[Vladimir] The Distant Past

[Linwelin]

It was a common sight to see Vladimir outside the guild hall every morning after breakfast, just around back. It was the training area, and whether to upkeep his skill, or to obtain some form of time to focus and think, he would always be swinging and practicing his footwork. Just as the sun rose and set on schedule, so would Vladimir appear in this spot every morning. He was never easy on himself, being sure to push limits when possible, which always left him tired. This lead to the only other daily routine which he never seemed to skip. A rest beneath one of his favorite oaks, a fairly large one, barely within earshot of the training grounds.

Slouching back against the elder tree, Vladimir looked up through its broad broad branches and tightly gathered leaves, daydreaming as he lost himself in the shining light through the canopy. It was a rare moment of peace for him, one he made sure to never miss. Peaceful enough that he couldn't help but close his eyes.



"Ludwik, you're on courtyard duty today, along with Brussel, Reinholt and Nold."

The gruff, but piercing and commanding voice bellowed out the order amongst the group of groundsmen. He was Keith Renzer, the Captain of the Guard for the Holst Estate. All four men wordlessly saluted, their mail clanking with the sudden motion, followed by the men marching out of the barracks. After parting from the doorway, the soldiers parted to begin their routes. As far as estate grounds go, the Duke's land was actually quite small, and only consisted of 20 guards at one moment. Two at each of the three gates, four within the manor, four patrolling the grounds, and six more along the parapets on the walls surrounding the grounds.

This time's guard rotation had Vladimir pacing around one quarter of the courtyard; he counted his blessing as it was the most serene route he could ask for from his work. This courtyard wing was home to one of the two pond sections in the gardens on the estate grounds, but this one in particular was usually reserved for one of the ladies of the manor and her young brother during their breaks from lessons. As his job called for him to pace vigilantly, there was no way he would get a moment with them; not that the nobles would spare their personal moments for a common guard. But watching them both laughing in each others' company was a wonderful way to pass the shift.

While watching them relax from an adjacent edge of the pond, he noticed a shadow creeping along the brush a short ways behind them. No one ever comes here at this time except for these two... He broke out of his wistfulness, recognizing the oddity, and placing a hand on his crossbow as he circled toward them. His gut proved correct, as a man rose from the brush, a crossbow trained toward them himself.

"BOTH OF YOU, GET DOWN!" Vladimir roared while loosing a bolt toward the assailant. The figure managed to dodge, but the crossbow bolt still embedded itself within his shoulder. The assailant's bolt fired wide because of this, but it seems he wasn't going to stop there as he drew a longsword. Vladimir rushed forward, hoping to meet him in time. As he did so, he noticed the two, brother and sister, frozen like frightened deer. He grimaced, knowing there was no chance if they didn't act as well.

"I SAID DOWN! BEHIND THE BENCH! GO!"

Giving them an actual task seemed to snap them out of their stupor somehow as they ducked behind a bench a short ways away from them, giving them some cover. Doing this allowed them to see another mystery man was running for them, blade drawn. There was no time left, so Vladimir decided to lunge. Using a potted plant for a stepping stool, the guardsman leapt through the air, bringing his broadsword over his head and downward towards the assailant. The man was forced to block instead of continuing his charge, with the force of the blow nearly bringing him to his knees. While he was still disoriented, Vladimir took the chance to to kick into the man's waistline, causing him to break stance enough for Vladimir to swipe his sword horizontally. It bit deep into his enemy's side, disabling him.

Vladimir leveled his sword to the man's neck. "Yield, knave."

"Never." The prone man growled out his words as he forced his neck into the sword's tip, killing himself to avoid any chance at interrogation. It was a gruesome action, which had Vladimir grimacing with disgust.

"Don't look. Vladimir called back to the duo behind the bench. "This isn't something you should see. I'll come to you. You'll need to stay close until it's confirmed that no more assassins are on the grounds." He pulled the tip of his sword from the man's throat, then walked to the bench. When he arrived face-to-face with the two of them, he had to hold back his reaction, thankful that his helm somewhat hid his face. The boy, though obviously tear-stained from fright, wore a look of reverence, starry eyes shining up toward Vladimir. As for the lady, well, hers was a normal, grateful expression amongst an equally tear-stained visage. But Vladimir needed to catch his breath from the sight; she was astonishingly beautiful.

The boy was the first to speak. "Thank you for protecting us! But I don't feel safe after that; I want you as our guard. After seeing that, I only trust you. What's your name, guard?" Vladimir was a little taken aback by the request, and saw the lady trying to calm her sibling down, but her glances up at you seemed to have at least some semblance of shared thought with her brother. Vladimir took off his helm, his black, Caesar-cut hair and lightly tanned face exposed to noble's view.

"Vladimir Ludwik, at your service, Milord and Lady."

[Linwelin]

"Good, Eryk! Don't forget to use your legs. That's where the strength of a thrust comes from."

The 'clunk' of wooden swords echoed locally in the courtyard this morning. It was months after the incident with the assassin, and Vladimir had been assigned as Eryk and Liliana's personal body guard. Though, due to Eryk's insistence on being able to defend himself and his sister, Vladimir's job had also developed into that of a sword instructor. Of course, he wasn't about to show the young noble broadsword techniques like he'd displayed the first day they interacted. Instead, he stuck to a more dexterous sword, one which he preferred personally. The rapier.

"Why do I have to learn this style? Your ferocious swordsmanship from back then was much better!" Eryk pouted as he continued practicing with the wooden practice sword.

"Because it takes muscle you don't have, and is unbecoming of a noble." Liliana chimed in from the side, to which Vladimir responded with a thankful glance.

"Besides, your father would have my head if I started teaching you that. And, as milady said a moment ago, this style suits you much better. In fact, it suits me better, too." Vladimir said plainly. "Instead fighting brute force with brute force, the use of a rapier lets you outsmart your opponent, striking with precision. You're cunning, milord, and this weapon lets you use that instead of muscle to fight. To the point that you can defeat those much stronger than you." Vladimir caught himself as he said this, looking at the boy's lackluster stance and footwork. "Well, at least eventually."

"Hrmmmm!" Eryk groaned in annoyance, but seemed to have accepted his fate. Not that it would prevent his uproars about the same thing in the future. Suddenly, some of Vladimir's words clicked in the boy's mind. "Hold on, did you say the rapier suits you better? As in you fair better with it than your broadsword?"

Vladimir blinked in a bit of surprise at the comment. "Yes? It is my favored weapon, broadswords are just required for duty and training in this estate's guard regimen. A sensible enough choice, but I did miss wearing my blade." He patted the hilt of his own rapier at his waist. Having becoming a personal guard allowed him to choose his arsenal, so he felt much more comfortable. "Why, did you think this was just for show now that I'm instructing you in its use?"

"Yes!" The boy blurted out in shock, his eyes wide.

Vladimir looked once again to the side, expecting a humoring look from Liliana. But to his surprise, her eyes were also widened. "Is that really how it is? You were forced to wield a broadsword?"

"Hold on, you both thought I was wearing this real rapier for show?" Vladimir was flabbergasted, but they both nodded their heads.

"If none of what you're wearing is for show..." Eryk continued hesitantly. "Then what is that blade there? I've not seen it before." The noble pointed to the oddly shaped dagger on Vladimir's belt, opposite the rapier.

"Ah, this?" Vladimir drew the small blade with a flourish, its wide, curved edge reaching out and downward from the hilt. "This is a kukri. It's common to jungle tribes in the south here in Doran. It's like a small machete, but I use it like a parrying dagger. Besides, it packs a decent amount of power when my rapier gets locked up in combat." Vladimir twirled it once more before smoothly sheathing it.

The two nobles before him were awestruck. "There's much more to you than I'd have thought. I knew we picked the right man as our guard!" The flattery was something Vladimir found oddly placed, but still brought him a sort of embarrassed pride by being praised.

"You honor me too much, milord. Besides, it is not as though I am the only one amongst your guards that specializes in a different weapon. In fact, I believe only three men actually favor the broadsword, it was chosen only because of its adaptability and power. There are several axemen in the ranks, as well as a few hammer users. The captain is actually proficient with a spiked chain, which is a very unique skill amongst warriors. Everyone is unique." Vladimir realizes he had begun lecturing and reigns himself in. "Pardon me, milord. I had begun rambling. My point was that all people are different, and that includes you. The broadsword would not be efficient for you; you will get the most out of using a rapier, or similar."

It seemed as though his short speech was effective, as both of his charges were enthralled with the information. It occurred to him that combat knowledge was not commonplace among nobles, especially women or children. "I believe that's enough for today. You'd both best get ready for your supper." Vladimir escorted Eryk and Liliana back inside the manor, before heading to his own supper.

The guard looked up into the sky, admiring the cloudscape that was just beginning to turn a shade of yellow due to the impending sunset. He wore a smile on his face, counting his blessings at making his way into these ranks. It was a simple life, but he very much enjoyed it. He hoped it would remain this way for years to come.

[Linwelin]

Years had now passed, and Vladimir continued to be Eryk and Liliana's protector and counsel. The boy had become a young man now, and Liliana was a graceful lady of the court. Vladimir himself, through his loyal service, had gained more prestige within the manor. Though he was still a servant of sorts, he was treated kindly by all who lived at the manor. In fact, his actions throughout the years had led to a more respected treatment of all the manor's servants. The Holst estate had grown in morale, however there were still external threats. Politics is a fickle affair, and to keep this happiness and safety from being spoiled, it is important to make the right 'friends'.

And in recent times, those 'friends' weren't the friendly type. The Duke was in a tight spot where he was threatened to lose his duchy, retaining his title and manor alone. Though Vladimir was not privy to the inner workings of the Duke's political station, he was aware that Duke Holst ruled over a few cities in his land. Seemingly, there was some form of organization setting up to cause unrest, and possible cession, of the Duke's holdings on those lands. For mostly greedy reasons, a neighboring Duke has offered his support, and the two Dukes were planning ways to quell this rebellion. This was all by rumor and whispers among the manor, but whether true or not, it had caused quite a stirring. This included his two charges.

"I don't fancy those Legats. Every one of them have spoken with ambiguity, and even...double entendre! They are a conniving sort; I KNOW they are up to something foul. Eryk was very blunt with his mistrust of the representatives of the Duchy of Legat, their 'friendly' neighbors. "Why must we deal with such undesirables?"

"They are the only ones we can deal with, Eryk." Liliana chimed in, a tone of understanding in her voice, as though she were equally dismayed. "But come now, brother, let us not spoil our afternoon talking of that depressing bunch. After all, we have a more important topic to attend to."

At that announcement, Vladimir was very confused. What matter could be more important to them than noble gossip? The guard mused to himself, knowing full well it wasn't like these two to not gossip. As though on queue, aware of his perception, both of them turn to Vladimir, their eyes directly on his own.

"Uh oh, it seems our guard has begun to suspect something, Eryk." Liliana said in a jesting manner.

"But he doesn't even know what to suspect, dear sister. Not to worry." Eryk said as both of them crept forward, leaving Vladimir feeling very uneasy. However, he did not retreat, instead watching carefully.

"Vladimir. We learned something the other day. Something about you." Liliana continued, the jester turning almost threatening. He almost turned to a cold sweat, not sure what they could have learned, when suddenly they whipped out something from behind their backs.

It was a small, simple pastry.

"Happy birthday, Vladimir!"
"Happy birthday, Vladimir!"

The two of them shouted with glee into the surprised face of the guard. "Huh? Was all Vladimir could muster. He took a moment to count the days on his fingers, then looked back in shock. "Why, no, how did you know!?" The only people who knew were back at the barracks, but it's not like they'd ever celebrate such things. 28 years, huh? Time sure has flown... Vladimir took a look down at the pastry, presented upon a rather nice tea plate. He gratefully took the morsel and carefully bit into it. The guard's eyes immediately lit up.

"This is...sugar!" Sugar use was reserved for the elite. Everyone else used honey and other sweetening resources to attain a similar effect. But this rich sweetness, it nearly had the man in tears. After all, guards did not get anything past a meal you'd find at an inn: mutton, potatoes, root vegetables, chicken. The last time he had something sweet, especially sugary, was immemorable. He looked up, and must have seemed foolish to the two of them. He'd hit the nail on the head, as the two returned looks of concern. After righting himself, he bowed his head lightly. "Thank you, milord, milady. I cannot remember the last time I had such a thing. And a birthday celebration! It has been equally as long. You've truly made my day."

Eryk looked on in surprise this time, "You don't get to eat sugar?" Such a thing was unheard of to the young man

Liliana, however, seemed to know better. "So it's good then? I'm glad."

"Yes! My compliments to the chef." Vladimir exclaimed, taking another bite blissfully.

"Your compliments are heard and appreciated. The woman says proudly.

"Huh?" The guard looks at her, down at the plate, then back to her while pointing down to the plate. "Milady...you made this?

Liliana nods happily, while Eryk chimes in, "After we found out your birthday, she toiled non-stop when she had time, getting help from the chefs. Though she did make this one on her own." Liliana blushed furiously at her brother's words, looking on with an expression of betrayal. The young man only returned a grin, as though to say 'my job is done'.

"Milord, milady, I'm too honored." Vladimir didn't know how to express his gratitude at this fact without stepping out of line.

Liliana held up a finger in warning. "Also, that simply won't do! She paused and smiled, "We have names, you know, Vladimir. Though it will only be among us three, please use them. I do not wish for formalities between friends."

Vladimir hesitated, "Milady, I couldn't-"

Liliana got stern, "Vladimir! 'Milady' is not my name."

The guard hesitated a little more before sighing, with the two across from him wearing smug smiles of victory. "Liliana. Eryk. Thank you. Thank you so much." As soon as the words were spoken, the siblings lunged forward with a group hug. It was the warmest gesture that Vladimir had experienced in a long while.

Suddenly there was a mutter from one among the group hug "He really doesn't get to eat sugar...!" There was only a split-second pause before the laughter from Liliana and Vladimir, and soon after Eryk.