Ser Nerys Ronain, Knight of Redcliffe (ronain) wrote in thedas,
Breathlessly, the young man held a hand out to his partner on the ground, who was panting in an equally exhausted manner. Lora spared no irritation from her expression as she grabbed the gloved hand with her own and accepted his help in getting back to her feet. "Thanks," muttered the girl once she was standing independently, though as soon as he let go, she found herself leaning on the greatsword in her other hand for support. Footsteps marched toward the pair, two in boots and four more padding on the earth. Ser Ronain stopped a yard away from them, arms folded across her chest, Cafall planting himself down beside her. He watched them with mild interest, or as much as he could spare, while occasionally glancing sideways at a squirrel's nest in the courtyard's biggest tree. He only pretended to care for his mistress' sake, though the sparring match was irrelevant to him.
Impassively, the knight made sure that she had the attention of both of her subordinates before calmly saying, "Again."
Lora's brow was instantly drawn together at her superior's reaction to their activity; she had yet to learn anything of masking her emotions. Yorath, on the other hand, made no sound and bowed his head, readying his weapon again. The girl frowned and started to protest, "But we just did--"
"Again, squire," commanded Nerys, more firm than she'd been the first time. Even her cool facade was beginning to melt at being faced with blatant insubordination. On any other day, she might have had more patience for it, but given the events of the previous two, she was in no mood to put up with any complaint. It was at least a little unfair to expect so much from them, yet she didn't think it was necessary to go easy on them. They were young, but not children. They needed to be pushed, especially when what they were about to face would be far harder to deal with than what they were being told to do at present.
Nevertheless, Lora continued to object, matching her trainer's stance by leaving her sword standing on its point and crossing her arms in defiance, "What good does it do if we're worn out before the fight even happens?"
Still quiet, Yorath took a step back from both women, ready to withdraw from what was about to be an ugly scene that he had no interest in being caught in the middle of. The sudden tension and motion drew Cafall's alarm. He made no move to threaten the girl, as he knew Lora very well, but he did rise to his feet and soundlessly stood by the kennel master's side. It was clear that Nerys was just barely hanging on to her temper as she barked back at the squire, "And what good does it do if you're not prepared?"
Lora shook her head and rolled her eyes, "But we know they're on the move now. We're not going to be caught off guard again!"
The fury that was lit behind Nerys' dark eyes seemed to go out at that statement. There was a silent beat, as if she'd given up on the argument. She then let out an exasperated sigh, "Don't be so cocky." As she spoke, the knight had closed the small distance between herself and the younger woman. Expecting some kind of harsher, non-verbal retribution, Lora was suddenly mute as Nerys loomed over her, eyes narrowed. "You can bet that just thinking you're ready will get you killed. You'll never be ready. But you can be smart. You can learn to improvise." She reached forward and yanked the blade out of the space it occupied next to the squire, thrusting the hilt forward into Lora's hands, forcing her to accept the weapon, "Now do it again." Nerys turned her sharp stare over to the other squire, "And don't you dare hold back for her, Yorath. The darkspawn won't."