FOREVER KNIGHTS: #17 Marked As Mine

Browning Village, Isle of Wight

LUCIEN

Days went by as Lucien and Meralee worked together to cleanse Sabias House. They’d made fast progress and had recruited many of the villagers to help with the project. Mera worked side by side with him. Helping him carry things out and working in perfect coordination with him. As a tactician he admired her handiwork.

And her strategic planning.

A villager cried out as a cabinet with glass doors tumbled over and broke.

“Have a care!” Mera objected. Stepping around a dividing wall to chastise them. “It’s too heavy for two of you to move.” She shook her head. “Tie those doors closed with the rope and then each of you take a corner and move it over here.”

“Yes, mum.” They assented. Obediently doing as directed.

“With your tactical mind and agility, you’d be a force to be reckoned with in battle.” Lucien absentmindedly recognized.

“Would I?” She lifted that smooth dark brow.

“You would.” He nodded toward her shoes. “A little footwork and learning the methodical motions of swinging a sword and you’d be highly efficient.”

“I’d enjoy that.” She commented.

“I’d not thought a lady would appreciate such things.”

“You’d be wrong.”

“Or your no lady, in truth.”

“Mmm.” She shrugged. “I don’t know the first thing about swordplay.”

“If I had one made for you, would you be willing to learn.”

“You were willing to do this,” She gestured around. “so, I suppose.”

He pulled aside a villager and directed him to get with the smith. Requiring a small sword be made. Light enough she could maneuver it.

It was the following day that the sword was brought over around mid-afternoon.

Lucien insisted they take a break.

“But we’re making so much progress!” She complained.

He tugged her arm and led her out. Picking up the leather scabbard he pulled the belt around her and yanked her close enough he could buckle it.

“It feels strange.” She remarked. Looking at her hip to inspect it.

Then he held out the sword. “Don’t let this touch the ground.”

“I won’t.” She took it reverently. “Are you going to show me?”

“I am.” He pulled his thin blade from his scabbard. Showing her the motion. Then replacing it so she knew how.

She did. Clumsily. Following his lead.

When he withdrew it again, so did she. He taught her how to pose at the ready.

She mimicked his stance.

“You hold the blade. Firmly but with enough elasticity it is still flexible enough to not be tossed from your grip. It should be both firm and fluid. Like the sea. Strong as a whole but able to part around obstacles.”

She nodded. Adjusting her fingers around the hilt.

He directed her how to move forward and back. Methodically teaching her how to block and strike with equal precision.

And she was a fast learner. Picking up the motions quickly.

It became part of their afternoon ritual. They’d practice swordplay in the early hours while it was cool. Then as the sun came up they would retreat indoors to work in the shade. Once the afternoon mist rolled in they’d return outdoors to practice more swordplay before returning indoors to finish working in the House until waning light.

I’d never have thought we’d make so much progress so fast.

Neither in swordplay or in restoring Sabias House. It was impressive indeed.

Even the villagers were regularly commenting on it.

Already salivating over all the jobs, it would provide due to the amount of servants it would require.

But who’ll inhabit it? He wondered. Watching the woman moving boards to uncover a long Dining Room table opposite him, he knew who he wanted residing here.

Only she would be suited to.

One afternoon he took her deeper into the woods. Letting go of her hand once he’d taken her far enough. “Now look around. Up and down.”

She complied. “What am I looking for.”

“A way to get through the trees to kill you.”

She cast him a terrified look.

“See the gap in the distance there, where the tree tops open.” He leaned against her shoulder to point up, so she could look down his finger.

“I do.”

“Imagine that things could come through there. They’d have a straight trajectory to you.”

“Oh, no.” She realized he was right. “What about over there.” She pointed to her left. “There’s a path there. Something could run very fast at me.”

“Good. Well done.” He applauded her. “Learn to look for these things. So if something were to attack, you’d know where it was coming from. Learn to have an idea how you’d meet any contingency.”

She gave him a long look. Assessing out his words and carefully taking them in. “I can do that.”

“What you’re learning to look for is ambush zones. Where you’d be likely to be attacked because it’s so open for it. It is wise to always look at any path you’d take like this before undertaking it.”

“I should’ve been doing this when I was fleeing all of you in the woods.”

“You could’ve avoided many points where they were able to come upon you. It also would’ve made your path harder to predict.”

“You were watching me the whole time?” She said dryly.

“There were many times something could’ve ambushed and hurt you, had they so desired. One of the knights could’ve knocked you unconscious and hauled you over his shoulder to take you to the Lion’s Head.”

“Why didn’t they?”

“Because they all have honor. You haven’t learned that by now.”

“I’m learning that you do. But I know nothing of them.”

“Keep reading my words.”

My journal.

“And you will.” He reassured. “You’ll learn about them all. And you’ll have the power then to cause us great harm.”

If Radix were to possess that knowledge of us it would make hunting us all the more easily done.

“My point is to always look at the larger picture to assess an area for threats.”

“The larger picture…” She echoed thoughtfully.

He gave her back a slight rub to encourage her to keep at it as he returned to the house to resume working. He gave her back one more look as he reached the doorway.

She was carefully looking around.