Facing the Enemy

Writers: Heather, Mirren
Date Posted: 2nd December 2015

Characters: Barenziah, D'shiel
Description: They spar, and make concessions.
Location: Dolphin Cove Weyr
Date: month 3, day 12 of Turn 8

Barenziah

It had been a few days since Barenziah had been able to get out to the practice fields with her wooden sword, but things in the infirmary were usually a bit busier the days before and after a Threadfall. Starting with her warm-up stretches, Barenziah looked down at the wooden sword in her hand. Easily she remembered the first time she'd wielded once against her brother, who had secretly taught her everything he'd learned as he joined the ranks of the Amber Hills Guard.

She could remember the way Rynthian's eyes would light up as they sparred, especially when she would surprise him with her quickness and smack him with the broad side of the sword. Then she remembered the first time Lord Zathris had caught them sparring, even though she'd been wearing boy clothes and had tucked her hair up beneath a helmet.

Thoughts of Lord Zathris were a dangerous path for her, so she shook her head and began her usual work out against the straw dummy.

Working out had always been the best way to work off stress. It didn't hurt that exercise had filled out D'shiel's physique. Not that it was all about having muscles, but being fit made most aspects of riding a dragon easier. But mostly, it was a way to unwind a little.

From the other side of the practice area, he watched the healer attacking the practice dummy. She'd obviously done it before, but perhaps not recently.

"You need to lift the sword a little more," he called out. "And bring in your elbow."

Barenziah looked up with a grin, and pointed her sword at D'shiel, "What does a modest bronzerider know about sword play?"

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Watch where you're pointing that thing. Someone might get hurt."

She laughed and brought her sword down, pressing its blunt tip into the ground so that she could lean upon it. "I am better with hand-to-hand anyway. What are you up to?"

He shrugged with one shoulder. "Just lifting some weights. Apparently they don't lift themselves. You couldn't find anyone to beat up with that?"

Barenziah shook her head, "Not a lot of other women do this kind of thing," she lifted her shoulders at that, "and most men don't like being beaten by a girl, and a redhead no less."

"Curse those male egos." He shook his head. "But as I recall, I don't have one of those, I could spar with you."

"I would like that. As you noticed, practicing on a wooden dummy doesn't really help improve your skill at all. If anything, I'm not nearly as sharp as I was when I was living at Amber Hills." Barenziah confessed.

"Oh, you came from a hold?" He picked up another practice sword and held it lightly from his hand.

"Yeah, I've not been at the Weyr long." she admitted as she watched him handle the sword.

"Us bronzeriders must be pretty bad if you had us nailed so quickly," he remarked. "Where'd you come from?" He raised the wooden sword and swiped at her.

"Amber Hills," she deflected his blow. "Lived there my entire life, my father is a beastcrafter. It's how I got my firelizard."

"My commiserations," he replied. "I was Weyrbred, so I didn't have to deal with the culture shock. I've heard it's bad."

Barenziah grinned a little and feinted, sweeping her sword toward him as she did. "I really enjoyed my life at the Hold. It was a little boring at times, but that's where my family is, you know? Adjusting to the Weyr hasn't been so bad, seeing a few people naked washing their dragons on the beach isn't overly horrifying."

He snorted. "Oh-ho, not a good holder girl then?" He ducked and swung again.

"Ha!" Barenziah couldn't help but laugh. "No, I'd have to say I'm a pretty bad holder girl, all things considering."

"Those are the best kind. The badder the better." For a while, he'd forgotten _her_ and was just enjoying himself.

"And what do you know about bad Hold girls?" She asked, one dark, red eyebrow arched upward.

"Not enough," he said. "But they're usually more grateful than Weyr girls."

Barenziah tilted her head, "More grateful for what exactly?"

"Living here," he replied lightly. "And the freedom that comes with it. Weyrgirls take it for granted. Weyrboys too, and yes I was one. I'm still not sure I know how good I have it."

"The Hold isn't a bad place, I don't look at it that way. It's just a different way of living. The Hold people often are vilified by the Weyr and vice versa, but we're all just trying to live." Barenziah lifted her shoulders. She would go back to Amber Hills if she could, if it were possible, but it wasn't and so she was making the best out of life at Dolphin Cove.

"So the copulating with goats thing isn't true?" He tried his best to look deadly serious.

Barenziah's lips twitched as she fought off a smile. "It's about as true as the stories about bronzeriders dressing up like women for parties."

"That _is_ true," he replied. "Hairy legs everywhere."

She was unable to hold her laughter at the picture D'shiel painted, "Do you all sip teas like real ladies too?"

He snorted. "No, dressing like a woman needs a real drink, the stronger the better. Before, during and after."

"It sounds like you speak from experience." She said, twirling her sword in her hand.

"Maybe I do," he replied. "Not recent experience. A guy has to grow up some time. "So, why'd you come and live here?"

Since arriving at the Weyr Barenziah hadn't told anyone why she left Amber Hills, only Z'lred knew the truth. Yet after all these months, she just didn't feel like coming up with another lie about her quick departure from her home. "Had an affair with the Lord Holder. I was silly and thought I meant something to him, but after a while he asked me to leave, afraid that his wife might find out."

D'shiel frowned. "He sounds gutless if you ask me. I never saw the point of cheating. If you don't want to be with someone then don't." He drew a breath. "Not that it's my business…"

Barenziah opened her mouth to defend Zathris, but then thought better of it. What did it matter? He hadn't thought enough of her to keep her around for fear of what Benani might do if she found out, so why should she try to defend his character?

"Well, now you know why I am here, and why I'm a twenty-nine Turn old apprentice." she said.

He shrugged with one shoulder. "You could be sitting around feeling sorry for yourself." Like he did. "But you're not. You deserve credit for that."

"I did that for a month or so." She admitted. "Cried myself to sleep at night, hid in my bed during the day, but then... Then it was time to live again. Working in the infirmary has helped a lot."

"Work is good for that, making you forget. Better than alcohol, although I tried that too." He momentarily forgot she didn't know what he was referring to.

Barenziah lowered her sword and retreated over to the hillside where her water canteen was sitting in the grass. Flopping down beside of it, she lifted it to her lips for a drink, "What were you trying to forget?" She offered the canteen to D'shiel.

"What?" He stared at her for a moment. Was this the point where he also shared? Feck. "Oh. A woman. She -" This was more difficult than he'd even thought it'd be. "She was a greenrider in my wing. I miscalculated and we both had too much confidence in my abilities. Thread - it hit her. It ate her while I watched. It was two, maybe three seconds before her dragon went between, but it was…" He shook his head. "I saw her face disappear." And every night since then.

The redhead grimaced as she pictured the man's story. "That's awful, I'm sorry, I can't imagine what that is like to live with." It just reiterated to her how strong dragonriders had to be to protect Pern.

"Me either," he replied. "I haven't started living with it yet. She was - more than a friend." Much more.

"What was her name?" Barenziah asked softly.

He just shook his head and poked at the ground with the practice sword, as though blaming it for his loss. "I think I've ruined your practice session."

Barenziah smiled and pushed up from the ground, "Nonsense. I managed to work out a little and have a conversation, two things I've been short on lately."

He managed a smirk. "Yeah, same here. The conversation part anyway." D'shiel turned to put his practice sword away. "I haven't talked about this with anyone."

"Me either," Barenziah confessed. "As lame as it sounds I didn't want to get my Lord Holder in trouble with his wife. Pathetic, right?"

"He might think twice next time if he did," he replied. "But men like that -they usually don't learn."

Barenziah wanted to tell D'shiel that it had been more complicated than that, that Zathris wasn't a bad person, and wasn't she just as guilty as he was? She'd known full well that he was a married man. Yet he had left her to be the one that shouldered the consequences of their relationship.

"Maybe you are right." she conceded. "Either way, Dolphin Cove has been a good place to start over."

He smiled, just slightly and briefly. "I'm here at the same time most days, if you want to spar again some time."

Barenziah smiled, "I'd like that."

Last updated on the December 10th 2015

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Facing the Enemy