The Morningstar

Chapter 5

Shaxx was sat outside in the courtyard around a campfire that had two pheasants cooking on top of it.

"Hey" evaline walked outside wearing a linen shirt and tight hide trousers, and as an extra lay of protection against the cold she had a blanket wrapped around her

"Shaxx turned his head at looked at her "come sit by the fire and stay warm"

Evaline sat on a log opposite shaxx and noted that he was clad in steel armour "how comes you are wearing armour?"

"Just incase" shaxx tightened the steel vambrace around his left arm "I have a gift for you"

"You do? No one has even given me a gift before" she spook with a smile and looked excited.

"In the bedroom there is a suit of steel armour, it's all yours" shaxx looked at her and smiled a little

"Thank you m'lord I'll make sure to keep it in a decent shape" her smile was brighter than the fire

Shaxx took the pheasant off the fire and put it on a wooden plate for evaline "eat and tomorrow I'll train you"

THE NEXT DAY

Evaline sat up on the bed and yawned "shaxx?" She looked around the bedroom and realised that the suit of armour that intended for a female had gone missing. She ran down the stairs and walked out to the courtyard where she greeted by shaxx

"Morning" shaxx was clad in his armour and only now in the sun light did Evaline realise that the morningstar sigil was embossed on his chest plate she had also realised that he had a
Chainmail coif on as well.

"Good morning shaxx are we training today?" her hair was messy and shaxx could make out the bags under her eyes

"Indeed we are come here" shaxx leant over to a table full of armour pieces and weapons and picked up a steel chest plate that wasn't embossed with any sigil.

Evaline walked over to shaxx eager to learn.
"Now do we put any form of armour over a normal shirt?" Shaxx spoke like a teacher with a soft but firm voice

"No m'lord a gambison is required for extra protection and padding so the armour does not effect my skin" she smiled with her blue eyes glistening In the sunlight

Shaxx nodded "on the table there put it on"

She walked over to a table and put on the cream coloured gambison and then quickly stood in-front of shaxx.

"Well done turn around" shaxxs one purple eye was fixated on Evaline as for a lowly maid she carried in-depth knowledge regarding armour.

She listened to her new ward and turned
around whilst holding her long dirty blonde hair up.

Shaxx reached around her frame and put the steel chest plate on her tightly so it wouldn't come loose "the rest you can put on by yourself" he stepped to the side revealing the rest of the armour pieces on the table to her

Evaline sat on the log she had the day before and began to put her greaves on. shaxx simply observed her

"You read books and serve posh cunts yet you put on armour like one of my men" he looked at her with curiosity

She put the the final greave on and looked up at Shaxx "because m'lord I used to watch the kings guard get ready whilst I served them breakfast, it was only you that got ready in your room and ate your breakfast"

Shaxx nodded "now the vambraces"

She put the vambraces on, followed by the pauldrons then the gauntlets and then finally a chain mail coif with a padded cap inside to prevent it from ripping her hair out.

She looked at shaxx with a new found confidence, she had only seen warriors wear these suits of armour but as she wore it with pride and stared at shaxx ,who was clad in his armour, she felt as if she could take on the world.

"Good the armour fits you right you just need two more bits" he approached Evaline with a gorget in his left hand and a barbute helm in his right hand

She lifted her head up as shaxx attached the gorget around her neck "can I put the helmet on please"

Shaxx handed her the helm "aye you may"

evaline took the helmet and as she put it on

shaxx grabbed his great helm of the table and put it on his head his great helm was an older flat headed model which bore a scorch mark on the front.

"On the table is a heater shield and a dulled arming sword grab yours then step back" shaxx equipped himself with his heater shield and dulled arming sword

Evaline nodded and grabbed her own heater shield and dulled sword. She noted that both shields were made from a black wood with a painted white Morningstar "the sigil on these shields is your houses right?" She questioned

"Aye it is, now take your stance" he watched evaline closely

She raised her shield and raised her sword high

"No like this" he raised his shield and rested his sword on-top of the heater shield "use the shield as a guide for you"

Evaline copied shaxxs stance and smiled "like this m'lord?"

Shaxx nodded "now I'm going to attack don't fight back just block using the shield"

Evaline braced herself as shaxx came in from above smacking her shield then he followed it up with a blow from her right and evaline was able to block both strikes

"Impressive" shaxx backed up "your turn"

As the day went on evaline and shaxx trained with shaxx teaching evaline many basic moves and a few techniques.

Shaxx stepped forward and baited evaline into thrusting as she thrust shaxx smacked down her sword with his own sword then followed it up by backhanding her with his Shield knocking her over onto the floor "impressive I didn't expect you to last so long" shaxxs breathing was steady where as evaline laid back first on the floor fighting to catch her breath

Shaxx stood over evaline "that is all for today we shall have lunch then we need to discuss our plan" he walked into the keep leaving evaline on the floor

"Ow" she struggled to stand up but eventually she stumbled into the keep