She went on ahead and I inched my feet forward after her, taking extra care not to miss step since I could hardly feel my toes.
By the time I had made it to the kitchen, she had already started to make tea, gathering a bunch of small hollow reads called Ochi, quickly throwing everything together before sitting down across from me as we waited for it to boil.
She was right, it was warmer in the kitchen, but I was still cold. I missed Finlo’s cloak, just thinking about how warm and soft it was made me happy, if only for a moment.
“We will stay here until your body is able to warm itself back up. This is also a part of your training. I won't be giving you a blanket like last time, and you won't be getting a warm bath again either. Those were exceptions. Now that your training has resumed things will go back to the way they were.”
I hugged my arms and pulled my feet up onto my seat. ‘Yeah like I didn't know that already.’ “Figured as much…”
Her eyes awkwardly moved around the room as a deafening silence once again filled the air between us.
“You might be weak, but your skills aren't bad, all you need is the minimum strength to use a greatsword, a real one, your skill should be able to make up for everything else from there.”
‘I know that already too, that was my plan. It would be a lot easier if I could use a normal sword though.’ “Why does it have to be a greatsword anymore, is everyone really so obsessed with strength that we just have to use the most unwieldy weapon possible?”
Her eyes narrowed and her face sunk.
‘I guess I probably should have said that differently…’
The tea kettle began to whistle over the fire. She picked it up and looked at me with an almost curious expression that I had never seen her make before. “You usually have so much more perspective than that.”
Her comment struck a nerve. ‘Am I really so biased against this culture that I can't analyze aspects of it objectively anymore? “Sorry to disappoint…” I said slowly, trying to take a step back and look at the larger picture.
“Well… It's fine, you are only 12 after all.”
She struck another nerve, this time agitating me. It didn't help that I still had pent-up rage from training, but hearing her patronize me might have been even worse. “14” I muttered with a growl.
She froze, nearly dropping the tea kettle while she was pouring it. “What did you say?”
I turned my head to the side. “Nothing…”
A part of me thought I was just going to get another lecture, or an interrogation about who told me my real age. Instead of any of that though, she just continued pouring the tea.
‘Did she actually not hear me?’ A part of me was relieved, while the other part secretly wished that she knew. ‘Maybe if she was aware I already knew so many of our family's secrets, then she wouldn't feel like she needed to hide things from me… Like how I ended up getting poisoned.
I reached around the back of my head to make sure the small pouch was still there. The more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed that someone was trying to take my life and that Mara simply hesitated to save me, that was why she waited to administer the antidote. Nothing else made since.
“Here, drink this.” She handed me a small teacup.
I took a sip, trying not to burn my mouth and holding it in both hands. In a way it reminded me of my time with Elsie, drinking warm milk. It was another good memory. This time though it started to make me sad.
Unlike my time at Jerry's house, there was no fireplace or blanket to warm me up. Certainly, nobody was willing to hug me. ‘It is what it is…’ I said to myself, watching the teas swirl around in my cup as the warm steam hit my face.
After a long pause, as if she was waiting for something, Mara finally continued. “It is true that greatswords require great strength to wield effectively but they are far from the weapon that requires the most strength in order to use. Take one of the great sledgehammers from the orc tribes for example or even the strange polearms from the empire they call dragon skewers. Those both take more strength than a greatsword.”
“Do they really though? I mean a polearm is mostly about balance and momentum, if it's designed right the weight should be balanced enough that it isn't that hard to swing. A great hammer is honestly more about what you're swinging at, and whether or not it's fast enough to dodge, it's not like the orcs that use them are actually strong enough to stop a full-force swing before it hits…”
She let out a low growl under her breath. “Siya, this isn't an argument you're going to win, and it's not one I want to have.”
I looked back down at my tea taking another sip. ‘I made her angry again…’ “Sorry, I was just confused. I mean, our swords aren't the heaviest, but they are all balanced a few inches away from the cross guard, that makes them way more unwieldy than any well-made polearm doesn't it? Conversely, I suppose that means we have more powerful cuts, but someone with a polearm could just grip closer to their hilt for the same effect, of course, this would mean anyone that gets past their point would instantly win a fight but…”
I paused as I finally looked up at Mara’s face. Her eyes were wide open. Before I realized it I was rambling on and on when all I was really trying to do was ask a simple question.
She sat completely still, staring deeply into my eyes until I felt like I had to say something. “Sorry… I didn't mean to disrespect our weapons or anything…” ‘Even if it is stupid to not use a shield in medieval combat…’
A soft smile appeared on her face and suddenly I was the one staring at her with a dumbfounded expression. ‘That made her happy?’
Her smile persisted as she opened her mouth. “No, it's fine. You were only trying to learn, so let me teach you.”
The tea had finally cooled down enough to drink, and with every sip, I felt my body warming up as I sat and listened.
“Our weapon of choice is twofold. Firstly it is the most well-rounded of the heavy style of weapons, it has fewer weaknesses and is more compatible with a large variety of tactics. A sledgehammer leaves you wide open after each swing and a dragon skewer, from what I've heard at least, is most effective when you are completely alone.
The greatsword is also the most effective against slaying monsters, which are the biggest concern. We fight those a whole lot more than humans.
I thought back to the one that I had slain. In the end, I brought it down with my bare hands. It sounded pretty cool until you brought up the part where I basically died afterward. ‘Maybe that plan wasn't so great after all…’
After my body finally warmed up, I was overcome with exhaustion. I let out another yawn. “Am I really just tired all of the time because of what Father did?”
Her scowl returned. “You think you're still being affected by it?”
My eyes began to feel heavy. “I guess I didn't get much sleep last night since I had a bad dream, but still…” pushed my glass away and laid my head on the table mumbling the rest of my words as I started to doze off. “Maybe I'm finally growing some more, ha, that would be nice. Just an inch taller than Lu…”
She went on ahead and I inched my feet forward after her, taking extra care not to miss step since I could hardly feel my toes.
By the time I had made it to the kitchen, she had already started to make tea, gathering a bunch of small hollow reads called Ochi, quickly throwing everything together before sitting down across from me as we waited for it to boil.
She was right, it was warmer in the kitchen, but I was still cold. I missed Finlo’s cloak, just thinking about how warm and soft it was made me happy, if only for a moment.
“We will stay here until your body is able to warm itself back up. This is also a part of your training. I won't be giving you a blanket like last time, and you won't be getting a warm bath again either. Those were exceptions. Now that your training has resumed things will go back to the way they were.”
I hugged my arms and pulled my feet up onto my seat. ‘Yeah like I didn't know that already.’ “Figured as much…”
Her eyes awkwardly moved around the room as a deafening silence once again filled the air between us.
“You might be weak, but your skills aren't bad, all you need is the minimum strength to use a greatsword, a real one, your skill should be able to make up for everything else from there.”
‘I know that already too, that was my plan. It would be a lot easier if I could use a normal sword though.’ “Why does it have to be a greatsword anymore, is everyone really so obsessed with strength that we just have to use the most unwieldy weapon possible?”
Her eyes narrowed and her face sunk.
‘I guess I probably should have said that differently…’
The tea kettle began to whistle over the fire. She picked it up and looked at me with an almost curious expression that I had never seen her make before. “You usually have so much more perspective than that.”
Her comment struck a nerve. ‘Am I really so biased against this culture that I can't analyze aspects of it objectively anymore? “Sorry to disappoint…” I said slowly, trying to take a step back and look at the larger picture.
“Well… It's fine, you are only 12 after all.”
She struck another nerve, this time agitating me. It didn't help that I still had pent-up rage from training, but hearing her patronize me might have been even worse. “14” I muttered with a growl.
She froze, nearly dropping the tea kettle while she was pouring it. “What did you say?”
I turned my head to the side. “Nothing…”
A part of me thought I was just going to get another lecture, or an interrogation about who told me my real age. Instead of any of that though, she just continued pouring the tea.
‘Did she actually not hear me?’ A part of me was relieved, while the other part secretly wished that she knew. ‘Maybe if she was aware I already knew so many of our family's secrets, then she wouldn't feel like she needed to hide things from me… Like how I ended up getting poisoned.
I reached around the back of my head to make sure the small pouch was still there. The more I thought about it, the more likely it seemed that someone was trying to take my life and that Mara simply hesitated to save me, that was why she waited to administer the antidote. Nothing else made since.
“Here, drink this.” She handed me a small teacup.
I took a sip, trying not to burn my mouth and holding it in both hands. In a way it reminded me of my time with Elsie, drinking warm milk. It was another good memory. This time though it started to make me sad.
Unlike my time at Jerry's house, there was no fireplace or blanket to warm me up. Certainly, nobody was willing to hug me. ‘It is what it is…’ I said to myself, watching the teas swirl around in my cup as the warm steam hit my face.
After a long pause, as if she was waiting for something, Mara finally continued. “It is true that greatswords require great strength to wield effectively but they are far from the weapon that requires the most strength in order to use. Take one of the great sledgehammers from the orc tribes for example or even the strange polearms from the empire they call dragon skewers. Those both take more strength than a greatsword.”
“Do they really though? I mean a polearm is mostly about balance and momentum, if it's designed right the weight should be balanced enough that it isn't that hard to swing. A great hammer is honestly more about what you're swinging at, and whether or not it's fast enough to dodge, it's not like the orcs that use them are actually strong enough to stop a full-force swing before it hits…”
She let out a low growl under her breath. “Siya, this isn't an argument you're going to win, and it's not one I want to have.”
I looked back down at my tea taking another sip. ‘I made her angry again…’ “Sorry, I was just confused. I mean, our swords aren't the heaviest, but they are all balanced a few inches away from the cross guard, that makes them way more unwieldy than any well-made polearm doesn't it? Conversely, I suppose that means we have more powerful cuts, but someone with a polearm could just grip closer to their hilt for the same effect, of course, this would mean anyone that gets past their point would instantly win a fight but…”
I paused as I finally looked up at Mara’s face. Her eyes were wide open. Before I realized it I was rambling on and on when all I was really trying to do was ask a simple question.
She sat completely still, staring deeply into my eyes until I felt like I had to say something. “Sorry… I didn't mean to disrespect our weapons or anything…” ‘Even if it is stupid to not use a shield in medieval combat…’
A soft smile appeared on her face and suddenly I was the one staring at her with a dumbfounded expression. ‘That made her happy?’
Her smile persisted as she opened her mouth. “No, it's fine. You were only trying to learn, so let me teach you.”
The tea had finally cooled down enough to drink, and with every sip, I felt my body warming up as I sat and listened.
“Our weapon of choice is twofold. Firstly it is the most well-rounded of the heavy style of weapons, it has fewer weaknesses and is more compatible with a large variety of tactics. A sledgehammer leaves you wide open after each swing and a dragon skewer, from what I've heard at least, is most effective when you are completely alone.
The greatsword is also the most effective against slaying monsters, which are the biggest concern. We fight those a whole lot more than humans.
I thought back to the one that I had slain. In the end, I brought it down with my bare hands. It sounded pretty cool until you brought up the part where I basically died afterward. ‘Maybe that plan wasn't so great after all…’
After my body finally warmed up, I was overcome with exhaustion. I let out another yawn. “Am I really just tired all of the time because of what Father did?”
Her scowl returned. “You think you're still being affected by it?”
My eyes began to feel heavy. “I guess I didn't get much sleep last night since I had a bad dream, but still…” pushed my glass away and laid my head on the table mumbling the rest of my words as I started to doze off. “Maybe I'm finally growing some more, ha, that would be nice. Just an inch taller than Lu…”
