EldenSouls Oneshots

Sparring

Ornstein and Gwynsen spar to demonstrate proper battle techniques to a unit of silver knights.

————————————————————-

The harsh warmth of Anor Londo's afternoon sun did little to deter the training knights as they mock fought in pairs or trios, the rigid sounds of steel hitting against steel ringing out loudly across the courtyard.

Amongst the duller silver armour, the golden dragonslayer himself weaved between the knights. Gwynsen watched from a walkway above as he'd correct the stance of a sword wielding knight, or fix another's grip on their halberd, leaning his cheek into his hand and his elbow on the railing. After a small while, one knight foolishly challenged him to a duel in which spears would be used. The prince simply grinned as Ornstein promptly put the knight on his ass, proving his undefeated prowess with the weapon.

"You should go down and spar with him." Artorias' amused voice startled him from his close observation. The Wolf Knight bore his own silver-and-blue armour, besides the helm, which rested firmly tucked under his arm. The man wore a shit-eating grin on his face as he tapped his forehead lightly in joking thought, "oh wait, how could I forget, you'd much rather him use his other spea-"

Gwynsen firmly secured his hand over his friend's mouth to cut him off before letting it fall back on the railing. "Don't you dare finish that sentence." His tone and expression held nothing but (even if slightly embarrassed) amusement.

Artorias snickered as he came to stand beside him on the railing. His gaze fell down to their friend as he fought yet another knight down in the courtyard, swiftly defeating them too. "It would make for a better show if you went down and fought him instead."

"I'm not going to fight him." Gwynsen insisted.

"Think of the silver knights Sen!"

"No."

"I'll pay for our pub crawl this month."

Fuck. Can't say no to that.

The prince groaned, glancing at his sword-spear leaning beside him on the rails before reluctantly nodding. "One condition, you have to spar with Ciaran when I'm there to watch."

Now it was Artorias' turn to groan. "Please no! She'll murder me!"

"She's half your height!"

"And?" The Wolf Knight made an exasperated movement with his hand. "She's scary! The threats that can come out of an assassin's mouth..."

"The deal's off then!" Gwynsen challenged, leaning towards his friend. "Funny how you can face dragons without breaking a sweat, but you get nervous over a girl."

The fear written across Artorias' features as he sighed and nodded in defeat got a loud cackle from the prince. Though, the laugh quickly faded as soon as he realised that he'd gotten the attention of Ornstein, who tilted his head quizzically at him from below. Gwynsen waved and sent him a nervous smile before grabbing his weapon and beginning to make his way down to the courtyard, sending Artorias one last look that translated to 'shut your mouth'.

Stepping into the courtyard, he ignored how the rest of the silver knights had paused their mock fights and were looking at him, instead making his way directly to the Dragonslayer.

"My lord." Ornstein gave a light bow as Gwynsen stopped in front of him, resting the blunt end of his spear on the ground.

"No need for the formalities Ornstein." Gwynsen smiled, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Would you be interested in sparring with me? I'm sure the silver knights would enjoy a demonstration."

Ornstein stood up straight, nodding lightly. "I would not be opposed to this my lor- er, Gwynsen."

The silver knights didn't need to be told to clear a wide space for the two, and moved to watch from the edge of the courtyard. The Dragonslayer and the war god moved apart, getting into stance with their weapons as adrenaline began to build slowly. During this moment of stillness, Gwynsen tried and failed to catch his friend's eye beneath his leonine helm.

Ornstein was the first to strike. He leapt forward with deadly grace, leaving Gwynsen to barely dodge the sharp end of his spear. They would not hurt eachother, but it would be treated as a real battle where their lives were truly on the line. The Dragonslayer quickly followed up with a horizontal slash, which was more easily blocked by his opponent's sword-spear.

Now it was the prince's turn. He fought with less elegance than the golden knight, but the violent and heavy slashes and strikes he used were no less dangerous.

He felt the true thrill of the fight kick in as he and his knight struck and dodged eachother masterfully. Their routine read like a dangerous dance, one they had practiced time and time again so that they knew eachother's steps by heart. Where one would strike, the other would parry or dodge and return it with more vigour than before.  Their rhythm remained unbroken for some time, the world seeming to fade into the background as the fight became their one and only focus. It felt jarring to Gwynsen when both suddenly were forced to come to a screeching halt, the ends of their blades barely an inch off of eachother's throats. A draw, so it would seem.

Breathing heavily, the prince gave Ornstein a hearty chuckle before lowering his weapon and running a hand through his unruly platinum locks. "It's always a pleasure to spar with someone who matches my skill in battle." He could practically feel the eye roll that his friend gave beneath his helm. Gwynsen gently pushed the spear away from his neck and relaxed his posture, unlike Ornstein who instead held himself in a more proper stance as he addressed the spectating silver knights.

The dragonslayer's dismissal of the knights practically flew over Gwynsen's head. The war god simply enjoyed listening to the smaller man's voice, and enjoyed even more so the fact that he got to listen when it was softer and relaxed. If only such moments could be more common...

He blushed once he noticed Ornstein looking at him, and it only got worse when he realised that he'd been staring. Gwynsen looked at the ground for a moment to regain his composure before looking back up at Ornstein, now noticing that they were now completely alone.

His heart skipped a beat when the Dragonslayer removed his helmet and revealed the man underneath. His eyes were instantly drawn to the deep scarlet hair cascading down his back from where it was bound in a long ponytail, and he fought to resist the urge to run his hands through it; he was sure it'd feel wonderfully silky and smooth like the blood it resembled. Gwynsen stepped just a little closer, his golden eyes meeting Ornstein's striking emerald ones.

"I enjoyed this." The prince spoke genuinely yet hesitantly, afraid to scare his friend off knowing how usually closed off he was. He was surprised when the other man stepped closer, teetering on the line between close and within his personal bubble.

"Me too." Gwynsen smiled at the response, and practically beamed when the faintest smile graced Ornstein's lips in return. It was all too tempting to just close the gap...

No, that wouldn't be smart. Ornstein was just friendly with him because they were friends, such a gesture would surely scare him off, maybe for good. Gwynsen was more than willing to remain friends if it meant sacrificing becoming something more.

The sound of bells tolling gained Gwynsen's attention yet failed to distract him completely from Ornstein. "Ah, er, I-I should be heading off now, my lord father will not be pleased if I'm late to my duties; you know how he is." Carefully, he raised a hand and brought it up to Ornstein's face, yet stopped and redirected it to his shoulder before he was able to touch his freckled cheek. "See you at dinner, yeah?"

"Yeah, yeah." The Dragonslayer nodded, looking at the ground for a moment before redirecting his gaze back to Gwynsen (though he could've sworn he'd glanced at his lips for a split second). "Until then, pray I don't drown in paperwork."

Releasing the hand from Ornstein's shoulder, the prince snickered and nodded before beginning to walk away. "Good luck Orn!"

He could not wait until they were alone together again.