The Grey Tower

Danos arrived at the sparring area a few minutes early. When the note had arrived in his room, notifying him that Riahana Gaidar had requested a spar with him.

If his heart had raced at the prospect of sparring with Master Darrow, it was nothing compared to today. Danos was glad he had been practicing the Ko'di as he arrived and approached the circle.

Seeing the Mistress of Arms move was like watching a master craftsman at work. No movement of her's seemed wasted, every from flowing smoothly into the next. It was a beautiful sight, almost like a song given form. And Danos knew he would keep the sight of the forms, the dance as an inspiration for many years as he practiced his own.

Danos coughed politely as he saw that Riahana Gaidar was finished, " Mistress Ferria, apologies if I kept you waiting. I look forward to any teaching you can provide me. Especially after witnessing the forms done so effortlessly."

Danos walked over to the racks, grabbing one of the longer practice blades, checking the bundle of sticks for length, before grabbing a leather belt and cinching it tight about his waist.

"To be honest Mistress, I have no true experience with the blade or combat. I have been taught a grip by Master Darrow, and a simple guard stance," said Danos as he assumed the stance. Left foot forward and straight, right foot behind him and to the side to steady his balance.

He had been practicing the grip, right hand over left with thumb and forefinger loose, and it no longer felt as strange as it had to begin with. He kept his arm closer to his body, and the blade held straight and true.

“I can give you experience with the sword. There may be many Drin’far’ji and Ji’ who say they are eager for combat experience, but to that, I would say they are fools. Combat is an ugly necessity of what we do, though we should not seek it out if there is an alternative. We fight because we must, not because we want to, or at least that is as it should be to me.

“I will teach you, but we will need more than one day for me to get you to a point where I would consider you competent with the weapon. You will meet me here at the same time twice a week until such time as I deem you competent,” the Mistress of Arms laid out the ground rules for working with Danos.

Tough, but fair, just like I had imagined a Master of so many warriors must be. The Masters seem adept at separating the chaff from the wheat, thought Danos as he recalled the various interactions he had been a part of. The Grey Tower was refreshing, in that everything was presented simply, and a Drin'far'ji had the choice to live up to it or not.

Danos also found her view on combat mirrored his own. He had never been in battle, and so he could not know for certain, but the prancing fools who spoke of glory held no envy for him. He knew a sword was a tool, and he hoped he always wielded his aiding the Tower.

Danos watched as Master Riahana unsheathed her blade, the sword almost appearing into her hand as she assumed the guard stance. As she listed the benefits of learning such a draw, Danos could well imagine two Gaidin in combat, their blades leaping to hand in a hearbeat.

As she slowed the movements down and explained them, Danos could see where the Folding the Fan and Unfolding the Fan were similar, and where they differed.

Danos stood in the yard, and after ensuring there was clear space around him, he began to practice the Unfolding the Fan swordform. At first it took him some time to get used to the belt, and after pausing to adjust where it lay on his hips, he was able to better grasp the hilt of his blade. Taking a deep breath, Danos practice the draw as he had seen, placing his right hand upon the hilt, near the crossguard with his grip firm but comfortable. The practice blade lacked the clear sound Master Riahana's sword had made while it slide out of the sheath, and the first time Danos tried he pulled the blade into the arc too quickly, catching the final inches of the blade in the sheath.

Red faced, he took a deep breath, mastered his embarrassment and sliding the sword in once more tried again. The second time, he watched the blade to ensure it was clear before arcing the blade forward and into the guard stance. He noted that his reach allowed him to draw much more of the long wooden blade out of the belt before he needed to arc it, and he wondered if that was an advantage over a shorter opponent with less reach.

Again he tried, this time the grip came easily and as soon as he felt the slight pull release as the blade cleared the sheath, he snapped the blade swiftly into the guard, allowing him to place his left hand under the right and help steady the blade. Luckily his unarmed practice had made him strong, and for the brief draw the weight was not too heavy to wield one handed.

Danos then practiced Folding the Fan and he found this one was more difficult than the draw. The tip of the blade swung in a graceful arc, and with his wrists he duplicated the movement that would shake blood from the blade. What was difficult for Danos was timing and knowing the length of his blade. Often he missed the sheath, having over judged the distance between them. Finally he was able to align the two, and once again he was glad that his longer reach allowed him to cross more of his body with the sword before having to slide it down to his hip. He practiced this move several times at low speed, feeling the Gaidar's sharp eyes watching him, assessing his movements with a discerning gaze.

As his sword touch home in the sheath, Danos took a deep breath and knew it was time to attempt both moves at full speed. He stood in the proper footwork stance, and found that as well helped align his hip and body for a better draw. Grasping the hilt, Danos attempted to Unfold the Fan when at the last movement he once again snagged the blade, having misjudged his speed. A short moment later and the blade continued it's travel to land in the guard position.

Holding the guard stance for three heartbeats, he then attempted to Fold the Fan at full speed, and was rewarded by jamming his hand that was steadying his scabbard. The second attempt slid in, and he waited before attempting the final time.

Danos grasped the hilt, and as he drew his sword from the sheath, he kept his body aware of the pull from the outer edge of the sheath Now he thought to himself as he felt that pull change and the blade arc through the air. His left hand had to shoot out like a hare to grab the hilt and help him steady the sword, but he grinned when he knew he had Unfolding the Fan at least pictured properly. Three heartbeats later, and his blade arc down to his hip, the wrists making the movement that shook the blood off the blade before the tip slid into the sheath. The movement was rough, and he had to watch his hip to help the alignment feel true, but he knew he had the basics of Folding the Fan in his mind.

Now comes the practice. Luckily the Gaidin leave a Drin'far'ji alone if they see him sweat in the Yards, thought Danos as he pictured the time he had between Chores and Classes.

Turning, he stood straight, with his hand resting on the hilt of his practice blade as he awaited Master Riahana's comments.

Riahana watched as her newest student began the exercises she laid out for him. She’d had more than one student who thought Unfolding and Folding the Fan were beneath them, but Danos took the exercise seriously. He would not be able to perfect either just with this one session, but so long as he got the feel of the form, along with proper technique, he could practice in his own time.

When he finished, Riahana rewarded him with a small nod, “It is a good start, Drin’far’ji Danos. The art of unsheathing and sheathing your sword, as you have just experienced, is seemingly so simple, but to do it as if the sword is an extension of you requires hours upon hours of practice. Do not think twice about having to look to your scabbard when you Fold the Fan. . .at least initially. It takes time find where you need your belt to sit, and sheath to hang, and then more time to practice the move over and over again. . .but the day will come when you do it like it was second nature.” She offered him a small smile as she took one big step back from him, putting more space between the pair.

“Drawing your weapon is considered by many the first step in any spar or fight. In my mind, there is something which will come before it, but this is something I will teach you later, as we progress. For now, we will focus on guards, and then two moves meant to help all swordsmen and women improve their footwork,” she explained as she laid out the rest of the morning’s agenda.
The Mistress of Arms brought her blade up and held it horizontally in front of her body, with the hilt on her right side, “I will introduce you to one guard each lesson. Today, we start with The Kingfisher Watches the Sky. It is a good first guard to learn, as it puts you in a defensive stance, with the blade held horizontally in front of your body. The grip should be on your strong side, and for me, it is my right side. This is considered a middle guard.

“From your guard stance, you will then bring your blade up towards your shoulder, or even as high as your head, and pivot on one foot as you move the blade in a horizontal slash,” she demonstrated the move before going back to the guard stance. “The move is called The Heron Wading in the Rushes, and it is meant to help each balance and footing. I will stress it not a form to use in combat,” Ria explained as she repeated the move.

Returning to the guard stance once again, Ria purposefully overextended as she transitioned from the guard stance to the form, “There are times when you mis-judge, mis-step, over-reach, or otherwise put yourself in a position where you need to correct your posture, footing, or balance. When this happens, there is a move called The Ribbon Dances on the Breeze. Notice that as I over-reach, instead of trying to force the blade back to me, I keep the blade moving in its initial direction, maintaining the arc of movement from the initial swing.” She paused in her breakdown of the move as she brought the blade behind her, and back over her head before getting back into her guard stance. “Let the momentum of the weapon do the work for you, just as anyone who fights with heavier weapons like war hammers might.”

Keeping her blade in hand, Riahana stepped back to give Danos space, “It is your turn. Practice the guard stance I demonstrated, calling out its name as you settle into it. Then move into The Heron Wading in the Rushes, and as you do the move, think on why it should never be used in combat. Once you feel you know the answer, tell me. I want you to move from Heron into The Ribbon Dances on the Breeze, and then back to The Kingfisher Watches the Sky. Do that set of moves from guard, to Heron to Ribbon back to guard, three times.

“Once you are done, we will review what we’ve covered. If you have questions, we can go through them, but otherwise, I suspect you will have more than enough to keep you busy until our next meeting in two days’ time,” Riahana finished and gave the Drin’ a nod to indicate he should proceed.

Danos was glad when Master Riahana seemed satisfied with his results in the first moves. He knew that would be something to practice, and fortunately everytime he drew his sword he could work on it.

As she continued to instruct, Danos watched as she described the next move, a middle guard she named The Kingfisher watches the sky . He watched as she gracefully drew her blade, the hilt to the right side of her body as she held it in her grip, blade stretched before her body. The blade stopped with no wasted movements, and he could see she was easily able to hold the weight of the sword as it was outstretched before her.

Next came The Heron Wading in the Rushes a high horizontal slash that she mentioned was not to be used in combat but for practice only. Danos was curious as to the intent behind the move, but as he watched she purposefully overextended herself, and led through The Ribbon Dances on the Breeze which Danos saw was a clean smooth correction, the momentum on the sword completing the move over her head. She then commanded that he begin, and so Danos settled into his stance, feet balanced and ready before Unfolding the Fan slowly but with more confidence.

As his blade cleared the scabbard, he allowed the blade to slide free, and snapped his elbow and arm down beside his body. The one handed grip felt odd as he had practiced mostly two handed, but he could see that most moves would require he be comfortable wielding the blade as such. The sword wobbled as he attempted to snap the guard into place immediately, and he felt his mind go over the movements while sheathing his blade once more.

He attempted the draw again, still slow but by now he had the moment of clearance to heart, and as the blade arced out of the scabbard, he settled into The Kingfisher Watches the Sky with greater control. Speed was a delicate balance for him at this stage he was learning, the temptation to go full speed warring with the awkward muscle movements. And so he settled for slower but in control. The guard stance felt comfortable, the blade was across his body which he could imagine was a great position to start from, and with his strength he was able to hold the blade from swaying too much.

Next came time to try the strike. Danos brought his arm up to this shoulder, keeping the blade horizontal as he slashed forward. The sudden pull of the weapon caught him by surprise, and before he could adjust his footing, the blade caused him to fall forward, stabbing the wooden tip in the dirt. That's like throwing the strongest hook without bracing thought Danos, cursing himself for not having anticipated the way a sword would affect his own balance.

Danos once again assumed the stance, and as he did so he called out "Kingfisher watches the sky" his voice loud and clear. As he brought his arm up to his shoulders, he swung the blade horizontally, the sword slashing in a rough, but strong arc in front of him as he moved forward to keep centered. Once the blade swung wide from his body, he could tell that forcing it backwards would take too much strength, and so he attempted The Ribbon Dances on the Breeze continuing the arc at an angle, while swinging it around behind his head. His first attempt rewarded him with a crack of the practice blade on his head, and he muttered a curse as he rubbed the back of his head. "Master Riahana, after having attempted Heron wades through the Rushes I believe it will be unusable in combat for two reasons. First the height of the strike seems impractical to me, unless I mean to behead an enemy, and secondly as I am completing the form, my body is exposed and my sword to far outside of it to bring back quickly," said Danos as he considered what he had learned.

After a nod from Riahana Gaidar, Danos once again settled into position, drawing his blade and settling into the middle guard stance. "Kingfisher watches the Sky", he called out. The he brought his arm up to his shoulders, and struck out with a slashing arc, "Heron Wades through the Rushes" he called out once more, and as his arc was close to completing, he continue the movement of his sword, with a rough swing behind and over his head, to settle back into the guard stance once more, "The Ribbon Dances through the Breeze", he said lastly with a satisfied smile.

He then repeated the moves in sequence, the speed still slow to him, but the control much smoother and less jagged, his blade slowly becoming an elegant dancer in the vein of Master Riahana's movements.

Danos bowed as Master Riahana dismissed him, the days lesson over. Danos racked the practice weapon and headed to his class, jogging to reach the room in time before the bells signalled the beginning of class.

The following free time, Danos took a break from doing his unarmed sequences, the knowledge and reflexes feeling strong enough that he knew the sword needed his regard now.

Standing in the middle of the circle, he felt the breeze and listened to the noise of all the other trainees as they spar and practiced. When he felt focused, he practiced Unfolding the Fan drawing the sword clear of his scabbard faster and faster until he felt the move was smooth and controlled. He didn't know if he would ever achieve the speed to attack after, but after many tries he was consistently drawing the blade without catching or fighting it into position.

Folding the Fan still proved the harder of the two, and even though he attempted it many times, he could not master the sheathing without looking. Now he remembered Master Riahana telling him that it would take a long time to master. Wearing a belt everyday, the same blade learning my hand will help thought Danos as he fingered the wooden hilt of the practice blade.

Next he assumed the guard stance Kingfisher watches the Sky , it feeling strong and familiar. The guard was a good start, and in its familiarity he was able to practice Heron wades through the Rushes with ease. The strong slashing attack kept him going forward, although with the practice he was able to keep his balancing. As he needed to correct the occasional mistake, Ribbon dances through the Breeze allowed him to resume control, the blade looping overhead to resettle in the guard position.

Danos spent each morning practicing after that, until it was again time for his lesson with Master Riahana. He knew he was fortune indeed to have the Mistress of Arms teaching him one on one, and so he arrived prompt and prepared to the practice yard.