Defense

[Hakon]

Hakon woke up for the third time just after dawn.

On each of the other two occasions, he'd needed to wake up to empty himself: first his stomach, and then his bowels. He had a painful head injury that throbbed in his temples, and his mouth felt he'd washed it out with liquid from the midden before he'd vomited up an acidic slurry of chicken, dumplings, and mead. He felt like warmed over death.

Ajax, by contrast, seemed fine. Or at least, the lad slept through it when Hakon woke up. When he returned to bed the second time, he deposited the blankets on top of the lad and got into bed with him. He would not wake up with stiff muscles on Hakon's account. He was perfectly capable of restraining himself and he felt too lousy to think about anything carnal, besides.

On the third time he woke up, he groaned softly, got up to use the privy again, and with shaky steps realized that they would be staying over at the inn longer than anticipated. If not one more day than at least through midday before riding out in the afternoon. He was in no shape to ride, and on the off-chance that anything untoward happened to them on the road, he did not trust his reflexes to keep Ajax safe. By all rights they should be safe on the roads here, as they were not so far from Oxentide yet that he was overly worried, but why take the chance?

Besides, he thought, after drinking half a pitcher of water from a ewer left on the bar counter, he'd promised Andros he would train Ajax to fight anyway. He could spar in worse conditions than he could ride in, especially since he would be overseeing the training of someone else.

So it was that he asked the innkeeper for a light, bland breakfast and some cold water, then roused Ajax with the news.

"We stay here this morning, lad," Hakon said, still looking a bit green despite the hydration. "We are closing in the last known whereabouts of our quarry anyhow, so I think it best that I make good on my promise to train you in self-defense."

[Andros]

Ajax woke up with a light headache but no worse. He was under the covers, which Hakon must have done, but still had his clothes on. Nothing had happened between them other than that Hakon had done something nice for him. It was sweet. He was feeling well-disposed towards the mage today.

The announcement wasn’t a surprise. When Ajax saw how poorly Hakon held his liquor, he expected the man to have a killer hangover and that would make travel painful. This morning he seemed queasy and miserable. Poor guy. It was especially unfortunate, because he’d been lively and fun under the influence and now that was unlikely to be repeated any time soon.

Hakon was probably in no mood to talk, and after their conversation last night any chit chat was bound to be awkward so Ajax simply nodded his head. “That makes sense. I need breakfast and then I have some chores to do. I’ll join you in half an hour or so. ”


Ajax had been dreading this. He agreed with his Pappa that it was necessary, but it had been humiliating that he asked Hakon in particular. And he’d been afraid that the mage would use it as an opportunity to beat up on him consequence-free. Now, after they’d spent more time together he couldn’t remember why he was so afraid.

That didn’t mean he was looking forward to this, far from it. He knew he was going to do badly, get banged up, and embarrass himself in front of Hakon. Ajax was his father’s son, after all. He was meant for a lute - or at most a ship’s helm - not a sword.

After a quick breakfast, he took care of a few duties. Hakon didn’t seem to expect much of him as an assistant, but he wanted to make the mage’s life easier and prove his worth on the trip. He probably wasn’t going to be much use in combat but at least he could take on the grunt work. He first informed the stable and the innkeeper that they were staying until lunch. Then he went upstairs and changed his clothes. He took his own soiled undergarments and Hakon’s and washed them in water from the well, then hung them to dry. He packed their small bags, making sure nothing was missing from the room, then locked them in the closet for safekeeping. The last thing they needed was to get robbed and have Hakon think he’d done it.

Finally he went outside and found Hakon waiting for him. He pulled his dagger out of the scabbard concealed beneath his tunic. It wasn’t especially manly, not compared to Hakon’s mace. His mace that he could conjure out of thin air and use to bludgeon his enemies. Or his awesome throwing stars. Ajax suddenly felt about a foot shorter, but the dagger fit him.

“I bought this right after I got to Oxentide. I’d never carried a weapon before but after Alecto…” He let the sentence die, not wanting to dwell on it. “I’ve never taken it out except to clean it. I got a little military training as a kid but mostly with a spear.”

He grinned, sheepishly. “I was pretty good at getting out of training, and I spent most of it goofing off when they did make me show up. Anyway, can you show me what to do with this? If I needed it in an emergency.”

[Hakon]

"Well, there's no escaping one-on-one training, I'm afraid," Hakon warned, though there was a gentle undercurrent of good humor to his words. "There's a clear area behind the stables. Found it when I was throwing up this morning. We can use that to work on your form, though I'm no expert with edged weapons. Meet me there when you're dressed and ready."

Hakon went out to the cleared area, glad it had not recently rained. There were plants here, but they were cut quite short, suggesting that the stablehands let the animals graze in this area. That was fine; it meant for easy footing, and Hakon paced through the area, removing rocks and anything else Ajax could trip over. He wanted the lad concentrating on what he was doing with his dagger, not watching his feet. He'd only seen the knife for a few seconds, but he knew its make and type: on the smaller side with a sharp edge and a decently sharp point, more for slashing than stabbing. Not his preferred type of weapon, but a common enough choice. Almost every man of a certain station in the Four Kingdoms owned something like it, and quite a few women, too.

He considered wearing some armor, perhaps his gambeson, at least, but decided against it. Daggers like Ajax's were less useful against an armored foe, and he didn't want to start the man off at a disadvantage. Besides, he hadn't brought leathers for sparring along on his trip because he hadn't anticipated training anyone. So he did the logical thing and stripped off from the waist up. Shirtless, he shivered a bit in the morning chill, but he knew from experience that he'd warm up quickly. He wasn't immune to the cold, but he'd practiced like this in the morning thousands of times; his body was used to it.

When Ajax came to the clearing he would find Hakon, shirtless, warming up with some stretches.

It was at this moment that it occurred to Hakon that maybe this looked like something it wasn't.

"It's nothing you haven't seen before, lad. I thought we could start you off with the easiest possible foe: big, unarmed, and unarmored. If you're ready, come over here, and we'll work on your positioning."

So saying, he waited for Ajax to ready himself, after which he demonstrated the basics: holding the knife for a slash versus a stab, and how to use his footing to his advantage for each.

"If you've got all that, come try it on me, on my arms." He took in Ajax's shocked expression with some amusement. "I'll heal myself up afterward. If you're worried for me, try not to slash open an artery, okay? Just make me bleed."

[Andros]

Seeing Hakon stretch with no shirt on was a treat. He looked even better than Ajax had remembered. Was he more defined and broader now, or had his memories just dulled with time? Hakon seemed a little awkward about it, but still in a good mood. The fresh air and exercise were clearly good for his hangover. Would it be worth it if Hakon was willing to party with him every night but then made him work out every morning? Probably. It would certainly make the trip more fun.

Ajax risked a joke. Hakon seemed like he’d be able to handle in. “Hakon, if our opponent is a hot guy with no shirt on I’ll be useless. You know how I am. Only ugly mages please. Big wart on at a minimum.”

Ajax laughed, but listened attentively when Hakon began to instruct him. It took a few minutes of practice but he got the hang of the slashing movement. Hakon was a surprisingly patient teacher for someone with a wicked hangover who still hated Ajax, at least in part.

Ajax was feeling confident, but his confidence drained away when Hakon instructed Ajax to slash him. That was too much. He shook his head no but Hakon just laughed at him. He’d have to go through with it, or try to anyway.

“Ok. Arteries are here and here,” he said, touching the inside of Hakon’s elbow and his wrist. “I’ll aim for here,” he added, touching the tricep.

Ajax took up his stance as Hakon had shown him. Feet apart, dagger held firmly at chest level, blade (not point) facing his opponent. He focused on the target, raised the dagger, took a step forward, and started to slash downwards. But before he hit the arm he hesitated, then stopped. He couldn’t make himself do it. Taking a step backwards, he breathed in heavily and felt ashamed of himself.

“I’m sorry. I’ve never done this before. Never even killed a sheep - some shepherd I was. I’ll try again.”

It would be different if he were in a fight. If he were in danger he was sure he could do this without hesitation. But to attack Hakon for no reason seemed so unnatural. He tried to conjure up his anger at the man, to think about the assault at the store and how he wished he’d been able to defend himself then, but he couldn’t even summon the feeling anymore.

There was nothing for it. The longer he hesitated the more cowardly he looked. After three deep breaths, he took a step forward again and this time he brought the dagger down successfully, slashing across the back of Hakon’s arm and opening up a shallow gash several inches long. How Hakon managed to stand still for an attack he knew was coming was beyond Ajax. It was awe-inspiring.

Or it wouldn’t have been if the sight of Hakon bleeding hadn’t caused Ajax to immediately panic. He hated the sight of blood, and the fact that it was coming out of Hakon made it worse. He shut his eyes tight, dropped the dagger, and put up his arms to protect himself, as if Hakon was about to start pummeling him. It was all pretty irrational, but this was new territory for him. After a second of hard breathing, he realized there was no counterattack coming and relaxed, opening his eyes to see Hakon bleeding freely from the wound.

“Sorry. Are you ok?”

[Hakon]

Hakon sucked a breath in through his teeth as Ajax slashed him. It stung, and he felt the heat in his body hit the chill of the morning air, the elevated temperature making it apparent that it wished to remain inside of his skin and not spill onto the ground. Still, it was far from the first time he'd been hit with a knife. Many mages carried one for self-defense, and he'd taken a knife wound to the arm or leg or abdomen a few times when he got unwisely close. Rogues were rats, and cornered rats could be vicious.

"Ajax," Hakon said gently as he watched the lad look scared, drop his knife, and hold his own arms up defensively, "I'm okay. You cut me. It hurts. I'm not going to hurt you for doing as you were bid. When we get to the part of the lesson where I can counter you, you'll know it. Surprising you with a tactic I don't teach you does nothing to prepare you for actual combat, and that's what I promised Andros I'd do. If I wanted to make myself feel superior, I suppose I could use this as an opportunity to assault you, but you'd learn little from being assaulted. I promised I'd teach you to fight, and I intend to keep my word."

"The hardest part of fighting, when you're new at it, isn't the movements. You know how to move your legs and your arms. I've seen you dance," among other things Hakon thought with a flush over his features, before bringing himself back to business, "and you are well-coordinated. Nor are you unfit and in need of conditioning. The hard part for you is going to be the parts that are hard for everyone: the mental toll of hurting someone, of watching blood flow by your hand. That and not panicking when things don't go according to plan, but we'll get there once we're properly sparring. For now, you just need to practice hurting someone and drawing blood."

"It's easy to imagine being in a life-or-death situation with someone snarling and snapping at you, brandishing a weapon in your face," Hakon said, conjuring his mace and contorting his face into a snarl and making as though he were going to rush Ajax before stepping back and dismissing the mace as quickly as it had come to his hand.

"The hard part is when you're facing off against someone and they stop fighting and start crying, or beg you for their life, or tell you that they'll give you all the money they have if you spare them. When you're no longer scared for your own life is when you should be more on edge, because you don't know what your opponent intends, and if you let your guard down because they don't seem dangerous, it's a great way to end up dead."

While he'd been talking, he used just enough vitessence to close his wound, but not enough to get rid of it. There was no point. More were coming.

"So, again. Hurt me again. After you've cut me a few more times, I'll start throwing my hands up, trying to defend myself, and begging you to stop. Don't. If I actually need you to stop, I'll fall to the ground. If I don't do that, I'm faking it."

[Andros]

“It’s all right,” Ajax said, shaking the moment of panic out of his limbs. “I know you weren’t going to come at me, just freaked out a little. Like I said, never cut anybody before. I know I’m going to get knocked around a little out here, you don’t have to go easy on me just cause of…everything.” He didn’t need to spell it out. “I’m a big boy, I can handle it. And I know you can patch me up when we’re done.” He smiled as he said it, watching Hakon’s wound stop bleeding and start looking a lot better as they spoke.

Hakon was true to his word. He let Ajax slice him twice more without putting up a fight. Then the third time he deflected, using an elbow to knock into Ajax’s forearm and sending the dagger flying out of his hand. On the next attack, he instead put his arms up in front of his face, protecting himself but not fighting back. Ajax knew it was coming so he didn’t hesitate, making use of his dagger. The blow went a little sideways and cut him on the back of the hand. It bled profusely, but Hakon stopped it quickly. .

When the flow was staunched, Hakon gestured for Ajax to come at him again and this time he didn’t just throw his hands up but actively pleaded as well. “Please, Ajax, don’t. I’m injured. Just let me be. I won’t touch you.” It was an octave higher than his usual baritone and in a cringing, desperate tone that was completely at odds with his chiseled, enormous body. It threw Ajax for a loop. It shouldn’t have - he was told to expect it - but his instincts led him away from violence.

That moment of hesitation was when Hakon struck, dropping his hands and giving Ajax a shove that sent him sprawling on to his back and knocked the wind out of him. Ajax wanted nothing more than to lie on the ground and take a break but pride prompted him to spring back to his feet. He didn’t want Hakon to think he was fragile and weak. He stood, trying to fill his lungs and grasping his dagger hard. The lesson had been clear; softness would not win him any fights. When their lives were on the line he had to be ruthless. Or more ruthless than usual anyway.

“Again?” he asked simply. He wasn’t quitting.

[Hakon]

He was tempted to rub it in when Ajax made a mistake, but he resisted. Hakon knew he was hopeless at any number of things. If Ajax plunked a lute into his hands and asked him to play, he wouldn't know where to begin. If he'd told him to flirt with someone and wheedle something out of them, he would have been equally lost. The fact was Ajax had his skills, same as any man, and hurting people wasn't one of them.

Hakon nodded approvingly when Ajax found his feet.

"You're doing well," he said instead. "I know I'm a worthy target, as well. It feels fair to come at me, because I'm bigger than you and stronger than you. Remember, though, that your opponent may be your size, or even smaller. They may look old or frail or too young to hold a weapon or sickly. The fact is, though, a sword is a sword is a sword. A seventeen year old girl or a seventy year old man can kill you just as surely as a man like me, and if they think their life is in danger, they will defend themselves to the best of their ability."

Ajax brandished the dagger and came at him again. This time, Hakon didn't plead, just watched him with sad eyes as though he were about to weep. He watched the lad shift his footing minutely as he tried to parse if this was some kind of trick, but Hakon just stared at him, waiting. Sure enough, Ajax, got up the nerve and tried to slash him. This time, Hakon jumped backwards, out of range of the slash.

"There's honor on the battlefield, at times," Hakon said, "though less often than there is in ballads. Mostly, it's just horrific. But there can be no honor when we fight bandits or rogues, because no one is giving orders. No one can surrender, because there is no authority to surrender to. With no authority, there can be no trust."

Then he raised two fingers to Ajax in a come hither gesture. The lad tried again, slashing faster than he had before. Hakon knocked his arm askew, deflecting the blade and making the blow a lot more shallow. Then he stepped in to Ajax's personal space.

He was rewarded for his efforts with a shallow cut across his chest, bouncing off his ribs.

He stepped back and smiled at Ajax. "Good lad. You're getting the hang of this. We'll practice some more basics and then I'll start moving as you move. You'll have to get close to me if you want to make it count. I won't use a weapon against you, though. I already have a longer reach and longer legs. Let's not compound the advantages your opponent gets just yet."

[Andros]

Before Ajax went in for another slash, he wiped sweat off his face and paused to catch his breath. He was in good physical condition. His jobs involved a lot of heavy lifting, climbing ropes, and pushing carts. He could do any of them all day without tiring. But fighting apparently involved different muscles. He could tell they’d be sore later, on top of bruising from his repeated falls and crashes.

He felt immensely proud when Hakon moved in on him and he got a good slice in rather than panicking. He was never going to make a good fighter but he felt braver and stronger than he did half an hour ago.

“You’re a good teacher, Hakon, for a brutal unhinged tyrant I mean,” Ajax teased. His face broke into a big toothy smile. “I mean it. Do you train the younger mages at the tower? You’re kind of a natural.”

Not waiting for an answer, he went in for another blow. Hakon wasn’t taken by surprise, not a bit. Instead he did as he’s said and moved. Hakon was fast.. You wouldn’t think it to look at the big hulking form, but he moved effortlessly backwards as Ajax swung his dagger and Ajax stumbled. He fell forwards right into Hakon’s big chest, forehead incongruously squishing one of Hakon’s nipple. He laughed and straightened himself up.

Ajax was enjoying himself, against all odds. His fears that this would be an ordeal weren’t panning out. It felt like a game, like they were playing. It reminded Ajax of watching other boys play-fight with one another as a child. He never participated in those games - too rough, too dirty - but they seemed like fun. He was always a little jealous when he saw his friends laugh and throw clods of dirt at one another. He was a popular kid, naturally, but he just didn’t have it in him to join in, and that made him feel left out. Now this big, athletic man made him feel included as he went in for another attack with the dagger.

[Hakon]

Hakon sidestepped Ajax's lunge and pushed him to the side. Not a shove, like before, just enough to rocket him a few paces further than the lad had intended.

"No, not in the tower. I'm still just a Magus. Training is for higher ranked people. Most people who have been in the tower as long as I have are higher ranked than me," he admitted.

That fact stung from time to time, but largely he didn't care. His understanding of higher rankings involved things like more paperwork for the Wardens, and more political and social obligations for Fellows. None of that appealed to him.

Ajax came at him again, and Hakon hooked a big leg between Ajax's and twisted, trying to trip him. Ajax jumped over his leg and got a wild slash in on Hakon's shoulder, surprising Hakon for the first time, which caused the big man to break out in a wide smile.

"Nice one! But a very risky move. When you're off your feet like that, a well time shoved will knock you down, and if your opponent is fast enough, they can also grab you and use your momentum to disarm you. Against a bigger opponent like me, that's bad news. If you keep hold of your knife at all, when you're grabbed, that's the moment to start stabbing, because it's hard to hold on to the knife and break free at the same time. So try not to jump like that unless you can't avoid it, okay? Acrobatics are impressive and flashy, and that has its place, but there's risk to anything of that nature. Let's try to keep you boring and alive."

So saying, he healed up the latest rounds of cuts, closing them up with vitessence from his torch.

Judging by the movement of the sun, they'd been at this a few hours.

"Would you like a water break, lad? Or to stop for a light lunch? When we get back, we can practice spar some more. We can work on holds and grapples, for instance, or work on some basic complications you might encounter like uneven terrain or low visibility. I suppose we could also ride for the next inn, but I confess I'd rather stay here for another night, practice some more, get our plan together for our first rogue, and then ride out early tomorrow morning. What say you?"

[Andros]

Hakon must have known that Ajax was hitting a wall, or maybe he was just hungry too. The physical exertion wasn’t so tiring, but he was starting to get banged up and he wasn’t used to that. He’d fallen on his butt more times than he could count, and on his face at least twice. Not enough damage to embarrass himself by asking Hakon to be healed, but enough that a break was in order.

“That sounds perfect, yes. Let me do some more of our laundry if we’ll be here another night, then lunch, then grappling. Oh, and you got a tear in those pants when you fell earlier. I should fix that before we leave. We’ll be in fighting shape tomorrow morning.”

As the two men walked quietly back towards the inn, Ajax thought about the grappling. He remembered their first wrestling session and he was certain Hakon did too. It would be hot, obviously, and he’d need to be sure to keep things appropriate.

There was some risk, too. Would he panic if Hakon pinned him, given what had happened since? He hoped not. It would feel churlish considering what a gentleman Hakon had been all morning. The marks where his cuts had been were still visible, even if they’d been healed. Hakon was so stoic. It was impossible not to be impressed.

“You were very brave, Hakon, letting me cut you like that,” he said simply, expressing his honest feeling. “I can play for you again tonight if you like. Maybe some songs from Teos you haven’t heard. But we should proabably stick to water,” he added with a smile.