High was the sun gleaming over fair Alegasia on this most calm and tranquil of early spring afternoons in the land. The grasslands were bristling with life and very much alive with wondrous shades of emerald greens, dotted with flowers of such frailty and beauty cascading across the valleys and basking in the warm sunlight. A soft breeze of air carried forth upon it the stray seeds of the dandelions and the blissful scent of spring, that oh so pleasant aroma of tulips and lilacs, of the vapors put off by the wild fruit trees bearing their precious and delectable gifts of nature. What a day it was indeed for the young knight in training. Clad in a set of plate armor passed down from her dearly departed father, glowing almost heavenly amidst the afternoon rays of the sun, Irina stood poised, motionless for a moment, her eyes closed and her thoughts...empty of any and all distractions. Tightly, she clutched the hilt of her longsword in her gauntleted hands, her body already positioned in the right to perform a swift strike. Irina readied herself, physically and mentally for that moment, and then...."HA!" She swung the heavy blade forward in the fastest of motions, the shrill whistle of the weapon permeating the thin air about her sounding off. Vanquishing the enemy was she in her mind, but outside of her...nothing. Lifting her sword again, she gave another shout and another swing forward, this time pulling the blade back and giving it a hearty thrust. "HYA!"

A gruff snort soon followed from Irina's companion, her noble steed Argo, the Clydesdale standing tall with his muscular frame towards the woman in armor. Either the horse was expressing his utmost disapproval in the sloppiness of his rider's stance and her form, or...he was bothered by Irina making too much racket with her sword practice. Likewise, the knight chuckled resting her sword against the pauldrons on her shoulders. "Oh shut your gob, you!" She laughed jovially to the muscular, auburn furred horse, another snort following suit with a neigh in retort towards Irina's comment. "Well if you think you can do better, Argo, be my guest." Irina replied back with a smirk. Argo then shook his large head with yet another snort before trotting off towards the green apple tree a few paces away. Such a card the animal was, Irina thought, before she soon resumed her practice stance and continued slicing her longsword at only air. All the while she trained herself, something caught her from the corner of her eye, something..un-ordinary to her. Hmm? There were riders, clad were they in armor as hers, except...the color was indeed off-putting, black...black as the darkest pit in a viper's eye. These were not knights of the kingdom or any kingdom for that matter, as there be no display of heraldry nor sigil upon their shields or their cuirasses. I've a bad feeling of these few.

Irina watched vigilantly as the three armored men rode forth on their dark steeds past her, something about their haste, how they carried themselves...it felt....evil to the woman. Quickly, she called for Argo, the horse instantly at her side as she climbed into the saddle and donned her helm. "Ride, Argo! Forward with thee!" She shouted with a swift kick to the side of the majestic beast and off she and the horse went, galloping fast to catch up with these vile few...and possibly prevent what savagery they may incur.