Andrea's Story, cont.
Jun. 21st, 2007 07:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalNotes: Rated PG-13, possibly R, for violence.
“Master, this isn’t necessary,” Andrea repeated, for what was perhaps the third time the next morning. She fought the urge to reach for a cloak from the coat rack in the guest house’s foyer to cover herself. For the occasion of the duel, her master had seen fit to order for her a dress in the style preferred by owner’s whose slaves worked exclusively on “less than burdensome tasks” as he’d had once put it. It consisted of a few strategic pieces of wispy blue silk crossing her chest, and a pair of panels hanging from the front and back of her waist down to her ankles by a thin silver chain that circled her hips. Matching four foot long chains ran from thin ankle and wrist cuffs to the waist chain as well. Even her usual leather collar had been replaced by a heavier silver one that Master Tez had locked into place. The total effect couldn’t have made her feel more naked if she’d been dressed in nothing but her birthday suit.
“Do you think my honor doesn’t require satisfaction?” he asked. He was dressed more normally, in a formal jacket with a high collar and much gold braid. It was much more formal than he’d ever bothered with in the negotiation sessions as a matter of fact.
“When have you ever given a damn about elven honor?” she pointed out. “I’ve no desire to be free from you, anyway! This is pointless!”
“Elven honor I care nothing for. My honor I care a great deal about. This foolish young human has challenged my authority over you, and I must answer him for it.”
“What if I told him to just bugger off?” she asked.
“You’re a slave, your word and your desires are meaningless,” her master said coolly. He motioned over to him and clipped her leash to her collar, leading out of their manor and through and to a circular grassy clearing some hundred paces wide in the middle of the Moot Grove. Normally a space reserved for concerts and what passed elven sports (if an event that required more than half-a-year to complete could be called a sporting event), it also served as the ground for the very rare elven duel. The edges of the clearing were lined with spectators, mostly elves with a few non-elven servitors following their masters thrown in. Along the left hand edge from Andrea’s perspective, she could even see a few elves whose forms were slightly blurred from the cloaks they wore.
“Who are they, Master?” she asked.
“Moot Council member curious to see the show. Naturally of course it would be beneath them to ‘officially’ attend an event involving low class humans, hence the cloaks concealing their features,” he told her.
“That’s… typical,” she said, editing herself before she give a stronger response. She thought for a moment and then asked him, “If Jonathan is of a lower class then they are, surely he’s lower than you, correct?”
“By elven standards, yes,” he agreed.
“So why would his challenging you to a duel impinge on your honor, given his status?”
Master Tez blinked. “Andrea?” he asked, his voice gone flat.
“Yes, Master?”
“One more question from your mouth, and it will be filled with a very pretty gag that matches your dress and jewelry.”
“Understood, Master,” she said, cowed. She didn’t even offer argument when they reached their position in the middle of the clearing, and he motioned her to drop to her knees, wrists crossed across her lap, eyes down. She did risk glancing up as Ambassador Veritelli and Jonathan entered the clearing, coming to face Master Tez with some ten paces of distance between the two parties, with Ride Kavin standing in the middle arbitrate the contest.
The ambassador was dressed in his most formal tunic and vestcloak, while Jonathan wore a more martial steel cuirass and broadsword at his side. The younger man barely glanced at his opponent, as Andrea saw his eyes widen and his cheeks suddenly grow flush as he saw her.
Oh, I’m a distraction, she realized. Now her ridiculous outfit made a certain amount of sense, from her master’s perspective at least. She watched as Master Tez took off his coat and laid it on the ground, revealing a neatly tailored cream white shirt underneath. Jonathan managed to tear his gaze away from her and examine her master, looking increasingly confused.
“Where is your sword, Eldest Tez?” he asked.
“My preferred weapon is my wits,” Master Tez replied, prompting many of the spectators to chuckle discreetly. He nodded towards Jonathan. “As a measure of generosity, I give you this one chance to retract your challenge, Jonathan Kinkaid.”
“I refuse, and in turn offer you this one opportunity to free Andrea the Half-Bred without the need for bloodshed,” Jonathan replied coolly. Beside him, his uncle winced and shook his head.
“Refused,” Master Tez returned, looking bored.
“As there continues to be no accommodation between the two parties, the matter will be settled by combat,” Rider Kavin said gravely. “As neither the human or the Eldest have magic about them, it will be with physical conflict. The first to suffer three touches with a weapon will be required to concede. Is this agreed upon by both parties?”
“Yes,” Master Tez said.
“Yes, but… he still does not have a weapon,” Jonathan said. Rider Kavin glanced over to Andrea’s master, his hand coming to rest on his own sword hilt.
“Would you like mine, Eldest?” he asked.
“That will not be necessary,” Master Tez said. “I do ask you watch out for my servitor, while I’m otherwise engaged.” He handed over Andrea’s leash to Kavin, and she followed as the White Rider led her out of the way.
“Are there no other queries?” Kavin called out. He waited a moment for a reply, and then shouted, “Begin!”
Jonathan drew his sword from its sheath and called out to Master Tez, “Defend yourself!”
“All right,” Master Tez said, and then stepped back five paces, well out of Jonathan’s reach. His opponent responded by rushing forward, but Master Tez had more than enough time to turn on his heel and run out of his way, Jonathan following him as they began to circle around the edge of the clearing.
“What are you doing!” Jonathan called out, giving chase.
“Avoiding a hit, preferably avoiding all three,” Master Tez called back over his shoulder. He kept up an even pace, not sprinting, but a steady jog that kept his opponent safely out of reach.
“Would you stop running and fight!” Jonathan huffed. “Don’t you want to settle this?”
“It will be, eventually,” Master Tez said. He slowed to a halt as Jonathan stopped, the latter resting the tip of his sword on the ground as he caught his breath.
“I can just stand here and wait for you to approach instead,” Jonathan told him.
“Then I win,” Master Tez said. “Elves can sustain themselves without food and water for longer than humans, even under exertion. With the armor you’re wearing I can run faster than you, but you must confront me to end this if you wish to be the winner. Otherwise I can just stand here and wait for your eventual collapse.”
“That’s hardly an honorable way to win a duel,” Jonathan shot back.
“You didn’t specify ‘honor’ as a method of winning this duel,” Master Tez replied. “I prefer using tactics myself.”
Jonathan’s face flushed as the elven audience laughed once again. Then he raised up his sword and charged, with Master Tez ducking out of his way nimbly and running again. “This is ridiculous!” the human cried out.
“Granted,” Master Tez agreed. “But you chose your actions, boy, and now you reap the consequences, unforeseen or not.” Jonathan didn’t bother replying, his steps slowing as he began to tire out. Finally he stopped, Master Tez again following suit, keeping several paces out of reach. Then the human reached up and undid the straps of his cuirass, letting it fall to the ground.
“A sensible move,” Rider Kavin noted, mostly to himself. He hadn’t bothered to look in Andrea’s direction since he’d taken hold of her leash. But they both kept an eye on Jonathan as he blew his breath in and out, obviously readying himself for another charge.
This time Master Tez didn’t move. Instead he side-stepped as Jonathan roared past, dropping to the ground as the human’s sword whisked over his head. Andrea let out gasp at the narrow miss, then a cheer her master lashed out with his foot, tripping Jonathan and sending him sprawling to the ground. In a flash Master Tez pounced, snatching the broadsword from his opponent’s hand and rolling to his feet. Jonathan pushed himself to his knees, staring at his weapon, now in the ancient elf’s hand.
“You may concede now,” Master Tez said.
“You… you deliberately provoked me, tiring me out, slowing my reflexes,” Jonathan huffed, eyes wide.
“I did tell you I preferred to use tactics. With only one weapon on the field, only one of us could possibly be armed. I was confident that it would eventually end up in my hands,” Master Tez said. “And as I noted before, time was on my side. Time will always be on my side.”
“I didn’t think of that,” Jonathan admitted.
Master Tez nodded. “Quite. Concede now, please.”
Jonathan levered himself to his feet, wincing and putting as much weight as his could on his right leg. “No. I fight for the freedom of Andrea.”
Master Tez rolled his eyes. “I do not wish her to be free, she does not wish to be free. You are unarmed, humiliated, and without options. Concede.”
“For the love of the Lifebringer, Jonathan, do as he says! Consider it an order from your liege lord!” his uncle called from the sidelines.
“No, Uncle! What is the point of our negotiations, if they are overseen by a hypocrite, who decries slavery even as he holds slaves of his own! I will not admit defeat in this!” Jonathan shouted.
“As you will, boy,” Master Tez said. Then with a single, deliberate stroke, the sword swung downward, striking Jonathan’s ankle and tearing his foot half away. The human fell to the ground, crying out. Andrea let out a horrified scream, which was cut off with a choking as Rider Kavin yanked hard on her leash.
“Don’t interrupt,” he said sharply.
Jonathan had just enough time to raise his arm in defense as Master Tez brought the sword down again. The steel sliced through his forearm, and Andrea heard a distinct crack as bones snapped.
Andrea grabbed hold of her leash and jerked it free from Kavin’s grip, coming to her feet and rushing out into the middle of the clearing where her master stood over the bleeding, crying Jonathan. “Master Tez, stop! What are you doing!”
“The rules of this contest were for the victor to score three cuts on his opponent,” he said mildly. “There were never any specifications as to how deep they were to be.”
“This is murder!” she cried out.
“It’s called winning,” Master Tez disagreed. He raised the sword high above Jonathan’s neck.
“Stop it! I beg you, stop it!” Andrea said. “If you do this… I’ll… I’ll…!”
“Do what, exactly?” he asked, his tone all the more infuriating for its mild tone.
“I won’t follow your orders anymore,” she said, softly, her voice barely above a whisper, “and you will have to beat me, and starve me, and chain me in front of all of your other slaves to make me obey. And what will your precious honor be worth then?”
“Eldest,” Rider Kavin said, stepping forward. “Killing this human is within your rights, as you interpret the rules of this contest, but…” He glanced significantly toward the cloaked members of the Moot Council and then to Ambassador Veritelli, who was looking at the bloody proceedings with a mixture of horror and rage. “It would… needlessly complicate… negotiations with the human kingdoms.”
Master Tez faced him down with a cold stare. “Do you presume to tell the Eldest of the Elves how to conduct his business?”
Kavin paled, and bowed his head, “A suggestion only, Eldest.”
Master Tez’s response was to kneel down in front of Jonathan and pull his chin up so the human could face him. “Tell me something, Jonathan Kincaid. Are you willing to die for your beliefs?”
“What?” the human asked, his teeth chattering as shock from his wounds began to set in.
“Would you be willing to die, if it meant Andrea would walk away from this field a free woman?”
“Master, no!” Andrea shouted at him, at them both.
“Be silent and let the man answer, Andrea,” Master Tez ordered.
Jonathan’s jaw set in place and he stared back at Master Tez. “If that is what it takes to free her, then yes.”
Master Tez paused for a long moment, then he jabbed Jonathan’s sword into the ground and stood up. “You might want to provide some medical attention for the boy, Rider Kavin.”
Kavin looked confused for a moment. “Are you conceding the duel, Eldest?”
“Hardly,” Master Tez replied. “But if Kincaid here wants to continue it, he may contact me as soon as he is able.” Then Andrea’s master took hold of her leash and led her off the field, leaving it Kavin to call over several elves trained in healing magics to help stabilize and heal Jonathan’s wounds.
As soon as the crossed out of the clearing and onto the path that led back to the manor, she said, “Are you going to gag me if I ask a question now?”
“You just did,” he replied. At her withering look he relented slightly and added, “Ask your question, Andrea.”
“What was the point of near killing Jonathan over me? ‘A touch’ usually just means giving someone a graze. You nearly took his head off!”
“I was taking measure.”
“Of what, his head?”
“Not just of him,” Master Tez replied. “Think on it a while.” And he refused to speak further on the subject that day.
TBC
Afterword
This is probably the most unpleasant scene I've ever had Tez participate in. Frankly I was a little squicked by what he did to poor Jonathan, but suffice to say he had reasons, and in the end it will work out. His treatment of Andrea in this bit will also be explicable, later on.
Though it doesn't hurt to keep in mind that in the end, at his core, Tez is frelling insane. Most times it's under control, but when he decides to put sanity aside he can be remarkably unpleasant to be around.
BTW Yes I put Andrea in that ridiculous harem girl getup in the hopes of provoking![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
chaypeta into drawing it. ;p
“Master, this isn’t necessary,” Andrea repeated, for what was perhaps the third time the next morning. She fought the urge to reach for a cloak from the coat rack in the guest house’s foyer to cover herself. For the occasion of the duel, her master had seen fit to order for her a dress in the style preferred by owner’s whose slaves worked exclusively on “less than burdensome tasks” as he’d had once put it. It consisted of a few strategic pieces of wispy blue silk crossing her chest, and a pair of panels hanging from the front and back of her waist down to her ankles by a thin silver chain that circled her hips. Matching four foot long chains ran from thin ankle and wrist cuffs to the waist chain as well. Even her usual leather collar had been replaced by a heavier silver one that Master Tez had locked into place. The total effect couldn’t have made her feel more naked if she’d been dressed in nothing but her birthday suit.
“Do you think my honor doesn’t require satisfaction?” he asked. He was dressed more normally, in a formal jacket with a high collar and much gold braid. It was much more formal than he’d ever bothered with in the negotiation sessions as a matter of fact.
“When have you ever given a damn about elven honor?” she pointed out. “I’ve no desire to be free from you, anyway! This is pointless!”
“Elven honor I care nothing for. My honor I care a great deal about. This foolish young human has challenged my authority over you, and I must answer him for it.”
“What if I told him to just bugger off?” she asked.
“You’re a slave, your word and your desires are meaningless,” her master said coolly. He motioned over to him and clipped her leash to her collar, leading out of their manor and through and to a circular grassy clearing some hundred paces wide in the middle of the Moot Grove. Normally a space reserved for concerts and what passed elven sports (if an event that required more than half-a-year to complete could be called a sporting event), it also served as the ground for the very rare elven duel. The edges of the clearing were lined with spectators, mostly elves with a few non-elven servitors following their masters thrown in. Along the left hand edge from Andrea’s perspective, she could even see a few elves whose forms were slightly blurred from the cloaks they wore.
“Who are they, Master?” she asked.
“Moot Council member curious to see the show. Naturally of course it would be beneath them to ‘officially’ attend an event involving low class humans, hence the cloaks concealing their features,” he told her.
“That’s… typical,” she said, editing herself before she give a stronger response. She thought for a moment and then asked him, “If Jonathan is of a lower class then they are, surely he’s lower than you, correct?”
“By elven standards, yes,” he agreed.
“So why would his challenging you to a duel impinge on your honor, given his status?”
Master Tez blinked. “Andrea?” he asked, his voice gone flat.
“Yes, Master?”
“One more question from your mouth, and it will be filled with a very pretty gag that matches your dress and jewelry.”
“Understood, Master,” she said, cowed. She didn’t even offer argument when they reached their position in the middle of the clearing, and he motioned her to drop to her knees, wrists crossed across her lap, eyes down. She did risk glancing up as Ambassador Veritelli and Jonathan entered the clearing, coming to face Master Tez with some ten paces of distance between the two parties, with Ride Kavin standing in the middle arbitrate the contest.
The ambassador was dressed in his most formal tunic and vestcloak, while Jonathan wore a more martial steel cuirass and broadsword at his side. The younger man barely glanced at his opponent, as Andrea saw his eyes widen and his cheeks suddenly grow flush as he saw her.
Oh, I’m a distraction, she realized. Now her ridiculous outfit made a certain amount of sense, from her master’s perspective at least. She watched as Master Tez took off his coat and laid it on the ground, revealing a neatly tailored cream white shirt underneath. Jonathan managed to tear his gaze away from her and examine her master, looking increasingly confused.
“Where is your sword, Eldest Tez?” he asked.
“My preferred weapon is my wits,” Master Tez replied, prompting many of the spectators to chuckle discreetly. He nodded towards Jonathan. “As a measure of generosity, I give you this one chance to retract your challenge, Jonathan Kinkaid.”
“I refuse, and in turn offer you this one opportunity to free Andrea the Half-Bred without the need for bloodshed,” Jonathan replied coolly. Beside him, his uncle winced and shook his head.
“Refused,” Master Tez returned, looking bored.
“As there continues to be no accommodation between the two parties, the matter will be settled by combat,” Rider Kavin said gravely. “As neither the human or the Eldest have magic about them, it will be with physical conflict. The first to suffer three touches with a weapon will be required to concede. Is this agreed upon by both parties?”
“Yes,” Master Tez said.
“Yes, but… he still does not have a weapon,” Jonathan said. Rider Kavin glanced over to Andrea’s master, his hand coming to rest on his own sword hilt.
“Would you like mine, Eldest?” he asked.
“That will not be necessary,” Master Tez said. “I do ask you watch out for my servitor, while I’m otherwise engaged.” He handed over Andrea’s leash to Kavin, and she followed as the White Rider led her out of the way.
“Are there no other queries?” Kavin called out. He waited a moment for a reply, and then shouted, “Begin!”
Jonathan drew his sword from its sheath and called out to Master Tez, “Defend yourself!”
“All right,” Master Tez said, and then stepped back five paces, well out of Jonathan’s reach. His opponent responded by rushing forward, but Master Tez had more than enough time to turn on his heel and run out of his way, Jonathan following him as they began to circle around the edge of the clearing.
“What are you doing!” Jonathan called out, giving chase.
“Avoiding a hit, preferably avoiding all three,” Master Tez called back over his shoulder. He kept up an even pace, not sprinting, but a steady jog that kept his opponent safely out of reach.
“Would you stop running and fight!” Jonathan huffed. “Don’t you want to settle this?”
“It will be, eventually,” Master Tez said. He slowed to a halt as Jonathan stopped, the latter resting the tip of his sword on the ground as he caught his breath.
“I can just stand here and wait for you to approach instead,” Jonathan told him.
“Then I win,” Master Tez said. “Elves can sustain themselves without food and water for longer than humans, even under exertion. With the armor you’re wearing I can run faster than you, but you must confront me to end this if you wish to be the winner. Otherwise I can just stand here and wait for your eventual collapse.”
“That’s hardly an honorable way to win a duel,” Jonathan shot back.
“You didn’t specify ‘honor’ as a method of winning this duel,” Master Tez replied. “I prefer using tactics myself.”
Jonathan’s face flushed as the elven audience laughed once again. Then he raised up his sword and charged, with Master Tez ducking out of his way nimbly and running again. “This is ridiculous!” the human cried out.
“Granted,” Master Tez agreed. “But you chose your actions, boy, and now you reap the consequences, unforeseen or not.” Jonathan didn’t bother replying, his steps slowing as he began to tire out. Finally he stopped, Master Tez again following suit, keeping several paces out of reach. Then the human reached up and undid the straps of his cuirass, letting it fall to the ground.
“A sensible move,” Rider Kavin noted, mostly to himself. He hadn’t bothered to look in Andrea’s direction since he’d taken hold of her leash. But they both kept an eye on Jonathan as he blew his breath in and out, obviously readying himself for another charge.
This time Master Tez didn’t move. Instead he side-stepped as Jonathan roared past, dropping to the ground as the human’s sword whisked over his head. Andrea let out gasp at the narrow miss, then a cheer her master lashed out with his foot, tripping Jonathan and sending him sprawling to the ground. In a flash Master Tez pounced, snatching the broadsword from his opponent’s hand and rolling to his feet. Jonathan pushed himself to his knees, staring at his weapon, now in the ancient elf’s hand.
“You may concede now,” Master Tez said.
“You… you deliberately provoked me, tiring me out, slowing my reflexes,” Jonathan huffed, eyes wide.
“I did tell you I preferred to use tactics. With only one weapon on the field, only one of us could possibly be armed. I was confident that it would eventually end up in my hands,” Master Tez said. “And as I noted before, time was on my side. Time will always be on my side.”
“I didn’t think of that,” Jonathan admitted.
Master Tez nodded. “Quite. Concede now, please.”
Jonathan levered himself to his feet, wincing and putting as much weight as his could on his right leg. “No. I fight for the freedom of Andrea.”
Master Tez rolled his eyes. “I do not wish her to be free, she does not wish to be free. You are unarmed, humiliated, and without options. Concede.”
“For the love of the Lifebringer, Jonathan, do as he says! Consider it an order from your liege lord!” his uncle called from the sidelines.
“No, Uncle! What is the point of our negotiations, if they are overseen by a hypocrite, who decries slavery even as he holds slaves of his own! I will not admit defeat in this!” Jonathan shouted.
“As you will, boy,” Master Tez said. Then with a single, deliberate stroke, the sword swung downward, striking Jonathan’s ankle and tearing his foot half away. The human fell to the ground, crying out. Andrea let out a horrified scream, which was cut off with a choking as Rider Kavin yanked hard on her leash.
“Don’t interrupt,” he said sharply.
Jonathan had just enough time to raise his arm in defense as Master Tez brought the sword down again. The steel sliced through his forearm, and Andrea heard a distinct crack as bones snapped.
Andrea grabbed hold of her leash and jerked it free from Kavin’s grip, coming to her feet and rushing out into the middle of the clearing where her master stood over the bleeding, crying Jonathan. “Master Tez, stop! What are you doing!”
“The rules of this contest were for the victor to score three cuts on his opponent,” he said mildly. “There were never any specifications as to how deep they were to be.”
“This is murder!” she cried out.
“It’s called winning,” Master Tez disagreed. He raised the sword high above Jonathan’s neck.
“Stop it! I beg you, stop it!” Andrea said. “If you do this… I’ll… I’ll…!”
“Do what, exactly?” he asked, his tone all the more infuriating for its mild tone.
“I won’t follow your orders anymore,” she said, softly, her voice barely above a whisper, “and you will have to beat me, and starve me, and chain me in front of all of your other slaves to make me obey. And what will your precious honor be worth then?”
“Eldest,” Rider Kavin said, stepping forward. “Killing this human is within your rights, as you interpret the rules of this contest, but…” He glanced significantly toward the cloaked members of the Moot Council and then to Ambassador Veritelli, who was looking at the bloody proceedings with a mixture of horror and rage. “It would… needlessly complicate… negotiations with the human kingdoms.”
Master Tez faced him down with a cold stare. “Do you presume to tell the Eldest of the Elves how to conduct his business?”
Kavin paled, and bowed his head, “A suggestion only, Eldest.”
Master Tez’s response was to kneel down in front of Jonathan and pull his chin up so the human could face him. “Tell me something, Jonathan Kincaid. Are you willing to die for your beliefs?”
“What?” the human asked, his teeth chattering as shock from his wounds began to set in.
“Would you be willing to die, if it meant Andrea would walk away from this field a free woman?”
“Master, no!” Andrea shouted at him, at them both.
“Be silent and let the man answer, Andrea,” Master Tez ordered.
Jonathan’s jaw set in place and he stared back at Master Tez. “If that is what it takes to free her, then yes.”
Master Tez paused for a long moment, then he jabbed Jonathan’s sword into the ground and stood up. “You might want to provide some medical attention for the boy, Rider Kavin.”
Kavin looked confused for a moment. “Are you conceding the duel, Eldest?”
“Hardly,” Master Tez replied. “But if Kincaid here wants to continue it, he may contact me as soon as he is able.” Then Andrea’s master took hold of her leash and led her off the field, leaving it Kavin to call over several elves trained in healing magics to help stabilize and heal Jonathan’s wounds.
As soon as the crossed out of the clearing and onto the path that led back to the manor, she said, “Are you going to gag me if I ask a question now?”
“You just did,” he replied. At her withering look he relented slightly and added, “Ask your question, Andrea.”
“What was the point of near killing Jonathan over me? ‘A touch’ usually just means giving someone a graze. You nearly took his head off!”
“I was taking measure.”
“Of what, his head?”
“Not just of him,” Master Tez replied. “Think on it a while.” And he refused to speak further on the subject that day.
TBC
Afterword
This is probably the most unpleasant scene I've ever had Tez participate in. Frankly I was a little squicked by what he did to poor Jonathan, but suffice to say he had reasons, and in the end it will work out. His treatment of Andrea in this bit will also be explicable, later on.
Though it doesn't hurt to keep in mind that in the end, at his core, Tez is frelling insane. Most times it's under control, but when he decides to put sanity aside he can be remarkably unpleasant to be around.
BTW Yes I put Andrea in that ridiculous harem girl getup in the hopes of provoking
chaypeta into drawing it. ;p
