The Grey Tower

That form looked... not very useful. Granted, he didn't look uncomfortable in that position. He looked graceful as always, as all warders did. Having one leg in the air didn't seem the best way to fight, though. Well, it apparently wasn't a good combat form anyway. What was the use, then?

Well. Heron Wading in the Rushes. Adra picked up the sword with her right hand, and lifted her left leg. She immediately had trouble keeping balance. She put her right hand, holding the sword, up to her left shoulder. She slashed outward, to her right, twisting her hips the other way, as Prewtez Gaidin had done. She immediately stumbled backward, tried to catch herself with her other foot, dropped her sword accidentally, and fell backward, catching herself on her left hand and right elbow.

From where she lay, she ruefully called out, "Well, that needs practice."

She stood, picked up her sword, and made another attempt. She stumbled again, catching herself sooner, but still dropping the sword. She wasn't sure as to the effectiveness of the technique, but she had learned to hold the sword yesterday. The armorer had seen her pick up the sword, and gave her a lesson then and there. She played through his advice in her head. "Hold it as if it was a bird. Hold it firmly enough that it can't escape, but make sure you don't crush it."

She tried again, bending her knee a lot, and tried again. She hopped a couple of times to keep balance, eventually having to catch herself with her other foot, but she didn't drop the sword. She looked over at the Gaidin. "Was that any better?"

“Not many master it the first time,” he assured her, “and some of those hulking men you see around the Yard look a lot more ridiculous when they attempt it. The key is balance. Concentrate on your balance first, bring the sword into play after you’ve become comfortable in the movement.”

Prewtez wasn’t sure if she understood completely, few Drin did their first time. “Balance,” he repeated.

Time to switch to something different, he decided, not wanting Adra to become frustrated. She did seem to be in a hurry to learn. Had he been so different? He did have all those years in the cavalry and also had trained a bit with a blademaster before coming to the Tower. Prewtez had to remind himself that not everyone had those advantages. Yet still he had had to unlearn some bad habits, habits picked up while using a bastard sword, as well as mastering a new blade.

“Time to try something else, Adra,” the most basic of forms, yet one every Gaidin did as second nature, “This is called Unfolding the Fan, and please don’t ask why such names are applied to these forms, it is just the way it has been. I’ve found books written centuries ago that use the same names for many of the forms we employ now. I suppose it is part of the mystique of swordsmanship. Observe.”
He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and drew it from the scabbard in a sweeping arc that ended with the point of the blade away from his body, waist high, in a perpendicular fashion.

“And the opposite, of course, is Folding the Fan…” Prewtez reversed the motion, the blade shaking just a bit as it approached his side, before sheathing it. “The shake is necessary to get rid of any blood on the weapon, though if it be Trolloc or Fade blood, I recommend a more thorough cleaning. Now you try.”

He watched her as Adra went through the motions of the two basic forms.

“You have three forms to practice now. Please do so. Tomorrow we shall spar.”

So. Balance was key. She'd try to master her balance, when she was alone, in her room. But not right now, as they were moving on to new forms. Unfolding the Fan. She watched the Gaidin unsheathe his sword smoothly, turning the sheathe as he drew. It started with the edge upward, ended with the edge facing our horizontally. The sword came out, ending in front of the Gaidin at waist level. It was all effortless.

He continued on, now demonstrating folding the fan. It was almost exactly that same movement in reverse, though Prewtez Gaidin caused the blade to vibrate on the way back into its sheathe. To clean the blood off.

She shivered, grimacing slightly at the thought. That was the point of this all. Ripping people up, causing their blood to coat your sword. That was why she had come to the tower, that was why she was learning to balance, to unsheathe her sword. So that she could spill the blood of her families slayers. To water the barren land of the house of Glencor with the blood of its enemies.

She could understand her people now, understand their wish not to be involved in bloodshed. She couldn't embrace it though, not now. The thought of her peace loving adopted parents, and felt more calm than she had in a while.

She bowed her head to the Gaidin, and attempted the forms. The sword caught in her sheathe the first few times, but finally she was able to draw it consistently, if slowly. She attempted Folding the fan, and struck her own hand. She winced in pain, dropping the sword. She picked it up right away, face glowing with embarrassment. A few more times she fumbled it horribly, then managed to steady herself. Finally she was able to sheathe the sword consistently.

She bowed to the Gaidin and left, going straight to her rooms to practice these forms. How was she to spar with these forms? Well, she would know tomorrow.

The next day she arrived, the sun shining blindingly on the yards. She had practiced each of those three forms many times, though she could do none of them very quickly. They were much cleaner now, though, but not nearly as good as the Warders' forms.

Standing in the sparring arena facing north, the bright sun to his right Prewtez watched Adra with a critical eye as he had her demonstrate over and over the Unfolding and Folding of the Fan. She showed to be a quick learner and while slow still she had lost the fumbling of the previous day. It would not be long, he guessed, before she was among the best of the Drin… at least in these forms.

“Well done, Adra. But I would like for you to keep practicing those two forms. They may seem inconsequential but they speak volumes to others. Believe it or not, a swordsman can often prevent a fight simply by demonstrating skill. That is one of the purposes of the Fan forms.” He couldn’t tell if the information pleased her or disappointed. Many Drin, their heads filled with images of glory, could not understand why one would wish to avoid a fight. Prewtez had seen too many good men die to believe fighting was glorious. Necessary sometimes, that was true.

“One more form to demonstrate before we take up the practice swords. This is called The Cat Crossing the Courtyard. He demonstrated by moving lithely on the balls of his feet west for ten paces then east for twenty, head held high, eyes seeming to look both left and right at the same time, arms loose but ready. Returning to his starting point, Prewtez Unfolded and then Folded the Fan almost in the blink of an eye.

“Now you try, Drin.” He watched as she mimicked his movements.

“Yet something else to practice,” he grinned, “And practice you should. How much? How good do you wish to be? An hour, twice a day is about all your schedule should allow, that is if a Drin’s schedule is as full as I remember it. Any more time that you can fit in, all the better.” He waited to see her reaction. Too many would-be swordsmen groaned at the thought of so much time.

“Now, before we spar, I will show you two basic forms, one defensive and one offensive, as well as a stance. Please remove your swordbelt, place it over there,” he indicated a place to the side of the arena, “And bring both the practice swords.” He had had the bundled lathes made to approximate as closely as possible the weight he calculated her sword to be.

“This is a stance called The Leaf Floating on the Breeze, a good place to begin as you can use it either for defense or to attack.” He demonstrated the difference, the blade first moving up and down for defense and then switching to a side to side movement for offense. “Let’s see you try it.” Prewtez waited until she moved to the offensive position.

“Now, with your sword out and moving, you can launch into what is called Lightning of Three Prongs.” He demonstrated with a quick thrust of his practice blade towards her followed by two slashes, one to either side. “You can also follow the initial thrust with two more,” he explained.

“You then step back into The Swallow Glides to the Branch, a stance like this.” He began to move slowly, hands on the hilt, blade held diagonally, point at waist level. “You are thus in a stance where you can deflect a counter-stroke and launch your next attack. “Let me see you execute both of those stances a few times, and then we spar.”

Adra glowed when Prewtez Gaidin praised her work. There was something about him that made his praise worth something. If this form could stop a battle before it started, it would probably be very useful. Except that she might not always want to stop the battle...

She tried this new form, Cat Crossing the Courtyard. She couldn't tell if she had done anything wrong, nor if she had done anything right. After she returned to her starting position she asked, "What is the purpose of this form? It doesn't seem to be good for attacking, defending, or anything else that I can see."

Yes, her schedule was quite full. She would try to spend her free time practicing, but there would probably be other things demanding her attention.

At the Gaidin's request, Adra stepped over to the side, placing her sword and all it accoutrements to the side. She picked up the practice swords, noticing that they were closer to her swords weight than the others she had used. Well, that was nice.

Standing lightly on her toes, Adra attempted The Leaf Floating on the Breeze. The feet were easy, but the movements of her sword were nothing like the Gaidin's.

Next she tried Lightning of Three Prongs. It was tricky, as she was unused to attacking. However, both Unfolding the Fan and Heron Wading in the Rushes had made her enough used to the outward slash that she could do it decently. All she had to do was add the other hand as support. As she had practiced Heron with both hands, the opposite slash, while more difficult, was still doable. The stab was difficult, though, as she had no experience with it whatever.

Adra stepped back into The Swallow Glides to the Branch, her hands at waist level, the point of the sword upward. She wasn't sure how to defend with it, but if the Gaidin said you could, then she'd believe him.

Adra fell easily into Cat Crossing the Courtyard her litheness bespoke a background of dancing. Prewtez was impressed but knew he needed to give her an admonition as she asked about the form’s purpose.

“Cat Crossing the Courtyard is not so much a sword form as it is a way of holding one’s self, of movement and awareness. A Warder must always be alert to any potential threat. This form helps make you aware constantly of your surroundings as well as prepares you to respond quickly if you or your bondmate are threatened,” he wasn’t sure if she understood, few Drin did at this stage, “It is one form you can practice at all times. The more you allow yourself to become comfortable in it the quicker it becomes second nature. Combined with the Emptiness it leaves you always prepared, never surprised.” Prewtez wondered if the girl yet realized the commitment she was taking on. A Warder could not allow his or herself the luxury of having a few drinks in an inn, not if it would cloud their judgement or dampen their awareness. A Warder would usually appear relaxed but with an air of deadliness, a viper ready to strike at a moment’s notice. It was a sacrifice many were not prepared to make. Was she? Time would tell, but he sensed something drove this girl beyond simply a desire to be part of the Tower.

Prewtez adopted a defensive stance after Adra had demonstrated a few times the three forms he had assigned her. The next time she launched Lightning of Three Prongs he stepped in to deflect her first thrust. Undeterred, she followed with a two-handed slash that had him stepping back.

“Good work. You didn’t let my first block deter you from following through!”

As she stepped back into The Swallow Glides the Branch he moved his blade in slow motion towards hers, allowing her to see how she could deflect his attack.

“Again,” he moved a little quicker this time, forcing her to do the same. Time after time, speed increasing in gradual increments, until she was able to block his attack at full speed.

“That is how it is done, Adra. You are a quick learner,” he put his practice sword to the side and picked up a bag from which he removed a book, one of the tomes he had loaned to previous students.

“This is the definitive work regarding sword forms, written by a Blademaster from Artur Hawkwing’s time. While many forms have been added since, I think you’ll find this more than an adequate starting point towards learning the forms.” He handed her the cloth bound volume. “Over the next week I’d like for you to work on some forms of your choosing. Practice them repeatedly. One week from today we shall meet again at this hour. Without divulging which forms you have chosen we’ll spar. I expect you to provide me with a challenge, Adra.”

Adra reattempted Lightning of Three Prongs, but her first thrust was parried by Prewtez Gaidin. It threw her rhythm off a little, but it wasn't hard to simply continue with the farm. Immediately afterward the Gaidin attacked with a slow cut, which she blocked by moving her sword up and to the side, like a wall. They reset and the Gaidin attacked again, slowly getting faster.

Prewtez Gaidin reached into his bag, and removed a book. It had a hard cover with a cloth cover. She took it, paging through. It was filled with names of forms, descriptions, and illustrations. She closed it, gave a formal farewell, put her practice sword away, and turned to leave. A few steps later, she headed back, blushing furiously. She had forgotten her sword. With that, she once again turned to go back to her room.

The next week, she was back in the Yards. She had chosen simple and disparate forms. For offense she had practiced the Courtier Taps His Fan, the River Undercuts the Bank, Threading the Needle, Low Wind Rising, and Boar Rushes Downhill. She had chosen the Falling Leaf and Kingfisher Circles the Pond. Of course, she had also made sure to practice the Lightning of Three Prongs and Swallow Glides to the Branch. Nearly twenty hours was no short time, either. She had been drawn aside by other things occasionally, but had always quickly come back to swordsmanship.

Now she had to see if her practice had served any purpose.

Holding two practice swords Prewtez watched as Adra stepped into the sparring ring. It was time to find out what the girl had learned in the past week. “Put your sowrd belt over to the side and take one of these,” he told her, handing one of the bundled wooden lathes. “Today we spar. Please assume a stance.”

He waited for her to comply as he formulated his own strategy. He would not hold back, would not insult the Drin in that fashion. Either she could defend herself or they would need to forego sparring until she could.

Prewtez adopted The Ox Lowers His Horns, right foot outstretched, weight mainly on his back foot. Looking down the length of his blade, the point angled downward towards his smaller opponent, he flowed into The Falcon Stoops, a quick thrust to gauge her reaction time before returning to a defensive stance.

Adra took the sword and assumed the stance that she had been taught last week, the Leaf Floating on the Breeze. Prewtez Gaidin took a stance she had noticed and passed over in the book, the Ox Lowers His Horns. It was a frightening stance to face. Without warning, the Gaidin switched his weight and lunged forward quickly with a thrust.

She stepped back parrying, hastily executing the Falling Leaf. The sword just barely missed her, and she realized she had made a mistake. The Kingfisher Circles the Pond would have been a much better parry for that instance, as it would have taken less hand movement, and her feet would have positioned her well. Not that she realized all of that at once, that came later. She simply realized the other would have been better.

The moment she parried her opponents blade, she came forward with the Courtier Taps His Fan, a direct downward strike to the head. In a real fight, this would have been meant to split someone's head open. With these, it would do no more than cause a bruise. Her sword came behind her head, and began its descent.

Even though the form she chose to parry his attack was not ideal, Adra’s quick hands succeeded in deflecting his thrust. Prewtez nodded in approval, the look in the girl’s eyes told him she had already realized her mistake. A quick thinker as well as quick on her feet he thought.

As the Drin struck with an overhead blow, Prewtez shifted to The Kingfisher Circles the Pond, parrying her blade as he slid to the side. He could easily have stepped into her, under her guard, but her short stature actually worked to her advantage there. Had he stepped in he would not have had room to do anything about it.

Drifting to his right, the Gaidin next attacked with The Leopard’s Caress, a slash that would normally strike at an opponent’s thigh but, on Adra, it would hit her in the side if she couldn’t block it in time.