[Azura Rayume]

The king clapped his hands together. "Yes, Ser Deo, you are correct. Both boys will fight a round, then we'll have some lunch, alright?"

The sons and knights all nodded, the boys with a bit more excitement than the soldiers. This was the kind of thing they lived for, the chance to move toward their shared goal.

"Alright. Pick your weapon and pair off, Damian against Ser Deo and Archer against Ser Lucas."

[Azura Rayume]

Deo offered Lidia one of the swords he had brought over, which she took before watching the princes arm themselves. Damian immediately grabbed one of the swords and a shield, while Archer made for his bow and arrows. "Ah, ah," she chided, wagging a finger at him. "You can have a shield, but no range right now. The point of this is to get you to work on your swordsmanship, not showing off the skills we know you have."

"Come on, Lucas, you know this is the only way to have a chance against you!"

"Yes, and you need to work on that, now go. There's another shield in the bag. That'll at least give you something else to block with."

[Azura Rayume]

Archer relented, the woodsman set his gear back down and made his way over to his brother. "Give me the shield," he said quietly, a bit put out about not being able to use his own equipment. Damian handed him the desired weapons, taking a little to much pleasure in his sibling's discomfort.

With both princes armed, the four stepped forward to face their proclaimed opponent, looking to Arthur for confirmation of when to begin. "Archer and Ser Lucas first, then Damian and Ser Deo, alright? You may begin when ready."

(Arthur: 7) (Damian: 11) (Lidia: 7) (Archer: 9) (Gwen: 7) (Deo: 6) -All stats updated from here-

[Azura Rayume]

Lidia spun the leather wrapped pommel in the palm of her hand, a smirk on her face. She knew the boy was apprehensive about this, seeing as how he was much less confident at hand-to-hand combat. There was only a little she could do to make him feel better. After all, this was a training exercise; there would be no point in training if she was just going to go easy on him.

"You can have the first move," she said, holding her sword in a semi-defensive stance.

[Azura Rayume]

The wooden weapon felt awkward in his hand, the shape unfamiliar after being so used to his bow. He would have to get used to such a feel, he supposed, though with a bit more weight behind it. The blades normally wielded by a knight were far heavier than any wood replica.

With his opponent ready to allow him to have the first go, he guard looking only to be only half held, Archer felt as if she were ready to go easy on him. "Alright then," he said, raising his shield to protect the open side of his body before charging forward, taking a swing at the knight's open side.

[Azura Rayume]

The sharp clack of wood on wood signaled a block from the knight, the smirk on her face only growing larger. He had really thought that would work! Oh, that was cute. The kid was eager, but she was far better at this to let a bit of excitement get the best of her.

She shoved him back and retaliated with a swing of her own, aiming for the wrist on his sword arm. This might be a training exercise, but she definitely wasn't going easy.

[Azura Rayume]

The rap on the wrist was a hard one, though not enough to make him drop the weapon. Archer was more determined to impress than that. He could practically feel the bruise forming under his skin, but he tried his best to ignore the throbbing.

It seemed he would have to be a bit more clever to get a strike in, or faster at least. At such close quarters, he got his shield between himself and his opponent, shoving forward while drawing back with his sword. Maybe he could distract her enough with a strange maneuver like that.

[Azura Rayume]

Lidia caught the shield blow with her knee, an eyebrow raised in minor surprise. An unconventional move, but one she could approve of. Maybe all that time he had spent in the woods made the boy a quick thinker, something they could use someday. Now, if only he could tame that anger.

The off-timed swing from the other side just caught the top of her cheekbone. With a growl, she shoved against the shield, knocking the prince onto his back with the shield still on top of him. She stomped a booted foot down on the defense and pointed the tip of her blade at his stunned face. "You lose."

[Azura Rayume]

Archer gave a feeble struggle under the weight of both shield and boot, scowling. "Get off me!" he growled, scowling up at the knight keeping him captive. Not only was this an upsetting situation, pinned on his back and under a heavy board, but the mocking way she was smirking at him was demeaning. "I know I lost, now get off!" She didn't have to rub the loss in like this.

[Azura Rayume]

Lidia made to say something, but Arthur interrupted. "You did well, son," he said, motioning for Lidia to let him up. "It's rare for anyone to get a strike in on Ser Lucas their first time around, but you managed it."

Lidia extended a hand to help the prince up- this seemed to be something she was doing a lot of recently- which he gladly accepted. "Deo didn't get that close when we first tested him," she whispered with a wink. "Don't beat yourself up too much."

(Arthur: +1) (Lidia: +4) (Archer: +4) -recorded-

[Azura Rayume]

Archer, only slightly encouraged by this statement, snatched his sword from the ground and went to sit beside his sister. Gwen gave him a teasing smile, which he promptly ignored. Even with Lidia's little speech, he still wasn't feeling his best. He was supposed to impress on this, show them that he was worth considering for the Table. Instead, he wound up making a fool of himself, stuck like a snake under a board and boot. Not cool.

[Azura Rayume]

Arthur motioned to his remaining son and knight, who both rose at the wordless command. Damian was more relaxed than his brother had been, considering the shield for a moment before taking the sword n a two-handed grip. Deo's fighting style, much more rigid than his counterpart, settled into a firm stance, the blade held straight in front of his body.

The king glanced them over and smiled; this was sure to be fun. "Whenever you're ready," he said, stepping back to allow the sparring males room to fight.

[Azura Rayume]

Damian didn't wait for the other to allow him the first move. Before Deo could say anything, the prince had sprung forward, blade brought high for a strike at his opponent's shoulder. Unlike Archer, the crown prince had had a few opportunities to watch the knights train, and he had seen enough of Deo's fighting style to know how Lidia always got around him. Pure power. She always made sure to move first and not let up until the blue knight conceded defeat. He planned to do the same.

[Azura Rayume]

Deo took a step back, bringing his own sword to bear. The blade caught the blow of the other, though the force was enough to jar his arm. This boy wasn't playing around! Well, he should expect no less from the eldest son of their king; with dreams as big as the ones he held, it would come as no surprise to learn that he had spent some time training in secret.

"You're strong," he commented, pushing his blade to repel the prince's.

[Azura Rayume]

"I thank you, but I hope it was to be expected," Damian said with a smirk, pressing another attack against the knight. His strength was in his conviction, something he lacked very little of. "A kingdom needs a strong king and knights, does it not? Otherwise it may fall apart." He meant that as no insult to Deo, seeing as how the knight had managed to shrug off his attack with little recoil. It was his drive.