Post by westernsunset on Jun 28, 2018 22:47:47 GMT 10
Title: Mutual Respect
Summary: Why is Wyldon friends with the Shang warriors? They're so different from him!
Rating: G
Author's Note: This is developing into a series, so! There may be more to come!
Mutual Respect
Lord Wyldon was a political choice for training master. After the decree that girls could pursue knighthood, many fiefs made their displeasure known. Forcefully. To ease the transition, King Jonathan asked Lord Wyldon to serve, mollifying some of the more powerful nobles. And while progressive balked at such a conservative man training the pages, Wyldon did prove himself to be an effective training master.
Wyldon was harsh, but he got results. He was such a strict training master, more pages had dropped out than ever before. But those that stayed became some of the finest knights the kingdom had ever seen. This partly had to do with who was teaching them, something Wyldon had final say over.
It was surprising that Wyldon introduced Shang fighting into the curriculum. Of course, hand to hand combat was useful in close quarters when a knight may not have time to draw a weapon, so it was important for the pages to learn. But if someone had to instruct the pages, everyone knew Wyldon would have preferred it not be commoners. But unfortunately, all Shang warriors were commoners, and Shang warriors were the best hand-to-hand fighters there were.
In late summer, the King asked Wyldon to come to the private royal dining hall for dinner. He mentioned that after a long search, he’d found two warriors who agreed to train the pages long term. The King impressed upon Wyldon how challenging it had been to find not one, but two of the notoriously nomadic Shang who could commit to settling down and training the pages. The conversation left Wyldon with the sense that he would have to learn to work with the two people the King had pressed into service, even if he didn’t like them. And even before the dinner, he got the sense he wasn’t going to like them.
“Lord Wyldon of Cavall may I present Eda Bell, the Shang Wildcat and Hakuin Seastone, the Shang Horse,” the King said, almost as soon as Wyldon entered his private dining room. He gestured over the table, and two warriors rose.
Wyldon took them in. Eda Bell was small and well-muscled, but seemed older than he was. Her hair was graying and her eyes looked sharp and firey. Hakuin was a tall and lanky Yamani who would have been intimidating but for friendly eyes and a half smile. Wyldon nodded to both of them, as it would have been beneath a Lord to bow fully to commoners. The Shangs each bowed at the waist, and rose with a confidence not many people had when they stood before the King.
“Well! Our food will get cold,” said the King, taking a seat. Wyldon and the warriors followed suit, but no one spoke. After giving a blessing over the meal, even the king chewed in silence. Wyldon watched the two Shangs who seemed focused on their meal, though he caught a look Hakuin shot Eda, his eyebrows raised and the same smile on his face. Eda’s face didn’t give away anything, she just turned back to her food.
Finally, the King said “you trained Liam Ironarm, right Eda?”
“Yes, I was his kickfighting instructor back when he was young,” Eda said. “Even then, you could tell he was quite the fighter.”
King Jonathan turned to Wyldon. “Liam Ironarm was the Shang Dragon, the highest level of warrior. He saved my life back when I first took the throne and my late cousin attempted a coup.”
Wyldon nodded politely. He remembered hearing about the Shang Dragon. The King had even named one of his children after the man. He didn’t have a response to that though, and instead continued to focus on his meal.
“How long have you been instructing the pages Lord Wyldon?” Hakuin asked.
“Three years,” Wyldon said.
“And before that?” Hakuin asked, Wyldon’s curt response not shaking his cheerful tone.
“Serving the crown.”
“Outstanding, where?”
“The north.” Wyldon could tell Hakuin wanted a more robust conversation but he didn’t want to give it to him. The way he saw it, as training master, he had final say on whether or not the Shangs came into the palace. He didn’t have to appeal to a commoner who thought he could stand on equal footing with nobles.
“At the border with Scanra?” Hakuin didn’t even seem to notice Wyldon’s clipped responses. He continued to keep his voice light and chipper. When Wyldon looked up, he found Hakuin’s eyes on him, the smile still on his face.
“Yes. Is something funny to you?”
“You’re a man of few words is all,” Hakuin said, taking Wyldon’s harsh tone in stride.
“We thought you’d have more questions for us, quite frankly,” Eda said. “Your dislike of women and foreigners isn’t exactly a secret.”
“I don’t dislike women and foreigners,” Wyldon said, trying to remain calm. “I’ve never said that.”
“It’s not something you have to say,” Eda said. Then, as an afterthought, she added, “my Lord.”
“I don’t appreciate being accused of having views I do not hold,” Wyldon could feel his face reddening as his frustration mounted. To be called a bigot and then disrespected in the same sentence! He couldn’t remember being treated like this. And the King just sat there watching it happen.
“I think what Eda is trying to say is we were surprised to be asked,” said Hakuin, still cheery. “Right Eda?”
“Yes. I was surprised, given your whispers about how women are too weak to keep up with men in combat,” she said.
“And I believe I’m the first Yamani you’ve ever spoken with. But please correct me if I’m wrong.”
Wyldon sputtered for a moment. But Hakuin wasn’t wrong. Wyldon had seen Yamanis, of course, as they passed through Corus but had never spoken to one. And if he was being honest, he wasn’t convinced that women were equal to men. So they were right. A little. But they were still treating him with a shocking amount of disrespect.
“Is it a custom in Shang to back-talk your commander? Is this really the most effective way for you two to secure your position?” Wyldon didn’t hide the anger in his voice.
“Shangs don’t usually have commanders,” Hakuin said. He didn’t say anything more.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“We know our worth,” said Eda. “We’ve both taught before, students of all ages. We’ve lived all over Tortall and in other lands. And while it’s considered beneath a Shang warrior to highlight their skills, I’d say Hakuin or I could best you in nearly any form of combat and if you don’t believe me, we can head to the practice courts now.”
Wyldon shot a glance at the King, who was regarding the proceedings with a unplacable expression.
“With respect, Your Majesty, I don’t think this will work and I don’t appreciate being challenged by a commoner,” Wyldon said.
“Then how do you wish to proceed Wyldon?” the King asked. When Wyldon didn’t respond, the King carried on. “The way I see it, we have three options. You can, in addition to your duties training the pages, undertake a hunt for new teachers in unarmed combat. Of course, they will all be commoners, but you may find people more to your liking. We can choose to have our pages not be instructed in hand to hand combat. This will make them more vulnerable to attack, but hand to hand combat wasn’t done in our day, so it won’t kill them. Or you can learn to work with Hakuin and Eda.”
Wyldon sighed. “Somehow I feel like I don’t have a choice in the matter.”
“You always have a choice,” the King said. “In this case, however, only one choice makes sense. And I think as the three of you spend more time together, a mutual respect will develop.”
At that moment, Wyldon looked at the Shangs, who wore expressions identical to his. Expressions that said a mutual respect was unlikely.
At least they agreed on something.
Summary: Why is Wyldon friends with the Shang warriors? They're so different from him!
Rating: G
Author's Note: This is developing into a series, so! There may be more to come!
Mutual Respect
Lord Wyldon was a political choice for training master. After the decree that girls could pursue knighthood, many fiefs made their displeasure known. Forcefully. To ease the transition, King Jonathan asked Lord Wyldon to serve, mollifying some of the more powerful nobles. And while progressive balked at such a conservative man training the pages, Wyldon did prove himself to be an effective training master.
Wyldon was harsh, but he got results. He was such a strict training master, more pages had dropped out than ever before. But those that stayed became some of the finest knights the kingdom had ever seen. This partly had to do with who was teaching them, something Wyldon had final say over.
It was surprising that Wyldon introduced Shang fighting into the curriculum. Of course, hand to hand combat was useful in close quarters when a knight may not have time to draw a weapon, so it was important for the pages to learn. But if someone had to instruct the pages, everyone knew Wyldon would have preferred it not be commoners. But unfortunately, all Shang warriors were commoners, and Shang warriors were the best hand-to-hand fighters there were.
In late summer, the King asked Wyldon to come to the private royal dining hall for dinner. He mentioned that after a long search, he’d found two warriors who agreed to train the pages long term. The King impressed upon Wyldon how challenging it had been to find not one, but two of the notoriously nomadic Shang who could commit to settling down and training the pages. The conversation left Wyldon with the sense that he would have to learn to work with the two people the King had pressed into service, even if he didn’t like them. And even before the dinner, he got the sense he wasn’t going to like them.
“Lord Wyldon of Cavall may I present Eda Bell, the Shang Wildcat and Hakuin Seastone, the Shang Horse,” the King said, almost as soon as Wyldon entered his private dining room. He gestured over the table, and two warriors rose.
Wyldon took them in. Eda Bell was small and well-muscled, but seemed older than he was. Her hair was graying and her eyes looked sharp and firey. Hakuin was a tall and lanky Yamani who would have been intimidating but for friendly eyes and a half smile. Wyldon nodded to both of them, as it would have been beneath a Lord to bow fully to commoners. The Shangs each bowed at the waist, and rose with a confidence not many people had when they stood before the King.
“Well! Our food will get cold,” said the King, taking a seat. Wyldon and the warriors followed suit, but no one spoke. After giving a blessing over the meal, even the king chewed in silence. Wyldon watched the two Shangs who seemed focused on their meal, though he caught a look Hakuin shot Eda, his eyebrows raised and the same smile on his face. Eda’s face didn’t give away anything, she just turned back to her food.
Finally, the King said “you trained Liam Ironarm, right Eda?”
“Yes, I was his kickfighting instructor back when he was young,” Eda said. “Even then, you could tell he was quite the fighter.”
King Jonathan turned to Wyldon. “Liam Ironarm was the Shang Dragon, the highest level of warrior. He saved my life back when I first took the throne and my late cousin attempted a coup.”
Wyldon nodded politely. He remembered hearing about the Shang Dragon. The King had even named one of his children after the man. He didn’t have a response to that though, and instead continued to focus on his meal.
“How long have you been instructing the pages Lord Wyldon?” Hakuin asked.
“Three years,” Wyldon said.
“And before that?” Hakuin asked, Wyldon’s curt response not shaking his cheerful tone.
“Serving the crown.”
“Outstanding, where?”
“The north.” Wyldon could tell Hakuin wanted a more robust conversation but he didn’t want to give it to him. The way he saw it, as training master, he had final say on whether or not the Shangs came into the palace. He didn’t have to appeal to a commoner who thought he could stand on equal footing with nobles.
“At the border with Scanra?” Hakuin didn’t even seem to notice Wyldon’s clipped responses. He continued to keep his voice light and chipper. When Wyldon looked up, he found Hakuin’s eyes on him, the smile still on his face.
“Yes. Is something funny to you?”
“You’re a man of few words is all,” Hakuin said, taking Wyldon’s harsh tone in stride.
“We thought you’d have more questions for us, quite frankly,” Eda said. “Your dislike of women and foreigners isn’t exactly a secret.”
“I don’t dislike women and foreigners,” Wyldon said, trying to remain calm. “I’ve never said that.”
“It’s not something you have to say,” Eda said. Then, as an afterthought, she added, “my Lord.”
“I don’t appreciate being accused of having views I do not hold,” Wyldon could feel his face reddening as his frustration mounted. To be called a bigot and then disrespected in the same sentence! He couldn’t remember being treated like this. And the King just sat there watching it happen.
“I think what Eda is trying to say is we were surprised to be asked,” said Hakuin, still cheery. “Right Eda?”
“Yes. I was surprised, given your whispers about how women are too weak to keep up with men in combat,” she said.
“And I believe I’m the first Yamani you’ve ever spoken with. But please correct me if I’m wrong.”
Wyldon sputtered for a moment. But Hakuin wasn’t wrong. Wyldon had seen Yamanis, of course, as they passed through Corus but had never spoken to one. And if he was being honest, he wasn’t convinced that women were equal to men. So they were right. A little. But they were still treating him with a shocking amount of disrespect.
“Is it a custom in Shang to back-talk your commander? Is this really the most effective way for you two to secure your position?” Wyldon didn’t hide the anger in his voice.
“Shangs don’t usually have commanders,” Hakuin said. He didn’t say anything more.
“Is that all you have to say?”
“We know our worth,” said Eda. “We’ve both taught before, students of all ages. We’ve lived all over Tortall and in other lands. And while it’s considered beneath a Shang warrior to highlight their skills, I’d say Hakuin or I could best you in nearly any form of combat and if you don’t believe me, we can head to the practice courts now.”
Wyldon shot a glance at the King, who was regarding the proceedings with a unplacable expression.
“With respect, Your Majesty, I don’t think this will work and I don’t appreciate being challenged by a commoner,” Wyldon said.
“Then how do you wish to proceed Wyldon?” the King asked. When Wyldon didn’t respond, the King carried on. “The way I see it, we have three options. You can, in addition to your duties training the pages, undertake a hunt for new teachers in unarmed combat. Of course, they will all be commoners, but you may find people more to your liking. We can choose to have our pages not be instructed in hand to hand combat. This will make them more vulnerable to attack, but hand to hand combat wasn’t done in our day, so it won’t kill them. Or you can learn to work with Hakuin and Eda.”
Wyldon sighed. “Somehow I feel like I don’t have a choice in the matter.”
“You always have a choice,” the King said. “In this case, however, only one choice makes sense. And I think as the three of you spend more time together, a mutual respect will develop.”
At that moment, Wyldon looked at the Shangs, who wore expressions identical to his. Expressions that said a mutual respect was unlikely.
At least they agreed on something.