Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

Taming the Gypsy Trade (Valanaer)

Tari looked around the halls as they went, keeping in step with the man the entire way. It was a nice, grand castle which was obviously taken care of by both the family and the staff they had employed. The elf was impressed by what she was seeing, but she knew she would always enjoy being outside more then having to stay inside all day. Even in the rain, she would rather be in the fresh air. The only downside; the castle had the smell of, well, castle. It wasn't the best smell to her, but about the time it was starting to bother her, they came outside.

Her eyes swiftly took in the training grounds and she gave a soft smirk to the line of men waiting around the ring. She watched the two fight from in between the onlookers and paused as Saren began to great them. She listened to his greetings, instantly relieved that the man had given her family name, but remained still through out the rest of the talk. She mentally thanked the men for not looking at her like she was some sort of toy, as others in the castle already had. She was already beginning to like the men ahead of her.

The elf smiled at Roran as he challenged her. Without a word, she removed her weapons, glancing at Saren long enough to give him a threatening look before handing both of them to the prince for him to place in the proper place. She silently waved Roran over to the ring, passing right between the men and hopping over the fence.
 
Saren would never say it aloud but he was rather grateful he wasn't going first, not that he was a coward by any means but knowing at least a bit of what she was capable of before going head to head. Roran would have fun with it as well so it was good, something to get them men interested and if Roran lost well it would certainly be a story, as well as giving his men even more reason to respect the beautiful elf he had so impulsively decided to take as his own. Tari did turn and hand him her weapons though, an odd thing considering but he was more than happy to play squire to the elf, taking her weapons over to the table her always put his stuff down on, laying hers down and placing his beside them. Then he turned back to the match, not wanting to miss even a second of the event that was about to unfold. A knight of his kingdom against his new Elven companion, he personally couldn't wait to see how it turned out.

Roran on the other hand seemed rather surprised when his challenge was answered, Saren had never brought a woman to their training, whether she be knight candidate or other wise and for him to bring one he had simply assumed it was for a little fun, nothing serious. Then again he chastised himself as he got a better glimpse at her bow, it was no mere plaything and it meant she knew enough to prize such a magnificent weapon. He was not afraid though, in fact he was thrilled, it had been a constant topic of conversation that Saren was always with the same type of feeble women, he was looking forward to see if their leader finally had one they could relate to in some way. He did have his own pride on the line as well though, his reputation as a knight would not be tarnished by a loss to a woman or an elf but he would be the butt of many jokes for a time to come if he allowed himself to be defeated by so attractive and small a foe.

Roran watched as she hopped over the wooden fence, following and leaping over it as well, landing on the other side with a thump, his boots hitting the ground. He walked over to his side of the circled arena and took a stance immediately, looking over and nodding that he was ready to Saren. Saren simply laughed, "Well then, let the games begin. We have a match, Eluch'l against Roran. The rules will be the usual knight rules, the first one to admit defeat or be knocked unconscious loses. Fight with honor!" With that the match begun and while everyone let out one cheer as it began, they were all silent after that, watching the battle with great interest to see exactly what would happen and whether or not Eluch'l would be any good.
 
As Roran fell into his stance, Tari stepped her left foot back. She didn't have a certain stance to take, as every fight changed and often times, it was harder to take one in the ever changing woods. Instead, she waited for the signal to begin. Although Tari didn't know the rules, she knew they couldn't be much different from what she would spar by: don't kill the other, don't seriously injure and when your opponent falls unconscious, stop. And if she were to do anything wrong, she was sure someone would tell her. She relaxed her body and waited for Roran to take the first move.

And move he did. The man came forward, moving swiftly yet solidly, moving on the balls of his feet. Tari knew he was skilled and very well trained. She waited until Roran was close, almost too close for comfort before ducking beneath his attack and rolling to the side. She sprang up out of the roll and swung her leg around, forcing it firmly into the back of the man's knees. Roran fell and the elf backed away, swaying back and forth on her feet as she awaited the man's return. It came swiftly as Roran recovered within seconds and reached out, grabbing at the girl's upper arm and drawing her close. Instead, Tari blocked it by throwing her hand up, allowing the man to grab her wrist instead of the more valuable area of her body. She spun close when Roran pulled her, but continued through, dragging the knight with her into a complete circle spin.

Roran continued on and landed right in the dirt, again, and Tari backed away. She seemed to be more about letting the man recover and attack then simply beating him to a pulp right away. That frustrated the hot-head enough to bring himself up again and throw another attack. At this point, he aimed it at the girl's torso, knowing to take out the main source before he could deal with the outlying areas. This punch nearly hit Tari's body, but she, with a bit of a struggle, caught it, taking the hit in her hand before it landed on her main body, tightening her hand around his fist. She held him still while he stood in a frustrated and slow state, and threw her own punch; right to the jaw. At this point, the woman released Roran, letting him stumble back, before kicking him in the chest, pushing him back again, and ending the flourish with an areal flip to the chest, once again.

Roran landed with a thump and a groan of pain, either refusing to lift his head or simply out. Either way, he seemed to be unconscious. Tari slowly blinked, letting her eyes remained shut for half a second before crossing over to the man and double checking his condition. "Out," she said, just another thing that brought out her Elven side of the rules.
 
Saren and the rest of the knights watched the match go down, Saren focused on several things, from watching her style and movements rather closely, to watching some other parts move around as well for a less than tactical reason. The fight did not fail to please though, soon they watched as Roran was knocked around a bit, not landing one real blow on the Elven beauty for the match, at least not a visible blow, and before long she had him down and out. The knights all just stood there, silence, save Saren of course who was already clapping and laughing, having himself a good time. It didn't take long for the rest of the knights to begin clapping either, all of them while being very surprised were thoroughly impressed by the movements and combat skills displayed by the female. They were all excited as well, mainly because her victory signaled the bout between her and Saren, a match that they wanted to see more than every after the display of skill just witnessed.

As Roran was carried out of the ring by a few of the knights, Saren went ahead and hopped the fence, a smirk on his face as he looked at Tari, "Well then, guess you are 'worthy' of having a go in the ring with me, I am sure Roran will agree when he wakes. Right boys?" A small roar of voices from his knights came forth and Saren simply nodded, he was ready to see how she could do against him, and everyone else was quite interested as well. It seemed a few of the men were even making joke bets on who would win the contest, whether Saren would hold fast and win or if Eluch'l would give him a run for his money, and of course while they were all loyal to Saren, a few of them wouldn't mind seeing their leader get beaten by a girl, it would be... Well, hilarious.

One of the veteran knights, a man in his 40's, took Saren's place, "Alright, Saren against Eluch'l, the charismatic prince against his greatest weakness, a beautiful woman. Let's see if a combination of her skills and beauty will be enough to finally knock him down a peg or two." When he said that they all burst out laughing, Saren turned to his men, "Really guys?" He asked with a laugh, shaking his head and turning back to Tari, "Alright, let's do this before they all start cheering for you." In that instant he dropped into a rather odd stance, his face getting serious and his eyes focused. It was a sample of his seriousness in combat, sure he was still not completely serious, no killing intent or anything like that but he wasn't willing to just give up and lose. No, he was ready and with a final shout from his men, the battle had begun, it was Tari's move.
 
Tari watched as the man was taken from the ring and turned to face Saren as he came over the fence. This would certainly be an interesting, and challenging, fight. If Roran was that good, although easy to knock out, Saren would certainly be a challenge. The elf shrugged her shoulders before letting out a soft sigh. Lucky for her, she had kept her skills up by fighting off the bandits the gypsies had met on the road. Being such a troublesome and even obnoxious crew at times, even the bandits in the woods were after them.

Once the sigh was out of her body, Tari fell back into her half stance, waiting for permission to begin. She paused for a second, waiting for the prince to take a move, but wheb he didn't she slowly slid her left foot forward. It was rare for the elf to take an offensive position, but when it called for it, she handled it with grace. In this case, she circled the man, getting a look at any possible openings before coming forward and striking. Her hand was open and she brought it right up to the man's shoulder with a surpringly strong force, aiming to force Saren into an awkward stumble before laying in another attack to his, again, his throat. Perhaps not the best choice, but she could use it to her advantage.
 
Saren watched as Tari took an aggressive position and he couldn't help but smirk, she was definitely something else. He took a second and then moved his hand tauntingly, as if to tell her to get on with it. She didn't hesitate, quickly beginning to move in circles around him and he moved slowly with her as to try and not let her get behind him in a blind spot. It was only after awhile of her feeling out his stance that she finally moved in, quickly as she had the night before, a speed which was just as hard to be ready for the second time as it had been the first. Even her attack was hard to prepare for, a hand hitting his shoulder forcefully. He did manage to move with her, as she hit he moved back so while he received the blow it wasn't nearly as effective and it kept him in a steady position. She left no time before her next attack to his throat, such as the one she had tried the night before, but he was ready for it this time, letting her latch on but acting immediately to counteract her attack.

It was his turn to attack. Saren put his hand on her elbow and that shoved up to break, or at least try to break, her hold on his neck, though he was stronger, a great advantage at such close a range. At the same time his other hand reached out to grab her by the shoulder as his leg went behind her own to go for a take down, if all was successful he would shove her shoulder and she would trip back on his leg. Of course if he should not be successful that just meant the fun would continue. Either way it wasn't over quite yet, her speed and obvious hand to hand experience couldn't be factored out, he had to be ready for whatever she could throw at him.

The knights watching seemed quite amazed when she landed a blow on Saren but they were good enough to notice she hadn't hit him hard yet, of course they were also good enough to know he wouldn't let her hit him if he could simply dodge it easily. So it was still either of their game, none of the knights could really tell who had the edge and it was quite a show, much different from Roran who had rushed in and been knocked out. Roran was back up and watching as well, coming out of his knocked out state quite quickly and although he was pouting quite a bit over the loss there was no way he would miss the main event.
 
Tari was caught by the man's attack and fell back, just as he wanted. She released her hold and in one swift tumbling move, she was out of his reach and back on her feet. Between Roran and Saren, Tari was forced to catch her ever so softly panting breath. It was enough for her opponent, and any others watching close enough, to notice she was, in fact, breathing herder, causing her chest to raise and lower in a steady time.

Although she had been knocked down, Tari was ready for the next attack, pqusing long enough to tilt her head to the side and strike again. This time, it was to Saren's stomach, sending a solid kick at his torso, fully expecting the man to block. That's why she had herself ready to perform a quick spin, using the man's hand and hold as a base to plant another kick at his jaw.
 
Saren accomplished his take down, getting Tari to fall back. She didn't simply go down though, instead she made a nice tumble away and got back to her feet, leaving Saren no target to strike at. He quickly took a few steps back and got into his stance again, a cocky grin on his face as he noticed her heavy breathing. It was one of the most sexy things he had ever seen though, a woman who knew how to fight as well as Tari did, it just made him want her more than ever. He was trying to remain focused on the fight however so he made sure he was ready for her next attack and watched her closely. Once again she initiated the attack, coming at his stomach with a kick, an easy attack to block, his hand going down and grabbing the leg tightly.

Before Saren could do anything with Tari's leg she spun her body from the leg he was holding and sent another kick right for his jaw, a kick he wasn't expecting at all. It landed quite hard, this time there was no moving with it, the blow was unavoidable. He was not the type to let it happen without getting something out of it though and while the kick hit him right in his jaw, he moved his free hand up and grabbed the leg, now having a grip on both. He used his new leverage to try and get Tari to the ground and mount her, he would put his weight on top of her and from there either get her to give up or if he had to, which he was trying to avoid, knock her out.

At this point the knights had ceased to be quiet, a few cheered at what they were watching, the skillful kick landing on Saren was something they hadn't seen very often, sure they were all good fighters and landed a few blows in training but Saren was a step above and generally didn't let people get the drop on him. They were all finding immediate respect for her as things went on, watching the fight with cheers and shouts, hoping to see a bit more excitement from the two combatants, even Roran done pouting as he got into the match.
 
The woman did as Saren planned, landing square on the ground hard enough to cause her pain, which she quickly expressed in a short, muffled groan. She bit back whatever else she had in her in favour of keeping her eyes and full attention to her opponent. Saren certainly knew what he was doing and Tari couldn't help but praise the man; although only mentally. He had enough weight to him to pin the elf down, but she could still hold him up so she wasn't injured by his positioning. She knew better then to struggle, as that could only cause problems between the two of them. She needed an idea, and quick. Her mind blanked for a second, not even hearing the sound of the knights around them. This was a bad sign. She had never blanked out in a fight before. She ended up shifting against the ground enough to give herself a bit of a jolt. And an idea.

In her mind, she kicked herself. It shouldn't have taken that long to remember Saren's big weakness. The one thing he had that she didn't. Attraction. Before she could second guess herself, she lifted her upper body at the waist and kissed Saren. She was hoping that was enough to surprise him, or at least give her a bit of an edge to force her next move onto him. She swayed slightly, leading him down as well, moving his weight off of her hips long enough for her to roll, pushing Saren onto the ground and pinning him to the ground with his arms above his head, spreading her weight equally between his wrists and hips.

If her surprise failed though, she was stuck under the prince, swiftly breaking her move and, as stubborn as always, refusing to surrender.
 
Saren was quite satisfied when he got Tari on her back, the short muffled groan she let out causing him to assume it had done a bit of damage, maybe not as much as her kick, but some. He was putting his weight on her now, expecting it to be pretty much over, his mind jumping between different ways that he could finish the battle and trying to think of the one least likely to leave a mark or hurt his sparring partner, a special consideration for her and one that while wasn't necessary, her being a worthy combatant and all, that he extended anyways. During his small pause to think something very unexpected happened, the one thing he would have never seen coming from Tari came, a kiss. He wasn't just surprised but his mind went blank completely and he just kind of stared down at her, his ravenous wolf instinct to pin her back down and kiss her back. All of the knights seemed rather surprised as well, not because of any other reason than it actually working, how the womanizing prince seemed stunned by a mere connecting of the lips, a loss of reputation for sure.

With his mind distracted and his eyes focused on her face, Tari's next move caught him by complete surprise. Before he could do a thing he found himself on his back and underneath the beautiful elf, his arms pinned above his head. At this point it was barely a fight to Saren, he was looking at her with a look of hunger more than his previous serious look. It was rather odd though, never had he thought he would be the type to find being held down by a woman rather pleasant, yet here he was, barely struggling at all underneath her rather light weight. He smirked as he looked up, she had played him quite well, using his attraction towards her as a weapon against him. He wasn't about to just give up but at the same time it was hard for him to think about more than the kiss a few seconds before, the next words out of his mouth reflecting that. "You know, if you wanted on top you could have just asked."

At this point the knights were either sighing at how ridiculous Saren could be or a bit disappointed the fight seemed to be over, although they all had one similar thought on their mind, that she was definitely a competent fighter. Saren was still focused on Tari though, not his men or the match, his honor didn't even seem so important in the moment, instead he just wanted to see what she would do next. Sure she had him on his back and had him pinned down, but he could still fight. He was strong and most likely could break free, but most of all, if she tried to move her hands to make another attack he would easily counter, one of her hands not enough to keep both of his at all. "So beautiful, what are you going to do now?" He asked with a grin, hoping maybe she would get caught up in the moment and go in for another kiss, his arrogant side thinking she might, although he was pretty sure it had been simply to catch him off guard. Whatever she did though, he would be ready, to strike back, or to reciprocate.
 
Tari was more then excited to see that her plan had actually worked. Her pride swelled a bit more as she watched the man under her. Even though she knew he could flip at any minute, sending her back onto the ground, just the idea that she had caught him off guard in front of his own men gave her confidence and even amusement. She couldn't be much prouder of herself then she was right then. Until Saren spoke. Her stomach twisted at the idea of 'being on top' of the man, and not necessarily in a good way. Her eyes narrowed tightly before her hands snapped away from the man's wrists and placed one on the base of his neck, pushing her thumb straight into his pulse while her second prepared to block one of his hands from stopping him.

It wasn't much, but in a practical use, if she held it there long enough, he would be unconscious beneath her. Of course, she wasn't ready to let the man fall into it, as she was looking for more of a surrender motion from him rather then actually knocking him out. Although she wanted to win, she wasn't looking to embarrass the man in front of his troops or to cause him any true harm. The elf never wanted to or enjoyed harming people, even when properly provoked or came after someone she cared for. It just wasn't in her character. And the prince had certainly not done anything to give her any reason to hurt him. But, in the spirit of the match, she would go as far as knocking the man out.

"Pulse," she told him.
 
Tari being on top of him was certainly a nice feeling, one that he didn't really want to get rid of right away, but he knew he would have to do something. She was not simply letting him enjoy it, in fact she had gone for his neck again, one of her hands prepared to knock him out with in what he was beginning to assume was her favorite move. She didn't seem to be trying to finish him off which was a bad move, he hadn't wanted to hurt her but he wasn't the kind to let someone win because of gender or attraction. "Sorry but this is going to hurt a bit" And without hesitation he moved one hand to grab the hand that wasn't on his throat and stop it from getting in the way. At the same time his other free hand and balled it up, sending a punch to her solar plexus, it would knock some of the air out of her and make it so much easier to get her hand off his neck and him back on top. Then he would return that kiss and make her give up no matter how long their private little show had to last.

If his punch hit her right, which he was confident it would, he would move his hand up and grab the hand on his throat, ripping it off or at the very least using it to help him flip her back over on her back. Then he would see how she liked being kissed in the middle of combat, and he didn't plan on a small peck or anything like that, oh no she asked for a serious kiss, maybe even a little tongue if it felt right. Then, as much as he hated the idea of doing such a thing to such a beautiful woman, he would prepare himself to put her into a submission. Of course he didn't want to, he would rather her give up or perhaps she would realize that the kiss was more fun than the fight, but he entirely expected her to just struggle because with her pride it was very doubtful she would suddenly submit. Whatever happened he was most focused on getting back on top and returning the favor for the kiss that got him into the situation.
 
Saren's attack hit right on target and Tari doubled over, releasing his throat again. His plan went perfectly, wedging the elf between the ground and his body again, this time though, Tari had to catch her breath before she could do anything in return. It didn't take her but a second to get her air back, only to be met by Saren's next 'attack' another second after. Tari was only half expecting that he would come back with a move like that, but she wasn't expecting it at this very moment. It caught her off guard and her gut began to take over.

With the same speed she had been using all this time, her hands took a tight hold at the base of the man's skull, making sure to keep his lips against her own as she returned the kiss. It wasn't exactly sweet, as it held a bit of a possible hunger in it, but she was careful to make it only a kiss. She gave it long enough for the prince to get some revenge and her mind to click back into place before her eyes snapped wide and she gasped, breaking it and releasing the man's head. She pulled away as quickly as she could, watching Saren like a deer spotted by a hunter. She let a short moment go by before instructing the prince. "Get off of me."
 
Saren's plan went perfectly and it was a spectacle to see, him managing to get her on her back again right when it had seemed her had lost. The knights were all excited to see if she would turn it back on him, but what happened after that wasn't exactly part of Saren's plans or the knights expectations. The kiss that had been meant for a little revenge had taken an odd turn, instead of resisting further or launching an attack, Tari kissed him back. The knights were slightly stunned. Not that they found it odd, just unexpected. Saren was about the same, he had kissed her back quite lustfully, his body reacting to hers. It didn't last terribly long though, soon Tari had a different expression from one of lust and want, closer to confusion and fear. It was as if she had just been caught doing something unthinkable and it pissed him off a little, but from what she had said the night before, getting caught up in the moment with a human had to be something rather unthinkable to her, or at least that would be his guess for the look.

Saren decided to simply do as she asked, getting off of her and getting to his feet, "As you wish" He muttered. At this point, kiss aside, his men began to clap and cheer a bit, "That was great guys, well done." Roran made it a point to be a good sport, he didn't poke at what just happened even if he was a bit mad about losing. Saren was just curious how Tari was going to react to what had just happened, would she get angry and leave or would she simply continue on like it never happened. His knights were certainly acting like it didn't happen, or more precisely, they didn't really care, a woman kissing Saren was nothing new, although the situation was a bit unique. Saren looked down and offered his hand, "It was a good match." He was calm, his voice normal and no smirk on his face. He was trying not to piss her off in the current situation, of course that didn't mean he was sorry, in fact he was quite happy with the result, and he wanted more, he just knew that it wasn't the time to push the issue. There would be a time, when they were alone, nobody watching, then he would remind her of the kiss, and how it felt.
 
Tari laid on the ground, closing her eyes for the minute before taking Saren's hand when it was offered. He stood up and brushed herself off, knowing most of the dirt would fall off just as she moved. "It was," she agreed, glancing towards the man before she started towards the closest opening line in the knights and gracefully hopping over the fence. That had to be the most embarrassing move she had done and it was clear from her body language; her arms tightly crossed over her stomach and her face was in a slight frown. She wasn't impressed with herself or the new found attraction to the man. How could she do that? he was a human, and a cocky one at that. Yes, he was a wonderful fighter, but that was unimportant. She wasn't looking for anyone to mate with, human or elf, and she certainly wasn't interested in a human. Worst off, she had done it in front of a group of warriors who she was trying to get to respect her and possibly rely on in the castle. She had a fear that it was blown with a single mistake.

No one seemed to be bothered by it though and Roran had gone so far as to congratulate the two of them on what they had done. It eased her mind, even just a bit, but still, in the back of her mind she was punishing herself for such a silly, and stupid move. Tari tried to brush it off, even just for now, and focus on the next match, wanting to see what these men had in themselves against each other. She could at least entertain herself that way, and get a better look at some of the men and their own personal fighting styles.
 
Saren was relieved to see that Tari wasn't going to blow up after what had just happened, in fact she took his hand and got up, taking a moment to brush some of the dirt off and even speaking. Then she left the ring though, nothing more was said but by her body language he could tell that it bothered her... Kissing him bothered her. It was very annoying to the prince, his pride slightly wounded but what he really couldn't stand was thinking that despite wanting it when it happened that she had such a negative view on it afterwards. He didn't expect her to suddenly become soft or anything, that would sicken him, but not being so touchy about wanting a kiss would be nice. His men didn't judge her from that though, they judged her from her skills and so even with him standing in the ring the next two combatants began to climb in, progressing with the matches. Saren was frustrated though and he didn't leave the ring but instead turned to the two who had just hopped in. "Both of you... Come at me." He said quite irritated and it was obvious in his tone.

Roran sighed, "Damn... It always sucks when he gets like this..." The other knights seemed excited despite Roran's obvious dislike of where it was heading as the two knights in the arena nodded to each other and got in position on both sides of Saren. Saren didn't seem concerned though, he was pissed and he needed to let some anger out, so he just dropped back into his odd stance and readied himself for the fight. The two knights, who went by Aron and Javek, began to slowly move in, each of them in their own fighting stance and just by their movements it was obvious, as like all the knights, that they were well trained.

Saren wasn't playing defensive this time, before either of them could launch an attack he struck, jumping at Javek and launching a roundhouse kick towards the mans head. Javek blocked the attack and jumped back but it was too late, Saren was already too close and before the man could do anything a knee hit him directly in the stomach causing him to double over. Aron went in to try and stop another blow, launching a punch from behind to which Saren quickly countered, side stepping it and grabbing the hand, saddling it over his shoulder and bringing the knight down over his shoulder and on top of Javek. He tried to roll off but Saren still had a hold on his arm and quickly transitioned into a submission, having the mans arm in a position to break it. Of course he wasn't so angry as to do such a thing but that caused the match to end, Javek was out and Aron was in a submission. Like nothing it was over.

Saren proceeded to help Aron up and roused Javek, giving him a small smile before helping him up and out of the ring as well. The knights simply laughed, patting their comrades on the back and one of them slapped Saren in the back of the head, getting a mere laugh out of him. The funny thing was, despite how easy he made it look he hadn't been holding back with Tari, she was quick and agile, unlike his men who were mostly brute and better swordsman than they were hand to hand combatants. Besides, while they had all learned to brawl, Saren had learned foreign fighting styles and was much more agile than most of his men, his muscle being lean and tone, most of theirs being large due to much different styles of practice and use of larger weapons.

Now that Saren was out of the circle the other matches finally began, two large veteran knights got in to the ring to show the 'kids' how a real fight went, or so they said. They were skilled, each one of them having fought in many battles, making each of them capable of reacting very quickly and calmly as they threw punches. This match lasted much longer than any of the others, though it was more of a slow dodge and slug fest, nothing sophisticated like Tari or Saren, or even Roran for that matter. In the meantime, while others began to fight, Saren walked over to Tari and looked at her for a moment, only speaking when he figured out what to say and it still wasn't all that enlightened, just more of the same 'good fight'. "You were good out there, almost had me and while this may sound cocky, that is really something. Actually I think if we spared again you would have a good chance at winning. We're pretty evenly matched." He said with a small smile, not taking pity or patronizing but truly meaning what he said. Then he turned back to the matches, ignoring the true things he wanted to say and focusing on the match, leaving it to her to watch and when she wanted to check out another part of the castle.
 
After a minute to herself, the elf glanced towards Roran. "Get like this a lot?" she asked, leaning forward on the fence in a more relaxes position to watch the match. Her eyes followed each attack. The whole lot of them seemed to be moving heavy on their feet, basing their attacks on strength rather then their ability to move. While that may work against other Knights of their race and kind, there was a whole world filled with different fighting styles. Saren was the only one she had seen so far who came even close to standing up to her own Elven warriors. And even the Elves were more human in fighting style then the other races out there. But, she had to praise them. The knights knew exactly what they were doing and they did it well.

But by the time the match was over, Tari had a half smile sitting on her lips, watching as the three hopped out of the ring. But her attention was swiftly drawn back to the older fighters. Although they knew what they were doing, they weren't as swift and it lagged the whole time. Tari didn't find it as interesting, but the two men gave a display good enough to display how long they had been in the service of the castle. She didn't move until Saren was right beside her, which only caused her to raise herself off the top of the railing. She glanced towards the man after he began to speak and slowly nodded in return. "Only because I held my magic back," she teased with a smile. "We'll have to go again soon." That was more of a promise then an offer to him.

After several of the matches went on and she had a good look at the knight's fighting styles, she elbowed Saren's side and stepped away. It wasn't that she wanted to bother then men by dragging their leader away, but she was ready to see the rest of the castle. "Would you mind leaving them?" she asked, her eyes darting to the ring before going back to Saren, meeting his eyes for the first time since their emotional performance.
 
Roran had only nodded to Tari when she asked if Saren got like that a lot. The truth was Saren came to practice often time simply because he wasn't having a good day. They all understood though, he had it much worse than people thought, sure he got just about everything he wanted but people expected a lot from him and the first prince didn't really like Saren too much, jealousy mostly or so the knights all guessed. It was funny, if anything happened the entire kingdom would look to Saren for answers, not Kilel. Sure the elder brother was in line for the throne, but everyone knew Saren and even if he was a bit of a ladies man, he was also intelligent, kind, charismatic, and he would always do what was best for his people when it came down to it. The knights and most any soldier or citizen in the kingdom would fight and die for him. Not that he was even close to perfect, he was simply the man everyone believed in, he had proven himself, he cared for his people, and while he usually did things for his own entertainment he always put others ahead of himself when it mattered. He smiled, hell, most princes wouldn't dare let simple knights be so familiar with him, familiar enough to allow them to make fun of him and hit him, they couldn't imagine it differently.

Saren had come over to Tari after that, thinking about what the woman said about her magic. It was true if she used magic he would be in trouble, very few humans had the gift and Saren was not blessed with any form of magical talent. His brother Kilel could do very minor spells but for the most part their family had no magical talent and none of them boasted it. "I am glad you kept the fight fair but sometime you will have to show me your magic, I have no talent for it so I find it rather intriguing. As for our next match, I look forward to it." A small smirk touched his lips, he could tell it wasn't an invitation but something she was practically demanding, another match was in order though and he agreed it would be fun no matter if he won or lost. For awhile he watched the other matches though, most of the knights being slow but experienced fighters.

Actually the second best fighter in the knights unit was out on patrol with a few more people, a lot of the knights were out in the lands on his orders, watching caravans and checking on smaller villages. When Ashal and Sirus came back he would have to bring Tari back for sure. Ashal was his mentor, a skilled fighter and his best friend, Sirus was the knights personal mage, a young but skilled human mage sent out with Ashal and a few others to tend to wounds and sickness of the villages.

Saren smiled just thinking about his friend but soon he felt a nudge from Tari and he looked over to her. She seemed to be ready to leave and explore the rest of the castle or something or another. He was instantly put in a good mood when she met his eyes. "Yeah, I usually don't stay all day anyways so don't worry about it." He turned to his men and waved, "Alright guys, time for me to accompany the new guest as a guide. Practice hard and then take some extra time tonight." All the men stopped, even the ones fighting to see their leader off, several of the wishing him goodbye and almost all of them telling Tari to be careful around Saren and come back sometime, although they butchered her name they all gave it best effort and were sincere in inviting her to come again. They all seemed to like her quite a bit and showed respect, no doubt if she ever needed help they would be there.

When the goodbyes were done Saren turned to Tari and motioned for her to follow him towards the door back into the castle, speaking as he walked. "I hope you don't find the guys distasteful, I know they are a bit rough but they are good guys every one of them." Truth was they wouldn't be his knights if they weren't good guys, he had denied many aristocrats and civilians because of character, her was strict but it made them a strong unit, even if a bit few in numbers. Though their kingdom was one of the few human kingdoms to allow civilians to become knights anyways, all the more reason for him to be strict, hold aristocrats and the 'peasants' to the same code, no exception. "Anyways, where do you want to go next, perhaps the garden or the city. We could always eat as well, either in the royal kitchen or an inn in town. It's up to you."
 
Tari said her own good-byes to the knights, thanking them for allowing her to train in their ring and she took a special minute to thank Roran for "breaking her in". Of course, she had an ounce of joy and joke in her voice and a smile on her face the whole time. Despite them butchering her name, she thanked them, knowing that in time, they'd get it right, if not earning the right to address her by her given name. She bowed to them before she left with Saren, starting back into the stuffy castle.

She walked beside him with a new smile on her face. "They were great," she assured him. "I enjoyed it quite a bit." None of the men seemed to be 'high and mighty' around her or Saren and she enjoyed how close the whole group was. It reminded her greatly of the group she would spar with back in her village, despite the lack of women. And they were just as welcoming as her clan was to other elves. Her mind returned to the man beside her as he suggested their options for lunch.

"I would prefer the city," she told Saren. "Gardens are always better at night, in my opinion." She smiled again and glanced towards the prince. "Where is the closest inn?" Of the two, she would prefer the inn, one, because they would be outside of the castle and two, she could see what types of food she would get in the city. Once that was worked out, she had another thought on her mind.

"Thank you for introducing me as Eluch'l."
 
Saren was happy to see Tari and his men got along, it would make things much easier for her in the castle with his men around and also some approval just felt nice. Tari even said she had enjoyed it, and of course he had expected as much. Most of the normal guards and soldiers wouldn't be the same towards her, good fighter or not, so he was going to have to keep his eyes peeled, and he was sure his knights would do the same, make sure no hard came to their new Elven acquaintance. "I am glad you liked them. If you ever need anything they will no doubt be willing to help." His voice contained a sort of pride, his men being well trained and respectful as knights should. Part of that pride came from the fact that Tari would have allies within the castle, he wouldn't be the only person making sure nobody did anything to her, whether she would be able to defend herself aside.

Lunch was on the agenda now and Saren was still with her so there was no need to worry about other things for now. Instead he began to think about not only the closest inn but which one had the best fare. Of course the closest was the Lion's Den, a nice small little tavern more suited for the upper class guests from other cities or used by aristocrats for their flings. That was not the place Saren wanted to take Tari, for one reason because it did not represent the food of his people, and secondly because well, he never showed his face in such an establishment, whenever he slept around he didn't find a need for discretion like somehow whoever he was with was a disgrace. No, he would take her to the real representation of the city, Black Water Inn. Right on the edge of the city, not close but it had real food and as many of the local ale and wine choices as you could drink. Not to mention people knew him there, his men and him often visiting. It would be a good place to show her.

Saren led her through the castle, looking over when she spoke but generally just trying to get through the halls so they could go grab a bite, seeing as he hadn't eaten much the day before and was quite hungry. Tari's mood seemed to be fine as they walked, leaving the castle and heading in to town. "You're welcome, I assumed if you didn't want me to know your real name you wouldn't want them to either, at least not yet." He said still a bit sour about the who name thing but not showing it. "Now, I am going to take you to the Black Water Inn, not the closest but I think it is the place you want to go. The farther you get into town the more local stuff gets and this place is about at the edge of town. Up for the walk?" He asked with a smirk, almost a challenge to whether she really wanted to eat the real food or just go to the closest place and grab whatever they had. Then again he wasn't sure of her tastes, if they went to a nicer place they could get food similar to the castle, but if they went where he wanted to go it was all local dishes which, at least to him, was the better food.
 
The whole idea of names seemed to bother Saren, even if he didn't show it now. His words were still harmed and it was obvious that he wasn't shown that side of Elven culture. Tari didn't blame him though; if he had met with any Elves, they would have been introduced by their family name and left at that. None of them would have gotten close to the humans they were working with for them to mention their given names. She'd have to explain that on their way to the tavern to attempt to calm the man, and teach him more of her culture. And it seemed like they had a long walk ahead of them. Tari agreed with a nod. "Always am," she told him. "After all, that's the best way to get somewhere." Walking allowed her to take more notice of the area around her and where she was then she would on horseback. A horse was quicker, the the pair had all day to get to their destination, as far as she knew, and she wanted to see the city, not just ride through it.

She continued to walk with Saren through the castle, avoiding the name topic until they left where she could explain it without any of the other workers, or family members for that matter, overhearing her. The townsfolk wouldn't either care or notice what they were speaking about, so it was much safer to discuss outside. Once they were out of the castle and back into the sun and the city, Tari seemed to brighten. She was around more people again, even if they were human, and she was outside. As a wood elf, both were good for her spirits and her body in whole. She could flourish in the sunlight and people gave her plenty to react off of. Not that she always wanted to be around others, but she often times would prefer the company of many rather then the company of one.

When Tari felt the time was right, she glanced to the prince. "Saren, I need to explain something to you," she began, the tone of her voice dropping into a serious note to grab his attention. "I didn't lie to you by giving you the name 'Eluch'l'. It is my family name, just as Niordan is yours. You asked me for my name and I had no reason to give a stranger my given name, nor did you have my respect. Elves believe that knowing someone's given name gives them an air of closeness which must be reserved between family, close friends and lovers. Not strangers flirting with you at the gypsy market." She paused a minute to phrase her next comment properly. "So please, don't be frustrated with me, because I know you are, about my name. You still haven't properly earned it, but since you know it." She let out a soft sigh, hoping she wouldn't regret it. "And since it bothers you, you may address me as Tari..."
 
It was interesting to Saren how Tari seemed to light up just from being outside. Not that being away from the castle didn't have similar effects for him but he had become so use to it that he wasn't bothered by the constricting feeling of walls of stone. He couldn't quite imagine living as most elves did in camps, one with nature. Not that he hadn't done such things before, when the army marched they all slept outdoors in tents and whatever shelter they could get for the night but it wasn't close to what the elves did at all. Tari's happiness caused her to bring up a topic which Saren refused to tell her upset him but did a bit. Maybe simply because first names in human culture were given out of politeness and he was use to it, or maybe simply because he hated being deceived, purposefully or not. He had decided to not make it an issue, the brighter part of his brain knowing it was probably a misunderstanding or at the very least that she hadn't meant to lie to him. Besides even if she did, she hadn't been in the best of positions when he met her.

She wanted to explain things though, which while not entirely necessary was sort of nice, it at the very least meant she cared enough to bother explaining. She went on to tell him how giving out first names wasn't the norm in her culture, in fact it was quite the opposite. They only told first names to those very close to them. If only Saren had paid more attention when learning of foreign culture he wouldn't have had this problem to begin with. It was just something he would have to learn more about, Elven culture, for Tari's sake as he would rather not offend her or get mad because of cultural differences. He stopped for a moment, moving close to Tari and speaking in a low voice, a voice he had to lean in close for her to hear among the bustle of the street. "It is not your fault that I have a temper, but thank you for explaining why you did not give me your first name..." He leaned in even closer, their faces almost touching, "But I do hope to one day earn the name because Tari is such a beautiful name..."

With a smirk he moved his face away and began to walk again, "I could always speak to you in Elven you know, nobody would know what in the world we were talking about and even if I used your given name nobody would know it was a name." He suggested, mostly as a joke but he wouldn't mind practicing his Elven, no doubt to a fluent speaker he didn't sound perfect and it would be rather fun, it would also no doubt help him learn of their customs and such because he knew the language, not the origin. Whether she liked the idea or not he continued to lead her to their destination, pointing out certain things as they walked such as the main market district and several shops he found to have the best stuff. They would be close to their destination if they kept up the pace, but Saren was intent on continuing their conversation as they walked, "Tell me about your tribe, I am interested to know more about the people who brought to be such an amazing woman." He said with a wink.
 
As soon as Saren moved in and his voice dropped, Tari's eyes dropped as well. She watched as the distance closed between the two of them and she kept her eyes down at the man's chest. She listened closely as Saren spoke and hesitantly nodded. As the man inched away, she lifted her eyes to look at the man. She had a bit of the problem, for the first time in her life, with looking at him after their passionate 'fight' less then an hour ago. The spark of passion she had shown was true, even if she never admitted it, and it was the same sort she had shown to only one other. The kiss wasn't that much different then the others she had given with her past partners, but she certainly felt some sort of spark between the man and herself. Perhaps it was because she had seen what fighting skill he had or perhaps it was just the heat of the moment, but either way, she admitted to herself it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

Her mind returned to the conversation and place at hand, mostly because she felt her cheek begin to warm. She snapped back into control, eliminating the thoughts as quickly as she could before she caught up with Saren. "How much practice do you need?" she questioned, planning on using that to affect her answer. The idea though was quite interesting. She adored the way that Elven would roll off her tongue in a way that the common tongue simply wouldn't. If she could, she would be more then happy to speak in her native tongue with the man.

But when Saren mentioned her tribe, she turned her head either in surprise or confusion. Why would he want to learn about them? There was no way she would tell him in the common language, not with so many people around, and she'd have to tread carefully when speaking about it. The last thing she wanted was Saren letting something slip to a family member and her town be attacked for no reason. Her clan had never had a reason to mix with humans or even had a want to, so of course Saren was curious. Most people would be, even if they had learned about Elven culture. Tari slowly agreed with a calm nod and looked back to one of the nearby shops. She slowed down, looking over what they had for sale on the table; odd candles of several different colours. She didn't last long, as there were plenty more in the rows that she was just a bit more interested and curious about. But of course, she didn't forget the topic at hand.

"My tribe consists of only a hundred or so, which makes us quite small." Like Saren suggested, Tari began to speak in her language, almost testing to see how well the prince could keep up with her. She lifted an elaborate bronze candle stick and turned it in her fingers. "We rarely use this material," she added before setting it down. "Wood or light iron are what we use for everything." Her eyes wandered to Saren and paused before she stepped back from the stand to move forward. "We work to be one with nature, to put it simply."
 
Saren pondered over her question as they walked, how much practice did he need? He wasn't quite sure, it had been some time since he used the Elven language in serious conversation and he wasn't quite sure how much practice he would need or if it would just be a matter of getting use to the speed and accent of a fluent speaker. "I am not sure how much practice I will need, I believe I have a grasp over the words, yet speaking with another... It has been a long time." He sent a smile her way, "We shall just have to see if I can keep up." At mention of her tribe she seemed to freeze up a bit though, not so eager to talk about it or so it seemed. He let her have as much time as she needed, slowing down as she did to look at some of the shops, the owners attention being caught by Saren immediately and they began paying close attention to Tari and himself, probably looking to make a sale since he was around, or more appropriately since he had money. He paid no heed to the merchants though, only keeping close to Tari.

Eventually she began to speak, which was good because he was quite curious about her people. It was even better when she took his idea of speaking in her native tongue as opposed to his own, a beautiful language that was all the more elegant when spoken by Tari. Saren had to focus though, walking next to her and trying to intently listen to what she was saying wasn't easy but he was doing it, going over each word and translating it in his head. It was substantially different to hear the language used by her as opposed to the few people he had conversed with over the years, her words came out much more fluidly and a bit faster. It was a bit difficult but he managed and it would get easier over time, he was rusty and just because he remembered what all the words meant didn't make it that much easier.

It was his turn to speak back though and when he spoke he simply hoped he used all the correct words and didn't sound too bad compared to her, his accent not exactly good. "Seems like quite the opposite of what most human cities are all about. Most of the larger ones like her have thousands of people and just about any material or object you could want or imagine. Not to mention we use nature instead of becoming one with it." Saren admitted that the human culture was all about what nature could give them and not what they could do alongside or for nature but to him it wasn't something he felt odd about. He never had understood the connection elves felt towards nature. "Living in such a small place, it does make me curious... They were getting close to the inn so he took his time to make this question count, sure once they got inside it would all become about food, his hunger and no doubt Tari's hunger would take main focus, "Did you have a lover or husband when the gypsies captured you?" He slowed a bit as he saw the inn a bit off, wanting to give her time to answer before they got inside where it was always loud and where it was best not to speak of things too personal.
 
Tari was impressed by Saren's language skills. He had a few slip ups just in slight pronunciation, but it was nothing she couldn't understand. Over all, Saren had a good handle on what he was saying and got across what he meant very well. The idea of not being one with nature was odd and just as confusing to her as her ways were to the prince. She grew up in such a way and it was the only way that felt too to her. She could somewhat understand why humans were after material goods now that she had seen even part of their town. They were very much in a 'the grander the better' idea and with just the look of the outside of some of the town's homes, she knew figured only a select few would survive even a day without their unimportant items. Now that she was living in such a world, she hoped nothing like that would ever happen to her. She had already been ripped away from her own culture and awkwardly stuck in another, but the last thing she wanted was to completely turn to their ways and forget everything she had been taught.

The elf stopped a few times to look at what the stands had to offer, and at one point, she questioned the use of such elaborate clothing that one woman was selling. "There's no point! It covers in the exact same area a simple shirt would and has much shorter sleeves. Impossible to move around in. And you could get it caught on everything." She didn't dare tell that to the shop keep, but, without hoping for an answer, she commented on it anyway. Again, she turned away to continue towards the inn. "I have noticed you humans enjoy living in much larger groups," she agreed. "We would never do such a thing, simply because we can't get along!" She laughed, as if it was a joke, but the tone of her voice assured the man that it was fact. "Clan's opinions vary so much that we can work peacefully in battle and trade with another, but living with one would cause a battle from inside." Some times, elves could be foolish, just as humans were, but it was rarely shown to even members of tribes outside of the colliding two. "And we never believe in having more children then we can feed. No elf ever goes hungry in the tribes. Partly why there's so little of us."

She spotted the inn ahead before Saren could even signal to what it was. Much like in her town, the inn was one of the larger buildings, although hers only had one floor. It was a place for people to gather and have a good time and to relax after a long day of work or celebrate the latest hunt. I held food, drink and of course, entertainment. This one seemed to be a bit more lively the hers, at least this early in the morning. She spotted a few short looking humans enter and blinked. "You have gnomes here?" she questioned. Were they travelers or actual villagers, was the big question. She imagined this city had plenty of visitors, being the head of the area, but somehow she was shocked to see such visitors as gnomes. She smiled at the idea of there being other races other then humans inside of that inn.

But Saren's question caught her off guard. She stopped in her tracks and turned to the man, eyeing him cautiously. If she told him no, she would be lying, but if she told him yes, there was a possibility of him getting frustrated again. It was her life before she even thought about the gypsies getting a hold of her and Saren could do nothing to change that now. She just hoped he would be too bothered by her past. "I had a lover," she told him. "We were to be married in the upcoming winter. He's a warlord in our clan and it's common for the priestess' daughter, or granddaughter, to marry the up and coming warrior." She paused and her eyes fell slightly. "I doubt, even if somehow I do get away, that anything will happen now. They have most likely set up for him to wed my sister by now."
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom