Step out and show yourself

You touch Steelheart's nose and whisper the command, "Stay," to keep the horse momentarily where he is. It occurs to you that the gesture is somewhat absurd, as Lady Trina would surely be much less concerned about your horse seeing her at this time than YOU seeing her, but rational thought doesn't come easily at the moment!

Trina finishes her drill with a full-extension lunge, holding the sword steady as a rock though the leverage puts considerable weight on her wrist and shoulder. For a long minute, she maintains the position, the only sign of strain being the occasional twitch in her cheek as she keeps the sword perfectly level with the ground. Although you have already decided that you must reveal your presence, it seems unfair to step out from your cover now and break her concentration!

For much longer that should be possible, Trina remains in the difficult pose, until at last the swordpoint dips just slightly. It is barely enough to notice, but clearly Trina seeks perfection. She allows it to drop and stands up straight, taking in slow and deep breaths as one might do in meditation.

You summon your courage (odd that it seems necessary to do that!) and step out from behind the oak tree just as the Sun emerges from behind the trees to fully illuminate the meadow.

Trina turns toward you at once! Another woman might have screamed, and you involuntarily wince just slightly in anticipation of that, but of course Trina does no such thing. For an instant, she looks ready to attack, but then recognizes you.

“Xavier!” she exclaims, and her sword slips from her fingers (you have never seen her drop her sword before!). "Er - Sire! I... was not expecting you." She begins to cover herself, but seems to realize immediately that the action would be rather pointless.

"I am sorry, My Lady," you say to her, taking a step closer with one hand on your heart. "I did come here seeking you, but of course I did not expect to find you... unprepared for company." You pause for a moment, and then add, "Forgive me please, but I am understandably curious as to why I would find you thus."

"I was exercising," she says, looking down at the ground for a moment.

"And very skillfully, I noticed. But is it not traditional to practice the sword while clothed?" A glance tells you that Lady Trina's clothing and armor lie about twenty paces behind her, though she has made no attempt to retrieve them.

"Lord Velimir's soldiers spar without armor or clothing," she says, almost defiantly. "I learned this from one of our informants. It teaches them to fight even when they are at their most ****, and they are **** to hone their defensive skills as they have no other protection. There is a more secluded place where I normally practice in this manner, but with the high meadow closed for the duration of the festival, I did not expect anyone to come this way."

"I think if it were me, I might have played it safe, and practiced there anyway."

"The entire point is to feel exposed," Trina says, "and I am practicing alone, I found I needed to exercise in the open to maintain that state of mind." She then raises an eyebrow, and looks back at the woods from whence you came. "Is there no guard with you, Sire?"

"I came by myself," you say. "As I expected to find you here, I felt I could ride through the woods to the meadow without escort, and you would then accompany me back to the castle when the time came to depart." You turn back and give a brief whistle, prompting Steelheart to emerge. The horse walks to a narrow stream which runs through the meadow and dips his head to drink.

"Sire, forgive my impropriety," Trina says, "but as there is a murderer on the loose, you should be guarded at all times. It could not have been one of the Kingsguard who allowed you to go alone; whoever had the duty should have insisted upon accompanying you. He ought to be disciplined."

You can't help but wonder at this point why Lady Trina has yet to make any sort of move to resume her clothing. If you didn't know better, you would think that her nudity in your presence is an expression of defiance! "Let the man be, Trina. I ordered him to stay behind. The Kingsguard may feel secure enough to occasionally question my orders, but you really couldn't expect such from a man of the City Watch." You pause a moment, and then address the obvious. "If you wish, my Lady, you may certainly take a moment to don your cloak."

"If that is an order, Sire, I will obey it. I would not wish to make you uncomfortable."

Where is this coming from? you wonder. If Lady Trina were another woman, you might think she was just being playful, but that is not in her nature (or in her tone, for that matter). Perhaps she simply does not wish to show that she is in any way embarrassed or put out by the situation? Or, could it be that she is observing your reaction? Certainly, over the past few days, you and Trina have had more in the way of intimate moments than you have experienced in the entire previous five years that she has been in Elyssia. Is this her way of putting your professional relationship to the test, to see if you can still view her as one of your Kingsguard rather than as a beautiful woman? And, given what has taken place recently, how might she prefer to be seen?