Fanfic:A Fray
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Kile Durann sat agaist the far wall of an inn called The Fallen Swan, decietful as the name was everything inside was alive and joyous, everything except Kile. He was guarding the door on his left with another of the merchant's guards, a man slightly smaller than him named Milek. They had grown up to gether and done everything to gether from filching fresh baked pies, to brawling in Baerlon's taverns. Kile watched the dancers wistfully as they danced to a familiar tune called "Lady on your knee." Which just happened to be his favorite. The two men at the front of the inn pounded rhythmically with the tall lanky fellow next to them strumming a twelve stringed bittern. He had always been accounted a fairly good dancer back home, and he enjoyed it.
Kile's feet itched to dance, but Mistress Seryll had made it clear as good glass as to what would happen if disturbed in her debate with the local Mayor. Surprisingly enough, several fellows had tried to get into the room since the meeting had started, and were turned away with a few harsh words, but now the three of them had gathered together on the other side of the room, and were starting over to the door again. "Light man, give over!" he thought to himself. His dark eyes regarded them fiercely as the lead man slipped a large tatooed hand beneath his dark cloak to brandish a wickedly curved dagger with a dark gem that capped the hilt and seemed to drink up the light in the room. Hurying to clear the space around him of chairs and tables Kile shouted a warning to Milek who was already doing the same thing. His weapon had originally been his father'sfrom his tour with the Queens Guard. In his time he had been accounted one of the best with the ashandarei,! but he had grown weary of killing so he had started a farm. Now he wouldn't even touch the thing except to teach Kile. His father was the best in Baerlon at the quarterstaff, but even then he was still much better with the spear-like weapon. He had begun teaching Kile so he could get a job as a merchants guard, and now here he was. Juke quickly shook off nostalgia, and remembered what was happening.
Hefting his ashandarei, Kile whirled it into the Low Guard position as the first man approached him.
"Bring it on." Kile deflected the first thrust with the butt of his staff and then whirled it around in Turning the Waterwheel. He didn't need the resistance of the blade to tell that he had struck home. Kile heard the mans body hit the hard wood floor as he gurgled his last ragged and bubbling breath. The second man pushed passed his fallen comrade and made an upward cut at Kile's middle. He twisted out of the way at the last second and executed The Hammer Falls. The man fell in a bloody boneless heap on top of the first. The music had stopped and all the patrons who had been dancing were now on the far side of the inn as far away as they could get so as not to be caught up in the fight. Then it hit him, the wetness trickling down his side wasn't sweat , but blood. He propped himself up on his ashandarei, as the wound began to burn. Certainly not the worst he had ever taken, but enough to be an inconveniance if he had to fight or run. He looked over at M! ilek who was grim faced determination personified, and smiled. They had cheated Lady Light again, Kile remembered the time he had been close to paying the butchers bill himself, and that brought the grim face that his friend wore.
He had been following a suspected thief for Mistress Seryll when he had been set upon by one of te thief's men. Kile had just been walking, watching the man when one of his knees went out from under him. He didn't understand until he saw the sword blade flash in frint of his face as he struggled to get up. He just managed to slip his ashandarei behind a leg and pull before the assailant could try a second time. he had just set up in Low Guard, and was going to finish the man with a simple thrust, when the stars exploded in his head and the pain in his back blossomed. He fell and that is all he remembered until waking up to see an Aes Sedai standing over him. It was then that he decided to go to the Grey Tower, and now he was just trying to make enough money.
"I guess I didn't dodge quite well enough that time" Kile muttered sarcastically.
At that moment, Mistress Seryll came out to the room looking satisfied in a queenly way. That satisfaction slipped some at the sight of the common room, and the blood on his side. "I suppose you boys have made enough trouble here, lets be off" she said. Any other time Kile would have made an objection to her comment except that Mistress Seryll was actually paying in gold, unheard of around here. Milek went out in front of her, and Kile stole a kiss from a serving girl that had been shooting smiles at him all night, as he took up the rear guard. She reminded him of a girl from back home. Pleasent memories now that he thought about it.
He followed them out, and in the doorway he turned and bowed himself out mockingly, and then winced at the fire in his side. That would be a bother for a while, Kile sighed as he closed the door and set off after the other two.
