Imara
03-04-2006, 07:39 AM
The docks were shrouded in the early morning mist and Liadain stood, dressed in her dobak, her feet bare and her swords held loosely in her hands. She glanced around and knew she should have been wondering how she came to this place but instead she was calm. She waited.
The mist before Lia swirled slowly and a shadowy figure came into view. It was a man and as he approached her, the mist receding a bit, his familiar features made her heart stop in her throat. “Jordan?” She whispered. Her disbelief was quickly replaced by amazement.
Liadain would recognize that confident swagger anywhere. It was most certainly her pirate assassin, his tanned skin in sharp contrast to his white swashbuckler’s shirt. Their eyes met and she felt like she’d been punched in the gut. His piercing sapphire gaze was exactly as she remembered it.
Jordan grinned as he finally reached her. “Why so shocked, scamp? You need to be fundamentally retrained. Who better to do that then the man who trained you to begin with?” He chuckled warmly and lifted her chin with a gloved hand. “Your husband needs a wife with two legs, my lovely Lizzie.”
Liadain nodded slowly, still unsure what to make of this… dream? She scanned the hazy dock around her before looking back to Jordan, who now stood just a few feet away, his cutlasses in hand. “I…” Lia cleared her throat. “I always feint to the left. Leaving my right leg exposed.”
“So you do. And you know why?” Jordan smirked at her, twirling his swords casually. “Because you’ve gotten lazy, my dear. You’re too used to enemies that don’t bother to read you. Now you face foes that are too smart for that. So now, you must remember what I taught you to begin with. To be unpredictable.” In a smooth movement, Jordan attacked; a flurry of blades.
Instinctively, Lia brought her swords up and deflected his attack. She spun around to slice at his midsection, but he parried the blow easily. Jordan laughed. “Come on, Lizzie. You can do better than that. Wake up!”
Liadain paused and looked at him levelly. “Alright. If you’ve come back from the dead to train me, let’s get on with it then.” Lia took the offensive and drove Jordan back two steps, nearly landing a blow on his shoulder before he recovered.
“That’s a girl.” Jordan grunted as he retaliated, bringing his blades around and forcing Lia to feint. And feint she did; to the left. She cursed as Jordan held one blade over her right leg, right above the wounds that were hidden by her dobak, and used the flat of his other cutlass to smack her on the left side of her torso. “Too predictable, scamp. We aren’t leaving here till you give me the sort of fight you used to… Remember?”
Liadain smiled, recalling sparring matches that ended with a very frustrated Sergeant Major Lystram lamenting the reflexes of his pupil. “Aye. I do.”
“We have to break you of this laziness.” Jordan chuckled softly and the pair took up their positions.
For what seemed like an eternity, the pair fought in the swirling mists. The ringing of steel against steel was the only sound aside from their grunts, cries and, occasionally, laughter. They paused from time to time so that Jordan could correct Lia’s stance or tease her for leaving herself open.
Finally, Lia stood over her opponent after a particularly skilled disarm. She rested the tip of her sword against Jordan’s throat. Lia grinned down at him, collecting her breath. “There, Lystram. Is that sufficient?”
Jordan chuckled. “Good thing I’m already dead, eh?” Lia lifted her blade and Jordan kipped up, brushing himself off. “That performance is much more fitting of my Keelhaul Lizzie.” He winked at Lia as she smiled back at him.
“Thank you, Jordan. I don’t know how…” Lia gestured at the misty dock. “But I needed this.”
Jordan smiled; the confident smirk that probably broke many a heart in his life. “Does it really matter?” He walked up to Lia and took her in his arms, kissing her forehead as the sea breeze began to pick up. “You are fulfilling that job I gave you, by the way, scamp. I know you’ve doubted it. Felt you weren’t doing it well enough. But you are.”
Liadain shuddered and felt the tears well in her eyes. “He is my world, Jordan.”
“I know.” Jordan rocked her in his arms for a moment. “And he knows it as well. Lizzie, Lizzie, my love.” Jordan closed his own eyes. “Trust him.”
“With my life.” Liadain whispered.
Jordan stepped back, holding Lia at arm’s length, and smiled confidently. “Aye. And now, my dear, you’ve remembered how to make sure that’s a nice long life.” He stepped back.
Liadain smiled. “Aye. So I have. Safe travels, love.”
Jordan nodded. “I’ll do my best.” Jordan bowed deeply and turned to start off. Then he hesitated and turned back to her. “Oh, and, scamp? As for that other question that’s been plaguing you both?”
Liadain’s brow furrowed and she looked at the assassin curiously. “What other question?”
Jordan smirked. “Just know that it will happen, when it is meant to happen. And all good things come in pairs.” Jordan winked playfully before disappearing into the mist. “Safe travels, Lizzie.”
His voice was a whisper on the wind.
The mist before Lia swirled slowly and a shadowy figure came into view. It was a man and as he approached her, the mist receding a bit, his familiar features made her heart stop in her throat. “Jordan?” She whispered. Her disbelief was quickly replaced by amazement.
Liadain would recognize that confident swagger anywhere. It was most certainly her pirate assassin, his tanned skin in sharp contrast to his white swashbuckler’s shirt. Their eyes met and she felt like she’d been punched in the gut. His piercing sapphire gaze was exactly as she remembered it.
Jordan grinned as he finally reached her. “Why so shocked, scamp? You need to be fundamentally retrained. Who better to do that then the man who trained you to begin with?” He chuckled warmly and lifted her chin with a gloved hand. “Your husband needs a wife with two legs, my lovely Lizzie.”
Liadain nodded slowly, still unsure what to make of this… dream? She scanned the hazy dock around her before looking back to Jordan, who now stood just a few feet away, his cutlasses in hand. “I…” Lia cleared her throat. “I always feint to the left. Leaving my right leg exposed.”
“So you do. And you know why?” Jordan smirked at her, twirling his swords casually. “Because you’ve gotten lazy, my dear. You’re too used to enemies that don’t bother to read you. Now you face foes that are too smart for that. So now, you must remember what I taught you to begin with. To be unpredictable.” In a smooth movement, Jordan attacked; a flurry of blades.
Instinctively, Lia brought her swords up and deflected his attack. She spun around to slice at his midsection, but he parried the blow easily. Jordan laughed. “Come on, Lizzie. You can do better than that. Wake up!”
Liadain paused and looked at him levelly. “Alright. If you’ve come back from the dead to train me, let’s get on with it then.” Lia took the offensive and drove Jordan back two steps, nearly landing a blow on his shoulder before he recovered.
“That’s a girl.” Jordan grunted as he retaliated, bringing his blades around and forcing Lia to feint. And feint she did; to the left. She cursed as Jordan held one blade over her right leg, right above the wounds that were hidden by her dobak, and used the flat of his other cutlass to smack her on the left side of her torso. “Too predictable, scamp. We aren’t leaving here till you give me the sort of fight you used to… Remember?”
Liadain smiled, recalling sparring matches that ended with a very frustrated Sergeant Major Lystram lamenting the reflexes of his pupil. “Aye. I do.”
“We have to break you of this laziness.” Jordan chuckled softly and the pair took up their positions.
For what seemed like an eternity, the pair fought in the swirling mists. The ringing of steel against steel was the only sound aside from their grunts, cries and, occasionally, laughter. They paused from time to time so that Jordan could correct Lia’s stance or tease her for leaving herself open.
Finally, Lia stood over her opponent after a particularly skilled disarm. She rested the tip of her sword against Jordan’s throat. Lia grinned down at him, collecting her breath. “There, Lystram. Is that sufficient?”
Jordan chuckled. “Good thing I’m already dead, eh?” Lia lifted her blade and Jordan kipped up, brushing himself off. “That performance is much more fitting of my Keelhaul Lizzie.” He winked at Lia as she smiled back at him.
“Thank you, Jordan. I don’t know how…” Lia gestured at the misty dock. “But I needed this.”
Jordan smiled; the confident smirk that probably broke many a heart in his life. “Does it really matter?” He walked up to Lia and took her in his arms, kissing her forehead as the sea breeze began to pick up. “You are fulfilling that job I gave you, by the way, scamp. I know you’ve doubted it. Felt you weren’t doing it well enough. But you are.”
Liadain shuddered and felt the tears well in her eyes. “He is my world, Jordan.”
“I know.” Jordan rocked her in his arms for a moment. “And he knows it as well. Lizzie, Lizzie, my love.” Jordan closed his own eyes. “Trust him.”
“With my life.” Liadain whispered.
Jordan stepped back, holding Lia at arm’s length, and smiled confidently. “Aye. And now, my dear, you’ve remembered how to make sure that’s a nice long life.” He stepped back.
Liadain smiled. “Aye. So I have. Safe travels, love.”
Jordan nodded. “I’ll do my best.” Jordan bowed deeply and turned to start off. Then he hesitated and turned back to her. “Oh, and, scamp? As for that other question that’s been plaguing you both?”
Liadain’s brow furrowed and she looked at the assassin curiously. “What other question?”
Jordan smirked. “Just know that it will happen, when it is meant to happen. And all good things come in pairs.” Jordan winked playfully before disappearing into the mist. “Safe travels, Lizzie.”
His voice was a whisper on the wind.