[Windmount Stables] Spear Meets Bow (Markus

[Jaelyn Baroth]

Season of Spring, Day 62, 511 AV

The day was bright and pleasant in Syliras, and Jaelyn smiled as she walked out of Stormhold citadel and towards Windmount Stables. To be honest this was the kind of day that she would love to go out for a ride outside the walls, but she had more important things to do.

She still was not nearly proficient enough in her spear or riding for her coming quest, and so she was off to train once again at Windmount Stables, as always wearing full plate armor and burdened with weapons and shield. Spear in hand and shield on her back she made her way across the courtyard to the entrance of Windmount.

Receiving a horse for use for her training she made sure to carefully check and double check the placement and tightening of the blanket and saddle. She didn't want a repeat of that one time she had trained with Dimitri. Once she was confident that everything was secure she mounted up on the horse and proceeded to ride out to the training field, readying her shield and spear as the horse moved along.

[Markus Andres]

Markus walked forward in a brisk pace. His feet making familiar clacking sounds as he walked. The metal colliding with the floor with each step. Markus was wearing full plate armor that day. It was time he took another crack at training his horseback archery. It had been a while since he had last made that combination training. When he reached the wind mount stables he looked around for 'his' horse. It was a horse he had used when sparring with his master. A good horse. Markus smiled when he saw the horse. He walked up and patted it on its strong neck and mane. "Hey there." Markus said in a low voice as he began to prepare the horse. He worked furiously to prepare the horse. Once done, he went over his work again. His perfectionist mindset kicking in and making sure that he had done nothing wrong. When he was satisfied he grabbed his gear. Made sure his sword was still on his left side, the dagger sheathed a little further up his side. His shield on his back. The quiver under the shield. His left hand holding the composite shortbow. All geared up. He mounted the horse and rode out on the training field. Not surprised that someone else was out there. It seemed that he would have to share the field that day. Markus reached up behind and grabbed an arrow and stringed it. Pulling back the string. Familiarizing his arm with the weight and pull. He relaxed again, put the arrow back in the quiver and motioned for his horse to move forward. Toward the other person. First thing he looked for was some sort of insignia. So he could determine a rank. Either he didn't spot one, or the person was hiding it somewhere. But he assumed it was another squire. If not, then he would just be reprimanded for not addressing a superior knight properly. He took off his helmet when he got closer. "Nice day for some training!" Markus said cheerfully with a smile plastered across his lips.

[Jaelyn Baroth]

A voice drew Jaelyn's attention away from the field, and she turned to see a fellow armored person nearby. Raising the visor of her helmet she returned his smile with a soft one of her own Jaelyn nodded in agreement, "Yes, a fine day for training."

Giving the other Squire, for he wore no sign of rank, a look over Jaelyn found him familiar, but couldn't place a name to his smiling face. Noticing the bow he held she gave a nod towards it as she inquired, "Here to practice some mounted archery?"

She'd never really thought of learning the bow herself. She could certainly understand the advantage of it, but feel of a weapon in her hand was much more comfortable to her. Maybe she would study some work in it eventually, but she didn't want to spread herself too thin in her training before her quest.

"Would you care to work together in our exercises?" she offered with another soft smile, "I find I get better results by working with someone else rather than on my own."

[Markus Andres]

When the squire lifted the visor, Markus was a little surprised, but very pleased to see it was a girl.. He tilted his head a little and smiled even wider when he recognized the girl. They had been at the same dinner table a while back. He was then certain that she wasn't a superior officer, not that it would change his behavior much. "Yes, I am." He responded to her bow-question. Not elaborating, since he felt he had nothing to say in that regard. Then the girl, Markus was certain was called Jaelyn, made a brilliant offer. To train together. Markus hated training alone, it was dull repeated movements. With someone else, he had someone to talk to or react to as he trained. - Furthermore, she was rather pretty, and he was a boy. His mind filled in the blanks. "I'd love to. How do you suggest we combine the-' Markus took another glance at her weapon, spear, definitely not a lance. '- spear with the bow in our training? And before I forget, I am Markus Andres, squire to Stern Mason and I believe we dinned together the other day." He purposely made their dinning together sound much more intimate than it had been. He said as he was reaching across himself with his right hand, to offer her to shake his hand.

[Jaelyn Baroth]

"A Pleasure Markus," Jaelyn said as she planted the point of her spear in the ground so she could shake Markus' hand, his insinuation about dinning completely lost on her, "I am Jaelyn Baroth, Squire to Ser Raynard Darcy. I believe you are correct about dinning together," she paused for a moment, there was something else familiar about the other Squire, "Markus... Ah! Do you happen to know a young man named Kendall, from Zeltiva I believe?"

Turning her mind to the more important question of how to train a faint frown touched her lips as she thought. While it would be good to practice dealing with attacks from a bow, Jaelyn didn't think it would be good to practice on the horses as a stray shot might injure them. She certainly didn't want to ask Markus to practice with something else, as she didn't want to interfere with his training. Finally a thought came to her mind, "Maybe we could have a bit of a competition?" picking up her spear once again she used it to gesture towards the sets of training dummies, "We each take a set, and then gallop along. While I try to strike them with my spear you could try to him them with your arrows. Whoever makes the most solid hits in the end wins?"

[Markus Andres]

Markus mind recognized the name immediately. It brought him back to his childhood girlfriend. He wished he could smile at the nostalgia, but he was terribly ashamed of his history before the Syliran Knights. A lot of it he really didn't want to delve on. Markus didn't feel any desire to meet Kendall. Be confronted with his life before the Syliran Knights. But she had said it was a man. Which meant it couldn't be her. That made Markus relax visibly, but his smile was less than convincing. "Yes and no. I knew a Kendall in Zeltiva, but she was not a man. Why do you ask?" He tried to make his question sound very casual. But he was very interested if someone from Zeltiva named Kendall was asking around for him. Male or not. When Jaelyn talked about a competition, it took Markus a second or two to realize what she was talking about. The name Kendall had made him forget about his planned training. "Sounds good. But I have an idea to spice it up a bit." Markus said with a mischievous grin on his lips. "If I win, you and I go watch the sunset over the Suvan Sea tonight. If you win. Hmm, do you have any suggestions?" Markus hoped she would agree to those terms, because it had been ages since he had last been on a date.

[Jaelyn Baroth]

"I met a man named Kendall last season, who asked me if I knew a Squire named Markus," Jaelyn's cheeks flushed ever so slightly at the memory of meeting the most handsome man she had ever seen, "He must have meant someone else though, as he was certainly not a woman."

Returning her thoughts to their training Jaelyn gave a slightly confused blink at Markus at his suggestion to spice things up. Was he... flirting with her? If he was, it was certainly more subtle than experience had shown her in the past. Maybe he just wanted to share the sight with a fellow Squire?

Figuring that's what Markus wanted Jaelyn thought a moment, and then gave a soft smile, "If I win, you will accompany outside the wall the next sunny day for training. There is a game I recently learned that I would like to try again."

Planting her spear once more in the ground she offered her right hand to Markus, "If you are agreed, shall we begin?"

[Markus Andres]

"Yea, must have been someone else." Markus sounded less than convincing. But he just hoped that Jaelyn wouldn't ask any more questions. He listened to the conditions she set, in case she won the competition. Markus had to hide the surprise when her side of the bet wasn't Markus becoming her personal servant for a week. Or was she also interested in him? He could hardly blame her if she were. "So, if I win, I get to spend more time with you, but should you win, I get to spend more time with you?" Markus pretending to be thinking it over. "Agreed, may the best squire win." He shook her hand firmly. Of course, he had every belief it was him who was the better squire. When he let go of her hand again, Markus patted his horse on its powerful neck. "Ladies first." Markus said before putting on his helmet again.

[Jaelyn Baroth]

Jaelyn blinked in confusion as Markus pondered over spending time with her. If he wanted to spend time with her why not just ask? Shaking off the odd feeling she flipped her visor back down, and picked up her spear once more.

Giving a nod to Markus she gave a kick to her horse to get it off quickly. Markus would be able to attack from a distance with his weapon, and Jaelyn would have to get close. So she'd have to go fast and straight to try and get them all before him.

Angling her horse she had it wheel about so that she could come at the targets from the side. She would go straight down the line, striking each in turn. It was risky, as she would have to strike quickly and accurately, but she figured this was her only chance to try and claim victory.

Moving with her horse she tightly gripped her spear, focusing on the first target as it came up towards her. Leaning down in the saddle she thrust at the target with her spear, and was greeted with the satisfying impact of her point striking home. One down, five more to go.

[Markus Andres]

Markus was getting nowhere with the girl. She seemed to dismiss his advances with either stupidity or by brilliantly misinterpretation of his words to avoid him. Markus pushed down the visor to his helmet and gave her a nod back. Considering if he should just be more straightforward in his methods. Perhaps that would work. Perhaps it wouldn't He should just knock all those thoughts out of his mind and get to work. He kicked his horse into action. His right hand holding the saddle. He really didn't want to get thrown off because of the sudden motion. When he felt more safe in the saddle. He pulled an arrow from the quiver. Put it on the string and pulled it back to his usual anchor point by his cheek. He took aim and waited for the right moment to release the arrow. He had to work in junction with the horse. Anticipate the movement of the horse. Release the arrow at the steadiest time. With a slow exhale Markus let the arrow fly from the bow. He had chosen the wrong time to let go off the arrow. It missed the first target. But Markus' aim had been so off, that it actually flew all the way to the second target and hit it in the side. Surprised by his apparent luck, Markus almost forgot the first target. He had his horse turn, so he was riding right by the target. He took out another arrow and prepared to shoot at the target as he rode by. At which time he would be at point blank range. The string was pulled back and anchored. The target filled most of his sight. He could almost visualize the arrow's short flight. Impossible to miss. Yet he did. The arrow burrowed into the ground and Markus had to quickly string another arrow and shoot from the 'third' position his master had taught him. One arrow when you approached. A second arrow when you rode by. A third arrow in the back of the target. Markus let the third arrow fly. It hit the target. Markus sighed with relief. That meant he had hit the first two targets. Of course. No one would ever need to know that the first shot had been pure luck.