The Sword Maiden

Sword Drills

Derrek and I talked for much longer, but I never forgot the question that had been brought up in my mind:  Why had Redwar stopped me? 

When it seemed that Derrek and I had finally talked ourselves out, or at least talked enough, I stood up.  "I'm going to work through my sword drills."  With all the excitement of the past few days, I hadn't been able to work through my regular drills.  It was beginning to bother me.  

"Your sword drills?" Asked Derrek as he pushed himself up.  

"Yeah.  Redwar has me go through several drills per day.  I haven't done them in awhile though, because I was busy rescuing you from stupid decisions."  

He rolled his eyes.  "Whatever."  

I picked a clear area of our campsite.  Valeria herself had gone off somewhere in the forest to practice her archery, and Redwar was out riding Ladine.  Only Daxton was in the camp.  He was leaned up against a tree, whittling a stick and glowering at us.  His gaze threatened to unsettle me.  

As I unsheathed Bound, Derrek's eyes lit up in recognition.  "Say, I know that blade!  It's from the blacksmith I worked for.  It was the best blade in his whole shop."  

"He told me you helped forge it," I replied as I held the blade spread out on my two hands.  "Redwar had it made for me, and gave it to me just before we left for Terreth."  

"Have you named it?"  

"Yeah, I named it Bound.  Because it was going to help me in my mission to rescue you and my parents, which I'm bound to."  

Derrek ran his eye over it appreciatively.  "I always did like it.  Only, I'd want the leathering to be green instead of blue.  That'd it look better."  

"No it wouldn't, blue stands out," I scoffed. 

We argued for a moment over which was better, until finally we agreed to disagree.  

Derrek stepped back as I got into my fighting stance.  The first drill was a succession of basic slices and thrusts, with an emphasis of making sure each cut was clean, accurate, and precise.  This is actually a lot harder than it sounds.  Many can make one cut excellent, fewer can make many of them that way. 

I went through the drill twice, as was my custom.  By the end my brow was hot with a light sheen of sweat, and I was into my 'drill mood'.  Which was where I got really focused and my mind tended to go blank.  

I forgot that Derrek and Daxton were there.  I was completely focused on the space in front of me, an imaginary enemy that danced and darted.  It was at the end of my second go at the third drill that a voice finally penetrated the void.  

"You're too forceful."  

I blinked twice and glanced to my left.  "What?"  

Daxton had a thoughtful look to his face.  One that I hadn't seen before.  "You're too forceful in your strokes, you expend energy that you don't need to."  

I raised my eyebrows as I realized that his accent and broken speech pattern was gone.  "Where'd your accent go?"  

He shrugged.  "It comes and goes."  He casually flicked his knife close. 

I narrowed my eyes at him.  "I see no need for you to critique my sword work.  I have a perfectly capable instructor who does that for me."  

He rolled his eyes.  "Just trying to be helpful."  He flipped the piece of wood in his hands.  "But then again, why should I try to be helpful to you?"  

My brow furrowed.  I was both annoyed and puzzled by his comment.  But I grit my jaw and turned away to continue my drills.  

"After all, you're 'The Sword Maiden' and I'm just a little peasant boy.  Or am I?"  

I didn't reply, but took up my fighting stance again.  

"You're not curious?"  

I closed my eyes in mental pain.  "If you have something to say, come out and say it.  Otherwise, I'm going to continue with my drills."  

"Alright then.  I say that I could beat you in a duel."  

I took a deep breath, and lowered Bound's tip to the forest floor while turning to face him.  He was still leaned up against the tree, smirking that smirk of his that played a tune of irritation on my nerves.  

One part of me was tempted to laugh.  He was a poor boy off the streets of Baradom, how could he know sword fighting?  He didn't even have a blade, and earned his living, no doubt, by being a pickpocket.  What would he know about the honorable skill of sword fighting?  

But a larger, more mature side of me didn't spit this right out.  Something was off with Daxton, I'd sensed it from the beginning.  And I wasn't about to make a fool of myself just because I assumed he didn't know anything.  

"Are you challenging me?"  

He shrugged.  "Call it what you like, I guess I am."  He spread his hands out.  "But look, I don't have a blade."  

"No, you don't."  I turned away.  "Too bad."  

Before I could set my fighting stance and launch into the next drill, he said,  "I could borrow your brother's."  

Derrek sat up a little straighter at this and laid a hand on his sword.  It was the sword that I had borrowed from Redwar, before he'd given me Bound.

I turned back to Daxton with narrowed eyes.  "You really want to do this, don't you?"  

His dark brown eyes grew darker.  "Yes."  His voice was hard and resolute.  I knew that if we didn't do it now, he'd challenge me again later.  

I cocked my head at him.  "Why?"  

"None of your business."  

"I have no reason to fight you."  

He smirked.  "But you want to."  

He was right, as much as I hated to admit it.  

I glanced over at Derrek.  "Well, Derrek?"  

He reluctantly nodded and slowly unsheathed his sword.  He held it out towards Daxton hilt first.  

Daxton strode confidently over and smoothly took it.  He looked it over, then positioned himself and took a few slices with it.

My eyes widened.  

He was smooth and quick.  Almost as smooth and in tune with the blade as much as Redwar was.  As much as I hoped I was.  The blade seemed at home in his hand.  It was clear that he knew exactly what he was doing.  

AN:  Oooh, look what's going on here.  *grins*  Come on, you guys have got to be as excited for this fight as I am.