The knights Aprentice. ((Open to a degree))

[Nandon]

William stood lightly on the balls of his feet. He was in a ready position. He quickly brought up his shield that held his knightly crest on it, using it to block a over heard sword cut, William pushed back, Very much aware of the crowd of Varden soldiers, And citizens of beltona that stood around him watching and cheering. It was a regular part of Williams weekend, he would go out and spar with any who wished to join in.

It helped train the Varden soldiers who joins, And helped boost morale when they saw such a powerful knight fighting for their cause. A second strike came and William parried it with his sword, sending a small counter stroke to absorb most of the impact, Then deeming It was time to end the confrontation, William quickly slid his sword passed the mans guard and held it up to his throat. “Dead.” William breathed out, Holding his sword there for a moment until the man’s eyes lost its battle rage. Then William let him walk off.

He heard several people whisper with awe filled voices as they informed new comer’s of who was fighting. “Sir William Shay Of the Order of the Green Wolf!” they whispered fiercely as they spoke his full title.

William nodded his head smiling, he shoved his sword point first into the soft dirt then, spoke out. “Alright! This practice session is over. I shall hold another next weekend.” William said, his voice carrying clearly. People began to disperse and William then waited for the several people who would no doubt come up and speak to him.

[Quetzal]

Isrydia stood in the crowd, watching William fight. She guarded her expression, but inside she was a little unnerved at how good this guy was with a sword. His skill made her uneasy. It put her own skill into perspective, and she realized with a slight blow to her pride that there must be so many out there better than her. She still clung to her belief that she was pretty good with a sword, but doubts were forming. The Varden soldiers' presence was clear, so she assumed this guy was one of them. Were they all this good? Was this guy a leader showing off to raise morale and threaten any of the Empire? If they were indeed all anywhere near this skilled, the Empire matching them or being even better, Isrydia knew she would have to improve in case she ran into one of them.

Even so, she was cautious of approaching the knight. She didn't want to get mixed up in the war, after all. Tucked away in Kuasta, Galbatorix had nothing to do with her, and the Dragon Riders and there concerns were something she had no part in. Why should she pick a side? It would only put her at risk from the opposition. No, best she remain neutral. No-one in the Empire or the Varden would have any reason to kill her, so she would be safer. However, this was the best swordsman she had ever seen, and she was never one to turn down an opportunity...

She grumpily waited for people to finish speaking with him, hanging back so not to get in anyone's way. When the last person had left, she walked up to William and did her best to look far less impressed than she actually was. "Hello. Who are you? You're pretty good with a sword. Watching you has made me think I should improve; I haven't had much in the way of training, just a few spars with friends and family. I don't think I'm good enough to fight you yet, but is there anywhere you could recommend I go to improve in the meantime?" she asked, trying to be polite despite her slightly agitated mood.

[Nandon]

William smiled, Muttering a couple polite words here and there as the people filed past him, he wiped a bit of sweat off his brow then reached down and pulled his sword out of the ground, brushing some of the dirt off of the blade he then began to sheath it when someone else walked up.

William looked at the woman, smiling politely as she put off a unimpressed manor. Then when she finished he sheathed his sword, Thinking over her request for a moment, A thought occurred to him. But first he set out to answer her first question. “Some know me as Draumr Hjarta, or Dream heart, Others know me by my formal title Sir William Shay from the Order of the Green Wolf. And then Others know me as just William, Which You may call me miss.” He said trying his best to act chivalrous even though he was tired.

“And yes, I actually do know a rather good swordsmen you can train with. He has a home in beltona, I’m sure if I stop by and recommend you, he will accept you as a Apprentice.” William said hiding a smile before he continued. “Go to the third house away from the north gate on the right side in a hour, he will be there.” William said not saying another word before walking off towards the city.

[Quetzal]

William's words puzzled Isrydia, which in some ways made her like the young man more. Her eyes did widen with the mention that he bore the title of 'Sir', Isrydia having never spoken to anyone with such a claim before. She could not guess why he was called 'Dream Heart' by some, but he said he was called it in some other language - it sounded like the Ancient Language, although she could not be sure as she had little knowledge of the language. That implied he was referred to by that name by the elves, a race that had always intrigued her. For them to give him a title of respect (she assumed, it not seeming a bad name) meant he was thought highly of even among the elves, and so might be even more talented than he appeared. Something easy for her to understand that made her smile was that the knight had told her to just call him William. She had always thought knights to be stuck-up ponces, but this guy seemed very... Normal.

His request for her to visit someone's house left her feeling slightly suspicious, but he looked amused and trustworthy, plus she needed a teacher so she might as well try. The city gates would be crawling with armed guards at any rate, so she doubted any man, however strong, would try and kill a random stranger with so many guards ready to leap at them. She nodded slowly. "I'll be there," she said with some degree of certainty.

The man then walked off, leaving her alone with her thoughts. Today was shaping up to be quite interesting. She glanced up at the sun, noting its position so she might know when an hour had passed. The sun was a much better way of telling the time than a sun dial, I'm her opinion, as sun dials were confusing. She tuned her back to the sun so that she was facing north, and began to drift slowly towards the gate, thinking about her encounter all the while. Should she really go through with this? It was risky and could prove quite foolish, but just as well could be very rewarding. Did she even trust this man? She'd only just met him. How could she know what he was likely to do? A knight shouldn't lead people into traps, and no-one as far as she knew had any reason to want her dead or injured, seeing as all she did was tell stories and contemplate the world as she delved into different cultures of people. The citizens of Belatona seemed to like him, anyway. That ruled out any possibility he was a crazy tyrant.

Would she have to join the Varden? That wasn't even a question she wanted to think about. True, she did not know much of the politics of the war, nor much about the ways of the Varden. Some people said they would ruthlessly kill any good citizen of the Empire, others said they were the only way to rid themselves of the oppression of Galbatorix. However just their cause might be, she wasn't about to plunge herself into their ranks.

Much in the same way the next hour passed. Isrydia came no closer in ressolving her internal debate, so resolved to just go with what she'd said earlier and take the opportunity. Anyway, if she didn't, she's always ask 'what if?'. Plus her day would be more interesting this way. She counted the houses down from the north gate of the city, finding the one Wlliam had mentioned and knocking on the door, nervous of what might happen next.

[Nandon]

As the hand hit the door it seemed to open on its own accord, A man stood in the center of the main room, It was lit brightly by candles, and from the light that streamed through the windows. Directly above the man, A shield cound be seen, But was it a normal shield? Yes it was. But the crest on it bore an wolf sitting, Colored green on a field of white.

William turned around and looked at the woman who entered. “So you actually came? Well. That puts you up a bit on my list.” William said mysteriously, then feeling a question would be offered William went ahead and answered “Many people have asked to train with me, Or if there was someone I knew who could train them. And since I have nothing better to do most days I tell them to come to my house no matter who they ask to train with. You are the first who has actually arrived.” William said beckoning the woman in with a ready smile.

He then turned his back for a moment, looking up at his shield.

[Quetzal]

Isrydia had had her suspicions she would be faced with William on the other side of the door, but none the less she was somewhat surprised to see him. He contradicted her previous idea of what a knight was like. She warily entered at his motion for her to do so, looking around for any sign of a trap. The first to actually turn up? That told her that one of three things was true. 1, the others were too cowardly; 2, she was foolish; or 3, she was very determined to train. Whatever the case might be, she was surprised he hadn't trained up more people. Perhaps daring to venture into a stranger's house was a sort of test.

The part about having nothing else to do was a feeling she knew well. "I have experience in not having much to do. That's partly why I picked up a sword in the first place. I still don't have much of a goal," she confessed. It was true, most of her life had been spent finding whatever interested her at that moment and wasting time on it. She felt her life lacked direction, and wished she had some sort of task or purpose to accomplish, although she did not want to admit this at any deeper a level than she had already said.

Walking over to him but keeping some distance between them, she followed his gaze to his shield. She didn't think she recognised the emblem, although many knights came and went through Kuasta without her taking note of their insignias, so it was possible she had once seen a member of his house before. "I don't know much about noble families. Or even shields, for that matter. My brother was never good enough with his to teach me much," she told William, smiling at the memory of all the times she'd beaten her brother because he'd neglected his defence.

[Nandon]

William snapped his attention away from the shield and watched the woman. He let out a chuckle then grabbed a sword from off the ground next to it, it was a wooden practice baton, made of hardened hickory wood, It bore little resemblance to a actual sword accept for the cross piece. But it was weighted perfectly to feel like a sword. It pulled two off the ground. Then gestured to a wall across the room that held two shields, also made of wood.

The shields bore a bit more resemblance. To a actual shield and it was also weighed to work like a normal shield. These would be there practice weapons, later on they would advance to mock combat with regular swords, though their blades would be dulled. And then finally Sharpened swords.

“We may as well start off so I can see what I need to teach you, you have already said you will need to learn to use a shield, So that will be taught. But lets see how your sword play is first!” William said with a grin

[Quetzal]

Picking up a sword, the first thing Isrydia noticed about it its weight. It seemed too heavy to be made out of even the most dense wood she knew of, even heavier than her own sword, Nettle. It must be the work of either a magician or a skilled craftsman. This made the wooden swords more realistic, a better way to practice without having to try and adjust to the weight of real swords when they moved onto those. The young woman took off her green cloak and bag for ease of movement, regretting that she was in normal trousers and a shirt rather than her leather armour. She would have to be careful, but even so she expected to be covered in bruises by the end of this. Picking up a shield with her left hand, she tried to get used to its weight and the feel of the sword in her right hand.

Watching William carefully, she tried to think when the best moment to strike would be. She knew that she had no hope of even coming close to matching the knight, since her training had been scrappy at best, sparring with the other children in Kuasta. William must have fought hundred with the Varden, and was still alive now - that showed he was good. The only times she had fought aside from the friendly spars had just been to scare off the bandits stalking the roads between towns. Still, she was determined to try her best, if only to show the guy what she could do. She was worried he would think her awful, but her best chance for that not to happen was to do her best, and at least that way he might teach her so she could improve.

Spreading her feet into a ready stance, she positioned her shield in front of her chest, unsure of how to use it together with her sword to opting to use it to protect her stomach and ribs. Bruises there could be very painful. She watched William for a while, waiting to see what he did, then slowly moved forwards before putting on a sudden burst of speed, aiming a slash at his sword arm.

[Nandon]

William held his own sword and shield at ease, In rest position, If he kept the heavy sword and shield up fully he would grow tired quicker and then leave him open to attack. He watched, his eyes studying every move of the woman’s position, how she moved, Everything. She seemed to have the basic’s down, that was good at least. Then he saw the sword stroke coming towards him, it was aimed for his sword arm and thus would have been awkward to block with his shield, So he elected to parry. Pulling up his own sword and sending a small stroke to absorb most of the impact.

William looked up his eyes locked with his opponent and he grinned. Then he moved his sword in a feint move trying to draw the shield away from her body, Then reversed the stroke pulling a bit of the force that came with the blow, But not enough for there to be no bruise, Without pain she would never learn…

[Quetzal]

Isrydia had expected him to parry her blow easily, so wasn't disappointed with the result of her strike. As she drew back, ready again, William had already aimed a blow at her. He had recovered quickly, and she was struggling just to keep up with him. He was definitely a good opponent, far outmatching her. It felt oddly nice to be against someone she had no hope of beating, someone she didn't have to worry about being better than as she knew of his superiority. It was refreshing to be forced to use her full abilities, even in a safe sparring match.

Isrydia barely raised her shield in time to block the attack, bracing herself for the impact of the sword. For a moment, she experienced the same strange feeling you get when you take a step up expecting there to be a step there only to find you foot falling through air. Then she felt a dull pain in her side as Willaim's sword connected with her side. She jumped away the source of the pain instinctively, shocked he had been able to feint so quickly. How was she supposed to tell when he was feinting and when he wasn't?

It would be too obvious for her to feint now, when she had just been hit by such an attack. Instead, she tried to cover her right arm with her shield as she aimed a blow at the knight's knees, hoping to unsteady his balance.

[Nandon]

William felt the blow connect solidly and watched her eyes for any movement, almost expecting her to try a feint as well, then when she aimed a blow at his knees, he didn’t even bother to try and block it. He forced himself airborne with a mighty leap, then as gravity pulled him back down he aimed a overhead slash, once again pulling the full force of the attack, he didn’t want to knock his opponent out. But by doing this he was getting a fair degree of her skill.

As soon as the blow was ether blocked or received William once again brought himself into a defensive position.

[Quetzal]

Isrydia saw the knight's legs rise over her blow, and was a little annoyed with herself. She should have seen that coming! Well, what was done was done, and she had to keep her mind in the present of what was happening in the sparring match. William had jumped to a higher point, so she could only assume his next attack was going to come from above. She bent her legs slightly, raising her shield after considering whether to try to parry the blow - holding her sword and trying to force his upwards might not be such a good idea, as he was a good few inches taller than she was, so would have the advantage there.

She felt the sword connect with her shield, then slide past it and connect with her head. She winced, but the blow was not as painful as it might have been, her shield having absorbed some of the force and so ridding the sword of some of its momentum. Taking this as a small victory, Isrydia wasted no time in shifting her weight to give her next outward stab more speed.

[Nandon]

William saw the thrust coming and actually thought how he would avoid, He could always just block it, but in a real battle the sword would possibly go straight through the shield and to the defender behind it.

Then there was also the possibility he could just side swipe the blow, But that would leave his own sword out of the way to block a shield butt. Finally William decided on the final course of action he could think of.

He pushed his shield out, slanting the surface so that the blade met little resistance and became parralel with his shield, Then he pushed upward on the shield and by extension the sword, Most likely causing it to jerk backwards, or if the person had a weak grip on the sword, it could even fly out of her hand.

Then William pushed his own sword forwarded, Aiming a thrust towards the area of flesh visible slightly to the side of the shield.

[Nandon]

William saw the thrust coming and actually thought how he would avoid, He could always just block it, but in a real battle the sword would possibly go straight through the shield and to the defender behind it.

Then there was also the possibility he could just side swipe the blow, But that would leave his own sword out of the way to block a shield butt. Finally William decided on the final course of action he could think of.

He pushed his shield out, slanting the surface so that the blade met little resistance and became parralel with his shield, Then he pushed upward on the shield and by extension the sword, Most likely causing it to jerk backwards, or if the person had a weak grip on the sword, it could even fly out of her hand.

Then William pushed his own sword forwarded, Aiming a thrust towards the area of flesh visible slightly to the side of the shield.

[Quetzal]

The more complicated move was not one Isrydia had encountered before. It caught her by surprise. Unsure of how to try and counter this move, her sword was forced back. She tried to stop her arm, the force being great so difficult to stop. She felt the sword slip in her grip, prompting her to tighten her fingers around the wooden hilt. She readjusted her grip on the sword, managing to hold on but being thrown off balance. As she shifted her hand to secure her hold on the weapon. This struggle left her open to the next attack. William's blow slipped right past her shield, striking her exposed stomach. She winced, batting the sword away with her shield more by instinct than thought, recovering faster now, holding her sword and shield securely.

Panting, Isrydia wanted to attack William as fast as possible, thinking it would be better to fight without giving the opponent a chance to recover, keeping the fight quick and smooth; she had heard the spars between elves were like a dance. Maybe she would one day be lucky enough to see that herself, or perhaps even be that good - she doubted it, but maybe she was reasonably agile, even if her skill left something to be desired. She didn't have the strength to be master fighting yet, but that could come in time.

As she tried to shove William's sword away to her left with her shield, she used her right arm to push her sword underneath, curving upwards towards the knight's stomach. This was a more thought-out attack than she had tried before, but it was evident she would take longer to recover if she couldn't think of a counter-attack to William's next move, and she left herself open to attack from his shield or sword should her shield fail to keep his weapon away for long enough for her to strike him.

[Nandon]

William watched as she pushed his sword aside and he frowned inwardly, She did posses some skill, and she was at least immune to pain… William thought slyly before seeing her thrust coming, his shield was in the process of being brought down so he quickly pulled it down, trapping the sword now between the shield and the ground.

Then moving quickly William placed a foot on the baton now trapping it, He pulled his shield up, letting his own fly from his grasp as he felt it tugging out from the force of her side swipe, then he pushed forward with the shield, turning the defensive weapon into a offensive weapon.

[Quetzal]

Isrydia was shocked to see William let go of his sword, not quite realizing he was perfectly capable of fighting without it. She felt a surge of pride, which quickly turned to a sharp pain as her arm jarred, sword pinned to the floor. She clung to it religiously, deeming it her only chance of winning, but William's hold on it was tight. When he released his shield to pin the baton down with his foot, the eighteen-year-old made a desperate attempt to pull free, but her opponent was too quick and she remained stuck.

The shield hit Isrydia on the shoulders as she struggled with her baton, forcing her down, the force becoming greater as her shoulders shifted to face upwards due to the blow pushing her down. Winded, she tried to catch her breath, finally letting go of the baton as she aimed a slow, weak swipe with her shield at William's shin in attempt to distract him so she could try and grab his baton from where he had let it go. This move left the back of her neck completely open as she moved her legs and right arm ready to reach out for the baton and stand up.