Completed [Windmount Track and Field] A Little Game? (Ryia)

[Orion Michaels]

7th Day of Winter, 513 AV
Windmount Track and Field
8th Bell

Hooves thundered beneath the squire as he raced across the field, his powerful steed propelling them forward as quickly as he could manage. Cool winter air wisped past his their faces as they neared their finish line. Orion leaned forward in his saddle, his body bouncing with each powerful gallop. Blue eyes remained fixed on the end of the run, knowing full well that another one waited soon after.

He was finally starting to feel more at home on the back of a horse, but it wasn’t there yet. He was still convinced that the creature would take his life someday, but with each pass moment, with each bell of training, he felt that he could stave off death a little bit better.

”Get ready to strike, Orion!” Dinah’s voice rang out as she watched her squire charge his target. He was new to the weapon she had given him this day, but the more experience he got fighting from horseback the better.

Orion didn’t exactly agree.

Gods it was an awkward tool, the lance. He’d trained a little bit with Weaponmaster Miriam Antinous in the use of the spear, but that was in the training grounds and on his own two feet. While the lance and the spear had similarities, they were not the same weapon by any means.

His eyes fixed on the quintain which sat at the end of the run. It was an odd structure, one end weighted with a sack of sand and the other had a shield which to strike. The idea was to not only strike the shield well, but to move swiftly and with agility to avoid a blow to the back from the rapidly moving bag. It would pivot in its place when struck and attempt to give the rider a solid whack for their efforts.

Lowering the lance, Orion prepared himself for impact. His weapon was unstable, bouncing wildly with each step the horse took. He could barely keep the tip of the weapon on target, the lance head wagging up and down as he neared the moment of reckoning.

A ting rang out as the weapon scored a glancing blow on the shield, though Orion had been forced to pull back on his reins a bit and be slowed as he neared to ensure he could actually hit the target. A moments satisfaction was quickly lost as he felt the bludgeoning impact of the other part of the quintain crash into the side of the blue eyed man’s armor. He must have been sitting in the saddle wrong, or unbalanced due to the lance, but Orion didn’t have to worry about maintaining his position atop his horse much longer. He slipped quite nicely off the side of the mount, hitting the ground and rolling to a stop a few feet later.

The laughter of Dinah and those of a knight unfamiliar to Orion rang out at his failure; it was a common thing for those learning the lance to get a solid hit from the sandbag, but to be dismounted took someone special.

”Would it kill you two to show a little concern!” Orion yelled from where he lay, a sheepish grin on his face. He was far from a valiant knight; he wondered if the other squire would put on a better show. He almost hoped they would see it fit to join him on the grass; misery loved company and he'd be happy to share in the humiliation.

[Ryia Brock]

The Brock sister's, who had been dubbed 'the blonde trio' by the males in the city, entered the Windmount field together. There was something almost military about the way they moved together. Dimia and her younger sister Ryia walked shoulder to shoulder with Helena following closely behind them. The three first headed into the stables and picked out the horses that they normally road. Helena had her own Tiaden Warhorse, and Ryia and Dimia mounted the same Bloodbane and Colorsplash that they had used before.

The three trotted out and down towards the field where another was practicing his riding. He didn't appear to be doing too badly so far as Dimia and Ryia were concerned, but they weren't very experienced with riding themselves. Helena on the other hand saw the errors that he made, but she didn't point them out to her sisters. Instead she led them closer to where Dinah stood and had them stop a few feet away so that the horses didn't run the red headed Knight over. It was one of the biggest problems people had when learning to ride, getting the horse to go and getting it to stop.

"How fairs the training?" Helena asked Dinah from a top her horse. The young Knight turned slightly to where she could see her sisters, mostly Ryia and continued. "This is Sera Lorens girls." she nodded to Dinah. "These are my sisters, you may have met Dimia already, and this here is Ryia. Our little girl has decided to join the order like her big sisters."

Ryia hated being called such names, little, baby, kid, all of those names made her feel as if others didn't think she was grown up enough to handle the task before her. To them she was the baby Brock, and they gave her all the 'oohs' and 'awww' , but none of them showed her respect. "Well met Sera Lorens." the teenager said politely, but Dimia didn't answer. She was too busy with eyes on the man who just had been disarmed by a pole. "Is he your squire Sera Lorens?" she asked, curious what the woman might say about him.

They would stay there and converse with Dinah for a few more chimes, before Helena started them off. "Alright you two, lets get these horses warmed up. A lap around the field, two if you can't keep up. Let's go." The Knight moved first, starting a path around the track in a quick trot. Ryia and Dimia gave each other a look and followed along behind their sister.

[Orion Michaels]

As Orion dragged himself to his feet, the others arrived, unbeknownst to Orion. His focus was on cleaning himself off, and getting back to the horse. For once it wasn’t the bastard’s fault. He’d made the creature slow down and it had only listened to its rider. That was a new experience Orion; he could only be so mad, after all.

”This is ridiculous,” he stated as he reached down to retrieve the lance, rubbing his back with his left hand as he grasped the polearm. At least he’d hit the quintain, but the cost had been rather steep. The squire put a foot in the stirrup and used his free hand to help pull himself up and over, settling in nicely on the back of the horse.

”Well met, Helena, squires,” Dinah said, giving a quick wave to the approaching Brocks. ”How does the day find you three?” The Captain Knight’s eyes trailed over to Orion, smiling softly as they began their questions. It was quite the thing to navigate. Orion’s training was actually going well; they’d just caught him doing something he’d never done before. She couldn’t exactly tell him that, though. The man’s ego fluctuated enough as it was without her tossing too much praise in the mix. ”The training comes along. Orion is using a lance for the first time and it’s going about as well as expected. I’ll let him struggle a bit and figure out some stuff on his own.”

The redhead turned her focus to the two younger Brocks, smiling at Ryia as she politely introduced herself. Dinah Lorene had been dealing with a back talking, witty, flirtacious mess of a squire. Just hearing a polite greeting from one of the youth of Syliras was refreshing. ”And well met to you, young one.” She chuckled at Dimia’s question. ”Indeed he is. See something you fancy, Brock?” Dinah teased the young woman, crossing her arms as she raised an eyebrow in questioning.

After they finished up their conversation Dinah gave another wave as they went on their way to warm up. Just as they left, Orion came up to Dinah, bringing his mount to a halt as he arrived beside her. ”Thanks for the concern, Dinah. It’s good to know you care.”

”Of course, Orion. I’ve seen you get injured enough times that I knew when it’s real or not. And could you please try and be proper with your titles? We’ve others training with us today,” she said with a half grin-half sigh, motioning to the trio of blondes as they rode away. ”At least show some semblance of respect for our structure and also, wait around until they are ready to begin.”

”But of course, Sera Lorene. Please forgive my impertinence and absolutely awful display of discourtesy. It shan’t happen again.” Orion shot Dinah a huge grin, receiving a roll of her eyes in reply.

”Smartass.”

[Ryia Brock]

"I can't say Sera." Dimia chimed back while pursing her lips. "From here it just looks like a guy being beaten by a quintain and thrown around by a horse. Not much to fancy." Dimia smiled and shifted on her horse to look at Ryia. She always did this when making a joke knowing that she would make her little sister laugh when she looked at her.

It worked as always and Ryia had to look down at her hands and tighten her jaws so that not even a smile rose upon her flushed cheeks. It was out of respect for the Knight and for her squire. She didn't know what to expect from person to person and in the past Dimia had spun more than one story about the knighthood just to poke fun at the younger teen. Ryia glanced again at the man, who at this point seemed to be dusting off his fanny.

She wasn't the most observant of people, and from where she sat she couldn't see his face, or any details about him, other than that he was a man in armor. They were off shortly afterwards and on their way into the racing area of the field. Helena led the way with her sisters following behind her. From this position she couldn't watch them so, once they started to gain more speed, she slowed down, allowing their horses to first catch and pass hers.

Ryia's eyes widen as she sped passed her elder sister, and she glanced back quickly. "Ryia, careful you almost bumped me." Dimia called out suddenly causing the youngest teen to quickly spin around and pull on the reins to slow the horse. But it didn't work and her actions only confused the horse, sending it closer to the other rider. "Gods I'm sorry. I think it's spooked." Instinctively, Dimia pulled away from her sister to separate the horses. It was a near hit, but they were able to pull away just before the horses ran into each other.

They smiled, and Dimia shook her head at her sister's mistake. "Control your mount, pick your pace and stay with it." A strong feminine voice yelled from behind them. Ryia straighten up on horse and tried to keep it at a steady pace with the others. If the horse would slow, she would lean forward and tug just a bit harder. If the horse sped up, she would lean back and pull the reins with her. The three rounded the corner and came back around to where Dinah stood with her squire.

"Alright girls, are you ready for a bit of fun? I've arranged for a contest between you and that other squire. Think you can handle a lance?"

[Orion Michaels]

”Are you ready to be shown up by a group of blondes, Orion?” Dinah observed Orion atop his mount, teasing him as normal. He’d been working harder than he’d ever been over the last bit of the previous season, moving into this one. He still had a sense of humor, but there was something different about him that she couldn’t quite place. A dedication which hadn’t existed before had made its presence quite known, though Orion had deflected any questions about it.

”That brings back some drunken memories,” he retorted cheekily, adjusting his place in the saddle. He’d figured they were the ones with whom he’d be training, or at least he’d work with one of them. The one who’d greeted Dinah initially must have been a knight; he couldn’t tell her rank with the distance between them. The other two seemed rather young, and although there had been young knights in the past, he wasn’t quite sure this was the case.

”Well, try and keep yourself under control. I’d rather not have to reprimand you publicly, you know.”

Orion simply smiled in return, turning his horse where it stood to face towards the trio of women. Constant instruction. That seemed to be the name of game. He’d seen it with Dinah, too. No matter what you were doing or how good you got, there was always something you were doing wrong or something that could improved upon. In this case, the smallest of the three women seemed to be still learning the ropes with her mount. Not that Orion was much better. He could empathize with the struggles of controlling the creatures they rode. A near miss was averted when one of the others moved their mount to avoid a collision. ”Remind you of anyone, Orion?”

”Not a soul, Dinah.”

Patron and squire awaited the rest of the group’s return. Orion rested with one hand on his thigh, the other holding the lance up against his shoulder. As soon as they were ready, the real fun would be beginning. A day full of friendly competition and the learning of skills foreign to them all.

”I suppose we’ll see, Sera,” Orion stated when Dimia spoke. He had to hope that they were as much of a rookie as he, otherwise it was going to be another one of those humiliating days he’d long since grown accustomed to. ”I’m Orion Michaels, squire of Sera Dinah Lorene. A pleasure to meet you all. I’m sure we’re in for a good time.” Orion bowed his head in greeting to the trio. "Besides, after my display of prowess, I'm sure the three of you are shaking in your boots at meeting me in any manner of combat."

[Ryia Brock]

Both Ryia and Dimia were surprised by Helena's words. Neither squire was well trained with riding a horse and now she wanted them to learn to use a lance. Dimia gave her younger sister a bemused stare and rolled her eyes. The blonde squire knew enough about lancing to know it wasn't easy and for those who didn't know what they were doing, they would soon find pain, and pain left bruises. Dimia liked the fact that some had dubbed her the fairest squire in the dorms, and she wanted to stay true to the title.

Ryia on the other hand was just overwhelmed by it all. The teenager hadn't expected her training to go so fast. She had also expected that the bulk of it would be done with her sisters alone, at least until she was stronger. They rode back around and met with the Knight and her squire again. The three stopped their horses, a job that was much easier since they had already slowed them just before they arrived. Helena had been a little surprised when Orion answered her question given she was speaking to her sisters, but she didn't say anything.

The young Knight slid off her mount and moved into the stables to grab shields and two laces. Ryia and Dimia waited, both sitting still and looking right at Orion. Dimia saw something smug in the guy and wanted to see if he could match up the confident aurora he was giving off. "Good to meet you. Dimia Brock. I think I missed it..your prowess, can you show us again?" Ryia was still trying to figure out how she was supposed to balance a weapon so soon after learning to keep herself on top of the horse. Her eyes may have been looking forward, but her mind was elsewhere. "Oh..yes, hello. Good to meet you sir." If Orion were to look at them, Ryia would quickly look away while Dimia would stare him down for another moment, before she turned to check on Ryia. "You ok? You've gone quiet. Nervous huh? I am a bit, but it can't be that hard."

Helena returned and handed then both a shield and lace. They were heavy, clunky, though it was partly because of being on a horse instead of the ground. Ryia didn't move as much and she had been hoping to see how Helena would hold it, but she didn't return with one for herself. "I'm fine, not really nervous just...thinking." Dimia held hers loosely, with the shield resting in her lap, and didn't seem like she was going at all. "I guess we're supposed to ride up and attack that thing like he did? Unless..we're supposed to attack blue eyes here?" she asked her elder sister.

Helena folded her arms and looked at her sisters. They were too new to try to go against anyone, but she would work them up to it. "No, first I want you to try and hit the mark on your own. Dimia, you're first." The squire sighed and flashed Ryia and Orion a glance. "Wish me luck." she trotted off then, leaving Ryia beside Orion to watch her. " I don't think I'm ready for this," Ryia murmured, not knowing if anyone heard her.

[Orion Michaels]

Orion smiled at the sideways glance he got for intruding on their conversation. Usually his forward, borderline aggressive social attitude was effective, but here it almost seemed like the trio of women were in their own exclusive club. ”You missed it? Well that’s not surprising. It’s nowhere to be found.” He’d been defeated by an inanimate object, one who’s only movement was at Orion’s own doing. The squire counted himself lucky that he might have a second chance to avoid embarrassment.

Or perhaps it was a second chance to be completely humiliated in front of a gaggle of blondes.

He nodded in greeting to the smallest of the three, chuckling when she turned to look away. ”No, no. I’m no ser. A squire, just like yourself. In fact, I bet you’re better than me, so no need to be shy.” He turned to look at their patron as she returned with the equipment the two girls were meant to use. They seemed to be just as nervous as he had been, but maybe they would have more luck than Orion had managed to find.

”I’d love to see you have a go at me,” he challenged, a smirk touching his lips. ”But let us see you best the quintain first, no?” He adjusted himself in his saddle, continuing to hold the lance over his shoulder as he waited to watch the first of them ride off. He turned to look down at the young squire at his side, offering her a shrug as she muttered to herself. ”If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that if you don’t think you’re ready for something, you won’t be. Negativity begets negativity.” It was a fact that had covered his life for as long as he could look back. ”What’s your name, little squire?”

The older man rose from his saddle for a moment, stretching his calves for a moment before returning to his seated position. ”No sense in waiting about. You want to go next?” He motioned to a second quintain that was set up for the group of squires and knights to practice on. [b]”Or would you rather see me eat dirt again?”

[Ryia Brock]

Dimia pursed her lips and raised her brow slightly at Orion's comment. This unknown squire was witty, but so was she. Dimia was also aware of the types of older guys that, for some reason, always thought that girls like her needed to be taught a lesson, or guided. She didn't reply to what he said, instead offering him a bit of a smile before turning to check on her sister.

Ryia glanced back towards Orion for a moment, before she looked away again. The youngest of the squires, and the group in general, hadn't meant to suggest that Orion was a knight. She knew that he was a squire, but because of his advanced age she was being formal and respectful. Still, his comment about her being better than him, caused her to blush. Ryia wasn't used to being complimented when she hadn't earned it, and even then at times it seemed like they expected more from her. Of course this didn't stop Dimia who's lips were already moving again. "Did you hear that Ryia? I think he likes you." the squire smiled towards Orion and tossed her hair back and nudged her sister's arm.

Emerald green eyes flashed upward, first landing on Orion, followed by Dimia.
"Dimia..don't. He was just being nice." Ryia didn't honestly think the older squire was flirting with her, and the idea of dating was still very new to her and she wouldn't know what to do if she did find herself being admired by a male. One hand lifted to comb her hair back away from her face as she looked at Orion again. Her features didn't display the look one would expect from a blushing girl, but instead one of expectation.

Ryia watched the older squire with wary green eyes, waiting for him to scoff, or babble about how she was just a baby, and not worth his attention. Perhaps he would be right to think so, she was just a teenager, but that didn't mean that she needed to be reminded as if it were a form of disability. Dimia rode off and she was left to her thoughts until Orion spoke again. His words, though subtle, confirmed her worse fears and sent a shiver through her body. However, she couldn't back down, Ryia needed to do this for herself as she had said before.

She respected his words of advice, but just as she was about to thank him, he called her a little squire. The teenager gave a soft, almost inaudible sigh, but went ahead and thanked him away. "I didn't realize you heard me, but thank you for those words." She wanted to say more, but when he mentioned the free lane, Ryia fired up. "I'll take it.." kicking her heels against the horse, she started up and pulled the reins to one side so that the horse would turn in the direction that she wanted. The young squire was a lot better at guiding the horse in open areas where she could move in a wider circle than any narrow spaces.

Once she was in position, Ryia held out her lance and carried her shield close to her shoulder. There was a determined look in those big, green eyes, and the girl snapped the reins at the same time that she kicked the horse. The bloodband raced forward, a but too fast for her taste. Still she held the lance, a weapon that seemed to wobble more the tighter that she tried to hold it. With the shield of the quintain in sight, the teenager leaned forward and jerked her arm out to strike it. She heard the sound thunder into her ear as the lance met with the shield, and the quintain spun around. The bloodbane raced on, angling with the swing, but not fast enough before the heavy bag slammed into her back.

Ryia gasped loudly as her breath was knocked from her lungs, and her body fell limp against the neck of the horse. Both shield and lance dropped from her fingers, and the girl laid unmoving on the back of the horse for the moment.

[Orion Michaels]

Sisters were an interesting breed. The way they bound together, and the way they never missed an opportunity tease one another. Orion’s attempts to create a light mood had been turned into a weapon to use against the younger blonde. It really was a sight to behold. No matter what else was going on, it seemed that siblings could display a level of wit unmatched otherwise.

”No, I wasn’t just being nice,” he stated from atop his mount. ”I was being honest. I’m an old man trying to figure these things out. You made the smart choice of working on it in your youth. I hope you show me up.” He nodded, smiling softly down at the youth. She, of course, seemed to be eying him with suspicion and uncertainty. The older squire decided not to press the issue, deciding to focus on their training instead. It seemed that the young blonde wasn’t interested in banter. She appeared quite reserved, perhaps lacking in confidence. It was best they just get to work.

”No thanks is needed. I’ve lived a life wash with uncertainty. I’d hate for you to do the same.” He wasn’t sure if she was leaving due to confidence found in his words, or from a desire to escape from his babbling. Still, she moved quickly enough to set about completing the task at hand. Everything seemed to be going fine, so Orion began to get himself ready for his own run at the quintain. Yet in the blink of an eye, everything changed. One moment she was striking the target. The next she was limp atop her saddle.

Orion tossed his lance aside and kicked his mount into motion, spurring its side and grasping the reins tightly as he pushed the horse into a gallop. He stood up in his saddle, leaning forward with his feet tightly pressed in the stirrups. He had to inspire the creature to go faster and get to the young squire before she fell off and was injured further than she already was.

”Hey, are you okay!?” He would have called out her name, but he realized then that he hadn’t actually caught it. Orion had been riding over when the squire had introduced herself to Dinah. He’d have to put his head down and ride hard. Each powerful stride jarred Orion to his very core, the jolt of the impact spreading throughout his body as he raced onwards towards Ryia and her mount.

The former squire pulled on the reins to slow his mount as he came up aside his fellow squire, looking down on her to see if she were conscious. If she just had the wind knocked from her, he’d grin sheepishly at his overreaction. If she were worse off, he’d assess the situation and see what he could do to help her.

[Ryia Brock]

Helena had remounted her horse and was watching it all from the side lines. She had first watched Dimia who had gone first to try her hand at conquering the quintain. Her control of the horse had gotten much better, bit it looked as if she was pulling too far away from the shield the closer she got to it. The end result was her lance narrowly missing the shield, which also saved her from the viscous swinging heavy bag.

The young Knight wasn't worried, and she was sure that with another try, her younger sister would connect the next time around. Some Knights liked to yell to their squires, but Helena wasn't the type that liked to raise her voice unless she felt that she really needed to. After watching Dimia, her head snapped when she noticed Ryia taking off towards the other quintain. It was a surprise to see her baby sister taking a challenge head on, and she liked the sight of it.

Watching closely, she could see that Ryia was better in line with the shield, and although she held her lance out oddly, it would strike the mark. She had connected, but the teenager had also slowed, and in doing so, met the wraith of the heavy bag. The strike appeared violent, probably even more sense she fell against the horse and dropped everything that she was carrying. Helena did feel bad for the girl, having felt the slam of the bag herself more than once. However, Ryia was her baby sister and the natural instincts to protect her started to kick in. But, before she could move, Orion had struck out onto the field.

Helena wasn't sure why this squire had such concern for her sister, and as far as she knew, the two had never met before. By this time Dimia had circled around again, and had noticed Ryia hanging off the horse also. The squire, leaned forward, kicked her feet into the stirrups to get the horse into another gallop to take her to her sister. The bloodbane horse slowed into a trot a few ticks after the girl went limp atop her, but otherwise kept going in the same direction.

Ryia felt a pain in her back, a pressure that seemed to ache whenever she tried to breath. It hurt, and with the movements of her horse, it made it even harder to catch her bearings. For a moment, as she laid still, the squire wondered what would happen if she just laid still. Would the horse keeping going, or would it stop? How long before the horse's motions tossed her off, and how long would it take for someone to get to her? For a brief moment she thought about finding out, anything was better than the pain of trying to move again.

However, Ryia knew that she had to move, she had to push on as her sister's had before her. In fact, she could already hear Helena calling to her, telling her to get up. But..it wasn't Helena, it was a deeper voice..a male asking if she was ok. The bloodbane finally stopped moving towards the end of the gate, and with a sharp gasp, Ryia slowly pushed herself back up. The pain caused her to groan softly and she had to sit still to calm down. "I'm...I'm.." It hurt, and it took everything in her not to cry, but she really wanted to. "I'm alright, Just..winded, but I'll be ok."

Not a full moment later Dimia rode up and trotted along to circle and face them both. The colorsplash was easy on the turns, and the horse itself seemed to enjoy the quick adjustment. "Are you ok? Talk to me." Reaching up, she combed the blonde locks away from her sister's face. Ryia's cheeks were red, but so far, she had held back any tears. "I'm ok Dimia. I am, I'm just winded...and dizzy."