Kingmaker

Dedicated #2

"Do you think they know" inquired Ava as she watched her men train with those of Sir Richard and Sir George. "Hm? Know what?" Sir Richard allowed his eyes to flint to her for a second, before returning to the armoured men before them. "Do you think they know that York are getting stronger" "Oh. I sure hope so. Since York attacked you, the men have been on high alert. I hope they know York are getting stronger. It takes a lot of balls to attack a knight, Ava. And one with thousands of armoured men around her takes even more balls. York are getting cocky. The return of their King Edward has given them life once more. They no longer hide in the shadows like children" replied Sir Richard again, his arms folded across his armoured chest.  "No, instead of hiding. They're out attacking my men that camp near the small cities and daring to attack me within our own walls. They're either stronger, or stupider. I prefer the latter" Sir George had to chuckle at her words as he moved to stand beside her and Sir Richard. "York are indeed stupid. But they are getting stronger aswell, Ava. The return of their King is a big raise in morale for their soldiers. It's an even bigger thorn in our side than York was originally" Sir George allowed his eyes to flint to Ava, before he too looked over the soldiers training before them. "I always thought of York as more of an irritating scab than a thorn. You want to pick at it and make it bleed. Yet at the same time, it hurts and can become infected. Only when it scars will it lose its irritation" commented Ava, not taking her eyes off of her soldiers. The two knights at her sides couldn't help but give a soft chuckle. "My my, Ava. Are York already that much of an annoyance to you? They are indeed like scabs. But lets not make these ones bleed just yet. Leave it to fester a little longer so that out men can train" Sir Richard smiled to his wife. Her words had indeed brightened the mood. And the way she had said them had helped them all the more. Her voice had been sharp, but humourous. And hearing of her speak of York in such a manner was in itself quite amusing.
"The men can train. What of York though? Do we know how those dogs train?" she inquired, shifting her weight to her other leg. "Thought you'd know how they trained to be honest, Ava" replied Sir George cooly. Ava snorted, allowing her eyes to go to Sir George for a moment. "I really never hung around long enough to watch them train properly. When I did hang around to watch. It was uncoordinated. Men falling over one another. It was like children fighting over a toy; the way they fought. But that was in hand to hand combat. Their swordsmen are decent enough. And their archers... Well. They have 30 highly trained men. Maybe more with the King's army. They've several men trained to use searing hot bolts aswell. They will heat the tip of the bolt in a campfire. Pierces the flesh. Burns the flesh. And let me tell you. That hurts. But why must we speak more of York today? Let our men train. They know what we are up against. Just not how many. But even we don't know that. And it's far too dangerous yet to send out scouts. None of my men have death wishes to scout a York camp" replied Ava, watching her men. Not once did they fall to the ground whilst training. They trained with swords, maces, shields, flails and crossbows. If one man did fall, several would help him to his feet before continuing. It was part of the teamwork Ava had instilled in the men. But she had warned them of turning their backs, and had told them to only do so if it can be done without endangering their own lives, and that of the man they are aiming to help.
"York are a threat, Ava. We need to talk of them from time to time" reminded Sir Richard, gazing over his own army that mingled with Ava's and Sir George's. "I know, I know. I'd just like a single day where we don't have to speak so much of them. I asked if it was possible our men knew how much of a threat they had become. That was all" she responded, gripping her ribs as she folded her arms across her chest again. Sir Richard sighed, looking to her. In her eyes, he could see stress. It was understandable. A lot was going on. And York had become a rather large threat. Maybe even more powerful than Lancaster. "They know, Ava. Or, they will know soon enough. Let them train for now. They look happy. It's been a while since I've seen the men smiling and working like this. They're teaching each other new things. They're working as one army rather than three. And, Ava. King Henry has an army of his own aswell. They are waiting to be called upon" Ava inclined her head to Sir Richard, this was the first she'd heard of the King's army. But even in her shock, she remained silent. Merely returning her gaze to her soldiers. Something appeared to be on her mind now though. She silently watched two soldiers fighting with swords and shields.
After some time, she eventually spoke. "Do you think it's possible to notice fighting styles for each individual? Or at least, key individuals?" The question echoed in the minds of the knights on either side of her as the pair shared a look. "Go on" encouraged Sir George, wanting her to explain what she meant a little further. "As in. Recognise key things. Say for example, I take a certain stance with my sword. Right foot forwards, left foot to the back a little. Shoulders down, but a firm grip on the sword. Little things that could tell you who that person is. Many soldiers have habits and have a certain way of holding themselves when fighting. What if we could pick someone out of a crowd for things like that? On the battle field, everyone wears armour. Everyone is going to look the same from their respective houses. Our main targets are going to be King Edward and the York knights. If we learnt their stances and their little habits in battle. Maybe we'd be able to take them down quicker. Sending York scurrying back to the sewers like the vermin they are"
Sir Richard and Sir George shared a look for a moment, before looking back to Ava. That had clearly taken a lot of thought, and it wasn't a bad idea. It would be difficult to identify the fighting styles though without prior knowledge of them. Or did she already know about the fighting styles of the York knights?

[Authors Note: What do you think of Ava's idea? And what of her little quips about York?]