Completed Unexpected, Yet Deserved

[Orion Michaels]

78th Day of Summer, 513 AV
Anthonius Training Grounds
11th Bell

”Is that all you have, Orion? I figured by now you could at least swing that blade with some semblance of skill by now.”

Dinah was relentless in her mocking of Orion’s lack of skill with the blade. Not that it wasn’t justified. ”I know, Dinah. I’m an absolute mess. It’s a shame I don’t have anyone who can teach me what I’m doing wrong.” So it wasn’t nearly as bad as they made it sound. Orion had come leaps and bounds over a very short time, but he still had much more to do. He could barely ride a horse, and a blind person had a better chance of hitting a target with an arrow. Still, when it came to the long sword, while he wasn’t a natural, and it was a bit awkward to watch, he was as good as some squires who’d trained for years.

Orion raised his shield to repel Dinah’s slash. Clang! Slapping the strike away, Orion stepped in, moving inside her weapon range. The redhead stumbled backwards as Orion forcefully drove his shoulder into her midsection, digging her heels into the ground to regain her footing. ”Yes, Orion! Make me eat my words!”

The two had spent quite a bit of time together, training in the Anthonious Training Grounds. The sounds of practice weapons slapping together and the grunts of trainees an all too familiar noise. This was just another day of Orion getting his ass kicked.

Dinah flashed her apprentice a grin before resuming her assault. Slash left. Slash right. Slash left. A flurry of blows rained down all whilst she advanced on Orion, regaining the initiative and forcing the former doctor back onto the defensive.

Orion stepped back, interposing the heavy steel shield between he and her once again, the clang of her sword on his defense ringing out. ”No, Orion! Don’t watch the back of your shield. Keep your eyes up. Maintain control!” She emphasized her point with particularly vicious blow to the guard.

It always boosted Orion’s confidence when she showed how much she was holding back.

Her strike was aimed high on the shield, and without Orion’s focus on just where she was attacking so he could brace, it left him unbalanced. She followed it with a low slash, connecting squarely with his now exposed midsection. The weapon may have been wood on the outside, but that metal core could make it pack a punch.

”Ugh, I get it, I get it.” Orion recoiled backwards, lowering his blade to rub his side at the point of impact. There was going to be rather large bruise there, he was sure. Not that it would be different than any other time he trained with Dinah. He’d learned from their first session that the woman was a huge fan of negative reinforcement. If it hurt, he wasn’t likely to let it happen again, or so she reasoned.

”Oh no, Orion. No breaks. Get that sword back up.”

Slave driver. She was just a slave driver. Grinning, Orion complied. ”Sure, sure. No whining when I return the favor, though!” Raising the blade to attack, the squire lunged forward.

[Orion Michaels]

Wood met wood as Dinah repelled her squire's attack with ease. It was to be expected. He broadcast each of his moves. He thought one slash at a time, one strike, one blow. Then the next. Then they next. He was never thinking ahead, predicting, or truly chaining any attacks together. It’s what would be expected of a novice, but his skill with the long sword was reaching the point where it was time for her to test him further. She wouldn’t take it as easy as he had, but she needed to get him to realize he needed to do more without just telling him. If he could discover it on his own..

With their blades locked, Dinah shifted her weight pushed down, driving his weapon southward, only pausing a moment to lock eyes with Orion. The squire froze. Why, with Dinah only a few inches from his face, what could he hope to do?

This was cheating. This was totally not fair. This was supposed to be a battle of martial prowess.

Not a contest of desire.

Dinah smirked slightly, quickly pursing her lips upon realization of Orion’s condition. This was a perfect trial. Those lips were more dangerous than the sharpest steel, the deadliest arrow. Unfortunately, Orion was weak. His time as a squire had left him . . wanting . . for the joys of flesh.

Dinah brought her blade up again and quickly back down, driving Orion’s weapon from his hand. She then raised the blade back up, pointing up to the sky, and then sent it crashing down at Orion. He jerked his shield up once again, absorbing the collision, but it wasn’t to be enough. Dinah was relentless. ”Are you really going to get charmed by your foes?”

Apparently yes.

Dinah’s smirk had long since faded, her countenance replaced with one of frustration. Whether it was at herself or at Orion wasn’t entirely clear. Yet Orion found himself apologizing quickly when she stopped attacking and walked away.

”Dinah! I’m sorry, I lost focus. I didn’t expect that! It just..it just threw me off.” Perhaps that wasn’t the best way to explain himself. He knew that anyone he fought was going to use tactics which would throw him off. He didn’t have a plethora of experience to fall back on. ”I mean, that is..uh..”

Orion found himself standing a short distance from Dinah, staring down at his own feet, like he was some child in trouble for disobeying their parent. Sometimes it was hard to believe the control this woman had over him.

”Don’t worry about it, Orion. We’ll just keep working. I think we’ll take a break for now. Let’s run to the tavern and have a drink and a meal. You’ve been training hard lately. You’ve earned a little respite.”

Well that was unexpected. Dinah never let him take breaks. She was unyielding. Stern. Always pressing forward. He had always imagined that’s how she got to the rank she held so quickly. She was quite young for a Knight Captain, at least in Orion’s view. Yet, while this was quite surprising, Orion was never one to look a gift in the mouth. If she wanted to go someone and take a load off, then that’s what they were going to do.

[Orion Michaels]

”Do you regret it?”

The White Swan Inn. Upscale dining, wining, and entertainment. The place was the epitome of class in Syliras; everything about the locale contributed to this fact. Breathtaking aromas escaped from the kitchen. Soothing music danced about the room as a trio of musicians skillfully performed and emotional and moving piece. Fine artwork graced the walls; paintings, tapistries, murals. Even the tablecloths radiated elegance.

”What?”

”Do you regret joining the knights? Do you regret becoming my squire?”

That question felt dangerous. It seemed they weren’t actually here to rest. Of course Dinah would have an actual purpose ”What do you mean?”

They’d taken a seat next to one another, at one of the unoccupied round tables. A waiter was quickly upon them, taking their orders for lunch and bringing them each a glass of wine to enjoy as they spoke. If only the conversation was as sweet as the drink, it could have been a near perfect time.

”Exactly as I said, Orion. Sometimes I feel like it’s the right choice for you. Sometimes you look the part. Sometimes you look so..heroic. Like you found what you were supposed to do.” Dinah paused, an almost pained expression on her face. Running her finger around the rim of her goblet, she stared down into the red liquid, almost beseeching that it give her the words to say.

Orion remained silent, unsure of what to say. It wasn’t the first time she’d broached the subject. She’d asked several times if his heart was really in it. What made it so difficult is that Orion had never answered her directly. Her fears were never put to rest. She’d poured so much into his training, dragged him, kicking and screaming, to where he was now. He was stronger. He was quicker. And yet.

”And yet, at other times…Why are you here?”

”If it’s about earlier, I swear it wo-“

”You know it’s not that.”

He’d still hoped it’s all it was. It was worth a shot. It was so much more than a simple moment during a spar. It was a buildup. Moments of disinterest. He’d never shown her the spirit of someone who was willing to lay down his life for Syliras. It worried the Knight to no end. What was she to do if the Windoak rejected him? His rejection would be her failure.

”Y-yeah…I just….” Orion took a deep breath, turning his gaze to his own drink. His reflection brought to light the uncertainty he faced daily. He tried not to think about it. How out of place he felt. How uncomfortable he felt. He was a doctor. Not a warrior. He tried, though. No one could take that from him. ”I know I’m not perfect, Sera Lorene.”

”I’m not asking that. You know that, too.”

He couldn’t get anything by her. ”I know, I know. It’s just…I’m on a journey to find myself. I..don’t know if this is it, but it could be. So I’ll give my all.” Dinah looked up from her drink to lock eyes with Orion, a faint smile touching her lips.

”I see…”

The food couldn’t arrive soon enough.

[Orion Michaels]

”What..what are you so worried about, Dinah?”

That was the million mizas question for Orion. Did she not trust him? Was she just waiting for the day that he was going to put the sword away for good? Dinah remained silent, so Orion continued. Her silence spoke volumes more than her words could have. ”Do you think I’m just going to quit? Just walk away from everything we’ve done?”

”Haven’t you done it before?” She had him. How many professions had he held? How many relationships had he failed? Orion wasn’t reliable in any sense of the word, at least not for long periods of time.

”You’ve got me there,” he replied, chuckling. There was nothing harder than when Dinah, or anyone, questioned him. Asked him why he was doing what he was doing. Most of the time he was acting on impulse. He had no plan for his life. He had no goal. He just sat on the coins he’d earned and used them to fund his empty lifestyle. He’d joined the knights on a whim. It felt good to be the hero at the time. Was that feeling gone?

”It’s the first time I’ve had any sort of..I don’t know..path? Any sort of aim with what I want to do. You know all about what I was before I joined. Maybe I’m not a paragon of purity at this point, but at least I’ve got some semblance of order in what I do.” Orion sighed, lifting the wine to his lips. Sweet, cool, refreshing. Normally it would lift his spirits, but as things stood, he’d rather be at the receiving end of another assault of Dinah’s.

”I mean, I do everything you ask of me. Well. Almost everything. I can’t do anything to earn your trust, can I? Maybe I should quit?” This drew a sigh from Dinah. She raised her hand up, waving it back and forth while shaking her head.

”No, Orion. That’s not what I meant. I know you’re working hard. I know you focus as well as you can and push yourself to exhaustion. It’s just that..Well, let me ask you this. It’ll give me what I’m trying to find out. Please answer honestly.” Orion nodded in agreement. What could she ask so serious he couldn’t answer?

”If you had to sacrifice yourself to prevent harm to the people of Syliras, could you do it?”

[Orion Michaels]

It was a simple answer, one that wouldn’t take any time to think about. It didn’t require deep contemplation or meditation. So, why couldn’t he bring himself to say the word?

”Well…um…You see…

Dinah shook her head. A non-answer here was condemning. ”I would throw down my life if it meant Syliras was a little bit safer, Orion. There are thousands of Knights who would do the same. Without any hesitation.” Orion’s grip tightened on his goblet as his eyes fell from Dinah. That wasn’t fair. Not even a little bit. ”And yet, here you sit. Here we are, day in, and day out, training, sweating, bleeding to bring you up to those ranks, and you can’t even give me an answer? I just don’t get it, Orion. What’s the problem?”

Orion swallowed, trying to moisten his mouth and throat. The irritation was drying him. The irritation was pissing me him off. How could she say those things after everything he’d done. After all the effort he’d put in . . .

”You can say that so casually. ‘Oh, Orion, I’d give my life up for Syliras without batting an eyelash. Why can’t you do the same?’ Maybe because I’m a petching doctor who wasn’t raised in the knighthood? Did you stop to think that I wasn’t indoctrinated into this life like all of you? So before you -..”

”Sera, Ser, your food.”

Orion looked up to see their server standing before them somewhat awkwardly. Their lunch had arrived, and the unsuspecting server had found himself walking into what he could only assume was a lover’s quarrel. ”Oh..um. Thank you,” Orion managed, looking down at the plate when it was put before him. A convenient break in this disagreement.

Picking up his utensil, Orion poked around at the food, a fowl of some kind. Despite its appealing preparation, the squire didn’t find himself with much of an appetite. Still, it would allow him to at least delay the conversation.

”That duck isn’t going to help you here, Orion,” the redhead said after the server had left. No, she wouldn’t give him a break. It was something that needed to be worked through in her opinion. Orion unsurprisingly held a dissenting opinion.

”This is simply delicious,” he remarked, taking a bite of food he didn’t want to eat. Dinah rolled her eyes and sighed at his defiance and turned her focus to her own meal. Shaking her head, she reached into her coin purse and procured the coin for their meal, set it on the table, and stood. ”I’ll see you in two bells, back in the training grounds.” With that, she turned to leave, her meal untouched.

Orion’s voice chased after her. ”You’ve got to be kidding me, Dinah!” Standing from his seat, he continued, as though him rising would get his point across anymore. ”I don’t have any idea what set you off, but it’s completely unfair! What more do you want from me! You want me to charge off into the woods and slay everything which makes the shadows their home!? Orion Michaels, Bastion of Light and Justice! Stupidly laying down his life in situations where he’d be better served living another day, because ‘it’s what knights do!’ At least they’ll sing stories of me, right?”

Dinah never looked back, not that he expected her to.

”Ser, could..could you please keep your voice down, or I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

Right. He was in a public place.

”Sorry, sorry. I’ll be good.”

Taking his seat once again, he reached over to Dinah’s untouched plate and brought it over beside his own. No sense in being wasteful, right?

[Orion Michaels]

Things hadn’t gone how he’d expected at all. It was supposed to be a training day. He supposed it was still going to that, but the overtones would be unbearable. Top that off with the absolute waste of food, and his day was spoiled.

Still, he tarried for longer than he should have, staring off past anyone who was around him. It wasn’t fair to say he was deep in thought. He was deep in nothing. No contemplation. No revelation. No answers. Just nothing. Dinah was worrying he was there for all the wrong reasons. There wasn’t a thing that the former physician could say to alleviate her concern, for truth he couldn’t bestow upon her. He didn’t have the faintest idea of what he was doing, and her frequent worries did very little to solidify his spirit.

One bell passed. Then two. Then three.

He was late.

And Orion didn’t really care. If that’s how she would act towards him, why would it do him any good to perform? People never notice the things you do right. Whether it was the people he’d met in his travels, the people of Syliras, or those Knights who ensured safety, everyone had their idea of what was right and what was wrong.

Worse yet was that they applied it selectively. The people always cared for the knights more when they had a problem, and of course their problem was the most important at the time. ‘Help me, help me,’ they would cry, regardless of how serious their plight was. Regardless of what event one was engaged in. It didn’t matter you needed to drop it right there. Their dependence on the knights was somewhat staggering, an insight he’d have been blind to if not for his time outside the walls of order.

Then there were the knights. They weren’t any better. The order he was in the process of joining would expect everything of you, no questions asked. The inquiries and decisions were made behind closed doors. The people needn’t know. The low ranking members needn’t know.

‘Fall in line, Ser.’

‘Do as you’re told, Ser.’

‘Give your life for the greater good, Ser.’

Orion slowly made his way towards the training grounds, a growing sense of dread weighing heavy upon him with each step. Dinah would be upset, but she’d say very little on that matter. A woman of action, she would test him physically, punish him physically for his transgressions. Transgressions she only knew the surface of. She’d tried to break him before, as though he was an unruly animal that needed to start from the bottom.

Perhaps Sera Lorene was right.

Strangers a plenty passed the squire as he trudged onward, though they were nothing more than faceless shadows at the time. Maybe one or two greeted him. Maybe one or two implored him for his aid. Maybe one or two truly had something a knight could do.

Orion would never be able to tell you. If they begged, it fell on deaf ears. If they fell before him in tears, he was blind.

”You’re late.”

That sweet voice, that cruel voice, it brought him back to a semblance of reality, if just for the moment. There Dinah stood, sword and shield resting at her feet, a somewhat irritated look on her face. He had made her wait for a bell. But she waited.

”Yeah, I am.” No explanation. No argument.

”Whatever, Orion. Grab a shield. Don’t bother picking up your training sword. We’re using the real thing this afternoon.”

Orion’s raised his eyebrows in surprise. Live training without armor? ”Dinah? Wh-..”

”No, Orion. You had your say. It’s my turn again. Let’s go. Now.”

[Orion Michaels]

Was she serious? Someone was going to get seriously hurt if they did that. Well. He was going to get seriously hurt. Dinah could dance circle around him with her martial prowess. Would she hold back? Or was his punishment to be this harsh? Wounds. Scars. Or did she mean to kill him?

”Dinah, are you sure this –“

”Shut up. Ready yourself!” Orion had never seen such a fire in her eyes. He couldn’t tell what it was. Anger? Rage? Fury? Was it passion? Was it desire? Was it hate? Only she really knew, for it was alien to the former doctor. What was clear to him was that with Dinah’s first movement, she wasn’t toying around. Slicing through the air was her blade, forcing Orion to react quickly. The sharp steel narrowly missed the top of his head, the squire managing to duck beneath the attack. His body screamed for him to counter attack, but without the protection, he didn’t want to risk hurting her.

She wasn’t his enemy, even if that’s how it felt at the moment.

In a flash of strokes, Orion found himself in reverse as Dinah assaulted him unrelentingly. His arm was going to fall off at this rate. She was mixing up her blows, high, low, horizontal, diagonal, vertical. And they were all so smooth, so well transitioned. It was everything he could muster to keep the heavy metal shield between his body and the kiss of her blade. She left him no opening, or at least not one he could see. She really did mean to hurt him.

”Why are you here?!” Her voice pierced the ringing of steel, startling the squire. The tip of her weapon tore through the fabric on his shirt. The faint pain that followed only reinforced the serious attitude this bout had.

”I don’t think now is the-“ Orion swung his blade to meet hers, sparks screaming as two well-honed weapons forcefully collided. Clearly not an acceptable answer. ”If you would just stop, we could talk!” Again, her sword came crashing down. Orion raised his shield and met her strike, teeth gritted in frustration. She was out of control.

”Just answer me!” A tear escaped from her eye. A very unexpected tear. What was he supposed to do now? Despite her emotions, her blade raised again. She would beat him until he answered. He had to answer.

Orion slapped her weapon aside with his shield and stepped in, preparing to strike, but he couldn't bring himself to follow through. "This is all wrong! Stop it, Dinah!"

She retaliated with the same maneuver, a powerful swing of her shield exposing Orion to her assault. Raising her blade high she brought it down with out hesitation.

Her eyes widened when Orion didn't move defend himself.

This would end one way or another.

[Orion Michaels]

Drip

Drip.

Drip

Orion dropped to a knee, pain screaming throughout his body. Cold steel split the flesh of his shoulder, intensifying when metal caressed bone. Dinah let out a scream of surprise. She’d tried to check her strike, but was unable to stop it in time. Crimson liquid flowed freely from the wound, but Orion made no move to deal with it. Instead, he remained kneeling, staring at the ground and trying to separate himself from the agony.

Drip

Drip

Drip

”Oh gods, Orion! Are you okay?” Dinah tossed her weapon to the ground and unstrapped her shield, allowing it to following the sword in kind. It was a stupid question. Such a stupid question. Of course he wasn’t okay. The cut was clean enough at least.

”Shut up, Dinah!” He shrugged off her sudden concern, instead spitting out angry words in reply. ”I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but this is absolutely ridiculous. It makes me want to quit. It makes me wonder why I’m here.”

Gods it hurt. So much. He needed to get to the Soothing Waters as quick as possible. But while this adrenaline was rushing, while they were airing everything out, he just couldn’t make that move. Not yet.

”You want an answer? No, I wouldn’t throw my life away. I’ve got a city to live for. I’ve never felt like a knight’s job was to die. It was to defend! So throw your life away if you’re ordered to. I’d rather find a way to live. Why am I here? Why. Am. I. Here? Because, Dinah. For the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m doing something worthwhile. Even if it’s not. Even if I’m wasting my time and I fail and never make it.” He began to rise to his feet, watching the blood drip, drip, drip again and again to the ground. ”If you don’t think I’m right for the job, then cut me lose. Send me off back to my doctoring. Or let me squire under someone else. If you don’t trust me, then I don’t want to work with you. I’m not…I’m not strong enough to have someone I should be able to rely on second guess everything I do.”

Dinah couldn’t find the words. Not an ‘I’m sorry’. Not a ‘you’re wrong’. Not a ‘you’re right.’ All she could do was watch as her squire, wounded in her moment of weakness, walked away from her. She’d failed him on so many levels. He was coming along just fine. Why, then, did she have so many issues with believing him? His past, his mannerisms, the way he teased her and defied her, even though he should have shown her respect. It just didn’t feel like someone such as himself could genuinely believe in the Syliran Knights.

Silently, the woman joined her squire. He was heading to the Soothing Waters, surely. A healer would treat him and that would be that, at least for the physical injury.

The damage to their relationship wasn’t quite so clear cut.

[Orion Michaels]

”Haven’t you seen a wound before? Stop gawking and patch me up.” If he could, he Orion would treat his own injury, rather than rely on these lesser physicians. Unfortunately it just wasn’t possible. Plus, so many of these doctors had the mark of Healing. He’d called them all cheaters when he worked with them a few seasons prior. He’d never admit that he found their skill useful, but in reality he saw just how valuable it was. The costs that came with the mark, however, were far beyond anything Orion could accept.

With Dinah nearby, Orion had entered the Soothing Waters. There was no need for him to explain his reason for being there; the bloody shoulder did that plenty well. They were quickly escorted to the back where the healers began working their magic. It was simple enough to tune them out. Orion hadn’t exactly gotten along with them when he worked alongside them. Though they always took these chances when Orion was in their care to be a little rougher than they’d normally be with a patient. Other than those moments, however, he could ignore them all.

Dinah, on the other hand, was impossible to forget. He could feel her gaze on his back, no longer a burning of fury, but instead a palpable feeling of sorrow and regret. Why shouldn’t she feel that way? She was the one to try and hack her squire’s arm off. She was the one who made conflict out of nothing.

The discomfort in the room was unbearable. Other than the occasional grunt of pain from Orion there was silence. Doctors who wanted nothing to do with their patient. A squire and his patron who seemed to have nothing more to say. The bells would come slowly this day.

Time passed, a wound was cleansed, stitched, and a healing touch to finish it up was all it took before Orion was storming out of the Soothing Waters. He needed to separate himself from this. He needed time to think, time to figure things out. Time away from her. Dinah had no intention of giving him that reprieve.

”Orion! Please stop. Talk to me!

Why should I?

”I didn’t mean to hurt you!”

The sword didn’t bother me.

”Why won’t you look at me? How did it get like this?”

Orion froze, shocked at her words. The narrow alleyway he traversed only served to funnel his focus. Taking a deep breath, he slowly turned in place, his cold, blue eyes settling on Dinah when she was in his view. Was that a serious question? He’d yelled enough for one day. It seemed he was going to have to borrow against tomorrow.

[Orion Michaels]

”Are you petching kidding me, Dinah?!” Orion clenched his fists, phantom pains of an injury cured echoing throughout his body. ”How did you manage to ascend in rank the way you have? The blind can see with more depth and clarity than you.” Placing one foot before the other, Orion began to move towards his patron knight. Venom pooled in his thoughts and seeped into his words. All the while, Dinah never spoke up in protest.

”Why do you think it’s like this!? ‘twas a grand plan, wouldn’t you agree? Take one twenty six year old squire, put him with a patron who refuses to believe he can be anything but what he is, and bake for two seasons. There you have it! Oh, I forgot, top it with a little jealousy. It really adds to the flavor.”

”W-what are you talking about?”

Seething, all Orion could do was laugh. Was it really all that simple? Was it so plain? Orion couldn’t believe he’d missed all the clues, even though they were all so obvious. It couldn’t just be his arrogance, right?

”Don’t play coy with me, Dinah. It’s beneath you, or at least I hope it is. Ever since we met, ever since I squired under you, it’s been the same reaction whenever anything about who I was…who I am..comes up. Whenever other women come up.”

”That’s absurd! I-I would never! You’re my squire! It’s no-“

”It’s not possible!?” Orion interrupted Dinah, moving quickly into her personal space, his face mere inches from her. ”I quite disagree, Sera. You think I’m just going to run off chasing some floozy. You think I’m going to fall back into the mess that I was, despite anything I’ve accomplished. You never gave me a chance. You. You were the one person I should be able to rely on. But instead, I’m alone.”

Dinah wouldn’t look at him. So he wouldn’t relent.

”When we ran into Kyra in the woods and she cared for my injury, why were you so hostile?”

”I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she whispered, her lips quivering. Orion scoffed, his hand snapping out to roughly grab Dinah’s chin and force her to look at him. The redheaded knight exhaled softly, her eyes welling up with tears. ”Orion, please..”

”You’re unbelievable. I can’t do this. Not with you. A jealous trainer? Giving me a curfew? Keeping me away from anything you viewed as a threat? What sort of lessons could you have to teach me? You’re no different than any of the rest!”

Dinah’s hand lashed out, striking Orion’s face. The slap carried down the corridor, stopping Orion’s onslaught in its place. ”You idiot, you don’t know anything.” Pulling herself from the squire’s grasp, Dinah turned and walked quickly down the hall, a stunned Orion watching after her. What did she mean by that?!

He wasn't the bad guy here. He'd been questioned. He'd been cut. Who was she to talk to him like that?! Not willing to let it end like this, Orion was off after Dinah Lorene, puzzling patron and knight.