Long Suffer the King

XIV

A/N: May or not be making a playlist for Ophelia bc she has to have some sort of character music inspo.

Klaus finds her sitting at the bottom of a tree near the training grounds, legs up and chin resting on her knees. He crouches down to her and gives her a moment to realize he's there before speaking. "What are you thinking?"

"They're all dying because of me. They're all losing the ones they love because of me." she whispers. He looks down at his boots and sniffs. "Well, I can assure you that they're always losing their lives and not just because of you."

Ophelia looks at him. Some hair has fallen out of his bun, the strands falling and shaping around his face. She notices the tired look in his face and sighs. "What's your story, mountain man? Did my father hurt you?"

He doesn't answer but continues looking at her. Understanding his message, Ophelia gets up. "Right then."

"Let's go for a run." he doesn't give her time to contemplate it, he gets up and starts running off. Ophelia groans and follows him.

They don't run with shields this time, which she's grateful for, but he does make her run faster than she usually does and that nearly breaks her. Between the riding on a horse and the running from last time her body feels like lead. She leans forward on her knees when they make it back to the training area and Klaus walks over to the armory, bring back two swords and a shield. "Ready?"

She peers up at him. "Ready? No, no not really. Give me a minute." she gasps. He leans against the shield, smiling. "But I did, when I went to grab the swords."

Ophelia stands up straight and kicks dirt at him. Klaus holds out the sword and she takes it. He sets the shield aside and stands before her. "Do you know how to hold a sword?"

"Not really, no." she stares at the large weapon. It's a good arm and a half long, with a sharp tip and bright steel. The hilt itself is wrapped tightly with brown leather to provide a more stable grip. The weight of the sword is pretty heavy, it requires more input than Ophelia thought it would. Then again, I am killing people with this sword so it would have to be heavy enough.

"Now," Klaus begins, circling her, "there's a lot of ways you can hold a sword. It all depends on how you're fighting. There's hand positions for short and long range fighting. There's placements that will make your hit harder or lighter. We're going to find what is most comfortable for you."

She turns with him, making sure Klaus is never behind her. The sword is getting really heavy and she fears she will drop it. He stops moving and eyes her educatedly. "Your stance is all wrong and you look uncomfortable."

"That would be because I am. I've never done this before in my life. I don't know what is supposed to happen or what to do or-"

"Calm down." he steps forward and makes a move to grab her arm. Panicking, Ophelia steps backwards. Klaus drops his hand and sighs. "I'm sorry."

"How am I supposed to stand then?" Ophelia swings her sword back and forth nonchalantly.

"Always have one foot in front, the other behind, like you're walking but you stay in place. This allows you to be more stable and your body will not be so exposed."

"How?" Ophelia does what he says and places her right foot forward, keeping her left foot back. All it does is turn her body to the side. Klaus points to her left arm, free of a sword. "You see, if and when you have a shield, it'll protect more of your body." he motions to the front of her and then moves to the back. "Behind you, you'll move faster. All you will have to do is turn your upper body, and your feet can stay planted. Much easier than moving your feet with you." he smiles.