had moved on to other training as the future king for when his father would pass the throne to him. Alexander and Jeremiah were enough years apart that early on the prince's age put him ahead of his younger cousin, but eventually the younger boy had become a man and held his own with the prince.
Offering a hand to Heralin, the count escorted his wife behind the man in charge of coordinating visitors. They weren't taken inside to some stuffy office or meeting room, but to another courtyard hidden by another wall. A gate opened up on an area lacking in the gardens many other parts of the castle had.
Men were already there before them. Soldiers, officers to be more accurate, and not only Prince Jeremiah but his elder brother were already in attendance. A raised, viewing box of seats sat to one side looking onto the stone pavers and packed earth of the castle's training ground. Only the most elite of the military practiced here by invitation. Many here were also part of the royal guard. Other royal gentlemen could be found here as well practicing with the princes from time to time, though there were less of them in Yalan now who were old enough to truly wield a sword. The next generation would follow in their fathers' footsteps soon enough, Alexander thought looking at his cousins and remembering their childhood days together here.
"I am glad that you could come, cousin," Jeremiah greeted noticing the pair entering in front of just two guardsmen. The two men wouldn't be needed to protect him here, of course, but were more likely to join in the training. That was what Jeremiah had invited him to come to the castle for after all.
"Well, it's been too long since I've been able to beat you in a duel, my prince. The invitation to do so again was just too tempting to ignore."
The princes laughed at the verbal jousting of their younger cousin.
Wylaan returned the volley first saying, "With you holed up at Patris, I would say that you have more likely gotten rusty, Count Alexander. What kind of sparring partners could you possibly have so far away from court?"
"Good ones?" Alexander shrugged with a smile. Two of his regular partners had his back now, and they had been picked from his father's men as part of his personal guard before the count had left for his post in Patris. They were well trained and expert swordsmen as well.
Again the princes laughed.
Jeremiah walked forward saying, "Well, I guess that we will find out if that is true. You do remember how to put on your fencing gear, don't you, Alex?"
Giving Heralin a hand stepping up into the viewing box to join the wives of the princes and their maids, Alexander answered the prince. "Oh, I am not that rusty, though we use long swords more often in Patris. Pointy, little rapiers aren't nearly as useful in real combat."
"Like any of us have needed to go into combat," the elder prince, Wylaan, commented. He didn't seem disappointed with the fact that Malaiy had been at peace during their lifetimes. The country had rivals, but even they were bound through marriage, trade and other agreements. Tseult and Kloste were closest and larger lands, but the wealth of Malaiy was built on trade and brought enough to the table that more than a century had passed since the three had been at odds with each other.
Alexander already had his weapon at his hip. The chest guards and mask would keep anyone from being maimed. Losing an eye to casual dueling had been eliminated nearly exclusively with the advent of safety gear. Training with standard military swords was still much more dangerous when using heavy steel.
"I have heard that congratulations are in order," Alex said to his cousins. "Both of your wives are pregnant at the same time?"
Wylaan nodded and smiled at his wife, Princess Galina sitting beside his sister-in-law and their ladies who were already beginning to ignore the men as they talked amongst themselves. The women were an interesting trio, he thought. Most men would call them
Offering a hand to Heralin, the count escorted his wife behind the man in charge of coordinating visitors. They weren't taken inside to some stuffy office or meeting room, but to another courtyard hidden by another wall. A gate opened up on an area lacking in the gardens many other parts of the castle had.
Men were already there before them. Soldiers, officers to be more accurate, and not only Prince Jeremiah but his elder brother were already in attendance. A raised, viewing box of seats sat to one side looking onto the stone pavers and packed earth of the castle's training ground. Only the most elite of the military practiced here by invitation. Many here were also part of the royal guard. Other royal gentlemen could be found here as well practicing with the princes from time to time, though there were less of them in Yalan now who were old enough to truly wield a sword. The next generation would follow in their fathers' footsteps soon enough, Alexander thought looking at his cousins and remembering their childhood days together here.
"I am glad that you could come, cousin," Jeremiah greeted noticing the pair entering in front of just two guardsmen. The two men wouldn't be needed to protect him here, of course, but were more likely to join in the training. That was what Jeremiah had invited him to come to the castle for after all.
"Well, it's been too long since I've been able to beat you in a duel, my prince. The invitation to do so again was just too tempting to ignore."
The princes laughed at the verbal jousting of their younger cousin.
Wylaan returned the volley first saying, "With you holed up at Patris, I would say that you have more likely gotten rusty, Count Alexander. What kind of sparring partners could you possibly have so far away from court?"
"Good ones?" Alexander shrugged with a smile. Two of his regular partners had his back now, and they had been picked from his father's men as part of his personal guard before the count had left for his post in Patris. They were well trained and expert swordsmen as well.
Again the princes laughed.
Jeremiah walked forward saying, "Well, I guess that we will find out if that is true. You do remember how to put on your fencing gear, don't you, Alex?"
Giving Heralin a hand stepping up into the viewing box to join the wives of the princes and their maids, Alexander answered the prince. "Oh, I am not that rusty, though we use long swords more often in Patris. Pointy, little rapiers aren't nearly as useful in real combat."
"Like any of us have needed to go into combat," the elder prince, Wylaan, commented. He didn't seem disappointed with the fact that Malaiy had been at peace during their lifetimes. The country had rivals, but even they were bound through marriage, trade and other agreements. Tseult and Kloste were closest and larger lands, but the wealth of Malaiy was built on trade and brought enough to the table that more than a century had passed since the three had been at odds with each other.
Alexander already had his weapon at his hip. The chest guards and mask would keep anyone from being maimed. Losing an eye to casual dueling had been eliminated nearly exclusively with the advent of safety gear. Training with standard military swords was still much more dangerous when using heavy steel.
"I have heard that congratulations are in order," Alex said to his cousins. "Both of your wives are pregnant at the same time?"
Wylaan nodded and smiled at his wife, Princess Galina sitting beside his sister-in-law and their ladies who were already beginning to ignore the men as they talked amongst themselves. The women were an interesting trio, he thought. Most men would call them
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