Aleifr gives her a sympathetic look at that. He doesn't know where her home is - the 'Rohan' he had heard mention of, or 'The Mark' that she had mentioned directly - but he knows that it is far from here, and he knows what a miserable thing it is to leave home far behind you to come to this place. The North is not without its faults, but it is not a nest of vipers, and judging from their shared disdain for King's Landing, he'd wager that neither is this Rohan.
The request that follows ... Aleifr's scowl lifts and an eyebrow arches, intrigued. Without hesitation, he offers an affirmative nod.
"It'll be nice," he grunts, "sparring against someone worthwhile."
He had no shortage of prospective partners, but few that draw his interest. He has the retainers who followed him south, but they offer little that he has not seen before, even if they are capable fighters. Young knights are an even mix - those who see a massive man and see an obstacle to make a name for themselves overcoming, and those who recognize that such a contest would reflect poorly on them if they tried anything of that sort. The latter sorts itself out, the former is rarely worth his time because their confidence eclipses their skill and he has nothing to gain from slapping them aside besides a mesaure of personal satisfaction. The more seasoned southron lords and knights, those who've seen an actual fight, are less eager to measure themselves in such pointless contests.
Éowyn is capable and they've crossed steel only once.
What's more ... he knows little of her, but from what he sees, he suspects he'll come to enjoy her company. She seems a kindred spirit, and one who talks sense ... both of which are rare here. Time will tell if there's a side to her that will prove those assumptions wrong, but Aleifr isn't typically taken by surprise with such things.
Watch people closely enough, they tell you who they are.
That gains a smile - the rare kind which actually touches her eyes. For a moment, under the bruising, there is a different kind of beauty to her: most often, she is coldly fair, like snow on the mountains, but for a moment, she looks fully present and alive, her intensity softened by momentary warmth.
In this kind of place, when she has felt so alone and so scorned, it comes as a welcome surprise to not only be taken seriously enough to accept her offer, but - based on the speed of his response - to accept it with a degree of enthusiasm. It makes her think, uncomfortably, of the joy and relief that she felt when the Fellowship came to Edoras; how desperately needed a small light can be in greater darkness.
(Which leads, inevitably, to remembering how lights can gutter and die out. Perhaps that is why the smile is so brief.)
"And for me, to learn more of how men fight this side of the Sea." With the exception of the tourney, she has had little chance to see Westerosi fighting - only enough to know that it is decidedly different to that of either Rohan or Gondor. If nothing else, they seem to lend themselves more to heavy armour here.
There, again, is a hint of another Éowyn in her eyes; a small gleam of humour which is less guarded than it often is. "So long as they can spar more gently as well; for I do not fear pain, but I should like to have both arms for some of my sojourn here."
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sforzinda
no subject
Date: 2023-12-05 04:05 am (UTC)Aleifr gives her a sympathetic look at that. He doesn't know where her home is - the 'Rohan' he had heard mention of, or 'The Mark' that she had mentioned directly - but he knows that it is far from here, and he knows what a miserable thing it is to leave home far behind you to come to this place. The North is not without its faults, but it is not a nest of vipers, and judging from their shared disdain for King's Landing, he'd wager that neither is this Rohan.
The request that follows ... Aleifr's scowl lifts and an eyebrow arches, intrigued. Without hesitation, he offers an affirmative nod.
"It'll be nice," he grunts, "sparring against someone worthwhile."
He had no shortage of prospective partners, but few that draw his interest. He has the retainers who followed him south, but they offer little that he has not seen before, even if they are capable fighters. Young knights are an even mix - those who see a massive man and see an obstacle to make a name for themselves overcoming, and those who recognize that such a contest would reflect poorly on them if they tried anything of that sort. The latter sorts itself out, the former is rarely worth his time because their confidence eclipses their skill and he has nothing to gain from slapping them aside besides a mesaure of personal satisfaction. The more seasoned southron lords and knights, those who've seen an actual fight, are less eager to measure themselves in such pointless contests.
Éowyn is capable and they've crossed steel only once.
What's more ... he knows little of her, but from what he sees, he suspects he'll come to enjoy her company. She seems a kindred spirit, and one who talks sense ... both of which are rare here. Time will tell if there's a side to her that will prove those assumptions wrong, but Aleifr isn't typically taken by surprise with such things.
Watch people closely enough, they tell you who they are.
no subject
Date: 2023-12-05 10:34 pm (UTC)In this kind of place, when she has felt so alone and so scorned, it comes as a welcome surprise to not only be taken seriously enough to accept her offer, but - based on the speed of his response - to accept it with a degree of enthusiasm. It makes her think, uncomfortably, of the joy and relief that she felt when the Fellowship came to Edoras; how desperately needed a small light can be in greater darkness.
(Which leads, inevitably, to remembering how lights can gutter and die out. Perhaps that is why the smile is so brief.)
"And for me, to learn more of how men fight this side of the Sea." With the exception of the tourney, she has had little chance to see Westerosi fighting - only enough to know that it is decidedly different to that of either Rohan or Gondor. If nothing else, they seem to lend themselves more to heavy armour here.
There, again, is a hint of another Éowyn in her eyes; a small gleam of humour which is less guarded than it often is. "So long as they can spar more gently as well; for I do not fear pain, but I should like to have both arms for some of my sojourn here."