Chapter Text
Iago's eyes scanned his copy of the Iliad, but he found it hard to focus on the words. His mind kept wandering back to the war, or what would be a war if the enemy ever decided to rear its head. It had been almost a week since they had arrived, and there was still no sign of the Turks. Scouts had reported that the fleet bound for Cyprus had drowned in the storm, but there could be more on the way. It made Iago restless. At any moment they could come, yet what was there to do? The castle was fortified and the soldiers prepared, but the uncertainty drove him mad.
After another minute or so of reading the same paragraph over and over, Iago decided he should work off some of his nervous energy by practicing with his sword. He grabbed it and began to head down to the castle courtyard.
Iago’s footsteps echoed down the halls of the castle. Taking a brief detour, he stepped out onto the walkway of the outer wall, where the blustery seaside winds nearly knocked him off his feet. He gazed out to sea, though no enemy ships were in sight. Good. He turned back and began heading towards the courtyard, but as he was descending a staircase, he tripped in his haste and crashed into a woman exiting the kitchen. Her tea tray was knocked into the air and hot tea splashed all over the floor.
"Oh! I'm terribly sorry," said the woman, kneeling to pick up the shards of broken teacups. She looked up, and Iago recognized Emilia. As their eyes met, Iago thought of their past relationship, which had ended on a sour note. They both looked away awkwardly.
"Here, let me help you clean up," Iago offered, stooping and picking up a cracked teacup.
Emilia took the teacup from him. "No, I've got it. Just go on."
Taking the hint, Iago began to leave. If he stayed, one of them might say something that would spiral into an argument; it was best to keep his distance. It was for that reason he hadn’t lingered long in her company the whole voyage here.
"Wait!" called Emilia. Iago turned around. "I don't know if you've heard yet, but Desdemona and Othello are moving forward with their wedding plans. They want to have a small ceremony here in Cyprus."
"Really?" Iago said, surprised. "Thanks for telling me."
Emilia nodded and looked back to her business, and Iago moved along.
As Iago approached the courtyard, he heard the clangs of metal accompanied by shouts. He saw Cassio there, practicing his swordplay against a notched and battered wooden dummy. Iago stood there watching as he rehearsed his forms, the sunlight glinting off his sword and turning his brown hair amber. Iago smiled.
"Not bad, but a little sloppy," he called.
Cassio startled and fumbled his sword. "Sloppy, you say?"
"You’re putting too much force into your blows, at the expense of accuracy," coached Iago.
"I can be accurate," Cassio countered.
"Prove it," Iago challenged, drawing his own sword and pointing it towards Cassio.
“You asked for it.” Cassio grinned. He stepped forward, swinging his sword in an arc towards Iago’s side, which he blocked expertly. Iago countered with a sharp jab towards Cassio’s chest, met by Cassio’s sword in a dexterous defensive maneuver. When he sensed another blow coming, he narrowly maneuvered out of the way to avoid being impaled.
“Not holding back, huh? I can roll with that.” Cassio feinted to the right, only striking to his left at the last moment. Iago was caught off guard. Retaliating, he fought back with more intensity. The two of them exchanged blow for blow, metal clashing against metal, breathing hard with the effort of it. At last, as Iago went in for another thrust, Cassio hooked his sword under Iago’s and sent it flying into the grass.
Iago stood back, impressed. "Lucky shot there.”
"Ha, you wish," Cassio teased. "So how are things going? Anything new to report?"
"Everything's fine. We've got Cadmus in charge of the armory, and Lodovico's on lookout. I looked over the supplies myself yesterday."
"Still no sign of them?"
"All's quiet." His expression betrayed an uneasiness, despite his confident words. During the swordfight he had felt his cares lifting, only to return again.
Cassio noticed the other man's expression. Iago had been worried a lot lately, and he wished he could help. He thought of the perfect idea.
"Hey," he said. "There's no point in fretting over something we're already prepared for. What do you say to going swimming in the bay? I bet that would cheer you up."
Iago smiled. "That sounds like just what I need."
"Come on then," said Cassio. Together they began to head down to the village, chatting idly along the way.