Sword and Mind

24

Rumah's arms ached from the swordplay. She knew she needed the training, but she hated it all the same. As she looked about Pallu's garden, she realized she wasn't the only one. Three mind masters were puffing in exhaustion as Vinit drilled and redrilled the forms they had learned as students. Only a few masters, like Pallu, continued on with sword training after the first five years. None of Vinit's pupils had continued their swordplay. He huffed and puffed as much as his students. For Vinit, the sounds were made not in fatigue but in exasperation.

"Start again, Vanak."

****

Pallu sat comfortably in her parlor with her four pupils, Yunin being one of them. Various items floated in the air. Pallu had them blindfolded and would sporadically distract them while they tried to maintain concentration on the floating objects. More often than not, the objects would waiver or fall. As part of all the sword masters' training, they would have to learn Nimshi's shield and eventually Pallu's Ball Trick. These teaching sessions were the only times Yunin and Pallu spent time together. All of the Pallu's extra time was spent finding new defensive and attacking tricks to play against the mages. Nimshi had already separated the wizards' attacks and defensive moves of the mages. There was no need to know how they did their spells, only what they did. With this knowledge the team went forward in supplementing the masters' lost information and skills.

Her stomach turned when she thought of all the attacks and counterattacks that were lost in the last war with the mages some one hundred and fifty ears ago. The eldest masters had died from battles and with them so had the knowledge they had accumulated.

"Stop worrying, Pallu," whispered Yunin when no one else was close enough to hear.

She cast him a sidelong glance and then looked him full in the face. "I'm not worried."

"Yes, you are." He reached out and squeezed her hand.

She resisted the urge to look at his hand and thought of how his hand always seemed to encapsulate hers protectively. For the first time, she felt like she wanted to be protected, and she felt safe with him. She had never felt that safety with anyone besides her father and Vinit, both father figures. Her eyes met Yunin's. He was definitely not a father figure.

"Pallu, I want to tell you something." He pulled her into the next room which was blessedly empty. He kissed her hand. "I'm in love with you, Pallu. I know it's not the most romantic time to..."

She kissed him so passionately that when they looked each other in the face Yunin was blushing bright crimson and so was she. "I'm in love with you too, Yunin."

His arms slipped around her waist. A smirk flitted across his face as he said, "I couldn't tell." Then he kissed her again.

Her head rested against his chest. "We have such wonderful timing. The beginning of a war."

"What are you two doing in here?" demanded a knowing Rumah.

Yunin continued to hold Pallu who had gone quite shy. "I intend to marry your sister, Rumah."

Pallu's eyes widened. "Yunin!"

"Ya're fer needin' ta task our Pa."

"I did."

Pallu's mouth dropped open. "You've already spoken to him before talking to me?"

Yunin went shy. "Aye, well... They weren't going to let you teach me because they knew about us. I said that if they didn't I'd be here everyday despite the council's word. They said to defy their wishes bordered on treason and that's when I told everyone that I'm in love with you and a small thing like treason didn't matter compared to being with you."