Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-24510587-20170621000455/@comment-13615389-20170622002718

~2nd of Morning Star,

The resounding clashes of Redguard steel against itself was faintly heard all throughout the grand halls of the Firebird Casbah, the only noise standing to interrupt it during the short intervals of silence being the gentle sound of running water resonating from the myriad of elegant, artisanal fountains that littered its countless courtyards. Again, another was heard. And then another. In one such courtyard, King Haytham Tanul stood in stance on a long cobblestone path lined on either side with a polychromatic garden, the vibrant green of the grass and surrounding leaves being especially eye-catching. His icy blue eyes were fixed on the opponent at the opposite end of the courtyard; one of them shaded by the palm fronds overhead, and another glinting as it caught the sunlight.

Facing him was a man with a similar olive complexion, but with both a bare chin and head. The man's most striking feature, however, was his large, bent nose. It looked as if someone had broken hit. His eyes gleamed in response to Haytham's own, raising a blunted longsword and advancing towards the king. The young man simply raised his own in response, an identical weapon uncharacteristic of Hammerfell. It wasn't the curved sabre the monarch was used to, but it served its purpose in training nonetheless. Now running forward with a diagnol strike, Haytham swerved to avoid the bald man's attack, and then the subsequent strike he'd chained into the original. Deciding now was time to seize the advantage, Haytham attempted a two-handed horizontal swipe at the man's midsection. Proving himself to be a worthy combatant, the man with the bent nose batted the blade away, reacting with impressively quick reflexes. Remaining undeterred, Haytham performed the same attack yet again as his adversary recoiled from the first, crossing swords. His opponent bared his teeth as he struggled to hold himself up against Haytham's push, his grip around the hilt of his blade faltering while mis muscles shook. He realized a match of physical strength would always be one he'd lose, being much more slight than the young king. He jumped backwards before it would come to that, breathing heavily and shutting his eyes. He smiled, dropping his sword to the floor. Despite the late night festivities taking place the day prior, King Haytham assured himself that he would not let it deter him from his training. He'd been right.

"An impressive performance as usual, my king," Raza said with a nod of acknowledgement. "I see you've taken my previous tips into consideration. Striking second is much more suited to you, I find." Haytham nodded his agreement.

"I never did make an effective aggressor." The young king replied, loosening the straps on the beige gambesbon he often wore for training. "Ironic." His instructor snorted in response.

"Strike second when facing a skilled opponent," The swordman corrected himself, removing his gloves as he did so, "I think you're more than capable of defeating any old rabble with a swift slash, no?"

"Perhaps." Haytham said after a brief pause, as if he was entertaining the thought in his mind. "We'll see soon enough, won't we? Is the Phoenix prepared?"

"Yes, your highness. Captain Avik's done a fine job of organizing the repairs, the ship is in even better condition than it was in the days of your father. It is ready to set sail at a moment's notice."

"Excellent. Tell the chancellor to check on the men the marshal is training and inform him that I expect 1000 strong by the end of the month. I'd ask you to show them a thing or two yourself too..." He trailed off expectantly. Raza gave a wry smile and nodded, pleased with the king's belief in his skill.

"Of course, your majesty. I expect he'll meet the deadline, if only barely." Haytham held his blunted practice sword alongside its dull edge, offering it hilt-first to the swordman before him.

"I have business to attend to elsewhere, Raza." Haytham unfastened the final strap of his gambesbon with his free hand, tossing the jacket onto a nearby bench overlooking the gardens. "Estherlain is to report to me directly if he has any concerns; I'll be with Avik at the docks if I am needed." After Raza accepted the blade, Haytham gave him a crisp pat on the shoulder before walking through the marble archway that led into the paneled double doors out of the courtyard. Raza gave it a few idle swings, taking a moment afterwars to observe the beauty of palace. Truly, it was an architectural marvel.