Cassandra didn't know a thing about what he had talked about. She pretended to understand, but she hoped he wouldn't decide to quiz her. She did not graduate to flop an alchemy test. Not that she had known what it was. She understood what it was now, thanks to Varian's explanation.
Two weeks after she had shown him the library, she started to look around for a book herself to read. "What kind of story are you looking for?" Varian asked.
"I actually remember looking at a book with all these weapons when I was younger."
"You know, I've told you about what I like. You haven't told me what you're into." He scanned the bookshelves for the book she was looking for. "Is it safe to assume you're into weapons?"
"You can say that. I can shoot, but I prefer the sword. Can you fence?"
"No. I educated myself. My mom taught me to read, and basic math, but there wasn't any money to get education to that extent," he explained.
"I see..."
"Well, I suppose I have the rest of my life for you to teach me," Varian added.
"That is, if you're interested," she said.
"I mean... I could probably use the fresh air and a stretch..."
"I'll show you where you pick the weapon of your choice," Cassandra offered.
Varian followed her to a room and she opened a large wardrobe. It was full of knives and pistols. Then she opened a second full of swords. "The third one only has rifles she explained."
"Where's the war?" Varian joked.
"Well, when your father's captain in a war, you tend to collect a lot of... stuff," she replied as she grabbed her sword. "Go ahead, and take your pick."
Varian picked up a fencing sword. "Is this fine?"
"Does it feel right?"
"I think so? I wouldn't know."
"It looks like a good match for your build, but I can't exactly measure your strength visibly," she said at last. "That's a lighter sword, so I believe that would suite you better than a heavier one. That's just an assumption."
"Well, I suppose we'll find out then."
"First, we'll work on your stance. You're holding the sword right, so that's a good start. Now, keep your back straight. Think of it as a dance, so we wouldn't want bad posture," Cassandra instructed.
"That makes sense," Varian replied as he did as he was told.
"Now, you're footing is very important. You don't want to lose balance, or it could lose you the fight." She placed her feet in the standard position and Varian followed suit.
"Like this?"
"Yes, like that. Now, fencing is different than actual sword battle since you're not fighting to the death. So we typically just remain in the standard position unless we're pulling a harder move that involves other maneuvers. I'll stick to the basics since this is your first time."
"How kind of you to go wasy on me on my first try," he teased.
She rolled her eyes. "Right. Now, are you ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
"Good. Now, en guarde."
YOU ARE READING
The Alchemist And The Beast
FanfictionA Tangled Rewrite of Beauty and the Beast and Gender Swapped (as much as possible) Varian, a boy who lives in a simple town knows he's odd and different. Despite that, some people do have an interest in him, but he doesn't have an interest in them...
