His greetings to the other lords went as well as he had hoped, with the exception of the newly arrived Keith Wilmere, the second son of the Viscount of Clifton. A young man only a few years older than Adrian, Keith looked down on him openly.
Adrian prided himself on maintaining a flat, neutral expression the entire time he dealt with the arrogant young lord, and luckily, he didn't have to stay in the man's company for long.
As for the prince, Adrian had not yet met him personally this time. He was informed by a knight that there would be a formal meeting this afternoon that he was required to attend.
After familiarizing himself with his cabin, which was decent enough, though not nearly as large as the half-stone, half-wood structure the prince now occupied, Adrian found himself sparring with Sir Cordell.
The anxiety of the coming conflict was only quelled by the heat of training.
To mimic the fighting style of the islanders, Sir Cordell used an axe and a round shield. Adrian was impressed by how adeptly the knight wielded the heavy weapon, watching as he effortlessly dodged a shield bash. Adrian swung his own shield, intent on knocking away the knight's defense so he could land an attack with his sword. His quickness had allowed him some success earlier, but this time, Sir Cordell allowed himself to be carried by the momentum of the blow before planting his feet and swinging his axe in a wide arc.
Adrian, who had been about to lunge, halted his blade and used the flat of the steel to block the axe. The metal rang with a sharp crack, and the force behind the strike nearly vibrated the sword right out of Adrian's hand. Before he could recover, Sir Cordell followed up with a shield bash.
Adrian's instincts took over. Knowing he was at a disadvantage, he dug his heels into the dirt to absorb the impact. His weight and strength saved him from stumbling back, he slapped the axe away with his sword and thrust forward. The knight twisted his body to dodge the point and responded with a counter-swing.
He took the opportunity to gain some distance, and soon they were circling each other again. Sweat began to trickle down their faces, but both remained eager for more.
"You have improved greatly, milord." Sir Cordell said, his breath coming in steady.
Adrian snorted. "I haven't beaten you yet."
It was true. The knight was incredibly skilled; even when Adrian used underhanded tactics or the element of surprise, he had yet to best his mentor. He wondered if he ever truly would.
"Not yet. I still have a few tricks left." the knight chuckled. "But you will, milord."
With those words, the knight lunged again, and the spar resumed.
--
Adrian leaned back, drinking from a waterskin as he watched Dexton help train some of his soldiers. Others were off to their own practice, most trying their hand at bows or slings. Luckily, Colby had been clever enough to use prisoners from the islanders to teach the men how to use the sling and Adrian made a mental note to commend the man.
Though he had considered it before, Adrian blamed himself for not advocating more for archery training.
It would certainly keep his men out of harm's reach, but the problem was that decent bows weren't easy to make, not to mention the time it took to train a proficient archer. He resolved to fix that after this conflict was over.
As lunch approached, a knight from Lord Cenroy's camp approached him. He wore armor far more intricate than Sir Cordell's.
"Lord Harrow, my lord asks that you join him for sparring and lunch."
Adrian raised an eyebrow, wondering why Lord Cenroy was suddenly interested in him. Sor far, Cenroy hadn't cared much for Adrian or the other minor lords, focusing entirely on pleasing the prince.
He had heard rumors that Lord Cenroy was about to be replaced by his other family members here before he did something and managed to stay. As for what, he didn't know.
Lord Bronsone had even whispered that Cenroy's wife personally attended to the prince's needs.
Adrian had been speechless at that, though he had been a lord for months now, he was still unfamiliar with politicking and how low a lord could go for favor.
"I'll just clean up a bit first." Adrian said. It was only a spar, but he wasn't comfortable appearing in a sweat-soaked tunic and dirtied trousers.
Soon, he and Sir Cordell were following the knight, whose name was Nixon. They came upon an area between the camps of Ironmere and Clifton, where soldiers from both sides were sparring.
Some fought lightly, while others were fierce, judging by the jeers and cheers, those sparring had money on the line.
They reached a section clearly reserved for the high-born, given the quality of the armor and the fine, smooth cloth of the onlookers' clothes. Adrian spied Lord Cenroy swinging a sword while talking to a man with pale blonde hair, deep blue eyes, and refined muscle, Lord Keith Wilmere.
Not far off, Lord Hardinge was deep in conversation with another knight.
Lord Cenroy noticed his approach, smiling and waving him forward. "Lord Harrow… come, join us!"
Cenroy seemed almost relieved to see him. As he beckoned Adrian closer, Keith's attention turned toward him. An aloof, proud smile sat on Keith's face, his head tilted just enough to look down his nose at Adrian. The young lord's eyes swept over Adrian's gear with a faint, dismissive glint.
Adrian resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Lord Cenroy, Lord Keith… Lord Hardinge," Adrian said, nodding to the latter, who only gave a stiff grunt before returning to his conversation.
"I was just exchanging words with Lord Keith and thought of you. I know you carve through the enemy before, I think you and Lord Keith have much to discuss regarding battle." Lord Cenroy said.
"I see." Adrian kept his smile polite. He realized now why Lord Cenroy had called him over, Lord Cenroy wasn't a great fighter and likely wanted someone else to entertain the arrogant Keith.
"I do not know much, Lord Keith, but I have participated in battles against the Laluga clans. Though it was not a large war, it was true experience nonetheless." Adrian said, the formal words feeling strange in his mouth.
"Hm." Keith huffed, looking as though he wanted to snort. "Then surely you can teach me something of combat? Shall we spar?" He gestured with his sword, radiating confidence.
"I would be happy to oblige." Adrian replied, having already expected the challenge.
Lord Cenroy spoke up, a mischievous smile growing. "Why don't we make this more interesting? A bet, perhaps?"
"A bet?" Adrian was surprised.
"Now, that is interesting," Keith chuckled. "What say you, Lord Harrow? I won't bet much."
Adrian fell into deep thought. If there was to be a wager, he wondered if he could get something more valuable than coin.
"Lord Hardinge, what do you think?" Lord Cenroy roped the Baron of Sandedge into the group.
The stern-faced man approached and nodded.
"It would make things interesting. Who would you back, Lord Cenroy?" Hardinge asked.
"Why, I always favor the underdog. I'll bet on Lord Harrow," Cenroy laughed. Hardinge eyes twitched ever so slightly before speaking.
"Then I'll bet on Lord Keith."
Keith laughed loudly. "Lord Cenroy has interesting thoughts, though I won't disappoint you, Lord Hardinge." He turned back to Adrian.
"What say you, Lord Harrow? Let's make a bet of our own. Say, thirty pounds?"
Adrian, lost in his own thoughts, missed the words at first. "I'm sorry, Lord Keith?"
Keith took his silence for a lack of confidence. "Was that too much? How about twenty pounds? Surely that isn't too much to lose?"
Adrian snapped back to the present, a plan forming. He smiled. "Actually, Lord Keith, I have something else I'd like to bet, should I win."
"Oh? And what is that?"
"Arrows and bows… worth the match of thirty pounds," Adrian said. The response took the lords by surprise.
"Bows and arrows? That is unusual," Lord Hardinge remarked.
"As you know, I have few men," Adrian said, his smile never wavering. "I hope not to lose any of them, so bows are needed. My territory isn't wealthy, and I did not manage to prepare as early as I'd liked." He turned his gaze to Keith, whose brow was furrowed.
"What say you, Lord Keith? Do you agree? And if I lose, I will pay the thirty pounds in gold."
Keith examined him for a moment before his confident smirk returned. "Sure, why not?"
The two moved to a circular arena, surrounded by watching knights and soldiers.
Adrian caught Sir Cordell's odd look as he armed himself.
"What do you think about him?" Adrian approached the knight and whispers.
The knight postured turned straighter if it was possible and nodded, "I have no doubts for you milord."
Adrian chuckled, nodded at the knight before turning to his opponent, Adrian tightened his grip on his sword and shield. He wasn't the best fighter here, but he will damn make sure he can fight for it.
The safety of his men depended on this.
And he wouldn't lose.