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I'd never seen my own guardian fight before. Wraythe, Eladehl, and my former best friend, Anver, used to work out with swords and other weapons, but never hand to hand. Talin moved like his body was a weapon. Watching him made me understand what they'd been trying to teach us in our agility class. It also explained all those hard muscles on his body, because that looked like a lot of work.
"He was always top student in our year," Lurel said, moving to lean on the rail beside me. "Heard he started training with private tutors when he was eight."
"He's really good," I breathed.
She bobbed her head in a slow nod. "That's Talin. From the first day of our first class, he was a step ahead. Most of us were hauled to the Day of Surrender and left, but not him. He was raised knowing this was going to be his life. Just didn't expect to see him as a guardian."
"Sounds like he didn't either," I admitted.
Lurel glanced over at me. "How'd you end up with him?"
"The baron's son and the girl with too much lace?" I shrugged. "Kinda sounds like it was meant to be, huh?"
She chuckled, turning back to watch the fight. Bram had made a comeback, but not enough of one. He'd still scored a hit on Talin's chest, and the guy had the size advantage. Talin didn't seem to care, though. Where my fight had lasted only a few seconds, this one was dragging on, and I didn't think it was because either man was taking it easy.
"Probably not my place," Lurel said, ducking her head a bit to shield our conversation, "But you should be warned that he doesn't like to play by the rules. Talin's always been convinced that he's above all of that. Considering Ghale's already got it in for you? Don't let Talin make it worse."
"Were you friends before Choosing?" I asked.
"He and my ward had a thing. I was the third wheel." She looked over and met my eyes. "He tends to like his things very, very pretty. You qualify. He also doesn't like to share."
Now that part, I took note of. I'd have to ask him about it later, because he'd been sharing just fine. Granted, he didn't really have a choice. He was bound to me, whether he liked it or not. Sure, he could fight against it, but that didn't mean it would change anything for either of us. Zeal had made his choice.
And then Talin managed to take Bram down with an impressive thud. He had a leg around the bigger man's chest, both arms around his neck, and Bram was slapping the ground to tap out his loss. Both men were breathing hard, yet when Talin released him, he immediately hopped up to offer his opponent a hand.
"First-year?" Bram asked.
Talin just canted his head. "Yeah, sorta. Was in your schooling class."
"Thought I recognized you," Bram told him. "Good spar."
Talin slapped the guy's arm lightly. "Thanks for respecting my girl."
Ghale just huffed as he made notes on his page. "Next up, Wraythe and Falmol."
I honestly felt bad for the guy when he stepped into the ring. From the look on Falmol's face, he felt pretty bad for himself too. I had a feeling he was one of those guys who'd always been used to being the strong one, but even Zeal called Wraythe a giant. The pair lined up across from each other, and Ghale set them loose.
Falmol rushed in with a kick aimed at Wraythe's face, but the big guy blocked it with his forearm, taking the full impact without slowing. The trouble was Wraythe's speed, or lack of it. A man that size didn't move fast, which gave the smaller guy the advantage, but only barely. This time, there was true grappling. It wasn't pretty, but I was still impressed.
"Is he from your class?" Lurel asked.
"Yep," I agreed, not wanting to say more than that.
"I can't even imagine who he was paired with. Typically, guardians are matched to make up for a weakness in our wards. A naive ward will get a worldly guardian, and a mean one will get a protector who's calm. I figure this guy is either with a guy strong enough to get himself in real trouble, or a girl so dainty she needs a meat shield."
"Meat shield?" I asked, trying not to laugh at the term.
Lurel flashed me a friendly smile and shrugged. "I figure he's more mobile than a wall, but not by much. You happen to know who he bonded to?"
"My partner, actually. Guy about Talin's size."
The girl wasn't moving, but it still felt like she paused. Then she tipped her head toward Wraythe. "He's the one who carried Talin after Zeal rode his body?"
"He is," I agreed.
"Yeah..." she breathed. "The way I heard that story, he and his ward promised a god they'd take care of the chosen one." And she pointedly looked across my lace-covered skin. "So I guess I'm right on both counts, huh?"
"I am not so dainty I need a meat shield," I told her.
