Ser Nerys Ronain, Knight of Redcliffe (ronain) wrote in thedas,
Coan was obviously trying to get her worked up, and it was working to some extent. At least in so far as giving her reason to roll her eyes at him as he showed off his alleged battlescar, like he was some sort of old war hero. "Oh, please. Don't blame me for your awkward footwork. How was I to know that your only combat practice was waving sticks in your sister's face before we met?" Her childhood had been spent in the company of nomadic warriors -- it was no surprise that she had been taught early on how to defend herself, in case of attack on the clan. It was hardly a fair fight to set her up against the inexperienced son of a nobleman, who had only swung imaginary swords until that point. From day one, Talfryn had sought to use her as a teacher for his young lord. In those early days at South Reach, Nerys thought it had been some kind of punishment or a test, but with time, she'd grown to appreciate Coan's company and partnership.
She was loathe to admit it, though. As far as most people were concerned, Nerys only made friends with dogs, not with people. Still, there was an unspoken levity to the way that they made verbal jabs at each other -- that was the way of boys, though, and Nerys (as the only female squire in Gwaren) was one of them. "I'm amazed your mother didn't have me kicked out for giving a boo boo to her baby boy," she added with a grin, stopping to crack her neck and stretch the muscles in her arms before reaching for a new greatsword. Her palms were tender underneath their wraps, but she hardly even batted an eye at the stinging sensation. It was no excuse to go easy on Coan, either.
The mention of the Teyrna's pets made Nerys frown momentarily. They were not real hounds by Nerys' standards -- though Mabari in breed and build, they were never used for their real purpose and could hardly live up to their pedigree. Duchess and her pups were ill-tempered and ill-behaved, and though she normally had a knack for handling the castle's kennel, even she couldn't manage to get them under control when they were at their worst. It all had to do with the way they had been reared by their mistress. Though Nerys respected the authority and command of her ladyship (after all, she was the second most powerful woman in all of Ferelden), the dogs' spoiled, nightmarish behavior was always a point of contention. But it was hardly her place to question what the Teyrna did, so she could only look on with irritation. At least she had raised her own hound, Malin, with the proper discipline and form. She was napping in the kennels now, but as soon as these sessions were over, the pair would be ready for their daily run from the estate down to the edges of town.
Returning to the center of the chamber, Nerys swung the practice blade around, to get a sense of the weight distribution and see that her wrists were still responding well enough to the motions. Comfortable with her weapon, she stepped back from Coan and got into position, nodding at him, "I'm ready when you are."