gruffly as he began lightly molding the shield into its familiar curved shape. He glanced up at the group as he worked. Setting aside the piece he was working on, he put a hand to his hip and looked at the group. The head knight's body language was that of annoyance and disappointment. "Look, what I got is what I got. Either take it or leave." He stated as he waited for the group leader to decide.

 

[Blunz]

The head knight huffed in annoyance and just stared at the blacksmith for several seconds. Finally, he sighed in defeat and turned to the left to look at the swords. He sized up the individual types for weight, size, sharpness, and overall look before deciding on a certain sword. He cleared his throat to get the attention of all the knights. More clanging noises were heard as twenty-four armored heads turned suddenly, smacking into one another like a bunch of blind idiots. The head knight sighed again. He then pointed an armored finger toward the swords he had picked out. "Knights!" he shouted. "Each of you, grab a sword! Quickly, knights, I don't have all day."


Tybalt was roughly pushed aside by another knight, who ran up to the swords and grabbed hold of one before swinging it around like a madman, nearly hitting several other knights in the process. The head knight yelled at him to calm down. Tybalt swallowed nervously. Everyone in this group seemed so intimidating.


Finally, the knights in front of him had all grabbed swords and moved out of the way so that Tybalt could have a turn. He nervously approached the swords and lifted his arm to grab one, but he missed completely, his hand fumbling around for a sword that wasn't anywhere near it. The other knights erupted in laughter. Tybalt's face flushed red with embarrassment. He really couldn't see anything in this stupid helmet. Frustrated, he flipped up the visor, revealing his blushing face. As soon as he could see, he found himself staring directly at the blacksmith. "Uhhhhh ...," he said uncomfortably before turning back to the swords. He was embarrassed enough already, so he just quickly grabbed a sword and walked swiftly away from that side of the shop, trying to disguise how heavy the sword felt in his weak arms.

 

[DaedAir]

Logan had zoned out for a moment as the head knight got the others attentions. He was jarred from his oblivious thoughts as the knights nearly toppled over one another to turn their attention to their leader. The black smith sighed heavily and rolled his eyes in annoyance. Why must they always bring their apprentices with?? Thought Logan as the knights seemed to charge forward to try and grab swords for themselves.


One knight was pushed roughly to towards him. The man looked, timid; scared of the other knights. It seemed odd to Logan that he was this way. Knights were typically boastful and rather annoying. But this man didn't seem like that. He was intrigued, and wanted to know more about him. That's when things got a little awkward.


Logan backed away from the nervous knight as he walked toward him. What was this man doing?? As the knight reached out his arm, it was clear to the black smith that the man couldn't see. As the knight opened his visor, Logan did his best to hide the smile that was trying to crawl its way to his lips. But as the group behind the nervous man erupted in a mess of laughter, Logan's face turned red; half in humor, the other half in anger. As they all turned to leave, it was clear to Logan that the knight who had attempted to pick him as sword was having difficulty holding his sword.


Logan had the idea of trying to help the man. He could make a new helmet that permitted the knight to see better and maybe give him private lessons on how to hold a sword. Not that he wouldn't get that in training. But head knights were used to giving basic instructions and then leaving their apprentices to train on their own.


Picking up a bucket and dunking it into the barrel of water, he used it to put out the fire in his workshop. Taking off his thick gloves and leather apron, Logan used the same barrel of water to dunk his hands in and clean off his face. Scratching his beard, he walked out of his shop and closed and locked the door. He then went on to find thr group that had just left his black smith shop.

 

[Blunz]

The head knight was leading the others back to the arena to train. However, the group couldn't move very quickly with all of the knights half-blind and constantly knocking into one another. Tybalt was getting impatient after several minutes had gone by and he was barely ten feet away from the shop. Over the commotion of the other knights, he heard the shop's door close behind him. He turned around to find himself face-to-face with the blacksmith -- again.


((I'm going to bed now. Sorry for the short reply.))

 

[DaedAir]

Logan took the key out of the lock and turned around to find himself staring at the man who had thought that he was sword. The sudden appearance of the knight in training caught him off guard. He hadn't expected to see him so close to the shop; let alone the other knights who seemed to be having the same problem of seeing through their helmets. Logan hadn't thought of what he would say to him, so he stuttered over his words as he tried to quickly come up with some sort of sentence to say.


"Uhh...Um...I've noticed you're having trouble with seeing through your helmet. I could help with that. If...if you wanted me too." He said, slightly embarrassed by himself for not being able to think on his feet fast enough. He rubbed the back of his head in awkwardness as he stood there. Surprisingly, the head knight seemed to not notice any of them trailing behind. Logan planned on taking advantage of that, hoping he could offer up an invitation for the knight who was standing before him, to get him better gear that might fit him more properly.

 

[Blunz]

Tybalt was surprised to find the blacksmith talking to him. He was especially surprised to find the blacksmith looking so unsure of himself. He had seemed pretty confident talking to the head knight just a few minutes ago, and that knight was intimidating as hell. Tybalt momentarily wondered if his own awkwardness had been somehow transferred to the man standing before him. If so, then he felt pretty bad about it. He knew from personal experience how awful it was to be so nervous all the time.


The blacksmith offered to help fix his problem with seeing out of his helmet. Tybalt considered it for a moment, wondering what the had knight would think of it. Then he realized that the head knight was really just training them, so he had no reason to care if Tybalt had a different helmet than everyone else, so long as he paid for it himself. "How much will this cost me?" Tybalt asked the blacksmith, trying to look confident.

 

[DaedAir]

The blacksmith smilied as the knight accepted his offer of a new helmet. Joyful that the armored man had received his offer so well and rather quickly, Logan decided to cut the man a deal. It was rare for the blacksmith to do anything for free, let alone for someone he didn't even know. But Logan thought that if this knight was going to actually become a knight, he may as well take up the opportunity to make friends with him. It might serve him well in the future, if such a thing were to happen. Logan's body relaxed more and the nervousness he had once shown soon melted away. The smile still showed on his face as he offered up his deal to the knight in training.


"Tell ya what," He said. "Meet me at the tavern later this afternoon. If you have the coins, buy me a lunch and we'll call it even. If you don't have the coins, I could still use the company. Haven't been out much, let alone had anyone else to talk to in a while. It might do me some good. And I'm sure you could use the break as well. I hear knight training is quite harsh." Logan glanced behind him at his shop as he thought about how he might go about this. He could put aside a couple of projects he was working on to make time and room for his newly acquired customer. But he also had other orders to fill too. Some of them took more priority then others, like the shield for example. That needed to get done quickly so the customer could have it and practice using it for battle. Logan flipped his attention back to the training knight and waited patiently for his reply.

 

[Blunz]

Tybalt was surprised by the offer. This complete stranger was wiling to make a helmet for him for free. "I have the coins," Tybalt said quickly. He didn't want to seem greedy by accepting the free offer, and he especially didn't feel morally right about the idea. This blacksmith probably didn't make a lot of money with his job, but he seemed to work very hard. Tybalt couldn't imagine having to work with so much heat all the time. "I'll be at the tavern in about three hours." That was when the knights took their lunch break. "And I'll pay for your lunch. Thank you," he said before turning back around to join the rest of the group, which had advanced a few feet.

 

[DaedAir]

Logan nodded in confirmation and replied, "Glad to have your business. I'll see you in three hours." As he watched the knight walk off towards the others, he stood there for a moment, wondering what he just got himself into. Free business. What was he thinking? But the blacksmith couldn't turn it down, it was to late for that. Once he made an offer and that offer was accepted by his customer, Logan rarely if ever went back to the customer saying he couldn't accept it. The blacksmith turn around after the momentary thought and went to open his blacksmithing shop again. He could start on the knights helmet, or work on the shield that had been ordered by another. Going with priorities first, he decided that he was better off finishing the shield then starting on the helmet. And since the metal piece he was doing for the shield was only an add on and it was thin, Logan figured he could get it done by the end of the day. Which pleased him greatly and meant he could then start on the helmet later that night or the next morning. Opening his door to his shop, the blacksmith walked in and headed to the small back room to restart the fire and work on the shield.

 

[Blunz]

The knights returned to the arena, each equipped with a sword. Tybalt's arm was getting sore from carrying his around, so he dreaded having to actually battle with it for the next few hours. When they arrived at the arena, the knights were immediately paired off to fight. Luckily, the knight he got paired with was almost as weak as him. They were ordered to stand on opposite sides of the arena and run at each other. Following the head knight's orders, the twenty-four men formed two lines of knights, a dozen per line on each side of the arena. When the head knight shouted "CHARGE," they charged.

* * *

​

Three hours later, the knights were finally released for their lunch break. Tybalt felt beaten up. He hadn't gotten any cuts due to his armor, but he'd been bruised terribly from being constantly thrown around by his fighting partner. He changed out of his armor for lunch, making the huge purple bruises all over his body much more apparent to him. He dressed in long pants, boots, a long-sleeve shirt, and a dark vest. Most of his bruises were disguised by this clothing, the only exception being a small bluish area under his right eye.


He exited the arena, making sure to bring his money with him, and headed for the tavern. When he arrived, he looked around for the blacksmith.

 

[DaedAir]

Logan headed to his fire pit to restart it again and continue working on his customer's order. As he got the flames going, he realized he was going to need the knight here to make sure his helmet fit right. The blacksmith shrugged at the thought as he put his leather apron and gloves on. Going to work at the shield, another thought came to Logan; he hadn't even give the knight in training his name. He didn't even know the knights name either. He smiled whimsically at it and shook his head in amusement. He probably wouldn't even recognize the knight without his armor. But he'd just have to deal with that later.

***

​

Logan doused the fire with the bucket of water once more and washed his face and hands clean of the black soot and ash that had gotten all over his face in the process of finishing the shield. The only thing he had left to do on it was put his engraving mark on it and the piece could be turned in to the client. Sighing he put on his jacket and headed out the door, locking it before he walked away.


Walking towards the tavern, the blacksmith smoothed back his black hair. It had been quite a few months since he had actually set foot in the town's tavern. He typically spent most of his time at his workshop and at his home. As the tavern came into view, he could see a man looking around for someone. Assuming it was the knight he had met earlier in the day, he walked up to the man.


"You're the knight I met earlier, right?" He asked him.

 

[Blunz]

Tybalt looked around at the tavern as he waited. On one side was the bar, with patrons getting drunk and shouting for more beer. On the other side of the tavern were sets of tables, where families and groups sat together for a meal. The middle of the tavern was empty, as if cleared for a party. Tybalt figured that the tavern was probably more active at night, with music and dancing, which was why this space was left empty. After a few minutes of waiting, he saw the blacksmith approaching. When he was close enough for Tybalt to hear, he asked the knight if he was the right person, the person from earlier. "Yes," Tybalt said. "That was me."

 

[DaedAir]

Logan smiled as he found the knight. He extended his hand to greet him formally. The place was near empty except for the small party of bar people one side of the tavern. There were a couple of tables near the windows, the blacksmith figured they could sit there. Hopefully the place would get busier as time passed. The 35 year old tipped his head to the tables near the window, suggesting they go over there for their meal.


"Logan Tally." The blacksmith said as he gestured to the seats near the windows. "We haven't actually been formally introduced yet." Logan said with a chuckle. "So how many years have you been in training?" He asked the knight, trying to strike up some sort of conversation so that their lunch wouldn't be an awkward silence.


((Pardon the short reply))

 

[Blunz]

Tybalt shook the other man's hand. "Tybalt Boneth," he said before breaking the handshake. He started walking over to one of the empty tables while answering the blacksmith's question. "I've only just started," Tybalt answered. Most of the other knights had been trained their entire lives, but Tybalt had only recently become a knight, which was why he was struggling so much compared to the others. "This is my first year. I wanted to become a knight to support my family, so I started getting training." He sat down at the table. "What about you? How long have you been a blacksmith?"

 

[DaedAir]

Logan sat down across from the Tybalt, listening to him as he responded to his question. Tybalt's answer of being a first year, explained why the knight was a bit clumsy with his equipment. Before he answered the knight's question, the blacksmith waved his hand at a waitress, motioning to her that they needed to be served. Turning his attention back to the knight, he responded to the knight's question.


"I've been a blacksmith for as long as I can remember. I took over my father's business at the age of 20. But I had been helping him since I could use the tools as a child. Decent work, I guess. Hard on the hands though. But it gets me by and that's what counts." The blacksmith said with a grin. He liked his job, even if it did pay little. Although knights with personal orders, like the shield he had been working on earlier, tended to give him a little extra for better quality.


As the waitress walked over to them, she asked what they wanted to drink. Logan responded with just a glass of water. He and the waitress looked to the knight as the lady asked what he wanted to drink. Logan did a quick glance around the room as a few more people walked through the door. Shouts from the people at the bar could be heard and Logan guessed that they knew the people. The small group of people that had just walked through the door though, paid no heed to the drunk's calls.