The Sword Maiden

Facing Sorrows

Redwar was sitting off on a bench by himself, a drink in his hand, but I doubted he actually saw the dancing in front of him or heard the music.  He had that faraway look in his eye, which he sometimes got before he disappeared off by himself.

I lowered my rows and made my way over to him.  I didn't want him disappearing tonight, not when it was supposed to be a happy time.  Perhaps I could distract him out of it this once.

He looked up at me as I lowered myself on the bench beside him.  "Ravine."

"Redwar."

There was Vinum in his cup, but it was still mostly full.  Redwar rarely tasted drink at all.  Though he struggled, he'd never tried to drown it out with drink.  And for that, I admired him all the more.  Because there were times, after the Ravager raid, that I would've wanted to do something like that.  Even though I'd vowed to never taste a drop of it until I'd found my parents.

"You know..." I dipped my head towards the cup. " Some people try to down their sorrows in that.  But not you."

He looked down at it and shook his head.  "There's never any point to it.  I've seen men try that- whatever they're trying to escape from always seemed to haunt them worse.  Sorrows, especially mine, can never drowned."

"I know."  There was so much meaning packed into those two words, an understanding between us that had been forged from our pasts.  And maybe, that meant the past, painful as it was, wasn't such a bad thing.  "You've showed me what it means to bear them, face them, instead.  I couldn't have drank Vinum-"

He glanced up.

"But you've given me the means to face them."  

He looked over at my sword pommel, where one of my hands rested.  "What do you mean, you couldn't-?"

"I vowed that I would never taste it, until I freed my parents.  And in helping give me the means to do so-" My hand tightened on the sword.  "You helped me not to give into grief."

He looked up and met my eyes.  I tried to will all my thankfulness for him into my gaze, the way I'd come to respect this man and admire him.  The torture in his eyes eased a little, but didn't dissipate entirely.  He took one last sip of Vinum and stood up.  I knew what he was doing, and I wondered if...

"Redwar."  

He turned after putting the cup on a nearby table.  

I lifted Bound just a little out of its sheath.  "Sparring round?"

He paused, raised an eyebrow.

"Please, let me give you a little something in return to- to thank you for all you've given me."  

He sucked in a breath, then blew it out and shook his head with a smile.  "Alright, Ravine."

I grinned and bounced up on my toes.  Redwar scanned the area and pointed to a dark place where there wasn't many people.  "Let's try over there."

I followed him over, and when he faced me, drew Bound.  I blinked as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, but Redwar didn't give me much time before launching his first attack.

I blocked, countered.  He withdrew before striking again.  I could feel the fact that he was holding back for me, containing himself to more of my level.  Plus, we were using naked blades to spar, so we were both being more careful.  But, as much as possible, I tried to hold nothing back and give him a worthy opponent.

I used the newest moves he taught me, while making sure to keep my feet as stable as possible.  My attacks failed to breach his defense and now it was his turn to push back.  It was hard for me to keep him at bay, but I managed, and we withdrew from each other again.  Sweat was beginning to coat my face and the back of my neck, as I calculated the next move to make.

Our blades shuddered as they met, flat to flat, and I tried another move.  He was ready for it and counted, swinging his blade around towards my shoulder.  I blocked and side-stepped, then withdrew.

I caught a glimpse of his eyes for a moment.  The torture in the gray had eased, replaced by the focus required for sparring with real, sharp swords.  I let myself feel a brief moment of satisfaction before he tried another attack.  

Tonight, at least, Redwar didn't have to battle his regrets alone.  

This time, my reflexes were a fraction too slow and Redwar got past my defense to lay his sword at my neck.  I raised my hands, conceding, and he gave a half grin while backing away.  "Well fought, Ravine."  

Suddenly I heard the sounds of clapping behind me and I whirled to see the people of Time's Tale standing behind us.  With wide grins on their faces as they clapped, Valeria and Derrek were at the front of the crowd.

I grinned, while inwardly chiding myself for not realizing the music and dancing had stopped, or that the townspeople had gotten closer.  Such inattention would be dangerous in a real fight.

As I turned back to Redwar, I was surprised and relieved to see a half smile on his face.  He bowed slightly and the crowd laughed and clapped again.  

"Come out here in the light, where we can see you!"  Someone yelled.  The crowd murmured agreement and Valeria pointed towards the center of the dance area.  

I glanced at Redwar.  It was up to him.  

He tossed me a wink and nodded.  I grinned and laughed.  "Alright!" I shouted back and the crowd cheered before parting for us to make our way to the dance area.

We took our stances again in the well lighted area, and once again my eyes had to adjust.  It almost made me mess up again but I was just in time to block Redwar's blade.  He withdrew, and it was my turn to attack.  

Sparring, between two individuals who knew each other, was all about a back in forth dueling.  One attacked, then the other, until someone won the match.  Of course, if we were simulating a real fight, there wouldn't be any of that.  But for practice and building reflexes, this allowed both partners to exercise defense and attacking tactics. 

It was to gasps, awed silence, and occasional cheers that Redwar and I sparred this time.  Like a matched dancing couple, we went back and forth.  The town people had obviously not seen a lot of this type of swordsmanship, and I couldn't blame them for being enthusiastic. 

It reminded me of the time when I first seen Redwar with a blade.  How he'd flowed, how the sword had been an extension of himself.  How I had wanted to be that way.

And today, I was much closer to it than I had been a year ago.  I knew, as well as Valeria, Derrek, and Daxton, that Redwar was holding back to make this an even, safe match.  But none the less, I was glad that I was more of a challenge to him than I'd been before.  That maybe, in this small way, I could help him bear his sorrow, as he'd helped me bear mine by teaching me about how to dance with a blade.