"You Flan?"
"I am, stranger. Who wants to know?"
"I'm called Theanis. I heard your militia might be fighting some doves and stags soon, and I want to train you up for it."
His eyes narrowed, lingering on the small snake wrapped around her arm, its tongue flicking out from her tunic's collar.
"So you can supplant the baron yourself, noble?"
"Sharp eyes. No. Jerry lent me this," she said, brandishing the cudgel, "and has heard of my reputation. Some call me 'the Grass Snake'. I don't like nobility much."
"Hmm. You have my attention. What do we need to drill, in your opinion?"
"You fight with pikes, so you have a good base. A two-rank formation, front pikes forward and second row angled up against the doves, is the start. Your archers should be mixed in; doves are fragile, but you need big volleys to hit them even in half-shift. One to two mix, maybe one to three, and all of them with axes or knives in case one of Columban's kids is fast or lucky."
"And that will be all?"
"You'll also want to practice shifting to a rounded formation if the wings flank you. Or the stags - they're foot cavalry, and can circle around well. But good discipline is the most important thing, as usual."
"Well, you have a veteran's manner about it. Have you approved this with the baron?"
"No, and I'd prefer not to. I don't much care for authorities, bloodline or not."
"He's the only one nearby in any position to pay you, but if that's not an obstacle, I can manage."
"Jerry's giving me room and board, and if the baron's sons want training then he'll pay. The commoners I'll train for nothing."
Flan raised his eyebrow. "I suppose I can work with that. Start day after next, halfway to sunset, on the green? I'll split the boys, every other day for most of them and every day for those who can."
"That'll do. The Columban won't be here for a couple months yet. Though I'll be moving on to the next village once I think you and your boys have the drills right."
He nodded.

"Flan like you?"
"He took me seriously. Tomorrow next, afternoon, on the green."
"Mm. A cautious one, he is. Good enough to me. Willing to do odd jobs around here while you're not busy?"
"Sure. I don't drink much and have a good eye for troublemakers, if you'd like me to keep an eye on the room."
"Tasting the air?"
"A little bit, a little bit my friend Geryon, a little bit of experience in a lot of bars traveling." Geryon stuck his head out of the collar and nosed in Jerry's direction.

Later, a rambunctious handful of young men poured into the tavern.
"Get us some pints, Jerry?"
"Sure can. What's got you boys all energetic?"
"Flan says we'll be training with pikes this week! Fighting for the shire, aren't we?"
"I've told you a dozen times it's not to be looked forward to, boys."
"Aw, don't be a wet rag."
"Mm." He handed out a few mugs.

One of them, a light-haired, quieter boy than his fellows, glanced around between sips.
"Who's she, then?"
"She's watching for troublemakers tonight, since she'll be here a fair few days."
He looked over at her, and she returned the look with a raised eyebrow. A couple more glances followed him, and one of those others spoke.
"Better you than Jerry!"
"I don't think you're thinking that through, little man. I've drawn a much more recent blade than Jerry has, by my reckoning." (Geryon was nested away, and her skin was staying smooth.)
"Pff, you probably can't even hold a drink, let alone a knife."
"Well, I need my eyes sharp to watch all of you, so I won't be testing that tonight. And a knife wouldn't be friendly. But I can test your strength..."
"Oh, that's a laugh. Sure and we can have an arm wrestle, then!"
The quiet boy who'd first noticed her had his eyebrows raised, now. And stepped away by a small but important distance. Clever lad, he was.

The braggart took a swig of beer and plopped down opposite her. Her smile was cold, possibly hiding a smirk.
"First to touch flesh to wood loses, or to surrender. Just the one try, no 'best of three' foolery."
"Heh, you think you can't last."
"I know that you can't. And I have a room to watch."
"Pff. Fine."
His stance on the table was sloppy, overconfident. Theanis planted hers firmly and extended the open hand. He grabbed it.
She spoke the count: "Three, Two, One, Go."
He pushed aggressively, and she bent down a third of the way before she started pushing back in earnest. She didn't push back rapidly, but she didn't waver, either, and made steady progress back.
He was noticing his bad posture, now, and trying to budge it without shaking his hold. She gave no chance, pushing steadily.
When she had him on the outs, halfway to the table on his side, he put even more force behind it. She wavered slightly.
"Good try, but you just don't have the endurance. You should surrender while you still have the strength to raise a pint."
"Pff- you're just- trying to scare me."
"No, if I was scaring you I'd do this very differently."
"'S if you could."
She was pushing him hard, and making a little progress. He might actually be hurting himself now.
"Is that permission to try? Not going to cheat on you."

Jerry was enjoying the show, apparently: "Why not? Age and treachery!"

"Go- right ahead- if you think- you can!"
She locked eyes with him.
"You asked for it, then."

Her eyes turned snake, just for a split second.
"Gah!"
His focus broken, she smacked his arm to the table.

"Done. Any of your buddies wants to challenge me, I'll do one more. Taking me lightly tonight I can tolerate, later this week not so much."

Quiet boy spoke up, while braggart was still catching his breath.
"When you said you'd drawn a blade... you didn't mean a knife fight, did you?"
"Clever lad. No, I have a sword upstairs. Flan won't be leading the drills this week; I will."
The youths quieted, and the braggart reddened rapidly.

The quiet one was still the only one speaking.
"Are you... nobility?"
Theanis grimaced. "By blood, technically, yes. But I am rather thoroughly opposed to the concept. Which is why I'll be training you lot for free. St. Patrick, Gaia, or bare chance, you kicked the beasts out of Eire, and I intend to help you keep it that way."
"Well. Thank you, ma'am."
"Thank me after you win, and live. Jerry is right - it's not something you look forward to when you know what it's like. But it's coming, and even if I wasn't here, you'd need to be ready."

A while later, an older man pulled up a chair by Theanis's table. She nodded in welcome.
"So, you're training our militia to fight nobility?"
"To fight shifters. Mostly, to fight the two specific kinds you'll see soon. Teaching everything is for dueling masters and career sergeants. Not to mention slower."
"Why?"
"I don't like nobility."
"So you're helping our local titled?"
"Not unless they pay me. No, I'm helping your militia. And your neighbors, and their neighbors."
"But they'll be fighting for our baron, they will."
"Today, yes. Tomorrow, well, I can dream."
"You want them to fight the aristocracy here, not just foreigners."
"I'd like it. But I'm not going to tell them to, I know damn well that would get a lot of them killed even if it worked."
"So you're training them for a rebellion that might happen, and calling it training for repulsing an invasion."
"You could look at it that way. But let me ask you this: could that rebellion possibly happen anywhere else?"
"Hmm?"
"It's unlikely that the rebellion I want in my bones happens here. Not this generation, not next, maybe never. But it's unlikely, not impossible, here where the titles are held by ordinary men."
"Ah. And abroad, where they have blessings from wherever and are much more powerful..."
"There, it's impossible, or the next thing to. If we - if you, you humans - are ever going to throw off the aristocracy and try equality and democracy, it will have to start here. So I plant seeds I don't think will ever be harvested, because it's worth preserving the chance."
"But get them fired up to die in the meantime."
"Flan is doing that fine on his own. And be fair - the baron would press them anyway. And they will have a better chance of surviving with my help."
"Fair it is..."

"...I'm thinking you mean something fancier by 'equality' than sums."
"Yes. It's from old Greeks. Equality of man - every man the same worth, in the sight of God and law. And democracy, rule by the people, the whole people. The same say, the same privileges, the same treatment."
"Sounds radical, to be pulled from the ancients."
"They were a lot stranger than you have time to learn about, when the farms need tending. And it is radical. But I believe in it."
"You wouldn't know about these ideas if you weren't noble-born, would you?"
"No. It's a piece of irony, isn't it? But...  I've committed to it. Far from my ancestral house and living with the 'peasantry', because even before I had words for it I couldn't stand the aristocracy. I cannot abide people holding themselves to be better - more skilled, more dangerous, more wealthy, even, but not worth more."

"Hmm. You know, we're a more literate people than most, I'm told. One in ten knows their letters here in the village, and the towns more like one in five."
"Are you one?"
"Yes, though I'm no scribe. But you see my point, about what you just told me?"
"...Ah. Maybe I should write it. Let it be passed around."
"Sure and you've given me a lot to think about, with just those two words explained. You might make others think hard, too."
"I- thank you. My name's Theanis."
"I'm Sheachnal. It was a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise, Sheachnal."

"Jerry? What is there to know about Sheachnal?"
"Hmm? Why?"
"We had an interesting conversation last evening. He was protective of the young men, but I got into a sidetrack about what 'equality' and 'democracy' mean to me."
"He has a small farm on the east side of town, next to his cousin's. His wife is three years dead, and they had no children. Likely he'll leave the farm to his cousin's second son."
"Not a man tied firmly to the town."
"Surely not. Always one prone to deep thoughts, too. He reads, more than anyone but the priest."
"That part I gathered. He suggested I write down my - philosophy. What motivates me to oppose nobility. And that many in Eire might read it."
"Hmm. Not a restful topic."
"No. If a tenth of the people felt like I do, it would mean rebellion. Revolution. And it would have to be here, where the titled aren't shifters - that's why I'm here. But that would kill a lot of good young men, and a fair few older ones, in the trying."
"Dangerous thoughts."
"Would you really think I'd shy away from them for that?"
"No. Even if you perhaps should."
"That's for sure."
"Fair warning. Sheachnal's interest in you might not be purely intellectual."
"...As in courting? Huh. I appreciate the heads up, I've no time for that."
"I don't know, either way, but that's my suspicion, yes."
"Thanks, still."

The training went well. Flan had it under control, and she left him some brief notes - since he was literate - on other shifters from the larger British isle they might fight if there was a second attempt. She was ready to move on.

Sheachnal knocked on her door the first morning after she'd told the trainees she was headed out.
"Sheachnal. I was half expecting you."
"Do you want a traveling companion? I.. I've been looking for something bigger than myself for years. I want to help."
"Are you sure that's it? You don't, say, just want to impress me for amorous reasons?"
"Ah... you asked someone about me."
"Jerry. He mentioned an incident with a traveling married woman. Didn't get lurid."
"Not my finest hour. But no. I won't lie, maybe we get to a big city and some other idea runs away with me. But - I get your dream, I think, I really do. The baron's nice enough, but to live without that... I want to help."
"Even if that means going a totally different path?"
"Yes. If I travel with you for two weeks and then break off and only speak by courier, that's good by me. It's a beautiful idea. Now that you've mentioned it, yes, I may like the woman who described the idea too. But that's not the point."
"Hmm. If I turn you back in a month, will you be penniless?"
"I suggested it to my cousin's son. If I'm back by next harvest, I get a cut and take it back for the next year. He'll do a poor job this year, but I'd recover."
"Clear mind. Okay, you can travel with me. We won't be going far at first, but I'll figure out what you can do."