Demina watched as Lord Ean looked Avelyn over before going over to his armory and choosing a weapon for her. He had agreed to train Avelyn (as Demi knew he would and much to Ava’s excitement.) on the condition that Impreza wouldn’t mount up an army against him when she died. And if she lived, she would give him her firstborn. Avelyn hoped he was kidding about the second one.
“Are you ready to start, Lady Avelyn?” Ean asked. When she said yes, he continued, “This is a longsword. You must always grip it with two hands or you’ll drop it.”
Avelyn nodded her eyes bright and shining with enthusiasm. Ean smiled a little bit and handed her the sword. Avelyn met his eyes and she quickly reached for the sword but Ean jerked it away, eyes grave.
“Lesson number one: always make sure that the person handing you your sword, hands it to you hilt first. Never unsheathed.”
Avelyn bit her lip and nodded serious. Ean handed it to her again, this time hilt first.
“Lesson number two: always be prepared. Draw your sword before you engage. It takes longer to draw a sword than it does to get hit. On the other hand, if your sword and scabbard are suitable for a quick draw, and you practice, this can be a great surprise attack. Like a katana, which yours is not. So make sure you have your sword out and ready to use.”
Avelyn nodded, unsheathing the longsword and gripping it with two hands. The smile faded from her lips as she focused on Ean with intense concentration. Ean grinned, his own sword down, the tip hitting the floor.
“Rule number 3: Make sure you relax! It is perfectly understandable to tense up in combat, but you must make every effort to stay calm, keep the muscles loose, and regulate your breathing. If you are tight, you cannot act with speed, which can be fatal.”
Avelyn took a deep breath, rolling her shoulders and loosening the tension in them. Ean nodded when he saw she had relaxed and moved on, going behind her.
“Balance, keep your body balanced so you can strike or parry without being hit,” he told her, “This is one of the most important rules. Always have your feet shoulder wide and when you move, move so your legs spread apart.”
He showed her and Avelyn watched closely, copying his movements.
“Never have your feet close to each other. Hold your sword so you can handle it with ease. Watch your opponent's movements and learn when he moves in to attack and launch a preemptive strike (counter). Be quick. When you parry you keep the blade close to you so you don't stretch out to block. Always try to counter your opponents attack. Your footing and proper foot placement is key for balance. The more of the sole of your foot touches the ground the more grounded you are giving you greater strength in your attacks. To keep your balance, try to slide your feet rather than lift them up and stepping.”
Avelyn kept copying his movements as he explained and showed her what to do.
“Leaning forward and lifting up your heel also reduces your grounding so be cautious with how your feet are placed and used during each strike. If you don’t, you give your opponent a great opportunity to knock you over. Keep your posture straight and your chest and torso forward. That will keep you from losing your balance during your swings.It also allows you to avoid any blows with certain ease with a simple twist without having your torso turned sideways.This locks yourself to be able to evade an attack in only one direction. You won’t always have time to get into position, so you must learn to do it fast.”
For the next fifteen minutes, he worked on helping her move into position quickly before moving on the next rule.
“Make sure you always assess the situation. Crafty fighters always strive to be aware of their surroundings, their assets and liabilities, and those of their opponent.Try to get an idea of how your opponent fights. Everyone has a weakness.That being said, there will be times when you won't have instances to come up with a plan, so try to do this as fast as possible.”
Demina smiled. Avelyn was attentive and careful, hanging onto every word Lord Ean was saying.
“Make sure you engage with care. If you charge in recklessly, especially against a trained fighter, he may just wait and let you impale yourself on his sword. By engaging carefully, you are able to maintain control and focus at all times. This also will allow your best defense which most of the time is just sidestepping (or side sliding) your opponents attack potentially saving your life and allowing the opening for your winning blow. Dodging works extremely well in a open space or if you're quick, an indoor room.”
