Oh, had a idea!
@Questor
~~~~~ (Trying not to) Ruffle Feathers ~~~~~
You are Gabriella Golden-Feather and you have just done one of your few responsabilities not related to being a Queen or a Warrior: tucking your kid to bed and putting that griffon plushie she loves next to her, which earned a content sigh that did not make you daaw and anyone that says so will be put by my sword.
Off to more comfortable topics, you think when reaching the exit of her room, looking at the small detachment of Guards that consist your personal Guard: The Feather Fall, a small group of veterans that were assigned with your
protection. You very much miss your old guard, if you are to be honest, the sense of kinship you shared, specially renewed during the Aquilea-Griffonia War. Still, needs must, and they were more useful becoming core members of the Knights Talon. Regardless, they keep to themselves, specially their leader... thats staring at you with a intent gaze.
"...what?"
"Your Highness" Gawain starts in a polite tone. You tried to make him drop that title unless in a public setting, but being a fighter didn't seem to diminish his noble upbringing. But you have been far too annoyed and worried recently to manage to only chastise him for it. "I wish to request something of you."
...nooo. Really? You can forgive the Your Highness this time, you are needing the stretching. "Location?" is all you ask.
"This way, your Highness. Training ground 3." He says, and takes off the balcony. The rest of the guard follows after you two, with Gawain having the good grace to stay very slightly behind you.
You take little time to reach Training ground 3, a training ground on top of one of the bigger towers. It woudn't be weird if someone were already there, but as your Guard, Feather Fall can requisit any training ground anytime they well please, under your name. A privilege they never abused, and hell, you always relax more slashing someone than a feathergrooming ever managed.
Each of you take out one practice sword, you feel its weight and balance, giving a nod of approval. Both of you take a distance of roughly twenty meters, in position.
"First Strike wins?" You ask in a no-nonsense tone, though there is a underlying joyful feeling to it.
"Until knockout or Yield."
My, my, my. Your wings open slightly at that. I already received a birthday gift from the castle knights two months, and now a second one?
You start with a straight dive, jumping straight as your wings both give you support, and extra impulse, your blade doing a upward diagonal slash. The attack misses its mark, Gawain might not be your match in strengh, or even speed, but he definetly beats you in insight. He started to dodge the very moment you commited to the attack, but you were expecting that. Instead of stopping, you stomp the ground in a sweep motion flap your wings powerfully, soaring and turning around. Now lets see how he tries to...
A defensive GROUND stance against a Griffon? Against YOU? FINE. You take a bit bigger distance, allowing yourself a longer curve, and keep your blade in your right talon, gripping it strongly. Your longsword is your weapon of choice, easily able to be used in diving tactics or ground ones, and you make full use of it as you dive again toward Gawain, holding his sword and shield. He parries mosf of the impact of the blade away, but you ARE a diving ball of muscle and steel. Even without your armor giving you extra mass, just the small portion of your swing which he takes makes his lower limbs screech against the stone beneath the dirt that covers the floor. You keep enough of your momentum and are nimble enough to avoid the counterstrike, but that IS your specialty. If he wants to be grinded down against the floor, by all means, then.
You attack again... and again, and again. Your strikes are heavy, unyielding, and you are deliberaly aiming for his center of mass. If he didn't have a very good shield by now (the swords are good as well, just crafted without a edge) he would have either a broken sword by now. You have to admit this is feeling very liberating, the tension you been harboring is dissolving as you work on your Guard Leader like a drum. Still, if he is just going to be your cuttingbag, he don't deserve any request from you.
you prepare for the last strike before you call it a stop, going for a last tackle, and now he decides to come after you? Too little, too late, Gawain. Still you were already in the middle of a curve, he did pick the perfect moment to cut distance between you two in order to force a stalemate. Your swords clash in mid-air, where your wings and position are what matter the most. He looks straight at your eyes, and you can see he is about to try a reversing maneuver when-
"If you die, she will be defenseless."
Your mind short-circuits for a moment when you hear those words. You barely register the pommel strike on your sword arm he used JUST when he uttered those words, your body reacting on the instinct of a warrior. Before he managed to bring his sword in for the kill, he finds himself Smashed against the ground, and if this weren't quite a large area, he would have fell some stories down on the ground and died then and there.
That DID crack most of his ribs, for sure... and you slowly descent to the ground as he slowly coughs the air in and out of his lungs.
"A... BloodFall Maneuver, *cough cough*, Your Highness? Good thing the recruits *cough more* weren't watching, thats on the suicidal textbook."
You gaze at him with a angry glare. Sure, You meant it when you told your husband that a warrior does everything to win, but using the fear of your daughter acceptance against you?
"... Speak, Gawain."
He takes the better part of a minute in order to keep his breathing proper again, and he looks back at you. His gaze is serious as it ever was.
"We, the Feather Fall, understand your position, Your Highness. We consider your daughter one of our lieges, but we do not have the political power to keep her safe if worst comes to you and your husband. If you order us to protect her, we swear to do so on our blood, until the last of our feathers is forsaken by the wind. But we can't protect her on the political battlefield. Please, allow us to be your shield on the battlefield. We will all gladly give every single bit of our blood to keep you safe."
... damm bastard.
"... Fine. Request granted, Gawain. But answer me one thing."
"yes, your Highness?"
"If you had actually managed to win over me , would you have requested the same?"
"No, Your Highness. I would have asked you to accept the Feather Fall to protect you, then broken my own beak in shame for betraying my position and using such a undertaloned tactic against my Liege."
"... fine." is all you managed to say, before giving him your back, and starting to fly again. You NOT going to show teary eyes to any of your guard, period.
And if the damm bastard ever tries something like that again... you will promote him to Captain of a Knightly order even if you have to fund it yourself!
PS: In case you are wondering, The Bloodfall Maneuver involves, quickly spinning one's body in 360 degrees, switching the sword from your talon to your beak in the middle of THAT, and use the entire centrifugal force to knock your enemy directly downwards. While using your body to parry the incoming sword strike. More likely to be impale yourself with your enemy sword than to fight back, of course.
Also, I actually rolled up a dice to see if she would win that match. 70% chance of sucess, 10% chance of tie.
