15min fic #74
Sep. 28th, 2004 01:37 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
annarti.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
yrae
Title~ The Art of Persuasion
Author~ Annarti
Disclaimer~ All charries are property of the 'narti
Notes~ 15 minute fic, word 74. Possibly strayed a bit from the topic here, but whatever. Look! The sword master has a name now! =0
~ ~ ~
Mithé looked dubious. “She’s only seen seven summers, Laeron,” he told the sword master, arms folded.
“I realise that, Majesty, but she already possesses more skill than many of the boys who begin their training at fifteen.”
“So you’ve said.”
“And she has far more passion for the blade than a lot of them do. Most of the boys start because they’re either forced to by their parents, who strangely think they have skill, or because they have ridiculous ambitions to be a part of the Own, or First General or some other such nonsense. This girl wields a blade because she wants to wield it, not for any other reason.”
Mithé was silent for a while, his patient face unreadable. “Laeron, she will be fourteen when she has finished her training. Fourteen,” the king emphasised, “Regardless as to the girl’s level of skill, that is too young to be riding into battle. By rights she shouldn’t commence training until a year after you’re proposing she finish.”
“In all honesty,” the sword master argued, “with your good self holding the reins to the kingdom, there is little chance that she would even be called upon.”
“That may be true, but what if that is not the case? Empress Shizaaqa may well decide to launch an attack in the next decade.”
“Intelligence has told you of this?”
“Well, no, but it is always a possibility.”
Laeron sighed in exasperation. “Majesty, there is an yrae stone at her wrist. Imagine what—”
“Ah, so now the truth comes out,” Mithé mocked, “I was wondering when the issue of the stone would arise.”
The sword master returned his king’s patronising grin with a blank stare. “You cannot deny that such a power would be an asset to our army. Shizaaqa would dispel any intention of invasion if she knew of the yrae stone.”
“Either that,” Mithé said wryly, “or she’ll launch a full-scale invasion to get her own hands on the stone.”
Laeron was fast running out of options. “Your own son begins training this year, and he has only seen ten summers. He and Nimay seem to have made good friends over the month she has been in the palace, so surely it would be a good idea to allow them to train together.”
A thoughtful expression came over the king’s face; Laeron took full advantage. “With all due respect, Majesty, you have only given one reason why she should not commence training this summer. You said yourself she has desert blood in her and she will soon be the same height as the other boys anyway, so it would hardly prove to be a disadvantage to her.”
Mithé was silent a moment longer as he mulled over the sword master’s proposal. Finally he gave a small nod. “Very well, Laeron, you may talk with the First General, but I warn you; he is considerably harder to convince than myself.”
Laeron grinned, pressing his hands together in thanks. “She will commence training this summer. Thank you, Majesty.”
Author~ Annarti
Disclaimer~ All charries are property of the 'narti
Notes~ 15 minute fic, word 74. Possibly strayed a bit from the topic here, but whatever. Look! The sword master has a name now! =0
Mithé looked dubious. “She’s only seen seven summers, Laeron,” he told the sword master, arms folded.
“I realise that, Majesty, but she already possesses more skill than many of the boys who begin their training at fifteen.”
“So you’ve said.”
“And she has far more passion for the blade than a lot of them do. Most of the boys start because they’re either forced to by their parents, who strangely think they have skill, or because they have ridiculous ambitions to be a part of the Own, or First General or some other such nonsense. This girl wields a blade because she wants to wield it, not for any other reason.”
Mithé was silent for a while, his patient face unreadable. “Laeron, she will be fourteen when she has finished her training. Fourteen,” the king emphasised, “Regardless as to the girl’s level of skill, that is too young to be riding into battle. By rights she shouldn’t commence training until a year after you’re proposing she finish.”
“In all honesty,” the sword master argued, “with your good self holding the reins to the kingdom, there is little chance that she would even be called upon.”
“That may be true, but what if that is not the case? Empress Shizaaqa may well decide to launch an attack in the next decade.”
“Intelligence has told you of this?”
“Well, no, but it is always a possibility.”
Laeron sighed in exasperation. “Majesty, there is an yrae stone at her wrist. Imagine what—”
“Ah, so now the truth comes out,” Mithé mocked, “I was wondering when the issue of the stone would arise.”
The sword master returned his king’s patronising grin with a blank stare. “You cannot deny that such a power would be an asset to our army. Shizaaqa would dispel any intention of invasion if she knew of the yrae stone.”
“Either that,” Mithé said wryly, “or she’ll launch a full-scale invasion to get her own hands on the stone.”
Laeron was fast running out of options. “Your own son begins training this year, and he has only seen ten summers. He and Nimay seem to have made good friends over the month she has been in the palace, so surely it would be a good idea to allow them to train together.”
A thoughtful expression came over the king’s face; Laeron took full advantage. “With all due respect, Majesty, you have only given one reason why she should not commence training this summer. You said yourself she has desert blood in her and she will soon be the same height as the other boys anyway, so it would hardly prove to be a disadvantage to her.”
Mithé was silent a moment longer as he mulled over the sword master’s proposal. Finally he gave a small nod. “Very well, Laeron, you may talk with the First General, but I warn you; he is considerably harder to convince than myself.”
Laeron grinned, pressing his hands together in thanks. “She will commence training this summer. Thank you, Majesty.”
no subject
Date: 2008-05-11 12:17 pm (UTC)My memory is cruddy. I can't remember if this changed in the most recent draft, but I'd imagine it'd have changed at least it's tone (and maturity). Be interesting to see this revisited, even more so than the other snippets so far purely because this ties in so directly with the book.
no subject
Date: 2008-05-11 03:59 pm (UTC)This bit didn't get included in the main story, because Nimay wasn't there for it. I know Laeron barely had a character when I first wrote this, tho, so yeah, this would change a hell of a lot if I rewrote it.