The next day and the two weeks following, Iris was caught up in doing the same things. She had formed a sort of routine now. She'd wake up and eat, and then she would train with Kelgar, Kayde, and even General Zayn depending on the day. During that time, Iris was surprised to find herself more widely known amongst her peers --even so much as to be the topic of some of their discussions. Internally, she worried about standing out.
Iris knew in her heart that if they started watching her closely --she'd have less leeway when it came to her acting. One wrong move in front of the right eyes could very well be the end of her disguise, and she knew it too. Because of that knowledge, she'd had one too many scares with her mates. There were times where she'd walk into the cabins to find them whispering about her to each other. The whispers were indeed compliments --but how long before she heard something she didn't want to hear.
As for who'd been the one that started all the talk about her, Iris had to assume that it had been the other rogues in her training group. They'd been the ones to see her fight the most, after all, aside from Kelgar, who wasn't prone to gossip. Ah, that part didn't matter though. What mattered was that once the rumor of her had spread throughout the cabins, she had been constantly observed --especially her training sessions with Kelgar.
At any rate, Iris rose from her rest bright and early and fully equipped herself to go train with Kayde. She was quick about her preparation, wanting to spend as much time as possible with her mentor. She fluttered out the door in minutes, finding him standing in their usual meeting-place. However, today, he wore no weapon at his side. He wasn't dressed for combat, either --he was dressed for riding.
"What is this?" she motioned to his attire.
"I suppose I should let you know that I will be gone for a couple of days. For now, you are indeed well equipped to take care of yourself here. I need time to go gather some more supplies and perhaps even report your progress to your father. Worry not, I will ride as fast as I can. If you truly think you need me to stay a few more days, though --I will not argue. But know that I do need more supplies, dear girl, and I believe now is the best time to go retrieve them."
In a way, it felt strange that he was asking for her permission to go. In fact, now that Iris thought about it, there had been a lot of strange things with Kayde lately. For instance, an odd bond of camaraderie had now come over the two --a bond that served as quite an extension to the encounter they'd had on the way to the camp.
"I understand. I'll be alright, I suppose. Go on and get your things." Iris gave him a small smile. "Stay safe."
She turned away from him. It truly felt odd that she would not be working with him this morning. Iris had been quite accustomed to having him there with her day by day. She shook the discomforting thought that he was leaving and reminded herself that he'd be back before she knew it. A positive thought surfaced --she could rest more now. Perhaps she could even rest as much as the rest of the rogues were able to. Ah yes, she could handle herself indeed. And that thought made her want to smile.
That feeling however, only lasted a moment.
Even though the last few weeks had run smoother than she'd originally thought they would, Iris indeed remembered that she might very well still die on the battlefield. Somehow, though, that truth didn't scare her quite as much as it had in the beginning. Ah, maybe it hadn't fully hit her yet. Perhaps now that she had to worry less about fitting in at camp, she would begin to digest the idea that in a short amount of time, other men would actually be trying to kill her.
When Iris arrived back at her cabin, she noticed immediately that some of the rogues were already awake. Which was all fine and good, but it surely didn't stop her from climbing back under her blankets and going right to sleep. For the first time it what felt like a lifetime, Iris shut her eyes until the sun was high in the sky. In fact, she might have slept even longer had Kelgar not roused her from her dreams.
"Since when do you sleep in, lad?" he asked once her eyes were fully cognizant.
Iris rose again for the second time that morning, letting out a small yawn. Her throat stung remarkably at the action, yet she was quite used to it by now --what with all the prickled fruit Kayde had graciously supplied for her to eat. It took Iris a long moment to finally respond to her teacher.
"Since today, I guess." The answer was a sort of jest.
"Well, since you're here and not off somewhere, I figured we might get an early start on our session."
The words were music to her ears. Every waking moment she could spend bettering herself was another moment away from being able to fully protect herself. Over the past few weeks now, Kelgar had indeed been an important friend to have. He'd taught her quite a lot and had not given up on her once, even on techniques she hadn't been so quick to grasp.
"Sounds like a good plan. I could use the extra practice."
For a moment, Kelgar just shook his head in disbelief at her statement and chuckled inwardly. Iris couldn't help but wonder why. After all, she'd spoken the truth --she'd only been here a little over a month now. Even though she was quicker to pick up the skills than most of the other news recruits, she was far from being a master at her craft.
"Wish everyone here was like you, lad," Kelgar commended. "Practice is good. It's almost funny how everyone here is wondering why you're coming along so quick. A good bit of them don't understand that dedication can bring you a long way. The way you carry yourself... reminds me of some of the masters. I imagine you'll be among them one day." Now, Kelgar paused, letting the compliment sink in. "Ah come on, lad. We got things to go over."
Iris nodded in reply and quickly re-secured her topknot, which had fallen loose in her sleep. She stood now, lengthening her body into a long stretch before following Kelgar out the dootr and to their usual location. While they were readying themselves to spar, they casually chatted amongst themselves.
"So, general talked to you any more lately?" Kelgar asked as he stretched one of his hamstrings.
Iris thought about those words for a long moment. "Aside from what he's told my training group collectively? No. But that's expected. I'm sure he's got a lot more important things to deal with than keep up with me, after all."
Kelgar conceded with a nod of his head. "Ah, you're not wrong. I was just curious. I'm surprised he's kept up with you as much as he has already. I suppose he likes you. It's like you're one of his prized soldiers or something."
"His prized soldiers? What do you mean?"
"Haven't you heard about scouting groups?" he asked, and then continued when he noted the blank look on her face. "I suppose not. Alright, well the deal is: any time they have to call for draftees, the general at the time picks a scouting group. It's been somewhat of a tradition in the past couple of decades from what I've heard." Kelgar paused for a minute. "Here's how it goes: every day on the last day of training camp, the general calls a camp-wide meeting. At that meeting, he picks a few select men to join his scouting group --he picks the best of the best. Usually, one warrior, one swordsman, one rogue, and two archers are called to serve in such a group. And then, those men go and perform very risky missions. What those are exactly? Not a clue. Not a damned clue. I've not had the honor of joining."
Iris listened intently, a bit perplexed at what she'd just heard.
"Wait, he doesn't stay with the main force? Is that safe?" Her questions made Kelgar laugh.
"War is never safe, lad." Kelgar sobered. "But, I know what you mean. There are sergeants and captains under him that he communicates with. They're good at his strategies, so everything should be alright --eh, as alright as battle can be. The general himself supposedly goes about knocking holes in other places. Big places, I guess. Like I said, that's all I really know for fact."
Kelgar stood from where he was sitting and shook some loose dirt particles from his leather boots. Granted, it didn't do him much good --the movement only stirred up another cloud of dirt from the ground. Then, he spoke. "You ready?"
Iris stood and gave him a curt nod. They began to spar moments afterward. As they went, Kelgar taught her a few new techniques --well, sort of. Essentially, most of them were just new ways to go about the attacks she'd already learned --an expansion of knowledge, as it were. It was important to know though. Any information she could possibly glean about fighting against each style was necessary information indeed.
He did teach her a new move, however --a challenging one for when Iris was surrounded. The footwork of it was very intricate, and it required quite a bit of specialized dagger cuts. Iris tried to be as precise as he had been, though it took her half an hour to even really begin to grasp the new technique. Yet, even though she faltered at first, Kelgar still remained proud of her. And once he was proud and satisfied enough with her, he taught her how to defend against it.
Due to her newfound understanding of the move, she found it a great deal easier to learn the defensive side.
Iris prided herself at how quickly she'd been able to grasp it. Kelgar simply nodded in acknowledgement of her swift success and then went on to teach her the next thing. And for two hours, they sparred. Iris noticed a difference in her muscles and endurance then. She'd become more resilient with the exercising she's been doing and now it was certainly making an impact in her fight. In fact, the exertion almost felt good to her.
After training, Kelgar parted ways with her and turned to walk away. Without thought, Iris called him back. His damp, brown hair swung slightly as he whirled back around to face her. His expression was inquisitive as he met her gaze with dark eyes.
"Thanks for all the help." Iris gave him a small smile --not large enough to give away her identity.
He chuckled and nodded in response before disappearing off into the camp.
After Kelgar was indeed gone, Iris began to run. She took a new path on the outskirts of the woods. Due to her intense training, the run proved tiresome --and the climbing even more so. She knew it had to be done though --it had to be done to survive. That's what Iris told herself, at least, with every stop she took and every tree she scaled. It served as her primary encouragement now that Kayde wasn't there to egg her on.
The thought of him sent a bit of worry through her. She truly did hope he made it back safe.
Iris had no doubt that he would come back just fine. He'd trained to protect himself nearly all of his life, after all. Perhaps she'd feel even more comforted if she knew the extent of all that he'd learned. As far as right now went, she hardly had a clue exactly what he'd been doing over the years --and he hadn't elaborated on their little journey either.
Ah, she'd ask him later, perhaps.
After she'd had all she could take of her exercise, she made her way to the small river that Kayde had discovered two weeks ago. She bathed quickly, but greedily, doing everything she could to remove the sweat from her skin. And dear gods, it was heaven to do so. The cool water felt wonderful to her aching body. It felt so good that she lamented having to get out and put on all her armor again --yet she did.
She walked away from the river a while later, pulling her hair back up out of her face and into a knot.
Because today was not her group's training day with the general, she had no idea what she might do next. Iris took it minutes at a time afterward. Across the next couple of hours, she'd visited the mess hall and watched some of the other men train. It indeed felt bizarre to be a spectator this time around.
Eventually, Iris decided to go back to her bed. Absentmindedly, she sorted through her things and organized them properly. As she worked on finding a good place for her things, she opened the pouch of fruits Kayde had given her and dug for one. As she grabbed a small morsel, she felt something strange against the back of her hand. Was that... parchment?
Iris grabbed the foreign object and pulled it from the bag. Indeed... it was a small bit of parchment, neatly rolled up. Perhaps a message? Iris unfurled it to find neat handwriting on its pale surface.
Ingred,
Though I am away, I hope you will not get lazy in your training. If you do... I will know. I promise you that.
-K
Iris rolled her eyes and chuckled in spite of her self. How did she not expect something like this from Kayde? Of course he would still find a way to harass her about something. She didn't even take time to consider when he'd smuggled this into her pouch. She was already far too accustomed to his antics to be disturbed by the fact that he'd been able to sneak through her things without being caught. After a few more seconds, Iris rolled up the scroll and stuffed it back in the pouch with her fruits, now throwing one of them into her mouth.
She would burn the note later.
Perhaps she was being overly cautious, but she didn't want any chance of Kayde being caught helping her. That would be a recipe for disaster if there ever was one, even if he truly meant no hard.
Iris clucked her tongue at his overconfidence, now with every intention of scolding him when he got back.
Now, Iris chuckled. That would certainly make for a delightful change of pace.