~February 11th, 1424
The Raven stood across the field with a dagger in hand. Waiting for the boy she trained to strike at her.
Sentry, now ten years of age felt prepared for a real fight with her. Where the first to draw blood would win. Sentry wielded a short sword in one hand, and a dagger in the other. A perfect mix of mid and close range that he felt comfortable with.
Without missing a mark, Sentry ran at her. Leaping at her with a stroke from the sword. The Raven uses her dagger to smack the blade aside, reaching to grab Sentry, but the boy had size on his side. Quickly ducking below her sight and going for her legs, forcing the Raven to leap back to avoid any damage. But Sentry was persistent. Persistent to prove himself right here to her that he was not weak. That he would be worthy of the title of Raven.
He thrusted his sword at her to keep her at a range, before trying to move in close with his dagger. The Raven carried and retaliated with her own dagger, but Sentry caught on to her style of fighting. Using his own dagger to clash against hers, trying to use the sword to slash at her. The Raven narrowly catching his arm mid strike, stopping it in the process.
"You are catching on. It's about time."
Sentry grit his teeth, trying to force the blade closer to her face. She stood firm, her grip like iron, and her body unmoving. Like trying to push against a boulder.
She could see the struggle in his eyes as she leaned in closer to taunt the boy.
"What's the matter little dove? No more bite left?"
Sentry rips free from her grasp, leaping back and kicking off the floor to charge at her.
The sound of their steel clashing sounded like it's own battlefield of just two. The fight looking more like a dance between the two. A dance of blades that clanked off of one another, echoing throughout the tree line. A dance between two birds of prey, as a mother bird teaches their baby bird to use their talons to kill.
The Raven observed Sentry's movements. Though the boy was not human, even then, he still was improving at a comfortable rate. His movements nearly as fluid like hers, but with his own original style added onto it. She had taught him to move with the nimble grace of dancers, he displayed such movements as fluid as water, the flow of his strikes could be a calm wave, or a harsh hurricane. He wasn't perfect of course, but he was making leaps and bounds. Even if she had to hold back to fully see his growth.
Sentry slices at her face thinking he has her right where he wants her, but his eyes widen as he feels a blunt concentrated pain being driven into his stomach. Sending a force upward and through his body, making him gasp for air as he nearly drops the blades, hunching over to gasp for air.
"Don't think just because you're on the ground your enemy will stop there. They'll want your head boy."
She moves in with her dagger as Sentry forces air into his system to recover, forcing a sharp breath against the pressure in his gut. He staggers lightly as he throws the sword at her. Her eyes widen lightly at the action, forcing her to quickly duck under the blade, but she is caught off guard by a pain across her face. Sentry had rushed in, planting his boot firmly across her cheek. Her vision was slightly hazy from the heard unexpected strike, even making her fall back and land sitting on the ground.
Sentry moved in, tackling her down as he pressed the dagger to her throat. The Raven looked up at him with blood dripping down from her nose as Sentry looked town at her, feeling a sense of victory within himself. But the light of victory was soon snuffed out as the Raven quickly grabbed his wrist in a vice grip, twisting it to a point where holding his blade became impossible. He dropped it and it was swooped into her grasp. She moved with the precision of the wind itself as she flipped the tables, pinning Sentry down with his face to the dirt and his own blade to his neck.
"The job isn't finished till one of us is dead. Remember, in a re4al fight, never let your guard down, even after their heart stops."
She spins the blade in her hand, stabbing it into the ground next to his face. Standing from the ground, she takes out a pipe, lighting it with her magic. Taking a puff of it as she blows the smoke out into the air. Sentry takes the dagger as he stands up, cracking his neck and stretching, letting out a sigh of relief that they were done for the day. The Raven looked at him with a sense of pride within her. Lightly feeling happy that he's progressed so far. He was already somewhat proficient because of his biology and keen senses, but now he felt like he was more refined. Ready for combat now more than ever. All he needed now was time.
"Master Raven, I must ask out of curiosity, if that is alright with you."
His voice was soft and innocent to her, like a sweet melody to her ears. She maintained a serious expression as she continued smoking, but she gives him enough attention to respond.
"Speak Sentry."
Sentry gathers himself to speak as he was still a bit intimidated by her. Not out of fear, but he had never met someone with this overwhelming of a presence, even though he had been around her more than anyone in the Parliament.
"Why is it you do not have a Nightingale?"
"Simple. They died. My work is too dangerous to have them be too close."
Sentry seemed a tad bit surprised. But also he seemed to understand how something of that caliber may happen, it made him a little worried for the future, as if all that he will have to do began to suddenly crash into the contorts of his mind. It made him worry for Éloise, that in the future she would meet a similar fate of death. The Raven would swear she saw his very soul leave his body, like death would be coming for him instead.
How sympathetic.
"Don't give way to such trivial fears Sentry. Your Nightingale may live, as long as you are smart about how you lead them into the dark."
She could see the worry still traced in Sentry's soft face. He was so adorably worried, it made her remember when she last felt this worried. When she was a dove. She reaches over to Sentry, her hand meeting his head as she strokes his hair. She stows her pipe into her sleeve as she meets his height, pulling him into a warm embrace. She hushed his worries with her touch alone, her body was warm when up close, even through her black dress.
Sentry wrapped his little arms around her as she held him close.
"Your fears are natural Sentry, but do not let fear of the future cloud your best instincts. You are too smart for that, I should know I am your master."
She says with a small ever so faint smirk painted onto her lips. Sentry looked up at her with a tinge of fear. But it seemed to slowly vanish the longer this embrace went. Instead of fear, like a child his mind was instilled with curiosity's of the world. He wondered about the dangers he could not see, only heard about. Like the war between France and England.
"Master, what is going on with the war between our nations?"
She lightly rolls her eyes, a light scoff from her lips at the mention of the war.
"We may live in France, but it is NOT our nation."
"But why are they at war in the first place? Is it purely out of such a deep hatred?" Sentry asked.
The Raven sat on the grass as she pulled Sentry to the ground as well to sit with her.
"Hate? No. This isn't hate, boy. Hate is honest. This war is greed with a crown on its head."
She pulls the pipe from her sleeve, lighting it with the magic fire from her finger tips, taking a deep inhale before exhaling the light smoke into the air above them before her gaze falls back down the Sentry.
"The English king claims the French throne by blood. The French king refuses. So, for near a hundred years, they send children to kill children while lords sip wine and count coin. One side shouts 'France!', the other 'England!', but both banners are soaked the same red."
"So, no one is right in the fighting?"
"Depends on what you mean by right. No, there is no right in the end though. There is only who survives. Kings pretend at God's will, but I've seen enough blood to know God does not crown kings. Men do. And men are monsters in better clothes. Remember this, Sentry. The war between France and England is nothing but a veil. The true war is always against what lurks in the dark. That's why we exist. That's why I trained you."
He nods as he sits with her.
"But... what if when I go hunt the monsters, I get mixed into the war?"
"The only way you'd get involved with the war is if you had to hunt vampires. They are the most irritating beasts to fight who can seduce themselves into the inner circles of nobles and the aristocrats of any nation. Witches too, but witches don't hide as well as vampires."
She reaches over and pets Sentry's head.
"If you want my honest opinion, just stay away from the war unless you absolutely have no choice."
Sentry takes her words to heart, deciding to respect the wishes of his master. Thinking it best to trust her words with all she may have been through. Her scars tell stories that Sentry would wish she would tell. She stands up lightly reaching for her belt as she grabs a pouch of miscellaneous items in her bag.
"Now, I understand you are skilled with a blade, but your magic is... lacking for lack of a better term."
Sentry nods as the Raven looks down at him.
"It's not fine Sentry. Your blood, while confusing even for me to grasp, I can sense traces of Arcane in your very blood. Even after all our time together I can never identify what you are, but I know magic must appeal to you in some way. So, are you just being lazy?"
"N-No! I swear! I read all the texts you give me... I mean, I try to, but I was helping Éloise with her Nightingale research."
The Raven let's out a sigh, irritation lacing her body, fighting the urge to slap Sentry upside the back of his head for his insolence.
"Sentry, one day I will not be here. I will die, possibly even sooner than you expect. If I fail to teach you magic now, then you will never learn down the line. Not many witches are willing to share their teachings so easily."
"I can cast magics. It's just, a lot of it is too long to cast. I mean like it takes too long. So I looked into the... other schools."
Sentry holds his hands out as he lights a small flame in his hand.
"Elements seem easier for me to manage. You said their were different schools of magic. Elemental magics just come more naturally to me I guess."
He smiles as he closes his fist, the magical flame going out. The Raven looks down at him bewildered. It seemed he had his attention on other magics other than the ritualistic magics.
"Sentry, that's not the point. It is good that you can cast that, but I want you to learn rituals to develop a finer attunement and patience for the arcane. Magic is not free power to be wielded with reckless abandon. Magic is a commitment, and it must be respected."
She reaches for her cloak, unbuttoning it as it falls to the ground. Sentry looked confused as she then reached up, undoing the buttons on her dress. She opens the cloth and drops it enough to reveal her shoulders and abdomen, her breasts covered and wrapped in linen. Her body while thin was toned, the strength was visible, along with the pain. Her pale skin was carved and scared. All scars forming what looked like magical sigils and small spell circles that painted her body.
Sentry's eyes widened at her scars. She looked down at him as she pointed to each sigil, the one on her left shoulder first.
"This one keeps evils out of my ear."
She points taps the one on her abdomen.
"This one burned away a sickness when it tried to take me."
She traces her fingers across her chest.
"This one give me strength during the hunt. Each scar is a spell, boy. Each mark is a trade I made with blood and pain. This is the price of being a Raven."
Sentry looked at her body, not out of fear, but intrigue. The Raven expected him to look at her with disgust at her scars, the very source of her isolation and the fear others have of her. If a church saw this, then she would truly be burned at the stake as a walking blasphemy. But Sentry just stared at her scars with the same intrigue, as if trying to understand what he was looking.
"Do they... still hurt?"
"... Always. But pain is a teacher. One that never lets you forget."
She pulls her top up over her body, buttoning it up as she clears her throat.
"All magic has a source, divine, infernal, natural, or personal. each spell costs something. Whether it be blood, willpower, sanity, or spiritual balance. Back in the older times, the Parliament used to delve into all forms of magic. Now all magic is seen as taboo or evil regardless of it's nature. The only ranks among us that know magic is Ravens, Crows, and Nightingales."
"I thought only Raven's knew magic."
The Raven shakes her head.
"No, it's that Raven's are known to use magic or relics that could cost one their very soul. It's funny really, the churches practice a type of magic but call it prayer. The very act of praying is chanting for a certain outcome, the use of holy water sometimes used as a component, bread and wine as an offering. Calling upon an otherworldly power to grant them protection or strength. If that doesn't sound like magic, then I have no idea what is."
She walks over, placing her hands on Sentry's shoulders, hunching over to meet his level.
"Witchcraft is the school I teach not because it is best in a fight. In a real fight you would not have time to use witchcraft because it is heavily reliant on rituals. But I teach it because one, if you ever fought a witch, you'd understand how their spells work, or at least be able to piece it together, and two, to show you that not all magic is truly evil, it is the intent behind it that makes it good or evil. Understand?"
Sentry nods his head lightly. She leans closer and presses her lips lightly to his forehead.
"I've never shown anyone my scars willingly. And for those who have seen them usually always demonize me. So... thank you Sentry, for not thinking any less of me. You make me think that not all living creatures on this planet are so ignorant to change."
Her words resonated with Sentry, it reminded him of his relationship with Robin. He frowned a bit, realizing that he may have been unfair to him, and would go about to fix that later. The Raven stood as she offered her hand.
"Come now, you have more texts to read over. Once you're finished, then we can fully dive into the Natural side of magic."
Her fingers crackle with lightning.
"Since that is seemingly where your mind is."
Sentry's eyes light up.
"Can I shoot a fire ball?!"
She chuckled lightly. Taking his hand and walking with him back to the Parliament.
"In do time my boy. In due time."
Her eyes land on him as they walk. She had no desire to take Roxane's place s his mother. But he truly had grown on her in a way she did not want. She smiled at him with a warmth she hadn't felt in years. She couldn't remember the last time she had a smile on her face so warm, so inviting.
She felt something for Sentry that she had not felt for anyone, and she knew he had that same feeling for her, every time his bright, warm, golden eyes met her cold, dead silver ones.
It was love.