slayer of the boar

she slammed the heavy book on the table without any care for the glaring, old man at the high table, only leveling him with a glare of her own as she plopped herself down before the mousy girl who had the misfortune to get paired with her.

“i only know how to read, but i’m afraid my comprehension skills might not be as high as yours,” she pursed her lips, her glare now focused on branwyn. “where shall we start?”

A bodyguard for the princess? Laws resisted the urge to curl his upper lip in distaste, knowing fully well that– had this been another time, had he been living a life he did before– he’d likely do the same for their bloodthirsty king. He nodded once in understanding. She needn’t explain herself further to him.

On the other hand, Laws supposed it didn’t hurt to explain on his own end just what the hell he was doing here. “I’ve come from the tutor room.” It felt good not to lie so much. “There’s a staircase on this side of the school that leads to an exit closer to my wing of the castle.

“I didn’t mean to startle you.” A beat. “But not everyone would have been quick enough to deflect your ice. You don’t want to kill anyone on accident, here.”

(The keyword there was accident.)

Head cocking in the direction of the door closest to the apparent bodyguard, Laws raised a brow. “Are those her quarters, then? I didn’t know the princess was in this part of the dormitory.”

averil had always known of intricacies in passageways of castles -- no matter what or who lived in it. she learned that the hard way when she first came to live with the royal family. it hadn’t been a pretty lesson with an understanding instructor, but the result of which was quite admittedly very useful for keeping someone safe. 

“i didn’t know that,” she murmured, more to herself, though she didn’t trust the hallways to keep them hushed. she glanced up at the professor and assessed him. since coming to the academy, he hadn’t really shown any signs which could warrant any suspicions from her, so she let this one go. it would just be a waste of precious energy to keep being cautious around him.

the reminder of her careless attack was enough to pull her out of her thoughts. she looked down in shame once more, nibbling gently on her bottom lip as she clenched her jaw. was this a lesson for learning how to apologize? 

“i would never apologize for protecting the princess, but i do apologize for my careless actions. i should have observed first, before acting. it’s different --- inside the academy and outside. i’ve grown used to being alert all the time, that it’s hard for me to accept that... that not all people within these walls mean harm,” she paused, gaze hardening yet again as her fingers stiffened into a fist. she’d messed up. 

Truly, if Laws had his pick of things, he wouldn’t have done after school sessions to begin with.

But there was the whole credo of being a teacher, he supposed, and while he cared little for the actual profession, he’d always been a man of honour (no matter how skewed his version of honour happened to be). Having spent quite a few hours in his office, he now had to make the trek from the academy to the castle he apparently now lived in, and while he had yet to get used to the lavish housing– Laws almost always ended up sleeping outside, anyway– he at least knew this place well enough to know where all the shortcuts were.

One so happened take him through the students’ dorms. This, too, apparently led to him pulling his sword from his back and deflecting the ice coming his way with nothing but a brief gleam of steel in the dim firelight.

“What?” Gods, wasn’t this the kind of thing the school was supposed to prevent? Laws brought his sword arm down slowly so the other person (a woman, he thought) could see it happen, then stepped further into the light with his other hand drawn up in surrender.

Much as he liked the hot-blooded rush of battle, it was too late for any of that shit right now.

“What do you think I’m doing, standing still?”

The sword was sheathed once more, smoothly sliding into its hilt where it was mounted on his back, and Laws’ expression soured in definite distaste. “Easy.”

averil instantly snapped into attention when she heard that voice. it was familiar, one she’d always hear inside one of the classrooms she loathed so much, but one she paid enough respect to, knowing the wisdom behind the words he spilled for the students. 

she pursed her lips as shame washed over her, fingers curling and uncurling as she tried to compose herself long enough to admit her fault in this particular situation.

it’s not often that she’d apologize for any action done to protect her princess, but... just this once.

“i apologize,” she murmured, hoping the professor would hear her in the silence of the hallway. “i was only protecting the royal princess.”

it wasn’t so often that averil left her princess’ side for one second, but tonight was a special night. her princess needed time alone to herself, and averil would always be the first person to obey. it was only after making sure that no hole or passage was left unblocked by a thick layer of ice that averil made herself scarce — opting to stay just a few distances away from the princess’ quarters. 

she must have been standing for a good five minutes in the dim hallway when she noticed the shifting of air to her left. her eyes snapped to the direction from which she saw the movement and, without forewarning, sent shards of ice in the shape of spearheads. 

it was a threat more than an attack, to keep whoever was out there from the princess’ general location. 

“walk away,” she grunted. “whoever you are.”

averil watched the protective layer of ice melt from her hand, briefly feeling the lingering cold from its touch before it was immediately replaced by the warmth provided by the exertion of training with her ward. “i do not see any need to learn from books, princess,” she insisted, lips pursing again as her jaw worked. “i only need to hone my gifts, so i may use them to protect you. i do not need to be... a scholar of some sort.” she sniffed quietly, not liking the reminder of those whom she saw at the library earlier. “they have their noses buried deep within their books. wasted time, if you ask me, when they could be learning how to save themselves from savages.”

katheryn winnick, cisfemale, she/her ♛ gracing the halls of the academy is averil woods from the region of trasnavda. they are known to be of commoner blood and they are thirty-five years old. their gift is cryokinesis and regeneration, and they have been in the academy for 2 months. i hear that they are reliable & solicitous and they remind me of a burning candle in a windless night, the swirling red in the river of death, and a hovering beast in the shadows of nighttime, i guess that’s why they call them the unapologetic. after their graduation, i can see them becoming a warrior when they go on to serve their king.