[Lerune]: 6.Untitled.teaching

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked.

“Yes,” was her reply.

“It is not easy, you’ll have to work hard to do it correctly, and I won’t accept anything else if I teach you.”

“You shouldn’t. I know I am that way with Pyka. What we do, what I do…you can’t be careless. Many roots and herbs look so similar it is difficult to tell them apart, but when you need something to neutralize a poison, you need to be able to find it quickly, and not mistake something else far more deadly for a cure.”

“You are absolutely right,” Talon nodded, “and you must be focused in the same way to learn the art of swordplay. It must come second nature to you -- in a battle, you would not have time to guess or think, you must react.”

She thought back to the first time she had seen Talon and Kronin battle the goblins…she had been so afraid, so frozen with fear. She just couldn’t allow that to happen again. As she looked again at Talon, she saw him circling her.

“Hmmm…” he said, eying her fully.

“What?” she questioned suspiciously.

“Well, I worried at first that you might be too short to do this properly,” he began, standing next to her, “but I think you will be fine. She’s light enough, and very easy to swing.”

“Short?” she asked with mock irritation, “Who are you calling short?”

Talon laughed.

“You,” he stated, “are not tall.”

Uncharacteristically, she stood straight before him, but was taken surprise by the feeling that gave her. It was as if a flock of wild birds had taken flight in her stomach. Her knees felt weak and she was sure he could hear her heart beating, as it was all she herself could hear. It was true that she was not tall, but compared to the likes of Kronin and Talon, she seemed even smaller. She stood no taller than Talon’s chest, and as he smiled down at her, she felt her cheeks flush bright red and she quickly looked away.

“W-well, perhaps I am a bit short…b-by comparison,” she stammered.

“There is nothing wrong with that,” he began, “it is who you are and you should never want to change that. All we truly have in life IS what we are, and sometimes things we see as faults can truly be our greatest strength. You might be small, Suri, but you are stronger that you have been lead to believe.”

“Do you really think I could do it?” she asked.

“I think there is a lot that you can do,” he smiled as he stepped around behind her.

With trembling fingers, she gripped the solid steel of the blade and raised it, as she had seen him do. Its weight was surprisingly light and nicely balanced, but she still wondered to herself why she was even attempting such a thing. If her mother could only see, she would surely waste no time in telling her how inappropriately she was behaving. However, as soon as her mother’s voice entered her mind, it was quickly silenced when Talon’s arms wrapped around her, helping her to steady the sword she held.

And despite her best efforts, she drew a shortened breath.

If Talon noticed, he pretended not to, as with steady movements, he guided her arms, perfectly transitioning the blade from position to position with ease. Suri collected all her mentality and focused on what he was teaching her, but still, the sweet scent of him was intoxicating. She felt the wild birds in her stomach growing restless, and she thought she might even faint from the excitement of the moment. It was as if they were dancing, slowly, gracefully, the world seemed to fall away, and she even closed her eyes for a long moment, relishing in two feelings the had never known before: the feeling of controlling cold steel with her hands, and the warmth of Talon as his presence surrounded her.