Shadows & Lace (Spellbound Prequel)

Chapter 7: Fight Club

Braithe ducked as a projectile came flying towards her face, narrowly avoiding a collision that would have been rather painful at the very least.

"Oy! We said not the face!" She glared at Baudwin who was standing on the opposite side of her training room in the undercroft. "Mother would never forgive me if I showed up with a black eye two days before the ball."

"And how would you explain it?" Baudwin grinned.

"I'd still say it was you."

Her brother weighed a second wooden practice dagger in his hand while looking at her. "So, you say that Sir Aurelian is here to discover what our parents are doing with all the tax money?"

"Yes," she huffed as she lunged out of the way of the dagger he hurled at her. "Maybe not in those exact words. But why else would he be interested in the tax records? He did say he's looking into rumours of the citizens suffering."

"Interesting. I suspected he wasn't the blithe idiot he appeared to be." Baudwin scratched at the back of his neck.

"Oh, he's a blithe idiot all right," Braithe muttered, gaining a chuckle from her brother and a little shocked gasp from Lyssa who was standing lookout in the doorway as usual. Except the lady-in-waiting seemed to spend far more time staring at a shirtless Baudwin than she was making sure no one walked in on them.

"I'm glad the High King is having someone look into things," Baudwin said as he lifted first one arm, then the other and stretched his torso and back.

Lyssa was practically drooling and Braithe was almost of a mind to send her away, but they needed a lookout. She supposed she couldn't fault the other woman too much as her brother was known to be a handsome man. Even while no longer being the big, bulky warrior he had once been he was still in good shape, even if maybe a little skinny these days. He'd bulk up a bit again, she was sure. Especially now that he had agreed to spar with her again.

Picking up a shield and wooden practice sword, Braithe handed them to Baudwin who looked almost offended. It had been his weapons of choice back in the day, when he didn't wield a large broadsword.

"You know I can no longer fight with these," he said darkly, his eyes flashing.

"No, but you can defend. Put your bad leg forward and brace with your good one. As long as you can hold your balance you should be able to fend off most attacks."

"The student becomes the master." What sounded like a compliment certainly wasn't said in a tone that was complimentary, but he strapped the shield on and hefted the sword.

Braithe picked up one of the practice daggers that were the same size and weight as her real ones. Wanting to catch Baudwin off-guard, she didn't wait but charged at him with the dagger raised. She was happy to find that he automatically raised his shield arm and blocked her attack. He was a little bit wobbly, still not used to one leg being weaker than the other, but he didn't fall. When she thrust at him again he again expertly blocked her, and as if without thinking he swung the sword towards her. Lifting her empty hand, she blocked the blow with her lower arm, protected by a steel bracer. It still hurt like an orc's ass.

Wincing, she retreated a few steps.

"I'm sorry," Baudwin said, but he seemed as much surprised as he was contrite.

"No, it's good." She smiled even as her arm smarted. "Your reflexes are obviously still there. We'll make a fighter of you again."

They all froze as they heard shuffling from just outside the room.

"Hello?"

Braithe frowned. That voice... No, it couldn't be! How was he always everywhere he shouldn't be?