Lorcan swung his sword too hard. He knew it the moment he attacked, could feel it in his footing, in the balance. He could see it in Old Finn's eyes too. It took the old man all of an angel's breath to tap Lorcan's blade out of line, capture his sword with a swift twist, and then he hit Lorcan with his gauntlet in the stomach. Hard.
Lorcan retched, biting back the vomit. He doubled over. Pain flared through his guts. He struggled to find his breath as angry shouts echoed about him. A heavy hand clasped the back of his neck and stinking breath flooded his face. Old Finn bent close and whispered, "Stupid move, boy! Stupid! You try that in a real fight and it won't be a fist in your guts, it'll be a knife, a spike, or some bloody Norman's chopper!"
Heavy footsteps sounded from nearby and a nasal voice shouted, "Armsman! How dare you?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see his cousin, Aengus, dressing down old Finn viciously. The old man stood ramrod straight, his eyes aimed away from the young noble. A brave show that. Aengus could have the man whipped if he wished, and the braggart seemed to be building up a head of steam for that. It would be another three weeks before he went back to Cowrie to spend Christ's Mass with his mother and the rest of his uncle's family. Too, Aengus was still stewing over being left behind.
"Aengus, peace," Lorcan tried to say, but his breath caught. He grunted and straightened, wincing, and moved stepped closer. He put his hand on his cousin's shoulder and repeated, clearer and with more force, "Peace, Aengus. Leave Old Finn alone."
Aengus turned, his red hair glittering in the sun, and squinted at him. The sun was just coming over Bunratty's wall and bathing the bailey from over Lorcan's shoulder. It took the younger man a few moments to fully comprehend Lorcan's words, and he sputtered out "But- but my Prince? What this peasant scum did to you... It's-"
"It's all right. Finn's doing as bidden, and admirably at that." Lorcan glanced over at his armsman and sometime bodyguard and saw a brief glimmer of... something... in the old man's eyes. Pride? Perhaps.
Aengus sputtered again, but Lorcan cut him off. "No, cousin. Not now." He gestured toward the side of the bailey, where Aengus had been perched on a grain box. The red haired boy frowned, but moved over anyway, not quite willing to disobey his nominal liege, even to reprimand a 'lowborn animal'. It was certainly one of Aengus' failings, this propensity to be wroth. But it was useful, from time to time, to know that Aengus could be prodded along it.
Lorcan turned back to Finn and stepped closer. "Thank you, sergeant. I appreciate you lesson today."
Finn, sneered a little, which looked natural on his grizzled and scarred face, and replied, "I should've spanked you with my blade, pulling a stunt like that."
Lorcan grimaced, but nodded again, biting back his own venom. "Then, thank you for not embarrassing me more than necessary."
Finn grinned, showing the gap in his teeth that was a gift from an Englishman's sword pommel. "We wouldn't want to embarrass the young lord, now would we? You just mind your form, boy. Your father'd come back from the grave for my soul if I let you die from a stupid arsed mistake, wouldn't he?"
Lorcan smiled tightly. Old soldiers could get over such losses easier than young princes could, it seemed. "No, sergeant, no we shouldn't want that. Just step lightly around Aengus. You know his temper, and you know grandfather."
Finn's eyes narrowed, but he nodded. "Yes, milord."
Lorcan smiled more genially to the old soldier and turned away. He motioned to Aengus on the way out of the bailey, making for the lower path toward the kitchens. The younger man followed dutifully, but not before casting a scowl back toward Finn. They walked along the cobbled pathway, keeping out of the mire that was forming in some corners of the yard. The new construction ought to fix that, if his understanding of the engineering was correct. The new keep expansion going up meant improved drainage, or so Lord Steward Cummian insisted. Lorcan didn't think his grandfather cared overmuch.
