Forging Rust

by Reserved Rodent

co-authored with AJH

Chapter Seventeen

He would make everyone proud

The next morning, Lord Chase stepped out of his tent before dawn. The camp was quiet, with only snores and soft moans coming from the tents. He stalked towards the sparring circle, wearing only pants, a jerkin and his longsword.

Squire Rust stood in the circle, facing Lord Dynosius. The rat's bare chest fur was wet with sweat, his shirt laid out by his sword on the ground just outside the circle.

The shirtless lion caught sight of the lynx and grinned. “Your Squire is a glutton for punishment. I hadn't realized he was waiting for you when I asked him if he wanted a rematch after he wandered over here cooling down from his morning run."

Lord Chase gave a short chuckle as he grabbed a pawful of dirt, rubbing it into his palms to improve his grip. “Yes. We're supposed to be training, but I see you've already put the youngster through a drill."

The Squire's ears twitched, but the rat remained respectfully quiet as he padded over to pick up his own blade in preparation for training.

“Three bouts this morning," the lion nodded, moving out of the ring. “He's fun to spar with – actually gets harder to fight each time. The sneaky rat is learning things and adjusting." The tawny-furred Knight settled in to watch.

The lynx pulled his own shirt off, settling his sword across his back. “Are you sure you're up to another bout, Rust?" the Knight asked as he stepped into the ring.

Drawing his blade, the Squire showed his readiness. “Yes sir. We don't always get to be fresh in a fight."

Grinning, the Knight drew his blade, pointing it at the rat, fencing style. His arm muscles tensed as he held the longsword with the strength of only one limb “True. Begin."

Rust immediately pressed the attack with quick, powerful swings. The form and speed of the moves showed marked improvement since the pair's last bout.

The feline's eyes narrowed as he turned and deflected the blows. After a few seconds, Lord Chase shifted his stance to two-handed and returned the attack with sweeping blows.

Ears flat with concentration, Rust redirected the longsword's trajectory, nimbly avoiding the adjusted swings.

The Knight suddenly stepped into the Squire's guard, using his larger body to push the rat back and swinging for his chest on the riposte.

Rust's shorter blade rang out against the attack, moving it higher than Lord Chase intended. The rodent ducked under the swing, keeping close to his opponent and punching the feline in the kidney.

“Oof!" Chase growled and stepped behind the smaller male and rammed an elbow into the back of the rat's head, before pushing him away and thrusting at his chest.

With a quick shake of his head, Rust spun to the side of the thrust, blade coming around at the lynx's shoulder.

The Knight parried and stepped back, disengaging with a two-handed guard up. “Good... you're... learning!"

Sweat soaking and darkening his grey chest fur as he assumed a guard, the rat gave a nod. “Only way... to survive, sir."

“Also true." Guard still up, the Knight began slowly circling his Squire. “And you did survive, didn't you, gutter-rat?" The lynx flashed a nasty grin, fangs showing.

“Yes," Rust replied calmly, not reacting to the name-calling, keeping his guard up and turning so the lynx stayed in the rat's sight. Two heart-beats later, the rodent darted forward, blade spinning and jabbing at the Knight's chest.

Chase deflected the first three thrusts, then found himself disarmed as his blade was twisted and flung from his grip. The Knight back-flipped twice, bringing his paws up after landing in a swirl of dust. “Fuck..."

Rust smiled and let out a soft whistle. “Impressive dodge."

The lynx kept his paws high and remained silent.

Lord Dynosius applauded, calling out, “Finish it!"

Rust frowned, ears flicking. “Surrender, lynx. You don't have to die today."

“I'm not beaten, rodent," Chase growled, paws still up. “You'd do well to remember your place, street-scum."

“My place was why I gave you the option to surrender."

The Squire dashed at the larger male as if to run him through, but instead of thrusting with the blade, the rat kicked at the lynx's feet, trying to take them out from under the Knight.

With natural agility, Chase simply stepped to one side, trapped the blade, disarmed the rat and clouted him on the ears, dropping Rust to the ground with one smooth motion.

Looking down at his Squire, the Knight finally noticed his chest, where blood welled through a shallow cut. “Ha! Damn..." the feline held a paw down to the rat. “You win. Well done, my Squire."

The rat blinked, shaking his head to clear it before accepting the offered paw. “Thanks, sir."

Chase pulled Rust to his feet and embraced the smaller male. “That was very impressive! Although in hand-to-hand, I still have some edges." Smiling, the Knight rubbed noses with his Squire, then stepped back.

The lion clapped.

Ears flicking, Rust smiled. “Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out how best to beat large felines in hand-to-hand.

The lynx ruffled the rat's ears and picked up his longsword from the dirt, sheathing it in the leather across his wide back. “I'm very impressed, my Squire. You're a fast-learner!" The feline's large paw dropped from the rodent's ears to pat his rump “I'm proud to have you."

“Thank you, sir. Should I bring us breakfast to your tent?"

“Not this morning. I've got a busy time of it. Some Squire wants to talk to a prisoner he captured, so I have to get that arranged for him."

“Thank you, sir,"the rodent replied, smiling.

Sweat mostly dried from his fur, the lynx tugged on his jerkin. “I've also got the flag-masters ready for your Squire crest. Have you settled on one?"

“Yes, sir," Rust smiled. “I'd like to add a swift in flight to signify my quickness and agility."

“I'll get that settled too. Your time is your own until lunch. I'll meet you back here at the training ring then."

“Sounds good, sir." Rust nodded, turning to grab his shirt and get some breakfast while the two feline Knights started chatting about his training schedule.

As the rat bent down to pick up his jerkin, he squinted and brought a paw up to feel the newly formed knot behind his scarred ear. He quickly blinked and grabbed the shirt. He didn't turn back to face the felines as he put it on, shaking his head a little before heading towards the mess tent.

The morning was still early enough that few had turned up for breakfast yet, so there was no line.

Kanin gave the rat a big grin as he entered the tent. “Good morning, Squire Rust. Would you like your usual breakfast or are you changing things up since you're here a little later?"

The rodent brought a paw up to rub the knot behind his scarred ear as he approached the hare. “Could I get some hot sage or chamomile tea with breakfast? If so, leave the bag in, please. Lord Chase wanted to spar with me at the crack of dawn and I took a severe ear boxing instead of getting breakfast already."

The mute mouse assistant, Martin, gasped and moved closer before Kanin spoke up. “Martin, get the tea – he needs that more than you worrying over him. Squire, go sit down. Did you need me to get Lord Treon or one of the other healers?"

“No, thank you." Rust moved to the closest bench, sitting heavily and leaning his elbows to rest on the table. “The tea will help, as will some breakfast."

“If you're sure. But don't hesitate to ask if you need to see someone." The hare dished up cooked eggs, meat and potatoes, bringing them over with an apple. As he set them down, he shook his head. “We don't need you thinking you can't get help as needed."

“I appreciate the thought and I promise I'll go over to see a healer after I get food in my belly. An empty belly slows down the effectiveness of anything they can do anyway. Mom's old remedy for our bumps and bruises might take care of the problem also." Rust smiled and started digging into the meal set on the table.

“Mothers' remedies can be very effective sometimes." The hare patted the Squire's back before walking back to his duties.

The mouse brought a steaming cup over. He set it down, watching the larger rodent take a deep sniff.

“Sweet, smoky apples. Not quite mom's camomile tea, but smells wonderful. Thank you, Martin." Rust smiled at the mouse, who blushed, his paw reaching out as if to touch the Squire's arm.

“Good morning, Squire Sid!" Kanin yelled, making Martin jump and rush back to the line before touching the rat.

The fox walked in, yawning and rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Hi Kanin. A plate of something to give me energy, please." Sid took the plate the hare got ready for him, as well as a cup of coffee from Martin. He grinned when he turned and finally noticed Rust, who was just removing the tea bag from his mug and gently squeezing the excess water out of it.

“Mind if I join you, Rust?" The orange-furred Squire asked as he padded over to the table.

“Your company is always welcome, Sid." The rat pressed the damp tea bag against the knot on his head, lip twitching.

“Do I want to know why you're doing that?" The fox sat down and started digging into the bacon on his plate.

“Chase boxed my ears hard during our sparring this morning. This is something my mom used to do when we got banged up."

“You know we've got better treatments than teabags, right?" Sid grinned.

“I don't think we need to pull out the battle medicine for boxed ears." Rust frowned, “Mom also taught us not to waste things that weren't needed."

“Trust me, Rust, the healers and your lord would rather you make use of some medicine than suffer long term damage because you didn't go see them after losing a training match."

“It was sparing, and I won." The rat shook his head, squinting then blinking a little.

The fox leaned closer, looking the rodent in his eyes. “You won a practice against Lord Chase?"

“Yes disarmed him and drew first blood." Rust grinned and sat up tall in his chair. “I'm starting to imagine I can actually do this. I never felt so quick and focused as I did in that fight. My body was predicting his moves and reacting without me having to over-think anything. I'm actually..."

In his mind's eye, Squire Rust imagined himself becoming a strong warrior. He Led Knights and warriors against the barbarian horde. He faced off against the enemy leader, a huge saber-toothed tiger with dark fur – the color of freshly turned soil. His shoulders bore the mark of several scars from whips. This was the barbarian's leader. The villain that drove them to attack the Brotherhood's lands.

Rust saw himself fighting the massive feline, using every trick in the book, feeling confident that – just like in his training – he could defeat anyone. He fought with consummate skill; parrying, riposting, his feet stirring the dust into a whirl in the low twilight.

He could see everything in that moment. He saw the whirling melee around him. His paws felt every solid blow. The shouts and screams of the other warriors on the field filled his ears. The smell of sweat, smoke, blood and worse hung heavy in every breath.

Then, with a sudden finality, the saber-tooth's sword drove into Rust's chest, piercing his heart.

As he died, the rat heard Lord Chase's cry of fury and anguish.

The rodent snapped his eyes open.

He was sat in the chair still. In the tent.

Sid watched the rat closely. “Rusty? You okay? Your eyes fluttered and you went kinda glassy-eyed mid-sentence. I think we should get you to a healer to make sure you don't have a concussion."

The rat set the tea bag down on the table, his other paw moving to rub his chest over his heart absently. “I'm okay."

The fox leaned closer. “Most people who are actually okay don't sound so surprised when they say that."

“Sorry," Rust laughed. “While my head is hurting and I'm a little dizzy, I am okay. I'm also hungry – I did a lot more this morning. I'm sure I'll feel better after eating." The rat started digging into the plate of food.

“Rusty, it sounds like it might be a concussion. Please..." Sid stopped talking when the rat looked up from his plate.

“Sid, I'm fine. If I'm still dizzy after breakfast, I'll go see the healers. If not, we can let you doctor my bump with your first aid kit."

The fox's ears folded back. “I'm sorry I got you in trouble with Lord Chase when I treated your wounds yesterday."

Chewing a mouthful of meat and potatoes, the rat shook his head before swallowing the food. “I could have stopped you, Sid. I'm as much to blame as you – more so, since I knew we shouldn't – not there. I was told to not do anything like that in his tent again, and I won't."

Sid tilted his head, ears lopsided. “He didn't punish you?"

“No. Well, not exactly. Lord Chase was very intense with me later." The rat grinned and winked. “Which was rough, but not exactly punishment for me. It also got a lot of aggression about what we did out of his system, I imagine."

Shaking his head, the fox gave a smirk. “So long as you're okay with it, I suppose I can't say anything about intense relations with one's lord."

“True. You've been sore more than one morning." The rat scooped the last of his meat and potatoes into his maw and pocketed the apple.

Sid laughed. “I think every time you're here, you pocket something. You don't have to horde food."

“I don't horde it, I just like to have some with me in case of emergency."

The fox let out a bark of laughter. “A snack emergency? Again, you can always come grab an apple... or block of cheese..." Sid made a passable rodent squeaking noise and grinned.

“Unless I'm busy training, or any other number of activities."

Sid chuckled. “You do seem to have a number of activities that keep you busy."

“I do try to keep busy. I have a lot to catch up on, even on my mornings off."

“Is that why you're always eating so quickly?" The fox took another bite from his less than half-finished plate.

“No. Growing up with more siblings than fingers is the reason for that. There wasn't ever any leftovers and rarely enough for seconds, so you got as much as you could from the start and devoured it before anyone else finished and decided they wanted some of yours."

“Sounds like you were all ravenous beasts."

“Yes. Mother referred to us as dreaded teenagers." Rust grinned and stood up. “I am feeling much better with a full tummy, so I think I'll go get a shower in before figuring out what training to squeeze in before my lord needs me at lunch."

“If I didn't have chores to see to myself, I'd have to have some words with you about ditching me. Instead, I'll just point out that if you don't have time to wait for me to finish so I can doctor your bump to the head, you can go see the healers."

The rat grinned and patted the fox on his shoulder as the rodent left the tent.

By lunchtime, Rust still had not seen the healers or treated the bump. While there was still a small knot there, it caused him no pain, so he ignored it as he approached the training circle.

The usual crowd of Squires – from as young as ten to as old as mid twenties – cheered, clapped and exchanged bets as they watched the action in the circle.

The rat walked over to the ring, greeting Squires Maul and Zeek as he made his way close enough to see the bout. A few younger Squires the rodent had not yet learned the names of pressed gently against his legs as he neared the side of the ring.

In the ring, Rust's master was sparring with another feline – a lion. As the Squire watched, Lord Chase brought down his opponent with a two-punch and kick combo that left the well-built opponent semi conscious on the ground. The lynx's fur dripped with sweat, though the Knight was not yet winded.

Rust winced as the blows landed, and resisted the urge to reach up and feel the knot behind his ear. As a pair of warriors helped the lion out of the ring, the rat stepped into the ring to be the next challenger.

The Squires near him both cheered and jeered Rust, depending on if they wanted to see him succeed more than they expected him to fail.

On the far side of the ring, the shirtless lynx glanced over at his Squire with a concerned smile. “As keen as I am to raise my Squire to be the best, I am not sure you can take another round against me, Rust."

The rat grinned back, stretching and saying nothing as he mentally pictured how to defeat the big feline. He would make everyone proud.

As he concentrated, the preparations in his mind's eye shifted, like oil on water.

Bloody wounds covered Lord Chase's chest as he knelt, head lowered, in the red mud. His left arm was hanging limp, while his right was a bloody stump above the elbow.

The dark-furred saber-tooth that had struck down Rust stepped closer to his fallen lord, blade pointing at the lynx's heaving chest. “You've lost, Chase. Not only did I kill your dear, overconfident Squire, but you – as sorry as you are – are all that is left of the Brotherhood."

The lynx looked up, revealing a bloody slash across his face that had destroyed his eyes. “You are still a worthless, fallen Knight, Vander."

“Winning and alive seems more worthwhile than lost and forgotten." The saber-toothed feline had raised his two-handed sword to finish off the lynx, pausing to savor the kill, when another figure rushed in to stand between the big male and his fallen, blinded adversary.

“Wait!" shouted the blurred figure – a smaller saber-toothed feline, paws raised. This new male was dressed in barbarian armor and had facial features similar to Vander, but his fur pattern and coloration looked a near match to the lynx kneeling behind him. “You've talked about vengeance for so long, wouldn't killing him reduce his suffering? Why not let him live to remember this defeat for the rest of his life? He's broken and no longer a threat to you."

The two-handed sword slowly lowered. “An interesting idea. Of course, I'll have to break him some more to make sure he doesn't ever think of his own vengeance."

Slowly, Rust blinked as his eyes refocused on the ring. His whiskers twitched as his suddenly pale ears flattened. He took a step back. “As... as you wish, my lord. I will save my strength for another time." The rat turned and walked back through the crowd, ignoring the disappointed groans of those who had been looking forward to the match.

Lord Chase frowned a moment, then moved to push through the crowd and catch up with his Squire. Once past the others, and seeing the rat was moving fast back towards the tents, the Knight called softly, “Squire, stop."

The rodent stopped, took a deep breath and turned back to face the approaching lynx.

Chase tilted his head. “What is it?"

Twitching ears regaining color and growing a little red, the rat shook his head. “I... I saw my pride creating a situation I did not like." A slight smile appeared briefly. “Besides, I get to have training with you all the time. I don't need a public bout today. I can... Well, if it's been arranged, I can use the time to ask my prisoner some questions. See if he will talk to me."

The Knight stepped close to the rat, resting a paw on his shoulder. He held his Squire's gaze for several seconds before giving a nod. “You've got permission to see the prisoner. Come see me when you're done." Chase turned and returned to the circle.