put on your war paint [Quetzal]

[[cass]]

Caspia had just left the roost, the big open area where Amira was. The stubborn purple dragon was reluctant to move far from her rider and it had set the young elf on edge. A spark of sympathy had stopped herself from snapping at the dragon. She had felt some of the young dragon’s unease and it had taken a moment to fully understand just how difficult the dragon was finding this short stay. Caspia, herself, was not comfortable amongst the dwarves, for most of the few days she had stayed she had removed herself from them. Blocking and shoving them away, making contact with no one apart from Nepherion and Starlight. She did not want to be here. She wanted to leave as soon as possible, but Nepherion had advised her to at least stay a week, to gain her strength once more, for traces of the deathly poison still lingered in her system. It had taken the most part of the day to convince Amira to stay. Caspia was worried about the dragon, she was struggling in amongst the dwarves, she panicked when there was more than a few people around her. Caspia knew she would never panic in a battle, but around people who were interested in her and that wanted to gaze at her she felt uncomfortable with the attention. As much as Amira wanted to be loved and seen as the most magnificent thing she wasn’t use to it. Amira had grown so accustomed to little company and little admiration apart from Caspia. In those moments Caspia felt regret. She felt guilt gnaw at her as she realised that it was her fault Amira was like that.

In her own self-pity she had left the roost, leaving a startled Amira behind to await Starlight. Sighing she headed into the folds of the building. She moved silently, with the ease and grace that every elf held. Every step and sound registered with her delicate ears and she would move herself away from anyone coming her way. She did not want to run in to anyone. Her fingers gently grazed the pommel of Shyla, always strapped to her waist. The only time she could remember being parted from the blade was when she had been captured by Murtagh. That had been an unpleasant time, but no amount of pain would ever compare to that of what she had just experienced. Stepping to the left she escaped the path of oncoming steps. She was bored and she was hoping to leave the dwarven clan within the next few days. Soon she heard the faint, distant sound of clashing blades and the more noticeable sound of blade on wood. Quietly she headed towards the noise, her eyes flickering, her eyes always listening. Her body was still weak, but she was recovering fast, like any elf would. She was tough and very capable. Flexing her sword hand she slipped into the training fields, narrowing her eyes against the harsh light.

She remained hidden, beneath the shadows, drawing no attention to herself. Silently she surveyed the scene before her. Men, dwarves and people of all kind practicing with swords, hammers, axes and any weapons of choice. Her blue eyes hesitated on a familiar figure. She had seen the girl a few times; glancing looks and a few words since they had first meet and talked. But then she had spoken to no one. She watched the young female practice, a small smile passing her lips. ”You have good form, Isyrdia, but perhaps you would like practice with an opponent that hits back?” Caspia asked, a sly smile falling into place as she stepped into the open. She stood casually, a curious glint in her eyes. She could see that the girl had talent, she would never be an elf, but she would do well amongst humans and dwarf, alike. ”I can give you a few pointers.”

[Quetzal]

Isrydia was concentrating hard on the wooden dummy in front of her, so focused she was barely aware even of the dwarves around her colliding their own weapons with dummies or, in the case of those with blunted weapons or wooden batons, each other. She was practicing some moves William had taught her the other day. Even though there was no use for a shield in this situation, she still held hers with her left arm so she would be used to the feel of it and how it affected her balance. She was so absorbed in what she was doing that she did not notice Caspia as she silently moved closer. The sound of the elf's voice startled her and she turned around to see who had spoken to her, lowering her sword and shield. She smiled as she recognized Caspia, the elven Rider. She hadn't seen her since they had first met a few days ago. She had been very weak then, only just cured of a poisoning. She was recovering astonishingly fast. Elves were known for being strong, so Isrydia supposed it made sense they would recover from injury - or, indeed, poison - much faster than normal.

Caspia was offering to help Isrydia train. An elf and a Rider, sparring with her! Such an honour would certainly be on invaluable help. William was a brilliant teacher, but he didn't have the speed and grace of the elves. "I'd love to, thanks!" she replied happily, moving away from the dummy to face Caspia and give them move space to spar. She glanced around. No dwarves were close enough to be disturbed by the two, as the room had clearly been planned to give the practicing fighters plenty of room each to swing whatever weapon they preferred without hurting anyone. As the girl prepared to start, she realized her sword, Nettle, was still sharp. She did not know how to blunt weapons. Would they even be using blunt weapons, or did Caspia prefer to use wooden batons in practice against a living person? Isrydia much preferred using Nettle, its weight familiar in her hand. "Er, you'll have to blunt my sword... I can't use the magic to do that myself," she said, feeling a little embarrassed at her lack of skill where magic was concerned.

[/blockquote]

[[cass]]

Caspia’s first thought was to wave Isrydia’s request away. She knew that the young human would not touch her, no human had ever bested an elf before, or even touched them with a sword before. She might not be regarded as an elf amongst her own kind, but out here she was. She was an elf to everyone who saw her. It was only those who knew of her past who saw her in disgust. The past had been seared into the future a thousand times over, no matter how many time she would ever tell them she was innocent they would not believe her. The ancient language had not even helped her in her fight, the queen and her people had been too stubborn to see the truth that was clearly in front of them and Caspia had paid. In turn so had Amira. No matter what any of them thought she was still an elf in her eyes, a disgrace to her race, maybe, but she was still proud and she knew who she was, she knew she had been wrongly accused, beaten, bashed and banished. Yet even after all those years she ached often with a need to go home, to feel her feet beneath her home. She longed to go to her birthplace, she wanted to see her mom and dad, and she had not seen them for half a century. But she knew as long as the curse held she would never step foot within the forests of Du Weldenvarden again. Sighing she shoved those depressing thoughts from mind, turning her head to once more face Isrydia.

Quickly she spoke the few words that would allow her blade protection; she repeated the process on her own blade. She did not want to cause offence, so she would do as the young girl wanted. Caspia knew there would be no blood in the fight; she knew her blade would strike the girl, but only faint touches. And she knew that Isrydia’s blade would not touch her. She could dance her way out of any situation the human threw at her. Her kind was superior to theirs, after all. Isrydia’s joy made Caspia smile, her blue eyes shining in the light. Her fiery red hair spilt around her shoulders and she left it that way, accustomed to it flowing around her as she fought. She wore simple clothes, fashioned for battle as well as comfort. She may not be amongst the elves, but she still wore elven clothes, the clothes she had had to make herself. She was only young among eleven standards, not even a century old, and so she was stronger than any normal elf. Time had not yet worn her beginning powers down and she could still feel that hum through her veins, fainter then it once was, but still there.

Shyla was a welcome comfort in her grasp. She held the blade loosely, the tip touching the ground. She made no move to take up a defensive position; instead she cocked her head to the side, eyeing the girl in front of her. ”Attack me, do the best you can.” A brief smile covered her face, before it faded, as she turned her full attention to helping the young warrior in front of her.

[Quetzal]

Isrydia was aware that she wouldn't land a hit on such a fast opponent, but you could never be too careful. Even though she knew Caspia far outmatched her, she would have hung back from the fight, reluctant to even try to hurt the elf. She wasn't an experienced fighter by any means, having only basic knowledge before she was taken on by William. The most practice she'd ever got was fending off bandits, clumsy fighters easily scared. She had never killed a person and had never been in a battle, so was not hardened for fighting, making her hesitant to attack in practice. Blunt weapons made her comfortable with attacking Caspia with full force. Gripping her sword and shield tightly, she concentrated on watching Caspia. She stood on the balls of her feet, legs further apart so that she would be ready when she saw an opportunity. Standing on her toes gave her a slightly longer stride as the rest of her feet could be used in stepping forwards, and so would be marginally faster than if she was not, similar to how a dog stands on its toes and is therefore faster.

It was difficult to think of when the best moment to attack an elf might be. She had never even met one before, so she would find it difficult to predict Caspia's movements. Despite knowing that both parties here were aware she would not come close to winning, she was a little nervous. Trying to calm herself, she slowly moved forward, mind racing to plan out her movements carefully ahead of time while keeping track of everything piece of information she could gather from her eyes and ears. That was another advantage Caspia had over her; and elf and a Rider would be far more capable of detecting changes in a person's movement or intentions. She still had to try. Keeping at a slow pace, she eyed Shyla. Caspia hadn't taken a defensive pose, which meant... she was going to be fast. That, or she wasn't going to defend herself at all, she would simply move out the way. That seemed the most plausible explanation.

Isrydia had a plan in mind now. Her movement suddenly became much faster and had a sense of purpose about it. Not bothering to use her shield as preparation to counter a defence, she instead swung it back to give herself extra momentum in the final movement of her attack. She stabbed out with her sword with as much force as she could, as if aiming for someone behind Caspia, expecting her to move back and so accounting for that. The sudden burst of speed and using the shield for extra momentum would no doubt give her intentions away to her opponent, and there were more ways to move that backwards, but this was Isrydia's strategy.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[[cass]]

You can tell an inexperienced fight from experienced within the first move they make. An inexperienced fight, when posed with that question, would say that it was with the hands. They would state it as thought it was the simple truth, that the hands told you all, that they indicated what was going to happen before any other part of your body. That was wrong, of course. It was why the poorly trained died so easily. They focused wrongly and aimed all their attention on the hands. The hands could feint, more so it could be the feet that did the damage. No the best way to beat a person or best them was to watch their eyes. The eyes were always the first place that told an opponent what was going to happen. You can’t hide behind anything with your eyes, it is there as plain as day. The more experience you gain the better you become at playing that game and Caspia was perfect at it. She knew how to mask her attacks by hiding it; she knew how to read what another person wanted to do by seeing it, clearly written in their eyes. As plain as daylight. And she watched. Eyes lazily focused on the girl in front of her. She showed an outward appearance of casualness, but her mind was active, ready for the slightest bit of movement, for the smallest hint within her eyes of what she would do. When she saw it she waited.

She watched the girls eyes flicker with doubt and unease, as though she did not want to attack, full on out there at the elf. Caspia smiled. She would have to make the girl think differently, she would have to force Isrydia to defend and attack, then.

The young warrior moved, fast. Yet to Caspia it looked as slow as any walking pass. When she battled and when others moved around her it was like time seemed to slow. Her eyes focused on the girl, watching as she came closer a determined expression on her face. Caspia was impressed by her use of the shield in the movement, but she slipped past the blade thrusted out towards her, bringing up her own in a flash. She slide the blade down the other girls, until it reached the cross section, there she flicked her wrist and she, raising the nose of her blade so it slide past the other. All the while she slipped to the left, to the girl’s side where the shield could not protect her. ”You are hesitant to hurt me,” she smiled at the thought. ”Maybe this will change your mind.” she tipped the blade forward, and with lighting speed she disentangled the two, wrapping her blade lightly around the other and yanking upwards, tearing the sword from the other girls grasp. She followed up by flipped her own sword to the side, sending a stinging slap of the flat of the blade to Isrydia’s flank. ”Give me everything you have got.” She laughed, bending down she picked up the girls blade and offered it to her.

ooc – [ just let me know if you don’t like the idea of Caspia doing what she did, and I’ll edit it ^^ ]

[Quetzal]

((ooc// I'm fine with what you've done so far, Isrydia needs a really strong opponent to show her how much she needs to improve.))

A clattering sound was made by Nettle as the sword hit the ground, Isrydia looking more at her wrist than anything else. She had expected as much, but such a sudden movement to wrench her sword out of her grasp like flicking a fly off food sent her brain into a momentary state of shock. Her wrist smarted. The joints complained at being stretched, but the pain faded quickly, no damage being done. Her eyes darted to watch Caspia's movements, not having time enough to react before she was hit with the flat of her sword. Taking her own sword back, she made a note to try and do as the elf said. After all, in a real fight, she couldn't hold back. Caspia didn't seem to be, despite her superior skill. It wasn't as if she could hurt her, anyway. Might as well give it her best shot, so that Caspia would be able to help her improve based on her best efforts.

Shifting her balance, Isrydia readied herself to attack again. This time, she wouldn't hold back. Her eyes tried to monitor her sparring partner's every movement, but it was difficult to keep watch on feet, legs, arms and hands all at the same time. She was never really sure how to start an attack, finding it difficult to find an opening on an opponent who wasn't moving and was just waiting for her to attack. She could never tell how they were going to move until too late. It was much easier to attack when the opponent was already moving, so she had an idea of how they were reacting. This was new to her, and she would probably just have to get used to it.

After a moment of watching, Isrydia decided she might as well go for it and lunged forwards. Her motion was directly forwards to Caspia's chest, but her intentions were to slip to her right side. With any luck, she could use her shield in her left hand to block any action Caspia might try while her sword slipped underneath to strike the Rider. While she attempted to be subtle, she was making slight movements to Caspia's right side which she would no doubt pick up on.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[[cass]]

Caspia was not going all out in the fight. She had long since adopted a more casual attitude to fighting with Isrydia as she knew that when an elf plunged into the fray of battle Isrydia would never keep up. She would be a blur of motion; it would be a dance that only she knew the steps to. People would fall beneath her blade and she would not hesitate, instead she would slip past, her sword hunting for its next victim. When she fought others tried to stay away from her, she was chaos in a fire, the storm that raised the sea waters and sent them crashing down upon the tiny ships, where they would shatter under her onslaught. No, she was not doing her best in this fight. If anything Caspia was not unfair and she would not play this game unfairly. She would ease up on being destructive, because she wanted to teach the young warrior, not destroy her hopes.

She turned her head to face the apprentice, she stayed watching a moment, as did Caspia, her body not moving, her hands by her side, Shyla gripped tightly in her left hand. She bit back her next words, Isrydia seemed to focus in trying to suss out what Caspia’s next move would be by looking at her feet, arms and body, she was not focusing on where she should look. Caspia held back the critique; she needed the young warrior to see her mistake before she said anything wrong. Caspia watched and as the girl lunged forwards she thrusted the sword out towards her chest. But Caspia could see her movements slipping to the right and sighing to herself all she did was step backwards, the strength of the movement making it into almost a leap backwards. She raised her sword in a defensive position before speaking, ”When you fight don’t look at your opponents feet, hands or their body. You always keep your eyes on their eyes. The eyes tell you what they will do. The first hint as to their next move will come from there. You keep your head down, your eyes flick across my legs and hands, because you are expecting that you will get your fist sign from there.” She explained.

”What would happen if I stood still as I am now? How would you get anything? By the time you saw movement it would be too late.” In saying so she stepped forward, sending her blade out to meet the other girls. Normally she would have put her entire strength behind the movement, but with a human she knew that that would leave the apprentice with a shattered arm. Instead the blades meet with a tempered force as she struck at Isrydia. She shoved Isrydia back. ”You hide behind your true intentions. Just then, you tried to feint, by striking outwards, at my chest. But your body hinted otherwise. You need to get them as one. You are very fast, use that sped, don’t hinder it by playing with your own mind and giving it two different orders. Not only does it slow you down, but it makes your intentions clear-“ She stepped forwards, sword point out, aimed at the Isrydia’s chest. ”- but it also means you will get killed.” With that comment she stepped lightly back and away, removing her sword from the warrior. She resumed her casual stance, turning her attention towards Isrydia, and hoping she would understand.

[Quetzal]

The advice Caspia gave Isrydia was gratefully received. It would take done practice to her to get it right, but she would get there with enough effort. Looking someone in the eye in the midst of battle seemed a strange thing to do, given that other people could attack from other sides at any moment. While she watched the eyes, she'd have to keep her other senses open for any sign of anyone else approaching. That didn't matter so much against one opponent, of course. For now, she just needed to worry about how she would tell a person's intent by their eyes. Slight movements towards where they were aiming would be a sure sign, but there must be people who could guard their intentions very well. Besides, what if they were wearing one of those helmets that covered their eyes? It would be hard to see through the protective mesh to the eyes. Again, this was off topic. Isrydia would have to watch people's eyes closely in future, to see what their eyes did before certain actions.

Feeling herself stumble back under Caspia's force, the apprentice steadied herself, listening to what wa being said to her. She could see sense in them. Progress would be much slower if she dove straight into sending herself mixed messages and trying to use uneccessary strategies when her speed could be enough. This was especially true as moving faster meant less time to think, and so less time to unscramble the different things she was telling herself to pull of a feint. She would have to work on not giving herself up when trying to use more elaborate strategies involving tricking the opponent. There wasn't much good in feinting if she couldn't hide her plans to change direction.

This time when Caspia once more adopted her unnervingly casual pose, Isrydia looke right into her eyes rather than at any other part of her body. It felt a little odd and she felt her eyes wanting to check that she wasn't making a small movement while she tried to focus. Restraining the urge to look away, she searched for any sign of what Caspia might choose to do. Her movements were much more certain this time as she made to use we shield instead of her sword. She was less used to using her shield for attack, but William had taught her a few things. This was to some extent a defensive move, anyway. Her intention was to force her shield at Caspia's wrist to make her drop her sword, or at least restrain her sword arm. If that was successful, she would then follow that up closely with a jab to Caspia's other shoulder. She concentrated on watching Caspia's eyes for any sign of her intent while she moved in swiftly for this attack.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[[cass]]

This time as they both took up stance Isrydia stared right into Caspia's eyes. Caspia new she was being of no help by just standing there and not making any hint f what she was going to do, to let Isrydia practice, but she wanted to know how the girl thought first. What were her first instincts that drove her to make those defensive manoeuvres first. As Isrydia moved forwards, her eyes remaining on Caspia, Caspia watched unblinking as the girl came at her, shield raised, sword outwards. She watched for the first sign of movement within the girls gaze. Then as the girl came right at her, thrusting her shield at Caspia's wrist she moved, she did not move out of the way, but she chucked up her own sword, throwing it casually to her other hand. There she gripped it, with the same ease as she did with her left hand. "That was smart. Except what if they were able to use their sword with both hands? They would be able to see the shield jut out, as it isn't something a person normally does with their shield and elf or rider would be able to move fast enough. It would be effective on any human, but in this war you need to be able to do more then that."

Caspia broke eyes contact, twisting around and away, as she moved into a spin, feet sliding lightly along the ground as she moved out and away, with lighting speed from the danger of a sword hitting her. "Isrydia, can you use your sword with both hands? If I were to do this-" Without warning she snapped her arm down the sword colliding with the young warriors wrist, it was a hit that did not break the bone, but would prevent Isrydia from using that arm to hold a sword. "-what would you do?" She knew she would have hurt the young warrior, it was impossible for a hit like that to not hurt her. She muttered a few words under her breath, the most well known words for a quick efficient healing spell. Isrydia would only feel a small tingling and a wrist that felt like new. If anything Caspia was not a person that deliberately hurt people and would do nothing to help them afterwards. She smiled encouragingly at the young girl. "I'll make a deal with you, show me one good move and you can come and meet Amira." A swift smile flickered across her lips, as she eyes the young apprentice. It would do both you warrior and Amira good to meet each other. She had grown restless and incapable of doing much, it was tiresome, she needed to meet people and get better.

"Lash out, a judged move that will be aimed at my head. In a fight a person will bring up their shield to block that, and you will feint, by then aiming low at the now exposed area. They won't see it as their shield will be up in there face. Then they are dead. It is the quickest and most effective way of dealing with an opponent. I'll pretend I have a shield."

[Quetzal]

Isrydia watched as Caspia simply moved her sword to a different hand. She hadn't thought of that. In future she would have to remember her opponent may well be ambidextrous. She felt a sharp pain as Caspia struck her wrist. All the strength drained out of her fingers instantly, Nettle falling to the ground with a clang. She could tell her hand would not be able to hold the sword any more, the attack bringing home that it was very realistic an enemy would aim to weaken or disable her right arm to prevent her using her sword. Being able to use her left just as well would be vital. Thankful Caspia was healing her so that she wouldn't have to suddenly learn to use her left hand, she gave the elf a smile. "I see what you mean. I've never really bothered fighting left-handed before, but I can see I'll have to learn," she said before the Rider suggested she could be rewarded by meeting Amira. She had only briefly seen the purple dragon when she had landed in Nepherion's chambers in a weakened state, and being fascinated by stories and legends, Isrydia would very much like the chance to meet a dragon properly. She nodded as she returned to a readied stance.

Caspia gave her specific instructions, and her mind quickly whirred with plans of how to carry them out. Aim at the head, feint below. It all made sense. Dragging out someone's shield to expose other areas was a good tactic and could keep someone on their toes in battle. The fact that this move brought the shield over the opponent's eyes provided another advantage too. Isrydia would have to remember this and make a note to be cautious of blows aimed at her head in future; they could be attempting this very strategy. Now, how was best to force the shield over the eyes? Aiming close to the eyes would be a good start. Just aiming a the eyes might be a move specific enough to only warrant a parry from the opponent. A slash at the entire forehead may well force the opponent to use a shield, as parrying wasn't usually as safe as using a shield, and the forehead was one of the most important areas to protect; not only did head wounds result in a lot of blood loss, but if the hit was hard enough, some damage to the brain may even be the result. Isrydia locked eyes with Caspia again, moving swiftly forwards, keeping her sword at her side. If she didn't make a move until the last moment, it would be less obvious this was a feint. She then lifted her sword above her head, committing herself to a slash forwards directly at Caspia's forehead. If all went to plan, she would then use her forwards momentum to drive her sword into Caspia's then exposed chest, flicking it back to avoid actually colliding with the imaginary shield and cutting through the air in an arc to stab at her chest.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[[cass]]

Caspia turned her attention once more to the young warrior in front of her. She had grown a small amount of appreciation towards the young apprentice. She was smart, fast and she learned quickly more so she wanted to be taught. She did not care that it was an elf showing her, she did not care that she was being easily shown just how weak she was and for that Caspia respected her. She allowed herself a small smile, amused over the idea that the first human to ever gain her respect was a young girl that knew little of battle. In any other circumstances she would have laughed at the very idea, but right now she could see so easily why. She was a good girl and Caspia could see that she was going to come to a lot of good and perhaps become one of the greatest female warriors of all time. Caspia could see it know, in the determined flicker of her eyes, the ready stance and the way she held herself, there was a pride and eloquence about the young girl. Caspia knew that with time she would turn into a fierce woman with a reputation that would beat many men. That was if she lived long enough, that was if she did not die or turn into something completely different. As long as she stayed on the path she followed now she would be something great. That was clear to anyone who looked at her. She held her sword with a grip that came from someone who had something to prove when she moved to hit Caspia she was lean and agile, but held the purpose of a person that wanted to be someone.

The girl came at her, and Caspia watched. As she raised her sword Caspia could se what she was planning, but she moved along with the move, pretending to raise a shield as though she was falling for the trick Isrydia was posing. In real circumstances any human or dwarf or Urgal would fall for that movement, less so an elf or a rider would, but it would work. She nodded approvingly as Isrydia put her entire movement into cutting the sword towards her head; it gave no intention that she was going to do otherwise. Then as Caspia had said she cut downwards, bringing the sword, sharply down. Caspia, not wishing to be touched by the blade brought hers down to meet it. ”That was very good, exactly how I asked! If I was in a battle I would have a very deep cut on my stomach now, or even be dead.” She exclaimed, happy at how that had worked. As soon as you can master that movement you will be good against most opponents that are of equal ability to you. There is so much more you can learn, one more tip I have for you is to just make sure that whenever you attack don’t focus on one area, range up and down, aim high and low, try to confuse them all the time. Never get into a pattern or a certain sequence. People can predict what you do then and you will get killed.” She said taking a serious tone, trying to make sure that the young girl in front of her understood how important this was.

With an appreciative nod Caspia turned her eyes away, staring for a moment at the scenery behind to girl. Her eyes slid over her body, waiting for that rigidness. What Caspia had said about focusing on the eyes had been true, that was the first aspect you had to master, because if you could not master an opponent’s eyes you would get nowhere. After that it became practice as soon as you had that down you could simply glance in that direction and you would see any tell-tale signs. After that it became harder. Isrydia had showed herself to focus on a person’s body, but that first thing you had to master was the eyes. After that you could use the rest of the person. You could use their body and their arms and their face. It was like peeling an onion you had to get past the first layer to get to the next, ripping half the layers away was wasting the onion, just as it was wasting your life. ”Also, I think I should just make this clear, when I said: Focus on a person’s eyes, that is no more than beginning stage. Once you have mastered reading and knowing how a person will act from their eyes then you can look everywhere at once. Like for me from a simple glance at your eyes I can see what you may do, and now I have looked there I can glance at your legs and arms to see if they are going to follow through with what your eyes are demanding.”

Finding herself smiling once more she blinked, and looked at the eager girl. ”Did you want to keep going? Or were you ready to come and meet Amira?” Caspia hoped Amira would be fine with this, and she could imagine the young dragon’s nostrils flaring and eyes flickering with annoyance at Caspia for treating her like some animal. The idea made Caspia almost laugh, but she also knew that Amira would like it, to meet someone and talk to someone other than the few people she had only talked to in her short life. Amira I have a guest who is going to come and meet you, trust me you’ll like her! She tried to sound bright and cheerful, Amira’s responding feelings a mixture of unease and grudging acceptance. Caspia’s smile broadened, because she knew that Amira was excited, she would just never admit to it.

[Quetzal]

Isrydia concentrated on her movements as she went through with what Caspia told her to do. As the elf reacted by lifting her imaginary shield, she kept calm while ending the attack. She had learned by now to try not to let your emotions get the better of you during a fight, as a sense of victory might bring overconfidence with it, which in turn might lead to underestimating an enemy, a deadly mistake. Equally well getting frustrated when you couldn't do something would only make it worse. She had learned that from experience. It was still a work in progress, but she tried to enter a different state of mind when fighting. Once the move had been completed and Caspia praised her, however, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. A smile crept onto her face. Praise from a Rider really meant a lot to her. The apprentice held a lot of respect for the Riders, be they Empire, Varden, or neutral. Dragons were noble creatures who made important decisions in picking a Rider, so they were by extension very respectable people. "Thank you!" she said in response to the words of encouragement.

Caspia had further advice for her. Not being predictable could be difficult sometimes. It seemed easy at first; just don't use a pattern of attack. In practice this was trickier. Everyone had their own fighting style, which could follow subtle patterns with favourite attacking motions and defences. That could make people predictable to anyone who had fought enough people to pick out the most common styles of fighting. What she said about watching the entire body to pick up clues about what they were going to do would be something that took her a while to master. She could just about manage the eyes, but it was still hard to see what it was they were going to do. What Caspia described would have to be something she worked up to. She wouldn't know where to look if she didn't know where which part of her opponent's body would be giving her the information she needed, so for now it would be best to master the eyes before she tried to think about their body language and then anything else their movements could tell her.

"I would love to meet Amira now, thank you! If she's OK with that, of course," Isrydia exclaimed excitedly at the prospect of meeting the dragon properly sooner rather than later. Amira and Starlight had both seemed so beautiful and elegant when she had seen them briefly before following William and the two Riders for a meal. It was a rare opportunity for any non-Rider to be able to meet a dragon, so she felt incredibly lucky for this chance. Her master would probably disapprove of how awed she was by magic and creatures of legend, a thought which amused her somehow. Her fascination was similar to her interest in stars. Anything completely unknown to her sparked interest, and stars were something no-one knew about for certain. She had never met anyone who knew in detail about magic or dragons, any she supposed the best way to understand dragons was to meet one. Knowing more about dragons was only a small part of it, however; it was always nice to talk to more people, and she expected a great conversation could be had with a dragon and Rider.

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[Nandon]

William watched from the edge of the training grounds, Despite him letting his apprentice believe that these practices where on her own, He always watched them, noting her improvement, And also noting the problems in her form. Most days she practiced alone, hacking away at her straw dummy like so many others in the area. That’s why when the elf, Caspia, William remembered was her name, approached, he was surprised. During the couple of encounters he had with her she had always seemed angry at him for something, But she had always treated his apprentice nicely.

Watching silently he noticed them begin to spar, and he waited silently until they where done before he finally approached, Walking casually across the area he approached Caspia from behind, Mustering all his ability to move quietly.

“I would Like to thank you Rider Caspia, Thank you for helping train my apprentice, I know that While I may be a proficient warrior in my own right…there is only so much I can teach someone…And…I know that the lesson of a elf is far superior to anything I could teach her…” William said clearly, Looking over at his apprentice he let a faint grin touch his face.

[[cass]]

Amira sighed, the prospect of meeting someone not all together that enthralling. However, raising her large purple head she turned her attention to the door that led into the roost. Not wanting them to come across the weary dragon without her having prior notice she settled down once more to each for them. She could feel Caspia’s excitement and, strangely enough her joy. It was odd to feel the elf happy and for that reason Amira felt a trickle of happiness slip through her. It lead to hope, which she tried to beat down, but couldn’t, because hope was not something she had felt for a very long time. It meant that maybe Caspia would feel happy, maybe she would feel more comfortable with the idea of meeting new people and that meant that so would Amira, and that meant that maybe they would finally interact with more people, more dwarves and dragons. Maybe for the first time in a long time they would move away from the Boer Mountains and try living amongst people and the Varden or maybe even go see what the Empire was like. The prospect of doing such a thing excited Amira; she was, to say the least, becoming weary and exhausted by the continuous companionship of only Caspia. She would never say it to Caspia, but the idea of moving around and actually meeting people was a pleasant one. Then she would get better at talking to them, she wouldn’t get so weird and stressed around them. With a touch more eagerness she waited for Caspia to return.

Caspia nodded, smiling at Isrydia. She liked the girl, she was strong, capable and determined. It was then that she heard the faint footsteps behind her. She could tell by the gentle fall that it was by someone trying to be quiet and trying very hard to make no noise. When a person attempted to be silent their footfalls became more hesitant, their strides longer and unevenly timed. If it had of just been someone walking over to her she would have been able to say who it was, dwarves steps were uneven, but short. Humans lengthy, with sped, but not so much grace. No, it was a human, and by the way they were moving she knew it was someone who fought in battle. She knew who it was. But she waited for him to come to her, turning around as he began to speak. “I would Like to thank you Rider Caspia, Thank you for helping train my apprentice, I know that While I may be a proficient warrior in my own right…there is only so much I can teach someone…And…I know that the lesson of an elf is far superior to anything I could teach her…” She nodded, looking at the tall warrior. He reached her height, he had the solid build of a fighter and from the way he moved the grace that came with learning to fight, however he lacked that hard taught skill that was normally a natural gift. There was only a few that could move silent enough to match the skill of an elf.

”It was no problem; Isrydia has a lot of talent. She will go far,” she laughed softly, a musical sound that was almost like a song. “Elves were made for this, humans were not.” She shrugged, ”anyone can be a warrior if they are trained right, that is what human’s learned.” She gave him a polite smile, before turning once more to face Isrydia. ”Let’s go, Amira is waiting.” Motioning for her to follow, she headed off, her sword back in its scabbard, her fiery red hair flowing around her shoulders. Her steps were light and fast and with an effort she tried to avoid going to her normal route. She wanted to keep that to herself. She liked the privacy she had of the isolated tunnels and abandoned rooms. Many of the dwarves paused and acknowledged her presence with the normal greeting; she nodded to them in reply. As she entered the roost, she paused, a smile spreading across her face, as always, she felt a surge of warmth fill her at the sight of her partner. Amira, having anticipated their arrival was already up on her feet, she took a few steps closer to them, her long legs covering the distance in no time. Amira, this is Isrydia. Amira turned her deep, dark purple eyes onto the young warrior. As always, like any dragon, careless of a person’s privacy to their mind she spoke to both of them. Hello hatchling, she said, her voice hinting towards her curiosity, bending her head low, she drew it up close towards the young warrior, her big eyes taking in the girl. Before giving her a toothy grin, that in all appearances looked a lot more fearsome then welcoming.

[Quetzal]

Isrydia had been surprised at William's appearance. She had not been able to hear him, and had been too immersed in learning as much as possible from Caspia to notice anyone else in the room. She smiled back at him, pleased to see him as always. There was some truth in what he said, as learning to fight like an elf was something difficult to teach if you weren't an elf yourself. His help to her was still enormous. He had taught her an awful lot about combat. While lessons from an elf was useful, Isrydia could never hope to master elven techniques simply due to being a human, and as an incredibly talented human, William would be able to teach her techniques that were more advantageous to a human and so were skills she could in theory master. A human teacher was better for a human, but the odd lesson from an elf wouldn't go astray. William wasn't just a teacher, either; he was a friend, too, a constant in the changing world filled with different people that Isrydia traveled through.

She nodded to William and followed Caspia eagerly to meet Amira. She had seen the purple dragon land with Starlight, but had not seen her since then and had never spoken to or properly met a dragon. She had no idea about the workings of their minds, having heard only of their actions but not so much their thoughts. The general impression was that they were like wise humans in their minds, but she didn't want to make any assumptions. In truth, she was somewhat nervous. She knew perfectly well that Amira had no reason to hurt her and that Caspia would not allow that, but she felt as though she had to avoid being disliked. She would just be herself, but there was a strange need to make a good impression which she tried to suppress. Amira could like or dislike whomever she wanted. She knew nothing of Caspia and her partner's pasts, and didn't want to accidently say something wrong, which she supposed was part of the reason for the nerves she was feeling. The dominating emotion within her was excitement at the opportunity to meet a member of the species she had heard so much about.

After following Caspia through a host of dwarven corridors, Isrydia finally found herself at the final door between herself and Amira. She followed Caspia in, smiling in delight at seeing the beautiful glittering purple dragon a second time. Her words were spoken directly into Isrydia's mind. Strangely, she could tell Caspia could hear the words too. Nothing had ever spoken words directly into her head before. She had had no idea what it was like, and found it surreal. She was hearing Amira clear as if she had spoken aloud, only it was skipping being detected by her ears. There was a hint of curiosity in the voice, as though she was of interest. That seemed strange; surely a dragon must see so many different people for political Rider-related reasons, a less important apprentice like herself must be of little or no interest. Amira' was not the only one feeling curious.

The toothy grin was slightly intimidating, but Isrydia did not feel threatened by Amira. Her sense of awe had not diminished, either, her eyes taking in the appearance of the young dragon. She was unsure of whether to speak aloud or in her mind, but seeing as she wasn't able to comfortably speak into Caspia's mind and didn't want to invade, she spoke aloud. "Hello Amira," she responded to the greeting. There was a certain dreamlike quality about all this - it couldn't really all be happening, could it? There were so many thoughts and questions buzzing in her mind which she could ask the dragon, but didn't want to say anything wrong. "Have you just been living in here since Nepherion found you? I haven't seen you since then. Surely there can't be much to do in here?" she asked. She wondered also at how the two knew the other Rider and his dragon in the first place. She didn't want to overwhelm her with questions, so did not voice any more questions for now.

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[[cass]]

Caspia laughed softly at the comical situation before her. It was funny to see Amira so pressed forwards, her beautiful dark eyes taking in every detail of the young human before her. There was a bright light of curiosity in her eyes as apart from Caspia she had actually never been this close to a human before, well except for that one time when they had been captured by Murtagh and Amira had been subjected to the drugs, but even then those few people she saw and soldiers had never stopped. They had simply done as they had needed to and besides, her mind had been so filled with drugs that she had barely been able to see her own feet in front of her. That had been a rather dull time in her life, boring to say the least. She had stayed in that temple for a week, continuously being guarded and forced to take drugs, by threatening Caspia’s safety. She’d do anything for the young elf. But then she had seemed to grow her wits about her and when they forced her to take them she had merely kept the liquid in her large jar, waiting until they left and believed she was induced once more.

Amira sniffed the air, drinking in the scent of the girl. She was an odd one, and she did not skitter backwards or even show a hint of fear at the large dragon that loomed in front of her. She drew back, drawing the conclusion that she was brave, but silly. Everyone should be afraid of a dragon. Amira liked her, and she could sense that the girl had a golden heart. Caspia watched, listening as Isrydia spoke. Amira snorted a thin trickle of smoke leaking from her nostrils. No, I fly, I would hate to stay here all the time, it is so boring. The mountains and terrain around here is beautiful, have you ever flown before? She asked, curious. She knew that the girl was no rider, but maybe by the odd chance she had had the privilege of going amongst the clouds on a dragons back. Maybe that was why she looked at Amira with awe, but no fear.

Caspia laughed, the words ringing in her mind, ”of course she has never flown, this is the first time she has ever seen a dragon, Amira.” Caspia smiled at the dragon. Amira snorted once more, annoyed at Caspia, it was the kind of fond annoyance that drove between bonds, and only lasted a few seconds. A broad grin broke across Caspia’s face and she turned her full attention to Isrydia, and idea blooming in her mind. ”Come, Amira is going to take you for a fly, show you the skies. That way you will see the beauty of the world in a way that a human rarely gets to see.” Amira did not argue with the idea, she liked the idea of showing Isrydia to world that she loved. Not many people understood what it was like and besides Amira loved any opportunity she could get to show off to others. She was, after all, the fastest dragon. She turned her large expectant eyes onto the young apprentice.

[Quetzal]

At the mention of flying, Isrydia's mind turned to the amazing things that could be seen in the sky. The stars, for one, but dragons wouldn't fly that high. When she had climbed mountains in the Spine, she had seen the ground far below, but there was always earth beneath her feet. It must be a whole different thing to look down and just see a huge drop to the ground as if looking over the edge of a cliff. It must be... terrifying, but fascinating. The world must look so different to something as big as a dragon that could view it from an entirely different perspective flying a mountain's height into the air. The wind, too, would be so different higher up. The clouds were always moving, even when there was no breeze on the ground. That meant there must be wind high up, which only the birds and dragons could know how to best pass through.

Caspia answered the question of whether she had flown before for her. The words she spoke after was something she had never expected to hear from anyone. The Rider and dragon were willing to give her an insight into their perspective of the world, to let her actually fly by riding a dragon. This was something she had dreamed about, a childhood dream which she had thought would never happen but had lingered in the back of her mind as a lasting desire. Few people ever got to ride a dragon. It was limited pretty much to the Riders, trusted companions, captives and the rare few lucky people like her who were simply allowed for whatever reason. She could see Amira's curiosity towards her and Caspia seemed keen to share what a Rider's life was like with her, but she had not been expecting an opportunity like this.

"S-Seriously?" she stumbled over her words in excitement, looking from Rider to dragon, "I would love to fly with you, Amira!" she was beaming, practically bursting from excitement. While before her naive wonder had overcome any feelings of fear towards Amira, she was feeling some nerves now. Flying with Amira would be putting her life into the dragon's paws. She wasn't especially scared of heights, but the height of the roost was dizzying enough without the added fright of not being in a safe building surrounded by walls and the floor. The idea of flying made her nervous and did sound somewhat scary, but the benefits far outweighed the fear.

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