(2) Training

( POV Yohn Royce )

I rode through the Bloody gates beside my new squire, Baron Stone. My son Robar sat on my other side. We had a week still until we reach Runestone. We were accompanied by twenty men from Runestone each one baring a dink of bronze hammered into their breastplate. We are also accompanied by five Arryn guards each of them named Stone, bastards in their own right.

It was a small party to accompany the son of my Liege Lord, bastard or not but they weren't the only ones guarding the boy. The others haven't noticed but I've seen the movement in the tree lines. Mountain clansmen, protecting their prince from afar.

"Come boy once we stop for the night I'll bring you and my son down to the river bed, give you a lesson in combat." I said to the young lad in a gruff voice.

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( POV Baron Stone )

"Dodge!" I ducked under the swing

"Parry!" I nocked the blade of course with a swing of my own

"Dodge!" "Attack!" The second order was shouted before i even finished my roll.

I grabbed a handful of dirt and flung it at the eyes of my opponent as I rose I swung the blunted blade at the legs of my opponent causing my opponent to fall on his arse. Utilising the moment I leapt on my downed foe and grabbed my blunted dagger from my waist. I placed my training sword at my opponents stomach and raised my dagger to the gap between the helm and the padded leather armour.

"Good!" Came the simple compliment from my mentor.

"Thank you My Lord." I said between deep breaths

"It could be better though. For one if you would stop insisting on using a great sword you might win against Robar or Tytos." Yohn said as the guard I was training with rose to his feet.

"I'm younger than both." I said in my defence

"They're ten name days you're nine, and you're taller than the both of them." He said destroying my argument

"I win half our matches anyway." I say again trying to convince him

"And you lose the other half." He said, his voice even.

"Fight them both at the same time with a bastard sword, and win." He said and i scowled at the name

"Wipe that look of you face boy, it's a sword, a sword better suited to you." He said yet again

"Baron fetch yourself the fucking sword already. And Marcus get my Son and my Ward." Lord Royce ordered.

I went to the armoury and grabbed a blunted bastard sword, it felt familiar in my hand, I trained with it often but the name always bothered my in my childish way it was how I stood up to all those people who call me bastard.

I twirled the blade swiftly and upon entering the training yard again I found my friends Tytos Blackwood and Robar Royce. They were both already in their training gear. Robar wielded an arming sword in his right hand and a small shield barely larger than a buckler on in his left. Tytos however wielded an axe in two hands.

"Fight!" Yohn Shouted before my friends had even finished turning.

I swung my blade many times faster than I was doing before. My blade made contact with Robar's shield causing him to stagger backwards and seizing the moment clashed my blade again at Robar's leg causing him to fall. I pivoted in time to deflect the axe swing from Tytos, his axe wielding destructive potential but swung to slowly. I forced his guard high before shouldering him causing him to fall.

I turned again but Robar had made it to his feet and now he was ready. He swung fast and hard. His quick movements left me on the back foot unable to get in an attack, always on the defensive. This got even harder once Tytos got involved. Tytos' attacks were slow but they had great power and blocking left a great strain on my arms so I had to dodge and parry Robar.

As I fought I began to realise how correct Lord Royce was. With a great sword I wouldn't last nearly as long as I have. I deflected Robar's slash before dodging Tytos overhead swing. Instead of side stepping like usual I stepped into Tytos' guard and unsheathed my dagger jabbing it into his under arm, an vulnerable point in plate armour. I back of quickly as Tytos left the training field defeated.

"Enough boys!" Lord Royce roared

"I've made my point clear. Baron tomorrow you will train with a bastard sword and that is the end of it." He ordered

"Yes My Lord."

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